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December 7, 2010  

A Picture Postcard Snowy Run

Since this mornings run was more about staying upright than getting round at a decent pace, I took it easy and stopped a few time and snapped some sections of today’s route. There was only about an inch of snow on the ground but it made for some nice scenes…



 

 

 

It might not look it but this hill is a particularly steep downhill section, not so great when it’s really icy.

 

 

October 28, 2010  

It’s Doing My Head In

So this self-imposed week off running.  It’s doing my head in.

I’m not ill, i’m not fatigued and i don’t have an injury.  I know why I’m taking a rest – because of the 30 days of running DailyMile challenge – but i didn’t realise it would make me feel so… bleh.

I may have to sneak in a run tomorrow morning. You now, in case I’ve forgotten how to do it or something.  I don’t want to start that challenge having forgotten how to run, now do I?!

 

October 4, 2010  

@runwithmark – One Man – 50 Marathons

[reblogged from Breakingstrain]

Earlier this year Mark Cooper from Edinburgh completed an astonishing journey from Amsterdam to Barcelona; running 50 marathons in 56 days.  Below is a short video of moments from that epic journey.

Please visit http://www.runwithmark.com/

September 2, 2010  

Today I Have Mostly Learned…

…that Pinole paste (well the stuff i make anyway) is not very palatable.

Think I’ll stick to Liquid Pinole from now on.

July 30, 2010  

Getting started with barefoot running

I saw this post by Stephen Sashen over at invisibleshoe.com and thought i’d share it out in case you haven’t seen it.

Imagine that you haven’t lifted weights in a while… or ever.

And imagine that you got the idea that you wanted to bench press 500 pounds.

Would you go to the gym, put 500 pounds on the bar, and just go for it?

Of course not. There’s no way you could budge 500 on day one.

Would you go to the gym and put, say, 100 pounds on the bar and lift it, over and over, until you felt tired… and then do a few more reps until you were wasted?

I hope not.

Would you take a small weight, like 20 pounds, and lift it for an hour or two?

Boy, I wouldn’t.

But for some reason people think they can get into barefoot running with one of those plans.

They think they can just whip off their shoes and replace one of their regular runs with a barefoot run. Or, worse, they think that even if they haven’t run for a decade, it’ll be fine to go for a 5 mile barefoot run. Or they get out for a barefoot run, feel some strain or pain in their feet or calves and think, “Oh, I’ll just work through this, it’ll be fine.”

And they pay the price.

They wake up with freakishly sore calves or Achilles tendons. They get blisters. They get plantar faciitis. They get stress fractures.

Look, over-training is over-training. Doing too much is doing too much.

Especially with barefoot running, TAKE YOUR TIME. There’s no rush to get to the point where you’re running an ultramarathon every day for 1000 days in your bare feet. And there’s no way to rush building up the strength in your muscles and ligaments and tendons, or to develop correct and efficient form.

It happens as it happens. No sooner, no later.

How long that’ll be is a mystery. Maybe it only takes you a week or a month. Maybe it takes you a year.

Who cares?

First of all, it’s not all-or-nothing. It’s not like you won’t be able to be barefoot and then, BAM, 6 months from now you can! It’s a process. Maybe today you can only run 100 yards and then need to ice your feet for 3 days. That’s fine. In a month, guaranteed, you’ll be doing more. And a month after that, you’ll be doing even more.

Secondly, nobody is telling you to throw away your shoes the moment you realize you want to become a barefoot runner. Keep your shoes. Enjoy your shoes. And look forward to when you don’t want or need them.

But, please, give yourself time — the amount of time that YOU need — to make the transition.

Honestly, there’s enough to learn and experience and benefit from if all you ever do is an occasional 1 minute jog without shoes.

I hate to toss out “prescriptions for living,” but in this case I can’t think of any better way to say it than, “Enjoy the journey… because there isn’t really a goal.”

Great post!  Got a comment, please visit invisibleshoe.com and let them know what you think.

May 21, 2010  

Edinburgh Marathon – Before

It’s almost here.

The run I’ve trained the last 3 months for.

It’s not been without it’s ups and downs though.

Starting out as an ambitious training schedule to run a sub 4hour Marathon, it took it’s toll.  I missed runs because I thought my IT Band had given up on me.  I had to seek help from my Physiotherapist.  I’ve had umpteen ice baths.  I even changed my technique – the way i’ve always run – to get to this point.

Yet here I am.  365.73 miles later and feeling confident about on Sunday.  I certainly wont be running a sub 4 hour Marathon.  But, I’ll be perfectly happy with a Sub 4:30 time.

The training has been done.  Carbs have (almost) been loaded.  All there is to do now is turn up and run.

Good luck to everyone else running on Sunday. I wish you all the best.

March 7, 2010  

100 Miles in February Challenge

A bit late I know, but I thought I’d do a quick round up of the 100 miles in February Challenge that I, along with 305 other people, accepted on the great site that is Daily Mile.

Long story short, I ran 94 miles in February.  Only 6 miles short but a lot closer to the target than I thought I’d get!  I reckon I’ll total up slightly more than 100 miles in March.  I wonder if there’s a 100 miles in March Challenge…

Told you it would be a quick round up.

December 24, 2009  

Happy Crimbo!


Happy Christmas folks.
Hope you have a good one!
December 8, 2009  

Get Away With It

The festive intake of Carbs, Alcohol, Salt & TV needn’t be so bad this Christmas.

Article via Runnersworld. I read this in the new January issue.

Get Away With It: “Why a bit of what you enjoy needn’t hurt your running”

Running is about self-improvement, not Spartan self-denial. As performance coach Kim Ingleby (energisedperformance.com) says, “You need a balance: training, recovery, food and fun.” So while runners might idolise the original marathon runner Pheidippides, we could just as easily take another tip from Ancient Greece. Enjoy “everything in moderation; nothing to excess”.

BAD GUY: CARBS

The good news: Forget carb-counting. Cutting out pasta might shed a little superficial weight, but thrice-weekly 30-minute runs melt a pound of fat each month. “Complex carbs are vital for energy and recovery,” says Ingleby. “Have a carb-rich snack like a banana immediately after running, to refuel glycogen stores.”

In practice: Think of your plate as a clock face. Dedicate 35 minutes to carbs. Add 15 minutes of protein and healthy fats. The remaining 10 minutes? Have fruit for dessert.

BAD GUY: SALT

The good news: It’s always wise to keep your salt intake below 6g a day. Yet during long runs “prolonged sweating can lead to low blood sodium levels,” says Ingleby. “This makes it difficult to regulate the nervous system.” That’s why energy drinks contain sodium. Stay hydrated, and give the shaker a miss – but don’t obsess about salt.

In practice: Beans on toast is high in sodium, but also contains a sixth of your daily magnesium and nine per cent of potassium RDA, vital electrolytes that strengthen bones and help prevent cramp.

BAD GUY: ALCOHOL

The good news: Moderate drinking (one to two units a day) is linked to lower risk of heart disease in those in their forties and above, and now the American Journal of Health Promotion reports that drinkers do up to 20 minutes more exercise than teetotallers on average each week.

In practice: Go for heart-healthy red wine, or beer, whose silicon content boosts bones.

BAD GUY: TV

The good news: What the ‘idiot box’ takes away, running can give back. In a study by The American College of Sports Medicine, students were given memory tests before and after exercise, and running improved mental performance.

In practice: Think of TV time as hour-long ‘blocks’, each a reward for meeting training goals.

December 3, 2009  

Rapid Recovery

Nice article from Runners World (link below) on speeding up recovery times.

Fortunately I’ve only had to stop running through injury a couple of times in my 3 years of running. But the article definitely gives some good advice that i’ll keep in mind for the future.

Rapid Recovery: “The standard recipe for injury recovery is a few weeks of rest, ice and anti-inflammatories. But there are steps you can take to minimise lost training time”

High level details from the article posted below:

Drugs don’t work

· Resist the reflex to reach for a bottle of ibuprofen to reduce swelling.

Move it

· Resting doesn’t mean immobilising yourself in front of the TV

Eat to heal

· You may not be training, but your body still burns about 100 per cent more calories than usual when it’s trying to repair an injury.

The one-to-two rule

· For each week you can’t train, spend one to two weeks rebuilding your base before returning to hard training.

Go solo

· During the first weeks back after injury, limit group training where you may be tempted to push your pace.

Warning signs

· It’s natural to feel twinges when you return to training after injury, but they should fade as you warm up. If pain keeps flaring, back off.

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