One for the road

Balls!

In an attempt to get my core fitness back I have bought myself a Gym Ball and had a go at a few exercises tonight.....OH. MY. GOD it is hard!

I have tried press ups, sit ups and other torturous exercises with it, I think I will leave it for a few days and have another go and build up slowly, maybe one day I will lose this gut.

Effortless

I had a nice complement the other day, my running style was described as "Effortless". Between you and me dear reader is that although on the surface I may look like it doesn't hurt, I can tell you sometimes it blooming well does.

Take tonight for an example the speed work was there and I was doing fine until I hit a long up hill drag along the A20 just as I was halfway along the breating went to pot, the legs were screaming and I suddenly found myself walking....I swore under my breath and then realised I was doing 7:25 min/miles, time to slow down. I have to admit it though I will have to tone the speed down a bit my legs are getting a little too tired.

So tomorrow I will be taking a very easy runand pacing it properly to try and get that effortless style back :-)

Red Lining

Tonight was club night and these days I invariably take a gentle run to the meeting place and then go for a mid-paced run of about 6-7 miles. It was no different tonight but as I left my house I felt the legs were still a biy achy after Saturday but within a mile they had settled down and I was soon pacing off up the hill muscles warming up nicely a gentle run soon forgotten.

At the club I joined in my usual group and immediately noticed that the pace was 30 seconds per mile faster in the early stages of the run and continued at this pace until we got to 4 miles when we were released to free run back to base. I was aware of a new runner in the group who overtook me on a steep hill and then the gauntlet was down, the race between us began. Paced out, shoulder-to-shoulder we ran. My heart rate was through the roof but I continued on overtaking her on a crossing but all I could hear were her feet thumping nearby behind me, was she playing the waiting game...? How dare she, that is my tactic so I raised the pace soon realising the pace was sub 7.00 min/mile. An up hill finish was in front of us and we paced up it to eventually get to the cross-roads the unofficial finish line......a red line run towards the end, I heard her mention a re-run soon, can't wait :-)

Gatliff 50 km

This hidden jewel has been on my radar for quite a few months now and looks to be a perfect Downland Ultra with 92 runners for the 50 km and a mixture of runners and walkers for the shorter events.

With my recent events at London to Brighton and a reasonably successful run (at ultra pace) at Beachy Head I am tempted to "red-line" this and go for a top 5 after all the 4th place guy last year was slower than me at Beachy Head this year.

So 4 weeks to go and I am actually thinking of going for a podium position...it has got to be worth a try :-)

Double whammy - 50 km weekend

Busy day doing things with the family and I noted a little tightness in my hips so decided to go out for a brief recovery run.

So late this evening I chucked on my kit and stepped of the house for a gently paced run, first to return a DVD to the shop and then to carry on to see how I felt. I ran the first few miles without a problem but felt "a bit uncomfy" down below but thought I should carry on and get home as best as I could. At 4 miles I had terrible stomach cramps and had to cut my run short and run as fast as I could to home where I go to the loo....just in time.

No big problems, I think it is just a combination of carb-loading a busy running weekend, quite pleased with my recovery though...

Beachy Head Route

For anyone wanting the route of Beachy Head Marathon...enjoy.

Beachy Head Marathon 2009 - Report

Throughout the past week we have been reviewing the weather reports as the rumours were that it was going to be pretty rough in Eastbourne on the south coast of England. So it was at 5.15 am this morning that I peeped out of the bedroom window to see wet streets and a moonless night.

I was up and out at 5.45 am to pick up my club friends George and Brian and soon on our way to the coast. About 15 miles out of Eastbourne we noticed the cloud was getting lower and spots of rain were appearing on the windscreen of the car...this did not bode well.

Beachy Head Marathon is a notorious race and undertaken by only the hardiest of man fellows and lady fellows, 26 or so miles across the South Downs with paths made of chalk, flint, woodland paths and ungulate fields. Starting at 181 feet above sea level it rises to 567 feet (asl) after just 3.2 miles. You can see by the elevation chart above that it is, in the best British tradition, called undulating!

Suited and booted and wearing a pair of semi-retired road shoes as my weapon of choice 700 runners, 700 joggers and 700 walkers commenced on our challenge with the feel of drizzle on our faces and the wind in our hair.

After the first ascent and at the highest point in the course it soon became apparent that we could get no visual clues of ascent or descent as the visibility was down to about 50 yards due to low cloud. The ground underfoot was soft after 2 days of rain and the chalk under rock was not assisting in draining it away as large puddles of water stretched across the paths creating clawing, sticky mud and it was soon to find a number of victims who took various dramatic tumbles.

I was aware that my running time was not going to be a personal best for the course as it was becoming obvious conditions were tough so I went off to do my best, have a laugh and get through the challenge unscathed.

To give you an idea of my race plan, it went:

1. Run as fast as I can to 19.5 miles
   
2. Walk the ups, run the downs and get to the finish as quickly as I could
   
3. Keep away from the edge of the cliffs
4. Come back in one piece

At Beachy my opinion is that the race starts as 19.5 miles when you hit the coast and start the sharp ascents and descents of what are called the Seven Sisters, the iconic cliffs which are the South Downs Way. It was here that the wet weather, the cloud and the mud really payed a toll on my reserves, I was at a good pace up until then and onto equalling, if not just beating my course PB but the buffeting wind, the very powerful gust of winds and low cloud base made it very difficult to judge pace and distance, I decided to just work with #2,3 and 4 from my list and just push through.

Digging deep I finally came in sight of the finish some 375 feet below me and I took the treacherous descent to the finish, some 4:45 hours later, collected my medal and met up with all my pals in the canteen for sausage, beans, baked potato and a cup of hot sweet tea.

I kid you not, a tough run but one I would go back for year after year....BRILLIANT

Oooopps

So there was the bag all packed and ready to go, spare shirt, vaseline carb gels etc and I went to settle down for the rest of the evening, a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I may have missed just one thing...no not me, I am always so careful!

So the evening went on, I checked the kit, nope all there but still it nagged me.

Went to the kitchen and there, under a tea towel was an envelope......an envelope Jerry... yes Jerry an envelope with your race number in it you idiot.

Oh well it is all packed now, I am just wondering what I have missed

Thursday night is (pre-race) wash night

So it is Thursday night and being spurred on by comments made by Martin in Beachy Head Weather I have gone mad and making sure all my various kit is washed and ready for packing on Friday night.

In addition to the usual kit (shirt, shorts and shoes) I am going to take the following just in case I need them:

• OMM Kamleika smock
• Hat
• Gloves
• Running tights
  

Knowing how this course has the first checkpoint 9 miles into the race and then about every then ranging 3-5 miles apart thereafter I will definitely take my bottle belt (2 x 500mls, both half full) and fill the bottles at the CPs. Two things are certain though, trail shoes and the promise of a brilliant run

Beachy Head Weather

Here it comes the messages are being sent around the forums that the weather forecast is looking a bit crazy for Saturday in Eastbourne. It looks like we have heavy rain, 17 °C and quite strong winds. Looks like it is going to quite cool with the wind so may have to think about my kit a bit more seriously maybe trail shoes and my windproof smock will do the job.

Carb Loading again

It seems to becoming a bit of a routine at the moment what with all these long runs and challenges but they seem to be getting easier as the months go by. The general feeling is not to over eat and just take in a larger percentage of carbohydrate. Take today, I went to lunch and as a treat bought a super large iced bun to go with my sandwich...guilty not one bit.

As an aside legs feeling OK today but was a little worried last night that my hamstring was pulling again but I had a hot bath and it seemed to calm down. I may go for a short recovery style run on Thursday night to help the carb-loading settle in properly.

MDCLXVI

Out for a casual easy run to and with the club tonight nothing special to report but I did notice at the end of the run I have hit 1666 miles (or thereabouts) this year.

I am having a rest tomorrow night as I have to teach at College and may have a little run on Thursday to help out the carb-loading ready for Saturday's gruelling run at Beachy Head.

Oh well there is always another year

So it is official, I have pulled out of the South Downs Way 100 mile race on 11^th September 2010. I thought it prudent as it is my wife's 50^th Birthday that day and I have a feeling I will be a little busy!!!!!

Not to worry there are plenty of other very good challenges out there next year, I just have to make a point of checking the diary properly.

Good Intentions

After Sunday's run I can't help laughing at this graphic and how in "my world" it is ssoooo wrong :-)

Cold hands means...

...need gloves!

I went out at about 6.00pm tonight for my planned long run, no set route in mind but I planned to run for about 2.5 hours so I took my headtorch, my red bike light (attached to my pack), gloves and waterproof.

I started out wearing the waterproof but after about a mile I took it off as I was feeling a tad warm and continued off into the evening. A nice 17-18 mile run out into the country but as you can see that by leaving it so late it soon became dark very soon and with it the temperatures dropped as I moved into the more rural areas. I must have given some drivers a bit of a shock as I ran along pitch black country roads with by headtorch blazing out but I felt safe as the moved around me.

About 2 hours into the run I was beginning to feel quite cold so decided to take a cut through and head off home and getting through the front door was ordered to take a hot bath, I thought it was because I was smelly but my wife pointed to my hands which had blue nails and I apparently looked as pale as a ghost. I started to shiver so made a mug of hot sweet tea and went to the bathroom.

It has really hit home that autumn and winter are fast approaching and I better start getting my winter kit out and ready for use especially if I am out for more than 90 minutes in length.

KFC - Keep Fingers Crossed

Today didn't start off well and got worse as the day went on. It was soon to come obvious that running was just not going to happen and it soon turned into my nightmare.....shopping and being the taxi for everyone.

Lunch was even rushed as I had to jump between things and it was then decided late this evening that we apparently had to go to Bluewater to get a present for my Mum. In the shops we got the shopping done but were all ravenous and this is where it went all terribly wrong in a moment of weakness I agreed to eat a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal the first for over 3 years!!!

I ate a Zinger Tower Burger and now totally regret it, 716 calories of salt and fat even though I have had a pint of orange squash I have a thumping headache and feel quite sick......Now I know why I haven't eaten one for so long.

Me thinks I will be running tomorrow morning just to try and burn off this horrific meal.

An opportunity not to miss

Trawling my club forum I saw a "last minute" message from another member who is unable to run at the Beachy Head Marathon next Saturday.....who am I to disappoint? I got on the phone and found that he had passed it to another member who in turn couldn't run it so I went to their house and happily passed £20 over for the race number and instructions.

Beachy Head is a brilliant marathon and the tickets are well sought after...I feel it is a lucky win, I can't wait and really keen to try and beat my time from last year.

Grit your teeth

Busy day at work again, luckily more mental stuff than physical and was just writing some fancy computer code to make my life easier. As I was busy I didn't really have time to work out my route so in the end went for an old favourite 12 mile set piece up to Blackheath near to the start of the London to Brighton and back home again.

I have worked out that I have run 39.7 miles in the last 5 days which is some going considering I have just got back into the groove again after L2B and Caesar's and was not surprised when I got to mile 10 tonight, after blatting out a time of 76 minutes (or 7:36 min/miles) I blew up BBBBOOOOOOMMMM just as I reached the hill that ascends for 1 mile. I felt as though all the energy had suddenly drained from my legs and all I could do was just move forward slowly....trot, trot, trot.

At the top of the hill and seeing a runner about 400 yards ahead of me I caught a second wind and went belting off for home and was amazed to see after my little crash I was now pacing out at sub 7:30 min/mile pace and overtook the other runner some way down the hill.

It is getting a little hardcore now and just wish I could keep the stamina up during the latter hilly sections but I am putting it down to all the extra training.

Keep to plan

In a view of keeping the motivation up,which is difficult now the nights are drawing in, I am off for a 12-13 mile round trip on Thursday. I have been umming and arring about the route and was thinking of "just running" but these types of runs only work out if they are of the out and back variety.

To keep things interesting I am now in the habit of always carrying my backpack on all my runs ..WHY? I hear you say dear reader, yes why indeed? It is all down to the matter that during my races I am carrying up to 5 pounds in weight and this is my effort to try and train my legs to get used to the load!

Image copyright - NASA

Race Director

I was planning to do 6-8 miles tonight but just as I was about to pack up at work and go home I found out that the usual timekeeper for the club's 5km time trial wanted to run herself so was looking for a replacement....I decided to take on the challenge.

So the plan changed and I decided to run to the club but just for a laugh through the woods with my headtorch along the lower river path.... I need to check my sanity but there is something quite surreal running at pace in a halo of light. One good thing I have learnt is that the condensation from my breath flits into the light beam causing a temporary whiteout which is a bit dangerous due to the trip hazards. Solution...put my Buff over my mouth and nose..easy.

At the club I had a very enjoyable time sending 55 people off in a phased, handicap start for their runs then provide them with their position stickers and help get the times down. All back safe with some incredible running times I left them all behind to complete my run and went off on a belter of a run for another 4 or so miles...enough was enough as there was a home made apple strudel waiting for me at home.

BTW The training times for the last 3 days back to back works out that I could, with the right road course do a sub 3:30 marathon :-)

Glow in the dark

Crappy day at work today, something broke and it took me 5.5 hours to find out what it was and 5 minutes to fix it when I did. There was a general plan in my head to run a 10 miler up some hills to Keston but for a laugh take my headtorch and an old rear bike lamp I found during a run once which would be stuffed into my backpack.

At mile 5 I had to go down a side road by the ponds and realised that there were no street lamps so my headtorch was put on and WOW, it was absolutely brilliant (pun intended) and I was able to confidently run at a good pace to the end.....I have a feeling I gave the courting couple in the car the shock of their lives as I thundered past and seeing a bodiless head floating by their car!

Hamstring gave a little warning near the top of the hill telling me it isn't quite ready for a full blown 20 miler quite yet.

All Change

It works out that this week I will have to miss my Sunday Long run as we are celebrating my Mum's 80th birthday with a family meal and I won't be able to get a good run in and be on time for the meal. So long run is re-scheduled for Saturday and Wednesday is busy as I have to teach in the evening.

So schedule is a run on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday a tough 50 mile week with includes a 3 day back-to-back...now that is a little tough but I should be able to cope with it!

Sartorial Conundrum

OK, OK the showboat in me is coming out and I have just been packing my backpack for Sunday's jaunts (after all, you can't expect me to stand around in damp gear for an hour) ;-)

Mrs S was watching as I put a pair of trackies and a t-shirt into a stuff sack ready for the pack. She raised her eyes to the moon and tutted "If you must"

Interesting enough is I have noticed that the type of runs I do these days the organisers tend to offer polo shirts as part of the "prize pack" some really good quality but they do tend to get banned by the other half

The question is dear reader, what shirt will I showboat tomorrow? ;-)

and for extra marks, what ironic relevance has this post's image got to do with it?

Run Rabbit Run

Busy day on Sunday, I am marshalling for at the local clubs 10 km race and have volunteered for the fun job of being responsible for handing out Jelly Beans and Jelly Babies at the half way mark!

I still want to get a run in so I am getting up at 5.45 am 6.45 am, quick breakfast with coffee and then try to get in 10-12 5 miles before setting up duties at the start, get the photographer in place and then run to my allotted position, do my stuff with the beans and babies then run home via the nature reserve..

I reckon I should get about 1612 miles in tomorrow which will be a good workout in between training plans.

As Roger Waters said Run, Rabbit Run......this is a great song for you Ipod to listen to after 15 miles in the rain

MTA Slight changes to plan after a later start ;-)

Back to the slog

Being one who withstands religious quotes in blogs normally had to laugh at a recent email sent to me.

Stop press. Lazarus is alive and living in Kent.

Obviously an avid reader of my blog has been monitoring my return from injury after just 4 days. Rest assured dear reader I am taking it very carefully at the moment and taking it a day at a time and still icing and undergoing "post exercise remedial stretching"of my hamstrings. ;-)

Back on the road

I got home from work tonight and really felt bloated and stiff, I think it was probably caused by the carb-loading last week and the drop in mileage because of my hamstring. The hamstring felt pretty good today so I thought I would go out for a gentle run for about 40 minutes and see how it went my heart rate never went above 154 bpm. I made a point of time limiting it as I would have probably gone off and done some 10-15 mile run.

I got home and spent some time stretching, cooling down and have thoroughly iced my knee, I feel great that I have been able to get out so quickly after Saturday.

Why Not?

I got asked what I wanted for Christmas this year, I must say that Zorbing has been calling be from a distant hill top for a few years now, I think it is only right!!!!!!

....and then I thought, naaahhh, how about hydro-zorbing (they fill it with water and there is no harness!).

Now to start hinting :-)

Heat Treatment

After many reminders from my fellow runners and friends I am desperately trying to be "a good little runner" and start listening to their advice.

It has been just over 72 hours since the injury and I can feel the swelling has gone down well in the hamstring area of my right knee and is still a little tender to touch. Walking and climbing stairs is fine but it does feel little troublesome if I have sat down for about an hour and then get up, this is probably caused by the tendon shortening.

I can see no benefit of icing the region now so I have gone to stage 2 and bought some Deep Heat patches from the supermarket. I have taped one to the bottom of my quad covering the tendon and it is just giving off a gentle heat and evn after about 30 minutes I can feel the area relax, hopefully the warmth will help the blood flow and get to repairing the injury, here's hoping.

Neuro-linguistic programming

I was interested to read in a forum of a guy who was about to run the Tooting Bec 24 hour ultrarun, he said:

I need to do some very serious mental preparation in the coming 2 weeks. Self hypnosis and lots of NLP will be used to prepare for the pain and to condition my mind to carry on when my body is screaming to stop. NLP can be very powerful indeed.

After reading this I realised that unbeknownst me I too use a form of neuro-linguistics when I run my long runs. You may have noticed in my earlier publications I use the the mantras or small catch phrases such as "Listen to everybody, follow nobody" or "The hills are my friends"or even "If you want to be running at 50 miles you have to be walking at 5", that and many more

On Saturday, I had decided I wanted to run the majority of my race by myself and be that it was such a hard course needed my whits about me at all times and not be distracted by other runners and soon found myself going into the zone and then realised that I was repeating some of my sayings in my head especially when up some of the SOB hills.

I caught one guy up and he started bemoaning his painful feet or how he felt as though it was all going wrong...I just said to him "Sorry mate, you are too negative for my run" and left him behind. Yes, I suppose I could have said something to buck him up but as soon as the negativity sets in it can become infectious, stick with the positive mental attitude, however tough things become.

Pulled Hamstring

I was having a great race today, the trail tough, very tough and I was up for a good time. I was on for 2 hour laps of a very tough course at Caesar's Camp when I started to get a nagging pain in my hamstring which got worse from mile 13 and it was only until I stumbled slightly that I then got a horrific, sharp pain from knee to buttock that would not go away. I sadly had to pull out at 20 miles.

I am still in a bit of pain but will just have to rest up and be a bit sensible about my recovery...now where are those ibuprofen tablets?

Wake Up!

Long road ahead

So it is two weeks after London to Brighton and I am now set for my next challenge mentioned in earlier tales, Caesar's Camp... a long 50 mile run.

Well I think all the niggles have calmed down, my toe is a little troublesome but I'll tape it up and my kit is packed and ready to go. I feel I have over done it a little but I have taken a few of my favourite food stuffs and have stocked up on potato wedges, banana milkshake and have sneaked in a packet of Licquorice Allsorts for a later treat. I have also made up 5 pints of Nuun and put all the bottles in a stuff sack.

Let's get ready to rumble...

Eeeekk.....Look at the hills!

Doing my research I am rather aghast at the hill profile of Caesar's....Gulp!

Click on the image to enlarge it and it just shows what is needed.