Still Running

I was thinking it was time for a long overdue update but was shocked to find that I hadn't even posted after this year's Great Manchester Run 10km back in May.
I even seem to remember writing a post but clearly that was a post run hallucination :)

Great Manchester Run 2016
My previous post told the story up to immediately before the run. The day was great and a little cooler than previous years. I was lucky to get around dry as the next wave endured a period of torrential rain during which I was celebrating in a pub with my support team (Lynne my wife).
Having done it twice before, I was able to relax and soak up the atmosphere and the people which made it even more enjoyable.
I'll limit my report to quoting from an email I sent to my osteopath mate. ('88 reference is to the start of a long period of severe back problems which he helped me through.)

"That bloke that could hardly walk sometimes back ’88 and is now in his 60’s only turned in 54:34 in the 10k on Sunday!
I knew I had trained to plan this year and thought I might get a sub-1 hour again but never in a million years expected that. I felt good from the moment I set off on the day and just kept going at a pace that felt right."

Carry On Running
I am a person who needs a goal if I'm to stick with anything and in previous years I have stopped running after the 10k event then started a few erratic sessions in autumn usually then failing again until panic sets in March - April that I'm running in May.
This year, I was determined to carry on. I enjoy my street runs now which helps push me out of the door.

Looking back at my calendar over summer I think I know why I didn't get around to posting after the event as I headed off for 2 weeks sailing in Greece the following weekend. My wife works at a school so whilst we are stuck with school holidays we do try to use them and for 3 weeks of August we were driving form Denver to Seattle in the USA visiting Yellowstone and other National Parks. I only recount these trips to show at least 5 weeks in which I did no running at all, and there were weekends away with the tent, days out and visits to relatives all to provide excuses.
However, I am pleased to say that in the weeks at home I have continued to get out 2-3 times per week and I have thrown in a few parkruns along the way.

Next 10k Approaches

A few weeks back I signed up for a new event in December, the Wilmslow 10k which is quite local to me.
It will be a very different experience from the Great Manchester Run with 1500 entrants compared to nearly 40,000 people running. It is  a country lane route so I don't expect crowds of spectators and bands along the way providing encouragement.
To be honest, I am apprehensive. You can disappear into the volume of people in the big event and I'm afraid of seeing a field of club runners and fit youngsters disappear into the distance as I push myself around yet another blind corner somewhere in the Cheshire countryside.  I'm sure it'll be fine!

Coming Ready.... or Not

Progress

If you read my post back at the start of the month I was feeling very under-prepared but it's amazing how much one can progress in a matter of 2 weeks when working on three sessions per week.
When I last wrote, I had just worked up to my first session without a walk break at 25 mins. The following week was week #9 of my training and I extended my time out to 40-50 mins with intervals 2 x 20mn run with 2mn walk break and 3 x 16 min with 2 walk breaks.
I finished week #9 with a flat parkrun 5km.

Pushing Further
Week #10 was my week to extend time out, first with a 3 x 18mn run with 2mn walk intervals (54 mins and 8.5km), then my first 'long' continuous run of 42 mins, which unfortunately coincided with a really warm day 23C and I was shattered when I got home. I was rather alarmed by how long I took to recover heartrate and breathing after this one but I think it was the heat.
Rounding the week off, I returned to parkrun 5km but this time on a taxing hilly course.

Final Approach
I began this week (week #11) with my final extended run yesterday, a continuous run of 48min covering 8.1km. With this duration and distance under my belt I am confident that I can achieve the 10km next Sunday.
The rest of this week will be 'take it easy' with no more stretching runs. My plan is limited to a gentle 20mn on Wednesday and a 10mn on Friday just to keep things moving.

Parkruns

Parkruns are great fun and I love them as a training option. If you've never tried them, you should. There is no elitism or pressure and a great feeling of community and they are great fun giving Saturday morning a boost.

Slower Paced
Experiencing setting off in a pack and learning to resist the pull of the faster runners and stick to your own controlled pace is valuable. Many people take it easy all the way around, some almost walking the entire route so there is no need to feel intimidated by the faster runners.

Faster Paced
The same applies if you are aiming for a faster pace, experiencing how to steer safely and courteously around slower runners and learn patience when necessary. Parkrun is a good place to get an idea how taxing the first mile will be in a popular 10k as physical and mental energy is wasted looking for and steering toward gaps and speeding up and slowing down to negotiate them.

Fancy Trying parkrun?
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Wythenshawe parkrun

At the end of the first week I took myself over to Wythenshawe Park to join a flat parkrun around the park in which most of my childhood was spent building dens in the woods and fishing in Baguley Brook. With nice wide paths and mixed surfaces, much on grass but all fairly even, it was a good return to running amongst others. 5km in 28:14 which I was delighted with.

Bramhall parkrun
The second week I took on Bramhall which is a hilly course with narrow paths and hard work on lungs and nagging injuries such as Achilles. I managed 26:39 which was way faster than I had anticipated so things are looking good.

Route Plans

I tend to plan training sessions around duration rather than distance and as I extended out beyond 30mins I found it helped to have a route in my head instead of making it up as I went along. I know now what speed I'm running, in my case generally just under 10kph which makes the calculation conveniently easy, so if I'm going out for 45mn I know to plan a route of approx 7.5km. Without this, I tend to end my session too close or too far from home. The first affects my cool down and the second is just inconvenient.

Injury & Illness Avoidance

Because I have had problems with chronic injuries I am being ultra-careful to stretch before and after and am even taking to a cold bath after by longer runs. Not a pleasant experience but either I'm not injuring anything or it is working, either way it's a win.
I am trying to lay off alcohol this week and eat plenty of good food. I'll miss my Saturday evening wine and salty Chinese takeaway but I don't want to be dehydrated Sunday morning. After having to pull out of the 2014 Great Manchester Run as I got a severe cold I'm eating lots of citrus fruit in the vague hope of some protection.

I may see you Sunday if you're there, Good Luck if you're running.

Best Laid Plans.... cough

Progress Brought to a Halt

So training was going well, my outings were around 4-5km and moving toward 40mins. 
Then I got a cold! Not just a runny nose but a real chest shaker cough.

Back Too Soon
I sensibly laid off for a couple of days but then ventured out when I thought I was ok.
I seemed to be on form and picked up where I left off my plan with an outing of 40 mins turning in 6.6km with walk breaks reduced to 2 short ones. Progress spot on target even having lost 4 days training.

That was the upside, the downside was that I hadn't actually been ready and my chest was really bad for the next few days.
I had to take a break for another 5 days before venturing out again.

Short on Time

I accepted dropping back from my training plan as injury seemed inevitable if I went straight from several idle ill days back to where I was, never mind where I should be.
I tried to do a deliberately slow 25min but I failed in my discipline and still exceeded a 60min pace over the middle 2km and I added another 3 mins as I finished further away from home than intended. Distance and time are both now well below where I wanted them to be and I only have 2 training weeks left before the take it easy week running up to the race.

I'll just have to accept being gentle in progress and hope I don't lose any more sessions. The intended increase in speed will have to be for another year.

Injury Awareness
It's at the point when you try to push duration or speed that most Achillies injuries seem to be suffered and indeed I still suffer with mine after a foolish attempt to run on my toes 3 years ago.
I have a friend who loves running but underwent coaching to increase her speed resulting in months off running and an injury that will never fully go away.
It is so tempting to get out there and blast it to get back on track but it just isn't worth the risk.

Revised Hopes
I had been hoping for a good sub-60min again but I will have to just see how I feel and be sensible on the day.

Spring in My Step as Bluebells Bloom

A Lazy Week
Having returned yesterday from a week touring NW Scotland driving a motorhome, eating and drinking too much and doing very little exercise I knew I must get out this morning.

Today's Run (12/04/2016)
Still building and taking care of my errant Achilles, I planned 5 cycles of 7 mins run with 1 min walk intervals which would be around 6km. As I'm getting a bit further now I planned a rough route rather than making it up as I went.

A satisfying outing, the route took me away from home and to the far side of Bramhall Park, a local park with a challenging 5k Parkrun which I'll include in my training later. The high path at the back of the Park is coming to life with green appearing on the woodland floor and a treat in the form of Bluebells blooming under the trees. With birdsong in the air it feels at last as if spring is arriving.

Pleased with my performance, I didn't feel too taxed, demonstrated fast recovery and, most important, no Achilles pain. Even with walk and run I'm currently projected 1:05 for 10km.

Training Continues
Over the next couple of weeks the intention is 3 activities per week of 35-40 minutes continuing to reduce the walk interval and including some Parkruns.

You Heroes
I know how lucky I am to have a pleasant area to train in with wide roads, varied estates, parks and paths and as my distance increases beyond 6km I'll be out in the countryside. I am full of admiration for those who get themselves out there in congested and industrial areas, you are amazing!

2016 - Here We Go Again; I Seem to Be Hooked

2015-2016, A Year of Prevarication

Inconsistent Training
The chart below is from Runkeeper and shows my running activity through the past 12 months. After my 2015 Great Manchester Run I had a few bursts of activity in early summer before 5 months of nothing. I was active, just not running.

I tend to be better at getting out running in winter and around October decided I should get sorted and join a gym again. Having suffered from Achilles problems, the treadmill gives a predictable footfall and ability to immediately stop which are both useful when restarting running after a gap. PayasUgym had a presence nearby with treadmills and a 25m pool which I had used for 3 months previous years in parallel to road running but when I called them they had ceased the 3m membership and I'm afraid I'm not investing in a year which I'd only use 3 months of. At that point my resolve failed me and I put off getting out onto the road.

More Excuses
November brought builders into the house and all the disruption that accompanies house alterations. I have to admit that I didn't get out largely because I was embarrassed to put my gear on and go for what would be a short shuffle. I am embarrassed that I was embarrassed; I'm a grown man for goodness sake.
Around Christmas, I resolved that I would get myself going in January; not as a New Year resolution, just after 'normality' returned. Normallity did not return as the builders were still with us to the end of February... and I injured myself.

Injury Without Even Running
I'd been sitting watching Christmas TV when I got up from the chair to feel a 'crack' on the inside of my right ankle. I hadn't twisted it and to this day I don't know what happened. Over a few days I had problems walking down stairs in the morning and I was resting it and wearing compression bandages for some time. It was around 8 weeks before it felt safe to jog gently with strapping but thankfully it seems to have healed.
Though I still get an occasional burning sensation under the bony protrusion on the inside of my ankle, I am now back to being more concerned over the chronic left Achilles problem so I guess back to normal.

2016, Here We Go Again

I really needed a goal to get me going and I have often thought how much I enjoyed the Manchester 10k. I thought of registering but wanted to check I was going to myself training first. The builders were finally gone and my excuses drying up and I finally doned the uniform of the urban jogger and forced myself out of the door. (Back door; I still felt embarrassed so avoided time spent locking the front door in full view of neighbours).


I Finally Hit the Road
6th March and I got myself out. Meagre stuff, I ran and walked alternate 2 minutes delivering a mere 1.67km over 11 mins. OK, this seems pretty pathetic but with past and recent injuries I was being ultra cautious.
Over the next days I got in another 3 runs, up to 2.6km, still walk-run alternate.
Injuries seem fine, just minor discomfort and the good news is that all the rest up due to the ankle seems to have helped the hamstring which was bugging me last year.


2016 Entry Confirmed
17th March and my resolve is back and the embarrasement abating. I have built my training plan spreadsheet which covers 11 weeks from my first outing leading to the 2016 Great Manchester Run on the 22nd May.

Man With a Plan, and It Feels Good
I have a plan and a fixed goal - so I have something to stick to and apart from that, I am LOVING being out on the streets again.
When you are a kid you just run around madly because it feels good. I'm not sure when you lose that but I certainly feel it again when I get out there.

2015 - Just for Fun - Great Manchester 10k 2015

Great Manchester Run 10km - May 2015

Written to a Friend

"In case you wondered, Manchester 10K went exceptionally well. Considering my doubts about fitness I landed a time of 01:01:26, way ahead of my expected 1:05 - 1:10. I wasn’t even trying for a time, I was just enjoying the bands and swerving to the edge to high five kids who had their arms out, I was gobsmacked at 9km mark when I looked at my watch and was only 55min in.
Seem to be none the worse for it. Left Achilles was quietly reminding me it is there but nowhere near a limp and barely noticeable today."

It Begins; Another Year
February 2015 arrived and my thoughts turned again to running and, in particular, the Great Manchester Run event. After the disappointment of having to pull out just before the 2014 event due to illness, this year was to be low key, no sponsorships, just see how it goes and if I get there, enjoy the day.

Training Routine & Duration
I managed a few erratic visits to the gym during February, short treadmill efforts with walk breaks but followed with a swim. My heart wasn't really in it and it was into March before my first road run, a mere 1.5km. Struggling with a minor hamstring problem and for no reason I could identify, shin pain, I continued with 2 treadmill + swim sessions and one road run per week through March to early April.
Already April and feeling under par compared to last year I stuck in a Parkrun at Platt Fields Manchester.
I chose Platt Fields as a flat course instead of  my home Parkrun at Bramhall which is a taxing up and down course to reduce risk of injury. But Platt Fields was so wet it was playing Russian Roulette not knowing whether it was a wide shallow puddle or a pot hole or even a ditch. Anyway, I came out uninjured and fairly satisfied. Well below a 60m 10km pace but this year is not about a target time.
With only 4 weeks to go, I head up to Scotland in a motorhome in freezing conditions and do no running for the next 10 days. 

Readiness
Now only 3 weeks to the Manchester 10k and I had still not run continuously over 5km this year.
The next 2 weeks I moved to 30-40 min outings with no walk intervals culminating in an 8.5km one week before the event with a 64min 10k pace.
This 8.5km and not feeling anything like as fit as last year set me believing I was ok to finish but expecting maybe a 1:10 time. I did nothing in the 5 days prior to the event to let still niggling injuries settle.

On The Day

As with 2 years ago, the local trains were packed and we were glad that we set out early.
It was a great atmosphere in town and as my assembly time approached I left my support team (Lynne, my wife x) and headed up the streets toward the start.

Wrong area
I had moved well forward and there were many Green wave runners around me but there were also a significant number of Pink. Studying lamp post markers and flags I realised that I was actually some way behind the back of the Green wave. Recovering this was a challenge as the side barriers were up and I had to climb out and use side streets to move forward to the entrance to the Green wave area.
Lesson learnt for next year; read the start entry route map properly and obey it.

Warm-up
Last time, I stuck to my own warm up routing walking fast in side roads but this year I joined in the orchestrated fun warm up and 'fun' it was. Everyone in it together makes all the difference and to my surprise (I know it shouldn't have been) it was an excellent warm up and by the start I felt really good.

On The Road
The run went well, I found it hard work but still relaxed. The run through showers were welcome.
If I felt like it, I would accelerate through a gap but equally, I'd slow next to bands and swerve to the the side to high 5 a kid now and then.
My favourite poster was, "I'm proud of you random stranger". The people supporting along the route and the sheer pleasure of the event does indeed carry you along.

Time
Timing wasn't to be an issue today, It was for the fun of it. No heart rate monitor and though I had Runkeeper running on my phone, I left my headphones behind so I had no pressure and temptation.
However, around 9km, I looked at my watch to discover that I was only 55mins in, way ahead of where I expected to be and though I didn't try to speed up, I was tempted to keep moving that last 1km and crossed the line in a very surprising 1:01:26.