That doesn't really work for me, as i love running!
Attempt to make myself less prone to brokeness
- Thread starter Martynt74
- Start date
Soldato
Getting back into running is so difficult - trying to remind myself to slow down and ease back into it.
Since starting a new job at home, my knees have struggled with exercise, since I’ve barely done any, and when I have it’s running.
Keep going with it and hope your ankle continues to recover
Since starting a new job at home, my knees have struggled with exercise, since I’ve barely done any, and when I have it’s running.
Keep going with it and hope your ankle continues to recover
Just adding this here as i'm sure it'll get lost in the running thread.
Found a short video of the run in Spain that someone took at the 2019 event.
Found a short video of the run in Spain that someone took at the 2019 event.
Well this was a fairly brutal week of activity. Today is a well deserved rest day i think.
Tuesday - 1hr easy run
Wednesday - 1hr easy run on hilly terrain
Thursday - 20 mins of hill reps, with easy recovery and a race pace up the hills. Then drove down to Surrey later that night
Friday - 32mile bike ride around Surrey including a few big (for me) hills
Saturday - Drove home from Surrey then did a 30 min easy run, finished with some sprints
Sunday - Headed to Pendle hill to get some decent ascent in and practice "fast hiking". Mainly aimed for a fast walk (4mph) across some rocky/boggy terrain and then in the last few miles i switched to an easy run. Ended up with 2200ft of ascent over 9.5 miles. First time using poles, and they really do help on hills. I saw some people quite a way up the hill as i started the 800ft climb, and tried to catch them up, which i succeeded with a decent amount of the climb left. Overall a good session as it was 2.5hrs up on my feet on difficult terrain.
Went over on my ankle twice yesterday which caused fairly short sharp pains but was fine to carry on. Last night it felt a little achey. It's a weird one as it never gets any worse to the point i don't feel i can do anything, but then it also doesn't seem to be getting any better past that!
Overall feel like it's been a good week. Got around 9 hours of exercise in, with a good mix of short/long, easy/tough sessions.
What's annoying is i now need new pairs of trainers for both trail and road. My road shoes have held up brilliantly at 350 miles and still feeling good (i usually feel i need new ones at 250 as the cushioning goes due to my weight), however i'm conscious they might not last much longer. I have some Asics in a cupboard i didn't quite gel with. Might try them again for a few runs.
I hadn't realised but my Trail shoes (Saucony Peregrine 10's) have covered 300 miles. I thought it was much less than that, but they're got a few holes in and i suppose whilst i don't wear them often, they've got me round a few >20 runs which add up quickly.
Hoping for some decent black Friday deals!
Tuesday - 1hr easy run
Wednesday - 1hr easy run on hilly terrain
Thursday - 20 mins of hill reps, with easy recovery and a race pace up the hills. Then drove down to Surrey later that night
Friday - 32mile bike ride around Surrey including a few big (for me) hills
Saturday - Drove home from Surrey then did a 30 min easy run, finished with some sprints
Sunday - Headed to Pendle hill to get some decent ascent in and practice "fast hiking". Mainly aimed for a fast walk (4mph) across some rocky/boggy terrain and then in the last few miles i switched to an easy run. Ended up with 2200ft of ascent over 9.5 miles. First time using poles, and they really do help on hills. I saw some people quite a way up the hill as i started the 800ft climb, and tried to catch them up, which i succeeded with a decent amount of the climb left. Overall a good session as it was 2.5hrs up on my feet on difficult terrain.
Went over on my ankle twice yesterday which caused fairly short sharp pains but was fine to carry on. Last night it felt a little achey. It's a weird one as it never gets any worse to the point i don't feel i can do anything, but then it also doesn't seem to be getting any better past that!
Overall feel like it's been a good week. Got around 9 hours of exercise in, with a good mix of short/long, easy/tough sessions.
What's annoying is i now need new pairs of trainers for both trail and road. My road shoes have held up brilliantly at 350 miles and still feeling good (i usually feel i need new ones at 250 as the cushioning goes due to my weight), however i'm conscious they might not last much longer. I have some Asics in a cupboard i didn't quite gel with. Might try them again for a few runs.
I hadn't realised but my Trail shoes (Saucony Peregrine 10's) have covered 300 miles. I thought it was much less than that, but they're got a few holes in and i suppose whilst i don't wear them often, they've got me round a few >20 runs which add up quickly.
Hoping for some decent black Friday deals!
Legs still feeling a bit heavy from the weekend, but today was an "easy" hilly 45 minute run. Always tricky finding a decent route that qualifies has hilly without it just being a case of a big hill that you run up and then back down again. Especially on shorter runs like today. Only got 400ft of ascent over the run so not sure it really counts but it's better than driving miles!
Swapped trainers to some Asics Novablast that i'd bought at the start of the year and then stopped using. Will see if i'm more suited to them this time around as i had some weird rubbing last time i think.
I'm also slowly getting to grips with training at low effort levels. It's caused me to run unbelievably slowly at ~10:30 pace, but i'm hopeful that improvements will kick in eventually. Today caused my VO2 max to increase from 45 to 46. Still lower than my peak at 51, but at least it's moving up. I'm not overly convinced it's accurate as it's just the garmin reading, but it's a gauge at least.
Swapped trainers to some Asics Novablast that i'd bought at the start of the year and then stopped using. Will see if i'm more suited to them this time around as i had some weird rubbing last time i think.
I'm also slowly getting to grips with training at low effort levels. It's caused me to run unbelievably slowly at ~10:30 pace, but i'm hopeful that improvements will kick in eventually. Today caused my VO2 max to increase from 45 to 46. Still lower than my peak at 51, but at least it's moving up. I'm not overly convinced it's accurate as it's just the garmin reading, but it's a gauge at least.
Yesterday was some hill reps. 20 minute warm up and then 8x1 minute 10k pace up a hill with a walkdown recovery. Legs still felt heavy from previous days, but by the end of the session i actually felt pretty good.
Wednesday night i did some bodyweight squats and lunges. For some reason lunges seem to always give me issues, i've asked physios in the past and they all don't see an issue in form so unsure of the reason!
Today was the first day in the gym. I went back on the above thoughts and re-joined Nuffield Health, it's a 5 minute drive vs the 5 minute walk to the local gym, but for an extra £10 a month i get the option of a pool and the sauna/steam room etc. It's also open from 6 in the morning vs 8 at the local place and closes at 10pm vs 8pm at the local place, so gives me more chance to go as i'd like to go around 8pm some nights and smash the wattbike, then relax in the sauna for a bit. I also have the option of showers!
Due to the above knee issue, i played it safe and used the leg press rather than barbell for squats. This isn't something i intend to do long term.
Leg Press 4x10 reps - 50/60/70/80
Leg Press Calf Raises - 4x10x80kg
Single Legged deadlift with 14kg kettlebell 3x10 per leg - Balance was awful with this, not sure why as i've been doing similar at home with a lighter kettlebell i have. Maybe just due to the above weights.
Step up onto 18" platform using a 30kg barbell 1x10 reps. Form wasn't great on this with some wobble due to lack of strength, so moved on.
Step Up onto an 18" platform, driving the alternate knee up on each ascent 3x20 reps
Then moved onto
Lat Pulldown - 3x10x35kg
Seated Row - 3x8x40kg
Tricep Pushdown (Cables) - 3x10x15kg
Tricep Extension (Cables) - 3x10x12.5kg
In future, i'd like to move to a proper bent over row to work my core better than the seated row machine. Instead of the lat pulldown i might also start using the assisted pullup machine. I tried it today for a few reps on 50kg assist and still struggled, but i figure that engages a lot more of the body vs just sitting down, and ultimately that's what i'm after.
Finished off with a 10 minute walk on the treadmill at 3mph with a 15% incline.
Also did 10 minutes on the treadmill at 3mph with a 15% incline. Figured that would help with the climbs
Wednesday night i did some bodyweight squats and lunges. For some reason lunges seem to always give me issues, i've asked physios in the past and they all don't see an issue in form so unsure of the reason!
Today was the first day in the gym. I went back on the above thoughts and re-joined Nuffield Health, it's a 5 minute drive vs the 5 minute walk to the local gym, but for an extra £10 a month i get the option of a pool and the sauna/steam room etc. It's also open from 6 in the morning vs 8 at the local place and closes at 10pm vs 8pm at the local place, so gives me more chance to go as i'd like to go around 8pm some nights and smash the wattbike, then relax in the sauna for a bit. I also have the option of showers!
Due to the above knee issue, i played it safe and used the leg press rather than barbell for squats. This isn't something i intend to do long term.
Leg Press 4x10 reps - 50/60/70/80
Leg Press Calf Raises - 4x10x80kg
Single Legged deadlift with 14kg kettlebell 3x10 per leg - Balance was awful with this, not sure why as i've been doing similar at home with a lighter kettlebell i have. Maybe just due to the above weights.
Step up onto 18" platform using a 30kg barbell 1x10 reps. Form wasn't great on this with some wobble due to lack of strength, so moved on.
Step Up onto an 18" platform, driving the alternate knee up on each ascent 3x20 reps
Then moved onto
Lat Pulldown - 3x10x35kg
Seated Row - 3x8x40kg
Tricep Pushdown (Cables) - 3x10x15kg
Tricep Extension (Cables) - 3x10x12.5kg
In future, i'd like to move to a proper bent over row to work my core better than the seated row machine. Instead of the lat pulldown i might also start using the assisted pullup machine. I tried it today for a few reps on 50kg assist and still struggled, but i figure that engages a lot more of the body vs just sitting down, and ultimately that's what i'm after.
Finished off with a 10 minute walk on the treadmill at 3mph with a 15% incline.
Also did 10 minutes on the treadmill at 3mph with a 15% incline. Figured that would help with the climbs
Been a while since i updated here, obviously all my fans will be missing the updates!
Today marks the end of the 4 week block of running training through the plan i had made up. It's difficult to know whether paying for the plan was beneficial as whilst my fitness has improved a lot, it's hard to say if that's just due to a return to running consistency each week or the more structured training routine. I'm going to get him to do another 8 week block with less hands on comments from him which is ultimately a decent chunk cheaper. I think after that i'll know more as to whether it's worth it or not. I imagine for people pushing themselves more then there's more benefits vs me who's very much happy being average.
I didn't make the gym on Friday due to work being busy as hell so went Saturday morning. Went for squats rather than leg press and noticed that i have some kind of hip shift during squats. Not sure if this is linked to lack of ankle mobility or something else, but not sure whether to stick with the leg press for a while until i can sort that out, or whether it's just something that will fix itself through squats. Just something to monitor i guess. I also moved to the assisted pull up machine. I've always liked the lat pulldown option, but think this'll work better.
Then spent 25 minutes in the sauna, i've been reading a lot about the benefits, especially for endurance building of 2x30 minute sessions in the sauna. Will be interesting to see how that goes. Need to not take my watch in with me though as that was roasting by the end of it! Got home and annoyed the wife a little by then going for a 40 minute run.
Then proceeded to spend the day drinking as we put up the Christmas tree.
Yesterday i was scheduled to do a 75 minute run, however with a planned trip to do the Yorkshire 3 peaks in 2 weeks, i wanted a bigger test to check whether that was too much too soon. Went out on the moors for 11 miles and ~2000ft of elevation which is probably half of the 3 peaks run. It cleared the hangover nicely and a different route to normal. It was absolutely superb, apart from a 2 mile section across really muddy boggy fields with very little runnable sections. Give me gravel roads up over the moors and i'm reminded why i love being up there so much.
Not sure i'd be happy doing double that for the 3 peaks, especially as i'm slightly time restricted as it's our anniversary and so we're off out for a meal early evening! So might look to reschedule and aim for a 20 mile run more local, as it's over an hour each way for the 3 peaks.
Today my legs are achey, probably a culmination of legs in the gym, followed by a run, followed by a longer run yesterday.
Today marks the end of the 4 week block of running training through the plan i had made up. It's difficult to know whether paying for the plan was beneficial as whilst my fitness has improved a lot, it's hard to say if that's just due to a return to running consistency each week or the more structured training routine. I'm going to get him to do another 8 week block with less hands on comments from him which is ultimately a decent chunk cheaper. I think after that i'll know more as to whether it's worth it or not. I imagine for people pushing themselves more then there's more benefits vs me who's very much happy being average.
I didn't make the gym on Friday due to work being busy as hell so went Saturday morning. Went for squats rather than leg press and noticed that i have some kind of hip shift during squats. Not sure if this is linked to lack of ankle mobility or something else, but not sure whether to stick with the leg press for a while until i can sort that out, or whether it's just something that will fix itself through squats. Just something to monitor i guess. I also moved to the assisted pull up machine. I've always liked the lat pulldown option, but think this'll work better.
Then spent 25 minutes in the sauna, i've been reading a lot about the benefits, especially for endurance building of 2x30 minute sessions in the sauna. Will be interesting to see how that goes. Need to not take my watch in with me though as that was roasting by the end of it! Got home and annoyed the wife a little by then going for a 40 minute run.
Then proceeded to spend the day drinking as we put up the Christmas tree.
Yesterday i was scheduled to do a 75 minute run, however with a planned trip to do the Yorkshire 3 peaks in 2 weeks, i wanted a bigger test to check whether that was too much too soon. Went out on the moors for 11 miles and ~2000ft of elevation which is probably half of the 3 peaks run. It cleared the hangover nicely and a different route to normal. It was absolutely superb, apart from a 2 mile section across really muddy boggy fields with very little runnable sections. Give me gravel roads up over the moors and i'm reminded why i love being up there so much.
Not sure i'd be happy doing double that for the 3 peaks, especially as i'm slightly time restricted as it's our anniversary and so we're off out for a meal early evening! So might look to reschedule and aim for a 20 mile run more local, as it's over an hour each way for the 3 peaks.
Today my legs are achey, probably a culmination of legs in the gym, followed by a run, followed by a longer run yesterday.
Well the 3 Peaks run is off. Decided it was too risky with us going out aswell. A more local 20 miler taking ~4 hours gives me much more time which works better.
Initial route here, much less elevation that the 3 Peaks which is a shame, but still a reasonable amount. Probably going to adjust it slightly to add a couple miles in. Had initially worked out a better route, however we're doing a fell race on NYE which covers most of the attractions of the other route, so seems daft to replicate them twice in 2 weeks.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2901493783939574624
With the way i'm feeling recently i really miss running on my rest days. I know it's fairly important, and yesterday i went to the gym for some chest/arms/bike/sauna but it's just not the same. Today made me realise i hammered the bike a little too much even though it was only 15 minutes as a workout and then 10 minutes easy recovery. On the back of an 11 mile run Sunday where i fell and whacked my knee, i should've taken it easier.
Initial route here, much less elevation that the 3 Peaks which is a shame, but still a reasonable amount. Probably going to adjust it slightly to add a couple miles in. Had initially worked out a better route, however we're doing a fell race on NYE which covers most of the attractions of the other route, so seems daft to replicate them twice in 2 weeks.
https://www.strava.com/routes/2901493783939574624
With the way i'm feeling recently i really miss running on my rest days. I know it's fairly important, and yesterday i went to the gym for some chest/arms/bike/sauna but it's just not the same. Today made me realise i hammered the bike a little too much even though it was only 15 minutes as a workout and then 10 minutes easy recovery. On the back of an 11 mile run Sunday where i fell and whacked my knee, i should've taken it easier.
Gym last night too. My usual schedule is generally to do a leg workout on a Friday rest day, however with the intended long run on Saturday it was stuck in yesterday.
Have certainly favoured the leg press over a squat. I know it's not "as good" an exercise, but there's less risk of dodgy form causing issues. I've started doing some BW/light weight squats around the house to keep with that general core workout, i figure my actual weight based work can be on the leg press.
Also threw in the leg curls, again there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about whether this is good or bad. I figure as long as i'm not going huge weight then anything to help strength muscles around the knee, next time i might add in the abductor machine too.
Another part of the reason to favour the machines is that when i've been turning up recently, all the free weight sections are taken, and so i'm either going later and getting less of a workout because the gym closes or trying to squeeze it in another time which is harder to do.
Anyway, actual workout was
Leg Press 80/100/100/110/120 x10
Calves on Leg Press 80/100/110 x10
Leg Curl 40/50/50 x10
Deadlift 40/50/50 x8
Lat Pulldown 35/40/50 x8
Deadlifts could definitely go heavier, but i'm focusing on technique since i've suffered from lower back pain in the past from poor form.
Finished off with Zwift on the bike for 20 minutes. Finally managed to get it all connected! Again, went a little harder on the bike than intended, but Zwift wanted me to do a fitness test to get some initial readings.
Have certainly favoured the leg press over a squat. I know it's not "as good" an exercise, but there's less risk of dodgy form causing issues. I've started doing some BW/light weight squats around the house to keep with that general core workout, i figure my actual weight based work can be on the leg press.
Also threw in the leg curls, again there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about whether this is good or bad. I figure as long as i'm not going huge weight then anything to help strength muscles around the knee, next time i might add in the abductor machine too.
Another part of the reason to favour the machines is that when i've been turning up recently, all the free weight sections are taken, and so i'm either going later and getting less of a workout because the gym closes or trying to squeeze it in another time which is harder to do.
Anyway, actual workout was
Leg Press 80/100/100/110/120 x10
Calves on Leg Press 80/100/110 x10
Leg Curl 40/50/50 x10
Deadlift 40/50/50 x8
Lat Pulldown 35/40/50 x8
Deadlifts could definitely go heavier, but i'm focusing on technique since i've suffered from lower back pain in the past from poor form.
Finished off with Zwift on the bike for 20 minutes. Finally managed to get it all connected! Again, went a little harder on the bike than intended, but Zwift wanted me to do a fitness test to get some initial readings.
Long time since any postings in here (Same goes for the other logs though i guess!)
A few updates.
Running has generally been going well, average distance per week is bouncing around 30-35 which i'm happy with, with around 10-15 being off road.
Had a 7 mile fell race on NYE. Finished in 1:19:33 which was slightly faster than i had set as a goal due to the ~1500ft of ascent on rocky/boggy terrain
New year has started well with a run up the moors on Sunday, then bike ride Monday and a 7 mile run on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Today was a new session for me. 15kg weight in a rucksack and then stuck the treadmill on a steep (12-15%) incline for 30 minutes and walked around 6km/h. Worked out around 1200ft of ascent so a good way to build the legs up and get used to that.
Have been a bit slack on the whole weights side of things recently and have my Covid booster tonight so not sure if there'll be any side effects from that.
This weekend i'm planning on getting up in the Lakes and hitting some big elevation. Hoping that the snow doesn't ruin plans too much, so keeping an eye out for that.
A few updates.
Running has generally been going well, average distance per week is bouncing around 30-35 which i'm happy with, with around 10-15 being off road.
Had a 7 mile fell race on NYE. Finished in 1:19:33 which was slightly faster than i had set as a goal due to the ~1500ft of ascent on rocky/boggy terrain
New year has started well with a run up the moors on Sunday, then bike ride Monday and a 7 mile run on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Today was a new session for me. 15kg weight in a rucksack and then stuck the treadmill on a steep (12-15%) incline for 30 minutes and walked around 6km/h. Worked out around 1200ft of ascent so a good way to build the legs up and get used to that.
Have been a bit slack on the whole weights side of things recently and have my Covid booster tonight so not sure if there'll be any side effects from that.
This weekend i'm planning on getting up in the Lakes and hitting some big elevation. Hoping that the snow doesn't ruin plans too much, so keeping an eye out for that.
Bit of an update here. Running is still going well. Fairly comfortably up to 40-45 miles a week now, and on Saturday i had a 25 mile run up and down some moors and then followed up with a 10 mile run on Sunday which was positive.
Weight has come down to ~95kg too which has pulled my pace down slightly.
The only real failure has come from gym time. I find it far too easy to make excuses to not go. I've also noticed a slight issue recently whereby my pelvis is out of balance. On a squat it means my upper legs aren't level at the bottom of the squat and then today i noticed that during deadlifts/bent over rows, the bar was a good inch or 2 lower on one side than the other. Not sure if this will cause issues over time or not.
Weight has come down to ~95kg too which has pulled my pace down slightly.
The only real failure has come from gym time. I find it far too easy to make excuses to not go. I've also noticed a slight issue recently whereby my pelvis is out of balance. On a squat it means my upper legs aren't level at the bottom of the squat and then today i noticed that during deadlifts/bent over rows, the bar was a good inch or 2 lower on one side than the other. Not sure if this will cause issues over time or not.
Have bought myself some weights and a squat rack/bench. Hoping to use them more regularly with having them at home and being able to just nip into the shed. I had planned to stick them in my office, but it's directly above our bedroom with very creaky floors and i think it'd put me off doing them early/late at night due to risking disturbing the wife.
The weights are full of rust at the moment, so need to spend some time cleaning them up and then give them a coat of paint. Also need to pick up some rubber mats for the floor.
The weights are full of rust at the moment, so need to spend some time cleaning them up and then give them a coat of paint. Also need to pick up some rubber mats for the floor.
Well all of my training culminated in failure!
Obviously i hit a DNF. Missed the final checkpoint by 5 minutes and they wouldn’t let me continue on towards the finish. Annoying as I was making up time in the last few miles and was well on track to finish under the final cut off.
The first 15 miles were lovely. Mainly smooth dirt trails and i was making great time with an expected finish under 12 hours. Obviously i'd never continue at that pace, but i felt confident.
Here's a photo i sent the wife around 8 miles in, absolutely perfect conditions all round and i was loving it.
The hills were all in the middle and I really struggled on them. Obviously hard to replicate in the UK and where i'd done scrambles in the UK (such as up Phen y Ghent and some parts in the Lakes), they're always been quite short and then followed by runnable sections to allow recovery.
Whereas in Spain it was fairly relentless and just rock for multiple miles dropping up and down following the ridge line. This really impacted my stamina and i often stopped to recover. Absolutely wiped me out and then a lot of the terrain was very rocky even on the flatter sections so again struggled to run as again it’s not something I’m experienced with.
Some examples being a scramble up this scree slope
Followed by a climb up here
This brings you out on the left of the mountain. You then follow the ridgeline along the top to the right
At some points, they have ropes on ~8m climbs. Certainly not used to that!
There was a cut-off at the 48km mark and i worked out that was around 30 miles. I was at around 24 miles at this point and had just come down off the mountain onto lower level terrain around 2 mins/mile behind the required pace of 20 min/mile. I assumed it was unlikely i'd make the cut off, but hit a spur of motivation and really pushed on and made up the time and just about squeezed through.
From there i thought i would be ok, however i had no grace periods and when 1 mile took around 34 minutes up another scramble i was on a losing course as i'd struggle to make up the time to hit the next checkpoint. I walked for a while over some very rocky ground getting frustrated as my legs felt fine but i didn't want to risk turning my ankle being reckless on the terrain.
It was at this point i text the wife suggesting she meet me at the next town where the cut off was as i wasn't going to finish. This was what i was trying to run over
It eventually smoothed out and i made the decision to push on. I figured that hitting 14-15 min miles would only leave me 10 mins late at the cut off and hoped to be given some leniency. I made up that time well but sadly they were strict on cut-offs.
Annoying as i'd have then had just under 3hrs for the last 8 miles which would've only involved 2000ft ascent and on mainly smooth trails which i believe i'd have comfortably managed.
I ended with disappointment and some annoyance at the organisers for not letting me continue even if not well placed. The volunteers were excellent throughout and the event itself was excellent.
Strava Link for anyone interested
https://www.strava.com/activities/6814027485
So then over the last few days i managed to get some reflection.
Positives
I managed to run 39 miles covering 11000ft of ascent. In itself no small feat and a good achievement given my previous longest run was 28 miles and on canal tow path.
At the checkpoint my legs still felt good. I'd managed to run all the sections i felt able to run on, whereas even in previous marathons i'd walk a lot towards the end even on descents/flats
My ankle held up perfectly and no niggles
Energy levels were good. My previous longest outing was 8hours, so this was considerably longer and i coped well
Recovery was excellent. Felt ok the next day and managed a short run Monday to ease off.
I genuinely believe i'd finish the event if i did it again in a few weeks. Now i know what to expect i'd be much better prepared. I'll likely enter again next year as it's the 10th anniversary run.
Events/goals
Events/Challenges
1 - George Fisher round. Having looked at next challenges i think this matches my current levels/goals well. Will likely aim for it when weather is nice in April.
2 - Howgills marathon (May) - No set goal here beyond completing the run and enjoying the day.
3 - 3 Towers Ultra ~52 miles and 8000ft ascent (October) - As above, no set goal, beyond finishing the run and enjoying the day.
4 - Run the Lancaster Canal - This was suggested to me a few years back but never materialised, i quite like the idea of getting a train to Kendal and running back to Preston along the canal - One for summer
Goals
1 - As mentioned previously, i want to improve pace/bring down times. A sub 4hr marathon would be nice. I know this happens naturally but i'd like to be a little more aggressive with it so more speed based workouts, rather than just some strides at the end of a run once a week
2 - Work on more technical running. I'm naturally clumsy and have size 12 feet, so being agile and nimble on rocky/technical terrain is always a challenge. Would like to improve this area as it would help a lot
3 - Generally improve stamina on hills - Again i know this happens over time with training, but i fatigued massively on the steep climbs on Saturday. Being ~100kg i'm always going to suffer compared to lighter runners, but i think increasing quad/hamstring strength would help here.
Today i've been out for a fastish run. Generally still in Zone 3 so i'd say a tempo run. First mile was 8:42 and then i increased speed throughout so mile 2 was 8:28, mile 3 was 8:04 and the last 3/4 mile was 7:45. Felt like a really good session and will try and incorporate this into future weeks and see how much i can get this down.
Obviously i hit a DNF. Missed the final checkpoint by 5 minutes and they wouldn’t let me continue on towards the finish. Annoying as I was making up time in the last few miles and was well on track to finish under the final cut off.
The first 15 miles were lovely. Mainly smooth dirt trails and i was making great time with an expected finish under 12 hours. Obviously i'd never continue at that pace, but i felt confident.
Here's a photo i sent the wife around 8 miles in, absolutely perfect conditions all round and i was loving it.
The hills were all in the middle and I really struggled on them. Obviously hard to replicate in the UK and where i'd done scrambles in the UK (such as up Phen y Ghent and some parts in the Lakes), they're always been quite short and then followed by runnable sections to allow recovery.
Whereas in Spain it was fairly relentless and just rock for multiple miles dropping up and down following the ridge line. This really impacted my stamina and i often stopped to recover. Absolutely wiped me out and then a lot of the terrain was very rocky even on the flatter sections so again struggled to run as again it’s not something I’m experienced with.
Some examples being a scramble up this scree slope
Followed by a climb up here
This brings you out on the left of the mountain. You then follow the ridgeline along the top to the right
At some points, they have ropes on ~8m climbs. Certainly not used to that!
There was a cut-off at the 48km mark and i worked out that was around 30 miles. I was at around 24 miles at this point and had just come down off the mountain onto lower level terrain around 2 mins/mile behind the required pace of 20 min/mile. I assumed it was unlikely i'd make the cut off, but hit a spur of motivation and really pushed on and made up the time and just about squeezed through.
From there i thought i would be ok, however i had no grace periods and when 1 mile took around 34 minutes up another scramble i was on a losing course as i'd struggle to make up the time to hit the next checkpoint. I walked for a while over some very rocky ground getting frustrated as my legs felt fine but i didn't want to risk turning my ankle being reckless on the terrain.
It was at this point i text the wife suggesting she meet me at the next town where the cut off was as i wasn't going to finish. This was what i was trying to run over
It eventually smoothed out and i made the decision to push on. I figured that hitting 14-15 min miles would only leave me 10 mins late at the cut off and hoped to be given some leniency. I made up that time well but sadly they were strict on cut-offs.
Annoying as i'd have then had just under 3hrs for the last 8 miles which would've only involved 2000ft ascent and on mainly smooth trails which i believe i'd have comfortably managed.
I ended with disappointment and some annoyance at the organisers for not letting me continue even if not well placed. The volunteers were excellent throughout and the event itself was excellent.
Strava Link for anyone interested
https://www.strava.com/activities/6814027485
So then over the last few days i managed to get some reflection.
Positives
I managed to run 39 miles covering 11000ft of ascent. In itself no small feat and a good achievement given my previous longest run was 28 miles and on canal tow path.
At the checkpoint my legs still felt good. I'd managed to run all the sections i felt able to run on, whereas even in previous marathons i'd walk a lot towards the end even on descents/flats
My ankle held up perfectly and no niggles
Energy levels were good. My previous longest outing was 8hours, so this was considerably longer and i coped well
Recovery was excellent. Felt ok the next day and managed a short run Monday to ease off.
I genuinely believe i'd finish the event if i did it again in a few weeks. Now i know what to expect i'd be much better prepared. I'll likely enter again next year as it's the 10th anniversary run.
Events/goals
Events/Challenges
1 - George Fisher round. Having looked at next challenges i think this matches my current levels/goals well. Will likely aim for it when weather is nice in April.
2 - Howgills marathon (May) - No set goal here beyond completing the run and enjoying the day.
3 - 3 Towers Ultra ~52 miles and 8000ft ascent (October) - As above, no set goal, beyond finishing the run and enjoying the day.
4 - Run the Lancaster Canal - This was suggested to me a few years back but never materialised, i quite like the idea of getting a train to Kendal and running back to Preston along the canal - One for summer
Goals
1 - As mentioned previously, i want to improve pace/bring down times. A sub 4hr marathon would be nice. I know this happens naturally but i'd like to be a little more aggressive with it so more speed based workouts, rather than just some strides at the end of a run once a week
2 - Work on more technical running. I'm naturally clumsy and have size 12 feet, so being agile and nimble on rocky/technical terrain is always a challenge. Would like to improve this area as it would help a lot
3 - Generally improve stamina on hills - Again i know this happens over time with training, but i fatigued massively on the steep climbs on Saturday. Being ~100kg i'm always going to suffer compared to lighter runners, but i think increasing quad/hamstring strength would help here.
Today i've been out for a fastish run. Generally still in Zone 3 so i'd say a tempo run. First mile was 8:42 and then i increased speed throughout so mile 2 was 8:28, mile 3 was 8:04 and the last 3/4 mile was 7:45. Felt like a really good session and will try and incorporate this into future weeks and see how much i can get this down.
Haven't been feeling great recently, i've found that recently i have an issue processing larger quantities of processed/fatty meat. Saturday i had around 5 slices of bacon for breakfast and then a heavily meat populated kebab at a greek deli and it's knocked my stomach off to the point i still don't feel right today. This is around the 3rd time this year it's happened so something seems to have changed. I don't generally eat much bacon/fatty cuts of meat so it's been fairly easy to isolate the cause which is fortunate.
Thanks to some advice in the gym thread from @Syla5 i'm close to coming up with a routine to try and follow regularly. However that won't start for a few weeks. At the moment i'm trying a month of the Knees Over Toes guy's program and on top of running, that doesn't leave much for weights. Once my initial trial for that runs out my plan is to just incorporate some of his exercises into a regular routine.
Following on from that i introduce my 2 new pieces of equipment. A DIY sled pull and a DIY tib bar.
The sled actually takes a decent amount of effort just as it is without any weight stacked on top, but i imagine that'll change quickly. I do have a slight concern that my metal weight plates might be quite noisy as it bounces over this uneven lane. Given the main element is pulling backwards i do have some concerns of falling into a pothole and breaking an ankle!
I've also done some sprints using it as a weight behind me which feels like it'll be good.
Thanks to some advice in the gym thread from @Syla5 i'm close to coming up with a routine to try and follow regularly. However that won't start for a few weeks. At the moment i'm trying a month of the Knees Over Toes guy's program and on top of running, that doesn't leave much for weights. Once my initial trial for that runs out my plan is to just incorporate some of his exercises into a regular routine.
Following on from that i introduce my 2 new pieces of equipment. A DIY sled pull and a DIY tib bar.
The sled actually takes a decent amount of effort just as it is without any weight stacked on top, but i imagine that'll change quickly. I do have a slight concern that my metal weight plates might be quite noisy as it bounces over this uneven lane. Given the main element is pulling backwards i do have some concerns of falling into a pothole and breaking an ankle!
I've also done some sprints using it as a weight behind me which feels like it'll be good.
Well in my spunking money away. I've managed to buy the "Iron Shin"
https://rawformfunctionalfit.co.uk/...’s&ss_campaign_sent_date=2022-04-11T10:03:08Z
It's effectively the same as the monkey feet but produced in the UK. It's been unavailable for quite a while, but i got an email saying he's going to make some more so i've got an order in. Means that along with doing tib raises i can do weighted hip flexor work and also hamstring curls using a dumbell.
Have found some decent motivation this week with getting up for a run yesterday morning before work, in the gym last night and then running at dinner today doing some hill reps. Aiming to get back doing some weights tonight too. Also have a guided run in the Lake District this Saturday looking at uphill/downhill techniques.
https://rawformfunctionalfit.co.uk/...’s&ss_campaign_sent_date=2022-04-11T10:03:08Z
It's effectively the same as the monkey feet but produced in the UK. It's been unavailable for quite a while, but i got an email saying he's going to make some more so i've got an order in. Means that along with doing tib raises i can do weighted hip flexor work and also hamstring curls using a dumbell.
Have found some decent motivation this week with getting up for a run yesterday morning before work, in the gym last night and then running at dinner today doing some hill reps. Aiming to get back doing some weights tonight too. Also have a guided run in the Lake District this Saturday looking at uphill/downhill techniques.
Well my strength work fell off a cliff in mid May.
I had the Howgills Marathon in mid May and so stopped doing any strength stuff about a week before that. Then my legs were a bit trashed and i kept making excuses. Then did nothing all June because i had a very brutal 50km run in the Lake District with around 10k ft elevation which again ruined my legs.
Work was then really busy for the first 2 weeks of June and so i ended up working quite a few evenings, and then at the end of July i did my first 50 mile run.
In amongst the above i've been trying to cycle a bit more and as such my running has dropped off a lot too. Other than the big events mentioned above, i've done fairly little running beyond a couple of of short runs each week with hardly anything above 10 miles. This was very noticable in the 50 mile run where my legs turned to crap about 15 miles in. I have an annual running goal of 1500 miles for the year. At the end of April i was 100 miles ahead of my target, as of today i'm 2 miles behind my target which shows just how much i've dropped off. This month is going to be a struggle to even hit 100 miles at my current trending.
In a bid for motivation, i'm about to sign up to a 100 mile run along the Welsh coast in July 2023. I'm hoping that gives me the kick i need. I've been fortunate to not suffer with much in the way of injuries this year, and also hoping to re-sign up for the Spanish run i failed at in March. Hopefully with knowledge of the course i'll manage to get around this time.
Last night i did my first set of weights again in around 3 months. My legs were jelly right afterwards which shocked me, yet luckily don't feel too bad today. It was a fairly basic workout as time contrained. I'm hoping to carry on from where i was and push on quite a bit.
Weight wise, i've also been a bit lax, i think i'm around 96kg. The 50 miler helped a lot in dropping a few kilos, but with the reduced activity, i've noticed it slowly increasing with less workouts to burn off my bad diet.
I had the Howgills Marathon in mid May and so stopped doing any strength stuff about a week before that. Then my legs were a bit trashed and i kept making excuses. Then did nothing all June because i had a very brutal 50km run in the Lake District with around 10k ft elevation which again ruined my legs.
Work was then really busy for the first 2 weeks of June and so i ended up working quite a few evenings, and then at the end of July i did my first 50 mile run.
In amongst the above i've been trying to cycle a bit more and as such my running has dropped off a lot too. Other than the big events mentioned above, i've done fairly little running beyond a couple of of short runs each week with hardly anything above 10 miles. This was very noticable in the 50 mile run where my legs turned to crap about 15 miles in. I have an annual running goal of 1500 miles for the year. At the end of April i was 100 miles ahead of my target, as of today i'm 2 miles behind my target which shows just how much i've dropped off. This month is going to be a struggle to even hit 100 miles at my current trending.
In a bid for motivation, i'm about to sign up to a 100 mile run along the Welsh coast in July 2023. I'm hoping that gives me the kick i need. I've been fortunate to not suffer with much in the way of injuries this year, and also hoping to re-sign up for the Spanish run i failed at in March. Hopefully with knowledge of the course i'll manage to get around this time.
Last night i did my first set of weights again in around 3 months. My legs were jelly right afterwards which shocked me, yet luckily don't feel too bad today. It was a fairly basic workout as time contrained. I'm hoping to carry on from where i was and push on quite a bit.
Weight wise, i've also been a bit lax, i think i'm around 96kg. The 50 miler helped a lot in dropping a few kilos, but with the reduced activity, i've noticed it slowly increasing with less workouts to burn off my bad diet.
I might as well start just copying and pasting above posts as they're often a repeat of previous comments (mainly around long periods of absence!)
Went on holiday for 2 weeks on the 10th September. Strength work obviously stopped completely. I got quite a few runs in though, including some hilly runs and some flat runs on the beach which i've always liked the idea of. Generally hit ~28 miles a week which i'm happy with and continued an uplift in the few weeks prior to going away.
Also ran the last 8 miles of the above run. I chuckled at my comment above about it being "smooth trails", it certainly isn't and was difficult terrain in many places. Especially in the dark it would've been hard going. Still believe i'd have made the final cutoff though, and good to know what to expect rather than going into next years event thinking it'd be easy.
The downside to the holiday was that i drank a lot. Easily a bottle of wine, a few martinis and ~6 beers every day, finished with a few shorts. It's amazing how much the sun does to help you recover from that! I then came home and did 5 miles on Sunday and felt great which was a surprise. However yesterdays run was a struggle.
Last night i got back into the shed gym. Expecting a drop of strength and looking to ease back and take it easy to ensure form is good.
Rather than post the full routine, i've must going to record the max weight of each exercise
Squats 45kg (Early sets were tough, but the last 2 felt comfortable)
Hamstring Curls 7.5kg (Done with an Iron Shin single legged)
Hip Flexor Raise 7.5kg (Done with an Iron Shin single legged)
OH Press 35kg (Last set was a real struggle and i failed at 4/6)
Flat Leg Raise 30 reps - Looking to try and include some more core stuff
Overall i'm also aiming to try and squeeze in a 15 minute Pilates/stretching routine each night before bed whilst i watch some tv. I've had this intention before though and never stuck with it so will see how that goes!
Went on holiday for 2 weeks on the 10th September. Strength work obviously stopped completely. I got quite a few runs in though, including some hilly runs and some flat runs on the beach which i've always liked the idea of. Generally hit ~28 miles a week which i'm happy with and continued an uplift in the few weeks prior to going away.
Also ran the last 8 miles of the above run. I chuckled at my comment above about it being "smooth trails", it certainly isn't and was difficult terrain in many places. Especially in the dark it would've been hard going. Still believe i'd have made the final cutoff though, and good to know what to expect rather than going into next years event thinking it'd be easy.
The downside to the holiday was that i drank a lot. Easily a bottle of wine, a few martinis and ~6 beers every day, finished with a few shorts. It's amazing how much the sun does to help you recover from that! I then came home and did 5 miles on Sunday and felt great which was a surprise. However yesterdays run was a struggle.
Last night i got back into the shed gym. Expecting a drop of strength and looking to ease back and take it easy to ensure form is good.
Rather than post the full routine, i've must going to record the max weight of each exercise
Squats 45kg (Early sets were tough, but the last 2 felt comfortable)
Hamstring Curls 7.5kg (Done with an Iron Shin single legged)
Hip Flexor Raise 7.5kg (Done with an Iron Shin single legged)
OH Press 35kg (Last set was a real struggle and i failed at 4/6)
Flat Leg Raise 30 reps - Looking to try and include some more core stuff
Overall i'm also aiming to try and squeeze in a 15 minute Pilates/stretching routine each night before bed whilst i watch some tv. I've had this intention before though and never stuck with it so will see how that goes!