In the heat of Alton 10 days ago I wore compression socks for the first time in a race to see how they felt. I'd say they felt hot, so it maybe wasn't the best circumstances in which to try them. I would say that my calves felt very comfortable though, having suffered a bit from tight calves lately in the aftermath of London and my calf niggles and cramping problems (post race cramping, that is). Despite the hilly course, which made my hamstrings sore the next day, my calves felt fine, so maybe there's something to recommend them.
I wore them again on Monday evening for the 3000m and my (potentially) sore calves certainly felt very comfortable and trouble free.
Do they make you quicker? This is a claim I've seen in advertising blurb, but in the words of Public Enemy 'Don't Believe The Hype'. I had to find out for myself whether there could be any noticeable speed benefit.
If they do indeed make you faster then you should be able to see this as a lower heart rate when running at a particular pace. This would be such a subtle effect that there's no way you'd see this on the road with all the vagueries of terrain and weather, so I decided to conduct a treadmill test: running at 12kph or 8:00/mile I ran an interval session, alternating ordinary socks with compression socks. I'd warm up in ordinary socks for 10 minutes and then record heart rate for the last minute, then during a 2-minute sitting recovery I'd swap socks and run a 3 minute interval in compression socks, again recording heart rate for the last minute. I'd then swap socks during another 2 minute sitting recovery and continue with the 3 minutes on, 2 minutes off format.
Rather than rely on the HRM to give me the average HR for the final 1 minute of effort in each interval, I took the individual readings and averaged them myself, as I realised I'd need a better resolution than 1bpm as any effect was likely to be subtle.
The results were a bit disappointing. The first interval in the compression socks was indeed a beat lower, but this was simply because my HR hadn't had long enough to get back up after the 2 minute recovery. I knew that it would take a few intervals to reach a steady state, but what I saw was anything but steady. Due to the heat in the gym my HR kept rising during the first few intervals after the initial drop, but once I'd started sweating then my HR started to drop back down again. Of the 8 intervals, 4 in compression socks, there was no real pattern other than a sort of oscillation of HR back and forth which initailly favoured the compression socks but ultimately favoured the ordinary socks.
I won't publish the figures as they are frankly rubbish. The compression socks did average out with a fractionally lower HR, but considering there were as many intervals where the ordinary socks scored better, then the results are pretty meaningless.
I need to see if I can come up with a better protocol which gives steadier results. My only thought is that the test needs to go on a lot longer so that hopefully I reach a steady state without this oscillation between different HR levels. I will also run a control at some point with the same protocol but without swapping socks, just to confirm I get a similar result. Science!
So inconclusive on whether compression socks make you faster, but I'd say they do have an effect on calf comfort. If you tend to suffer with calf trouble in marathons then I'd say give them a go.
For reference, the socks I tested were Medilast Sport.
If Edinburgh is cool then I may well give them a try.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Southern Vets League Basingstoke: 3000m
What a contrast to Alton last week! I was standing watching the pole-vaulting in the middle of the field wearing multiple layers and gloves, freezing my gluteus maximus off.
Yes, watching the pole-vault. After last year's debacle there's no way I was pole-vaulting only 6 days before a marathon. I would like to have a go later in the season though, being better prepared through weight training and the willingness to let my muscles recover before any intense marathon training. Last night though I had to watch poor Havant team-mate Amanda make some abortive attempts to get over the bar, having never done it before. Amanda could have high jumped the height, but the pole floored her so to speak. I left Lynne to win it for Portsmouth (presumably - I didn't check the result).
So to the 3000m, and after a lengthy warm up to make sure my tired hamstrings behaved I was standing in crop-top, shorts and compression socks (more on those in a later post) at the start, freezing my gluteus maximus, medius, minimus, gemellus, obturator and piriformis off! Fortunately we didn't have too long to wait.
As ever I went off too fast - more like mile pace than 3k pace - not helped by having unfamiliar faces around me, as my team mate Bev went off with 2 Winchester women and a Woking woman. It took me half a lap to realise I wasn't going to be able to keep up with them, and another half lap to get into my own rhythm. Unfortunately this left me in no-mans-land back from the lead group, running on my own.
It took me another lap to realise that my anticipated pace of 93s per lap was a tad ambitious as Bev disappeared off chasing close behind the lead Winchester woman. There then followed the usual 5 laps of mind games:
"It's starting to hurt..." "Don't you dare slow down..." "Keep pushing through the pain..." "You can do this..." "Just 4 more laps - less than a mile"
It helped in the closing stages that I had a tail-ender to chase down and lap. It's so much easier when you aren't running on your own! I then had a Winchester woman ahead of me. Had I caught the A-string runner? Surely not. I'm fairly sure I was lapping her, but she didn't seem like an over-50. The single letter on her back seemed to imply she was A-string. Maybe I was lapping a guest runner. Until I see the full results I won't know the answer to that one.
Whatever her status, she helped me keep my pace going over the last 200m and push hard for the line, before collapsing on my back on the track gasping for air, as seems to be my habit.
12:05.3
I'm a bit disappointed with that time as it's 20s slower than last year. I was hoping for a confidence boost before Edinburgh. My pace wasn't for lack of trying though - my throat was raw afterwards, and my heart rate was where I'd expect it to be at the end. Looking back at last year's stats I was generally a beat or 2 down though, which might account for 1 or 2 seconds per lap.
My stats:
90s 134bpm
95s 151bpm
97s 152bpm
97s 154bpm
99s 156bpm
101s 156bpm
98s 156bpm
47s 158bpm
Bev had a great race, finishing a minute ahead of me. Apparently it was a close run race with the Winchester runner just pipping her to the win. Both Bev and I finished 2nd in our respective A and B races.
It was a good night for the club. I haven't seen the full results yet, but with the javelin still going on when we left, we were leading the match by a healthy margin. I think the men were 2nd, but don't quote me.
I was hoping for better - my fear being that I've lost a little fitness since London, but I've done all the preparation I can for Edinburgh so must now try to look forward. Can I now get myself in the mental frame of mind for another 26.2 miles of maximum effort? How much of me did I leave on the streets of London? 5 days to find the answer.
Yes, watching the pole-vault. After last year's debacle there's no way I was pole-vaulting only 6 days before a marathon. I would like to have a go later in the season though, being better prepared through weight training and the willingness to let my muscles recover before any intense marathon training. Last night though I had to watch poor Havant team-mate Amanda make some abortive attempts to get over the bar, having never done it before. Amanda could have high jumped the height, but the pole floored her so to speak. I left Lynne to win it for Portsmouth (presumably - I didn't check the result).
So to the 3000m, and after a lengthy warm up to make sure my tired hamstrings behaved I was standing in crop-top, shorts and compression socks (more on those in a later post) at the start, freezing my gluteus maximus, medius, minimus, gemellus, obturator and piriformis off! Fortunately we didn't have too long to wait.
As ever I went off too fast - more like mile pace than 3k pace - not helped by having unfamiliar faces around me, as my team mate Bev went off with 2 Winchester women and a Woking woman. It took me half a lap to realise I wasn't going to be able to keep up with them, and another half lap to get into my own rhythm. Unfortunately this left me in no-mans-land back from the lead group, running on my own.
It took me another lap to realise that my anticipated pace of 93s per lap was a tad ambitious as Bev disappeared off chasing close behind the lead Winchester woman. There then followed the usual 5 laps of mind games:
"It's starting to hurt..." "Don't you dare slow down..." "Keep pushing through the pain..." "You can do this..." "Just 4 more laps - less than a mile"
It helped in the closing stages that I had a tail-ender to chase down and lap. It's so much easier when you aren't running on your own! I then had a Winchester woman ahead of me. Had I caught the A-string runner? Surely not. I'm fairly sure I was lapping her, but she didn't seem like an over-50. The single letter on her back seemed to imply she was A-string. Maybe I was lapping a guest runner. Until I see the full results I won't know the answer to that one.
Whatever her status, she helped me keep my pace going over the last 200m and push hard for the line, before collapsing on my back on the track gasping for air, as seems to be my habit.
12:05.3
I'm a bit disappointed with that time as it's 20s slower than last year. I was hoping for a confidence boost before Edinburgh. My pace wasn't for lack of trying though - my throat was raw afterwards, and my heart rate was where I'd expect it to be at the end. Looking back at last year's stats I was generally a beat or 2 down though, which might account for 1 or 2 seconds per lap.
My stats:
90s 134bpm
95s 151bpm
97s 152bpm
97s 154bpm
99s 156bpm
101s 156bpm
98s 156bpm
47s 158bpm
Bev had a great race, finishing a minute ahead of me. Apparently it was a close run race with the Winchester runner just pipping her to the win. Both Bev and I finished 2nd in our respective A and B races.
It was a good night for the club. I haven't seen the full results yet, but with the javelin still going on when we left, we were leading the match by a healthy margin. I think the men were 2nd, but don't quote me.
I was hoping for better - my fear being that I've lost a little fitness since London, but I've done all the preparation I can for Edinburgh so must now try to look forward. Can I now get myself in the mental frame of mind for another 26.2 miles of maximum effort? How much of me did I leave on the streets of London? 5 days to find the answer.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Pompey played up, Susie sweated.
"One more - come on!!" "Uggh! Aaaah! F**k! F****k!! F*********k!!!".
These were the sounds almost drowning out my earphones, as I tried to watch the FA Cup Final from the sanctuary of a treadmill set at 11.3kph.
12 miles of easy but hot and sweaty running and your local team wins 1-0. It's not often I watch a football match, but that's one hell of a good way to watch one, ignorant brutes aside.
Once the brutes had departed, the gym was 100% female, perhaps not surprisingly. I found it odd that there seemed to be little interest in the football though - most of the personal TV screens showing music videos and feature films - I thought there would at least be an academic interest in a major local event.
At the final whistle though the woman opposite me let out a polite "yeah!" with a raised fist, before pulling her hand down with an apologetic smile. That small gesture made my day - very amusing.
What a contrast to the foul-mouthed brutes of the first half!
1-0 to Pompey. A polite "yeah!" to that!
These were the sounds almost drowning out my earphones, as I tried to watch the FA Cup Final from the sanctuary of a treadmill set at 11.3kph.
12 miles of easy but hot and sweaty running and your local team wins 1-0. It's not often I watch a football match, but that's one hell of a good way to watch one, ignorant brutes aside.
Once the brutes had departed, the gym was 100% female, perhaps not surprisingly. I found it odd that there seemed to be little interest in the football though - most of the personal TV screens showing music videos and feature films - I thought there would at least be an academic interest in a major local event.
At the final whistle though the woman opposite me let out a polite "yeah!" with a raised fist, before pulling her hand down with an apologetic smile. That small gesture made my day - very amusing.
What a contrast to the foul-mouthed brutes of the first half!
1-0 to Pompey. A polite "yeah!" to that!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Trapped in the kitchen: The Alton 10
I found history repeating itself yesterday. In the Totton 10k last year, a week before London, I reached half way dizzy and sick and for the first time in a 10k I walked.
At the Alton 10 yesterday in 27°C of blazing sun I got to the 2nd water stop at 7 miles thinking not again!. My head throbbed, my arms tingled, and my motivation for doing the race, with the Edinburgh Marathon 2 weeks away, was not great. I walked. This was a pattern that I kept up for another 2 miles, seeing a hill as an excuse to walk. There are a lot of hills in the Alton 10!
I wasn't the only one having a bad day though: I'd dropped team-mate Graham earlier in the race, when he started to struggle in the heat. He caught me again in my walk breaks and I guess kept me going for a while. He wasn't able to respond though when I decided I ought to at least run the last mile to claw back a few points for the team. At least I was able to overtake most of the women who had overtaken me in the last walk break. Team-mate Shelly finished just behind me and so I assume, having also picked off the same runners I'd overtaken, must have finished strongly.
I love running in the heat, I really do! Long runs, interval sessions, general training runs - the summer sun just makes you want to get out there and do it. Even track races can be fun in the heat - even a 5000m is only just long enough for you to start feeling the heat. Anything longer though, and I'm toast (almost literally!).
The race yesterday wasn't even supposed to be an all out effort - with Edinburgh in mind I'd decided to peg my pace back to marathon effort, running on heart rate. Trouble was, I'd done an 18-mile run on Friday evening, already feeling tired from the Promenade 5k, and I wasn't at my freshest for Alton. Marathon effort in cooler weather would have felt tough, but in the heat it nearly finished me off.
And why did I think it was a good idea to "find some shade" afterwards and try to cool off lying on the floor of a hot airless school gym? I lay there pouring with sweat, expecting to feel cooler, but continued to boil and feel dizzy. Only once I'd gone back into the sun and Diana had poured water over me did I start to feel OK.
I was amazed at how some people seemed to cope with the heat. Tony led our boys home to a very impressive, and much needed, team 5th place. Toby Lambert won the race in a faster time than last year's winner (in cool weather).
"At least the forecast for Edinburgh is perfect - cool and damp" I said to someone afterwards. Unfortunately that forecast had changed by the time I got home to warm and sunny. Nooo! Please let it be cool. I really can't stand the heat and I really can't get out of the kitchen. Fortunately as I write this the forecast has gone back to cool and cloudy, such is the vague nature of a 14-day forecast.
Last year's hot Totton was a warning of what to expect in London. Let's hope the hot Alton doesn't predict the one thing that will stop me going sub-3:15 in Edinburgh.
At the Alton 10 yesterday in 27°C of blazing sun I got to the 2nd water stop at 7 miles thinking not again!. My head throbbed, my arms tingled, and my motivation for doing the race, with the Edinburgh Marathon 2 weeks away, was not great. I walked. This was a pattern that I kept up for another 2 miles, seeing a hill as an excuse to walk. There are a lot of hills in the Alton 10!
I wasn't the only one having a bad day though: I'd dropped team-mate Graham earlier in the race, when he started to struggle in the heat. He caught me again in my walk breaks and I guess kept me going for a while. He wasn't able to respond though when I decided I ought to at least run the last mile to claw back a few points for the team. At least I was able to overtake most of the women who had overtaken me in the last walk break. Team-mate Shelly finished just behind me and so I assume, having also picked off the same runners I'd overtaken, must have finished strongly.
I love running in the heat, I really do! Long runs, interval sessions, general training runs - the summer sun just makes you want to get out there and do it. Even track races can be fun in the heat - even a 5000m is only just long enough for you to start feeling the heat. Anything longer though, and I'm toast (almost literally!).
The race yesterday wasn't even supposed to be an all out effort - with Edinburgh in mind I'd decided to peg my pace back to marathon effort, running on heart rate. Trouble was, I'd done an 18-mile run on Friday evening, already feeling tired from the Promenade 5k, and I wasn't at my freshest for Alton. Marathon effort in cooler weather would have felt tough, but in the heat it nearly finished me off.
And why did I think it was a good idea to "find some shade" afterwards and try to cool off lying on the floor of a hot airless school gym? I lay there pouring with sweat, expecting to feel cooler, but continued to boil and feel dizzy. Only once I'd gone back into the sun and Diana had poured water over me did I start to feel OK.
I was amazed at how some people seemed to cope with the heat. Tony led our boys home to a very impressive, and much needed, team 5th place. Toby Lambert won the race in a faster time than last year's winner (in cool weather).
"At least the forecast for Edinburgh is perfect - cool and damp" I said to someone afterwards. Unfortunately that forecast had changed by the time I got home to warm and sunny. Nooo! Please let it be cool. I really can't stand the heat and I really can't get out of the kitchen. Fortunately as I write this the forecast has gone back to cool and cloudy, such is the vague nature of a 14-day forecast.
Last year's hot Totton was a warning of what to expect in London. Let's hope the hot Alton doesn't predict the one thing that will stop me going sub-3:15 in Edinburgh.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Portsmouth Promenade 5k Race 1
This was a last minute decision. That's a truly rare event in the Windsurfin'Susie world of running. Usually things are meticulously planned: key races identified and schedules shaped, training planned around other races where points are needed for the team, and, if the schedule permits or requires it, sharpeners identified which help bring me to a peak for the target races.
After last year's injury, I had a score to settle. I was placed well in the Promenade 5k after 2 races, with all to play for in the last race, and a prize up for grabs. My little pole-vaulting come over-training, come bizarre gym psoas minor tear incident put paid to all that.
I wanted to do the series, but with under a week to go till the first race my legs were still feeling the effects of the London Marathon. While still hopeful I'd be recovered in time, how would the 5k sit with me doing the Alton 10, 2 weeks before the Edinburgh Marathon, followed by a 3000m 6 days before the marathon? While I had no doubt I could recover from any one of these races, I wasn't so sure running them all flat out would leave me time to recover and be properly fresh for Edinburgh. After much debate, I finally decided that running a hilly 10-mile race flat out only 2 weeks before a marathon and only 4 weeks after the previous marathon was not such a good idea. Alton would be run at marathon effort, the track 3000m on the Monday before Edinburgh would be run flat out as my last bit of speedwork, and the Promenade 5k was on.
There have been some minor alterations to the course this year due to the new swimming pool slowly emerging from the ground at the Mountbatten Centre. One course alteration happened at the very last minute when the council decided to dig up the path into the park, leaving us with a very sharp left turn with 200m to go. As race plans have to be lodged with the authorities in order to get a race permit, why are race organisers never consulted over planned road works? The Bramley 20 was cancelled this year when the village was dug up with very little notice. Is it no wonder that road races are under threat?! At least the parking was OK despite the building works and the cycle race taking place in the stadium.
Back to the race though, and what a contrast to the weather of last year! Gone were the howling gales and we had ourselves a beautiful hot summer's spring evening - too hot for any distance over 5k, but perfect weather for this race. It was lovely being able to stand around with most of one's flesh exposed (and in my case just about as much as I could legally get away with) without feeling cold. A nice bit of heat acclimatisation in case Edinburgh is warm. (At the moment the forecast for Edinburgh is cool and damp, ie perfect, not that you can trust such a long range forecast.)
I hadn't tapered for this race, and in fact was treading the fine line between the need to recover from London and getting some final hard training in before tapering for Edinburgh. I wasn't expecting much from the race except some solid points on the board and the hope of at least beating last year's time of 21 minutes in the strong winds. Talking to Havant team mate Jane before the race (I was in my first claim Victory colours tonight) I thought that maybe I could keep up with her. Once the gun went though it was quite obvious she was still her usual speedy self as she steadily pulled away from me. I noticed that Stubbington Susie was keeping pace with her though, confirming my suspicions that she's come on quite well recently. I'll have to train hard this summer if I'm to keep pace with them!
I managed to keep a good pace going, but without a prospect of catching the AFD woman ahead of me I admit I settled back a bit in the 4th kilometre. A final push though saw me across the line in a reasonable 20:42. I was left questioning whether I should have tapered (I'd done 6 miles the night before and hadn't rested for 10 days), as my heart rate data made it quite clear that I should have been a place higher and nearly a minute quicker, but I guess I've now got a target for next time. The fact that my 5k PB is now 2 years old is starting to get to me. Oh dear, if I'm not competing with those around me I'm competing with my own times!
There were some good runs from team mates Richard, Richard and Jo. Well done too to local star Karrie for being first lady. I haven't seen the other results yet to know how the others got on. Thanks go to TR, Dave and Gina (marshalling) for their much appreciated support, and to Lynne, Pete, Gerry and the team for another great race.
As a social event, it was very enjoyable, bumping into on-line friends, chatting sports science to fellow coaches, renewing acquaintances with other runners.
Now was it really Bradley Wiggins I spotted watching the cycle racing?
After last year's injury, I had a score to settle. I was placed well in the Promenade 5k after 2 races, with all to play for in the last race, and a prize up for grabs. My little pole-vaulting come over-training, come bizarre gym psoas minor tear incident put paid to all that.
I wanted to do the series, but with under a week to go till the first race my legs were still feeling the effects of the London Marathon. While still hopeful I'd be recovered in time, how would the 5k sit with me doing the Alton 10, 2 weeks before the Edinburgh Marathon, followed by a 3000m 6 days before the marathon? While I had no doubt I could recover from any one of these races, I wasn't so sure running them all flat out would leave me time to recover and be properly fresh for Edinburgh. After much debate, I finally decided that running a hilly 10-mile race flat out only 2 weeks before a marathon and only 4 weeks after the previous marathon was not such a good idea. Alton would be run at marathon effort, the track 3000m on the Monday before Edinburgh would be run flat out as my last bit of speedwork, and the Promenade 5k was on.
There have been some minor alterations to the course this year due to the new swimming pool slowly emerging from the ground at the Mountbatten Centre. One course alteration happened at the very last minute when the council decided to dig up the path into the park, leaving us with a very sharp left turn with 200m to go. As race plans have to be lodged with the authorities in order to get a race permit, why are race organisers never consulted over planned road works? The Bramley 20 was cancelled this year when the village was dug up with very little notice. Is it no wonder that road races are under threat?! At least the parking was OK despite the building works and the cycle race taking place in the stadium.
Back to the race though, and what a contrast to the weather of last year! Gone were the howling gales and we had ourselves a beautiful hot summer's spring evening - too hot for any distance over 5k, but perfect weather for this race. It was lovely being able to stand around with most of one's flesh exposed (and in my case just about as much as I could legally get away with) without feeling cold. A nice bit of heat acclimatisation in case Edinburgh is warm. (At the moment the forecast for Edinburgh is cool and damp, ie perfect, not that you can trust such a long range forecast.)
I hadn't tapered for this race, and in fact was treading the fine line between the need to recover from London and getting some final hard training in before tapering for Edinburgh. I wasn't expecting much from the race except some solid points on the board and the hope of at least beating last year's time of 21 minutes in the strong winds. Talking to Havant team mate Jane before the race (I was in my first claim Victory colours tonight) I thought that maybe I could keep up with her. Once the gun went though it was quite obvious she was still her usual speedy self as she steadily pulled away from me. I noticed that Stubbington Susie was keeping pace with her though, confirming my suspicions that she's come on quite well recently. I'll have to train hard this summer if I'm to keep pace with them!
I managed to keep a good pace going, but without a prospect of catching the AFD woman ahead of me I admit I settled back a bit in the 4th kilometre. A final push though saw me across the line in a reasonable 20:42. I was left questioning whether I should have tapered (I'd done 6 miles the night before and hadn't rested for 10 days), as my heart rate data made it quite clear that I should have been a place higher and nearly a minute quicker, but I guess I've now got a target for next time. The fact that my 5k PB is now 2 years old is starting to get to me. Oh dear, if I'm not competing with those around me I'm competing with my own times!
There were some good runs from team mates Richard, Richard and Jo. Well done too to local star Karrie for being first lady. I haven't seen the other results yet to know how the others got on. Thanks go to TR, Dave and Gina (marshalling) for their much appreciated support, and to Lynne, Pete, Gerry and the team for another great race.
As a social event, it was very enjoyable, bumping into on-line friends, chatting sports science to fellow coaches, renewing acquaintances with other runners.
Now was it really Bradley Wiggins I spotted watching the cycle racing?
Friday, May 02, 2008
Back on track
My recovery is progressing nicely as I start to build (and taper!) towards the Edinburgh Marathon in 3 weeks time.
I've just done my first bit of speedwork since London: 8x400m at 10k pace with 100m jog recoveries, followed by 4x300m at 5k pace with 100m walk recoveries. I confess I was making it up on the spot as I had no idea how I would feel. There's no doubt I still have a touch of marathon in my legs, but what a contrast to earlier in the week:
On Monday, 15 days after London, I felt awful. I had done a very gentle 8 miles the previous day, my first longish run since the marathon, and had felt OK, but later on that day was starting to feel really tired. By Monday I was a complete zombie. OK, my flesh wasn't grey and putrid, but I did get a strange desire to eat my colleague's brain after a difficult meeting. My higher thought processes seemed absent and I spent much of the day staring blankly at a computer screen. (Please stifle any urge to say "So what's new?"!)
How could I feel so bad so suddenly? I'd rested for a week, and then introduced gentle running on alternate days, no more than 5 miles at a time, before doing that gentle 8 miles: pretty much my usual plan for marathon recovery. After 2 weeks I'd usually expect to start feeling better, but here I was thinking there was something wrong with me.
What a contrast the following day though!
I made sure I had nearly 10 hours sleep on Monday night; I've been typically getting at least 9 hours a night since the marathon. On the Tuesday I was feeling much better. I even managed a couple of near-marathon-effort miles in the Tuesday night club run. Things were looking up!
By Wednesday I was feeling generally OK - quite a turn around.
So for the record, it's taken me 17 days to feel like I'm back to normal.
The caveat of course is that I still have the marathon in my legs and don't expect to be back at my best for at least another week, but at least I've got over the general malaise that always dogs me post-marathon.
So having originally thought that this marathon had hit me harder than any of my previous marathons, in fact it's pretty much the same recovery time, albeit with 'Black Monday' thrown in to the mix!
And so to Edinburgh...
I've just done my first bit of speedwork since London: 8x400m at 10k pace with 100m jog recoveries, followed by 4x300m at 5k pace with 100m walk recoveries. I confess I was making it up on the spot as I had no idea how I would feel. There's no doubt I still have a touch of marathon in my legs, but what a contrast to earlier in the week:
On Monday, 15 days after London, I felt awful. I had done a very gentle 8 miles the previous day, my first longish run since the marathon, and had felt OK, but later on that day was starting to feel really tired. By Monday I was a complete zombie. OK, my flesh wasn't grey and putrid, but I did get a strange desire to eat my colleague's brain after a difficult meeting. My higher thought processes seemed absent and I spent much of the day staring blankly at a computer screen. (Please stifle any urge to say "So what's new?"!)
How could I feel so bad so suddenly? I'd rested for a week, and then introduced gentle running on alternate days, no more than 5 miles at a time, before doing that gentle 8 miles: pretty much my usual plan for marathon recovery. After 2 weeks I'd usually expect to start feeling better, but here I was thinking there was something wrong with me.
What a contrast the following day though!
I made sure I had nearly 10 hours sleep on Monday night; I've been typically getting at least 9 hours a night since the marathon. On the Tuesday I was feeling much better. I even managed a couple of near-marathon-effort miles in the Tuesday night club run. Things were looking up!
By Wednesday I was feeling generally OK - quite a turn around.
So for the record, it's taken me 17 days to feel like I'm back to normal.
The caveat of course is that I still have the marathon in my legs and don't expect to be back at my best for at least another week, but at least I've got over the general malaise that always dogs me post-marathon.
So having originally thought that this marathon had hit me harder than any of my previous marathons, in fact it's pretty much the same recovery time, albeit with 'Black Monday' thrown in to the mix!
And so to Edinburgh...
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