Wandering thoughts on a wandering LSR

Today was one of those days when any plans just had to go out the window. The unravelling began yesterday when I noticed my tonsils had turned into golfballs. I didn't feel ill; maybe a bit tired but no fever or aches or anything. Nevertheless I prepared myself for the eventuality of having to ditch the week's long run. The thought of only having completed 11 slow miles for the week wasn't a happy sort of thought but if I've learned anything on this marathon training journey it's that you've got to listen to your body and do whatever it's telling you.

I woke this morning feeling ok but a bit tired and I really didn't want to get out of bed. Once the clocks go back I do struggle with mornings so the early start for today's run just didn't happen. We decided that even though I felt fine we'd not have any plans other than to see how I felt with an hour's run then take it from there, so no set route, no target mileage or time on feet,  just the intention to run 9:00 pace.

Coffee, fruit toast, out the door. Yuc- it's raining and cold and dismal. The worst kind of November morning. Now I feel really bad that not only have I made my fella start the run 2 hours later than planned but I'm making him run in the most uninspiring weather. He doesn't need to be doing these long runs with me really. But we set off anyway grumbling a bit, both of us thinking probably we'll be turning around soon and heading back for coffee and cake in the warm and dry. However the rain stops, we settle into a relaxed pace and grumbling turns into chatting.

I don't really know where we ran. Just out and about. Lots of lakes and some of the canal. A bit of mud. Oh yes, and steps! A few sets of steps just for me! We talk about all sorts of stuff and also run in silence quite a bit, both of us lost in the gentle meditative rhythm of relaxed running. I am so fortunate to be able to run with my fella and share the sheer pleasure of running. I love his sense of play when running and I do think when you run with someone who is having fun it's infectious. And anyway we're not athletes, we run because we want to so there's not much point if you're not having fun.

It's also a wonderful thing to run with someone whose pace seems to fit with your own. I think I might have said this before but very often when running with others it's a constant battle of trying to keep up or trying to stay slow so you stay together, but we just seem to be able to run together without that. It's a great gift and I treasure every moment of it.

As for the physical process of this run, it felt good. Mostly a really consistent pace too which is great and shows I'm learning a bit of discipline at last! The usual aches set in, perhaps a little earlier than before but they didn't get as bad and I felt comfortable running through them. (I think once this marathon is done I'm going to spend a month in the gym really working to make sure my muscles are well balanced and strong.) I didn't eat so much this time, and had decided to try Mini Cheddars rather than my rocket fuel flapjacks. Nice, but not so easy to eat on the go. I'd also decided to listen to advice and added electrolytes to my water. High 5 Zero Citrus flavour I think I tried. Still didn't drink enough but managed a lot more than normal. Hormones were beginning to settle too (I can say that some of last week's fatigue and reduced endurance was due to hormones). So actually there were so many changed variables compared to last week's LSR I can't say which (if any) made a difference but there was a difference for sure. We got back and my fella wanted to round up another half a mile to 15 miles but I felt really up for rounding to 20. So I did. And there was definitely a bit in the tank still when I finished: 2hrs 58min for 20 miles.

I'm happy with today's run. Very happy!

Into the Unknown

On Wednesday I threw everything out the window. I'm not on a training plan at the moment, just trying to ease up a bit so I'm fresh and ready to start training in September for my first marathon.

The kids are away on a karate training camp and Wednesday was visiting afternoon so I decided I'd run to visit them. And then run home again. What could be simpler or more pleasurable? A quick check suggested it would be about 17 miles- the furthest I've ever run in a day.

The map confirmed that I could indeed get there following the Grand Union Canal towpath. I needed to get a train to reach my starting point as there's no sensible way of running to the canal from here unless I hit the trails to pick up the Greensand Ridge path but I didn't feel confident about doing that. I'm not familiar with that route and being limited by time and not knowing how I would get on running so far I didn't want to risk bonking in the middle of woods miles from anywhere!


So half a mile little run to the station and wait excitedly for the train. 12.30pm is an odd time of day to set off: it's lunchtime but obviously I've not been able to have lunch. Instead I made sure I had a decent breakfast then grazed during the morning. Several snacks stashed in my vest as well as water. I've listened to people talking about maintaining nutrition during long runs (not that my planned jaunt is all that far) and know I will need to eat while I'm out even if I don't feel hungry.

Off down the towpath! It's nice and smooth and wide enough to run whilst looking about for birds without worrying about tripping and falling in the canal. Best to avoid getting Weil's Disease if at all possible! This was the 2nd of countless herons.

I reach 3 Locks without difficulty although as I forgot to come onto the road in order to cross over the canal I have to go back on myself. The running feels good, I'm able to focus on good form and am (I think) keeping a sensible pace. Have had a snack and drink and am quite happy stopping every now and then to take photos.
My mind, however, begins to play games with me. All the while I'm running happily along it keeps reminding me I've got to come back again. 'You've done 6 miles now? Well when you get here again you'll have done 12 and still have 6 to go' (can't recall actually how far along 3 Locks is, but that's the kind of thing my mind was up to anyway).


Once at the outskirts of LB I'm a bit concerned I won't find the place to come off the towpath but I vaguely remember the footbridge near the start of the Dirt Half and know that's the place to look for. Fortunately it's signposted and before I know it I've run 8.92 miles along the canal all the way to karate camp! Apparently I arrive looking fresh as a daisy, according to Sensei Phil anyway.

Time to see my kids and replenish water supplies as well as have another snack bar. After about an hour of mostly wandering about I decide to head home as I want to be sure of coinciding with a train (we live on a branch line with just 1 train an hour). I feel tired, my legs are a bit heavy and I think my hips are tightening up so I set off at a sensible steady 8:40 ish min/mile pace.

I'm not enjoying the tranquillity any more. My hips are feeling really tight, enough to make my left knee feel niggly. Perhaps the lack of hills has contributed to this? When contemplating the run I'd figured that a flat route would be sensible given the mileage I was planning to complete- but in retrospect hills wouldn't have added to the difficulty and would actually have given my body (and mind) a bit of respite. I do love a hill!
And I ran past the turning for the Big Long Hill which comes around mile 6 or 7 of the Dirt Half. A little bit of me thought- shall I? But really it would have been daft to run up it then back down again before continuing home.

Lots of little things began to niggle me. The water sloshing in the half empty bottle, the rustling sound of the wrapper of the last snack bar, the realisation that my running top has armholes that are too high and are beginning to rub, the fact that I'm fed up with sweet snack bars and really want something deeply savoury. These are all things I couldn't have anticipated. Things that give me an insight into just how tough it's going to be when I start my forays into ultras next year... I think the running will be the easiest part of that particular journey!

Now I'm tired. It's only about 3 more miles but it's hard going. I know now that the pace on my outward run was too fast. Sure it felt fine at the time but it was fine for an easy 9 mile run, not for an easy 19 miles. Every time I begin to feel really fatigued I try to bring myself back to running form. I work my way down from head to feet: shoulders relaxed and down, core strong, posture, pelvis, stride, relaxed arms... Rather like performing kata. There are many similarities between running and karate; mostly they compliment each other although there are times when the training for each discipline competes and while one improves the other suffers.

I'm also beginning to think about food, dreaming up the perfect dinner for when I get home. I'm getting very hungry. Why didn't I bring more snacks with me?

As I see bridge number 98 I know it's not so far and my pace quickens. I see some terns! How can that be possible- they are coastal birds! But it's definitely terns- they are delicate and nothing like gulls. [Consulting with my dad today it appears that inland terns are very common, especially where I live. They like gravel pits for breeding grounds.]
The pleasure of the unexpected carries me the rest of the way to the station. A bit of a stretch while I wait for the train and soon I'm back where I started. Strangely the brief rest on the train has left me feeling fresh enough to run the half mile back home and even feel like I could manage another 3 miles or so. They wouldn't be pretty but I reckon I could run them, if I had to...
So 18.8 miles, 2hrs 41min running time and a lot of lessons learned. What a great day! And it wasn't over yet, but that's not for this blog...

Quietly Getting On

It's been a little while since I last posted here. The dreadful news from Boston really shook me. Running for me is a fundamental expression of the joy of being human- what better way of rejoicing in having legs than going for a run? Runners do no harm so why hurt them.

I should be running my first marathon this coming Monday except I'm not allowed to. If I were to entertain the thought of just having a go anyway the last 8 months of injury, illness then more injury have had a huge impact on my fitness and I would do so much harm to attempt a long run. But I've now completed 3 weeks of training back at the gym and that feels positive. I've even managed 3 fartleks of an hour each. No sprinting though, just brisk walking and a gentle run when it's felt right. At a gentle pace running seems to be ok although so far I can't manage more than 5 minutes of it.

Knitting and sewing have had to go on hold- it's a struggle to be back at work, keep up my training schedule and look after the children and run the house let alone do any of the 'crafty' things I find so restorative. But I've spent a bit of time in the garden (for health reasons I need to spend time in the sun) and have some vegetable seedlings going- so far broad and purple climbing beans, carrots, beetroot and salad leafs are planted out. Waiting on the Swiss chard to get a bit bigger and we'll see if this year will be better for courgettes...

Lurgy

Day two of being off work. I hate being ill. Yesterday I didn't even feel up to knitting, that's how bad it was. Today I hate being ill even more because I should have a training run today. The thought of a horrid red square showing a missed run is galling. I know I shouldn't even contemplate training today but I so very badly want to get out and run!

I wonder if yoga counts as cross training? I've seen this subject debated on various running forums and I guess in the end it depends on each person. Recently I've begun 'mindful running'- instead of running with an empty mind I try to stay focussed on posture, stride, core, and free muscles. It is much more tiring because of the mental effort, but I think it has improved how I run. Because of this I think that for me yoga does count as cross training. The poses stretch and strengthen muscles, and the practice of minfulness (which is after all an essential element of yoga) will have a beneficial effect on mental fitness and balance.

The mental side of running and physical fitness is complicated for me. If I'm running lots, as I was last summer, I feel great physically and mentally. Almost invincible. If I feel down then muscles tighten, I get inury problems, get more down because I can't run and my whole well-being spirals down. If I can return to regular yoga practice I hope to keep that negative spiral under control. Easier said than done though- work, children, running the house all need my attention. It's hard to find a quiet place in the day.