The Virus!!

We have entered a strange and uncertain time, the Corona Virus has taken hold the World.  The nation has gone into shut down and everything has been turned upside down.  Sporting events, concerts, and all outdoor large gatherings are cancelled. We all have been ordered to stay home to help prevent the spread of this disease.  So how does this have an effect on my running? Well, firstly my events have been cancelled that I was training for so this makes motivation difficult as I was just peaking and feeling like I'd progressed and was really up for it physically and mentally.  The disappointment  was massive but in the grand scheme of things its not that important when people are getting ill and even dying.  The effect has been catastrophic, the impact massive.

Since the lockdown, which basically means we can't leave the house for anything that's not essential, so for me that means no work as the sports club where I work was closed and then they closed all tennis clubs after that so the outcome is that I'm home.  The government is allowing us approximately an hour a day where you can go out and exercise.  I'm therefore running pretty much every day even though my programme says less.  I don't feel I can miss a day as its now part of my routine and sanity!  I now know that my body has got used to very high volume of exercise and I need it to function properly.  On my 7 mile route I try to follow what's on my programme from Ronnie which gives me the variety of work out, so either sprint efforts or hill reps etc.  I am following this up by doing the kids PE lesson straight after with Joe Wicks on YouTube which is actually quite good to give me an overall workout which is good straight after the run when normally I'd just stop and cool down instead of working hard again.

What's the plan moving forward?  Well I have my programme to follow plus just running on feel and working hard on the hill reps as this is where I want to get better.  I am going to introduce some weights 3 times a week too. As we are unsure how long this is going to last I have to keep finding new and different things to motivate me to keep training.  I am planning on running a marathon round the garden this coming Sunday which will be fun I'm sure.  At least it will be miles in the bank and a decent long run which I need.

Keep with it folks its time to get creative!

5 weeks of body balance now!  I actually feel a lot better for it, I feel an inner strength developing as in different muscles being worked and developed that kick in when I'm out running.  The physical benefits are greater than you think and I'm glad I pushed myself to get back into the habit of going.  I'm now phasing the training down a notch in preparation for the Hardmoors 55 even though I'm not entirely sure if its going to be on or not.  I need to just keep focusing on the training and what will be will be.  I've found it quite hard over the last week, not necessarily motivation wise but the actually running feels hard work now as my legs feel fatigued so giving them sufficient rest is key now.

Last week I wanted to put in a long run but didn't want to go to crazy so less than 20 miles but over 15 was the goal.  I did my normal run from Hutton-le-hole and managed a 17 which was great as used it as an actually training session so on the hills I was working hard and pushing up them and on the downhills I was trying to push hard and go faster than I would normally.  I got the rewards by doing it in a half decent time which was about 20 mins faster than before which felt good and should signs of improvement.  I think overall I'm in a much better position than previously and potentially I have a chance of doing this thing.  My speed is still an issue I think but my strength and stamina is much better.

Now the main problem is what's going to be on and what's going to be off.  I've just found out that the hardmoors 55 is now off which is mega bad news for me as this was my going to be about confidence for the 160.  I am no considering do the route any way and getting the training in regardless as I need to feel I've got in my legs and they need to experience the toughing it out qualities you need in Ultra running.  This is an essential part of my training so I need to plan this and do it!

My weight has continued to drop, although saying that its not been much recently but its still where I want it so I can still improve on this which I will definitely be doing.

The last few weeks have really been quite pivotal in my training up to now in more ways than one.  Mainly regarding the intensity and consistency of the effort that I have put in.  I've managed to stave off injury and have a great phase where there are no niggles.  Its interesting really, because when have an injury that's held you back a bit, for instance my hamstring and knee, its weird when you get back to any form of running because I found my knee or hamstring became sore or ached in other places or even my other leg and my first reaction is 'that's it, my knee are done I'll never recovery'.  Then within a few weeks, a miracle has happened lol!  I have no pain or aches or sores in my knee's nothing.  The truth is, its all about balance.  If one side is injured, the other compensates then you gain grief from the side that's overloaded.  Anyway, I'm just loving my current phase as no aches or pains just normal muscle soreness and fatigue.

I've managed to get the miles in which is brilliant I really feel I'm giving myself the best chance of success this time.  I've been following the program that Ronnie has sent through to me which involves different sessions, whether that be speed work, hill reps, or just plain hiking.  I don't think I have ever trained this hard for a race, physically just putting the miles in, but using the gym alongside it, swimming and now week 3 of body balance, with the added bonus of dropping weight.  I've not gone too manic at dropping the weight as this should happen naturally when training this much but I have been using 'Huel' as my lunch which does definitely help me with reducing.

Last week I set out on a training run with the one and only Mark Dalton.  After hearing many tales of this guys running and his ability to keep talking the whole time, I was now going to experience it for myself.  The plan was to run from Helmsley to Stape, along the Tabular Hills which is part of the HM160 route.  This was brilliant for me, not so for him apart from getting on the trail.  I was going to get his experience, most likely a faster pace than I'm used to or would make myself do and the mileage.  This was important to me because along this particular section of the route I want to be able to go quicker than I did last time, nothing crazy though, but quicker.  This helps if you have someone dragging you along.  Its a pace that's manageable for me but just outside of my comfort zone so win win for me!  It is always good to refresh yourself with the route to avoid silly little navigational errors that could ultimately cost you time.

If I can continue like I'm doing then I have a real chance of finishing this event which is my current ultimate goal.  If I can do this, then I can do the Lakeland 100 and I can the C2C.  Confidence from this is crucial so max effort to the end.  I've managed to lose some weight so I'm on track for what I believe is going to be a good weight for me to do the race, again a stepping stone to success.  I've not been drinking either, 6 weeks nearly 7 with only 2 beers and one glass of wine. This is really important for me as I can feel the difference in my legs when running, they have more endurance and stamina.  What am I going to start doing more of or add to my training?  More hill work.  My theory is, I know this is where I struggle and I'm not very good, so my mind set it 'go do more hills!!!'.  I have been doing and really benefiting but I need to up the anti here I feel.  I'm weak and feel vulnerable when I hit a hilly section and I don't want to think I didn't put the effort in to overcome this issue.

Disaster struck at the weekend...……. My body hit out and rebelled is the only thing I can think of to explain this strange occurrence.  After my great recce with Mark on the thurs covering 24 miles I gave myself the Friday to recover.  Saturday arrived with the opportunity to train before work so I took it.  The plan was just a steady 8 miles endurance run from my doorstep, nothing special just get out there and do it.  Off I went but before long |I knew something wasn't right.  My breathing became hampered and it felt like someone was sat on my chest.  My breathing and become more of a wheeze and I couldn't get enough air when my pace increased and my heart rate increased.  I thought nothing of it and decided it would get better once I settled in to the run.  It didn't.  I struggled the whole way round unable to get any rhythm or prolonged running periods. It seemed I was struggling big time.  This happened again the next day which then made me decide \I needed to have a break I'd possibly over done it and my body was sending me a clear message.  I took the hint and gave myself 2 days enforced rest.  Still went to work but no training only body balance.  Was this major or just a blip ????

Back out for a recovery run this morning to test the breathing situation before round 2 with Mark on Thursday.  The going was good although it took a bit to wake my legs up and remind them of the job in hand but all seemed ok.  I didn't push it so just did 2.5 miles and rested and stretched.  I am just happy my breathing was better and not hampered still as this would not have been good after so many days.

Rest wins again!

Great run out at Dalby Forest with Sarah, my rock! I'm very lucky as she keeps me grounded when I become obsessed with my training and it kind of makes me one dimensional.  She is brilliant though, as she supports me all the way but also reigns me in when I get a bit addicted.  I'm in a phase at the moment where things feel like there going really well and I'm improving at a good rate and I'm really feeling the benefit of the consistency and variety that my training plan gives me plus at the moment I'm loving putting in the efforts as the hard work is paying off.  Since the new year I've an effort to get my weight down, not because I want to be skinny but because I know I'm carrying a little bit more than I should and I know by dropping a few pounds it will make it better for me.  The weight has been coming off steadily and I'm now nearly at my target weight.  I started the year at 94 kg's and I'm now 88.5kg's with the goal of 83.  I now feel in a position to really start getting excited about the race as I feel I have put myself into a position of being able to complete it as long as I can stay injury free.  What I have to do though is remember I have a family who needs me and a gorgeous fiancée that needs me.  So my training needs to be done when it doesn't effect everyone else.  Sarah is great, she supports me endlessly and tirelessly even when I became unbearable lol!  It takes a lot but she's amazing as works full time and looks after the kids.  She deserves a medal putting up with me lol!!!

The training at the moment consists of hill reps to build my strength and lung capacity, speed work to try increase my overall slow pace to a little faster and long run endurance work.  I've recently been using a heart rate monitor purely because it interests me to see what is happening during my runs but also with the idea of it assisting my training.  When Sarah joined up at the gym she got one of these 'Blaze' belts which is a heart monitor with a special app that is used in one of the circuit training classes that uses heart rate zones to judge your level of effort during the class so you can push yourself harder and I guess become more accountable.  Anyway I haven't used it in the class yet although I intend to at some point but I am finding it good for when I go out on runs to see how hard I'm working and whether I can actually try a bit harder at certain times.  It is also quite good to see how hard my heart is working during exercise and the efforts.

What's next?  Well I want to now try and push a little harder in my speed work as I feel this is starting to become more important now I've increased my fitness levels.  I also want to maintain my long run once a week even a little trickier now with work, and I want to get the rest of my body stronger and more able to cope with the rigours of long distance running.  I also need to stay strong with my weight loss but maintain healthy balance of eating enough of the good stuff!

Happy days!!!

This is it now, I'm in this neck deep.  I'm now fully committed to this challenge, I've fully bought into this and I've put down the marker and said I'm going to do it.  I'm now in a great position, I've put the work in to build my base level of fitness.  For some reason, I never feel fit enough, I'm not sure why this is.  Maybe its my expectations of what I think I should be like or to be able to do what I think I should be able to do.  I don't know, but I'm going to keep working at it at pushing myself harder, further and more intensely.  I'm already using pretty much all my spare time trying to improve whether that's being out there and running, in the gym doing strength work or stretching or rolling or having massages or reading book after book after book about this stuff.  I kind of feel its time to put up or shut up, I need to succeed at this more than ever now.  I need to achieve this for myself, for me to carry on trying to achieve more and greater things.  I'm also going back to my first reasons for doing all this.  My daughter, she was my motivation once before and she is again.  She currently has her own battles going on that I can't do much to help her with.  I want to show her about committing yourself to something so far out of your comfort zone that you have put everything you have into to it.  I want to show her that we all have something inside of us that we can uncover, harness, and use to our own advantage.  I want to show her that even when it looks impossible you can still achieve things, great things.  I want to show her that I get up at 4am in the morning to train because I have to if I want to do this and achieve it.  I want her to see that if you commit yourself fully, doing all the horrible things, training early mornings, training in the wind, rain and snow and the cold, aching all the time and getting on with things then you can do it.  Most of all I want her to be as proud of me as I am of her.

The fire is truly lit inside my belly now. I  now feel ready for the task I have put in front of me.  So what am I going to do now, what can I do from here.  I want to keep on top of my training, do the right things to keep my body healthy and injury free.  I now know that this is going to be a mental game, and that is my strength!  Don't get me wrong, my fitness level needs to be greater than its ever been before and needs to be at point that I believe in my own ability to be able last the distance.  Those cut-off's are going to be my enemy and will be taking them on one at a time.  I have the mental strength to push on when others may stop but I need coping strategies that will empower me at the right times.  The times is now, and I'm ready!!!!

Bring it on!!!!!

The last few weeks has  been great.  Although I've had to manage a few minor injuries, which haven't necessarily held me back but I haven't been able to do exactly what is in my plan from Ronnie.  What I've really enjoyed recently is getting some long runs in consistently along with the shorter ones around near the house.  The long runs have been great fun and what I enjoy the most.  I get to use the map a bit and explore new routes and get lost now and again ha ha! The 160 is nearing, each day I feel like I am now on count down.  8 weeks to go till the 55 so its about 16 weeks till 160 eeeekkk!  The question is, am I any further on or in a better place than I was a couple of years ago.  Yes!  Without a doubt.  I feel more confident at the moment as my training seems to be improving each week and I don't just mean speed I mean the whole thing.  Fitter for sure, stronger yes, faster marginally, healthier definitely and not injured!  Whats the plan at the moment? Well I want to keep up with schedule Ronnie has written for me but I want to make sure I don't start over doing as is my way and get injured.  I need to listen to my body and rest when needed and work hard when I can.  My work schedule and family life are important to me so I am trying my hardest to work it around everything which means at times running when I don't want to or when its uncomfortable.  On the flip side to that, I think that is a good thing as it will make me stronger and more capable of coping with 'uncomfortable' which basically is Ultra Running!

How's it going at the moment? Well mileage wise I've just done a 60 mile week which is something for me.  I don't think I've ever done that many miles in a week for training.  Which is why I'm now being overly cautious about strains and niggles as I can feel soreness in my archilles tendon on both legs.  So as good as last week was I'm now just going to ease off again slightly.  My toughest part of training it seems is the speed work.  I just don't adapt well to it and I really have to force myself to push harder during a run whereas my natural state is go steady and save some in the tank because I want to make sure I finish comfortably.  I guess that's the clue right there though, 'comfortably' for me to improve my work rate and achieve the goals I've set I need to force myself out of these mind sets of comfort and make it more about long term improvement and not about short term satisfaction.

I'm now starting to think about the race more and more.  Just little things related to where I want to train more and what sections I really need to be doing better at.  A little test that I'm going to be putting myself through is pushing harder than normal on the 55 again to make it uncomfortable and to see what kind of time difference this will make.  This is mainly because on the 160 I want to be doing the first 60 miles ish a bit quicker than last time, either to give me more rest time at Ravenscar or so I can get Saltburn a bit quicker.  My plan is to not go crazy in that first section but not to be dilly dallying around which I felt I did last time and took too much time getting to Scalby and on to Ravenscar.  I need to put some measures in place for coping mentally after Ravenscar as this was the main problem last time, I just had a melt down and I need to prevent this from happening by putting coping mechanisms in place to deal with it.

One thing is for sure my amazing Fiancee is now also my amzing crew.  I couldn't do it without her and knowing she is there at each meet point is my drive to get there.  I just don't want to let her down.  Always supporting and pushing me to do more and letting me carry on doing this craziness ha ha!

Back out there again today plodding away, wading actually is probably a better description, at the miles.  Since taking on Ronnie Staton as my coach my improvement is starting to reveal.  One of the main reasons I went to Ronnie for help was for consistency and structure.  Its quite interesting though as I feel quite under pressure to fit the runs in or the training, but now I'm clocking up the miles by getting some structure I feel like I'm going to have a chance and doing this thing.

Today I was scheduled to do 3-5 hours endurance Hike/run, it was actually for another day but I swapped the days round to fit me.  I'm trying to get into the routine of Thursdays being my long run day, I just need to get out a bit earlier as its not quite giving me enough time to get the extra distance or to do anything else at home.

Sarah as always is being great, although she looks at me a bit weird when I say what I've either got planned to do or say what I've done.  Her support is amazing and I really feel now that we get out on most Sundays for a joint run that we are both getting some good habits.  It is a strain sometimes as I see how hard she works and how difficult it sometimes is with the kids, then I say I'm just popping out for a run 'see you soon'!  Probably doesn't help...

Today I revisited my running route from last week, starting in Hutton-le-Hole and heading out to Bransdale from Gilamoor and across the top of the Moors before coming back via Church Houses and Low Mill.  Its now become my steady Thursday long run route, I've stolen it really from the Hardmoors race series.  This particular route I'm using is the Farndale half marathon which is about 16/17 miles and its fit for purpose really.  At the moment its a good distance for me to step up to and its hilly with some good lung busting climbs.  I'm hoping over the next few weeks to increase the distance by using some of the marathon route which I don't want to rush into as I feel I could end up over doing it then being injured.  I'm also thinking of using the Goathland route to mix it up a bit too which will be fun as I've not done any of this before.

Something that was interesting today and something that has been lacking in the past a bit was the repeating of my mantra.  "I can, I will!!"  and a new one which was very simple but to the point "Finish!!!" All I could think was  'just bloody finish it this time!' .  This made me realise how important this little constant reminders are as they push you harder and further, because they constantly motivate you as they matter to you.

Whats great or what I've been finding is even though I've been keeping my speed steady if not slow over these longer runs my legs are feeling strong and can cope with the distance fine.  I do feel I need to try and push myself on one of these longer runs to find out what I can actually do.  In my training he has me doing shorter runs but with a number of (sprints) or faster sections that I find quite hard but I'm reaping the rewards now I guess by feeling stronger and more capable.

My main concentration now is, weight, I want to start dropping some Kg's and keeping injury free while pushing myself in the shorter runs when required.  I really want to be in a good place ready for the Hardmoors 55 in March.  Its game time and I'm getting geared up for the battle!!!!

Consistency - and Structure that's the key!

Here we go again!

So once again I've signed up to put my body through hell.  The Hardmoors 160 is the challenge, unfinished business.  This time with much greater knowledge, better training and a new plan.  I will be taking this on with a renewed sense of challenge and exciting but with a lot more determination.  The thought of dnf'ing again is my motivation, I want this!

Christmas is a great time of year I love it.  Apart from being with the family and getting to do all the festive things I also get the opportunity to get some good training in.  I have now taken on Ronnie Staton as a coach with the aim of not just completing the Hardmoors 160 but to also go on and achieve some new goals I've set.  I now have a much more structured programme involving different workouts and durations which I am trying to incorporate.  My training was building up great, readying myself for the Hardwolds 80 which I was doing as a tester really.  Regrettably though I came down with flu or a virus that completed knocked me for six.  I waited right to the last minute, having this annoying mental battle all day on the Friday before I finally came to the conclusion that I was in no fit state to attempt an 80 mile ultra race let alone a 13.1 mile half marathon.  Its an incredibly difficult decision to make when you can still move around ok and always believe in being the kind of person that will always try before accepting defeat.  In this case though it would have been dangerous to have even tried and irresponsible, plus unfair on the people organising the event.

A couple of weeks had passed and this flu was still lingering.  I couldn't shake it, and my training was beginning to lessen as time went on.  After nearly 4 weeks I was able to start getting back into but now we were entering the Christmas season and this was going to hamper it yet again.  I've manage to just about keep up with the schedule but I stupidly went out one cold morning this week with intention of doing hill sprints as my scheduled training.  The idea was to do 1-3 miles steady warm up followed by 14 medium 10 second sprints then a 1-3 mile cool down.  Well I was up against it for time with trying to fit everything in and I didn't take care of myself.  I only allowed for a minimal warm-up, barely even a mile but I convinced myself this was fine.  I began the sprints, 3/4 effort was what was required but I think mine was more like 90%.  I managed 8 before I felt a tweak in my hamstring, at the time it didn't really feel like much so I tried another before pulling up and deciding that was enough and just headed back home in a straggling slow jog looking like a lame dog.

Where am I now? Well I've luckily had a few days off work for New Year so I've used the time to rest altogether allowing it time to mend.  I'm hoping to get out tomorrow for a run/hike and to test it.  It was a big strain so I'm hoping the few days off will have been enough.  Lesson learnt!!!!