My UltraRunning log

mithril

Cross training in gym.

I finally made the inevitable call today and dropped out of the Dingle Ultra. This was not a hard choice in the end; I cannot run even a couple of KM at planned race pace, and so won't survive a 50 mile run. I am also making slow progress with recovery from injury. Even if I did make a dramatic improvement and make the start line, the chance of picking up a fresh injury or aggravating the existing hip condition without proper training would be too high to risk it.

Since I have already taken time off work and booked accommodation I will head down for the week-end anyway. Dingle is a nice place to pass a week-end. I have downgraded to the Half marathon which gives me an option of running it at recovery pace if I feel up on it on the day.

No plans for the next few months. I really only target Ultras and Marathons and there are few options over the Winter which I expect it to be by the time I am fully over the injury and have regained my normal fitness level.

mithril

mithril wrote: »

Cross training in gym.

No plans for the next few months. I really only target Ultras and Marathons and there are few options over the Winter which I expect it to be by the time I am fully over the injury and have regained my normal fitness level.

http://www.artoneillchallenge.com/ in January gives me something to target. I will run or walk it depending on my condition at the time.

Not good news unfortunately concerning injuries. I have a torn adductor muscle and also cartilage damage on the hip and I can only run for a couple of km without pain.
The first injury will heal in the next month; I need an MRI to properly gauge the extent of the second but it's pretty serious. Damaged cartilage never properly repairs and there is a likelihood of accelerated wear and tear on the joint without the cushioning it provides. Options for surgical repair are limited and would involve a long lay-off.

Trying to prioritize my running on assumption I only have another couple of years before hip deterioriates to the point where it's no longer sensible to continue.

In decreasing order of priority, these are the goals:

• Mont Blanc CCC 100k (finish inside cut-off)
• Dingle 50 mile (sub 7:30)
• Art O'Neill Ultra (finish)
• Wicklow Way Ultra (top 10)
• Mourne Way Marathon or Ultra (top 10)
• Cross-country (try it once, time not important )
• Marathon (sub 3 attempt - small Irish marathon)
• Jungfrau Marathon (top 10% finisher)
• Boston Marathon ( non competitive)
• New York Marathon (enjoy occasion)

I won't run short, hectic IMRA races again because of injury risk
but I might try the longer trail races. I will try and avoid running the same race twice.

Krusty_Clown

Doesn't sound good. Any value in getting second opinions?
A great list, but personally I'd skip the cross-country. Did my token race last year. Not a pleasant experience!

mithril

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Doesn't sound good. Any value in getting second opinions?
A great list, but personally I'd skip the cross-country. Did my token race last year. Not a pleasant experience!

The physio I have is reputed to be one of the best around so I am inclined to trust him. With a damaged ankle, you still have good options for other sports even if you can no longer run. The hip joint is so key to movement that it's a lot more disabling if you wreck it.
When I tore the calf muscle, I collapsed like I was shot. I knew the hip was not right the day after the WW relay but I thought it was just a minor niggle at the time.
If it need to stop running due to injury, I would prefer to go out with a bang rather than a whimper.

I remember watching your cross-country race from the side-lines.
I was dressed for Arctic conditions with jacket and fleece and still shivering. I can only imagine what it was like in the Boards singlet.
A back of the pack performance will do fine for me but still like to try it, even if only once.

donothoponpop

Jeez Pat, just saw this, devestated for you:eek: To your credit, you seem to have taken a very practical approach to the next couple of years. Some great races in there, the sort of ones that are life-defining. Hope to line out on the Art O'Neill with you.

I'm with Krusty though, second opinion. Hell, a third and a fourth, until you find a physio who gives you some hope. FWIW, I know plenty of (good) runners who have been told to hang up their shoes because of injury, only to fight back after a couple of years. Any time I met you it was obvious how much enjoyment you get out of running, so fingers crossed things will right themselves soon. Best of luck.

mithril

I have not been told to give up running yet - just to rest for a few weeks - and I expect to be able to be able to get back to some easy running later this month.

There is some sort of recovery definitely happening; it’s just a lot slower than I would like and its uncertain whether I will be return to my previous level.

Rather than try and fix the cartilage with surgery, which does not have a good success rate, physio is recommending that I change my posture to reduce the load on the hip by engaging the glute muscles more.

I am checking out Cathriona McKiernan's Chi running course which might help with this.

TFBubendorfer

Jesus, sorry to read that. I really hope it's not as bad as it sounds.

As far as goals are concerned, sub 7:30 in Dingle is rather conservative for a runner of your calibre. Considering by how much you beat me in Connemara I'd say you have a shot at sub-7 on a good day. That obviously assumes that you can recover and train properly next year.

mithril

Thanks Thomas.
My best for 10k is 39 minutes which is not particularly impressive but a light build compensates as the distance and hills increase. I had a look at your own log and you seemed to have trained a lot better for Dingle than Connemara and saw the results on the day. Endurance leading to a high run:walk ratio rather than speed is the key.

One good call I made was to drop out of the race. I tried a 5K recovery along the Shannon in the University of Limerick campus on the way back which was fine at the time but I got a lot of inflammation next day which told me 50 miles might have been disastrous. I will see what a month of rest can achieve and if no improvement will then go for a few scans to try and get to the root of the issue.

mithril

Sunday
Summary: 5KM in 22:28 (4:29 pace) on grass by U.C.D

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Summary: 5KM in 22:52 (4:34 pace) on grass by U.C.D

Finally, my injury is showing signs of progress. Complete rest, an intensive sports massage, and the passage of time allowing natural recovery to take place seem to have worked but my physio is sceptical as to whether this is any more than a short term reprieve.
I think I made a mistake in continuing to cross-train during the injury and preserve fitness; the hip is so key to movement that virtually anything stresses it, and cycling and eliptical training probably delayed the recovery.


Taking it easy on grass for a few weeks and might try some of the x-country races if I continue to progress.

Then target Art O'Neill Ultra in January.

mithril

Wednesday
Rest

Thursday
Summary: 8KM in 33:33 (4:12 pace) on grass in U.C.D

Huge improvement in the last week but not quite there yet. Still don't think I could tolerate a surface harder than grass and would aggravate the injury if I tried running faster than this.

After 3 failed attempts to shake it off, I want to succeed this time.

Still this was a very comfortable run despite the 6 extra pounds I have put on while resting. Hard not to fill in the gap in the evening with food and drink and you are no longer burning the calories. About 30 seconds faster per KM for the equivalent effort during the Westmeath Marathon, when I was running with very compromised running form, as I was stressing other muscles to protect the hip.

mithril

Friday
Summary: 4KM in about 19:00 (4:45 pace) on grass in U.C.D

Yesterday was my fastest run since June, and a great lift, and still felt pretty fresh so I decided I would try another slower run and try and increase distance up to 10 KM.
When I started though, I realized legs were a bit sluggish and I was not moving nearly as freely as yesterday. As a precaution, abandoned the run after 4 KM. Don't think I am quite ready for back-to-back runs yet.

mithril

Saturday
17.7 KM in around 4:30
Not up yet to doing a long run so I decided instead I would do a recce of the second off-road leg of the Art O'Neill Ultra route, from Ballynultagh to Ballinagee bridge. After an initial good stone path up Black Hill, turned into a dreadful slog through mostly long grass in heavy drizzle for the rest of the route. My "water-proof" sealskinz socks were soaked the first waterlogged section of ground I passed through and I doubt I will use them again. Sorry I did not have a look at the East West map before I started since this shows a number of alternative tracks that might be better than then the OS version I was following. Appears to be consistent mobile coverage the whole time which is good from the point of view of safety.
Will be taking this section very cautiously.
The last time I did a night hike, a girl broke her leg in a hole on similar terrain on Cuilcagh mountain in Cavan and I never want to experience it again.

mithril

Sunday
Summary: 6.21KM in 33:24 (5:23 pace) on grass around Carysfort Park.
Felt unexpectedly tired and sore after yesterday's hike lot better after this recovery run.

mithril

Monday
Rest.

Tuesday
Summary: 10KM in 42:03 (4:12 pace) on grass in U.C.D

Reasonable run in isolation but I feel that I am moving 1 step forward one week, and then 1 step backwards, the next.
Still, at best, a constant dull ache which shows no sign of clearing up.

Limping after after the 4 hour hike on Saturday and I want to subject my body to more stress than that in the next few months.

mithril

Wednesday
Cross-training gym.

Thursday
Summary: 16KM in 1:15 (4:41 pace) on grass in U.C.D. .

Dug out the winter running shoe - Salomon Speedcross - and took advantage of the very soft ground for laps of the U.C.D. G.A.A. pitch in the dark and rain. Another summer gone and sorry I never got a chance to make proper use of it for running.

mithril

Friday.
Cross-training gym.
Still a lot of inflammation on the hip joint even after Thursday's run on water-logged grass which would be as close to a zero impact surface as you could find. Back again to physio if this does not improve.

Saturday
Summary: 5.05KM in 20:47 (4:07 pace) on U.C.D. track
Ran first few KMs very smoothly at 4:00 pace, but anerobic capability is in bits after the long lay-off. My last, fast run was in early June. Normally, I would expect to speed up to about 3:50 in the middle of a short run, but when pace started to drift out to 4:15 for the same equivalent effort, I cut the run short a bit sooner than planned.

mithril

Sunday
Summary: 23.94KM in 2:26 (6:08 pace) recce of 1st off-road stage of Art O'Neill Ultra from Kippure House to Ballynultagh car park and back.

Wanted to get a second run in this week-end, so took an Ibuprofen before heading to bed. Bad habit to get into, but seemed to have worked, since I felt great when I woke up, and the customary inflammation in the hip the day after a run was not present.

First long run on road for ages so deliberately kept the pace down. Time-on-the-feet is all that matters at the moment. What I understood to be the place where the river is normally crossed during the Ultra was blocked off with a “No "Trespassers" sign - understandably enough from public liability point of view because it’s beside a quarry - so instead crossed the Liffey at the recently repaired Ballysmuttan bridge. Explored a few route options but what appears to be the most straightforward one from the map is the best. Limping a little after the run, but now making obvious progress at last.

mithril

Monday
Rest. Surprised how tired and sore I was after Sunday's run. It was not injury, a run that I would previously have done 3 times a week, now feels like a big shock to the system.

Tuesday
Summary: Approx 10KM in 0:45 (4:15 pace) in 20 laps around U.C.D. G.A.A. pitch. The GPS ran out of charge so estmating time and pace.

mithril

Wednesday
Summary: 10KM in 0:42:33 (4:1 pace) around U.C.D. G.A.A. pitch.

Repeat of yesterday's run, this time in much nicer conditions. The G.A.A. players were out in force training this time, so needed to dodge the wayward shooting. 2 solid back-to-back runs completed now and happy with progress.

mithril

Thursday
Summary: 8KM in 0:40:40 (5:05 pace) recovery run around U.C.D. G.A.A. pitch. Hip started niggling, so abandoned the run 2K short.

kennyb3

Hi mithril,

Any chance you could give me the details for the physio you use? I know you said they were one of the best and you had confidience in them. The GF has a knee issue which doesnt seem to be going away despite visits to a number of physios.

Thanks

Brian

mithril

I have sent you a PM

mithril

Friday
Summary: 10KM in 0:47:14 (4:45 pace) run along the Royal Canal in Mullingar. Enjoyable off-road but flat route run but which felt tougher than pace indicates. Struggled a bit with the uneven ground.

Saturday
Rest.

Sunday
Summary: 22.6KM in 1:56 (5:05 pace) run from Sligo town to Rosses point and back again.
After a sleepness night in an overheated hotel room, got up at 7 for this run along the sea front with bare Ben Bulben's head for a backdrop.
Hip only a minor niggle but some soreness from the impact of the ground on my right sole - I have a badly fallen arch. Might need to experiment with insoles again if this persists.

mithril

Monday
Summary: 6KM in 0:24:36 (4:06 pace) on grass around Carysfort park.
Dusted down the Inov8 Mudclaws, which last saw service on a snowy Ticknock hill the time of the big freeze , and did a fast run around the park with them, as preparation for the race at the week-end.
Felt good on the race itself, and the sharp bends slowed me down somewhat, but got a twinge immediately after I stopped, and limping for a while.
Today was the last chance to enter Dublin marathon. I was playing around with the idea of running it to pick up a Boston Qualifying time - sub 3:21 for me - but in the end decided the injury risk was too high.
Might try the Florence Marathon in November instead, which will be too late for Boston qualification, but should be an enjoyable week-end away none the less.

mithril

Tuesday
Summary: 11.76KM in 0:51:29 (4:23 pace) on U.C.D. track with strides. Felt yesterday's run still in the legs more than I expected, or perhaps I still have not made up for a missed night's sleep at the weekend. This started as a slog but got easier as the run progressed and managed a nice 3:52 final K quite comfortably.
Switched over to my new pair of Brooks Adrenaline since obvious signs of wear and tear on the old model.

donothoponpop

mithril wrote: »

Switched over to my new pair of Brooks Adrenaline since obvious signs of wear and tear on the old model.

You have the 10's? How do they compare to previous incarnations? I swore by the 8's for a long time, tried the 9's, thought they were too heavy or something, just didn't seem right.

mithril

donothoponpop wrote: »

You have the 10's? How do they compare to previous incarnations? I swore by the 8's for a long time, tried the 9's, thought they were too heavy or something, just didn't seem right.

Picked up a pair of 9's cheap in John Buckley' sportshop in Cork when I was down for Cork marathon. I thought my old pair were 9's as well but I notice a few differences in styling and feel so I think they were probably 8's. Impossible to tell now what they were with all the layers of grime and wear on the shoe.
It does feel a bit heavier than my old model now you mention it. Can't really assess it though on one short run. I will have a better feel once I get a few LSR's in. No shortage of other shoes in my house to try if it does not suit.

mithril

Wednesday
Summary: 8.38KM in 0:48:37 (5:48 pace) recovery along Barnaslingan Lane in Kiltiernan. New route and good one, albeit a bit hilly. 10 minutes from work to this quiet, country lane.

Krusty_Clown

mithril wrote: »

Wednesday
Summary: 8.38KM in 0:48:37 (5:48 pace) recovery along Barnaslingan Lane in Kiltiernan. New route and good one, albeit a bit hilly. 10 minutes from work to this quiet, country lane.

Nice run. I was in those parts earlier today. Head into Barnaslingan, and the trails are particularly forgiving underfoot, or across to Carrigologan (which is a little more rocky and uneven). Some great views around there too.

mithril

Thursday
Summary: 10KM in 0:41:29 (4:09 pace) on U.C.D. track. Found this a bit tougher than it should have been so shortened the run with Saturday's race in mind.