The Ironic Monkey

I often get the same old questions when wearing my Monkey Feet a.k.a. Vibram Fivefinger TrekSports and I have no problem explaining to people why. The main reason I love them is that they are really comfortable....apart from The Thames Meander marathon earlier this month. There is all this hype about "heel striking" and "running mid-foot" rightly or wrongly, this is not the reason for this post.

Aware that I have to put in a lot of training between now and May 2015 I have made a point of wearing my Monkey Feet for only one training run a week and so on Tuesday this week I ran 10 miles (16km) in my Merrell Glove 2 with a 9.5 mm stack as opposed with my MF's at 4mm. Instantly I noted during this run that my running style had changed to instead of my feet being directly below me saw me standing more vertically and my strides having a straighter leg on the forward swing. I complained next day and the day after that my heels hurt and then it occurred to me when putting my Merrell's on again that the exact point the heel cup touched my heel and achilles was where the bruising was.

I had been injured by the very shoes that were supposed to be protecting me from heel strike because they offered a higher stack and zero drop such that I was unaware of that heel strike. 

Time to take stock.

Heel injury?

When I first started this blog I was proud to have the tag:

The trials and tribulations of a long distance runner living in deepest, darkest Kent.

 These days I feel there are more "Trials" than "Tribulations" on here but I promise things will get a little rosier soon. Today the Delightful Mrs S dropped me off on her way to work leaving me about a mile to walk to a station a further on my line, I cared not a jot, I was early and had plenty of time. I was about to cross the road and mistimed my crossing when a cyclist jumped off the pavement causing me to stumble slightly, no problems I thought until I stood up after my train journey.......OUCH.

I now have a very painful heel, well not exactly the heel but the section between my ankle bone and my heel on the outside. A real searing which is very tender such that I will have to wear sandals tomorrow!

So, in true runner's fashion, I denied it existed and went to the running track with the idea of getting in 30 minutes of gentle running. No, after about 600 metres I chose to give up and went to visit the Delightful Mrs S (Senior) a.k.a My Mum.

Running has to wait for a bit.

When you sweat no one can see you cry.

Went to the track tonight and silently ran track pyramids:

1600 metres

1200 metres

800 metres

400 metres

0 metres (2 minute rest)

400 metres

800 metres

1200 metres

1600 metres

All at above threshold so it was beginning to hurt a little on the last 1200 and 1600 metres sections. 

The track was covered with a thin veil of mist that by the end was covered in fog which rolled off the enclosing park such that I could not see the other end by the finish of my run. The other track users were doing some kind of painful fartlek routine, the coach peeping his whistle every time they had to run or jog. I chose to run alone with my thoughts when all of a sudden this horrendous flood of emotion popped into my head like a bubble and then for no reason tears ran down my face, silent weeping on a silent track. No one noticed thankfully because when you sweat no one can see you cry.

I left the track content with my 8,000 metre (5 mile) run especially after last night's hill reps and run.

As for my tears, I left them on the track with my sweat and the fog where they shall remain for now.

More a carthorse than a racehorse

The start of November was unusually warm this year but the temperatures have now dropped to the average of about 6 centigrade in the evening so why did I decide to go out in shorts and a t-shirt?

This evening is hill training night so it is not about distance but quality to strengthen my legs and get some much needed cardio work in. The great thing about these runs is that a group of people meet about 400 metres from my doorstep having run about 2 miles as a warm up, I however decided to leave a little earlier and get a 3 kms in before meeting. I have to admit that was the hardest 3kms I have done of late which saw me plodding up the hill like an old carthorse pulling a dray but by the time I had met the others I found I was really warmed up, stretched enough to do 10 x 50 metre hill reps, which is not big stuff but it felt good to get the legs moving and the heart pumping.

Long way to go from here but it feels that the underlying fitness remains that I need to build on. 

Tunnels, Guns and Monkey Feet

Today's run was one of our more unusual ones which found Duncan and I  out on the Thames Path again, however this time along a part of it I have missed on previous runs.

We started out from Eltham train station and pointed north towards the Woolwich Ferry and in doing so passed the scenes of two very vicious and bloody murders both making England look up and see massive changes in the law and the direction it moved as a country. The first was the murder of Steven Lawrence in 1993 at the hands of vicious, racist thugs and 20 years later, in 2013, just down the road a few yards that of Drummer Lee Rigby who was hacked to death by religious fanatics outside his barracks. Both sobering thoughts as we trundled on towards the river.

The run was quite a hard one for me today, my medication making me sluggish and hard to wake was still creeping through my veins, Duncan on good form, ever patient as I slowly warmed up and began to run in full. However, we had a purpose today and that was to reach Gallions Hill in Thamesmead a twenty metre high hillock created from "recycled excavated material" with a spiral path which leads to the summit. I loved the concept of "recycled excavated material" which really means that it was a big pile of rubble, topsoil and scrap that was made during the building of the surrounding estate. Still a nice target for the day and the turn around having passed the Woolwich Arsenal where cannons and munitions were made for the British to find their Empire all those years back.

The highlight of the run, for me at least, was the off piste run through the subfluvial tunnel at Woolwich which connects Woolwich to the north bank of the Thames which saw us pegging it along the tunnel at speed to rise on the far bank to find a cafe.

The journey back to the car was not the highlight as I puffed and wheezed up the hill, Duncan almost skipping but nonetheless a great run with plenty of distractions to keep us on form.

GUCR training starts in full next week with the traditional first day a rest day.

GUCR 2015 - The journey begins

Picture the scene on Sunday just gone when I suddenly realised that the ballot draw for the Grand Union Canal Run (GUCR) was to be held on Monday at 19:30hrs, a sudden flurry of activity on my side checking the questions and answers set by the Race Director, Dick Kearn, who makes sure we have all read the various documentation he sends. It appears I passed when I was notified that the ballot had been drawn and on checking the GUCR website tonight found my name on the list................again.

 

Nowadays social media seems to be everything and tonight the GUCR Facebook was on fire as runners announced their acceptance or rejections for the race. GUCR is going to one brilliant event next year with some very capable runners taking part and promises a major battle at the front with some extraordinary runners wanting smash personal bests.

 

My personal best will be to finish well and this time, with my 50th birthday in 2015 want to make it a very special year by finishing such that my training plan has already been written and starts next week

Thames Path and Poppies

Last week I wrote on my running club's Facebook page that I intended to run from Greenwich to the Tower of London via the Thames Path and Tower Bridge which is roughly 10km.

A few people showed interest but have a feeling the torrential rain probably made them choose not too but did have two intrepid members come along for the fun, Nicky and Emma.

I have run this route on many occasion and have got the route off to a T even with small diversions if the City Zoo near Rotherhithe is closed. Nicky and Emma were great running buddies with funny stories and conversation. I could wax lyrical about how beautiful London is at night along the river, the history and the people but you just have to take it from me that it is. I loved it when Nicky and Emma smiled when we reached the Tower Bridge after some short photo opportunities to then cross the bridge for the serious part and purpose of our run, to view the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red art installation of thousands of ceramic poppies signifying one person dying for every poppy, truly inspiring and significant.

We were not surprised to find thousands of people milling around that evening as it was mentioned that it was to be dismantled after 11th November, we quietly walked around until I saw a lovely lady wearing a Monkey hat so without thinking I shouted "Ohh a Monkey Hat, I must get a picture of it with my Monkey Feet" The photograph above had the heading in Facebook of:

This is the epitome of bemusement of someone "Going along with a joke they don't understand" when I asked this lovely lady with Monkey Hat to have a picture of me in Monkey Feet!

She was a great sport and her man friend totally taken aback with my request.

Sadly we had to leave the poppy field but returned to Greenwich by DLR to a well earned pint of cider in the pub. A great run.

Monkey Marathon

I entered the Thames Meander Marathon about 11 weeks ago fully knowing that I was not going to be pretty.

Training in the past few months has not been great and I could list a whole page of excuses from depression to it being too hot or I was overworked. I don't go in for that nonsense these days, I have nothing to prove to others but only myself and to be frank, I had lost interest in running as I was distracted by other things in my life.

I challenged myself to run a marathon with very little preparation but a burning desire to feel as though I was running again so chose the Thames Meander Winter Marathon which is not too far away . Do not be distracted by the word Winter in its title as we are having a very weird weather in the UK at present with usual averages at this time of year being 13 centigrade and were hitting 21 C when I approached the start line in Kingston, London. 

Before I start, my Monkey Feet got first place in the Barefoot running category, sadly there was no such category.

Mr Annoying

In all sports, interest groups or offices there is always a few characters who are obsessional to the point they see themselves as the "Expert" and need to tell everyone of their escapades, how what you are doing is wrong and everything they do is the right way. I tend to hang back form these people but I was just leaving Kingston station when I saw a man dressed in running kit and mentioned to him whether he was running the marathon, he was and boy did he want to tell me about every race he had done and "how experienced he was" He asked me if I was in the 100 Marathon Club and how many road marathons I had run, I said "No I am not and I have only run four road marathons" Oh, did he love that as he happened to mention he had done 4 road marathons that week already and chose to give me advice on drinks, shoes and nutrition.

His face was an absolute picture 30 minutes later when he approached me to see I was wearing my Centurion Winter 100 shirt and my Vibram Monkey Feet, he said "You told me you had only done 4 marathons mate", I said "Yes road marathons but have done over 50 trail ultras"..... he visibly shrunk 10 cms and scuttled away to probably advise people of his endeavours"

 The Race

The Thames Meander is a must for any runner with beautiful scenery, loads of distractions on the river which was very busy that day with a very big boat race such that we had support cyclists racing close to us as they bellowed support, dog walkers and race enthusiasts for about 5 miles (out and back makes 10 miles) along a stretch but we seemed to work well together.

My choice of Monkey Feet were not the best decision I had made as in some places the path had deteriorated such that there was no tarmac on it and my feet were taking a beating as my heel clonked on jutting rubble.

The checkpoint staff were great and signs were great , after all, all we needed to do was have the river on our left on the way out and on the right on the way back. I was pretty well pleased with my fitness and had run the first 14 in good pace but the continual beating and clonking of my heels on the poor running surface eventually found me walking long stretches but running the normal tarmac and/or woodland paths which effectively destroyed any good chance of a reasonable time but I kept reminding myself that this was not about time, it was about getting through it without difficulty and that is what I did, a very slow (for me) marathon on hobby running training and I got through it to meet my racing friend Fiona at the end.

 Lessons learnt

• Try and stay away from Know It Alls
• Do some proper training runs before entering a marathon, at the age of 49 years the fitness is quicker to lose than when you are 39
• At least think about your shoes sensibly
• Enjoy it 

Well done Hermes Running, great race