Archive for November, 2007
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Thursday, November 15th, 2007On Tuesday night I decided that enough was enough and would break myself in gently again. I opted for a session in a an ultimate spin class to get the legs working again and use to that burning sensation, I was quite happy powering through the “Turn it up again” stages until bits began to fall off of the bike… The instructors quick to notice the bolts rolling across the gym floor came over as I was still busy peddling for my life… apart from being told off by a girl older enough to be my daughter for turning it up to much, I felt quite pleased… I hard out performed the bike… or it was old and ready to give up anyway !! much like me in the mornings really.
Yesterday I decided that if I didn’t test the damed heel, it would play on me. I used the treadmill again at the gym, not quite so confident enough with the heel yet to hit the concrete. I then did two sessions of 5 miles in 30mins, collapsed on the floor and crawled to the water cooler to rest my head against it… a fine days training !!!
I had booked in to the spinning class again after the run preying that it wasn’t the same girl, but as it turned out no one turned up to take the lesson.. so I spent 45 mins ambling on the cycle before going home. I have to get out there and put some miles in and I think the only way is going to be to get Jacqui to drop me off a long way from home and make my way back. The problem being that I have two weeks before venturing off to Nepal for December and Everest Base Camp, not exactly the right training for running 54 miles…
Comments OffThe winter has arrived
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007The temperature was below zero this morning and the streets are covered with snow, and worse, with nasty patches of ice. If it stays cold it will be tougher to train outdoors from now on. To run on snow covered streets is O.K in daylight but in midwinter there are not many hours of daylight in Sweden. I will have to invest in a good headlight. I will need one for TM anyway.
November and December are the worst months for running. I did not do many miles at this time last year. But I plan do better this year. If I want to do O.K on the TM i February I can not let my training slip too much now.
Comments OffNot a great run today
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007My youngest daughter kept me awake part of the night so I am not in top shape today. Anyhow I still snuck down to the gym at lunch and did 8 kms on the treadmill. Not a great run, I felt tired from the start and never got in to any good running rythm. But it is still good the keep the legs going even on bad days.
No I am off to a meeting between the government and the largest swedish trade unions.
Comments OffRepetitive strain injury
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007On Saturday I managed to run (jog) 10 or 11 miles along the same route I had done the previous week and in a similar time but although my cold had got better my leg was refusing to get any better. The whole run was sore, swelling had not receded at all and still felt bad even when standing still.
I cheered myself up by watching Plymouth trounce Norwich in the afternoon (sorry to all Norwich supporters). Unfortunately this involved a 280 mile round trip in the car and a bit of walking which didn’t help my leg.
On Sunday I was up early again with the intention of repeating the distance on the previous week. I only managed about 17 miles and towards the end was walking quite a bit as the leg refused to ease up. Then had to spend a long day in the car again visiting family around the South-East so had no time to rest it. Decided then to ring the doctor again on Monday.
On Monday the cold had nearly completely gone which was making me feel better generally and went to see another doctor in the evening. I was given a longer examination as it was apparent that the problem was not a bite or a sting. It seems that my left shin has developed a sort of repetitive strain injury which basically needs rest, ice and anti-inflammatory tablets. Well I had managed to do 2 out of three so now have been told to rest as much as possible until it clears up. So all my attempts last week at “running through” the injury had been making it worse. Perversely the leg actually felt slightly better pain-wise and the swelling had spread out a bit so I had more movement but could feel every tendon and ligament in my leg rubbing together with every twist and turn. Will have to see now how quickly it disappears.
Comments OffBack on the road
Monday, November 12th, 2007I have recovered from my flu and I went back in training this weekend. On Friday I did some weight-lifting and a 6 km jogg on the treadmill. This Sunday I went out in the woods for a slow 12 km jogg. The jogg felt fine but when I got back to start of the track someone had stolen my bottle of Powerade. That has never happened to me before. How can someone steal from a fellow runner? It left me feeling a bid sad.
Comments OffNot my best week
Friday, November 9th, 2007Went to the gym on Monday and felt awful, the chill seemed to be taking hold and I was unable to do any treadmill work as a swelling had developed on my left shin which made it painful to walk or stand, let alone run. Went back Tuesday and had an attempt at a short run on the treadmill but it was far too painful and the cold was still there. As a result I visited my doctor on Wednesday who prescribed an insect bite/sting on my leg causing the swelling and gave me a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory tablets. Apparently something must have got me on Sunday – maybe even a plant I had brushed against during my run.
By Thursday my cold had gone backwards and was feeling like flu (possibly as a result of the tablets) and my leg was no better. Again had a go at a run but unsuccessful. Today (Friday) felt better with the cold and had a short session in the gym as I would like to attempt my longer runs this weekend. I will take it easy as my leg is extremely painful still.
Altogether a frustrating and unsatisfying week, however weeks like this make you appreciate the better ones more.
Comments OffCycling and running and swimming
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007Monday saw me back at work after a pleasant weekend with my son, who hates any exercise I do, but happy to row which I hate…
On Monday I decided on a cycle the 14 miles to work followed by a run around the nearby park, about 4 miles all the way around, no great problems even the heal managed to stay quite long after the event, albeit a bit chilly out there it was a good session.
Tuesday after work I ran to my gym, about 8 miles from here, The long curved road I have to follow seems to go on forever at times, although the legs are getting more use to the fact that I won’t let them stop me for that little rest and comfort break. At the gym it was straight into the water for the 2.5 mile swim. I know its not a good idea after a run to plop into a pool but I just about got away with it. My intention then was to take part in one of the ultimate spin classes there, but that fell foul due to Jacqui being tired. If anyone says well why didn’t you run the rest of the way home… I was quite happy thanks in a warm car.
I have just volunteered for the GUCR in May and UK Ironman in Sept.. Guess the running had better go into overload soonest.
Comments OffGood run in Dorset
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007Unpacked the Raidlight, put it on, had the usual dilemma with where to put the drinks bottles (ended up in the frontpack, a bit wobbly but OK) and went out for 10-11 miles on Saturday morning. Lovely weather and scenery made for a good run. Had forgotten how much a pack slows you down, only about 4k weight but enough to tire me a bit more.
Sunday, same plan but was intending to do about 19-20 so took extra drinks and food. Managed to get very lost somewhere in the wilds of Dorset and ended up running across the one field 4 times as well as through many other woods before getting back on track (the same one that I had been following anyway!). That’ll teach me to be a bit adventurous and go off the beaten track and may encourage me to improve my navigation skills. As a result the run ended up being a struggle towards the end which was not a surprise considering the week I had had. Thank God for KitKat chunky – Peanut flavour again which seem to keep me going. (269 calories each but no good in hot climates).
However I finished and sat on my rear end for the rest of the day. Had a bit of a sore throat in the evening and was doing my Barry White impression according to my wife, as a result I seem to have got up on Monday with a bit of a chill so I’ll have to try and sweat it out in the gym tonight.
1 Comment »Training tips
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007Run Anywhere!
As we all know the beauty of running is it’s simplicity.
With this in mind remember to take your kit where ever you may go. Recent meetings in London have lead me to run along the embankment and a tour of Battersea Park. What a great opportunity to run a new route and in London a welcome chance to run on the flat.
Trial Run!
Try eating on the run. It is vital to be able to refuel on the move. From drinking water to eating carbs it is a simple matter of practice. While liquids are relatively easy it is important to try foods that are easy on the stomach over time (several hours), race day is never a good time to try something new. For me “Rice pudding good, energy gels bad!” only experience will tell.
Be a Pro.
Book in for a sports massage on a regular (weekly, monthly) basis. An hour should cost about £40 and will act as a service for your body and make you feel like a professional athlete. With this goal in mind it is useful to note a recent comment made in the sports pages of The Telegraph that the main difference between amateur and professional is the amount of quality rest taken. When the pros rest they lie still, stretch, massage and meditate whereas we tend to play with the kids, go to the bank, go to work and try to fit in a short run!”
Run on.
Comments OffA good week
Monday, November 5th, 2007Monday October 29th
3m Treadmill, around 9 min miling.
(approx 360kCal = slice fruit cake + a J2O drink)
Short run to keep ticking over from yesterday. Mostly around 9:30 pace with a few half laps (200m) at 6 min miling. Also threw in 100m or so at 5 min miling just to see what its like. Its beyond me how people can keep that sort of pace up – hats off to them.
Thursday November 1st
4m ave 9:43
(555 kCal = 2 bags monster munch + Starbucks tall frappuccino mocha with whip & syrup)
Ran reps of half mile easy, half mile pushing a bit (target of 4min or 8 min miling on the level).
Did 3:39, 5:29, 4:15, 3:25. The second was a pretty tough incline, but I should have got it done in under 5 mins. Could probably do with doing more reps really, but I find the schedule pretty tiring as it is. Maybe I should consider putting a soundproof fridge door on the kids bedroom so I get better sleep at night.
Saturday November 3rd
12m ave 10:53
(1729 kCal = 6 slices of spicy hot one pizza + small glass red wine)
Today I took the slightly flatter road route from Melbost to Barvas and back. I was vaguely aiming for something like 11 min miling, so was pretty pleased with the time. But this was with the weather being pretty kind to me. More worryingly, towards the end I started to feel some discomfort on the underside of my right foot (I was going to say balls, but thats not where it hurt at all). I very quickly get leg pain if I run on the left hand side of the road, so I always run on the right. I wonder if this is causing the problem as I have noticed my right foot recently has turned outward a bit more, a bit like a duck.
A the end of the run I felt very tired. Not really a problem today, but I’ve got further to run tomorrow.
Finished the day off with a couple of sparklers for the girls (being nearly bonfire night and all). They were really excited. They seemed a bit bemused by the purpose of sparklers, and a bit disappointed that they were only one colour, but seemed to enjoy it anyway. I think the idea was actually more enjoyable than the sparklers themselves, the spectacle being not a patch on the spectacular sunsets we often get here, which even the girls look at in awe.
Sunday November 4th
16.1m ave 12:09
(2020 kCal = 2 bottles wine + big mac + cheeseburger + fries)
I would have been aiming for 11:15 – 11:30 min miling, but with a niggling right leg I wasn’t sure I would even make the distance. In fact, at the half way point I nearly called it a day when I also got a bad feeling in my calfs. I decided to carry on and hope I won’t be regretting that decision over the next couple of days.
Took the more lumpy route from Melbost to Habost today. Its good to get a few inclines in. Some of them are quite drawn out – when you get to the top you then see there’s more to go, so its a good mental workout too.
There was a bit of wind and rain today as well. I knew my luck couldn’t hold out much longer. Still, I’m sure there’s much more challenging weather to come.
I felt thoroughly tired at the end of today’s run. The long work hours and broken nights don’t help, but I could probably help myself quite a bit with a better thought out diet. And whilst my hydration’s not bad, it could be much better. At one time I was drinking Chinese teas and Rooibos as my only hot beverages. I do enjoy these, and was drinking at least half a dozen Rooibos in the daytime and one or two large pots of tea in the evening. It did wonders for my hydration.
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