Milestone

I'm writing this blog a little bit later than usual as I am on 1/2 term holidays and devoting most of time to my children. That doesn't mean I haven't managed to fit in any runs though. As per usual they were beset by problems although nothing that damaged my body further.

Last week I blogged about how I'd damaged my ankle and was praying it wouldn't hinder my training. Well it did in so much as that it was impossible for me to run on Wednesday. I was still in considerable pain and as you can see from this photo it was a good decision not to force it.

Wayne was good about it and we decided we'd do back to back long runs at the weekend instead if my ankle was better. The plan was to try and cover the full 50km route over two back to back runs on Saturday and Sunday. This made me very nervous but it had to be done as its only four weeks away until we attempt the challenge.

I woke up Saturday morning and believed that my ankle would cope with the demands of a 13mile run. Getting ready for a run makes me laugh now as I have to do so much prep before I even leave the door. I'll spare you the details of my pre-race routine for another day. I picked Wayne up and we set off on our Witton Weavers Hobbiton double loop. The weather was pretty warm for a change and after about a mile of initial discomfort with my ankle I felt really good. There was no niggles in the calves for the entire run and I'm so pleased that we both got through it relatively unscathed in a run time of 2hrs 4mins. I say relatively unscathed because Wayne actually forgot to wear his compression shorts which were nursing his hamstring and this was going to come back to haunt us on Sunday's run. I only took a few photos as we have done this route before.

 

The plan for the rest of Saturday was to get complete rest and try to load up on water and carbs for the 20mile run we had hoped to do on Sunday. My muscles were aching and my feet and ankles were seriously killing me. It was a case of having to man up though as I had family things to do and in a sadistic sort of way I was looking forward to seeing if I could push my body hard enough to complete the run on Sunday. You have to remember that I am a complete novice at ultra distances and have yet to run beyond 20 miles in one go.

Getting up on Sunday morning was an absolute killer. I slept through the alarm three times and felt completely exhausted. This wasn't good and I had to do something about it quick!! One cold shower later and a copious amount of carb loaded fruit juice and I was ready to go. Ben was going to join us today which only mans one thing and that is our pace would be a hell of a lot quicker than normal. Ben is mr marathon and when he's not there Wayne and I are guilty of going a little bit easier. The plan was to start at Tockholes and run around Turton back to Darwen moors and the tower and then finally back to the car. A small matter of 20miles. Easy! Ha ha ha if only!!

The weather was hotter than Saturday and we set off at a pace that wasn't good for my heavy legs. I was beginning to wonder if it was a bad idea going back to back. However, the picture and quote about voices in your head that I have posted before always comes back and makes me grit my teeth. I wasn't going to give up without a fight. Eventually, my body settled down and got into a good rhythm which made the run quite pleasant for the first 8 miles. I had to purposely slow the pace down and at times Ben would run off into the distance but he didn't mind this which was great. Wayne was struggling though after about 5 miles. Now I whine about aches and pains but if Wayne is hurting then its serious.

I mentioned earlier that on Saturday's run he had forgotten his compression shorts. This meant he overworked his hamstring and it was feeling it on Sundays run. The decision not to go back and pick his shorts up had come back to haunt us. After about 13 miles we were having to make decisions about what to do. We hit a point on the route that forced us to make a decision, turn right and head to the tower as originally planned and complete the 20 miles or turn left and head back to the car which would make the run 16 miles. Wayne wasn't in a good way and we made the right decision to head back to the car. After all the challenge is in four weeks and if Wayne's hamstring doesn't recover then its all over for us until next year. We eventually got back to the car and completed the 16 miles in a time of 2hours and 34mins with a pace of 9mins 45secs a mile. This was pretty good going all things considered. Plus I had covered over a marathon distance in 24hours, a major milestone for me. It's fingers crossed now that Wayne is ok for this week's training.

Wayne and Ben running off into the distance

My standard half marathon moment photo

However, I was to face disaster just after the run which has left me completely gutted. When we finished the run we were completely exhausted and when I opened the car I left my phone, an iPhone 5, on the roof. I set off and needless to say as soon as the car picked up speed I saw it in my rear mirror fly off the roof and bounce a couple of times on the road. Slamming on the brakes I got out of the car and went to pick it up. As you can see from the pic it doesn't look in a good way. The screen is cracked but amazingly it's still in full working order. I got a quote for it to be repaired and its looking like my wallet is going to be about £180 lighter. My car has just cost me a fortune in repairs so this was the last thing I and my wallet needed to happen. One thing is for sure the devastation of how much its going to cost me to fix phone has took my mind off the fact my body is shattered from running nearly 30miles in 24 hours. This just about sums my luck up at the moment!

Anyone in the UK know someone who can replace cracked screens cheaply?

 

Storm chasers!

This week we managed to get two long runs in. However, both runs turned out to be extremely eventful. On both runs it was just Wayne and myself and as usual we ran different parts of the Witton Weavers trail.

The first run we did was on Thursday and it was a repeat of last week's 16 miler. The run started off well enough, the weather was sunny and we had the usual chat as we set off at a decent pace. When we hit Tockholes park though disaster struck and my calf started tightening up. This was not good seeing as we had another ten miles to go. Wayne happened to have adhesive bandages in his bag and suggested I wrap my calf up to see if it would be ok. I did this and lo and behold it worked. The bandages supported the calf and I felt no real trouble with it. Have I finally found the remedy to my calf problem? Fingers crossed!

However, that wasn't the thing that made this run eventful. As you will be able to tell from the following pictures the weather changed dramatically! We started off in sunshine but as we got halfway through the run a storm came in! Big time! The photos paint the picture perfectly! To say we got wet through was an understatement! It was as if the storm was chasing us. Still it was a good run and I was so glad to get through it with my calf still intact! We finished the Witton Hobbiton/Darwen Tower with a run time of 2hrs 40mins. Oh and this time I managed to get a drink from the Honour bar. Check out the photo :)

 

Wayne running off in the distance

Sunny weather

A storm is brewing

Here it comes

I love this pic!!

I wonder if anyone found the gold?!

The view from Darwen Tower

Random photo at 13miles

The infamous honour bar! No choc cupcakes though! :(

Sunset over west lancashire

The second run was today and was a route we haven't done before. Wayne had calculated it would be approximately 18/19 miles. Easily our longest run of our training programme. I had my calfs wrapped up in my miracle bandages and felt in great shape. We set off and everything was going perfectly. The weather was great and we had our usual round of chatter as we ran at a decent pace.

After about 7 miles we ran by one of the reservoirs a fairly large dog came bounding by the side of us. It seemed to be in a playful mood and kept jumping up at me. I took my eye off the path ahead and missed a rut in the path and went over on my ankle. The pain was unbearable! I knew it wasn't broken but it wasn't in a good way! After about 5 mins I made the decision to carry on and see if pain subsided. It didn't and it got worse with every stride.

It's typical that as soon as I start to feel great about my running that disaster strikes. I told Wayne that we couldn't go through with the original planned route and would need to get back to the car. My ankle just couldn't take it anymore. The only problem was the car was 8 miles away.

Wayne was great with me and we slowed the pace down and had to walk at intervals. Running on the grass was not too bad but as soon as we hit rocky parts the pain was intense. Eventually we got back to the car and I was the most relieved man in the world! When I took off my trainers when I got home my ankle ballooned. I'm still in considerable pain but I'm hoping with RICE it will get better soon. We completed the Belmont/Turton loop of 15 miles with a run time of 2hrs 33mins.

I managed to get some great pics of this run. I have to say that the trail we run on is amazing and the countryside is such a vast and varied place. It makes me feel lucky to live 5mins away from it all. I hope I can run later this week. I really need the running gods to smile on me for once :)

 

Start of the run

 

A tough hill to run up

A Stonehenge type rock formation

Local wildlife

A war relic

I'd love to live here

 

 

Resting my sore ankle

Random half marathon photo

 

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Same Old Story, Rain & Injury!

It's been a fairly strange week it has to be said. On Monday I basked in tropical temperatures, had a barbecue and a few beers. The perfect way to spend a bank holiday weekend. By wednesday it all changed for the worse.

The weather did its usual trick of making us think summer had finally arrived. Only for it to laugh in our faces and rain continually from wednesday to sunday. At one point there was hailstones pounding the glass roof of my conservatory.

The rain, however, wouldn't stop me for going for my midweek run with Wayne. This time we were joined by a member of staff from work. Janet is in training for Tough Mudder next October and said she'd like to come an run with us. At first she was worried she wouldn't be able to keep up with us. After a mile into the run it was me that couldn't keep up with them. Yep my injury curse struck again and I strained my calf, again. As usual I soldiered on and ran for another 5 miles stupidly and still managed to run a decent-ish time of 57mins for 5.85miles. Janet will have no problems doing Tough Mudder. After she finished the run with us she was off to two more fitness classes that night!!! Mental!!

The next few days were agony and I hobbled around work in considerable pain. I used lots of cold and heat therapy when I got home as I wanted to be ok for my Sunday morning run. Any setback now would put the target of doing the ultra run next month back by at least two months. The pain started to ease and by Sunday morning I felt good enough to be able to run.

Before I left for my run I put some KT tape over the calf muscle. I was praying this would work and keep my calf from damaging anymore. I stuck an Oasis cd in the car stereo and jammed all the way to Wayne's house. Liam Gallagher had nothing on me this morning I can tell you!! This album holds many memories for me especially of the time I spent coaching in California. Driving through Death Valley back then with this blasting out of the car was unforgettable. Shame it wasn't quite that hot this morning but it still made me feel good.

Be Here Now - Oasis (1997)

For the run this morning Wayne, Ben and myself decided that a flat course would be suitable for my predicament so we ran around the Entwistle reservoirs. I managed to get 6.5miles in before I felt the calf stiffening up. I was absolutely delighted with this and what's more I could walk properly when we finished. Ben and Wayne wanted to do more mileage but were happy for me to drop them off in the wilderness somewhere and they could run back home.

Entwistle Reservoir

Aqueduct

I'm not sure how it was possible to get through that run this morning. Maybe it was the KT tape because I have worn it all day and the injury seems to be healing pretty quickly. I'm going to put more of it on this week and see if it does the trick. Fingers crossed because I really can't afford anymore injury setbacks.

What miracle cures have you found that have got you back running quicker than you expected?

What album from years ago still gets you thinking your a rock star in the car?

 

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May The Fourth Be With You

Normally I would be writing this blog and posting it on a Sunday night. However, this weekend I travelled to Whitley Bay with my old football team, soccer to the US readers, for an end of season party. We all had to go in fancy dress. Seeing as it was Star Wars day(May 4th) I brought out my trusty Clone Trooper outfit.

We met in the pub at 8am for breakfast and then travelled by coach to Whitley Bay which is on the north east coast of the UK. It was really good to see my old pals. I played football for them for over 15 years and sometimes I get the urge to come out of retirement and play again. However, running is now my main love and I don't regret making the decision to quit football.

What has this got to do with my usual training report? Nothing really apart from its the reason I couldn't do normal training run on Sunday. Plus I fancied using the title that I have put and showing you pics that aren't just about the running. I'm a massive Star Wars fan as you can probably tell. My son loves the films too and he's even started reading my collection of Star Wars books. Im very proud of him for this. Mind you everything he and my daughter does makes me proud.

As I was going to be away on the Sunday, myself and Wayne went for a run after work on Thursday. Wayne said we would put two loops together but he wasn't exactly sure how long it would be in distance. Bearing in mind only four days earlier I had completed my first ever half marathon distance.

We started the run at 5pm and ran and ran and ran and ran and ran until we stopped running at about 9.15pm. Total distance covered for the Weavers Hobbiton/Darwen Tower run was 16.52 miles!!! That's not a typo by the way. In the space of just four days we had ran over two half marathons!!!! I could have killed Wayne for this!! I couldn't walk properly by the time we finished. I have never experienced fatigue in the body like it before.

The run started off pleasant enough as it was the usual terrain of the Hobbiton run that I have talked about in the previous posts. However, this time we were adding on a trail I had never been on before. This involved running up a lot more hills which was pretty difficult especially after mile 10. The good thing about our runs is that really if you want to quit, its a hell of a long way back to the car. There were plenty of times during this run that I wanted to quit, believe me.

I have included the usual photos of our run. They are in a chronological order so you get a feel for the changes in the terrain. The tower in one of the pics is called Darwen Tower. This was about 12 miles into the run and it was the first time I had ever experienced 'the wall'. My body and mind were exhausted, I felt miserable and needed energy. I hadn't prepared properly for this run and had only brought two energy gels which I had to ration. They ran out at the tower.

At this point my running technique had gone out of the window and I was in survival mode. Wayne had to knock on at someone's house to ask for water it had got that bad. As we drank the water, we came across an honour bar that was outside a house. I had never seen one of these before. It was a fridge stocked with goodies such as pop, chocolate cakes etc.. Wayne said these were for walkers that did the Witton Weaver trail hike. All the hikers had to do was put a donation in the box and they could take their goodies without the need for a shop. What a brilliant idea except for the fact we both didn't have a penny on us!!!!!! We could probably have taken the goodies and driven back to that point to pay later. However, our consciences got the better of us and we trudged off empty handed except for the water we had asked for.

What would you have done in this situation?

After we finished the run I was mentally and physically drained. Looking back we should have been more prepared for this run. However, I have now done two half marathons in four days and I'm able to blog to you all about it. It's a fantastic achievement for me considering I had never done that distance until last week. Maybe the title of this post (May the fourth be with you) does have some relevance after all. I used the Force in my mind to get me through both of those runs. Without being mentally strong it would never have been possible for me to complete what I have this week. Maybe the force is strong with me?!

Enjoy the photos and the rest of your week guys!

Start of the run

The M65

If you look on top of the hill that is Darwen Tower

 

 

Change in terrain

 

Started experiencing the wall when I took this photo

Darwen Tower

You can see how far we had run from the tower and we were still 2 miles from the end of the run

 

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