Nice race, shame about the body

The same time will mean different things to different people.  So 58 minutes, for example, could be reason for elation as someone's first 10K under the one-hour-mark, or as a new half-marathon world record for the likes of Zersenay Tadesse.

I say this because other people I know will no doubt say my time today was respectable enough.  But for me, today's 51 minutes 54 seconds is my slowest *ever* time for a 10K race.  By several minutes.  So in that regard, I'm not exactly where I want to be.  My first ever 10K (after about 10-15 years of fairly consistent abuse to my body, including heavy smoking... and then resulting weight gain after giving up the smokes..!) took about 49 or 50 minutes in 2005. By Spring 2010 I was running 10Ks in nearer 42 minutes.  But obviously injury and age have combined and damn it is tough to come back!!

However.... in the interests of balance, a few further considerations.  First, for most of the past year I couldn't have done a 10K race at all - at times I couldn't even have walked it comfortably.  Plus, this was a tough course, lots of climbing and uneven trails, and most definitely not a PB course.

It was also a VERY nice course.  Lovely forest trails and spectacular views across the valley to the hills on the other side.  And great to take part in my first club championship race of the year!  Great atmosphere, good turnout and some excellent results for fellow club members, lots of tasty cake and sandwiches at the post-race spread.  Add to that a whisky glass and a miniature Macallan 10 year old in the goody bag (which, to be honest, would be enough to get me back to this race on their own) and the fact I've lost nearly half a stone over the past 2 months since I was able to pick up my training properly again, and you pretty much have *all* the many reasons why I love running.  So from that point of view, I'm exactly where I want to be.  More of the same, please.

The race winner missed the course record by 5 seconds - bet he's a lot more disappointed than me!

Peter was second male vet

Shery first female vet

Willie 2nd male super vet

The spoils of 'war'

Back in double figures

It's been a topsy-turvy month.  I felt I was getting somewhere with my training and return to fitness in May. The marathon weekend at the end of the month was great. I really enjoyed running the 10K on the same morning as Zoe did the 1.5K kids run and Shona did the 5K.  Then marshaling at the half-marathon and marathon the next day was superb, a good way to be part of the whole thing, and feel like a proper member of the club again through seeing other marshals and supporting our runners.

No issues after the 10K. Then a minor niggle, which I was able to fix myself with a bit of stretching. But then disaster - terrible cold which lasted a week, and then when I felt well enough to get my running kit out for the next day, I woke up in pain with an opportunistic ear infection that had snuck in on the back of the cold!  Was over a week before I could even hear properly again, and altogether I missed nearly 3 whole weeks of training.

But I'm getting back again now.  Feeling good, and I kept to my schedule all last week (2 lots of cycling and 2 shortish runs) and then yesterday I ran 10.7 miles.  It was pretty slow, to be honest, and tough going in the warm weather, but that is the furthest I have run FOR A YEAR!  Happy days.  Been out on the bike for 30 minutes this evening too, and all seems to be well.

Off to Brussels in the morning, but running kit's packed so I can continue sticking to schedule... And signed up for Crieff 10K and Haddington half marathon so hopefully I can make a couple of championship races in 2011!

My training schedule - a poem

I was stuck at Heathrow airport for a few hours last week.  I'd made up my marathon training schedule for Berlin the weekend before, which always results in a burst of enthusiasm, but I then had to cut short my next training run, that same weekend, because of calf pain.

Anyway, I must have been bored, because this is how my idle mind processed this information and filled the time at Heathrow...

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My training schedule - a poem

I've done a training schedule, it's perfect in ev'ry way
If only I can manage to keep injuries at bay

Sixteen weeks long, it breaks down in parts - long, short and tempo
Plus a little bit of cross, where it'll help things to flow

But fix your back, calf goes next. Sort one calf, other one goes.
Ageing body must protest, what's coming next - no-one knows!

They say, "Just follow the plan, it'll get you to Berlin"
No need for miracles or the wizardry of Merlin

So I've made up my schedule, I just need a little luck.
And for troublesome injuries to, please, now, get to f---.

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Bagging the Ben

When we booked to go to Spean Bridge for our Easter break, it was definitely my intention to make the trip up Ben Nevis at some point during the week.  However, there's a certain amount of criticism and snobbery directed at Ben Nevis.  It's not the best walk, it's too busy/touristy, there are much better hill-walks, etc etc.  But as you'll see from the picture above, the outlook from our holiday cottage meant it had been staring at me all week.  Plus there is a certain element of 'it's there' and the allure that goes with it being the highest mountain in the UK.  There are also runners that dismiss the big city marathons as being not for proper runners - I say they're just different.  But Ben Nevis is most definitely the London marathon of the hill-walking world...! 

A trip to the Ben Nevis whisky distillery served to whet my appetite, with the various boards covering the history of Britain's highest mountain.  Like the story of this nut-job here... who knew upright pianos break up at 1000 ft?

Anyway, the allotted day came around, and like almost every day of our holiday it was a scorcher...  But everything I'd read advised you to 'dress for the top rather than the bottom' so I still had on my fleece and long trousers.  10 am on the day before Good Friday seemed to be a very popular start time for the ascent, and of the 10-20 other walkers setting out at a similar time to me, most were not choosing to be so cautious with their attire.  

So I spent the first 15 or 20 minutes overtaking other walkers and wondering how long I could last before I gave in and JUST TOOK MY STUPID EXTRA LAYERS OFF.  I finally relented after about 30 minutes, by which point I was already dripping with sweat. 

By my reckoning, the climb up Ben Nevis breaks down in to 3 broad sections (4 if you count the snow at the top separately).  The first section is all big boulders, man-made steps that are an effort to resist the obvious erosion caused by thousands of people climbing up it each year.  The fact there are lots of foot-high steps mean it's an excellent warm-up for your calves and hamstrings.  

 The middle section is more normal dirt track, going past 'the halfway lochan', a river crossing, great views up and down. (Guess which was my favourite bit). I reached the halfway lochan (which I reckon is more like the 'third or two-fifths-of-the-way lochan, although I acknowledge that doesn't have the same ring to it) after about an hour and a quarter, and rewarded myself with some jelly babies.

The third section zig-zags up the steepest part of the ben. It's all scree and loose rock, a bit of a slog. And a fair bit of it is snow-covered, even in summer.

I started getting more tired at this point and wolfed down some tablet...

Turns out December in Edinburgh was excellent training for Ben Nevis in April

So anyway, the jeans-and-trainers-brigade may have toiled in the final snowy sections, and it did get cooler, but actually it wasn't too bad. Right at the final bit, where it levelled out and the wind kicked in I did put my fleece back on, but I probably would have managed without.  It was busy enough at the top, maybe 30-40 other people. Being on my own there wasn't much reason for me to hang around, but I was happy to get my photo taken at the summit and I did feel a bit of a high from the achievement.

 Plus there were some excellent views of the cliffs on the north face, and the snowy peaks around about.

But, as any good hill-walker or fell-runner will tell you, the top of the hill is only half-way.  After 5 or 10 minutes I was ready to begin heading back down.  I passed a few groups with children under 10 in tow, who were struggling to persuade them up to the top of the hill as if that was the end of it, and didn't envy what I knew it'd be like for them when it took around 3 hours to get back down as well.  There were going to be some stressed out families there.

Anyway, it was easier going down through the snow than it had been to climb (although did throw caution to the wind a little bit and revert to my - admittedly poor! - descending techniques from occasional hill races) and after the grey scree was left behind I climbed up a little way off the trail to sit back and enjoy a late lunch.  It was about 1.30pm by this point, and the traffic seemed to have died down a bit.  The views where I stopped were spectacular and the camera really can't do it justice as you can't capture the full panorama, and the light, well at all.

Soon enough I started back down and felt really good having had a good feed and with the knowledge I'd left the summit and what I thought was the hardest section behind me. Even chatted to a few people on the way down - a group of Germans who'd already done the West Highland Way before tackling Ben Nevis, and then after I'd left them behind, a couple of squaddies (who were the only people who actualy overtook me in either direction).  One of them berated me for having an OMM rucksack but not having actually done an original mountain marathon event.... He didn't accept my explanation that it was now commercially available and was just a good pack, reckoned I should commit to doing it in the next year or two.  Erm.... not sure about that!

It was great to get back to the middle section and on to reasonable, even, dirt track again.  But it didn't seem to last long and on the way down, the final section did seem to just be a total slog. The hard surface was a killer for tiring feet and knees.  I saw my first '3 Peaks' t-shirted group on the way up there, doing Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike over 24 hours to raise money for Help for Heroes. Fair play to them, I was tired enough just doing the one, especially in that heat.

Before too long, and about 5 and a half hours since I started that morning, I was back near the Ben Nevis Inn. I had it in my head that I'd meet up with Shona and the kids there.  Instead though, a change of plan saw me walk a further mile along the river and over a different bridge to go to the Glen Nevis cafe - admittedly a more child-friendly venue, and a pleasant stroll along the river, although it did feel a bit like when you have to rush off at the end of a race rather than stick around and chat to your fellow competitors.  But no room to complain at all given Shona had looked after the kids solo all day on our family holiday, to enable me to do this!  So anyway, I bought a beer in town to have later, instead...

Final thoughts? I got a definite sense of achievement from doing Ben Nevis, there was a good camaraderie between people doing it, it's an accessible but worthwhile challenge and I'd far rather people did these kinds of things than didn't! Especially if it inspires anyone, either directly or indirectly, to get out and enjoy the hills (responsibly) and explore more of the beautiful country we are so lucky to live in. On the day I did it I was lucky to have good weather and the views were truly spectacular.  The sunburn on my neck was equally spectacular - do remember the suncream if you're doing something similar...

My next munro will be pretty different.  I'm staying overnight in a bothy and then tackling Ben Starav.  I may even be the only person doing it that day.  I expect I'll love doing it too, for different reasons.  But for now, going to put my feet up for a bit....

Pause (pummelling)

I've had a frustrating couple of weeks, unable to run. In fact, even walking has been painful and awkward. So Tuesday was time to ramp up efforts to fix the problem. For the first time, I went for a double whammy of deep tissue massage *and* chiropractic adjustment. The theory being that tight, twisted muscles are stopping my joints/vertebrae from staying where they should and/or putting pressure on nerves.

So, for a full hour the massage concentrated entirely on my left glute, piriformis, and hamstring. (Top of my leg and my butt, for the non-anatomists amongst you).  Then, the usual quick chiropractic adjustment.

I cannot tell you how strange it was afterwards. I have become so used to tensing/ flinching when my left foot strikes the ground that I was expecting it with every step, and it was genuinely disconcerting to be walking pain-free and normally for the first time in a fortnight... I couldn't help smiling as I walked.

Yesterday morning I got up expecting to be pretty much unable to walk (as had been the case lately) but was still ok and feeling no major discomfort, apart from plenty of bruising from the muscles that took a beating the day before. I was also still occasionally involuntarily compensating for pain that never came...

Now, 2 days on and still no issues apart from residual bruising and sore muscles. All in all, the improvement is incredible. Last weekend I thought I'd have to cancel all expectations for races this year, now I'm optimistic again.

Over the next couple of days I'm going to continue to rest and let my muscles recover from the beating they had, but all being well I'll try a short run this weekend.

Aaaaah... Endorphins.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've done any running. Got a bit carried away after the excellent Gartmorn 6 (my race report here), perhaps should have had a rest day, or should have stretched more, not sure really. But either way, by the Wednesday walking wasn't easy, let alone running.  

Didn't really enjoy reining it in, but didn't really have a choice. I'd been enjoying stepping up my training and doing more running so much but sadly it's often the nature of long-term injuries that you have to be prepared to still endure the odd setback on the road to recovery.  Doesn't seem fair! But you have to be philosophical about it (and patient) and remember you've come back from worse already. So the weekend after Gartmorn I just walked up Arthurs Seat with Zoe, which was superb - it was her first time to the top and it was great conditions for it, and then this weekend I nipped out for 30 minutes on my bike.  It went well and I actually felt better today than I had before, so I decided to chance my arm and head out again today.

Wasn't really sure where I was going to go so I decided to take my hybrid, a Revolution Courier which I bought back in about 2004.  It's my oldest and cheapest bike.  It's also my favourite and the most reliable.  The others (a mountain bike and a cyclocross which I have kitted out like a road bike) are so specific they're actually less useful, especially when it comes to riding around the variable roads of Edinburgh.

I headed out east to Musselburgh and took a path I've not taken before, round the coastal side of the nature reserve and lagoon between Musselburgh and Prestonpans. Although I've done the coastal trail further along past Prestonpans, I've always taken the road on this side for some reason - probably because I was on a road bike or because, before that, I didn't know it was there.

Anyway, it's good track, and it's strangely beautiful in places.  I say strangely because a lot of it isn't traditional attractive coastal scenery and rural landscapes.  You have the reserve on one side of you and a thin strip of wasteland between you and the sea.  Populated on one small beach by a discarded TV on a stand and various other 'found' objects mascarading as some kind of impromptu art nouveau.  Plus some other very low-key and unexpected landmarks along the way.  

And although I suspect some of my enjoyment was down to those lovely endorphins I've missed so much while I've not been running, it's also nice to see new landscapes and appreciate them for what they are.  And I took a few photos (including a couple using the excellent Hipstamatic app) for your enjoyment too!   

Good pain vs bad pain

Hello. It's been a while since I last posted but I'm very happy to say my recovery from injury is progressing very well.  After months of only being able to manage the odd 3-4 miles or so of running, and keeping it all pretty flat and uneventful (and yet still having a fair amount of post-run discomfort on occasion) it's brilliant to be able to be a bit more adventurous with my routes.  The photos above are from a 7.5 miler round the trails of Holyrood Park on Monday 14th.  Lots of water about, and some of the trails were deep with it so I got cold, wet feet.  My efforts to skirt the worst of the flooding by staying to the sides meant I also got some nice bramble scratches all over my shins (still there 2 weeks later too.)

I did a similar route this Monday (21st), but tacked on a loop of the Meadows instead of one of the Holyrood loops, really just to add in another area I've not run in for several months and to ensure the overall distance was up to 8.5 miles.

Over the past 2 weeks, as well as the 'long runs' (well, long for me at the moment) I've also managed a few shorter recovery runs, at least one gym trip each week and quite a lot of hiking, mostly in the Pentlands.

The hiking is an important part of my schedule for getting back to something like the level of fitness I had a year or so back.  My theory is that it means I'm still using the same muscle groups, but putting less stress on my musculo-skeletal system (back, leg joints, pelvis) and also increasing the time spent on my feet, which I think will help as I build the mileage back up.  Plus, being a bit of a country boy at heart I love hill-walking and escaping the city.

On Friday, Shona and I went for a 2 hour walk from Swanston village up to Allermuir hill and looping back round (before lunch and cake at Swanston Golf club - shhhhh).  Saturday I was at the gym for some stationary bike and cross-trainer action.  Sunday I rested, then Monday was the 8.5 mile run. (Like many runs I've done lately - the furthest I've run in months...)

After my longer run on Monday I was already feeling the effect a little on my leg muscles, but wanted to make the most of a day off and some good weather yesterday to hit the hills and get a walk in. I started out from Flotterstone just after 10am, with beautiful blue skies, and headed straight up Turnhouse hill along the ridge.  Did Turnhouse, Carnethy, Scald Law, East Kip, West Kip, and then back down to the Howe and along the road past Glencorse Reservoir back to the car. I was walking for just short of 4 hours without stopping, and my hamstrings were pretty sore for the last two climbs (those of you that know the Pentlands will know the Kips are not the biggest hills there, but they're steep little buggers even if they are short).   For the final mile or two back along the road my feet were beginning to ache too.

Back at the office today and largely desk-bound, and this evening my leg muscles are tight and feeling the pain of the training over the past week or two.  Which brings me to the title of this blog post.  This is GOOD pain.

I don't think it's masochistic to say that there is something deeply satisfying about the muscle pain you get from training that is helping you get fitter, and that you have earned in some way.  Contrast this with the BAD pain that I had back in September/October last year where some days every step I took was painful, and it was just a discomfort to be tolerated as best I could.  It's not something that was earned, or could be attributed to a hard workout, overdoing it, or pulling something with an awkward movement.  It was just bloody annoying and uncomfortable!

I know of a number of people whose medical conditions mean they are constantly managing this kind of pain - and may always do so.  I admire their patience and resilience more than I can express.

Thankfully my experience has been a temporary one and I'm feeling ever more optimistic that I will leave it behind me and get back to full fitness.  And I hope that when I'm feeling the pain towards the end of a hard race - like in the last few miles of the Berlin marathon in September all being well - I will be able to draw strength from my experience and think how lucky I am to be able to feel 'good' pain like this that comes from being fit and able to challenge your body, and instead of letting it weigh on me, just appreciate it for what it represents, smile to myself, and run on.