Category Archives: Training Updates

Training Updates

Less than 3 weeks to go to Snowdonia Marathon

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And I have managed to strain my right calf!

Training seemed to be going so well with my mileage, pace and general fitness improving week by week but it seems that my objective of besting my time for the marathon is unlikely.

The actual injury happened about two weeks ago, I had run in the morning and cycled to and from work and feeling good I thought i would go for a short evening run. My calf had been a little tight in the morning but I just put it down to needing a bit of a stretch, not anticipating that what was about to happen.

0.4 miles into my evening run I had what felt like a stabbing pain in the inside of the right calf, causing me to stop immediately. Thinking it might be cramp or something I tried to stretch and carry on but all I could manage was a hobble. It was clear that all I could do was turn around and limp home.

I had a about 5 rest, with my limp disappearing and did some cycling and on Saturday 4th October I my calf felt ok so decided to do a short run. First mile felt fine albeit but around half a mile into the second my calf felt like it was swelling and the pain returned. I took this as a sign to stop and walked home very disheartened.

I am now into day 3  of complete rest, no cycling and only some core work, stretching and foam rolling. I am looking to book a physio appointment this week to see what the issue is and how severe, good thing is that following Saturday I haven’t been limping and while I can still feel that something is wrong, there isn’t any pain.

So, no running for 3 weeks and the vain hope that my body will repair itself for Snowdonia.

Training Updates

My posting has been rubbish…….

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My last post was ages ago, I think May following the NDW50/Richmond Park Marathon effort.

Suffice to say I need to start posting more and actually write some of the gear reviews that I had planned as well as race reviews. The good news is my training has really picked up over the last few weeks as well as me loosing about 2 kilos of weight, meaning that running and cycling is getting easier meaning I can run and cycle more!

The last two weeks is where it has really slotted into place, with 35 mile week of running and 62 miles of cycling followed by a 43 mile week of running and 51 miles of cycling.

The next events planned is the Snowdonia Marathon followed by the Winter Fandance (Clean Fatigue) so I will focus on writing about my build-up to these as well as the longer term plan for the (in hushed tone) North Downs Way 100 in 2015

Training Updates

Post Ultra Blues

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Its been a couple of weeks since my weekend of ‘running’ and I still don’t feel fully recovered from it. I ran to work on the 28th May after taking the whole of the previous week off and still felt sluggish and just seemed to tire really quickly. I managed to cycle to and from work the following day and cycled again yesterday but my legs are just not in it.

With the Trail Half Marathon Wales fast approaching I need to get a few runs in just to make sure I don’t fall in a heap on race day, I am not going to be flying around the course but it would be nice not to be last.

Plans are forming in my head about what I would like to do in 2015, I have a score to settle with a certain 100 mile race and some other ultra distance events I would like to do as well.

For now I am going to enjoy the THMW in a couple of weeks and start formulating a proper training plan.

Oh, and I have a new theme for my website which I hope you like (Mobile devices might just show the standard mobile theme)

 

Training Updates

Post Fan Dance recovery

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As recovery goes I don’t think it was the Fan Dance that knocked me off training for a week. The day after  I woke up and felt terrible, snotty and achy, all the obvious signs of a cold. There had been some colds going around work and my wife and kids had a cold the previous week, I think that I was so determined to not get sick because of the Fan Dance that the day after my body said  “right, you can get sick now” and so I proceeded to be  wiped out for a few days.

Even though my legs felt fine I didn’t have the energy so I took the opportunity to wake up a bit later in the mornings. I finally got back to the gym on Friday and then went for run around Box Hill on the Saturday with Gareth. It was pretty muddy out there so was slow going but it was good to be back running without a small house on my back and I am looking forward to start to pick up my mileage building up to the weekend of the 17th and 18th of May.

Training Updates

5 days to go

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Only five days to go until we are standing at the red phone box outside the Storey arms and now it is all about making sure my kit is ready and hope that I have trained enough (I haven’t, not with the weighted rucksack anyway)

Kit wise I am happy, trying to pack a rucksack out to hit the necessary minimum weight is quite a challenge (especially as up until now its always been about reducing weight) but I think I have got it nailed.

I actually took a punt last Thursday and bought some new walking boots that were on sale and too good a bargain to miss out on, I know it’s not never a good idea to use new kit but I managed a morning training hike around Box Hill and they performed really well.

I maybe could have done with half a size up as there was a little pressure when running downhill but after this event I will only really use them for actual hiking rather than running and my experience in the past with boots is to lose several layers of skin from my heels I have taken the view that toes are easier to tape up (who needs toenails anyway?)