Or, Bon Jovi week.
As in "Whoaaahh, we're half way there...". Yes, 8 weeks through the 16 of The Programme. The easier 8 weeks, if you're a glass half empty sort of person, but I'm a glass completely full sort of person at the moment, having decided to reward myself on reaching this milestone (plus the 500 miles since acceptance one) with a cheeky glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Even though the sun's barely over the yardarm. Not that we have a yardarm, obviously; look a bit dumb on the front lawn. Anyway, I digress.
First week back has been a real mixed bag. Very gentle 4 miles on Monday to test for adverse reactions (none) before the return of the snow. Blowing a blizzard on Wednesday and foolishly decided not to wear the shades on aesthetic grounds, then had to run directly into the blizzard for the first 2 miles. Result: eyes so bloodshot people were cowering. On the other hand, once the direction I was running in changed and I could see, it was absolutely beautiful. Overnight rain turned the snow to a slushy gloop on Wednesday, and I had about the most miserable run ever. Simply hateful in every respect, including nearly giving myself hypothermia by taking my hat off, then wondering why I felt light headed and out of energy. Fool.
Today made up for it, though. Having reconnoitred the far end of Glen Fruin as being almost snow free, I decided on the 16 miler. After a horrible first mile through deep snow, the roads in the Glen were clear. Despite a strong cold wind, the sun was out and it was absolutely stunning. After the misery of Thursday, to drop straight into a complete joy to be out was just what I needed. Almost completely ignored the Garmin and just ran and sang (again, not approved technique, but what the hell). The Glen was deserted. Only saw one runner and 2 cyclists in 6 miles - not a single car, but plenty of deer brought down from the hills by the snow.
Nearly veered off to do the 18 miler, but the sensible head kicked in and reminded me not to overdo it. Good advice too, as my right ITB started to tweak a couple of times in the last few miles. Slowed it down, stopped to stretch a couple of times, and it seemed OK at the end.
The same song has had me singing out loud twice this week. I've used it's namesake by The Music a long time ago, but it was The Killers' Human that's grabbed me this week.
Still mystified by how these lifts from the amazing Albert Hall DVD haven't been taken down, but not going to complain!
Week's summary: 4 runs, 34 miles: Long run 15.6 miles
Miles since acceptance: 504
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Saturday, 20 February 2010
The thirstiness of the long-distance runner
Or, how the elite endurance athlete passes Long Run Saturday during the injury lay-off
9 weeks and counting
Or, week T-9 has been cancelled, normal service will be resume as soon as possible
Unsurprisingly, a week off for recovery after last Saturday's thigh problems. Which were accompanied by unpleasant bruising which started on Monday. Quick trip to the doc revealed nothing to worry about, but the advice for complete rest this week. Which is nice.
The fact I've stuck so well to The Programme so far means I'm still in good shape in terms of preparation, so definitely not a disaster. In fact, the sticking to The Programme is something that popped into my head as a surprise a couple of weeks ago, when I did the long run early so I could do the Subcrawl. Would have been easy to just miss the run and have the fun (hey, I'm a poet!). My big worry has always been whether I'd have the discipline to stick to The Programme once the initial enthusiasm wore off.
When we do psychometric stuff with team profiles at work, I score highly on the ideas / people / innovation / unorthodox / problem-solving measures, but spectacularly badly on the implement / disciplined / reliable / see things through ones. If you know Belbin Team Role theory I’m a Plant and Resource Investigator, and off the bottom of the scale for Implementor and Completer / Finisher. Phrases like “dependent on constant stimulation and likely to lose interest quickly” pepper my analyses and for good reason. I really do struggle to finish what I start - but mainly because I am partial to a spot of constant stimulation, if truth be known…
I've done well with The Programme so far - doing all the relevant miles & styles (hey, two rhymes in one post, I'm wasted on this) Recovery / Tempo / Speedwork / Pace / Long Slow (even if it is still, apparently, too fast), and perhaps what I'm actually doing is proving to myself that I am capable of seeing something through for once.
I had absolutely no idea where to go with the music this week. As I haven’t had an iPod on my head all week, the highlight from the playlist isn't going to happen. Could have gone for a guilty secret, but I've already outed myself as a fan of Emergency Andy Williams. But then, a moment of inspiration.
Just been listening to a stunningly beautiful piece of music, which I first heard as a background to a superb piece on the best TV show in the whole world. Thought "ah-hah, that's the one" and went off to YouTube in search of a video. Well, let me tell you, just about everyone who thinks they have video-editing skills has tried to make a "significant" video over this piece. And, usually, they're dire.
So I went back to the first place I heard it. Of all the wonderful pieces this programme has done, this is still one of the absolute best.
If you don't know it, the music is "An Ending (Ascent)" by Brian Eno.
And, on that bombshell, it's goodbye.
Unsurprisingly, a week off for recovery after last Saturday's thigh problems. Which were accompanied by unpleasant bruising which started on Monday. Quick trip to the doc revealed nothing to worry about, but the advice for complete rest this week. Which is nice.
The fact I've stuck so well to The Programme so far means I'm still in good shape in terms of preparation, so definitely not a disaster. In fact, the sticking to The Programme is something that popped into my head as a surprise a couple of weeks ago, when I did the long run early so I could do the Subcrawl. Would have been easy to just miss the run and have the fun (hey, I'm a poet!). My big worry has always been whether I'd have the discipline to stick to The Programme once the initial enthusiasm wore off.
When we do psychometric stuff with team profiles at work, I score highly on the ideas / people / innovation / unorthodox / problem-solving measures, but spectacularly badly on the implement / disciplined / reliable / see things through ones. If you know Belbin Team Role theory I’m a Plant and Resource Investigator, and off the bottom of the scale for Implementor and Completer / Finisher. Phrases like “dependent on constant stimulation and likely to lose interest quickly” pepper my analyses and for good reason. I really do struggle to finish what I start - but mainly because I am partial to a spot of constant stimulation, if truth be known…
I've done well with The Programme so far - doing all the relevant miles & styles (hey, two rhymes in one post, I'm wasted on this) Recovery / Tempo / Speedwork / Pace / Long Slow (even if it is still, apparently, too fast), and perhaps what I'm actually doing is proving to myself that I am capable of seeing something through for once.
I had absolutely no idea where to go with the music this week. As I haven’t had an iPod on my head all week, the highlight from the playlist isn't going to happen. Could have gone for a guilty secret, but I've already outed myself as a fan of Emergency Andy Williams. But then, a moment of inspiration.
Just been listening to a stunningly beautiful piece of music, which I first heard as a background to a superb piece on the best TV show in the whole world. Thought "ah-hah, that's the one" and went off to YouTube in search of a video. Well, let me tell you, just about everyone who thinks they have video-editing skills has tried to make a "significant" video over this piece. And, usually, they're dire.
So I went back to the first place I heard it. Of all the wonderful pieces this programme has done, this is still one of the absolute best.
If you don't know it, the music is "An Ending (Ascent)" by Brian Eno.
And, on that bombshell, it's goodbye.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
10 weeks and counting
Or, come on in, Lawman Murphy, I've been expecting you.
I am, it has to be said, a bit of a stupid bastard. After a good running week, including an extra hills session and some great speed work at Scotstoun, where I churned out 6:15 miles, I had a mysteriously sore thigh after Thursday's easy run. No obvious cause, and not feeling like a tear, just annoyingly persistent.
Come this morning, it felt just about OK, although as run-time approached, it started to tighten a bit. Really umm-ed and ahh-ed about whether to go out, but came up with a bail out strategy in case it felt bad.
My run was the logical conclusion of the Loch Lomond adventure - Arrochar to Home at 19 miles - and there's half an hour between my train getting to Arrochar and the return journey. I reckoned that if I started to run and it was sore, I could turn around after a mile or so and get the train back. Nice idea. But when the train is 30 minutes late and arrives whilst the return train is sitting at the platform, the bail-out has gone away.
Guess what. A mile in, and the thigh starts to tweak. By 5 it's persistently sore and after 8, it hurts. I decide, therefore, to try the second bail-out strategy and call for a taxi from Luss after 9 miles. Only I've only got one 50p piece with me, and the number's engaged. It costs 40p to make a call from a public phonebox these days, so I'm fecked.
Recommence what has now become a trudge during which I'm continually beating myself up for being such a prat and coming out in the first place. This isn't going well at all. It's been a shit week anyway, and this is just adding to the load. 2 miles later, remember that the Helensburgh taxi firm has a freephone number too. This doesn't help the "you're a tit" internal monologue.
The final bail-out is to cut the route short & take the winding back road that I've always avoided because it feels dangerous. As I've given home a 5pm "send out the search parties" time, I feel I have to keep plodding on at a pace that will get me home by then, but not exacerbate the injury. Eventually got round what had turned into a 17.1 mile run feeling thoroughly disgruntled and kicking myself up and down the street.
Then I stopped. I was bound to get an injury at some point, and it was bound to be partly self inflicted, so it's just a case of dealing with it, waiting 'til it doesn't hurt any more, and building back up gradually.
In the down times, turn to the positive. Saw this lot in Glasgow a year ago, and it was stunning. This was about the most energetic 5 minutes I've ever experienced at a concert. I have no idea how these superb lifts from the unbelievably good Albert Hall DVD are still on YouTube, but please enjoy.
And while I've been typing, the Olympics are under way. I love just about everything about the Olympics. So many stories. So much about what's good in sport. And, yes, so much tragedy too. Watch it.
Week's summary: 5 runs, 40 miles: Long run 17.1 miles
Miles since acceptance: 470
I am, it has to be said, a bit of a stupid bastard. After a good running week, including an extra hills session and some great speed work at Scotstoun, where I churned out 6:15 miles, I had a mysteriously sore thigh after Thursday's easy run. No obvious cause, and not feeling like a tear, just annoyingly persistent.
Come this morning, it felt just about OK, although as run-time approached, it started to tighten a bit. Really umm-ed and ahh-ed about whether to go out, but came up with a bail out strategy in case it felt bad.
My run was the logical conclusion of the Loch Lomond adventure - Arrochar to Home at 19 miles - and there's half an hour between my train getting to Arrochar and the return journey. I reckoned that if I started to run and it was sore, I could turn around after a mile or so and get the train back. Nice idea. But when the train is 30 minutes late and arrives whilst the return train is sitting at the platform, the bail-out has gone away.
Guess what. A mile in, and the thigh starts to tweak. By 5 it's persistently sore and after 8, it hurts. I decide, therefore, to try the second bail-out strategy and call for a taxi from Luss after 9 miles. Only I've only got one 50p piece with me, and the number's engaged. It costs 40p to make a call from a public phonebox these days, so I'm fecked.
Recommence what has now become a trudge during which I'm continually beating myself up for being such a prat and coming out in the first place. This isn't going well at all. It's been a shit week anyway, and this is just adding to the load. 2 miles later, remember that the Helensburgh taxi firm has a freephone number too. This doesn't help the "you're a tit" internal monologue.
The final bail-out is to cut the route short & take the winding back road that I've always avoided because it feels dangerous. As I've given home a 5pm "send out the search parties" time, I feel I have to keep plodding on at a pace that will get me home by then, but not exacerbate the injury. Eventually got round what had turned into a 17.1 mile run feeling thoroughly disgruntled and kicking myself up and down the street.
Then I stopped. I was bound to get an injury at some point, and it was bound to be partly self inflicted, so it's just a case of dealing with it, waiting 'til it doesn't hurt any more, and building back up gradually.
In the down times, turn to the positive. Saw this lot in Glasgow a year ago, and it was stunning. This was about the most energetic 5 minutes I've ever experienced at a concert. I have no idea how these superb lifts from the unbelievably good Albert Hall DVD are still on YouTube, but please enjoy.
And while I've been typing, the Olympics are under way. I love just about everything about the Olympics. So many stories. So much about what's good in sport. And, yes, so much tragedy too. Watch it.
Week's summary: 5 runs, 40 miles: Long run 17.1 miles
Miles since acceptance: 470
Saturday, 6 February 2010
11 weeks and counting
Or, Team GI rides again.
Came to the conclusion that trying do the Wednesday tempo runs or speedwork on the hilly roads round here would be a killer, so I decided to head somewhere totally flat – the track at the newly refurbished Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow. I last used this years ago when I refereed, and the nice new grandstand with decent changing rooms and a warm-up track make a change from the peeling, dilapidated mess that I remember. Cheap too, at £3.90 for unlimited track access.
Came to the conclusion that trying do the Wednesday tempo runs or speedwork on the hilly roads round here would be a killer, so I decided to head somewhere totally flat – the track at the newly refurbished Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow. I last used this years ago when I refereed, and the nice new grandstand with decent changing rooms and a warm-up track make a change from the peeling, dilapidated mess that I remember. Cheap too, at £3.90 for unlimited track access.
The snow had returned by 6pm, so the place was deserted, but I got my planned session in – 7.5 miles including 6 at 6:49 pace (although The Programme said 7:00). Also bunged an extra lap on to the 6m to make it a full 10k, which I did in 42:24 - almost 2 mins inside my PB.
Some amusement after 27 laps when a security guard appeared, waved me down, and told me I couldn’t use the track as it was closed due to the snow. Having pointed out that 1) they’d taken my money 2) they’d turned lights on for me, 3) I’ve been out here for 45 minutes, have you just noticed me and 4) I’ve only got 3 laps to go and I’m bloody well going to finish them, he retreated.
Been dreading the long run all week. Another extension of the Glen Fruin loop, now 18.3 miles with a detour through Garelochead, but the timing had to change. I usually run just after lunchtime, but because of afternoon plans, I had to tolerate a 10am start to get it done, cleaned up, fed and this thing written. This meant getting up at 8 for hydration and carbs.
Not a particularly nice day to start with, but by the time I got to the top end of the run, the contrast between dark clouds and bright sun on the land was lovely. With the Garmin helping me hold a suitably slow pace, it seemed to work. A long way further than I’ve ever run before, and though and the legs suffered a bit on the last 2 miles up the hill, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. An major milestone ticked off in 2 hours 38.
Tried one of the Lucozade “high-carb” gels for an energy boost half way round, in the spirit of trying stuff in training rather than leaving it to the race. Not the pleasantest taste or texture, but avoided both puking and stomach cramps, and there seemed to be an energy boost.
The reason for the Saturday rescheduling is a Glasgow reunion of Team General Ignorance with two of the other Sucata Split teams. For those blissfully unaware of my charity banger-running past, please check the links. It also explains my predilection for luminous yellow.
Amazingly, whilst musing on matters Team GI on the downhill section into Garelochead, I was over taken by one of these - a "General" (may the lord rest his mechanical soul) no less.
OK, without the Gulf stripes and the infeasibly large bonnet mascot, but an honest F-plate Volvo 240GL nontheless.
Having run, replenished with a huge plate of Amy’s signature cheesy-pasta and many isotonic drinks, I’m about the head out the door for a subcrawl (Google it!). I’m not entirely sure that this is a good idea, and I suspect a fairly significant bounce off “the wall” might occur in a few hours time.
Now that my long runs are “bloody miles”, I’ve decided to extend the playlist to a 4th artist for variety, so please welcome the Manic Street Preachers. Amy and Matthew’s first gig was this lot in 2002 – when they were 10 and 7. Persuaded them it was OK to sing along with the chorus of…
This probably makes me a very bad Dad, but it *was* very funny. This clip from the Millennium Stadium gig at the turn of the, er, Millennium - please ignore the unwelcome intrusion of Arthur Scargill at the end.
Week’s Summary: 4 runs, 38 miles: Long run 18.3 miles
Miles Since Acceptance: 430
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