Well, here's the latest news ...
Went for another run/walk on Saturday afternoon. And on Sunday too and the right ankle was painful both times. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is almost no pain and 10 is unbearable - walking is almost zero and running was about 7 or 8. The difference was incredible.
The injury obviously hasn't healed so I'm going to see a couple of specialists at Leeds General Infirmary tomorrow (including a musculo-skeletal guy who happens to a be a runner). We will get to the bottom of this.
So ... lots of tests tomorrow. CT scan, blood, balance, X ray, etc
I'm still doing lots of strength work, cycling and stretching for the moment. I'm not sure if that's helping or hindering but I feel better for doing it. Again I'll know more in a few days time.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Friday, 19 October 2012
first run since Poland
Went for a run this morning ... well, running and walking really. I alternated 5 minutes running with 5 minutes walking for a total of 40 minutes. In that time I covered almost 3.5 miles (5.6 km).
It was painful. Which is strange because I have no pain at any other time no matter what I do. And if I now press with my hand on the area where the pain was ... it's not painful at all. No matter how hard I press.
Lots of ice when I arrived back home.
hmmmmm ...
Maybe running first thing in the morning didn't help and maybe the running thing was a shock to the system after six weeks.
Try again tomorrow ... in the afternoon.
Meanwhile strength work and stretching continues painlessly.
It was painful. Which is strange because I have no pain at any other time no matter what I do. And if I now press with my hand on the area where the pain was ... it's not painful at all. No matter how hard I press.
Lots of ice when I arrived back home.
hmmmmm ...
Maybe running first thing in the morning didn't help and maybe the running thing was a shock to the system after six weeks.
Try again tomorrow ... in the afternoon.
Meanwhile strength work and stretching continues painlessly.
Monday, 15 October 2012
inspiration, maths and rehab !!!
I love it when a plan comes to fruition. In this case though it's not my plan but that of Felix Baumgartner. Many years of planning and training went into his achievement earlier this week which I suppose could be described as 'ultra skydiving'.
In case you haven't seen any news recently here's what happened. Felix went up in a balloon to an altitude of 128, 100 feet (over 39 km). He then stepped out of the capsule and fell back to earth. Simple ... or not. Read this on the BBC news website
The videos here and here are truly remarkable and, I'm sure, inspirational to many people. ME INCLUDED - DEFINITELY.
OK .. now a couple of questions ... how many calories do you burn for every mile (or km) you run ? And does it matter how fast you run ?
For the mathematicians among us Graydon Snider has worked out that we burn approximately 1 kcal per kg bodyweight for every kilometre we run. And it doesn't matter how quickly we run either. The interesting stuff is on his blog.
Which means that in Poland, six weeks ago, my output was:
[actually it was probably a bit less because my weight fell slightly as the race progressed]
That works out at well over 500 kcal per hour. My input was just over 315 kcal per hour.
If we rearrange that formula we can decide how far I can run before beginning to get into 'fuel debt'
In case you haven't seen any news recently here's what happened. Felix went up in a balloon to an altitude of 128, 100 feet (over 39 km). He then stepped out of the capsule and fell back to earth. Simple ... or not. Read this on the BBC news website
The videos here and here are truly remarkable and, I'm sure, inspirational to many people. ME INCLUDED - DEFINITELY.
OK .. now a couple of questions ... how many calories do you burn for every mile (or km) you run ? And does it matter how fast you run ?
For the mathematicians among us Graydon Snider has worked out that we burn approximately 1 kcal per kg bodyweight for every kilometre we run. And it doesn't matter how quickly we run either. The interesting stuff is on his blog.
Which means that in Poland, six weeks ago, my output was:
0.97 x 57.4 x 231.339 = 12880 kcal
[actually it was probably a bit less because my weight fell slightly as the race progressed]
That works out at well over 500 kcal per hour. My input was just over 315 kcal per hour.
If we rearrange that formula we can decide how far I can run before beginning to get into 'fuel debt'
kcal burned per km x my weight x distance travelled = input during race
0.97 x 57.4 x distance travelled = 7625
therefore distance travelled = 7625 / (0.97 x 57.4)
distance travelled = 136.948 km
It took me about thirteen hours to run that distance. So, for the final 11 hours my body was in a state of 'fuel debt'. I was using more that I could take on board.
Another thing to note is that my calorific deficit for the race was
12880 - 7625 = 5255 kcal
To get that fuel my body burned some of it's stored reserves. One gram of carbohydrates has about 4 kcal, one gram of protein also has about 4 kcal, one gram of fat has about 9 kcal.
If my body used stored carbs, that would weigh 5255 / 4 = 1.314 kg
if my body used stored protein, that would also be 1.314 kg
but if my body used stored fat, that would weigh 5255 / 9 = 0.584 kg
In truth I used a mixture of the three but the point is that, in theory at least, if I started with a weight of 57.4 kg I should have finished with a weight not less than 56.1 kg
OK that's enough of that ... but it does illustrate that when people ask me (as they often do) how much weight do I lose during a 24 hour race, the answer is 'not as much as you might imagine'.
Now, the big day is Friday this week. On that day I take the next, important step on the road to recovery. I begin running again. For the first fortnight or so it will only be alternating running and walking but it's a step in the right direction. Although the ankle is no longer painful it does ache now and again. I'm confident though that 40 minutes running and walking on Friday morning will be OK.
Monday, 8 October 2012
more thoughts on planning for next year
Let me begin by thanking everyone who took the time to comment on my previous post - either on this blog or on Facebook or by email. Anything which may be helpful is much appreciated ... especially if it can be backed up by experiences and/or evidence.
OK ... unfortunately I won't be taking in the club handicap race this month Richard. If I'm allowed to run by that time it will only be alternating running with walking for a total of no more than 40 minutes. You know what that's like from your own experience ...
Until the last few days it had never occurred to me that over the past 40 years (yes, I did begin my running career in 1972) I must have built up a massive amount of endurance/stamina. So, when it comes to running long distances, my body knows how to do that now. What I need to work more on are strength and maintaining my cruising speed. In terms of running, the most recent training schedule - ending with September's race in Poland - was much better than the previous one which ended with the 2011 Commonwealth Championships. I felt that after many years of tweaking things and trying new ideas I had finally found what works for me.
That is: weekly back to back long runs up to 27 miles (43 km) in length three weeks out of four. An extra long run (up to 41 miles/65 km) on the fourth week. Hill reps, tempo runs, short races and short intervals ... the exact ratio of these depends upon how many weeks there are to my target race. My weekly volume peaked at 100 miles per week (161 km).
Because I found this to work well the changes will be quite small:
- back to back long runs up to 25 miles (40 km)
- extra long run no longer than 38 miles (60 km)
- volume to peak at 90 miles per week (145 km)
- this will mean that recovery will be slightly better for the tempo, speed and hill work which will be very similar to what I have done recently.
I know that the weekly volume is slightly more than some other runners recommend (sorry Flyer) but I have to take account of my medical history - as a small child I was diagnosed with a recurrent papilloma on my larynx. Dozens of operations later I was left with a narrower than usual windpipe. Much later I had two bouts of cancer ending with the removal of half of my right lung. One result of these illnesses is that my average resting heart-rate is probably higher than other elite runners (in Aug 2012 the average, on waking, was 44.9). Another result - although I haven't been tested - will probably be a low VO2 max.
Strength work ... most of the stuff I've dropped were exercises that worked a single muscle group, and I've replaced them with compound exercises which work more than one muscle group. As previously there will be three groups: legs, core, arms and shoulders. Core exercises will be little and often and I guess the others (mainly using dumbbells) will be three or four times a week on average for about 25 - 30 minutes at a time.
First of all though I need to fully recover from this ankle injury. If it's no better by the end of next week I'll be having more tests to try and find out what's been missed.
OK ... unfortunately I won't be taking in the club handicap race this month Richard. If I'm allowed to run by that time it will only be alternating running with walking for a total of no more than 40 minutes. You know what that's like from your own experience ...
Until the last few days it had never occurred to me that over the past 40 years (yes, I did begin my running career in 1972) I must have built up a massive amount of endurance/stamina. So, when it comes to running long distances, my body knows how to do that now. What I need to work more on are strength and maintaining my cruising speed. In terms of running, the most recent training schedule - ending with September's race in Poland - was much better than the previous one which ended with the 2011 Commonwealth Championships. I felt that after many years of tweaking things and trying new ideas I had finally found what works for me.
That is: weekly back to back long runs up to 27 miles (43 km) in length three weeks out of four. An extra long run (up to 41 miles/65 km) on the fourth week. Hill reps, tempo runs, short races and short intervals ... the exact ratio of these depends upon how many weeks there are to my target race. My weekly volume peaked at 100 miles per week (161 km).
Because I found this to work well the changes will be quite small:
- back to back long runs up to 25 miles (40 km)
- extra long run no longer than 38 miles (60 km)
- volume to peak at 90 miles per week (145 km)
- this will mean that recovery will be slightly better for the tempo, speed and hill work which will be very similar to what I have done recently.
I know that the weekly volume is slightly more than some other runners recommend (sorry Flyer) but I have to take account of my medical history - as a small child I was diagnosed with a recurrent papilloma on my larynx. Dozens of operations later I was left with a narrower than usual windpipe. Much later I had two bouts of cancer ending with the removal of half of my right lung. One result of these illnesses is that my average resting heart-rate is probably higher than other elite runners (in Aug 2012 the average, on waking, was 44.9). Another result - although I haven't been tested - will probably be a low VO2 max.
Strength work ... most of the stuff I've dropped were exercises that worked a single muscle group, and I've replaced them with compound exercises which work more than one muscle group. As previously there will be three groups: legs, core, arms and shoulders. Core exercises will be little and often and I guess the others (mainly using dumbbells) will be three or four times a week on average for about 25 - 30 minutes at a time.
First of all though I need to fully recover from this ankle injury. If it's no better by the end of next week I'll be having more tests to try and find out what's been missed.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
training thoughts
On planning my training for next year's races there are a few things which influence the choices I make:
- what are my strengths and weaknesses ?
- what do I enjoy doing ?
- what training has worked in the past and what hasn't ?
- how much available time do I have ?
- what are the key races ?
- I may have to prove my fitness prior to selection for UK and/or England teams
My training is mainly of four types ... running, strength work, cycling and stretching.
STRETCHING
At the moment I spend about 20 minutes a day stretching and feel that, although my general flexibility isn't brilliant it is adequate. To improve greatly would, I think, be too costly in terms of time spent. I will add a bit more specific stretching to address my recent ankle problem though.
CYCLING
I always feel that I'm not making the most of my time in the saddle. I find it impossible to get my heart rate up to anywhere near what other runners report. I do find it relaxing though and it does increase my aerobic fitness (but probably not by much) so I will keep the cycling. Maybe I'll cycle less when other training takes up a lot of the available time.
STRENGTH WORK
My last training schedule included 12 different strength exercises for arms and shoulders, 17 for upper torso and core, 9 for legs. Some of those I have found to show minimal or no strength gains at all so I will drop those and add a few others which I have found in various books recently. I'm also going to add a few specifically to address my relative weak areas of shoulders and, now, ankle. So I now have 9 strength exercises for arms and shoulders, 26 for upper core and torso, 19 for legs. I do find strength work quite enjoyable and cost effective in terms of time spent. Of course, for those exercises I'm keeping I'll be progressing by using heavier weights.
RUNNING
Overall this aspect of my training has gone very well over the past twelve months and I feel I have done the right amount of the right type at the right time. The problem now is how to progress over the next twelve months. One obvious answer is to increase the overall volume (distance run per week) but that comes with an increased risk of injury and tiredness which will impact on all my training. I could progress by doing an extra rep or two when doing speedwork but also ... at my age if I can do the running at the same pace as last year that is an improvement in itself because I should be slowing due the effects of getting older.
OTHER STUFF
I am well aware that my other weaknesses are footcare and nutrition and I will be doing my best to address both of those over the coming months. Need to cut down on the croissants ... found some wonderful ones in Northern Ireland recently.
So, lots to work on then. That'll keep me busy for a while. At the moment it looks extremely likely that I'll venture out for my first run somewhere between 12 and 21 October. Something to look forward to.
- what are my strengths and weaknesses ?
- what do I enjoy doing ?
- what training has worked in the past and what hasn't ?
- how much available time do I have ?
- what are the key races ?
- I may have to prove my fitness prior to selection for UK and/or England teams
My training is mainly of four types ... running, strength work, cycling and stretching.
STRETCHING
At the moment I spend about 20 minutes a day stretching and feel that, although my general flexibility isn't brilliant it is adequate. To improve greatly would, I think, be too costly in terms of time spent. I will add a bit more specific stretching to address my recent ankle problem though.
CYCLING
I always feel that I'm not making the most of my time in the saddle. I find it impossible to get my heart rate up to anywhere near what other runners report. I do find it relaxing though and it does increase my aerobic fitness (but probably not by much) so I will keep the cycling. Maybe I'll cycle less when other training takes up a lot of the available time.
STRENGTH WORK
My last training schedule included 12 different strength exercises for arms and shoulders, 17 for upper torso and core, 9 for legs. Some of those I have found to show minimal or no strength gains at all so I will drop those and add a few others which I have found in various books recently. I'm also going to add a few specifically to address my relative weak areas of shoulders and, now, ankle. So I now have 9 strength exercises for arms and shoulders, 26 for upper core and torso, 19 for legs. I do find strength work quite enjoyable and cost effective in terms of time spent. Of course, for those exercises I'm keeping I'll be progressing by using heavier weights.
RUNNING
Overall this aspect of my training has gone very well over the past twelve months and I feel I have done the right amount of the right type at the right time. The problem now is how to progress over the next twelve months. One obvious answer is to increase the overall volume (distance run per week) but that comes with an increased risk of injury and tiredness which will impact on all my training. I could progress by doing an extra rep or two when doing speedwork but also ... at my age if I can do the running at the same pace as last year that is an improvement in itself because I should be slowing due the effects of getting older.
OTHER STUFF
I am well aware that my other weaknesses are footcare and nutrition and I will be doing my best to address both of those over the coming months. Need to cut down on the croissants ... found some wonderful ones in Northern Ireland recently.
So, lots to work on then. That'll keep me busy for a while. At the moment it looks extremely likely that I'll venture out for my first run somewhere between 12 and 21 October. Something to look forward to.
Friday, 28 September 2012
now .. and next year
Just a short post today because, as you probably know, I haven't been running for almost three weeks now. At the start of this week the right ankle was still periodically aching but with each passing day that became less and less. Today has been the best day since the injury.
At the start of this week I began strength and core work, being careful not to do anything to further damage my ankle or hinder the recovery. It now seems very likely that I can begin cycling on Sunday ... that's never been my favourite form of exercise but I guess at the moment it's necessary. More fun than swimming though.
At the moment it's unlikely that I'll be able to run for at least another seven to ten days.
That hasn't stopped me planning next year's racing and training though. Many of you will know that I had planned to enter the Barcelona 24 hr race when I arrived home from Poland. Well ... for the second consecutive year that has had to be abandoned. Maybe next year ... or maybe it just isn't meant to be.
So, next year. The World Championships will be held in Steenbergen (Netherlands) in May and UK Team Management have already informally suggested that those who ran in Poland should also run in the Netherlands. I may have trouble proving my fitness though ... we'll see.
And then, in August 2013, I plan to be in Abingdon, Oxfordshire at the British Ultra Fest. I know that Pam Storey has long wanted to stage a six day and 48 hr race in England and it seems that she's finally succeeded by getting together with Alan Young and Abichal Sherrington. Should be good fun.
And then, maybe, if all goes well, I'll be off to Barcelona, at last ...
Now that I've got some time out from running I can properly review what I've done over the past year or so and ask myself some serious questions. Did my training work ? Could I have done anything better ? What are my weaknesses ? etc, etc
Answers please to me at the usual address ...
At the start of this week I began strength and core work, being careful not to do anything to further damage my ankle or hinder the recovery. It now seems very likely that I can begin cycling on Sunday ... that's never been my favourite form of exercise but I guess at the moment it's necessary. More fun than swimming though.
At the moment it's unlikely that I'll be able to run for at least another seven to ten days.
That hasn't stopped me planning next year's racing and training though. Many of you will know that I had planned to enter the Barcelona 24 hr race when I arrived home from Poland. Well ... for the second consecutive year that has had to be abandoned. Maybe next year ... or maybe it just isn't meant to be.
So, next year. The World Championships will be held in Steenbergen (Netherlands) in May and UK Team Management have already informally suggested that those who ran in Poland should also run in the Netherlands. I may have trouble proving my fitness though ... we'll see.
And then, in August 2013, I plan to be in Abingdon, Oxfordshire at the British Ultra Fest. I know that Pam Storey has long wanted to stage a six day and 48 hr race in England and it seems that she's finally succeeded by getting together with Alan Young and Abichal Sherrington. Should be good fun.
And then, maybe, if all goes well, I'll be off to Barcelona, at last ...
Now that I've got some time out from running I can properly review what I've done over the past year or so and ask myself some serious questions. Did my training work ? Could I have done anything better ? What are my weaknesses ? etc, etc
Answers please to me at the usual address ...
Sunday, 23 September 2012
injury update
Arrived home from Northern Ireland a couple of days ago but since then we've been very busy - too busy to write something here anyway. Mainly tidying and cleaning Keir's room - wow, that was amazing, the things we found down the back of the sofa and under the chest of drawers and ...
That took two full days !!! and last night we went to a friend's retirement party and didn't get back home until mid morning today.
Also went to see a physiotherapist about my injured ankle. Mainly to get as accurate a diagnosis as possible so that rehab will be as effective as possible. So, the physio's verdict: two grade 2 sprains to my right ankle. That's unusual in itself but to further complicate matters both sprains are of an unusual type. The first was a high ankle sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments which connect the bones of the leg to the top of the foot. The second, which probably occurred after the first [whilst running on an already weakened ankle no doubt] was a medial or eversion ankle sprain.
Although I'm still taking ibuprofen the swelling has now 95% disappeared and the pain has gone but there is still minor discomfort when walking more than, say, 400m (0.25 mile) or up a long flight of stairs. I'm also now doing calf stretches three times daily and will begin lunges in three or four days followed by bodyweight jump squats in seven to ten days (hopefully).
In the meantime I'm maintaining as much fitness as possible with upper body and core work and I've started cycling short distances and will increase the time on the bike slowly of the next few weeks as the ankle allows. Not sure when I can start running yet but I imagine it will another week at least - and then only very short distances at first.
And on top of all that I returned from Northern Ireland with a cold. Not happy. Big toes still painful at times too.
That took two full days !!! and last night we went to a friend's retirement party and didn't get back home until mid morning today.
Also went to see a physiotherapist about my injured ankle. Mainly to get as accurate a diagnosis as possible so that rehab will be as effective as possible. So, the physio's verdict: two grade 2 sprains to my right ankle. That's unusual in itself but to further complicate matters both sprains are of an unusual type. The first was a high ankle sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments which connect the bones of the leg to the top of the foot. The second, which probably occurred after the first [whilst running on an already weakened ankle no doubt] was a medial or eversion ankle sprain.
Although I'm still taking ibuprofen the swelling has now 95% disappeared and the pain has gone but there is still minor discomfort when walking more than, say, 400m (0.25 mile) or up a long flight of stairs. I'm also now doing calf stretches three times daily and will begin lunges in three or four days followed by bodyweight jump squats in seven to ten days (hopefully).
In the meantime I'm maintaining as much fitness as possible with upper body and core work and I've started cycling short distances and will increase the time on the bike slowly of the next few weeks as the ankle allows. Not sure when I can start running yet but I imagine it will another week at least - and then only very short distances at first.
And on top of all that I returned from Northern Ireland with a cold. Not happy. Big toes still painful at times too.
Friday, 14 September 2012
injury ... university ... stats
Let me begin by getting one thing straight ... for a few days after a 24 hour race my head is all over the place (always has been) and I'm prone to making silly mistakes and doing a few stupid things [please don't mention DIY to Fay]. This time the big error was in the last post and, just to correct any errors, it is my RIGHT foot and ankle that is injured, not my left.
Yesterday was the first day since arriving home that I've been able to walk unaided - still painful and slow though. And painfully slow !!! I'll keep using ibuprofen for at least another week but ice and rest won't be so easy to come by after tomorrow. Three toes are still strapped up - including both big toes.
Tomorrow is the day Keir goes to university. So Fay and I are going (with Keir) to Coleraine in Northern Ireland for a few days to help with accommodation, shopping, etc. We'll be back (without him) on Wednesday and I'm not going to post anything until else then at the very earliest. I'll probably be too busy anyway.
Training for my next race begins then. Cycling, stretching and weight training ... not sure about running, we'll see how things progress whilst I'm in Northern Ireland.
Thanks to everyone for all the kind words on Facebook, this blog, by email and in person. They're much appreciated and really have helped ease the disappointment of only 231 km. Disappointed with 231 km - that sounds ridiculous but it is exactly how I felt.
At this moment in time I can't say whether they'll be a full race report. They probably will be but it'll be a few weeks late as rehab and university are taking up all my spare time at the moment.
OK let me finish with a few stats of which I'm very proud. I've now taken part in ten 24 hour races and what follows is a summary:
pb ... 238.286 km
average of best 2 performances ... 234.896 km
average of best 3 performances ... 233.711 km
average of best 4 performances ... 232.286 km
average of best 5 performances ... 230.381 km
average of best 6 performances ... 228.924 km
average of best 7 performances ... 227.752 km
average of best 8 performances ... 224.912 km
average of best 9 performances ... 222.439 km
average of all 10 performances ... 218.381 km
average of 2 most recent races ... 226.029 km
average of 3 most recent races ... 230.115 km
average of 4 most recent races ... 228.276 km
average of 5 most recent races ... 228.922 km
average of 6 most recent races ... 228.770 km
average of 7 most recent races ... 227.752 km
average of 8 most recent races ... 224.615 km
average of 9 most recent races ... 222.439 km
Yesterday was the first day since arriving home that I've been able to walk unaided - still painful and slow though. And painfully slow !!! I'll keep using ibuprofen for at least another week but ice and rest won't be so easy to come by after tomorrow. Three toes are still strapped up - including both big toes.
Tomorrow is the day Keir goes to university. So Fay and I are going (with Keir) to Coleraine in Northern Ireland for a few days to help with accommodation, shopping, etc. We'll be back (without him) on Wednesday and I'm not going to post anything until else then at the very earliest. I'll probably be too busy anyway.
Training for my next race begins then. Cycling, stretching and weight training ... not sure about running, we'll see how things progress whilst I'm in Northern Ireland.
Thanks to everyone for all the kind words on Facebook, this blog, by email and in person. They're much appreciated and really have helped ease the disappointment of only 231 km. Disappointed with 231 km - that sounds ridiculous but it is exactly how I felt.
At this moment in time I can't say whether they'll be a full race report. They probably will be but it'll be a few weeks late as rehab and university are taking up all my spare time at the moment.
OK let me finish with a few stats of which I'm very proud. I've now taken part in ten 24 hour races and what follows is a summary:
pb ... 238.286 km
average of best 2 performances ... 234.896 km
average of best 3 performances ... 233.711 km
average of best 4 performances ... 232.286 km
average of best 5 performances ... 230.381 km
average of best 6 performances ... 228.924 km
average of best 7 performances ... 227.752 km
average of best 8 performances ... 224.912 km
average of best 9 performances ... 222.439 km
average of all 10 performances ... 218.381 km
average of 2 most recent races ... 226.029 km
average of 3 most recent races ... 230.115 km
average of 4 most recent races ... 228.276 km
average of 5 most recent races ... 228.922 km
average of 6 most recent races ... 228.770 km
average of 7 most recent races ... 227.752 km
average of 8 most recent races ... 224.615 km
average of 9 most recent races ... 222.439 km
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.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
last post
Well, that's it for now. A short while ago I completed my last training session before leaving for Poland tomorrow. It was 7 x 200m in 42.7s each with a 200m jog recovery. Except that my time was about 40s each.
This morning was my last session of strength work - core mainly but also a bit of work on the legs. Right now I feel better prepared than for any of my previous 24 hr races. I'm also very aware that in long ultra races fitness is not necessarily a good indicator of performance ... there are so many other factors to consider such as nutrition, hydration, weather, crew, blisters, electrolytes, etc. I believe I've got them all covered but if I've missed anything I'm sure some other member of team GB will be able to help out.
Between the strength work early this morning and the running this afternoon I spent the time making sure everything had been packed ... especially kit and food. And then I did some more baking. Fay and Keir's favourite desserts for the weekend. Elderflower cheesecake and rose flavoured ice cream. Shame it'll be all gone by the time I return.
This will be my last post before the race but you will be able to follow the action at www.run24.eu and at www.iau-ultramarthon.org
Thanks to everyone for wishing me well. I'll write again next week.
This morning was my last session of strength work - core mainly but also a bit of work on the legs. Right now I feel better prepared than for any of my previous 24 hr races. I'm also very aware that in long ultra races fitness is not necessarily a good indicator of performance ... there are so many other factors to consider such as nutrition, hydration, weather, crew, blisters, electrolytes, etc. I believe I've got them all covered but if I've missed anything I'm sure some other member of team GB will be able to help out.
Between the strength work early this morning and the running this afternoon I spent the time making sure everything had been packed ... especially kit and food. And then I did some more baking. Fay and Keir's favourite desserts for the weekend. Elderflower cheesecake and rose flavoured ice cream. Shame it'll be all gone by the time I return.
This will be my last post before the race but you will be able to follow the action at www.run24.eu and at www.iau-ultramarthon.org
Thanks to everyone for wishing me well. I'll write again next week.
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