Not a great weekend of miles!
A trip to see friends up north meant a rushed 10 miler on Saturday morning and a hangover on Sunday...
The problem is the six nations rugby, and watching Wales games with friends. It's a great evening out and although I've managed this very well so far this campaign, the wheels fell of slightly for the Irish game.
Sunday's mild hangover meant a rest day, and so Monday becomes long miles night this week.
'Luckily' the french match is late on this coming saturday, and more importantly after the Rhayader 20. I'm hoping to make it to the pub but all will depend on whether i can walk or not after 20 miles of tough terrain.
I've had some advice to 'just get around' this daunting race and some who say that I should tackle it head-on. It's a long enough gap until London, but going flat out may harm the ability to do some decent training next week. Decisions decisions, but fact is I'm still at 15 miles for the long runs and so I simply have to do this race!
Weekly mileage is around the 40mile mark these days. A bit low compared to some, but I am getting out almost every day now and am feeling pretty good with a bit of spring in my legs..
Luckliy Burgess also succumbed to a few beers aswell which perked me up no end. I'm also plucking up the courage (gradually) to see the physio again. I need a full leg massage, problem is that I know this could well be the single most painful experience of my life (including walking on an upturned plug) , and I'm paying for it.
Time to train.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Monday, 7 March 2011
Ouch, pass the Vaseline...
Only half a weeks running these past seven days, due to the annual Ystwyth Cycling Club Bunkhouse weekend. Wouldn't miss that for the world and so it was; four hours a day for three days in the mountains of Snowdonia, basing ourselves at Betws y Coed.
The Swallow Falls YHA comfortably accomodated all 20 or so Ystwyth riders and I wasn't the only runner taking a break from the dreaded trainers...Phoebe Webster was also in attendance, still on her road to recovery from a hamstring/sciatica problem. It didn't seem to stop her, especially on the climbs where she competed pretty much on equal footing to the lads.
Anyway, it was hardly a holiday as the Ystwyth lads are only a week away from the racing season and so the pace was pretty serious. After many weeks of purely running I was pedalling squares on the Friday and lost touch with my group between Bala and Cerigyddrudion (we faced a stiff headwind both ways on the upward and return legs). By saturday I had recovered well and enjoyed the ride which took in Llanberis, Caernarfon, Pwllheli, Cricceth, Tremadog, Bethgelert and back to Betws. Sunday's return through Blaina Ffestiniog was another hard yet stunning ride with the weather being very kind to us all weekend.
Pics will be available on http://www.ystwythcc.org/ later this week.
The last thing Dan Burgess said to me on our Thursday night suffer session was 'don't fall off your bike'. I kept to my word, although the same could not be said once we stepped into the cafe in Bala. On approach to the toilets, i didn't see the subtle transition from carpet to painted concrete floor around the side of the counter. My cleated shoes couldn't cope with the camber either and I then did a good imitation of the bad guys in Home Alone 2 when they stepped on the marbles. Luckily I landed on my windjacket which was packed up in my rear jersey pocket - result = soft landing & releif /embarrasment all round.
Not riding for so long had left some areas a tad unprepared for the rigores of riding in the saddle, and left me cursing the fact that i had no chamois cream or vaseline!
Last weeks runs were generally ok apart from the Thursday night 9 miler at marathon pace. Burgess opened up his secret turbine which he'd been hiding for the past few weeks. It blew myself and Ian away on the prom. Impressive stuff and so I was somewhat releived when his text the next day mentioned something about not being able to walk properly :-)
The Swallow Falls YHA comfortably accomodated all 20 or so Ystwyth riders and I wasn't the only runner taking a break from the dreaded trainers...Phoebe Webster was also in attendance, still on her road to recovery from a hamstring/sciatica problem. It didn't seem to stop her, especially on the climbs where she competed pretty much on equal footing to the lads.
Anyway, it was hardly a holiday as the Ystwyth lads are only a week away from the racing season and so the pace was pretty serious. After many weeks of purely running I was pedalling squares on the Friday and lost touch with my group between Bala and Cerigyddrudion (we faced a stiff headwind both ways on the upward and return legs). By saturday I had recovered well and enjoyed the ride which took in Llanberis, Caernarfon, Pwllheli, Cricceth, Tremadog, Bethgelert and back to Betws. Sunday's return through Blaina Ffestiniog was another hard yet stunning ride with the weather being very kind to us all weekend.
Pics will be available on http://www.ystwythcc.org/ later this week.
The last thing Dan Burgess said to me on our Thursday night suffer session was 'don't fall off your bike'. I kept to my word, although the same could not be said once we stepped into the cafe in Bala. On approach to the toilets, i didn't see the subtle transition from carpet to painted concrete floor around the side of the counter. My cleated shoes couldn't cope with the camber either and I then did a good imitation of the bad guys in Home Alone 2 when they stepped on the marbles. Luckily I landed on my windjacket which was packed up in my rear jersey pocket - result = soft landing & releif /embarrasment all round.
Not riding for so long had left some areas a tad unprepared for the rigores of riding in the saddle, and left me cursing the fact that i had no chamois cream or vaseline!
Last weeks runs were generally ok apart from the Thursday night 9 miler at marathon pace. Burgess opened up his secret turbine which he'd been hiding for the past few weeks. It blew myself and Ian away on the prom. Impressive stuff and so I was somewhat releived when his text the next day mentioned something about not being able to walk properly :-)
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Super Kev!
Last weeks massage did the trick. I can now run fairly normally, as in not 'like a geriatric'. Dan may disagree, but in all honesty I've been feeling alot better over the past few days. Kevin the physio's mastery at his Pain Factory certainly seems to be working!
I smashed out a speed session on the hotel treadmill in Milton Keynes last Tuesday then some enforced rest due to work & travel meant I had to put in a heavy weekend to make sure the week wasn't a complete washout. Saturday's 8 miler brushed away the cobwebs and Sunday's long Llanilar run was difficult for altogether different reasons.
Being that the previous day/night was Mr Burgess' 21st birthday AND Wales v Italy...both of us were a tad worse for wear and totally under motivated at 10am on Sunday morning. This was thanks in part to Dan's birthday celebrations at the Farmers in Llanfihangel where the wine did flow, especially as it was on the back of an afternoon at the Castle Hotel watching Wales hold out in Rome against a tough Italian team.
Another discovery this week - SiS Rego Nocte. Although it sounds like a fuelling system for NASCAR, it is a nightime recovery drink designed to aid recovery by improving sleep and restore all the usual protein, vitamin & minerals. I haven't bothered with too much sports nutrition so far, just a bit of protein after long runs and the odd gel during, but I woke up this morning feeling much better than usual. No hobbling off to brush my teeth, i walked normally for the first time in weeks, and the spring in my step is returning!
So far so good, and so I'll keep using this stuff for as Mark Cavendish says - 'Marginal Gains'!
I smashed out a speed session on the hotel treadmill in Milton Keynes last Tuesday then some enforced rest due to work & travel meant I had to put in a heavy weekend to make sure the week wasn't a complete washout. Saturday's 8 miler brushed away the cobwebs and Sunday's long Llanilar run was difficult for altogether different reasons.
Being that the previous day/night was Mr Burgess' 21st birthday AND Wales v Italy...both of us were a tad worse for wear and totally under motivated at 10am on Sunday morning. This was thanks in part to Dan's birthday celebrations at the Farmers in Llanfihangel where the wine did flow, especially as it was on the back of an afternoon at the Castle Hotel watching Wales hold out in Rome against a tough Italian team.
Another discovery this week - SiS Rego Nocte. Although it sounds like a fuelling system for NASCAR, it is a nightime recovery drink designed to aid recovery by improving sleep and restore all the usual protein, vitamin & minerals. I haven't bothered with too much sports nutrition so far, just a bit of protein after long runs and the odd gel during, but I woke up this morning feeling much better than usual. No hobbling off to brush my teeth, i walked normally for the first time in weeks, and the spring in my step is returning!
So far so good, and so I'll keep using this stuff for as Mark Cavendish says - 'Marginal Gains'!
Friday, 25 February 2011
Update
Almost forgot to mention - I've nominated a charity for the Marathon - Crohns & Colitis UK. Since emailing a few bike industry contacts and all the members of Ystwyth CC, i've raised £320 so far with more promised. http://www.justgiving.com/shelleychilds
I didn't expect this and so thanks very much to all who have sent in some donations.
PS - Dan has apparently raised the stakes in the Sweatband war, coming up with an all-brown number. I'll have to see it to beleive it!
I didn't expect this and so thanks very much to all who have sent in some donations.
PS - Dan has apparently raised the stakes in the Sweatband war, coming up with an all-brown number. I'll have to see it to beleive it!
Monday, 21 February 2011
Battle of the sweatbands...
Dan Burgess has been donning a sweatband straight from Wimbledon 1981 over the past few weeks, suggesting that I also wear something similar for the big event.
After some delving in my box of 1990's cycling gear that I forgot to throw out, I came across what I was looking for, a luminous green, yellow and pink Assos sweatband that would look better on Jane Fonda's head in one of her fitness videos.
So the challenge has been met. We can both now look as stupid as each other on our training runs.
Last week was tough (ain't they all?), I must have pushed it a little too much in the Tregaron half as my legs were in bits till the end of the week. I brought up the rear on a few of the Tuesday night efforts and even after a rest day, I was 10 minute miling on Thursday.
The calf muscles are not happy and so after Sunday's 15 miler, I booked a massage today and must say that despite the severe pain as the physio dug in, he seems to have freed up a lot of the knots and grizzle that he says has accumulated over the past few weeks. I guess I'll need to go back a few more times to keep the injuries away.
Time to get the grizzle back.
After some delving in my box of 1990's cycling gear that I forgot to throw out, I came across what I was looking for, a luminous green, yellow and pink Assos sweatband that would look better on Jane Fonda's head in one of her fitness videos.
So the challenge has been met. We can both now look as stupid as each other on our training runs.
Last week was tough (ain't they all?), I must have pushed it a little too much in the Tregaron half as my legs were in bits till the end of the week. I brought up the rear on a few of the Tuesday night efforts and even after a rest day, I was 10 minute miling on Thursday.
The calf muscles are not happy and so after Sunday's 15 miler, I booked a massage today and must say that despite the severe pain as the physio dug in, he seems to have freed up a lot of the knots and grizzle that he says has accumulated over the past few weeks. I guess I'll need to go back a few more times to keep the injuries away.
Time to get the grizzle back.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Gwaeth Caled!
Last week was a toughie! Lots of runs with me, myself and I, what with missing club night due to work commitments, and Dan also away on a romantic Spa break in Bath.
I hauled my creaking carcass around town on the Monday after our mammouth 1hr 45min run on the Sunday. It complained like an old diesel in winter but with Tuesday off it meant Wednesdays speed work would at least be done fairly fresh. I have noticed that my recovery time is improving as the weeks go by, but Thursdays marathon pace 8 miler was painful for the first 4, but surprisingly sprightly for the final lap, which was nice!
With Sundays Tregaron half marathon looming, I cheated on Friday by taking the day off. After two hard sessions, I simply didn't feel up to it. I guess i would have forced myself had Sunday not been a race, but I justified it by telling myself I'd race hard on Sunday.
After a casual 5 miler on saturday with the Mrs doing a farly good impression of Mickey from the Rocky films, riding her bicycle alongside me, I headed to Tregaron on Sunday morning for a welcome return to the blue, yellow & black vest.
This would be my first race since the Teifi 10 last April and so I was both looking forward to it and yet had a tinge of nerves, because I guess it was a proper race!
I was a complete wimp whilst warming up, after deciding it was blinking freezing i put some thermals on to the disgust of Mr Burgess who told me in no uncertain terms to man-up. This i duly did and so it became a vest only affair. It was the correct choice as within a mile of the start, i was both warm & wet. The thermal vest would have weighed me down no end.
Aber AC had a good turnout on the day, with Dave P, Lou, Steve, Goronwy, Bridget, Clive, Ian, Paul Rose, John Evs, Maureen Pritchard, Dan & myself all taking to the start line.
It was raining, pretty cold but there was little wind and so the conditions were slightly poor yet not crazy.
As the gun went, Dave was soon in the second select group, behind the front three Sarn Helen runners with Lou, Ian, Dan & myself in a strung out third cluster of runners.
We stayed together until the right hander off the main road onto the back road towards Swyddfynon at around two miles, after which i found my climbing legs and started catching some guys up ahead. The next six miles was a ding dong between me and three others with Burgess yoyoing off the back yet making amazing returns to the group on the downhills. The race was on, and I was finding that I was getting clear / making up ground on the uphills but losing out downhill, apart from to a bloke from TROTS who despite walking up all the hills, managed to stay at the front of our group??? He must have a very special walking technique!
Onto the Cors Caron and I was mid-race scalped by the first lady. Both she and Mr TROTS looked good and I concluded that they were going for a sub 1hr 30. Some quick Cliff Thomas style mathematical equations were then done to ascertain the situation with four miles to go and it was an outside chance. I'd have to sub 6.40 the last four miles tho!
With a mile and a half left my Garmin was telling me it was off, as the girl & Mr TROTS must have miscalculated! Sheesh, to come this far and not get it would have been disappointing. I passed 12 miles at 1.22.45, meaning the last 1.1 would need to be done in 7.15! I was fed up of finishing both running races and cycle races on the wrong side of important time splits, and so I fired the emergency generator up and squinted my face and went as fast as I possibly could. The vague blur ahead was the long straight road into Tregaron from Bont. There should be a PA caravan there somewhere but I couldn't see it. It was further on than I remembered, darn it, keep sprinting. There was black smoke in the engine room by this point but as the big timing board came into view, it was displaying nice things, namely 1.29.45 as I crossed the line.
I'll take that for a first race after injury, and hopefully on a flatter course, I can work towards a better PB in future.
As the rest of us finished, we all headed to the Rugby club for a well deserved bowl of Cawl and to applaud the winners of the categories. Lou grabbed second female as did Anita for her age group. Dave had a great time but was a victim of the age category boundaries this time, pinning him up against the 40 year olds.
Roll on a rest day I say!
I hauled my creaking carcass around town on the Monday after our mammouth 1hr 45min run on the Sunday. It complained like an old diesel in winter but with Tuesday off it meant Wednesdays speed work would at least be done fairly fresh. I have noticed that my recovery time is improving as the weeks go by, but Thursdays marathon pace 8 miler was painful for the first 4, but surprisingly sprightly for the final lap, which was nice!
With Sundays Tregaron half marathon looming, I cheated on Friday by taking the day off. After two hard sessions, I simply didn't feel up to it. I guess i would have forced myself had Sunday not been a race, but I justified it by telling myself I'd race hard on Sunday.
After a casual 5 miler on saturday with the Mrs doing a farly good impression of Mickey from the Rocky films, riding her bicycle alongside me, I headed to Tregaron on Sunday morning for a welcome return to the blue, yellow & black vest.
This would be my first race since the Teifi 10 last April and so I was both looking forward to it and yet had a tinge of nerves, because I guess it was a proper race!
I was a complete wimp whilst warming up, after deciding it was blinking freezing i put some thermals on to the disgust of Mr Burgess who told me in no uncertain terms to man-up. This i duly did and so it became a vest only affair. It was the correct choice as within a mile of the start, i was both warm & wet. The thermal vest would have weighed me down no end.
Aber AC had a good turnout on the day, with Dave P, Lou, Steve, Goronwy, Bridget, Clive, Ian, Paul Rose, John Evs, Maureen Pritchard, Dan & myself all taking to the start line.
It was raining, pretty cold but there was little wind and so the conditions were slightly poor yet not crazy.
As the gun went, Dave was soon in the second select group, behind the front three Sarn Helen runners with Lou, Ian, Dan & myself in a strung out third cluster of runners.
We stayed together until the right hander off the main road onto the back road towards Swyddfynon at around two miles, after which i found my climbing legs and started catching some guys up ahead. The next six miles was a ding dong between me and three others with Burgess yoyoing off the back yet making amazing returns to the group on the downhills. The race was on, and I was finding that I was getting clear / making up ground on the uphills but losing out downhill, apart from to a bloke from TROTS who despite walking up all the hills, managed to stay at the front of our group??? He must have a very special walking technique!
Onto the Cors Caron and I was mid-race scalped by the first lady. Both she and Mr TROTS looked good and I concluded that they were going for a sub 1hr 30. Some quick Cliff Thomas style mathematical equations were then done to ascertain the situation with four miles to go and it was an outside chance. I'd have to sub 6.40 the last four miles tho!
With a mile and a half left my Garmin was telling me it was off, as the girl & Mr TROTS must have miscalculated! Sheesh, to come this far and not get it would have been disappointing. I passed 12 miles at 1.22.45, meaning the last 1.1 would need to be done in 7.15! I was fed up of finishing both running races and cycle races on the wrong side of important time splits, and so I fired the emergency generator up and squinted my face and went as fast as I possibly could. The vague blur ahead was the long straight road into Tregaron from Bont. There should be a PA caravan there somewhere but I couldn't see it. It was further on than I remembered, darn it, keep sprinting. There was black smoke in the engine room by this point but as the big timing board came into view, it was displaying nice things, namely 1.29.45 as I crossed the line.
I'll take that for a first race after injury, and hopefully on a flatter course, I can work towards a better PB in future.
As the rest of us finished, we all headed to the Rugby club for a well deserved bowl of Cawl and to applaud the winners of the categories. Lou grabbed second female as did Anita for her age group. Dave had a great time but was a victim of the age category boundaries this time, pinning him up against the 40 year olds.
Roll on a rest day I say!
Monday, 7 February 2011
Run-Protein-Bath-Eat-Sleep-Work --- repeat
Am now entering week three of 'proper' training, albeit delayed thanks to the ankle slip.
I still have eight more hard weeks ahead, followed by a two week taper. I'm gonna have a proper taper as it seems I need to take it easy for this amount of time to ensure I get the 'Mark Smith' bouncy-springy leg feeling back. At the moment the legs are in a perminent state of sluggishness, a state I guess which is normal for people who run every day, maybe until you get to a certain level of condition where a four mile run feels as easy as walking up one flight of stairs....
Last week was a good one though, only one session missed, thanks entirley to Arriva trains (who else!). Thursdays marathon pace run was again a half wheeling Burgess episode, although I was able to converse this time a little better. I'm sure he is beginning to think I am anti-social at times! Fact is, i am the epitomy of the theory that men can only do one thing at a time. Actually I can both run and talk up to a certain level of effort, after which it's just run and try to avoid collapsing into a broken heap.
We welcomed Ian Evans to our Sunday 12 miler, and again went out to Wallog and back then added the Aber 10k on for good measure. It's not even half marathon distance, but it was the longest run so far. We have Tregaron this Sunday and will then ramp up from there. Again the notorious steps from the Clarach side of Consti were my undoing, but apart from that the run was pleasant save the last mile when Dan announced that a sprint finish would be 'fun'. Despite not really taking part, the effort of not trying to lose too much ground to the other two was enough to tip my legs over the edge and so it was straight into the bath whilst downing a pint of protein, followed by an afternoon nap!
Hopefully by the end of week eight, running 15 miles will seem like a walk in the park, but I very much doubt it!
I still have eight more hard weeks ahead, followed by a two week taper. I'm gonna have a proper taper as it seems I need to take it easy for this amount of time to ensure I get the 'Mark Smith' bouncy-springy leg feeling back. At the moment the legs are in a perminent state of sluggishness, a state I guess which is normal for people who run every day, maybe until you get to a certain level of condition where a four mile run feels as easy as walking up one flight of stairs....
Last week was a good one though, only one session missed, thanks entirley to Arriva trains (who else!). Thursdays marathon pace run was again a half wheeling Burgess episode, although I was able to converse this time a little better. I'm sure he is beginning to think I am anti-social at times! Fact is, i am the epitomy of the theory that men can only do one thing at a time. Actually I can both run and talk up to a certain level of effort, after which it's just run and try to avoid collapsing into a broken heap.
We welcomed Ian Evans to our Sunday 12 miler, and again went out to Wallog and back then added the Aber 10k on for good measure. It's not even half marathon distance, but it was the longest run so far. We have Tregaron this Sunday and will then ramp up from there. Again the notorious steps from the Clarach side of Consti were my undoing, but apart from that the run was pleasant save the last mile when Dan announced that a sprint finish would be 'fun'. Despite not really taking part, the effort of not trying to lose too much ground to the other two was enough to tip my legs over the edge and so it was straight into the bath whilst downing a pint of protein, followed by an afternoon nap!
Hopefully by the end of week eight, running 15 miles will seem like a walk in the park, but I very much doubt it!
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