The Road to London Part 3: The March Hare?

Miles and Miles....

March has been a bit of a mixed month, I succumbed to a second bout of the flu mid way through. It seems that no matter how much I try to cross train, look after my diet, sleep etc my immune system is a litle bit shot at the moment.

However, my longer runs have finally increased and are safely between 14-18 miles with a couple of 20 milers and marathon pace efforts thrown in . Race nutrition has been tried and tested and will consist of High 5 Energy gels, the apple flavour being my favourite, so 3 shall be consumed throughout the race....Maybe 4 if I am flagging in the later stages.

If I am being completely honest, I am a little over running at the moment and lacking a little in motivation. I think the excitement of the past 3 months has caught up with me and I now just want to get it over with, next week cannot come fast enough!

As usual, March has still been an eventful month in finalising preparations...Alongside putting in the miles.

Boobie Care

If you are of the fairer sex, a good supportive sports bra is an absolute must, unless of course you wish to sport a fetching pair of Spaniel's ears. Thought not. My weapon of choice is the Shockabsorber Run sports bra. My friend Britta first recommended it to me and pointed me in the direction of the website. This basically scares all females into purchasing a sports bra. Take a look. My other half I am ashamed to say, was particularly interested in this website, you will understand once you take a peek at the 'bounceometer'. The bra differs from any sports bra I have worn in the past in that you are effectively strapping yourself in; there are two clasps to fasten, as opposed to the traditional one. But OMG, it is totally worth it, there is zero movement, the straps do not slip and you are in for a smooth, bouncefree ride.

http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html

Charity Chosen

Although I managed to obtain a coveted ballot place in the VLM, I have decided to still run for a charity. My choice came easy in choosing The MS Society. My Uncle has suffered for years with this disease and I know first hand the effect it can have....I only hope my bright orange vest is delivered in time. If you would like to make a donation and can spare a few pennies, please do so at the below link, your support is much appreciated.

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=EmilyMoll&faId=192422&isTeam=false

Nike ID
I needed some new trainers for race day....Although unfortunately they are yet to arrive. For these I chose the Nike LunarGlide model. They are inbetween a lightweight racing shoe and a normal more structured trainer. The suppport adjusts to your stride with each footstrike. I chose to design these myself using NikeID. Your chosen model appears on screen blank and then you go crazy with the colours. I just hope they arive in time for me to break them in.

Alongside my trainer purchase I also discovered the Nike Core compression range (see the post 'Compress Yourself' for more info on compression). A rather fetching pair of orange, black and grey striped hotpants caught my eye...I thought to myself that they would go perfectly with my Orange MS Society vest. So look out for me race day, I will be head to toe pretty much in orange, so give me a cheer!

I must admit, with one week to go I am getting increasingly nervous. 26.2 miles is a long way to travel on foot, but I am confident that I have done the hard work and I'm sure the crowd will drag me along.....Hopefully in under 4 hours!

I am currently taking bets on how many toe nails I will have left....

The Road to London Part 2: Slowly but Surely

February AKA Base building

After a rather lacklustre January, I am pleased to report that February has been an improvement of almost epic proportions. Unlike last year where I chose to ignore niggles and soldier on, I can proudly say that I have learnt from past mistakes and am now listening to my body. I have an outline training plan, but when my knee begins to ache, rather than running through it, I go to the gym, hop on the bike or put on my skis.....Yes, I am 'training by feel' and for now, it appears to be working.

One thing I have found with incorporating plenty of cross training is that it helps to stave off boredom. I'm not going to lie, sometimes the thought of going on a run now just does not do it for me; my legs already feel tired and often the thought that I have to run double the distance of my longest runs fills me with a feeling of dread and foreboding. The cross training, I believe has helped me to create a balance within my body, avoiding overuse injuries and keep me motivated......Not to mention helping me build a base for my triathlons in the summer.

This month I feel like I can share my varied training plan with my readers:

Week 1:
Sat: Skiing
Sun: Skiing
Mon: 6m steady run / 40mins on indoor bike with 5x1min intervals
Tues: 3.5m steady run
Wed: 4.5m steady run

Week 2:
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5m steady run / 1k swim
Sun: 13m Trail run / 40mins on indoor bike with 5x1min intervals
Mon: 4.5m easy run / Weights
Tues: 6.5m with hills / 1k swim
Wed: 5m steady run
Thur: 6m with 2x 10min tempo efforts / Weights

Week 3:
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest
Sun: 14m Slow distance
Mon: 4m easy run / Weights / 40mins on indoor bike
Tue: Gym
Wed: 6m including 5x 4mins at threshold pace / Weights
Thur: 24m Hilly bike ride / Kettlebell core workout

Week 4:
Fri: Snowshoeing
Sat: Skiing
Sun: 13m Slow distance / Kettlebell core workout
Mon: 4m Easy run
Tues: 6m Steady run
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 6m including 4x 4mins tempo / Weights

FYI, where I state 'Weights', this is upper body only. I no longer do free weight work outs on my legs as I feel they exacebate my knee injury. Instead I prefer to use exercises incorporating my own body weight such as squats or lunges.

Tootsie Blood Bath
Of course, as with January, I feel like I must share my lessons in marathon training with you. My feet look like I have been wading through war trenches. I am currently sporting 3 totally black toe nails, a huge blood blister and numerous other blisters. My feet look a mess and with the warmer weather finally approaching I will still be sporting my faithful Ugg boots, no way am I subjecting the masses to my feet that look akin to something from a horror movie.
                                                    
Thankfully my mum recommended Arnica cream. It is available in most chemists and health food shops. I have started massaging this onto my bruised toes and it appears to be working and calming them down....By this, I mean the toe nails have not fallen off, which is a HUGE bonus and means I may eventually be able to sport a nice pair of peep toes this Spring.

Pancake Power
This month was everyone's favourite (well, mine anyway).....Pancake Day. Alongside the regular lemon and sugar variety I have started consuming more of my friend Felicity's Protein pancakes. With the amount of training I am now undertaking, it is important to consume protein after strenuous activity in order to kick start recovery. The recipe is so simple, delicious and quick to make:

3 Egg whites
1 Yolk
Spoon cottage cheese
Scoop protein powder
Scoop oatmeal
Pinch of cinnamon

Mix all the above together into a smooth batter and fry - I use normal sunflower oil, Felicity used coconut oil. Once browned, remove and smooth on peanut butter and sliced banana....Perfect!

So that's February.....With March, I expect my longer runs to start increasing in distance....Let's just hope the toe nails can hang on....See you next month!

The Road to London Part 1: Winter Blues

January
I am not going to lie, January has been hell. Coming back to full training after a couple of months of doing a whole lot of not much due to my knee injury has been sheer torture...Of epic proportions; for this month signalled the start of my journey to the Virgin London marathon, my 'virgin' race at this distance.

It was clear from the start there was zero chance of my being able to follow a traditional marathon schedule; running 6 times a week for 4 months would spell the death of my knees forever. So I started with baby steps, running 3-4 times a week, supported by a ton of cross training. Running has been supplanted by sweat sessions on the cross trainer, rowing machine, indoor bike rollers and my favourite of all.....Skiing. It is fair to say that at the end of January I had only run a paltry 74 miles; however with plenty of supplementary training, I am confident that I am building a good base of endurance.

Alongside the knee threat, January has been a challenge in Geneva due to the snow, ice and sub zero, freezing temperatures of up to -12. Running in this has not been much fun, although I am sure it will give me some kind of mental edge knowing that I am sadistic enough to carry on regardless. I may look like I am about to commit bank robbery in my balaclava but I'll be damned if a little cold snap is going to stop me in my tracks.

There have been a few things that have helped me get through the tough month of January:   
                                  
Seasonal Sniffles
For one week I had a stinking cold that turned into flu, which obviously put paid to my training as my days were spent sleeping and generally moping around feeling sorry for myself. I honestly think I would not have survived without either Neocitran or Mebucaine...My winter medicine of choice. Neocitran is a hot liquid medicine that treats all symptoms of flu including headaches, sore throat, runny nose, body aches...You name it. If it were possible, I would have had this on an intravenous drip as I instantly felt relieved the moment I drank some. To supplement this, I also self medicated with Mebucaine throat lozenges in mint flavour to help my scratchy sore throat. I know some people will just tough it out when they have the flu....Not me, I am weak and all about the drugs.

Body Armour
As aforementioned, the sub zero temperatures were unbearable in January, although they were a lot more bearable when I wore Odlo's thermal underwear. In particular I cannot rave enough about their 'Extra Warm' leggings. These have gone under everything from work trousers, running tights to salopettes. They are without doubt the best thermals I have ever purchased and I fully believe that by wearing them they have helped my knee as it always acts up in the cold. Skiing in Morzine in -30 was a walk in the park with these babies.
                                  
I have also fallen in love with their new 'Evolution' range and wear these under running jackets and on the mountains. They make such a difference, and both are wicking so the sweat is taken away from your body and they help regulate your temperature. Go buy...

Face facts
I can only cover so much of my body and often the bit that is left exposed to the elements is my face (when not using the balaclava). As a result it tends to get a bit of a battering by the elements. Lucky then that my lovely sister works for Clarins and gave me their face treatment oil for dry skin. I'm not going to lie, often my face is so red and dry to the stage where it almost looks scaly; which I am the first to admit, is not a good look. This seems to calm it down and feels pretty luxurious. I tend to slather it on at night and sleep in it. Definitely a skin saviour in the winter months.
 
A Little Light Reading
My motivation tends to flag a little at the beginning of the year. To try and overcome this and get some much needed inspiration I read Andy Holgate's 'Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run'. It's a pretty good read and has the tag line 'From common man to Ironman'. It basically tells the story of Andy's adventures into the world of triathlon culminating in competing in the holy grail of competitions: Ironman. It reads more like a fictional story and has some amusing snippets that many athletes will be able to relate to, mine being acclimatising to clipless pedals and failing to disengage your foot in time.....Culminating in a nasty and embasrrasing fall to the ground with there being nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable.


So that was my January journey into marathon training.....Let's hope February is a whole lot better!

Planning Ahead

2012....The Year of Challenges

Well, I can safely say that I am happy with my 2011 season - I ran 3 half marathons, my first ever in March this year, and competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon. The rest of the season was peppered with other various races ranging from 5ks to sprint triathlons. The only fly in the ointment is that I am sitting here typing this blog post in rehab.

Injury....The bain of any athletes life has crept up on me (see previous blog) and I now have the arduous task of getting back to full fitness. I can happily say that I am running again although this is very easy runs, no speedwork pour moi until the new year.

I order to make myself feel better and to provide me with some much needed motivation to get off the sofa, I have begun planning my 2012 Race calendar. I am so incredibly precious about this, it is my own holy grail, and a lot of time and effort goes into both seeking out races.....and the accompanying hard slog to be able to actually compete.

2012 will definitely be the year of endurance events for me as I plan to run my first full marathon, Ironman 70.3 and Ultramarathon. Needless to say I will need to ensure that I do plenty of cross training. Rest will also play a big part as I tend to be a little overly competitive with myself and end up neglecting this.....hence my current injury status!

When planning my season I divide it into races of 3 categories; A,B and C.

The A races are those events where I will direct my training efforts, they are my main goals for the season and whereby my training will be tailored to gradually progress towards these. A races should be scheduled at least 10 weeks apart.

B races are treated as training events whereby I would still like a good performance e.g. a 10k PB. They are warm up events to the big performance and can be treated as time trials or events that will ultimately help contribute to the A race performance.

C races are just races or events I enjoy doing but are not specifically goal or performance related. I find that the odd local C race on the spur of the moment helps keep me on my toes and provides a little motivation when there is a slight lull in the race season.

So, without further ado....Here is my draft 2012 season:

A Races
22 April: Virgin London Marathon
3 June: Iron Man 70.3 Switzerland
13 October: Norfolk Coastal Ultramarathon (62 miles)

B Races

19 February: Stradsett Park Winter Duathlon

4 March: Paris Half Marathon

1 July: Norwich Sprint Triathlon

7 July: Vallee De Joux Sprint Triathlon

22 July: Geneva Sprint Triathlon

2 September: North Norfolk Olympic Triathlon

28 October: Lausanne Half Marathon

C Races

18 March: Tour De Presinge 10k

1 April: Course des Ponts

27 May: Cyclotour du Leman (120k bike)

I hope this post has given you some inspiration....What are your goals for 2012?

Lesson Learnt Part Deux: Ouch, That Hurt...

Don't ignore the Niggle...

Picture the scene, I am warmed up after a 2 mile jog,  stretching and drills and have set off on my first 800m rep on the track. Then after around 20m something in my right leg snaps and I am left hobbling the 2 miles home in excruciating pain. A simple muscle pull you might say. No. Lesson learnt the hard way.... I ignored the cardinal rule of all runners; I had a niggle in my right knee and instead of resting I took it upon myself to ignore and soldier on, thinking I knew best. Big mistake.

This happened almost a fortnight ago and after a few days of the ritual of ice, heat, elevation and rest, it was no better. I was getting both worried and increasingly fed up through not being able to train. My weekend was spent cooped up, not leaving the house with my leg propped up on a cushion resting on the coffee table . I have single handly increased sales of Voltaren through the application of heat patches and massaging the gel religiously into my aching joint.

The pain itself appeared to move and was not isolated in one area alone. It ranged from a shooting pain up my quadricep to an ache deep in my knee, the side of my knee and when I did venture out on a recon short trip, the back of my knee. It is pretty much the most frustrating injury to happen to me in a while, but also the most worrying. At the age of 14 I had a lot of scar tissue removed from the same joint due to running competitively at club and county level since the age of 11. My biggest fear was that this old injury had reared its ugly head and would possibly put me out of action for good.

Cabin fever had well and truly set in. I needed a professional. I found Dr Pierre Huwiler on an Expat Chatroom for Sports Specialists in Geneva. I explained my history and he ran some quick exercise and joint tests before promptly sending me down for a number of X rays. He examined these for what felt like hours but in reality was probably 10 seconds before concluding it was not a bone injury. I have never felt happier in my life, nor was it ligament damage. OMGGGGG, I have never felt so relieved. My diagnosis was severe acute inflammation and I was ordered further rest, a 10 day course of industrial stength anti inflammatories, of which I am only allowed 1 per day and a follow up appointment. If I wasn't in so much pain I would have skipped out of the clinic, such was my joy.

Let this be a warning to all of you....If you have a niggle or an ache that does not feel quite right, DO NOT ignore it, just take a rest day. I should have known better really as I did a 20 mile bike on Saturday with some steep hills thrown in, 11 mile hilly trail run on the Sunday then a 6 mile tempo run on the Monday. The previous week I set a PB at the Lausanne Half Marathon. I clearly did too many strenuous work outs and too little rest, when I could have probably done without going to the track on Tuesday. But no, I chose to ignore and am now writing this blog as a cautionary tale.

Take heed of my advice readers....The odd rest day when you feel a little out of sorts is not going to make a difference, if anything it will probably make you stronger. And 1 day is better than the enforced 2 weeks I am currently suffering...

Hit the Trails Jack

Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.....

Autumn is, without doubt my favourite season. The leaves turing a myriad of colours, roasted chestnuts, Halloween, Bonfire night, chunky jumpers, comfort food, curling up against a log fire and.....trail running. I love nothing more than running out on a crisp cool Autumn morning and hitting the trails, getting dirty, breathing in the clean cool air and taking in the changes of the seasons around me.

My golden rule is that I leave my IPod at home. It is one of the few occasions where I prefer the autumnal chorus of the leaves crunching beneath each footstep, the birds in the trees and the sound of the cowbells in the fields, having made the journey down from the mountains. I know it sounds incredibly corny but nothing beats being alone with your thoughts running through a forest or open field. Sometimes I find myself having run a couple of miles not thinking of anything or worrying about problems back in the real world. It is pure escapism for the duration.

At school I absolutely adored cross country and was probably one of the few who did not use my time attempting to find shortcuts on the course in the hope Mrs Baker, the PE teacher would still see you on the course as she made her way on the trail in a counter clockwise direction.

Wind, rain or snow, I am happy on the trails. To be honest, alongside general enjoyment I find it gives me a pscychological edge. When the going gets tough in a race, I cast my mind back to a particularly hilly trail run or being battered by the cold wind on an open field, and it helps me push through the pain as I know I have faced far tougher conditions.

Although I don't take my IPod, I simply have to take my IPhone with GPS. Purely because I have zero sense of direction and I like the feeling of just running, not knowing your destination and exploring new surroundings. Taking my GPS enables me to do this without the worry that I will get lost.

Another piece of kit I cannot do without is my Salomon XA trail shoes. I find these indispensable as they are tough and able to cope with slippery terrain such as wet leaves or mud slides and are waterproof. This is particularly important as if you are heading out onto trails with normal trainers you may aswell be wearing wellies, as they become heavy and cumbersome pretty quickly.


Alongside being out in nature, there are many added benefits of trail running:

Upping Mileage Safely
Running along trails or on soft ground helps you up your running mileage without the added stress of constant pounding on the pavements, therefore minimising the impact on your joints. During a 5 mile run, a runner's legs will hit the ground approximately 8,000 times, transmitting a force equivalent to 3-4 times a runner's body weight. This force is reduced when running on softer surfaces such as trails or grass radically reducing the risk of impact related injuries.

Boredom Prevention
Running along the trails will prevent you from becoming bored with your running routine. Even if you run the same trail you can guarantee that there will be slight nuances each time you run it, as dictated by the changing seasons or even being chased by a yappy terrier...

Core Benefits
Your core stability is improved. Running along trails provides a dynamic running envirinment requiring  constant changes of movement and reactions to uneven ground, surface etc. All the time you are shifting your centre of gravity, stimulating and strengthening the core muscles and reducing your risk of injury.


Increased Leg Strength
Leg strength is increased through the varying terrain and inevitability of a few hills being present on any trail run. Sports scientists have shown that the greatest increases in leg strength come from hill running (both up and downhill). This overload causes muscle fibres to increase in diameter creating a stronger muscle.

Your legs get a fantastic workout as the variety of surface challenges your ankles, calves and shins helping to strengthen them. Pushing through soft ground works your calves much harder than taking off from a firm surface. Running downhill also works the muscles down the front of your lower leg, as these provide some of your breaking power.

So what are you waiting for.... Hit those trails!

If you are stuck for ideas or places to go or even worried about getting lost, here are a few ideas:

National Trust marked trails
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/

Parkrun 5k events held throughout the UK and selected countries in local parks. These are free to participate in and a great introduction to running offroad.
http://www.parkrun.com/home


The Northface TrailHead App. This helps you search and find trail runs in your area. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trailhead/id380841551?mt=8

Talkin' Bout a (Barefoot) Revolution

You better Run Run Run Run Run.....

I am well aware of the massive hype surrounding the so-called barefoot revolution and how we should go back to nature in the way we run etc etc. I have been slightly reticent due to the fact that I am pretty much flat footed and a hideous overpronator due to an old ankle injury picked up at a netball match back in high school. However, like most things, I am willing to give it a try.

Therefore for my birthday, my lovely sister Grace brought me a pretty pair of black and blue Nike Free Run 2's. My first thoughts on pulling them out of the box was that they are an injury waiting to happen due to the seemingly lack of support and also how light they are, almost weightless....Possibly a PB waiting to happen...A double-edged sword if you will.

I love new trainers. Possibly one of the best things ever. Nothing quite beats the feeling of slipping on a brand new pair of trainers and going for that first virgin run. The Nike Free were no different. I have had to ease my way slowly into them, only using them once, twice at the most per week as I will be darned if I get injured after all the hard work I have put in over the summer. Last week I decided to go for it. I never do enough tempo runs and thought I may as well bare the pain; it will only make me faster. I slipped on the Nike Free and off I went on a 6 mile run.

I intended to take it easy-ish with all my mile splits under 9 minutes. There were a few hills and I would just have to allow for a few slower miles. However, this did not seem to happen. For some reason, my feet felt divorced from my body and I was clocking sub 8'30 miles, strange I thought but I felt good. Before I knew it I was going under 8 minute miles and culminating in a 47 minute run. Obviously I broke out into a sweat but I could have gone for longer and / or faster. Hmmmmmmmm.

So as you can see, I am now a convert to this new fad. The shoes definitely make you run in an all together different technique, with more emphasis on the forefoot. However, this economy of technique creates a faster stride. But like most new things, be careful and ease your way into barefoot running, switching between your normal shoes and your new ones or else you risk injury.

A little more info on the Barefoot Phenomenon...

Research has shown that more than  5mm  between the toe and heel of a running shoe will have a negative effect on your biomechanics. Natural running means running as your body was designed to move. The evolution of the running shoe has resulted in heavy, built-up and technology-laden models that prevent your body from functioning as it should. Basically, the heavier your shoes, the more energy you expend.

Minimalist running shoes will let your foot function as closely as possible to the way it should. Wearing them will wake up the muscles in the foot and lower legs, which are pretty much dormant when moving in normal trainers.

The barefoot phenomenon has many guises; minimalist / barefoot / forefoot. This type of running is not for everyone but I definitely feel it is worth investigating. Ease yourself into it. No change in running form is without risk; my Illiotibial band (ITB) on my right leg was pretty sore after my first outing, but this was remedied by my faithful tennis ball. Likewise, my boyfriend complained his calves ached after wearing his - these types of niggles are to be expected with barefoot shoes as the muscles are being wakened up and stretched more than when wearing traditional footwear. The body is just adjusting to the new sensation.

So what are you waiting for....Get on the Barefoot band wagon...