My UltraRunning log

mithril

Summary:
Cycle along the coast from Blackrock to Malahide and back again.
61.1 KM in 3:00 (20.4 kmph).

mithril

Ibuprofen, ice, stretching and easy cross-training in gym.

One bright note - I weighed myself and 9 stone dead which is my normal race weight. I had expected to put on a few pounds with the holiday and enforced break from training.

mithril

Summary:
Another cycle this time in the opposite direction along the coast from Blackrock to Rathnew and back again.
82.3 KM in 4:02 (20.4 kmph).

mithril

Saturday
Summary: 8.1KM in 40:51 (5:02 pace) along Royal Canal.

Found this tougher than it should have been. Running action way off - glutes not firing properly and putting excessive load on the hips. A week's break from running does not seem to have helped since just felt rusty with noticeable loss of conditioning.

Memorable only for bringing me over 1000 miles for the year.

Aimman

How did you get on today in Mullingar?

mithril

Monday
Summary: 42.16KM in 3:24 (4:51 pace) in Westmeath marathon.

The original plan was to run two of the 32 marathon challenges back-to-back at planned ultra marathon pace, but since I am still carrying a niggle, I decided to settle for the final one only in the series which started right beside my mother's house in Mullingar.

The course follows a route to the south of the town, initially along the Royal Canal, then via country roads to Belvedere Gardens - a former stately home that has been opened to the public - and then back along the N52 to the Town Park. 1 lap for half marathon, runners and a second one to make up the full marathon.

This marathon was superbly organized, they had 31 previous races to practise and by this point everything was working like clockwork. The two guys running the challenge are local and there appeared to be more volunteers than runners in the second lap
The only criticism I would make was that the speeches at the start were interminable and most of the runners were getting fed up by the time we started 30 minutes late.

There was a little bit of congestion at the start along the narrow canal path but I was not running for a fast time so relaxed and gradually moved up the field.

I was looking out for Aimman who I knew was running but for some reason was expecting him to be wearing a dark shirt so was surprised when he popped up beside me in red. He had run the Leitrim race the previous day but did not seem in the slightest tired and was moving a lot better than me at that stage in the race. We ran together for a bit but since my target pace was faster than his, it made more sense for me to move on after we had updated each other on how the training for Dingle was progressing.

The first 10 Km was dead flat along the Royal Canal tow path but with a slight head wind. I resisted the temptation to speed up at this stage and used the Garmin to maintain steady 5 minute/ KM pace which will be my planned race pace for most of Dingle with the exception of the hills.

We then left the canal via a well-marshalled country road to Belvedere Gardens along the shore of Lough Ennell. This had been very run down in my time in the town, since the final owner no longer had the money to properly maintain it, it but has been transformed since it was taken into public ownership by the council and the verdant plant-life was in full bloom. We encountered our only serious hill of the route in the park - I suspect that the organizers had deliberately chosen flat routes given the nature of the challenge - but it was brief and shortly after we were heading back to town on the hard shoulder of the N52 to complete the first lap.

There was a huge cheer as I completed my first lap in 1:44 but it was for Michael O' Leary of Ryanair fame immediately ahead who had done a lot to promote the challenge and who had given his all to finish the half in a very respectable time. My mother said he was utterly wrecked and when the organizers tried to get a few words out of him for once he was so out of breath he could not say a word.

The second lap was much quieter since most of the runners had entered the half and the field was well spilt out by that stage. I had my own personal escort on bike for much of the second half of the course and after we got chatting we realized that we had sat together in school 25 years ago. He had just been back from France, after cycling up Mont Ventoux and a few of the other famous climbs on the Tour De France so clearly is a pretty serious cyclist these days.

The reminiscing about school days passed the time and I was in Belvedere for the second time before I realized it. I had stayed fairly close to the target pace up until now but for the final 10k I took the shackles off and ran it at around 4:40 pace. I had managed to improve the movement fluency from what it was two days earlier through stretching, but the running action is still off and I would not have been able to sustain a pace faster than 4:30/KM.

The last section was very comfortable since one benefit of running 3 ultras this year is that a marathon feels a little short and I still had plenty of reserves. There was a good crowd in the park and I was one of the early marathon finishers so I got a good reception as I crossed the line in 3:24.

I had to leave immediately so was not around to see the two organizers or Aimman finish. Nearly half million raised for Autism Ireland and other charities in the challenge, and I am sure they got their well-deserved reward for two years of meticulous planning and a very arduous physical challenge completed.

Aimman

Fantastic running, and a brilliant report that I can 100% relate to, it was probably the best organised and stewarded race I've attended. The hill out of Belvedere was a bit of a bitch and knew it would be a challenge 2nd time around. see you in Dingle (at the start line, lol)

mithril

A lot of inflammation localized in the hip so just Ibuprofen and rest for today.
Other than that, feel quite fresh and I would be confident that I could manage another 3:30 marathon run today if I went for it.
Now my physio is back from holdiays , scheduled a few sessions and hopefully I will get this sorted before the race.

mithril

Cross training in gym.

mithril

Thursday
Summary: 7KM in 33:15 (4:45 pace) on grass at U.C.D.

Took 2 IbuProfen before run and managed to amble along at this pace with only a little discomfort but would not be able to manage anything faster.

mithril

Banned from running by physio until condition improves so cross-training in gym. Root issue appears to be with joint rather than muscle/tendon which is not what I wanted to hear.

sarsfieldsrock

Thats bad luck. Only thing is that you would be starting your taper shortly so you should still be fine for Dingle once it clears up.

mithril

sarsfieldsrock wrote: »

Thats bad luck. Only thing is that you would be starting your taper shortly so you should still be fine for Dingle once it clears up.

Well I have hardly been doing any running the last few weeks anyway so won't make a huge deal of difference. Any sort of run now causes inflammation of the hip joint and I was taken back by how concerned the physio was by the condition.

RacoonQueen

Does your physio know you're planning on running 50 miles in 4 weeks time?

mithril

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Does your physio know you're planning on running 50 miles in 4 weeks time?

Yes. He has not ruled it out yet.

mithril

Sunday
Summary:
Cycle along the coast from Blackrock to Malahide and back again.
66.82 KM in 3:09 (21.2 kmph).

mithril

Rest, ice and ibuprofen.

Nice bright evening, ideal for a run up the hills, but training runs are counter-productive for me at the moment so I decided instead to spend the evening doing my tax return.

mithril

Ibuprofen, cross-training in gym, more Ibuprofen.

No longer limping when I walk but still painful to hop on right leg.

mithril

Getting a bit concerned about the quantity of Ibuprofen I have shoved into my system continuously for the last few weeks so abstained from the final dose I habitually take before going to bed. Felt sh*t though when I woke up and noticeably limping. Consoled myself with plenty of pints and a large pizza watching Ireland lose. Not the ideal preparation for a 50 mile race.

Krusty_Clown

Bit of pot calling the kettle black, but the question has to be asked... Should you really be doing the race?

mithril

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Bit of pot calling the kettle black, but the question has to be asked... Should you really be doing the race?

Still too early to tell - there are a few weeks yet to recover and until I need to make my decision.
I am not too worried about the missed training. I have a good base from earlier in the year and I don't think it's as important to peak for an ultra as it would be for a shorter race.

There is an option to drop out after 24 miles when the race passes through Dingle for the first time so I think I should at least attempt to start the race. I was in very bad shape a few days before the Laugavegur Ultra and no-one who saw me limping badly at work could believe what I was about to do but it worked out pretty good in the end.

It's not a goal of mine to reach the age of 80 with a perfect body. I accept a certain amount of wear and tear as the price to do the things I enjoy and habitually run through niggles. I think there was only a 4 week period this year that I was completely injury free.

Krusty_Clown

That seems like a sensible approach (the option to drop out after 24 miles). I have no doubt that you can complete the race, even on limited training, but the real question is: what if you worsen your existing injury to a point where you are prevented from doing the things you enjoy? Does your physio have an opinion?

I'm not your granny, and I'll leave you alone now. Just trying to provide a bit of balance to the standard runner's one tracked mind-set (I'd be exactly the same in your boat).

mithril

Summary:
Cycle along the coast from Blackrock to Howth and back again.
41KM in 1:58 (20.9 kmph).

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That seems like a sensible approach (the option to drop out after 24 miles). I have no doubt that you can complete the race, even on limited training, but the real question is: what if you worsen your existing injury to a point where you are prevented from doing the things you enjoy? Does your physio have an opinion?

I'm not your granny, and I'll leave you alone now. Just trying to provide a bit of balance to the standard runner's one tracked mind-set (I'd be exactly the same in your boat).

That's what the rational side of my brain says as well.
You never will find a physio advise you to run through an injury and he thinks at least 5 weeks to fully recover. I need to be able to run without pain by next week to have a good chance of being fit enough to make it.

It’s a pretty serious injury since cartilage on the hip is damaged and options for surgical repair are limited.
He is more concerned with the dangers of trail running than wear and tear on a road.
He thinks I got a jolt somewhere on the WW relay that caused it but I don't remember anything. If there is a re-occurrence, I probably will have to stop running. My appearances in IMRA races next year will be few and far between.

Krusty_Clown

That's a shame (about the IMRA races). Glucosamine and chrondoitin?

mithril

Cross-training in gym.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

That's a shame (about the IMRA races). Glucosamine and chrondoitin?

I already take them every day when I remember.
Hard to know whether they make any difference. Unlikely to do any harm anyway.
What I really need is a body twenty years younger with less wear and tear.

mithril

Saturday
Summary:
Cycle along the coast from Blackrock to Howth and back again.
43.85KM in 1:55 (22.8 kmph).

mithril

Sunday and Monday
Cross-training in gym.

Tuesday
Cycle along the coast from Blackrock to Swords and back again.
67 KM in 3:02 (22 kmph). Probably a bit longer since I had the Garmin turned off for part of the cycle and that’s the same distance as I previously recorded for Malahide..

I have never been to Swords before and as I child I figured that anywhere called after a weapon must be an exciting place. Nice castle ruins to wander around in the park so did not entirely disappoint.

Losing the fitness battle, unfortunately. There is a recovery happening and I am now longer limping when I walk but it’s at glacial pace and might give it back entirely once I start running again.

mithril

Cross-training in gym and 2KM @ 6 min/KM pace.

Able to run at this pace without pain, but with an unnatural gait, and clearly are stressing my other muscles, particularly the calves to protect the hip.
Anything faster is painful, and I have learned that trying to run through it only causes additional damage.

RacoonQueen

Any verdict on Dingle yet then?

How does the injury hold up on the bike? I assume it feels ok cycling?

mithril

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Any verdict on Dingle yet then?

How does the injury hold up on the bike? I assume it feels ok cycling?

I have another appointment with the physio tomorrow, and I will take a call after that whether there is any point persevering.

Bike seems to be OK.

I have tried swimming as well but I just find the lack of stimulation from the environment dreadfully boring. I also get a feeling of slow suffocation as I swim which I realize is down to poor technique. I might do a few swimming lessons if there is a long lay-off, since it would give me a few options if I decided to try a triathlon next year. I would need a new bike for that as well though if I decided to do it anyways competitively.

The best exercise is on an elliptical trainer in the gym, but even with a mp3 player, there is only so much you can endure before you collapse with boredom.