Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Mr Pig presents... the wobble cushion

Mr Pig and the wobble cushion

Hi, Mr Pig here again after what seems like quite an absence. Here's Susie's latest piece of kit: the wobble cushion.

The idea is that it is very unstable so you engage lots of underused muscles in order to balance on it. It works the legs and core deceptively hard. Susie has started using it to progress the gym session, by doing her single leg exercises on it. It's very hard work.

Here's her session from this morning:

1 mile treadie 8:58
Ball bouncing - left, right, centre - on wobble cushion. 30secs each leg x 3
Bend knees, forward onto toes, straighten, lower onto heels. 2x5kg dbells. 6 reps each leg x 3
Single leg dips on cushion. 10 reps each leg. 5 reps x 2 each leg with 10kg barbell. 10 reps each leg 15kg barbell.
Dead lift. 41kg. 10 reps x 2
Standing from seated 15reps x 2 each leg.
Cushion on step box. Dip to touch toe on floor. 15 reps x 2 each leg
Lunge. 2x9kg dbell. 10reps x 2 each leg.
20 crunches on gym ball
10 dorsal lifts on gym ball
20 asymmetric crunches on gym ball
Side raises on gym ball 10 reps on each side
Head and shoulders on gym ball, raise leg, 10 each leg
Hanging knee raises with ankle weights 3x10
Face up, shoulders on floor heels on gym ball. Single leg hamstring curls 5 each leg
Face down on gym ball on step, holding step, raise legs 2 x 10
Sit on gym ball 1 min
Kneel on gym ball 1 min
1 mile treadie 8:40
Full stretches

...and now a word from Susie:

Generally the running has been going well. I'm back to daily running and will soon start doubles. Blogwise, I'll start doing the weekly summaries, and maybe summarise what I've been doing since the injury. I've been strapping my leg, but have started alternating runs without strapping. For the last few days my leg has felt absolutely 100% - something which hasn't been the case since the injury, largely because the gym work has been working my calves really hard and I've done a lot of runs on tired legs. It's all coming together now though!

Merry Xmas

How remiss of me! A belated Merry Xmas to you all!


(And in answer to Highway Kind, yes, she really did say "He hates joggers". Fortunately, the yorkie was wearing a muzzle or I really would have had to kick him - that muzzle was making repeated contact with my legs)

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Woof

"Yap yap gnrrrraaarggg!"
"Get off!"
"I'm sorry, he hates joggers"
"Yeah? Well I hate dogs!"
"Grrrrarfarf"
"Come here!"
"I will kick you!"
"Gnrrraargh........"


Yo ho ho!

Friday, December 22, 2006

The treadmill from hell

I have a love hate relationship with treadmills. They are useful tools used in the right way. They are useful for gym warm-ups. They are useful for examining running form, or at least that's what you can claim when looking at your gorgeous self in the mirror as you run. If you get bored with running (I don't!), you can watch videos as you run. They are warm in the winter, although I'd suggest you just wear more layers if cold is your problem. They are reasonably low impact if you are recovering from injury, but again, they probably aren't as good as a muddy field (some of you will have to find a dictionary with the appropriate definition of 'good' for that one).

Treadmills have their place.

The treadmills in my usual gym are fairly friendly beasts. You hit the 'Quick start' button and off it goes straight away with no fuss. You can then up the speed, set an incline, and ignore its pleas for you to enter your weight. That's all there is to a treadmill. Running is simple. Running on a treadmill is simple.

Or so I thought!

I had a session with my personal trainer this morning at another gym. I climbed on the treadmill to do my warm up and found myself in a fight for supremacy with its control system. This treadmill had attitude!

First off I hit the 'Quick start' button. Problem. This was not a 'Quick start' button, but a piece of text on the control panel which read: "For Quick Start, press the Enter key". Hmm.

I pressed the 'Enter' key.

Nothing happened.

Why wasn't I moving? There was now some flashing text asking me to enter my weight. I pressed 'Cancel'. No change. Apparently the first thing this machine wanted to know was not "how fast?", but "how heavy?", and it was not going to be swayed.

I typed '70' and hit the enter key.

Nothing.

I was now being asked to enter a time! So its next piece of critical information required is "how long?". Where is the free-spirit attitude of leaving your front door and just running? I now had to think about this. Was this infernal contraption going to stop when I hit the end time? Why does a session on a treadmill have to have a hard end point? I was not liking the fascistic attitude it was giving me.

I entered '20'.

Nothing.

What now?

Now I have to enter a 'program'. We had a choise of 'Aerobic', 'Fatburn', 'Hills' and various other options. None of them said 'Running'! I pressed 'Manual', half dreading that it was going to start quoting me its entire user manual, but at least hoping I could at last get running.

Nothing.

Finally it was asking for a speed. At last! I triumphantly entered 11.0, and off we went.

Well nearly.

This idiot contraption was creeping up to speed slowly. I was walking leisurely when what I really wanted to be doing was RUNNING!!!

After what seemed like an eternity I was finally up to a magnificent 11kph. I now tapped the incline up to 1°.


On the off chance that there are any treadmill designers reading this (maybe treadmill designers regularly type "treadmill design" into Google?), please take note. Running is a simple action. As a sports corporation once said you "just do it!". Why do these machines insist on tying you into a 'program'.

Treadmills have their place, but treadmills should know their place.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Modified gym

Things are starting to get back to normal with a double yesterday. I did a full gym session in the morning and a gentle 5-miler in the evening. My shin feels fine!

Elaine, my personal trainer, has had me drop most of the double leg exercises from my routine, eg the barbell work, in favour of single leg exercise, working the left leg more than the right. Once my legs are balanced, the barbell will be brought back, but probably favouring the Dead Lift rather than the Clean, as I'll be able to lift more weight. I think the Clean may have benefits in terms of explosive power, but I'll see what Elaine thinks.

My new routine, or at least what I did yesterday, is as follows:

Warm up 10 min Xtrainer, aerobic level 12

Balance on one leg - bounce gym ball on each side and out in front - 30s on each leg x 3

Standing. Bend knees. Lift heels. Roll forwards onto toes. Straighten legs keeping on toes. Slowly relax heels to the floor.
Both legs 10 reps x 2. Single legs 5 reps x 3

Back against wall, slide down slowly and return. 30 secs rest between sets
Left leg 8 reps x 4
Right leg 5 reps x 3
There's too much friction, particularly if I'm sweaty - I'll probably start using a gym ball between me and the wall.

Single leg dip (down until knee covers toe), with 14kg dumb-bell in each hand
Left leg 10 reps x 3
Right leg 6 reps x 3

Lunges (keep front leg 90°, back knee 1 inch from floor). 9kg dumb-bell in each hand
5 reps x 4 each leg

Standing from seated position, individual legs
Left leg 8 reps x 4
Right leg 5 reps x 3

Single leg press 50kg. 8-10 reps x 3 left leg

That's Elaine's program. I also added:
10 gym ball crunches
10 gym ball dorsal raises
20 gym ball left, right, centre crunches
10 gym ball side raises each side
10 gym ball leg raises face down on Step.

5 mins cool down on air bike.

Full stretches, emphasing left soleus (which is much less flexible than right)


I hope I have the discipline to keep that going once I am back up to full mileage!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Dean's run home

In Boston I met a hero. One of the planet's great men. His name is Dean Karnazes. Here's the link to my Boston Report - page down to the picture of the two of us.

He's the author of Ultra Marathon Man - Confessions of an all-night runner. His ultra-running exploits are phenomenal: blessed with near-perfect biomechanics he can just run, and run, and run...

Ending with the New York Marathon he's just completed the 'Endurance 50' - 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. This put him a long way from his home in California, so the obvious thing to do next was to run home!

He is currently running west across the USA, back to CA, during the middle of winter, into the prevailing winds (he's just had a nightmare couple of days running into freezing gales). You can read his blog here, and track his progress here. He's raising money for his charity Karno Kids, to get America's kids running - click the About menu on the Ultra Marathon Man link.

Dean is a great writer - I can thoroughly recommend his book, and his blog is equally engaging. I hope you feel inspired to get out there!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Hayling 10

Another race for me on the sidelines - I'll be back soon I promise!

The weather was pretty good for spectating, but it was rather windy along the seafront. Many complained of slow times - probably due to the wind, but a lot ran the Gosport Half last week which couldn't have helped. That's two Hampshire Road Race League events in consecutive weeks and a third next week - madness!

Jo Kelsey of Winchester won the ladies race; making a full podium of Winchester ladies, as is often the case. The men's race was won by Thomas Payn. Our men's team placed well in 4th place, led home by Lee, with James, Tony and Neil in close attendance. Shelly and Marilyn were led home by Ruth to pull us ahead of Overton in the league - let's hope that's a trend that continues!

The full set of images are on Photobox here: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/4487785

Here are the highlights:
Tony
Amanda
Ladies' winner Jo Kelsey
Welcome support
Alex enjoying himself
Graham
Nicola in full flight

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Serious weights

I've been developing a weight program while my running has taken a hit.

This is what I did this evening:

20mins x-trainer aerobic level 13
2*10 clean 31kg
20 squats 41kg bar (maybe should up the weight)
bent knee calf raises 20 each leg
20 straight leg calf raises + 15kg
20 lunges + 20 walking lunges 2*15kg dumbbell
20 side raises/bends 2*15kg
walking lunges with medicine ball side to side
glute raises 15 each leg 8kg behind knee
2*single leg squats 20 right 30 left
gymball sitting and kneeling
10 gymball hamstring curls + 5 single leg
10 gymball superman
20 gymball crunches
20 gymball asymmetric crunches
10 gymball side raises each side
20 gymball dorsal raises
2*15 vertical hanging knee raises with ankle weights
0.5km walk 5deg 7.5kph
1.5 km run 1deg 10.7 kph
5 mins air stepper 80spm
10mins spinning
loads of stretching

I may have got some of the names wrong, but hopefully they are descriptive enough. The program may change once Elaine has run through things with me next week, but I reckon it's about right.

Note the running!! I taped my ankle and all seems well.


I had a strange experience at the gym. While I was in the studio upstairs, on my own, I heard: "Customer announcement: would all customers please leave the playing area". I didn't really understand what they meant, but knew there was a kiddies play zone so assumed it was that they were referring to - no fire bells or anything. I carried on for another 30 mins of cool down and stretching. When I walked downstairs and out of the gym all the plasma screens were off and the gym reception locked. Then outside all the vending machines had black bin bags taped over them and all the lockers were locked with no keys in any of them. I went for a shower in the deserted changing rooms. As I was getting dressed a man walked in and with a quick "Oops, sorry" exited. As I walked out, the penny finally dropped as dozens of Police officers filed down the corridor - serious security!

Tonight is the monthly SNAP disco (Say No And Party) for the kids. I had no idea what a large scale operation it is. The road outside the leisure centre was closed. The car park was coned off and I had to exit through the council offices next door.

I suppose with a swimming pool and gym they have to be careful no kids get up to mischief, but I had no idea they took over the leisure centre to that extent - it shuts to the public for the evening.

"would all customers please leave the playing area"

playing area?!!!

This is serious stuff!

Friday, November 24, 2006

Gait analyis

This morning I had a fitness and gait assessment. The idea was to identify any problems which may have contributed to my shin splints, and design a weight program to correct any muscle imbalances.

Elaine had some interesting observations!

I'm fairly light footed, but do tend to heel strike a bit. I'm quite tense on foot strike, with my ankle fully dorsi-flexed (upwards). This explains why I get tightness in my shins for one thing.

She doesn't want me to consciously try to change my gait, but trying to keep my ankles relaxed and flex more at the hip will help. Just trying to not be so straight legged as I footstrike will take the tension out of my ankle and help my shins. I could certainly feel a difference when I just tried to put a little more tension in my hip flexors and relax my ankle.

I noticed myself that my right shoulder is noticeably down and back compared to my left - this was the first time I've ever run on a treadmill in front of a mirror - in my gym the mirrors are at the side. Elaine said my one hip was raised (I can't remember which one), so maybe the shoulders are in reaction to this.

One key observation was that she was surprised I didn't trip over as I ran, as my left leg comes right over my midline as it trails behind me. I'm quite asymmetric!

She also observed how defined my right glutes were when I ran, compared to the left glutes which were quite flaccid(!). This explains why any tightness I get in the glutes is always on the right.

The brief muscle strength tests she did also showed an imbalance. I am much stronger on the right than the left, although the balance front to back between hamstrings and quads is quite good.

It was a very useful session, although we didn't get everything done in the hour we had - I'm booked again for next week, when we'll go through the weight training program.

One downside is my lower shin is now a bit sore, which it hasn't been previously. It doesn't seem to have made the upper shin sore though, at the site of the main problem, so I guess that is good news. I'm a bit disappointed though that a mere 2 miles of treadmill should have such an effect on my lower shin. However, my leg wasn't taped as Elaine needed to see how my leg was moving. Once the physio shows me how to tape my leg, it should help.

I had hoped to go for a run this weekend, but as the physio didn't have time to show me the taping, she's told me to leave it until after our Tuesday session.

A worthwhile expenditure of £30 I reckon!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Gosport Half Marathon

As I was injured, I was team photographer for the day.

Conditions for the race were near perfect from where I was standing. The men all placed well, with what I imagine is a very good team result. Well done to Tony in getting a club V45 record, and Guy getting a V60 record.

The ladies put in a solid performance, with special mention for Amanda who ran with the worst blister I've seen - ouch!

Overall the ladies' winner was Nicola Clark and the men's winner was James Baker.

I got photos of all of the club (bar one, and half of one!), and a few other acquaintances. My apologies to Belinda, recent addition to our racing elite, who just managed to squeeze out of frame in each of the 2 attempts I had at capturing her. Don't even think of slowing down Belinda - I'll try to speed up my photography! I hope Guy appreciates how I've captured his forehead in all its glory.

Here are the pics:

Lee
Bob, Zita and Nicola
Neil
Tony
Dave and Karrie
Guy, or at least a bit of him
Jane
Gary
Mark
Tina
Alex
Alan
Rob and Adrian
Malcolm
Marilyn
Amanda
Steve
Rob
Lee
Neil
Tony
Men's winner James Baker
Ladies' winner: Nicola Clark

Monday, November 20, 2006

Diary of an injury

I've been a tad quiet on here lately.

I get like that when I'm injured :-(

It was touch and go getting ready for the marathon, but I made it intact, and during the race my legs felt fine. My legs felt fine immediately afterwards, and after 3 days of rest I decided to start running again. I had a series of road race league events in 4 weeks' time, so couldn't hang around.

Big mistake!

I didn't know I was committing a blunder at the time of course - hindsight is a wonderful thing. My calf felt a bit stiff and I had slight discomfort, but I wasn't running in pain. I ran a well paced 8 miles on the Sunday and things felt fine, apart from a bit of tightness that came and went. Looking good!

Then on the Tuesday I ran the hilly club run, taking it steady, but again could feel some tightness in the side of my calf. At the end of the run I could feel soreness on the side of the shin - shin splints - clearly caused by the tightness in the calf. Not to worry though - I've had occasional sore spots before and they've cleared up after a massage. I continued to run without any discomfort.

Then suddenly on the Saturday, 2 weeks after the marathon, I got my phantom pain back - a non-specific ache or tingling, sometimes at the top of the calf sometimes at the bottom, sometimes in the surface of the muscle, sometimes in the shin. I felt sure it was a trapped nerve - I knew the pain wasn't associated with an injury at the site of the pain, but I couldn't figure out where the tight spot was that was causing the referred pain - I suspected it was the shin muscle on the other side of the leg, but couldn't be sure. (In fact it now seems it's the top of the medial soleus where I strained it 2 months ago)

So we were back where we were before the marathon: phantom pain and occasional shin splints. It all cleared up though before the marathon, so I should continue I reckon. Another big mistake!

The phantom pain got quite noticeable during the Saturday, a rest day, getting worse as the day wore on - proof in my mind that it was being caused by nothing more than a tight muscle. I decided to go ahead with the Sunday run as planned. Despite feeling uncomfortable when walking, after a few steps of running the pain disappeared and I felt fine for the rather enjoyable 11 mile run, albeit with the sensation of a bit of tightness in the calf.

I rested the next day. Sensible. On the Tuesday night I jogged our club 5k handicap race, but something was wrong. I had a dull ache in my shin bone. Apart from the sore spot at the top of the shin though, everything felt fine to touch - there were no tender spots near the site of the ache and tapping the shin didn't hurt. I suspected it was still the phantom pain which magically disappeared before the marathon. It didn't feel right though.

I ran the following night, but the aching was still there. The thing that worried me though was my heartrate was way too high. I got home feeling drained after only 4 miles. Overtraining? Post marathon funnies? (I've had these sorts of blips during marathon recovery before.) Or just the anxiety of running 4 miles with an ache in my shin?

Club night on Thursday and I decided to just jog out with the group, let them do their intervals, and jog back again. The ache now was getting worse, and after a mile jog I decided I'd go straight back rather than stand around getting cold. Jogging back with what was now a horrible dull pain in the core of the bone, sense finally took over. What had I done to my poor shin? This felt horrible. I walked back feeling very sorry for myself - the pain getting worse with every step.

It didn't help meeting Gina on the way back, who regaled me with tales of a Denmead runner who had months in a plaster cast due to shin splints. I hadn't realised it could get that bad! Oh no, what have I done?

Then the weird bit: as I got back within sight of the leisure centre I had a sudden stab of intense pain in the side of the calf and the deep intense ache in the bone instantly disappeared. Phantom pain in a nutshell! Phantom pain or not, it was time to rest and abandon ideas of doing the road races.


I've not run since: 11 days and counting. (Actually I tried running after 7 days rest, but it still hurt and I gave up after a few hundred metres)


The bad news: I definitely have shin splint symptoms. I have had discomfort walking since then. The podiatrist has said to wait until I have no more discomfort, and then wait another 2 weeks. He then added that I shouldn't anticipate getting back into the running before Xmas!! My physio has also given me harsh warnings about the consequences of not letting the bone heal.

The good news: I haven't done anything nearly as bad as I feared on that Thursday, as most of the pain has been trapped nerve pain. I've discovered where the trap was, as previously mentioned, and it responded pretty much instantly to some deep self-administered ice massage. Yesterday I did a hard gym session. I ache like crazy today in my shoulders and hamstrings, but my lower leg feels great. This injury definitely doesn't like being rested! The sore spot on the bone has now gone completely. I'm tempted to blame the trapped nerve for the sore spot, but I suspect that was genuine shin splint symptoms.

So where now?

If I am to do as instructed I now have to wait another 2 weeks before attempting to run again. This will be very difficult to do, but I will spend some time working in the gym and assess the state of my leg. That treadmill is going to be calling out to me: "Come on Susie, you know you want to. Just a mile or 2. What's the worst that could happen?"

Then there's the drive home passing all the runners in the neighbourhood, with me muttering "lucky b***ers" under my breath.

Ho hum!


There have been displacement activities though: I've managed to get a bit more piano practise in. In fact I've revived interest in getting my album finished. I did a CD album of electronica 10 years ago, and was half way through the follow up when the marathon bug took hold. It takes a lot of time to do, far more than 2 weeks of non-running, but I shall make an effort to get it finished.

I've finally got round to booking onto a coaching course. This won't happen until next year, but I've got involved in a local scheme to get people into running. It's organised through Havant Borough Council, rather than having an 'intimidating' athletics club setting. Should be fun! We might then be able to encourage people to join a running club (our running club!) if they get hooked. I've always anticipated developing my coaching side and this will be a good start.

Finally, the gift of music! If you have spotted My Pig sitting in front of my piano Daisy and were expecting an album of laid back acoustic music, then think again. Here's the opening track "Voices and Daisy" (rubbish title, but it does exactly what it says on the tin!)

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Abingdon technical report

Here are the splits:

MileSplitave bpm 
17:59No HRNot sweaty enough!
27:27144 
37:36146 
47:53148mile marker out
57:22146 
67:48146 
77:32145 
88:36145mile marker out
97:30144 
107:38146 
117:44146 
127:39146 
137:38146 
half1:41:18  
147:40147 
158:02149 
167:48148 
177:32151 
187:55151 
197:58152 
207:53154 
217:48153 
227:50155 
237:47154 
247:53154 
258:24156mile marker out
267:25158 
26.221:38160= 7:28/mile
 3:24:10148bpm ave7:47/mile ave


The above shows my best paced marathon ever. I sustained my highest ever heart rate, didn't slow in the last 8 miles, and the second half was only 90secs slower than the first half.

I ate gels every 4 miles - 6 in total.

I had 250ml of sport drink 10 minutes before the start. This caused a touch of stitch, but wasn't too bad. The drinks stops were every 2 or 3 miles. I managed a gulp of water at each. Gill handed me a 250ml bottle of sport drink at 6 and 18 miles, but I probably didn't need any - I still felt quite full - I just took a sip. I probably didn't need the 250ml at the start, but in hot conditions (which this wasn't) I think it is a good strategy.

I've commented that I'd lost some fitness (ie pace) in the weeks leading into the marathon, so my time wasn't quite what I'd hoped for, but I'm very pleased with how I ran the race - I don't think I could have got any more out of myself on the day.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Exquisite agony

I'm strange.

I emerged from my massage last night, tired and bruised, after a very intense session concentrating on just one area of one leg. I loved it!

There's a type of pain associated with the massage of muscles in a certain condition, that is quite delicious. It's a pain you instinctively know is doing you good. It doesn't always happen with massage: sometimes it's just ouch-painful, but once in a while a muscle gets in a state, the unknotting of which is absolute ecstasy.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not the sort of person who sticks pins in myself for fun. Sometimes massage can be absolute hell. When tight muscles are sore to touch, then it's usually agony having them massaged. My hamstrings and ITB are such examples. Tracy pushes her thumbs of steel into my upper legs and the pain is so intense a sort of coping mechanism kicks in: I laugh! Yes, I laugh. This is nothing to do with enjoyment though. I suppose you have to laugh or you'll cry.

See, I told you: I'm strange.

There is a different sort of tightness though which just feels so good when treated. I get this sometimes when my piriformis muscle (deep in the buttock) gets tight and I start to get back ache. I massage it by lying on a tennis ball and writhing around, rolling the ball back and forth over the tight spot. The pain is a sort of warm deep aching: images of melted chocolate rather than cold steel. I writhe around in a pained ecstasy. I do this in private, you understand!

I've suffered with phantom pains on the inside of my calf for over a month now. At first these were 'treated' by massaging the calf, but apparently to no avail. Aside from the rather disconcerting knife stab pains, I realised by the tingly and vague nature of the day-to-day pains that they were likely caused by a trapped nerve, but where? I have slowly come to the realisation that it's a tight shin muscle (tibialis anterior) causing the problem, but due to various circumstances I haven't been able to get anyone to massage the shin, until the session last night back with my regular massage therapist Tracy. I guess the shin doesn't usually need much attention in a runner, so maybe I should forgive Tracy's colleagues for ignoring my requests to treat it.

So last night I discovered that the tibialis anterior and the adjacent lateral edge of the soleus have the same property as the piriformis. I think poor Tracy was getting a tad embarrassed at my exclaiming "Oh yes!" with regularity. It wasn't all guilty pleasure though, as Tracy had to get in deep against a nerve, and I got a sensation akin to someone cooking popcorn on the top of my foot, but it certainly was a massage unlike any other.

45 minutes of delicious pain to get rid of weeks of horrible phantom pain. I hope it worked!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Beachy Head Marathon 2006

This year I was driver and supporter for the Beachy Head Marathon - I chose not to run it - I'm tired, OK?!

Lovely to meet the forumites Gobi, Snoop and Plodding Hippo (good luck Hipps in Dublin!), and well done to Matt the Brum for winning!

Here are the pics:

Steve and Dave
The Start
Steve
Dave
Marilyn
Malcolm
Matt
Gobi
Malcolm
Marilyn
Looking down to Birling Gap
Marilyn
Gill
Marilyn


I ran it last year. Here is the 2005 report. Here are the photos

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Never satisfied: The Abingdon Marathon 2006

As I ran down the final straight I could feel the lactic acid burning in my legs. I had never put this much effort in before; I’d never felt that much burn. This was the hardest run race of my life. I crossed the line triumphant, the hot Lanzarote sun burning down on me.

Eh?

What’s that got to do with Abingdon on a rainy October Sunday?

It seems that last eye-balls-out 8*200m session, run as a 3 person relay race ‘paarlauf’, was one session too many at the training camp. I’d felt good all week but looking back I think that session pushed me over the edge into over-training territory. 2 days after returning to the UK I went for a long run feeling drained. My heart rate was at least 10bpm higher than what it should have been for the pace I was running. In other words I’d lost 30secs/mile in pace.

I’ve felt fatigue before, being unable to pick my pace up, but it’s never affected the pace/HR relationship: fatigue has slowed me in the past but my HR would be correspondingly lower. It would seem that this is the essential difference between simple fatigue and over-training: suddenly you become a less efficient runner, your HR spiralling.

Added to this I’d suffered a few niggles following Lanzarote with a slight calf strain leading to tightness and shin splints, and a strange phantom pain in the side of my calf. Fortunately this had just resulted in a few missed days of training and a reduced mileage, which may have helped with the over-training recovery anyway.


Fast forward to the Abingdon marathon and I lined up unsure of whether my pace had recovered. I’d seen a glimmer of hope at the Bells of Pattingham run, where suddenly it seemed my pace was better, as far as I could tell on the hills, ploughed fields and mud. The gentle runs in the days before the marathon seemed to contradict that though – had the Bells Run pushed me back over the edge into over-training territory?

My target for the race was to get the 3:15 London Marathon Championship qualifying time. I knew this was going to be a tall order after the upsets to my training, whereas a month previously I’d been confident. I’d told people that I’d know if 3:15 was a possibility once I was just 4 miles into the race – by then I’d see what my pace/HR relationship was and would know if I was going to be able to run the required 7:25/mile.

Spot Susie:
Where's Susie?

So the race was off, in near perfect weather conditions: a miracle considering a) the forecast and b) the horrendous weather suffered by the Great South Run later in the day. I felt quite relaxed after being chauffeured to the start by Gill, giving up most of her night’s sleep to get me there unruffled – what a star!

My heart rate monitor took a while to register as I built up a sweat, so I relaxed into what felt a sensible pace. After a mile I started to get a reliable reading and instantly my fears were realised, 2 miles earlier than I’d predicted. 3:15 was not going to be a possibility today, with my heart rate already at 144bpm, just a notch below my target, and my pace nowhere near the 7:20-7:25 I needed. As I settled to a sensible stable HR over the next few miles I was running at 7:40/mile and I had indeed lost nearly the 30secs/mile I feared.

I saw Gill at 6 miles. As she handed me a drink I shouted that I’d already missed 3:15.

I felt good, despite the lack of pace and a touch of stitch ( always a risk topping up with 250ml of sport drink before the start), so carried on undeterred to grab that PB and club record.

Ah yes the club record: 3:24:33 set by Chris at London a few years back. I love to have my targets! I did some quick calculations. The club record is 7:50/mile (it’s actually 7:48 – I should have known that) and I’m doing 7:40/mile so that’s a good buffer to allow for a slight slowing at the end surely? Hmmm.

The Abingdon course is quite nice, even if you include the industrial estate – it’s a very clean well-architected industrial estate – with a particularly nice bit down by the river and some pleasant countryside. It’s not as flat as London – there are noticeable undulations – but it must be one of the flattest courses around. We had a slight breeze in places and a little light rain mid-race, but boy were we lucky with the weather!

I was comfortable at half way, going through in 1:41:18. I realised though that I was now going to have to run the most even paced marathon I’ve ever run if I was to get the club record – the two halves of the race were going to have to be within 2 minutes of each other. My pace had suffered in Lanzarote, but what was my endurance like? Each mile was now a game of mental gymnastics as I calculated the required pace. I allowed myself 2 minutes to run the last 0.22 miles and calculated the pace with each passing mile in order to get to 26 miles in 3:22:30. I needed to run at 7:52/mile for the remaining miles. (In case you’re wondering, I’m well practised in pace calculation!)

The miles ticked by 7:48 – good, 7:32 – excellent, although helped by questionable mile marker positioning, 7:55 – oh dear, 7:58 – aaggh!, 7:53 – still not there, 7:48 – better. By mile 20 I was still needing 7:52/mile as I entered the tough last 6 miles.

A quick mention for the rest of Team Gratton. The ladies were well represented with Tigger’s mate Roo and Tootie Applebuns hoping for good results. Rich had spotted me at the start but I hadn’t spotted Dull Napoleon. I’d left TmR to her thoughts before the start – I’d spotted the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on her body language. TA had shot off like a rocket at the start and I was hopeful she might have more luck with her 3:15 target than I was experiencing with mine. Incidentally, I’d thought that Tootie Applebuns was some sort of reference to a pert bum playing tunes on expelled gases as she ran – something I can relate to – ah, the gastro-intestinal problems of high mileage! The truth is somewhat less spectacular having discovered that she got the name after typing her real-world name into a screen name generator – shucks!

At around 18 miles I spotted TA, in her distinctive purple kit, walking! Oh no! I patted her on the back and heard “bad stitch”. She’d started with a sore throat thinking it was race nerves, but was struck down badly the following day. She may have gone off a tad quick, but clearly she wasn’t in full health that day. :-(

Back with my race I tried to slot in with a few strong runners around me to try to pace off them. Following two guys in green who looked strong I passed a group, overtaking a young woman in a red crop top whom I’d had in my sights for much of the first half. She then left the group and overtook me. Clearly in her mind the race was on. This didn’t last for long though as she soon dropped back. Unfortunately so did the guys in green and I was left to latch on to a guy in a white vest who then came past. The guy in white looked really strong and I though he might be my ticket to the finish, but he too faded and I was left battling the clock on my own in the last few miles.

After putting in a 7:50, 7:47 and 7:53 things were looking good for the last 2 miles, but as I passed the 25 mile marker in 8:24 I got rather worried, apparently losing a lot of time and needing to run the last mile in 7:30.

The mile markers were mostly on stakes in the ground, as was mile 25, but I noticed they didn’t always correspond with the painted marks on the road. There was a faint 25 on the road 50m before the 25-mile marker – why would they deliberately put the sign past the mark when they could stick it in the verge right next to the line? I had to hope that the 8:24 lap was wrong and I wasn’t slowing. My GPS seemed to say I was still pacing well, but I’ve been caught out before trusting GPS – it usually measures long and gives a flattering pace measurement.

Entering the stadium at 26 miles:
Entering the stadium at 26 miles

I pushed as hard as I could, but couldn’t muster any more than 7:40/mile on the GPS. As we entered Tilsley Park for the run in, there was a slight incline which felt like a mountain to my tired legs. A few twists and turns and I ran onto the track, with just the 0.22 miles of the 26.22 to go. I’d made it with 2 minutes to go! I pushed on around the track and with relief saw the finish clock telling me I was well inside the club record.

I crossed the line in 3:24:10. Did I say well inside? I’d made it by 23 secs!
Crossing the line

I punched the air, happy with my achievement, but it was tinged with the question of where my pace had gone. Hopefully in the coming weeks I might get the answer to that question.

I got my first ever spot prize: an Abingdon Marathon towel. I guess it's getting harder and harder to claim I had a bad day!

TmR and TA came in a bit later, well down on their expectations, however we waited around for the results of the British Masters Championships ever hopeful. TmR got the gold medal and TA got silver! Result! Well done you two! We all got something out of the race despite not achieving the times we thought we were capable of.

It was lovely to meet all the Runner’s World people at the end: RichK and his photos, Tiger, PS66, Beanz, Plodding Hippo, Dull Napoleon, who PBed but just missed 3:00, lp who got her championship place (well done, I’m jealous!), Hollywood and Shiraz. One pair I saw at the start but missed at the finish were Mick’n’Phil – they PBed in 4:03 – brilliant!

Well done to Mel, my real world friend, who just missed the 3:45 Good For Age mark, but she'd already achieved the GFA time for London earlier in the year.

I’ll post the splits and HR details separately, but looking at them I ran the best race I could possibly have run given my reduced fitness. In fact that’s the best marathon I’ve ever run and not just because it’s a PB – my execution was spot on.

As for my legs, they felt great! It was lucky I caught the tight shin muscle on Friday and managed to massage it out, or I would have had 26 miles of phantom pain, thinking I was pulling my calf apart. My legs feel great today, 2 days on, so it looks like I should bounce back quickly.

Now that doesn’t sound like overtraining does it?

Another marathon, another PB

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Weekly summary - 1 day to go

Read the comments in the table below on the state of my leg and you'd think I was having second thoughts about running the marathon tomorrow, but I think I've had a breakthrough.

From time to time I get symptoms of anterior compartment syndrome: tightness in the shin muscle, the tibialis anterior, presses on a nerve and causes pain. In the past this has been ankle pain, but I now think the pain I've been getting on the inside of my calf is caused by the same problem. I've been aware of tightness in my shin for the last week, but it has only been the last 2 days when this has become a problem while running. Last night it was really uncomfortable, causing me to wince a couple of times as I was running.

When I got home I massaged and iced and suddenly things felt much better, in fact this morning my leg felt fine. I walked to my piano lesson and got no twinges in the side of my leg at all. I think the problems I've been getting, possibly the shin splints too, have all been down to the shin muscle, even though the tightness was on the opposite side of the leg to the actual problem.

The annoying thing in all this is that I told my massage therapist that my tibialis anterior was tight on Wednesday, but despite this she just concentrated on my calves, hamstrings and quads. I've had this in the past where I end up massaging my shin myself when I get home from a massage because the therapist has either not had time to do the shin or has felt it unimportant.

Hopefully I'm right about this and I've caught it just in time before the marathon. One day to go and my shin feels tender to the touch, but I think I've got rid of the tightness. I hope the marathon goes well!

Monday4 milesam: 4 easy on grass pm: massageLeg felt dodgy afterwards, massage had no effect
TuesdayRest Leg still dodgy with twinges on inside of calf when walking
Wednesday3 milesam: easy run on grass, pm: massageLeg a bit better but still dodgy
Thursday5.8 milespm: Steady club runStill getting twinges, tibialis anterior very tight
Friday4 milespm: easy runTibialis anterior very tight, aching badly
SaturdayRest tib. ant. better after self massage
Total16.8 miles  

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Weekly summary - 1 week to go

Not a bad week leg-wise. I kept the shin splints under control and had a great Bells of Pattingham run - a real confidence booster.

The shin splints seem to have subsided but I've been worried today (Tuesday 17th) as the needle-like tingling has reappeared - I'm getting mild pain walking, but my physio didn't think there was anything worse than tight muscles. I think this is nerve damage aggravated by me poking around trying to ease the tightness causing the shin splints, but I can't be sure. I'm taking a rest day and I'll see how it goes - the priority is recovery now!

Monday5.7 milesam: easy run pm: massageleg OK but minor twinge
Tuesday10.5 milesam: 4 easy pm: 6.5 miles fartlek: 3*5min of marathon paceLeg feeling sore again - shin splints from tightness at origin of soleus. V tight VMO - maybe triggering the shin splints?
Wednesday10 milespm:steady run 8:25/mile 119bpmFeeling better - shin OK after some serious ice massage on Tuesday night
Thursday9.3 milesam: 3.7 miles easy pm: 5.6 miles 5*750m 6:40-7:00/mile 500m jog recover 147bpm maxLeg OK, but sore afterwards
Friday5.6 milesam: easy run 9:15/mileStill shin splint soreness afterwards
Saturday5.4 milesam: easy run on grassLeg feeling better - grass helps
Sunday9.5 milesBells of PattinghamLeg felt OK!
Total56 miles

Monday, October 16, 2006

Taking it easy: The Bells of Pattingham 2006

The objective today was to run the 7+ miles at marathon effort. No prospect of any prizes then in such a large race, but at the back of my mind I did wonder if I had a chance at the prize for top lady villager - it might be a bit of a con, but as my family live in the village, and my Aunt's friend is the race secretary, then they'd entered me as a villager. My Grandad was born in the village, so I guess I have some claim!

The weather was cooler than of late, but the conditions were near perfect with firm conditions for much of the race and only a bit of mud later on - not the extremes of rock hard drought ridden ploughed fields or quagmires of previous years.

The start varies depending on the crop in the first field. This year we weren't confined to the borders of the field and had a broad mass scramble down to the bottleneck exit at the far corner.
Bells of Pattingham start line dash
My legs have felt quite sore the last few days, with shin splint pain causing discomfort as the tight muscles pulled on the insertion points along my right shin. Today things were feeling much better though after just a single run on grass yesterday. Hopefully my legs will continue to settle down over the next few days and I'll be pain free for Abingdon.

The Bells course is easy on the legs - firm trails for much of the course, all off road, and only the first field of uneven stubble to watch out for. There are some rather steep bits though! I settled into a nice steady marathon effort, watching my HRM, but I couldn't help let my HR rise somewhat as we hit the big hill at 2 miles. Going downhill was fun though. I overtake so many people going downhill as I try to float down under gravity - some are just too cautious.

I'm always wary of chatting with other runners during races when I'm taking it easy, as I fear hacking someone off if they are 5 miles into a really hard effort. It was clear that the woman in blue ahead of me was putting some work in, but the young woman in red seemed relaxed and eager to talk and we passed a mile or 2 having a right good natter. She remarked that I sounded rather relaxed, to which I suggested that she too perhaps wasn't exactly taxing her talents, and on she pushed as I kept an eye on my HRM.

I had a dodgy moment as we dropped down a steep bit with a mile to go. I tried to do my mountain goat impersonation and went over on my right ankle - the dodgy leg! That's always the risk doing cross country before a marathon, but mercifully it seems OK.

I kept it nice and steady as we climbed the last hill, but at the back of my mind I wondered if I should push on to catch the woman ahead in case she was a villager. As we reached the final climb on to the playing fields I pushed a bit but it was all a bit late and she finished ahead of me.

I was shocked when I saw the finish time: 56:22 - that's 9 minutes faster than I've ever run it before. And that's taking it easy! (ave HR 144bpm)

I was even more shocked when I was handed a laminate which proclaimed me as 1st lady 40+". Wow!
1st lady 40+
I got to meet one the stars of my childhood too - Wolves legend John Richards presented me with my voucher - swiftly converted to a Helly-Hansen top.
John Richards presents Susie her prize
It turns out that the top villager award is the "challenge trophy". There's no women's trophy so it always goes to a man - outrageous!

Apart from that huge disappointment (tee hee) I am absolutely over the moon. That was just the tonic I need ahead of the marathon next week - I guess I'm back on form!