Back from a knock-out blow!

It's been over a week since my last blog. It was very positive and I had no idea that just a few hours later I'd be hit by an infection that knocked me for 6 and lost me 4kg in a week.

So what happened. I woke early on the Sunday morning with a fever and a headache to end all headaches. I was awake for a few hours and realised I wasn't running the cross country. I spent the day in the house feeling rough.

I managed a day at work on Monday but overnight on Monday all hell broke loose and I was in a very bad way. Tuesday I was at the GP and given antibiotics but they did nothing and by Saturday I had lost 3kg. One more was lost before Monday and seeing the GP for a few tests to see I'm ok.

Since yesterday I've been back to normal. Tired and skinny but no fever, no headache and I've got my appetite back. I am restless so went for the gentlest of jogs today to see how the legs felt. I was ok and managed a mile with no stopping. So I did another. Susan will kill me if she finds out.

Anyway, easy does it stallion. It'll be a slow build from here. 

Oh yeah, on November 12 I was 13.5 stone, or 85kg. Today I'm just under 12.5 stone or 79kg. Oops.

Recovery Day, Easy bike & run

It's been a good week with a solid set of reps and a 4 mile tempo so today's rest has been very welcome. The legs felt good after a short 3 mile stretch on my way to the shops.

After a morning of kid activities I took Jack out on his bike for an hour. We took it easy as there's a lot of water and grit on the roads but it was still a nice ride out too Pepperstock and back. I was on my fixed wheel bike which keeps me honest when I'm out with Jack.

Tomorrow is a cross country race. Only 5 miles and not really in keeping with my marathon training plan so I'm hoping to get a few easy miles in before and after the race to push up the mileage to near 10 for the day. We'll see how it plays out.

Steady 4 mile Tempo Run

After last night's fatigue I wasn't looking forward to this session. Tempo runs have traditionally been the missing ingredient in my training plans. I'm not sure why.

Work's been full on and after spending the morning on the phone I took a quick lunchtime gap to stretch the legs and see how they were feeling. I was pleased to feel some energy and bounce. I took it easy at 8.45 pace for just 2 miles. The hard effort was coming later.

I managed to finish everything around 4pm and it was still light so I headed out straight away and after a short warm-up set off at for 4 miles at a steady 7.10 pace. The first mile was comfortable and my heart rate was well below my lactate threshold. For mile 2 it was a steady incline. Nothing serious but enough to set the heart on an upward move. From there it continued to hover at LT which for me is 171.

Mile 3 was back down the slope and then mile 4 included a slight incline which was enough to send me ragged for the last half mile. Up until then my form was solid, breathing controlled and cadence pretty quick, but for the last 800 yards it was heavy breathing, form gone and steely determination to cling on to the pace.

The Garmin says I averaged 7.10 for the 4 miles which is bang on and a miracle as my pacing is normally all over the place.

Tomorrow will be an easy day. Probably 3-4miles and possibly a ride on the bike if the weather holds out.

Have a good weekend y'all.

Good evening Nebraska! 5 miles on tired legs.

I was amazed to get a message through Facebook from a fellow blogger in Nebraska. Now all I know about that is the Springsteen album and that it sounds a cold place at this time of year so I'd better not start complaining about a bit of frost!

I had a long day in London today and after getting the kids off to bed had to find the energy to get out for a few miles. It was hard work.

The legs still feel sore from yesterday and so every step was a struggle. My energy levels were low too so all in all it was feeble. I didn't stop even though I felt like it.

A good stretch, a cup of tea and a slice of toast and I'm all better. I need a good night's sleep though as it's supposed to be my tempo run tomorrow.

Back into it

I was pretty tired on Monday after the long run on Sunday. My legs were weary and a full day off was the call.

Lunchtime on Tuesday and I needed to get out and clear my head after a long morning on the phone and laptop. An easy 2 miles with a few short strides got the lungs and heart going.

In the evening I took off for an hour after dark. I'd missed the Arrows session but probably passed a few on my trek around the streets. In the end I completed nearly 7 miles miles in an hour.

Today it was back to the hard work. This session sounded painful, 10x800m, 1min off at 6.50min/mile.

I took off at lunchtime and the first 2 800's were a struggle. I couldn't get into the pacing and my lungs and heart felt like they weren't going to settle. Eventually they did and I managed to get to rep 5 feeling ok. On the way back it seemed fine until the uphill on the last rep. That hurt and I struggled to get the pace back on target. I'll take that. Overall I was pretty tight to the target and that's a good sign.

Sunday Long Run

Today was a test for me. 15 miles at 8min pace was the call by Phil. That's a tad too fast for my long run which should be nearer 9min pace if the text books are to be believed. But I was up for it to see how long I could last and whether my heart, legs or mental strength would buckle first.

The conditions weren't ideal. It had been a clear frozen night and all of yesterday's rain and puddles had frozen so every footpath and road was sheet ice.

Six of us set off from the George at 7am, Phil, Viddy, Darren, Steve and Richard. I must admit I felt quite out of my depth. The initial route was out towards Kinsbourne Green, up Roundwood Lane and out passed Apple Tree Farm. All was well until we came to the mother of all puddles. It was a tricky jump and scramble to get passed it but I made it. Richard was unlucky though and slipped head first into the ice bath. He was soaked through and we decided we needed to get him home before hypothermia set in.

We headed back towards Southdown and out to Heartwood, making the route up as we came across flooded areas that made us turn back.

The pace for the first 6 miles was between 7.42 - 8.22 and I was surviving. The next 4 miles were a mix of hills and mud as we made our way across to No Mans Land and the Wicked Lady pub. The pace was slower because of the conditions but the effort was constant.

Mile 11 was an uphill to Wheathamstead from the pub. This was the moment when my legs buckled. The heart rate and head were fine but my legs were shot and I couldn't keep up as the lads skipped up the hill. At the top they were waiting and I downed a gel and dug in as I knew we were now turning for home.

Mile 12 was 7.55 pace and then we arrived at Piggotshill Lane to do a rep up and down. From there it was steady home and a finishing 15.5miles in 8.19 average moving pace.

It was a really enjoyable run. Challenging in places but a true test of where I am. Compared to my 12-13 mile runs in early November and early December I've stepped up, holding a faster pace for longer. My heart rate stayed below my lactate threshold which for a run of that pace is another good confidence builder.

I'll probably do an easy 2-3 miles today just to stretch the legs out but other than that its back to work and a rest from hard running.

New Year Catch Up!

It's been a while since I've been on the blog. Christmas and New Year festivities meant there was little time. Sadly illness affected the party atmosphere as both Susan's granny and uncle were in bad shape. We got through it even though our travel arrangements home were turned upside down in the last few hours before we left. We survived thanks to Susan's mum who flew home with the kids on her own. What a hero.
So the running was good. I did a hill rep session on Christmas Eve in a blizzard. I was happy with the pace and effort.
Boxing Day was a climb up the Turret and 13 miles with 1800ft climbing.
27th December was a shorter run with only a good effort up the Knock to get the heart going.
In the evening I got a surprise call from reception at the Hydro saying a certain Niall McIntyre was asking for me. It was great to catch up with Niall, Katja and family for an hour or two in the evening. Niall started me on this running journey back in 2008 and it was only a shame we couldn't fit in a few miles.

We were meant to travel home early on the 28th but an early phone call put the kibosh on that. Instead Susan and I spent the morning shuffling relatives between hospitals and care homes. After a while I was only getting in the way so was sent off to do a run. This time I set off along the route of the new Beauly-Denny power line - sorry couldn't help a bit of pylon spotting.

Sunday morning I was back in England and the legs were feeling tired after a solid week in the hills. I took it easy going round the Avenues for an easy 2.5miles.

Monday and we were off to the South coast for New Year. I managed a 10k round Camber in gale force winds and on soft sand. My legs were still feeling weary and I plodded home into the wind.
I thoroughly enjoyed spending New Years eve with the Speirs' and Hamstead's. I didn't get to run with Simon who was coughing his guts up but I did get to swim with Adrian on New Years Day.

After the New Year festivities it was time to start the hard work. 5x800 reps with 2min rest in between were the call of the day on Thursday. The heart was pounding on these but I was delighted to do what could bee my fastest ever 800m.

Friday I managed two easy runs. First a 2.5miles down the town and then a later 4.5miles round the avenues.

Today I went for a boggy, wet 3.5miles run with Jack who was on his bike. There has been a ridiculous amount of rain and some of my usual route was flooded.

It's been a steady week after the time in Scotland but tomorrow I'm out with the big boys for 15miles at 8min pace. Let's see how I get on and how long I can last at that pace.