Blog Post

Eric has been my coach for many years.  In the beginning, I was not a big fan of HR monitors.  It took some getting used to.  Now, it has become a great tool and gives me information about myself during my runs.  It has just been in the last few years that I have begun to appreciate my zone 2 runs.  

At first, I didn't pay much attention to them, they were just slow easy runs. I was eager to get through them.  Now, I take advantage of them and I am learning more about my running through them. They are a viable part of my training.

Not all runs have to be about pace or distance.   During these runs I focus on my form .  I go through a mental check list ; how is my posture, am a clenching my fists, are my feet landing underneath me, is my cadence high, what does my breathing pattern sound like....  It is also a good time to practice drinking and fueling, depending on the length of the run.  Basically, I use these runs to help me become a more efficient runner.  

The longer the run the more focus it takes because as my mind wonders my pace will either pick up or slow down.  Having good form in this zone takes practice and patients.  I notice that as I get better on these runs, my running as a whole improves.  

Ok sorry to mention Kangaroos again but....  I went for a longer run on Saturday as I try to do and on my merry way I came across a heap of roos, bounce bounce bounce, hmmm I started thinking about Erics description of running and how we are basically jumping (hope I have that right) Now roos are very graceful when they are going full swing and it looks effortless, their body is basically motionless and they just swing through with the legs, which optimises their energy retention (just like we need too).  So I thought this might be able to help me with getting my forefoot strike right with my visualisation.. Im a very visual person and it helps me....  With that I have researched and researched on roos and running, it has led to the following..

They use their tendons very well as a spring to help them move as we should, the diagram below shows the roo and human legs and feet

The roos exaggerated foot and leg (well from ours) shows what should be happening very clearly... bounce bounce bounce......  The other interesting point on the roo is that they are so efficient at sprinting that on a flat surface they use barely any extra energy to go full speed than they do at a slow sprint, the reason they do not always travel at close to maximum speed is to avoid high tendon stress (recent research has shown they also have more mitochondria and blood vessels in their muscle to assist them)  Dont worry though, the old roo does not cope any better with uphill stretches than us, so if your going to race one challenge it to a hilly route!

Then I tried to find a pic of human forefoot strike, now thats a challenge, especially for someone not in a full blown sprint and one that demonstrates (hopefully) the correct placement of the leg without over extension....  Its no wonder I didnt know heel striking was bad, the majority of things you see are all showing heel strike.....  I ending up finding this one:

Thanks little buddy I can picture you in my head very easily.... now all I need to do is keep practicing and keep trying to transition my technique. This is proving a challenge and I seriously think I spend more time thinking than running when Im running ha!  :)

please feel free to pull me up where I have things wrong!!!

Just for fun Ill include these bits and pieces I came accross:

This pic was about a robot being designed to move off a single spring

heres the robot

cheerio

Thirty years ago, I was a teenage soccer and rugby fanatic. Quick on my feet, good sprinter and good strategist made a great pick for regional and local games. I was, to be fair, a kid in great shape.

Fast forward to five years ago.  Married, kids, work promotions, working through the night and week ends, eating on the run made me a successful yet unhappy and severely unhealthy, overweight forty-something man.

At that point, I chose to retake control of my life. Not let it control me. I started running. And feeling better. And loving the challenge in every run. Rain or shine, well rested or not. 

My body though, would not cooperate. And periodically break down. Muscle pulls, ankle sprains, high arches needing insoles, IT band making my life miserable, and most recently Patellofemoral syndrome (PFS). Four weeks of physical therapy.

From one injury to the next, I have recovered. I have gotten stronger and smarter about my body and my running. Yet, I still break down.

Should I conclude that running is out of the question? Is it the inevitable fact?  Why can I PR a 5K at age 48 (24:26) and cannot get my knees to cooperate?

My Cool Impossible (running fifty 50Ks by age 50K) has been within reach, getting ever closer every year, yet vanishing in an instant every injury.

But I was wrong. My Cool Impossible is not about conquering the outdoors, one 50K at a time.

It's about grit, courage and resolve. It's about banishing my fear of getting old. It's about accepting my flaws and strengths. I'll get stronger, smarter and older. Embrace it all. Beyond fear. Beyond limits.

Cherokee legend has it that long ago humans and animals lived together and spoke to each other. Those times have long since past, or so thought the Cherokee trail runner. It was a crisp, clear winter day with fresh snow on the ground. Trail runner thought it a perfect day for a long run. She had no idea what she was in for! She made her way through the winding trails of the forest, somewhat surprised that no other humans had made tracks yet. She drank water and ate to sustain her energy for the long run. She delighted in the sounds of the woodpeckeR (ta-la-la), the scurrying squirrel (sa-la-li), and other small animals foraging in the woods. For several miles her eyes were drawn to the tracks in her path….deer (a-wi), rabbit (tsi-s-du), coyote (wa-ya), bobcat (gv-he), raccoon (gv-li), turkey (ka-la-gi-sa). But no human, just her own tracks in her odd shoes.  You see, her trail shoes have a split toe. She noticed how they compared to the deer.  She laughed...much larger and more cumbersome for sure!

Just then, a white deer popped out on the trail in front of her.  He looked at her feet and said, I’ve been following you for some time, your print is not like any human print I have seen!  What are you doing out here? Trail runner explained to a-wi that her shoes helped her feet move easier and more naturally on the trails. A-wi asked, “do they make you faster?”  Trail runner laughed, “I wish!”. She replied, “No, I admire your speed and agility though, and would love for my running to be as graceful, efficient and swift as your own”. A-wi nodded and replied, “I have heard of human’s endurance..endurance that has been known to exceed that of the a-wi.” trail runner nodded, “I have heard this too.” As a-wi and trail runner conversed, other forest animals gathered, for this was the first time in many, many generations that human and animal understood each other and spoke the same language.

Rabbit (tsi-s-du), spoke up. “Well, why don’t we have a race?”. Tsi-s-du sized them both up and was quite convinced he could win. He had been sizing them up for some time. He thought, “I am surely faster than trail runner, for she only has 2 legs...and well, she’s human!”  Rabbit wasn’t so sure about a-wi, but was convinced he could cut the course without being caught making his way ahead of a-wi and surely win. The other animals got very excited and chattered. The hawk (ta-wo-di) watched and listened to all that was going on. Bear (yo-nv) was pleased to see human and animal communicating with and respecting eachother. “It has been so long,” he thought. A-wi and trail runner took a little convincing, but all thought, including a-wi and trail runner, the victor would surely be a-wi. A 20 mile course was set by bear.  The animals agreed the distance would balance things for a-wi and trail runner. Both a-wi and trail runner were nervous. Both confident in their own abilities, but in all of history, there has never been such a race. All the animals placed their bets on a-wi, all convinced by looking at a-wi, he should be the obvious winner.

Rabbit piped up…what about me? I’m going to race as well! I am sure to win! Look at my powerful hind legs! My heart beats many times faster than either of yours, my reflexes too fast for you to even see! And what about the prize?  There must be a prize of course! The animals began to chatter and the crowd became more anxious. A-wi spoke, “I will offer up my antlers to the winner”. Everyone agreed this was a fitting prize. The hawk observed all this and took flight. He would follow them on the course, he knew deer and trail runner were of pure intentions, but he was suspicious of rabbit. Bear sent them off with a loud growl.  Rabbit was first on the trail and very quickly out of sight around the first bend. By ¼ mi. A-wi was well ahead of trail runner.

Trail runner was a little discouraged at how quickly she lost sight of the two. And hawk soared overhead. Trail runner refocused her effort. She remained steady, taking in calories and water as she went. Before long she was completely alone. Not even hawk above. Trail runner shook her head. She wondered if it was all a dream or maybe her imagination trying to make the miles pass. Ahead Hawk had spotted rabbit. Just as hawk suspected, rabbit was cutting the course. He was making his way straight up the hill instead of following the trail. Hawk briefly thought about eating rabbit, but figured the arrogant little rabbit would leave a bad taste.  Just then, rabbit got hung in a thicket and could not free himself. Rabbit cried out to hawk for help, but to no avail. Hawk thought the situation quite fitting for rabbit and flew on. Hawk watched both a-wi and trail runner. A-wi was still flying down the trail, effortless and elegant. Hawk then took note of trail runner..moving slower, but persistent. He noticed how she backed off on uphills and increased her pace on downhills. She took sips of water out of funny looking bottles and ate what looked like honey as she went. 5 miles turned into 10 and 10 into 15.  A-wi was struggling. He felt tired and would stop briefly, but felt compelled to take off again before fully recovered. A-wi did not drink or eat, he had never done that on the run.

By now trail runner had fully determined her deer encounter to be a figment of her very overactive imagination.  Around mile 18 she came around the bend and right up on deer. A-wi was panting, obviously in distress. A-wi said to trail runner, “go on, you are strong and persistent and I am weak”.  Trail runner did not leave. She gave a-wi water and honey gels. A-wi was grateful. The two sat quietly and rested, hawk flying overhead.  Once recovered, a-wi and trail runner arose. Quietly, they ran together with great respect each for the other.  

They crossed the finish together. The animals created quite a stir….who is the winner? A-wi promptly hushed the animals. “Trail runner is the winner” he said. A-wi explained what happened, and how trail runner had stopped to help him. The animals agreed that the antlers should go to trail runner. Trail runner was honored, but couldn’t bear the thought of a-wi giving up a part of himself, his magnificent antlers. Trail runner explained, she meant no disrespect, she wanted a-wi to keep his antlers.  A-wi smiled and said, from this day forward, every year, about this time a-wi will shed their antlers and humans will find them as a reminder of this day and the respect we share for each other. So from that day forward, every year around December to April, a-wi shed their antlers for humans to find and be reminded of their encounter.

545 the alarm goes off, out of bed sneaking around so i dont wake the little one, lots of water, shave, get changed into my gear, shorts and a merino tshirt for the current chilly mornings and a beanie for the first 1/2k or so, pat the dogs on the way out and then crunch crunch on the gravel under starlight as I walk out to our gravel rd, Mudlarks calling and a couple of magpies somewhere out in the way yonder... My eyes are getting accustomed to the dark and I quickly walk to a tree that marks my starting point... stars look good this morning, no moon... and off I go "crunch crunch crunch"  Love it.  Currently Im thinking about how Im running as well as my normal running daydreams of whatever is going on in life, interspersed with ridiculous ideas of wild animals that dont and cannot exist eating me, Im in australia for goodness sakes, only have to worry about snakes if its hot... leaving the wild animals behind i get absorbed by my run, round the corner, kookaburras laughing this morning, how fantastic.... theres a slight orange tinge to the horizon now and the light is slowly increasing, i turn onto the dirt track run up to the railway line, and continue now on my way back, maybe ill think a bit about the slight uphill, maybe not, but generally ill forget it quickly thinking of my goals for the year, "crunch crunch crunch" go my feet, maybe ill see a roo, often im lucky enough to have one hop along a fence line for a while... getting to the end of my 5ks i find myself going faster and wondering how my time is going... I get to the trees that mark the end of my run and slow to a walk, glance at my watch swearing ill take proper notice of the time i started running tomorrow which I never seem to do, run seems to be getting easier though and Im pretty sure Ive knocked nearly 5mins off since i started again late last year... Looks like its going to be a nice day, I wonder how many people dont know or can appreciate the beauty of the night and dawn skies.....   time for my coffee a change and off to work....  Ill try for a longer 'long run' this weekend as things are feeling good, looking forward to my run tomorrow....

I'm not sure whether this is entirely running related, but more sort of me-related, I guess.

One of the reasons why I've been quieter on the blogging front is that I've been spending the last few months writing a book about running - specifically, how I spent a year going from a complete non-runner to someone able to comfortably run marathons and even run ultra distances.

I figure there might be people out there who want to read about an ordinary guy's experiences and lessons learned along the way, but we'll see, I suppose :)

I'll keep you posted as to how I'm getting on with it as I go - it's in my final draft stage now, where it's ready to go out to potential agents and publishers. Also, I promise I'll go back to writing about the running I'm doing soon (it's going pretty well!).

- Ben

Last week I got the opportunity to attempt to hit some targets at a makeshift shooting range at the coaxing of my brother in law, Scotty, former military police.  It was an automatic rifle of sorts...a heavy one with a scope.  After getting the basics down I took aim. I had a hard time honing in on the target. The gun was heavy, challenging to find aim and hone in due to the weight and trying to use the scope. It took a lot longer than I thought, but I was determined to keep aiming, I wanted to hit that target! My arms were fatiguing quickly. I could’ve just taken the shot, I was close, and I might have hit it, but I wanted to be as sure as I could. My arm muscles twitching and burning trying to make fine adjustments. Finally I took the shot...I nailed it. We did this several more times. Some shots I got and some I missed, but the aiming was the part that sucked me in...getting as close as I could to get the best shot. And how does this have anything to do with a 5K?  Keep reading, we’ll get there.

Founder’s Day 5k. As the week progressed I started getting nervous. This is the first 5k I’ve done in 2 years. My 1 mile test last week was not the least bit impressive, and slower than the previous 2 over the past year.  I decided to hit up coach about how to go about this 5k.  He sent me some pacing parameters...6:45 the first mile, then 6:40 the second, then 6:35.  After I almost passed out, I emailed him back. It was clear I didn’t think I could. I was done before the race started. My response , “I’ve never done a 5k at those paces. My 20 minute tests have not come close to those paces..My one mile test was way slower than the previous/...a 6:35 for 1 mile..1 mile, not 3...the numbers DON’T add up.  Now I was fully afraid and dread was starting to set in.

“I’m trying to get you to not fear failing. WHO CARES, if you can't, but can’t never did anything. See how close you can get and love with the challenge of getting as close as you can. Fear will always be there. It will either stop you or you can decide to put the fear right in your water bottle and take it with you”.  It clicked. He said that, and I thought…”why just take the fear with me?...I’ll drink it!”.   I felt a huge burden lift and excitement settled back in. Then another click…”the challenge of getting as close as you can”. I remembered what I love. And this is where shooting a heavy rifle comes in...

A question, When you were target shooting, did you always aim for the bullseye or the outer ring?  We will not always hit the bullseye, but we always aim for it. I could relate...that feeling of trying to hone in on something, and just the sheer pleasure of honing in. The pleasure of the intense focus, second by second while target shooting...minute by minute when racing. Constant awareness and focus, bringing the bullseye into the line of sight, working the muscles to get there and hold it, making small corrections left and right, up and down... (faster/slower...working these muscle fibers, those muscle fibers, heart rate/breathing) Things getting out of focus briefly and then pulling it back in, refocusing, refining, bringing the target back in the line of site, sharpening it. I didn’t understand why I liked shooting so much...then it clicked...it’s the same feeling. Aiming. The race is aiming.. When you say , “ready..aim..shoot” and correlate that to running...I would have thought “shoot” is the part where you run..”shoot” is the finish line..it’s the bullet hitting the target, It’s the runner crossing the tape, “aim” is the run.

I was ready for today’s 5k. The result didn’t matter anymore, the burden lifted.  I wanted 20:58 or less. I wanted those paces and I was going to keep aiming at them, honing in, minute by minute.  So we lined up and the race director yelled “go”. I started out at a 6:03.  Back off, back off I told myself. I felt good, too good. I made myself back off in that first minute to a 6:45. It was difficult to let others go but I did. I went above my target (pace) on the first incline, refocused, thinking..”aim, aim” visualizing that target..6:45min/mi. My effort was very high, higher than those around me which made me a little nervous to increase my effort more. I held steady effort going up, not wanting to explode and fade fast. Hit the first little downhill and increased my speed trying to maintain similar effort. Quads were still a little quivery from my repeat descents down Cavanall hill earlier in the week. My pace would drop down to 6:30 or even 6:20 on those early downhills, but it was not the way I had hoped the downhills would feel...refocus, aim, steady those legs, relax, go.

Back up a little steeper short up and then just a very slight incline. My uphlll pace was again above which kept me refocusing, refining, aiming. I felt good. I was working this to the best of my ability and I knew it. The down I would get under again. At about 2-2.5 mi some side stitches added to the challenge...refocus, refine, aim...just a half mi left. Rounded the last corner and the last little incline. I heard people yelling for another girl behind me. “oh no way!” I thought, “I am NOT getting passed this close to the finish!” I kicked it in high gear through the finish..not much increase in actual pace likely, but definitely effort! 21:45 was my time. It was a 5k PR for me, not what I was aiming for, but I was aiming every second of the way..and loving it. I drank that fear right in and used it. Here you see my good friend Brian Hoover of TATUR- Tulsa Area Trail and Ultrarunners, he timed the event today.

On Saturday I was doing some work up at my son's primary school which involved driving metal wedges, known as "wizards" into the ground to support pole mounted signage. So as to drive the "wizards" into very dry and hard ground with the full face of the sledge hammer I had to squat and swing the sledge hammer.

If you can picture me bent at the knees, my butt approaching being parallel to the ground while leaning slightly forward to keep my balance and swinging a sledge hammer. Now the reason for the contortion is so you can drive the wizard as far as you can into the ground using the full face of the sledge hammer. If you don't do this the wizard will not drive into the groung square and it takes far longer to achieve. The idea is to have the top of the wizard as close to ground level as possible when you are finished. I did this for approaching 3/4 of an hour as the wooden block being used on top of the wizards whould either slip off with the impact of the sledge hammer or split.

Upon finishing this and completing a couple of other quick chores I did not notice any great discomfort or stiffness in my Glutes. The next day I did not run as I usually would in the morning as we were out late Saturday night and I had breakfast with my Mum. This resulted in me not running until about 3.00pm that afternoon doing 10km in just under 60 min. It was an easy run with a couple of hills on a beautiful day with me taking a few photo's along the way as I ran. However immediately after my cool down walk my Glutes and Hamstrings started to seize up making walking, sitting ...... moving difficult. They stayed like that until after I went to bed and at one stage almost cramping when I got up from sitting.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why I was so stiff and tight and then it dawned on me, the work I had performed the day before. So I tried to emulate the squatting position I had used the day before and I could hardly bend at the knees let alone get anywhere near as low as I had done just 24 hours previously. Now I know there is always room for improvement and I'm far from perfect but I had no idea my Glutes were so weak. Its been a great lesson learn, driving home what Eric subscribes to pertaining to proper strength and form with the need to excersise all these muscles so that our bodies work as one. Athleticism = Awareness

In this case being aware of my weaknesses and many short comings!!!! Onward and Upward.

1,999 feet I believe... Cavanall hill

,

Oklahoma's claim to the World's Highest Hill.  Today's plan was to fuel better, pre run and during to try and have better through run stamina and be able to get into zone 4b for most of the climbing.   I don't do particularly well with pre run fueling...thought I was going big with a serving or little more of raisin bran and a big handful of almond slices.  The cereal has added sugar so I thought that would be enough. It's difficult for me to get much volume on my tummy in the mornings, especially before long runs as I tend to be a little nervous anyway before these. With Cruel Jewel coming up fast in May, a 55 mi mountain race with 17,000ft of climbing, I am a bit anxious about my ability to climb. 

Started out in good friend Josh's back yard, which butts up to the base 

of Cavanall. We took off from Joshes house and up a bushwhacked trail up the "hill" for about a mile before we hit the road section of the climb.  We crested the top and I sucked down a gel and some water and took a minute to recover.

 Josh showed me where we were headed next....

straight down the power line.  He let me go first. I took off and immediately went..."holy shit!" I did not fully realize until already in motion how steep the grade was or how loose the rocks/sandy slide was!  I tried to slow down without crashing and let Josh lead the way. It was frighteningly fun...once I got back in control of my descent that is!  Down down down and then off on a side trail and back up up up more bushwhacked trail.

This second ascent we hiked quite a bit of and my hr lingered in zone 4a and down in 3, but my calves and quads were on fire and my breathing quite hard, speaking in "yups", "nopes" and "uh huhs" most of the way up. Sipped water along the way. SHOULD HAVE taken another gel here, but didn't cross my mind..ugh! Crossed some field section and got completely tangled up in a branch landing flat on my chest. Guess I won't be wearing a skirt to work tomorrow...looks like I got in a fight with a bob cat. The shower experience should be pleasant as well. The next descent down cavanall on the road felt fantastic 1-2 miles of smooth road, nice breaze..able to focus on downhill form, relaxed, and able to actually hold a conversation. Hit the last mile descent back on the bushwacked trail and dropped Josh back off at his house.

Took in another gel and more water and was feeling quite spunky and ready to climb again.  Solo this time back up the trail...this time more of a hike though, as soon as I started climbing much over a 3-5% grade the quads and calves would burn furiously and legs very fatigued....I think the gel was a little too little too late and the maybe 300-400 calories for breakfast were long since gone. My HR lingered in zone 2 and 3 max for the last ascent. I didn't recognize it then. I just thought it was the cumulative effects of climbing, lack of experience ascending that many feet over that many miles, etc. Basically, legs just not used to it. I was happy though...hiking steadily and running when I could. The sun was out, the temps were around 45-50 with a nice breeze. Saw a good size coyote running across the road which was cool. Got to the top and my backpack buzzed...buzzed..buzzed.  My phone was going nuts! I was now close to the cell towers and someone was trying to get a hold of me!  Work..."we need you to come in as soon as you can" (we had switched the schedule around and I didn't realize..I was supposed to be on today! -thanks Ashley for covering my ass!"... Me, "ooook...it's gonna be just a bit".  3 miles back to the car. Slim pickin's for food on the way back and was craving salt and potatoes....Hit McDonalds and got large fries and water...and lots of strange looks with my cat scratched dirty legs.  Back in the car, home, shower, FOOD, and work. It was a bit surreal going from the top of the highest hill, climbing 5,000 ft in 12 miles, watching coyotes and now seeing patients all in the same day. What a day tho!  

After some rough weeks dealing with winter and life I am pleased to say that I think I am coming out more focused. I have also somewhat respectably maintained my training mileage and aside from being tired I feel like I have a good base to build on. I would love to say that I lace up and breeze through my runs but…I am still a regular guy that runs and I accept that. Although I am looking at a pretty aggressive race schedule, for me, I will not be thinking about PR’s or finish times during the next eight months. What I will be looking at and focusing on is on a deeper level. Can I follow though with the training? What am I made of? Can I finish? Probably the most important question might be; can I get to the starting line?

I was talking to a very close friend the other day and I realized that if I am 100% honest (with myself more than anyone) I have to ask all of these questions and more. That I have no idea whether I can finish a 50K is irrelevant. What scares me more than anything is committing to the training and seeing it through and showing up on race day. If I can do those things, then what happens after the horn sounds is a bonus. The thought of disappointing others and myself and the commitment of this endeavor scare me more than the actual event. I  believe I have grown enough as a person to accept the challenge and the help that has been offered and go for it. I will admit that I will be thrilled beyond belief to cross the finish before the cutoff time, but I will be more proud and satisfied when I am officially crossing the start line.

Every race coming up is a Trail Nerd event so I am looking forward to a season of fun, challenging trail runs. These include a 10K in March, 2 half marathons in April and May a 20 miler in July and…50K (my CI) tentatively in October. If you are around the Kansas City area check out the Trail Nerds at http://www.psychowyco.com

A query for Eric. I'm trying to stay positive about this knee pain that's stopped me running, and I'm trying to address it by figuring out what is wrong with my run form. In The CI, there's a list of Common Run Form Mistakes, and I'm wondering if my knee pain, tight IT band and tight hip flexors are the result of being a "bender". Just to clarify, is a "bender" someone who runs with excessively bent legs (that do straighten with take-off), or someone who never straightens their legs at all?

Today I finished my first day of TCI based training, so I'll use that to spark my first blog post on the site.

This evening I ran 8 minutes wearing a pair of Xero Shoes huarache sandals (my first "almost barefoot" running).  A few hours afterwards I completed my first foot/leg/glute strength training circuit using a homemade slant board and poles.  (I also built a wobble disc for use later.)

Although I ran track and cross country in high school 18 years ago, my running never resembled anything that could be described as fast.  (5K PR was 22 minute something, never ran a sub-6 minute mile, and my sprinting speed was also decidedly unimpressive.)  My running career recently restarted just before last Halloween when I signed up for a half-marathon at the end of January.

The basis of my plan for completing my "couch to half-marathon" in 12 weeks was using Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk-Run program, targeting a ratio of 30 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking.  Despite starting out well, bouts of tendonitis in my knee ultimately limited my mileage.  I was only able to cover a total of 38 miles over 10 hours of run/walking prior to the big day,.  The longest run/walk was 8 miles, but it was 7 weeks before race day.

Going into the race feeling a bit unprepared, I would have been happy to beat the marathon's minimum pace of 3.5 hours.  (The marathon had a 7 hour limit; the half-marathon ran at the same time did not have a minimum pace outside of the 7 hour limit.)  My ideal goal was to finish under 3 hours.

The race started out smoothly; I was obediently following the beeps of my run/walk timer (trying to ignore the beeps of all the other run/walk timers surrounding me).  By mile 8 my legs were really feeling the fatigue from the lack of prep, but I was motivated by still being well ahead of a sub-3 hour pace.  At mile 11 my legs were spent, and I was just willing my legs to move one after the other.  A look at my HR monitor data afterwards would show a 180+ HR for the last 5 miles of the race, with a surge to 198 at the finish line.  (So much for the 220 - age formula for max HR...)

In the end I was able to finish in 2 hours, 55 minutes; a nice 5 minutes ahead of my goal!  Looking forward, I would like to dramatically decrease my half-marathon time, getting under 2 hours.  I would also like to be able to finish a full marathon before the end of the year.  My employer is sponsoring a 15K at the beginning of April, so I'll be running in that race too.

What's my cool impossible?  A few come to mind: beating my high school 5K PR, completing the Disney Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, half, and full marathon on 4 successive days), and ultimately getting in shape to run whatever I would like to run on any given day.  I look forward to sharing that journey with you!

In the French Foreign Legion, new recruits are expected to learn French. More to the point, when disassembling and reassembling a rifle, they are expected to know the French names of all the components. Recruits who cannot instantly recall the correct term, are hit with that part.

I was thinking of this today as I reflected on how much my knowledge of human leg anatomy has advanced in recent years. mainly as a result of particular muscles getting sore or hurt. A lazy gluteus medius took me out of running for half a year - more recently, in an over-enthusiastic attempt to get it firing (and alleviate IT band soreness ), I managed to tear it. And I'd always assumed glute muscles were just too big and powerful to ever get injured. The transition to forefoot running took me through all the muscles of the calf, as my soleus,  gastrocnemius, entensor digitorum longus and peroneus longus all took the strain. And the pain. Thanks to the slant board, these are now all now bull-calf strong, but there's plenty more relevant muscles and plenty more anatomy for me to learn. Latest is the tibialis anterior, the muscle at the front of the shin. Pulls the foot up and helps flex it inwards. I've no idea what it's suddenly complaining about - it's not like it has to do a whole lot - but yikes it hurts on downhill stretches, my left leg almost buckling under me. Needless to say, it's stopping me running. Massage, ice, rest, the usual.

Any suggestions on how to strengthen this one gratefully received...

So, let's ignore iffy one mile test objectives for the moment. After all, my main CI for this year, and every year, is to run injury free and as often as possible with my wife. But I'm not a miler, I would never run a mile race, it really isn't a major preoccupation of my running aims - apart from some curiosity in whether Lori or I will get there first. In any case, Eric's training programs are about speed and endurance over longer distances.

Which is great, because I do enjoy running 10K races and the occasional half marathon. Yet I haven't entered a race for ages (summer 2010 was my last) because of persistent injury. And then I read Born to Run and was really struck by Eric's words to Chris - "you're like everyone else, you don't know what you're doing." And that really started the long, slow journey back to running consistently. So maybe I'll be able to enter a few 10K races this year. Perhaps I'll run some PBs, perhaps not. But that's not much of a CI.

And then today, as I set out on a week or so of running for the thrill of running - my reward to myself for finishing Phase 1 and a short break before starting Phase 2, I thought, hey, how about trying to beat all the PBs for all our local routes? We've loads of these, built up from The Time Before Children when we ran together all the time, going as fast as we could, not a clue about training, racing each other, and having an absolute blast. We gave them names - The Horse Course, Hatching Lane Half Hour, the long Swinbrook via Langley - and we (I) recorded the times...

so I ran the short Swinbrook via Fordwells today, 7.4 miles along empty country lanes, and with a couple of killer hills, the second about 2 miles long, a real leg and lung buster. But now I love hills, I go at them "like kids churning through a leaf pile" to quote my favorite bit of B2R ("and they sure as hell aint laughing about it" :-)). The whole thing felt utterly fantastic. I've still got a huge grin. And to cap it, the 59'45" time knocked 4 minutes off my previous best for this route, from March 2010. One down, a dozen or so to go...

Thinking about training after reading different posts and thinking back to my training and racing over the past couple years....A lot of people think "THE race...THE event" is the hardest part. One thing has always struck me at the end of the season. The training, was the ultimate ultra.  Whether you be training for a 5k PR or a 100 miler...the week after week, run after run of highs and lows, strength, weakness, aches and pains....no aid stations, no applause, no medal. The training has always been for me far more demanding than any ultra I have completed.  So be confident in your training. Take pride in what you are accomplishing, day after day...week after week. You are completing one hell of a long ultra. THE race is the icing. Be proud of the training....that is the really freaking hard part ;)

Thanks Lori and Jason for the encouraging words! I'm planning on taking ten days/2 weeks out to recuperate a bit, do some general running with Kath, my wife, and enjoy the freedom of running without the HRM and GPS keeping me under surveillance... and then I'll launch into Phase 2 when the days will be a bit longer and the trails, maybe, a bit drier. I'm limited to road running at the moment on this drowning island and I'd like some variety.

Anyway, the mile test. This wasn't at the Roger Bannister track, that's for next time (and, as you'll see, I want to repeat this test), it was where I did the original test back in October when I started Phase 1. University Parks, Oxford, a beautiful circuit of a really lovely public park. 6'20" I recorded then, though it was without the GPS so I had suspicions at the time that it wasn't a full mile....

Now one of the joys of Phase 1 is that I deliberately haven't set any targets, haven't entered any races, I didn't want to build up a whole load of hope and excitement and expectation, and then get injured - that used to happen a lot. I just wanted to enjoy the running and the process of training and improving. But, I did have one small goal...

...which was to go under 6 minutes (before Lori gets there!). I've no idea how realistic it is to knock 20 seconds off a mile time after 12 weeks of training, but I was significantly lighter and had made significant progress with form. Plus I was hitting 5'30" pace easily on the 30 second speed ups, and topping 4'20" pace on the sprints (aside: amazed that people can go at sub 4' pace for a mile! and 5' pace for 26 miles!). 

I formulated a strategy. Go off at 6' pace, or close to, and blitz the last minute with my killer 5' sprint! Ahem. Did the warm-up - felt OK - did the speed ups - felt OK. And then set out.... Almost immediately hit 5'45" pace - yikes! way too fast! dial it back! quickly reined it in to 6'05" pace - perfect! 5 minutes of this and then accelerate! It felt fine, relaxed, smooth, easy... but suddenly, and with no conscious move on my part, I was down to 6'20" and stuck there. Try as I might, I couldn't change gear, couldn't shift the pace. It was very odd. Aerobically, I felt great, really strong, much better than I had felt 12 weeks ago - but my legs just weren't doing it. I tried everything - relax, run tall, don't overstride, kneedrivekneedrivekneedrive, dammit, throttle jammed at 6'20". And in the last 20 seconds it all fell away...

Final time, 6'18". I lay on my back in the wet grass and laughed at myself for being so ridiculously over-ambitious. But, and this is why I'm glad I ran it at the same place, my original mile was not a mile. It was at least 10 seconds short of a mile. So I did improve! Yay! Maybe by around 12 seconds. Of course, I've been running all my SPZ sessions too fast! Oh well, they were loads of fun.

And so was the program. Looking forward to the next one. Can I blitz another 18 seconds off the mile? Impossible? That's cool.

I hit the trails yesterday for my long run...20 miles. Energy level pre run was really good despite knowing my legs were likely to be a little tired, and should be for where I am at in training cycle. One of the things I am learning and need to learn is how to run on tired legs, how to manage my effort. It’s always easy to have a good mind set on long runs when one is primed for it and you have great energy...tapered, rested, whatever.  Having a good mindset on tired legs is a learned skill for sure! As always, I hit the trails with lofty goals, thinking, “yeah my legs SHOULD  be tired, but they don’t feel tired right now...I think I can be aggressive and plan to just climb and descend and climb and descend for 20 miles pushing the first few minutes of the ups and then backing off…” I hoped I would be able to maintain this stamina over and over again yesterday.

The trails were still pretty snowy with some ice and mud, but overall pretty good footing. So starting out, there is an Immediate technical ½ mi climb. I took it with upper moderate effort for a couple minutes then backed off and topped the hill. Not too shabby since I really wasn’t warmed up yet. Then a technical, but relatively relaxed descent to the bottom of “Jelly Legs” - a 0.4mi technical switchback hill. Did the first two hitting zone 4b by 1-2 minutes then backing off to zone 3 climbing for the last 2-3 minutes. Yay! I thought. Relaxed easy back down and strong up. By the 3rd or 4th it the cumulative fatigue in my quads became very evident very quickly. By the 5th climb I could no longer climb strong enough to get past 4a, “jelly legs” was how they were starting to feel by mile 7.  I reassessed where I was at and realized I need

ed to back off a bit and recover.  I opted onto a less technical/less hilly course and relaxed. I also took in some calories and water/electrolytes. I hung around in zone 2 and a bit in zone 1 even. I was aware my zone 1-2 effort felt more like upper 2 or even low 3. I continued to drink to thirst and took in more calories at 2 ½ hours, at this point I tried not to look at heart rate zones much, only to be aware and continue an effort I felt I could sustain.

I increased my perceived effort on climbs, but my heart rate remained low. Despite this, I was pleased that I was working my effort and satisfied….that is the magic that is starting to develop with my training….being satisfied and confident in my running and what I have on any given run...I definitely still struggle with this and have twinges of those thoughts...you know, “if you were a stronger runner you would be able to get into zone 4b on every climb out there..all the way through”, “you’re just weak”. BUT, out there yesterday, I was able to see those thoughts and recognize them, and stop short of OWNing them....I thought about owning them...but instead... I chose to USE those thoughts, and ask myself…”Are you managing your effort like you need to?” “are you fueling and hydrating to optimize how you feel?” “Can you increase 

your effort here or there?” “Are you focusing?”. Those thoughts come because I want to perform well on every run..and now I am learning to use them instead of avoiding them or letting them give meaning about me or consume me. Ha….That’s what I am working toward anyway! Learn and grow Lori, learn and grow.

So this morning’s run was track work with 4-5 x 1200 meter intervals. I wasn’t really sure what to expect considering how fatigued my quads felt yesterday. I’ve also never done track work the day after a 20 mile trail run. I ate well yesterday trying to restore as much nutrients to my legs and hydrated well. 2 mile warm up 

my quads felt pretty heavy. The 1200 meter intervals were not at a max pace, but I knew they would still be a challenge.  It was a fun challenge though and amazingly enough the cobwebs in my thighs broke apart and the first 1200 felt quite good. Second was decent. I had the option to do 4 or 5 intervals. On the 3rd one the fatgued quad syndrome came back and I was thinking 4 would likely be plenty to serve it’s purpose. The 4th was a definite challenge most of the way, but still finished feeling strong….and not compelled to do 5 ;)  It was a really satisfying track workout. My mantra for the track was “relax and breathe”. I also really tried to “feel” the effort and pace for future reference i.e., what is my breathing like at this pace, how do I feel at this pace, what do my legs feel like at this pace...yadda yadda.

Made it. And that in itself is a first. I haven't completed a training program, including 3 of Eric's, in 2 years, as something always breaks down in the 7th or 8th week. The difference? It has to be the slant board. Slavish adherence to the leg strengthening exercises has not quite eliminated tweaks and niggles, but it's a zillion percent better and has kept me running.

And the final run was a joyous way to finish the 12 weeks of running. Setting out into a gale that nearly blew me off my feet and driving rain that stung my face, the first 3 miles were exhilarating, and then I was at the bottom of a valley and the miles just seemed to flow by effortlessly. I felt I could run forever. At one point I had to take off my trainers and socks to wade knee deep through some of this flood water that the UK is slowly disappearing beneath. The last 2 miles, uphill, were starting to feel like work, but the GPS showed later there was no change in pace. Awesome.

So, to the tests! And, living near Oxford, I think I'm going to do my mile test at the Roger Bannister athletics track.... not that his record is any danger, though mine might be. Watch this space!

This afternoon my 9 year old son had a chiropractor appointment and as we walked into his rooms Aaron (our chiropractor) asked my son "so what have you been up to" in his usual caring and engaging manner. With that my son rolls of all that he's been up to and says at the very end "and Mum & Dad's been getting me to do the wobble, - er slant board. Now Aaron knows what my son meant as I have in the past spoken to him about it. "Thats great" he says as my son hops onto his table.

Then as Aaron was gently adjusting my son, Aaron and I were talking about the Cool Impossible as I have just given him a copy as a gift with him having read my copy of Born To Run mid last year. Aaron thanked me for the book and apologised that he hadn't started it with me telling him knowing how he like Born To Run, once he starts it he won't be able to put it down. Durning the insuing conversation I spoke to Eric's belief in starting from the ground up and how foot strength along with glute, hip flexor, calf, quad, in fact the whole leg and core must be working together to support and balance you as you run.

Aaron then said, "use it or loose it, given our increasingly sedentary life style if we don't use our complete system the brain starts to shut down and loose the neural pathways used in the correct firing of all the leg, glute, stomach and stabilization muscles. It's call "Pruning", the brain starts to prune those parthways that are not being used. He explained when children begin to walk as they are so unstable they use every muscle they have in an attempt to stay ballanced and so firing and developing all of the neural pathways required to stand, sit, walk and run properly. As Christopher McDougall writes in Born To Run, watch a child run, how correct, how easy and how free they are, yes I know, that you know, I'm paraphrasing, because the neural pathways are all open, connected and firing.