Fitzroy Falls Marathon

Last Saturday was the 11th running of the Fitzroy Falls Fire Trail Marathon. I ran this last year as my first marathon and was surprised to finish second to Mick Donges in 3.09 behind his 3.03. This year I was determined to do better even though my build up was half of what had been last year. 


Once at the start line it was obvious that it was going to be a fast race with aussie reps Brendan Davies and Mick Donges  up for some fun along with other serious competitors like Andrew Tuckey and Alex Matthews. 


My stretch goal was to try and break 3hrs which i knew would be ambitious but I set off with that in mind. I let the fast guys speed off whilst i settled into a decent rhythm. I had my ipod with me but only started wearing it after 5km as it became obvious that this wouldnt be a day for chatting on the trail.


I wore my NB MT101's for this race as they are so damn comfortable and super light which makes uphilling relatively easy.


The halfway mark was hit in 1hr 28 minutes and 30 seconds so i knew 3hrs would be tight as its mostly uphill from there.


I was thankful for my conservative start as I started reeling people in around the half way mark. Around the 28km mark I caught up with Ewan Horsburgh. This was timely as I was beginning to feel the effects of the race and it would have been all too easy to step off the gas. We seemed to take it in turns running in front. I tended to pass on the inclines whilst Ewan would maintain a decent clip on the flats. This kept the pace honest but I was also conscious I was falling off the required pace for a stab at 3hrs. 


At about the 35km mark I managed to lose Ewan and I was on my own for the next few km's. This didnt last long as David Hosking caught me up running fairly lightly. In the distance we could make Alex Matthews who was obviously having a hard day. As we passed him it looked like he had taken a nasty fall and was nutting it out to the finish. Towards the 40km mark my legs were beginning to cramp up and David was looking hard to chase down. All my thoughts were on the post-race burger.


Finally I was on the home straight and I tried one last sprint for glory down the straight. This was thwarted however by the amount of mud so i was slipping and sliding rather than making good ground.


In the end I crossed the line in 6th place in 3.02.45. A 7 minute improvement on last year which is good progression. I probably lost a couple of minutes in the back half of the race but there is always next year to crack 3hrs. Before this race only 10 men in the 11 year history of the race had broken 3 hours. This year the top 4 all came in under 3. 


Top 10 results below:

1.   6   Andrew Tuckey             ASQUITH                 NSW 35 M  2:47:05  3:58
   2. 163   Mick Donges               BLUE MOUNTAINS       NSW 28 M  2:48:10  4:00
   3.   4   Tim Cochrane              WESTMEAD             NSW 31 M  2:54:11  4:08
   4.   3   Brendan Davies            BELFIELD             NSW 34 M  2:55:23  4:10
   5. 141   David Hosking             BROULEE              NSW 43 M  3:02:35  4:20
   6.   5   Ian Gallagher             GREENWICH            NSW 29 M  3:02:45  4:20
   7.   1   Alex Matthews             TURRAMURRA           NSW 27 M  3:06:19  4:25
   8. 183   Ewan Horsburgh            KATOOMBA             NSW 33 M  3:09:16  4:30
   9. 166   Stuart Spencer            CAMPERDOWN           NSW 33 M  3:09:43  4:30
  10.   9   Martin Pengilly           TURRAMURRA           NSW 44 M  3:11:59  4:33

My focus is now firmly on the Great North Walk 100 miler in November. I feel massively under-cooked for this compared to other training diaries I often look at. There are many different ideas out there as to how to train for a 100 mile race but at the end of the day everyones body reacts differently to various training methods. Some guys love the mega mileage, others  prefer short intense workouts, whilst a few (ultra168) like mega mileage intense runs!

The main point I keep hearing though is that one of the biggest battles is getting to the start line in one piece. There is a fine line between doing heavy training and becoming overtrained. Once the symptoms of overtraining set in then your pretty much screwed. On the same note, if your under trained then its going to be a hell of a long day on your feet! 

There have been 44 withdrawals from the race so far most notably some of the big guns in the womens race including last years champ Beth Cardelli and Allison Lilley. Hopefully the withdrawals arent a result of anything too serious and i hope all the other competitors make it to the start in one piece.

For me, completion of the race is going to come down to managing the pain. It's going to hurt, alot, and i'll have to prepare myself for this mentally - embrace it even. I've been reading Marshall Ulrich's new book 'Running America' where he talks about managing the pain he experiences whilst running 60+ miles per day. At one stage his foot is so badly injured that he can barely walk let alone run. He decides to 'disown' his foot. Refuses to acknowledge that the foot or the pain associated with it is his. Crazy stuff. But he plugs away and his foot ever so slowly heals. Hopefully for me i wont encounter any serious injuries and i'll just be able to methodically plug away until the finish. Im super pumped for this!

Solid Week

Knee still not right but the good news is that its not stopping me from running. Pain isnt getting any worse and it comes and goes in waves. It is stopping me from running fast but just to be out running is a bonus. I'll have to go back and see the chiro before the marathon at the end of the month otherwise it will be an uncomfortable debut.

Without going in to too much detail i finally had a solid week of training hitting 124.4km in 11hrs 21minutes with 5 days of running. Happy to hit the mark whilst also having rest days.

Run of the week would have to be the 6ft out and back with Dan Bleakman. This run is total beast and takes you from the start of the 6ft track to the top of Pluvi and back again. Highlights were crossing the freezing creeks, running mini mini, the numerous kangaroos and discussing the European dominance of ultrarunning. Low light was Nellies Glen....


Thanks Dan for a great run. Exactly what I needed!

Best run ever!

I wont bore you with a weekly summary as i havent even hit 100km for the week, this being as its only my first proper week of running since TNF100 just over 2 weeks ago.

Today however I had what felt like the most enjoyable run ever. The route is just over 12.7km and is out and back over a fairly rough and hilly trail with 3 deep streams through it.

I last run this about 6 months ago in a then record time of 1hr 1minute and 30 seconds.

Today I just felt awesome and everything fell into place. I felt like i was flying the whole way apart from when i stacked it 2km in and shredded my body to ribbons - just a minor hiccup in what was otherwise the perfect run for me.

I made it to the fininsh in 54 minutes and 57 seconds shaving over 6 minutes off my previous time. With over 250 metres of elevation on this short run i felt like this was a pretty solid effort.

Feels good to be back!

A solid week!

I've had a good start to this month, managing to wake up early enough to hit my morning runs. Helped by the fact its been stinking hot in the evening this hasnt been too much of a struggle and got easier as the week went by.

Without going in to too much detail the months stats are:

149.38km
12hrs 50 minutes
10 runs
3654 metres of elevation gain

So, best week of running to date. Pretty much to schedule and i felt stronger as the week went on.

Finished off with todays Fatass Event - Megalong Mega. 36km along the hilly parts of the 6ft track. Great fun. Had about 8 litres of fluid in my back pack. Overkill but I heard it can get quite nasty. As  it turns out the heat wasnt too much of a factor. Good training lugging all that weight around though.

Hit the halfway mark in 1hr 59 and then finished up in 3hrs 44 minutes. No idea how this compares to everyone else but i felt strong and didnt push myself particularly.

I hope next week im able to maintain this.

Very Short Weekly Summary 15/11/10 - 21/11/10

The week started off perfectly well apart from a strange moment on Thursday when my body decided that it certainly didnt want to run home, instead opting to pull out after 5km, eat a muffin and jump on a train whilst sweating profusely....

Went to bed on Saturday with every intention of cracking out a 30km the next morning. Woke up on Sunday and the urge to get up early and run was not there. Instead I issued myself with another rest day and proceeded to use my time to over indulge in food and beer...hence the short blog.

Overall - 102.8km - 8 runs - 8hrs 07mins

Next saturday morning is the Glenbrook Trail Marathon. Apparently one should expect to add on another 15 or 20 minutes to their Fitzroy Falls Marathon time as a rough indicator. With that in mind, i hope to come in sub 3:30 depending on weather. If its stinking hot I wont have a chance and i'll just make sure i run a sensible race and enjoy the scenery and company.

The plan for the week is to really rest up. The taper has already started given todays rest day and I shouldnt expect to run more than 30/40 km all week.

Bare Creek Trail Race 9km......?

After a week of doing very little running due to calf strain, heavy boozing, heavy rain and utter laziness i found myself at the starting line of the Bare Creek Trail 9km race.

I ran the course last week and knew it was going to be hard and today it was! Heavy rain for the last year (seems that way) made the course boggy and fairly treacherous. The start of the race was on a school field and there was a 100m dash for around 100 people to squeeze through a gate. Fortunately I was one of the first through the gate unfortunately that was where my problems began...

After a speedy start I already felt i was in oxygen debt and i seemed to struggle for the rest of the race. I was being overtaken left and right by the whippets but i made a pact with myself to just enjoy it. The first couple of kms are all down hill and this is obvious from my km splits of 3:22 and 3:27. After wading through a huge creek it was then a boggy slog uphill. Again i was overtaken a few times and i felt like an old man. I had no pep in my legs - i was struggling. Next 2 km's were 4:01 and 6:15 as i made my way up the 100m incline. At some point my laces came undone so i wasted a few seconds doing them back up. Good excuse to stop mind you..

The trail flattened out more or less and the next 2 kms were 4:22 and 3:58. Rocky and boggy underfoot i was looking forward to the finish but also beginning to recover. The next 3km saw the route move from bog onto road again. Ah the relief. Short lived as they turned to hills. Never mind, I was now enjoying myself. Obviously took a little while to warm up. 4:12, 4:30, 4:41. After looking at my garmin and thinking there was another km left i was surprised to find myself at the finish line after covering 8.33km. Didnt particularly feel like stopping and by that stage I would have been happy to do another loop or 2. This just reaffirmed im better designed for the longer races than the short stuff.

I came home in 35mins 05 secs or there abouts. No idea of  my position as I didnt stick around to find out. Sure I was top 10 but will edit once the results are out. EDIT: 9th place from 169 people

Overall fairly happy with how i pulled through. I still have no idea how to pace myself and i probably shouldnt have run a 42min 10km the previous day but its all good traininig.

Weekly Summary - 01/11/10 - 07/11/10

Monday (pm) - 10.56km - road - 54min 12sec - run to NRG. Nice and easy
Monday (pm) - 10.83km - road - 54min 17sec - 100m sprints, and 4 x 1.2km sprints. Warm down and run home

Tuesday - Melbourne cup. Rest day. Booze day.

Wednesday (pm) - 11km - road - 55min - Run home. Felt rough!

Thursday - lazy lazy lazy. Set my alarm and didnt get up. Went out for Nepalese in the evening.

Friday - Set my alarm again. Using heavy rain as my excuse to not get out of bed..

Saturday (am) - 10km - road- 42min 19sec - felt good. Shouldnt have gone so fast considering my race the next morning but felt good and couldnt help myself. Sore shins though.

Sunday (am) - 8.33km - trail - 35min 20sec - Hard work. Too short for me to really compete as I dont have the leg  speed. Good fun though

Summary - 50.69km - 4hrs 1min - 5 runs - Really a recovery week. Rain didnt help but im not using that as an excuse. Feel undercooked and im looking forward to a big week in the build up to Glenbrook Trail Marathon in a couple of weeks.

Definitely feeling the benefits of interval training with NRG. Leg speed is increasing and my cruising speed has picked up. Generally feeling good.

Weekly Summary - 25/10/10 - 31/10/10

Monday (pm) - 9.6km - road - 48min 55sec - Run to NRG
Monday (pm) - 11.66km - 57min 25secInterval training with NRG. Felt hard but managed to maintain a decent clip. 500ml water

Tuesday (am) - 7.48km - trail/road - 44min 42sec - Felt dreadful. Found some bush but it was slow going and slippery and i couldnt get into a rythm. Got frustrated with all the spiders webs and i  jacked my run in and hit the gym instead. 500ml water
Tuesday (pm) - 10.91km - road - 49min 35sec - Run home from work. Felt flat and a bit rubbish. Glad to get home.

Wednesday (pm) - 11km - road - 50min 54sec - Run home - Felt hard again. Didnt enjoy the run,

Thursday (am) - 15.19km - road - 1hr 10min 23sec - Felt great. Negative split my 6 mins.  500ml water

Friday (am) - 15.08km - road - 1hr 6min 18sec - Set out slow with the plan to warm and run the second half quicker. Felt easy and wish I had more time. Negative split by 7 mins. Best run of the week. The last 3km were all under 4 mins which was pleasing. 500ml water
Friday (pm) - 11km - road - 50min 35sec - Felt relaxed and took it easy. Was keen to get home for a curry.

Saturday (pm) - 11.84km - road - 57min 25sec - Run home from respite centre - Actually felt hard and not much fun sadly. 500ml water

Sunday (am) - 26.51km - road/trail - 2hrs 18mins 37sec - Run from home to St Ives show groun to run the 9km course i'll be racing on saturday. First half of the course is downhill and should be fun. Some real steep climbs after that which should prove testing. Felt hard today and I was forced to walk some of the inclines. Ran out of fluids too. Ok run overall, took it reasonably easy and enjoyed the scenery. 500ml water + 500ml water with 1 nuun tablet.

Total - 10 runs - 130.29km - 10hrs 34min 53 sec - Highest weekly mileage for me so far this year. Nice and consistent and pleased with how the week ended given my struggles at the start. Plan to take it easy this next week as I think my body is crying out for a little rest and i'm keen to be fresh for the Bare Creek Trail Run next Sunday

Friday's morning run:

Weekly Summary

Just 4 runs this week. Concentrating mostly on speed but yesterdays run was an 8hr slog on parts of the Great North Walk. Fantistic scenery, loads of wildlife but no real opportunities so stretch the legs. Great training for time spent on my feet though, slighty sore in the bum today but otherwise feel great.

Plans for next week are to definitely start my morning runs and increase the mileage slightly.

9km trail race early november and Glenbrook marathon end of November are my focus.

Weekly Total - 89km - 11hrs 4 mins

Fitzroy Falls Firetrail Marathon

Wow, what a day!!

Woke at 4.50am and had 2 peanut butter and banana bagels, chia seeds and a glass of water, jumped in the car and was on my way with Phill to Fitzroy Falls for my my first marathon.

Arrived at 7.15am and located my race number - 4 then proceeded to warm up (something new to me!!).

At 7.55 a group of roughly 100 runners lined up at the start line. The faster guys positioned themselves at the front and i popped myself in the middle. In my heart i was really hoping for a 3.30 finish but was concerned about my shins seizing up like they have been doing the last couple of weeks. I certainly didn't want to be going out too fast at the start.

8am and we're off! I run with the crowd for the first 100 metres until i decide I've warmed up enough (amazing what adrenaline can do!) then start making my way towards the front. Worryingly i discover i am in with a chasing group of about 4 - the lead runner is already way ahead.  I look at my watch and see my 1st km has gone by in 4mins 17sec, not my intention. I make  an effort to slow down as there is still 41km's left and I could easily blow up.

I get chatting with a guy called Mick (an 82 minute half marathoner!) and the next 9 km's seem to tick by all too easily. My heart rate is a high 170bpm and I'm in unknown territory. I have done no interval training or tempo training so i have no idea if i can maintain this. Certainly my legs still feel good but i never run with this much effort.

I hit the 10km mark in just over 44mins and at this point a guy in a backpack surges ahead. We hit a hill and I make the decision that I'm going to go all out - if i blow up trying then so be it, but today I'm just going to see what my body is capable of.

I feel strong on the hill and i soon overtake backpack guy and I'm now running on my own in 2nd place. Wow, never in a million years did i think this would be the case. I'm aware of the pedigree behind me so i cant relax. I can still hear breathing and footsteps so i must keep pushing forward.

The next 7 kms is uphill and i remain on my own then there is a lovely steep section of track from 17km through to 21km - a chance to lower my heart rate to 165 bpm! I still cant believe it is that high but I'm determined not to let up. I go through the half marathon mark in 1hr 33 mins - a PB by 1 minute! This amazes me since i remember being so exhausted after my half marathon in January but here i was still feeling ok. I did some rough calculations and figured I wouldn't be able to maintain my current pace but might be able to hold on  and come in around 3hrs 20mins. This current section was an out and back and this is where i saw the lead runner who looked strong and offered some words of encouragement as he charged off. I figured he was about 7 minutes in front. On my return i saw the guys who were chasing me - another adrenaline rush! Running in a pack of 3 these hounds were looking strong and i knew i would be caught if i let up off the gas. Fortunately i was still clocking 4.30min/kms and i figured if i could keep that up then i should be ok - i just had no idea if i could keep it up or not.

From 21km through to 30km the running was mostly flat trail. I managed to get into a comfortable rhythm and was feeling good apart from a minor tumble at 25km.

30km's in and I'm really starting to feel the effects of the race now. I've been running on my own for the last 20kms and I'm really having to dig deep to maintain my pace. I hit a long stretch of road and cant see anyone behind me so i take a 10sec walk break. The relief is instant and I'm on my way again. The fear factor of being caught is the only thing keeping me going.

30km through to the finish is all gradual uphill and I'm playing mind games with myself to get me to the finish. 'Only another 2 km until i hit the 35km mark then its only 5 km till the 40km mark then once I'm at 40km I'm pretty much finished..'

I have another couple of 10 second walking breaks to compose myself from 30km - 40km then i knock the last couple of kms off in around 4.18min/km.

I come into the finish stretch and I'm greeted by a small crowd and I can see my girlfriend snapping away on the camera. That's a nice surprise as I told her that I should be done by 4hrs and hopefully by 3hrs 30 but no sooner. Fortunately she has more confidence in my running than i do!

2nd place in 3hrs 9 mins and 11 seconds - great way to spend a Saturday morning

I was about 6 minutes off the winner and about 3 minutes in front of 3rd and 4th place.

Fuel = 1.5 bananas, 3 endura gels, 1 mini mars bar

Fluid = 1.5 litres of water with 3 nunn tablets

Good to be finished!

Feeling human again



A Hopeless Week

This week hasnt been great for running. I have been struggling with shin issues so have only had the chance to really run a couple of times. Low mileage but i guess this is what i needed/

Nothing much to report. Yesterdays run was positive. Good to get back on the trails and my shins were ok once i had warmed up. The plan this week is to take it easy so im in ok shape for the marathon on saturday.

Monday - rest
Tuesday - 10.3km - 47min 48sec - road (vibram 5 fingers)
Wednesday - 5km - 23min 30sec - road (run cut short as shins were really hurting)
Thursday - rest
Friday - rest
Saturday - 24.39km - 2hr 6mins - trail/road (felt fit, shins sore at start but felt better as i warmed up. Ran on some real slow technical trail which probably helped then picked up the speed where i could. Felt more confident that i can make it through the marathon than i did at the start of the week)
Sunday - rest

Total - 39.81km - 3hrs, 17mins

Monthly Summary - September

September has been without doubt my best month of running since i started keeping tabs a year ago.

My previous high was 290km way back in March. I think the reason for my increased mileage is purely logistical. I spent a month living at my girlfriends parents place which is around 20km from where i work, so most of the time i used to run home from work.

I now live much closer to the office so it will be slightly harder to maintain the mileage.

Count: 21 Activities


Distance: 418.24 km

Time: 36:12:51 h:m:s

Elevation Gain: 8,467 m

Avg HR: 148 bpm

Calories: 23,029 C

Avg Time: 01:43:28 h:m:s

Avg Distance: 19.92 km

Avg Speed: 11.5 km/h

This week i plan on taking it easy. I havent been able to run the last few days as my shins have been sore. I have a trail marathon coming up next saturday so i hope to be fit for it. I'll be braving the rain today and going out for a slow test run today to see how i hold up. I think (hoping) the issue with my shins is because i have been setting off too quickly on my runs recently. I just need to relax and warm up into it. Looks like its going to be a muddy one today!

Weekly Summary 13/09/10 - 19/09/10

Another pretty good week of running. Decent mileage for marathon training and my legs feel nice and fresh.
Had a fun run this saturday morning before breakfast. Took my garmin visat hcx gps out with me as i was exploring a new area. Was looking to run some trails near Turramurra. I ended up not really knowing where i was and found myself on top of a large rock overlooking miles and miles of bushland. Really wished i had my camera with me. My garmin suggested there were some tracks in the bush, so I made my way down and bush bashed till I came across the tracks. Really slow going because of this but great fun. I didnt see a single sole. Turned out to be a decent long run before the marathon in October.

Today I nipped out before breakfast for some speed work. Legs felt great after Saturday's run so I thought i would pick up the pace and do a loop of my local area. Great loop as it starts out with a gentle incline for 1km, then flattens out for a couple of kms before picking up a gradual incline again. Once i hit the bush its downhill for a couple more kms before beginning the ascents. The ascents are such a great workout, just straight up. Really takes it out of me but its a great sense of achievement coasting up them. Always a good gauge of fitness and gives a reliable indication of how my legs are feeling. Todays case, they were feeling great. I did however trip as i normally do running this trail and grazed the left side of my body. Just the adrenaline rush I need towards the end of a run.

Stats for the week below:

Monday - 20.52km, road, 1hr 44min
Tuesday - 20.29km, road, 1hr 44min
Wednesday - 9.12km, trail, 44min 41sec
Thursday - 20.26km, road, 1hr 41min
Friday - rest
Saturday - 36.56km, trail/road, 3hrs 41min
Sunday - 12km, trail/road, 54mins, 28secs

Total - 118.76km - 10:31:14 h:m:s

Saturdays run:

Wow, what a run!!

This evening I ran a hilly 12.7km trail run that I like to time myself on just for fun.

I've only run it 3 times before today and the results are:

22nd August - 66min 57 secs (ran in 5 fingers)

25th August - 66min 44 secs (ran in 5 fingers)

31st August - 67min 51 secs (ran in running shoes)

Today 61min 34 secs (ran in 5 fingers)

A huge improvement! Surprising after running almost 120km last week. I didnt set out to run as fast as I did, however when the garmin beeped 4.30 for the 1st km and 4.46km for the 2nd, I thought I'd give it ago.

I knew I was on for a fast time when I reached the turnaround point in 31mins 24 secs.



Such a stony course that you really have to concentrate where you are placing your feet. My feet feel like they have had a good massage. The plus side of wearing the 5 fingers is that you can really get some decent footing on the hills and power up them. Downhills isnt so fun..

I left my HRM at work today which is a shame as it would have been interesting to see the results. However, I think if i was wearing it then i may not have run so fast as i would have been horrified at how hard i was working!!!

Great to have achieved this today. I did set my alarm to wake up early to do this but lacked the motivation to crawl out of bed. Seemed to have paid off!

Weekly Summary

Had a pretty decent week running which is pleasing. Summary:

I've started testing and pushing myself on a nice hilly trail around 6.5km in length. I run from the house down to the start of the trail and down a steep hill then its pretty much uphill all the way. Exhilarating. I time myself once i get to the top then continue on my journey.

On Sunday 22nd I ran this part in my 5 fingers in 33.30 mins. On wednesday in my 5 fingers I did this on 34.30 min but the return leg was a negative split by over 2 minutes which was cool.

On Friday in the dark I ran this in my running shoes in 30 mins exactly. I was knackered when i reached the summit but felt great.

Saturday was around 33 mins. So pretty consistent. I'd love to do there and back in under 60 mins one day. 12.7km and its hilly so will be tough but it something to work towards.

Overview:

Monday 23rd August - 13.75km bush run
Wednesday 25th August - 12.67km bush run
Friday 27th August - 9.11km bush run
Saturday 28th August - 20.27km bush run
Sunday 29th August - 21.85km bush run


Total - 5 runs
77.64km
07:16:39 h:m:s

A good week overall, ITB felt ok. Conscious to build up slowly and to stay off the roads as much as possible. Will look to break 80km next week.

Weekly Total

This week has not been great in terms of running and this is to do with my persistant itb injury.



I've cranked down the mileage, run totally barefoot a couple of times, ran in my 5 fingers and now seem to be improving.



Today I moved back in temporarily with my girlfriends parents. The site of where my running first began exactly a year ago. The trails in this area are fantastic and you cant help but want to go running.



So i slipped on my 5 fingers and went out for a hilly and rocky trail run. The temperature was great and my legs were feeling good. I was running carefully, scared to trigger off my itb.

The sandy stony trail felt great under foot , always careful about where i was placing my next step which made me feel rather fleet footed today. The overall elevation of the run isnt huge by any means but there are some really good climbs. In fact, today was the first day that i have run the entire course. Last year when i first started out I really struggled with the hills but today it all came together. This is clearly a result of my improving fitness over the year and also the lightness of the 5 fingers, really makes a HUGE difference on the climbs. Elevation gain 255m total.

12.73km = 1hr 06min 57secs
I made it to the half way mark in 33 mins 30 secs so i made a negative split by 3 seconds!
Very happy with this run.

Weekly total = 5 runs, 31.27km in 2:52:41
Summary - Very low mileage but easing back into it. Sunday was my highlight so if i can build on that i'll be pleased.

For the next month i've decided to cut out all alcohol and sugar from my diet. For no main reason but to just give it a go. Alcohol will be fine, sugar is my biggest demon!

Happy running

Weekly Mileage

Just finished my Sunday run. First run of any reasonable length that i have been able to do in well over a month.

Was a lovely little run on a scenic route following the coast on an out and back trail. Slippery underfoot at times but good fun. Weather was strange. A nice sunny 20 degrees to start with and by the end i was freezing having run in a hailstorm for 20 minutes. All part of the fun though.

I managed20.22km in 1hr 45min. Reasonably pleased. I had to take my orthotics out of my shoes at 14km as they were rubbing on my arch. Also my feet were aching. Ive never suffered from this before.

At 16km i felt my itb tightening up. So i probably pushed it a little too much today as im still in recovery mode.

Monday 9th August - Sunday 15th August

5 runs = 54.65km in 4hrs 38mins

Summary: First real week of running. Still taking it easy as itb is threatening to kick in. Will look to build on this next week.