Thursday, June 30, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles recovery untimed


Rob dropped out on me this afternoon with his darned allergy thing, thus I jogged my canal loop in my Nike Air Pegasus 2005 on my bill. My legs felt good, and I was nice and fresh. No aches or pains, so I should be up to full training again this weekend. Great! The midfoot saddle of the Nike's is a little tight, causing aching in the midfoot (this is a recurring problem for me with the new Peg series). I'm going to try and deal with it by missing out some of the lacing holes in the mid-foot area. I'll let you fellow fat-feet out there know if it works tomorrow.

After I walked the dogs this morning, I went shopping and tried out the free 'Tassimo' coffee available at Savacentre. I'd say that it's overrated, as it doesn't taste as nice as my french press coffee and it costs stacks more!

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Wednesday, June 29, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles approx. Easy, untimed


I went to Dinton Pastures this morning with Robert to run 2 laps in my WO NB 834's. We took it nice & easy, and everything felt tickety-boo, well in an injury sense at least. My lower back, hamstrings & quads were aching from the gym work I did last night, but nothing unexpected or indicative of an injury. I fully expect to be back to full training by next week, as everything seems to be on track as far as my recoveries from various niggles is concerned. Running in a lightweight trainer for the first time for a few days makes me appreciate just how plush shoes such as the Pegasus 2005 are, the perceived difference is quite startling. Whether this difference actually makes any difference to injury rate is impossible to prove however.

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September 27, 2006 1:17 AM, Anonymous said...

My daughter just started cross country running and the races are a mile and a half. She has thrown up both races. Any tricks to having this not happen. She is twelve and the last quarter of a mile is a tough one for her. Can't seem to find anything on the web that addresses this. Any advice would be most helpful.

 

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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
On this day:

Gym Session- Lower Back & Legs


For the first time in a while I decided to 'hit the weights'. Not for power gains you understand, purely for re/pre-habilitation purposes. The workout went as below:

Back -
(30 seconds rest between sets)
3 x 20 Back Raises (Body Weight [BW])
3 x 12 Good Mornings (15kg)
3 x 20 Seated Back Raise (80kg)
3 x 12 Lat Pull-downs, underhand grip (35kg)
3 x 12 Seated T-Bar Rows (35kg)

Legs -
(30 seconds rest between sets)
3 x 20 Single Legged squats (BW)
3 x 12 Slow Leg Extension (14kg)
3 x 15 Deep Squats, heels on board (15kg)
3 x 12 Quarter Squats, (40kg)

My legs felt like jelly afterwards whilst walking, and my lower back ached (in a nice DOMS way). The single legged squats were particularly difficult, (my glutes and vas-med's ached afterwards) thus I think I may integrate a few sets of these in my day as a ritual, as they're not going to fatigue me significantly enough to affect my training, and they might pay dividends in terms of injury prevention. I'm probably going to keep the back work up for a few weeks until I'm satisfied my lower back is back 'up to code', so to speak. I definitely reckon I might feel this workout tomorrow, but I'm best of experimenting with what sort of weight training is actually going to be beneficially on a week where my running load is low, in both quality & quantity.

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Low-key track session,
5000m Alternating 50m strides with 50m floats (6 Miles total)


I wanted to run a low-key track session today, just to keep to a similar structure to my work weeks, but nothing that was going to put me into lactate debt. A type of workout from Kevin Beck's 'Running Strong' fit the bill perfectly - a NeuroMuscular Technique (NMT) workout, a type of session that keeps leg turnover up without the attendant battering of the body. The session went as below:

1 Mile Warmup in Nike Free 5.0's
5k of 50m stride/sprint alternated with 50m jog/float in Nike Zoom Ventulus
2 Miles Cooldown in Nike Air Pegasus 2005
6 Miles Total

My legs felt pretty darn good, especially my right knee which was completely sans ache. My lower back still felt a little tender, but it wasn't jarring with impact anywhere near as much as Sunday or Monday, so that's progress. I'm going to go the gym later to bang out some back rehabilitation & knee mechanic strengthening exercises I read about in Kevin Becks book.

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Monday, June 27, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles Easy, untimed


I jogged around my canal loop by myself, in the Nike Air Pegasus 2005. I took it very easy, and although my lower back still felt a little bit sore (although it was stacks better than yesterday), peversely my knees were completely pain free. The shoes were very plush, and I think I may have to renege on my prior assessment of the shoes. The forefoot was very flexible, and they felt quite stable. A little tight in the midfoot saddle perhaps, but all in all, a pretty good shoe methinks.

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June 28, 2005 9:38 AM, Anonymous said...

Morning Craig
Just read the comments you wrote on Sunday. I have to agree with all of them.Anyone coach or otherwise can write down a programme.However,the balance of the runs/sessions is the responsibility of the athlete. I cant feel how tired you are.
I told you right at the begining the real progress will be made this Winter,just use the Summer to adjust to a new training regime.
Athletes setting unrealistic targets which are out of context with where they are at a given stage in their progress is extremely destructive and the biggest hindrance to progress.
Be patient. Barry.

 

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Sunday, June 26, 2005
On this day:

70 Minutes Easy, (10 Miles Approx.)


I went for a 70 minute long run in Thame today, running the middle 40 minutes as a pacemaker for my 'Old Man's' sub-40 10k bid. I paced him round to a P.B. of 39:44, (in a pair of Nike Air Perseus MkII's borrowed from the Bowerman Van, nice support shoes actually) which he was pleased as punch with. Things were not quite so rosy for me however. When I woke up in the morning, my lower back felt extremely tight, so much so I could feel it jar when I walked. I went for my run anyway, hoping it might loosen off, which it did during the run. Frustratingly though, my problems weren't just limited to that though (sadly!). My right knee had flared up from yesterday's race, so I was in a right sorry state. I got through the run, but my back tightened up even further afterwards.

After the race I emailed Martin, telling him I needed to take an recovery week. All my niggles are lingering far too long of recent, and I'm picking them up far more easily. I'm taking this as an omen that I need to take it easy for a bit. Martin agreed, and advised me to either take complete rest week, or to jog every day for half an hour. Being as hopelessly addicted to aerobic activity as I am, I obviously chose the second option. So expect the next weeks training log content to be somewhat boring...

On a similar note, I had a chat with Chris Bradfield after the race, who made some observations about my training diary. He feels that I'm probably not allowing myself enough recovery after tough races (such as the Ridgeway), and that I'm not showing enough self-discipline in my track workouts, going at the early rep's too hard and thus slowing in later part of the sessions. I feel that he's probably right on both accounts, and I'm going to make efforts to rectify both situations upon my return to full training. The lack of recovery between hard bouts is probably what's making my niggles linger so long, so I will take my easier runs much, much easier. Futhermore, my lack of self-control in my track workouts is certainly resulting in lower quality workouts & may be also causing injury. This leads quite nicely onto a nice, verbose, soliloquy on the nature of life...

I think these two problems Chris highlighted may be caused by a complex interplay between four 'self' words. Self-discipline, self-esteem, self-analysis & self-expectation. I obviously lack self-discipline in my training, as shown by the way I approach track sessions, and also how my easy runs escalate in effort to quite strongly paced runs. The easy run 'escalation' probably results from low self-esteem, as I believe that my core speed is far lower than average, thus I try and compensate for this by training far harder than I believe my contemporarys are. Due to my too high levels of self-expectation, I feel I should be competitive with these contemporarys now, rather than over a longer time frame, resulting in me running my quality sessions too hard for my present level of fitness. This level of misdirected effort I'm putting into my training is almost certainly to blame for me picking up so many niggles. This injury acquisition rate may also be due to the lack of self-analysis I partake in. I should try and read my body more, and if I don't feel up to doing a run or a session at a certain time (which is exceedingly rare, to be fair), I should probably just rest till the next scheduled workout. Phew! Heavy stuff, that's certainly enough self-analysis for now. All I will say is that it all ties in quite nicely with what Chris had to say to me today, and my first point of correction will be to make sure all further easy runs are E A S Y . . .

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June 27, 2005 10:54 PM, Chris B said...

Craig - don't forget self belief! It takes planning, patience and persistence, but you will progress given time.

Take it easy,

C.

 
June 27, 2005 11:20 PM, White Stag said...

Dammit! You mean I missed a chance to make it 5 self words...
I think you've hit the nail on the head there with your last two words mate, given time. Cheers for the input fella.

 
June 28, 2005 12:12 AM, White Stag said...

Just noticed, I could have got the 3 P's in there too!..

 

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Saturday, June 25, 2005
On this day:

Southern Men's League, Division One - 5k, 7 Miles Total


Average race for me this afternoon really. I was relegated to B-string (again) due to the presence of the amazing Toby Lambert, who hacked around the race to win, unchallenged, running 15:04 in a mild breeze. This resulted in me running a rather cagey tactical race to try and get the maximum possible points by winning the B race. Probably for the best really, as I wasn't in the correct mindset to run for a time. Details of my 'Battle at Basingstoke' are below:

2 Mile Warmup, plus strides & drills (leg swings, e.t.c.) in WO NB 834's
Southern Men's League, Division One 5k [16:40] in Nike Mayfly's
2 Mile Cooldown in WO NB 834's
7 Miles Total


I spend the first couple of kilometres draughting off a Winchester runner (as the lead 3 runners, including Toby, were well away from the rest of us!), with a chap from Aldershot Farnham & District (AFD) tucking in behind us when I tried to jockey the Winchester runner to a faster pace. AFD's B runner tried to break me at 2.5k, but I stuck to his tail, realized he was having a rough patch, and surged in the last kilometre, beating him by some 20-30m in the end. The pace felt very easy (I could have carried on quite easily), and I felt much more in control of my race, more aware of what was going on around me if you will. I ended up 4th overall & 1st B-string scorer (yay!). I'm not disappointed with the time, because watching the AFD runner the way I did put times out of the window. Barry also felt that I ran a much better race than my last Southern outing, despite the time difference. He feels that when the right race presents itself my sub 16:00 will manifest itself, as I'm doing all the training to facilitate it. My knee felt a little trick in the warmup, but it loosened up before the race thanks to my drills. The Mayfly's felt very good, so I think I will be using them as my 5k racers of choice, when its not raining (I'll use my Nike Zoom Ventulus should that eventuality crop up).

To summarize, a good day methinks!

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3 Miles Easy, Untimed


I went for a morning leg-loosener with my 'Old Man' in my old NB 832's. I ran to the 1.5 mile point in Prospect Park and back home again. Felt quite fresh, but right knee itched/tweaked at the end of the run. I'm still pretty confident for this afternoon though, as I'm sure it can be sorted out with some mild stretching.

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Friday, June 24, 2005
On this day:

My canal capers, plus more Nike diatribes


Not strictly a training diary entry, but worthy of web space nonetheless. Whilst walking our puppies by the canal tonight (near Ufton Nervett), our 12 week old Keeshond, Buzz, fell in. He then proceeded to swim away from the edge, making picking him out from dry land nigh on impossible. Thus, I had to dive in and save him, resulting in my getting soaked to the skin in shitty canal water and nearly writing off my grey Nike Free 5.0's (they're washable thankfully, just about). Strange evening, and I was fortunate that the temperature was quite high, hence the walk back to car allowed me to dry off somewhat.

On a different note, I got my hands on a pair of Nike Air Pegasus 2005 at Sweatshop today, so I can now offer a more 'hands-on' evaluation. My concerns about the air-bubble appear to be unfounded, as the thing is absolutely rock solid! A positive update to the shoe is the addition of a small, plastic medial arch support. However, the negative changes outweigh the positive in my opinion. The shoe appears to be completely inflexible! If there is Nike Free technology integrated into the shoe (aledgedly the deeper flex grooves), I'm clearly failing to see it. The shoes feel so rigid it's frightening.

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Greetings Gang, 20 minutes Easy (3 Miles Approx)


Hello all. I went for a 20 minute easy run from Gillots Gym in Henley (3 miles approx) with Rob in my Nike Free 5.0's. The shoes felt excellent in pretty much every way- comfortable & stable. Nike have managed this without having to resort to using ridiculous plastic devices in the midsole to create stability, which is nice (here's an article that reckons the Free is one of Nikes most stable shoes!). I feel like yesterday's day off has doen me a power of good, I no longer feel sluggish & my knee appears to have cleared up enitirely. Let us just hope that it lasts...

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Wednesday, June 22, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles Approx. in 33:14


I ran the canal loop with Rob this morning in the WO NB 834's. I didn't take a watch, as I didn't want to be racing the clock. It was darned hot, so I felt slightly sluggish because of the temperature, but overall I felt stacks better than I have done recently (in both my legs, quads specifically, and my overall well-being). When we got back Rob revealed to me that we'd ran 33:14, unbeknownst to me he'd been timing the run (that scoundrel). I was happy with the time, especially given how relaxed we had been during it.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
On this day:

Speedwork at B & MH, 10 x 400m, 5 Miles approx


Yet another weird session for me down the Grange. The assigned session was 10 x 400m off 1 minute recoveries.What I achieved differed somewhat:

1 Mile Warmup in new NB 832's
5 x 400m in Nike Zoom Ventulus
[67, 68, 68, 68, 70]
3 Mile Cooldown in new NB 832's
5.25 Miles Total

I got pulled out after the fifth repetition, as I was absolutely on the floor. What characterized the session for me was an unrelenting ache from my quadriceps, and an almost instantaneous sensation of dehydration. The race at the weekend obviously has taken more out of me than I could have accounted for. From a purely muscular point of view, running 6 miles with severely reduced levels of co-ordination resulting from extreme dehydration cant do the legs much good!

Mind you, it's the second session in a row I've pulled out or modified. I wonder if that says something about me/my mentality, or am I just reading into it too much? Perhaps I'm just expecting too much from myself?

I'm just going to concentrate on getting my legs recovered for Saturday's 5k race for the rest of the week. Enough flogging myself for now.

On a more positive note, my modification to Saturday's session (necessitated by the severe weather) was met by approval by Barry, thus it appears I got the right idea when it comes to adapting sessions for the ambient conditions. That's one confidence booster to draw from the days events.

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Monday, June 20, 2005
On this day:

5.5 Miles Easy, 37:05


Another solo run for me today, ran from Prospect Park car park, around my Kennet loop, and back to the car, in my Nike Air Perseus in 37:05. My legs felt very leaden, particularly my thighs, and my right knee ached a little more than yesterday. I felt very sluggish, but I'm going to put that down to the heat. I love this running lark, honest! (maybe I'll feel better this afternoon)

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Sunday, June 19, 2005
On this day:

Ridgeway Relay, Leg 9 (10.7 Miles)


Well, today was 'hella hot'! It was well into the 90's when we running, which made Malboroough Running Club's fell-race style Ridgeway Relay somewhat more challenging to say the very least. From what I could see at the various handover points, everyone who came in looked absolutely trashed (Ed, I mean you, although I'm sure Nig couldn't have been in too pretty a state after his leg either), thus before I even started my leg I realized that survival might be more of an issue than split-times. After Rob handed over to me with a 7:30 lead (33% of which he was responsible for himself), the pressure on me to perform was lifted somewhat.

I charged down the first hill of arguably the most difficult leg of the race, with some vigor (to take advantage of the small amount of favorable terrain on my leg), having pre-cooled myself with my ice-vest, and a chilled, wet vest & long sleeve t-shirt combination. The heat started to tell as soon as 10 minutes in, and I was thankfully for the water provided to me by my support crew at Ogbourne St George, half way through my leg. About 10 minutes after this point though, I realized I may have taken the pace out too hard, given the heat, as I was staggering around like a drunk for the last half of my leg, tripping over the loose scree & pebbles like they were obstacles 10 times their true size. I even resorted to walking up some parts of the climbs (the toughest of which was that out of Ogbourne St George up to Barbury Castle).

I came into the handover point, 10.7 Miles later (ran in my WO NB 834's) in a time of 71:31, severely disappointed. I was sure that I must have dropped time for the team, despite my efforts to maintain some sort of pace. After all, at some points I was virtually crawling! Imagine my surprise when the next runner came through 15 minutes & 13 seconds later. I had managed to double our lead! I know it was only down to the quality of runners the other teams put on my leg, rather than due to my fitness or skill, but it made me feel better about the poor 6:41/Mile average pace I sustained during my leg (peversely it was also a leg best for the day)!

At the prize ceremony, the usual suspects were present, Nig 'Gorilla' Grove, Ed 'Something Witty' Dodwell, Rob 'DF' Prady et al. After Toby Laver's efforts on the 10th and final leg we came in clear victors by some 14-odd minutes. A staggering winning margin given the day's conditions. I was somewhat disapointed by the lack of trophies though. I feel that our efforts were worth more than a consumable prize & a shared shield. I might follow Rob's lead and get my wine bottle engraved. A good day by all accounts, I'm just hoping I recover in time for Tuesday's track session!..

"Why doesn't the club actually spend some of its money on improving the service it provides, rather than just giving it ALL away?.."
A. N. Other

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June 20, 2005 10:30 PM, gorilla nige said...

well mr t what a day.yeah i must admit i felt like i had drank 10 pints about 3 miles in and it looked like you had drank 15 he he.i really thought i was going to die out there.but hey the roadrunners fighting spirt was the winner.great stuff by all the team.take it easy fella.
gorilla nige or nig.

 

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Saturday, June 18, 2005
On this day:

EMS Session


I used my EMS machine on my legs again, on a muscle rehabilitation/reinforcement program on my quadriceps, focusing on vastus-medialis. Seems to be doing the trick on my knee, plus my legs look so beefy afterwards... ;)

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30 Minutes easy, (4.5 Miles approx)


I ran a 30 minute leg loosener around Palmer Park this afternoon by myself in my new NB 832's, just to help wind the legs off for tomorrows relay leg. My knee felt good, but I felt a little bit sluggish from this morning (dehydration?). I'll make sure to drink shed-loads of water tonight, that should ensure recovery for tomorrows 14:45 excursion along the blistering Ridgeway!..

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Speedwork at B & MH, 4 x 1200m, 6 Miles approx


I went over to Down Grange this morning with Rob & my 'Old Man' to run the assigned speedwork session (as all the B&MH boys were at the Southern T&F finals), 4 x 1200m with 2 minute recoveries. Unfortunately all did not go to plan, as you will soon see -

1.5 Mile Warmup, in Nike Air Perseus
2 x 1200m, 2 minute recoveries in Nike Zoom Ventulus
[3:45, 3:49]
4 x 600m, 1 minute recoveries in Nike Zoom Ventulus
[1:53, 1:52, 1:52, 1:53]
2 Mile Cooldown, in Nike Air Perseus
6 Miles Total

Rob dropped out after 800m of the session with his bastard cold, thus leaving me to it. My 'Old Man' going round clocking 84 second laps wasn't much assistance to me either, however the main problem with the session wasn't psychological in nature. The wind was mild, but not enough to be considered a serious issue. The problem lay in the heat, 75 degrees centigrade [edit: Farrenheit!] to be precise, possibly more at track level. Six hundred metres into my third rep, I realized that the heat was becoming too much to work against, and to continue on the same manner could be hazardous folly. Hence, I modified the session so that I covered the same distance, at the same target pace, with the same total recovery times, but with the recoveries being more frequent to lower the heat build up. Even having modified the session in this fashion, the levels of distress I felt at the end were quite scary! It wasn't the 'legs turning to jelly' sensation, or the 'lungs on fire' feeling but I was hyper-venitlating in an effort ot lower my core temperature. Bloody horrid I tell you!..

Although this is the first time I've 'dropped out' of one of my new coach's assigned sessions, thus I'm kicking myself to some degree, I feel I made the right choice - quality over mindless quantity. The alternative was to bin the watch for the last two reps as Rob suggested, which in my mind sort of made being on the measured surface (i.e. the track) a pointless endeavor. I may as well have done fartlek on the grass, thus removing any pressure entirely.

My Ventulus spikes felt good (better than the Eldoret's), and my knee was completely non-problematic, so apart from the splits, a good session. I used my EMS machine on my right leg last night (muscle rehabilitative program) to 'tighten up the knee mechanics' (as per Rick's recommendation), and I reckon that may be doing the trick...

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June 18, 2005 5:19 PM, Chris B said...

75 degress centigrade, eh? Truly a hellish run ;-)

 
June 18, 2005 6:08 PM, White Stag said...

Top spot Chris, would you belive that it was creative license, as opposed to scientific ineptitude?..
Signed- The Biology Graduate (astonishingly)

 

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Friday, June 17, 2005
On this day:

35 minutes Easy/Steady (5 Miles Approx)


I went to Ogbourne St George (near Malborough) this morning with Roberto to check out the complicated part of my Ridgeway Relay leg, in my old Nike Perseus. We ran about 35 minuites on the road and cross country (~5 Miles). My God, the hills around there are quite severe to say the very least! One of the hills literally took my breathe away (thankfully I'm not climbing it on Sunday). I figured out which road you descend into Ogbourne St George on though, so my capacity for getting lost on Sunday now lies at 0%. I am going to have to take it quite sensibly on Sunday though, as it's a darn tough leg (thanks Pete!!!). Knee felt good, as did the medially posted shoes, thus they're going back into my rotation for easy paced runs.

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June 17, 2005 4:48 PM, Anonymous said...

Aprops of nothing, I met coaching legend, Bruce Tulloh on the train yesterday. I was quite accidental, but when this chap sat down opposite with two of his books (one being Running over 40) and then didn't bother reading them my intuition kicked in.

The other tell-tale sign was he looked a bit like an older version of the bloke on the cover).

Anyway eventually I plucked up courage, by asking him what he thought of the books - at which point of course he said "I wrote them".

He then said that he had just returned from 15 weeks abroad running from Vladivostock to Moscow (two x 10k a day).

For those that don't know Bruce Tulloh broke broke the record for the Los Angeles to New York run, won UK and European titles, represented England at cross country, and coached Mike Boit and Richard Nerurkar, and has been coaching and writing about athletics for decades. Must know that other (though local)legend Stan Eldon, I suppose.

Anyway, I couldn't let the opportunity pass without a spot of brain picking, so I asked him about the most effective way to improve my 10k time. For what it is worth in distilled terms;

3 or 4 times 1 mile with 3/4 minutes recovery.

4 or 5 times 2k with 2/3 minutes recovery.

Tempo runs 15 mins out followed by ? minute recovery and 15 mins back.

He said that he disagreed with the practice of excessively short recovery times e.g 30 secs after 1k. In his view it is far more effective to have a longer recovery time and to run faster/harder. By that time I had reached my station stop (yuch phrase) so I wasn't able to discover his reasoning (anyone got any ideas?). But I imagine that it is to do with faster running training you to run more efficiently, or something along those lines. As far as my memory allows, this is all Gospel truth.

 
June 17, 2005 5:31 PM, Cornish Bob said...

Wow, I think it must be an economy thing, aswell as having a phsycological (?) benifit, ie the first mile or so feels like a walk in the park. However the likes of Paula and Tergat run off very short recoveries(even more so than Mr. Coe used to), the reasoning being that you dont get a break every rep.However I don't know that they have always done this or wether they also do long recovery sessions at higher speeds.

 
June 17, 2005 6:19 PM, White Stag said...

That's an interesting account, I wish I could have been in your boots, or seat more specifically! On the logic behind Bruce's statement, I'd be more inclined to go with the economy improvement point of view, rather than the psychological advantage perspective. 'Speed-work may be to do with reaching %VO2 Max, at slower than maximal speeds, but according to Jack Daniel's (Bob Kennedy's coach), repetition work (what he calls quick work off big recoveries) is definitely an economy thing. Interval work (slower pace, shorter recoveries) has its place in his perspective too, but only in the training of energy systems. That's Jack's take on it, I wish we knew Bruce's!

 
June 17, 2005 9:42 PM, gorilla nige said...

hi craig.hows tricks fella.mate i have info on the ridgeway which will be helpfull to you.being a sad single bloke now he he i have had time to work out all the leg start times based on the farstest times from last year.your leg 9 works out at 2.45 pm so if there by 2.30 you will be fine.mind how you go.see you sunday.gorilla nige

 
June 17, 2005 10:53 PM, White Stag said...

Cheers 'Nig' (I'll pass you the email so you can see what I'm refering to). Your effort's appreciated. I'll see you at the start of Rob's leg maybe? If not, definitely at the bash after...

 

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Thursday, June 16, 2005
On this day:

Web testing required...


Any opinions on the header, navigation bar & colour scheme for this site? I'm developing on the site for the Thames Valley Cross Country league for the coming season, but I want to ensure that it's user friendly & not an eye-sore. All comments welcome...

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June 16, 2005 6:01 PM, Cornish Bob said...

like the photos good choice.

 
June 16, 2005 6:06 PM, White Stag said...

Well, I would have been less biased about it, but I don't keep photo's of random other runners on my computer. Well that is my story & I'm sticking to it!!!

 
June 16, 2005 6:18 PM, Cornish Bob said...

You even managed to get me in there (red shorts right hand side), well done!
When you've finished it stick the link on my blog...cheers.

 
June 16, 2005 6:23 PM, White Stag said...

Working on the links for your blog as we speak mate. Got the memory card workiong on the PSX emulator btw!

 
June 16, 2005 6:26 PM, White Stag said...

Oh, and getting you in there was my attempt at reducing the levels of bias!.. Not sure it's going to look like that though!

 
June 16, 2005 6:43 PM, Cornish Bob said...

I agree could look a little... queer!!

 
October 20, 2005 12:22 PM, Anonymous said...

Ar,,Craig my boy..Yes the xc site looks very classy and will be one hell of an improvement over nay previous attempt! Following Robs line..I can see myself on the right photo as well (which is nice)
May be (not sure if its tricky or not) you can update the photo image header thing to that of the highest finishing RRR after each race (just a thought).

I heard about your aborted belgium experience - A gutter in every respect really.

As you will have seen our first fixture in the hants eague was a disaster in only fielding 2 members. Are U boys still up for the Nov 5 at Goodwood? it was me who persuaded Pete (Turner) to enter us in this league this year but I was injured for Winchester (again). I still think we can managed runners up spot in Div 2 (providing we score arounf the 300 mark in the last 4 remaining fixtures so how about it? (it woudl be another gong for us)

Cheers
Andy B

 
November 09, 2006 11:36 PM, Anonymous said...

Are you going to post 2006/2007 fixtures ?

 

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20 Minutes Threshold (10 Miles total approx.)


I ran my weekly 20 minute Threshold run from Rob's today, east along the Thames towpath, in my WO NB 834's. We ran it as a 10 minute out & back, following a 20 minute warmup & followed by an equal cooldown. The weather was vile (especially for June!), which if anything helped us in a way. It kept the pacing under control so it was more 'threshold' effort and less 'time-trial'. We had to work harder into the wind on the way back, but we still managed to cover greater distance on the return leg (only about 50m though!). My knee is better than yesterday; I reckon I managed to tweak it on Sunday and its healing, so basically what running I do on it isn't going to make stacks of difference. So in summary, good workout!

On a different note, there is good discourse going on at both Rob's blog & mine at present (on various topics via the comments function). Makes a nice change for the blog's not to be dry anyway!..

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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
On this day:

54:15 Easy/Steady, (8 Miles Approx)


I ran the Cambrian Way, Kennet, Circuit Lane, Bath Road, Tilehurst Road, Meadway loop (long name, eh?) with Rob in my new NB 832's at a steady effort. My knee wasn't too painful at all (just a little residual soreness) but the movement of my right leg feels restricted when compared to the left. We probably covered around 8 Miles in all, in the stinking weather. Who'd have thought it was June for Heaven's sake, and how long is our Summer going to last this year? About 2 weeks?..

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7 Comments:

June 16, 2005 8:49 AM, Anonymous said...

Morning Craig. I see your friend Niel has a touch of "contextual malignment disorder" quite common in runners!

Barry

 
June 16, 2005 10:00 AM, Anonymous said...

Cgraig, did you discuss running on Tues Morning with Martin??

Barry

 
June 16, 2005 1:57 PM, White Stag said...

He does seem to, doesn't he! I remember mentioning my trick knee to you before you even agreed to coach me, so I'm not really sure how the 'fast stuff' can be responsible for my niggle (as I acquired it pre-Basingstoke).

Re: Tues AM.
I mentioned it in passing before the session to Martin (that I'd ran that morning). Reasoning: I had an osteo appointment booked for 1:30PM, and normally after seeing this practioner I'm lucky to be walking properly, let alone training 5 hours later- thus I was trying to pre-emp it by getting some running in earlier. I was considering doing the session with Rob, then reasoned that might not be advisable, thus why I only did warmup/cooldown with him.

Probably a mistake all in all, but the dodgey chronological location of the osteo appointment kind of ordained it..

 
June 16, 2005 2:08 PM, Cornish Bob said...

Nice one Martin. I just think he sounds anal!
By the way I'm no English teacher, but the gwamma waz applein;'!"

 
June 16, 2005 3:47 PM, White Stag said...

Oh, just to clarify Neil, thanks for your take on things. I hope my comment to Barry didn't sound acidic. I just wanted to clarify when my injury started, publiclly like. I dont want anyone else (be it Martin, Barry, Andy or Jesus) getting blamed for what in essence is my own fault. We all do this sport acknowldging personal responsiblity for the minor risks involved, after all. I know you know my running quite well, so your take on it is always appreciated mate.

 
June 16, 2005 4:24 PM, Cornish Bob said...

What about me? Blame me, I think I'm responsible. Well; Naomi is anyway

 
June 16, 2005 4:34 PM, White Stag said...

No, she's the 'responsible adult' in your relationship. That doesn't actually make her responsible for everything, quite the contrary...
;)

 

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Tuesday, June 14, 2005
On this day:

5 x 800m, 4 minutes recovery (5 Miles total)


I went down to the Grange to run a track workout. It went as below:

1 Mile Warmup in WO NB 834's
5 x 800m, 4 minutes recovery in Nike Zoom Elodoret II
[2:23, 2:27, 2:27, 2:27, 2:29 = 2:26.6 avg] 1.5 Mile Cooldown in WO NB 834's
5 Miles Total

I was able to draught for the first rep, but then 50% of my workout partners dropped out of the session, thus leaving me to fight the terrible wind on the back straight by myself. That's the one thing I hate about track running; if there is any wind at all, you're fighting it at least 50% of the time. The spikes felt good, nice & aggressive. Also, I think my running form must be improving slightly to be able to get away with spikes like these without my legs feeling like they've taken a pounding (which they don't). Maybe I'm getting lighter on my feet? Overall I'm happy with the workout, especially considering the trials of the last few days (in order of significance)-
  • 10k race on Sunday
  • Deep massage 5 hours before workout (suprised thy recovered from this!!!)
  • Cider binge Sunday night
  • Helping Rob out with his workout this morning
Well, just an incredibly easy day for me tomorrow methinks. Hopefully my knee will stay good and loose (pre-slumber hip flexor stretching should help with that!).

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June 15, 2005 9:16 PM, neil renault said...

Alright Craig! In my opinion you seem to be having alot of recovery in between reps (remember some the track sessions we laughed at that the lads at the Notts AC did) and they all get injured. Maybe a little less recovery and a bit slower reps, but still giving a good anaerobic workout, but the speed isn't so injuries (i.e too much speed increases risk of injuries). your strength is lots of running!, remember breane, lots of easy steady running, with some easy fartlek, remember how you were running so well at ALL distances. obviously in the summer you need a bit more speed, so track stuff is good. Next thing your be doing 4 x 100m as your session, just a thought but stick to your strengths (lots of running, that'll get you regularly running 33 mins for 10k, or help), oh and your coach make sure theres plenty of interact, not like james, he should'nt just set training but should discuss the training you do, ref the comment "I set the training, you do the running", you both should be setting the running, as a team working togther, just a couple of thoughts, see ya mate. Neil

 

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Athletics Top Trumps!..


I was reading the University Athletics UK Forums and spotted this thread. Top Trumps, the card game that several generations have taken great delight in playing, for runners! I'll make a Berkshire pack over the next few days (or at least a few sample cards), just for a laugh. Expect to see them posted shortly...

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Osteo to the rescue!


I'm sure you ar all wondering about my present injury dillema. Here is the 'breaking news'!..
I went to see Rick today for his opinion on my leg. He doesn't feel its anything too severe. To cut a long diagnosis short he reckons it is basically a combination of hip-flexor & piriformis tightness with a little TFL tightness thrown into the mix. He didn't feel any knots or scar tissue on any of the major muscle groups implicated in non-specific knee pain, and he went deep enough to diagnose! I stand by my prior assessment of Rick's skills, as his display of talent today did nothing but reinforce my opinion that he is one of the best sports therapists in the area! I'm going to be doing...
  • Gluteal strengthening work,
  • Vas-med strength work,
  • Hip flexor stretching,
  • Piriformis self massage

...over the next few weeks, following Rick's recommendations.

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Timing Rob's workout, plus attendant running (5 Miles Approx)


I went to Bracknell this morning to time Rob's workout & keep him company for parts of it. I also wanted to test out some spikes (Nike Zoom Eldoret II), on some short shuttle runs, purely to see if they would be suitable for tonight's workout. I ran the warmup & cooldown with Lord Prady, and if one was to include the strides, I ran about 5 miles in total (95% easy paced). For your information, the spikes felt 'good' (said in pervy voice)...

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Monday, June 13, 2005
On this day:

Mini Core Workout


I just did my first core workout, but it was just a shortened version until I've done some more reading:

3 x 1 minute Abdominal Plank, 20 seconds recovery
3 x 40 Crunches, 30 seconds recovery

...see? Very shortened... Any suggestions on a good core workout for runners? Anyone?..

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6 Miles Easy in 40:05


I went and ran 2 laps of Prospect Park very easily (1 Mile away from me) with the M.P.U. in my old NB 832's. Took it nice and easily throughout with a little bit of a pick up of effort due to the head wind we were running into on the way home. My knee feels better than this morning but I have been popping the evil white smarties (read: ibuprofen). Looking forward to my osteopath appointment tomorow. I think I'm going to start a core-strength workout tonight, which I plan to do 3 nights a week (Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays), but I'm waiting for the info I need to plan it (a la Robert). I may even play with my old EMS machine afterwards...

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5.5 Miles Easy/Steady untimed


I ran the Canal loop (Cambrian Way - Kennet Canal - Circuit Lane) in part with Rob this morning in my WO NB 834's. My right knee felt a little bit iffy from the start, rose in pain (7/10 on ouch-o-meter), and stabilized there. I will ring Rick ASAP. I don't want to read too much into it yet though, I did race yesterday after all! Rob reckons that I may be able to run through this niggle, as he had something similar when he was younger. Although he does reckon that I should 'attack it from all angles' for a week, by doing various leg strengthening exercises (squats, ham curls, leg extensions), hitting it the leg with EMS, stretching out the muscles more thoroughly. I might put this to Rick tomorrow, but if its a muscle knot/tear causing the pain, I doubt any of the above can help...


[Edit: Booked in to see Rick tomorrow at 1:15]

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Sunday, June 12, 2005
On this day:

Wargrave woes of the darting dilettante, (10.7 Miles Approx.)


Apologies for the delay readers! I went out for a few beverages last night, and I slept for a good portion of the afternoon yesterday, hence the delay. 'It is no excuse, but it is my reason'. I'm sure you want me to get down to the 'nitty-gritty', so the important details of yesterday are summarized below:

4000m Warmup, plus dynamic mobilisation exercises (leg swings, 'hot-feet', walking ankle raises, high knees), in WO NB 834's
 Wargrave 10k, 5th place overall, 3rd Berkshire Senior Male, 34:27 in Saucony Fastwitch
 3200m Cooldown in WO NB 834's
 10.7 Miles Total


Finishing the Wargrave with my signature 'Thunderbirds' style arm action & armpit juice

Wargrave was a bit of a mixed bag for me really. I was first Roadrunner home, which was nice! However, putting it mildly, my legs felt crappy from the start of the race. As I left the playing field (~300m) I felt like I'd already run a few 1k repetitions! Having said that, my run wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, just very average really, which is good given the fact that if I'd responded badly to the new training I wouldn't be clocking times like this as an 'average run'. The first half of the course was generally uphill, it was a reasonably breezy day, and I was relatively isolated in my part of the field, thus the race wasn't really set up for a PB (many other quality local runners ran worse than the form book would have suggested they should as well). I was only 7 seconds off my road PB (at Sedgemoore last year), which drives me a bit potty as I eased off and jogged in the last kilometer as my knee was playing up again (it actually started at about 3k, urrgh). If I'd maintained my effort level, I would of had a new road PB, but such is life. Being able to run at all is a gift in itself, so I shouldn't moan about running what many would consider an excellent time (even though it's below my personal expectations at the moment). I'm also a little frustrated as the Berkshire Road Race series victor is now going to be decided on some sort of incredibly complicated calculated countback index thingy (patent-pending). Thus I wont find out until October whether I or the superlative Chris Bradfield is going to be County road race champion (oooh, I can't bear the tension...)! My knee aches a bit now, and I can see I need to give it a bit more respect. I'm going to try and see Rick Weatherall this week to get it sorted once and for all. The guess work just isn't working.



Craig masked his disgust at the 'ginger medal' with limited sucess.

Despite my misfortune with my knee & time, I can't moan too much, as two of my friends had it much worse (one didn't finish to course due to hamstring problems, the other ran 'a stinker' by his own high standards. I'm sure they'll both get it sorted for next time though, without a shadow of a doubt). Futhermore my 'Old Man' logged a numerically significant PB, his first sub 40 minute 10k clocking (39:59.5), sadly only by his own time piece. However, given the nature of the race I'm sure he'll knock a chunk off when he next faces up against the distance.


Oh sweet reward!..


NB: I may update the Blog later with some more action photos of various Reading Roadrunners when the official photos are put online.

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Saturday, June 11, 2005
On this day:

Mileage Total For The Week- 48 Miles


Low mileage this week due to backing off for the Wargrave 10k...

48 Miles Total

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4 Miles Easy, sans breakfast & untimed


I went out for a leg loosener around Prospect Park today of 4 miles with my 'Old Man' in my new NB 832's. I chucked some easy strides into the run, including a relaxed Bath Road TT in 39.3 seconds. I had an iffy left Achilles yesterday which seems to have largely cleared up, it was just a tweak methinks. Feeling very relaxed (loose limbed almost) & fast. Should be fun at Wargrave tomorrow.

A new book also arrived for me today through the post from Germany (much cheaper that way)- Kevin Beck's 'Run Strong', one of the contributors being Craig Mottram's coach. I'll post a review of it as soon as I'm finished reading this mighty 263 page 'tome'!

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Friday, June 10, 2005
On this day:

Nike Pegasus 2005


My last Nike footwear related post - I assure you! Those of you who read Running Fitness magazine will already know this, but the new Nike Pegasus & Elite's integrate some 'Free' technology. In the case of the Pegasus 2005, a longitudinal groove is integrated, to allow greater decoupling of the heel (all works on the false assumption that heel striking is ideal, but hey!). In the case of the Elite, a more dynamic/natural medial posting & mid-foot support system are present. But why repeat other people's articles when you can put your own idea on digital paper? My question is, why have Nike restyled the Pegasus 2005 so radically? Specifically I'm talking about the 'street-style' upper & the 'bad-boy' visible air unit in the heel (shown below)...



It looks more like one of their patent-pending 'Ghetto-Pumps'. Furthermore that air unit is just a puncture waiting to happen as far as runners are concerned. In addition to this, when on God's good earth did Nike integrate 'Max-Air' cushioning into the 'Peg'? This has to be the company's most unsuccessful cushioning system as far as the running demographic is concerned, due to its extreme weight & lack of responsiveness, thus integrating it into their flagship running shoe is an act of lunacy! I wont comment on the Elite, as I'm no au fait with support shoes to be entirely honest.

Maybe an informed reader could offer comments on the revamp of this particular shoe?

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Thursday, June 09, 2005
On this day:

50 Minutes Easy (7 Miles approx)


I went running today from Newbury along the Kennet towpath towards Reading for 25 minutes, then ran the return section untimed. I ran with my M.P.U. in my WO NB 834's, and the pace was generally easy, but not a jog. Enjoyed the route, as that section of the towpath is very varied & mostly offroad in composition. My legs felt nice & loose and I can honestly say I didn't feel my right knee once. I concentrated on getting an active foot-strike during the run, having been inspired by the articles of John Raucci, an American high school coach. Most of what he says is guff, but some of it rings true. To try and run with a more active foot-plant for the umpteenth time, I tried a new drill & it seemed to work for me. In the past I've been told to contract my calf, or pull the leg under my body faster, but no avail. This time I focused on using my foot to 'clap' against the ground. After all, the foot is the proprioreceptive part of the leg, as far as running is concerned, so why focus on any other body part? To my surprise my foot-plant quietened almost instantly with little or no cost to my effort expenditure. Yay!

On a slightly more pessimistic note, after reading this month's Reading Roadrunners newsletter, I have some negative social commentary to make. Our women came second in the team event for this years Flora London Marathon, a great achievement I'm sure you'll agree. For their efforts- 'the club received £500'. Herein lies my gripe, did the club pay for their entries? I'm certain it did not; after all at the clubs AGM this year the treasurer suggested that paying for the entry of athletes to championship events was elitist, as only a small proportion of the club benefits from it. Thus, the club isn't likely to pay for normal race entries, and assuming this, under what justification is the club taking the team prize off our winning ladies? Come on Roadrunner's, you cant have it both ways, it's like saying-

"We like fast runners when they contribute to the club coffers (thanks for the monkey girls), but they're the worlds biggest cads when we're asked to financially support their competing in higher level events (damn them wanting to compete & expecting something back from the club)".

Also, considering the glut of excess money the club is raking in every year, perhaps whining about paying for championship event entries that raise the profile of the club both locally & nationally is a little petty? After all, I'm sure the ever-increasing membership numbers in due in some small part due to efforts of faster runners competing in races & gaining exciting headlines (read: free advertising). Faster runners, if I might add, who might not be quite so attracted to a club that resents their participation at the levels of the sport which they should be competing. I'm tempted to write in a letter for next months newsletter, but that'd be too much like effort...

Please note, the above post is written on the assumption that the club kept the prize money, as is my interpretation of the newsletter. If the club redistributed the money amongst the athletes, or the athletes gave it up voluntarilly, then I will happily retract my comments & my firey vengance will be averted, or something to that effect....

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Unlucky Yanks, look at these monsters!


Let us hope that these beasts never make it across the pond! Enter Nike Shox TL II & Nike Shox Ride II...


"This shoe will improve your sex life by giving you the illusion of having a bigger willy" - or something like that. Why do people buy shoes like these?


"You can now run like carp as well as looking like carp"

In case you couldn't tell, I'm vehemently anti-shox. No doubt I might get some 'Pro-Shox' hate mail, but someone needs to take a stand, and the running retailers who should, aren't! Why do Sweatshop & other running specialists sell this sort of tripe? Oh that's it, company profit takes precedent over the responsibility to ensuring the customer's wellbeing. God, Nike sucks butt big time sometimes... Grrr.....

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June 10, 2005 5:32 AM, Mark I. said...

All this crap just reinforces poor running form. If you heel-strike that's ok because we'll just build you a behemoth of a shoe to protect you from yourself.

One day, the world will wake up and realize structured shoes - even computerized shoes are NOT the answer!

 

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Wednesday, June 08, 2005
On this day:

Lucky Yanks... Here comes the Nike 4.0!


The lucky swines are at it again, release premium sporting goods to their own before the rest of the world (as is their right, dammit!). Enter Nike Free 4.0!..



"Compared to Nike Free 5.0, the 4.0 version offers an even 'closer to barefoot' sensation." apparantly...

Looks like a visual downgrade on the 5.0, but a functional upgrade (as I wear mine sans laces anyway!) When it hits our shops I'll be giving them a spin, no doubt. For now I'm just going to experiment with my flat-as-a-pancake, Puma Harambee Streets, as worn by many a Pose-Technique advocate, for that barefoot sensation!

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Sports Massage at Palmer Park


I went down to the 'Park of Palmer' to get my massage in. I managed to get myself in the first slot whilst my Old Man ran 10 x 600m, 90 seconds recovery (2:11 average, not bad for a 53 year old!). It seemed to ease my various tight areas off, but the area June reckons may be the worst is my Tensor Fascia Latae, not my iliotibial tract as I previously thought. Fortunately an excellent TFL stretch featured in the last issue of 'The Coach', so I shall be doing that religiously! Email me for more details, as I can't really publish the article online word for word without getting screwed by copywriters!

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56:30 Steady, (9 Miles Approx)


I went for a run with Rob this morning down the Bath Road to Temple Rise & back home along the canal in my new NB 832's. It took us 56:30, which is about a minute quicker than last time we did the route. It all felt rather easy compared to yesterday's efforts, and the hot weather made it rather enjoyable. My right knee felt OK (2 out of 10 on the patent-pending 'niggle-pain-o-meter'). I've altered slightly from my scheduled 'double runs' today into a single for two reasons. Firstly to afford myself more recovery for the weekend's race, and secondly so I can get a massage in down at Palmer Park tonight. I've gone 3 weeks in a row now to get my thighs looked at & still haven't managed to get a slot!

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June 08, 2005 8:50 PM, Anonymous said...

2 single runs always better than one longer one

 
June 08, 2005 8:59 PM, White Stag said...

Thanks for the input 'Herr Anonymous'. I'd agree normally, but time constraints kind of controlled this one. Due to the 'P' poor luck I've been having with getting a massage slot on Wednesday's, I wanted to keep the evening free. I don't really like running after massage, as I've had bad experiences doing this in the past. Thus running afterwards wasn't an option - its a shame too, because I rue the 2 miles I'm down by downgrading to a single run!

 
June 08, 2005 9:02 PM, White Stag said...

Oh, just to clarify- if the last post sounded at all 'snappy' it wasn't meant to be! Genuinely- than you for your input, it is all appreciated!

 

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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
On this day:

Speedwork at B & MH, 4 x 1k, 6 Miles Total


I went to Down Grange with Rob again to run our Tuesday speedwork session, details below:

2 Mile Warmup, WO NB 834's
4 x 1k, 3 minutes recovery in Nike Zoom Ventulus
[3:05, 3:05, 3:06, 3:06] - reasonably windy, but I hit my target times - "How do you like them apples!.."
2 Mile Cooldown, WO NB 834's
6 Miles Total


On reflection, I'm reasonably happy with how the session went. It felt easier than the speedwork I've been doing prior, but then it was easier! Theres no need to flog myself with a 10k coming up this weekend.

Speaking of races, Martin told me of the racing schedule Basingstoke had planned for me. It consists of running as many of Men's Southern League 5k's as I can get in the team for, mixed with some midweek 3k's at Watford for speed, and some road 10k's for a good endurance measure. Towards the end of the Summer we'll be looking towards training for a Half Marathon, and the Great South Run (I'd best enter that now!) for me to get my long distance running freak on. It all sounds good, and its nice to hear that they've mapped out my year like that already. Another confidence booster came from Barry, who said he was looking towards getting Rob & I well inside the top 20 of the Hampshire Cross Country League this coming season, which would represent a massive improvement for the pair of us. I get the feeling Barry's the kind of guy who calls a spade a spade, and wouldn't molly-coddle us. If a 33 minute 10k was my top limit, I reckon he would have told me by now.

Of course I may be getting ahead of myself a little here. After all, my next race is in 5 days time, so forget the Hants League for now! Obviously I feel a bit of stress leading into this one, as it is my first road race (the Wargrave 10k) under my new coaches, and it will give me some idea of if I'm taking well to their training or not (yet!). I guess it is getting used to racing without the measure of security that running under a coach who's been directing you for 2+ years provides (with decent results to be fair). No dig at Barry or Martin, who I have absolutely every confidence in, but has been a significant change to my whole running ethos over the last few weeks (for the better, I'm certain) and these 'rights or transition', such as ones first road race, are going to be quite stressful for me. Not so much so that it'll affect my race times though, I'm sure! At least with Rob improving at the rate he is, it gives me someone to potentially share the pacing with over this coming race season, so that can only improve both our times, regardless of such stresses.

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Dirt cheap music, and it's legal!


No, I'm not talking about banging saucepans together! In this months copy of GigaHZ magazine (which has already paid for itself!), a contributing journalist, Karl Foster, points out how digital data isn't protected in Russian copyright law- thus Russian companies can sell MP3's/WMA's/AAC's/WAV's (read: digital music) at dirt cheap prices, as they don't have to pay royalties! The service he specifically mentioned was ALLOFMP3.com, and all I can say is WOW! This service kicks CD-WOW's @rse. You buy credit (in dollars, God bless the strong pound) using your credit card or PayPal, and you can then download the very latest MP3's (including the entire top 100 UK & US Charts). Here comes the best bit... prices are fixed by size of the download, so if you want to download a typically sized MP3, encoded at 192kbs (fairly good quality), it'll cost you less than 5 pence! If your a bit fussier about the quality of your tracks (as I am as I listen to them through my home stereo), you can opt to download the tracks at a range of higher bit-rates (higher = better sound), including lossless WMA or even WAV (which directly translates to the original CD files)! Even at this CD quality bit-rate, a typical album will cost you less than $6 or £4!

I know it's not running related, but as many of us use MP3 players on our daily sojourns, I couldn't help sharing!..

Disclaimer:
Please note, this post is for 'information purposes' only. I'm not stating that I use the service myself, or suggesting that the reader should 'try this at home' to fill their MP3 player on the cheap before Russian law changes, err, oops...

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Monday, June 06, 2005
On this day:

Search function now fully active


The more astute amongst you might have noticed a little search box to the right of this page. It has been partially functional for a while now, but I have finally pulled my thumb out & polished it off. Please feel free to enjoy my shiny, 'Atomz' powered, blog search facility - its a good way to search my past entries for topics of interest.

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5.5 Miles recovery untimed


For my second scheduled run today I plodded around the same loop as this morning, but in reverse (Circuit Lane-Kennet Canal-Cambrain Way), with my Dad in my WO NB 834's. It felt nice & easy, and I've done the second run quite early, so I should be fresh for tomorrow evening. After all, I'll have had over 24 hours recovery time!

I've been looking at this morning's & afternoon's time I've recorded for this loop. I'm starting to question the true length of the route, as I'm either getting very fit (especially since March), or the loop is significantly shorter than 5.5 miles. I may take my GPS out with me on Wednesday to get a better idea of what sort of distance I'm actually running. Having said that, I'm not going to worry too much either way - after all the proof is in the pudding & I've run decent times in the past, using this route as a 5.5 mile run!

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posted by White Stag @ 14:40
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June 06, 2005 6:59 PM, Laura said...

Your 'shameless self-promotion' works. Nothing wrong with that! I find that being cheered on by anonymous fellow bloggers actually keeps me going.

 

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Hit counter surprises....


I was a bit surprised when I checked my hit-counter just a minute ago. My links page is unexpectedly popular! I guess I know how to find good information. I'm also getting around 100 hits/day in the week, which was also a bit of a shocker. I'm wondering where all this traffic is coming from. Anyone who reads this, if you can spare a minute to contribute to the global community which is the world wide web, please put a comment with how you came to find my site and any other information you care to share. I'd truly appreciate it! Come on out you 'lurkers'...

[newbies: to place a comment, click on the 'comments tag' below this post]

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posted by White Stag @ 12:45
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June 06, 2005 1:09 PM, Anonymous said...

Hi Craig

Your shameless self promotion on Runner's World worked.

Some of your hits may be google and other search engines indexing your pages.

Happy running
Wyn

 
June 06, 2005 1:27 PM, White Stag said...

[Start Shameless Self Promotion]
By shameless self promotion, he means this act of shameless self promotion. [/End Shameless Self Promotion]

 

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5.5 Miles Easy/Steady untimed


I ran with Rob this morning around the Cambrian Way-Kennet Canal-Circuit Lane loop in my old NB 832's. I didn't have a watch running during the run, but unbeknownst to me, Rob did (to log his total running time, he'd run up to mine prior to the run). Thus, I now know we covered the run in 33:40-ish. Felt pretty fresh, and niggle free, 'which was nice'. Obviously I'm still going to take it easy on my afternoon run though (probably plod round the loop with my 'Old Man'), to save something for tomorrow's 'mystery track session'...

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Sunday, June 05, 2005
On this day:

80:00 Easy, (11 Miles Approx)


I went to The Lookout, Bracknell with Rob and my 'Old Man', and ran around 80 minutes in my WO NB 834's. Took it nice and sedately and felt pretty good. Even the climbs that normally feel horrid weren't that noticeable today. All in all, a pretty good run really. I must remember to use 'The Lookout' for more of my longer runs, as it's possible to get a long distance run in entirely off road without undue repetition, and there's something pleasant about running without traffic nearby. My right knee ached randomly a few times, but only lingered for seconds during any particular incident. Job done, ding-dong...

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Poll of the day...


I thought I might integrate some polls onto my site to increase the level of user interactivity available. This ones just a test, so excuse the blase content:








Contact Lenses
Removing your contact lenses whilst half cut, good or bad idea?
Great idea fella, do it again!
Thats a no brainer Einstein, totally dumb-arse idea...
View Result
Free Web Polls

Free Roulette Wheel Online

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Confessions of a Scrumpy Soak


Just a brief post to offer my congratulations to the multi-award winning 'Flatulence Tennis' victor, Nigel 'Gorilla' Grove. Cracking game mate, I didn't stand a chance. Also, thanks to Toni for putting on a quality 'do' last night, and Ed & Kevin for their coluntary work. Well done all...

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June 05, 2005 7:32 PM, gorilla nige said...

to mr t a fine player in the best fart tennis match i have ever been involed in.it will go down as a classic,i have never been pushed so hard or pushed so hard he he.mate i have never laughed so much.what a top night.craig you must tell me who coached you that fine robitic dance he he.thanks for the praise but i think those awards have mr t's name engraved on for next year.best wishes.gorilla nige(2005 fart tennis champion)

 

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Saturday, June 04, 2005
On this day:

Weekly Mileage Total - 60 Miles


A nice round figure for this weeks mileage :
60 Miles

Overall, I'm quite happy with the mileage, given that my long run isn't exactly very long at present, and the quality density is higher than ever before. Plus, I finally feel like I'm starting to adapt to this new training pattern. "Things can only get better", or in my case, 'longer' (in terms of volume).
"Now Billy, Billy don't you lose my number!.."
(That's a bit of Phil Collins for Rob, his biggest fan ever. You're welcome mate...)

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5.5 Miles recovery untimed


I ran the canal loop by myself in my new NB 832's. Didn't time it, and for once I felt great! I know that sounds odd, but I usually feel my worst when plodding round these 'recovery' runs. I usually feel kind of sluggish, but today I felt loose & fresh. I guess I might be starting to adapt to the new training setup? Knee still felt good, so hopefully I'm on the mend!

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Speedwork at the Grange, 6 x (4 x 200m), 5 Miles total


Went down to 'the Grange' with Rob again to run a speedwork session. The session went as below:

1.5 Mile Warmup, WO (White-Orange)NB 834's
6 x (4 x 200m), 30 seconds rec between reps, 2 minutes rest between sets, Nike Zoom Ventulus
[32's avg. 1st set, 33's avg. 2nd set, 34-35's avg. 3rd set, 33-34's 4th-6th sets]
0.5 Mile Cooldown, WO NB 834's
5 Miles Total


Felt out of my comfort zone leg-speed-wise, but I'm pretty happy as my right knee was completely pain free! I guess that's the power of a day off. My form looked worse when I was trying to run beyond my sensible limit (i.e. below 32 seconds), but apparently it has improved on the whole. The arm action looks more compact and the overstriding is less evident. I'm looking forward to the Wargrave now; if I'm improving in the stuff I dislike God knows how its affecting the aspects of running I enjoy! The 10k will be a good testing ground. Further good news cam from Barry today- I'm allowed to put an afternoon recovery run into my Saturday's schedules now my niggles are clearing up. Cool-beans...

On the topic of equipment, the Eldoret's were to big - it was more like 1.5 inches of spare toebox! I've got rid of them now, as I'm happy with the Ventulus as a spike for now(plus they're cheap as chips!). It's more of a relaxed feel you get from them, as they don't put you on your toes as much. Having said that, for my present action they're an ideal 5k-10k spike, as they do have some cushioning in the heel (courtesy of Zoom Air) , but they're still lighter than my Mayfly's. I might order some Eldoret's in a UK 8.5 sizing, just to convince myself theres no way I can wear a pair of them!

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Friday, June 03, 2005
On this day:

How should track spikes fit?




I just received a pair of Nike Eldoret II through the post, and I'm contemplating returning them. They fit perfectly in terms of width, both in the heel & forefoot. However, theres about 1/2 inch of extra toe-box space forward of my middle three tows (i.e. not the big or little ones). Is it unrealistic to expect spikes to fit any better than this? Will the extra room make them unusable for me? Perhaps I should try another model? Can someone out there enlighten me? If I can't use them though, it'll be a crying shame, they plate feels really nice!

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Thursday, June 02, 2005
On this day:

20 Minutes Threshold Run, 11 Miles Approx. Total


I went to Dinton Pastures with Rob again for my weekly threshold run. The session went as below:

1.25 lap (3 Miles Approx.) Warmup in new NB 832's
20 Minutes Threshold run [13:42, plus extra 6:18 - I got to the boat club] in Mizuno Wave Aero's
27 Minutes Cooldown (4 Miles Approx.) in Mizuno Wave Aero's - we got lost!!!
11 Miles Total


I felt like I held it all together after the lap marker much better today, there was no apparent 'fold'. Maybe I'm getting used to my new action (I also concentrated on getting my foot down below my body, which was more mentally tiring than physically tiring). Alternatively maybe my lactate threshold has gone up slightly, the texts seem to suggest you get that sort of response pretty quick. The Mizuno's felt pretty fast, so I think I may use them as a regular Tempo shoe now, as they're quite protective for a lightweight shoe.My knee felt relatively good, but then I've started bombing it with Ibuprofen again :( I depleted after the overly long cooldown, thus I'm pretty happy I've got a day off scheduled tomorrow. Mind you, I deserve it, it's the first one in about two and a half weeks!

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June 04, 2005 3:27 PM, gorilla nige said...

How do craig fella.long time no see,but i have been crocked with thigh problem.still hurts but not getting any worse so what the hell but to the running thing.spoke to rob to arrange run mention monday but forget i am away for 2 days for my birthday so how about thursday/friday ?.
p.s website still a good read mate
best wishes gorilla nige

 

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Contact King & Time-piece Trials...


More of a social post really... I'm on my third day of trying out contact lenses (these ones specifically), and I've got to say I'm enjoying the freedom! They're getting more comfortable day by day as my eyes desensitize (gone from gritty sensation to hair-like feeling), and it is great to be able to go out running in the rain and not have to perpetually wipe my glasses! I have a check up in 2 weeks to see if my eyes are getting damaged by them, but that's of such low-likelihood that it's not an issue. It'll be nice not to be known as 'the freak in sunglasses' at overcast cross country races this winter (no-one realizes I need them to see, it's not that I'm trying to be 'cool'), they have been my signature for the last few years!

On a different note, I managed to get my hands on one of these...



Its a Nike Triax Mobius, and they're virtually impossible to get hold of at the major retailers at the moment. Sadly Nike still haven't brought back the' dated data log' feature of the older models, where each stored run had the date it was recorded shown next to it. This means a bit of guess work is involved, as the fact that the runs are recorded by a number index doesn't really help un-pick my past month's schedule. Hopefully this will be less of an issue now I'm more vigilant with my diary keeping, and I can just concentrate on enjoying the top-notch design & ergonomics! I'll keep you informed, as much as one can be informed about a watch. Don't expect to hear anything unless it blows up on my wrist...

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Wednesday, June 01, 2005
On this day:

40 minutes Easy/Steady (6 Miles approx.)


I ran 40 minutes (6 Miles approx) with Rob from Palmer Park down the Thames towpath and back in my NB 834's, followed by 3 x 100m acceleration runs/stride outs on the track to work on relaxation at speed. Knee discomfort was about the same as this morning. We should be suitably refreshed for tomorrows threshold run.

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June 02, 2005 11:20 AM, Anonymous said...

Where did 3 x 100m appear on the programme??

Barry

 
June 02, 2005 11:42 AM, White Stag said...

Nowhere Barry, you're quite right! They were nothing too severe though Barry, I know what's coming (to a certain extent!). They were just some light run outs (@ 70% effort?) to get some turnover in. I'll bin them if they're a bad idea.

 
June 03, 2005 10:25 AM, Anonymous said...

Remember Craig,we do the thinking you do the running.

Barry.

 
June 03, 2005 10:27 AM, White Stag said...

Sounds fair - I enjoy the running more than the thinking anyway!

 

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5.5 Miles Easy/Steady untimed


I had a solo run for a change, around the canal loop in my old NB 832's (the late start was due to extreme laziness on my part). I kept the pace relatively sedate, as it was windy and horrid anyway! My right knee was a little bit irritated from yesterday but nothing horrific.

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No need to be alarmed, developer stuff...


No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

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Name:Craig Taylor
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Craig Taylor, a man, a legend, an institution... Maybe I wont go that route... Craig Taylor, a British, Berkshire born graduate, seeking to improve his running performance, without crippling himself in the process.

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