Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Monday, 23 May 2011
Stiff
Last Wednesday (18th May), Cheryl, Chris and me tried to vary our Wed Work Running Club route, so decided to run to the bridge, over it and back - 4 miles. It was really REALLY windy but normally its a cross-wind on the bridge, so I thought it would be ok. Wrong. Basically the wind blew us over the bridge and we were running straight into gale force winds on the way back. I actually felt really strong on the way back and even though the bridge run is boring and harsh (even on a nice day) and it was not enjoyable, I felt strong enough to put in a sprint for the last 50 metres. Pop - my calf went again. It actually did feel like a 'pop'. Totally furious with myself. Should have just finished the run without messing about.
I was down in the dumps Wed, Thur and had to miss the Fri run as calf still sore.This led to me drowning my sorrows in some glasses of wine (lower calories than beer) and strangley getting more motivated the more tipsy I got watching the ridiculously fit cyclists on the Tour of Calafornia.
I am getting seriously worried this recurring injury will seriously dent my training plans. It seems to be: run, 4 days to get better, then run again.
Anyway, calf felt ok Sat morning, so planned to do the Dundee Half Marathon route with Jeff. Basically its a cycle route that goes all the way around Dundee. We were doing the Camperdown to Broughty Castle 13.2 mile route. Not to bore you with the details but the route is fairly easy after the first mile and a half which is pretty steep. I honestly never knew this route existed and I would say I hadn't been to 90% of the places on the route.
I managed to reach 12 miles, just reached the esplanade from the Monifieth end and my body seemed to seize up all over. My neck, shoulders, hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and especially the soles of my feet were either burning, throbbing or stiff as a board. I stopped and lied down at the side of the road and waited for Jeff to finish the route and pick up the car and come and get me.
I had actually felt pretty good up until about 10 and a half miles and this was the longest run I had done at 2hr 30mins, so all in all, not too bad. I ran out of fluids at 10 miles, so I'm sure there is a link there.
Slept most of the afternoon and woke up in so much pain and soooooo stiff (I mean my legs, back and shoulders/neck area btw) it wouldn't be an exaggaration to say it took me just over 5 minutes to get up and get to my bathroom.
Fluids. Definitely fluids.
I was down in the dumps Wed, Thur and had to miss the Fri run as calf still sore.This led to me drowning my sorrows in some glasses of wine (lower calories than beer) and strangley getting more motivated the more tipsy I got watching the ridiculously fit cyclists on the Tour of Calafornia.
I am getting seriously worried this recurring injury will seriously dent my training plans. It seems to be: run, 4 days to get better, then run again.
Anyway, calf felt ok Sat morning, so planned to do the Dundee Half Marathon route with Jeff. Basically its a cycle route that goes all the way around Dundee. We were doing the Camperdown to Broughty Castle 13.2 mile route. Not to bore you with the details but the route is fairly easy after the first mile and a half which is pretty steep. I honestly never knew this route existed and I would say I hadn't been to 90% of the places on the route.
I managed to reach 12 miles, just reached the esplanade from the Monifieth end and my body seemed to seize up all over. My neck, shoulders, hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and especially the soles of my feet were either burning, throbbing or stiff as a board. I stopped and lied down at the side of the road and waited for Jeff to finish the route and pick up the car and come and get me.
I had actually felt pretty good up until about 10 and a half miles and this was the longest run I had done at 2hr 30mins, so all in all, not too bad. I ran out of fluids at 10 miles, so I'm sure there is a link there.
Slept most of the afternoon and woke up in so much pain and soooooo stiff (I mean my legs, back and shoulders/neck area btw) it wouldn't be an exaggaration to say it took me just over 5 minutes to get up and get to my bathroom.
Fluids. Definitely fluids.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Woke up pretty early feeling bright and breezy, so thought I'd do a short run. Had a bit of a rest week this week with only a short run on Wednesday. My calf felt totally fine so decided to do the hill run that I have found horrendous since starting this blog.
Usual route - down from Blackness Ave to Magdelan Green, up first hill, Windsor St.......steady pace, really concntrated on my breathing and got to the top no problem - result.
Along Perth Rd to the dreaded WEST PARK ROAD. Furthest I have made it up here before was just past half way, so was aiming for that today. Shortened my steps (yes, I can take even shorter steps when needed), tried to breathe normally and got to half way feeling surprisingly comfortable. The last third of that road gets even steeper but I dug in, pumped my arms, focused on breathing and MADE IT TO THE TOP!!!!! Took a few minutes walk then slow jog recovery after the top but I was delighted.
Back along Perth Rd, up Glamis, into cementry then up Balgay Hill. Again, I never made it further up more than half way without stopping but again I just seemed to be able to keep going. Inexplicably, I stopped and walked the last 20 metres to the top but still furthest up yet!
Stepped on the pace on way down and put in a good 3 quarter run back to the start - 45 mins.
Came home upbeat, happy, fresh and I think a tiny bit lighter than the week before. Think my good few days rest and change in diet really helped. Also, it was first run out on my own. Food for thought.
Diet been boring but I stuck to it this week, so treated myself to a peh (and sausage roll) and beans for lunch............. oh and a carrot cake.
Usual route - down from Blackness Ave to Magdelan Green, up first hill, Windsor St.......steady pace, really concntrated on my breathing and got to the top no problem - result.
Along Perth Rd to the dreaded WEST PARK ROAD. Furthest I have made it up here before was just past half way, so was aiming for that today. Shortened my steps (yes, I can take even shorter steps when needed), tried to breathe normally and got to half way feeling surprisingly comfortable. The last third of that road gets even steeper but I dug in, pumped my arms, focused on breathing and MADE IT TO THE TOP!!!!! Took a few minutes walk then slow jog recovery after the top but I was delighted.
Back along Perth Rd, up Glamis, into cementry then up Balgay Hill. Again, I never made it further up more than half way without stopping but again I just seemed to be able to keep going. Inexplicably, I stopped and walked the last 20 metres to the top but still furthest up yet!
Stepped on the pace on way down and put in a good 3 quarter run back to the start - 45 mins.
Came home upbeat, happy, fresh and I think a tiny bit lighter than the week before. Think my good few days rest and change in diet really helped. Also, it was first run out on my own. Food for thought.
Diet been boring but I stuck to it this week, so treated myself to a peh (and sausage roll) and beans for lunch............. oh and a carrot cake.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Loss of Mojo
21 weeks to go...............time to step things up and really comcentrate and focus.Time to analyse my diet and training methods and start pushing myself more and more.
Except...............
I lost my Mojo somewhere around 10pm on Sunday night.
Did a particulary hard, quite a hilly 6.5 run with Big Chris on Friday after work. Struggled but felt good at the end. Got up early Saturday morning for a weights session with Big Ronnie but was feeling really tired, so did only 20 minutes. Continued to feel tired rest of Sat but got up early Sunday to meet Cobby and Jeff Jefferson for a scheduled 11 miler.
I made a horrendous boob on the route planning, which ultimately, led to me and Cobby running through ankle deep grass at the edge of a dual carriageway for about a mile near the start of the run PLUS I was trying out my new hydration backpack, which full weighed 1.8kg. I blame these facts on my left shin muscle starting to ache. Had to stop and then walk for another mile or so. Jeff and Cobb had waited and we had a few minutes discussion to whether we should: a) do the full 11 miles b) cut the route in half and pick up Cobbs car that was parked in the Ferry from night before or c) nip across the road for a McDonalds breakfast. I should say both Cobb and Jeff were out on the lash the night before, so fair do's to them getting up early on a rainy Sunday morning. We ended up running at quite a fast speed down into the Ferry and for about the last mile and a half, I'm sure that was the fastest I've run. All in all about 6 miles up and down, fast pace then walk. Strange run actually.
Had a couple pints watching the Man u v Chelsea match, then went home and had (quite) a bit more alcohol. Shattered.
Knackered, hungry and grumpy on Monday. Had to go to McD's for lunch and ask to get away from work early! Was home in bed for 3.40pm. Woke up half 7 and had a fish supper. tuesday followed pretty much the same pattern. No motivation, no energy and no Mojo.
I think, THINK I was just really fatigued. I had done a lot more miles and general training in the previous 3 weeks and think I just needed a rest.
Did a short 3.25 mile run with the works running/walking club tonight (up to 7 people now) in 36 mins. Hurt my calf (first injury) but actually felt good. Good to see Fiona 'Fi Fi' Denyer and 'Auntie' Audrey Hepburn out with us tonight - well done.
Dare I say it?............................. THE MOJO IS BACK!
Except...............
I lost my Mojo somewhere around 10pm on Sunday night.
Did a particulary hard, quite a hilly 6.5 run with Big Chris on Friday after work. Struggled but felt good at the end. Got up early Saturday morning for a weights session with Big Ronnie but was feeling really tired, so did only 20 minutes. Continued to feel tired rest of Sat but got up early Sunday to meet Cobby and Jeff Jefferson for a scheduled 11 miler.
I made a horrendous boob on the route planning, which ultimately, led to me and Cobby running through ankle deep grass at the edge of a dual carriageway for about a mile near the start of the run PLUS I was trying out my new hydration backpack, which full weighed 1.8kg. I blame these facts on my left shin muscle starting to ache. Had to stop and then walk for another mile or so. Jeff and Cobb had waited and we had a few minutes discussion to whether we should: a) do the full 11 miles b) cut the route in half and pick up Cobbs car that was parked in the Ferry from night before or c) nip across the road for a McDonalds breakfast. I should say both Cobb and Jeff were out on the lash the night before, so fair do's to them getting up early on a rainy Sunday morning. We ended up running at quite a fast speed down into the Ferry and for about the last mile and a half, I'm sure that was the fastest I've run. All in all about 6 miles up and down, fast pace then walk. Strange run actually.
Had a couple pints watching the Man u v Chelsea match, then went home and had (quite) a bit more alcohol. Shattered.
Knackered, hungry and grumpy on Monday. Had to go to McD's for lunch and ask to get away from work early! Was home in bed for 3.40pm. Woke up half 7 and had a fish supper. tuesday followed pretty much the same pattern. No motivation, no energy and no Mojo.
I think, THINK I was just really fatigued. I had done a lot more miles and general training in the previous 3 weeks and think I just needed a rest.
Did a short 3.25 mile run with the works running/walking club tonight (up to 7 people now) in 36 mins. Hurt my calf (first injury) but actually felt good. Good to see Fiona 'Fi Fi' Denyer and 'Auntie' Audrey Hepburn out with us tonight - well done.
Dare I say it?............................. THE MOJO IS BACK!
Sunday, 1 May 2011
President of the World
Finally feeling nearly back to normal after an all day drinking session on Friday AND Saturday. Need to give a mention to the famous Dundee FC. A ridiculous 25 point deduction, transfer embargo and another shyster owner didn't stop a glorius run and looks like a 4th or 5th finishing position in the league. Nearly 8 000 at Dens yesterday to pay tribute to a fantastic team effort. Manager Barry Smith is a true legend, not even a mention for Manager of the Year tonight, that went to the manager of the team that came SECOND. Strange. The reason I'm mentioning this is it brought home to me how much effort that everyone behind the scenes put in this season as well. All the volunteers, helpers and fans who dug deep to keep the club afloat. I saw volunteers and a steward or two crying out of sheer happyness. Quiet humbling. I should have gone to more games this season and in a strange way it boosted my motivation again. I suppose it's a cliche but you need to put in the hard work to get the rewards and Dundee did that this season, proud of them.
Did a 10 mile run with Big Chris on Friday morning. Farthest yet. Not much to say about the run really. I think I'm starting to realise that apart from nearly getting mowed down by the odd speeding car when either I'm not paying attention or the driver's dreaming and getting abuse/encouragement/laughed at by punters, there really isn't much to say and to be honest, it can be quite boring.
I bought a 'hydration belt'. Basically a bum bag that holds a water bottle at the side and a zip pocket for gels, sweets etc. Fully loaded, I felt like I had on Batman's belt. It really helped though. Even though it was a warm sunny day and I had to share all my stuff with BC, the energy gels and fluid defintely helped me get through the 10 miles in 2hr 2mins.
I really think the hard training starts from........NOW.
I think I'll keep up the blog but it may start to get a bit more......well.....boring. Not sure how entertaining I can make a 13 mile plod on a wet Tuesday night. I'll see. Might go geeky for the fitness buffs or diversify a bit and give my views in a new section called 'The World According to Steve Smith'. Egomaniac style (I should be President of the World anyway).
Did a 10 mile run with Big Chris on Friday morning. Farthest yet. Not much to say about the run really. I think I'm starting to realise that apart from nearly getting mowed down by the odd speeding car when either I'm not paying attention or the driver's dreaming and getting abuse/encouragement/laughed at by punters, there really isn't much to say and to be honest, it can be quite boring.
I bought a 'hydration belt'. Basically a bum bag that holds a water bottle at the side and a zip pocket for gels, sweets etc. Fully loaded, I felt like I had on Batman's belt. It really helped though. Even though it was a warm sunny day and I had to share all my stuff with BC, the energy gels and fluid defintely helped me get through the 10 miles in 2hr 2mins.
I really think the hard training starts from........NOW.
I think I'll keep up the blog but it may start to get a bit more......well.....boring. Not sure how entertaining I can make a 13 mile plod on a wet Tuesday night. I'll see. Might go geeky for the fitness buffs or diversify a bit and give my views in a new section called 'The World According to Steve Smith'. Egomaniac style (I should be President of the World anyway).
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