Happy Days!

I’ve completed day 26 of my run streak today. A minimum of 2 miles every day. I will accept 1 mile at a desperate push, but so far I’ve stuck to a minimum of 2.

The idea is that running every day is the quickest way to regain my fitness, stamina and, hopefully, strengthen my weak running muscles that caused the IBTS.

Before I got the IBTS I was trying to go for a sub 3 hour marathon, and I was fairly fit, so I was knocking out lots of PBs. More or less at will. I went for a 10 mile one and near killed myself. I got it, but when I checked back it was only a few seconds faster than when I was run streaking. So, I know it’s the way to go.

I’ve gone from 3 months of injury and a really gentle and tentative start on January the first, to making my ‘long’ run a half marathon (13.1 miles) last week. About 4 miles in to that run I was having self doubt. “Can’t do it! It’s too far!” Today I set out to do a 15 mile run and I felt so good I was going to do 18 miles. My knee started hurting though, so I settled for turning round at 8 miles. My knee held up on the way back, but it was lucky I turned when I did, as the wind was in my face on the way back and I flagged badly. The last 3 miles were tough. Another 2 miles would have been too much.

But the good news is I set out to do 15, did 16, and my knee held.

A nice easy 2 miles tomorrow.

Another positive is some people make it their running goal to do a thousand miles in a year, I’ve started off from tiny runs, there’s another 5 days of this month, and I’m currently on 133 miles. As always, everything is subject to injury, but so far, so good.

In other running news, I’ve been doing one run of hills. This involves running through the pitch black park, over several bridges with steps, one of which is unlit, and doing hill repetitions on a steep bridge that crossed the Mersey, but goes nowhere, so there’s no traffic on it. Also dark.

It turns out the Mersey bridge, running up one side, down the other, then back again, is .4 of a mile. 2½ miles (with 4 bridges) to get there, then hill reps. My second go at that route, this week, I got there then did 3 miles of hill reps.

I’m going to need one for the 24 hour run anyway, but I’ve got a head torch for the dark training.

Some loud!

I got a cheap, generic one from Decathlon, but it was rubbish. Hard plastic with no padding so it digs into your head. I asked my running chums on Twitter and everyone recommended this brand (LED Lenser). Also, if I don’t like the headband thing, it comes with a chest strap.

That’s my plan now. Hill runs, speed runs, long runs. With easy runs in between. Which reminds me, I started back at the running finding it tough to get under 8.30 m/m. On a 2 mile run this week I warmed up on the first mile then sprinted back. It was incredibly tough, but I got a 6.50. I only need to maintain 6.47 for a sub 3.

I’m not thinking sub 3 at the moment. I’m going to build everything, but aim to put 2 miles per week on my long run. Train more for the 24 hour race. Once I’ve got that out of the way my fitness should be able to cope with trying to go fast.

Yes, back to boring running blogs.

Later,

Buck.