A good week

It seems like a long time since I've enjoyed my running so much. I enjoyed my two runs up the Carrick hills so much I did it again on Thursday (this time avoiding the bog) and felt much stronger. I think there's something about the distance, the elevation and the rest intervals that has suited me well. In the past I've tended to work on a 6 runs a week schedule but perhaps it's time to admit that my body just doesn't recover fast enough for that kind of training now.

On Saturday it was the Screel Hill race.


This is a great little hill that has fantastic view over the Solway Firth, a bit like Criffel, but without the never ending bog.

I drove down with a clubmate (Alex) and my wife (unofficial race photographer). The weather couldn't have been nicer for a short race (would have been a bit hot for a long event) and the course was generally dry.

The race starts off on a forest track for about 1/2 a km before you head off into the woods. Consequently, there was a bit of a mad charge for position whilst the route was wide and then we all settled into the usual "puff, pant & swear" mode of ascent. ;-) There's me hiding behind the tree ahead of Alex & Rod (from Kilmarnock).


This guy was clearly in a hurry. ;-)


Anyway, unlike Criffel where I felt like I was really struggling, this time I felt much stronger on the ascent. For a change I actually beat Alex to the top but I suspect if he hadn't spent so much time chatting to Roddy on the way up he could have easily beat me to the top. Within seconds of leaving the top Alex was past me and winging his way to the finish a minute ahead of me.

Still, I wasn't disappointed. I didn't fall, twist and ankle or otherwise injure myself significantly so I think I'll be fine for the Fling as long as I don't do anything stupid this week.

To finish off the week my wife and I went for a run around Culzean castle in Sunday (she's training for the Culzean fun run next Sunday) and as we passed behind the walled garden I spotted this deer sunning itself in the grass just yards from the path. It even sat there as I stopped and got my phone out to snap this picture.




I'm really looking forward to the Fling now. I've done nothing like enough long runs but there's d*mn all I can do about that now so there's no point worrying about it.

Found a bog today...

...and it was quite deep. ;-)

Old dog, new trick

Well, not so much a new trick as a new route and a renewed enthusiasm for running.

This year has been a bit of a washout runningwise so far. I sorely miss my normal fitness at this time of year and knowing how far "behind" I am with my fitness demotivated me and made it even harder to regain what I consider my "normal" fitness for the time of year.

Yesterday's run did a lot to remind me that running isn't always about winning, beating the clock or personal bests but is about learning to enjoy what you do, at whatever level you can do it.

I've lived in this part of Ayr for 20 years now and never seriously considered running up this hill from home. There's very little in the way of established tracks, quite a lot of fences, gates and ditches, and some very boggy bits.

It was a lovely sunny day and as we climbed the hill we were treated to the sound of skylarks as we ran/walked, surely one of the most evocative sounds of our countryside.



Although it looks fairly straightforward on the GPS track, like a lot of hills, whilst you on it you can't see where you're headed, particularly coming down but this only added to the fun and we finished tired, muddy but happy and the end of our run.

If your running is in a bit of a rut I can highly recommend pulling on your trail shoes and getting off the beaten track. You might be surprised at the fun that you've been missing out on.

If you live in the area and would like to join me for a run up the Carrick hill drop me a line.

Time to taper (and bitten in the bum again)

With less than three week to go before the Fling it's about time I started tapering. Last year I was all conflicted over what to do as I was doing the WHW race but this year I don't have that worry.

I've not been able to do anywhere near as much training as I would have liked but there's not a lot I can do about that now, the best I can do is to not try and get injured now.

My "bitten in the bum" remark is down to another episode of hopeless optimism yesterday when I thought that I could easily re-do the run I did last Friday (22.5 miles down the RAW). Well, after about 10 miles my legs made it well and truly clear that 5 days (in my present state of unfitness) is nowhere near long enough to recover and attempt the same sort of distance. I ended up walking and running the rest. It wasn't anything like as ghastly as the day I had to be rescued but it was a bit discouraging.

Still, if what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, who knows, it might have done me some good. ;-) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the taping works it's magic and that my tired body repairs itself into a faster fitter me in time for the race.

I think there's a fine line between optimism, hopeless self delusion and utter madness. ;-) I guess I'll find out which one I am on the day of the race.

That's better...

At long last, my legs seem to be recovering a bit.

On Friday I had a lovely long run (22.5 miles) down the River Ayr Way. I left my car in Catrine and ran back to Ayr as I much prefer doing one way runs to out-and-backs. Of course you do have the slight disadvantage of ending up 22.5 miles from your car at the end but fortunately I have two daughter's with driving licences who I reckon owe me the odd lift or two. ;-)

Anyway, I decided that I was going to walk all the hills and pretty much stuck to my plan. This enabled me to reach Ayr without feeling utterly miserable and exhausted and in my current state, my goal is just to finish the Fling, not worry about my time.

En-route, I did discover a new (well, new to me) part of the RIver Ayr Way where it passed through the Barskimming Estate.

I found a new path leading down to the riverside and for a while I thought it might be a dead end but I was delighted to find this instead.



It's a tunnel carved through the sandstone that enables you to pass a steep section of cliff face and carry on along the River Ayr Way. I must admit I'm getting increasingly annoyed about just how much of the river Ayr's best bits are hidden away in this private estate! It makes me feel a lot less guilty about entering the estate. Beauty spots like this really ought to be accessible to the public. I'd happily pay a reasonable fee if necessary.

A lovely day for a run...

...and my legs just don't want to know. :-(

As I sit here typing looking out the window at blue skies & sunshine, I'm fighting a desperate urge to go out and do an easy long run. It seems crazy not to but my legs complained about being taken for a gentle dog walk this morning so I think they'd complain a heck of a lot more about a 20 mile run. .

I don't think I've ever had my legs feeling like this before and it makes me wonder if there's something else going on, some sort of viral infection perhaps? Whatever it is, virus, stupidity, loss of confidence etc., I'm fed up with it. I want my running legs back!

Listening to the voices in my head...

I really ought to listen sometimes to those voices in my head, particularly the one last Tuesday that was telling me that I really ought to have a gentle run with the club and not over-do it as my legs were sore after my hill race.

Alas, as ever, I couldn't resist a bit of fartlek and whilst my legs felt absolutely fine at the end of the evening, my running has absolutely sucked big time since then.

Last Thursday I thought I'd try a nice an easy run up the River Ayr Way from Auchincruive to Failford and back but my legs felt like lead right from the outset. I plodded my way up but felt drained by the time I got to Failford and when I turned to go back, I was running head on into an icy wind. Not long after it started raining & then hailing and my legs had just given up completely on anything resembling a hill.

I just didn't feel I had it in me to get back to Auchincruive so I phoned for the cavalry and got rescued back at Failford. It's the first time I've ever had to bail out of a run like this and it was a demoralising experience.

After a weekend when I couldn't run as we were travelling, I went out for a gentle jog on Monday evening and again my legs felt sluggish but sometimes they do when I'm running at other peoples pace (as I was that evening) so I didn't think too much about it. Yesterday I woke determined to do my run up and down the Carrick HIll from Minishant. No sooner had I started running up the hill though, again my legs felt like lead and from then on the run was a real struggle not to just turn back.

Perhaps I should have as it was one of the hardest runs I've done in a very long time but I was just too pigheaded to turn back without running all the way to the top. I was almost weeping with frustration at every hill.

On the plus side though, it was a beautiful day, the skylarks were singing, crows calling and lambs bleating so I'm glad I was up there. Just wish my legs had enjoyed it more!

Tempting fate

I should know better than to joke about injury but today I was acutely reminded that DOMS typically takes 48hrs to reach its peak.

Yesterday I was thinking that my legs were feeling pretty darned good for having run a hill race but today they're protesting! I've decided to defer my planned training run on the WHW during the week as I really don't think it will be sensible. I might well substitute it with a long run on the River Ayr Way and just accept that this year I might not do any training on the WHW. It's not as if I don't know the way

Anyhow, I've signed up for the Ben Lomond race (9th May) and will probably have a go at a few more just for fun.

Crippled by Criffel...

...is the headline I'd like to write but in fact I had a great time running the Criffel Hill race on Sunday.



It's a nice height & distance (569m & about 10K total distance) so it's not too extreme for someone attempting a bit of a comeback. After about a 1km run in on road & hard track it turns into a steady peat bog climb. Just a question of putting one foot in front of the other over & over again until you near the first peak when you have a brief period of running before ascending the second peak.

It was very windy at the top but the views over the Solway firth were amazing. Well worth climbing up to see even if you're not racing.

On the way down, as expected, I was passed by several runners (I just don't have the quads and kamikaze mindset for serious downhill running) but I hung on to the back of one lady who passed me determined not to lose any more positions. I think it probably helped me following her line and no one passed me after that. Of course that might have had something to do with the paucity of runners behind me. ;-)

I had a few good falls. The first one between the two peaks when a strong gust blew me over into the heather, a second one where I ended up on my hands and knees in a *really* sludgy peat bog and the last where I managed the classic hill runner's "fall - somersault- get up running again", all without losing any forward momentum.

No harm done and great fun.

I finished 46th out of 60 starters (59 finishers) but I really didn't care about my position. It was a great day out in a beautiful little village (New Abbey) and I'd highly recommend it.

I thought it was the boggiest hill run I'd ever done but I was assured by regulars that the course was drier than it's been for a very long time!

Full results here for anyone that's interested.

Running, not blogging...

Yep, I've been doing a bit of running since my last post. Nowhere near as much as I would really like but it's a huge relief to be able to get back to it.

It's very clear from my sessions at the club that my leg speed and my endurance have suffered a *lot* with my long layoff (& copious consumption of wine), but still, things are improving.

I got dragged around the Carrick Hills last weekend. Only 7.7 miles but very tough miles! No paths, tussocky bog and lots of barbed wire and gorse. Not your conventional "fun" run but fun nonetheless. Considering how close this is to Ayr it is it feels amazingly remote up there. We hurtled round there in 2 hours. That did include a break for photos but it gives and indication of just how hard going it was.


Yesterday I thought I'd try my short route from Oswalds Bridge to Mossblown & back along the River Ayr Way. (A bit over 6 miles). It was such a nice day I decided to carry on up river to Stair and back turning it into an 11 mile run. I certainly wasn't fast but I felt I could have gone on much longer which was encouraging. I couldn't have gone on yesterday though as 10 miles into my run my Coastguard pager went off & I had to hurry back to the car and down to the station, still in my running kit & covered in mud.

I got there just in time to put the kettle on and make the tea for the returning officers. The callout was what is known as a FAGI - a "false alarm with good intent". Still, as I'd phoned in and turned up apparently I get to claim 3 hours pay.



I was hoping to join in a group run on the WHW at the end of the month (I haven't set foot on the WHW this year yet!) but it looks like I'll have to go it alone sometime through the week. It'll feel strange running the WHW solo but I'm desperate to get at least one long run on the WHW before the Fling.

Mind the gap!

You know, that yawning one between what you *think* you can do and what you can actually do. ;-)

I had visions of doing an "easy" 13 miler yesterday but decided that that was a bit ambitious so soon after returning to regularish running and settled for an easy 6ish mile lap of part of the River Ayr Way.

Somewhat ambitiously I started my stopwatch at the start of the run (BIG mistake) but I knew within seconds of starting that my time was going to be entirely academic. My legs felt like I'd raced a marathon on Tuesday, not a 5k! I pushed on through the mud though and finished in 70 minutes. (I used to be able to run it in under 52 minutes).

Ugh!

Still, the back continues to improve and I should count my blessings. I didn't wimp out on any of the hills and ran them all so it could have been worse. I just hope I can get fit enough to enjoy the Fling.

Things I don't want to know

[1] My weight.
Ever since I've had to lay off the running I've been avoiding the bathroom scales. I know I've put on weight (my trousers have definitely got tighter) and until I'm feeling brave enough, I'm giving the scales a wide berth. ;-)

[2] My 5K time.
In March last year my 5k time was 19:21. I didn't do any more 5ks after the WHW race and last night was my first 5k in a very long time. I knew it would be bad but not how bad. After a several good runs on my own I ventured back to the club last night for the monthly 5K time trial. Icy rain as falling as we drove to Troon and by the time we started, this had turned to freezing sleet. Still, it wasn't windy so I cant blame that and apart from cold hands, I can't say that the weather made any real difference.

It was a real shock to the system to be running "competitively" again. Of course it wasn't a race but I can't help chasing runners and it usually helps to keep me motivated. It didn't work too well last night as I gradually slipped down the field from second, to third, to fourth, to fifth and then I think finally sixth.

Worse than my position though was my time, 23:30. Ah well, just as well I'm not planning on setting any PBs this year. ;-)

I'm still hopeful of doing the Highland Fling race if I can get in some decent easy long runs over the next few weeks. Not today however as my legs are suffering from the unaccustomed exercise!

Idiopathic plantar hidradenitis...

... is a bit of a mouthful but I think is the name for the itchy bumps I get on the soles of my feet when I run a lot.

I've had them on and off for years but never known what the condition was. Somehow it's more comforting to know it has a name. I hope this knowledge brings comfort to other suffers out there. ;-)

Getting back to running, my buttock hasn't fallen off but remains firmly attached. The pain is still present though most of the time so I'm still not out of the woods. Had a lumbar pine x-ray yesterday which I doubt will show anything but as I said, it's part of the work up to a hospital referral.

I went out again on Monday night with Muriel & some friends - there's nothing like 4 runs in 5 days to ease oneself gently back into running after an injury ;-) - and enjoyed an easy six miles. This time there was a bit more of an ache so I think I need a day or two off. The best bit however was blasting up a hill.

I can't remember at what point in my running career hills became a pleasurable challenge rather than something to be avoided. I just love sprinting up sprintable hills. There's just nothing to beat that surge of power, the foot plant, the thrust, the flight, that period of anaerobic burn when you're going all out with no thought for the future, just enjoying the ride.

For some reason my ankles are sore now. Can't think why that should be. ;-)

More weirdness

I was walking in town on Saturday wondering if perhaps I hadn't overdone things on Friday. My buttock was aching with every step as per usual. I was talking to my wife when mid-sentence I stopped & said "It's gone".

Literally in the space of one step, the ache disappeared. Not permanently though but certainly for the rest of the shopping trip. I must admit I'm puzzled as to what kind of pathology can come and go like this. It did come back later but definitely seems to be on the wane.

On Sunday Muriel was keen to go down to Culzean to run the fun run course. (For those not familiar with the area it's a great little hilly 5 & a bit mile trail race that takes place in the grounds of Culzean Castle). I think she must be getting infected with the trail running bug. ;-)

Anyhow, we jogged around together and whilst not completely pain free, it was fantastic to be out on the trails again enjoying the mud & the hills. Of course a couple of good runs isn't going to be enough to get me round the WHW but I've not ruled out having a slow jog along the Fling yet and things are looking more hopeful for a WHW walk.

My month total for February has already surpassed January's mileage (20 vs 16)! Just a little short of the 200 miles per month that I'd normally like to be doing now. ;-)

Some progress perhaps....

I've not been updating my blog with dreary "still hurts" messages as I'm sure no one wants to hear that so I've been waiting for some improvement.

The improvement may be transitory but it's cheered me up. ;-)

Last week I ceremoniously washed all those bits of running gear that were "half worn", you know, those things that don't quite make your eyes water when you put them on. Working on the principle that I wouldn't be needing them again for some time.

I hit a new low last Thursday when my wife & I went out for a brisk 4 mile walk in the evening and the ball of my foot went numb. Suddenly my "life line" fall back plan to walk the WHW was looking in jeopardy and I was not a happy bunny. After a weekend brooding about it, I went back to the doctor to see about x-rays, hospital referral etc. I've had a heap off blood tests & I'm getting an x-ray next week.

In all probability, these will show nothing useful but they have to be done before a hospital referral.

On Wednesday I decided that if walking was going to make my foot go numb I might as well jigger myself with running as it didn't seem to be making things worse so it was on with the clean running gear and out for a slow 2.5 mile jog. It wasn't a great success. Indeed, it was just the same as any run I've tried this year with pain at every step and I ended up walking parts.

Despite this the foot seemed to be improving slowly although my 2nd toe is still feeling a bit "fuzzy".

On Friday Muriel was very keen to get out for a run so I thought I'd give it another bash. Right from the outset things felt different and I could jog comfortably with minimal or no pain. We did about 4 miles and I enjoyed the whole run. Woo hoo! I even pushed hard up a couple of hills just for the thrill of getting out of breath and feeling my muscles working. Perhaps not sensible but it's been so long since I felt that thrill I just couldn't resist.

Fortunately those pushes don't seem to have aggravated anything and I do think that the pain has lessened. Fingers crossed big time that this is the start of a real recovery.

I'm still happy that I'm not doing the WHW race this year but who knows, I might make the Fling at a leisurely pace.

Thanks for all your support but...

...as you've probably guessed, I've decided to pull out of this year's race.

I'm getting quite used to this now, this being my third pre-race withdrawal. ;-) Consequently, this isn't a heartbreaking decision, it's just a recognition that I have to do what I think is best for me. I'm very comfortable with the decision and I'm already looking forward to a year of non-running challenges.

In many ways, I feel like I've already missed the race. For me, the race really begins once my entry is accepted and from then on, I'm focused for the year ahead on my WHW goal. I take pleasure in the build-up in training and participating in the group runs so even if I were to get to the start line in "good enough" shape to complete the race, I'd still feel short changed.

So once again, my thanks to all for your words of encouragement and support. They were all appreciated.

Pain in the butt 1 - Chiropractor 0

Today I had my third (and I strongly suspect my last ever) treatment session. As before, a lot of pushing and shoving around, assurances that I was breathing much better (despite the fact I could feel no difference) and some decidedly uncomfortable neck cracking.

I'm afraid I'm probably not a good patient for chiropractic treatment as I just can't buy into the "life long" treatment business that they try so hard to sell. Nor do their theories about what they're doing really convince me. Despite my doubts I am/was prepared to give the treatment the benefit of the doubt based on results.

The results so far have been no improvement in my bum and a sore stiff neck after today's treatment. Consequently, unless things magically improve over the next week, I won't be going back.

Running wise, I'm still keeping my options open but I strongly suspect I'll be having a year off the WHW race this year.

Quack part deux

Today I had my second treatment session with my chiropractor. In all respects pretty much a re-run of my first treatment. A bit of uncomfortable pushing and shoving and a few cracks from places you never knew could crack.

So far I'm trying hard to keep an open mind but my chiropractor is very keen to stress the importance of a long term maintenance plan of regular treatments. More than a hint of time-share sales technique going on which I find very off putting.

I'm going to give it one, maybe two more goes and if I don't see any tangible improvement I'll take my money elsewhere. At £30 a session (with discounts if I buy a dozen sessions at a time!) it's not that much more than my private sessions with my physio but he doesn't expect me to keep visiting him for the rest of my life.

Runningwise, I did manage about 4 miles on Sunday. The first two were a bit of a struggle but once things warmed up the pain seemed to ease off so there may be hope. It's pushing through those first 2 miles that's the hard bit though.

Going quackers

Firstly, I must thank those folk who've offered advice & support recently, in particular Brian and Richie. I'm not very good at this social networking stuff at the best of times and even worse when I'm not running. Anyway, thanks to you all, much appreciated.

As to "going quackers", I've been to see a quack. More specifically a chiropractor. Coming from a medical background I have a high degree of suspicion when it comes to any form of "alternative" therapy, unsupported by peer reviewed research & publications but when you're in a corner, you'll try anything.

It was an interesting experience, filled with various pops & crunches from my spine. Whilst I'm unconvinced by much of the speil that goes with the treatment, it was interesting to see how he picked up real discrepancies in my posture.

I would love to report that I'm now cured but that would be unrealistic. Of course you can't help hoping but I was a bit disappointed to find my pain *worse* the day after. Having said that, I managed a reasonable slow run today (about 4 miles). It started off with quite a lot of pain but as I warmed up things seemed to improve so maybe there is some hope.

I'll give my chiropractor the benefit of the doubt for a couple more sessions at least and decide what to do after that.

As to the long term, I'm obviously questioning whether to do the WHW race but I've decided to leave it to the end of the month before I make a decision. It's not all gloom and doom though, I've had plenty of time to think about running, life, goals, work etc. whilst I've not been running and in many ways, I feel I've "made my peace" so to speak and will be happy with whatever I end up doing this year. If I don't run the WHW race I will probably look for a different non-running challenge that I wouldn't normally consider because I'm used to thinking of myself as "a runner". Don't be too surprised if you see me and Muriel *walking* the WHW this summer during the race. ;-)

Light at the end of the tunnel?

I went to see my GP yesterday, not expecting a great deal which is pretty much what I got. ;-)

That said, he did make a few useful comments about muscle problems causing nerve compression and that it was less likely to be a disc prolapse. Unfortunately there's about a 17 week waiting list to see an NHS physio and whilst I could continue to see my own one privately, it's an expensive business.

My thanks to Andy & Brian for there helpful (if not entirely encouraging) comments. ;-) I've not given up hope of running the WHW yet but if I do withdraw I will definitely either support someone else or marshal. It's great to be able to give something back to the race and I've always enjoyed being involved with it as I was in 06 when I was supporting Mad Jim (& running with some hobbling git called "Mark") and in 07 when I was marshalling at Lundavra. Fantastic experiences both times.

My latest plan is to try a little running (again). I went out last night for a couple of miles. Still painful but bearable for that kind of distance. I'll rest today and try it again tomorrow. If I can do this for a few days without aggravating things, then I think I might be in with a chance. If however running makes things worse, I'll probably take myself off to our local Spinal Centre and see what they have to say.

Things do seem a little easier today so fingers crossed that a gentle return to running may be the best cure!

No news is bad news :-(

Well, things aren't really any better in my neck of the woods. Still got my sciatic pain that's preventing me running. I probably could find some cross training that would maintain my fitness but I want to run, not cross train!

My physio did some massage and manipulation and whilst it's improved certain aspects of my mobility, it's done very little to improve the pain. I've decided (somewhat late in the day perhaps) to go doctor bothering later this week and see what he has to offer.

I don't hold out much hope of a miracle cure but I feel I ought to check out all my options. There's an off chance that my GP might know a reputable chiropractor and I wouldn't be averse on this occasion to giving a "quack" a go at my back.

The thought of not doing the WHW race this year has crossed my mind. It would be a relief not to worry about playing "catch-up" and possibly doing myself a further mischief. Also, having put in at least once decent run on the WHW, I not sure I want to do it "just to finish". If I'm going to invest the time and effort I want to do it well.

Meanwhile I'm looking forward to meeting the newest Consani who arrived on the 21st.

Still alive!

Golly it's been a long time since I've posted! A lot of reasons but mostly down to a severe lack of running. :-(

Back in November I hurt my back and that cramped my style for a while. I was just getting back into it when I caught the lurgy going round and just didn't have the energy to run. Then, at the end of December, I aggravated my back injury by carrying a double mattress upstairs and that stopped me running altogether.

It's not been all gloom and doom though. Early in the year we went Skiing for a week in Courchevel, part of the "3 valleys" area in the French Alps. A fabulous resort with so many runs I swear that with a Three Valleys ski pass you could ski all day every day for a week without repeating yourself.



I'd only really got just beyond doing snowplough turns on a previous 3 day skiing break but this time the combination of good snow and growing confidence meant that I came on a lot and had a great time. So much so I can hardly wait until I go skiing again! Not quite up to black runs yet but getting happier on the reds and hopefully *next* time, I'll have the confidence to tackle those too. S*d this running lark, I think I'll be a skier instead. ;-)

I know it seems odd that I could ski when I couldn't run but it was indeed the case. When walking (or trying to run) I was hobbling but with a pair of skis on my back didn't bother me at all.

I've been to see my physio who reckons it's a touch of sciatica and gave me a few stretches to do. He also told me not to run (which I agreed with at the time) but by Thursday, without any skiing to take my mind of not running, I couldn't stand it any more and struggled round a 3 mile jog. Had pain all the way round but then, not running doesn't seem to have helped either so who knows which is best. All I know is that I don't mind the pain as much as the inability to run and if I have to run with pain, so be it.

I'm kind of resigned to this year not being a PB year for the WHW race now as I feel I have such a mountain to climb to regain fitness. Part of me would almost rather defer my entry as I really don't want to run the whole of the WHW for a so-so time. If I'm going to put in all the training effort, I want a good time, preferably a PB!

Still, there are still months to go and it's way too early to throw in the towel so if things start improving soon I'll give it my best shot.

Meanwhile, on tenterhooks waiting for news of the youngest WHW finisher!

If you thought I was mad...

.. for doing my shortest day WHW run in 2006, it was a walk in the park compared to this winter Ramsay round by Shane Ohly.

http://www.runfurther.com/index.php?cPath=658_736

It's a great read and I think any WHW racer with empathise with a phrase that he uses once or twice towards the end - "I just want to f*cking finish!".

Even more amazingly, he's planning on having a crack at a sub-24hr round again this winter in aid of Cancer Research. http://www.justgiving.com/shaneohly



Think I might bung him a pound or two..

A couple of photos

Nothing great though, just done with my aging mobile.


Alasdair & Duncan arriving at Inversnaid


Very slippy point that caused quite a few tumbles.


Some of the many icicles that were hanging off of the rock faces.


The view heading south into the sun.

A fish back in water...

It's hard to express just how good it felt to be back running on the WHW this weekend when I ran with a group from the Drover's Inn at Inverarnan to Inversnaid and back.

It was a gorgeous cold day with snow on the hills, no wind, good company and lots of sunshine. And yet, even without any of those things I think it would have felt good to be back on the WHW running. Suddenly I felt back in my element again and I thoroughly enjoyed the day's running. A fish back in water if you will.

I'm afraid as ever I wasn't as sociable as I could have been but I did enjoy the chatting on the way down with Duncan and others. On the way back I wanted to push on and run at my own pace which meant that I ran most of it on my own. I started several minutes after the lead group and after a long time I eventually caught Caroline (Mrs Pacepusher) who was having a really great run herself. It was great to be running this section on relatively fresh legs and I really enjoy the hopping and skipping around that you need to do to maintain any pace on this section. I don't kid myself that I'll run like that in the race though. ;-)

I wimped out of the longer run and retired after 14 miles, not due to injury or anything but it's my longest run for a while and I didn't want to finish off the run dragging my feet and not enjoying it. One of the other runners (Mandy I think) commented on how important she felt it was to finish a run with positive feelings and I know how those memories help to lift your spirits when you're running the same section but on tired legs in the race. I'm convinced that the good runs I had over the last sections between Kinghouse and Fort William in training this year were a big help in the race. Of course a super-strong tailwind helped too. ;-)

Ankle seems completely recovered although the back still niggles with toothache like pain in my buttocks persisting. As long as it doesn't interfere with my running I can live with it though.

I've decided to have a go at the "100pushups" training plan to do something about my feeble upper body strength. Finished the first week (having started at a lowly "level 2") but flunked the final set of push-ups so I think it might take me longer than the 6 week plan to get fit enough to do my 100 pushups.

Mile reps

I say "mile" as I don't think anyone has accurately measured our mile course. Still, it's a good opportunity to measure performance and see how much I've slowed down. ;-) I wasn't expecting great things after my somewhat irregular training of late and my dickey back but things weren't as bad as I feared.

I was happy enough with a 6:14, a 6:09 and a 6:12. Certainly not as fast as I was earlier this year but perhaps more encouragingly, only a couple of seconds slower than I was this time last November when I was running more mileage.

My final interview for the Coast Guard job is this Friday but meanwhile, I've got a training session to go along to tonight on the Ballast Bank in Troon. If you see a bunch of nutters wearing helmets and head-torches tonight playing about with ropes, that'll be us. ;-)

Still improving & new job

At the weekend I ran in the Kilmarnock XC race, dragging my butt around in 40 something minutes. The time is pretty immaterial when it comes to XC, it's all about showing solidarity and freezing your arse off with everyone else from your club. ;-)

It's a good sticky & hilly course (one of the best local ones) and most importantly of all, didn't seem to bother my ankle & back. The ankle seems absolutely fine now and the back doesn't seem to affect my running too much.

Last night was our club's "hills" session. As I've probably mentioned before, the "hills" are actually just the bridges that cross the railway line in Troon - mostly no more than about 30 seconds sprinting each. Still, I love them to bits and I find it hard to understand anyone who *doesn't* love hill sprints.

What's not to like about that feeling of acceleration and speed, rising up on the toes, working your legs and arms faster and harder with every step until you reach the top of the hill? Of course it probably helps that I'm usually the first one to the top of the hill. ;-) I'm way too competitive for my own good sometime.

The new job is, I think, 90% definite. There was a feature in our local paper recently about the Coastguards looking for new volunteers. Well, I've always fancied guarding our coast and considering that no one has tried to attack it in all the time we've lived in Ayr, I reckon it must be a pretty cushy job. ;-)

I went along for an interviewette last week with about 25 other people and got a call at the weekend to say that I was one of the three people they were wanting. It seems there's another interview to go but given that they've shortlisted 3 people for three jobs it seems the last one must be a formality. Anyway, I'm going along tonight to get measured up for uniform & survival suit so I reckon it must be pretty certain.

The job is paid actually but as the Queen is only gracious enough to pay coastguards for 2 hours a month (for official training) + call outs, they don't make a big fuss over the pay. Just as well I'm not doing it for the money.

It seems that the major part of the job is conducting searches (missing persons, washed up ordinance etc.) with the very occasional cliff rescue thrown in for good measure. Apparently we don't get to keep the ordinance though. :-( A less attractive side of the job is recovering bodies from beaches & rivers.

Still, it'll get me out of the house more and combines my love of the seashore with a useful social service.

Really looking forward to my first run back on the WHW on the 30th. It seems like forever since I last ran on it and I'm just itching to get going. Lets just hope I can contain my enthusiasm/competitiveness enough to avoid another injury.

Making progress

Today, I managed to put my knickers on without dropping them to the floor. Woo hoo! You see, ever since I spent an afternoon crawling around my loft fitting insulation and emptying the loft of loose breeze blocks, my back has been giving me a lot of grief. For the last two weeks I've either had to sit down to get dressed or step into one leg hole, drop my knickers to the floor, step *into* the other leg hole and then somehow stoop to pull them up. So doing it without going through this palaver is definite progress.

My foot, or rather my left ankle, seems fine now. I've not risked road running on it (apart from a few miles to do the timing for our club 5K the other night) but it seems just fine. My memories of my last stress fracture mean that I'm not about to assume that everything really *is* fine until it's been pain free for a week or two more. I've withdrawn from the "Run with the Wind" race in Strathaven which is a disappointment as it's a great 10K but it is predominantly downhill and all on tarmac and I really do think I'd be foolish to race it.

Still, I'm enjoying the running I am doing at the moment and am looking forward to the first training run on the WHW at the end of this month. Today's run was especially rewarding as I was running along part of the river Ayr way and as anyone who has ever run with me along there will confirm, I'm *always* looking for Kingfishers. Well today that vigilance paid off as an electric blue blur of wings skimmed down the river next to me, thumbing it's nose to the convention of drabness that seems to define so many British birds.

In a way I'm almost glad the all the other British birds are so drab as it heightens the pleasure of spotting such an outrageously colourful bird.

Testing, testing...

Well it's been 11 days since my last run when things went pearshaped with my ankle.  Today was glorious weather and I couldn't resist trying out my ankle (and my back) with a gentle 6 miler on some local trails.   I'm happy to report that the running seemed to help my back and apart from a couple of niggles in my foot rather than my ankle, everything seemed to be behaving.

For those of you who heard about the weather during the OMM last weekend, here's a little video clip that gives some idea of the conditions. 

Fergie Memorial run

Our club organised a memorial run for one of our members who died last year whilst on a trip to France.  It was a huge shock to us all and his many friends and we felt it would be appropriate to organise at least one run in his memory.  This was held last Sunday which fortunately, wasn't anywhere near as horrid as the Saturday had been.

It was set up as a charity fun run with all proceeds going to York Hill hospital.  We set the entry fee at a nominal £2 but with just over 100 entrants, we still ended up collecting neary £1,000 as many folk made much larger voluntary donations.  A testament more to the respect and esteem that folk had for Fergie rather than the worthiness or otherwise of the particular charity chosen.

Anyway, as I'm still "hors de combat", I was on registration and photography duty.  It seemed a good opportunity to try out our camera's "burst" mode as I normally find it incredibly difficult to get decent pictures of runners.  I think I managed to capture the atmosphere of the event pretty well on the day although I have to admit that the first photograph *wasn't* taken by me but by Kenneth Phillips (a keen local retired runner and photograher of running events).  I took a similar shot but mine was rather spoiled by sunlight.

Here are a few of the better ones (click to view full sized) and all of them my be viewed here.  (Incidentally, the dress code was to "dress colourfully").

Regarding my running, not a lot of that happening at the moment.  I'm trying to stick to my resolution to give my ankle a couple of weeks' rest but as the pain has 90% resolved, I suspect I might try it out tomorrow.  I'm still unsure what the problem is but the pain feels bony which I know sounds rather vague but based on that feeling I'm still inclined to think it's probably a stress fracture.  I might go doctor bothering if it flares up again and see if it would be worth getting my bone density checked.

I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to join in a group training run on the 30th of November though.  There's a world of difference between pounding out a road marathon & jogging along the WHW so fingers crossed it won't set me back.

Food for thought

I came across this fundraising site on the net today.  Set up on the 21st of this month with a £5,500 target and reached over £100,000 pounds today.

http://www.justgiving.com/atheistbus

Seems like it struck a chord.

Ankle update

Well, I think I'm crocked again.  My ankle is still sore and gets worse with any weight bearing exercise (including walking) and from a reply on the Fell Runners forum, I'm inclined to believe that I might well have a stress fracture. 

My lack of consistent training but desire to do long races has almost certainly been the cause and if I had to pick one event, I think it would have to be Loch Ness that finally did for it.  My long run last Sunday was just the icing on the cake. ;-)

One good thing though is that I'm pretty philosophical about it and if I've got to take time off at any time of year, I'd far rather it was now when the weather's foul, the day's short, wet and windy and the cross country season beckoning. ;-)

If I had anything important in the offing I suppose I could do the old cross training bit but I'm not sure I could even cycle at the moment and swimming bores me silly.

The plan is to rest for a week or two and then try some very gentle off road runs.  If that goes okay then build up slowly from there.  If the pain comes back, leave it a couple more weeks and reapeat.

When self belief isn't enough

I've just finished reading Tom McNab's book Flanagan's Run, a novel based on a race that took part in 1928 across America.  The book is a bit corny put it's a real page turner and clearly the author knows his stuff about running, well he ought to given his background.

Anyway, after reading the book I felt all fired up and ready to run across a continent so within an hour of finishing it, I was lacing up my shoes and out the door, ready to run until I dropped at which point I'd phone the calvary (my wife) to pick me up from wherever I ended up.  The plan had been to run up the River Ayr Way from my home to Failford (at least -  maybe further), a distance of 21 miles.  Things started well but the moment I left the seafront where I'd had a following wind, I seemed to be going head-on into it.  It was spitting rain and all in all, conditions were not codusive to effortless running.

Of course the other thing not condusive to easy running was a more or less complete lack of any sort of training since the Loch Ness Marathon.  Still, I thought, never let a lack of training dent your self belief. ;-)

Anyway, to cut a boring story short, after about six miles I decided that a long open-ended run wasn't really on the cards and changed my route to take me back home in a 14.6 mile loop.  Not a bad run but somewhat short of my dreams.  Worse though was the way my ankle repeated its post Loch Ness marathon trick of being agonisingly painful for a period post run.   Last time it settled spontaneously after a day and hadn't bothered me since the LNM.  This time it seems to be fading again but by heck it was painful for a while.  I've no idea quite what's going on and I presume it's probably soft tissue but weirdly, the pain is much worse when I lift my weight OFF my foot.  It's not great on weight bearing either but ten times worse when I lift my foot off the ground.  There's nothing to see and now, 6 hours post run, barely any tenderness.  Any suggestions as to what this might be gratefully received.

I think I need to get back to some proper training and stop thinking I can run without doing my homework.

Ouch!

I didn't mention the way that my legs completely siezed up once I crossed the finish line yesterday.  One moment working like a well oiled machine, the next feeling like someone had thrown a bucket of sand in my gearbox.  It seemed to take me an age to hobble to the goody bag pick-up (about 10 yards) and then all the way to the de-chipping area (another 10 yrds!).  I then had to lift my foot on to a cruelly high bench for de-chipping (must have been getting on for 10" high).  After that is was a very slow hobble to collect my bag and off to the showers.

Fortunately, by the time I had finished my shower things had eased off a bit but I was still much much stiffer than I had been after my hill race last week and it was a strong reminder of just how much harder road marathons are on your body than trail races.

Anyway, I was feeling not too bad this morning and was seriously thinking of going on a gentle jog to loosen off after the dog walk.  I only made it about 300 yards along the beach when I became aware of a niggle behind one ankle.  In the space of 100 yards it went from niggle to agony and I could barely walk and had to cut short my walk.  After resting and waiting for my companions to bring the car back to me, I got fed up and started hobbling again slowly.  Weirdly, just before I got back to the car it started to ease off and is now just uncomfortable.

Goodness knows what's going on but I guess my body is trying to tell me something about my hopes of running next weekend.   Perhaps it's time to admit to myself that I'm not indestructable. ;-)

A friend in need...

... is a person who's prepared to reach down and help remove the sweaty sock from a marathon runner who has siezed up post race and hasn't got anywhere to sit down to undress. ;-)

Today that friend was Neal Gibson who made the mistake of sticking his head in the shower changing rooms in Inverness just as I was utterly failing to get my second sock off.  Thanks Neal, your help was much appreciated!

Of course, Neal wasn't the only friend I met today.  Most notably there was the lovely Ellen Thomson who I first spotted being interviewed for the TV before the race and who I so nearly planted a big soppy kiss on her cheek during the interview.  To my undying regret, I hesitated and missed the moment.  Darn, could have been famous for a moment. ;-)

As I said in my last blog, I planned to take it easy and deliberately made my way to the back of the field before the start and had a nice easy run for the first couple of miles before I caught up with Ellen.  We then ran together until the half way point, just enjoying the scenery, putting the world to rights and not worrying about our times.  By the halfway point though, I could feel that I still had plenty of gas in the tank so to speak and took off to see how much I could make up in the second half.  As we'd already taken 2 hours for the first half my sole aim was a sub 4 (and to try and enjoy it) and I'm glad to report that for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed the second half of a marathon!

Passed squillions of folk and caught up with a black South African who was as wide as he was tall.  Not fat but lots of muscle.  Sort of guy who looked like he could run through a brick wall as if it was wet tissue paper.  Anyway, we got chatting and he was telling me about running the Comrades marathon, Coast to Coast etc. and I spent my time boring him with the WHW & Highland Fling etc. so I think it was quits. ;-)  Anyway, a really nice guy and we helped each other through the second half.  He finished a bit ahead of me with a PB so he was well pleased.

I finished in 3:53:18 (a PW I think) but in so many ways it was a positive experience so I'm happy.  The weather was great, the company was great and it great to actually enjoy the second half of a road marathon.  That said, I don't think I plan to do it again for a while as it really does get in the way of some great hill races but I might well go up for the 10K as my wife enjoyed the trip up and it was great to meet up with so many of the WHW "family" again.

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail....

It trips off the tongue easily but I've come to realise recently that "failure" isn't as straightforward as one might think.

I have, without doubt, failed to prepare properly for the Loch Ness Marathon.  Curiously though, I find I'm looking forward to it with much less trepidation than normal and fully expect to enjoy it more than normal tomorrow.  I guess I've already given myself "permission to fail" tomorrow so I'm not worried about my time.  Also, my wife is running the 10K so it's not as if my trip to Inverness is wasted if I don't try my utmost tomorrow.  Lastly, I'm also toying with the idea of doing the Pentland Skyline next weekend so I don't particuarly want to trash my legs tomorrow in an all out attempt.  (Check out the course here)

So yes, I probably will "fail" tomorrow in the sense of no PB, possibly a PW, but I have enjoyed a great race last weekend, hope to have a good time this weekend and with luck, be fit for next weekend to do something that I love so all in all, perhaps not such a failure.

When you hear about friends who can't run because of injury it brings it home to you that no run that you enjoy is a failure.

Good luck to all those racing this weekend.  Just remember, it's not all just about the times.

I'm back!

Apologies to anyone who's been wondering what's happen with the running fool of late but suitably spurred on by JK, I'm going to try and get back to this blogging lark.

A lot's happened since my last post.  First there was the River Ayr Way Challenge which was great.  As some runners found, the signposting could have been better and local knowledge clearly helped.  I finished 6th overall (out of about 20) but missed out on a sub-7 time which I would have liked.  I hope it's going to be on again next year but whether I do it or not will depend on timing and the organisers aren't sure when it will be next year.  I've offered to put together an unofficial website for the council just to raise the profile of the event a bit more as I'm sure there would have been more interest if it had been better publicised.

I've also been up to Orkney (my first visit) since my last post.  Not the most dramatic of islands but an intriguing place nonetheless.  Did the touristy things like visiting the Italian Chapel, Skara Brae, Maes Howe etc., and did one gentle run around Stromness.  Stomach problems resulted in me "claiming" another island.  You probably didn't want to know that. ;-)

As I've mentioned before, I had been agonising over whether to do the Loch Ness Marathon or not as it clashed with other races I wanted to do.  The problem was, I had already entered the LNM before I remembered about them and as my wife is running the 10K in Inverness, I was pretty committed to going up.

In the end, I decided to run the Two Breweries race (report on the Troon forum here).  It was

 really tough, tougher than the Pentland Skyline I think (which is the week after the LNM) and that's saying something.  A lot of heather bashing and bog hopping and not as much running as I would have liked but a great race nonetheless.  Any race with free beer at the end can't be bad!

Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the beer! :-(  I had to rush back to Glasgow for a family meal so I reckon I'll just have to do the race again, preferably with a non-drinking companion. ;-)

I finished pretty well down the field (4:29 137/176) but it was just great to be out running (and staggering) through the hills again.  I have probably rubbished my legs for a road marathon but I don't care.  If I'm honest, I really don't enjoy road marathons and I think I'm going to spend more time on the hills and less on the roads in future.

Although it's probably madness, I hope to do the Pentland Skyline the week after.

Hearing about JK's foot problem has helped to remind me that I'm lucky to be running at any speed and that perhaps I should be worrying less about times and more about enjoyment.  I did the Two Breweries because I didn't want to let yet another year go by without having a bash at this race.  I'm really glad I did.

Gorillas in the mist...

... or 12 down, 272 to go.

Debbie et al walking along the Aonach Eagach ridge on Stob Ghabhar

There's absolutely nothing like being on top of a Scottish mountain enjoying sunlit views across the countryside, and this was nothing like that. ;-)

What had started out as a wistful remark to Thomas on Thursday about being jealous of his hillwalking trip with Debbie turned into an invitation on Friday from Marco & Debbie to join them on an outing up Stob a Choire Odhair and Stob Ghabhar.

Coming from Ayr meant an early but rather disorganised start. We were over 6 miles up the road when I spotted that my wife was wearing her trainers and I couldn't remember her putting her boots in the car. Oops! Frustratingly, we had to carry on another 2 miles before we could turn around so that was 16 miles going nowhere before we event started! Boots retrieved, we headed up north as fast as we dared and after a brief but essential pit stop at the Green Welly, we arrived at the Victoria Bridge car park at 9:30.

Marco & Debbie and Neal from the WHW family were there along with a collection of friends & dogs and we set off up towards the forest lodge and Allt Toaig burn that marks the way up.

Marco promised us glorious weather, well, perhaps not "promised" but the forecast was fair. To be fair, it was "fair" but low cloud meant that it wasn't a day for stunning views and I was very glad that I wasn't reliant on my own navigational skills up there.

Our route

It was really strange for me to be going up a hill without my muscles on fire with lactate, blood pounding in my ears and throat raw from gasping but as my wife is a relative novice at hill walking (who incidentally doubled the number of Munros that she's bagged in this one trip) I did my best to rein myself in. Not an easy task when every fibre in my body was just crying out to go galloping ahead. Still, it was good discipline and we're still talking so whilst I didn't entirely succeed, it wasn't a complete failure either. ;-)

What we hadn't realised when we set out was that this was going to be Debbie's 100th Munro and Marco had brought along a box of French chocolates to celebrate on the top of Stob Ghabhar.

Debbie the centemonronain

As we descended, the views opened up a bit and we had a stop for sandwiches and to enjoy the view. The descent by Sron a'Ghearrain & Mam nan Sac was easy if a bit squelchy. Certainly, it seemed preferable to the recommended descent by Coire na Muic which looked a bit scary from below.

On the last leg Marco made us pay for relying on him to navigate by leading us astray down to the Abhairn Shira river on to the Glen Etive footpath rather than the forest road. For "footpath" read, "2km of bog hopping". Muriel, bringing up the rear with her GPS sensibly took the forest track and arrived back at the car well before the rest of us but with no car keys and the air thick with midgies.

Still, despite the midgies and the low cloud, it was great to be out on the hills and we were very grateful for the invitation & opportunity to walk the hills. After a bit of rumaging around on this handy page on Munromagic I've discovered that I've now done a grand total of 12 Munros. Looks like I've got a few more to bag to catch up with Debbie!

The curse of Loch Ness

I know Loch Ness is supposed to have a monster rather than a curse but every year I seem to end up entering it and only later remembering good reasons for *not* doing it.

Once again I've just remembered why I shouldn't have entered. Namely, the Two Breweries Hill race on the 27th of September and the Pentland Skyline on the 12th of October. I've only ever done the Skyline but always wanted to do both of them but with the Loch Ness Marathon on the 6th of October, the timing couldn't be much worse.

I'm sure there are some intrepid souls who would tackle them all but I'm not one of those.

*NEXT* year hopefully I'll remember not to enter. :-(

Craigengower & long run

On Saturday I had to choose between the epic Ochil 2000s or our local hill race in Straiton. The Ochils race was something like 25km and Straiton was 3km. Honestly, I would have loved to have done the Ochils race but it would have meant a full day out and I don't think that would have been too popular at home. Instead, I opted to support the small local race.

It may be only 2 & a bit miles but it's a great wee race that's part of the village fete celebrations. There's always a great atmosphere and some years, there are even some serious runners! On Saturday, Prasad Prasad was there to take the course record down to 16:11. As you can see from his Scottish Hill Racing profile, he's quite a handy runner (very nice chap too). I finished in 22:02 which was a PB for me and put me 14th out of 49. If only I wasn't such a girly coming down the steep hills!

On Sunday I couldn't resist doing another long run up to Failford (21 miles from home) and although Saturday's race was just a short affair, I could feel that my legs were lacking a bit of bounce. Not unexpected of course and hopefully nothing that a bit of tapering between now and the RAW won't fix. I've decided that I'm definitely doing the Loch Ness Marathon and our accommodation is now booked. Don't suppose I'll be giving JK a run for his money but hopefully I won't disgrace myself either. ;-)

Woohoo!

Last night was the first time since the WHW race that I've felt that running the race might actually have done me some good rather than just tear up my body.

After my long 28 miler on Friday and an easy 7 miler on Sunday, I just felt different. The bounce was back in my legs and I just knew that I was back on form. It was like finding top gear in your car after months of being stuck in fourth. It was a club night last night and I just *had* to run the Smugglers Trail, a mix of road and trail that has some great hills for blasting up and down which is precisely what I did.

I don't think I can recall when I've last felt so strong on hills. It was one of those magical runs where the energy just seems to keep coming and you feel like you could run forever.

The only downside is a niggling worry that this is the sort of form I want in just over two weeks time, not *now* and I'll doubtless screw up between now and the RAW but I don't really care, last night's run was just so much fun. I find it hard to believe that one could get a greater buzz from illicit drugs. Last night my drug was SPEED.

Will I, won't I...

I've been blowing hot and cold over the Loch Ness Marathon for weeks now but since my long run on Friday, apart from a bit of post-run stiffness, I've been feeling like I've getting my "pre WHW" legs back.

Consequently, I'm feeling much more inclined *not* to throw in the towel just yet and wait until after the RAW. I'm still not keen on road marathons, which begs the question, "why did I enter?" which I think was down to a desire to have an autumn goal after the RAW. My biggest problem with road marathons is my feet! I've yet to run a marathon where I haven't been in severe pain for the last 8 miles or so which I put down to my high arched rather rigid feet.

I've tried running in both well cushioned shoes and racing flats and it seem to make little difference. This time, I'm going back to the "well cushioned" option perhaps with a new pair of Asics gel Nimbuses (?sp)and see how that works (assuming now that I do run it).

With no speed work or tempo runs for goodness knows how long I still don't expect to excel but hopefully I won't disgrace myself either.

Rationing places in oversubscibed events

This might sound like I'm trying to shoot myself in the foot but I'm coming round to the view that rationing places in popular oversubscibed events like the West Highland Way, Ben Nevis etc. might actually be good for the sport, good for the "old hands" race addicts, good for newcomers and good for race organisers.

I think that races like these have a very strong lure that brings folk back year after year. In recent years entering these races has become a real case of being "quick off the draw" and entering ASAP when the entry opens. This system tends to favour the race regulars who know the ropes and makes it hard for first timers to get a foot in the door. I think also that many race regulars would quite like to do something different some years but the lure of the race is too strong to resist and they end up doing the same race year after year without spreading their wings to attempt many of the other great races around.

I think I'd like to see repeat entries restricted to 2 entries every 3 or 4 years, with a withdrawal (that can be filled by someone else) not counting.

This would give race addicts a chance to have a year out and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! It would also free up a lot of race regulars for marshalling duties and give them a chance to give something back to a race that they may have run many times but not helped in the running of.
It would free up space for more first timers, which has got to be a good thing.

I can't think of a major downside at the moment but I'm sure others will come up with things I haven't thought of. ;-)

Knackered!

As part of my "panic training scheme" I went out with a club mate for what turned out to be a 28 mile run along the River Ayr Way. Having done my first long run since the WHW last Thursday (21 miles), a couple of 8 milers, a 5 mile trail race on Wednesday, I'm now ready to start tapering for the River Ayr Way race on the 6th of September. ;-)

I'd be the first to admit that this is no way to train for an event but that's never stopped me in the past and I don't suppose I change my ways now. When I say "taper" I really mean tapering my longest runs. I hope to try and put in a few more miles through the week than I've done till now but I think I've done enough long runs to get me through the race.

The run itself went well although the last 5 miles along Ayr seafront and home dragged a bit as I was on my own for that stretch but on the whole, I'm happy with the way I ran the hills and kept going without any major problems.

I am though seriously considering pulling out of the Loch Ness marathon. My heart just isn't in it at the moment. I remember how much road marathons hurt and I've not much enthusiasm for putting myself through that pain when a decent time let alone a PB seem out of the question at the moment. I guess I'll wait until after the RAW and see how I feel then but if I don't do the marathon I'll see if there are any 10k places left instead. Not that I'll run a 10K PB either but my wife will be running and I feel I ought to be up there to support her.

It's official, I'm in the 2009 race

A list has appeared of those whose entries have been accepted for the 2009 WHW race and I'm very relieved to see that my name has appeared there. Not that I had big doubts that it would, but I had some payment problems on-line and Dario (the race organiser) has had his mail system die on him right at busiest moment of the year. To lose your email access right at the start of entries for an event like this might be a race organiser's worst nightmare. Hopefully it'll get sorted soon but I dare say it's going to cause him some further anguish even when it is sorted if he has more entries than places (as seems very likely). Trying to allocate places on a "first come, first served" basis when all the entries arrive in one big lump may prove a real headache. It'll no doubt seem funny in hindsight (maybe not for a few years though) but right now I really feel for the poor guy.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted to see so many familiar faces amongst the race entries, particularly those who had unhappy experiences this year. I hope that they can put this year's experiences behind them and have a great race in 2009. I've just been having a peek at Vicky Little's blog who amazingly only started running in 2006 and is now looking for a place in the WHW race next year! She had a good run in the Devil O' the Highlands and has entered next year's Fling. I really hope she gets a place.

I suppose I did my first "WHW09" training run on Tuesday, an easy 8 miler. Last night I was running the Kilmarnock 5m trail race through Dean park. This was my first race since the WHW race and given my lack of any sort of training I wasn't too unhappy with my time (33:58/59). It's a hilly little course (although truth be told, probably nearer 4.7 than 5 miles) and suited my present preference for hills over flat running. I wore my "Skins" short tights which I think helped with my niggly hamstring. Certainly, it's not giving me any grief today and the race doesn't seem to have done me any harm. All being well, I'll be doing a 25ish mile run on the River Ayr Way tomorrow which will probably be my longest run before the River Ayr Way race in September.

We've all got them,...

...those friends who love to tell you that you'll end up crippled and in a wheelchair before you're 60 because you run.

Of course this used to be the prevelant "common sense" view of arthritis that it it was all "wear & tear" and that strenuous exercise would necessarily (indeed, could only) make it worse. Well, I think that theory has been well debunked by this study. (Full text below incase the link stops working - http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html).

I don't suppose it'll change many people's minds as clearly a lot of folk *want* to believe that running is unhealthy to justify their inactivity. Still, I've a few friends who'll be receiving a copy in their inbox before the day is out. ;-)

STANFORD, Calif. — Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.“The study has a very pro-exercise message,” said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. “If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” The new findings appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn’t necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as “the compression of morbidity theory.”Fries’ team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners. At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits from running.On average both groups in the study became more disabled after 21 years of aging, but for runners the onset of disability started later. “Runners’ initial disability was 16 years later than nonrunners,’” Fries said. “By and large, the runners have stayed healthy.”Not only did running delay disability, but the gap between runners’ and nonrunners’ abilities got bigger with time. “We did not expect this,” Fries said, noting that the increasing gap between the groups has been apparent for several years now. “The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”Fries was surprised the gap between runners and nonrunners continues to widen even as his subjects entered their ninth decade of life. The effect was probably due to runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general, he said. “We don’t think this effect can go on forever,” Fries added. “We know that deaths come one to a customer. Eventually we will have a 100 percent mortality rate in both groups.”But so far, the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.And the dire injury predictions other scientists made for runners have fallen completely flat. Fries and his colleagues published a companion paper in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in their elderly runners. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners, Fries said. “Running straight ahead without pain is not harmful,” he said, adding that running seems safer for the joints than high-impact sports such as football, or unnatural motions like standing en pointe in ballet.“When we first began, there was skepticism about our ideas,” Fries said. “Now, many other findings go in the same direction.”Fries, 69, takes his own advice on aging: he’s an accomplished runner, mountaineer and outdoor adventurer.

Like a moth to a flame...

...I can not resist entering the 2009 WHW race. My e-mail arrived last night and my money is winging its electronic way to Dario as I type.

One year, I'll resist the lure and do one of the many other mid year races that I'd like to do but somehow I can't summon up the willpower *not* to enter the WHW race. ;-)

Dare I even think about setting a goal so soon? There were so many inspiring performances this year that it's tempting to think that I could do better. I know I have plenty of room to improve with regards to my nutrition which I think can make a *big* difference to how one performs on the day. I'd love to shoot for sub-22 so unless injury or some other problem intervenes between now and next year's race, that's going to be my "gold" goal.

Britain's first gold

I was delighted to see Nicole Cooke gain her well deserved gold medal yesterday. She was unlucky in Athens not to get one then and I'll bet it made it all the sweeter this time when she crossed the line. To say that she was excited after crossing the line would be the understatement of the year. ;-)

I have to say though that I'm a bit confused by the award of an individual medal for what was, by her own admission, a team event. Of course the TDF winner doesn't get there without massive support from his team but that's a very different event to a one-off road race. I can't help feeling that a non-drafting long time trial would be a much fairer (& better) test of individual strength.

Anyway, well done that girl!

An easy 8 miler

After another few days off (not through choice but just lack of opportunity), I went out for an easy run today around my 8 mile loop. Thankfully, my achilles niggle seems to have disappeared although I still have a bit of discomfort in my hamstring. Still, it doesn't seem to be getting any worse and a couple of my other aches seem to have disappeared too so it seems that sometimes, the cure is running rather than rest.

I find since the WHW race and my holiday in Tenerife that I'm really relishing running up hills just now. I reversed the direction of my run today just so that I could get a good long plug up a hill and I found on holiday that I was always looking for the biggest hills. Not sure what any of this means though. I doubt it'll translate into speed in the short term and it may be that I'm just running up hills relatively less badly than I'm running on the level bits but at least I'm enjoying it. Feeling much more confident about finishing the RAW race now and hoping to do a couple more 8 milers this week before another long run next weekend.

Panic setting in...

With less than a month to go until the River Ayr Way, a race that I've done my best to plug, I realised that I'd done perhaps half a dozen runs, all no more than 6 miles since the WHW race.

A good rest was always part of my plan but I swear it's not done me any good. After my first 4 week layoff, I developed problems with one of my Achilles and hamstrings and they've never completely gone away. I suspect that some folk, if they don't run regularly, tighten up and then become more injury prone. Perhaps if I was more obsessive about stretching it might not have happened but it seems more than coincidental that I've had more problems this time after the WHW race than in previous years when I haven't tried a deliberated rest period.

Anyway, stuff resting, I've got a race to train for so in best "running fool" tradition, I went out and ran 21 miles yesterday from home to the Failford Inn on the River Ayr Way just to see if I could do it. I can't pretend it was easy but then I didn't make it easy for myself by not carrying enough fluid for the windy & muggy conditions. I also set off just before lunch which didn't help. Still, I feel considerably more confident about managing the RAW race *and* I spotted a Kingfisher flitting up the river which always gives me a buzz (hence the piccy up above).

My legs are a bit stiff today but not too bad. I'll try and get another good run on the RAW in before the race and maybe do some cycling as I don't think I've time to put in as many running miles as I'd like without risking injury.