Tour de Esporta

It's not been a good week for adhering to the training plan. What I thought was a little foot niggle, is still a niggle. I am no nearer to establishing the cause, though tonight I'm wondering if it may be my Peroneal Tendon which is taught as compound bow string.

I am getting pain on the outside (underneath and on top) of my mid-foot when I walk. Nothing when I stand, but as my foot flex's I get quite a lot of pain. I'm hobbling still, a week after the event. I'll explain more in a minute.

I took Monday off training as usual, and went (limped into) to the gym on Tuesday. I did 30 minutes on the bike instead of 30 mins v02 max run. I did a hard hill session, ensuring I worked almost as hard as if I had run. I then did an hour stability and strength too. I saw my Friday gym-trainer Clive in the gym and he suggest it could me my strap ligament (I think that's what he said). He suggested I book in to see a sports injury/massage therapist which I did the next day.

So, on Wednesday it did feel a little better, but I went to see a sports massage therapist, and in all honesty it hasn't helped at all. I did explain the issue and he did find plenty on tight areas on both legs but nothing definitive. I decided I would try and do my scheduled run, which on reflection was foolish. I had an 8.5 mile route penned in, and almost turned back within 500m because it was hurting. However, it faded off after about a mile, so I continued. I had gone past a point on no return when the pain came back about 3 miles into the route. I took the best short cut I could and ended up doing 7 miles. On Thursday I paid the price, as I was hobbling worse than before. There was no question of me doing a 75 minute run, so I did 75 minutes in the gym on the bike. I did 50 minutes on the normal bike, level 12, random hill profile, then 25 minutes on the bike that seats you in a go-kart position. This was just to break up the boredom really. I can't remember how far I cycled, but it was over 20 miles.

On Friday I did my normal gym session, with emphasis on ankle strengthening again. On Saturday I decided to rest it totally, the foot still no better. Today, it's perhaps a little better, but certainly I can only walk short distances, so no running. I went to the gym at 6pm and did a 70km bike ride in 2 hours, random hill profile, varying levels 10-14. I felt this was suitable replacement for a 18 mile run, well, as near as I could get.

I did try and massage what I now know to be my Peroneal tendon this week, but all I ended up doing was giving myself a very sore foot and leg! I've looked up my leg anatomy tonight, and this is how I have identified that tendon. The red spots are where I get pain when I walk/run. It's all one tendon, so I think that must be the problem. I read that Peroneal Tendonitis is quite common.



I have a bottle of olive oil sitting next to me now, ready for another self torture session on that tendon when I have finished writing this. I've had done and am doing all the right things though. I should not have run in the week, but I have rested, taken ibuprofen and am working on ankle strengthening too.

Using the bike in the gym has been mind-numbingly boring this week. I've clocked up well over 100km, so this should ensure that I retain my cardio fitness, but there is no substitution for running really. I hope it gets better soon this week, or I could end up with another trip to see my Chiropractor uncle. I suspect I could well be doing more bike work though. I can't even use the cross trainer with my foot as it is, so it's bike or nothing.

I totted up my mileage on my current trainers to 325 miles. So, I am happy that worn shoes are not the cause, but I have ordered a couple more pairs to wear in as the current pair wear out. I have ordered the New Balance M1100MDS as usual, but also a pair of RX1441AT to trial. I'm interested in the design, with the ankle gaiter. They may be useless as far as keeping out sand is concerned, but they warrant a look.



I'll post up a full review of course. Have good week.

October - November Training Plan

This is my next 4 weeks training plan. Just one major event; The Six Dales Circuit, in a couple of weeks time. I have also added in a rough weekly mileage figure onto the bottom of the plan. I should be averaging 70 - 80 miles for a couple of peak weeks in January/February before tapering for the big event in March.

Note to self: 335 miles on this pair of trainers

John Knox Challenge event

The week started with my right ankle feeling pretty good, but instead of doing Tuesday’s V02 max run on the road I did it on the treadmill at the gym; the logic being it’s flat, level and has better shock absorption. Still, I didn’t go crazy with it and did just 3 miles at an average of just less than 8 minute miles. I walked the first .5k warm up, so I did have to pick the pace up to pull the average back to 8mm though. I may well stick to doing this session on the treadmill on Tuesdays, because I am at the gym doing a strength and stability session anyway, so it would save me doing a road/trail run before or afterwards. I completed the run, and then concentrated on a lot of ankle work in the gym stability session.

On Wednesday I did a 9 mile endurance pace trail route around Apedale. I did have one scary moment when I stepped down off a stile only to invert the problem ankle. I clutched it for a few seconds fearing the worst, but this time I got away with it. I made extra effort to watch my feet for the rest of the run. I had no other problems and was happy with the session. On Thursday I did a 6.5 mile interval session; mostly trail, but with approx 1 mile of unavoidable road. The session was quite tough as usual, but especially so due to me trying out a new route with more climbing involved. On Friday I returned to the gym for my usual session, once again doing plenty on my ankles. I realise that at the moment this is a weak spot and it is prone to inversion, so it’s important I work on building the strength back up.

I packed a 6kg rucksack and made all my preparations for the following day. I got up at 7:30am and drove to Hollinsclough in the Peak District. It’s just a small village about 25 miles away down the most narrow single lane carriageway you can imagine. I’m glad I didn’t meet any cars coming the other way, as one of us would have been reversing quite some distance. I registered, and was surprised to find that there were more competitors than expected; about 60 in total. 50 were walkers and had set off at 8am, and then there were 10 or 11 runners who set off at 9am. The route was billed at 22 miles, but I had measured it on Memory Map at 20.5 miles. The route is shown below, along with the hill profile and my speed profile.

It was a very cold, but beautiful sunny morning. There was a ground frost as we set off, and for the first 15 minutes my un-gloved hands were like icicles. I set off at the back, as usual ‘faffing around’ with bits of kit, and taking a photo below (see the sacrifices I make for to ensure this blog is more interested!). Great picture huh? I wish it was like this every morning when I run!



I lost sight of the other runners in the light mist, except one chap running slower who I basically followed, until I suspect he was going the wrong way. I established that we were indeed slightly off-route and guided him and I back on route albeit adding a little distance onto the route. Serves me right for blindly following, but it was only a mile or two into the route, and we didn’t add too much onto the route. I overtook him, and in fact it wasn’t long before I caught up and passed two more runners on the first serious ascent. The view was stunning as we climbed. I took this shot looking forward, where you can clearly see the ground frost.



This shot looking back. I love the line of shadow where the ground frost gives way to melting as the sun has risen. I have got a new camera phone and the pictures are a considerable improvement on my old one.

More great morning views below as I neared the summit of the first climb. which was in fact the highest peak of the day at 1350ft.


There was then a welcome descent for almost 3 miles, briefly joining the High Peak trail. I passed another runner who looked to be struggling soon after. This was only 5 miles into the route. I'm not sure if he went off to fast trying to keep with the really quick runners, or he had a problem. He just looked a little heavy-legged for so early in the route. Anyway, I passed and caught sight of two others in the distance ahead. I reached the first checkpoint on the outskirts of the village of Flagg. I barely stopped, just topping up my water with some orange juice. That's all they had on tap! I left the checkpoint and started to catch up with walkers; mostly travelling in small groups. I would catch up most before 10 miles has passed, but a few I didn't catch up until 15 miles, and I believe one or two even finished the event a few mins before me, so they must have really been marching hard from their 8am start!

Soon after CP1 we joined a mile long 'green lane' where I still kept a couple of other runners just in view. I'm not sure if they eventually became mixed in with walkers, increased their pace, or got lost, because I seemed to lose sight of them shortly afterwards.
At the end of the lane I crossed the busy (and speedy) A515 and once more joined the High Peak trail, soon after reaching CP2. I filled up with water, but refused the food. Much as I would have loved to have the cakes, scones and biscuits, I have banned myself. I solely rely on the food I have brought with me, which today consisted of 100g of cashew nuts (approx 500 calories, good carb ratio too), and also a SIS Go electrolyte -enough to fill my 800ml shoulder mounted drinks bottle once. I ate about half of the nuts at around the 10 mile mark, trying to keep my sugar levels up to avoid hitting the wall. I had averaged a reasonable pace, only walking when facing the steep ascents.

Between CP2 and CP3, in a strange twist, I started to get left foot pain. Remember it is my right foot that has been causing me problems. Initially I welcomed it, as it was something to take my mind off my right foot, but when it didn't go away it became more of a concern. I was caught slowly by another runner, who had started a few minutes after everyone else. I made a bit of a navigational error whilst I was ahead of him, but it was he who called me back to the right path. So, he ran off ahead at that point, but I kept him in sight virtually all the way down to CP3. I filled up my water at added my electrolyte at CP3. I felt guilty refusing the lovely food they offered, but set off straight away joined by the other runner who had paused briefly too. The last 8 mile section was predominantly ascent, which clearly shows in my speed profile. You can see I keep a really good average pace (5mph) to around the 13 mile mark. After that it jumps up and down with the climbs and descents. I caught the other runner up again, and we struck up a conversation for about the next 5 miles, into and just beyond the last checkpoint; CP4. Soon after we caught up and passed more walkers and then started more ascents around the 18 mile mark. I slipped back and took this last photo, leaving the other runner to carry on (he was running a little quicker than me anyway).

I also took the opportunity to walk briefly, to eat the remaining cashew nuts. I had also eaten a few just before CP4 too.

My left foot was really quite painful when I ran now. I resorted to running on my toe for the last 3 or 4 miles, which wasn't pleasant, but certainly less painful. Walking hurt less too, but I didn't want to do any walking! I lost sight of the other runner and got a little lost coming into a farm. The direction arrow for the footpath had worn off and I was not sure I was allowed to walk through the farmyard, so I followed what looked to be a worn path around the building. As this eventually lead down to a shallow river it became apparent it was the wrong way, but travelling back would have lost me too much time. So, adventure-racer-in-training that I am, I jumped into the river and waded ankle/knee deep, following the river under a road bridge and then climbed out to join the road again. I got myself back on course, though I had added more distance onto the route again! If nothing else the dip cleaned off my trainers and soothed the foot! There was a real killer hill at around the 19 mile mark. It was on the road, rather than footpath, but at this stage it really burned my muscles. I could not consider running up, so just dug in with a 2x2 breathing pattern and fast-marched up (about 3.5mph). The route went back onto footpath for the final 1.5 miles, but deteriorated into a terrible boulder strewn descent in the last 800m, making it virtually impossible to run. If I would have slipped I would have cracked my head open. The route description warned that it was dangerous, and to take care. My foot really was hurting anyway, so my run was a bit of a hobble anyway.

I finish came into view and I completed in 4 hours and 28 minutes. I had done 21.2 miles and 2500ft of ascent. That was an average of 4.7mph. I was really happy with my performance. I had not taken any conscious 'walking breaks'. I had only walked when the terrain dictated.

Thanks to the organisers (Keith Bailey of Staffs LDWA) for the meal at the end, as well as organising such as great event. The weather was perfect as well, all of which added to an enjoyable day.

I travelled home, had a bath and took some ibuprofen. My foot isn't painful to weight bear as I stand still, but the action of walking causes pain. It is bruised on the left had side on the top of my foot. I have absolutely no idea why? I didn't sprain it (that I remember?) or impact it at all. If you're a chiropodist, then I'd love to hear probable causes?!

It was a friends 30th birthday that evening, so I had to do more walking around bars in the town etc. This won't have helped I don't think. I did some massage on it, and was hoping that a night’s sleep would see it cured. However, this morning (Sunday) it has not improved, so my planned 12-15 mile run was out of the question. Instead I went to the gym and did 20 miles on the bike. I set it on a random hill profile and ran it between level 12 and 14 (out of 20), so as not to make it too easy. This caused my foot no problems, and I feel was a good enough substitute for the run under the circumstances. I wonder if maybe I was running on an odd camber for a few miles on a hillside, or a slight sprain caused it. Anyway, it's not serious at all, and I hope my Tuesday it will be fine for me to run. If not, there is always the cross trainer again.

I seem to be plagued by foot problems at the moment? Maybe I'm paying the price for the hilly and uneven terrain I run on, coupled with a weekly mileage average of around 50 miles at the moment. I don't know, but I'd much rather run 50 miles on trail, than on the road, that's for sure.

It's been a very successful week, and I'm happy, despite the foot niggle. I'll post up the next 4 weeks training plan in the week. I've actually mapped out everything into January 08 already; just wanted to see what kind of mileage I will be covering each month come that time. My next major event isn't for three weeks, but I won't be slacking off in that time. It's all week on week steady build (except my consolidation week. week 4 in the 4 week cycle) right up to the time when I begin to taper in February.

All comments welcome of course, have a great week!

Gym Bunny & current months training plan.

I forgot to post this months Schedule a couple of weeks ago. It's above. Obviously my little injury niggles have meant that it has not been followed to the letter!

After last weekends inversion sprain of my right ankle I knew there would be no running this week. I was hobbling around Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I used good old RICE method.

Rest - certainly didn't do any exercise and tried to stay off my feet
Ice - Several icepacks a day until Tuesday
Compression - I wore a compression sock until Tuesday
Elevation - I sat with my foot raised whenever possible.

I also took ibuprofen until Monday too. Seemed to do the trick because I was back to walking 'almost' normally by Tuesday. Thank you for the suggestions in the comments last week about using the elliptical cross trainer at the gym.

By Wednesday I was walking normally, with just a twinge of pain now and again. I went to the gym and did an hour endurance pace on the cross trainer, on random setting on Wednesday. My ankle did ache when I first started, but happily it wore off quite quickly.

On Thursday I did an hour on the cross trainer doing a hill interval session. No problems with the ankle at all but thoroughly wore me out with that session. I was sweating buckets. I think I probably cranked up the machine too high, but I completed it. I did go and sink a full bottle of Lucozade sport from the gyms cafe afterwards though to top the sugar back up, in order to face the tougher evening challenge; 'the Tesco shop'. I completed the shopping in good form and slept well that evening.

On Friday I did my usual gym session, but with a little more care paid to my ankle, so missed out some squat exercises. I did however do some single leg raised weights to try and promote building that ankle back up.

On Saturday I went back to the gym for an 1.5 hour session. I did 45 minutes on the cross trainer; another tough interval session, followed by 45 minutes on the bike doing HR intervals again. I really sent my HR high and spent as many calories mopping my brow as I did pedalling on the bike I think!

Today I decided that I would try a run. It had been 8 days, not enough I'm sure most would say, but it was not like I was crippled last week. I know I made the right decision to stop when I did after 10 miles, otherwise this would have been a short sharp post saying I did nothing this week except nurse my mangled ankle.

I am however, not stupid enough to do the scheduled 3 hour session with a heavy backpack on a tricky trail. I simply set out on the road, as flatter terrain as I could manage, and would see how it felt but cap it after an hour regardless. Despite the odd twinge it felt OK. I ran for an hour and 5 minutes and did 7.5 miles as it turned out. OK, nowhere near a typical weekend 15-20 mile route, but what mattered was that I finished with my ankle in good condition.

It still doesn't feel quite right, almost as if something hasn't clicked back into place in the ankle joint, but well enough I think. I may still swap out some or all of my short runs this week for gym session, but I am still hoping to take part in the 23 mile hill event on Saturday near Leek. Of course If I feel that would be a bad decision as the week progresses, i'll change my plans. I'm still not 100% I am supposed to run this event anyway. It is part of a walking festival, so I'm trying to get hold of the organiser to clear it with them. If I do enter I will just have to be especially careful of my footing, even sacrificing some speed for caution. Even if I did have to walk the whole way, it may not be a bad thing.

Some of my new kit arrived this week from Raidlight in France; some of it for the MDS. Some boring stuff like signalling mirror and emergency foil blanket, which must be carried, but also a Tyvek shirt and Tyvek trousers. The Raidlight version is better than the one I took to France for La Trans Aq. It has a more plastic feel, definitely more windproof and doubtless warmer; both incredibly lightweight of course. A new improved pair of Raidlight’s gaiters arrived. The design has been changed so that the material across the whole front of the foot is more hard wearing (and not Lycra like the rest of the gaiter), and thus will not tear so easily if you scuff a rock or branch with your toe. The new Raidlight Evolution 2 backpack I ordered is going to be delivered in about a month, I hope in time to trial on the Round Rotherham 50 event on December 8th, which I have entered officially this week. There are lots of nice features on this pack, and I'm hoping it will be perfect for the MDS, assuming I can cram all my kit in (it's 5l smaller than my current pack). If not, I'm more than happy with the current Raidlight pack, even though it has picked up a lot of tears and holes now. Some I have patched up, but not all. It would need to be fully repaired if I were to take it to the MDS.

I am going to start thinking about my pack contents now too. I know I have been thinking about it for almost 2 years, and already have a good idea, but I am going to plan it down to the smallest detail and with all weights now. Time is ticking by and I want to know what weight I will be carrying in the desert, so I can ensure I am prepared. My rough guess is that with the distress flare and other kit given on the start line, it will weight in between 9 and 10kg. If I have my way it will be between 8 and 9kg, but we'll just have to see. I'll keep you posted on that front.

Have a good week; fingers crossed for my continued speedy recovery!

Failed to finish

The week started well. I visited my Uncle, the chiropractor, for some treatment on Tuesday night. He sorted out my back, and also managed to further sort out my right foot which was still troubling me since the injury a few weeks ago. Additionally, he freed my ankle joint further. For the first time in as long as I can remember my foot and ankle felt good afterwards.

On Wednesday I did a 9 mile endurance-pace trail route, using my head torch for the first time this year. The nights are drawing in, so a head torch is essential for the routes that I am running on.

On Thursday I did an 8 mile interval session, also incorporating hill intervals. This was a tough session, but one you finish, knowing that it will do you good in the long run. I didn't finish until 8pm, so once again I had to use my head torch. There are a few sections in woodland where it really would be too dark to run without one. Footing is treacherous as the best of times on these routes, but in darkness even more so.

I did my usual gym session on Friday, no problems there. On Friday night I packed a 6.5kg pack and made my preparations for the 23 mile Grin and Bear it event near Sheffield the following day.



Only half the map is shown you notice.

I have recently wiped my computer and reinstalled everything, so I had to reinstall my memory map program on my PC. I transferred the 23 mile route onto my main PDA, and my backup PDA and made sure all batteries were charged. I loaded the application on the PDA and checked the map was ready to go. I decided not to test the GPS (a separate Bluetooth unit) connectivity as I took it for granted this would be fine. You know how this story unfolds already don't you?

I set off at around 8:30am arriving only 10 minutes before the start of the race. This was bad planning on my part and contributed to the rest of the days failings. I quickly registered because everyone was lining up for the start. I reached for my PDA and realised I'd left it at the car. It was about a 1/4 mile return journey. I found my PDA on balanced on the boot outside my car. I was lucky it was still there!
I ran back, pulling on my backpack, juggling straps, switching PDA's, GPS, resetting my wristwatch etc. In other words, I was hassled and a little stressed. I got back and everyone was disappearing into the distance. Initially I just kept people in sight and they seemed to be following orange tape markers at junctions, so when I lost sight of them totally I continued to follow the orange tape. I was travelling slowly because I was struggling with my PDA. I could not get a satellite lock. I slowed to a walk, undid my pack, reset my GPS, and put it all back on; still nothing. I then tried my backup PDA, same problem. So far I had wasted 10 minutes, and now realised to my horror that the orange tape markers were going in the wrong direction. (I later found out they marked the walkers short course!)

I almost just threw in the towel at this point. I was barely 10 minutes in, already lost and with no satellite navigation. I took off my pack, turned off all the electronics and took out my compass and the route description, and small map. I started to feel better at that point. Ok, so I had no GPS, and this was apparently a tricky route, with 10 miles of open moor crossing. However, the route looked straightforward enough. It travelled in more or less straight lines between checkpoints, and I had seen a satellite image and knew there was a rough path at least.

However, first I had to get back to the route. I turned 180 degrees and used my sense of direction to try and guide me back to where I should be going. I was studying the map, and not paying enough attention to where my feet were going. I caught a stone, or a ditch, I'm not sure which and my foot rolled outwards with an audible crack and sharp pain. An inversion sprain in other words. The loudness of the crack worried me, but after a few tentative steps it didn't feel too bad. Maybe I’d got away with it?

A few minutes later, after some trans-forest guesswork I found the path which led up onto the moors. There was no one in sight now in any direction; they were all 10 or 15 minutes ahead of me. Initially the terrain was good, as shown below.




I followed the route description, and even proved myself competent with a compass. I always assume I'm navigationally challenged, but really when forced to, I guess I can at least follow a bearing!

The terrain was pretty reasonable, with a steady climb up to the first checkpoint on Margery Hill. On the way up, I inverted my ankle again. No crack this time, but it hurt more.

At the CP, they pointed me onto checkpoint 2. The terrain deteriorated at this point. Initially there was just odd shallow muddy patches.




Then bigger patches, followed by deeper mud and full on bogs.




Twice more I went over on the same ankle in the next couple of miles incidentally. Each time it got worse. Why did it keep happening?

About half a mile after CP2 though, there was a guy standing in the middle of the moors shouting something to me. I could not hear until I got closer. He pointed me at his rucksack 100M off the main path ahead. He said to run to his rucksack before going back to the path, because they had already had to haul out some people who had gone in up to their chest, and got stuck!

I thanked him, and skirted around the deep bog before re-joining the path and following the well marked path. The event was being run by Woodhead Mountain Rescue team, and they had clearly marked 'the path' with flags every few hundred metres. A quick mention to say what a well run event this was, and judging by the amount of cars on the car park, I'd guess at a couple of hundred competitors all doing various length-events that day.

I reached the high point and took these last couple of photos. Not a bad view on the second one. It would have looked nice on a clear day. As it was, the weather was dry and not too cold. Good conditions in fact.




The terrain was pretty rough, despite the well marked path; lots of leaping and skirting around areas, with streams to cross too. However, I foolishly followed someone’s footsteps into a muddy area and immediately sank up to both knees. The mud sucked me in tight and I was dead stuck! I was only on the edge of the bog so I sat backwards on the edge, but just could not get my feet out; at least not without losing my shoes. I had to cup my hands and dig my own feet out! After a couple of minutes I managed it, and made a mental note to be more careful. However, despite my best efforts over I went on my ankle again before CP2 again. Something clearly wasn't right.

My ankle was painful but I could still run when I set off on the 1.5 mile section to CP3. The terrain improved, but I inverted my ankle for a 6th time just before joining a green lane (a better path) on the run up to the CP. Now, if my foot landed flat and level it felt ok, but as soon as it landed on any kind of angle it hurt like hell. I was obviously not running correctly because at the CP they asked what was wrong as I approached. They could see I was half-hobbling. I told them that it was just inverting all the time. I could only assume after the first big one, a weakness had developed and my ankle could no longer support me properly. They said do I want to continue? I sat down, took off my shoe and sock. There wasn't a lot to see. It looked a little red in the ankle joint but that was all. I stood up. I could still bear weight on it. I could still run on it. Should I give up?

I had never had to retire from an event before, but I was only at the 9.5 mile mark; although I had probably covered an additional mile at the beginning, at least, through getting lost. I knew I could carry on if it got no worse, but the fact that it kept on inverting meant that I could, by the law of averages, expect it to happen at least another half-dozen times more in the remaining 13 miles (possibly more). Any one of those could be 'the big one' - snap - end of MDS! I could make it round the course and be brave, then return home with a foot like a pineapple and be out for weeks or a couple of months, or worse. I took the much harder decision, and said I would retire.

As it was, I could still walk, so maybe the damage was not too bad. They gave me a lift back to the car and I drove home. It felt ok as I drove. Was I just being a big baby? When I got out of the car at home, it was apparent I was not. It had seized up during the 1.5hour return drive and weight bearing was painful. I hobbled inside, took ibuprofen and put an ice pack on it. I took that photo, the one in the previous blog post, and then got into a hot path to clean up and soothe the joint. All of the above helped, but I was, and still am hobbling now.

This morning the ankle was swelled. Not to mythic proportion, but it is noticeably larger, red and bruised. I know I took the right decision to retire as I now hobble painfully around the house. I could have done terrible damage by running through it with bravado. I've kept on top of the ibuprofen, and I'm now due another ice pack.

I won't be running this week. I don't know how many days it will take to improve. I have next weekend as a hopeful possibility at the moment, but of course won't risk it if it's not right.

I am annoyed at myself. It was my bad preparation that caused it. If I had tested my PDA properly I would not have even been on the path where it happened. That said, you can always say 'What if'? Maybe it would have happened anyway, I don't know. I've said it before, but with trail running you have to have 100% concentration on every footfall. The slightest lapse or daydream and you would be punished.

The only positive I can take from yesterday was that I felt fresh as a daisy after 10 miles of very hard terrain. Let’s hope I heal quickly and can get back to it soon.

Retirement DNF

Just back from the fell running event. Had to retire at 10 miles:



I'll post up about it tomorrow.

My New Website and Fundraiser launched

My usual weekly update is one post below, as this is an additional special one this week. Firstly I've opened the comments, so you can post here too. I will set it to anyone can post, but I will set it so I can check them before they get posted live, otherwise the pages get flooded with adverts for all sorts!

This week marks a countdown to the MDS; less than 6 months to go. I've come a long way in 18 months and the time is right to get my fundraiser going.

I have launched a new website this week, designed to raise funds for my chosen charity Blackfriars Special School in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It's a school for 200 physically and mentally disabled children. My mother has devoted the last 30 years of her life as a welfare assistant there, inspired to enriching the lives of these children. So, it's a charity close to my own heart as well as a truly deserving cause. I am launching the fund raising effort now because I have a big target to hit, and the next few months will pass by in the blink of an eye.

I am hoping to get local media interest in this after Christmas, which I'm sure I will get. The MDS is not something you see people doing every day after all!

The new website is www.desertrace.co.uk

It's still work in progress to some extent, and I'll add to it as time goes by. You can learn a little more about me and Blackfriars, as well as find links and photos for the MDS. I have filled in my major events training calendar until February on there too.

Everyone please forward the link onto everyone you know now who might be amazed, shocked, inspired, or just think I'm a lunatic.

I've set a big target to raise, so every pound helps. If my blog has entertained or helped you at all, and you would consider donating, myself and Blackfriars would be truly indebted. So please everyone dig deep and help me reach my target for Blackfriars.

There is a 'sponsor me' link from my website on www.desertrace.co.uk or you can go direct to the fundraising page at

www.justgiving.com/desertrace

You will notice the little widget at the side of this blog which is a live link to the site, and shows the fundraising progress.

Thank you for your support everyone!

Light mileage, good performance

Due to a family commitment this week my training was severely impacted. I only managed to train on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. I ran a 10k trail on Tuesday, as an interval session. Intervals are always tough, but I do believe they really help fitness and pace.

On Friday I did my usual gym session.



On Sunday I planned a 16 mile route from my own house to my parents house. I ate a little more for breakfast this time but I forgot to buy porridge so it was still light on calories. I packed a 5kg rucksack, including 800ml of electrolyte. The session went really well. I ran a 5.3mph average for the first 5 miles, then increased my pace to bring the average up to 5.5mph over 10 miles. I knew the last 6 would be the toughest. The route had 1300ft of ascent and almost 1500ft of descent, however from 11 to 14 miles is all uphill, before a 2 mile gradual descent, but a fairly challenging climb in the last mile.

Last week I hit the wall around 11 miles, just simply out of calories. This time I started to feel hungry around then. I drank the last of my electrolyte around the 13 mile mark, knowing it would leave me with no liquid or calories to make it to the end. I knew I should have eaten more, or at least packed some snacks, but strangely this time I was welcoming 'the wall'. I had already decided to add an extra mile onto my planned route making it 17 in total, no matter how I felt, and sure enough as I climbed the last hill I made it to the top and hit empty. I had pushed hard for the last 5 miles in an effort to maintain 5.5mph despite all the ascent. My breathing and pulse quickened, and I began to feel rough. I knew what to expect this time and just pushed on anyway. I turned the corner at the top of the hill, and managed to increase my pace back up to 6mph for the last 1/2 mile. I managed to maintain 5.5mph, but crashed out on the front lawn of my parents house shattered. Once again I raised their cupboard for a Mars Bar and a large glass of juice, before tucking into some pasta after a shower.

I was really pleased with the performance. 5.5mph is very respectable. What you don't see on the map are the countless stiles I have to cross on the route, all of which take time off you. I ran the whole route so I was very happy. My knee and hip started to hurt a little, but only at 14 miles. I'm going over to my uncle, the chiropractor, to sort that out tomorrow night.

I plan a full week of training and the 23 mile fell run on Saturday.

Enjoy your week.

Ploughing on, with a slight limp

I knew things had been going far too well recently. My foot issue, which has almost gone incidentally, was my first injury worry since April. Well, things didn't go well yesterday.

I got back from holiday on Tuesday night and didn't run again until Sunday. Despite an almost overpowering urge to take part in the 'In Pendles Shadow' event that I was going to do on Saturday, I resisted. A 20 mile fell run may just have upset my foot whilst it is still healing. I hate missing training runs, let alone events, but it was for the best.

On Sunday I drove up to my parent’s house, and ran from there whilst my parents looked after my son. I didn't plan any route, but had a rough idea of where I would run in my head. I guessed it would be around 15 miles. There was plenty of undulation, but no more than 1200ft of ascent in total. I packed a 6kg pack but only took water, and almost as an afterthought grabbed a 100g pack of salted cashew nuts on the way out. I had only eaten three round of bread and marmalade all day, which it would become clear later on, was woefully inadequate.

The first 10k was straightforward enough but I was concerned about discomfort in my knee and hip. I ran up into and around Swynnerton Old Forest.





I'd been running at around 5.5mph, so a fair pace for the terrain and weight I was carrying. At this point I was feeling hungry, so slowed to a walk for a couple of minutes at ate half the pack of nuts before running on. This picked me up for a while, but a couple of miles later I ate the rest. The route then climbs gradually for 3 miles crossing a marked path clear through the middle of farmland. I'd heard what I thought were motorbikes half an hour earlier, but then I saw a large marquee a few fields ahead and freshly ploughed fields dotted around it. Gathered around the marquee were a lot of vehicles, pickups and tractors on trailers. As I ran towards the gathering, I noticed than the public footpath had been ploughed through in sections in two separate fields. As I drew near about 100 pairs of farmers eyes turned towards me. So I now had a decision:

1. Divert off the public footpath, around the ploughed areas and rejoin it later. I was unsure if this would be preferable to the farmers, or anger them? (Imagine a bunch of fist-shaking men shouting 'Oi, get oorf my land!')
2. Run through the ploughed area and possibly fall flat on my face. This is what I suspect most of the 100 farmers had their fingers crossed for.
3. Run straight through it and face the consequences!

Naturally I picked option 3. This was a public footpath after all. I was still some distance away from the farmers when my first footfall entered the ploughed area. I'm sure I heard a cheer from the farmers, but wasn't sure. This was only a short section and I managed to run through ok. I then entered the next field where the whole field was ploughed across, not any more than a couple of hundred metres from those gathered. As soon as my first foot went in, up went a louder cheer from the farmers. I knew it was for me, but I still have no idea why. They were either glad I was going through, and hoping I would fall over, or they were just thinking 'yeah there he goes, knew he would, typical hiker/runner sticks to the path no matter what'. I raised my hand to wave as they cheered, which will have either pacified or angered them further, I still don't know which. I felt 100 pairs of eyes burning holes in me as I increased my pace and leapt through the ploughed field at pace. You could almost hear the groans as I danced through and made it safely to the other side, with my honour intact!

I ran through the collection of cars and tractors next to the marquee and out back onto the path and into Swynnerton village. I took these photo's of the event as I ran past on the loop back. You can make out the marquee and freshly ploughed fields I ran through.





I'd already guessed what the event was, but here was the confirmation.




Talk about obscure sports eh? So farmers plough the fields all week and then at the weekend for fun, they plough fields. Talk about busman's holiday! That would be like a runner going on holiday somewhere hot, for a week away, and then running all week. Err hang on...?!?! erm, moving swiftly on...

This was around the 10 mile mark, and I was beginning to tire badly, but managed to maintain my pace for the next mile or so.
I had stopped a couple of times already to stretch out my right ITB too.
At 11.5 miles I really hit the wall. I just had not taken on enough calories that day to see me through the effort. I only had water and no electrolyte, so I only had myself to blame. It was about 4pm at this point, and 3 rounds of toast at 9am were not going to ever be enough. I ran on , but only in bursts, managing a half mile here, and a quarter mile there, before slowing to a walk. My knee and hip were hurting, and fears of a full on ITB problem haunted my thoughts and made me feel generally miserable and sorry for myself.

You know you are truly out of energy when you can't even run downhill. I was really beaten, with still a mile and a half before I got back. I walked (probably weaving from side to side) for 3/4 mile and then reached the bottom of the hill which was the last section before my parent’s house. At this point I was welcoming the misery. I had reasoned no matter how bad I feel now, I will feel 1000 times worse in the desert, so I had better get used to this. I gritted my teeth and started running up the hill, determined to make it without stopping. It's only a reasonable hill, and not even steep but it felt like a mountain as I dragged my tired legs up it. If I could not make it to the house without stopping, how was I going to make it through the desert? It's all a mental battle really. Your mind is convincing you that you are on the verge of collapse and must stop, but really your body is much stronger. You just have to fight those urges and keep plodding on, which is ultimately what I did and got home without stopping; a minor victory, given my poor performance that day.

I literally dropped my pack and lay flat on my back on my parent’s front lawn for 5 minutes. I got up, stretched out painfully and raided the cupboard for sugar. I was pleased to be at my parent’s house because I would have no luck at finding a quick-fix sugar hit at my house. Everything in my house is 'low' something; low fat, low sugar, no-sugar usually! As it was, I claimed a Mars Bar and went for a shower. Another sure sign I am totally exhausted is the smell of ammonia. This hardly ever happens to me, even on long runs, so I knew I was truly exhausted. I showered then went downstairs and immediately fell asleep on the floor for an hour, again very unusual for me.

I went home and got a call from my Uncle. I suspect my mother had called him and told him of my hip and knee problems. I wasn't too keen on phoning him and asking for more help so soon. Despite me offering many times, he won't let me pay for any treatment, and I feel guilty that I am taking up his paying-patient appointment slots. However, he's insisted and did tell me that we would need to see me again to sort out my back/pelvis when he treated my foot two weeks ago. We've come to an agreement so I'm going to trade some of my professional skills for his, so it's all worked out well.

My pelvis is twisted again, and my right foot is turned out when I stand/walk/run. This is stretching all those muscles and causing the hip and knee pain. Left untreated this turns into a full on debilitating ITB problem. I had this at the same time last year and lost about 6 weeks of training. I could not run further than 2 or 3 miles, which subsequently ruined my chances of a fast New York marathon time. I did complete the marathon (4:10), but amazingly without ever running more than 3 miles in the last 7 weeks before the event. I know I'm capable of a 3:30 or better. I'll revisit that one day, you'll see!

I can't let that happen now. I can't drop my distances down and lose 2 months of training, so I'm going to go and see him possibly this week or next week. He's also said he wants to see me as often as I need until the MDS, ideally once a month to keep me in good shape. If you don't know my medical history from my blog, basically I have a slightly curved spine (a scoliosis) as a result of my left leg being 8-9mm shorter than the right leg. My body compensates in various ways, all of which mean that various back and leg muscles get tightened, and nerves get pinched. I'm not really doing a suitable sport I guess!

Unless you are medically trained, you'd be hard pressed to say there is anything wrong with me from looking at me, but you'd see my pelvis tilted when viewed from behind. I didn't even know I had this problem until I took up running, so it just shows how my body has adapted over the years.

Anyway, the important thing is that I'm going to get fixed before it gets too bad this time. I still hope to be able to do the next major even in 2 weeks ' Grin and Bear It'; a 23 mile fell run near Huddersfield.

One last thing before I go: Autumn has definitely arrived.



Have a good week.

Ibiza: climate training

Ok, it's not the Sahara, it's not 40C, and it’s the clubbing capital of the world not the hiking capital. However, since I had been invited along with some friends for a long weekend, it would certainly do.

My foot problem put pay to my plans for some serious training. When it happened I almost cancelled the holiday. However, it was well enough by the weekend and everyone was relying on me to drive whilst on the Island. At the last minute I decided to pack my trail shoes and my rucksack, just in case it felt any better.

We arrived on Friday night and had a nice meal as Kasbah then bed. Saturday was warm (29c) but cloudy. We had a nice meal at Savannah at lunch, then a spectacular meal at Bambudha Grove, and another early night to bed. My foot still wasn't good enough to risk on Sunday morning. We had lunch at Ses Eufabies in Cala Tarida. THis is one of my favourite restuarants. It's perched on a small on the beach. It's not expensive and I always eat the same thing. The Advacado prawns starter, and the sizzling garlic shrimp main meal. It's always excellent! I think i've had it eveyr time I have visited for about 7 years! We went to Space on Sunday afternoon, but left at 10:30pm and headed back to the hotel.

On Monday we went to Cala Vedella and ate another fantastic meal at Can Sofia. Cala Vedella is well known for excellent seafood and it certainly did not disappoint.

I decided that I would at least try and run, so I gave my lunch an hour to digest (not long enough really) and got dressed to run whilst everyone else lay on the beach. It was around, or just over 30C. I only packed a 2kg rucksack and 800ml of water in my shoulder holster bottle. I ran up the twisting road out of Cala Vedella. This is a typical Ibiza panorama, the whole island looks like this (Well, that's not strictly true, but the hilly bits do!)


It's a steep climb for a full mile, then a gradual climb for the next 2 with only very short descents to mix it up. I ran along the road towards a neighbouring cove; Cala D'hort. This is actually my favourite beach on the island because of the spectacular view of the Island Es Vedra (Dragon) a couple of k off the coast.

I took this one of it, from further away from the coast.



The climbs were steep, but I didn't consider stopping. I just took short strides and kept a manageable pace. It was hot with no shade for much of the route, and where there was shade I tried my best to avoid it.

I had decided to run only 10k so turned around when I reached the hill at the top of Cala D'Hort. These photo's taken from that point.





I ran the return a little quicker as you would expect, being mostly downhill. My foot did ache at times, and played up a little on the descent.




I was certainly wise not to have pushed my luck and run further. I'm not sure how many hundred feet of ascent were included in the route, but I would guess at about 700-1000. After 40 minutes I had run out of water. I had roughly estimated that 800ml might last me about that length of time, so that was a useful exercise. I decided to run the last 2.5 miles 'dry', not that I was really dehydrated. I just decided it might be useful practice in case that happens in Morocco. I averaged 5.5mph for the session. I was hot afterwards and enjoyed tipping a couple of hundred mil of water over my head afterwards. I read this lowers your core temperature, but I assume this is only advisable if you have water to spare, otherwise I guess you should drink it!

This is me hot and bothered en-route.



In the evening we ate at Sa Punta, a restaurant owned by the club Pacha and afterwards we went to Pacha itself for the night to see Roger Sanchez. This was our only late night. As you can tell, we are more into our nice meals than the clubbing!

On Tuesday, we checked out of our hotel, did a little shopping and went to a beach called Cala Salada. I only had the opportunity to run for 45 minutes before we had to leave for the airport, so I put on my rucksack and headed up yet another twisty road out of Cala Salada.



This climb was shorter, but steeper, but I didn't stop at all. At the top I turned right and headed steeply downhill to the next beach Cala Gracio. Great views on the way down.





At the bottom of the hill, about 2 miles in, I turned around climb up and out of Cala Gracio, then back down the twisty road and into Cala Salda again.



This was only a short run, but I was pleased just to do a little running. My foot still played up on the descent so I don't think I can take part in the 20 mile even in Pendle that I was going to do this weekend. It needs more time to heal properly.
I found out a lot of things I already knew.

Running in the heat isn't pleasurable, but it's manageable

My heart rate was 20bpm higher than usual

You get through a lot more water

You sweat more, and so lose more salt

Acclimatising in the week before the big event would be invaluable

As I said, these are all common knowledge, but at least I have had a taste of heat, even if it is 10 degrees short of Sahara temperatures.

Finally, I couldn't leave Ibiza without catching a sunset from the famous Sunset strip in San Antonio, so here it is for you to enjoy too.

Good News

The doctor in A&E thought it might be a fracture. To be honest, given the pain, I was inclined to believe him. My uncle (Chiropractor) thought otherwise, and was right!

He x-rayed me again (a bigger x-ray) and went over the film with a magnifying glass to see if there was ant suggestion of a hairline fracture; none whatsoever.

As soon as he was happy he set to work on my foot. I did have a metatarsal head problem as he suspected, and he snapped it back into place. The x-ray did show up a blurry area on the ankle joint with my 4th metatarsal. The joint was also locked (I had restricted movement in my ankle). He mobilized the ankle again, and said the blurry area was inflamed. There was also some kind of wound on my foot which just looked like a scratch, but was lumpy underneath. This was also inflammation, maybe from something puncturing the foot and infecting it. My uncle basically rubbed on this area very hard, as well as doing the same and mobilizing the rest of the foot. He also took the opportunity to loosen my plantar fascia on both feet.

He repeated this treatment the following day. I can tell you now, it hurt like hell. I was squealing at times! It was very uncomfortable, but he told me he had to be rough on it to get it right.

I regained the ability to claw my toes after me mobilized by back which released with a cascade of cracks. So, I guess the nerve impulses were fixed.

I've had my back mobilized done many times, but never so many cracks at once!

One of his sports therapists there loosened up a very tight right Peraformis muscle, which has been the culprit of my recent hip pain. That was a pretty painful experience too.

Following all that I spent 20 minutes in his interferential machine, which passes waves of current through 4 suction pads. I've been on this before too. If you've ever had an electric shock then that is what this feels like as waves of electricity cause your muscles to contract. It's turned up to a level of which you can stand and then left to work.

The outcome is that although I’m very sore, I can walk again, albeit a little slowly at the moment!

I won't be climate training in Ibiza this weekend (just lounging on the beach I guess!). I am disappointed about this to be honest, but it's for the best. I won't be doing any training for probably a week to 10 days. This is a long time, but it's a lot shorter than 6-8 weeks if it would have been a fracture.

Many thanks to my Uncle for his expert knowledge and treatment. If you ever have a sports injury then he is the man you need to consult. He has treated premiership footballers, and Olympic athletes, so you would be in expert hands.

Dr K P Burns - Sheffield Clinic of Complimentary Medicine

He also has practices in York and Hull, as well as Sheffield.

So, I'm back on my feet and will be mended soon. I'll update in a week or so with my progress.

Hills & Dales and Accident & Emergency

My Apex laptops review (www.apexlaptops.co.uk) (PDA - bodged repair story) is a few paragraphs down. Worth reading if you are thinking of using them.

I've had a good weeks training, at least until yesterday (more of that later).

On Tuesday and Friday I did core stability and strength work in the gym as usual. On Wednesday I did a tough session of almost 6.5 miles. What made it tough was that I combined intervals and hill rep intervals into the same session. I ran the first mile, and then stopped for a full stretching routine as usual. Then I ran the remainder of the session at 3 mins pace, 2 mins jog. However, about 2.5 miles into the route I stopped at the base of a hill in Apedale country park and did 4 reps. The hill takes abour 1 minute and 45 seconds to climb at pace. You can see the heart rate and pace profile below.

Following the hill reps I made my way back doing the standard interval pattern of 3/2.

On Thursday I did an 8 mile endurance session. I typically run these trail routes around 9 minute mile pace, so it's fairly easy, but given the terrain and hills usually involved can still be demanding.

After Thursday session I experienced hip pain, the likes of which I get a few weeks before an ITB problem. It almost acts as a warning sign. So on Friday, I booked in to see a sports massage therapist as I suspected that my back was the cause of my problems (it usually is). He massaged my back for half an hour and mobilized it with a few satisfying clicks and crunches. It certainly felt better afterwards, but I still had an odd sensation in my legs. Almost like a numbness running through the bone? As I say, hard to explain!

I made a decision (probably not my best) to run the LDWA 21 mile Hills and Dales the following day, despite the problems. Every runner hates to miss training sessions, let alone an event. I decided to only pack a 5kg pack, instead of 8kg (a better decision) so as not to load up my back too much. I travelled the half hour journey into the Peak District, through Leek to Ash Field Study Centre near Longnor. The walkers had left at 8am, which left about 20 runners for the 9am start. The route should have been 21 miles.

I started at the back of the runners (my customary position) and set off. All the runners seemed pretty capable and rapidly left me plodding along at my typical pack bearing pace, which is about 5.5mph on the flat, and obviously much less on steep climbs. About 2 miles into the route, half way up the second serious ascent, I glanced left and 2 runners were climbing the hill on the opposite side of the valley. They had made a pretty severe navigational error. They then stopped, looked over and started their descent from almost the top of the that hill. Poor guys I thought. I only saw one of them again later when he passed me just before checkpoint(CP) 1, just before I took these photo's.






I'd made a decision to not stop at checkpoints and not to eat any of the supplied food either. I will probably continue with this strategy from now on too. I do this because they are not going to have trays of sandwiches, cakes and biscuits laid out in the desert at each CP.

Because I did not stop at CP1 and CP2 I did manage to catch up half a dozen runners, as they had 'cake-stopped'. However, they soon passed me again. I should say the route between CP1 and CP2 (Black Dale) was treacherous underfoot. If it would have been raining, it would have been dangerous. I slipped badly just once, but got away with just a grazed hand and bruised ego. This photo was just entering Black Dale, where the footing was still good, but you start to see the rock piles than littered the path later on.



This photo is blurry, sorry, but you can just about see the rocks in the grass. There were also sections of larger slippy boulders where I went over.



After CP2 we joined the Monsall Trail, an old railway line as seen below.



We went along this trail through various tunnels, some a hundred yards or more in length. Then the trail was blocked by a huge door across what used to be a tunnel. I assume it was unsafe and so closed. We had to descent some stone stairs down to the river below, and then follow its path through into Millers Dale. At the foot of these stairs, if I would have read the route description, or looked at my GPS I would have turned right. However, I didn't. I turned left, I assume beguiled by the pretty surroundings!


So, I ran on trotting over these too.



I ran on for more than a mile. Then recalled I was expecting the river to double back on itself, but it hadn't. I looked down at my new PDA.

A word about that. I damaged two of my PDA's and sent them off for repair ro a company called Apex Laptops, based in Rochester. I did search for a review of Apex Laptops but could not find one. They promised me a 5 day turn around of any repair. Let me state here and now that I have never dealt with such a thoroughly dishonest company who have told me lie after lie and do business in a fraudulent manner. I would never recommend this company to my worst enemy. I heard nothing for over 2 weeks. They ignored phone calls, and ignored emails. They then said they had been 'moving offices'. This also appears to have been a lie since 2 months later their adress is still the same as the one I originally sent the PDA's too.
They phoned up one day asking to be paid, and had not even quoted me for the work. This is fraudulent. They returned a PDA which had not been tested and was still faulty. Three weeks later (I write this edit mid October now) and once more they have ignored emails and calls. They tried to get more money for a repair, which of course I refused as they had never fixed the PDA correctly in the first place. I demanded a refund, and the return of my PDA in it's original broken state. That was two weeks ago, and I have threatened them with the local trading standards. They promised to refund and return the PDA, another week has passed. I would advise never ever deal with this cowboy firm of liars who operate their business in a such a shoddy and dishonest manner. They have no redeeming features. I will happily pass on all mine and their correspondance and evidence to any potential customers who wish to see the depth of their deceipt. Just email me for the information, assuming trading standards haven't already shut them down! Now, rant over, back to the story.

It showed I had doubled back on myself?? I assumed that because I was in a ravine the GPS was getting a reflection and giving a bad position. I was so convinced this was the case that I ran on. I approached some walkers and said "Have a bunch of runners come past?" They said "No, are you on the Hills and Dales route? Haven't you already passed us?" Yes, I had, I recognised them now. They had decided to take the low river path, whereas I and most others had taken the Monsall Trail railway path a hundred yards straight up. If they had not been coming this way and stopped me, I would have carried on for another mile before realising. As it was I had gone 1.5 miles in the wrong direction. I thanked them and ran back, soon correcting 2 other walkers who had done exactly the same as me!

I reached the stairs and realised my mistake and ran on. Notice below the river is now on my right and not my left!



In my haste to catch up I missed the next turn and added yet more onto the route! Eventually I back-tracked and reached CP3. I paused for a few minutes whilst I mixed up my one and only electrolyte and got some cashew nuts and banana chips down me. The next section crossed a long railway bridge above the river, as seen below.


Next was that very steep climb shown around the 14 mile marker on the elevation profile. This was quite a climb, partially up earth and stone steps, before emerging onto a plateau and fields and great views.



Between 16 and 21 miles was excellent running on gravel paths or green lane. Despite losing time earlier, I felt good and knew I was running well, enjoying the descent which I ran far too fast and with a little too much abandon, considering the terrain. I think reading the exploits of champion fell runners in 'Feet in the Clouds' book that I have been loaned was to blame for this!
Still I descended in one piece and then ascended the next very steep climb before the village Longnor with ease, at a fast march. I barely paused at the final checkpoint, just topping up some water (then later discarding most) to finish the final 2.5 miles. The last section had a few short sharp ascents, some on road, before the last mile over marshland. I could not really run at pace through this section because of the terrain and had plenty left in the tank when I finished.

I finished in 5 hours 18. I had covered 24.6 miles and 4200ft of ascent. That is an average of 4.7mph. That is probably the fastest I have ever covered that distance with a pack in that kind of terrain. I am very pleased with that performance. There was a great meal supplied at the end and lots of friendly people to chat to.

Hills and Dales is a superbly organised event. All the checkpoints were well stocked, each with a different selection of food. The meals and drinks at the end were excellent, served by some of the most cheerful volunteers you are likely to encounter. I cannot speak highly enough of the event. It is run for the Chernobyl Children’s Charity. I highly recommend this event to everyone.

I finished my meal, said my goodbyes and went back to the car. I took off my trail shoes and put in my everyday 'comfy shoes, a pair of Nike Free trainers. They are like slippers, for those who have not had the pleasure. Whilst driving home I got a sudden onset of pain in my right foot. It got so bad that I took off my shoe and had to accelerate with my big toe. Not the safest of things to do in my car.
I made it home, but could bear no weight on my foot. I unloaded the car by hopping!
I ran a bath and had to get in 'bum-first' because I could not take the weight at all. The water didn't soothe the pain, which got so bad I felt sick. It was tender to touch on the top towards the outside end of my foot too. I iced it, but nothing would take the pain away. Yet, there was no obvious swelling. I also lost the ability to claw my three outside toes. After an hour I decided to get it checked out at A&E. After the inevitable 4 hour wait and eventual x-ray, the doctor could not see a clean break but said he suspected a stress fracture of the 4th metatarsal. He said that stress fractures are hard to see on an x-ray until they begin to heal, weeks later. He said not to drive (no way I could have anyway) and gave me crutches. He advised to rest, raise and ice it, and come back in 2 weeks if it was still the same.

My parents picked me up from A&E and took me back to their house where they had been looking after my son. We both stayed there. I slept badly, woken every time I turned and disturbed my foot.

I did a bit of research and discovered that a stress fracture would mean 6-8 weeks of inactivity. The only sure way to confirm it would be an MRI. I phoned up my Uncle, a well respected chiropractor for his advice. He did some over-the-phone tests, getting me to perform various manoeuvres and explain the symptoms. He doubts the diagnosis of a stress fracture and suspects either a dropped metatarsal head, or a sciatic nerve problem. I am getting pins and needles in my foot and leg whilst doing these manoeuvres, which he concludes is related to my back and various nerves.
He advised ibuprofen and to ice my back, not just my foot.

I have done so this evening and regained some of the feeling in my foot, and am able to claw my outside toes a little more than before. My foot has however swelled slightly this evening despite feeling better than it did. I am going to see my uncle tomorrow night and Tuesday for a diagnosis. If he suspects a fracture he will send me for an MRI on Tuesday morning to confirm. If not then he will be able to manipulate my foot and back with a view to me being able to run again in 2 weeks.

I am inclined to believe and hope my Uncle is right, and that it's not a stress fracture. 8 weeks out would be devastating at this stage. My back is always at the root of many of my niggling injuries, so I just hope it is this time. 2 weeks is bad enough!

Fingers crossed for me, and I'll post up more information when I know it; probably on Tuesday night.