Some runs are no fun

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

I could tell by the top of the hill out of Copa this morning that my 29km was going to be hard work.  My legs felt leaden and I was breathing hard.  This wasn’t supposed to be happening.  I expected to be fresher after two easy running days, and wondered whether I was coming down with something.  I considered cutting the run short, but if I wasn’t actually ill, I couldn’t think of a good excuse.



I used to be pretty quick up hills, even aged 38.

I resigned myself to a miserable run and tried to tune out from the fatigue I was feeling.  Fortunately, I had brought along my radio and headphones, so I had some current affairs and talkback to listen to as I plodded along.  The issue with comebacks, whether from injury or a lay-off, is that the muscles that you had fine-tuned before the layoff have lost their strength and their fine-tuning.  During the comeback phase, it’s hard to maintain the most efficient posture, your running style suffers, your stride length shortens, and it takes more effort to cover the ground.  At my age I know it will take about three weeks to get this strength back.  Long slow runs help the rebuilding process, but can be very hard work.



Runners near the finish of a recent edition of the
Mount Washington Road Race (7.6 miles and 4560 ft)

Today, the hills seemed to be especially hard work, which was frustrating because I have always prided myself on my hill-running strength.  I continued on, trying not to think about how far I had to go, and eventually finished in a slow 2:41.  The whole run was worse than I had expected, but that added to the sense of satisfaction I felt when I finished and it was out of the way.  I have faith that I will feel the benefits in two or three days and have taken another step towards my goal.

Niggles or injuries

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

My feet were still red, swollen and itchy from the leech bites when I got up and I tied my shoes more loosely than usual to ease the discomfort.  However, my main concern was how my right groin niggle was going to feel on this morning’s run.  If it was worse than on Sunday, then I would be smart to rethink my training plans for the remainder of the week.  I was hoping to do another long run tomorrow as part of my comeback, but knew I would be stupid to do that, if I had a worsening injury.

The climb out of Copa is never easy

I have found that it is often the second day after a long and/or hard run when any injuries show up.  I’m not sure if there’s any medical basis for this theory, but maybe the general soreness and fatigue on the day after a long run can mask injuries.  I also sometimes wonder whether long runs generate certain reactions in the body that facilitate lubrication and movement and that it takes these responses a day to fade away and reveal the extent of any specific injuries.

Anyway, this morning I set out with a little more trepidation than usual on the second day after Sunday’s long run.  The first kilometre of my usual recovery 10km is mostly flat and I jogged very slowly as I examined my body for any signs of injury with every step.  My right knee and Achilles were a little sore, but although I could feel some minor pain in the right groin, it didn’t seem any worse than on Sunday.  The second kilometre of this run is a steady climb, and as usual, I was warmed up by the time I reached the top.  Despite some general stiffness and lethargy, I felt comfortable and went on to complete the run without any problems in a reasonable time for the course.  I never force the pace or run to a time on these recovery runs, just cruise along at whatever pace feels comfortable.  The time I run for the known course gives me good feedback on how recovered I am.  By tomorrow, I should feel a bit fresher and will take the risk of a longer run.

I have entered the Macleay River Half Marathon on Sunday, more by default than for any other reason.  Sharon was entering the associated marathon, and since we were going to be there for the weekend anyway, I decided I might as well have a run.  However, during today’s run I began question the wisdom of running the Half.  I would probably end up running faster than was good for me at this time and maybe risk injury for no reward.  Instead, depending on how the next few days of training goes, maybe I will upgrade to the Marathon, if I can, and just treat it as the next long run in my comeback series of long runs.

Recovering from long runs

Monday, 3 June 2013

In my running prime in Melbourne, I frequently ran with a group for a hard 30km or more in the Dandenong Ranges on a Sunday morning and followed it up with a social 10km warm-down run with some of the same running friends on the grass oval at Wattle Park in the evening.  I won’t say it was easy to do, but it was quite manageable in terms of recovery.  As the years have passed, there has been a very noticeable decline in my recovery rate after a long run and even a 10km run the next day has become a chore.  My body is still very stiff 24 hours after the long run and these 10km runs would be very slow and very hard work.

It took me a long time to get over the 2008 Deep
Space Trail Marathon

For many years, right through into my fifties, I still forced myself to run on the days after long runs thinking that it was weakness to give in to the creaks and groans from my ageing body.  I finally began to wonder whether this dogged perseverance was actually hindering my recovery and increasing the risk of subsequent injury and began to experiment with walking on the recovery day as an alternative.

I feel sure that, for the cardio-vascular system, it would be better to run than walk on recovery days.  However, I am now of the opinion that walking is the right option for me in my sixties.  It gently works the same muscles, is weight-bearing and burns nearly as many kilojoules as would a run of the same distance.  I am thinking about adding an evening jog to my morning walk as I ramp up my training for the Melbourne Marathon on the basis that the morning walk will work out the post-long run stiffness, but will back off if it seems not to be working.

After a bad night’s sleep resulting from yesterday’s leech bites, I was late to get myself out the door for my recovery 5km walk and a little fearful that the right Achilles and groin pain might still be significant.  As it turned out, I could feel both injuries, but not badly enough to change my training plans for the week, and I felt better for having the exercise.

Joys of trail running

Sunday, 2 June 2013

In the last two years, I have organised occasional runs along the Great North Walk (GNW) for interested Terrigal Trotters members.  We hire a bus, charge a small fee, and drop runners at one point on the GNW and pick them up at another.  The runs vary in length between 25km and 40km and we provide some drinks and nibbles somewhere along the way and at the finish.  The runs have become quite popular with usually 20 to 40 people participating.

Today was the GNW run from Wakefield to Congewai, a distance of 40km, with a shorter 30km option.  I planned to do the 40km as the next in my program of a long run every three days with the goal of turning myself from a hiker into a runner.  Although yesterday’s run indicated to me that I was making progress, I still didn’t feel like a runner and my right Achilles tendon, and now my right groin, were giving me some trouble.  It may have been safer to have a rest day, but I enjoy the GNW runs for the camaraderie and bush experience, and with two easier training days coming up, I decided to take the chance and run.



Finishing the Wakefield to Congewai 40km Trotters Trail Run

It turned out to be a wet, cold and windy day and I hung back early and tried to run within myself while enjoying the company of some fellow runners for the early kilometres.  This section of the GNW is particularly tough and it took about 4 hours to cover the first 23km that included precipitous ascents and descents on slippery muddy trail through very dark and gloomy rainforest valleys.  I wasn’t going fast, but the climbs and dangerous footing gradually wore me down anyway.  Much of the last 17km was on a saturated and puddle-strewn fire trail along a high windswept ridge in steady rain and gale-force winds.  I was only wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and began to get very cold with an hour to go and was dreaming of dry clothes and a warm bus.  I stopped to put on the rain-jacket I was carrying and this took longer than it should because of the difficulty I had in using my fingers.  I was getting clumsy and I knew this was a bad sign in these conditions.  As is my habit in challenging conditions, I kept reminding myself that I was still moving at an acceptable pace and that my brain was functioning.

Eventually I reached the point where the trail becomes single-track and drops off the ridge down into the Congewai Valley where the bus was waiting 5km away.  I caught a couple of the club’s female members, also ready for the bus, but still in good cheer after having been lost for a while.

I knew I was a bit cold-affected when I took an inordinately long time to dry off and change into warmer clothes, and I was still shivering 30 minutes later.  However, I had completed the run as planned, and although both Achilles and groin were quite sore at times, was optimistic that there was no serious damage done.  One after effect of the run lingered through the night during which I woke numerous times with itchy, painful and swollen feet reacting to the number of leech bites I had sustained.  Leeches are an occupational hazard of runs in the Central Coast bush in, or soon after, wet weather, but I have never reacted as badly.  It’s uncomfortable, but only a superficial problem that does not prevent me training and will be gone in a few days (although I have known people to have leech bites develop into significant infection problems).

Terrigal Trotters

Saturday, 1 June 2013

I have come to love my Saturday morning runs with Terrigal Trotters.  There’s a lot to like about a Club that consistently draws more than 100 people down to the Terrigal beachfront for a 6:00am run every Saturday morning, rain hail or shine.  Saturday runs are recorded for each member and several have more than 1,000 to their credit.  I’m on the Club Committee and do a few volunteer jobs around the Club so still go down to Terrigal, even if I am injured, but it’s much more fun when I am fit and running well.  We have a variety of courses between 10 and 16 kilometres in length and most incorporate some killer hills and trail.  They start socially, and then get more serious for those of a competitive nature in the second half.  I enjoy the camaraderie and rivalry and savour the sometimes hard-fought runs back to the beach and finish.



Terrigal Trotters gather after a Saturday morning run

I believe that it’s important to have some fast “tempo” running as part of a training program and the Saturday morning runs with Trotters provide a weekly opportunity  for one.

However, for this morning’s run, I knew I would be foolhardy to get competitive, given my still tired and sore body.  So I hung back early, chatting to friends and waiting for my body to warm up and see how I was moving.  There were a few tough hills in the first four kilometres and I just jogged slowly up them, passing many of my fellow Trotters who tend to walk up the very steep hills.  As is usually the case, the hills warmed me up quickly and by the top of the first, I was getting into a comfortable running rhythm.  For the rest of the run, I concentrated on just running steadily without straining and fought off the temptation to chase some fellow runners I could see ahead, who I would usually expect to beat, and on whom I was gradually closing.  I could feel the competitive juices starting to flow, but restrained myself and finished the 13.5km run comfortably tired.  There were still a few niggles, but I feel like I am making progress on my plan to spend these three weeks turning myself back into a runner after three weeks of hiking.