Well ... the end of another year and for me it was a year of three parts.
The first part was spent recovering from a broken bone in my foot - falling down a flight of steps at home is not a good idea.
The second (and best ...) part was training for, and taking part in, two long ultra distance races. The first was the ULTRArace 100 mile event around the Cotswolds in England. Really enjoyed this race in stunning scenery and good weather. It was good to have Hugh Pearson (Otley AC clubmate) crewing for me and hopefully we'll be able to continue that relationship as his running and coaching experience is invaluable. My report can be read here.
The second - and most important - race was the World 24 hour Championships which were held in Poland at the beginning of September. The first 21 hours of that race were fantastic as I was on schedule for well over 240 km .. and feeling good too. The atmosphere was terrific and the crewing was brilliant (thanks go to Eleanor Robinson, Richard Brown, Adrian Stott, Rory Coleman, Marco Consani and Andy Smith). My brief report can be read here.
The third part of my running year began at 9:00am on Sunday 9 September. Injury struck during that 24 hour race as it did for about 10% of the runners. I've since learned that the IAU considered moving the race to a different part of the park because of the poor condition of the road surface and sharp corners. This report by US runner Jonathan Savage explains ...
Although I seem to have now recovered from that badly sprained ankle I was also struck down by gout in late November and early December which delayed my return to running somewhat. Thaings are now progressing nicely though and today's 20 minute run scored an encouraging 97.5 % although the abysmal weather made it very hard work.
That's a brief account of my running year but there has been other highlights too. Most notably Keir successfully passing his A levels and getting into the university of his choice - Ulster - to read History. That's been his plan for a few year's now and I'm pleased that it's come off for him. I'm so proud of his achievements too. He's worked hard for that and he deserves it ... I remember spending about an hour a day for three or four years helping him with speech therapy exercises.
And next year ... more races of course ... have fun and take care.
Showing posts with label Eleanor Robinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eleanor Robinson. Show all posts
Monday, 31 December 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
well, I made it (back home)
Just a brief race report for now ... more later, I'm sure.
The first ten hours went very well indeed and at that point I was still on my 245km schedule. The eleventh hour was a struggle and my left shoulder began playing up so I went in for a massage which worked wonders.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Perth - in brief
Well ... some good news. After a disappointing performance at the World Championships back in May I redeemed myself somewhat in Scotland.
My pre-race target was two-fold really:
1 - to finish with an overall distance of somewhere between 236.0k and 239.4k (146.7 to 148.7 miles)
2 - to not fade badly during the final few hours but to keep pushing right to the end
This initial report is largely based on memory and without looking at the actual figures (that will come in the 'proper report' later) it would appear that almost every lap was at the pace I needed for 239k or more. Obviously pee breaks and other unplanned stops make the average speed slower but I think I hit every single one of my hourly targets.
The last few hours were painful indeed and I REALLY DID NEED to change my shoes at 22 hours. Crew members Eleanor Robinson and Andy Smith explained that I'd lose a kilometre if I changed my shoes ... I tried to explain to them that I'd probably lose two or three if I didn't because I'd be reduced to walking shortly. The soles of my feet were very painful and I felt I needed the extra cushioning provided by fresh shoes and socks.
In the final hour Eleanor was absolutely fantastic (for most of the race really ...) and the way she motivated me worked superbly well. I'm pleased to say that I remained strong right to the end and my last two or three laps were probably quicker than planned.
Final result ... I won with a distance of 238.286 km (148.064 miles). A new pb. England won the team prize too, so a good performance all round.
Full report later.
My pre-race target was two-fold really:
1 - to finish with an overall distance of somewhere between 236.0k and 239.4k (146.7 to 148.7 miles)
2 - to not fade badly during the final few hours but to keep pushing right to the end
This initial report is largely based on memory and without looking at the actual figures (that will come in the 'proper report' later) it would appear that almost every lap was at the pace I needed for 239k or more. Obviously pee breaks and other unplanned stops make the average speed slower but I think I hit every single one of my hourly targets.
The last few hours were painful indeed and I REALLY DID NEED to change my shoes at 22 hours. Crew members Eleanor Robinson and Andy Smith explained that I'd lose a kilometre if I changed my shoes ... I tried to explain to them that I'd probably lose two or three if I didn't because I'd be reduced to walking shortly. The soles of my feet were very painful and I felt I needed the extra cushioning provided by fresh shoes and socks.
In the final hour Eleanor was absolutely fantastic (for most of the race really ...) and the way she motivated me worked superbly well. I'm pleased to say that I remained strong right to the end and my last two or three laps were probably quicker than planned.
Final result ... I won with a distance of 238.286 km (148.064 miles). A new pb. England won the team prize too, so a good performance all round.
Full report later.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
UK Team - ready to roll
Things have been moving apace recently.
I now have full details of who's in the team for Brive and who the management will be. There have also been discussions about travel to and from the event and also communications from UK Athletics about anti doping, code of conduct, kit, etc
The men's team is:
John Pares - third at the Commonwealth Champs
Stephen Mason - fourth at the Commonwealth Champs
Richard Quennell - winner of the Tooting Bec 24 hr race last year
myself - fifth at the Commonwealth Champs (and second team)
Jim Rogers - sixth at the Commonwealth Champs (and second team)
The women's team is:
Sharon Gayter - winner of the Commonwealth Champs (and first team)
Marie Doke - fourth at the Commonwealth Champs (and first team)
Pauline Walker - seventh at the Commonwealth Champs (and third team)
The management will be:
Richard Brown, Eleanor Robinson and Adrian Stott. All highly experienced but I think we could do with a few more bodies manning the refreshment tables during the race.
Training going extremely well too. Ran 22 miles on Tuesday including a lovely stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal (and Hollins Hill !!!). Yesterday I completed a hilly 22 miles fartlek style [6 mins hard, 4 mins easy, repeat].
Monday, 13 July 2009
a bad day at the office ...
Well, here's what happened ...
Arrived the night before with a tent and two crew members (Fay and Keir). Everything was fine ... runners and the organiser, doctor and other officials were chatting away and eagerly anticipating the weekend's race.
Just before going to sleep I stubbed my toe and a toenail came off. I know it had been loose since the Run To London but I didn't realise it had been so bad. An omen perhaps.
Woke up in the night with cramp in my left calf ... things were not going well at all.
Before an ultra distance race I usually snack on high carbohydrate foods right up until the race starts. This time I decided to just have a large breakfast about two to three hours before the race. The idea behind this change is that food eaten within one hour of a race stimulates the release of insulin, which increases the amount of carbohydrate used during the race.
About an hour before the race I ambled down to see the woman from the Northern Institute of Massage to see if she could help with the cramp problem I had about six hours earlier. After about ten minutes on her table I felt much better ...
The race began and I felt strong, it went like this:
FIRST HOUR
plan - to run at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
actual - ran at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
SECOND HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:51 per mile (1:57 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:41 per mile (1:55 per lap)
THIRD HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
FOURTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:03 per mile (2:00 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:03 (2:00 per lap)
FIFTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
SIXTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:15 per mile (2:03 per lap)
actual - walked for 8:45 then ran for 8:55 per mile (2:13 per lap)
SEVENTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run for 8:19 per mile (2:04 per lap)
actual - walked for 10:00 and later for 5:00. Ran at 9:03 per mile (2:15 per lap)
During the seventh hour, when I was beginning to try and understand why I was struggling, it suddenly occurred to me that the 218 mile Run To London was only seven weeks ago and it was obvious that I hadn't recovered enough to be able to run a quick 100 miles.
What came to mind next was a section from Tim Noakes' book Lore Of Running (fourth edition, page 662):
"Continuous running during marathon and ultramarathon races produces a specific form of fatigue due to eccentric-induced muscle damage with associated changes in neuromuscular function."
"Once this fatigue develops, it is irreversible, causing the runner to slow precipitously, or even be reduced to walking. Complete recovery may take weeks to months."
I then decided it would be wise to stop as I didn't want anything getting in the way of a good build up to the Commonwealth Championships which are only nine and a half weeks away.
Another thing I was trying for the first time was a different length of walking break. I usually walk for ten minutes every hour but this time I thought I'd try seven and a half minutes in a slightly shorter race. It worked well for the first five hours but then I needed more time walking ... I had been running faster than usual though. This needs to be tried again when I'm fresh.
Some of the new food and drink choices weren't due until a few hours after I stopped running so I still don't know whether or not they would have had any benefit. The Shot Bloks electrolyte chews were very good: a useful way of taking on board sodium, etc and easier to chew and swallow than expected.
The REGO Rapid (protein drink) tasted much better without the addition of a Shotz electrolyte tablet.
After I retired I spent much of the remaining 17 hours enjoying the race and talking to people such as Alan Young, Adrian Stott, Eleanor Robinson, Mike Blamires, etc. I'm always willing to listen and learn from what others have to say about training, racing, nutrition, etc.
CONCLUSIONS
- Seven weeks recovery after 218 miles is not enough for me.
- Alan and Adrian very kindly pointed out that two bad races [by my own standards] from nine ultras is quite a good ratio.
- passed the marathon distance in 3h 38:39 and 60k in 5h 16:17 (the latter a pb by over 20 minutes).
Many thanks to Dave Annandale for organising a fantastic event and thanks also to all the lap counters too (especially Emma Annandale who was mine [sorry for not collapsing at the end though !!!]).
Arrived the night before with a tent and two crew members (Fay and Keir). Everything was fine ... runners and the organiser, doctor and other officials were chatting away and eagerly anticipating the weekend's race.
Just before going to sleep I stubbed my toe and a toenail came off. I know it had been loose since the Run To London but I didn't realise it had been so bad. An omen perhaps.
Woke up in the night with cramp in my left calf ... things were not going well at all.
Before an ultra distance race I usually snack on high carbohydrate foods right up until the race starts. This time I decided to just have a large breakfast about two to three hours before the race. The idea behind this change is that food eaten within one hour of a race stimulates the release of insulin, which increases the amount of carbohydrate used during the race.
About an hour before the race I ambled down to see the woman from the Northern Institute of Massage to see if she could help with the cramp problem I had about six hours earlier. After about ten minutes on her table I felt much better ...
The race began and I felt strong, it went like this:
FIRST HOUR
plan - to run at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
actual - ran at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
SECOND HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:51 per mile (1:57 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:41 per mile (1:55 per lap)
THIRD HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
FOURTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:03 per mile (2:00 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:03 (2:00 per lap)
FIFTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
SIXTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:15 per mile (2:03 per lap)
actual - walked for 8:45 then ran for 8:55 per mile (2:13 per lap)
SEVENTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run for 8:19 per mile (2:04 per lap)
actual - walked for 10:00 and later for 5:00. Ran at 9:03 per mile (2:15 per lap)
During the seventh hour, when I was beginning to try and understand why I was struggling, it suddenly occurred to me that the 218 mile Run To London was only seven weeks ago and it was obvious that I hadn't recovered enough to be able to run a quick 100 miles.
What came to mind next was a section from Tim Noakes' book Lore Of Running (fourth edition, page 662):
"Continuous running during marathon and ultramarathon races produces a specific form of fatigue due to eccentric-induced muscle damage with associated changes in neuromuscular function."
"Once this fatigue develops, it is irreversible, causing the runner to slow precipitously, or even be reduced to walking. Complete recovery may take weeks to months."
I then decided it would be wise to stop as I didn't want anything getting in the way of a good build up to the Commonwealth Championships which are only nine and a half weeks away.
Another thing I was trying for the first time was a different length of walking break. I usually walk for ten minutes every hour but this time I thought I'd try seven and a half minutes in a slightly shorter race. It worked well for the first five hours but then I needed more time walking ... I had been running faster than usual though. This needs to be tried again when I'm fresh.
Some of the new food and drink choices weren't due until a few hours after I stopped running so I still don't know whether or not they would have had any benefit. The Shot Bloks electrolyte chews were very good: a useful way of taking on board sodium, etc and easier to chew and swallow than expected.
The REGO Rapid (protein drink) tasted much better without the addition of a Shotz electrolyte tablet.
After I retired I spent much of the remaining 17 hours enjoying the race and talking to people such as Alan Young, Adrian Stott, Eleanor Robinson, Mike Blamires, etc. I'm always willing to listen and learn from what others have to say about training, racing, nutrition, etc.
CONCLUSIONS
- Seven weeks recovery after 218 miles is not enough for me.
- Alan and Adrian very kindly pointed out that two bad races [by my own standards] from nine ultras is quite a good ratio.
- passed the marathon distance in 3h 38:39 and 60k in 5h 16:17 (the latter a pb by over 20 minutes).
Many thanks to Dave Annandale for organising a fantastic event and thanks also to all the lap counters too (especially Emma Annandale who was mine [sorry for not collapsing at the end though !!!]).
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