Shurdington Ultramarathon Man in Training

Injury

2012-01-24T22:33:00.001Z

I have had a couple of conversations recently with people of a similar age where the underlying theme has been the body isn't what it used to be, the well worn cliche of, "...the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak..." having been trotted out a couple of times. This has made me think about the demands that we place on our bodies in the name of recreation. My twitter timeline is full of people that have jobs, families and yet continue to batter themselves on bike, foot or in the pool on a regular basis. Early starts for swimming before work, jogs with strollers and/or dogs (the art of multi-tasking is prevalent in the wannabe athlete's armoury). Weekends are for long runs/rides or as the weather improves, both. My timeline is also full of the same people complaining about injuries and niggles. Rotator cuff, Achilles tenderness, plantar fasciitis, hamstring pulls, calf strains all make regular appearances. Heck someone (@revershed) even smashed his face up running into a street sign at 10 mph.Then there's knees. This is where I come in.More than 12 months ago I had my left ACL reconstructed, rehab went great. As 2011 progressed I was increasing my mileage and feeling good. The recovering knee not giving me any problems. I then started a job in November 2011 where I could travel to work under my own steam. Perfect, the winter cycling and running gear was evaluated and in some cases updated. Then I started. I started by running to work as with a couple of races In the calendar for January 2012 this was a perfect way to get my miles in. The shortest route to work is 2.5 miles but there are infinite ways to increase this. A couple of weeks in and, post recovery, I completed my highest run mileage week topping out at 45miles. Things definitely on the up.Then the most inconsequential of actions brought another injury.Arriving at work I was at my locker which is at floor level. Squatting down to put my kit away something happened to my right knee. Nothing major, there were no cracks, collapses or instance of pain. Just something. Brushing it off as just one of those things I continued to my desk and sat down. When I went to get up after an hour or so I couldn't move. It was like I has just been given the knee of a man double my age. It was stiff, inflexible and really painful. I limped a few steps and then it freed up and I was ok. The pattern was repeated every time I got up from a seated position.As runners one thing we are rubbish at is acknowledging injuries. I always think that "...I'll just run this off..." or, "...give it a couple of days and it'll be fine...". It's like we don't want to accept the reality because what it means is too hard to comprehend. I am miserable when I cannot run at a weekend. I know that. Even at my age it brings out the child in me.Travel to work was now by bike, and actually since this (beginning of November) has entirely been by bike. The knee eased a bit but I cannot put any impact through it. A trip to the GP saw referred to the physio department at the hospital. An examination there confirmed the worse - cartilage damage. The good news is that it is not likely to require surgery as the damage doesn't appear to be a tear. This is as there's no clicking, locking or instability issues. Whilst I am pleased about this - the thought of more surgery is too much - in some ways it's the worse news for a runner. What it means is patience. It also means rehab exercise and stretching.What runners do that!? We all know we should but we don't. Foam roller every so often maybe, and stretching when there's pain.This in itself is an odd situation because I (and a lot of runners I know) have a ton of gear, all the latest equipment and clothing. Support tights, calf guards, orthotics, vibrams, socks with individual toes, cortisone injections, the latest running shoes, trail shoes, hydration packs/belts. The list goes on. All purchased, at great expense ko some cases, to give an advantage and make running better or easier. Yet the thing most likely to make running better or easier is free and is simply stretching and core stability.Who does that?Try this - ask a runner how much study stretch. I bet the answer will be something like, "...not as much as I should...". So where does this leave me?My ultramarathon ambitions for this year are now cancelled. I didn't participate in the Gloucester 50k that was this past Sunday, and I won't be doing the 'Born to run' 37 mile ultra in Llanelli in March. I have lost too much running and don't know when I will be back. My physio has suggested I try running in a couple of weeks time in the week beginning 30-Jan. I then have a review with her on 6th February. That will be baby steps I am sure and I will need to go back to low-low mileage and build very slowly. Between now and then I need to do my core exercises and stretches. This is something that I absolutely have to do otherwise I fear that, at the age of 41, I won't be able to achieve what I want as my body will never be up to it. The engine will be good but the chassis rusty and clapped out.So for 2012 it is now about getting shot of this latest injury and then getting fit properly, engine and chassis. I am resigned that I will be the chap who cycles to work and runs 5 miles or so a couple of times a week. That is the first objective. Beyond that I don't know. I am not entering any races or events for the year (Cheltenham triathlon at the lido excepted) - I don't want the pressure. I want to be able to enjoy my running for what it is and at the moment that's not possible as I am putting pressure on myself to be ready for something. If I remove that recovery should be easier and who knows, I may be a bit more mature at weekends.

are you kidding me?

2011-12-15T22:12:00.001Z

Give me a break - 24th November i ran to work, as i squatted to get my gear from locker something in my knee changed. A period of pain and swelling followed, turns out i have probably compressed my cartlidge. This means i cannot run and means that my ambition of doing the Gloucester 50km is over, for this year at least.

It's a bit like one step forward and three steps back. In the week before i did my highest mileage week of the year and then getting a towel from a locker and bam.

Give me a break! (please)

Friday night nightmare

2011-11-22T21:53:00.001Z

Saturday night I had a flash back to my Friday night dream.

Friday night I had woken in a real panic convinced I had ruptured my
knee. Again. It was one of those flinch yourself awake moments that
we've all had except in my dream my knee wrenched and the ligament
snapped.

It was horrible.

Of course it was only a dream but weirdly it was on the anniversary of
my knee operation, something that I had not thought about at all. But
something that was obviously in my subconscious.

true north...

2011-11-18T21:36:00.001Z

This last fortnight has been a challenging one from a training perspective. Mileage was increasing nicely until another breakdown. This time my glute, my left one which is the leg that was operated on a year ago, almost to today. I had a replacement ACL operation where they took a segment of my left hamstring to make the ligament. I still have a groove down the back of my left hamstring and i guess that my left leg is still weaker than the right. If a leg will break down then its going to be that one.

When it went i was about 3 miles from home on a 6'ish mile run. I hobbled home on a run walk strategy cursing my bad luck and hoping for good. A bit of Internet research and turns out that glute pain is something that you can train through and is most likely due to a weak core and hips.

I dug out the Swiss ball and re instigated my 100 push-up and 200 sit-ups apps. A few days of that with short runs and while there was initial discomfort i was back up to 8 mile runs pretty soon.

During this time i reconsidered what i am doing and more importantly the pressure i put myself under. I want to run Ultras. Actually let me rephrase that i am desperate to run an ultra. I want to be part of that gang, i want to test myself and push myself. Yet while i keep breaking down that ambition seems so far away. I started to consider that maybe i should just become a guy that runs 5-6 miles 3 maybe 4 times a week and is happy with that. I can keep fit without pressure and just enjoy it for what it is.

I think that the reality is that i won't be happy with that. I'll probably be more miserable than when i am properly injured and cannot do anything. That's where the true north bit comes in.

I was discussing this with John on our commute earlier this week and he used the term to define what you are truly like. What is your true north? What are you and what makes you happy? What makes you, you?

In my case it's having a target, something to aim for. Something to push myself towards. i may not get there immediately or anytime really soon but i will get there. I admire the people that run recreationally and maybe i wish i could be like them a little bit more.

But I'm not and that my friends is my true north.

all the gear and no idea

2011-10-07T20:25:00.001+01:00

Went for a run this morning, from the ground up I was wearing:

Brooks Glycerin running shoes with custom orthotics
Injinji Socks
Compressport Calf Guards
Brooks Running shorts
Nike Pro long sleeve base layer
Asics short sleeve running top
Garmin Forerunner
RoadID (complete with 'Born to Run' quote engraved)
The North Face running pack
Camelbak bottle
Powerbar gel
HighFive Electrolyte

When did it all get so complicated?

Brooks pureproject

2011-10-06T18:12:00.001+01:00

I'm a one shoe guy. I buy a pair of running shoes use them for training and races, then after around 425-450 miles retire them to gardening shoes and buy a new pair. I don't even do that much gardening!

October 1st saw the release of the Brooks pureproject (is it "Pure Project", "pureproject" or "PureProject"?) range of shoes. A range of minimalist footwear that satisfies the current trend. The pureproject (sic) shoes do appear to do it differently though. Compare the pureproject with, say the Hattori by Saucony, and there's no comparison. The whole pureproject shoe looks designed, refined and then stripped down. I bought a pair of the pureconnect shoes yesterday.

The first thing you notice is the colour. They are green and not just green but electric green, with bold flashes of reflective material that seem to reflect in all light. The Brooks logo is also now a proud, reflective, logo and on the pureproject shoes is oversized compared to normal. They must be pretty eye catching because my daughter cringed when she saw them and when I wore them on the school run this morning she said she would rather I wore my vibrams (which she also dislikes).

The second thing is the weight or rather lack of weight. This is a stripped down and lightweight shoe. The sole has cutaways, the upper is a thin mesh over a thin layer of 'hole-punched' material light and flexible over the nav-band and it is comparatively low profile around the sides of the ankle. With the lightweight build, low drop and split toe-box it actually felt to me like a cushioned and more sturdy vibram fivefingers shoe.

The pureconnect is a neutral shoe, I use neutral shoes with my orthotics. I swapped insoles and slid them on. the fit is like a glove. I know that most new running shoes or indeed any trainers have that box-fresh stiffness and feel but this was something a little different. Like pulling on a slipper. Pulling the laces tight the nav band tightened the shoe making it feel totally secure on the foot without being tight. Jumping on the treadmill I tried them out. They felt great but the real test is when you get out on the road. Luckily I checked the recommended use of the shoe before leaving Up and Running, it's not a high mileage shoe but more for short runs and speed work.

The same evening I went for a run. It was a horrible night, dark wet and windy. The rain was pretty much horizontal and had I not had new shoes I may not have bothered.

I set out and truly they felt remarkable. Discounting the placebo effect (they may have felt great because I was desperate for them to) that may have had a part to play the shoe felt almost like it wasn't there. It's so light and snug yet does not constrict the foot at all. I am a forefoot striker and pretty soon I felt like I was gliding down the road my heels barely skimming the tarmac. The other thing was, they felt fast. I've never used a lightweight shoe (other than the vibrams which I don't run fast in at all) and now I really wish I had done, particularly when doing triathlon. I don't know if it was real or perceived but my foot turnover felt faster and my stride more fluid. They made me want to run fast. They felt fun to be running in. In reality the run actually wasn't that fast or as fast as I could have done (5miles in just under 35mins) however taking into account the conditions and the wind that seemed to be head on the whole way around there was a definite positive impact on performance.

The shoes performed well on the tarmac and normal pavement surfaces. I did get some slippage as I ran past Cheltenham Town Hall that has some shiny flag stones. In the wet these were a bit 'icy' but in reality I think in most shoes I would have probably experienced that.

Ultimately in terms of comfort, stability and performance there is no issue with this shoe. In fact for a shoe that has little to it it offered an almost disproportionate amount of each. It is not a cheap shoe but there is a lot in it and I think that as a runner you can see and feel that once you use it. I am a sucker for shiny new tech so this, with the marketing machine that it clearly had, twitter hashtag #pureproject anyone?, was always going to hook me. The difference is that, here, the product is better than the marketing.

What will now be interesting is if Brooks take this tech and apply it (either literally or in principle) to their high mileage shoes.

Running a Marathon - What's harder?

2011-09-29T16:10:00.002+01:00

At the weekend in Berlin the mens marathon world record was broken and now stands at 02:03:38 set by Patrick Mackau, a 26 year old Kenyan. A remarkable achievement and surely a sub-2hr marathon will be achieved in my lifetime?

It begs a question though - is it harder on the body to run a marathon in a little over 2hrs or is it harder for the non-elite runners who are out there for 5+ hours? The elites will be full time athletes, training, eating, sleeping, recovering and little else. All with the objective of getting as close to 2hrs as possible. Contrast with the non-elite who works a full time job, has a family, has social commitments, kids to get to clubs. A house to maintain. Maybe a commute. Then fits in training. Somewhere probably at the start of the day, in a lunch break or maybe the end of the day when all is done.

To run at close to 2hrs is a huge physical undertaking that will take a lot from the body and clearly needs a lot of effort to be able to execute. Running for 5+hrs at a much slower pace though will take a massive toll on the body too. While the pace is not as demanding the time on feet is. The mental pressure will be immense too. Keeping yourself going for that long will not be easy.

What do you think? Remember there are no stupid questions only stupid answers!

easy, light and smooth - an evening with Caballo Blanco

2011-09-22T20:09:00.001+01:00

Caballo Blanco came on stage, he must be around 6'2". He's very lean with a clean bald head. I'm not sure how old he is but I would guess he's in his early 50's. Dressed in a pair of Saucony Hattori's, well used tracksuit bottoms and a race t-shirt he looked uneasy in the spotlight and, in fact, after a couple of minutes stepped back, not quite in the shadows but nearly. His real name is Micah True almost as unreal as the moniker he now uses having been bestowed it by Mayan Indians who used to see him run through their village.

He has become famous (in certain circles) as a result of being a lead character in a book by Christopher McDougall 'Born to Run'. When a member of the audience asked him about the book and the impact it has had on his life he was very upbeat and made more than one reference to "...playing the cards you are dealt...". Another member of the audience made a comment that it was nice to meet him as the character in the book appeared fictional such was the way he was portrayed.

This was an evening with Caballo Blanco in Bristol. He's doing some talking dates around the UK to raise awareness and funds for his organisation Norawas de Raramuri that is in place to support the Tarahumara or, as they refer to themselves, the Raramuri.

He started out his talk with a statement about shoes. That he wasn't here to promote or sell shoes or to promote or sell not wearing shoes. At one point he said that people actually apologise to him for wearing shoes! Something he forgives readily. Interestingly he really wasn't promoting any shoes, when he was asked what he wears he said he has a couple of pairs of shoes depending on how he's feeling but never mentioned any brands or shoe models. This was towards the end of the talk and reinforced that this really was a guy not interested or aware of the commercial impact h could have. He did mention that he is working with a shoe manufacturer to develop a minimalist shoe something that I imagine will be like a huarache that the Raramuri wear.

There was then a video of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon from 2009 which was excellent.

Then he started talking,

.....his back story about being a kick boxer and making a living that way. This explained his "...gnarly toes...", that "..make babies cry, women faint and men cringe..." He later explained that he "...may have broken his toes against someone's face a couple of times...". Throughout he was reservedly animated, he didn't move much and sipped on his water throughout but his face was continually breaking out in smiles as he recalled his stories.

The story of the Leadville 100 where he met the Raramuri was brilliant and the Anna T (check) race where they called her the Bruha brought smiles all round. The audience knew the stories from the book but to hear them from Caballo Blanco really did feel like a treat. A quick glance around the theatre and everyone in the audience was attentive and smiling, transfixed by the Caballo.

He relaxed quickly and got into his flow. The only thing that seemed to raise his temperature a little was when he was referring to the Discovery Channel and the way that they portray the Raramuri as super-human because they don't really have cancer or heart disease which is due to their lifestyle. That may be the case but they do have high infant mortality with figures of 1/5 babies die-ing in birth being mentioned. How Caballo described them really struck a chord, he said that "...we should respect them but not idolise them...". They aren't super human they are just living how they always have done, we should respect that and learn from it but not patronise or interfere with them by idolising them.

He talked about doing the Leadville 100 and how running 100miles is like "...living a life in a day..." from birth all the way through to death although hopefully not literally.

He set up the Copper Canyon Ultra marathon so that the Raramuri could come and run in their own environment, to do what they have always done. Each year the number of Raramuri increases and there are more and more women also participating. Running in the huaraches that they make and long skirts and dresses. One year the ladies race was won by a 15year old Raramuri girl. The race is sponsored by Korima the Raramuri word for sharing that is at the heart of their culture. They share without the need or expectation f thanks, Caballo did say that you may have a hard time down in the Copper Canyon if you are "...attached to thank you.." they are grateful, sure, but sharing is what they do. They don't share to bang their chest and tell you what they did, they just do it.

With the talk over he started taking questions from the audience, he eats a predominantly vegetarian diet with lots of Pinole and whole grains although occasionally does eat barbeque chicken and fish. He likes beer, when asked how he recovers after a race he said "...put your feet up and drink a beer...". His favourite distance is 50miles. When a young man he used to clock up 170mile weeks.

When asked about gait he made a point that everyone is different and that even the Raramuri run different to each other. He did describe his gait as running tall, like there's a puppet string pulling your head to the sky, use a forefoot strike and a little forward so that gravity works with you. His running mantra, "...easy, light and smooth...". The way he described this this is how he achieves flow in his running or sometimes not. He starts easy, then light (Raramuri means light footed ones) and hopes to attain smooth. sometimes he gets there in minutes, sometime hours and sometimes not at all. I think all runners can understand that. We all seek flow when running, the realisation that you have covered a distance (whatever it may be) without really noticing.

There was plenty of inspiring stuff too - about how anyone can run 100miles if they train and put their mind to it. How if you do run 100miles that you know you can pretty much do anything. How we have all had some adversity to deal with and that he's no different to anyone else. If you have faith (in whatever it may be) you can pull through. When he talked about faith I got the impression he was talking about confidence. When you're out on a trail you have faith that you are trained enough to go where you want and get back. You are confident enough in your abilities.

He answered questions with the same enthusiasm that he had talked, thanking people for the questions and checking that he had answered it satisfactorily. You got the feeling that he would have continued for hours were it not for the promoter asking him to wind it up.

There was time for some photographs and autographs with nearly everyone having a copy of Born to Run for him to sign.

When I left I felt quite uplifted, inspired and motivated. Here was a guy who appeared to have found an idyllic simple life where he had very little and wanted for nothing.

A meeting with a New York Times reporter changed all that forever but rather than sell out or profit from it directly (there's no such shoe as a 'Nike Blanco') he's using it to support the people that he feels a connection to. To support them and help maintain their way of life (http://www.norawas.org/). To ensure that they have food enough to be able to run. That he referred to non-Raramuri as 'Gringo's' but not himself tells you where he and his heart are.

Age Vs Performance

2011-09-12T13:42:00.001+01:00

This weekend was the Cheltenham Triathlon at the Sandford Park Lido, a fantastic open-air 50m pool in the heart of Cheltenham. It's a super-sprint event that appears to be growing year-on-year with around 700 entrants this year. My finishing time (for the 500m swim, 15km bike and 2.8km run) this year was 53:15. An improvement from 2008 where my time was just over 55minutes. @stoddy38 also improved on his 2008 time finishing in 52 minutes and change.

This then sparked a conversation that I have had with Stoddy a number of times. Namely at what age do you stop improving on your times and they start to deteriorate? This is as, almost without exception, whenever we have done an event the next time we do it we have improved our times and last I checked we're both ageing at the same rate! There are a number of factors that contribute to this not least of all the starting position!

1. You can only beat what's in front of you

When I started training I was in my late 20's although I would say only seriously when I was around 30/32. I didn't really do sport as a kid and only got going in my 20's playing football socially with work colleagues and the like. Occasional games of squash. This at the same time as being out a lot drinking and eating rubbish! It was during this period that I did my first marathon. London in 1997 finishing in a grand time of 4hr 20mins. Hardly tearing up trees but I did it. I then got married and had a son and so things went on hold until I started running again in my early 30's with work colleagues. I was out of shape and struggled to keep pace with guys that were up to 20years older than me. This is where I got hooked and started running properly. This then evolved to triathlon. When I trained for my first tri (Tewkesbury Sprint) I wasn't very scientific about training. I ran, biked and swam a bit. That was it. Fit enough to get around I did just that. Later that year I did Windsor Olympic distance and was in better shape but hardly brilliant.

What I learned though was what I needed to do. So more structure, smarter training and better eating etc to get a better performance. Over three years competing at Windsor I took nearly 15minutes off my first time despite being 3 years older. This trajectory sounds impressive (and I am proud of it) but is essentially down to the fact that my starting out times and performances were very average. My marathon time and PB illustrates this perfectly - aged 27 I completed London in 4:20; aged 38 I completed Gloucester marathon in 3:15.

2. Smarter

As you train, particularly in triathlon, you get into the lifestyle. Magazines, books, novels, websites - total immersion if you will. Everything is full of advice, the best kit, the best food the best races. How to swim properly drills. Brick sessions. As a newbie it's all a little daunting but over time I believe that you assimilate this knowledge to the point where you can even diagnose injuries. As knowledge improves so does performance (if you actually follow it I guess). Becoming a smarter athlete will improve your performance.

3. Experience

The first time you do it you don't know what to expect so maybe perform within yourself to ensure that you do not DNF. Once you have experience of a number of races and hours of training then you can push on in races with greater confidence.

4. Diet and Lifestyle

As I have matured (coughs) I drink much less alcohol, eat much less junk and get more sleep. That's bound to help?

So what's the answer? I think that there is little limit on performance that we do not control ourselves. I know what I need to do to be race fit, its up to me to do that or not. I think my performances will continue to improve as my knowledge continues to do so and each year I think I am probably a little bit more healthier holistically. One thing for certain is that whenever my times start to deteriorate I will continue to train and take part in events as ultimately that's a small part of the reason for doing it. The benefits of fitness, health and vitality are much stronger reasons for continuing in this direction than watching the clock.

Youth Football

2011-09-06T16:24:00.001+01:00

I manage an U12's team and was recently at a meeting for the football club. It was a standard meeting with discussion around kit, pitches and the like. When we got to AOB the vice chairman raised a point regarding referees. The point was basically that we are responsible for our parents and ensuring that referee's do not get abused and hassled from the touchline. This, in particular, relevant to mini-soccer where young referee's are started in their careers and are normally young lads themselves.

Mini-soccer is 7-a-side played by U9's and U10's. So there are parents that are so fired up watching their 9 year old play football that they are abusing a referee that is maybe 15 or 16 years old. Say that out loud and doesn't that sound horrendous? Football inspires passion, sure, but the perspective is completely gone. What is happening is that young referees are leaving the game as there's too much hassle. It's just not worth it.

Take this forward in another direction and there's the dream team mentality. Again I am talking about youth football here, U11's, U12's, U13's etc. It's great to be competitive and in some respects this opinion is easy to have as I am fortunate that the team I manage is competitive. In three seasons we have finished 3rd in the league twice and 4th on the other occasion (Champions League places!!), been cup runners up and cup winners. Not too bad.

We've done that in a framework of inclusivity. I have some terrific players in my squad, players that would get into any other team in the league. I also have some players who are not as strong. What they do have though, across the board, is friendship. The core of the group has been together since they were 5 or 6 years old. They have evolved from being a collection of kids running about chasing a football to a team that are contenders in the division.

They have done this as a group, they have grown as players together for a number of years and hopefully will continue to do so. The players now have a loyalty to the team and to each other. The lessons being learned are as much about friendship, camaraderie, loyalty and fun as they are the technical and tactical aspects of the game itself. I am not suggesting that we are the only team like this, far from it and I would hope that there were more. What I am doing is drawing a distinction between teams across the divisions that poach players from other teams, take better players with a view to creating a dream team. It must happen everywhere. I've heard stories about managers falling out with players. Again, say that out loud, a 40 year old man falling out with a 10year old that plays in his team. Horrendous. Players being approached by other teams with promises of what? Come to us and you will win?

It's the win at all costs that is the harmful factor, if young players are being encouraged to switch teams to win what are they learning? What happens if they then don't win? Parents and coaches on their backs? Or do they blame the ref? You get an increase in pressure and as the team has been assembled there may be little by way of solid relationships for the players to support each other. Do you win and lose as a team or did the defender make a mistake that cost us the game?

Youth football should be as much about learning the values of teamwork, friendship and loyalty as it should be about the game and winning. No-one likes to lose but how you lose is important, probably more so than how you win.

I forgot my insulin and it didn't matter

2011-08-23T20:30:00.001+01:00

Monday night I was in Camberley at a B&B. It was a normal night, work late then head to the B&B. Quick snack and out for a run. I wasn't sure when I set out how far I wanted to run but with my legs a little heavy from the weekend I was thinking 7-8miles at an easy pace of around 8mins per mile. Also I wanted to head into Bracknell Forrest to get some trails under my feet, again with the aim of preserving my legs a bit.

As I headed out my legs felt great, after around 1.5 miles on the road I was in the forrest, following the trails.

Bracknell Forrest is an amazing place, trails run off in all directions and there looks to be some great mountain biking in there. First thing that struck me was the recovery of the place. At the beginning of the summer the forrest was more or less closed as there were bush fires running wild and destroying huge areas. I ran through there shortly after this and the air was heavy with the smell of burnt and burning bush. Now there is lavender everywhere. What was once black and dead is now alive with purple.

I did a couple of miles on the trails my legs recovered and finding the pace easily. As it got duskier there were deer that I could see, one of which jumped right out in front of me. He stopped on the path about 10ft from me. Looked at me and then skipped off back into the forrest. A stunning encounter and what struck me was how silent and graceful they are. This large animal jumped into the undergrowth, barely made a sound and was out of view in a matter of seconds. OK so it was getting darker, the trees were thick, he was camouflaged and I am (amongst others) red/green/brown colour blind!

Emerging from the forrest and, like i said with my legs feeling great, I decided to add a bit extra to the run. 7-8 miles became just short of 11 at the 8min mile pace I wanted.

I got back to the B&B had a drink and a shower then ate my food. I finished eating and then could not find my novorapid insulin pen. I checked, double and triple checked my bag - not there. Mentally retracing my steps I could picture it safely on my desk in work. I had my glargine (slow acting) but no fast acting. I calculated the carb content of my dinner and estimated about 40-50g of carbs. Thinking that I would have only given myself 1-2 units of novorapid as I had done a long run I decided not to panic and not use any. I gave myself the normal dose of glargine insulin and settled down to watch the match.

Next morning I woke up early and did a blood test. I was little nervous as whilst I wasn't expecting the reading to be that high I really wasnt sure what ot would be.

The reading was 7.2mmol.

Perfect!

I was really pleased with myself for that! Then thinking back realised that had I given myself insulin I may have actually caused myself some problems with a hypo. Once agan the impact of exercise on diabetes astounds me and proves its worth beyond doubt. My insulin control is largely very good and I put it down to this fact beyond anything else. That and a balanced diet with lots of whole foods.

For a flash it was like not having diabetes anymore!

Between a fence and a hard face...

2011-08-18T09:58:00.002+01:00

I was in Camberley earlier this week staying at a local B&B. I do this normally once a week to alleviate the travel effort. When I stay over I keep it simple, I have either my bike or my running shoes (or both) in the boot and that's how I use the time. A session and then food, TV, book and sleep.

Last night I stayed in a different B&B to normal and while not that far from the normal place it gave me an opportunity to run somewhere different. So at about 7pm I headed out on a different route. Within a couple of miles I found some nice off road stuff by a river, it was a lovely evening and there were a lot of dog walkers on the trail. I followed the trail and had to do a couple of switch backs as there were dead ends or in a couple of cases roads that just led into housing estates.
Following the river path I eventually popped out onto a main road with signs welcoming me to Hampshire. This was a first as I don't think I have ever run across a county border before. Heading up the road I started to head in the vague direction of Camberley. I ran past Sandhurst Park which was full of activity, there was a running club/group that looked like they had just finished their run and four or five football teams doing their training. Around the park and onto the road I could see Camberley closer than I was hoping. so I took a detour through an estate, having asked a dog walker for directions. At the end of the estate was a makeshift path into the woods.

I have run the woods in Camberley before with Bracknell Forest an excellent place to run off road. I thought that this was where I was.
I followed a path through the woods, there was thick scrub to my right and then the backs of houses. On my left a 6ft fence topped with razor wire. This was the perimeter of Sandhurst. Following the trail down through the woods it started to narrow. I thought this would be ok as it was a trail. An actual trail not just me hacking through. As I progressed the path narrowed in from the right with the trees getting denser. I was being pushed closer and closer to the Sandhurst perimeter fence.

Then I stopped. In front of me solid trees with thick branches spread out. I wasn't going to turn back so now squashed up against the fence I pushed my way through the trees to find some more trail. I made may way at walking pace half expecting someone from Sandhurst to approach me at any moment asking me what I was doing. Eventually I ran out of trail, there was nowhere else to go. I had fence on one side and thick trees on the other. Looking through the trees there were the backs of houses. I pushed through and could see back gardens. I thought about hopping through but quickly ruled this out as did not think it right to intrude to that extent. Looking further down there was a gap that I could see a drive way through. That was it!

I pushed through the trees, a quick look and yes it was a drive way, a couple of parked cars and then open road! I forced my way through as discreetly as possible and as I emerged a car pulled onto the driveway. I held up my hands and smiled wandering over to the lady driver I explained quickly that I had gotten lost and that this was my only way out. The driver then said to me, "oh, that's OK, it's not my house. I've come to collect my friend."

As I turned towards the house the owner was in the doorway. Arms crossed she had a face like thunder. I went through the same routine, hands up, broad smile and apologetic. I got nothing. She was clearly unhappy and couldn't see the funny side of the story. I said my piece and then just ran off.

I hope that she relaxed about it as she now has a story about a really sweaty man popping out of her hedge onto her driveway story that she can use. Either that or she fences her side of the pathway so it cannot happen again.

Cyprus almost Barefoot

2011-08-07T07:31:00.000+01:00

This evening (Saturday 6th August) I went for a run, I've been here a
week and run 6 times. Tonight was different as I ran in my vibram
fivefingers. I did a route that I ran yesterday and thought it would
be good as there was a lot of trail which would be softer underfoot.

I've read a lot about barefoot running, the benefits the negatives the
folklore. Those that love it live it and those that don't just don't
bother.

My experience tonight is one that is far from unique in barefoot
circles but was new to me.

I set out and frankly was mincing. I was struggling for a rhythm. As I
relaxed my stride settled and I felt light and supple. Although on
trails there was a lot of shingle. After a couple of sweary moments
where I landed plum on a piece I noticed that my feet relaxed and that
my forefoot was landing more supple. By that I mean I was using my
whole forefoot not just the ball of my foot.

On the softer trails I felt great. Feet were skimming the surface and
I was barely making a sound. On Tarmac it was a little different.

The temperature outside today was in the region of 38c. The road was
hot and as I ran on the Tarmac I could feel my feet getting hotter.
This resulted in a blister in the middle of the ball of my left foot.
Nothing too major but certainly something that will see me back in
conventional running shoes for tomorrow.

What was good though was that I found a comfortable pace in the heat.
I cannot run as fast in vibrams as I can in shoes so I didn't. Running
slower felt comfortable, relaxed feet and breathing. It's still hot as
hell but not once was i struggling.

I love my vibrams, I've worn them to walk the dog, on hikes in woods
with family and on the school run. Today wearing them on a run I
finally got them, they make sense and feel good. The sensations you
get in your feet feel brand new yet they shouldn't.

A responsive ride, excellent shock absorption and cushioning that
changes with every step. No arch support required, no torsion control
necessary, no air bubbles, no waffles, no zig-zag.

Ladies and gentlemen you just met your feet. The best running shoe ever made.

Meeting Dean Karnazes (07/07/2011)

2011-07-08T15:15:00.000+01:00

It’s a funny thing when you meet someone that you are in awe of. A hero.

I met Dean Karnazes yesterday at the North Face store in Covent Garden, London. He was there on promotional tour for his new book RUN. When I say I met him I mean I went to the store, bought a copy of his book and spent a couple minutes chatting with him.

I heard that he was going to be there via twitter, checked it out and so made arrangements to go. I work in Surrey so it was a case of finishing work and then driving to London and not home. Easier said than done, more than an hour sat in traffic including the horrendous M25 (is it called that as that is the maximum speed you can hope to achieve on it?) a tube journey then a stroll. From leaving the office to arriving at the store took just over 2hrs.

I walked into the North Face shop and it was very quiet. As I approached it I thought I must have the wrong day or have missed it. There was a sign outside but nobody around. I went in, nervously asked the shop assistants and was told that the great man was around the corner.

I went around and was really quite nervous. I had no idea what to expect. He was there with a young lad signing books and talking about Wimbledon (Dean had tweeted that he had been to the men’s final the previous Sunday).

The first thing that struck me was how little he was. I said as much to the representatives from the publishers who made a joke that they had made him look much bigger on the cover of the book. I was expecting that he would be closer to 6ft and lean, he was actually shorter than me and incredibly lean.

The younger lad finished and I stepped up with my book ready for signing. I shook his hand and told him what an honor it was to meet him, which it genuinely was. His book, Ultramarathon Man, has probably had more of an effect on me and my thinking around sport than anything else I have read, watched or heard. Until then I had no idea of the whole world of ultra running that existed. More importantly I had no concept that a human being could do that. I have since recommended that book to a load of people all of whom have been equally blown away by it!

He seemed genuinely humbled which makes me think I may have gone overboard a little. He then asked me about being a runner and what I was doing. There was then an exchange of banter around me being able to take him because he was small if only I could catch him! I then asked him about his running in London which he said he loved but struggled with the cars on the wrong side of the road. I told him I was planning to do an ultra next year and that was it. A couple of photo’s and another handshake and I was out of there.

Was it worth making the trip into London? Absolutely! I haven’t done anything like that ever before and although brief it was enjoyable. Dean was great, considering he had met so many people through the day he was smiling and talkative. Although 40 (me not him) I felt like a kid.

Active Kids Bleinhem Duathlon - 5th June 2011

2011-06-05T19:32:00.000+01:00

Amelie completed the Active Kids duathlon today finishing 4th overall and was the 2nd girl in her age group.

It was a great morning's work by her in a fantastic settings with the finish of the women's elite race in the background. The really interesting thing is that the Active Kids at Blenheim has really grown in the three years that we have been involved as participants. The organisation, race brifeing and support for the kids from the Active Kids team was, as ever, first class. The smiles of all the kids testament to the fact that kids love to compete, they love to race and they love to emulate what their parents do.

Every kid gets a t-shirt, every kid gets a medal and every kid gets to run under the tape at the end. That doesn't diminish the effort that they put in it just encourages them in the right way.

This has to be a significant step in the right direction for all the kids that take part...

Blenheim Active Kids Duathlon 2011

2011-06-02T11:59:00.006+01:00

This weekend is the Blenheim Triathlon, a brilliant event in beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace that takes place over the whole weekend.

As part of the weekend there is an opportunity for kids to race a duathlon as part of the Active Kids organisation.

Amelie is entered in the 8-9 age group race and will be completing her third year at the event. Her race will take place over the following distances: 700m run / 1150m bike / 350m run

Luca will be taking part in his second duathlon in the 10+ age group racing over the following distances: 700m run / 1400m bike / 350m run.

This is a training video...

It's happening - Born to Run 37 Mile Ultra

2011-06-01T20:13:00.007+01:00

I have blogged a lot about my desire to do an ultra, to see what i can do and start to push myself endurance wise. I realised very quick into my triathlon career that an ironman on top of commuting and family is not going to happen. The training is just to consuming. So i have dabbled and talked a lot about doing an ultra.

It will suit me as i have realised that what i just love is running, the simple act of running.

Clarity of mind, fitness, endorphins the whole 9 yards of what is good and great about a run.

Well tonight i have taken the first step and actually entered one. It's the Born to Run 37mile Ultra in Wales next March. I think that @stoddy38 will be joining me which will be cool.

You can see the route here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/32336892
It's a long way off but already i'm excited about the prospect! Bring it on!

Runners World Forest of Dean Trailblazer 10k - 22nd May 2011

2011-05-23T17:35:00.000+01:00

I blogged earlier in the week that I wasn't looking forward to the Runners World Forest of Dean Trailblazer 10k. The main problem I had with it being that rather than considering it a decent race I was viewing it as an opportunity for a long run missed. It was after all a Sunday morning and, as I latterly found out, the same day as the Tewkesbury Half Marathon. If it wasn't for the fact that I had paid £29 to enter, which seems pretty steep, I wouldn't have bothered.

So I drove the 20 or so miles down to the race village at Speech House. When I got there I was pleasantly surprised. There was a race village with a running shop, bar,cafe and various massage tents etc. Very professional. I checked in, got my number (54) and then milled about a bit. For me this was a novelty - I had plenty of time - normally I am scrambling to get to the venue and then in a panic to get ready. So far so good.

When I picked up my number I did see there was a baggage drop and a valuables drop point. With about 1minutes to go to the warm up start I went to drop my bag only to find that the baggage claim was unattended. Cue a mad dash to the car to leave my bag there and then check my valuables which were my car keys!

At the start of each wave there was a warm-up period - this was led by a lady on a podium with a microphone who took everyone (reluctantly) through some stretches and limber up exercises. Some easy stuff to get the muscles working and get the heart rate up a little. It was pretty funny watching the other people in the wave do this as no-one looked comfortable doing it. We are so reserved.

It was then a short walk to the start and a break in the weather. Up until this point it had been windy and pretty chilly, just before I sorted my bag there was a splattering of rain that actually made me think about wearing a rain jacket to run. I am glad that I didn't. As we walked to the start there were competitors from later waves arriving and the place was filling up rapidly. There was a woman who was not the smallest in running kit demolishing a hot-dog with onions! I've not seen that in any nutrition manuals;)

At the start there was a briefing about the trail, the markers etc. This was excellent and a show of hands highlighted that there were a lot of trail newbie's in the crowd - me included. Timing was by chip and so at 10:13 we set-off.

The course was excellent, there were some nice long trails, a longish and slow up hill that saw a number of runners lose ground and a long downhill stretch where I lost a lot of ground. Since I went running with @stoddy38 the other week I have noticed how reticent I am running down hill. This is a mental block and is purely because of my knee. Basically I'm nervous of it. SO on the first down hill I lost a bit of ground, I made it up gradually although in a 10km there isn't much time to do this. I used my Garmin (I think everybody in Wave 1-2 was wearing one!) and a glance down showed 2miles in a little over 00:12:30. A that point, feeling pretty strong I thought I was going to crack 40minutes. That wasn't to be and I eventually crossed the line with an official time of 00:41:03 (my Garmin shows 00:41:00 which with my love of symmetry and neatness is much more aesthetically pleasing).

My Garmin stats from Garmin Connect....

The long uphill took a lot of my pace away and I started to blow a little. I recovered sufficiently to be able to go again and increase slightly with the 40min carrot in mind. It was with huge disappointment that I rounded the final bend realising that I wasn't going to break 40 and that my finish would be impeded by a finish straight through a field with long grass. I am sure plenty put the hammer down here but I wasn't prepared to take the risk just to shave a few seconds off.

At the finish I removed the timing-chip was handed a bottle of water and a goody bag. The goody bag was excellent a Trailblazer nylon gym-sack containing a few magazines, some cereal bars, a bottle of for goodness shakes, some freeze patches etc. This together with a race t-shirt that is actually useable made the entry fee seem pretty decent.

I went through and got my keys, out to the car to get changed. I had a quick chat with a guy in a later wave who had travelled from Oxford then headed home.

I am glad that I made myself go and do it, it was brilliant to be competing again, to actually race and get that extra performance boost from racing. It was also nice that it was a 10k as it meant I had to run a lot faster than I would and that I have in training. When I crossed the line I knew I had put everything in to the race. Also the event itself was really brilliantly executed, plenty offriendly marshalls, lots of energy with the warm-ups and a genuine feel of being a proper race.

My targets at the beginning were sub 45min with a stretch target of sub 42mins. On that basis it was a success.

Checking the results website today I was 18th out of 558 finishers (there was one poor soul with a DNF - I wonder if it was the hot-dog lady?). That puts me in the top 3% which is a first!

Bring on the next race!

Forest of Dean Trailblazer - 22nd May 2011

2011-05-17T12:28:00.000+01:00

This Sunday (22/05) is the Forest of Dean Trailblazer 10km. I entered it some weeks ago as a target for my running that was ramping up slowly following knee surgery. At the time I was running/walking small distances and struggling. When I entered I wasn't actually sure I'd make the start line that was how my legs felt.

Now that it is just a few days away I am actually disappointed that I have entered it as it seems a small distance. That's not being arrogant it's just a reflection that my progress has been far greater then I was expecting. I am regularly running 10-12 miles at a fair lick. I'm getting faster and stronger for definite. My horizons are further than a 10km and I am actually looking at this Sunday as an opportunity for a long run missed.

So on Sunday I will go for it, I have a target of sub-45 minutes with a stretch target of sub-42 minutes. I've done some speed work recently and been doing long runs at decent tempo so between the two should be achievable.

The last 10km I did, actually the last four 10km's I have run have been as part of an Olympic triathlon (three at Windsor and one in London). The best result being London in August 2009 where I did it in 00:38:34 (although I think that the distance was slightly under the 10km).

Quite funny at the weekend when I talked about this with Mrs. B, the conversation went something like this....

me: I have the FoD 10km this Sunday but am disappointed that I am entered into it as it doesn't feel like it's far enough.

Mrs. B: so why do it then?

me: well it was quite expensive to enter...

Mrs. B: so why not try to win it

If only it were as simple as that!

Garmin Connect

2011-04-17T21:32:00.000+01:00

I was given a Garmin Forerunner 305 for Christmas, replacing and updating my Garmin 205. I love it. Always have loved my Garmin and have the spreadsheets full of run and cycling data to prove it.

With the 305 and Garmin Connect stats are now taken to the next level! Not only can i use the TC software i can also upload to the web with Garmin Connect and then embed session onto the web and link them from my twitter feed. Geek heaven!

This is today's run. A 10mile loop that i have done a few times and used to, when running for ultra training, do a couple laps of plus a bit extra. It feels good to be in double figures though and like i tweeted earlier this week i feel fixed. My ACL was in November and i am running 25'ish miles a week without issue. The knee feels solid and my shin issues have gone.

I watched the London Marathon today with a mix of envy and disappointment that i wasn't there. It was the first race i did 13 years ago in April 1998. I completed it then in a time of 00:04:20. Avg. 10min miles for the distance.

13years on i'm still a runner.

for the avoidance of doubt.....

2011-04-11T12:47:00.001+01:00

Role Models...

Footballers are not role models. They should not be role models. They are skilled young men and can be considered heroes to emulate in playing skill but not to base your life on. The reason for this is actually quite simple. These guys, and I'm referring to the very top of the pile here the stars of the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc, are so far removed from the 'man in the street' that how can they be? This is also the counter argument that you hear on talk radio whenever they drag up this dreadful debate. Just because someone earns upwards of £80k a week does not guarantee any behavior standards and really why should it? There are people in all walks of life that earn allsorts of salaries and who should all conduct themselves with control and sensitivity to their surrounds, treating people and those surrounds with respect. Simple? Without making excuses people with certain income move in circles and have issues that most of us cannot understand.

How's this for a scenario - a very young man, say 21, plays Premier League football for a living. He earns phenomenal sums of money for playing sport, is sponsored by a boot manufacturer, a soft drink maker and a razor manufacturer. He's young, gifted, fit and wealthy. He's, seemingly, got it all. Transpose that with 21 year old who works in a garage and earns £14k a year. They both go out on a Saturday night with their mates and get drunk. On the way home they both stop to relieve themselves in a bush. The following morning one is in the NOTW the other just has a hangover. The one that is in the NOTW is then the subject of debate about how footballers earn all this money and have no respect. The reality is that both behaved wrongly but one is invisible and one isn't. The are no better or worse than each other but because one earns a lot of money he's supposed to be better behaved?

That is why footballers should never be role models because ultimately they are no different from young men up and down the country they just earn more. Why should a 21 year old footballer behave better/differently to a 21 year old at University? They should actually behave the same and you would hope that as they grow up and mature they will both show maturity and respect that generally comes with age.

Huge generalisation now but largely footballers are not particularly well educated.

Graeme Le Saux was ridiculed and accused of being gay because he had the temerity to enjoy art galleries and read The Guardian. An educated man in an uneducated profession. It stands to reason really, players have grown up playing football and naturally neglecting their studies (again a generalisation). Steven Gerrard is a fine player and seems a good guy. He had an indiscretion last year that came to nothing. Perhaps more interestingly in this context is that when asked what his favorite cheese was he (according to legend) responded "...melted cheese..." As a hero in football undoubtedly, I have seen probably hundreds of shirts with his name on. He seems a good guy. But would you want him as your kids role model?

John Terry...

Last year JT had the England Captaincy taken away from him because of off the field actions. It centered on an, alleged affair, with a team mates girlfriend. This was plashed across the tabloids after a super injunction had been removed. The super injunction prevented the story being published as it was not felt to be in the common interest. That JT then sold himself and was profiting from portraying himself as a family man meant that the judge overturned this ruling.

Now my position on this has (I believe) always been consistent. Whilst accepting that JT behaved incorrectly the only people that should have been involved are him and his wife and the other parties involved. In daily life people do not lose their positions/jobs for that reason. If you have an affair your career will not be affected. Your home life will but that will probably be the end of it. So why should JT lose the captaincy?

Because he's a role model. Because kids can read papers and see headlines.

My son saw the story and we talked about it. He knows, actually he knew, that what JT had done was wrong because he knows his parents are together and that that is how it should be. Did that stop him thinking that JT is a great player? No. Did that stop him thinking that JT is a great leader? No.

Are those judging really living so morally correct that they can be so outraged that a millionaire footballer behaves like them? (See the reference to money again - apparently if you are a millionaire you are not subject to the same emotions as those without it).

The captaincy was given to Rio Ferdinand. Another decent guy but one with a conviction for drink driving......

Rooney and Drogba...

Wayne Rooney has been banned recently for swearing into a camera. His defence is that players on the pitch swear all the time and if they all get banned then where will the game be. The difference here, and Man Utd are being a little bit ridiculous in peddling that statement, is that Rooney rather than shouting/swearing to the heavens actually sought the camera and full of rage and anger swore into it. This was Saturday afternoon, a home audience of thousands and due to the time a, probable, large audience of kids. He gets banned for 2 games.

Take another scenario - a presented on the One Show does a cracking interview and runs to the camera and swears into it. What happens? Even simpler, if that presenter swears inadvertently, what happens? A two show ban on full pay? Unlikely. Make it more relevant, you walk into your office and swear like Rooney did. What happens?

Apparently what Rooney did is no worse that Drogba in the Champions League a season or so ago when having been sent off he was followed by the camera where he was complaining into it and swore.

Same bottom line, they both swore into the camera taking that into millions of homes. There are differences in the circumstances. Mainly that Rooney sought the camera and demonstrated pure aggression and hate. Drogba was being followed by the camera, he never sought it. Rooney went looking for it. Drogba was in a negative situation having been sent off in a Champions League match, Rooney had just scored a hat-trick. I'm not trying to justify either but there are some subtle differences. That aside they both behaved unprofessionally and both have been punished within the game. As a scenario again if you are in work and swear under your breath or to yourself you will not get too much attention. Stand in the atrium and swear aggressively and it will be different. That's the difference in game and in camera. Players need to accept a responsibility on the pitch and swearing into a camera is really not acceptable however you dress it up, it's also different to being caught swearing on camera.

Photo-A-Day Project

2011-03-23T14:48:00.000Z

In Montpellier Park, Cheltenham, there's a small gallery called The Gardens Gallery - http://www.gardensgallery.co.uk/home.htm. It's a small scale operation that shows local work. They have all sorts displayed in there and if we are ever there we always go and have a look. This Saturday we went in and there was a photography exhibition. The photographer, Zoe Weston, was displaying photographs that she had taken through 2009. Essentially she had taken a photograph every day and was displaying them. It was pretty interesting in patches.

There were some pictures that were very obviously ones where at the end of a day she hadn't photographed anything and so took a picture of her dinner, or the cooker ring. I actually asked her if that was the case and was a little disappointed when she admitted as much really. I guess because if you set out to photograph something every day it will ultimately end up being a lot of the minutiae of life. Simple things that perhaps you see every day. Not everything individually can be a social comment or stunning piece of art. Collectively they are worth more than the sum of their parts.

Personally I was inspired to try it myself so starting on Saturday 19th March I am going to take a picture a day and load it into a picasa album and see what the results look like. I am sure it is harder than it looks to take a picture of something that is useable every day but as a project it's worth a shot (pun intended).

As I am generally always out and about the majority, if not all, of the photo's will be taken using an iPhone 4.

Should be interesting!

Plans and Dreams...

2011-03-12T08:04:00.000Z

I started to dare to dream yesterday...having been able to run a couple of 3.5 milers without issue i started to consider plans to run longer, not necessarily faster.

There's the Devils Chimney 10k on 16th July, this is run by the club that @stodddy38 runs with, Almost Athletes, so I'll probably do that one. Then on 4th September its the Cheltenham Half Marathon at the Racecourse. Followed a week later by the Cheltenham Triathlon at the Sandford Park Lido.

So far so good, nice and simple. I won't be competitive and right now i don't want to be. Just getting to the start line will feel great!

2012, however will be different!

The Gloucester Marathon in January (hopefully with Stoddy), the Mayhill Massacre in February, again with Stoddy who should be completing his 4th Mayhill. The Cotswold Marathon in March, then maybe an ultra. There's a Cardiff 50miler in May, or, drum roll please.......the Cotswold 100miler in June.

I think the 100miles will have to wait for 2013 but next year i definitely want to do a 50miler. I was training for one previously, The Thames Trot, until a change of jobs put the scuppers on that. I know i can do the training mileage and stick to the schedule so i just need to keep fit. Sometimes easier said than done but i am hopeful - i need some good luck right?

So right now it's about continuing the training mileage, watching my form and technique and building slowly. Shorter distances slowly with the end game very much the prize not knocking out a 5k pb in training.

Tomorrow's "long run" will hopefully be 4 miles in around 35minutes - see what i mean.

....running freely

2011-03-07T16:10:00.002Z

It's been an up and down couple of weeks for me in my ACL rehab. Three weeks ago I was advised I could start jogging again, I started out with some gentle 1 mile runs building to 2miles pretty quickly but at a very slow pace. I did this a couple of times in the first week and started to get a sharp pain in my left shin. Pain on the inside edge and close to the ankle. I was gutted as this felt like an old injury that I thought the long lay-off would have resolved.

After the Gloucester Marathon in January 2010 I was unable to run as had really bad pain through my shin and ankle, it basically felt like my left ankle was set in concrete - zero flexibility and give. This was incredibly painful for me to run on.

I started physio which was working but then very quickly ruptured my ACL meaning an enforced lay-off. The silver lining I was expecting was that the 6-9month lay-off would cure me of other issues. Any niggles, my left achilles for example used to get sore would resolve themselves through good old fashioned rest.

You can therefore imagine how I felt when after 1 week back pavement pounding I was seemingly back where I was 9 months earlier. A fixed ACL but the same old injury. I raised it with my physio's who suggested I get a podiatry referral from my GP to have my gait analysed properly. I did this and have an appointment a week today. I also took the decision to rest from jogging for 2 weeks.

The results have been startling! I ran a total of 9 miles last week with the longest run being 2.7 miles. I am looking to build to 5km (sorry to mix my units!) at the end of this week. Importantly I have no knee pain and no shin/ankle/achilles pain. What I have also done in this delayed comeback is concentrate on my form. I am focusing on running straight, as opposed to leading with a strong leg, I am also concentrating on a mid/forefoot strike pattern - both are easy to implement when running slow and also when starting almost from scratch.

I have time to start slow and steady with good technique not worrying about pace and performance. There was a quote I read from one of the guys that founded Cervelo that is "...fast enough to get through the forest, slow enough to see the trees..." that quote brilliantly sums up what I, and many many others, love about running. It's great to be back!

Who would you be?

2011-02-24T20:57:00.001Z

Jack Bauer in 24?

Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men?

Christian Troy in Nip Tuck?

Eric Northman in True Blood?

Brad Pitt in Fight Club?

Jason Stackhouse in True Blood?

Adam Carter in Spooks?

Bruce Lee in any of his movies?

Homer in the Simpsons?

Spiderman?

Mitchell in Being Human

Joey in Friends?

Bruce Willis in Die Hard (only the first one not the other 3)?Dexter in Dexter?

Sylar in Heroes?

Keanu Reeves in The Matrix?

courtesy of Stoddy38 Rocky?

Torres

2011-01-31T22:46:00.000Z

This weekend has been excellent! My excitement has been restored in football and in particular in Chelsea FC. The news broke on Friday (28/01) that an offer for Torres had been made, as i sit here tonight on Monday 31/01 the deal is nearly done for a British record £50m. Unbeleiveable. A frankly disgusting amount of money but an exciting and invigorating signing. Anyway this blog isn't about that it's about the reaction of the Liverpool fans. A reaction that is crystalised by someone burning a Torres shirt live on Sky Sports News.

Pathetic.

The crux of it seems to be how dare anyone want to leave Liverpool for whatever the reason! The reason no-one should not want to leave Liverpool is because of their tradition and history. Because they are well supported in thailand (apparently). No-one can deny that Liverpool have a great history, umpteen league titles, FA Cups, European Cups etc etc.....but seriously how many years ago? When Abramovich bought Chelsea the Liverpool fans were on talk radio saying how "...you couldn't buy history...", "...you can't buy class...". indeed they are right. But what you can do is start.

History has to start somewhere.

Actually they were wrong, Hicks and Gillette bought Liverpool among a load of promises of new stadiums and players. Turns out you can buy history even if you don't have the money. That went bad so Liverpool, having had their laundry well and truly washed in public, have new american owners. Oh and the appointed chairman to oversee the sale of Liverpool was a Chelsea fan and season ticket holder.

Back to Torres, Liverpool fans on phone-in's, twitter and countless other media mechanisms have been incredulous that Torres would want to leave. The actual reason is yet to fully transpire, you can only speculate that it is Champions League football. Liverpool not in it this season and unlikely to be there next. That said Chelsea are not currently looking assured of Champions League football next season although our position is stronger. Even Stan Collymore tweeted that clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool tell players when they can leave which is basically when they are done.

That might have been the case before but everything has moved on. There will always be players that want to play for Liverpool because they supported them as a lad, probably more than any other club. The flip side of that is that the days of Liverpool as a power are firmly in the past, that glory may be restored in the fullness of time. The fans opinions are also firmly in the past - look at the hysterical reaction to Kenny Dalglish being given the manager role - two words: Newcastle and Celtic (actually that was three).
Fans never understand why a player wants to leave their club - we love the clubs so why don't the players? Doesn't matter what club it is that's the way it is.

Did i really just measure my thighs?

2011-01-27T13:28:00.000Z

I had an appointment recently with the fracture clinic as part of my ACL rehab. They confirmed that progress with my knee is excellent and there was talk of me being allowed to get back running at 10 weeks as opposed to the normal 12 such was my progress.

I think in part this is as i was in good shape going into the operation making recuperation a more positive experience.

The final comment was then that my left leg is a bit smaller than they would normally like at this stage post op. Great so that means more dips and lunges etc.

So when i got home i wanted to see how much difference there was so in an Adrian Mole moment i measured my good thigh - 52cm and my recovering thigh - 48cm. Hmm 4cm difference which is just short of 8%. It seems quite a lot and actually quite how i will generate 4cm of extra only on one leg is a little beyond me at the moment.

I have resolved to do more dips more regularly and in fact had a "don't ask" moment earlier this week. I was in the loo drying my hands with the electric hand dryer and taking the opportunity to do some dips at the same time. My mind wandered and a chap walked in and saw me doing this.....

He looked at me and me at him. All i could say was "knee surgery" he nodded then disappeared into a cubicle!

Pure sporting enjoyment...

2011-01-10T22:12:00.001Z

The team I manage (Leckhampton Rovers Cougars U11's) played a Gloucester County Cup game yesterday against St. Marks U12's losing 3-0 but putting up a valiant, brave performance.

My son, Luca, plays on the left wing. He's very quick and strong when running, he can make run after run in a match and deliver a cross left or right footed (I am his proud father give me a break!).

Anyway yesterday he was playing a tough match and had few opportunities to get forward. When he did he made strong runs and got his cross in. After the game we were talking about the match and his performance and he said, "...I love it when I'm running and i get past a player, it feels really good and i know he won't catch me..."

I love that.

It really isn't about the winning.....

2011-01-04T22:34:00.000Z

I have supported Chelsea for nearly 20 years now. It started for me when on a weekend out in London with some mates we went and watched Chelsea V Everton at Stamford Bridge. We sat in the shed end way before it was redeveloped and watched Chelsea lose 1-0 to, if memory serves, a Paul Rideout goal.

At this point i adopted Chelsea as my team. It was the first premier league game i had been to. All my mates supported teams (Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and er Norwich) and i didn't. I loved footbal and watching games but had no loyalty. Growing up my dad never expressed a loyalty to a team so it never rubbed off on me.

Anyway looking back, when i adopted Chelsea we weren't very good. Mid-table, a good cup run and some exciting players. Since then it has been an upward trajectory, Hoddle, Gullit, Vialli and Zola have all come and gone. The title has been won, retained and then lost. Champions league finals lost, league and cup doubles won. It's all been pointing up.

Until recently. When Chelsea have proven fallible. Results are no longer certain, or as certain as they can be. Losses in the league and champions league where normally you'd expect a victory. From top of the league to 5th. Not even in the Champions League places and currently below Tottenham!

Don't misunderstand me - i'd prefer that we were top and winning games or at least performing. But now that we aren't games are more interesting, more watchable and, for me, more entertaining. The draw at the weekend point in case a real rollercoaster of a game that left nerves ragged ending in a 3-3 draw. Brilliant emotionally engaging entertainment. Watching Chelsea is now exciting, the fallibility making the endeavour of the team more pertinent. They have to try to win and try their hardest.

They say that on any given day any team can beat another, those days used to be few but no longer. It makes sport more engaging, competitive and fun. Fans experienceing every kick and tackle rather than waiting for the inevitable glut of goals and getting impatient when it doesn't arrive. Teams having to perform to get a result, any result.

More competitive teams makes the whole spectacle interesting. The rise of Man City and Tottenham has made the top 4 a top 5 (Liverpools demise is a brilliant sub-plot to this season). Manchester United are top but not playing brilliantly or tearing teams apart (beating Blackburn 9-1 aside).

Competition like this has to be good for sport. Sure we all want to win but we want to win with effort and not at a canter. If you want that watch the Harlem Globetrotters.

ACL Operation - 19th November 2010

2011-01-04T12:00:00.018Z

I started this blog on Friday 26/11/2010 a week after my ACL operation, it's now 04/01/2011 and I am only just finishing it.....

.....It was a week ago today that I had my ACL operation. A week that has really flown by despite my lack of activity and mobility, maybe it's because the week has been unusual in that regard that has made it fly by?

So the operation last Friday was a success, I went in on the Thursday night and was first on the list for the Friday morning. On the Friday morning I met the consultant who, worryingly, drew on the leg that they were going to be operating on an arrow pointing to my left knee and wrote ACL.

This is the right leg er no it's the left

Was that in case they forgot or mixed them up, maybe he's so clever he doesn't actually know left from right when he's in the zone. He's just a whirl of scalpels and swabs both hands moving like lightning with no thought of left and right?

Next up was the anaesthetist, a nice chap. He checked me over and listened to my chest. If he's not happy it doesn't happen. He gave me the all-clear and 20minutes later I was being wheeled down to theatre. Straight in and the anaesthetist was there with his greens on. He put something into my cannula to make me drowsy and that was me out. I barely remember him finishing.

No wonder i fainted

Next thing I remember is waking up in the ward at about midday. I say waking up but I was out of it. Completely wasted. I phoned home to let them know I was still alive and still believed that I would be leaving hospital later that day. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I was hooked up to a sliding scale insulin and glucose drip and had oxygen being fed through my nose. I felt nauseous and was disorientated. I was also upset at how bad I felt. There was an old gentleman sat by my bed waiting for his op. He was chatting to me and I kept falling asleep. I had to keep apologising to him and reassuring him that he wasn't boring!

At 3 o'clock Sue and the kids came in. I was so desperate to see them. Unfortunately they were expecting to see me ready to leave to come home and what they were confronted with was a very different image. I was pale, hooked up to the drip and oxygen and as they came in just about to throw up. Poor Luca got very upset seeing me this way and had to go outside to compose himself. My being in hospital hit him the hardest, he really was stressed out about the whole thing and very upset.

Feeling bad

When they came back I persuaded the nurse that I could remove the oxygen as felt that that was making me feel sick. They agreed to this as I hadn't used any morphine for pain relief and apparently they go together. A little later they agreed I could remove the glucose/insulin drip and revert to my control. This was excellent as I think that I was pumped full of glucose was making me feel sick. I felt a bit like when you've done a big training session and taken too many gels.

Now more natural I started to feel better. It was obvious that there would be another night in hospital but I was definitely on the up.

I was meant to be working on Saturday morning, remotely, but that was not going to happen. Sue phoned work for me and then I followed up when they had left. Fortunately I have really good colleagues and one of them stepped up to the plate. Good man!

The kids stayed in with me for an hour or so then left for the evening. I was really sorry to see them go.

Pee-Pee Bottle

As the night progressed I felt much better, I managed some food and had a cup of tea. I was then on 2-hourly review. that was 2hrs right through the night for blood sugar, blood pressure and temperature. At the 10pm check I needed the loo but couldn't get up so they gave me a cardboard bottle. A little stage fright made this simplest of functions difficult! I tried the normal trick of reciting the 17x table in my mind (it really does work) but to no avail. Eventually I went, the relief! I called the nurse who swapped it for an empty one! Through the night I used one every time they woke me up and by the morning had filled 7 bottles! A record surely?

Saturday morning I was up bright and early - why do they wake you up? Had breakfast and then via the Blackberry kept in touch with the work I was supposed to be doing. There were some minor glitches but ultimately it seemed to go very well! Cheers Dashers!

I then had to get out of bed - a couple of physio's came along. they had doubled up as had heard I was, and I quote, "...a little fainty..." - I had to point out that I had fainted once because of the pigs ear the guy had made with my cannula! I apologised in advance for being 'grungy' and also in case anything popped out as they lifted back the covers. I was still in my hospital gown and had not moved in more than a day. They helped me out of bed, everything stayed in, and I was to use my operated leg as it was "weight bearing".

On crutches they took me for a walk around the ward and to their rig where they had some practice apparatus. I had to practice going up and down stairs and using the crutches to manoeuvre. I was very nervous at the start but actually got moving pretty quickly.

Given the clear by them I managed a visit to the bathroom. Seems such a non-achievement but considering how I felt it was far from it.

The next step was an x-ray. Wheeled down in my bed my knee was x-rayed from a couple of angles. This was to make sure that the pins were in the correct position and everything was as it should be. they cannot check the ligament by x-ray as they do not show up - you'd need an expensive CAT Scan for that. I was still in bed waiting to be collected when I needed to go again. No one was around. The nurse came and I asked her to step on it so I could go. It was agony but fortunately I managed to hold on.

Back on the ward and feeling human and with some confidence I spent the morning on the ward chatting with the guy in the next bed and counting down to visiting time. I never thought I would miss and need my family like I did but man was I so desperate for them to come in. I have never needed them like I did over this couple of days. The chap in the next bed was a nice guy with some interesting tales to tell. as we were chatting it became apparent that I know (tenuously) his wife and daughter! His wife used to work in a department store and sold us a dinner service, we remembered her as she was so good and knew everything about the products! His daughter is a friend of a friend that we have seen on a few occasions and our kids are at the same school. Small world.

I came out on the Saturday afternoon. Sue and the kids came in at visiting with magazines and some decent food but within about 10mins of them arriving I was given the clear to go home. The only delay was that a doctor needed to see my x-ray and give me the all clear. As it was a Saturday and a busy one at that it took a bit of time to sort this and at one point looked like being delayed to the Sunday which would have meant another night in.

The Ward

With some help getting dressed I walked out on my crutches to envious looks of other guys on the ward, all desperate to leave and go home.

Once home it was the sofa where I stayed for the next 3-4weeks! I had exercises to be doing essentially around straightening the leg and getting mobility back. I was very nervous of doing these but quite quickly I could feel an improvement and my confidence growing. The worst pain was in my hamstring where they removed the graft to make the ligament. It felt like a tear which is exactly what it was/is. A couple of days on crutches and they were dispatched - my mobility around the house greatly improved (albeit slow).

Neat scar

From this point it is all about rehabilitation - fortnightly sessions at Leisure@ with the physio's in the gym, plus as much other strength work as I can manage in between. the more I do the stronger it gets and the quicker that happens. Targets remain the same as they ever did which is cycling as soon as I get the nod from the physio's and jogging at 3months (end of Feb 2011).

Everything else will be guided/led by the physio's.....

The hard work has started and continues....Happy New Year!

Zombies on the NHS...

2010-11-24T17:13:00.000Z

Thursday afternoon I had to go into hospital in preparation for my ACL operation the following morning. Part of the preparation was to fit a cannula for use in administering drugs and fluids etc.

The cannula specialist came along to the ward at about 7 o'clock. I'd just finished my dinner and was reading my book Monster Island by Dave Wellington. He was going to fit it to my left hand on the basis that I am right handed. Now although diabetic and therefore used to needles I am not very good with the medical variety, that is anything bigger that 0.5cm in length! also if it hurts when I do it, I stop, the medical profession don't (and rightly so). I gave the guy my left hand and sat back in the chair with my head back and eyes closed.

He fitted the cannula and I was ok, then he tried to test it with a wash and that was where the fun started. When he attached the syringe with saline and started to inject it the vein on my hand bulged and then burst. I looked down and saw a lump on my hand about half the size of a golf ball. That was it, as the vein burst I felt a cold sensation spread through my arm. I said to the chap that I was going and he told me to sit back. That's the last I remember until I came too.

This is where it all got weird.

I opened my eyes and the cannula guy was looking into my face asking me if I was ok. I couldn't see anything but him and he did not look familiar. I couldn't really see around him and what little I was able to make out I could not recognise. Then the weird stuff started happening...I looked at his face and what I saw was like a twitter feed on fast forward faces and text scrolling upwards rapidly. I couldn't make out what they said or who they were. the faces then started to stick in my mind and where zombie faces.

All sorts of faces with grey/green skin, wispy hair, sunken and missing eyes and missing features (noses etc). So I am looking at this guy, I don't know where I am or what's going on and I can see zombies in front of my face. I'm not sure how long that went on for- in reality it was probably barely a minute but felt like a lot longer.

I started twitching. I then said "I can't stop twitching" to which I then heard him say to a nurse that had been summoned "he's not epileptic is he?". No I'm not but I couldn't get the words out. The nurse came over and brought me some oxygen and calmed me down a little.

I still needed a cannula that he then fitted to my arm inside my left elbow. I was then helped onto the bed so I could relax and get myself under some control again. It took about an hour for me to feel like me again.

The weirdest feeling was the disorientation I felt when I came to and the fact that all I could see was zombies. I guess the tricks your mind can play on you are pretty special! I'd been reading about zombies right before it happened and been playing on twitter too. Put those together and the results were quite trippy.

Weirdly I never felt scared or frightened, just confused.

3:46am (A Short Story)

2010-10-30T20:53:00.001+01:00

The fridge vibrated, shaking its contents as it spluttered to life, like an old man clearing his chest in the middle of the night. The silence shattered, it was the only indication that time was passing. Everything else was still and silent. Even the house had ceased its normal creaks and groans as if the normal effort in holding the weight of bricks and mortar was for once tolerable.

I stood barefoot, naked except for a pair of boxer shorts, in the kitchen looking through the window out into the garden. It was a beautiful clear night, the stars visible against the inky blue-black sky and not a cloud in sight as far as you could see. I could see the light from the full moon in the garden, painting a silver shimmer on everything it touched.

Something had woken me and forced me to come downstairs to investigate. A glance at the clock showed it was now 3:43am. I’d been stood here for three minutes in, the fridge aside, silence.

Nothing moved inside or out. I could hear my breathing, slowly in and out; my chest barely moving. My heart beating was now audible; slow and steady. My body was behaving as if it were asleep but I was stood in the kitchen with my eyes open and I was fully aware that I was.

Another glance at the clock showed it was 3:46am. I decided that there was nothing going on and started to turn when I saw a flash across the window. A streak of white light so fast that I could have easily missed it, or imagined it.

My heart rate quickened and my breathing rate increased. I remained still, rooted to the spot. There had been something.

I took two steps forward closer to the window. My feet a little sticky from a cold sweat that was forming on my body. I looked down towards the ground, there on the grass was a small metal object. It was so shiny it looked like it was made of mirrors, around it was a small impact trench, mud exposed from where the object hit the ground and then slid to a stop.

Everything else was still silent. The clocked was frozen at 3:46am.

I turned away from the window and back around towards the patio doors. I would need to go outside and take a closer look at what ever it was had just landed in my lawn. My adrenaline was spiked now and my heart and breathing were rapid. I was feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement, like riding a rollercoaster - you know you will be ok but that doesn’t stop you feeling scared.

I unlocked the door and stepped out. The night air was cool and my skin immediately turned to goose flesh. I walked across the patio on the balls of my feet in small steps, ready to spring away if necessary. All my senses were now online ready to react to anything that changed. This was real fight or flight.

I stood a metre or so from the object. It was spherical and about the size of a grapefruit but looked to be made of mirrors. There were no joins to the mirrors and the finish was so polished that it was almost too bright to look at, like a small sun.

I crouched down to look closer, shielding my eyes from its glare, there were no markings at all. Even the earth where it had just landed had not stuck to the object.

I edged closer, completely focussed on the object, and reached out to touch it. As I did so there was a sound, a small vibration. I stopped but left my hand where it was, hovering above the object. My fear seemingly gone I placed my hand gently on top of the object. The vibrations were louder now but I realised that I was feeling them rather than hearing them. As I had got closer I had picked up on them physically. Bringing my feet closer I reached out with my other hand and grasped the object in both hands.

It was warm, incredibly smooth and vibrated like it was humming a tune. Now I held it I could feel the changes in the vibrations pitch and frequency. Standing, I lifted the object from the earth. The dirt fell away leaving the object spotless. It was almost weightless.

I held it in my hands staring at it and seeing my own reflection. I turned to the house and steadily walked back across the patio, through the doors which I kicked closed and into the kitchen.

The clocked flashed 3:46am. Still.

I placed the object onto the kitchen counter, it rolled silently a half-turn then stopped, like I had put it down the wrong way up. I stared at it, now completely in tune with the vibrations that emanated.

I stood there for I don’t know how long just staring, mesmerised by the vibrations. I snapped myself out of it and opened a drawer looking for something with which to open it. I grabbed the can opener but put it back down as quickly as there was no edge for this to grip. Scissors, not wide enough. Knife? Maybe the bread knife, a serrated edge should be able to cut through.

Holding the bread knife in my hand I was struck by inertia. Unable to move my hand forward. I forced myself to, placing the blade onto the object. No change.

As I started to saw the object shimmered; its surface turning to liquid then flashing back to solid in an instant. As it did this the teeth on the knife splintered and fell onto the counter. The knife rendered useless. The vibrations were different now too, more intense and growing to aggressive.

I put the knife down, and continued to stare at the object. The vibrations were oscillating and held me in a trance. I knew what was happening but could not change my position or action. I knew what I was doing but what I was doing was not my own will. I wondered if this is what being hypnotised was like.

I felt totally relaxed, held captive by the object, under its spell. I started to move closer, my head lowering down until my forehead was almost resting on it. When I was barely half a centimetre away it happened. Blindingly quick the object changed again, flashing liquid on the surface and releasing a needle as thin as cotton, as hard as titanium and so hot the air condensed around it sending small clouds of steam into the room.

The needle pierced my head. My head did not move, there was no impact, my head did not offer any resistance. As it entered I was aware of heat, a sensation spreading from my head and filling my body. As it spread it cooled towards my extremities.

The needle was inside my brain; I could feel it but felt no pain. The heat replaced with an icy sensation. I had not moved.

The vibrations from the object were now being channelled through the needle and into my head. This was gentle at the start then grew to an almost audible crescendo as it started an upload of information. It was using my brain as a hard drive.

Fantastical images of plants, creatures, landscapes and technology from other worlds. Vibrant colours and sounds, plants that could walk; plants that changed colours and spat coloured venom into the air like fireworks. Creatures as big as dinosaurs, some with long necks and many heads, others short and fat, some were able to fly, horse like creatures covered in feathers in almost luminous colours. There were fish that could fly, being fired from the water like missiles and soaring into the sky. Huge numbers of bird-like creatures with many wings flying in huge swarms blocking the sun and creating a cacophony with their chatter.

Landscapes rich in colour and texture, shimmering light from multiple suns, mountain ranges as far as the eye could see blocking the horizon, gas released from the earth under such pressure the plumes shot miles into the air. Images of people infused with technology, metal limbs and mind implants, able to control the environment with their minds.

Thousands of slightly inhuman faces flashed in front of me. Moving so fast they blurred into one. Faces that were not human but not so different as to be alien.

Mathematical texts and equations thundered into my brain, star charts and language all fighting for space inside my head. My eyes were flickered and rolled back into my head – I could no longer see.

The upload continued at an incredible pace, I was being forced out of my own head. My thoughts, feelings and memories all thrust aside and deleted by pure, aggressive and consuming information. My childhood was the last thing to go, my last memory being of playing on a slide in the garden with my best friend at the time. I was wearing shorts, even though it was winter, I must have been 5. As quickly as it bubbled to the surface it was gone.

The pace did not abate for what seemed like hours, days and more. I started to shake, tremor after tremor rising within me. Wave after wave of physical jerks and ticks coursed from my feet to my head. Some were so strong I was forced off the ground, like the ground beneath me was so hot I could no longer stand on it. Landing then immediately taking off again as another wave punished me.

I turned to the clock, forcing my eyes forward I tried to focus. This was the very last thing I did as me. Everything I had done everything I was and everything I could have been had been deleted and replaced.

3:46.

I don’t know what happened next…

Swimming 10km with Diabetes

2010-09-13T22:10:00.000+01:00

Yesterday (12/09/2010) was the OSS River Dart 10km swim event from Totnes to Dittisham. It was a great event and i have blogged about it here.

This was a challenge on a mental and physical level but also presented challenges to me regards my diabetes and how to control it in an event of this nature.

I had checked with the organisers up fron what the nutrition availability would be and was advised that there would be aid stations every 2/2.5km. Not able to really carry anything myself it was important to know that so i could make the necessary plans.

What i had planned was to start with a high blood sugar and then keep it topped up at each feed station. With around 30-40minutes between stations it would be vitally important not to miss one and to make sure i took fuel on board. I had also put a couple of gels and packet of glucose tablets on the support boat so that if things went wrong i could get what i needed quickly. To this end the organisers were well prepared with anyone with medical concerns being given a white hate to enable quick identification by the support crews.

When i got up at 5am my blood sugar was 11.7mmol. I ate breakfast of ready brek in the van on the way and gave myself 3 units of Lantus. I then ate a Trek flapjack about an hour later. When we arrived in Totnes i did a blood test and my blood was around 10mmol with around 1.5hrs to the start.

With about 45mins to the start i ate a couple peices of cake to give me a boost. I then got changed and was ready to go to the start. The last thing i did was another blood test. My blood sugar was 17mmol. Higher than i was expecting or than i really wanted but i figured that the only way it was going was down and that if the worse came to the worse i could sort it out at the end.

At each aid station there was half mars/snickers bars available and powerade. At each of the three stations i ate a peice of chocolate and had a drink. Very aware that in an event such as this symptons of a hypo may be masked i made sure at each aid station to take a few seconds and make sure i felt ok.

At each station i felt fine and was able to push on with confidence. Also the number of support people also gave me confidence that were i to get into difficulty i would be able to get assistance very quickly.

At the end of the event i picked up my kit and did a blood test. The reading was 6.5mmol. Perfect!

I ate some rice and ratatouille not bothering with an injection as previous training and competition experience has shown me that after an event there's no need for insulin as this often leads to a hypo.

All in all the nutrition ended up being perfect although this was a little by luck as i was not expecting to be so high at the start. Propbably a better approach could have been to be lower at the start and to then fuel more during the swim.

It's all experience though and next time i'll be better prepared!

The OSS Dart 10k Swim - 12/09/2010

2010-09-13T21:49:00.000+01:00

A couple of months ago Martin sent around an email from the OSS to see if anyone was interested in doing a 10k swim down the River Dart from Totnes to Dittisham. He meant this as a joke but today we did it.

After deciding against camping and B&B options in and around Totnes for the Saturday night we settled on driving down on the Sunday morning. Meeting at Esporta in Gloucester with Mark taking us down in the mystery machine (VW Transporter). We set off at 5:30 with the Tom-Tom confirming a 2hr trip. There was lots of snacking and hydration taking place in the car with rice pasta salads, jam and peanut butter sandwiches and cold porridge all being eaten in preparation.

We got to Totnes after an uneventful journey around 7:45. There was a small throng of people gathered and hanging around the registration. The sun was not fully up and so temperatures were on the low side, I regretted wearing shorts! The toilets were a little walk away and with all that hydration is an inevitable consequence! Not only for the three of us but seemingly for everyone else involved too!

Registration was simple enough although we all had to complete the form that we had already completed online previously. The volunteers on the registration desk were all very nice, helpful and friendly despite the early start and that it was cold!

The event, it wasn't a race, was to start from 9am in four waves. Wetsuit compulsory with exceptions by prior agreement only. Waves determined by how fast you could swim a mile were set. Martin was in Wave 1, Mark in Wave 2 with me in Wave 4.

Martin got himself kitted up, sucking in the gut as much as possible in the unforgiving wetsuit, something i think all the men did at one point if not every point where they were out of water! He was to go off first. Nerves were kicking in and the usual banter started up. In reality that he completed this swim is pretty incredible when you consider that last year he could not swim. In less then 12months he's gone from that to having completed the UK Ironman triathlon and now a 10km swim. Inspiration for anyone who think that they "cannot"...

There was safety briefing (i learned that hypothermia can still set in up to 6hrs post immersion which is pretty scary really) and then they were underway, a little late, getting into the water around 9:20.

Mark was in the second wave and got away around 20minutes after Martin. Running late the organisers were running around the car park to get wave 4 away as close to on time as possible.

Wave 4 started at 10:08 - very precise and i can only remember as i was asked the time by a couple of people around me. I was nervous getting in to the water as everything had been about the temperature of the water and how to keep warm.

The Wave 4 start:

(i'm there somewhere!!)

keep a steady rhythm on the swim to keep your core warm,
wear a wetsuit as minimum and maybe gloves and swim boots too
at the finish get changed into warm clothes as soon as possible, inc. hat etc...

Getting into the water i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that cold. I was wearing swim boots, wetsuit and two swim caps (with my Zoggs Predator goggles too). I dived in and set off. Then there was the shock, my forehead was freezing. Right above my eyes where my head was pushing through the water it was really painful. This did calm down and really for the rest of the swim i was pretty comfortable. Occasionally i felt cold in my quads which was remedied by remembering to kick while i swim!

The first half of the swim was awesome.....there were aid stations every 2.5km. I was at the second aid station, 5km in, in 01:01:00! I was stunned and thought fleetingly that maybe 2hrs was possible! How naive.

The first 5km was fast as there was some good tidal assistance with the tide going out. As the river widened the tide at the edges of the river dropped off and so it was more about your own steam. Negative splits for me were not going to happen!

The swim itself was uneventful really and for me that was the difficultt part of the whole event. The last 2.5/3km from the final aid station to the finish was really hard. It was tough physically with my stroke getting more and more ragged and my arms going out wider and wider but there was nothing mentally to get a lift from. No crowd, no-one to cheer and spur you on. It really was about digging in and making it happen yourself. It is this that sets swimming apart from every other event that i have taken part in, whether it be 10km, triathlon or marathon. There's always someone to give you a boost. In that respect swimming is perhaps a truer reflection of your determination and sheer guts...

The finish was visible from just over a km out and on this stretch i made ground on a number of swimmers. Coming into the finish at Dittisham was a surreal experience. Disorientated, exhausted, emotional and unable to stand! My legs were gone from under me and in the thick mud it was quite difficult to stay upright. The organiser was there to offer congratulations and help me and everyone else out of the mud. My legs started feeling like they were mine and so it was time to get my bag and get changed.

I scanned the other bodies as i made my way to the baggage reclaim looking for Mark and Martin. While i had hoped that i would catch them on the swim i didn't really expect to. I checked my time, i'd completed it in 02:32:55. I was expecting to do around 3hrs-3:30 so was really pleased with the performance.

As i got changed i phoned home to let them know i was still alive - i then spotted Mark looking well and getting changed. Some 20mins or so later Martin emerged from the water looking like a drunk after a fight...clearly in difficulty after more than 4hrs of swimming he got himself together and recovered well.

A plate of hot food and a couple of cups of laterand we were on the bus back to Totnes.

The drive home was full of tales of the swim and banter abounding as you'd expect.

It was an absolutely brilliant day out and an event i will remember for a long time.

The organisation for the event was excellent - all the comms leading up to the day were excellent and straight forward and on the day the number of volunteers and safety staff was excellent. The environment felt very safe and made for a very relaxing experience.

Dart 10k swim - 12th September 2010

2010-07-16T22:02:00.000+01:00

An interesting email arrived from Martin today with details of a 10km swim in the River Dart in Devon on 12th September. The Dart 10k being an open water down stream swim. Now hot on the heels of the ironman distance swim we did on Tuesday this is quite appealing. Also as a frustrated competitor (ACL) an opportunity for me to do something that doesn't require leg power so much...

This evening i have been looking online to find swim training programs for that distance and i cannot find anything? I've tweeted Bruckner Chase who i follow on twitter to see if he can help point me in the direction of a resource that i can use. If he can't help me then no-one can! Well i say no-one but if you have any suggestions of where i can find some tips and training plans for this please contact me via twitter.

I'm keen on the event but need to know it's feasible. I've contacted the organisers to see what the plans are regards fuel stops as being diabetic i will need to refuel or this will really not be possible, presumably that would be the same for any participants? Can you really swim for that long without fuelling??

Anyway if i can find a training plan and the fuel situation is sorted i may give it a go....

Cotswold Ironman Swim 13th July 2010

2010-07-16T21:46:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 13th July was the Ironman distance swim (3.8km/2.4miles) at Lake 32 in South Cerney just past Cirencester. Organised by ClearWorth with all proceeds going to charity it was a nice opportunity for some open water swimming, something i don't get to do that often.

There were to be three of us to do this, Martin, Mark and myself. Mark had to cancel due to work so three became two. Martin was there ahead of me and by the time i found it and had got changed into my wetsuit it was 6:30pm before we started. Registration was a tenner and we were given a number so they could confirm a finish time.

Water temperature was 21C at 1 metre deep. Lovely!

The group we were in was given the order to start, the route was a straight out from the shore to the first bouy then a left turn and follow the bouys around to the right. Each lap was 750m and so 5 laps was the ironman diatance.

I got a decent start, felt the flow of the water and remembered how great swimming in a wetsuit is. about half way on my first lap a school boy error. My goggles fogged. i pulled out from the main bunch and sorted them out, that probably cost me a minute or so. Thinking that Martin was now ahead i started to plan on how to make up the time. I couldn't let him beat me as he only learned to swim last year!

Concentrating on my stroke, trying to sight my route (i'm rubbish at that!!) i kept going and gradually started to catch some back markers. As i passed people i checked their wet-suits but didn't recognise Martin. I finished my 5th lap and was resolved ot the fact that Martin had come in ahead of me, and truth be told i was already coming up with excuses.

Imagine my face when as i stood on the beach and shouted my number to the timing team i saw Martin stood on the bank, not in a wetsuit as i was expecting, but changed and drinking lucozade. My face must have been a picture as he started laughing and made some quip about me needing to speed up.

I was trying to compute how he could have done that. Swim faster than me sure (i know i'm not fast!) but swim that much faster that he could be changed and ready to go? The reality is not that exciting! He'd done 3 laps, not the 5 as he pulled his shoulder - a likely story!!

My time for the swim was 01:07:04. I was pleased with it on the night but then i saw all the other times and was dissappointed.

it was like not having diabetes

2010-07-11T06:40:00.000+01:00

I have blogged before about the impact that training has on diabetes but last night I experienced a perfect example of the impact and felt, for a brief period, that I no longer had diabetes.

Yesterday evening I went for a road ride with a buddy, we had planned a couple of hours on the bikes starting at 6pm. As preparation for the ride I had some snacks so that my blood sugar was around 9mmol at the start. On the ride I keep myself going using a mix of carbo gels and energy bars, always carrying more than I should need just in case.

It was a gorgeous evening and the ride was great, a nice flat course in the Cotswold countryside taking in Tewkesbury, Bredon, Kemerton, Stoke Orchard and then back home.

When i got in after the ride i did a blood test and was at 5.8mmol. It was approaching 8:30pm, which is time for my Lantus insulin (the background slow acting one) and I needed to eat. I made myself some food: quinoa cooked in soya milk with chopped banana, goji berries and topped with honey. I then had half a wrap and a slice of bread. Around 50-60g of carbs, possibly even more.

After eating I administered my slow acting insulin but completely dispensed with the novorapid that I usually use with meals and food.

On waking I took a blood sugar reading and my blood was 6mmol! Perfect! It was then I thought wow that's almost what it's like to not have diabetes - I vaguely remember those days!!

Product Review - Speedo Aquabeat

2010-06-16T08:40:00.008+01:00

I recently ruptured my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) meaning that for the foreseeable future I won't be doing any running of any sort! This is massively frustrating to me as I was intending this year to concentrate on running events rather than triathlon, which I have been doing for the last couple of years. Unable to run I have found myself swimming more. Whilst I've always enjoyed swimming it's not something I have ever done enough of as part of my triathlon training. My thinking was always that I can swim a mile pretty comfortably and that the effort required to get speed into that swim was probably better spent on the bike or out pounding the pavement.

Take away the ability to run and suddenly the pool has a greater lure. It's convenient, more or less, as there are a couple in Cheltenham that I use, Brockworth 25m pool which is a couple miles or so down the road and the Lido which is just the most beautiful swimming pool; particularly on a sunny school day afternoon when there's hardly anyone else in there! Guaranteed to make you feel like a millionaire with your own private pool! I also swim at St. Nicks pool in Warwick where I work during the week.
As I was swimming more frequently I began to increase the laps and time in the water, swimming currently between 45-60mins a session. This is boring! Particularly in an indoor 25m pool. Whilst I am comfortable in my own head there is a definite need for a diversion. It's a bit like running on a treadmill. When I run outdoors I never use music or anything. Even on my long runs, which 90% I do solo, I never use music. I have always preferred the meditational aspects of running and the clarity of mind you get when out on the road. When on a treadmill that is different and the lack of scenery etc makes it almost essential to have music. so it was with this rationale I decided to buy a Speedo Aquabeat MP3. I opted for the 1GB version in black and bought it from Amazon for £49.90 with free delivery.
When it arrived I was pretty excited! Out of the box you get the Aquabeat, headphones, headphone extender lead, ear plugs (that connect to the headphones) and spares, net carry bag, instruction manual, USB charger/transfer lead and a mini CD-rom. The device charges through USB via the headphone port. Loading tunes was easy, the software installed in a couple of minutes and recognised the Aquabeat immediately it was connected. It's then a case of browse, drag and drop. You then set the play order which is pretty cool as you can select an increasing tempo in songs to cover the workout time, warm-up, main sets and cool down.
A couple of things surprised me one was the size of the device, it's not small. My kids have Zen-stone mp3's and they are about a third of the size of the Aquabeat. I can only imagine that the Aquabeat needed to be larger so the buttons can be worked without looking at it and also that maybe to make it waterproof it needs to be larger. Secondly the software was on a CD as opposed to a download from the internet.
The headphones have a clever design. So that there is minimal wire to deal with the headphone lead is very short and has a coil like a spring so that any flex is catered for without the need for a longer, looser lead. the extension turns this into a standard length headphone wire making the Aquabeat easily useable as a normal MP3 player. The headphones are the in the ear type with the hooks that go over the back of the ear. They need to be secure. They have connectors, they come with spares too, that are like ear plugs and channel the music further down into the ear than normal headphones do. they are surprisingly comfortable.
First swim and I needed to connect them to my headphones. this was a little tricky as the clip on the Aquabeat is understandably tight so it does not release easily, that makes it tight to actually connect. I tried to connect it to the back of my goggles, which are also Speedo, and it would not fit. After a couple of minutes experimenting I secured in to the right had side strap, the loose bit that goes through the securing loop (does that make sense). It didn't look ideal but actually works fine. I then had to disconnect it as needed to turn it around so that the headphone jack points backwards and so doesn't take the force of water. I was pretty frustrated by this time as the securing mechanism is incredibly tight and so taking it off and connecting it is not easy. My advice would be to actually sort this out at home and not just as you are about to get into the pool!
At the water side I plugged the headphones into the Aquabeat and into my head! hit play and the sound came through loud and clear. Volume is easily controlled with simple and large enough buttons on top of the player. Plugged in and playing I got into the water and went under. It is a weird sensation being underwater with an MP3 player! I swam a length front crawl and as I moved my head to breathe I could feel water in my ear and then I'd lose the music in that ear. I stopped after a length and wiggled them about a bit (very technical) got the fit better and set off again. Now it was fine and I finished my set.
I have used it subsequently on every swim session and have had no problems, the sound does fade a little at times depending on the water in the ear but is more than adequate. It works well at steady pace with good consistent sound quality. If you up the pace and get a little more wash the sound can get drowned (see what I did there) a little by the water noise. I now cannot imagine swimming without it - frankly it's brilliant and you should get one.

Zen and the Art of Coffee

2010-05-27T15:20:00.000+01:00

I just listened to a podcast where the podder spent 20minutes (more or less) talking about a specific addiction,

.....how it affects his energy, his moods, how he feels dependant on it and hates that he feels that way.

.....how he cannot start an athletic endeavour without some.

.....how when he gives it up he feels great but still the lure remains, how he has given it up "thousands of times" and that last time never even had a headache.

Sounds pretty serious and interesting until you realise the addiction was to caffeine.

Seriously, caffeine!

That stuff in coffee, tea and soft drinks. The stuff you drink more or less every day and that even your kids drink. Sure you may be mindful of how much you drink, and maybe you don't drink coffee before you go to bed but its there constantly... everyone drinks it! If you follow any pro-tour cyclist on twitter you'd think those guys cannot get out of bed without it. Lance Armstrong even takes a personal pot with him if last years tour tweets are anything to go by.

To hear the discussion on the podcast you'd think it was going to be something juicy and revelationary like a class a substance or something....not humble coffee. A substance that every shop sells and that even your 10year old kid could go and buy without the need for id!

A really ridiculous podcast effort if ever there was one! If anyone listens and nods in agreement please get over yourself.

(I don't really want to name names/podcasts but if you listen to triathlon podcasts you'll probably find it anyway!)

Cyclists using insulin to dope?

2010-05-23T09:53:00.000+01:00

I have just been listening to the Real Peloton podcast take on the Floyd Landis accusations this week.

The nugget of information that caught my attention was that one of the products Landis confirmed he used to dope was insulin. I had never heard of insulin doping before and as a diabetic was curious to see what possible benefit could be gained...

An article from 2007 on the Royal Society of Chemistry website explains...

"...Insulin, when used as a performance enhancer, works to slow down the degradation of muscle tissue, which is attractive to such athletes as bodybuilders especially when they are also doping with a growth hormone. For endurance athletes, cyclists and runners, for example, insulin provides fuel for muscle cells and improves stamina. Although the prevalence of insulin doping is not known, luggage seizures at airports and testimonials from formerly doped athletes suggest that the abuse of this hormone is a real problem..."

On checking further there is this explanation on the Peak Performance website

"...Although it’s more usually associated with the regulation of blood glucose, the hormone insulin can also act as a powerful anabolic agent, helping to drive glucose and amino acids (the building blocks of protein) into muscle cells, thereby helping to increase glycogen synthesis and lean muscle mass. And when combined with anabolic steroids, insulin also helps prevent muscle tissue breakdown. Given the widespread availability of artificial insulin, it’s perhaps hardly surprising that growing numbers of athletes are reportedly using it in an effort to boost performance illegally..."

The next question that comes to mind is how a non-diabetic body will react to having insulin administered externally. The answers i have been able to find seem to indicate that normal insulin production via the pancreas will be suppressed and that if the practice continues the pancreas may stop functioning altogether, in short the administration of insulin to a non-diabetic patient may in fact render them diabetic.

Note: this is anecdotal information rather than something i have been able to locate on a scientific website.

Read the RSC full article here.
Read the full Peak Performance article here.

Vegetarianism...

2010-05-21T22:48:00.000+01:00

For those of you that have been following my twitter feed i have been experimenting with vegetarianism over this last nine days and have to report a quite dramatic effect to my physical well being..

The inspiration for this has been reading and listening to @zentriathlon and @richroll on both twitter, blogs and podcasts. Essentially these guys talk about the vegan lifestyle they follow and the fact that they can perform and recover for amazing endurance events while following this diet.

Rich Roll proving this beyond any shadow of a doubt in the recent Epic5 undertaking where he, along with @jasonlester completed 5ironman triathlons in 5 days on each of the 5 Hawian islands. Truly Epic!

My motivation for trying this was experimental, my ACL injury has meant that i am not able to train as much as i want to or would like to and so i had noticed my weight creeping up. I have been swimming a lot, relatively speaking, but it doesn't have the same calorific impact as running.

I have always eaten a lot of fruit but decided to eat more vegetables than i currently do, this is easier than you think with plenty that you can eat raw. Lunches took on a different complexion with wraps/pitta breads being replaced with a single wrap and a box of raw veggies. Fruit still plays a large part in my diet but is now balanced with veggies. This has meant that my carbohydrate intake has also been reduced.

As a diabetic this is probably the most interesting aspect of this as my insulin levels have been dramatically reduced while keeping blood in tolerance levels. As an example my Novorapid doses today have been 3units with breakfast, 3units with lunch and 2units with dinner. Very small doses and a direct result of the change in diet.

This is reason alone to continue with the diet then i consider the other benefits, I have lost 5lbs in weight, i feel great physically and mentally know i am doing the right thing.

I'm going to continue with this over the coming weeks and see how things progress. If my energy levels remain unaffected, my diabetes and weight under control then this is something that will stick...

Green smoothie!

2010-05-08T19:12:00.000+01:00

Over the last couple of weeks i've started listening to the Zen and the Art of Triathlon podcasts again. One of the things that has been discussed is the whole plant strong thing and the green smoothie.

The whole vegetarian thing is sounding quite appealling and so today i thought i'd have a go at aking my own. I went to the Natural Grocery store on Bath Road in Cheltenham and bought some ingredients.

Coconut milk
Greens
Avocado
Apple
Carrot
Beetroot

I prepared the vegetables and put them into the blender. Started the blend and it looked good. I'm a little colour blind so i have no idea what colour it was but i don't think it was green!

I continued blending - adding water to make the consistency drinkable rather than soup. As i took the jug off the base to decant it into smaller jugs to add water the bottom fell off as it had become unscrewed.

Disaster in the kitchen!!

I was covered and the kitchen was covered! Not salvageable but tasteable. Actually it tasted pretty good. Will try again later in the week but be much more in control of the blender, that or i will dress the room in cling film (Dexter style) to make cleaning up easier!!

Daydreams

2010-04-25T14:11:00.000+01:00

I have spent a lot of time in the pool lately, not being able to run and cycling needing a bit more planning and time swimming is the easier option. Staring at the black line as you do lap after lap gives you time to think and the mind wanders...

Song lyrics are a favourite keep me going, often random and with no real clue as to where it has come from they just get in my head and loop. At the Windsor triathlon last year i remember on the bike course singing in my head (thankfully not out loud) the chorus to "it's not fair" by Lilly Allen. Good song sure but not that good!!

Other daydreams are around conversations that i have had and what i could or should have said had i been a bit sharper or more interested. Then there are answers to solutions at work and home that come with the clarity you acheive when the mind is empty. In that way swimming and running are, for me, very meditational. Repetitive actions with little thought really required, unlike cycling where you need to stay mentally focussed and sharp, and i just zone out.

The daydream that has been recurring most of late is the ambition to be a writer. The thought of writing a novel is just amazing. I find myself playing with plot lines and searching for the story that i could write that has enough substance to be a novel rather than just a short story. I have written short stories before and even went to the step of sending them to a publisher for review and consideration. I had a really good critique letter back suggesting that if i had 40-50 such peices of work they could be considered. That was about 10 years ago and in the intervening period i have started maybe 50 but only completed to my satisfaction maybe 2 further short stories. I also started a novel (ha!) a few years back, i have around 29,000 words written, and i guess that to complete that should be a first target.

Now that i am injured maybe it's time to remind myself of where it was heading and perhaps look to work on it some more.

The funny thing is i have never daydreamed about winning races or anything like that. I have daydreamed about being a pro-athlete but that is such pie-in-the-sky that it is ridiculous and more a case of not wanting to get old than anything in reality. I still have sporting targets i want to hit e.g. sub 3hr marathon and and ultramarathon but they are targets to be trained for.

Writing a book is a very different target, now i have time maybe it's time to do something about it....

Not again....

2010-04-25T13:48:00.000+01:00

Another day, another injury...

Friday evening i was over in the field across the road from us playing football with Luca. Nothing heavy or demanding just some long passing to each other. Next thing there are about 10kids around us with average age of about 8... An impromptu match kicked off with me as the only adult hanging back and letting the kids do the work and play the game.

The opposition came forward and the ball broke. As i ran out to collect it i stopped, planted my left foot and went to bring it under with my right foot. Next thing a pop in the knee and i am on the ground in agony. At this point it was unfortunate that some expletives escaped my mouth....the initial pain eased and i got to my feet and hobbled home.

This was a carbon copy of an injury i did about 4years ago where playing 5-a-side, unmarked i went for the exact same manouvre and the same thing happened. That ended up with me in casualty and cost me a year while i waited for a meniscus operation.

This injury feels very similar but not as bad. I am in more pain around the back of the knee from the Baker Cyst that has emerged. That woke me up this morning and has been very uncomfortable today. I'm struggling to straighten my leg and have not been able to walk flat footed as yet today.

Tomorrow i'll get an appointment with the GP and hopefully get this looked at and sorted quickly. The thought of losing a year again is just too depressing for words. That's the worse case scenario but also very real given queue's etc...

This is all the more frustrating as since January i have hardly done anything because of injury to my left ankle and now this....

1 MUG BRAN LOAF (low fat!!)

2010-04-05T19:13:00.000+01:00

This months UK adventure Sports magazine arrived on Friday, on page 37 there's a recipe even I could follow!

This morning I started it then baked it when we got back from being out for the day.

The ingredients are simple!

1 mug of mixed fruit
1 mug of semi-skimmed milk
1 mug of sugar
1 mug all-bran (the sticks)
1 mug self raising flour

Place all ingredients except the flour into a mixing bowl, mix then leave to stand for at least 4hrs. This allows the bran and fruit to soak up all the milk.
When ready to cook preheat the oven to 140/gas mark 5
Mix in the self raising flour.
Place in a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin
bake in the oven for approx 1hr or when a knife comes out clean from the middle.

It looks like this and the verdict from this household was delicious!

Arch to Arc....in a gym?

2010-03-16T21:06:00.000Z

Sunday we all went up to the Sue Ryder Home on Leckhampton Lane to meet with the fundraising contact - Lucy. We had a tour of the grounds and discussed some fund raising ideas....

Being men the thoughts turned to something a bit extreme and the word endurance was mentioned...it started as why don't we swim the channel as a relay team in a pool? 23.89miles between the 4 of us. Spreadsheet constructed and claculation done it didn't seem far enough or extreme enough.

That's when it evolved to doing the Arch to Arc triathlon as a relay in the gym.

The Arch to Arc is an extreme triathlon where you start at Marble Arch in London, run the 89miles to Dover where you then swim the 23.89miles of the English Channel before cycling the 179miles to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

With three of the team being Esporta members that is the venue of choice assuming that they will allow this to take place..

Watch this space - we'll do something extreme just a case of what? If you've got any ideas post them on here in the comments!

Taken from http://www.shurdingtontriclub.co.uk

10yr olds do know right from wrong

2010-03-16T09:15:00.000Z

"...England's children's commissioner Maggie Atkinson had told the Times (Newspaper) that most criminals under 12 did not fully understand their actions..."
(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8565619.stm)

This statement and lots of other comment has been prevalent in the media in recent weeks following the arrest of John Venables for a new crime.

John Venables served eight years in custody from the age of ten for murder of James Bulger. A crime so horrific and disturbing that it will forever be burned onto the psyche of the UK population. The argument that, at ten years old, they did not know what they were doing I find frankly disturbing.

I have a 10 year old son that asked recently what the news story regarding Venables and Bulger was about - we explained it to him and he got very upset and was moved to tears. He is ten years old and very much knows right and wrong.

Do the parents need to take more responsibility for how they bring children up? I know nothing of Venables home life, or indeed of Thompson his partner in the Bulger killing but at that age don't the parents need to take some responsibility? Whilst there will always be some people that are fundamentally bad a lot of it has to be about environment. A child from a violent (this could be being allowed to watch adult tv, films and games and not necessarily actual physical abuse) or disrespectful home life has to be affected by that? Don't children basically copy their parents?
I do think that at 10years old a child having comitted a crime should be punished, reeducated and rehabilitated but that the whole picture should be considered and by that i mean the parents have to take some of the responsibility. Children of ten years old do know right from wrong where there is a potential disparity is in their definition of it that will be handed to them from their parents.

Night hypo

2010-02-28T17:46:00.000Z

As a diabetic hypo's are to be avoided at all costs!

This is where the blood sugar drops below the healthy zone and can result in coma and worse. The healthy zone is 4-7mmol so there are not huge margins to be worked with here. Once below 4mmol it is a quick slide down. Like a lot of diabetics I have experienced a number of hypo's and during the normal day they are manageable. A couple of glucose tablets to spike the blood sugar and then a decent snack to level things off. Symptoms are easy to spot initially with sweats, shaky sensations and blurred vision.

I have been lucky in that I have not had many hypo's overnight. Last night was an exception and a strange experience. I woke up with sensations that I knew were hypo yet could not respond to them. I laid there knowing what was happening and not able to do anything. I was half asleep, aware, but it felt like a dream.

It was only when Sue stirred that I woke up enough to do something and I grabbed some glucose tabs that were on my bedside cabinet, I ate a couple and stayed in bed.

Sue then asked me if i was ok and did i need food, she was clearly awake and thinking for me. This prompted me to get out of bed and go and get some cereal, something I should have done maybe an hour earlier. I went back to bed and slept just fine!

This morning was then incredibly difficult, I could not get myself out of bed and felt battered. Breakfast kind of helped but I struggled with tiredness and a sense that my body was not right. Nothing specifically wrong just not right. Even now as I type I feel I could go back to bed and sleep easily! The hypo took more out of me than I realised.

This is a very real problem for people with diabetes and one I know that some diabetics struggle with. For me it was a rarity and something to learn from. When in that state I need to snap out of it quicker and deal with the situation. What could happen if I do not does not bear thinking about,,,

Still injured

2010-02-23T12:46:00.000Z

My last race was on 26th January 2010 and was the Gloucester Marathon. I PB'd in 03:15:00. The euphoria that I experienced on completing that race in a better than anticipated time has been replaced by something much darker. The injury sustained has not been resolved and although showing signs of improving it is not doing so nearly as quickly as I want and need it to. I have missed the Mayhill Massacre and now the Cleevewold cross country at the end of March is in doubt.

I feel as though my condition is slipping away and the alternatives (cycling and swimming) are not as accessible or satisfying as going for a run.

The beauty of running is the simplicity, you get changed and head out the door. With cycling there are more variables, more clothing and planning. Swimming normally involves a drive to the local pool, parking and then you finally get in the water.

The injury I have is manifested in my left ankle and calf as a stiffness and soreness. On examination my left leg is very inflexible and mechanically does not work as it should. Movement bypasses the glute with everything driven from the hamstring. Biomechanically it is rubbish! the physio I am having is to redress this and get the leg working correctly engaging the correct muscles. This will reduce the load on my ankle and calf and get me running again. In short it will fix my biomechanics.

The frustration here (and there are many!!) is that this stems, in all probability, from an injury that I sustained playing football a good few years ago in the summer of 2004. Playing 5-a-side with colleagues I was late for the match and just ran onto the pitch to play. No warm up and I strained my hamstring on my left leg. That was a bad one and I had physio at the time to help the recovery. Subsequent to that I have had problems with my right knee (arthroscopy) and right hip (treated by a chiropractor and some expensive orthotics). Then latterly it has been my left achilles and now this. All stem from that hamstring injury and the body compensating movement by bypassing the damaged or weak areas.

What I am working on putting right is essentially 6years of incorrect use of my left leg!!

When I look back over the last few months it does show what the body is capable of and what it can work with. I have run hundreds of miles without issue (other than a sore achilles) with my left leg as a passenger. I can feel this when I cycle - the power goes through the right leg and the left just coasts. Trying to correct this consciously is impossible even though I can feel it not doing anything!

I have my exercises as prescribed by the physio, I have a balance board a leg roller and now a Wii Fit too - I am using them all to try and get my legs working properly.

I cannot wait to run again, it's not just something that I do it is something that I need to do.

Nooooo - Injury

2010-01-30T23:21:00.000Z

I'm pretty gutted at the moment. Very gutted actually.

After being on a high last weekend i rested this week only venturing out for a run last night. A nice and easy 4miles or so. Or so i thought, about 3miles in my left ankle started to hurt the way it was hurting after the Gloucester Marathon.

I got home and it was forcing me to limp again.

Saturday morning and it felt better but not right. The best way i can describe it is that it felt like i had concrete in my ankle. It was painful and had no flexibility. I wanted to get a quick diagnosis and so found a physio open on a Saturday with a free appointment - Nicola Ellis Physiotherapy.

An evaluation confirmed a couple of things;

1. my ankle/calf is inflexible

2. i have no stability through my left side

3. my right leg does all the work

4. i wouldn't be running for a while, and certainly not at the Mayhill Massacre.

There followed some treatment using some interesting techniques including a balance board, step, swiss ball and the Wii Fit!

The work i need to do is around core strength and using both sides of my body. I need to work both sides equally. This will include calf raises, hamstring stretches, one leg squats and ankle rotation. The issue is manifesting in my ankle but is likely linked to more problems with the leg and pelvis. Interestingly this is probably also a symptom of the tendonitis i get in my left achilles.

All in all quite depressing which in itself is depressing! That i feel so low because my running has been curtailed is as much down to the enjoyment i get from running as the benefits too. Clarity of mind, complete downtime, meditational and medical benefits in that it helps me control my diabetes much better.

All is not lost though i have trunks and a bike so hopefully will be able to use both. If i am a good pupil for my physio then hopefully recovery will be swift and i will be fit to run again very soon.

For now i feel pretty frustrated by it.

What did we do before compression socks? Gloucester Marathon 2010

2010-01-25T19:28:00.001Z

The first event of the fundraising year did not start well. Actually that's not true it started fine with a nice bowl of ready brek with banana and some strong coffee. The kids then got up and we watched the highlights of the previous days Tour Down Under.

Great stuff.

My gear was largely ready the night before and so all that remained was to get changed, carry out a last minute kit check. all done and all good. I left home just after 0945 to drive the 20minutes to the start and registration. This is where it went wrong, with at one point me sat in the car losing my temper and shouting abuse at myself - pretty funny looking back now but at the time i just kept thinking i was going to miss registration and lose my place.

A phone call home and some map reading later i registered 10minutes late (thank you organisers) then hurried to get myself ready. My heart rate and adrenaline, needless to say were through the roof. I got changed at my car and there were a couple of marshalls that were happy to chat and that helped me relax (another thankyou!)

One of the things i was not sure of was what to wear for the race. The weather was fine and dry but the temperature was barely 5C. I had every combination of clothing you could imagine in my bag from running fleeces to t-shirts, hats, gloves and tights. In the end i went for a shorts, compressions t-shirt and normal t-shirt combination with my gloves. This proved to be ideal and looking around the course was a pretty frequent combination. I also had on my 2XU calf guards and looking around the field it struck me that at least 50% of the runners were kitted out similarly, how did we survive before the advent of compression clothing!! I also had KTTaped my left Achilles to help with some tendinitis that i get a little and that really did the trick although today (a day later) my left ankle is very sore.

The runners were grouped at the staging area and then followed the pace car to the start line. On the way to the start i struck up a conversation with a fellow runner that ended up irritating me! I asked him the usual questions around his marathon experience and expected time - he waxed lyrical about his endeavours and did not ask me a single question. As soon as the hooter sounded i left him - some people do not know how to have a conversation!!

The route was an unknown to me as my preparation did not include a recce of the course! It started easy enough with a small figure of eight before we hit the course proper, it was then 3 laps with a turn to the finishing straight. The laps were marshalled at the turn point with runners wearing hair ands on their wrists to keep tally of laps.

The three laps were surprisingly interesting although the hills were unwelcome. There were plenty of spectators and the Marshalls and helpers at the water stations all genuinely great.

I made a decent start following a group of 3 club runners that were keeping a pace where they were talking to each other and that i was comfortable with. I followed them for about 5miles with the group growing to about 8 runners. Between miles 4 and 5 i wanted to push a bit harder and so moved out of the group and increased my pace. It was then that nature called! I needed a pee!! I spotted a discrete gate and well you know....as i was doing this the pack went past me with heckles of "...you'll need that later..." when i had finished a rejoined the road they had gone some way in front of me and in fact another pack had also gone past me. I resolved to keep my pace steady and catch them over the course of the next 10 or so miles rather than pushing hard for a mile and blowing up.

The decision was correct - i kept a steady pace, checking my Garmin frequently to make sure my pace stayed in the 14km an hour zone. By mile 8 (56minutes) i had started catching some of those that had fallen off the back of the pack. I continued the pace eating a gel on the hour. I was comfortable although was pushing it - my time at mile 13 was 01:33:00 which is only 6minutes off my PB for that distance. Lap 1 was completed without any excitement or problems, it was a little disconcerting to think that there were two to go but i just kept focused on the time.

In this respect it was unusual for me because i was very aware of the time the whole way round, at one point i actually thought i might be close to a magical three hours but that thought evaporated when my maths were found to be rubbish! At 16miles i was just under 2hrs and in my head thought great another 8miles in an hour and i've done it. It then dawned on me at the mile 18marker that actually there were 10more miles to go and so 3:15 was looking likely.

On my second lap i encountered my first back marker who was still on her first lap. She was running up one of the hills as i passed her - i offered some words of encouragement and continued. Second lap done and now it got hard. On the third lap the first hill was about 2miles in and had the first twinges of cramp in my quads. I made it to the top of the hill without having to break stride but was concerned that the cramp could do me in with a long way still to go. As i cleared the hill there were a lot of runners in front of me - those on their second laps. This was quite motivating as it was a case of aiming for the next runner regardless of what lap they were on - this kept me entertained for a couple of miles until on the next hill cramp. This time in my hamstrings that forced me to walk. I walked up the hill, started jogging again and then back to a run. My kph was dropping and at one point was a lowly 10kph. It was on the hill i saw Mick and Phil the Marathon Lads - truly amazing.

Mick and Phil (not sure who is who) looks like a father and son team where the father pushes the adult son in his wheelchair. That in itself is amazing but the father had a word of motivation or some quip for every runner in his vicinity, those that he was passing or that were passing him. People like this never cease to amaze me, the bond that they must have from being together like this is incredible. So inspirational.

In a different sort of way the runners that run at a gentle pace and finish in 5hrs+ are also motivational. It proves that everyone can do this sport and that everyone has their own motivation and reasons for being there. For some it's about winning, other about breaking 3hrs then there's those who just want to complete it with the time almost being irrelevant. The achievement is the same - they all ran a marathon on Sunday 24th January!

The final miles of the final lap seemed to go on for ever. At mile 24 i was ready to stop, the finish line loomed. Past the lap counters for the final time and a mile to the finish. I was overtaken with less than 200m to go and had nothing left counter. Essentially i was racing the clock at this time anyway. I crossed the finish in 03:15:00 exactly (official time has me at 03:15:01).

Elated that i had hit my stretch target. When i set out to do this i thought i could do sub 03:30:00 with 03:15:00 being my stretch target. To acheive that on a hilly course was awesome!

I picked up my memento (a paperweight) and then to the bus to head back to the starting zone. Thank god i took the bus rather than walking it as it was further than i thought and i would have also got lost! Back at the car a quick change then a blood test. My blood sugar was 3.1mmol which was essentially a bonk (the threshold being between 4-7mmol). No wonder i had nothing left on the run in.

I had a sandwich that i had taken with me and then set about texting and emailing the result to people!!

Driving home i was glad my car was an automatic as my calves were very stiff/sore and i had a blister on the outside of my left foot. A roast dinner was waiting for me but unusually i could not finish it! Needless to say the rest of the day was quiet.

The official results are in an i was 22nd out of 282 which i am really pleased with!! Awesome!! Looking back to my first marathon this is an improvement of 1hr 5minutes!

On checking the forums today though i saw some terribly sad news. One of the runners, who had travelled down from Oldham, had a heart attack and died on the course.... thought are with his family and running buddies.....

It all started in Shezans...

2010-01-23T08:03:00.000Z

My first and, to date, only marathon was the Flora London Marathon in April 1998. I completed it in around 4hrs 20minutes.

Tomorrow (24/01) i am running the Gloucester Marathon - i am more than 10years older but am hoping to take maybe 50min-1hr off that time! (Hopefully i won't eat those words).

Thinking back where i am today started in a local curry house after a day out drinking and watching rugby with some mates. A turning point i guess you would call it - do you take the red pill or the blue pill?

In those days i was very different as we all were i guess. Out to much, drinking too much and eating bad food. Nothing that a lot of 20year olds haven't done and will continue to do. Sat in Shezans curry house one of the guys suggested that we run marathons! Hmmm so we we were drunk, eating curry and it was, of course, a great idea! As the evening progressed the plans grew grander, start with London then travel the world running marathons! It never really happened that way...

I think there were 4 of us in the restaurant and 3 of us completed entry forms. I was the only one to get in. My red pill/blue pill moment was in front of me. Train to do the marathon alone or carry on as i was. I decided to take up the entry on the basis that it was clearly something of value with only 1 in 4 of us getting in.

I set about my training programme and considering my fitness base was rubbish picked a training plan that was to get around. Not worried about finishing time more about just finishing!

I can remember very little about the actual run that day, even what the weather was like is gone from my memory. I remember the finish line, some friends had come down to see me finish and my dad was there (he had been trying to get around the course all day to support me and i had not seen him once!!). My finish time was 4hrs 20minutes - nothing too great but i had finished and had set myself on a road that i am still running along!

Lots of things have changed between then and now - marriage, kids, diabetes, career, friends all have changed.

On the eve of my second marathon i am calm and relaxed, much more so that i imagine i was all those years ago. I am better prepared and just in better shape than i was then.

One thing for sure - it won't be another 10years before my next marathon!

My diabetes story...

2010-01-23T07:36:00.000Z

I submitted the following to the Diabetes UK website today as 'my story'.......

My diabetes story starts at the end of 2001 when i was diagnised with Type 1.

At the time i was working with a group of colleagues that were very fit and motivated. We used to run together at lunchtimes and at the time i was also cycling the 12-14miles each way from Bristol to Bath for work.

My diagnosis was self administered. Rampaging thirst, repeating thrush and rapid weight loss when typed into netdoctor turned up one result. A visit to the GP confirmed the situation.

The detail of the next few weeks are a blur. I remember being on tablets and trying to control it with diet - that never worked so i started the insulin treatment.

The first injection was the hardest - it was like my arm could not move! It was locked with the needle 6 inches from my stomach! Once the first one had been done it became easier and like most diabetics i rarely consider the injection or even feel it.

The one thing that never changed was that i continued playing sport. I played football with colleagues and continued running. This was all very low key stuff during the working day as i was commuting for work and had a young family, my son being 2 at the time with a daughter arriving before he was to turn 3.

All through this period sport was about breaking up the working day and socialising as most of it was with colleagues. A couple of injuries (damaged hamstring and then a knee cartlidge) meant that i gave up playing football and concentrated on running and then latterly triathlon.

It was in 2007 that i started racing with, in the May that year the Tewkesbury Triathlon over the sprint distance of 400m swim, 22km bike and 5km run. It was a brilliant event - i loved everything about and was hooked! Later that year i did the first of 3 Windsor Triathlons that i have done at the Olympic distance of 1500m swim, 42km bike and 10km run. I have also done the Blenheim Sprint Tri, London Olympic Tri (where i broke 2hr 30mins) and the Cotswold Tri.

Training for these events is great fun and has a massive positive effect on my diabetes control. The time i have the most consistent issue is my blood sugar first thing in the morning. When i am training this improves significantly with morning readings rarely above 9mmol. I also find that, when training, the amount of insulin i need to administer reduces with the same effect. This makes the control so much simpler as the doses are smaller and easier to predict.

Training also means that i manage to control my weight with that having been consistent at 70-72kg for the past 6 or 7 years.

What i learned from having diabetes is that it needn't stop me doing anything that i want i just need to be better prepared than my non-diabetic training buddies. So when we go on rides or runs etc i make sure that i have plenty of fuel with me in the form of glucose tablets, gels and energy bars. The last thing i need is to bonk during training or racing!

Managing blood sugar during these periods took some doing with, in the early days, my having to stop to take blood sugar readings. Now with years of experience i can manage my blood sugar in a session without the need to take readings. I know what i will need for specific types of sessions and manage with pretty much zero impact. When i with my training buddies there is no difference between us and i suppose for me that is the main point.

Aside from the fact that on any race number i have i need to write that i am diabetic there is no difference between me and any other athlete. We have all trained, prepared and are ready to race. I may have an extra gel and my omnipresent glucose tablets but there's no difference.

Taking it one stage further i have been looking for a longer challenge. Something over and above an olympic distance triathlon. The natural progression would have been to try an Ironman Triathlon. When i considered the training undertaking for an event such as that it is just too much, also i will confess to be a little daunted and scared by the distances involved!

As a runner first and foremost i decided to look into ultra running which is anything over marathon distance normally 50km or 50miles.

I found a race that i was interested in called the Thames Trot that was a 50miler in February 2010. I started training and since October 2009 have notched up more than 500training miles. I changed my plans at Christmas and abandoned my plans to do the Thames Trot, i changed jobs etc at this time and with Christmas training took a hit.

I plan to do one - there is a local 50km run in May and then i will go for a 50miler at the end of the season. Plan B was to do the Gloucester Marathon, i also have a couple of shorter running races already in the calender. The Mayhill Massacre in February and Cleevewold Cross country in March. I was a runner before i stepped into triathlon and i can get my head around the training and undertaking for such an event.

From my experience the benefits of running with diabetes are so significant. My weight is under control and my blood sugar control is largley very good. There are also the benefits that everyone gets from running, improved mental and physical health and well being.

Knowing your physical reactions to the training and racing you do, understanding when to train and when not to and proper planning are essential but not insurmountable. As a diabetic the amount of information you process every meal time is considerable, being active and competitive is, in my opinion, an extension of that.

iTunes Competition

2010-01-17T18:15:00.000Z

Gloucester Marathon Competition - 24th January 2010

The Shurdington Tri Club (www.shurdingtontriclub.co.uk) has nominated Sue Ryder to be their Charity for 2010. We are completing a number of events through the year and looking to raise as much as possible.

The first event of the year is the Gloucester Marathon on 24th January and I will be taking part in this. To make it a little more interesting I have decided to run a competition with the prize being a £20 iTunes voucher.

The Competition
Guess/estimate what my finishing time will be. Then complete the form below with the details. Entry cost is a donation of at least £5 to Sue Ryder via the justgiving website (http://www.justgiving.com/Shurdingtontriclub).

The rules of entry are simple -
1. Entry costs a minimum £5 donation to Sue Ryder.
2. All entries are to be submitted via this form.

3. The winning time will be based on the official result of the race.
4. In the event of a tie the entry posted sooner wins.
5. In the event that no-one gets the correct time the prize will go to the closest time that is less than my finishing time.
6. No direct family or members of Shurdington Tri Club can enter this competition.
7. entry closes at 9am on Sunday 24/01/2010
8. Any questions direct to mbosano@gmail.com.

I have been training a lot over the past few months and so to help you with your estimation you can checkout the following links which show my mileage and times:
http://shrinkify.com/1je5 and http://shrinkify.com/1l54.

Thanks for reading this - please be generous and good luck!

Marcus

Climate change

2010-01-15T13:53:00.003Z

They call it global warming and sure the planet may be heating up but all we seem to be getting in the UK is wetter and now, in winter colder and snowier. Aside from the fact that as a nation we seem completely unprepared for this every time it happens (which must make us a laughing stock internationally) it really affects getting out there and training!

Sure school closures, road closures and abandoned cars covered in snow make headlines. Stories abound of people taking 3 days to travel 2miles in their cars but what of those that have early season races and suddenly find themselves having to run and cycle in slushy/icy conditions? I've not seen one of those stories make the news!!

Then there's the winter bugs that get passed around freely - nothing too serious just colds and coughs which again conspire to keep us indoors. When you feel a bit lousy and it's 0C outside it's not inspiring to get out there really.

I have been out running a couple of times and it completely changes the focus of the session as staying on two feet becomes the sole focus. Mentally training in the snow must be double the effort as pretty much every footstep needs to be sure and safe. It also makes you slower, naturally, as with dodgy footing you cannot run at full pace.

As an interesting experiment run on the snow for a bit then jump into the road and run along the kerb to get a feel for how much slower you are on snow.

You also need to wear the appropriate layers, hat and gloves. This makes more washing which ultimately means the use of more energy (to power our washing machines) and therefore contributes to the problem of climate change however slightly.

So what's the answer??

Preparation for early season races will always be at risk of being affected by the weather and may even be cancelled as a result of the weather. In my case I am entered into the Gloucester Marathon next Sunday (24th January). My weekly mileage has taken a hit due to weather and catching a cold and so I am feeling a little nervous about the whole thing. I should have enough in the legs to get around and complete it but my expectations around time may have to change somewhat.

Perhaps if we all washed our kit a little less that would help??

Best run for ages...

2009-12-24T15:10:00.002Z

This morning was great! I went for a run but rather than slave to the mileage i just did a run i wanted to. I knew how far it was more or less but i wasn't concerned about distance, speed etc.

7:30 this morning, it was still dark and there was frost. Not as heavy as recently but the cars looked like they would shatter if touched. Then there was the wind. I set off down the road taking it easy as the pavements were white with frost. Frosty but not too slippery.

The plan was to do scary hill - this name has been coined by members of the Shurdington Tri Club who having cycled down termed it so scary as to be deserved of the name. In reality it is a 3km uphill at 16% - not sure if that is average or just the peak but either way it's steep and tough for these parts!

The weather to the top was ok - just cold but not too wet, not too windy, cold - sure. At the top it was like being in another country. Birdlip was cloaked in snow and low cloud. It was more like a scene from Narnia than Gloucestershire!

At the top I made my way back towards Cheltenham. Running on freshly frozen snow crunching underfoot was just the best! Small strides and slow pace were required to prevent a wipeout that would not be seen but would nonetheless be embarassing! Through the snow and to the tope of Leckhampton Hill. The plan was to run straighti down the hill but half way down i took a detour across the fields. Half way down there was a mound with a pile of cube rocks in memory of a horse (i need to complete my research here as cannot remember the name and never took a picture) I continued through the fields, dropped onto Leckhampton Lan and then it was a familiar route home.

The distance was just over the 10miles and the pace so slow it's not worth reporting! Mayhill Training at the best!

It was great to run without a care and be free of times, distances and schedules. There was still magic in my shoes just a different kind today!!

Races...

2009-12-18T23:04:00.002Z

So having made the decision, last night, not to go ahead with the Thames Trot I have reinvigorated my training and mojo by entering the Gloucester Marathon that takes place on January 24th and the Mayhill Massacre that takes place on February 7th.

I took delivery of my first issue of Adventure Magazine today that has an article on ultra running and about being prepared. Having read this i am comfortable with the decision - there is no point in rushing to do the first one. I hope that by doing the Gloucester Marathon i will then be able to continue with the training to build to an ultra later in the year. That will enable me to build my mileage steadily over the coming months and in improved climate conditions. The training completed to date gives me a great base to push from.

The last marathon i did, was also my first, was back in 1998. It was the Flora London Marathon in April 1998. I completed it in around 4hrs 20minutes. I am excited to see what I can do now being much fitter, better prepared and much lighter than i was 11 years ago!

So what was a slightly depressing decision yesterday feels like the right one today. I can taper to the marathon in 4 weeks and then push on.

I will do an ultra just later in the year...

Plan B...

2009-12-17T21:47:00.002Z

I made a decision today not to go ahead with the Thames Trot in February but instead to replan my year. I made the decision as it is Thursday and i ran 5miles. My first run of this week and in a week i should have run 58miles...it just isn't going to happen. Next week is another bumper week and coincides with Christmas. I will in short be down too many miles to do it justice and my confidence is not there. There's an element of fear involved too but being undercooked for something like this is just not an option.

Plan B includes the Gloucester Marathon in January and then, hopefully the Mayhill Massacre in February. I will then look to do the Boddington 50km and then the Draycote 35miler. If they go well and my training maintains over the coming months i will then look for a 50miler for September time. There's a suprising number of races out there: http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/races/uk.html.

Making this decision is not an easy one but i think it's the right one for now....with all these events there's time to change back as entry does not fill and if i suddently find a lot of time and get some good mileage down then it's back on.....just right now this is the right decision.

Contiunuing with the running mileage over the next couple of months will give me an excellent base that i can then build on for the endurance events.

i'm definately a runner and will do one of these 50milers just think that February suddenly seems very close....

Saucony...

2009-12-08T21:30:00.002Z

I have been very remiss in writing this blog entry – apologies to Saucony.

Earlier in the summer I posted a tweet looking for some sponsorship. It was very much a tongue in cheek tweet not expecting a reply of any sort really. The tweet posted at 1350hrs on 13th August was as follows:

"...Work getting in the way of training again! Am I to old to go pro? Surely someone would sponsor me? North Face, Skins, Nike where are you!!??..."

I then followed this up at 1441hrs on the same day with:

"...Or maybe @saucony?? I wear the shoes already and would be a sponsorship dream :) representing every plodder out there, what an opportunity..."

Within a day I had a reply from Saucony with confirmation that they have a scheme for sponsoring amateur athletes called the Hurricane Program and was I interested in being put in touch with them. There is only one answer to that question which is a resounding yes!

I then received an email from Jessica at Saucony explaining the Hurricane Program – it was at this point that I felt my dreams of being a “sponsored athlete” (therefore professional right!!??) disappear as the blurb talked about top age groupers etc…it was time to come clean. I replied with details of who I am and my athletic prowess (if ever the wrong word was used!!), I thanked them for their time and considered that the end of it.

I then received a further email saying that I would be ideal for consideration for their Hurricane Program but that it was a USA based team and I am in the UK. They did however say that they wanted to supply me with a pair of trainers!

I gave them the details of the shoe I use and the sizing and within a couple of weeks a brand spanking new pair arrived!

This was actually very exciting and it has to be said totally unexpected! The tweet I sent was, like I said before, tongue in cheek and I had no expectations of it leading to anywhere or anything.

I was genuinely a fan of Saucony running shoes (I use the Guide 2’s) before I tweeted having worn them for the past couple of years. What impressed me most was not the fact that I got a pair of shoes but the response from Saucony. Considering how big and how corporate they must be and what they must be managing on a day to day basis the fact that they have had time to engage with me on a personal level and provide service and response that you would expect from a local running shop was very welcome and quite surprising.

I probably would have worn Saucony for years to come, now I definitely will….

Bonk!

2009-12-05T19:09:00.002Z

Yesterday (04/12) was day 39 in my ultramarathon training plan and was a 22mile run. I was nervous and looking forward to this in equal measure. I have been knocking out decent tempo runs lately and feeling great and strong up to and around 12miles. This was a very different proposition and was the longest run i have done in more than 10 years (i ran the Flora London Marathon in 1997).

So 22miles, cold and dark and after about 30minutes raining too! In my head i was thinking maybe 2:30 or 2:40 for the run. I actually came in in 2:50 with the last 4 miles taking me nearly 40minutes. I really struggled and walked a bit too.

When i got home i was totally drained and pretty exhausted - Mrs B took one look at me and said i looked like well rubbish! A blood test revealed the reason. I was hypo with a blood sugar of 2.9mmol - quite simply i had bonked! I ate a lot of carb rich food immediately and felt a whole lot better.

The lesson here is with regards nutriton and how much i must eat. For the 22miler i had a packet of shotbloks, a gel and that was it - not enough. Next time i will be better prepared and hopefully stronger. My recovery nutritionally and physically was very rapid. A good amount of food and i was fine. Even this morning i was expecting to be a little tender but felt, again, very good.

I was meant to run 10miles today but time kind of ran out on me - i will do it tomorrow morning first thing. That will be around 48miles for the week and another landmark in terms of mileage for me.

My confidence for the Thames Trot is not quite there yet but it is improving. I am learning with every footfall and getting used to my own thoughts while out for hours! Another change is that when i used to cycle and see people running i'd feel sorry for them as they were hardly travelling and not covering much distance.

Yesterday i saw a lot of cyclists and felt sorry for them as running now feels so totally pure and basic an activity that it is almost meditational. A time for emptying the head and considering anything and yet, at the same time, nothing.

My training program is now a web page (how cool is google documents!) 203 miles done, 500'ish to go!

Keep on running...

Running on empty

2009-11-18T10:36:00.001Z

So long as you understand why something went wrong and learn from it, it becomes a positive. The whole thing with ultra training is that it is as much a journey of the mind as it is the physical.

This is exactly where I find myself today…..it is now Wednesday and I have not run since Saturday. I am already 10miles down this week and staring at 20miles on Friday. I have due to circumstances been forced to change my plan for this week. This week was set to be a 48mile week but will now be something like a 28mile week. I have basically been feeling run down, Sunday I felt tired, lethargic, hungry and had a sore throat. This continued into Monday and I took the day off sick. Tuesday not much better and today, Wednesday, finally feeling normal again and planning a run.

I think that I have found myself in this situation for a couple of reasons which are nutrition and weather related!

Simply I don't think that I have been eating enough. I have probably maintained the same calorie intake over the past 6 weeks as I would normally. Put that in context of the increases in training I am doing and it's not a good combination. Since Saturday I have eaten like a horse (craving carb heavy food; buns, bananas, milk shakes and bread) I really feel like I am refuelling and loading up. As my training picks up again I need to make sure my intake matches the output, I don't need to lose weight and it is vitally important to be correctly fuelled. The other factor I mentioned was the weather.

On Saturday my football team 'Leckhampton Rovers Cougars U10's' had two league fixtures. The games went ahead despite horrendous conditions. High winds, rain and low temperatures. After having run on Friday morning and Saturday morning standing on a touchline in the freezing cold was probably not the best recovery.

In hindsight these are pretty obvious and something that I should have considered myself before they happened. But I didn't and so here we are. So long as I don't make the same mistake again all will be ok!

In terms of my training I am pleased with my progress to date. I am 6 weeks into my training plan and have run 190miles. My mileage has increased in line with the training schedule and I have been maintaining reasonable mins per mile. Last week was a 40.1 mile week at an avg. of 07:21. I am not breaking any records with my times but for me they are decent and not suffering too much from an increase in mileage. As I said before this week was to be a 48mile week with then next week a recovery week with mileage of 36miles. I am going to revise the schedule so that this week becomes a 28'ish mile week. Next week will be the 36 and then back into it. Essentially I will be missing a 20mile long run but will make up for it in week 9 which will be a 52mile week with a nice 22mile long run!

Training so far…..

Wk	Week Beginning	Monday			Tuesday			Wednesday			Thursday	Friday			Saturday			Sunday			Plan Miles	Actual Miles	Time	Avg min per mile
Wk	Week Beginning	Plan	Actual	Time	Plan	Actual	Time	Plan	Actual	Time		Plan	Actual	Time	Plan	Actual	Time	Plan	Actual	Time	Plan Miles	Actual Miles	Time	Avg min per mile
1	05-Oct-09	2.0	3.11	00:20:13	2.0	3.11	00:22:06	2.0	3.26	00:23:42		8.0	8.70	01:03:43	6.0	6.22	00:45:49	0.0			20	24.4	02:55:33	00:07:12
2	12-Oct-09	2.0	3.11	00:21:11	2.0	3.11	00:20:45	4.0	4.38	00:30:50		10.0	9.84	01:12:36	6.0	6.22	00:43:40	0.0			24	26.7	03:09:02	00:07:05
3	19-Oct-09	2.0	3.11	00:20:18	2.0			4.0	4.34	00:31:30		12.0	13.05	01:34:35	8.0	8.70	00:58:59	0.0			28	29.2	03:25:22	00:07:02
4	26-Oct-09	2.0	2.00	00:13:16	4.0	4.00	00:27:40	6.0	6.34	00:43:59		14.0	4.60	00:44:51	8.0	0.00	00:00:00	0.0	15.53	02:02:38	34	32.5	04:12:24	00:07:46
5	02-Nov-09	4.0	0.00	00:00:00	4.0	4.34	00:31:28	6.0	6.31	00:46:00		16.0	16.52	02:03:24	10.0	10.15	01:15:57	0.0			40	37.3	04:36:49	00:07:25
6	09-Nov-09	4.0	4.00	00:27:52	6.0	0.00	00:00:00	6.0	7.16	00:50:17		18.0	18.65	02:22:18	10.0	10.35	01:14:51	0.0			44	40.1	04:55:18	00:07:21

Main lesson learned – listen to your body!

How to put on a wetsuit...

2009-11-12T09:31:00.004Z

There was one instruction when we were putting on our wetsuits. "…The zip goes at the back…" in the words of Aleksander the meerkat "simple". Yet John managed to get this wrong and put the zip at the front! Brilliant!! Now this was not the first part of the weekend but in case you read no further I wanted to make sure you read this!

Now the beginning!

This was the surfing weekend in Harlyn Bay – a beautiful part of north Cornwall near Padstow. The surfing was booked for 2pm on the Saturday but being men we travelled down on the Friday night to have a few beers and make more of a weekend of it. The journey down was long, slow and ultimately dark! The combination of roadworks, Friday night traffic and John's inability to do anything too quick (!) saw the journey take a good 4and a half hours. We were staying at the Harlyn Inn which was a combination of a pub, nightclub, restaurant, b&b, hotel and holiday let, there was also an omnipresent surf shop and board hire shop. It has a perfect location literally 200m from the beach itself.

Friday night and the plan was to go for a run then head to Padstow for food and beers. The run was a new experience. It was dark and early evening, there was no street lighting or light pollution at all. There was light from the moon and the occasional car passing that illuminated the road ahead. We managed just over 4miles at a slow pace which was fine and only really a case of whetting the appetite for a few beers! By the time we got back from the run the restaurant at the Harlyn Inn had closed and we were stranded with no food – a taxi ride to Padstow to collect Chinese takeaway (with a quick pint) where the cab driver then informed us that everyone would be at the Harlyn Inn as that was the night spot of the area meant a cab ride back almost immediately. £15 in taxi for £10 of food!!

Back at the Harlyn Inn we ate the food, I say ate, I mean I ate my dinner fairly quickly and John pushed his around the plate. If I were a betting man I would have put money on him having a magical or possessed meal as no matter how much he ate the volume never diminished. Captain Slow if you will! Once we had eaten we went back through to the bar which was transformed. When we arrived it had the atmosphere of a youth club, there well all sorts there from kids playing pool and dads drinking beer. In the time we had taken to eat it was full of party people in fancy dress leaving me feeling incredibly old! There was a band playing – I cannot remember what they were called but the lead singer was called Billy and was from Australia (Woolngong I think he said). Very cool band! Their sound was a very bass driven dance sort of music with the singer semi-singing/semi-rapping over the top. Difficult to pin it down really – but they really had the place rocking!

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

Being cool and happening fella's we were in the thick of it throwing shapes with the kids and showing them how it's done. Actually that's not specifically true, we were in the corner playing the quiz machine!

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

Afterall it did have a version of track and field on it which was possibly the only thing older than us in the bar! So the place is rocking, people and beer everywhere and we are answering questions on sport and the like! If it were an orgy we would have been the ones handing out breath mints!

The Harlyn Inn shuts at midnight and is the last place in the area to shut. After the doors close the punters basically mill about in the car park - it is impossible to get a taxi, so they take their chances with local law enforcement or set off on a long walk home.

At this point with a few beers to the good John and I thought it would be a great idea to go on somewhere. Newquay is the closest party town and was some 12miles away. At one point John, having texted, phoned and facebooked everyone he could find or think of and me (having hassled everyone with a car to give us a lift to no avail) suggest that we could run it! Now 12miles is quite a distance, but when you don't know the way and you're a few sheets to the wind this is not the best plan ever! We eventually abandoned the idea (well it pretty much abandoned us) and headed to our room. In hindsight this was the best situation!! Had we made it to Newquay it could have gotten very messy, not to mention the amount of trips to the cashpoint we would have had to make!

Saturday was a slow start to the day – not exactly hungover but not exactly feeling great. A quick audit of John's iPhone showed he'd made something like 3,000 calls the previous evening trying to get a taxi. Breakfast was a strange experience served in the restaurant behind the bar where last nights shenanigans took place. It was pretty much full of the same people who had been going for it the previous night. Everyone was just a little slower and pretty much wearing sunglasses! A decent enough full English breakfast later and we had the morning to kill.

Over breakfast John realised that the voucher – which was the experience voucher covering the trip – was safely in Leamington Spa a couple hundred miles away! He checked the car and true enough he'd left it behind!! Now this is John who is frankly a Project Manager by name and by nature. Lists and spreadsheets for everything - documents backed up in triplicate and whatever information you need just two clicks away! He forgot something and in his defence he said he never made a list of what he needed to pack for the weekend! Brilliant - the one time he wings it it doesn't work!

A plan hatched to get the cash to cover it and sort it with the owner afterwards! From breakfast we strolled down to the beach, it was dark when we had arrived so we'd not seen it to this point, and it was a beautiful sight.

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

The tide was out and there were surfers in the water, the sun was shining and while it wasn't exactly warm it was not cold at all. We took a stroll down to the sea and then up to the rocks to the view over the bay.

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

The rest of the morning was spent in Padstow with papers and cappuccino, Padstow in the summer is bedlam but out of season was a much more relaxed atmosphere.

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

We headed back to the bay to get there for 1:30'ish. Andy our instructor met us at the hut on the sand and we got kitted out – this is actually where John put his wetsuit on backwards!! Brilliant - makes me smile even now!! We then had a safety briefing and were out in the water in the trim position practicing that. This was the first time either of us had surfed although John has windsurfed before and what an experience it was. There were a load of surfers in the water and with the tide coming in there were some pretty big waves – well they were big to me!! Having sorted the trim position we were out of the water and seeing how to stand up – this was frankly easy but once in the water was entirely different! The next 90minutes were spent paddling out to deep enough water, getting on the board, catching a wave, up tot trim position then standing then falling almost immediately! I think I managed maybe 3 or 4 runs where I would say that I was actually surfing! It was absolutely the best fun though and one of those situations where you find yourself laughing for no reason just because it's great! Every time I fell I'd come up to the surface and be laughing….it was just simple, pure and brilliant fun!

Towards the end of the session I started to feel a bit sea-sick – probably a bit of the previous night kicking in so bailed a few minutes before the end for my own health really. It was brilliant though and next year is something I would definitely look to do again and take the kids too.

A quick change (well, John – oh you geddit now) and we headed to Padstow for fish and chips at Rick Steins fish and chip shop for dinner before the long drive home.

From Harlyn Bay - 31st October 2009

It was a long drive home, as we left Padstow the GPS was showing 170'odd miles to Cheltenham. We then had a discussion about how that was still 30miles short of the run that Dean Karnazes does and describes at the end of his Ultramarathon Man book. Staring at a 4hr drive was hard enough - considering it as a run was just beyond our comprehension. Incredible when you think of distance in those terms, truly remarkable.

It was a brilliant couple of days away, great to let of some steam and have a few beers and great fun with the surfing. A very memorable couple of days!