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The Middle Ground
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Much better run today. 8.5km (5.3 miles) easyish. Started out with a couple of 9:30 miles, heart rate was mainly around 150bpm. It did start to rise a bit more as I introduced some hills - even though I tried to slow it down even more I couldn't really manage to keep the effort the same.
<span>After that, I had a go at a couple of km at 4:45 (7:40 miles) - what I would have (maybe optimistically!) guessed my marathon pace was, at least based on pre injury fitness levels. My heart rate stayed at around 165bpm, which isn't too discouraging - my threshold is around 175bpm, and I can get into the high 190s for the last few minutes of a 5k. Did a few strides at the end, and the body was feeling good. </span>
Yes, having spent 9 weeks in the spring unable to do any thing (even a moderate walk was painful) and watching myself pile on weight and waste what seemed like a short period of working from home which presented ideally training opportunities, I can empathise!!
Tapering down now for Saturday. Very easy 6m today and a lighter than usual session yesterday to sharpen up. Spin tomorrow morning then 3m with strides Friday. Weight down to 10,8. Lightest I've ever raced in 10,12. Conditions also look reasonable as it stands.
Am not sure about squats when you have a knee injury; I would find other glute exercises. I would also perhaps look at challenging yourself in other ways, for example increasing your plank times, or doing plank reps.
A better run today for me, also. Only just over half an hour on the trails but for the first time in six or seven weeks I felt like pushing it in the second half. And felt like I was heading back in the right direction.
Hopefully it won't interfere with tomorrow. Otherwise feeling good.
Pleasant 40 minutes in the rain, puddles, mud etc this morning with my M75 neighbour. So much easier running with others at a nice conversational pace.
Nice run Alehouse.
I’m now on a week of no running. I think I’m in less pain going about my daily movements than I was before, but there is still pain and tenderness on the top of the tibia if I poke at it. Probably better than it was though.
I suspect my daughter brought it home from school.
Are you using nsaid gel on it?
<span>Thought I felt some twinges of my injury coming back yesterday and this morning, but it disappeared later in the day - I decided to get out for 10 minutes and go back home if it got worse. It got better through the run, and feels even better now. </span>
Just over 70 minutes largely off road. Mud, puddles, rain. All good.
Around 60 mins and 10.6km (6.5miles) for me today, takes me up to 32km (20 miles) for the week.
Easy 10m today for 47m week. Other than my long run inc my other session yesterday I've had a pretty normal training week. Feel surprisingly good today. Some doms in quads but nothing like how I can feel after a half mara ie battered.
Milton Keynes winter half
As we’ve all been a bit starved of a race report and as this went well I thought I’d put one in.
So following a summer on the sidelines, my plan was to not consider racing until I could do it justice again, which I anticipated would be into next year. However, training in the last month or so told me I was in a good place and with this event cancelling everyone in a tier 3 area, places opened up.
The race was split over 2 days with a Saturday and Sunday event, but 1 set of results. I opted for Saturday. You then selected a start time, the options being every 4 minutes between 9-11am. Given my journey I selected 11am. This was changed to 10.12 due to most people wanting to run early.
I set off to arrive an hour before my start time. My concerns were raised when my satnav took me off the m42 towards m6 as opposed m40. I have zero trust in the m6, you could drive down it at 3am on Christmas morning and get caught in a jam. Shortly after joining my worst fears were compounded and I was met with a complete standstill, 25 minutes ticked by before we got moving again and I’d all but given up hope. Once we got moving again (there had been a pretty nasty accident on the other side and debris had come over so it all needed clearing) things moved well, however I was stressed as I would now only arrive 30 mins before the start and I didn’t know how far away I had to park etc. As it turned out there was a massive car park right by the start/finish. Additionally, the toilet situation was good as most people had already gone by the time I needed to go. I therefore managed a 1m wu which was fine.
I was conscious of the start situation and you all started in an orderly straight line with no over taking for first 200m. I therefore got myself at the gate promptly so that I was first in queue. As we moved towards the start a lady positioned herself ahead of me. I didn’t want to appear judgmental etc but she didn’t look like she would be running an 80 minute half. I asked her what she was aiming for and she said 1.50, she then asked me and politely moved herself back behind me without further discussion.
We were promptly off at 10.12 and I tuned into 6mm pace ish. After about 0.5m another lad from my start came past me. It took me until about 1.5m to catch him but we were both then locked in at 6.10mm. It was also useful as the first 4-5m were into a steady but not strong headwind and he was a pretty tall lad. The first 5 miles drifted by at 6.12, 6.13, 6.07, 6.09 and 6.11. The pace was feeling a bit sharper than I had hoped but that may have been down to the headwind.
At 4m the other guy suddenly dropped off the pace and I found myself completely alone, passing various others from earlier starts but no one near my pace to focus on or work with. The course also became very tricky at this point with an impossible number of twists and turns around the Redway paths, really killing momentum. There were moments where I just craved a few hundred metres of straight road. I bashed on going through 10k in about 38.15. My average pace was pretty much locked on 6.10mm with the odd drop to 6.11 but nothing more.
After 10k my focus was on getting to mile 10. I knew that there was a bit of climbing in that mile, but then it was followed by a downhill mile 11, So I focused on getting to there with plenty in me. The miles ticked by, 6.07, 6.16, 6.18 and 6.07. Finally the twists and turns eased but I was into some climbing. It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated and came out of that mile with a 6.26 and average pave at 6.12. I was then met with the downhill mile with much of it a long straight path. That came in at 5.52.
Moving into mile 12, I knew then that there was no need for anything silly, just sit at 6.15 and it’ll be good. Mile 12 came in at 6.20 and average pace was 6.11. Mile 13 then was slightly downhill and straighter so I managed a 6.02 with an all out sprint for the last bits coming in at 80.39.
Very pleased with that and having started the year with a half pb of 83.35, I now end it with a genuine chance to run sub 80.
Speaking of which, after 9 days of rest, icing and a semi regular strength and conditioning routine, the knee pain has basically gone during my day to day life. I did have to drive for an hour today and that caused a bit of tenderness at the time, but it feels ok now.
Hip issues flared up again yesterday (this time on the outer edge of my hip) in the few hours after my run yesterday, despite feeling good during and immediately after. Went to see an osteo today, just for a routine appointment. He's a runner, too, so good to hear his input. Turns out I have collapsing arches, which was a surprise for me as my feet have a fairly high arch when not weight bearing - not sure how I'd managed to miss this!
When we looked at my training log together, I realised that my issues seem to coincide with transitioning from Saucony Kinvaras to New Balance Fuelcell Propel V2s as my daily trainer, with the first symptoms arising after a long progression run, probably only my 5th/6th run in those shoes. I'm not really a fan of the Propels, but I persevered with them because I thought I might just take a while to get used to them. That's a mistake I won't repeat, as well as not trying before you buy!
The weird thing is the New Balance shoe at first glance seems to offer more cushioning, and the Saucony shoes are pretty much the opposite of a support shoe (although the insole does actually support the arch a bit). I've also got on quite well with inov8 trail shoes, which are very firmly in the minimal shoe camp. But I managed 214km in August, 165km in September (a bit of an intentional down period) and 215km in October exclusively in the Saucony shoes, all pain free. The first time I noticed the hip issues was November 1st.
Anyway, he did some accupuncture around glute medius, which was very tight and sore, probably because it's also quite weak. Instructions are to do wide legged squats, clamshells or firehydrants and single glute bridges daily to help stabilise the hips. I'll switch back to the Kinvaras when the hip calms down (which he thinks could be as soon as 3/4 days), substituting swimming for running until then.
I'll have another check up in January, and if things don't improve it might be necessary for me to get some orthotics, or some more supportive shoes. Another annoying setback - but at least pools are open now which will let me get a bit of CV training in.
Muss: I am a great believer in rotating shoes and feel it helps with injury prevention. I probably wear at least 5 different pairs a week! And the exercises will help, I'm sure.
AD: have you walked a couple of miles yet? I would say that is the first step before thinking of running. If no reaction I would do a walk/run combination. Err on the side of caution!
Another hour or so off road today. Very muddy/slippy. Slipped in one k on a lane: considerably quicker for less effort. I am finding these winter miles harder work than the summer ones on the same trails.
Good swim today for me today. 4 sets of:
-100m kick drills
-400m crawl (sets 2 and 4 arms only with a pull buoy)
It was in a 25m pool, so the way everything divided into 4 in multiple levels was numerically very pleasing.
Every time I've been for a swim, my whole body feels so much better - I think going twice a week could be a really good thing for me, especially when I eventually get back into more of a running routine.
Some classic lane issues - there was an excellent swimmer in the fast lane, and a couple of people doing very leisurely breaststroke in the middle lane.
Would love to get into swimming, but I just find it a big effort compared to other exercise. I do enjoy it when I'm in the pool though.
Today's 6k or so brought up 2020k in 2020. Roll on 2021!
I use different shoes. I have a pair for long runs, over 10m, a pair for workouts and a pair for routine miles.
Ad, my running comeback was based upon run/walk starting at minute on monute off for 10 mins. It was very frustrating but I was paying someone to tell me what to do. Left to my own devices and I'd never have been do patient.
I still have to pinch myself a bit Ad. My progress has been slow but a sub 80 half has always been the stuff of proper pointy armed racing snakes, not in my contemplation. I still look at results and see people at 1.28 and think 'ooh, about my level' when the difference between me and that now is like me to a sub elite. Less people probably run a sub 3 mara but a sub 80 half is defo a bigger step up if I can.
Funnily enough on my fb memories today in 2012 I ran my first sub 40 10k and posted that I was finally inthe ranks of a proper runner, such was my desire then to run a sub 40, 10k. At 36 I felt I had a couple of years left to peak never did I imagine thst 8 years later that would be a steady effort training run.
And re swimming, it isn't the swimming itself. The getting there, the changing, the going out into the cold afterwards etc.
Easy day planned today.
I hate even taking the kids swimming due to all the messing about it involves.
4m recovery run today.