Spooky speed work

I'm not a speedy runner. I'm more of your back of the pack runner that just likes to do his own thing - what that actual 'thing' is though, I'm not really sure? It could be as simple as preservation - preserving me that is - or it might be laziness or it could be a case of not having much running talent. While running around the French Alps (Tour du Mont Blanc) in 2001, I was told that my legs were suffering because of something called LOFT, which is a mnemonic for 'Lack Of Focused Training' but in my case it's meaning was changed to Lack Of F****ing Talent! Mind you the person uttering those words was one of two Geordies who were doing the run with me, both of whom just loved abusing the softy southerner among them.

Even though I am a slow runner, I do take my training seriously - thresholds, kenyan hills, long runs, recovery runs, steady runs, gym work, I do them all several times a week and I take rest days as well. The latter because as an 'oldie', my body needs to do nothing now and again. I don't know about you but I like to do my training - and running - off road; it's just great to be running through nature rather than running through exhaust fumes and other nasties associated with running on roads. Mind you, off road running can bring it's own form of nasties and I'm not talking here about tree roots, rocks and pot holes, I'm talking about the nasties that lurk in your mind when running at night through deeply dark woodland and forest trails or when crossing open ground, such as that found on Caesars Camp, in thick fog. Canal towpaths and old railway lines are not the friendliest of places either as the slightest splash or rustle can make your heart rate jump to it's max in the blink of an eye; or perhaps more fittingly, a heart beat. These same nasties can also bring - at a cost to your mental health - great benefits too. Speed, pace and cadence for instance can be transformed into super flight when your hackles are raised and your imagination is running riot; the strongest of head lamps won't help you either... it's far too late for that. Recently I found myself doing a 3 x 8 minute threshold session around the tracks and trails of Caesars Camp just as darkness descended and, yep you've guessed it, I got spooked, so spooked that afterwards I just had to share it on facebook. This is what I wrote:

'60mins of spooky running tonight - in the darkness of the woods, eyes of deer and foxes reflected back my torch light, soldiers in full camouflage drifted silently in and out of the darker pine stands - a lone owl hooting above their heads. In the grassy fields bordering my running grounds, unseen dogs barked frantically as a powerful light swept over the ground - perhaps a 'lamper' out looking for a rabbit supper?' 


I can tell you that with each 8 minute circuit through these dark running grounds, my speed increased proportionally to the level of fear felt. I was exhausted when I got home! This is not my first spooky speed work experience, in fact I've had quite a few over the years; some best forgotten but some are well remembered too, like the time I ran from home to my then running club, Blackwater Valley Runners, on a rather dark Halloween night. I'll leave that tale another time though. 

Training for an Ultra - Part 1.

Mainly because of a bio mechanics problem - now sorted - with my left foot and an unexpected collapsed vein problem in my right leg - again now sorted - I have not been able to run any meaningful distances since the summer of 2006. The meaningful distance back then was a 100K footrace called the Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset and for which I trained by doing other ultra races such as the now defunct Thames Meander, a 54 mile footrace that followed the Thames Path from Reading to the outskirts of London. This year, the year of 2012, I have decided is the year to try and run an ultra again and to that end I have entered a new ultra event called 'The Wall Run' - a 69 mile race/run that follows Hadrian's Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle. My enthusiasm for this race must have been infectious at the time, as a friend of mine who has never run in an ultra event before, has also entered this race on the proviso that we 'do it together'. Given that she is a top level Physiotherapist who not only lectures on the subject at University level but also practices her craft at World and Olympic events, I'm happy to oblige!

The training then...

Back in 2006 and before that even, I did my own thing training wise, relying on specific books and information gleaned from Internet sources, such as the Dead Runners Society to work out what it was I should be doing. Today I still I am still doing that but I also have a personal running coach who provides me with weekly running/training schedules that, I hope, will help me reach my goal - he thinks I'm mad by the way and that runs over the marathon distance are mad too. I ignore his opinions about ultra running, mainly because he was a top notch fell runner in his younger days, which in my view makes him madder than me. This regular weekly training consists of a mix of run types - i.e short recovery runs to long 'n slow plus thresholds and Kenyan hills. In between these runs I am expected to do cardiovascular and strength training at the gym. Oh, and I get a rest day too. Back to back running is slowly being introduced into my training, as it is essential that me and my body, especially my legs and feet, get used to the idea of relentless forward progress. On my home running grounds I have got up to doing a 3 hour run one day followed by an 1 hour run the next. Soon I'll be pushing this up to 5 hours and 2 hours and I'll be doing this over the Cleveland Hills in North East England with my buddy and some of her local friends. I think that's going to be a lot harder! I'll tell you more later.

Watch this space...

Running/training going well so far this year - last year, as a friend commented, I lost my mojo somewhat and my writing and my running just fizzled out. So, maybe this year things will be different. I certainly hope so, as I have entered a 69 mile ultra run/race that follows (more or less) Hadrian's Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle. The run is called The Wall by the way and I am doing it all in one go! In order to get fit enough, I have ramped up my training and have entered a 33 mile race as part of that training - it's all about time on your feet and staying injury free. I will also have to sort my nutrition out with a view to losing weight. By June - that's when the race is - I want/need to be under 12 stone, preferably hovering around 11 1/2 stone max. At this weight my running goes up a notch or two - guess I'd better be focused from now on in. Watch this space for more news.