Breaking those mental barriers

This week has been a good one, totalling 54 miles. After all the injuries and niggles over the last couple of months, it's finally great to get a good 50-odd miler training week under the belt again, and it felt comfortable too.

On Saturday I met up with some of the guys (and gal) from the Cool Runnings website over here in Oz, and we went for a 45km trail run on the Great North Walk course. In reality this was to be the second furthest distance I'd ever run, but my head is in such a good space at the moment that I didnt really give it much of a second thought in terms of distance in the slightest. In fact I looked at it 'merely as a simple 45kms'. And that's not trying to sound arrogant in any way in the slightest. I think having done the 100km, anything else looks very manageable. even the thought of doing 'just' the 100km in the Great North Walk seems OK, and I'm now seriously considering doing the 175km instead. Crazy man!

Anyway's up at 5am and we eventually got to the start point at 7:45am, and took off for the first section, which was a casual 27.5kms through the bush. Terrain was quite similar to the Glasshouse course, with plenty of trail tracks and up and down into the bush, however this was a slightly prettier course I think, with some dives straight down into the creeks and quite dense bush. The section we were to cover was from the 103kms to 148kms part of the course.

We took the first 28kms relatively steady, and knocked them off in 4 hours, a nice and steady time. It started off at a very comfortable temperature, however it soon warmed up and hit a peak of around 27 degrees I think. what was noticeable was that even thought the temperatures yesterday and in Brisbane were very similar, the humidity levels were a million miles apart and running was very comfortable. I'll add as well that I was carrying around a 3-4kg backpack and was trying out the OMM this time round.

The second section was a pretty quick 18kms, which was predominantly downhill, along some loose rocky area, but mainly following the creek, all the way back to where the cars where parked. However where there is creek and hot sunshine, there are also snakes. We came up against 3-4 of the red belly snakes that look a little like this:



The closest we came was about 3kms from our finish as Innes and I were merrily running along at quite a quick pace. Suddenly he stopped me and there he was rearing his head at us. Fortunately these guys whilst venomous, are not overly dangerous! However it took a few stamps of the feet to get rid of him into the bush!

It is however a real thing to consider when we are running in the bush. I tend to only look at my feet when running and not really that far in front of me, so I really need to be on my toes!

Anyway, after that, we hit the road for the final kilometre back to the cars and knocked off a very speedy 18kms in just under 2 hours, t leave us at just under 6 hours for the total 45kms. It was a great run and also felt very comfortable too, so much so that I've been out for a nice 2.5 mile recovery as well today. It's great that I can run these distances (albeit at low intensity), but bounce back really well from them. I think in January and February I'm pretty much going to run one of those marathon plus distances a week. They're good fun to do and are great training.

This week will be slightly shorter in distance as I have the Melbourne marathon the weekend after and I was to try and break 3hrs 30mins for the first time. I wont taper too much this week, but still do 40 miles, and then a few 5 milers early next week, still taking that total above 40 miles too with the marathon. I don't however want to bugger myself over too much!

Nice and easy

I shortened my run last night from a whopping 6 miles to 4.5 :) in truth I didn't want to push myself too hard ahead of this weekend's longer run where I'm heading out for a cool 45kms... nice! So last night was nice and easy and I also taped up my knee and it didn't hurt at all, so there's something to be said for the taping I think. The calf wasn't too bad either, so all in a very steady and nice evening run. Looking forward to the run tomorrow. Another good chance to spend some serious time on my feet and get an ultra length in so to speak. The guys I'm running with are pretty good, so will have to keep my pace up!

A solid 17kms

So Wednesday is now my designated 'longer run in the week' day. So a nice little 11 miles, or 17kms was order of the dya last night. It's meant to be slow and steady, but I can't resist throwing in a few quicker kms just to get the old heart rate up as I really want to focus on building up some fitness ahead of the Melbourne marathon. So after a nice 7kms steady build up, I got to the Bay, and thrashed out the first 1.5kms, probably a bit quick as my knee started to hurt a little. A gentle 500m jog was then followed with another 1km thrash, before 1km jog and 500m thrash again. I think I may have strained my knee ligament slightly again. It's funny, I can get round a 100km race with no aches and pains, but as soon as I ramp it up for 1500m, the pain comes back. Maybe it just doesnt like going quickly... tough bloody luck to be honest!

So all in a nice 17kms in a gentle 1hr 25min... Still probably too quick, but it didnt feel quick at all, in fact I positively slowed down loads in teh last 3-4kms to a very gentle jogging pace.

Am planning a 40-45km run with Innes at the weekend, one of the guys I met up at the Glasshouse 100 as part of the training for GNW

Bloody concrete

Unusual title for a blog post, but I really hate the stuff! Since moving North of the city for work, I thought it would provide me with a great opportunity to get the longer distances running to and from work. However it's all on pavements and really solid concrete, which plays havoc on my calfs. Plus the endless stopping and starting at traffic lights makes this a bit of a no-goer, which is disappointing really. Last night I ran home, a nice 13km jog, but the left calf is still slightly sore. It doesn't stop me running, but it always feels like its going to pull, so I am wary of it. This means I'll have to carry on running when I get home from work as around Balmain, I can get onto the roads where its much softer believe it or not!

Last night I carried around 4kgs in the backpack, and will gradually increase this and the amount of runs with it over the coming months. The next 5 months are pretty critical now, and I have to stay injury free as I'll be doing some serious work load on the running front, gradually getting to around 160kms a week for a few weeks in February before bringing it down for some well-earned taper.

Tonight will be a slightly longer and slower 16km run with a slightly heavier backpack, before a faster lighter run on Thursday. Pretty much the par do course now for the next 3 months. I've felt that I've lost a slight bit of fitness over the last couple of months. I'm still around a 3hr 35 marathon I think, but I want that down by 10 minutes, so doing that at Melbourne will be the focus. So some nice fast runs between now and then I think! Following that it will be head down for the slow heavy stuff.

Hot weekend

So Saturday was a 'take the missus on her longest training run' day, so we did a very steady 16kms, clocking in around 1hr 55mins, as she prepares for her first half marathon. She did really well given how hot it was on Saturday and it was nice for me to use that as a bit of warm-down from last weekend's epic race. However I felt so tired on Sunday and still a little achey for some reason. So all I did on Sunday was a gentle 2 mile recovery run. I was going to go out and do another 10 miler, but to be honest I would have just tired myself out even more, so rest up I thought and chill ahead of a nice longer training run at the weekend, where I'm planning on heading out with Innes from the Cool Running website, and doing around 40kms of the Great North Walk track.

I'm planning on doing another 100km event, so this will be good training for that. Although from what I hear this one is a bit harder, so it will be good prep. It was also the Sydney marathon this weekend, and it seems a little strange not doing it, but sensible head took over and I thought best not to do it. Plus I think it's a bit of a rip-off to pay $150 to run around the same routes I do for free. Maybe next year hey?

A steady 10km

So after the trials and tribulations of last weekend, it was back down to business tonight with a nice easy 10km. I must say, running up the hills of my normal route in Balmain seemed a million times easier tonight having gone up the hills of the Glasshouse Mountains last week. I was positively flying up them, and again had to slow myself down to prevent me over doing it. So this weekend will be two days of around 17kms each day to take the total up to 50kms for the week. Not too bad following the 100km at the weekend. Tomorrow will be the Bay Run with the missus and taking her on her longest run yet ahead of the Melbourne half-marathon.

And so we return...

After a bit of soreness on Monday and Tuesday, I felt a million times better yesterday and was walking freely and easily. So much so that I went for very easy 5kms last night to shake out the old legs. I actually had to force myself to go slower as I really didnt want to risk any kind of injury. The next 6 months now are where the proper training starts. Over the last 10-11 months I've built up a solid base, and now the heavy stuff starts.

I've got the Melbourne marathon on Oct 12th, but I'm not really tapering for this, can't be bothered. If I run a PB great, if I don't it's not important. The next big one, which I have to do now is the Great North Walk, and then the Deep Space marathon down in Canberra which looks like a great little hike.

From December onwards I'll be gradually increasing the mileage, and peaking at around 150kms a week in February, before a 3 week taper in March ahead of the MDS. This is where it really starts now, no injuries please... and nice run-in to March is required!

Welcome to the dark side... The Glasshouse 100km trail run

Ok, so this is a bit long, but enjoy!

This was it. My first foray into the side of running that is known as the ‘dark side’. I’ve never been above 42kms in my life in a race, and like most people venturing into the 100kms for the first time, I wondered if it was a step too far? However my mindset for these things is that you really just have to get your head down, grin and bear it. I knew it would be painful and that it would test my mental resolve, but this was exactly the kind of challenge I needed ahead of the marathon des sables next year. If I could get through 100kms here, then the long day in the MDS would be a piece of piss!

So off to Brisbane I flew on the Friday night, picked up my accommodation in the form of a tent from some very generous cool runners, and arrived at Beerberrum School at 6pm, barely knowing a soul, and the reason why some English lad had rocked up in the middle of nowhere.

I soon started chatting to people and it was great to see Ray, whom I’ve met in a few races now down in NSW. The plan was to sleep in the tent at the school, and recreate what I’d be doing in the desert, but minus the sand bit! However even the weather couldn’t get it right as it started to hammer it down before I’d even put the tent up! So after a very jovial briefing and some pasta, I got my head down at around 9pm, eagerly waiting for the 4:30am alarm call.

I actually slept pretty well and got a good 6 hours in, got kitted up and stood nervously at the start line, not really knowing what Id let myself in for. I didn’t know the course in terms of terrain, all I knew was that I just had to run (as best I could).

The first 30kms…
Straight in we were issued with a curve ball, and lovely short sharp climb up Mount Beerberrum, which had everyone walking in the first 2kms! From there I ended up running with a great chap, Glen from Brisbane, and we pretty much stayed together for 30kms. The trail was OK, and despite getting hotter, I actually felt pretty good and the legs were holding up well. There were another few short sharp hills thrown in, but nothing too awful. We reached CP5, with another quick break, refueled up with more water, and I was looking forward to the section called ‘Powerlines’, which on the grapevine I’d heard was one of the hardest sections. When we reached there I knew why. Glen knew these trails like the back of his hand and had run most of the sections. The first 50 metres or so were a sheer rock face drop down. Not more than 10 metres into the climb down did I skid, fall over and cut myself. That kind of knocked my confidence a little, and over the next 4kms of up and down, I started to struggle. It was really starting to warm-up too and we were exposed. It was at this point that Glen started to pull away a couple of hundred metres or so, and it was a long, slow jog up to CP8, where we would begin the two loops.









The next 30kms…
At CP8, I knew things were going downhill. It was hot and I was feeling dehydrated somewhat too. The pack was also taking it’s toll, and although I only had around 4kgs in there, my back was really starting to hurt. With two loops that both finished back at CP8, I made the decision to dump the pack for the next 18kms of the two loops and focus on getting round.

The first loop was 10kms, and it was tough! I didn’t take enough water with me, and coupled with the dehydration already, I suffered badly on this section (8a), but the highlight was definitely seeing a 3 metre long python crawl along our running track! In the end however, I was just pleased to have made it back to CP 8 after that section, although at this point, I started to lose it somewhat. I’d never been above 42kms, and I’d just done 47kms and was feeling like utter shite. I’ll admit it became a little emotional, so I gave Melody (the missus a call), and I was as on the verge of losing it. She calmed me down though, in only the way she could, and made things seem much clear (God I love that girl ).

I needed to sort myself out though, so I stayed here for about 30 minutes, the longest stop of the lot. I needed to get the fluid back in me, and I must have guzzled nearly 2 litres of water and some Sustagen to get some energy back in me.

I said to myself that I’d see how the next section went, and if I was still feeling crap, then 54kms was a pretty good show in my book So off I set for the next 8km loop, and again, more difficult decent and the heat taking it’s toll. It was about 3kms in where I met up with what was to be my running partner for the next 25kms or so, Kelly. He was suffering like me in a big way, but his mental resolve was amazing. I’ll say it now, but this fella is responsible for getting me through this race. So many times I wanted to chuck it in, but he refused to let me do it, and made me promise that I wouldn’t DNF.

So on we trundled through the 8b loop, which was made a lot better by having someone to run with, something I don’t normally do. A very quick pit stop at 8 again meant that any thoughts of chucking it in where quickly quashed by Kelly who was keen to move onto CP7, and what would be the start of the trip home. This next 9kms or so was relatively flat, and both Kelly and I tried to run what we could, but both of us suffered from very sore feet, again neither of us very experienced over this distance at all.

It was a long hard slog to 7, and about 2kms from the CP, my feet started to hurt badly. I was having trouble walking and the thought of doing another 35kms then just seems like utter craziness to be honest. This is where for the second time I made my mind up to stop and finish here. 65kms was a great result I thought, almost the longest day distance in the MDS, and a good show I thought. Kelly however saw this in my eyes and again made me promise that we would be crossing that finish line later tonight. It was gut wrenching, but I couldn’t say no, so I promised that I would carry on. However I had to rest up at CP7, the feet were in so much pain and I needed to get painkillers down me fast.





The final 35kms
CP 7 saved my race to be honest. 4 painkillers and 2 cheese sandwiches later and I was like a new man. With dark approaching, I made the decision to dump the ruck sack entirely. OK, so on the MDS I can’t do this, but if I wanted to finish this race respectably then the ruck sack had to go. So I pulled out bare essentials: water bottle, head torch, fleece, phone and hat and off I went. I caught up with Kelly in no time who was hurting at this point and could barely muster a run. I don’t know what happened to me, but I was now flying and I ran the next 4.5kms at pretty much normal pace, I was bouncing here!

Back at CP 7, I had another quick rest and another cheese sandwich and went off to catch Kelly again who was about 1km up the road. He couldn’t run, so he told me to carry on. I felt bad, the guy was in pain, but I knew he’d finish up. I promised to wait at the finish for him (if I made it!). So off I ran, and for the next 10kms kept a good 5:1 run/walk strategy going. However it then got dark quick, and in the bush with the dense trees, it was very dark. This is where I found out that my small and lightweight head torch was actually pretty shit. It made running impossible because the ground was so undulating, and it wasn’t bright enough to give me the light that I needed. Plus the fact that my eyesight is also pretty shite!

So after a long 4kms or so of walking, I made it to CP6 where some beautiful veggie and pasta soup was on offer, along with a rissole. The food at each of the CPs was amazing and I was surprised at just how much I could eat along the way. Makes me realize that the MDS will be so much harder without hot soup! Anyways, another little rest and I was off again into the night along. The next 20kms or so varied between open trail and dense bush. I was pleased that I was able to run most of it, but had to walk where I couldn’t see properly, which really slowed me down. At 85kms I saw the most beautiful sight of the whole race. On the open trail, the full moon shone through brilliantly on the backdrop of a few of the Glasshouse Mountains, and it was such a sight. I remember standing at the top of one of the hills and thought that the last 85kms were worth getting to this point for – it was so beautiful.

However with 15kms to go this was thrown back out of the window, and another final curve ball was thrown our way with 5kms of really tough goat track, and with my shite light, this slowed me down so much. It was here that I was caught by another Cool runner, Brick and with his powerful torch, we got through to the last CP at 5, refueled again and went off with just 12kms to go. This is where I knew it was done. 12kms to go was easy and texts from Melody and my mate Nathan came in, which again lifted me immensely.

Again I ran about 7kms of the last 12, but again was slowed down by the dense bush. In the end, Brick caught me again with about 3-4kms to go, and we walked in together. He however had another 53ksm to go as he was doing the 160km race – nutter!

As we came out onto the road, I knew it was done, so I broke into a jog and ran through the finish line in 16hrs and 56 mins. At the start of the race I really wanted to finish somewhere between 12-14 hours. That was in hindsight a stupid call to make. I have no trail running experience, and have only ever done one trail marathon in my life. Doing this kind of event has made me learn so much respect for the guys who’ve been doing this for years. No wonder they call it the dark side, you really find out about yourself and what you’re made of. Overall, the time was fine, and I don’t care. I learnt so much from this race, and it proves that a bit of mental resolve and ‘can do’ means you can get through it, even if you’ve never really trained for an event like this before. In fact, how do you train for an event like this? I know come the long day of the MDS, I’ll be so much better prepared for what it throws at me.

I’m annoyed at myself for getting dehydrated at the start, that was stupid. I wouldn’t do it at a marathon, but in hindsight, I didn’t drink nearly enough water on the Friday, which is why things went wrong after 47kms. Silly boy! I also spent too long at CP’s I think, but during the race reaching each one as like a saving grace, so I can’t complain. I just need a better strategy next time.

Overall, I feel immensely proud to have completed that course and take that journey. I met some fantastic people along the way and I guess the reason you relate to them so much is that you see each other at your worst. Glen and Kelly were rocks for me, what would I be like if I did it on my own? It’s also great that the last 35kms were probably the best of the race. That’s encouraging for me and proves to myself that I have the inner strength and physical strength to get through that 100kms. The body is still an aching wreck, but already I’m thinking about returning next year and stepping up to the big one – 160kms!

Focus for this weekend

So after the events of this week and finally deciding to go ahead with the event, it's back to the focus of the 100km on Saturday. In some respects, it hasn't really dawned on me that I'm going out there to do 100kms - and I kind of need to get my head around it and focus.

I also really need a plan of attack and stick to it. There's also been quite a bit of discussion on the Cool Runnings website here in Australia, and most people on there seem to think that a run/walk strategy is not right because of the terrain. Strange... oh well, I'll let them run the first 60kms and then walk the next 40kms :)

For me, I'm going to try and stick to a 20:2 for the first 50kms and see how I feel, if I'm feeling OK, then I'll carry on, then may go to a 5:1, but it's all about how I feel. I've also bought far too much food and need to ration a little on that front.

Hmmmm can't wait, very excited, but also apprehensive about this... I've never been beyond 42.195kms... this should be interesting!

Done and dusted

So, I've paid up and I'm in. Such a tough decision on this one as at one point that really was it for me and the Gobi was taking to take precidence on this. However whilst my head said that everything about the MDS was wrong, you have to follow your heart on this one. I've been building towards this event now for 3 years, and with just over 6 months to go, to miss out because of being angry at the British agents of this means I'm the one missing out. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if they knew this and preyed on it. They know we're in a tough position emotionally, so again can charge what they like.

I know that also, come March next year when everyone heads out to Morocco, I'll be disppointed if I'm not on that plane. So there we go, only another grand and a half and it's paid for, just another grand on top of that for flights back to the UK, arseholes.

However, I'll devote my time to making sure BoM work bloody hard for this massive inflation of costs. At very least we should get a breakdown of the costs, and if we don't then I'll find ways of getting it out.

decisions decisions

So the final cost for the MDS 2009 was revealed today - a convenient 9.25% increase on last year which means if we go ahead, no refunds on the initial 500 quid deposit should we decide to withdraw.

This has lead to some serious reconsidering amongst the competitors and I for one am really questioning the true value of doing this race. Not only is entry fee now 3000 grand, but I've already spent thousands on kit and traveling to races etc... with airfare back to the UK that's another 1500 quid. The race really does not present good value for money at all, in fcat its a f'ing joke when there's other races out there for half the price and are probably a much better experience overall.

So I really need to weigh up the pros and cons. Well the cons are listed above, however the one thing that is tearing me apart at the moment is that I've wanted to do this race for nearly 3 years now and a lot of sacrifices have been made in order to get to where I am now. Not only financially but personally too I've given up a lot to get where I am - would I feel like a failure if I didnt go ahead with it all? However if I did go ahead, would I come to resent the whole thing if I went and did it? I might get there and resent the cost and not enjoy the experience of it all. Does that mean that mentally I'm not ready for this? That because of my resentment I wont accomplish what I wanted to achieve? I really need to sit down and work out what it is I want from the MDS. However the goalposts have moved. The more you get inot this running lark, the more you realise you cna achieve and you discover.

My initial goal was complete the MDS, now I'd be lying if I said I didnt want a top 200 place. But what the fuck does that mean? I finished in the top 200 of the MDS? Big deal, against what criteria and level of competition?

What I want from a multi-stage event is to run/walk as hard as I can and do as well as I can, and learn things along the way about myself. Can I do that in the Gobi, which is another race I'd do instead of the MDS? More than likely I can, yes. Do I want the glitz and glam of the MDS? Not really... I dont like big races, the City to Surf atmosphere over in Sydney was wank to be honest. Standing at the start line of the Wagga Wagga and Mudgee marathons was brilliant - genuine people. The city 2 surf was full of pretentious pricks. That's not what I'm about.

So after all this I still haven't made up my mind. I guess one option is to pay the grand and then make a call on it. At least I have the option of getting it back and a place still secured, so that if I chose to sack it off I can. Hmmmmmm....

A steady week

So after being able to finally run without much in the way of discomfort, I also managed a nice easy 10.5 miler on Saturday whilst in the Hunter Valley for the weekend. Plenty of wine and cheese to be had! So all in, a 30 mile week, which at one point looked miles away so to speak. I had a few little twinges from teh run on Saturday, but I think I'm good.

The good thing is the 100km will be slow and not so near as intense as a marathon. This week will be busy spent planning for it. I'm going to kip in a tent for the two nights as well to try and replicate the MDS somewhat.

So I'll be flying up Friday afternoon to Brisbane, and then pitching a tent I'm borrowing from someone at the startline in the school where the race starts. I'll also be taking minimum kit with me, literally my Aarn rucksack with the bare essentials. I alos need to pick up a cheap sleeping bag, my compass and a few bits and bobs, and Bob's your uncle, Rita's your aunt! Rock on!

Was I dreaming it?

So, after the joy at being able to run 10kms painfree last night, the real test was whether I could go out and do the same again, but slightly further this time. I tried to tape my knee up as per the physio instructions, but to be honest, I'm rather crap at all that. I did what I thought was right, but to be honest it all came apart after about 2kms. This wasn't a big deal as I thought if the knee did start to hurt, then at least I know the taping has a role to play.

So the plan was to try and do 15kms, depending on how I felt. Off I set, and ran nowhere in particular. I like doing this, it keep things interesting instead of doing the same old route. I eventually did end up doing a lot of a route I do normally, but in a slightly different way. The great news is that as per last night, nothing. No knee acheyness or calf trouble at all. I even ran slightly jarder than last night. Not too hard, but put more gas on and more weight onto the left leg and it all felt fine.

Now, what have I done differently? At the physio the other day, she massaged the left calf somewhat and there was a big knot in it. Was this causing me all the grief? Did I simply have a knot in it that affected the knee and made the calf feel like shit? I have a funny feeling that this could have been it. The good news is that after two back-to-back runs and 25kms, I'm not having any trouble, so this bears extremely well for Glasshouse. Running at a slower pace also meant that I was able to practice just that as well, although it's very frutsrating doing so when you know you can run quicker! I think I did 9.5 miles in around 1hr 25 mins which is very slow for me, but hey it's about getting there, and for a 100km race, this will certainly be true. Anyhoo, I'll be busy getting kit together now for Glasshouse, just need a temporary sleeping bag, so bits and bobs and we're away!

Is the physio a miracle worker?

So despite doubting if I should indeed go for a run tonight - I went for a very steady 10kms. And you know what, it was OK. The knee didnt hurt one bit as I went round. And whats more, the soleus felt 'OK' as well. It niggled a little, but didnt really start to pull like it did last night. So I dont know quite what to think. Did the taping do the job, and as a result take the stress off the soleus?

Either way, Ill be going for another tester run tomorrow night of around 10-15kms to see if things really are OK. It was slow tonight, but I'm ever so pleased that I got round with no niggles from either the knee of the soleus... things could yet be OK for Glasshouse.

Hmmm... injury

Every runner's worst scenario... not being able to run. Things haven't been quite right for about 2 months now. Little niggies here and there which it seems have esclated. I can trace this back to exactly the point where I got injured. July 3rd, Glasgow city centre. Paranoid about trying to get training runs in whilst on a stag do, I ventured out for a quick 30 minute job before heading out on the piss with the boys. In my rush I forgot to warm-up and went straight out. 20 minutes in I felt my calf go.

I was actually relatively sensible and rested up for a few days, just over a week before the Hunter Valley marathon. That came and went OK (well more than OK, I ran a PB!), and then Wagga came up and 17kms in, I felt it go again, but soldier on I did, and the week after, running the Mudgee marathon, but in a bit of pain, and then the knee started giving me jip. So here we are, two months later.

I rested all week last week, and went out again for a bit of a tester run last night. Not good - pulling short after 25 minutes. The knee is a strange one. It's not a sharp pain, more like a dull ache. As such I dont know how bad it is. Is it that bad? I ran a bloody marathon with it. However the calf, or rather soleus (muscle just below the calf) is annoying me now. It keeps on pulling and tugging at me whilst I run, threatening to fully go, but not quite going over the edge completely.

I'm off to the physio at lunchtime, but what do I do? I'm loathed to rest, although I know this is what I should do. I hate resting, I dont want to lose fitness. I did that for a month last year and was amazed how much fitness I lost, although I wasn't properly up and training then.

Have I overdone it on the races? Maybe 3 marathons in 5 weeks is going some, and racing them all quite hard apart from the last one. There's also been no real taper either, and coupled with this, I did some shorter sprint races in between, and no rest for those either.

It's concerning me as my training is getting thrown all over the place a little. The second stage of my training started well in May, with some solid high milage - avergaing 45 miles a week. June pretty good, but July was a mess. August was slightly better, with 3 solid races in 3 weeks and that kept me ticking over. However things have to ramp up big time post the Glasshouse race in 2 weeks time. I've set myself a goal of 5/6 months of really building up the miles, peaking in late Jan/early Feb at around 100 miles a week, before tapering.

However we'll have to see what the knee outcome is. If I must I'd be prepared to rest completely before the Glasshouse race (if anything I'll be totally refreshed!). This is a big test of where I'm at and what need to do. Strangely I'm not nervous about it at the moment, except for any potential injury. As I found out, running 42.195kms with a dodgy knee and calf was not pleasant!

It shouldn't all be negative. I'm actually in a pretty good position and if I'm honest, ahead of where I thought I'd be at come this stage of the training. However an enforced rest could bugger up a lot of this. We shall see how we go...

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Physio update!

Not really that much more conclusive to be honest. Might possibly go for an MRI, but we're trying one more thing. The lovely lady reckons that I my knee cap moves in a funnny position, so we've taped it up to limit it's movement to one side and going to give that a go. So with this, I'll try and run tonight and see what happens. Failing that, we're off for an MRI to see what's going on. Still doing the Glasshouse House though, I'll bloody walk it if I have to!