Wednesday 27th March 2013
Swimming (1500M / 00:34:22) 18M Pool at Gym
Quick swim at lunchtime today and thankfully the leaky goggles were not a feature. The new ones were perfect and amazingly clear vision through them. It is surprising how scratched and scuffed up the old ones become without even noticing it.
Swim felt decent enough. I know there is no pace there but it could be argued that there never was any pace to start with!
I can live with that as endurance is the key for me at the minute and I can work on the pace a little bit.
I have made the decision to withdraw from the Tri an Mhi Half Iron Distance race in May.
This was a tough decision as I loved the race last year and was really looking forward to it. However my training has been so badly interrupted this year that I know I don’t have it in me to do the 70.3 miles by the 18th of May.
I am disappointed but sure that it’s the right call.
I am now considering the same distance at a race at the start of June. This gives me an extra 2 or 3 weeks to work on the cycling and a bit of extra time to recover from the London Marathon. (if I’m able to run it OK.)
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Little steps in the snow.
Tuesday 26th March 2013
Running (6.50 Miles / 01:02:12 /00:09:34 per mile/ HR Zone 3 )
Another step on the road to getting some degree of fitness back again and it went pretty well.
The snow is still pretty thick up round the house so I jumped in the car and parked a mile down the road and ran from there.
It is amazing that there can be such a difference in snow conditions in the space of a mile. It must be the extra bit of elevation at our house that makes the difference.
Anyway, the run went well and each mile was within a few seconds of the last one in terms of pacing which is encouraging.
I did have to run on the road at times as there are still some isolated patches of snow on pavements which make it a bit dodgy underfoot but no incidents to report thankfully.
Next stop is a run in Donegal while we are up over the Easter break. I need to do a long one so hopefully the weather will be kind to me - as it always is in Donegal. NOT!!
Running (6.50 Miles / 01:02:12 /00:09:34 per mile/ HR Zone 3 )
Another step on the road to getting some degree of fitness back again and it went pretty well.
The snow is still pretty thick up round the house so I jumped in the car and parked a mile down the road and ran from there.
It is amazing that there can be such a difference in snow conditions in the space of a mile. It must be the extra bit of elevation at our house that makes the difference.
Anyway, the run went well and each mile was within a few seconds of the last one in terms of pacing which is encouraging.
I did have to run on the road at times as there are still some isolated patches of snow on pavements which make it a bit dodgy underfoot but no incidents to report thankfully.
Next stop is a run in Donegal while we are up over the Easter break. I need to do a long one so hopefully the weather will be kind to me - as it always is in Donegal. NOT!!
Sunday 24 March 2013
The Road uphill on "The Dreadmill" for two and a half hours.
Sunday 24th March 2013
Running (Dunno Miles / 02:30:00 / Dunno pace / HR Zone 2 81% Max)
Bloody snow.
Typically as I feel fit enough to tackle another long run this weekend, the fantastic Northern Ireland Spring weather kicks in and we have over a foot of snow all over the place, making it pretty much impossible to get a long run done safely. (although I have seen some people out running, which is great but I don't want to risk it.)
I bit the bullet and cranked up the treadmill in the garage and got running.
My aim today had I been outside running was to cover 16 miles or so, so I reckoned that even taking it easy I should be running for about 2hrs 30 mins.
I loaded a great DVD on which I can certainly recommend.
I really enjoyed this film. I enjoy the behind the scenes films for cycling and most sports and this one was pretty good. i always quite liked the Schleck brothers but the film gave me a new respect for them and an appreciation of how important they are to eachothers' career and performance.
Sadly the film only killed an hour and half so I killed off the last hour with some more Sons of Anarchy.
I am very pleased at how my run went. Accepting that a run on "Dreadmill" is never going to be the same as running outside, I am still happy to have had the time on my feet. I am guessing that I probably did at least 16 miles and possibly 17 and rather pleasingly my Heart rate stayed pretty much in control.
At the minute the best I can do is to aim for a long run each week for the next 3 weeks, hope not to disintegrate and make it to the London Marathon start line with a chance of getting round the course. No matter how long it takes.
4 weeks to go. Let's see how it goes.
Running (Dunno Miles / 02:30:00 / Dunno pace / HR Zone 2 81% Max)
Bloody snow.
Typically as I feel fit enough to tackle another long run this weekend, the fantastic Northern Ireland Spring weather kicks in and we have over a foot of snow all over the place, making it pretty much impossible to get a long run done safely. (although I have seen some people out running, which is great but I don't want to risk it.)
I bit the bullet and cranked up the treadmill in the garage and got running.
My aim today had I been outside running was to cover 16 miles or so, so I reckoned that even taking it easy I should be running for about 2hrs 30 mins.
I loaded a great DVD on which I can certainly recommend.
I really enjoyed this film. I enjoy the behind the scenes films for cycling and most sports and this one was pretty good. i always quite liked the Schleck brothers but the film gave me a new respect for them and an appreciation of how important they are to eachothers' career and performance.
Sadly the film only killed an hour and half so I killed off the last hour with some more Sons of Anarchy.
I am very pleased at how my run went. Accepting that a run on "Dreadmill" is never going to be the same as running outside, I am still happy to have had the time on my feet. I am guessing that I probably did at least 16 miles and possibly 17 and rather pleasingly my Heart rate stayed pretty much in control.
At the minute the best I can do is to aim for a long run each week for the next 3 weeks, hope not to disintegrate and make it to the London Marathon start line with a chance of getting round the course. No matter how long it takes.
4 weeks to go. Let's see how it goes.
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Leaking goggles - it's enough to make yoour Mascara run.
Wednesday 20th March 2013
Swimming
(00:24:56 / 1000M)
Decided
to dip my toe back in the water again today with a swim at lunchtime.
It
actually was great to be swimming again as its been a while as I gave myself
time to recover from the plague of injuries.
Swimming
felt very comfortable, almost as if I hadn’t been away. The time for the
swim is horrifically slow but that is more to do with the fact that I had so
many stoppages.
The
only thing was that my goggles were giving me hell!
I
virtually had to stop every other length to empty them out and try to re-fit
them.
I
knew they had been wearing out for some time but today was the final
straw.
Every
time I turned my head water leaked in to the goggles. This played merry
hell with my mascara!!
Anyway,
so great was my frustration that I cut the swim short to 1000M, got out,
changed and straight to the Sports Shop and bough a new pair of goggles.
The same ones so hopefully they will be fine.
Monday 18 March 2013
I'm Dizzy.
Monday 18th March
2013
Running (12.25 Miles / 02:03:10 / 00:10:03)
What better way to spend the St Patrick's Day Bank Holiday off work that to run round a Park. 15 TIMES to be exact.
I was beginning to feel dizzy at the end of the run.
There was method in my madness. let me explain.
As this was my first longer run back again I wanted to have the option to bail out gracefully and not have miles to walk home in case the body gave up on me. Fortunately it held together so I was able to really really enjoy all that Wallace Park in Lisburn had to offer. Which is a nice tarmac path with some little undulations.
I did reverse direction a couple of time just to see that the back of the trees looked like from the other angle!!
I am happy enough that the run went OK albeit extremely slow. That was the point though. This was just about testing out the body and spending time on my feet.
Mission accomplished, let's just hope that I feel OK tomorrow too.
Running (12.25 Miles / 02:03:10 / 00:10:03)
What better way to spend the St Patrick's Day Bank Holiday off work that to run round a Park. 15 TIMES to be exact.
I was beginning to feel dizzy at the end of the run.
There was method in my madness. let me explain.
As this was my first longer run back again I wanted to have the option to bail out gracefully and not have miles to walk home in case the body gave up on me. Fortunately it held together so I was able to really really enjoy all that Wallace Park in Lisburn had to offer. Which is a nice tarmac path with some little undulations.
I did reverse direction a couple of time just to see that the back of the trees looked like from the other angle!!
I am happy enough that the run went OK albeit extremely slow. That was the point though. This was just about testing out the body and spending time on my feet.
Mission accomplished, let's just hope that I feel OK tomorrow too.
Cycling from Fatsville.
Sunday 17th March 2012
Cycling (02:31:19 / 36.25 Miles / 14.40 MPH / Avg Cadence 72rpm)
It was fantastic to get out on the Club Sunday run. It was especially good as many people made the effort to get out and there were probably about 20 of us.
The route chosen by Arran was undulating and for me at this state of fitness was challenging enough.
In all it turned out to be just under 700m of elevation, of which I can honestly say I felt every Metre of it.
Somewhat stupidly on my part I thought I would cope OK but I can't believe how my cycling fitness has completely gone. Not just weakened, but it dumped the bike at the side of the road and got the express train to Fatsville. In the words of Baldrick in Balckadder, "Gone like an old oak table!"
At least I know that I can only get better.
I would bloody need to as I have a Half Iron distance race coming up in Mid May and the thought of even riding 56 miles is daunting and that's not even considering having to get off and run a Half Marathon.
It was brilliant to be out with all the gang- even if I only saw the back of pretty much all of them. We had a great wee spread of coffee, scones and Danish at The Hillside in Hillsborough near the end and that was just what I needed.
I fear that progress may be slow, but progress is progress.
Cycling (02:31:19 / 36.25 Miles / 14.40 MPH / Avg Cadence 72rpm)
It was fantastic to get out on the Club Sunday run. It was especially good as many people made the effort to get out and there were probably about 20 of us.
The route chosen by Arran was undulating and for me at this state of fitness was challenging enough.
In all it turned out to be just under 700m of elevation, of which I can honestly say I felt every Metre of it.
Somewhat stupidly on my part I thought I would cope OK but I can't believe how my cycling fitness has completely gone. Not just weakened, but it dumped the bike at the side of the road and got the express train to Fatsville. In the words of Baldrick in Balckadder, "Gone like an old oak table!"
At least I know that I can only get better.
I would bloody need to as I have a Half Iron distance race coming up in Mid May and the thought of even riding 56 miles is daunting and that's not even considering having to get off and run a Half Marathon.
It was brilliant to be out with all the gang- even if I only saw the back of pretty much all of them. We had a great wee spread of coffee, scones and Danish at The Hillside in Hillsborough near the end and that was just what I needed.
I fear that progress may be slow, but progress is progress.
Saturday 16 March 2013
Big nerves before a short run - Wallace Parkrun.
Saturday 16th March
2013
Running (3.20 Miles / 00:26:01 / 00:08:20)
Wallace Parkrun - Lisburn
Quite ridiculously I felt nervous this morning before heading down to the 5K Wallace Parkrun in Lisburn.
Why should I feel nervous about doing a 5K? After all it is just a very short run.
The nerves were because this was my first tun on nearly two and a half weeks and I was so anxious to run pain free and see how I held together.
The other thing playing on my mind was running in my new shoes with the new orthotic inserts and how they would feel as they do feel really hard under my foot.
It was fantastic to see so many people at the Parkrun, I think the total was 98 today, which is amazing for only the 3rd week of the event.
Once I got underway on the run I felt physically OK, no pain from my Achilles or feet but it did feel really strange having the insert in my shoe. It felt like a block of wood under my foot and was beginning to get a bit sore. For the last mile my toes were beginning to feel a little bit numb and I think this was due to the Orthotic.
As the run went on, my lack of running and fitness was showing. I wasn't going all that hard but it is clear that I have lost a huge amount of fitness. Disappointing as that might be I am not all that worried about it as the main objective is just to get running again.
I'm happy to get through the run and will now anxiously observe how the body holds up over the next day or two.
Running (3.20 Miles / 00:26:01 / 00:08:20)
Wallace Parkrun - Lisburn
Quite ridiculously I felt nervous this morning before heading down to the 5K Wallace Parkrun in Lisburn.
Why should I feel nervous about doing a 5K? After all it is just a very short run.
The nerves were because this was my first tun on nearly two and a half weeks and I was so anxious to run pain free and see how I held together.
The other thing playing on my mind was running in my new shoes with the new orthotic inserts and how they would feel as they do feel really hard under my foot.
It was fantastic to see so many people at the Parkrun, I think the total was 98 today, which is amazing for only the 3rd week of the event.
Once I got underway on the run I felt physically OK, no pain from my Achilles or feet but it did feel really strange having the insert in my shoe. It felt like a block of wood under my foot and was beginning to get a bit sore. For the last mile my toes were beginning to feel a little bit numb and I think this was due to the Orthotic.
As the run went on, my lack of running and fitness was showing. I wasn't going all that hard but it is clear that I have lost a huge amount of fitness. Disappointing as that might be I am not all that worried about it as the main objective is just to get running again.
I'm happy to get through the run and will now anxiously observe how the body holds up over the next day or two.
Wednesday 13 March 2013
14 days later and I'm feeling a bit more bling. Thanks Usain.
Wednesday 13th March 2013
It's been about 2 weeks since I have been able to do any exercise because of the litany of lower limb injuries.
I'm pleased to say that I am feeling quite a bit better and most injuries are feeling much improved on where they were this time 2 weeks ago.
The state of play is that the Achilles is feeling pretty good, albeit that I have not run on it, but walking even hurt before, so this is a good thing.
The foot injuries seem to have alternated between feet and at the moment both are feeling not too bad.
In getting to this point I have endured some pain at he Physio and a session on Acupuncture. This was more painful than I expected. Another learning experience.
I am really hopeful that another couple of days rest will see the improvements continue.
I resisted the temptation to do the Tri Club 400M Swim Time Trial tonight. I was so keen to do this but I promised a two week break and I am sticking to the plan.
I finally managed to get a pair of trainer that I can fit my over-sized big flat feet orthotic inserts in to.
I opted for the Puma FAAS 800. They're pretty bright white and orange and the sole is a bit of a flashy glossy shade but I'm sure it will not be too long before the wear and tear and general dirt of running takes the bling off them.
I've never had Puma trainers before and I am eager to see how they go. If they're good enough for Usain Bolt, they're good enough for me.
They get really good reviews in most articles that I read and above all, they were about £30 below normal retail price in my favourite shop TK Maxx. Bargain.
I had a walk in them tonight just to try them out and the new Orthotics. The orthotics feel really weird and a bit uncomfortable to start with. This is only to be expected I suppose as they are creating an arch in my foot where one doesn't exist.
My aim is to ease myself back in again at the new Wallace Parkrun in Lisburn on Saturday with a very gentle 5K, an easy bike on Sunday and all being well a longish run of about 15 miles next week at some stage.
I must say that I am feeling more optimistic than I was a couple of weeks ago anyway.
It's been about 2 weeks since I have been able to do any exercise because of the litany of lower limb injuries.
I'm pleased to say that I am feeling quite a bit better and most injuries are feeling much improved on where they were this time 2 weeks ago.
The state of play is that the Achilles is feeling pretty good, albeit that I have not run on it, but walking even hurt before, so this is a good thing.
The foot injuries seem to have alternated between feet and at the moment both are feeling not too bad.
In getting to this point I have endured some pain at he Physio and a session on Acupuncture. This was more painful than I expected. Another learning experience.
I am really hopeful that another couple of days rest will see the improvements continue.
I resisted the temptation to do the Tri Club 400M Swim Time Trial tonight. I was so keen to do this but I promised a two week break and I am sticking to the plan.
I finally managed to get a pair of trainer that I can fit my over-sized big flat feet orthotic inserts in to.
I opted for the Puma FAAS 800. They're pretty bright white and orange and the sole is a bit of a flashy glossy shade but I'm sure it will not be too long before the wear and tear and general dirt of running takes the bling off them.
I've never had Puma trainers before and I am eager to see how they go. If they're good enough for Usain Bolt, they're good enough for me.
They get really good reviews in most articles that I read and above all, they were about £30 below normal retail price in my favourite shop TK Maxx. Bargain.
I had a walk in them tonight just to try them out and the new Orthotics. The orthotics feel really weird and a bit uncomfortable to start with. This is only to be expected I suppose as they are creating an arch in my foot where one doesn't exist.
My aim is to ease myself back in again at the new Wallace Parkrun in Lisburn on Saturday with a very gentle 5K, an easy bike on Sunday and all being well a longish run of about 15 miles next week at some stage.
I must say that I am feeling more optimistic than I was a couple of weeks ago anyway.
Sunday 3 March 2013
I've bloody had it!
Sunday 3rd March 2013
Right! I have just about had enough.
Plan for the weekend was to do the first ever Parkrun in Lisburn as part of my planned 17 mile run and then on Sunday do the Club Time Trial and a few more miles afterwards on the bike.
Plans are great. The reality was I did absolutely NOTHING.
I can only describe my situation recently as a plague of injuries.
The Achilles has flared up again and just to provide another boot in the balls, I have severe pain in the other foot. This is leaving me walking like a cripple and in quite a bit of pain.
I am bewildered by it all and thoroughly demoralised.
I am at the point of writing off my London Marathon as I can't see a way to be fit for it even if the injuries clear up.
I can't decide what to do but my current train of thought is to do absolutely nothing at all for the next two weeks and take the risk that it clears up and then leaves me 4 weeks through to London.
I'm so pissed off, annoyed, frustrated and confused.
Things could always be worse but I'm having a hard time seeing that at the moment.
Right! I have just about had enough.
Plan for the weekend was to do the first ever Parkrun in Lisburn as part of my planned 17 mile run and then on Sunday do the Club Time Trial and a few more miles afterwards on the bike.
Plans are great. The reality was I did absolutely NOTHING.
I can only describe my situation recently as a plague of injuries.
The Achilles has flared up again and just to provide another boot in the balls, I have severe pain in the other foot. This is leaving me walking like a cripple and in quite a bit of pain.
I am bewildered by it all and thoroughly demoralised.
I am at the point of writing off my London Marathon as I can't see a way to be fit for it even if the injuries clear up.
I can't decide what to do but my current train of thought is to do absolutely nothing at all for the next two weeks and take the risk that it clears up and then leaves me 4 weeks through to London.
I'm so pissed off, annoyed, frustrated and confused.
Things could always be worse but I'm having a hard time seeing that at the moment.
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