100 km de Millau 2011

Well well well, clearly I never managed to finish my training due to an ongoing and annoying kneeproblem. BUT, my husband, Mr T did run the race in his huaraches in 14h 57min. Hats off and Respect! Here's a quick glimpse of him filmed by a random fellow runner:

Silence

Oops, a long time since I've updated my blog. To be honest, not much updating to do. Running has been rubbish since beginning of March. I'm just not able to increase my mileage without getting the pain back on my right knee. I still run once or twice a week but that's really nothing. I'm still doing loads of other stuff though, body combat, cycling, ice skating and even roller skating. I've now come to the conclusion, that I might just have to modify my goal and aim for a marathon instead of a 100 km race.

My Husband, Mr T, is doing fantastic though. He's just flying with his huaraches.  Well done mate!

We've discovered sport enthusiasts' website Endomondo. A great tool to help you track your workouts. Highly recommended!

Back to business

just very slowly though. I've managed two short runs after my massage. Just 35 mins at a time and on a road, flat, avoiding too steep hills. Knee has been fine both times. Well, not exactly fine, as I can feel something, but at least no pain. I could feel the pain on my last skating session last Thursday. That was something new and a bit alarming, but I put it down to overuse right after massage (2 days). Patience is the key.

We've had a glorious weather here for the last 3 days. Beautiful, beautiful sunshine with daffodils springing up everywhere. Really lifts your mood!

ITBS

Got my massage today from lovely Joanne and she diagnosed my kneepain as Iliotibial Band Syndrome. A very common problem for runners. Good news is that it can be treated, but obviously it might take some time. I'm not very good with patience, but not a lot I can do at the moment. Just stretch, take it easy easy easy with running.

Agony, pain, frustration

No running for two weeks. I decided to give my knee a proper rest and I've also been fighting off a cold. So far the long arm of a winter flu hasn't managed to grab me properly "knock the wood", but it is trying its' best. There's been sneezes and coughs and I've spent one day on a sofa doing NOTHING.

I haven't been a complete lazy bone though, I did some spinning and combat earlier in the week. Yesterday I was feeling better and it was time to braze the storm and go for a run. First half an hour was great despite the rain. After that, the pain struck again and this time it was worse than before. I actually had to stop running, walk and let the pain ease. Journey home took a long time as I was only able to run for 50 m, walk 100 m and so on. I'm really annoyed and frustrated, as I feel I'm fit enough to start training properly, yet this knee problem is holding me back. I'm going to see a sports massage therapist tomorrow. She sounded very promising over the phone and I'm really hoping she can do something to help me.

km's for this week: 9.2.

Studying

This week I've started to read more about preparation, running tips, racing and training programmes for ultras. I will allow 20 weeks for serious training, so from the beginning of May, it will be bye-bye to ice-skating lessons and other extra activities and hello to running, running and more running.

This week I haven't managed more than one, very short, 4 km run on a treadmill. I stopped as soon as I started to feel the pain on the knee. It's been a recovery from running, although I did allow myself one spinning class and today's ice skating. Had a fantastic skating lesson and every time I'm amazed at how hard exercise it actually is. And amazing for the core. You really work every muscle of your body.

Will try a run on a Saturday evening. Sunday will be spent at work, but next week I should  be able to manage 3, possibly 4 sessions.

Week seven and painful pleasure

Totals for this week:

3 running sessions (14.5+10.5+10.5), total km:s 35.5
Spinning X 1
Recreational swim with my daughter.

I'm not happy. Have pain on the knee and on sciatic nerve! Have iced both areas, plenty of stretching and ibuprofen. I really have to look in to what could be causing this. I haven't had any pain caused by running for over a year and a half, but now that I'm trying to increase the mileage, all the problems seem to start. I think one reason could be the way I've been landing. I've possibly been running too much on my toes, rather than on the ball of the foot. Tried to really focus on that today. Or is it simply just too much too soon? It is very frustrating as I feel fit and have a great feeling during and after the run. I feel like I could run longer, don't get any stitches and definitely don't get the feeling that i'm just gonna die! It's just that the bottom half of my body seems to be falling apart. Not happy.

Anyway, here's the top pick for this week. Another hypnotic rhythm from David Guetta.

Devil's highway or Pudding Hill

Unfortunately, Pudding Hill is not quite what its' name promises. Or does it mean a guilt free pudding later once you've run that hill?

Had a great 14.5 km run in Look Out, Bracknell Forest earlier this week. I had my new mizunos on for the second run and so far no problems with numbness. MOTI very kindly exchanged my ASICS. Great service I must say. The only problem I have now is slight pain on the outside of my right knee. This is new  and I must study a bit what could be causing it.

Last week's totals:

Two running sessions (road and trradmill), 10.5 km each +21 km total.
Ice skating, two hours.

Few more photos and a video of barefoot running from Bracknell Forest:

Mr T, my husband and I.

Pendulum

It's only Tuesday but this has to be this week's top pick from my playlist. Just hypnotic and great rhythm:

Numb feet II

Phoned MOTI yesterday to discuss my numb feet problem. They offer (quite remarkably IMO) 28 day exchange, so I will be going there on Friday with my Asics and old pair of NB:s in hope to find a new, suitable pair. Obviously, it's difficult to know if something fits just by trying them on a treadmill for a minute or so. I've just never had this problem with NB:s before. Or at least to this extent, I've had the occasional tingly toe before, but not the whole foot. I have my eye on Newton's. Very flat shoe, ideal for a forefootrunner. Too bad Moti doesn't stock them.

Numb feet

Thanks to the arctic climate, I've had to resort to running on a treadmill this week. It takes some getting used to as it's just so different to running on a trail or on a road. During my first treadmill trial I must've been tensing my shoulders a lot as I was hit by an excruciating neck pain later that evening. Being a hypochondriac, my immediate thought was, that I must have a SLIPPED DISC on my back. After a cocktail of codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen and some research on the Internet, I ruled it out and made a diagnosis of a trapped nerve. First half of that night shift wasn't fun though.

I wasn't discouraged by this and I had another go on a treadmill two days later. No problems with the neck, but I think my new ASICS just aren't suitable for me, as with every run now I get totally numb feet and toes. It usually starts 20-30 min into running. It doesn't affect whole of my foot, just from the ball of the foot upwards towards toes. It's more annoying than anything and I actually have to stop and stretch my feet and toes. It goes away quickly when I stop running.slightly annoying as I had a proper gait analysis and fitting when I bought them, but hey, I guess you just don't know until you try them properly, i.e. run with them. Today I decided to run with my good old New Balances, and only the second toe on my left foot got a little bit numb. Hmmm. Is it the shoes or treadmill, as I braved the wind today and went for a refreshing, sunny run across the fields.

Totals for this week:

Body Combat x 1

Running: 3 sessions (10 + 12.5 +11 km), 33.5 km

Ice skating x 1

Play list top pick:

Mudrun

Muddy run today in a gorgeous but cold sunny weather. Amazed how green all the fields are.

Totals for this week:

Bodycombat x 1
Run x 2, total 21 km
Ice skating x 1

Friday and feeling Good!

M4- I'd rather be running!

SUN SUN SUN!

Went for an easy, SUNNY, 10 km run in my new decathlon  gear (tights, limegreen longsleeve top and a gilet/vest). Slight improvement on my average speed as I managed 8.8 km/h today. Loved the sun and felt I could've run longer. Rest tomorow, next run on Friday after my ice skating lesson.

  Last week's top pick from my playlist is Cat:

Through the rain

Had a fab run today despite THE RAIN! Yes, I managed to face my fear, or rather, a dislike to running in the rain. Not intentionally though, it started raining as soon as I left our street. I didn't manage to make EveryTrail to work on my iPhone, so I have no idea about the distance or avg speed. I did run for 1h20 min + 10 min cooldown. Max HR 177, avg HR 156. Kcal burnt 905. Excellent run and yesterday's total rest was clearly needed. Both calves recovered.

Calves

Little bit less running this week as my calves have been protesting and I really don't want to risk an injury. I've only managed one 6 km run with avg. speed 7.8 km/h and a run to and from to my local leisure centre (2 km total). I haven't been completely lazy though, just been doing other things. Here's this week's schedule so far:

• Monday:      Body combat, excellent cardio and  upper body workout.
• Tuesday:     6 km run.
• Wednesday: Rest and sleep after night shift.
• Thursday:    LBT (legs, bums, tums)-class and run to and from that class
• Friday:        Ice skating (fab for your core and my "fun-thing forthe week") and spinning.

                     

I'm planning a long run for tomorrow or alternatively for Sunday after night shift. Well, not straight after night shift, in the evening more likely. It can't be good to run right after finishing a night at work?

This week I've also started to read more about running. That's something I've never really done before. My strategy for my first marathon was: no strategy. Just run and see how it goes. I didn't know a thing about sub four's or sub three's. I didn't have a training plan but I had heard about THE WALL! (and did hit at 30 km). Somehow I managed to finish with fairly respectable 4.28, despite the lack of reading and meticulous preparation. This time though, I'm not only ten years older, but the race and the distance to cover is in a completely different league. I'm thinking of running a marathon sometime in May-June. Just looking for a nice one. Suggestions?

Watery fields

After two days of pretty much constant rain there was finally a bit of sun and loads of water where there used to be fields.

Went for a surprisingly easy 11 km run. Felt very light apart from slight heaviness on calves. It's quite a pressure on my calves as I haven't really been running at all since September. Spinning just doesn't compare. Average speed 8.4 km/h.

Saw some "wildlife" too.

This week's top pick from my playlist must be this:

Day 8: Rain rain go away (and stay away)

Too much rain, too cold, too depressing. Oh dear, it's not starting well. Haven't been able to leave the house today apart from compulsory schoolruns. Slept from 9.30-1pm. As the saying goes, sleeping is like putting money in the bank and I'll be grateful for the extra sleep tonight on a nightshift. I know I'll have to pluck up the courage one day and go for a run through snow and ice. That day just wasn't today.

Challenge

Crossing the Millau Bridge will be challenging in more ways than one. Obviously, the running bit will be a challenge, but crossing a bridge that size (TWICE) when you are scared of heights, mountains, bridges and towers might be just madness!

What makes me want to do it? Pure evil, competitiveness and desire to prove a point. My husband, T, ultramarathonist and barefootrunner has been on my neck for years urging me to do it!

Training for Millau started on 30.12.2010 with a gentle 7 km jog through a not so nice neigbourhood, followed by a slightly more ambitious  11.4 km run through woods and fields on a sunny Sunday morning. Anoher 11 km run today, basking in the sun with wind blowing on my face, ahhhh. Felt very nice indeed.

Bought myself a new pair of Asics -running shoes today after visiting MOTI running shop's shoe lab. The guy in the shop seemed surprised to see that I wasn't heelstriking but landing on the ball of my foot. I got back into running 1.5 years ago but had to stop as I developed nasty shin splints on my legs. They didn't seem to recover with rest (3 months) but returned every time I attempted running. I didn't, however, change my shoes or buy £600 (YES £600) special orthotic insoles. I just changed the way I run and learnt to land on the ball of my foot. Shinsplints gone! My good old New Balances have served me well but after this BIG decision I felt like rewarding myself! I'm getting quite into this running thing and found a few nice things I could spend my hard earned cash on. I might be trying SKINS soon.

This blog won't be too technical or gadgety. I have never joined a running club as I don;t like the mentality of running with the taste of blood in your mouth reaching yet another PB. I quite like just putting my shoes and iPod on and enjoying it. This might change though as there are lots of miles to be run before I'm ready for The Crossing!