The rest of 2011 - between marathons

[Sweder]

There will be occasional updates from the brewhouse over here if you're interested.

Good Lord! As I thought, a heck of a lot of work with no guarantee of success (though that bright beer looks a lovely colour). Hats off to you m'boy!

[marathondan]

UPDATE: The news in briefs (well, running shorts):

Summer 10K – missed due to distraction by swimming, and general summer slovenliness. I felt out of sorts over the summer, really missing marathon training for the first time (three spring marathons in a row now; it’s become a habit). Next summer I need something else to motivate me.

September – 9 runs and 39 miles, starting to get back into the routine.

Injuries – after completing this year’s marathon I went back to an older pair of shoes, determined to get 1000 miles out of each pair rather than the recommended 500. The plan was to keep the newest pair for 10 milers and above. My current pair is up to 950 miles, and as a result I have one sore ankle and one sore sole. Therefore resting for a week, and then back into the newest shoes. Proceed with caution.

Home brew madness – this is what I’ve really been doing all summer

Autumn half marathon – I still have my eye on the Marlow half in early November, although there may now be a diary clash in play. If my ankle settles down I should be fit enough for a decent jog round a half, even if it's not this one.

Spring marathon – I have a place for London next year and so the usual routine will start in December. The plan is to run non fancy dress and try for a PB (set back in 2005, when I was a significantly younger man). I'm hoping to get some good base fitness in before then, and maybe crank up the training intensity this time.

Triathlon – one idea for motivation next summer is a short triathlon. I think taking on a summer triathlon would be healthier than trying to increase to two marathons a year. I’m still listening to the Marathontalk podcast on my long runs (when they happen – else in the car) and they often talk about having long term running goals. Well, how about this for a wacky plan? A half ironman triathlon in 5 years time (summer 2017). (That’s 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run, 8.5 hours time limit.) Given I can barely cover 100m freestyle right now it seems bonkers, but then again I went from 0-26.2 miles running in 4 years. I won’t be able to fit in any swimming or cycling over the winter due to marathon training, so those disciplines will have to go out of the window till May. But I think I can wing a mid-distance tri (750m swim, 40K bike, 5K run) next summer without much technique, even if I come last. We all know that the longest journey starts with a single step.

Maidenhead half marathon – I missed the inaugural running of this event in September, but it apparently went well without me and it will go straight on the calendar for next year. I’m wondering whether Gus might fancy a crack at it.

Marathon 2013 – fancy dress will be back. Assuming my London number doesn’t come up, I’ll be back in Brighton or maybe I’ll try out the new Milton Keynes event. Current fancy dress idea summarised in two words: Bernie Clifton.

So there we have it. Currently in a step-back week to rest the ankle, hopefully I’ll be back into a decent routine next week and will start posting some updates. Elsewhere, it’s great to see MLCM putting in the best running of his life, and the Sussex Two cranking it up, in their own distinctive ways, in advance of the assault on Tasmania. Antonio is going great guns, and I heard a rumour that Swiss Andi is planning a spring marathon too. And then there’s Almeria… Good times ahead!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Wow, you've certainly been busy Dan. Brewing and running is a great combination, although sadly I've done no brewing since leaving Tasmania (and therefore regrettably no more Sweder Brew, possibly my best effort - a commemorative uber-dark stout to celebrate Sweder's Beacon Hill effort of some years back).

Mrs MLCM used to be a wizzard brewer, but regrettably (or perhaps I should say, sensibly) being the gym junkie that she is these days, barely touches the stuff anymore, so another MLCM brew anytime soon is unlikely. And like Sweder, I'm living amidst some bloody excellent (and unreplicable by me in the home brewery) beers that have rather spolit me of late.

I don't know what brand of shoes you're using, but to get 950 miles out of them you must be running on clouds or something - I can assure you from personal experience that you can buy an awful lot of shoes for the price of a round of visits to the physiotherapist and podiatrist. Take care OM!

[marathondan]

I don't know what brand of shoes you're using, but to get 950 miles out of them you must be running on clouds or something - I can assure you from personal experience that you can buy an awful lot of shoes for the price of a round of visits to the physiotherapist and podiatrist. Take care OM!

Thanks for the words of caution and perspective. I guess it's a hobby of mine to challenge conventional wisdom. But it might be reality check time.

And I can already hear the collective intake of breath when I tell you that I do 95% of my miles on the pavement. (BTW down your way, does that mean the bit you walk on, or the bit you drive on?)

[glaconman]

Plenty going on there Dan. Brewing beer and entering the London marathon are two things I promised myself I'd do this year; but I've done neither, unfortunately.

Good point about long-term goals. I guess it's all about consistency over a long period. Laying down the small improvements and moving forward slowly and relentlessly. You really are The Man With The Plan.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

...on the pavement. (BTW down your way, does that mean the bit you walk on, or the bit you drive on?)

Pavement = footpath = the bit you walk/run on. Road = the bit you drive/run on.

[marathondan]

...on the pavement. (BTW down your way, does that mean the bit you walk on, or the bit you drive on?)

Pavement = footpath = the bit you walk/run on. Road = the bit you drive/run on.

Jolly good, same here. Those frightful Americans seem to get it the wrong way round though.

Although perhaps I should kerb my prejudice.

[marathondan]

A hilly half in the near future is off.

Didn't run this week - still resting the ankle. Started on the frozen peas yesterday, which felt good.

It's nothing more than niggly, but I know that if I start running on it now it will get worse, which might even put my spring marathon (certainly my attempt at a fast run) in jeopardy.

But I put two gallons of pear cider into the "barrel" stage, and another gallon into secondary fermentation.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

A hilly half in the near future is off.

...

But I put two gallons of pear cider into the "barrel" stage, and another gallon into secondary fermentation.

A perfectly acceptable consolation prize. Nice work.

[marathondan]

After two weeks rest, the ankle seems to be improving. Still a bit stiff by the evening, but it doesn't feel swollen and tender any more. Keep it secret though, I'm not telling anyone in case I jinx the recovery.

One more week off, or maybe even two, and I will hopefully resume light duties. And no more old shoes.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

... And no more old shoes.

Good man.

[glaconman]

... And no more old shoes.

Good man.

Even I've packed-in wearing knackered old trainers. Although it's not as important if you can get off-road.

I don't know if the injury onset was acute or chronic. But I think ankle strength and flexibility is a big issue with running.

The swimming should help the flexibility.

The other thing you could do is more off-road running. This gives your ligaments, muscles and joints a fuller workout. If you can avoid falling over it's better for you.

Map and headtorch? Laps around a park now and again?

[marathondan]

Yep, I've been considering these things. I suspect the injury is chronic in that I had (and still have) some pain in the sole of the same foot as well. Probably as a result of plodding the same 5 mile pavement circuit in the same direction for 5 years. There's a square of heathland not far away that's probably a mile around, so yes indeed it might be headtorch time. I'm not too keen on the idea, but needs must. Thanks for your thoughts, people.

[Sweder]

What G-man said really. I do too much ('all') off road, yet ankles are rarely a problem. My feet seem to have devevloped a built-in sensory ability, adjusting each footfall as I land. I think of it as having eyes in my feet. With my current weight up near the maximum this is essential for me to keep running without injury.

My current woes revolve around a pulled hammy (not a running injury but bizarrely something that happened when I got up after the Rookettes match last Sunday) and a tight right calf (old war wound).

[glaconman]

Nobody likes a smart-arse I know; but I believe proprioception is a word that descripbes this phenomenon.

Either way, i wish I had it.

[marathondan]

Ran a mile after 4 weeks rest at the weekend. I had a small awareness of the ankle afterwards but nothing major. It's barely noticeable from day to day now, but I can tell it's not 100% right.

To be honest I've been a bit slack in treating it. I was icing it daily to start with but that became a faff. Now taking ibuprofen 3 times a day to try and finish it off. I think discretion is the better part of valour, so am planning to rest for another 4 weeks and then hit marathon training on Dec 1st.

It seems kinda silly to be doing this for a condition that is giving me virtually no discomfort, but as I rack up the miles there's every chance it will get worse again. I don't know when I'll get the chance to run London again (certainly never in an Olympic year) so I really want to make it to the start line.

Come March / April I may still be battling with the ankle, but at least I will have given it the maximum chance to rest. Extreme worst case I think I could wait till Jan 1st to start training, but I would be playing catchup, which has its own perils.

Branching into swimming and cycling next year is looking like the right decision.

[marathondan]

Inspired by Sweder's post, I've just been for my first ever barefoot run - a mile or so up and down a 100m strip of grass next to the house. Wet, freshly cut grass, on a mild November evening. It was nice. Let's see how this develops...

[Sweder]

Great stuff. My only advice is to increase distance/ change terrain gradually.
Man alive, I'll don the web-toed boots myself tomorrow ...

[marathondan]

Here's a marathon race report from a rather unusual angle.

[Sweder]

One of the many joys of supporting at mile 13/ 22 on the VLM is seeing the wheelchair athletes fly by. They are every bit as impressive as their upright counterparts and they receive the biggest crowd cheers of the day.