Half marathon training and ankle problems

I ran last Sunday whilst working away from home. I worked all day saturday, a 12 hour day. I got back to the hotel at 7pm, got changed, picked up my pack and headed out. I ran around the Gosforth area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, not far from the Airport. The area is pretty flat, which makes a welcome change from running at home. I ran 12 miles in a few minutes under 2 hours. 1:54 I think. I ran the first 8 miles at 10 minute mile pace, and the last 4 at 8-8:30 minute mile pace. I felt comfortable throughout, and had no problem picking up the pace for the last few miles.

I took Tuesday and Wednesday off running, as I've developed a problem with my left ankle. I mentioned it in a previous post. I think it's an old injury which is coming back to haunt me, now my weekly mileage has increased. I did a pace run on Thursday though. It was pretty warm, but I set a goal and stuck to it. I did 7 miles at 8:30 minute mile pace. I was pretty spent after it though. The first half of the run is steady downbank, the way back is all up!

On Saturday, rather than walking a long distance I went to see a physio. It looks like it's one of the 3 ligaments on the outside of my left ankle bone that's the problem. Possibly an old strain that has come back with a vengence. Walking around with no shoes on is pretty painful, i'm wincing a little with every step. The physio got his fingers right in and worked it. It really hurt I can tell you. After that he did about 10 minutes of ultrasound to promote healing. He's given me some strengthening exercises to do and booked me in for a double session in two weeks time. That is the day before the Newark half marathon.

On that subject I decided to do a trial run of that today. I picked a very dull route, running along the A34 dual carriageway down to Trentham Gardens and back home. According to the map the route was 13.3 miles. My GPS battery failed 3 miles into the run, so I had to guess my pace for the other 10 miles. I also ran 15 minutes in a torrential downpour, soaked to the bone. The sun came out afterwards and dried me on the way back. Other than the start and finish, the route is predominantly flat. This was the idea, as I know that the Newark is a flat course. Given my performance on Thursday completing 7 miles at 8:30 pace, but feeling spent, I decided to run at 9:00 minute mile pace. This went well until the GPS battery failed of course. After that I had to guess my pace, and estimate time markers. I did a pretty good job as it turned out. With 3 miles to go, I picked up the pace a little. I felt pretty comfortable for the whole run up until the last 2 miles. Then, I think I hit the wall. It's never happened to me before, but I really started to struggle. I was really drained, out of energy, increased heart rate and breathing. I even started getting pins and needles in my left leg and arm. I think I had just ran out of fuel. I struggled on, typically the steepest back of the run happened just after this hit which made it a double blow.

However, I took control of my breathing and bought myself home, even managing a last quarter mile speed increase. I completed the 13.3 miles in 1:57:50. Which by my reckoning is around 8:55 minute miles. Given the circumstances I was pretty happy. I forgot to say, it was all my own fault. I ran about 5pm and I'd forgotten to eat any lunch. So I was surviving all day on a breakfast that I ate at 10am. Also, I only took 1 litre of water with me, not electrolyte as usual. That also ran out 2 miles before the end. So, I have only myself to blame but I won't make that mistake again!

I've only plotted the 6.6 miles on the map above, as I ran the identical route back. Fairly flat, although gets tougher at the end as you can see. In fact, I guess it's steady uphil the whole way back.

I won't run as far next Sunday, as it's the event the week after, so this is my last long run until that. Using what I've learned I will try and aim for a time between 9:00 and 8:45 minute miles. The weather could be a factor though, as it was been the hottest day of the year on a couple of previous occassion during the Newark run I have read! Now I understand why they have 8 feeding stations in just 13 miles!

I will keep icing and exercising my ankle this week and see how I feel for running each day. I'm working in Wales Mon-Wed, then Scotland on Fri, so I'm going to be pressed for time to train although I will doubtless manage to run on Tues and Thurs.

Catch up next week.

Midweek update

I'm working this weekend, so I'm not going to be able to walk on Saturday. I am taking my pack and trainers and I will hopefully fit a 12 mile run in on Sunday if I'm not working all hours.

All runs this week have been after 8pm becuase of the heat. It has been over 30C on Monday and Tuesday, and it was 34C here on Wednesday. That's getting on for Morocco temps! This year is all about getting fit, not climate training, so I wisely ran as the sun is setting. Still hot and humid though.

On Tuesday I did a 52 minute easy pace run. I guess it was about 5 miles, but I didn't take my GPS. It was an off-road route in nearby Apedale. Quite a hilly route but enjoyable.

Wednesday I did a 10 minute warm up followed by 25 minutes of intervals. 1 minute jog, 1 minute fast (I'd say about 7:30 - 8 min mile pace). Really enjoyed this run, despite the heat. First time I have done 1 minute intervals. I usually do 3 mins jog, 2 mins fast.

Thursday I did a pace run. I didn't plan a route, but I had hoped it would work out to be 5 miles. In the end it was 4.6. I'd set myself a goal to run the 5 miles in 8:30 pace. I ended up running the 4.6 miles at 8:19 pace, with a 153 Heart rate average. It was 27C when I started and finished, so I was more than happy with the result, especially since it involves a long 0.7 mile climb near the end.

I have got a 5:30am start to drive to York and onto Newcastle-upon-Tyne, so no Gym tomorrow. There is a Gym in the hotel i'm staying at though. So, if I finish work early enough i'll get my workout in up there.

Speak to you next week.

Training Plan Month 6

6 Months already? Who'd have thought it.

This month is more 'Intensity' with the Newark Half Marathon on August 13th. I'm an confirmed entrant now. I've dropped in a few pace runs to help with the Half Marathon pace.

Yay!! Sucess!

Yesterday I took part and sucessfully completed the 25 mile Ludlow Challenge Walk.

I took the whole week off running to give my ankle time to heal. I think it must have been an Achilles strain. I made the decision to take part on the Friday night and packed my rucksack ready for the early start. I had to get up at 5:30am to ensure I had enough time to drive to Ludlow. It's only 70 miles away, but it's all single lane A roads. Sat Nav reckoned on 1 hour and 45 minutes. Not at 6am..!

I got there at 7:10, an hour an 10. Roads deserted so I could give my car a workout on the way. I arrived and registered, changed into my walking shoes and then we were all briefed and sent off from Dinham Bridge, just below Ludlow Castle. Two pictures above are taken near the start.

It was forecast a cloudless hot day, and turned out to be 28C! Before I set off I had taped up the underneath of my left foot, where I'm prone to blister, but didn't tape up any of my toes. I had mixed up 2 x 1.5l saddlebags of Vitargo electrolyte. Including a few spare clothes and other kit my pack will have weighed somewhere in the region of 4 kilos. I suspect I was carrying more weight than anyone else there. The organisers had said that although food was provided at some checkpoints we had to bring our own liquid. In the end they provided liquid at almost every checkpoint as well! I wore my long 'Craghoppers' walking trousers, my Railriders long sleeve white shirt, Injinji toe socks and my New Balance 1100or shoes.

We set off at 8am, over 100 people at my estimate. Age ranging from late 20's to 70's! I set off at my usual walking pace, which is about 3.8mph for off-road. As you can see from the route map above, there is some real height gained in the first 4 miles! My ankle was playing up after about 2 miles, and I was quite concerned I would not even make the first checkpoint! As time went out my ankle eased and I forgot about it. I'd estimate I was in the leading 15 or so. The first few people actually ran it, despite the organisers stating 'No Runners'. There were another couple of real power walkers, one guy strided past me after a few miles at a terrific pace, and I never saw him again. He must have averaged over 4.5 mph. I did notice that those in front tended to be tall, I guess stride length helps?? Me being a little 5ft 8, I have to take more strides!

The first checkpoint was called 'High Vinnals', the highest point on the walk; about 1216 feet. If I calculate correctly it looks like the whole 25 miles encompassed around 3000ft of climbing. I took a photo not long afterward, you can see the fantastic views over Shropshire, and the hot and cloudless sky! The route continues along the 'Mortimer Trail' for the first 14 miles. At 12 miles was the lunch checkpoint. I was just behind a group of 6 people who walked just a litle quicker than me most times, but I made ground on them going uphill. I was hoping everyone would stop for a half hour for lunch, but they all just grabbed a couple of sandwiches of bread and Brie, before setting straight off!

I was a little disheartened, and knew that there was no pressure and I could take as long as I wanted. However, I also reasoned that I wanted to treat this as an endurance event, so I did the same. I followed the same group for the entire walk, sometimes catching right up and chatting to them for a while. This was usually when they took the long way accross a field. As I was using my PDA with Memory Map software and Satellite Navigation, I was always taking the most efficient route following the footpaths to the metre! I firmly believe in tackling things with technology where appropriate. I even mentioned they were going the wrong way at one point, but they carried on walking. They had done the walk the previous year, so I figured they knew where they were going, so I stayed with them. 1/4 mile later they realised they went wrong and I pointed everyone in the right direction!

I faired very well up to my longest previous distance, about 15 miles. Even after that I felt ok. Then I hit the 20 mile mark. As you can see there is a steep climb for 2 miles. This really tired me. For the first time I actually stopped and took a couple of 10-second breathers. In the blistering heat, wearing long clothes and a pack, and after 20 miles... that climb was truly punishing. Oddly enough, after the short breather and a few sucks on my drink I was much better and caught those few people back up. A couple of them were struggling (well maybe one, and the other slowed up to assist). I passed them a trailed about 200yrds behind the others up to the end of the walk. The last couple of miles were mostly downhill, and this is where the back of my knees really really started hurting. I think it must have been my tendons. Especially in my right leg, every footstep downhill hurt a lot. I begged for another climb! The last half mile was all uphill and into Ludlow town centre and into the Assembly Rooms, rather cruelly up 3 flights of stairs to the top!

There I gave my number, and was presented with my certificate. I'd finished inside the top 10, including the runners. They had laid on a fantastic lunch (with free beer!!), which I had to skip as I needed to get back home. I must say that the walk was really well organised and the route was very well waymarked. You could almost have done it without a map. Food and refreshments were laid on along the way, and the entry price was just £10. I sat down for 10 minutes, drank some water and made my way back down the hill and to the car, for the considerably longer drive home (trucks and tractors all the way back!) I used up all 3 lites of my drink (I poured about 800ml away as it was a little strong). I also filled up a 600ml bottle at checkpoint 4, which I finished a couple of miles before the end too.

I could feel that the downhill near the end had taken it's toll on a couple of my toes. My big toes are prone to blister on the outsides, and the next toe along tends to rub against my big toe (but only on my left foot?). So, I had picked up 2 small blisters. I hadn't really noticed them when walking. I sat in the car and applied some compeed. Never used these blister plasters before, but I am thoroughly impressed. If you have not used them, go and buy some and be amazed. I guess I paid the price for not taping up my toes. I thought about it, but thought I'd be ok in those toe socks. Just goes to show you that you can never really blister proof yourself.

The walk took me 6 hours and 40 minutes, which is 3.7mph. Given the heat and climbs and the fact I had never tackled more than 15 before, I am really pleased with that.

I did a short recovery run today (the day after). Just a little less than 3 miles. I am feeling sore (aching tendons), so I didn't want to tackle a big distance. Besides, it was 30C today as well. I listened to my body and chose a light evening run. Hopefully I'll feel good for the weeks training ahead.

Good:
A real milestone: 25 miles, almost marathon distance. I know my legs can do it!
Won a few mental battles. Despite hurting at the start and end, I pushed on.
Shoes performed well, I could have found my MDS partners here.
I took jelly babies to eat along the way, worked well.
I kept telling myself 'every hill has a summit' 'so just keep moving', seemed to work.
Short breathers can really sort you out.

Bad:
Toe Socks are good, but not perfect.
Don't make electrolyte mixture too strong.
I took some fuit/nut bars to eat but never touched them. I just didn't fancy them when walking. I doubt I will when running either.

What to do next time:
Tape up my toes. A few minutes before the start will prevent days of hurt!
Make sports drink much weaker. I don't think my kidneys appreciated being overloaded with sugar either. I'm going to make it up less than 50% the recommended strength.
Trust my GPS. It knows best when it comes to route finding. It won't help on the MDS of course (except for speed/distance), but it's invaluable for training.
Take a few seconds break on steep climbs, it pays off in the long-run.

Sorry about such a long post, but I learned a lot on Saturday, and I think it's worth recording. Speak to you soon.

Important Milestone

Today I sucessfully completed a 15 mile run for the first time! In fact that's the longest distance I've ran or walked. Map above - all the hard work at the end, as you can see. The route doesn't look quite 15 miles on the map legend, because the corners at cut by the route track. The actual run was though

I'm very pleased with how it went generally. After reading a few tips from Runners World magazine I ran the first 11.5 miles at easy pace, which is 6mph, or 10 minute miles. My heart rate averages about 138 at this pace, which is just what I want. After that I ran the last 3.5 miles (or last 25%) at full marathon race-day pace, which is 9 minute mile. I actually probably ran it a little quicker than that, but it's difficult to tell as the GPS speed jumps around a little.

Stats are as follows:

Total Distance:15 Miles
Total Time: 2:27:23
Average Speed: 6mph
Average Pace: 9:52 minute miles
Average Heart: 142

The only issue, which takes away some of the satisfaction, is that I appear to have picked up some kind of ankle injury. Well, actually two! I have had minor pain on the top of my left foot running down to the left of the outside ankle bone for quite some time. I think this dates back to last September. I can't remember how I injured it, but I then went for a weekend break to Amsterdam the next day and had to walk around a lot. The pain got so bad, I had to catch a cab back and spend the rest of the weekend in the hotel. Since then, every morning my ankle 'cracks' when I get up and the first few steps out of bed are quite painful. I gradually walk it off and it goes away. More recentley the pain hasn't been going away, but I only really get pain when I am barefoot, so it's not affecting my running.

Today I started my run and almost straight away I felt a slight pain on the right ankle this time! The pain is on the inside of the leg this time, running down the back of the inside ankle bone. I can honestly say I felt a twinge for every single step of the 15 miles. I thought it would anesthetise itself after a few miles but no. It gradually got worse, especially on hills, and became quite acute in the last 3 miles. I managed to run through it and finish, but I'm now hobbling around the house. I have had my feet up for the last 4 hours, icing both ankles in alternation every 20 minutes.

This coming week is a consolodation week fortunately, so mileage drops. However, I have decided that I will not run at all this week and try and stay off my feet as much as possible. Very wise I'm sure you will agree.

It does however but a challenge walk I have entered next Saturday in doubt. I joined the Long Distance Walkers Association about 2 months ago. This Saturday I'm taking place in the Ludlow Challenge walk, it is a 25 miles route. This is much further than I have ever walked, but it is a walk, and it's not a race. There are checkpoints and food served along the way, and at the end too. All this for just £10! Anyway, I'll see how my ankles feel this week and make a decision on Friday. I'd really like to do this, as I know I can manage the distance, and 25 miles would be another fantastic milestone to hit.

I did a 9 mile walk yesterday. A little short, but I was pressed for time. I made up by completing it at a rapid pace; 4.2mph to be precise, which is a very fast walk indeed over that terrain.

On Tuesday I ran 6.5 miles at easy pace. Wednesday I did 25 minutes worth if intervals, after a 10 minute warm up. On Thursday I did a 7 mile tempo run. I wanted to run at 8:45 minute miles, but the temperature was so hot (29C) I averaged 8:55. The idea with the tempo run is to increase my speed for the Newark Half Marathon in August. I'd like to run it at 8:30 minute miles, but I question If I will be capable of that by then. I may have to settle for a little slower. I'll see how I progress over the next month and make a decision the week before the event (13th August). I don't want to jeopardise my long term goals by increasing my speed just for one event. I'd love to break 2 hours for the 13 miles, but I'm not going to be silly about my preparation. I'll just see how I feel in the next month.

I'm working away for most of this week, which suits my decision not to run anyway. Catch up next week, hopefully after completing the Ludlow Challenge Walk!

Intensity Phase Week II

Last week I completed my schedule sucessfully. 7 miles on Wednesday - 4 miles steady, then just over 3 miles doing intervals. On Thursday a straight 6 miles, steady.

Saturday I did an 11 mile walk, which turned into a 50% run as I was running late for a physio appointment. We are having a heatwave here, especially warm in the West Midlands, with temperatures up to 32C. Walking and running is pretty punishing. I had also picked a challenging route. Not just the elevation profile, but the terrain was tough. Long grass, thorny thickets, and plenty of brambles and stinging nettles. I ran out of water about 2 miles before the finish. There was no problem with that, and I felt fine as I finished, but it's useful to gauge how much more I use when it's warmer. I walked/ran with a 3.5kilo pack, 1.5 of that was liquid.

Yesterday I completed a 12.5 mile run at easy pace. I set out up a a steep bank and my average pace was 10:10 minute miles. I decided to run to that pace for the whole run. It was very comfortable throughout, so much so that I picked up the pace in the last 1.5miles and finished the whole route with an average of 9:59. I wasn't trying to run particulary fast at all, it was just easy pace, but I wanted to prove to myself that I had plenty left in the tank, despite a very steep climb about 2 miles before the end of the run, as you can see from the map and elevation profile (The run is the first map that goes through Talke, Alsager, then Audley). I ran in the evening, about 7:30 finishing just after 9:30. I did this because of the heat. I fully realise that the Des Sables is twice as hot, but for now I'm marathon training, not trying to give myself heat stroke. I ran with a 2 kilo pack, 1.5litre of liquid again. I finished it, about 2 miles before, more or less deliberately to ensure I had plenty of energy for the climb near the end.

Next week is week 3, the longest times for everything in this phase. Speak to you next week.