What have I just done????

Well, little over a week ago I planned to do the Roseberry Topping Virtual Hardmoors race.  Purely for two main reasons, 1) because it was a good way of forcing myself out to do a ling run 2) because it means I gain some Hardmoors miles towards my 1000.

The reason for that particular Sunday was mainly due to it being the last day you could so I didn't really have much choice and I wasn't prepared to waste the entry fee. So I planned with Sarah what I was going to do and it started with me getting up at 5am and taking Bertie out.  The plan was then to just get some breakfast, get my stuff together, and go asap! I managed to get out the door just after 6, still dark, very wet, and generally very good Hardmoors weather, i.e. miserable lol!  I had my route in mind with an estimation of distance but no guarantee so my theory was that I'd get through as much as I could before deciding whether I needed to add any more.  This is great in theory but the further I went the more I kept thinking that if it wasn't enough do I really want to get to my house and then have to go back out and do a bit more.  NOOOOOO! so I tried to judge from after about 20 miles once I began following the road signs back and there mileage.  I calculated I needed about an extra 2 miles, so without any hesitation I started picking moments when I'd double back and then turn round and resume my route adding a quarter of a mile on.  This is ok as it soon adds up, the only problem that after 24/25 miles its quite demoralising turning round and running away from your target.  This is when the positive side of me kicks in and makes me put it down to 'good mental training'! If I can make myself turn round and run back a bit and then restart it can only be making me more resilient. surely!!! ha ha!! Please be true, please have been worth it.....!

With 5 hours 46 minutes gone and 30 miles banked I crawled home.  The outcome was exactly spot on, time was about 16 mins slower than what I'd wanted and my body generally felt ok.  Where I had a few problems was my hip/quad on the right hand side.  I'm not entirely sure why except this recurring tight quad that I seem to have to manage constantly.  It really became a problem as I left Brauby and headed towards Great Barugh.  The quad got tight on the lift of the leg and in turn created a problem in my hip flexor.  This wasn't a major injury or something that was going to put halt to my plans of 30 miles, it just meant it was going to be slow and painful.  Basically I had to stop and stretch it out, then I could run pain free for about half a mile then repeat the process.  This was how I managed the last 15 miles.  The positves: I kept going! I finished what I started! No major injury! Great strength of mind! Great resilience!!! Strong mind, strong body!

After a few days of minor soreness and tightness I was back to it as planned, I wanted to test my recovery and ability to get back on with it.  It was tough to start with but as the week went on my strength improved.  I was feeling good after the weekend, I felt I could do anything lol!  The inner me piped up, 'go on then, do it again this weekend, see if your hard enough' ok I said, so I did.  The plan this time was to not have to do any backwards and forwards malarkey so I got the map out to try and devise a similar route that would actually be nearer to the 30 as stated.  The problem was, that bloody inner me piped up again, as he does, ' maybe you should go a bit further this time, why not 35?' Any way, yes I did go further, this time I added a few minor sections on to make up the distance and I finished with 34 miles.  Excellent, 34 miles, I would never ever been able to even contemplate running from my own door step for 34 miles 10 years ago maybe even 2 years ago, but I did it.  A slightly earlier start since I was going a bit further, and with a different tactic.  This time I wanted to do a steady start and then push myself in the second half.  Two reasons really, one because I knew my hip flexor needed a decent warmup and I wanted to get past half way at least before it became troublesome and my other knee was a little sore so the same thinking was applied there too, and secondly I thought it would be good mental training to learn to push myself that far in to the mileage.  So I basically walked and ran the first half then ran and walked the second half.  When I say walked I'm talking a fast paced power hike as I'm training that aspect of my skill too. So without too much tooing and froing I managed to get 34 miles in the bank in 6 hours 31 minutes which I'm fairly happy with. No new injuries and I didn't make the old ones any worse thankfully, so all in all quite pleased.  Plus two 30 mile plus runs in 7 days almost 100 miles that week.  That's a record for me!  Now to get the hip and knee fixed :)

 5.25 alarm!  Up and out with Bertie the dog.  This is now my daily routine, whatever the weather we go out.  Easy comparisons to my training, we should use the same mindset as I now get up without questioning it because Bertie needs me to, but when its for a run and you're not fully committed then we often choose not to go because your bed is more appealing.

As this weeks gone on I've slowly recovered from my long blast last Sunday putting myself through it so I run on tired legs and get used to not feeling 100%.  Two niggles I've been dealing with, especially since Sunday, an ongoing sore knee and a tight hip flexor.  What have I been doing to relieve this so I can continue training?  Well I've dropped it down slightly to allow some rest and recovery, I'm trying to increase the flexibility in my knee or left leg by firstly leaning against the aga to warm it up slightly which is nice lol! Then holding a couple of stretches and squatting down trying to feel no pain when in my maximum bent position. The pain has become less over the week and is starting to free up which feels great. Most of this originates from my quads as they are excessively tight so I am constantly trying to free them up using stretching and foam roller and the rolling pin roller.  Constant attention is the only way I'm going to get this resolved and train at the same time.

Back to last year, so not only did I have the greatest day ever getting married to Sarah I had a few little achievements to remember the lockdown from.  After the initial period of the first lockdown which was horrific we began to establish a few routines and get to grips with it.  I kept up my training and started pushing myself more and more, and following various facebook groups and seeing lots of challenges occurring I decided focus my training towards something.  I decided a garden marathon was on the cards and I fancied having a go.  This, in my head was massive, once I selected my day working on the principle of about 6 hours I got up early and set off.  The first 10 miles didn't seem too bad then it started to become a bit of a chore. The repetitive nature of what I was doing was the toughest part.  I created a loop that involved running a figure of 8 to maximise my garden.  So I started at the back door and went clockwise to the garden then looped back around the garden and through the shed and back to the start. This was going to require several hundred laps but hey ho it is what it is.  I set up a mini checkpoint at the outdoor table and allowed myself a few stops to re-fuel. It was brilliant Sarah kept coming out to see how I was doing and offering support as she always does, and the kids running a few laps with me winning the races we kept doing. Exhausting for all ha ha!  I was right it took me approximately 6 hours and my last few laps I got a little disorientated because I tried to run the opposite direction to mix things up at the end as boredom had set in.  This completely threw me and messed with my head, making me a bit wobbly, very strange sensation indeed.  The end came and I collapsed on the grass feeling ecstatic that I'd done something so ridiculous yet brilliant.  Wow!! Thats just crazy, great mental training ready for the Hardmoors 160 and great base training for my legs.

Great achievement but my gut feeling was, " I know I can do more!" oh dear lol!!!

 Another lockdown day passes, groundhog day in many respects.  Its a weird feeling, being off constantly without working but yet not on holiday.  Its easy to think that this would be bliss but its more difficult than you think.  Guilt from not working, pressure to be reasonably productive and worry about the future.  Some people are setting challenges, learning new skills or picking up where they left off years ago, some use exercise!

Sunday was my opportunity to get a long run in, and when I say a long run I'm talking 30 miles. Before Christmas I signed up to the Hardmoors Virtual Roseberry Topping marathon, being 30 miles.  I tried to plan it so I used a few weeks of lockdown to get some good training in and build up the mileage.  The opportunity arose and with Sarah's ok I planned an early start after taking Bertie for his morning constitution.  He was sorted and all I had to do was get my kit together and get out the door.  I wasn't feeling great but soon came round to the idea and was up for it.  It was dark, cold and frosty so it was a matter of getting going and keeping myself warm.  It was stunning watching the sun come of the frosted landscape and discovering a few new roads and routes.  Time passed as did the miles and I approached the half way marker of 15 miles.  I started getting the feeling that my hip flexor wasn't right, it was tightening up and could become an issue, but I plodded on.  No, its no good I thought, I need to stop and stretch otherwise it's going  to be game over.  I couldn't shake it, I repeated the process of running half a mile, stretching then power walking a bit.  It still didn't pass but I decided I was going to continue rather than redirect and go home.  I'm so glad I pushed on through and mentally took on this challenge working the situation without damaging myself longterm.  It was a bit of battle towards the end, especially I calculated I was going to be short for miles so I needed to add an extra 2.5 miles so the process of back tracking quarter of a mile and then turning round began.  UUUrrggghh!!! I hate doing this but I'd hate getting home then having to go out and do 2.5 miles more, so it was just a matter of suck it and crack on.  5 hours 47 minutes and job done, legs actually felt ok and my feet were in good shape so no complaints.  30 miles in the bag and no serious injuries. Boom!!!!!

I was really pleased with getting out and being relatively comfortable completing 30 miles, although it was all road I don't mind as it was just important to get the time on my feet and miles under my belt. No blisters! Winner.  A few years ago doing something like this would have caused all sorts of problems, I know I know it wasn't fast but steady away and I got it done in a reasonable time, with the knowledge that I can do it faster actually if my hip and been ok. I reckon 5 and half hours would have been about right. In the past this would have broken me, I would have completed it but with battered feet, achy stiff legs and probably a bad back. I wasn't in bad shape after either, a few creaky joints that a bit of stretching cleared up and the feeling of being a little tired but all in all I was in good shape.  What this has done has given me confidence and a desire to get out regularly or as much as I can getting the longer distances in. Balance is everything and taking care not to wreck my body in the process.

When we first went into lockdown the initial few weeks were really tough as we had no idea of what was going on and what to expect.  I decided that I needed to approach this like work and give myself a routine with my exercise.  This began fairly normal with a run, most of the time folowing my programme set by Ronnie.  This escalated rapidly to running every day, almost with addiction as I didn't dare miss a session.  I was in the infancy stage of using the Myzone heart rate monitor and collating the points and competing on a leader board.  This also became addictive and motivational, helping me not only to get out every day but to keep pushing myself.  This soon became not enough, I needed more points to compete at the top level and soon started to include garden workouts experimenting with different things to achieve the best results.  I was loving it, and later I concluded that this was actually my salvation physically and mentally!

Currently I am in charge of home schooling! This is proving to be quite challenging and any aspirations of going on to further my career and diversifying into teaching are rapidly waning.  My patience has been tested to the max and my knowledge lol!  The telegraph crossword feels easy to some of this stuff!!  Sarah is still battling away with working and coping with constant interruptions from the kids, usually complaining about the horrible strict teacher in the other room.  What I'm able to do on these weeks is either get out running or garden workout training, first thing or at 3.30pm once they've finished.  This isn't always possible but I'm trying to get as much in as possible but using it as a recovery week.  In the other weeks when the kids are at their Dads I'm pushing myself to get longer distances in and doubling up with a conditioning session in the afternoon.  I'm also now in the mindset of trying to get a really long run in at weekends trying for every week but definitely every fortnight.

What else did I get up to last year?  Well, a few exciting things happened but the biggest and most exciting was that I got married!!!!! Wahoo!!! This was truly a brilliant weekend I loved it, Sarah and I had a great time and everything went just perfectly.  Sarah looked beautiful and we just had a perfect time at the Wisteria Hotel in Oakham with a few friends.  It was so special and I will treasure it in my heart forever. We didn't fly off to any exotic destination or take any sort of honeymoon it was back to it and crack on trying to get back to some kind of normality as we were still bound by certain limiting restrictions.  It wasn't till December the 27th that we managed to get away for a short break, just the two of us to Cornwall.  This also was amazing, a quaint little cottage with all you could need.  The fire was lit pretty much constantly as the weather was atrocious whilst we were there but they just made it all the more special.  We managed a few coastal runs, exploring the coastline and some very wet, muddy fields!

With restrictions getting tightened as were still away, an impending doom clouded over and we knew something more serious was coming.  Home we came as planned on New Years Day and collected all the kids and crashed!  Next day we collected our new addition to the household, Bertie the dog!  A beautiful Sprocker Spaniel! Then the inevitable happened, one day of work and boom, lockdown came and here we are again!

 What can I say, its nearly a year since I wrote anything here.  What does that tell you? The Virus I wrote about in my last post is still plaguing our society and the death toll is now in excess of 100,000.  This has truly been an awful time and we are still battling with it now.  I am currently back spending my days at home as we are in lockdown 3 which means no work, no school, no travelling, no days out, no nothing.  My training has continued and I'm feeling pretty good about it a the moment I'm back in training for the Hardmoors 160 and on my 3rd attempt now as I tried in August after the date had been rescheduled, more of that later though. I have quite a lot to catch up on really but I'll try do drop bits in as we go.  My intention is to keep this going even if it means short catch-up most days.

Currently I am planning a long run as I entered a virtual race which requires me to run 30 miles.  This was meant to be today but I weakly opted out and got my tax returning finished instead, phew!  So the new plan is to attack this on Sunday, so in a few days time.  One of the things I have taken from these lockdown situations is home workouts.  I use a myzone heart rate monitor just to help with motivation as I can accumulate points from my workouts and challenge on leader boards.  The points system really appeals to me, being fairly competitive ha ha, so therefore I push myself harder.  This really has worked as I've done this much before and actually enjoy the process and its in my own garden or front room.  What have been putting in the workouts that make a difference?  Well, unfortunately and I say unfortunately because I don't enjoy them, I've added BURPEES!!! They are horrible but my conclusion is that they have really helped me, amongst other things like press-up's, squats, lunges, walking lunges etc etc.  Burpees seem to not only improve strength but they are helping with my core muscles and strangely my breathing.  I seem to feel stronger and cope better when running and putting myself under more physical stress.  So I now know that I'm training hard enough if I'm not including the burpees.  I try to set mini challenges that involve doing a certain number a day or repeating the workout every day for the month etc.  Ok so along side the burpees I've decided stair reps help considerably too especially since I can't really get out into the hills.  They are a good form of resistance training and I get a good cardio workout from it too.  I feel the benefit when I'm running and pushing harder for longer. My lung capacity seems to cope better when I've got this as a regular part of my workouts.

Recently I've had some pretty miserable runs in the dark and cold.  The alarms goes off unappealing early so I can get out and back to then do the home schooling.  I shuffle down stairs and find my prepared kit in a pile on the stairs so I don't wake Sarah up or the kids whilst I'm falling all over the place getting dressed and waking up.  I quickly throw some granola down me and maybe a small cuppa before off.  Head torch on and a warm set of kit!  My route is all road and is a bit like an ice rink first thing at the moment which can be dangerous if your not concentrating which is hard at 5.30am! Skidding one way then the other, a quick recovery step with increased heart rate "but its all good training I keep telling myself" ha ha! I work hard at getting round the route in a reasonable time and with half an eye on my heart rate and which zone I'm working in and weather I need to up it a bit or just maintain pace and work rate.  I fall almost through the back door and I'm home, press stop and rest.  Its a great way to start the day I love it but its hard in the dark cold mornings of winter.

Hope your training is going well.  Stay hard! Stay safe!

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!