Thanks Owly :-)
A lovely relaxing weekend - exactly what I need given that I'm away 2 of the next 3 weekends before flying out for Nepal in 23 sleeps :-)
Saturday afternoon I headed out for another 20mins run to stretch out the ITB. It is improving, albeit slowly. It was alot less 'apparent' during this run &, more encouragingly, has been much happier today than it was the day after my last run. I was pretty pleased that I only had a short run on the cards - not only was it extremely humid but in that short time, I saw not 1 but 3 different P-plate drivers skid around corners (probably deliberately) on the slippery road conditions. Idiots.
MTD: 73.14k
Anyhoo today after a lovely breakfast I headed off for a swim. Yes, you read that correctly - I went for a swim. Swimming is my exercise of last resort when I can't run or ride. I don't know why - I actually enjoy it. During January last year I swam something like 16kms in an effort to stay fit when I couldn't run thanks to my ITB & I haven't been in a pool since! So I was somewhat surprised to swim 1,500m pretty comfortably - mind you it was with the assistance of a 25m pool & a pull buoy to make sure I didn't aggravate my knee. I had planned to do a 1km but felt pretty good so I kept going. It was pretty slow - about 30mins I think. But hey, it's done :-)
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Flying without a net....
My favourite photo from Six Foot -
L-R: Ellie, Go Girl, me, 2P, Owly & Lulu
Thankyou to everyone for your comments & congratulations - I truly appreciate it :-)
A few people have recently asked who my never-before-referred-to-by-name coach is. He's probably going to kick my arse for embarrassing him but I don't care :-) 2P has, for the last 15 months, counselled, encouraged, supported, advised, cajoled & bribed me & (when necessary) kicked my arse in an effort to get me to the starting line of Six Foot 2007. He has always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. Isaac Newton said it better than I can - "If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." :-)
Enough of the mushy stuff - Becky O asked about whether I'd suffered from PSFS (Post Six Foot Syndrome). I did. Between the race itself, my holiday & a variety of other 'stuff', I hadn't given any thought to 'what next'. I have added to the very long list of lessons I've learned from this experience to always look at each event not as a destination (which is what I did for Six Foot) but as just another step in the journey. I have today finally removed the Six Foot course profile from the wall of my office & here at home & now have shifted my focus to my next big scary goal - 50k at Glasshouse in July :-) Yes, my approach to training & racing isn't particularly conventional but hey, I'm having fun !
My recovery from Six Foot has been somewhat passive. The DOMs (which wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected) had gone by Wednesday - my energy levels have been good - my left ITB however has been somewhat cranky. Oh well, I've enjoyed having an excuse to sleep in but now I'm really itching to get back into the training again. I went out for an easy 20mins last run - the ITB was certainly apparent but didn't worsen over the course of the run. It has however been a bit more grumpy with me than normal today. I also headed back into the gym this morning for an upper body weights session - it has been soooo long since I've done one that I'm tempted to put out a missing persons report on my biceps ;-)
My trip to Nepal is now less than 4 weeks away - yippee! But before then, I've got a few road trips planned. Firstly, I'm temporarily relocating to the eastern suburbs next week (thanks E!) - soooo looking forward to spending my mornings in Centennial Park with Lulu & Ellie. Then next weekend Ellie & I are off to Port Mac for the IM. Looking forward to cheering on Borat, sorry I mean Miners, in his second IM and my uncle in his 5th (& what he tells me will be his last) IM. 2 weeks later Go Girl & I are off to Canberra for the marathon weekend where I'm going to chase (and hopefully keep up with!) Lulu in the 10k on the Saturday afternoon before cheering on all my friends in the marathon on Sunday. I'm excited :-)
L-R: Ellie, Go Girl, me, 2P, Owly & Lulu
Thankyou to everyone for your comments & congratulations - I truly appreciate it :-)
A few people have recently asked who my never-before-referred-to-by-name coach is. He's probably going to kick my arse for embarrassing him but I don't care :-) 2P has, for the last 15 months, counselled, encouraged, supported, advised, cajoled & bribed me & (when necessary) kicked my arse in an effort to get me to the starting line of Six Foot 2007. He has always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. Isaac Newton said it better than I can - "If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." :-)
Enough of the mushy stuff - Becky O asked about whether I'd suffered from PSFS (Post Six Foot Syndrome). I did. Between the race itself, my holiday & a variety of other 'stuff', I hadn't given any thought to 'what next'. I have added to the very long list of lessons I've learned from this experience to always look at each event not as a destination (which is what I did for Six Foot) but as just another step in the journey. I have today finally removed the Six Foot course profile from the wall of my office & here at home & now have shifted my focus to my next big scary goal - 50k at Glasshouse in July :-) Yes, my approach to training & racing isn't particularly conventional but hey, I'm having fun !
My recovery from Six Foot has been somewhat passive. The DOMs (which wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected) had gone by Wednesday - my energy levels have been good - my left ITB however has been somewhat cranky. Oh well, I've enjoyed having an excuse to sleep in but now I'm really itching to get back into the training again. I went out for an easy 20mins last run - the ITB was certainly apparent but didn't worsen over the course of the run. It has however been a bit more grumpy with me than normal today. I also headed back into the gym this morning for an upper body weights session - it has been soooo long since I've done one that I'm tempted to put out a missing persons report on my biceps ;-)
My trip to Nepal is now less than 4 weeks away - yippee! But before then, I've got a few road trips planned. Firstly, I'm temporarily relocating to the eastern suburbs next week (thanks E!) - soooo looking forward to spending my mornings in Centennial Park with Lulu & Ellie. Then next weekend Ellie & I are off to Port Mac for the IM. Looking forward to cheering on Borat, sorry I mean Miners, in his second IM and my uncle in his 5th (& what he tells me will be his last) IM. 2 weeks later Go Girl & I are off to Canberra for the marathon weekend where I'm going to chase (and hopefully keep up with!) Lulu in the 10k on the Saturday afternoon before cheering on all my friends in the marathon on Sunday. I'm excited :-)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
2007 Six Foot Track marathon - race report
*world's longest race report warning*
You have been warned.
I'll leave out all the pre & post race festivities & frivolities - this is going to be long enough without going into it all - suffice to say that I had a wonderful, fun & laughter filled weekend with a group of people who I have only met in the last year or two but who have come to mean the world to me.
Firstly thank you to everyone for your concerns. So many people came up to me after the race & said 'Jen I was really worried about you'. Thank you also for not sharing your concerns with me before the race!
Even the coach called my training for this event a 'dog's breakfast'. My longest run had been the Black Stump run (33k) on NYD. An injury started to creep in towards the end of January so that my last run over 20k was at the end of January. In fact, since then I think I had only run further than 10k no more than 3 times. I wasn't even sure I would start until about 10 days before the run. At least being 'overtrained' wasn't an issue ;-)
With that limited preparation in mind, I knew that I had to run it with my head. I had a conservative plan which I had to stick to in order to even give myself a chance of finishing. The plan was based on getting to Pluvio at 6:45 pace - 64mins to Megalong Road, 2 hours (cumulative) to Cox, 4 hours (cumulative) to Pluvio - and then hanging on. Looking at my splits after the race, I was actually behind them the whole way for one reason or another. I had eg allowed 22min to get to the Nellies Glen sign - in fact, at the back of Wave 4 it took 25:45! A few people have asked if I felt stressed or uncomfortable about being that close to the cut-off. In all honesty, I didn't think or worry about the cut-offs at all during the race. I knew what I had to do (my splits & aver pace for each section & the parts of the Track that were likely to throw out my averages) and simply focused on that. From the time I got the Nellies Glen sign for the rest of the race, I told myself that I had gone out more conservatively than planned so I would (I hoped) have a tad more energy coming home. Overriding all that, I knew that my attitude was crucial & that I had to stay strong mentally - amongst other things, I made sure I had fun by running into aid stations yelling "876 reporting for duty" or "876 checking in". You had to be there.
Anyway on with the race -
Saturday morning, I was woken by an SMS before the alarm went off. I felt strangely calm & centred all morning - I don't think I could believe that I was actually running! The only time I got a bit nervous was when Owly, in the car on the way to Catalina Park, started talking about how nervous she was about next years race!
After watching waves 1 - 3 start & jumping in at the front of the pack for the obligatory photo under the 'start' banner, I headed to the back of the pack. I had run the first section to Megalong Rd in training & had stuffed it up by going too quickly. I was not going to make that mistake again. I had Ewen's company for the first 3k or so. We got to the Nellies Glen sign in 25:25 - almost 4mins slower than planned. My mantra for the run down to Cox was 'effortless'. It was hard to resist the temptation to chase everyone who took off when we hit the fire trail but I did ("effortless Jen effortless") & settled into my own race. Good thing I did too because although I passed (literally only) 1 or 2 people, I ran by myself - with no one else in sight, ahead or behind - until the final aid station before Pluvio. I felt really comfortable out there on my lonesome.
Arrived at Megalong Road in 67:20 (3:20 outside schedule) and then set off towards Cox. I really enjoyed the run down to Cox - I love the downhill technical stuff. I remember thinking to myself what a blessing it was to be able to run this section by myself. Not because I avoided getting held up in a conga-line of runners but because it was quiet, peaceful & I could run my race.
I'm not sure what happened during this section - whether I was being too conservative or I switched off mentally but I arrived at Cox in 2:09:40 (9:40 behind schedule) - & and made what one of the firies said was one of the most delicate crossings.
I've never run with wet shoes before which made me a little nervous so I coated my feet in Bodyglide which worked - no blisters at all! I knew that I was pretty close to the cut-off but it didn't bother me as walking up hills is one of my strengths. So off I went humming 'she'll be walking up the mountain when she comes'. Owly & Cirque will understand ;-)
I won't deny that I wasn't unhappy to see the top of Mini Mini - that last section is a kicker - & then it was down down down to Alum River. Gosh it was wonderful to run again - at least until I almost ran over the top of something dead (I think it was the calf that 2P had previously mentioned). Ick. Oh the joys of trail running!
Arrived at the aid station with the sprinkler (Big River?), called out "876 checking in" & heard someone call out my name. And there was Go Girl sitting under a blanket. I had to do a double take. I couldn't believe it. Go Girl was (with 2P) instrumental in getting me to the start line - she & I had agreed to make Six Foot 2007 our goal way back in December 2005 when I was still 3mths away from running again thanks to my ITB problem. I walked over towards her (as she, with her wonderful grace & poise, told me that she was ok, not to worry about her & to keep running), stopped for a quick chat, gave her a cuddle & then turned back towards the road, vowing to finish the race for both of us. I pulled myself together & started running again. 30sec later Garmin Elektra flashed a 'low battery' warning. "Farkkkk. Deep breathe Jen. Remember cool, calm, collected, centred. It's ok. You can do this. Listen to your body & read the course. You don't need Elektra to do this'. Despite my lil pep talk, I was mighty relieved when Elektra stopped flashing at me & regained signal.
The climb to Pluvio was non-eventful - just one stop to take a rock out of my shoe. Ken Smith (CR Lastish) caught me at the last aid station before Pluvio. And then 500m before Pluvio, Cam Arnold - the 7 hour sweeper - caught us. I knew that he was ahead of schedule so I wasn't bothered. After a quick chat, I discovered that he was running an even pace for the whole race, whereas my plan was based on a 30/30/40 breakdown so I had some time up my sleeve.
We arrived at Pluvio at 4:07:55 (7:55 outside schedule). I suddenly realised that there had been no complaints from my piriformis or ITB which had caused me so much trouble over the last month - woohoo! In fact there had been no complaints at all - my body was feeling tired but good & I was still having fun.
After a cup of coke, I set out to run/walk my way along Black Range Road. I was actually surprised at how much of Black Range Road I was able to run. I kept repeating to myself "choose your walk breaks prudently - always look for the possibilities - no double digit splits". I started to pick people off along Black Range - that sounds terrible because I know they were hurting but I'd spot someone ahead & slowly but surely reel them in. Actually, I wasn't passed from the time I hit Black Range Rd until the other side of the Binda Cabins. Black Range came & went quickly - in fact, I missed the sign to the Moorara Boss Fire Trail completely & only saw the sign for the Mount Warlock Fire Trail when I stopped for a drink at the aid station.
I arrived at Deviation (woohoo) with 10.6k to go & stopped for a toilet break. By this stage, I was breaking everything down - only focusing on the next 3.2k until Caves Road crossing. And what a 3.2k they were. I almost lost a shoe in what turned out to be a tiny yet deep mud puddle. And that second hill! OMG. I arrived at the bottom, looked up & said (loudly) "you've got to farking kidding me" - the only time I let myself slip mentally during the race. There were 2 people walking up it at the time - a woman was actually trying to walk up it backwards! Although I was tired, fortunately I wasn't struggling as much as she was so I put my head down & walked strongly. One of the two people kindly told me as I passed half way I had just done the toughest part of the course between there & the finish. Good news indeed!
Woohoo - Caves Road crossing! Only 8k to go. About this time my left ITB (my good ITB!) started to bite. But I just ignored it - my leg would have had to fall off to stop me from finishing. And even then, I would have crawled the whole damn way. Those last 4.4k from the Binda Cabins aid station were the longest 4.4k of my life but I knew that I would soon hear the announcer.
Just before the left turn off the fire trail & onto the pathway, I heard Sparkie's voice. I knew there would be some of the cheer squad with him so I yelled out something about Sparkie having a loud voice. Turn left & there is Sparkie & Owly (with pom poms of course). Owly had been sitting. She stands up in excitement & falls over onto the track. For a moment I think that I'm going to have to hurdle over her 'cause there is no way I'm stopping now (sorry Owly) but fortunately for both of us she's on her feet quickly. I pass them & realise that both Sparkie & Owly are now running behind me. Sparkie sneaks past at some stage & takes off - meanwhile Owly is singing "she'll be running down the mountain when she comes" before going onto tell me about Fats' remarkable race. I sneak a peek over my left shoulder at Caves House - OMG! Then there is the sight - and noise - of the cheer squad at the bottom of the stairs. Incredible. I get goosebumps thinking about it even now.
Down the steps without falling & into the finish chute where I spot Spud hanging over the barricade, grinning madly. And then to finish off my race perfectly, I see Ellie standing there ready to give me my medal (and receive a very sweaty & teary hug - sorry!). I discover my dad is standing behind the barricade next to her - another sweaty & teary hug.
So I finished my first Six Foot Track in 6:50:06. One of my biggest battles with running has always been the (mental) limitations that I have placed on myself. So one of the things that excites me most about this run is not only that it came off the back of a rather limited preparation, but that it has opened my eyes as to what I might be capable of with a full and uninterrupted training program.
Apart from my left ITB getting cross with me over the last 5k, physically I had a great race - my piriformis & right ITB which caused me so much grief through January & February were fine. No blisters, no falls & no cramps either. I didn't actually take in much during the race - 4 GUs, about 400mls Powerade, 2 cups of coke, 2 pieces of watermelon & loads of water. I did feel a bit queasy through the Deviation section though I actually think it was because I couldn't get that sickly sweet taste out of my mouth. Ick.
A few thank yous just in case anyone is still reading this - Spud who first put the idea in my head. Horrie & Belinda for your incredible faith & confidence in me. The PG - I can't begin to describe how much you all mean to me. Go Girl - such grace, strength & support. 2P for teaching me (amongst many other things) that I can because I can accept it if I don't.
I've recovered pretty well from this crazy adventure. My left ITB doesn't like walking down stairs right now but other than some DOMS & my cold making a bit of a resurgence, that's it :-)
My next big adventure is my trip to Nepal which is in a months time so my focus until then is recovering from Six Foot and possibly running the 10k at Canberra. I haven't decided yet on a longer term goal but I've got a few ideas.....
Edit: photos updated
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Mission accomplished - Six Foot Track 2007
I have had such an amazing weekend and I'm not just referring to the race. I spent the weekend in a beautiful part of the world with some of my favourite people without whose faith, support, love & encouragement I would not have achieved a goal I set for myself 15 months ago.
I haven't had much time to myself this weekend to begin to digest yesterday's events - finishing my first Six Foot Track marathon (not to mention my first ultra!) in 6:50:06. I think a few photos can tell the story better than I can right now - full race report to follow soon.
Sneaking in the front to get a photo under the start banner...
Where's Jen? Can you tell I was a bit happy to be there?
Owly ran behind me singing "she'll be running down the mountain when she comes" while filling me in on Fats' amazing race over the last couple of hundred metres...
Mission accomplished!
I haven't had much time to myself this weekend to begin to digest yesterday's events - finishing my first Six Foot Track marathon (not to mention my first ultra!) in 6:50:06. I think a few photos can tell the story better than I can right now - full race report to follow soon.
Sneaking in the front to get a photo under the start banner...
Where's Jen? Can you tell I was a bit happy to be there?
Owly ran behind me singing "she'll be running down the mountain when she comes" while filling me in on Fats' amazing race over the last couple of hundred metres...
Mission accomplished!
Friday, March 09, 2007
T'was the night before Six Foot & all through the house....
Jen was running around like a madwoman trying to pack after CityRail thwarted my efforts to do so last night...
Anyhoo, it's done. I'm packed & ready & waiting for Alfie (otherwise known as the Lulumobile) to pick me up shortly for the trip up to Katoomba ahead of the race tomorrow.
I thought I'd be a bundle of nerves today but even despite developing a headcold yesterday, I'm feeling calm & centred today. I had a great nights sleep & am feeling more rested today than I have in a while. Mind you, it's entirely possible that I'll be reduced to a blabbering bundle of nervous energy by the time I get to the Edge Cinema to pick up my race pack in an hour!
My preparation has been far from ideal - but as the coach would say 'it is what it is'. Given the last few weeks, even starting this race is an achievement. I'm so happy that I even have the opportunity & privilege of doing so. I know it will be the toughest thing I've ever done but I'm ready for, and looking forward to, the challenge -
The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated. The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further or box better. Hoppie's dictum to me: 'First with the head and then with heart' was more than simply mixing brains with guts. It meant thinking well beyond the powers of normal concentration and then daring your courage to follow your thoughts.
Bring. It. On. :-)
Ciao - see you on the other side ;-)
Anyhoo, it's done. I'm packed & ready & waiting for Alfie (otherwise known as the Lulumobile) to pick me up shortly for the trip up to Katoomba ahead of the race tomorrow.
I thought I'd be a bundle of nerves today but even despite developing a headcold yesterday, I'm feeling calm & centred today. I had a great nights sleep & am feeling more rested today than I have in a while. Mind you, it's entirely possible that I'll be reduced to a blabbering bundle of nervous energy by the time I get to the Edge Cinema to pick up my race pack in an hour!
My preparation has been far from ideal - but as the coach would say 'it is what it is'. Given the last few weeks, even starting this race is an achievement. I'm so happy that I even have the opportunity & privilege of doing so. I know it will be the toughest thing I've ever done but I'm ready for, and looking forward to, the challenge -
The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated. The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses to run faster or longer, jump higher, shoot straighter, kick better, swim harder, hit further or box better. Hoppie's dictum to me: 'First with the head and then with heart' was more than simply mixing brains with guts. It meant thinking well beyond the powers of normal concentration and then daring your courage to follow your thoughts.
Bring. It. On. :-)
Ciao - see you on the other side ;-)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Preparing to launch
The rollercoaster continues. Monday I think the realisation that I was absolutely, most definitely starting Six Foot started to sink in & I was very nervous all day. Let's just say it was not my most productive day at work. Tuesday, I was just a wee bit less nervous. Today, I am feeling cool, calm, collected, centred & ready - at least until I start reading all the threads on CR & then I get nervous. Gawd knows what emotion tomorrow will bring. Thankfully I've got Friday off work to sleep in & relax a little.
Anyhoo back to the week. After Ellie's birthday dinner on Monday night, I was homeless so thankfully Lulu & WTR took pity on me & took me home with them to their lovely abode (thanks!). This meant that Lulu & I were able to go for a run together on Tuesday morning. It's been far too long since we last ran together - during 9k at the Blackmores Festival in September I think! We left Lulu's house at the decadent hour of 6.15am (at which time I'd normally be getting in my post-run shower at Penriff) for a lap & a bit of Centennial Park. What a lovely way to start the day - a run before daylight with wonderful company. Thanks L! I was a wee bit flat during the run but woke up feeling extremely hungry so perhaps I didn't eat enough at dinner the night before. Accordingly to Garmin Elektra, we finished with 6.7k in 43:28min (aver 6.29min/k).
MTD: 21.7k
So that's it. No more running for me before Saturday. I had kinda sorta pencilled in a mini-run on Thursday morning but I now have a final tune-up visit to Saint Andrew planned for Thursday afternoon which means I have a 25mins walk to the station to do instead. Carb loading started today & I'm sick of water already!
I'm off to organise my gear for the weekend. The only thing I'm undecided on is which of 3 tops to wear. They are all red (of course) - my shoes are red too - so colour won't be a consideration ;-) Think I'll just pack all 3 & decide the night before. Typical female I know!
3 sleeps to go now - as Kit would say, I'm Big Kev excited now :-)
Bring. It. On. I'm ready :-)
Anyhoo back to the week. After Ellie's birthday dinner on Monday night, I was homeless so thankfully Lulu & WTR took pity on me & took me home with them to their lovely abode (thanks!). This meant that Lulu & I were able to go for a run together on Tuesday morning. It's been far too long since we last ran together - during 9k at the Blackmores Festival in September I think! We left Lulu's house at the decadent hour of 6.15am (at which time I'd normally be getting in my post-run shower at Penriff) for a lap & a bit of Centennial Park. What a lovely way to start the day - a run before daylight with wonderful company. Thanks L! I was a wee bit flat during the run but woke up feeling extremely hungry so perhaps I didn't eat enough at dinner the night before. Accordingly to Garmin Elektra, we finished with 6.7k in 43:28min (aver 6.29min/k).
MTD: 21.7k
So that's it. No more running for me before Saturday. I had kinda sorta pencilled in a mini-run on Thursday morning but I now have a final tune-up visit to Saint Andrew planned for Thursday afternoon which means I have a 25mins walk to the station to do instead. Carb loading started today & I'm sick of water already!
I'm off to organise my gear for the weekend. The only thing I'm undecided on is which of 3 tops to wear. They are all red (of course) - my shoes are red too - so colour won't be a consideration ;-) Think I'll just pack all 3 & decide the night before. Typical female I know!
3 sleeps to go now - as Kit would say, I'm Big Kev excited now :-)
Bring. It. On. I'm ready :-)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
All systems are GO
Wow. So much has happened since my last post. It's been a big week - a couple of late (and big) nights including a dinner with my folks to celebrate my dad's retirement and then on Friday an overhang, a fractured tooth while eating my lunch on Friday & an argument with a doctor who wanted to give me one of my vaccinations for my trip to Nepal next Friday (ie the day before Six Foot). When I told him that I couldn't have one the day before the race, he said to me (with a straight face) "what does it matter if you have a bad reaction to it & have to pull out at the last minute - it's not like you are going to win, is it?". I kid you not.
So far as running - and Six Foot - is concerned, it's actually been a great week. Although I haven't said much about it, there has been considerable doubt in mind over the last few weeks about whether I'd even start Six Foot thanks to my piriformis & ITB problems. Not being able to run 8k without pain does that to ya. But it's made a HUGE improvement this week so I will now certainly being lining up at the start of Six Foot in 6 sleeps time :-) I don't know how the day will unfold but regardless, I know that I have done everything I could have done (under the circumstances) to be ready & however it unfolds, I know it will be a big achievement :-)
Monday & Tuesday were rest days. Wednesday morning I was up at 4.30am to run before work. It was a bit of a struggle to get out of bed after getting very little sleep. Took a slightly more rolling course (ever so slightly) than Sunday. Although my ITB was still gumbling, it certainly had improved since Sunday's long run. And my glute/piriformis was fine - no niggles from it at all for the first time in what feels like a very long time. Happy days :-) Finished with 7.84k in 49:45mins (ave 6:20k/min).
Total for February then is 85.52k. Significantly down on January but ya get that ;-)
I went out for a long run on Saturday morning so as to give me maximum recovery time before Six Foot. I need some sleep after a big week so I decided to sleep in & then head out for a run whenever I woke up. Didn't seem much point in going out early to avoid the hot weather given next Saturday is unlikely to be anything than other bloody hot! So it was 9.30am before I finally rolled out the door - only to be stopped in my tracks by Garmin Elektra who wouldn't wake from her slumber. Ai ai ai. So I headed back into the house & grabbed an old sports watch - it was actually nice to run without knowing the pace. I just listened to my body & ran how I felt.
The plan was 12k - in the end according to gMaps I finished with just under 15k in 1:36 (including walking through drinks 'stops' & road crossings) and, most importantly, with absolutely no niggles or complaints from either my ITB or piriformis/glute. I could be happier right now.
Today after a lazy morning (great to see you E!) I decided it was far too hot for a spin outside so I set up the trainer in front of the TV & did 50mins at 75-80% MHR. Great way to end a fantastic weekend :-)
Not long now !
So far as running - and Six Foot - is concerned, it's actually been a great week. Although I haven't said much about it, there has been considerable doubt in mind over the last few weeks about whether I'd even start Six Foot thanks to my piriformis & ITB problems. Not being able to run 8k without pain does that to ya. But it's made a HUGE improvement this week so I will now certainly being lining up at the start of Six Foot in 6 sleeps time :-) I don't know how the day will unfold but regardless, I know that I have done everything I could have done (under the circumstances) to be ready & however it unfolds, I know it will be a big achievement :-)
Monday & Tuesday were rest days. Wednesday morning I was up at 4.30am to run before work. It was a bit of a struggle to get out of bed after getting very little sleep. Took a slightly more rolling course (ever so slightly) than Sunday. Although my ITB was still gumbling, it certainly had improved since Sunday's long run. And my glute/piriformis was fine - no niggles from it at all for the first time in what feels like a very long time. Happy days :-) Finished with 7.84k in 49:45mins (ave 6:20k/min).
Total for February then is 85.52k. Significantly down on January but ya get that ;-)
I went out for a long run on Saturday morning so as to give me maximum recovery time before Six Foot. I need some sleep after a big week so I decided to sleep in & then head out for a run whenever I woke up. Didn't seem much point in going out early to avoid the hot weather given next Saturday is unlikely to be anything than other bloody hot! So it was 9.30am before I finally rolled out the door - only to be stopped in my tracks by Garmin Elektra who wouldn't wake from her slumber. Ai ai ai. So I headed back into the house & grabbed an old sports watch - it was actually nice to run without knowing the pace. I just listened to my body & ran how I felt.
The plan was 12k - in the end according to gMaps I finished with just under 15k in 1:36 (including walking through drinks 'stops' & road crossings) and, most importantly, with absolutely no niggles or complaints from either my ITB or piriformis/glute. I could be happier right now.
Today after a lazy morning (great to see you E!) I decided it was far too hot for a spin outside so I set up the trainer in front of the TV & did 50mins at 75-80% MHR. Great way to end a fantastic weekend :-)
Not long now !
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