Foot Weary

Not my feet!

I am sitting  here wondering what to put in my blog and realised that my eyes were drooping, my body feels tired and legs have a tired, throbbing feeling.....the tell tale signs that my mileage is increasing. I decided to look at my statistics and really pleased that although I had a short gap caused by the recent snow I have hit ~192 miles this month, 55 of which were in the last 5 days.

I ran to the track tonight taking a rather convoluted route to get there and then ducked across the darkened park with my head torch on to watch the others warm up, I however, ignored this and went straight onto the track to plod around stopping ever so often to have a chat with anyone who wanted to listen. I then heard myself say "I just feel as though I am going through the motions" and went to plod on a few more laps to come home at the end feeling quite pleased but a little empty emotionally.

Early night tonight as I have a big day on Saturday...more to follow

Freakish

freak·ish

adj.

1. Markedly unusual or abnormal; strange: freakish weather; a freakish combination of styles.

2. Relating to or being a freak: a freakish extra toe.

3. Capricious or whimsical.

---

freak'ish·ly adv.

freak'ish·ness n.

"It is almost freakish the way you have gone through the transition to those" 

My guru stated as he pointed to my Monkey Feet as we bounced up a slippery incline towards the near setting sun and I laughed.

Maybe it was the mileage I do and the strengthened tendons and sinews that result from it.

However, due to some contractual work that has come my way I have had to change my plans and I decided to slip in a cheeky 6 miles on Monday evening, a nondescript one through the roads and local woods luckily missing the rain.

I now sit here and wish I had not been so head strong and enjoyed the downtime for now, having run 35 miles (56 km) in three days my feet are sore as are my calves but ironically wearing my (newly laundered) Monkey Feet which give me support and strangely warmth  which I feel quite soothing.

I shall rest now until Wednesday.

Short Week but Long Weekend

So what first appeared to be a Cycle Down week when my weekly training mileage naturally reduces I was looking forward to a little bit of recovery. My little corner of England lay under a layer of snow and after the initial excitement of a run in the snow from the running community, ice descended and so did the mood as people realised it was just a little dangerous to run the streets, I cared not a jot.

After yesterday's scheduled Long Run from London I planned to go for a Recovery run, preferably off road but the weather overnight was of biblical proportions as snow turned to rain and the hardened ground turned to mud. Who do I know who likes a muddy trail run but my mate Bhundu who is coming back from injury and so it was arranged that after we had done our husbandly chores to meet up for a run.

Meeting up the first thing said after customary greetings was "Right, let's fund some mud"...and we did, Duncan approximately 7 miles, I doing 9 miles.

Barefoot weekend

So the only running done this week was this weekend in the form of two runs totalling 29 miles (47 km) and all in my Vibram Monkey Feet. My feet a little sore and my calves stretched and painful so it will be a gentle run (in running shoes) on Monday for the next 3 weeks are a step up, GUCR beckons me.

From Subtopia to Dystopia

The day started at 6.00am as I was summoned to the world from a deep sleep to get my kit on to meet Eleanor at the local train station to go to London Bridge station for a planned 18 mile run together from there to our respective homes.

Today was my Vibram Monkey Feet's big day out to try for a long run and by the end of the run they had traveled 20 miles (32 km). 

Tower Bridge before dawn

The plan was to run 12 miles to the the famous Woolwich Ferry which crosses the River Thames and then dip south to our local area another 6 miles away. Setting out we passed all the famous landmarks that people know in London. We were promised rain but for once the sky was clear and as the day went on we were blessed with warm sunshine although stubborn ice made us step with care in places.

Around us we saw the massive landmark buildings encroach and dominate the landscape making the Tower of London and its companion the bridge dwarfed to just tiny sand castle-like structures and from then on the sprawl of new builds the result of million pounds of investment in old dockland areas. However, on our side of the river the hidden path and roads meandered to and fro, hugging the river, once in a while we would pass a jogger and occasional worker but we were alone in a great city, I chattering continually about anything that came into my head, Eleanor expounding some erudite observation.

We soon left the subtopian inner city to watch the swans, rowers and occasional boat pass just after sunrise but still the pace went on and we ate up the miles towards the famous Greenwich and the beauty of the Cutty Sark clipper. To come to a landmark that I had only ever seen on a map, the Thames Flood Barrier, I was amazed it was protected by military grade defence structures, gates, razor wire , moats and huge earth mounds, incredible. Still the miles, the chat and the run continued to be met by a dystopian view, the Greenwich peninsula.

On the peninsula people around the world will know of the O2 arena or Millennium Dome as it was once known. I would have reported here as the North Greenwich Arena where I was a Doping Chaperone in the Olympics but this viewpoint from the Thames Path was an industrial wasteland of gravel, concrete and road hard core. Here Eleanor's imagination run wild and she told stories of the end of the world and giant dinosaurs in post apocalyptic land...jeez I though I was bad on long runs :)

Arriving at Woolwich we moved away from the relative flat of the riverside and my legs welcomed the hills as we ran at them having stepped off the pace to allow our transition from flat cadence running to new muscle groups

  The run finished too quickly, my legs feeling a little tight in the calves from the Monkey Feet but really, really happy that I had gone so far with them.

Saying our farewells I jogged the last 2kms gently to reach home elated but slightly perturbed that I had run 20 miles in minimalist shoes and only drunk 400mls of fluid. Today I have been ravenous.

Bashed and Trashed

I reported in Wear and Tear that my trail shoes had taken a real bashing but now the mud has been properly washed off from my 30 mile run in the snow on Sunday I can see the extent as the rips they have in them. Infuriatingly as it is the soles are pretty sound with some good grip and I am in two minds as to whether to ditch them or just carry on running in them until they deteriorate beyond recognition.

I can't really justify the expense of buying trail shoes for the moment so may have to rely on a pair of retired Waveriders (for longer runs) and Vibram Monkey Feet for anything up to about 15 miles.

I am still amazed how these shoes have been so trashed.....but it was good fun doing it :-)

Winter Tanners - Not a Race Report

So with the cancellation of the Winter Tanners I was desperate to get a run in so the Not The Winter Tanners was born with my new found trail running friends Allan and David, the plan was to start at 8.00am from the Shed at the Leatherhead Football Club in Leatherhead, Surrey. Arriving at about 7.55am bedecked in thermal under layer, two tops, a windproof top and my new running jacket... I was not planning to get cold today as we would be on the trail for about 7 hours and there was promise of more snow on top of the thick layer on the ground and -2 C temperatures. Within minutes I had spotted David and Allan in the car park so after final kit checks, instructions in hand we were off.

Up or down?

As most of my regular Dear Readers will know or will have heard from my blog that Long Distance Walker Association (LDWA) instructions are all in code L (Left) or BW (Bridle Way) etc. but after a while you get your eye in and it becomes easy.......but not the course! The Winter Tanners is always known to be a tough one as it will take you up and over Box Hill and the surrounds on various routes which change on an annual basis.

I have not run with David and Allan before although I have met Allan as we passed in the Winter 100 last year but after a few miles we were laughing and telling stories about our various adventures on the trail. I was a little perturbed at first when I found out the number of miles Allan runs on a weekly basis but I was like a sponge taking in all his tips and experiences.

The miles flew by and I was amazed how well we worked as a team, no egos, David was really good on the details, Allan quietly checking, me getting confused (as usual) but I am pleased to report that we never went wrong as we used the "Measure Twice, Cut Once" approach that always saves time and unnecessary miles.

The snow was about 4-5 inches (20 cm) and lay untouched by human feet as we trudged through it, hopped  slushy puddles, stomped over hardened mud paths and leaped over stiles.The uphills punishing and the down hills enjoyable as moved through the instructions. Later, the snow started to fall again and visibility began to fall in but the good humour was still obvious with Allan telling some ridiculous shaggy dog stories that kept us going for a few miles .

Looking good after 30 miles

Instructions were stating "join gravel path" or "at the end of the concreted road turn left" but we couldn't see this so had to rely on experience and good judgement.

As we ran along we passed and met other runners and walkers who were doing the same as us and doing "Not the Winter Tanners" but we were the only 30 milers. I laughed out loud when these two guys ran past dressed in a long top and leggings doing the 20 miler then called us nutters.

So many hills, paths and stiles but in all a brilliant run out seeing us run to the finish in a line passing it as equal winners to Not The Winter Tanners

Change of plans

Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel

So with the Fan Dance out of the window I chose Plan B...the Winter Tanners 30 miler which was a reserve run just in case of bad weather. So confident that I was going I gave my number away to my good running pal, Peter. This morning I heard the Tanners had been cancelled....gggrrr this "bad" weather was getting silly.

Then the power of Social Media came into its own and my ultrarunning Twitter filter picked up talk of people going to run the distance anyway, self supported so after great deliberation and discussions about road conditions I am out of the house at 6.30am tomorrow to meet the guys for an 8.00am start from "The Shed" in Leatherhead, Surrey. It will be tough but it looks to be a fun day out.

Dirty Drop Out

The bags were packed, the car ready and I was released from work slightly early due to the weather conditions so things were looking up. Then the train stopped between stations and would not move for 45 minutes, then terminated leaving me to part bus ride, part walk home. I still had the intention of getting to South Wales but for days the area I was going to had a Weather Red Alert.

The Delightful Mrs S had other ideas and made it quite clear that she wanted me to stay in London. I decided to look at the weather news, airports closed, jack-knifed lorries, warnings of snow drifts  and dropping temperatures, I was still thinking about it until I saw official warnings from the Brecon Beacons telling people not to come to the area. To be truthful, it is only right as these are extreme conditions for the UK and as they say a person has to risk their life to save yours and with threats of -10 centigrade temperatures. My real fear was the journey to and from the event and funnily enough not the mountain.

I am irritated by the organisers of the race whose attitude is that their responsibility starts at registration and not the journey to or from and have carried on with it regardless pissing off probably 350 of the 400 starters, it appears the people who have got there did so as they had a day off or 4 wheel drive vehicles. Yes, I am aware of the no refund policy but they did have an option of doing it next week and I think most people would have accepted that.

So I have dropped out of the Brecon run but watch this space there maybe something in the pipeline this weekend :-)

Pen Y Fan a video

I love the drama of this You Tube clip taken last weekend in Brecon Beacons and where I will be doing the Fan Dance.

Let's read the drama:

In a world where mountains rule

One Man

Defied the elements

And dared to climb.

A man

Who became

A legend

Brecon Beacons.

Final Preparation for the Fan Dance

I got an email from the organisers of the Fan Dance today, it started:

"

...

As you will all be well aware, we will likely be in for some adverse weather condition on 19^thJanuary. Given the forecast the best we can hope for is fresh snowfall on Friday and clear skies on the Saturday. All participants should prepare for temperatures as low as -10c and for icy or snowy conditions underfoot.

...

"

 Great I said, bring it on, this is why it is called the Winter Fan Dance after all, but it was great to have a warning like this as it helped focus my mind on what I really needed to keep the wind off and the cold out. Experience has told me that it maybe sunny at the bottom but it can be wet/windy/cold/snowy (delete if not applicable) at the top and the talk of -10c is pretty cold stuff.

Kit review

This is the kit list now:

1. Full waterproof body cover
2. Windproof jacket (yellow)
3. 2x Buffs
4. Running + pair of Thinsulate gloves
5. Thermal base layer
6. Thermal mid layer
7. Long and short sleeved running tops
8. First Aid kit
9. Compass and whistle
10. Headtorch
11. Gels x3 + 1l water
12. Trail shoes
13. Skins leggings
14. Survival bag

Some serious amount of kit for such a short race but a lot of it is sensible and mandatory in the conditions. So that is the kit now for the stuff for the car, shovel duvet, blanket....the list goes on.

Taped up

Deja vu

It is like a deja vu tonight when I decided to go out for a cheeky little 10km recovery run but before I did I had to tape up my toe for although it is drying out nicely I want to give it some TLC.

So grabbing the strapping tape I popped a bit over the top and wrapped the toe like a true professional and jumped to the door for a nondescript run around the cold streets monitoring my aches and pains...nothing serious to report on that side.

It occurred to me that I always seem to be taping this particular toe and then I remembered I wrote about it in Plastered Again and then was totally aghast when I saw it was almost exactly to the day last year that I had it taped up for the very same reason. I shouldn't be surprised really after all it is winter and it is wet.

On an aside, I am really pleased with my recent progress as I am currently running an average of 7 miles (11.3 km) a day this year with a 15 and two 18 mile (24 & 29 km) runs to boot.

Wear and Tear

So my old friends the Adidas Kanadia TR24 have had their say..."We are getting old!" and I have to admit I have not always been the best of owners. They have:

1. Been used and abused,
2. Left wet on the door step,
3. Left covered in hardened mud,
4. Ran on every imaginable surface from,
1. Chalk
2. Mud
3. Gravel
4. Grass 
5. Climbed mountains
6. Jumped in rivers and,
7.  Clambered walls, stiles and fences.
5. Trodden in cow and horse poo

But still they kept faithful even when left behind to be replaced by my new Monkey Feet or my usual road shoes. Today I think was the last straw as I grabbed them from the pile to find them encrusted  with North Downs mud and sand such that it took me a few minutes to get the laces working and get them on to run the extended route to the station for a pack run in the country, 18 glorious miles with flecks of snow in the air until my return when I pulled them off to find my foot like this:

This is not a problem for me as I deal with toe issues all the time but it shows my trail shoes may be getting a little old and worn. This was born out this evening when I finally got around to washing them off in the sink to discover the uppers ripped in places, the uppers torn and the lace holes cracked.

The shoes are now drying off and their last journey will be in the Brecon Beacons next week.

Product Review - Sis GO Electrolyte

SiS GO Electrolyte

I was pleased to be asked to try out the above electrolyte drink as I am very particular what rehydration products, if any, that I use.

The SiS website reports this product as follows:

When you want a balance of energy and hydration. SiS GO Electrolyte gives you energy fast and contains balanced electrolytes to enhance your body's ability to absorb water, maintain endurance performance and protect against cramp. It is light on the stomach. Use before to prepare and during sport when you are sweating heavily.

I was interested in the flavour - Green Tea and Lemon which I thought may taste a little synthetic having enjoyed making my own about two years ago and decided to use it on my 18 mile run this morning with my club to find out.

The Drink

The instructions stated that I pour the contents of the sachet into a sports bottle and fill it with water 500ml of water which I did and shook it to dissolve. I was instantly aghast and a tad worried to find that it was a muddy green colour at first but relieved to find that it cleared to a more distinct green tea colour the next day.

Comments

This is a very pleasant flavoured drink which is not sharp on the palate and easy on the stomach and definitely does not have a synthetic flavour as I first expected. Hydrating quality was good but was tested on a cool day so no conclusion can be made for it but after 18 miles I am normally quite thirsty so it seems to have done the job as I felt comfortable

Score

Flavour: 5/5

Ease of mixing: 4/5 (although best done about an hour beforehand)

Overall: 5/5

Nice drink, well done Science in Sport and can be purchased from Cook and Matthews Ltd.

Cook and Matthews Sports Limited

68A High Street, 

Chislehurst, 

Kent, 

BR7 5AQ

Runner's Piles

Much to the exasperation of the Delightful Mrs S she has discovered I have a pile!!!

Yes Dear Reader, a pile of kit not one of the medical variety I am sure you are pleased to hear. This one is the starter pile for the Winter Fan Dance and I am desperate to keep it lean as it just a 24km run but I am constrained by the rules of the race having to take general survival kit, hence the bag.

Exasperation turned to general wrath when Mrs S then discovered my freshly washed waterproof trousers hanging inside the downstairs shower dripping gently. Unbeknownst to her I had had them hanging in the garage freshly covered in dry mud after my stumble and fall at the Winter 100 at the end of last year.

There was a plan to carry a lot of this kit tomorrow during my Sunday long run but I have chosen not to as it is all tried and tested...I hope.

Big call

The mileage increase is looking good at the moment but as I was saying to a colleague today with it comes the tiredness. Today in question saw me fall asleep almost instantly on the train journey home and then a postprandial snooze on the sofa...yes tired.

Driven by slight pangs of guilt I got my running kit, possibly slightly under dressed for 0 C temperatures but chose to stay close to home and do 10 slow hill reps with a punt around the block. Even in the low temperatures I was soon sweating, even at the reduced pace.

Today wasn't about mileage but a bit of mental toughness stuff....I think I managed it but I have to remind myself that I have plenty of time to get big increases in so all is good.

Sometimes it comes together

The plan tonight, 12 miles, hook or by crook, go with the flow....and ENJOY.

I happily joined in a group reported to be doing a very steady pace which appealed to me, the people in it were good fun. We were off on an easy run, the chat easy as was the pace but I soon came aware that there was a hardcore group of people in the pack....time for a little fun!

At about mile 3.5 of the group run and with about 2 miles to go I decided that enough was enough, none of the pack was positioning themselves for a pace out so I made a break and hilariously I was aware of footsteps behind me keeping up, a quick glimpse saw 3 other people...the hardcore plus an unexpected one, Ben, had positioned themselves off various shoulder ready for a race home.

So we went for it, forget the Pack, they were well catered for, we wanted to get the blood pumping I then heard "Jerry, you make it seem so effortless!"..."Not how I feel Ben" and then picked up the pace to test his resolve...he beat me home but I didn't care, we were floating, we were racing....and it felt GOOD.

It transpires that we were running at between 7:11 min/miles towards the end with more in the tank and progressively speeding up...it is all coming together although I still want to keep the general pace down for the moment.

Realisation creeps in

It is slowly dawning on me that I have The Winter Fan Dance on 19th January and I have to start preparing my equipment and looking to see what I can take as a minimum and this is where the discovery that I had well and truly lost my compass. You may remember that the night before the White Cliffs Challenge (September 2012) I mentioned that I had misplaced my compass but was secretly hoping to find it somewhere in the house before Fan Dance, sadly not so tonight I forked out on a new one.

Say hello to my new SILVA Expedition 4 Military compass I  am informed by the SILVA website that it is:

  "Mainly used by the infantry as a soldier’s or officer’s compass. Additional features include measuring scales for positioning (GPS), graduated in mils and degrees (6400/360), magnifying glass and rubber feet for precision map work. Luminous compound that need to be activated by daylight/flashlight etc. Will give light up to 4 hours"

 

Perfect for my needs and ideal for The Fan Dance which is working my grid reference to navigate to CPs by way of fixed route by path skills and future off road races.

Heel to Heal

Today almost saw my run out of the window as I had to return Jezzarette 1 back to her college in Southampton and experience tells me it is normally a long journey due to either bad weather or bad traffic caused by it, today we were in luck and sped through.

The Delightful Mrs S was instantly suspicious whilst on the journey home that I turned down the offer of a hot drink stop instead grabbing a bottle of fizz and she was right as within minutes of returning home, my heels were taped, a clean shirt grabbed and my monkey feet were taken off the naughty step.

Still trying to work out why I did run, especially with my heel being cut, but a double layer of tape proved to do the job but I was still careful not to get my feet wet finishing a 24 mile (39 km) back to back.

Good start to the year with a 45+ mile (73 km) week with my legs, ankles and now heels feeling great. I just need to get rid of this cough now.

Go by train to train

I had a really novel run today with my two new running buddies Debbie and Andrea who had devised a plan to run from London Bridge station and to get there we needed to go by train. They lived quite near to the station but I decided to run about 4 miles at a very steady pace to meet them.

Whilst on the train a quick plan was decided to run the Thames Path along the River Thames to Greenwich, something I have wanted to do for ages but this was not an opportunity to miss. Once we got to Greenwich Debbie and Andrea would take the helm.

We were outwardly amazed by what we would discover with some really beautiful houses, wharfs, idyllic streets and cosy pubs so close to the city. Then the new buildings appeared with high rises sadly hiding the old houses but still incredible to be running on streets still made of cobblestones.

Arriving in Greenwich the local knowledge of Debbie and Andrea  took me on some new routes through beautiful paths away from the humdrum traffic until we made the "mistake" of saying we would run Avery Hill which after 10 miles is a nasty little number that just eats away at your legs for about 2 miles but we were near the end of our journey and Debbie near the longest she had ever run.

Great run which I will definitely be doing again very soon

Ultrarunning could make you pregnant!

I do feel naive and silly sometimes Dear Reader! Imagine the scene, I was under the express instruction from the Delightful Mrs S to tidy up the muddy utility room of my Vibrams, the pile of dirty kit and a number of drop bags that seemed to have collected in a corner this evening. So I decided to multi-task which often goes awry as I get distracted easily such that at one point I had the Monkey Feet in the washing machine and now had wandered off with my First Aid drop bag in view of updating and replenishing any stock.

I went to the kitchen and picked a few plasters out of the communal box, a roll of micro-pore tape and then found something new I had never seen before, it read:

IMIA-CV Easy HCG

Expiry: 2014-11

I decided that this must be important as it had an expiry date on it and may come in useful so put it on the pile of stuff to be packed along with the Vaseline  and Steri-Strips.

Returning to the living room I innocently asked the Delightful Mrs S "What is an IMIA-CV Easy HCG? Is it an eye wash?" she replied "No you idiot, it is a pregnancy test!" OOPS I forget that Mrs S is a Women's Sexual Health professional

I have decided I do not need a IMIA-CV Easy HCG sachet in my running pack

Back to Track

Hooray, the track sessions are back on Thursdays and they will become a set training day in my diary. As regular readers know Thursdays are my worst day for getting out of the house as I am often tired by then but track sessions will be a great excuse.

I am still on my holiday leave so I was desperate to get out but my legs were still a bit sore from my excellent 15 mile New Year's Day run so planned to drive there (not after today) and then do 25 laps of the track in my Vibrams. I stupidly hadn't washed them off from the run.

So there I was on my 23rd lap and I thought I must have a bit of grit in the heel and as Dennis Hopper's character, The Photojournalist in Apocalypse Now shouted to the boat crew

"There's mines over there, there's mines over there, and watch out those goddamn monkeys bite, I'll tell ya. "

I found that in fact my Monkey Feet had bitten me and when peeling them off found that the skin had been rubbed off both my heels caused by the dried mud...ggggrrrr. What should I do then to pull them off and run the last laps completely barefoot, I loved it and even overtook 4 other runners.

Lessons learned tonight that I shouldn't take my Vibrams for granted and get them cleaned off for each new run...time for a shower, clean the cuts and get them healed as quickly as possible

One for the Trail

I don't often post trail music but this one promises to be a great one for those quiet moments

Enjoy

See I do run sometimes

Probably not the best example of barefoot running, but at least I was running at this point!

I do love my Monkey Feet

Cake & Swamp Monsters - A New Years Day Run

After an eventful New Years Eve when just one too many ciders were imbibed by my good self I was to meet a number of runners from my sister club for a traditional New Years Day run. The general concept is, all turn up at John's house baring cakes and drinks, run (or walk) a set distance, return, eat cakes, drink drink....every sports person's dream.

I like these events as they are geared for all ages and ability comprising a 5 mile walk, a 7 mile slow run and a final run which is always billed as 13 miles (ish) meaning 15 miles.

I was toying with the idea of taking my Monkey Feet and after a little side chat, the members of the latter group decided that it was to be a cross country run with LOADS of mud but by the looks of it nobody cared a jot, these characters were always up for any type of run...my kinda people.

I was feeling slightly under dressed at the start as everyone seemed to be ready for an arctic adventure with long sleeves, I just a short top and gloves...I was pleased later as it was quite warm once we got going as some of the mud was horrendous, Chris, the pack leader, was not taking prisoners on the first 5 miles ( I have since learned that with Chris, you need to keep him in sight for the first bit and then he drops the pace).

This was a tough run, the pace a bit full at times and the mud relentless, I was secretly really chuffed as my Monkey Feet were gripping and I could feel the ground below me fine even if my feet were a bit cold at times whilst trail shoe wearing pack members were slipping and sliding all over the place, a couple even taking tumbles with the usual screams and hoots of laughter of "Man Down" as a swamp monster rose out of a puddle.

Later we run down a series of flooded country lanes where we had to run through the middle of a 50 metre pool of cold, dank water. I had my comeuppance as a couple of the guys  kick and splashed water all over me, my back and legs....soaked but my humour still in tact we returned to the warm house to be filled with black coffee and the finest lemon drizzle cake.

A brilliant first run of 2013 highlighting my fitness has suffered of late.