VMT?

As I’m stuck on an island in the Atlantic ocean where the biggest road circuit available is 4.6 miles (avoiding running through town that is!) I thought I would make things more interesting (primarily for me) by transferring that mileage and seeing if I could run the distance from Lands End to Broadstairs (furthest West to furthest East in the South of England). But to make it more ‘accessible’ for people following my progress I decided to wend my way left to right calling in on friends and family along the way.

 And on top of that I noticed that “I-Can”, the charity I am running the London marathon for, have affiliated schools across the country with clumps of them in Plymouth, Somerset, Kent and so on, so I decided to call in on them as well, wherever possible. Friends and Schools are red, Daily markers are white and Yellow markers are for the end of each week.

Progress has been good so far with over 60 friends and family having ‘virtual’ doors banged on and twelve schools called in on. I’ve made it through three counties am currently in Mid Somerset. If I’d taken the direct route, I’d be half way between Andover and Basingstoke!!!!! 

But where’s the fun in that!

Just Like The Old Days.....

Having been out with the injury and had a disrupted weeks running with a holiday on the mainland, this week was back to the old routine. Five runs planned with Monday and Friday off to recover. One difference though was adding an extra long run on the Thursday. Monday and Tuesday were uneventful, putting in 4.6 and 6.5 then Thursday was my longest run to date, 11.1. It was smooth, comfortable and quite gratifying as it felt like I was capable of more.

Saturday was different to say the least. The temperature had dropped significantly on the islands and I made the decision to run in jogging trousers. Several times on the circuit and a half I ran in snow flurries and was grateful for the choice when I had finished up.

Then there was today. The plan was for 13.8 miles, three straight circuits of St Marys it was a sunny but chill day and I decided to stick with the usual shorts and running shorts. Circuit one was as it usually is, a bit of a plod and settling in for the first 25 minutes but after Pungies, the rhythm really kicked in. Circuit Two was so comfortable I barely saw it and the final circuit was alright until I got to Sandybanks (about the 12.8 mark) when it started to hurt, but by the time I got to the top of Church Hill, Things had settled down.

So what are the raw stats for me in preparation for VLM 2013. 45 runs. 237.6 miles but only 5 "Long" runs due to injury knocking out 3. Since starting in earnest on 1st January, my weekly milaeage has increased from 23.5 to 42.5.  My pace has increased and I am now marginally outside the marathon aim of 10 minute miles, fro example todays 13.8 should have been in 138 mins but was completed in 142 (240 secs out) and over the course that works out at an additional  17 seconds in every mile. I can take that!

Killer Sounds.

I made two more runs down past Rosevidney and by changing my recovery days, by the end of the week I had got in the desired 5 runs and the weekly mileage wasn't what was in the 'original' plan, but at 31.7 miles for the week, is the second best week I have had this year.

The two follow up runs on the mainland were incident free, though they were a little longer each time.

The strangest thing was, on my return to St Marys on the Saturday, the 6.2 miler I put in felt as though I was starting from scratch. Rather than flowing, I felt every footstep. The energy levels and breathing were fine, but transmitting that to my legs just wasn't working. It was a mental push to do the second lap, but it was by far the better of the two.

Then todays was similar. I had been psyching up to it, got the warm up done and boosted my fluids intake. The first lap was stodgy and dragged, the stiff southerly wind didn't help either. But this time (easing back into it all) I was listening to music and on the second lap I changed it from Muses "2nd Law" to Hard Fi and "Killer Sounds". It was a real boost, I love the drama and gravitas of Muse but the bouncy, lively tracks being fed to me by Hard Fi was much more upbeat and..... relaxing I suppose.

So a day off tomorrow to recover and then back into the sling with another long run chucked in to try and get me back on track.

In terms of my Lands end to Broadstairs tracking, I had been stuck outside Newton Abbot for five days, and after a "Too" early comeback, just outside Chudleigh for nine days. But since getting back into it, I have explored the Devon Coutryside just outside Exeter, looping up to Crediton and back down to the big smoke. All being well, I'll be breaking out of the county next week and going all zig zaggy over Somerset.

Breaking Radio Silence.....

We're on the mainland for a holiday (just a week) my foot has been rested and the cross trainier in the living room has been used to keep some degree of fitness going. My last two runs were on 26th January and the first of February. Both were problematic to one degree or another with pain at the base of my right calf muscle. Now though...... I have been several days without any twinges or feelings of the muscle being "stretched" so this morning I set out into the freezing (literally) air of rural West Cornwall on a very set run. The Aim. to run around 4.5 miles in one hour. Slow by my standards (should take around 46/47 minutes) but with good reason. No rush, no strain, no pressure on the leg. A couple of walking sessions to break it up and an ease back into the punishment to come.

It went well, a lot of it is psychological. I believe that running on a regular basis puts your brain into a lot closer contact with the rest of your body, a kind of "running diagnostic" you can feel and sense different parts working, warming up or doing things they shouldn't... which was probably the downfall to the first start of the run. There was too much thinking and feeling, particularly in the first 20 minutes. But once I reached the 30 minute mark and started the run home, it was a lot more comfortable. Smoother and with more rhythm, it felt like I covered the ground a lot more efficiently.

Just to top it off, I went for a swim at lunchtime and put in a few laps at the leisure centre (I won't mention the KFC we had in the evening though)

Tomorrows effort involves the same route but at a steadier pace from the outset and see if I can cover a greater distance. No pushing though.......... not yet.

Not Happy......

I struggle with plans changing at the best of times, but with a short time scale and a definite deadline I find myself having to adjust my plans and I don't like it..... at all.
 Ultimately though I suppose it is a case of good news/bad news. I saw the doctor today about the strain in my right leg. It had seemed a lot better for the last two days until this afternoon when the tension had returned., but I had already booked in to see the doc so it fitted in nicely.

Good News. It's not my achilles. The strain is too far up to be the achilles, it's much more likely to be the bottom of the calf muscle.

Bad News. The Doc adivises rest, for two to three weeks. Though only rest for that muscle.... if cycling does not stretch it, crack on. I have a break away on the mainland for a week come Saturday (which would have been fine if I had been running ) which could indicate getting back on the road on 16th February and building the mileage up again.

Tonight is a case of planning the way forward, between now and then, how to get back into it and from that point to the 21st April, how to develop a program that will get me round the streets of London in the currently revised time of "Under an Hour"!!!!!

Bugger!