Never eat shredded wheat (NESW)

The plan was to run 20 miles on the Sunday just gone.  It seems that unless you like going around in lots of circles or doing out and back route, proper long runs take a bit of planning. So Saturday evening was spent doing just that - Well that and trying to find my local OS map without success.

The result of all that plotting, undoing and re-plotting was this mighty loop around the Dengie. Surely it had everything I like in a local run, sea walls, sea, isolation, big skies and even views of an offshore wind farm!   I'd also pass through three unconquered Fetch conquercise areas - brilliant.

Sunday morning was bright and pretty crispy so I was really really looking forward to it.  Especially as before I left the house I put a nice leg of lamb in the oven to cook away and share with the in-laws later in the afternoon.  Household chores out of the way I set off stocked up with jelly babies, 'sports' drinks and a banana. 

The only bit of the run I was worried about was around 11 miles where I had to turn off the sea wall and start heading back for home.   The first part of the run was certainly chilly, but there's plenty of wildlife and marshy goodness to enjoy and distract me from any niggles or negative thoughts.  The first milestone was Bradwell marina which is about 4.5 miles in, after that its a quick hop through Waterside towards the old Power Station. 

At Waterside theres a nice little sailing club that I always think looks really friendly and there sitting in their dinghy park was one of two 'soap dish'es.  I'm not going to bore anyone with why this boat is so special but it is, and I was both really excited and sad to see it sitting there a bit unloved.  For some reason I alway feel that boats have souls and need rescuing, so spent the next bit of the run thinking all about how I could - but most likely wouldn't.  As much as it was a radical boat for its day it was also a bit of a dog.  

Next stop and jelly baby point was St Peters on the wall which was the subject of an earlier post.  At this point I think I upset a gaggle of bird watchers who were amassed looking south down the sea wall which was also my route home... After a bit of cursing and tutting they abandoned their 3 foot telescopic lenses for tea.  I'm not sure whether that was because I scared off the birds or that they just didn't want a telescopic look at my lycra clad arse. Either way they I got the distinct impression they were not happy.  I can understand that I guess. 

Grumpy bums

I actually saw another runner at this point on the run.  One of those ones thats all, heads down, and too cool to say hello or even acknowledge the presence of another human doing the same thing.  There's a few like that in Maldon that I've come to recognise.  For some reason I always get some weird satisfaction from combatting their unfriendliness with a really over enthusiastic, cheery wave and greeting.  Would it be that hard just to nod? Anyway...   I was making good progress, and was ticking along at round about 09:45 - 10min mile pace which was just fine.  The next milestone was the right turn onto a public footpath. But sadly, the footpath was not in the slightest bit easy to find, or follow.  So I merrily ran past my turning and then spent the next 20 mins trying to find a way to get back on track.  Phoning my wife didnt really help as much as I had hoped.  The conversation went something like this. Wife - 'What can you see?' Me - 'well , I can see a sea wall, a field and a drainage ditch'. Wife - 'Hmmm I'm not sure that helps there's 8 miles of that', Me - 'yeah I kind of thought that might be the case. See you in a few weeks then'.  In the end I did find a farm track that led back inland and eventually to what any sane person would call the middle of nowhere.  It was time to request a pick up before the in-laws turned up! 

So it was a 16 miler in the end and frustratingly I still haven't broken the 20 mile mark. 

On the plus side the shin didn't give me any grief.  I have learnt exactly where the footpath IS for next time and where it rejoins the 'main' road.  I found an old legend of a boat looking a bit sad in a dinghy park. I found that I can drink SIS sports drinks without any issues and I had a cracking bit of lamb in the afternoon. 

Next time I do a run like that I'm not going to leave home without the OS map though.  Oh and I ticked off a few more zones and am slowly reaching Dengie domination on Conquercise. 

20 miler tomorrow

I've just finished mapping out a 20 miler... that will test the leg out I suspect.

Restart tomorrow

It's been a while since the last post.  The Great Bentley Half sadly didn't happen because of the snow, but my legs been playing up so a weeks proper rest might have done me some good. However Im now behind (significantly) on the training plan so Im getting back on it tomorrow. To start with just a gentle 8.5 miler and we'll see how that goes.

Heaven knows I'm (not so) miserable now

I decided that my last post was just a little bit too negative - sorry about that.  I've also had one complaint about the photographic content being 'horrible' - sorry about that as well.

Looking around at some of the MK marathon training blogs it does appear that I'm not alone in struggling a wee bit with positivity.  Reassuring I think!  Perhaps its the weather and that time of year?  However I am happy to report today that the pain in the shins does not appear any worse, despite reading all about injuries last night in Mens Running mag.  With the Great Bentley Half coming up at the weekend I've decided to hold back on harder running for this week and save it all for then.  My bike might make a rare appearance one or two lunchtimes for a bit of open air cross training to get the heart rate up a little.  The primary reason for any heart rate will probably be caused by me forgetting to un-cleat in front of work colleagues rather than any physical effort.  

The MR article about injuries (but mostly cross training) also made me think about how little I stretch at any point during the day let alone after running so I've set myself a New February resolution. To stretch properly after running and do a few other stretchy things in the evenings instead of sprawling out on the sofa.  I hope with those precautions I can avoid to much in the way of serious niggles or full blown injuries.  

In other news - I got my number for the Essex 20 (Mile) road race today and another run to look forward to. Entering an event with a cheque and SAE also gave me a lovely warm fussy retro feeling a bit like drinking Ginger Wine at Christmas.  Attempting a 20 mile road race is not something I've done before and will be a real benchmark for MK. It's a month and a bit away at the mo so I have plenty of time to decide on my approach.  We'll see how this weekend goes before I foolishly commit myself to attempting to run a particular time or pace.  If nothing else I cant fail to PB on the 20! 

Dark, dark, places

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post on here which probably is a result of 1. finding it hard to find time to run let alone writing about it and 2. having lots of other things to do at home, such as making some new wardrobes.  I say making, I mean assembling them really!

The last week's been pretty tough in terms of running motivation.  I've been struggling with a few niggles by far the biggest is calf pain / shin pain.  According to a running friend 'shin splints are worse than child birth' so, unless womankind has been exaggerating for years, I don't think it's shin splints.  Perhaps just a bit of a strain and just my body telling me the training is having an impact.

Thierry (Yucky) 

Niggle number 2 is my sixth toe which seems to be developing nicely. It's by no means the biggest blister I've had in my running career but its a right pain in the... big toe.  It's been causing all sorts of drama in the dressing room and it suddenly came back after a few years away so I've called it Theirry.   Niggle number 3 is more minor but effects my walking gait.  I have what you might call 'intimate' chaffing, thats a pain in the arse.  Must remember to pack the Vass.

On Friday, I'd planned on running 10 miles after work.  It was one of those occasions when I was very, very tempted to just get in the car and head home.  But I decided a trot down to Hoe Mill Lock, Ulting was what I really needed to do, although it only works out about a 8.5 miles round trip.  With the niggles at the fore I concluded that it was probably best to run very gently.  Once out of Maldon it's dark dark countryside all the way, so head torched up I set off plodding away.  At about 3 miles the calf/shins seemed to have loosened up enough to begin to enjoy things.  There's a few fishing lakes near the lock and in the darkness, all I could hear was ducks and geese going about whatever they do in the dark.  Whatever they do do it sounds spooky on your own.  The lock is about half way and running wise I felt quite relaxed and so I sped up a little bit.  The next next two miles passed quickly and then I felt a very unnerving feeling. Was it wind caused by the tin of chickpeas I'd munched at lunchtime as a garnish to left over chilli? Or was it something much more sinister?  I was not prepared to find out.  I blame the next few miles of paranoia on Tonky Talk in last months Runners World which was about runners bowel movements.  I know some people really suffer with faecal issues but fortunately, and touching wood not cloth, I had never experienced any problems in that department.  Never before had I spent 3 miles looking for discreet places to crouch.  With immense concentration, I focused on the thought of Tesco's loos which by then were only a mile or so away...  But strangely by the time I got to Tesco the feeling had disappeared as quickly as it arrived and I was back focussing on how much the niggles were niggling.  An unusual sense of relief!   I managed to get another half mile on to the end of the run by doing a couple of circles around the streets near work, but decided to call it a night at that.

Everyday is like Sunday
Sunday's planned run was a 11 miler, as I've got a Half coming up next weekend. So I met up with my Maldon based running chums and set off again to Hoe Mill lock with the plan of adding on a bit at the end.  What a difference a days rest makes.  The shins where not sore, the bowels were fine, but the chaffing and blister remained. Still thats another 11 ticked off the plan at a nice gentle pace.  It brings the months running total to 106 miles which isn't too shabby considering I missed a couple of longer runs for various reasons.  Most importantly though my running chum who's training for next weekends Half did really well and ran strongly.

A Game of Two Halves

Sunday was 'long run' day for me as I am sure it was for lots of other people.

Earlier in the week I'd agreed to run with a work colleague (and friends) who were also training for the Great Bentley Half in February. That was fantastic news as it meant there was no bailing out and finding the Sunday sofa a bit too comfortable. As good a plan that was, I also needed to get a few more miles done than the 8.5 miles my running chums had planned.  My perfectly simple solution was to go off and run another 7 or 8 miles after trotting around the first bit.  The first part of the run was a pleasure, with people to talk to and encouragement flowing in all directions.  The sun was out, there was not too much breeze, it was without doubt a crispy, winters day and in my mind, perfect running weather.

One of our conversations was about how psychological running is.  One day you can feel like you're gliding along with efficiency, grace and a spring in your step.  On another day you feel like you're dragging a tyre around your waist and one behind you and your trainers are filled with lead.  Despite having 11 odd miles in my legs from my Friday run I felt good, happy and confident that the next 7 would be a breeze.

So I left my running friends and set off for my second 'lap'.  The first few miles were great, they weren't fast but I felt okay until the running demons came out.  They started telling me I hurt, my legs suddenly filled with cement and my spring was replaced with flat footed plodding.  The voices started to tell me things like 'run/walking is perfectly acceptable' and 'see that gate, stop there'.  It was tough going and somehow managed to experience the spring and the plod all in the space of a few hours.

I've been running long enough to know that you need long runs for very good reasons, but this was my first one after a such a tough running week.  Still, if I actually want to get around that Milton Keynes course in a decent time I'm going to have to get used to that kind of hurting.  My four mile recovery run today certainly hurt.  Hopefully it did its job though as its a 8 mile Fartlek session tomorrow. Gulp.

Good Bye Old Friends

On saturday I made one of the most difficult decisions I had been faced with (for at least a week).  I threw out my Asics Cumulus 9s.  They were my second pair of proper running shoes and took me to Half Marathon PB's at Cardiff and Great Bentley on two occasions before they were cruely replaced by my Cumulus 11s.  I'd been occasionally getting them out the bottom drawer of my trainer storage facility for the last year and running in them.  They were great and I kind of liked the 'slick' finish on the sole that they ended up with.  However time stands still for no trainer the 9's are in the bin and the 11s are now reserved for special occasions.  I have a pair of Nimbus 12 which are naff gold and shiney and nowhere near as nice as either pair of Cumulus - somehow they just feel too solid and clumpy.  Current favourite race wear  are my Trainer-DS' which are fantastically light and great to run in.  So alongside my Asics Trails and Salomon Speedcross and my original Asics that's total of 6 pairs of trainers at my disposal.