Disappointing dreich week (Week 7 - 24 to go)

Oh I'm beginning to love Saturdays – no training – however lots of housework to do, so no rest for the wicked as they say.  And still playing catch up with the chores on Sunday I only managed a 50 minute bike ride and it was getting quite late, good job I had my lights

Evening bike ride

Monday I had planned on sneaking in a short run, but after being outside in the rain all day, I just couldn't face getting wet again and successfully talked myself out of it.  However I really think I would have been better just getting on with it as I spent all evening feeling guilty about it.  I wouldn't mind but it was an extra run to the plan.

Tuesday and the regular coaching session, which is on the road now the evenings are so dark, I think we are becoming a regular feature on Lamlash prom, pounding up and down with our timed reps.

No training on Wednesday albeit a busy day work wise, finally finishing just after 9pm and then getting my kit ready to take with me in the morning for the planned Thursday afternoon long run.

Goatfell summit
 Watson shelters behind a rock for his treat, blowing a hoolie
 and the 'mist' is lashing rain!

Thursday’s long run this week was another jaunt up Goatfell.  The rain was lashing and it was quite windy at the bottom, so I knew it would be gale force at the top – not the best of starts.  But off I set.  My uphill running is still excruciatingly slow and I suffer with my calves seizing up, having to walk after a short time.  But I persevered battling the elements and I am sure someone added an extra bit in the middle, it seemed to take forever to gain the height this week, finally reaching the top I only hung around long enough to put on an extra layer (an take a quick pic) for the colder downhill run.  At least I knew I would be a lot faster on this bit. Wind and rain continued to batter us and I have to say I was glad to get down but totally disappointed with my time.  It’s 4 weeks since I last went up and the time was the same – no improvement. Oh well, at least I did it.

Friday teatime run on a dark trail

Friday despite the bloody awful weather (more wind & rain) I did stick to the plan and manage a short recovery run, so I might treat myself to a beer tonight.

Next week I hope to step it up a bit and add in another training session – really must get out on my bike a bit more and I need to keep the runs up, so the only solution is to do more. Now I just have to find the time.

Weeks activity 21^st – 27th  November:

Saturday – No training

Sunday – MTB 50 minutes hilly.

Monday – No training

Tuesday – Coaching session 5.5km

Wednesday – No training

Thursday – Goatfell (not race route) 11.3 km Height gain 842m

Friday – Recovery run 4km / Height gain134m

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

Running with Watson (Week 6 - 25 to go)

Watson with his medal

 What a week, after a poor showing last week things got off to a much better start on Sunday as I had entered into a Canicross race with Watson.  If you've never heard of Canicross, it’s a spin off from husky sledding, but with the runner and dog attached to each other with harnesses and a bungee line.

Queue to start - fast runners first

All shapes and sizes of dogs (and people) participate, and there are great junior classes and short courses for the youngsters, male and female, single and two dog categories. Races have staggered starts, usually with 10 – 15 seconds between each runner, to reduce the amount of overtaking and hopefully stop dog lines getting tangled.  So the fastest runners start first and I'm way at the back! All the routes are cross country, often very muddy and some have water obstacles to negotiate and often small hills.  This weekend’s route was just very slippy mud with lovely woodland trails and a couple of very minor undulations!

Staggered starts

The aim is for the dog to pull and take commands which way to go – which often isn't the most obvious path -  a challenge as dogs work mostly from visual cues and as the runner is behind they have to really listen.

Some dogs are just bigger than others!

But let me say, it doesn't always work quite like it should.  Watson likes to have a sniff along the way, and sometimes a poo (this has to be collected and left with the next marshal).  But he is quite smart, he loves to pull on the twisty trails, downhill and for the last 200m when everyone is watching.  Watson did great and for a change we didn't have the slowest time – maybe that was the new trainers – and it set us up for a good week.

Running with two dogs

Tuesday was the usual training night, dark cold and lashing with rain there was some discussion about using the sports hall, however we stuck with outside.  A good warm up, some agility and a different set of intervals – this time 1 minute fast / 1 minute recovery – soon racked up the heart rate.

Watson getting a fuss after the race

Thursday, I stuck with my plan of a longer run, again in lashing rain interspersed with hail, we set off around the Brodick Castle forest trails.  We negotiated a couple of trees that had fallen across the path and had to give what is usually a small burn a little more respect as it had turned into a raging torrent.  Long jump was never my strong point so landing knee deep in freezing water kept me moving. But a respectable 11.5 k later and a good bit of height gain (steeper sections walked) I was happy to go home for a hot shower.

New trainers - before the race

Trainers after the race

And today was a recovery run that felt great until I stopped, so I've now got an ice pack on my leg and contemplating a glass of wine.  Oh well it's a rest day tomorrow.

Thursday's very wet run

Weeks activity 14^th – 20th  November:

Saturday – No training

Sunday –  5.5km Canicross race

Monday – No training

Tuesday –Coaching session, 5.84km more intervals / agility.

Wednesday – No training

Thursday – Hilly trails 11.43km, 440m height gain.

Friday -  5.19km, recovery run.

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

The 3 A's (Week 5 - 26 to go)

Running up Glen Rosa during storm Abigail

The weekend went from bad to worse; Bowser pulled a Houdini act and hitched a ride to the vets in a police car, which was promptly followed by his vomiting the scavenged (presumed) road kill and then I was exposed to one of my major allergens, I won’t go into the ins and outs of dealing with this, suffice to say I felt quite smug at how well I’d coped both physically & emotionally.

Sunday dawned and I was keen to get out for the planned trail run with the group.  All started well, with a few of the runners asking where my blog was - I’d forgotten to post the latest instalment on the running groups facebook page - and the usual warm up followed.  The planned route was a short steady up, long down and then back up the big hill – a route I've done many times and didn't faze me at all.  And off we all set feeling very relaxed.  So bang right out of the blue within the first 5 minutes my heart rate raced, breathing became erratic and my body went into panic mode. 

This is a significant step up from anxiety, you know the sort, pre-race nerves that make you dash to the loo 50 times, jiggle up and down, talk a lot, increase the heart rate and generally get the adrenaline going.  It’s not even the next stage of hyperventilation.  This was the racing heart, dizziness, hot, nausea, ragged breathing and trembling type of attack – allergy or panic the symptoms are very similar.  And to be honest it’s quite scary.  I'm generally quite a strong character and kept telling myself to calm down, slow my breathing (it was like another person on my shoulder saying this).  Stopping to remove layers (I know from previous experience the best thing for me is to get cold) I gradually calmed down, the days run was over for me.  The group by this time was quite a way ahead and I couldn't turn round without letting someone know so I slowly continued down the hill  knowing that Laura (our fab trainer) would do one of her usual loops back through all the runners.  I was still very shaky so she walked me back up the hill and we chatted about the possible causes (likely to be a combination of factors mainly allergies) and what to do if it happens again – especially if I'm out on my own.

Home and dry it left me pretty wiped out for the rest of the day and then I found I was surprisingly anxious about Tuesdays session – Should I have a longer rest? Would it happen again? Was it the running? Could I carry on with the challenge?  But all went well although I was quite kind to myself and didn't push it too hard until the second half of the session and felt really pleased to actually do the whole thing without collapsing again!

Back on track, Abigail arrived to upset my plan of a long run on Thursday afternoon.  Trying to find off road long runs without trees is a challenge in itself, so I settled on a short run up Glen Rosa, nice and gentle  as I knew the wind and rain would make it hard enough (still being kind to myself). Watson loves the Glen – he always manages to find something incredibly smelly to roll in and today was no exception, but at least he didn't set off after the large stag that crossed our path.

Storm Abigail persisted throughout Friday, bringing strong winds, lashing rain and hail and a bit of thunder, so I just pounded the pavement for a measly 3.5 k.

And the 3 A’s – Allergy, Anxiety and Abigail.

Weeks activity 7^th – 13th  November:

Saturday – No training

Sunday –  An allergic 3.54km – run abandoned.

Monday – No training

Tuesday – Anxious Coaching session, actually clocked up 6.77km!

Wednesday – No training

Thursday – Running against Abigail, 4.5k, 76m height gain.

Friday -  Abigail persists and brought along Hail, a measly 3.49km on the road.

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

On coming last (Week 4 - 27 to go).

I've set out to do this challenge in the full knowledge I am likely to come last (this totally assumes I WILL finish), so some may find this a little demoralising.  However coming last isn't all that bad. I've done a few short races (cani-cross and ruff dugger) and happily know I am only running against my own time and no one else's.  It also means I often run with a full support team at my heels as they follow the last runner in, so should I need assistance they will be on hand, it also encourages me to keep running no matter how slow.

Coming last with a support team behind!

The only thing I find frustrating is the inability to keep running up hill - does it get any easier? Thursday's long run had a good amount of up and I set off well but as the steepness increased my legs and lungs refused to work together, despite trying all the techniques I've been taught.  So again I walked parts, this time trying for 100 paces slow run / 100 paces fast walk.  My calves objected but I reached my target point and then just added some mileage along the tracks.  The distances are getting easier and I seem to be able to get into a rhythm so all is not bad.

The weather takes a turn for the worse 

The weather however took a turn for the worse and the rain was fairly persistent, so I now have a house full of wet kit and I found the wet rocks difficult on the faster downs, especially as there are a lot of leaves around. And I'm not convinced on the benefit of a waterproof jacket as most rain seemed to run down my neck.

Really great views!

Weeks activity 31^st October - 6^th November:

Saturday – No training

Sunday –  MTB session, hilly out for 50 minutes.

Monday – No training

Tuesday – Coaching session, intervals, lunges, squats and various other exercises.  Finding these sessions tough so they must be doing me good.

Wednesday – No training

Thursday – Hills & tracks 10.73km / 354m height gain.  Disappointed at my uphill efforts, but really pleased to get over the 10k distance.

Friday -  Short hilly walk (feeling yesterdays efforts).

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)