TBE facts - Tick Alert

TBE facts - Tick Alert

YouTube - Running Technique: BBC's Tomorrows World on Economical Running with the Pose Method

YouTube - Running Technique: BBC's Tomorrows World on Economical Running with the Pose Method

Hamstring problems

Well, I started with a hamstring problem around the middle of March.  It came after a couple of weeks of pushing the intensity of training, with the intention of producing a faster time at the Madrid marathon scheduled for 25 April. 

Running had been going well up to this point that - a good steady plod of around 6 minutes per km. But I noticed that trying to move to a faster tempo was not going to be a simple task. The whole running style would have to be different. But I tried. I started running at intervals of about 5 minutes, then down to 4 minutes 30, at the same time trying to keep the weekly distance Of 50 Km +, running three days or four days a week. After about a week of this, and 10 km into a fairly pacey run, suddenly ping!  My right hamstring had had enough.  I can't remember the last time my hamstrings ever gave me any problems – never in fact.  So this was new and not very nice.  Actually it's funny I chose the word " ping" – it's exactly the term used in this wiki to describe a grade two hamstring injury.  Thank goodness it wasn't a grade three – take a look at that picture, yuk!

I gave it a few days to recover, thinking it would be liked the regular calf injury that I have had a lot of.  But each time I went out it played up almost immediately, or maybe after two or three km. 

I managed a cautious 14 km in Antalya Turkey when working there at the end of March.  Then 22 km on Easter Sunday 4th of April when Katerina and Kjell were with the us in Alicante – quite a strain.  But I had to put some miles in if I was to have any chance of entering Madrid.

One month into the injury and I was able to run about 5 km before it became tighter and potentially run-stopping.  So I was worried how I was going to get on at the Madrid marathon, 25 April.  As it happened, I was stopped in my tracks after six km of a very gentle pace.  But by doing some vigorous stretching and then enduring the pain for another 5 km it finally subsided and I was able to carry on to complete the distance, albeit in a snail's pace, in 5 hours.

Two weeks later, having done very little serious training in between, I was in Stockholm for the Lidingo Ultra, 26 km, 8 May.  Again, after 5 or 6 km I knew my hamstring was with me :-( but with stretches and rather cautious running I managed to get around the course.  And so it continued, niggling and frustrating after every 3 or 4 kilometres.  So then I decided to give running a wide berth and did almost none for the next three weeks.  Finally, on 8 and 10 June I managed to do 10 km and 12.5 km at a slow to steady pace without feeling any twinges at all.  So that should be it I hope.  Lesson learned!  It can take three months, not one week, to get over a minor hamstring problem…

I still don't know how to get the pace up in my running.  Perhaps I will have to look to increase the pace over several months rather than a few weeks.  And how to avoid injury again?  Maybe I should put much more emphasis on stretching, ice baths, nooooo thank you.  Time to get some advice I think.

Lidingö Ultra 26km and 50km

The Lidingö Ultra Stockholm 50 and 26 KM race took place today. Around 433 runners officially took part – although this is a small number just about all of them were serious players.  I've not seen so many people all in serious kit, many of them also some amazing sports watches. It was rather chilly, so a good warm up was needed, together with extensive stretching, to try and make sure I had no problems (at least early on) with my right hamstring. As this was a trail course I left the music at home, as I was fairly sure I was not going to get bored. Two guys together with a microphone and loudspeaker tried to instil the atmosphere normally expected for such events.
The race started promptly at 09.00.  It didn't take long for us to get over the starting line.  However two minutes later when we came to the first slight hill a large number of runners walked up it! I couldn't believe it - what's wrong with them? I thought. Well, after maybe ten more hills in say 7kms I started to see their point. Actually it was around that distance that I got a sharp pain in my calf. Oh boy... is that the end of racing today? I thought. I hobbled along to the drink station at 10km, took the refreshment and did some stretches. Well, it turned out to be no big deal as after another 5k I managed to run it off... I'll pay for this later I thought!  Well at least the hamstring hadn't flared up so I felt pretty good about that.
Overall the race was fine right through to 18km. I was running at a nice pace for me, 5min 15 per km, under 5 in the downhill and under 6 in most of the uphill stuff. But at 18km I started to get seriously tired - well it has to come some time. I thought "just 8kms left - that's just like the short run I did two days earlier in London down by the river in Putney - no problem". What I hadn't factored in were the damn hills. After all, you don't get many of those on the towpath! By 21kms I was feeling well and truly f***ed. And at 24kms I was ready to ask people if I had got lost. The last few kms were run at over 7 min per km - oh dear. I was all on my own -- aaah! Pity as it's then that I need someone to push me along!

Anyway the Lidingö sports centre finally appeared in the distance and I managed a feeble effort to put in a spurt to look vaguely impressive in the final few metres around the track to the finish line. There were no crowds, hardly even any runners around as most were continuing on the 50km  route. I shouted my name out to the guy with the mic and he gave me a formal finish announcement as I crossed the line in 2hrs 43m - but noone was listening.  Well, that didn't matter - it wasn't that kind of event.

Anyway, very pleased to have finished the 26km in a good overall time of 2hrs 43, and at an uphill/downhill pace of 6.06 min/km, and a good HR workout of 157, max 167. I couldn't have done much better, bearing in mind my leg problems and not knowing the course.
Maybe next year, if I'm in town, I'll have another go at the 26km, or if I'm not doing the London/Madrid marathons I'll definitely have a go at the 50km. The organisation itself was charmingly amateur, with a friendly and informal atmosphere – but that did not make it any the cheaper off to enter! SEK 500 (50 euros, £42, $65) for the 26km entry was a little steep imho. Overall, it's a very nice route, with a - great as a fun filler and training experiment between the bigger events.

Let's get started

This blog is for anyone who's thought that they should really be taking some exercise and that maybe running might be good. That was me a few months ago when I felt I really needed to do something about my complete lack of fitness.

I thought "just get on with it". But in the past I've only managed to sustain the fitness routine for a few weeks, a few months at best. So I set myself a goal... run a marathon. I tried that a few years before but constant injuries put paid to that. So this time I took it slowly, followed lots of advice, sought inspiration from some and motivation from others.

Seven months later and I managed to complete my first marathon - yeahhhh! So now I'm more or less hooked, and keen to do better, yet finding the endless runs a bit of a bore, I'm going to vary things a bit. Road running for sure, but also off road. Definitely the gym, swimming and maybe cycling later. So I'll track how things go here. If you find it helps to answer some thought of yours about getting in to long distance running, or you have some tips and ideas for me - then great!