Slow down, you're movin' too fast

 

Well, it's quite surprising what your body can adapt to in terms of volume, if you keep the intensity low.  Or, in plain English, you can do a lot of miles if you go slow!

 

Once I've run home tonight, I will have racked up slightly over 103 miles since Monday morning.  May end up with 140ish by Sunday night.  Then a mega easy week to follow, holly holly daaaaaayyy. 

 

The foundation will be down.  8 weeks of build:

 

85

92

80

114 ½

84

125 ¾

84

140 ish

 

I could go to sleep standing up at the moment, but it is definitely coming together. 

 

Deep joy in the eyebold.



Just like Oregon

 

Back on it today.  Ran in this morning, 10 miles slow, right knee a bit twingey, keep a weather eye on that bugger.  Lunchtime, did the usual 5 and a bit round Blackbird Leys - an eclectic mix of sights and sounds on the Leys today!

 

Passed by a couple of likely looking geezers on pushbikes, deep in conversation, ''E give me some decent skunk 'e 'ad', one said to the other, as they cruised by.  A red kite whistled overhead, a little lost maybe?  4 learner motorcyclists, looking proud as punch, gunned it down the road in a less-than-menacing cordon.

 

Running.  Banned substances.  Birds of prey on the hunt.  Easy riders on the highway.  Just like Oregon!

 

Anyway.....

 

Last heavy week before I come right down for a 30.  Might touch 130 with a bit of luck by Sunday. 

 

Be bold.

 

But manage the fatigue and the niggles!

 

But be bold!

 

Etc.!



Easy Street

 

Did a 29 last Sunday at the end of the 125 and 3/4 - since then have gone (Mon) two 5's, (Tue) 23, (Wed) two 5's, (Thur) 29, (today) a lunchtime 5, with the fractions 79 on the week so far.  Got Amy this afternoon until Sunday, so no run until Sunday night now for 84 on the week.  Pleased to have 3 easy days, need it a bit now, yesterday's 29 was 18 minutes slower than Sunday's and much harder! 

 

But we have got to 7 weeks down with no dramas.  Monday back on it for one more heavy volume week before I come right down for a recovery week.  If I get to the end of next week on plan, the 8 week foundation for Tooting will be in place.

 

Ay.  Caramba.



On track

 

Six weeks down, on track.  Was looking back at the weekly mileage for the period last night (follows a fluctuating pattern, depending on whether I have Amy with me for the alternate weekend), reads ok - 85, 92, 80, 114 and a half, 84, 125 and three quarters.  Count those fractions!!!  Yesterday I did a 29 in 4.32, under 9 and a half average, rounded off with 8.50, 8.36, 8.22, pretty strong all the way, within the comfort zone, had already done nearly a ton on the week prior, getting into my stride now, starting to eat up the work.  All good.  Need to repeat, avoid injury, keep the intensity low, listen to my body and keep pushin' on!

 

Got another two weeks of this, planning an 80ish this week, then 130 plus next, then I will come down for a week to 30ish with Amy for a week's holiday, then back up to 130ish, then another holiday week of 30ish, then 3 more heavy weeks, then 2 weeks taper, then game on.  I'm thinking the holiday weeks will work now, will allow the training effect to take place and give some ebb and flow.

 

I'm starting to have faith in the training I've devised and I can feel it working. 

 

Just need to keep on track for the next fortnight, and the strong 8 week block foundation for Tooting will be there.

 

Beautiful!





 

 



Big Rocks

 

As the classic on-line wisdom says, put your big rocks in first, or you may not get them in at all.  What are the big rocks in your life?  Mine is my beautiful daughter, Amy, 11 years old and full of fun.  The other day she said to me, 'Dad, I've got two new rules in life!'  This sounds interesting, I thought, 'What are they, darling?'  'Well' she said, 'the first is, always try new things.'  'That's a good one', I said, 'and the second rule?'  'Think before you do things', Amy replied.  Then we looked at each other for a couple of seconds.  Then we both laughed for a very long time.

 

Coming in a long way second in the big rock list is running.  That big rock is also going ok at the mo.  I should be on 86 miles since Monday morning by tonight, then the plan is two 5's tomorrow, followed by a 29 Sunday for the 125. 

 

It's all very slow.

 

And everything aches.

 

But so long as nothing breaks.....

 

It all counts.

 

Keep pushin' on.

Keep pushin'

 



Compoooter did say yes, but the 29 was one to remember.  Lower back started hurting 8 and a half miles in on a downhill bit, halfway round 2nd lap of 5 - fairly painful, thought about canning it, but backed right off instead and tried to manage the situation and nurse it home over the remaining 20 miles plus.  The pace was snail-like to minimise the impact, but I was able to grind it out in over 5 hours at an average pace, including drink and stretch breaks, of about 10 and a halves.  Was quite pleased in the end, will be one to call on at Tooting; I'm firmly of the opinion those are the ones that make you in ultras, the training runs that feel fairly dreadful but somehow you battle through, rather than the ones that flow easily.  The ones where you turn a negative into a positive and just deal with it.  2nd July, 29 BAAAAADAAAAASS miles, mark it down!

 

3 easy days since, a 5, rest, and another 5 last night, happy recovery time with my beautiful daughter!  I'm back on it today, dropped car off this morning at garage to see if they can figure out what the noise is(!), then 3 miles to work, 5 at lunchtime, nice and slow, got to plod the 10 miles home in a couple of hours, start the week with 18 in the bin.  Start as you mean to go on!  This week I'll be racking up 120 plus, but I'm going with plenty of runs of 10 miles or less every day to Sunday, when I'll be reprising the 29.  The next 3 weeks are crucial, got to carry on getting the plod miles in, and keep my foot on the gas.  Although speed is not what we're after, just RFM.  Relentless Forward Motion.  Think bulldozer, rather than porsche.

 

Have faith.

 

Hold your nerve.

 

Keep pushin'.

 



Redlining

 

 

Yesterday afternoon (2 days after the 29, and two easy 5 milers Monday), I did a 23 miler.  Felt pretty good from the off, it was 28 degrees or so, but a bit of a breeze, so heat wasn't a major issue.  First 3 laps of 4 were fine, last one was suddenly grim in the extreme, feet very sore, ankles painful and a bit bruised at the end, lower back hurting a bit, just very uncomfortable for the last 6 miles.  Caught up with me a bit.

The time was 3.44ish, similar time to the last 23 I did, 9.37 miling, but struggled much more late on.  Still ground it out, but a timely reminder to keep an eye on the load - I am redlining it a bit in terms of volume, just relentlessly ramping it up and going long again two days later.

Lunchtime today did an easy 5 and a bit, first couple of miles not great but better than expected after.  See how I go tonight, then have a think about tomorrow, whether to do another long one.  Plan says yes.

What does compoooter say?