Daily Check In Thread -- 10k+ version
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I ran 3 miles yesterday including a pretty tough trail mile in the middle. Running is hard.
Baby geese I saw on my run yesterday:
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Cute!I ran 3 miles yesterday including a pretty tough trail mile in the middle. Running is hard.
Baby geese I saw on my run yesterday:
Trail running is really hard for me and I usually run on paved or gravel roads.
W6D2 is done. Nice easy evening run...
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No running yesterday, but I did get back to my National Park for bike ride, finally! 17.25 miles and I made it up the hill twice!0
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I ran yesterday, a short run between storms- 2.03 miles in 21:31. I hate that it's getting too hot already.0
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Week & Day 1 is done! 1
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Week 7 Day 2 is done!
Ran right after rain - smelling awesome fresh air!
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Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday- biked 15 - 19 miles each day. Today I have my Girls on the Run 5k and tomorrow a 64 mile bike ride is planned.0
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Week 7 Day 3 is done. Three more weeks till my race! 2
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I've been mostly cycling with a run thrown in every now and then. Saturday I ran. It was going well until I fell. Hard. I have pretty bad scrapes on my left knee and thigh, although I'm most concerned about my left upper arm. I even went in to the clinic yesterday to have it x-rayed (nothing appears to be broken). They recommended ice and ibuprofen for a few days and if it doesn't improve going into the doctor to have an MRI ordered. I think it's a little better today, but still hurts pretty bad.
At least I didn't fall on the recently repaired right shoulder?! 0 -
Yikes! Hope it's nothing too serious with the arm Ceci! Very glad you didn't fall on your right shoulder!!!0
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So after my last update I had another couple of weeks of inconsistent training for various reasons, including a bit of knee pain that led to me having to back off the mileage. Surprisingly not caused by running, I don't think. I had a hire car for about 250 miles in Scotland and wasn't happy with it, the following day my knee was quite sore and I'm pretty sure I've strained it on the throttle. The engine felt oddly geared and I had a really unpleasant drive. In any case, last week was a big one, with three races.
Marathon Week 9:- 8.5km easy paced in London wearing my Road Claws
- 6km easy paced, again in London in my Road Claws
- 10km trail race on Saturday afternoon using my Race Ultras
- 10km trail race on Saturday evening using my Race Ultras
- Half Marathon on Sunday morning using my Xodus
So a cumulative 28 miles over the weekend, given all three races were measured in Westcountry miles and had a cumulative vertical elevation of over 1000 metres.
I opted to camp over the weekend, rather than throw in an extra four hours of driving, so there was a degree of disruption to my routine, and an opportunity to test a few elements of my condition. I intentionally went into the Half Marathon inadequately fed and underhydrated, so that I could see at what point I started having trouble.
The two 10Ks were over the same route, but very wet on Saturday afternoon, so the surface was extremely muddy:
Light Ox:
Given the scale of the weekend this wasn't intended to be fast, but I ended up slightly ahead of plan.
I started about half way down the pack, behind a couple of club groups. The route was muddy, and we had heavy rain. I opted for the Race Ultras as they have reasonable wet weather performance and the low heel drop means very good ground feel. All through forestry it was a really nice race, lots of long steep descent which is good for me, with a steady long climb in the back half. All pretty friendly, as ever at White Star events, but as I'd cleared the club runners the mood was quite focused. So very wet, muddy but with the smell of wild garlic filling the air, the time flew by. I wasn't using my GPS much, mainly just running by feel. There were a couple of steep climbs, but the steady rise was hard work, just persistent grinding up there. It was nice to realise that were were approaching the end, with a 400 metre final thrust. About 20 metres beyond the final turn I heard someone ask the marshal how much further, and figured I had someone close on my tail. I also had someone maybe 40 metres ahead, so thought I could chance it and push the pace out for a hard finish. I didn't quite close the gap, but managed to open up my clearance and came in at 1:01:33.
Dark Ox:
Second event of the day, and in the dark was going to be a bit slower. Mandatory head torches, and a few people went to town on their illumination with fairy lights, glowsticks, luminous facepaint. This was the same route as the Light Ox, so having done it once I was pretty comfortable.
I inadvertently ended up further up the pack than I'd intended, so went off a bit faster than I should have done. The rain had stopped, but it was muddy, and the smell of the wild garlic was even more pronounced.
Again a good race, very enjoyable and without the jostling of being in the main pack it was pretty comfortable. What was good was the chain of warnings of challenging bits, including some deep holes in the route. Everyone looking out for others.
Having done the route in the afternoon I had more confidence around when to open the throttle, pushing hard for the last half mile and gaining a couple of places.
Faster than I'd anticipated at 1:05:16.
Treated myself to fish and chips, and a pint of cider, sitting in my tent. Followed by a reasonably comfortable night in the new tent.
My neighbours on the campground were starting earlier for the Ox Ultra, so while I was able to relax and make up my porridge and coffee they were ready for the off, followed an hour later by the start of the marathon.
My Inov-8 Race Ultras were completely saturated from the Saturday races so I swapped into my Saucony Xodus4 for Sunday. While I got wet very quickly again I think that was a wiser choice as the Race Ultra don't have deep tread so I'm not convinced I would have had the needed traction.
Ox Half:
So, underfeuled, under-hydrated and on tired legs, the start of the half was a struggle. Lots of other runners saying the same things, heavy legs after a couple of tough races. Some of this was intentional, training for my 12 hour race later in the year, but it helps understand what things will feel like.
The first half worked well, as intended walking the steeper climbs and running the flats and descents, but I was feeling the combined effects of nutrition, hydration and fatigue. The seven mile aid station was stocked up with Cider, flapjacks, cake, fruit and chat. I'd intended on gels, having had one at the 6km point instead I opted for cider and a flapjack, partly as an experiment to see how it would feel and partly because I was feeling the need for something a bit more substantial than gel.
A long steady, but muddy descent from that point was slow and challenging underfoot. Having had the knee pain recently, and a calf strain in January I was conscious of the risk of slipping on the mud, a lot of lateral stress gave me some worries, so slowing my pace quite a lot.
I could really feel myself flagging from about 9 miles, so about the 22 mile point over the weekend. I was a bit surprised that I'd survived as long, but things went badly wrong at mile 10, just before a very steep climb. My hamstrings locked up and I couldn't even walk, so had to stop and gradually stretch out until I could move again. About half a dozen runners passed me, all stopping to check how I was, so I was grateful for the support but didn't want to hold them up. After about 5 minutes I managed to get moving again and slowly started to pick up my pace again, straight onto a muddy, steep climb where I passed three of the runners who had passed me while static.
The 11 mile aid station was well stocked and by this time I was struggling, having my photograph taken walking up to the aid station nearly pushed me to sacking the race, but I then knew I only had one two mile descent, then a final steep climb, so after a cup of water I pushed on, managing to complete that descent before the final mile, most of which was a climb.
I managed to run the final 200 metres, but even then my hams were protesting. So painful across the finish line.
I was a bit disappointed in 2:57:42, but the cumulative time of just under 5 hours is where I'm expecting for my Marathon. I'd intentionally gone into the half tired and under-prepared from a hydration and nutrition perspective so it was a reasonable result nonetheless. Worth remembering these were not my target races, so a slower performance is acceptable.
All in all, a very good weekend. Some excellent bling, some nice cider and some friendly running around in the countryside.
I had to hose off my kit before washing it, and my shoes were saturated.
So my A race is a 12 hour trail race where I'm aiming on 50km and I'm raising money for Combat Stress who provide mental health support for veterans. Contributions are very welcome.
https://justgiving.com/Alistair-Rae0 -
W9d2 is done. It was hot and humid today so I went to a gym. I am still a little bit congested so just did a lazy 3 mi.1
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I've been mostly cycling with a run thrown in every now and then. Saturday I ran. It was going well until I fell. Hard. I have pretty bad scrapes on my left knee and thigh, although I'm most concerned about my left upper arm. I even went in to the clinic yesterday to have it x-rayed (nothing appears to be broken). They recommended ice and ibuprofen for a few days and if it doesn't improve going into the doctor to have an MRI ordered. I think it's a little better today, but still hurts pretty bad. At least I didn't fall on the recently repaired right shoulder?!
Ouch! Get well soon! 1 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »So after my last update I had another couple of weeks of inconsistent training for various reasons, including a bit of knee pain that led to me having to back off the mileage. Surprisingly not caused by running, I don't think. I had a hire car for about 250 miles in Scotland and wasn't happy with it, the following day my knee was quite sore and I'm pretty sure I've strained it on the throttle. The engine felt oddly geared and I had a really unpleasant drive. In any case, last week was a big one, with three races.
Marathon Week 9:- 8.5km easy paced in London wearing my Road Claws
- 6km easy paced, again in London in my Road Claws
- 10km trail race on Saturday afternoon using my Race Ultras
- 10km trail race on Saturday evening using my Race Ultras
- Half Marathon on Sunday morning using my Xodus
So a cumulative 28 miles over the weekend, given all three races were measured in Westcountry miles and had a cumulative vertical elevation of over 1000 metres.
I opted to camp over the weekend, rather than throw in an extra four hours of driving, so there was a degree of disruption to my routine, and an opportunity to test a few elements of my condition. I intentionally went into the Half Marathon inadequately fed and underhydrated, so that I could see at what point I started having trouble.
The two 10Ks were over the same route, but very wet on Saturday afternoon, so the surface was extremely muddy:
Light Ox:
Given the scale of the weekend this wasn't intended to be fast, but I ended up slightly ahead of plan.
I started about half way down the pack, behind a couple of club groups. The route was muddy, and we had heavy rain. I opted for the Race Ultras as they have reasonable wet weather performance and the low heel drop means very good ground feel. All through forestry it was a really nice race, lots of long steep descent which is good for me, with a steady long climb in the back half. All pretty friendly, as ever at White Star events, but as I'd cleared the club runners the mood was quite focused. So very wet, muddy but with the smell of wild garlic filling the air, the time flew by. I wasn't using my GPS much, mainly just running by feel. There were a couple of steep climbs, but the steady rise was hard work, just persistent grinding up there. It was nice to realise that were were approaching the end, with a 400 metre final thrust. About 20 metres beyond the final turn I heard someone ask the marshal how much further, and figured I had someone close on my tail. I also had someone maybe 40 metres ahead, so thought I could chance it and push the pace out for a hard finish. I didn't quite close the gap, but managed to open up my clearance and came in at 1:01:33.
Dark Ox:
Second event of the day, and in the dark was going to be a bit slower. Mandatory head torches, and a few people went to town on their illumination with fairy lights, glowsticks, luminous facepaint. This was the same route as the Light Ox, so having done it once I was pretty comfortable.
I inadvertently ended up further up the pack than I'd intended, so went off a bit faster than I should have done. The rain had stopped, but it was muddy, and the smell of the wild garlic was even more pronounced.
Again a good race, very enjoyable and without the jostling of being in the main pack it was pretty comfortable. What was good was the chain of warnings of challenging bits, including some deep holes in the route. Everyone looking out for others.
Having done the route in the afternoon I had more confidence around when to open the throttle, pushing hard for the last half mile and gaining a couple of places.
Faster than I'd anticipated at 1:05:16.
Treated myself to fish and chips, and a pint of cider, sitting in my tent. Followed by a reasonably comfortable night in the new tent.
My neighbours on the campground were starting earlier for the Ox Ultra, so while I was able to relax and make up my porridge and coffee they were ready for the off, followed an hour later by the start of the marathon.
My Inov-8 Race Ultras were completely saturated from the Saturday races so I swapped into my Saucony Xodus4 for Sunday. While I got wet very quickly again I think that was a wiser choice as the Race Ultra don't have deep tread so I'm not convinced I would have had the needed traction.
Ox Half:
So, underfeuled, under-hydrated and on tired legs, the start of the half was a struggle. Lots of other runners saying the same things, heavy legs after a couple of tough races. Some of this was intentional, training for my 12 hour race later in the year, but it helps understand what things will feel like.
The first half worked well, as intended walking the steeper climbs and running the flats and descents, but I was feeling the combined effects of nutrition, hydration and fatigue. The seven mile aid station was stocked up with Cider, flapjacks, cake, fruit and chat. I'd intended on gels, having had one at the 6km point instead I opted for cider and a flapjack, partly as an experiment to see how it would feel and partly because I was feeling the need for something a bit more substantial than gel.
A long steady, but muddy descent from that point was slow and challenging underfoot. Having had the knee pain recently, and a calf strain in January I was conscious of the risk of slipping on the mud, a lot of lateral stress gave me some worries, so slowing my pace quite a lot.
I could really feel myself flagging from about 9 miles, so about the 22 mile point over the weekend. I was a bit surprised that I'd survived as long, but things went badly wrong at mile 10, just before a very steep climb. My hamstrings locked up and I couldn't even walk, so had to stop and gradually stretch out until I could move again. About half a dozen runners passed me, all stopping to check how I was, so I was grateful for the support but didn't want to hold them up. After about 5 minutes I managed to get moving again and slowly started to pick up my pace again, straight onto a muddy, steep climb where I passed three of the runners who had passed me while static.
The 11 mile aid station was well stocked and by this time I was struggling, having my photograph taken walking up to the aid station nearly pushed me to sacking the race, but I then knew I only had one two mile descent, then a final steep climb, so after a cup of water I pushed on, managing to complete that descent before the final mile, most of which was a climb.
I managed to run the final 200 metres, but even then my hams were protesting. So painful across the finish line.
I was a bit disappointed in 2:57:42, but the cumulative time of just under 5 hours is where I'm expecting for my Marathon. I'd intentionally gone into the half tired and under-prepared from a hydration and nutrition perspective so it was a reasonable result nonetheless. Worth remembering these were not my target races, so a slower performance is acceptable.
All in all, a very good weekend. Some excellent bling, some nice cider and some friendly running around in the countryside.
I had to hose off my kit before washing it, and my shoes were saturated.
So my A race is a 12 hour trail race where I'm aiming on 50km and I'm raising money for Combat Stress who provide mental health support for veterans. Contributions are very welcome.
https://justgiving.com/Alistair-Rae
I cannot believe you did two 10k's and a half in one weekend! This is so impressive! Now I am not as scared of my 10k next Saturday! 0 -
@MeanderingMammal I love those medals! Great job!
@Aine8046 You've got this, you will do fine. Most importantly- have fun!
I set my bike up on the trainer last night and rode for 45 minutes of Criminal Minds Beyond Borders. Based on that, I need to give the left arm at least a few more days before I try to ride outside.
I'm not sure how long it will be before I will talk myself into running again. 
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Last run is done before the race this weekend!2
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Good luck Aine! 0
