Building

I was away on a work trip last week to London. While I was there, I met someone who I had last seen in January 2020. We had been on a trip in Europe, little knowing what lay ahead for all of us. When I saw him last week, he reminded me of something which I had forgotten.

He told me that when we were walking back to the hotel on that trip, we had got talking about running and I had told him about how I had started, progressed and ended up (at that stage) running two marathons. I did not think much more of that, but for him, he told me that it had really stuck in his head.

“really inspired”

So much so, that he had recently signed up for couch to 5k, followed the programme, and he told me how elated he was when he managed to run the 5km distance. And then he told me this. “Your story really inspired me. I would never have done it if we had not had that chat. I had never run before in my life, so to do this meant so much to me, thank you.”

I was totally taken aback. Naturally I was delighted. Delighted for him that he had made that decision and had achieved his goal of the 5km distance. But also delighted that something which I had said, or had done, had motivated someone else to make a positive decision about their health. Now I realise that there are many reasons why someone would make that choice, but to play a part in it, however small, really felt great.

“start from different places”

At times, I think we forget where we all start from, and we need to constantly remind ourselves – regardless of our achievements – that we all start from different places. For me, and this guy, it was a desire to lose a bit of weight and to get healthy. For others, it is to support their mental health. For others, it is simply to get out and get some fresh air. For others, it is an opportunity to socialise and meet new people. But they key thing is that we all start. Where we finish, well that is another matter.

Returning to my last blog, thankfully the calf and ankle injuries really benefited from a few days rest – though my ankle feels a bit weird at times, and bizarrely I think it is related to running in a specific pair of older trainers. London gave me the chance to test out my new trainers and to get in a few miles. Everything counts on the road to the Venice Marathon at the end of October.

This was before the seriously hot weather set in, but even then I had to get out early due to work commitments, so I was running in the best of the day. Beautiful conditions and fantastic sights. London is such a great city in which to run and my calf and ankle were all ok.

Running in the warmer weather was also good preparation for my first race in a little while, the Dundee Half Marathon (or Half Dram) to give it its proper title, which took place last weekend. I had been watching the forecast for much of the week, checking on the temperatures for the day itself. I always knew that a half in July would be warm anyway, but it was still a humid day for the race. A bit of rain overnight and at the start took the edge of the temperatures a bit, and despite my plan to run ten minute miles and take it easy (I did the run the first mile in nine minutes and fifty seconds) I got a bit carried away and run way quicker than I was intending.

The good thing about it was that I never really felt I was pushing it; that I was going all out. It was a consistent effort, exemplified by my middle of the race mile splits which were all within a few seconds of each other. So while I was targeting two hours and ten minutes, I finished out under two hours and three minutes. And that included one stop to tie my laces (schoolboy error) and running the last half mile with another runner who had stopped and as I passed her offered to run with her to get her to the end.

A couple of rest days after that were in order, and thank goodness as that was when the temperatures really soared, even here in Scotland, so it was no hardship to just go for a couple of nice walks in the Scottish countryside rather than running in such hot conditions. It really was a reminder to be sensible and to train based on the conditions, rather than just to mindlessly stick to what is in the training plan.

Once the hot weather passed though – and even though I am now on holiday – it was about getting back to it. The mileage now begins to ramp up through these next few weeks, really building a base for what is to come through the big mileage months of August and September, but I am heading towards thirty miles for this week and from here the numbers just gradually increase.

I love running beside water – whether that is the sea or a river – so after running along the banks of the Thames, it was the banks of the Rivers Dee and Feugh in Banchory for my first run after the race. While it does not have the tourist sights, it is still a great place to run and so peaceful in the early morning.

The River Feugh, looking towards the Dee

Now it is worth pointing out that on some of my runs this week, I have felt really crap, a bit of a struggle, but I got them done. I think it is good to highlight things like that. Not every run in a training plan is going to be great. It will be up and down. Some will feel better than others and that is just how it goes. Returning to what I said earlier on about us all starting from different places, do not think for a minute that runners of every type enjoy every run. It is a long road, and there are bumps along the way.

This weekend I was part of the JogScotland Bridge of Don volunteer takeover at the Aberdeen parkrun, pacing thirty one minutes. Now the last time I did pacing at parkrun, I finished up about thirty seconds too fast. Better than thirty seconds too slow I grant you, but not great. So this time – pacing thirty one minutes – I went in determined to get a lot closer to my allotted time. Thankfully this time, things worked out much better, in fact, they could not have worked out any better.

The time aside, it was great to be part of the crew. The course at Aberdeen is out and back, so it was lovely waving to all of the other pacers as we ran along the top or bottom of the prom and to see so many people from such a supportive club taking part or volunteering. Running has brought so much positivity to my life, and today was simply another example of that.

And going back to where I started, to do something which perhaps inspires or encourages or motivates someone to make a positive change in their life is truly humbling and gives me even greater motivation for the challenges ahead. Let’s build those miles.

Tweaked

Last week I wrote how, in order to reach the start line of any race, you need a large slice of luck. As I walked out my front door and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left calf, I felt that my luck had run out before my training had remotely got underway.

In the pantheon of innocuous ways to get an injury, frankly, it was right up there. It was not like I was going anything. Last time I looked, going out the door to refill the bird feeder in the garden would not count as an extreme sport. But that was what I was doing, and that was what seemed to cause the problem.

“So bizarre”

It felt like a touch of cramp so I tried to stretch it out, but by the time I got back inside, my calf was already beginning to feel very stiff and sore. I had no idea what had happened. It was just so bizarre. My first thought was to stick on some Deep Heat on it in a bid to try and loosen it off a little as stretching was making no difference.

I was working from home on the day it happened, so at least I was able to reapply the Deep Heat every so often to keep it warmed up, but whenever I walked away from my desk it just felt worse. I was due to be leading a five and a half mile group at my local JogScotland club, but it was evident by early afternoon that this was not going to be possible and I had to call off.

“not .. walk without pain”

While the club is entirely voluntary, I did feel really bad at pulling out but it was the right call to make. I could not really walk without pain, so to attempt to run would have been crazy in the circumstances. Sometimes, it is better not to run. Missing a few days out of the training programme this early in it is not going to make any difference in the grand scheme of things.

Ironically, I had felt really good when leading the 10km group on Tuesday night, probably the first time I have felt that way since right before I got my ankle injury back in January, so this was a real blow. I had also done a nice four mile Wednesday night run too, just upping the midweek miles. When I get injured lots of things run through my head, particularly around how long I am going to be out.

Nice countryside views on the 4 mile run

However, while my calf felt bad, I could still really not figure out what I had done. Had I really pulled a muscle just walking out the door or could it be something else, perhaps it was just a trapped nerve or a tweak on a muscle, ore perhaps it genuinely was cramp.

I do tend to get cramp in my calves when I am dehydrated, particularly at night, but I have been making a conscious effort to drink a lot more after running in the warm evenings these days, so I do not think it was that. In fact, if anything, perhaps I was drinking too much water or juice. Who knows?

“a bit tweaked”

The only good thing was that when I was lying up in the evening, the stiffness began to ease slightly. It was not right, that is for sure, but at least it was not getting any worse. Maybe I was right, and that this was just something being a bit tweaked rather than anything more serious. However, I did go to bed a bit worried that the nighttime cramps I suffer would manifest themselves overnight and perhaps exacerbate whatever was wrong with the troublesome left calf.

Thankfully that was not the case. And in the morning, while there was still a lot of stiffness in my calf, as I walked around the house it seemed to ease. That day I went in to work, not in the house, but in a shared office I use one day a week in the city centre, prompting me to be more active that I am when just working from home. As a result, I had to do a fair amount of walking. Not too much you understand, but as I went about and even went up and down a few flights of stairs, the stiffness faded away. Had I got myself all worked up over something which was relatively minor? It seemed to be the case.

“the right choice to make”

I did make the decision not to run for a few days, so even though I am planning to make parkrun very much part of my training regime, I chose not to go. Not running can be frustrating, of course, but it was the right choice to make. Once more, I ended up doing a fair amount of walking through the course of the day, this time without any stiffness or pain. I am now coming to the conclusion that this was some kind of trapped nerve problem that has just worked itself out.

Now the decision is when to start running again, and how to get back into the training programme? What I am considering is starting off with a gentle 5km and if that goes ok then perhaps going slightly longer. The key word here is gentle. I am not going to push or try hard or anything, I just want to check that this type of easy running is pain free and not aggravating anything in my calf.

I also discovered this week that I need a new pair of trainers, as my current pair have split a bit in the lining on the inside of my left foot. I definitely run putting pressure on the insides of both of my feet – I know this is too much information, but the hard skin on those parts of my feet is testament to that for sure.

A few months back a friend recommended trying a pair of Reebok trainers, so I am going to give them a go. I am very much a fan of Brooks, and I may well go back to them, but for the short term (and for short runs before we get up into the big miles) I am going to give the Float Energy 4 shoes a go. They have got good reviews and are a great price, so let’s see.

All in all, it has been a bit of a worrying few days. In just a week, I am due to run the Dundee Half Marathon with friends, and while I had always planned to take it as an easy training run, there is no doubt that the events of the past few days have convinced me even more that that is the right approach to take. Fingers crossed for a boring week of average runs. I could really do with that right now.

Hidden

In sixteen weeks time – all being well – I will be in Venice and getting ready to run the marathon there. Between now and then, a training programme lies ahead, and the unseen hard work that makes me admire marathon runners so much begins.

As we all know, the marathon distance is 26.2 miles (or 42.2 km depending on your preference), but the distance on the day is merely the end of the story. There are many pages and chapters to get through before we reach the conclusion, and that is one thing I have grown to really appreciate since I began running marathons back in 2018.

“slice of luck”

To simply get to the start line you need a combination of determination, will-power, desire, resilience and also a fair slice of luck. Why luck? Luck not to get injured or to fall ill. I know some runners who have gone through the majority of the training programme only to fall prey to some dreaded lurgy or a sprain and their marathon dream ends there. For some, never to be revived.

So the important part at the start of any training programme is not to get too far ahead of yourself. For me, it is not about running a marathon tomorrow, it is about doing one on October 23rd, but the same essence applies regardless of the distance you are preparing for. It is about focusing on the end goal, yes, but it is about believing in all the small steps you need to get through first in order to reach that destination.

Now I am not starting from scratch in this programme – I run regularly and given how I have felt about my running this year (as I set out in this blog a few weeks back) I was really taken aback when I saw that I had hit 500 miles for the year at the end of June.

My six month progress report

This is, I think, a reflection of two things. One, how my expectations about running have changed in recent years, and two, the true benefits of just turning up.

Let’s talk about expectations first. I started this year injured, coming on the back of Covid in December. So in January – aiming to run two half marathons in May – my focus was on one thing, simply getting back to some kind of running fitness. That meant my training programme for the races in Inverness and New York was really compromised and it became much more about just surviving those events more than anything else. And having got through them but not having another big target, I felt like I was just drifting along.

The ankle injury that kept me out for weeks

Secondly, and this is something which I really think should not be underestimated, it is, despite all of the things I felt about my running, I kept going. I kept coaching at my JogScotland club – even on the nights when maybe the last thing I wanted to do was run – I kept running with friends at the weekend. I entered a couple of other events to try and eke out some more motivation. If running has taught me anything – particularly long distance running – it has taught me resilience. When things are tough, there is only one person who is going to get you through it, and that is yourself.

Five years ago, when I just resumed running, the possibility of running five hundred miles in a year, never mind six months, was so far away from my imagination. I need to keep remembering things like this when I do get down about my running.

Me back in 2015

I have come so far since the dark days when I was severely overweight and unfit and facing up to a potential lifetime ahead of me like that unless I made some significant changes to my lifestyle.

“trusting the training”

So now here I am, embarking on marathon training programme number five. And at this stage, it is all about trusting the training. It is about having faith in the fact that I have done it before, and knowing that I can do it again. It is about having belief that the programme is the right one.

It is about working through the challenges that will come – and I am under no illusion that there will be challenges – and making sure that I stick to the plan as closely as I can. It is not about being totally rigid with it. It is about recognising the realities of life and doing what I can, when I can, and if I miss run through work or family commitments then that is not a cause for panic or a rush to make up any missing miles.

I always aim to do the long runs as much as I can. I already know that work may make that difficult due to the possibility of being away a weekend here or there, but if that is the case, then I will just try and do the run on another day. Being flexible is important, to adjust when I need to adjust.

In terms of running this week, I did a couple of five and a half miles run with my JogScotland group and then a 10km run on my own on Wednesday. Now this is further than what is in the plan for this stage, but I am comfortable with that for now.

Threatening skies at the beach parkrun

I also returned to parkrun for the first time in ages, volunteering to pace for thirty five minutes. I have paced before but really rely on my watch, so when my Fitbit failed to connect, I ended up having to really guess the pace. That went pretty much ok until I did not see the 4km mark and sped up a bit which meant I finished at 34.32 – a bit ahead of schedule. I am pacing again in a few weeks, so hopefully then I will get a bit closer to the right time.

And tomorrow is then the first of the long runs – nine miles is on the programme so nothing too crazy to begin with. One of the reasons I like the Hal Higdon programmes I have followed is that the long runs do not always get longer, there are down weeks when the mileage comes down a bit. I think that mentally gives you a bit of relief from what can seem like a relentless grind to run longer every single week.

“a bit of bling”

After this week, we go down to six, and then while I have eleven on the plan the week after, I have entered a half marathon. Ok, so it is a race, but I fully intend to use it just another stepping stone to the ultimate goal and to view it much more as a training run – though one with a bit of bling at the end.

Everything now is really focused on one thing. That finish line in Venice. The race is 26.2. Now starts the hundreds of miles just to even get there. The hidden work begins.