Tuesday, May 31, 2005
On this day:

Speedwork at B & MH, 10 x 400m, 6.5 Miles approx


Went down to the Grange with my 'home-boy', Robert, to run a speedwork session. It was a classic workout of 10 x 400 off 60 seconds recovery. Actually, Rob & I actually got 55 seconds recovery, as it was timed from the middle of the group & we were at the back (me more than Rob!). The session went as below:

2 Miles Warmup in new NB 832's
10 x 400m, 55 seconds rec, in Nike Zoom Kennedy XC's
[66, 68, 68, 69, 70, 72, 72, 73, 69, 72 = 69.9 second average]
2 Miles Cooldown in new NB 832's
6.5 Miles Total

All in all, despite the fact I faded like a Jamaican marathon runner, I was happy with the session. Bare in mind that the slowest reps were quicker than the fastest reps of other workouts from a couple of months back. Also I managed to keep the first half of the session inside the 70 second mark, and Rob, who is stacks better than me at this sort of stuff only toasted me in the second half really. There was a young-ish guy there tonight running who is about our standard, so he's my new 'pacing mark', assuming he comes regularly.

Rob said something quite interesting tonight. He reckons my problem doing this sort of stuff isn't leg-speed in itself (a 66 second 400m suggests otherwise), but it may be in relaxation at speed, as I look really 'up tight' doing this sort of session. If I could get more relaxed at speed, I may be able to hold a faster speed for longer. I'm going to ask Martin for some advice on this, because I hope it is as simple as that.

On a side note, a kid was really impressed with my XC spikes tonight, they are really cool though! They match my Basingstoke kit nicely anyway... He asked me where I got them and I think he was a bit upset when I told him 'America'. He reckoned you could get them in Sweatshop, but I''d bet good money you can't! After all, I'm not sure how many pairs of spikes named after Yank distance runners Nike would sell in this country!..

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Monday, May 30, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles Approx. in 32:01 & Spike Solutions...


I ran with Robert this evening around the 'Chavs, Cows & Canal' loop in my Mizuno Wave Aero's. We started it off relatively sedately, and gradually picked up the pace as the run went along, but nothing too severe. We covered the course in 32:01, so its probably shy of 5.5 miles in real terms. My right knee still felt pretty darn good, but started to ache towards the end of the run (about 22 minutes out); nothing compared to what I have been putting up with recently though.

I've been trawling the internet for info on spikes at the moment, and I appear to have found the perfect LD spike for me - The Nike Zoom Air Ventulus (or Nike Zoom Air Ventulus Plus). I've found a very decent offer on the first pair, but the Pluses have better reviews (marginally). Whichever pair I go for, I'm still left with lottery that is ordering spikes mail-order & the resultant fitment issues. Thankfully my research threw up this thread on Dyestat Forums which might help me out. However, it does necessitate me making a table (below) of my shoe sizes in various models & makes so I can be best advised by the other forumites -



It's a Yank forum, hence my shoes being listed in US sizing.

Also, Rob & I have decided that we might try and get some barefoot running in sometime, maybe on the golf course at dusk. Just short jogs initially, but I've read good things about it on the Dyestat Forums, and it might help to teach me to run more efficiently.

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5.5 Miles Easy/Steady untimed


I ran the Canal loop with the Old Man in my old NB 832's, and didn't time it. My Dad lost one of his contact lenses at 12 minutes, so we had to look for that (we found it). My leg felt absolutely great, the muscles around the knee just felt a little weak. What has made the big difference you ask? I've been stretching the whole upper leg complex, including hamstring (central, lateral & medial insertions), quadriceps, groin, ITB & tensor fascia latae. Although this takes an absolute age each time I go through the routine, it really eases the knee up. I reckon the ligaments in the knee were getting aggravated due to chronic tightness in the right leg (caused by running around the track?). Now I'm addressing the tightness, the soft tissue of the knee should eventually calm back down to normal. Also, I've adjusted the seating position at my computer desk & in my car to one that doesn't hurt, which can only help...

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Sunday, May 29, 2005
On this day:

70 minutes Easy 'sans breakfast', 10 Miles approx.


I ran from Calcot to Gillots Gym, Henley-on-Thames with Rob in my NB 832's this morning. My knee was stacks better than last weeks long run. Felt pretty good for an early morning run, but the hills were a bit of a grind.

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Saturday, May 28, 2005
On this day:

Mileage Total For The Week- 58.5 Miles


Just for a sake of completeness, I've totted up my weekly mileage & it is:

58.5 Miles

A lot more of it was quality work than normal though, so I'm not surprised the volume has dropped. I'm sure it's sufficient to realize improvements over my target distances for the Summer (specifically 3k, 5k & 10k). Martin & Barry certainly are reassuring me that it is.

Also, a word of advice to those of you out there running with an odd arm action. Whatever your particular malady is, be it 'stirring the cauldrons', 'waving magic wands', 'choking yourself' or 'bouncing the basketball', seek some expert advice (from a UK Athletics Affiliated coach) and get it sorted! It makes so much difference to your running mechanic that its frightening.

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More Speedwork at 'the Grange' - Ladders (6.25 Miles Total)


I ran a speedwork session today down the Grange, which I didn't know the content of until arrival. It went as below:

1 Mile Warmup on track - old NB 832's
3 x (800m, 600m, 400m, 200m) 3 minutes recovery between reps, 5 minutes recovery between sets. [2:27, 1:49, 1:08, 32, 2:28, 1:50, 1:09, 33, 2:31, 1:52, 1:10, 33 ] - Nike Mayfly's.
1.5 Mile approx. Cooldown -old NB 832's
6.25 Miles Total

It was quite windy down there today and there wasn't really a pack for me to draught off, so I was happy with the times given the conditions. My knee was completely pain free through the warmup and up until the last set, then some minor irritation started, but at least I know how to treat it now. The Mayfly's felt good, better than my Fastwitch for this sort of work actually, and its not like I felt beat up coming off the incredibly solid track either! This gives me a bit of confidence that I may eventually find some spikes that suit me. The Mayfly's will make an admirable interim measure for now though.

My suspicions about the new arm action were confirmed to me today, when Barry said it was a definite improvement. Apparently it made the whole action look more 'flowing'. I also felt more comfortable at speed, which is important. Furthermore, Barry also felt I looked better out there today than I did on Tuesday. I reckon this is down to my more conservative approach on the first repetition, and my more sensible approach towards my steady/recovery runs. I think I'm going to spend the rest of afternoon lying down on the floor to recover...

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Friday, May 27, 2005
On this day:

Hamstrung! Getting to the bottom of this knee injury...


Having tried out the foam roller for stripping the ITB and stretching my iliotibial tract & it having made little or no difference, I got the anatomy text book out (yay, my Human Biology degree finally proved useful!). Of all the muscular insertions into the knee, the only one I haven't considered in the pathology of this niggle is the hamstring. After having the M.P.U. help me do some P.N.F. stretching on it this evening, the difference to my levels of knee pain at rest, and during movement, is remarkable. It would surprise me if this was the prime cause of my problem. I'm also going to use the foam roller to massage this group, as it's something I can do by myself to positively affect my recovery.

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My roller arrived!


I ordered a roller from Physique Management Company yesterday, and amazingly it arrived today at 12:00! It's 'hella big'...




I've used it for myofascial release of the iliotibial tract, as my coach Martin suggested. Hopefully this will, in part, get me somewhere towards a healthy right knee. I certainly felt some hot-spots, as the literature calls them. I'll let you know how it goes!

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5.5 Miles recovery untimed


Ran the Canal loop with Rob in my new NB 832's. The effort was kept nice and low, as neither of us had a watch (by mutual agreement) and it was a scorching hot day. Weirdly, I felt more sluggish running at a slow speed than at a fast one - go figure! After discussing yesterday's run with Rob, I've ammended yesterday's mileage to 9 miles. Knee sort of average really, I wish it would just clear up dammit!

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Thursday, May 26, 2005
On this day:

20 Minutes Threshold sans breakfast(9 Miles total approx.)


Today I went over to Dinton Pastures Country Park with Rob to run my assigned 20 minute threshold run, with warmup & cooldown. The session went as below:

1 lap (2.5 Miles approx.) Warmup in Nike Skylon Mk2's
20 Minutes Threshold run [13:57, plus extra 6 min] in new NB 832's
1 lap Cooldown in new NB 832's
9 Miles Total [edit after discussion with Rob]

I changed shoes after the warmup as I wasn't very comfortable in the Skylons, the heel felt quite solid compared to the other shoes I've been wearing, and the transition between forefoot and rearfoot wasn't great.

Rob had a medium-long run scheduled today, so he only stuck with me for 11 minutes of the threshold section before easing off. The pace (13:57 lapping, no idea what that means as we don't know the exact distance of the loop, it is just a benchmark) felt attainable whilst he was there, but harder when I was running by myself. I don't think it tailed off too significantly though. I think in future my threshold running may have to be slightly slower, as in theory I should be capable of holding it for 40 minutes to an hour, but as this was the first one I've done in a while I can only improve my pacing for them. Felt quite happy with the run overall. Knee still niggling though, going to hit it with everything I've got now - stretching, Ibuprofen, ice, self massage, the works really. It's just going to take a bit of mental focus to keep on doing it!

I concentrated on keeping my arm action as Barry described during the threshold run and I think I can definitely say its a positive modification, everything feels much more compact. Combine that with my analysis of old race photo's (and my studying of the elite runners photographs in this weeks Athletics Weekly), I tend to run better times with a loosely closed hand, and I haven't seen any elites running 'judo-chop' style...

After feeling so flat during yesterday's evening sojourn, I reckon my steady running might be a little bit too hard. It is more steady to hard, rather than easy to steady. I have managed to conceive a solution though. I'm going to bin the watch for loops that I know, so that I'm not subconsciously time-trialing them. Furthermore I'm going to try and make some more 'unknown' loops/out & backs.

Also, on the topic of preparation, I've found a means of making quality work before breakfast more feasible. I now drink a pint of half orange-juice, half water (plus a pinch of salt), before I run if I don't have time to digest solids. Seems to get the blood sugar levels up nice & quickly, thus making fast work more worthwhile at this sort of time in the morning.

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New schedule available


A new schedule is available on the schedule section. I've made some minor amendments to the first draught, under the instruction of my coaches.

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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
On this day:

35:00 Easy (5 Miles Approx)


I ran this evening around Palmer Park & the environs, mostly by myself, in my NB 832's. I felt rubbish compared to this morning, kind of sluggish. I think that was probably due to the hot weather. I just kept the pace down, as recovery for tomorrows threshold run is my priority. Knee is still grumbling...

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35 minutes steady, sans breakfast (5.5 Miles Approx)


I ran the Kennet canal loop with Rob in my second pair of blue NB 832's (I've dumped the grey ones as they were shot). We covered it in 33:10, at a steady effort again (but not eye-ball busting effort, as per Barry's briefing), so we tagged on an extra 2 minutes, making the run total 36:10. Knee felt average, think it is improving though. I also tried to swing my arms in the manner described by Barry, specifically more of a loosely clenched hand and more towards the mid-line of my body. It doesn't feel that weird at all (as I haven't been doing my judo-chop style for that long!), and it certainly feels more compact (less 'gangly'), which I guess equates to more efficieny. I will have to remember to practice it during tonights run!

(Oh, apparantly from my pacing you could 'tell I'd been doing 800's last night'! I think that's a good thing?)

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Tuesday, May 24, 2005
On this day:

B&MH Speedwork, 6 x 800m (sort of)- 6.25 Miles approx


Went to 'The Grange' to run an unknown speedwork session, which ended up being 6 x 800m, 3 minutes recovery. The session went as below:

1 Mile Warmup (new, blue NB 832's) 4 x 800m off 3 minutes recovery [2:22, 2:27, 2:26, 2:31] (Saucony Fastwitch) 2 x 600m off 3:40 recovery [1:49, 1:49] (Saucony Fastwitch) 2.5 Mile Cooldown (new, blue NB 832's)
6.25 Miles Total

The more astute amongst you will already have noticed that I didn't end up running the set session. I was pulled short in the last 2 reps by Martin & Barry, as I looked shot. To be honest, I think the 2:22 first rep trashed the session for me, I was so far in lactic debt after that one, the rest just felt plain rough. I also reckon it might be time to chuck the Saucony Fastwitch,as they feel considerably past their best.

On the coaching front, I received two bits of advice. The first was from Martin after the 2nd rep, when he told me to shorten my stride length but increase my cadence, to try and reduce the impact loading I'm putting myself through. It felt quite hard to do, as I haven't got the leg turnover for it (yet!) but I can see his point; it's definitely the way forward. The second bit of advice was from Barry, after the session. Basically my arm action is tripe, my open hand results in too much forward movement from my arms (to coin the phrase, running like a Thunderbird puppet). I've been advised to practice running with a loosely closed hand, with my arms moving more into the mid-line of the body. I've been warned it may feel weird but to practice it on my easy running. I'll let you know how it goes...

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Physio session- knee niggles...


I saw Wendy Davies again this morning for diagnosis on my right knee. Its appears to be quite a minor complaint, as I'm not getting restriction of movement or crescendo pain, and weight bearing isn't a significant problem. She reckons it stems from my right iliotibial band being too tight, thus pulling my knee cap laterally. This has resulted in my Vastus Medialis tightening up in compensation. This tightness in the muscles surrounding the joint has put tension on the insertions of the relevant muscles (felt through the vas med insertion, as it is the weakest of the muscles involved) & tendons that stabilize the kneecap. Solution is:

a) Stretch the Iliotibial Band
b) Massage the Vastus Medialis muscle
c) Mobilize the kneecap
Whilst I was there she stripped the ITB, massaged the Vas Med, hit the insertion of the Vas Med with Ultrasound & stretched out the involved muscle groups. Apparantly, heat, ice or anti-inflammatories aren't really going to help this one out. I'm quite pleased overall, as I haven't done any significant damage to myself, and the solution is quite economical (i.e. no repeat physio appointments). Now all that is left to do is see how I fare later, at the track...

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Monday, May 23, 2005
On this day:

35:00 Easy (5 Miles Approx)


I ran a loop consisting of New Hill Lane, Tilehurst Road & the Bath Road with my Old Man in my NB 834's. Knee felt worse than this morning, but better than yesterday. Quite windy, so we just worked to effort. I should be fresh for tommorow's trackwork.

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Wide track spikes, any ideas?


Readers,
Any of you out there know of any distance spikes with a relatively wide midfoot section & heel (i.e. not a giant cut-away under the arch)? Due to my relatively flat footed running action, I need something with a relatively large contact area. At the moment, my dependency on racing flats for racing creates a situation where I'd be at a disadvantage in a wet track race. Any personal experiences or recommended resources really appreciated! I like the look of these Nike Zoom Eldoret II's, they're sexy as hell, but I don't think they're appropriate somehow!

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5.5 Miles Approx. in 33:05


I ran the Cumbrian Way, Kennet & Avon, Circuit Lane loop today with Rob in my blue NB 832's at a strong, but still conversational, pace. We ran it in 33:05, which is only a few seconds than we've done prior as a tempo run! Obviously its around 3 minutes off my best pace for it, but then wasn't trying to hack it. Knee felt better than yesterday, aggravation free up until 10 minutes. I've booked in to see Wendy Davies, physio extraordinaire at 8:30 tomorrow at Reflex Fitness, to get it sorted.

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Sunday, May 22, 2005
On this day:

NEW!- Schedule Section Now Active


Well, the brand spanking new schedule section is now live, with a draught schedule. Enjoy!...

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70 minutes Easy, 10 Miles approx.


I ran a variation 'Craig Memorial' route in my Nike Air Zoom Miler trainers with the M.P.U. I took it very easy, as my knee was quite agravated from yesterday's racing. Nice shoes though, don't know why they've been out of my rotation so long.

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Saturday, May 21, 2005
On this day:

Man's Best Friends, Plural. Rise Lord Buzz...


Lest I forget, we got a new dog today. He's an eight week old Keeshond, a Dutch barge dog & he's absolutely fantastic, if somewhat lardy (I'm nick-naming him 'The Viking' until he slims down) . As a picture tells a thousand words, here's some photographs (click on the thumbnail for larger versions)!



Buzz running across the lawn at full pelt (1.3 mph)


Buzz & Rosco playing, roughly, obviously...

I hope you enjoy the pictures!

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5k Track Meet at Basingstoke (7 Miles Total)


The conditions today initially looked worse than last week. It was chucking it down with rain, and the wind was stronger than the County championships. Thankfully it didn't prove to be too problematic in the end, the rain abated about an hour before my race and the drainage at Down Grange is such that it was bone dry for my 5k. The wind didn't let up, but I managed to minimize the damage by using my somewhat limited track-craft skill (i.e. none) to draft at the right points in the race. The somewhat better field also allowed for this. Somehow, although I was the B-string runner, I managed to beat the A string runner, a chap who is vastly superior to me over the distance (he has clocked sub 16:00 for 5k, and 4:02 [?] for 1500m over the last season). Having said that, he had raced on Thursday so he was at somewhat of a disadvantage. The afternoon went as below:

14:35 - 2 Mile Warmup around Down Grange, no strides, blue NB 832's
15:10- Southern Men's League, Division 1 5k in 16:25, Nike Streak Vapour's
15:35- 2 Mile Cooldown around Down Grange, blue NB 832's

Pretty happy overall! Minimal knee irritation, and I don't feel that beat up, although Martin assures me that the infamously hard Grange track will take its toll on me tomorrow! I regret wearing the Vapour's, as they're pretty cruddy shoes for me. They're not wide enough in the heel. Based on what they saw Martin & Barry both seem pretty happy to coach me from what I can tell, and feel that they can help me take something off my times. Even though Martin is my primary coach, and my first point of contact, as I am a developing athlete, Barry seems willing to give up his time. In case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty pleased with the arrangement. Barry informed me of the one training group rule, let the coaches set the training, I've just got to worry about doing it! Compared to the last few inconsistent weeks, that sounds like a god-send! Barry asked me to schedule my training using the structure he's given me & Microsoft Excel, so expect to see those added to the site in the next couple of days! If I can get a consistent Summer (rather than an inconsistent, occasionally dense one), maybe I can realize some results this Winter...

Mileage count for week: 57.5 Miles

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20 Minutes Easy Sans Breakfast - Pre race leg loosener (3 Miles approx)


I ran down to the cows on the Kennet & Avon Canal and back this morning (10 minutes out, 9:20 back) in my blue NB 832's to loosen the pins off for this afternoons track race. Knee at the very worst could be described as itchy. Felt pretty sluggish though, but then I normally do before breakie...

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Friday, May 20, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles easy untimed


I ran the Cumbrian Way, Kennet & Avon Canal, Circuit Lane loop with the M.P.U. in my ASICS DS Flash today (untimed). The shoes felt great, they deserve a more regular spot in my rotation! My knee felt entirely fine, just muscularly weird, up until the last half mile where it started to feel a tiny bit aggravated again. On the whole though, its progress as I'm still only inside the first few says of a layoff (so no fitness lost!) and I've gone from running 14 minutes slowly yesterday to nearer 40, faster paced, minutes today with less aggravation. On the whole, pretty pleased.

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Thursday, May 19, 2005
On this day:

Doh! I had to test it... (2 Miles Approx)


My Old Man was going over to Bracknell to do a speedwork session, and as my knee was feeling so good, I thought I'd join him for the 2 Mile warmup in my blue NB 832's. The area above the knee cap started to feel irritated after 10 minutes, so I stopped at the next feasible point (14 minutes). The 'pain', if you can even call it that, took way longer to come on than my last 3 runs, and when it did come on it was only minimal (there was no popping of the joint, or restricted movement, or tearing feelings, just plain old irritation). Still, I'm not going to fool around with this, so I'll take another day off methinks.

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More historical entries added!


For your information, I've added some historical entries running through March this year. Not very in depth I'm afraid, just the bare bones of the sessions I was doing. The source was an email to a colleague, so I'm sure you'll understand the reasons behind how terse the entries are. They might still prove useful to some of you though (or at least I hope so).

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Late fitness test...


Just a post to update you on my injury progress. I woke up this morning and me knee feels 100% better! I can't seem to induce pain whatever I do, so I'm pretty pleased. With knee pain I have a tendency to always think of the worst case scenario as I've seen many dedicated athletes lose it all due to joint problems, thankfully I can't be in that category. It looks like me taking the early lay off (for me anyway!) has done the trick. I'm still going to take today off aswell, which will take a lot of discipline as I'd really love to go for a run, but as I said yesterday, "better safe than sorry".

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005
On this day:

Historical entries being added...


If you look down the archive bar to the right of the page, you can see some of my training diaries from prior periods. Sadly, I've never been much good at keeping paper logs, so the coverage is somewhat sketchy. Needless to say though, I will carry on adding my old journal entries, as & when I find them!

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May 18, 2005 8:26 PM, Cornish Bob said...

Hello, without wishing to sound like a copy cat, do you think your new coaches would be interested in little old me?

Me and Laurie will be in Reading about 4:30PM I'll call you. He's staying at my place your obviously more than welcome (provided we can share a bed :) )

 
May 18, 2005 8:39 PM, White Stag said...

They seem like amicable sorts, I can't see why not. Just pop over to Basingstoke with me next time you get the chance. For your information, I'm going there Saturday (obviously of no use to you!) & next Tuesday, in the immediate future. Are you on mornings next week?

Look forward to your call tomorrow. I may be having another impromptu rest day, make sure I get this knee cleared up, so I'll need something to do!

 

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005
On this day:

Speedwork at B & MH, 6 Miles approx


I went down to Down Grange at Basingstoke to do some speedwork with Martin & Barry's group. The session consisted on 10 to 15 minutes of grass reps (12:30's worth for myself!) 15 seconds fast, 15 seconds recovery. By my estimation I was doing the fast work at approximately 70 second 400m pace. Working to that assumption, the session would appear as below:

2 Miles Warmup (blue NB 832's)
12:30 of 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off - 1.4 Miles approx. (Saucony Fastwitch)
2.5 Miles Cooldown (Saucony Fastwitch)
5.9 Miles Total

It was probably the sharpest session I've ever done! I won't say the hardest, as last weeks hill rep's have to take that honor (by the sheer virtue of a bloody great hill!). Got totally toasted by the MD boys, which wasn't really surprising on a session of this nature, plus I'd hardly allowed myself to go into it fresh, but then its only training! Martin said that he & Barry felt that fitness clearly wasn't a problem, but it was apparent that I wasn't comfortable at that pace, no rhythm I belief the term was. They both seem confident they can help me significantly improve my training/times though, which is obviously reassuring!
The knee I was complaining about this morning has got a lot better, I feel it more during the slow stuff than the quick stuff (God bless Endorphins!). Sometimes it feels like a blister between the skin and the knee cap, which I'm sure is impossible! At others, the soft tissue to the medial side of the right patella seems irritated. The solution is the same, whatever the cause - I'm going to stuff a couple of rest days in (better safe than very, very sorry).

I'm representing B & MH in their home Southern Men's league fixture, B string 5k (I'll take any string, me!), so I'm going to bring some old training logs with me and email Martin the URL to this weBLOG in the mean time (Hello Martin & Barry!). Hopefully I shall be with programme sometime soon...

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4 Miles easy, sans breakfast & untimed


Ran 1 lap of Prospect Park with the M.P.U. in my grey NB 834's. Right knee is really sore, yet I'm not carrying it & it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. I think I'm going to seek some advice on it.

On the topic of advice, I haven't had any coaching contact in about 3 weeks. Sadly, I've noticed that my training & racing is starting to suffer for it; I think I may be working myself too hard! To resolve this problem, which I can't really allow to go on for any longer, I'm now seeking a local coach. I've had some success down my club, as Senior Club Coach Roger Pritchard has said he'd set me a schedule, if I gave him my proposed Summer racing schedule. Also of promise is a contact I've made at Basingstoke & Mid Hants A.C. When I went down there last week, Martin Tarsey, Phil Tulba's coach (correction: joint coach sort-of-thing), expressed an interest in coaching me. I'm going to go down there tonight for a light session to discuss this further. Keep your fingers crossed for me!..

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May 17, 2005 2:37 PM, Cornish Bob said...

Do you fancy a training weekend in Somerset? the Wife is working next weekend ?

 
May 17, 2005 3:11 PM, White Stag said...

Weekend coming or the one after? I.e Weekend of Sat 21st or 28th?

 
May 17, 2005 4:09 PM, Cornish Bob said...

either pref 28th

 
May 17, 2005 6:44 PM, neil renault said...

Hey Craig. I'm sure Andy would be more than happy to help you out. He'd like to hear from you, believe me! Help you to get back running niggle free, enjoying it, just to give you some advice.

 
May 17, 2005 9:05 PM, White Stag said...

Bob, weekend of 28th would suit me fine! I've got my Uni Summer Ball this weekend, plus the new dog, plus the Hants 5k, so this weekend would have been impossible. Ring me tomorow & we'll discuss it further...

Neil, I'll reply to you via email mate, give me a mo though...

 

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Monday, May 16, 2005
On this day:

1:45 Easy/Steady, 15 Miles Approx.


Ran from Newbury to 'Calcot Park', Calcot with Rob in my blue NB 832's. Got rather dehydrated due to the heat, and strong sunlight. Also I tired due to the distance, I haven't got a proper long run in for about a month! Right knee felt very sore across the the top of the knee cap, but I think I've pinned the cause down. When I'm running on loose gravel (like on large sections of the canal!), I get the pain on the paw-back action, as I'm losing traction, so I think its just tendon tightness. I'm going to avoid the canal for the rest of the week, and stick to road/grass surfaces. Something to monitor though. Left knee where I hit it is fine, hip is relatively good & shins are fine, so overall I'm just about in one piece!

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May 16, 2005 7:33 PM, neil renault said...

Steady on son, thats more than what we did on any of the mondays in Breane!! and we went into those 2 weeks without doing a race at the weekend. The trick is to do the least you have to to help you improve. Nobody likes being injured :-( Take care Matey

 

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Sunday, May 15, 2005
On this day:

70 minutes Easy, 10 Miles approx.


Went for a run with the M.P.U. along the Kennet towards Newbury (35 minutes out, to the 'loud dogs house', 34:05 back) in my blue NB 832's. My Vas-Med still feels a bit bruised from the rail hitting incident, but I can't see it being too much of a problem long term. I'm hitting it with ice & Movelat. Felt average on the run really, I had turnover to spare, but I did feel a bit achey in various places (left shin: 2/10, right upper knee at end: 4/10).
Saw Mr Hartney, Liz's husband, down by the Kennet tonight, exchanged greetings e.t.c.
Also, due to todays heat, I've decided to charge & freeze my ArticHeat Ice-Vest, (15 minutes water submersion followed by freezing) so I have the option at Wargrave.

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County Championships 5k result - Less is more, or is it less?


Yet another County silver medal for me, this time on the track (16:44 for 5k). Sounds better than it is though, and you might be wondering about the cryptic 'less is more' statement. Allow me elaborate...

Less runners in the field makes for greater medal chances, but less hope of good times -

There were only 5 people entered in the race, and only 4 of those started! Cornish Bob decided to go down to Brighton, thus he was the absentee. All I can say is, this pretty much shows just how poor Senior Men's T&F has got in this county. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that scores of Berkshire males could have run faster over 5k than me, I'm an extremely average runner. However, so low is the interest in the LD track events at County level, I got silver. Obviously I'm happy for myself, but I'm truly worried about the state of grass-roots athletics in Berkshire & the country overall. Also, the limited field put paid to any ideas of me going near 16:00 minutes, I was totally isolated from lap 4 onwards, 20 seconds adrift from a runner either in front or behind! My time was also negatively affected by...


Less wind & heat creates more chance of good times -
It was way too windy to run an isolated race, and definitely the hottest temperatures I've raced in all season. I felt from the word go that I wasn't on for a good time. In fact, I was more worried about spilling my guts from lap 5 onwards than my pace.


Less caffeine is more, in terms of positive effect -
I though caffiene doping was worth a crack again, especially after the positive
effects at the BUSA's. This time I upped the dose to 200 mg ; Please note, this is still only two thirds of the 'legal dose', under the International Olympic Committee's stipulations! Before you villify me, to put it into context, that's less than equivelent to 2 cups of coffee.

Unfortunately the 50 mg increase caused extreme gastro-intestinal distress.
I felt awful at 'both ends', if you get my meaning. Futher more, I was ill
both on my warmup and just prior to my race. I don't think I'll be using pro-plus
for a while methinks.


Less breakfast is more, in terms of positive effect -
As I had quite a large breakfast at 10:00, part of which was toast with peanut butter, all I could taste all race was peanut butter. Yuck, I think next time I'll have a smaller solid breakfast, much earlier & more liquid nourishment.


For the record, here was my pre-race, race & post-race procedure -

12:20 - 20 minute warmup jog (blue NB 832's)
12:40 - 15 minutes of stretching & drills
13:15 - County T&F 5k, 16:44 ( Saucony Fastwitch, maybe should have worn my Nike Mayflys)
- No cooldown, as I clipped the rail on the last 100 metres, resulting in Vastus
Medialis soreness. Will go for another run later.
Total - 6 Miles

The pictures of the event can be found here. Thanks Dad!

Overall I'm quite ambiguous about the day -
Yay! I've got more 'metal-ware'... Boo! The time sucked, I went 10 seconds quicker in the first half of the BUSA 10k...I'm not sure if this bock run is indicative of anything, given the poor racing conditions. However, its better to be safe than sorry, so I'm definitely going to concentrate on my training/mileage for the next 4 weeks. I'd rather go into a block of training, which I enjoy anyway, rather than risk 'racing-staleness'. Watch this space for a few weeks of 75 Miles plus...
On a different note, congrats to the winner,'Fly-Guy' of Belgrave (apologies, I don't know your name, I'll update this as soon as I get Athletics Weekly) and Wayne of Newbury A.C. (3rd place). Also, Ian Coxhead of Newbury had a storming run, beating his targert time of 17:30 by some 22 seconds! Well done old bean, couldn't have happened to a nicer chap...

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Ken Chamerlains Infamous 'Topos'


Check this site out if you're planning to run any local races this year, quite a few are listed their and the attendant spreadsheet is a useful resource, trust me. Follow the link & the man himself, 'Dr. Chamberlain', will explain it all...

(Thanks for the email Ken!)

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Saturday, May 14, 2005
On this day:

Race history feature - plus weekly mileage count


Another new feature! I'm now going to archive all my race information online, including times, positions and splits, wherever the data is available. Watch this space...

Week mileage total: 57

Too low! I've got to stop racing on Sundays so I can get my long run back in! Plus, I really want to get a block of training in before Wargrave (I'd like a road P.B.)

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Rolling back the years...


My final picture gallery page is now up (photo's pre 2002). That's not to say that I won't be updating the existing structure with more photographs, so watch this space!

Something struck me whilst I was compiling the galleries. I was surprised at how much I had changed in the last 3 years; not in body morphology, skin tone or hair-style (although changes were apparent in all of these areas, clearly I'm addicted to side-burns!), but the most striking change was to my running gait, both upper & lower body. My training really has resulted in me running more like, well, a runner! Loose arms, decent range of motion in the trail leg, all I need to do now is address my awful knee lift. I guess that means more drills then (uurrgghhh...)

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Basingstoke Southern Men's League Invite


I received an email off Martin Tarsey of Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletic Club yesterday, inviting me to run for them in the 5k in their home match in the Southern Men's League, Division One. Not sure whether I'd be A or B string, as Darryl May who I trained with last week is the other 5k candidate, but I'm pretty sure I don't mind either way. He reckons I'd finish 5th based on my 10k time, but I'm going to wait till after tomorrow to make any definite decision as I want to see how I react to 5k on the track (in the context of injury). Also, I cant keep backing off my training for races (which I'd have to do to make a good show of myself at Basingstoke)! I'd like to get a decent training/mileage block in for the impeding Wargrave 10k. It would be nice to wear the infamous yellow, red & black vest though (with the potential of being in the British Athletic League next year). I'll keep you informed...

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Friday, May 13, 2005
On this day:

Sportsman's Shambolic Scheduling


Earlier, I received this email -



My race is on Sunday, and not Saturday as thought prior. Silly me, that means my taper is a bit screwed up. I'll take it as an omen that I shouldn't be trying to hit a specific mileage this week & plop a rest day in tomorrow. Then I'll go for my 16 mile long run on Monday instead.

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Newsletter feature added.


Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter if you wish to be informed of any significant site or running updates. Don't worry, I promise I will not be forwarding on your details to anybody else!

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20 Minutes Easy 3 miles approx


I ran with my 'Old Man' in my grey NB 832's for 22 minutes today. We ran to the bomb-shelter on the Kennet & Avon canal and back. Felt average, but no niggles anywhere, so if I relax tonight, a reasonable performance should be on the cards tomorrow.

I may wear my Nike Mayyfly's in the 5k, as its such a short race. I've also calculated my 'ideal' splits for the race, basically 3:12 for each kilometer or theres about. Thats 76 to 77 second lapping for 12.5 laps, nice...

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It has arrived! Gallery 04 that it is...


All my gallerys, including the 2004 gallery are now officially live! Yippee!..

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Thursday, May 12, 2005
On this day:

Third gallery now live!..


I figured out how to quasi-automate a lot of the work involved in creating these damned JavaScript gallerys, thus I managed to pump out 2003's gallery very quickly. I'm going to bed now, so you'll have to wait till tomorow for the 2004 shots. Enjoy...

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Second gallery page now live...


Due to all the fancy javascript I've plopped on my gallery pages, its taking me an age to upload the photographs. However, I'm happy to say that the image gallery for the year 2002 is now open!..
(dah-dah!)

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35 Minutes Easy, 5 Miles approx.


I ran a Prospect Park/Tilehurst/New Hill Lane based loop today with Rob & the M.P.U. at an easy pace, just to wind my legs off (blue NB 832's). Not sure of the distance, not really fussed either. Legs felt good, glutes still a little sore from Tuesday. I ran my Bath Road Time Trial section, just to see where my turnover's at. I ran it in 38 seconds, wind at my back but solo. I didn't manage to hold my pace optimumly for the middle section either, so a respectable time. Nothing to do but relax now.

Addressing an earlier post, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ICE BROKEN RIBS. According to an earlier anonymous 'comment-er', it would be dangerous, so there. Now would seem like a good time to put up a disclaimer...

DISCLAIMER
Don't try this at home. Anything I do or recommend is done AT YOUR OWN RISK. I'm relatively well trained, so if you've never run a step in your life, its probably not a good idea for you to try & replicate my repetition times on your first training session. Also, don't ice broken ribs.

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I've made a poster! Also, 'ice-vest inspiration'


Well, why not? I may aswell give into it and start heavilly promoting this site now, just to see how many hits I can achieve you understand...
Heres a link to the said poster (not in a quality sufficient for print mind you, email me if you want a hi-res one!), if you fancy a butchers.

On a totally unrelated topic, I've just conceived yet another use for my infamous 'Ice-Vest'. It could be used for the cryogenic treatment (thats 'icing' in laymen's terms) of broken/cracked ribs. Always nice to know, just in case it happens to me!

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May 12, 2005 7:37 PM, naomi said...

LOL at the poster. You really do have too much time on your hands!

 
May 12, 2005 7:47 PM, Anonymous said...

Iceing of the area surrounding the lung area particularly after suffering broken ribs could be quite dangerous. The restricted breathing that occurs with the pain of the condition means that you are more at risk from lung infections. Iceing the area would only compound this by making you even more at risk from a potentially risky lung infection.

just thought I'd mention it.

 
May 12, 2005 7:58 PM, White Stag said...

Cripes anonymous! If I was as darn smart as you, I wouldn't be hiding behind the anonymous pseudonym, I'd be wearing my identity proud (plus it helps me with comment/usage tracking!)...
Cheers for the spot though, if in the event of my ribs getting broken, my ice-vest will stay in the freezer. Not very often you get potentially life saving comments on a blog, eh?

 

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Yay, comments are appearing...


I guess the Evening Post article has done my site throughput some good. I'm now getting comments on my posts!


On a different note, this Brooks advert is probably worth a look, well it made me smile...

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Moving on up, the Google rankings that is...


Yippee! I'm finally registered on the infamous 'Google' search engine. If one were to perform the search 'runnersblog' I come up 5th ranked site on the global listings, and 3rd ranked site on the UK listings. Thats the good news...

The bad news is if you perform a search for 'runners' + 'blog', I don't appear on the first page of either listing. Here's where you come in.

If your an expert 'web-rat' who knows a technical way around this problem, then feel free to drop me a line, either in the form of a comment or via email. I'd really appreciate it.

If you are less technically apt, but are the proud owner of a website, you can also help. Google rankings are in part related to the number of links to your site from other sites present on the net. If you appreciate what I am doing, then please feel free to put a link to my blog on your site! If you contact me, I am more than happy to reciprocate the favour (presuming you don't run some sort of porno site).

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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
On this day:

An interesting evening. Momentum, Massage & Media


I went down Palmer Park track to do some speedwork & get a massage off one of the best value sports masseuse's in the area (June, available every Wednesday night at Palmer Park Leisure Centre). I felt a bit sluggish going into my warmup & session, in part due to my run 5 hours before. Another causative factor could be the density of quality work I've been doing over the last 7 days. I should really back-off now before any damage is done, and to allow some sort of recovery for the County championships.

The session went as follows:
2 Miles Warm-up around track, incorporating Leslie Whiley's mobility drills, blue NB 832's.

3 x 1k solo- progressively faster, 90 seconds recovery (3:21, 3:13, 3:11), Saucony Fastwitch.

2 Miles Cooldown around park with 'Gorilla' Grove, blue NB 832's.

Felt light soreness in my glutes on the repetitions, but it felt like a D.O.M.S (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) type pain, you learn to recognize it after a while. Achieved my aims for the session, specifically starting steady & getting progressively faster throughout the session (more of a pace judgement workout than any sort of deep aerobic/anaerobic stimulus), but I can see 3:12's for 5k being incredibly tough on Saturday. I may lower my sights somewhat, based on how I feel come the big day.

I then went to see June for my massage. She hammered my calves, which felt incredibly tight in the upper soleus, medial side. They're sore now, but hopefully the investment will pay off. My glutes counter-intuitively were fine.

On a different note, my blog has hit the media, the Reading Post to be specific!



Click on the image for a larger version of the article

I certainly didn't ask for the plug, but I do appreciate it (cheers Mr Eldon)! I certainly didn't perceive my blog as a means of my 'spilling' of the proverbial 'beans', or revealing my tastes! Perhaps I will be careful not to give away too many of my secrets in future posts! ;) Seriously though, I will be keeping my site as accurate as ever, both for your benefit & mine. If it manages to do something for running at any level, I'll be dead chuffed. I might have to clean up the language a touch though, and I don't mean my grammer!

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May 12, 2005 10:02 AM, Anonymous said...

Interesting read. Keep up the good work. From a fellow Reading Roadrunner.

 
May 12, 2005 10:48 AM, John Matthews said...

Yeh, interesting stuff. Tells me what I need to do to beat you next time :-)

BTW congrats on the Bracknell Half win; first of many I should think. Found anywhere to put all that glassware?

John (3rd Brackenll, 1st vet)

 
May 12, 2005 1:29 PM, White Stag said...

Well Mr Matthews,
Believe it or not, the said glassware gave me the impetus I needed to purchase a trophy cabinet!
Got to say, surely your suffering a similar problem with your haul?
Hopefully your right with the 'first of many' compliment. We will have to see...

 

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This isn't 'Super Fly', this is 'Super Crud'!


Spotted this whilst browsing the Nike website. When will they learn and give up on this infernal 'Shox' technology? Trying to wedge it in yet another type of footwear really isn't the solution!..

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May 12, 2005 10:23 AM, neil renault said...

Jesus Christ, amen to that. Thoses "shox" are appaling, appearing in a Breane Shoe Shop near you soon!

 

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40 Minutes Easy/Steady, 6 Miles approx.


I ran with the M.P.U. (Male Parental Unit) today in my grey NB 832's (I think the cushioning is finally gone in them). We went from the Prospect Park car park, down Mill Lane, along the Kennet & Avon (towards Newbury), up Cumbrian Way, along the chase and back along the Bath Road. The run totaled 40:26, and I paced the M.P.U. for a timed 800m stride in 2:47 (a p.b. for him). Left gluteal felt restricted & left quad ached to start off with (due to yesterdays hill work?) but eased off after the warm up. My left shin niggled a little towards the end of the run (2/10 on the patent-pending shin-pain-ometer). Felt better for the run.

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New image gallery now active...


Right, methinks this is going to be more work than its worth, but for now I am happy to say...
The Gallery is now open!
(2005 photo's available now, others being selected & worked on)

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Tuesday, May 10, 2005
On this day:

Hills, those horrible hills... 6 Miles approx


Tonight I ran with Rob And Nigel, 'the Yawning Gorilla', from the Soll Leisure's Gillots Gym. We ran hill repetitions up Woodlands Road, a medium gradient hill, in my blue NB 832's as below:

15 min warm up
6x 1 minute hill
6x 30 seconds hill
6x 15 seconds hill
Walk/jog down recovery. No rest bettween sets.
15 min warm down

This was followed by a brief gym session, as below:

3x10 Bench press 32kg Dumbell
3x10 Seated Row 50kg
32 Press Ups in 1 minute
3? Sit Ups in 1 minute

All in all, the session was lung-searingly tough. The most difficult part for me were the 15 second sprints, as they were quite technical (well, for me) and its the sort of work I normally avoid. I can see a place in my schedule for bi-weekly hill sessions though, mainly based around minute reps. My quads, shins, calfs & hamstrings certainly felt the work afterwards (so thats all the major leg muscles then!). The cooldown jog felt suprisingly 'bouncy' though. On this topic, I noticed that even when sprinting up hill, my arm carriage remained outstandingly low, and I wasn't reaching forward with my arm-swing as much. Looks like I've made my ideal arm carriage a chronic complaint, I cant even pump my arms when I want to now!

The gym session afterwards was somewhat dissapointing. I'm horribly suprised at just how weak I've become over the last few years. Guess I'm going to have to integrate circuits/conditioning into my training again, if at some point I feel this needs rectifying. Im not sold on the importance of upper-body strength yet though.

I've also heard third hand that 'The Prolific Ed Dodwell'©, mighty male vet & Lord of the realm (or something like that) may be joining us for some of our runs. Good-oh! It seems that everytime a new recruit joins our group, the speed sessions get more severe, which can only be a good thing!

Some quotes from last night for you, I let you guess from who's mouth they sprung from...

"I'm not looking for nice training partners, just fast ones..."
"I don't want to see her yawning gorilla!"
"Can this be natural?"
"Sh1te, this is bl00dy sh1te..."

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Monday, May 09, 2005
On this day:

60 Minutes Steady, 9 Miles approx


Ran with Rob and the 'M.P.U.' (Male Parental Unit) for about an hour tonight, in my grey NB 832's (cushioning might be going a little bit on them, will have to get an expert assessment). We ran down the Bath Road, right into the Basingstoke Road, along Temple Rise, and back home along the Kennet canal, finishing off with Cumbrian Way. As I won a sweepstake between myself, Rob & M.P.U. as to how long the route would take, it has now been named the 'Craig route'.
Hamstring cramp still there, but OK/manageable. My shins and hip also felt good. I really enjoyed the run, even though there was a 10 minute tirade of foul weather. This is what running is about...

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5.5 Miles hard, with Ice-Man Weir


Intended to go out for an easy 5-ish, around my Cumbrian Way, Kennet & Avon Canal, Circuit lane loop (in my blue NB 832's). As I had the company of Richard 'Middle Distance Sensation' Weir, I ended up running it in a new course best (by some 2:30!) of 30:24... I definitely couldn't have put enough in yesterday. Having said that, I got hamstring cramp watching Reading play on Sky yesterday afternoon, so I must have been trying just a little bit. That or Reading are so cr@p that watching them induces injury . No real repurcussions from the run this morning, my shins or hip from last week, or my race/cramp of yesterday. Take it easy for a few days and things should be A-OK on the injury/niggle front.

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Sunday, May 08, 2005
On this day:

Marlow 5 Mayhem


Today I ran the Marlow 5, a local 5 Mile road race. I didn't really have any specific targets, I was just using it as a part of a long run. I ran:

2.5 Miles Warmup - NB 832's (new blue pair)
Marlow 5 in 27:52 (5:16, 5:34, 5:34, 5:42, 5:44) - Saucony Fastwitch
2.5 Miles Cooldown - NB 832's (new blue pair)

Felt like tripe after 400m, and the first mile didn't turn out to be that quick (I knew it wasn't going to be my day then). I tried to stick with Hayley Yelling, and it didn't pay off (she finished about a minute ahead of me). Hip and shin were generally ok, didn't feel anything whilst or after racing, so the accupuncture generally worked (a few spots where the needles went in). Not too bothered about the time, as the course wasn't as pan flat as suggested, and it was windy (hopefully overdistance too, but thats way too much to ask!). Relatively happy that I out surged a guy from Newbury AC over the last mile (as they falsely accused me of cheating in a cross country relay 2 years ago, prats...), I wouldn't want the Marlow 5 to lose its reputation by having one of those guys in the top 10 (I came 10th). Quite dissapointed that I averaged a slower pace over 5 miles than I did last week over 6.21, but such is life.

I'm going to restructure next week to maximize my chances of a decent time at the County 5k track championships, I dont fancy another dissapointment.

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Saturday, May 07, 2005
On this day:

Pins in my needles, Physio session & coach meeting


Dear Blog...
I went to Wendy's this morning for my second physio appointment. Thankfully she feels my buttock complex is making fantastic progress, its much softer up palpatation, and my lower back feels much more free. She tried treating my right shin with accupuncture, by sticking needles in my lower leg, & counter-intuitively in my hands! I'll let you know if I have any fortune with this.

I then went to Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletic Club, at the Down Grange track, about the possibilty of representing them in some track races this Summer (I feel this would help bring my running on significantly). Whilst there I spoke to the coach of Phil Tulba, Martin, whilst he was coaching one of his other athletes (John Hutchings). He felt that I would be an asset to the club & to pop down again Tuesday to join them in a session. He said it wasn't necessary for me to join the club at present, so I'm not committed yet.

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Friday, May 06, 2005
On this day:

55 Minutes Off-Road, 8 Miles approx.


Ran 55 minutes this afternoon around Dinton Pasture Country Park (3 laps) in my NB 832's with my 'Old Man'. Quite warm, mild wind but all in all, pretty pleasant conditions. Shin felt tons better, and hip was sensation free till the final lap, so progress all around really. Still going to hit the shin with ice though, and strech off left upper leg muscles.

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5.5 Miles Approx (sans breakfast), plus 1 hour Body Balance


Ran the Circuit Lane, Kennet & Avon Canal, Cumbrian Way route in 34:50 in my Diadora Mythos Axler's. Hip getting better, but still feels odd at times. Right shin slightly worse than yesterday, but nothing major (yet). I forgot how crappy pre-breakfast runs feel. I guess I'd better start getting used to them again :(
Followed my run with an hours Body Balance class. Not a lot to say about it really, maybe it over-stretches my calves slightly, as my shins were murder after the class.

I'm trying to establish why my shins are flaring up again, and I can only think of 3 potential causes -
  1. Ibuprofen use, might just be a conincedence though.
  2. Carrying hip injury, thus putting more weight through right leg
  3. Over-stretching in Body Balance classes
I can necessarily pin an exact course, so I'll try and address all 3 potential causes. I'll knock Ibuprofen use on the head, totally (there's always alternative anti-inflammatories, such as ice & emu oil). I may also take some time off until this hip clears up. Furthermore I'll stop doing body balance and see if that has a positive effect; I can stretch at home, in a more controlled fashion.

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Thursday, May 05, 2005
On this day:

A change is as good as a rest, 30 minutes Steady/Tempo (6 Miles Total)


Went down to Basingstoke & Mid Hants this evening as I fancied some quality company for my one session today. I hooked up with a guy called Darryl May (34:00 10k, 9:57 3k SC) and ran -

1 Mile Warmup, NB 832's
30 Minutes (4.5 Miles) Tempo, Saucony Fastwitch
800m Cooldown, Saucony Fastwitch


Enjoyed the session, made a nice change to have an un-intense week. I need it to recover from my BUSA 10k and resulting niggles! Right shin is starting to ache a little on calf contraction, ignorable at present and certainly a result of all the oral anti-inflammatories I've been taking (I know I react badly to them), so now's the time to stop popping the 'evil white smarties'.

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Links Navbar Button working


The 'Links' Navbar button now works, follow it for some (in my honest opinion) ace links!

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Wednesday, May 04, 2005
On this day:

45 minutes Easy, 7 Miles approx.


Ran in East Reading today, around Palmer Park athletic track (3 laps of the park, plus 30 minutes roaming the area) in my NB 832's, with my Old Man. We also encompassed his 3k pace Speedwork into the run (8 x 2 minutes, 1 minute recoveries). Hip felt good, no bursal-type pain, just post physio-bashing aches. Also felt very fluid, which is quite rare, maybe stretching is a worthwhile investment after all?

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Physio session- 3 Doctors, 3 Diagnosis...


Saw Wendy Davies, my physiotherapist & accomplished long distance runner (2:45 marathon). She reckons I have chronically tight glutes & lower back, stemming from a tight piriformis. She feels I have some residual ITB tension which isn't helping matters either. She hit me with trigger point release & ultrasound. I've been given some stretches to work on till Saturday at 9:00, which I'm going to do religously.

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20 Minutes Steady 3 miles approx, followed by 1 hour Body Balance


I ran 20 minutes steady (~6 minute/mile pace?) down to Prospect Park & 1 lap around it in my Diadora Mythos Axler's. Hip felt pretty good, only twinged a few times., mostly on the rutted off road bits.

I followed this with an hours worth of Body Balance, a Tai-Chi, Pilates, Yoga combo class. The core work was quite tough, and I am gob-smackingly inflexible. I think I'm going to integrate some more of this work now, just to get my basic lower back & gluteal flexibility back up to minumum levels. Spoke to George Anderson afterwards, an experienced fitness instructor & ex-Loughborough Middle Distance sensation, about exercises that might help my hip/arse problem. We're going with single legged deep squats, lunges & barbell bench step ups, emphasizing on driving off the lead leg, pushing through the heel.

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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
On this day:

40 Minutes Easy, 6 Miles approx.


Ran with the 'Old Man' today, up in East Reading (2 laps of Bullmersh Fields & 3 laps of Solly Giles Park) in my NB 832's. Hip feels as good as it has done in the last 4 days, but I've booked in to see Wendy Davies, 'physio to the Olympic stars', for tommorow afternoon (15:00) at Reflex health club, just in case. Pace was good, hip felt a lot looser (very little bursae pain) but my buttock felt odd. Im assuming thats just a result of the stretching though.

I'm going to set up my Quad 12L speakers this afternoon, I'll post pictures once they're in location. Hopefully they wont be as bassy as my floor standers...

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May 03, 2005 6:47 PM, neil renault said...

Hi Craig

Just to clear a couple of things up as I've heard about things with you and Andy. It was me that mentioned the website to him, how else would I have known about your 1/2 marathon. Think i mentioned to Andy about the race and that it was good you won the race! He of course asked if i'd spoken to you, and without thinking twice I told him about it. Isn't that what the internet is all about, sharing information? No agro or trouble intended. hey, and if I made a website I'd be happy if more people red it! :-) ??? Anyway it seems to be doing the trick, you can now say your training is even more documented than my diary! I must be a good teacher. See you soon Chuck! Neil

 
May 03, 2005 7:56 PM, White Stag said...

Email sent mate. Bottom line, dont worry lad...

 

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Monday, May 02, 2005
On this day:

40 Minutes Recovery,5.5 Miles approx, Physio & Glory for Staffs


Went to see the physio first thing. I got a female physiotherapist for the first time in 2 years of BUSA competition (hot too!). I told her about my hip (which hurts in the knee raise action, so doing a sprint was probably the worst idea ever), and she tried trigger point release therapy on my left buttock. Touch wood, it seemed to do the trick! It felt so good in fact that I got a 40 minute recovery run in around the park near Scotstoun Stadium in my NB 832's, also managing to accompany Weir for his warm-up & cool-down. The hip & buttock still felt a bit stiff, but it has been pummelled over the last couple of days & I definitely wasn't carrying it.

On the BUSA front, it was a pretty good day for our university. Rich Weir ran 3:53 in his 1500m final (12th place), only 2 seconds off his PB and 3 seconds off 5th place! Apparantly he 'ran beyond his abilities, according to his coach. Thats the same thing my coach said to me about my run, but I'm not really sure how its possible to do that, I thought by definition one could only run as fast as one is capable of doing do. Maybe I'll get it one day! Laura Davenport recorded her first sub 4:35 clocking, placing 8th overall in the women's 1500m final.

Terribly long drive home today. Finally got home at 00:15, after numerous delays on the leg down to Stoke, but my fastest Stoke to Reading clocking ever. Thank God for the M6 Toll Road. I'm grateful to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. The ones in the Premier Travel Inn were shockingly small & uncomfortable.

On reflection, I'm pretty happy with how my last outing in a Staffs Uni vest went. I spent some quality time with some quality mates, and got a quality result (for me) in the bargain. If I get my representation money back, It will make for a darn good weekend, as I didn't get it back last time.

FEAR THE WEIR...STAFFS ARMY!!!

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Sunday, May 01, 2005
On this day:

Relay leg & hip flare up


Ice-Man Weir made the BUSA 1500m final, by making his heat fast enough that qualification as a fastest loser was a certainty (3:58), well done mate. Later I ran a 400m relay leg (wearing spikes, erghhh), as loads of people dropped out, including 'Billy-the-Bottler', in an appalling time, as my hip went at 50m, plus I'm slow! Thankfully, individual splits werent taken as there werent enough time-keepers available (phew!). It made my hip go absolutely wild though, so much so that I've brought some Morrison's Ibuprofen which Im now taking, despite how sometimes my shin reacts negatively to it. Its so painful now, its affecting the quality of my sleep.

Sadly my mate, Cornish Bob, dropped out of his half-marathon in 8th place at the 7 mile mark, due to hip pain (oh-oh). Condonences friend, theres always the next one...

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Name:Craig Taylor
Location:Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Craig Taylor, a man, a legend, an institution... Maybe I wont go that route... Craig Taylor, a British, Berkshire born graduate, seeking to improve his running performance, without crippling himself in the process.

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