The 10K test.....

Although still having some recurrent pain due to my PF and inflamed heel fat pad, I have still been able to train, thanks to the aforementioned physio. A week after returning home (and back to work), I was keen to do a race to test my form and fitness.

Having agreed to run with a friend from Englandshire, I found a race midway between us. Things change and on Saturday morning I found myself on my own in the countryside near Preston, driving round some narrow, windy "undulating" roads of a 10k course trying to find registration. Luckily the rain that I had driven through on the way day was no longer in evidence, but it was still rather windy.



I had been feeling strong in recent runs and had hoped that, although I didn't think I'd get near my 10k PB (as it was set 2 years ago at the Abbey Dash- a very fast flat course with a huge field to pull you along), I might be able to break 36 minutes for the first time in over a year.......but having seen the course my heart sunk.

A narrow uphill start on a country lane

Running on quiet country lanes sounds idyllic, but in reality it can be a bit of a nightmare, as bridges cause bottle necks between runners and vehicles (despite a marshal asking them to stop, a man was not going to wait for me and some fellow competitors to pass before driving his trailer over a narrow humpbacked one) and you cannot see traffic until it is almost on you. We were all warned to hug tightly in to the left side of the road, which actually made sure that people did not cut corners, but some runners can become so focused on not letting anyone pass them that it can become dangerous, and still others ignore race directors and calmly plug earphones into both ears.





I knew from the route profile that the start was significantly lower than the finish, but as I made my way to the start, I seemed to be walking downhill for 5 minutes. The start was delayed slightly as a lady "needed" to drive her people carrier down the narrow lane just as the field was assembled and ready to go. Once everyone had scrambled back out of ditches, we had a short briefing re traffic and then were off.

Never one to start at the front...

Despite the uphill start, runners still set off at a fair old pace, including 2 ladies who had been standing at the front looking as if they meant business. I started a few rows back and eased my way up over the first half mile back into the village and past registration. I knew that although the whole route had looked rather twisty and undulating, the worst of the hills were in the first 3 miles so it was a case of settling in and then seeing how I felt for the second half of the race. Amanda (that I'd briefly spoken to before the start) settled in just behind me for the first couple of miles, which seemed a very sensible thing to do given the wind, so I figured that she must be quite an experienced runner. I tried to ignore this thought and just run my own race, and sure enough her breathing and footsteps dropped back.



It was a relief to see the 3 mile marker and still be feeling fairly fresh as it meant that I could put in a slight injection of pace to pass a Kendal runner who seemed to have been doing his best to destroy me so far......pushing me wide if I tried to pass him on the outside, cutting me up if I tried to go inside, elbowing me if we were alongside, and catching my feet if I did move ahead. Obviously, this may have all been subconscious, but I'm used to running alone and so was glad to get away from him and open up a little gap. The next few miles seem to pass by quickly, with me catching glimpses of those ahead depending on the nature of the road ahead. I made up a gap and moved into 4th place, expecting the guy to come with me, but he didn't latch on. By the time we got into the final mile, I was closing on the man in front (Steven) with every stride. 



Passing Steven at the 6mile mark



After drawing level with him and reassuring him that there was no man just behind, we spurred each other on for a few hundred metres before I moved ahead at the corner with the 6 mile sign on it. Knowing there was just a short way to go to the finish, I pushed again and surprised myself (and the others) with how strongly I finished, ending up just behind the second man and taking 10 seconds out of Steven.

Not knowing our exact times, I was just happy with a strong run on a not-so-quick course and so went for a cool down run and chat with Steven before tucking in to our "free brew and scone/bacon butty for all finishers"! He boosted my confidence still further by telling me that although he had run a half marathon the weekend before, he felt that he was in shape for a sub-35 10k given a faster course.

Results-time rounded off a perfect trip (well actually cake at Tebay services while icing my foot on the way home did that) as I discovered that I'd actually run a new PB of 35:15! Yeay!

Joining the Mile High Club....

Altitude training was suggested to me earlier this year, but several things about the very idea scared me.

For starters, I didn't think I was a runner of a good enough standard that altitude training would benefit me. Secondly, I was training for a different marathon to the two girls already heading out to train, and so we would have been at different points in our training cycles. Thirdly, the thought of going to Boulder to stay at Steve Jones' place and run with Freya Murray and Susan Partridge was something way beyond any running dreams/ambitions I had ever had. Fourthly, I was running a marathon fairly early. The year, and so there would still be a lot of snow around at altitude. Lastly, and most importantly, I was told that I would need to go for 3 weeks minimum to make it worthwhile, and there was no way that I could take that much time away from my work.

The idea did niggle away at the back of my mind, along with my mantra "you don't regret what you do, just what you don't do", so when it was suggested again in the autumn marathon training cycle, I decided to do what I could to give it a try.

Easy to see in daylight

Luckily, I was able to discuss things in advance with my partners at work, and arranged to take some "leave without pay" in order to be able to go, so in September I headed off into the unknown for 3 weeks.

It really was the unknown, as I flew to Barcelona and then hired a car, which unfortunately didn't come with maps or satnav, and tried to find my way up to Font Romeu in the dark. I'm told that it's a beautiful drive, but I have to confess that it wasn't a highlight of my trip. Not only did I feel ill (lovely sinusitis - must've been a going away present from some patients), but I discovered that you have to ignore all of the signs to France and keep driving along the Spanish toll road towards Andorra. After driving for what seemed like hours, with the tollbooths that were manned claiming to have never heard of FR, I finally stopped at a roadside frankfurter bar to ask for help. I was so relieved to find out that I was still on the correct road, and just had to go through a 5km long tunnel before crossing the border and winding my way up tiny little roads into the Pyrenees. 

The "Grand Hotel"

I didn't fare much better when I actually got to FR either as, even though I can speak French fairly well, nobody could help me when I asked for directions to a named street. Eventually......at about midnight....I found the old "Grand Hotel" (now private appartments) and rang Fionnuala Britton who came down to let me in. 

I was sharing the apartment with Finn and another Irish athlete, Alan McCormack, while the rest of the Irish squad were due to come out for their training camp the following week. They were both brilliant at making me feel at ease and advising me how to settle in and acclimatise as both have trained at altitude before, with Finn being a full time athlete (and double Olympian.......wow not worthy.....and so nice and friendly too!).

Finn has been to FR on many occasions but neither Alan nor I knew anywhere to run she guided us on a gentle run in the morning to point out some of the trails, the track, a mile long "exercise loop".......and most importantly, to point out the bakery, where I finished every gentle morning run after that. As we wandered to the bakery......yummmmm......fresh French bread/croissants/pain an chocolat.......we found ourselves in the middle of a classic car rally through the Pyrenees - fascinating!

A friendly local...

Feeling ill isn't the best, and it's worse away from home at altitude, but luckily I had just planned to take it very easy for the first few days with some gentle runs and lots of relaxing. In fact, I think I did lots of relaxing for my whole time there - it's amazing how time passes when you're reading a book (or several) in the sun!

I managed to follow up the sinusitis with a thumb infection which, along with the altitude, did give me some amazing dreams, but despite this, I found myself sleeping better than I had in months, so there's definitely something to be said for taking a long break from work and getting away somewhere never mind actually getting some training in.

Naively, I hadn't realised that FR itself isn't on a plateau; it's situated on the side of a hill, and so every run involved some more hills. Combining this with unaccustomed altitude, I found that most people run according to time (or, later on, according to perceived effort) rather than going by pace or distance. 

Some flatter runs could be had at the "High Altitude Lycée" (round the pitches or the track) in FR or you could drive down about half an hour to Lake Matemale and run round it/through the woods there. Still, It was nice to have so many different trails to choose from when running straight from the door, whether you got lost winding your way back from the next village, avoided huge cows in the woods, played on the rollerblading/cross country skiing training tracks, or headed up to Paula's Loop around the highest point in the locality.

The highest point on Paula's Loop

In the first couple of days, I made a vague plan for my time there - nothing complicated, but incorporating a long run and a faster/effort session every week with some easy running in between (including a few trips up to run Paula's Loop as it was my favourite place to run - up high, great views, totally alone in the hills and usually only seeing horses and cows while out there).

I soon settled into a rhythm: working in the mornings on weekdays (I confess to having taken some work with me as I felt guilty at having more than a week away from work) after a bakery trip, and then spending the afternoons reading, going to the laundry or the supermarket, being a tourist, meeting others for coffee and Nutella crepes (more frequent after one of my friends arrived with the rest of the Irish squad), and just generally chilling. I got into the habit of going running at a similar time to Alan and Finn (in the early evening) which meant I got back to use the shower and start cooking my dinner first. Having no tv was no great loss as we resumed the lost art of conversation at/after mealtimes.....and if you really wanted to, you could take a cushion along the corridor and sit on the stairs where there was Internet and watch things there (as we did when following the Great North Run).

Not a bad view to wake up to every day….

Time passed by really quickly, with the weather being rather kind. I'd wake up to beautiful clear skies most mornings, and had hardly any use for the waterproofs I'd taken with me. I was nervous about any "proper athletes" seeing my attempts to run, but actually hardly saw anyone else when out.......my main companions were horses and cows (all wearing cowbells, and generally wandering around freely) with the odd deer thrown in. I occasionally overlapped with other people using the track, but apart from the time a couple of Kenyans passed me (they were running easy and I was doing an "effort"), it was actually rather interesting to watch people learn to high jump, or to see a racewalker do intervals.

A trail loop for intervals

Some people struggle when they go to altitude (and indeed on there return to sea level) as they try to do too much and simply exhaust themselves. It's easier to do that in a flatter place, as the fact that you have to run uphill whatever direction you go in, means that you do really "run easy" most of the time. Many people do their speed sessions more on time than distance, or do shorter intervals, to adjust for the altitude, as you cannot compare intervals run at home to those on a track at 1800m elevation. Unusually for me, I actually struggled more with longer runs....finding myself running out of energy and having to stopping and even being sick on one occasion. That'll teach me for not having enough respect for the strength of the sun at altitude, and underestimating all the ups and down when running "down to the lake"!

I ran down to the Lake to join the Irish girls!

When the rest of the Irish Squad came out, Chris Jones (the Irish endurance lead and Fionnuala's coach) kindly let me see their physio for some vital treatment to my plantar fasciitis and heel fat problems (see previous blog) and I also had a few blood tests done with the squad looking at adaptation to altitude. What was interesting for me to see, was that my iron level was dropping, despite taking my usual supplements, which didn't help my energy levels. It also meant that there were more people around for coffee and crepe trips in the afternoons!

All in all, I loved my time out there. A combination of being away from the stress of work, having beautiful places to run, amazing weather (it was either sunny, or there were dramatic storms), good sleep and lovely bakeries meant I returned home feeling strong as I entered my pre-marathon taper!

Let's just hope for some good race results now, but even if things don't go according to plan, I think the trip was definitely worth it!

Lessons learnt while away

It's ok to eat your weight in Nutella!

Altitude  gives you weird dreams

Race walkers doing 400m track reps look odd

5mins after thunder and hail!

It's embarrassing to be overtaken by Kenyans running "easy" when you're doing "efforts"

It's scary to run past a big cow with huge horns when wearing red

The weather is very changeable....sun to lightning to hail within a few minutes

It's ok to eat your weight in Nutella!

Your running is very changeable.....even within a few metres....it's like having bipolar running disorder

There's no such thing as running too easy at altitude

The sun is much stronger when you're up higher - beware!

Even slight inclines must be respected

Friends are great, and keep you sane, even if they're far away

It's ok to eat your weight in Nutella!

Double Olympians are normal people - and so can be v friendly, helpful and down to earth

A small post-run snack!

The Irish do talk v fast, even if they don't believe it

Professionals are worth their weight in gold (see previous blog)

Altitude can make you lose weight, even if eating like a horse

Altitude can make your iron level drop, despite taking supplements

It's ok to eat your weight in Nutella!

Guys can even make a competition out of hydration tests

Yummmmmm

Mmmmmm.....French bakeries! 'nuff said

Being ill isn't good, being ill at altitude is less good, being sick at altitude is the worst yet!

You don't miss the TV when it's not there, but there's a lot to catch up on when you get back to it - bring on the taper!

Swimming pools close for the "winter" at the end of August - weird!

Driving on scenic winding mountain roads is fun....for the first 10k.... but the next 40k can be a bit of a drag…..though it does build up your arm strength!

And did I mention, it's OK to eat your weight in Nutella!!

So worth it.....

A professional who is good at their job is worth their weight in gold!

I know lots of running friends who have been given many different diagnoses over the years with varying degrees of accuracy, whether it be tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, a stress fracture, a stress reaction, compartment syndrome, a muscle tear, or just the niggles caused by increased training. Some people are very keen for a "name" for what they are feeling, and so physios, sports therapists, doctors etc often oblige without really thinking of the consequences that such a label can cause. It may result in people paying for various expensive treatments (many of which are unnecessary), changing their training radically, resting completely, or even giving up their sport.

It is therefore really refreshing to be surprised by the knowledge and diagnostic ability that some professionals have, and even more so, when they admit to being slightly unsure of a precise cause/diagnosis and to wanting to see how things develop.

Taping to spread the strain across the plantar fascia

I'd been developing heel pain for a few days, and initially wanted to put my head in the sand about it, knowing how long I struggled with plantar fasciitis (PF) 18 months ago, and how sore it was. However, I had only just got over my knee problem and really wanted to get back to running pain-free, so after a week, I bit the bullet and went to see a physio to try to nip it in the bud as much as possible. He spent a long time assessing my feet, my ankles and my calves, and astonished me by picking up a severe ankle injury that I had when only 8 years old (as he could feel the residual abnormal movement in my ankle even now, years later).

A heel pad - so simple yet so effective!

I was dreading being told, "yes, that's the PF back......not much you can do about it now", but luckily I was given different news. Yes, there was some element of PF (as it was very gritty on palpation) but we could try to take some of the strain off it with some tape. There was also some inflammation of the heel fat pad/insertion, so I am trying a small cushion on my heel to take some of the pressure off it. My calf was also very tight, especially down one side, with some excruciating trigger points.

All in all, I'm glad I took the plunge in getting a proper assessment, and am impressed he took the time to look at all the different possible causes, rather than just giving me one significant diagnosis. The different modalities of treatments also gives me hope that I can continue to train without causing further more significant damage, and I would have paid him his weight in gold for that news,

Gallovidian 10K

Three weeks of pain in my knee whenever I tried to run seemed a bit much, so I decided not to enter the Scottish half marathon championships in Elgin. This was a bit of a blow as not only would I be missing the race, but as it seemed way to far to travel when not running, but I would be missing the chance to catch up with my friend Ellie Greenwood. She was over from Canada visiting her parents and so had decided to run the marathon (there was a 10k, a half marathon and a marathon all being run on the same day on similar courses) to keep her training motivation up.......and needless to say she had a great win!



DRC out in force



Instead, I spent the weekend stressing about my upcoming presentation in Edinburgh at the "Night of Adventure" and testing it out on various (un)willing friends. Anyway, once the pressure of that was over and done with, I realised that my knee hadn't hurt for a few days, so I decided to test it with the local Gallovidian 10k race. This was organised by one of my friends in the other Dumfries-based running club, and was another counter in my club's road race Grand Prix, so there would be lots of DRC vests about.

The race itself wasn't a specific goal - the aim was just to come away with a solid pain-free run - so I ran the couple of miles over to the start as soon as I finished work on the Wednesday, got my number and lined up.



The radio DJ starting us off was so keen that he almost forgot to wait for the countdown, but we set off in a little bunch of burgundy club vests. The first mile was rather fast (despite the undulating roads) - Alan (our club captain) disappeared off ahead, bu I tried to settle into a pace and not get drawn along by a lady who started as if it was a short track race. I passed her within the first mile and felt as if I was running out into the countryside alone, as Alan was the only person visible away ahead of me. Obviously I was nothing like alone, with clubmate Richard tucked in just behind me, and Lisa flying along behind that.

Lisa flying by....



I'm not sure about the exact km signs as Lisa sped past me (it seemed like it was effortless for her) just as we approached the 5km mark and Richard went with her. Looking at my watch briefly, it appeared that we'd run 5k faster than I'd ever run it before so I let them go and figured that they would come back to me later.



With Richard



"Later" was about the 8k mark, as I'd reeled them back in and took the lead again, successfully negotiating the chicane of cycle path barriers under the bypass. The end of the race was not my finest hour, as there is a hairpin bend back on yourself on a busy corner, and I almost came to a standstill to avoid tumbling off the pavement into the road. Richard negotiated this much better and so I then had to chase him down he street. Having only run the Gallovidian once before many moons ago (sweeping the course doesn't count), I thought that I remembered entering he track to the finish as soon as we turned off the main road. My memory failed me, and we actually had to run past a tow of houses, up a steep incline, across a car park and then down a lane onto the bottom of the track. Richard and I were together as we entered the track, but I had no sprint in me, so he opened up a gap of 8 seconds while Lisa closed me down to 4 seconds.



Although my time was considerably slower than the 10k in Glasgow 3 weeks earlier (on an "easier" course) I was still v happy to come away having achieved my goal of a pain free run with no further injuries, as well as an individual and team win.......and even more excited for all the PBs achieved by my clubmates!





Public speaking

This isn't a post about running or racing, but I guess it can be seen as having many similarities, as its is about me stepping out of my comfort zone.

I generally think of myself as quite a private person, and am not known for shouting about what I've done in the past and what I'm doing at the current time, so when Emily Prince from Hope and Homes for children first got in touch with me about taking part on their Edinburgh Night of Adventure, my instinct was to run away and hide. What could be worse than standing up and talking in front of 250 people with your pictures shown on a huge cinema screen ?

The more I thought about it, however, the more I realised that I should challenge myself and do something that I'm afraid of, otherwise how will I ever overcome the fear? The evening is all in aid of charity and I'll also get to hear talks and see pictures taken by some amazing people.

That being said,  I did delay putting my talk and slides together for as long as possible, as that way I could keep my head in the sand about it. Looking out the most appreciate pictures did bring some amazing memories flooding back......I cannot tell you them now as that would spoil the evening......but I'm so glad I agreed to do it, as otherwise I might not have gone through the pictures or remembered certain events.

Well, that's how I feel now......but as I head up to Edinburgh this afternoon, I'm sure the butterflies will be back......

Still.....nothing ventured, nothing gained.......and I have had some positive feedback trying my presentation out on Dumfries friends.......fingers crossed for tonight then....

British Masters Championships



More wine?



Having finally settled on an autumn goal, I was determined to enjoy a few days of leave before getting back into training. Going away to France for a few days to catch up with friends that I don't often see (for geographical reasons), eat French pastries direct from the local bakery, and drink nice French wine seemed like a good idea at the time. Right up until the final morning.......when we had the bright idea of going white water rafting. We were going to go in individual rafts......called hydrospeeding....but unfortunately the water levels were too low. Hydrospeeding looks like body boarding with a windshield, but it means that your legs are hanging free behind you, so in low water levels, they'd be banging off all the rocks. It sounded like a sensible solution for them to put us on inflatable kayaks instead, so off we went. We soon learnt how to control our own kayaks, but there is no controlling other people......especially French guys showing off for the benefit of the girl in their group.



All smiles before the rapids...



One of them managed to ride his kayak up over the top of mine, which caused mine to flip so that I ended up going down the rapids head first while trying to hang onto both my paddle and my upturned boat. Not the most sensible way of travel.



My battered legs!



Luckily, my helmet saved me from severe knocks to the head, but the same cannot be said for my lower body. Despite the thick wetsuit I ended up with a long gash and bruise down one shin, and some battered twisted legs......owwwwwww!

Unfortunately, over the next few days I discovered that the damages weren't quite as superficial as they seemed, as I found myself limping down the stairs in the mornings. It wasn't exactly the best time to be restarting training..... as I found that I could only run on my tiptoes or uphill without pain. Landing on a bent knee was ok, but if I tried to land on the heel of an extended leg, it felt like a knife was being put into the side of my knee joint.

It's funny how you find that you are only really keen to train when you cannot, but I managed to hold back and so by the weekend it was settling down. 

I had already entered the British Masters 10k championships on the Sunday and went up with my clubmate Lisa. I had decided to try a warmup with her, but if it hurt in this, then I would be the bag carrier/supporter/photographer. I had no real expectations of running well after the previous couple of weeks, but as the warmup went ok, I pinned on my number and went to the startline.

The course was a 2+ lap one, mainly in Pollok Park, but having sections along the side of a busy main road. The same course is used for another 10k race earlier in the year, and people commented on how congested that start was........with 75 runners. Due to this being a high profile British masters championship race, there were almost 250 entrants. Cue some carnage at the start.

A narrow single lane road, people talking and the announcer not being audible, no countdown, cars parked along the edges of the road along with supporters/dogs/children, all age categories and both sexes starting together, and some "speed walkers" wanting to start at the front, meant that I had no idea what was going on for the first few hundred metres. It was rather stop-start with short bursts around people, looking for a bit of road space, but luckily everyone had settled down within the first mile and the field had spread out well.

As the marshal turned us onto the pavement along the main road beside the park, I was settled into my stride and could identify 2 Scottish female runners up ahead of me - the closest being Lesley Chisholm (a V35 who usually beats me over shorter distances) while further ahead was Fiona Matheson (an amazing runner in the V50 category that I'm lucky enough to be friends with) - which meant that I was holding my own......so far at least.

Another lap?

Unfortunately our route was barred by cars parked illegally on the pavement, but the race organisers had thankfully had the foresight to get a line of marshals out in the road in high-vis jackets to slow cars down and provide a safe running lane at the edge of the road. We soon turned back into the park and start heading up an incline. I may not have the raw speed, but uphills favour me as I do have some strength, so, much to my surprise, I managed to pass Lesley, though I knew that I would have to keep pushing or she would just fly by me again. From the top of that slope the course undulated further through the park back to where we started, and from there it was on to was the finish and the start of the second lap (though a headwind did seem to have developed). The downhills didn't seem to hurt as I'd feared the would before we started, though I'm not sure if that was due to adrenaline or the fact that I was landing further forward on my feet due to the increased running pace.

It was tempting to stop as we passed the finish line, but as I still had Fiona in sight and Lesley hadn't shot past yet, I managed to use the support of spectators to spur me on to another lap. I'd like to think that I respect the ability of my fellow runners, though sometimes I underestimate either myself, or the fact that other runners may not always have a perfect race. I couldn't understand how I could be gaining on Fiona as we headed into the park the second time, as I've never beaten her in my life. I found myself settling in a little way behind, but then suddenly thought, "why not enjoy this hill as you're feeling strong?". 

I moved past her and the man than was running a similar pace but thought that 8k was too far out to run for the finish.....after all, we had some dreaded downhills coming up, and I know that Fiona also does track races (unlike myself) so probably has a good sprint in her.



As we descended the final slope to approach the startline, somebody appeared inside me and I thought it was all over for my brief foray at the front. Luckily it was the male runner, who encouraged me to keep pushing, as he thought I was opening up a small gap. I try not to look back in races, but I couldn't believe him, so I did turn my head (while negotiating the speedbumps in the road). I couldn't see anyone on my shoulder, so although I felt like I must look awful and thought I was getting slower and slower, I kept the momentum going. I was convinced that every corner was the last one, and was so disappointed whenever I rounded one, and saw the road stretching further, but thankfully made it to the finish line and even managed an attempt at a wee sprint for line honours.

What a day.......starting out from home unsure if I was even going to run, and coming home as British Masters 10k champion (with my clubmate Lisa 3rd lady and first in her age category too)!