That Greek Dude has it in for Me

The warrior Achilles is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. According to legend, Achilles was extraordinarily strong, courageous and loyal, but he had one vulnerability–his “Achilles heel.”

In my previous post two weeks ago, I was having problems with my right Achilles and that got much worse so today has been my first run for over 2 weeks. Luckily the gap coincided with a week of planned rest put into my training plan because I was going away with the family for a long weekend, so I didn’t lose as much training as I would have otherwise. 

For the first few days I was using ibuprofen gel and a compression bandage around Achilles and my ankle and did my best to rest it. I then moved onto an ankle support which I bought from Boots the chemist which does seem to have been good. I am wearing the support for any at risk activity but otherwise carrying on a normal life. I have been using an exercise which is new to me frequently throughout the day. Whether lying or sitting I extend my feet down as far as I can and hold for 30s then return to neutral before drawing them upwards and holding for another 30s. I repeat these 3 more times and am finding I am immediately mobile in the morning if I do this in bed before rising and it completely removes the stiffness I was feeling when first walking.

Today’s run was a tester so was only 20 minutes and just short of three kilometres and as yet, four hours later, I’m not suffering any pain. At its worst a week and a half ago, there was a distinct lump in the Achilles which was very tender to touch but a mix of rest and gentle exercises seems to be doing the trick and the contours of the Achilles itself are now quite reasonable and can be touched without pain. 

Self-Inflicted Injury - a warning

This problem with my Achilles is a salutary tale to anyone older or who hasn’t regularly worked their Achilles. I got this injury when I started running aged 59 on one of my earliest runs. Though new to running after a 40-year gap, I did a lot of hill walking and was fit with leg strength and lung and heart capacity and found it strangely easy at first. This led to a piece of idiot enthusiasm when I decided that I could actually sprint a little. That 80 metres has haunted me for the last ten years and I think will continue to. Please, take it easy until your body has adjusted if you are new to running.

Next Steps

The plan now is gentle, regular runs to get back into it, but I have a 10K in two weeks’ time which I’m hoping to manage to complete without doing any damage.

Wilmslow Festive 10K next on 27th November.

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I'm in! - London Marathon 2023

London 2023

So Monday this week an email dropped into my Inbox, subject line, "Your 2023 TCS London Marathon Ballot result". 

I was fully expecting a rejection but after clicking through to the actual result, I was shocked to see "You're In"!

Being totally unexpected it's a mix of delight and trepidation. Not only am I attempting a Marathon but I have to sort the logistics of transport, accommodation and support on the day. It all suddenly seems a massive enterprise.

As people hear about it, the most common reaction is to ask, is this wise at your age?  I don't really know whether it is but I've dreamed of marking my 70th with a full Marathon for 5 years and now I get to do it with the London.

Stress and Pain

After the Knutsford 10k I took it easy for the week but it has been apparent that I was pushing it as I have experienced ankle, knee and calf pain from time to time, particularly after getting up in the morning. 

I injured my right Achilles 10 years ago when I first started running and it still hurts when I push on a bit. The combination of the stress of the race and my Wednesdays currently involving a steep climb in work boots to the job site has antagonised it and I can feel the swelling along the tendon which isn't great. I have completed 2 x 35 minute runs this week but have reverted to 4 min run and 2 min walk to reduce stress everywhere and give things chance to heal without injuring them further.

My current dry stone walling job at National Trust Lyme. The car park is on the lower ground beyond the outcrops in the foreground.

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A Quick 10Km

A little over a week before the Knutsford 10K I did my last long run at 8.3Km. Still being cautious of injury, I completed it with alternate run 8 min, walk 2 min. This was to be my last run before the race; in my early running I felt I should train right up to the day but nowadays, I know my body performs best with a rest week between my last long run and race day.

10 years ago I felt a need for massive preparation before the race. I would "carb' up" for two days, no alcohol and early to bed. I have learned that for me, this is unnecessary and I now have my traditional Saturday night Chinese takeaway, though I do avoid over indulging on the wine and don't start watching something on TV that will take me past midnight, but that's about it. 

Before bed, I pin my number to my vest, charge my watch and phone and lay everything out.

Race Day

I enjoy porridge and sultanas for breakfast on race day; I find it settles my nervous stomach nicely as well as putting fuel in the tank.

Arriving at the venue I will eat a banana - slowly!, swig some water and do my stretches. Then a gentle jog around to loosen up and shake off any nerves.

Not aiming for any particular time and expecting to inject some walks, I found the 1h 10m pacer and slotted into the crowd; However I quickly concluded that most around me hadn't run a 10K before and knowing how congested the start gets, I moved in front of the pacer to the back of the 67.5 min group.

It was a stunning sunny morning heading into the beautiful lanes of Cheshire near Jodrell Bank and I quickly found myself in a very comfortable stride and breathing really well. By the 3rd Km, I was moving through the pace group and was close to the 65 min pacer. Tempting to head on past but I decided to hold back until at least the 4Km marker. I very easily get carried away when it's going well but know I need to keep something in reserve. It is always noticeable how later in the course you find yourself passing many of the runners who disappeared in front of you at the start.

Later, I was closing on the 62.5 min pacer and was tempted but knew that I was asking for trouble if I did, after all, this is about a marathon next year, not a time today.  

Pacers and Time

Following a pacer from start to end of the race, you should be close to that time on chip timing; However something that took me a while to work out is that moving between pacers doesn't set you to that new time. I you go forward, your time will be lower than the pacer as their chip start time was earlier than yours. Similarly, if you move back, the pacer near you started later than you so your time will be longer than theirs.

I started close to 67.5 min pacer and finished behind the 62.5 pacer with a time of 1:01:40. (61.67 min) 

Absolutely delighted with my time and ran the whole race without any walk breaks - and no injuries!

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social media tags #26at70 #MarathonDream #MarathonAt70

More Interrupted Training and A London Ballot Entry

Well, it's almost two months since my Last Post and things haven't exactly gone smoothly. 

I mentioned in my last post knee problems and that continued quite badly and then we moved onto a new walling job with particularly heavy stone and I managed to damage my back as well as my knees. Recovery has been slow and long drawn out and not helped by a two week driving holiday in Spain and Portugal. So, all in all my training has been heavily interrupted.

A visit to my osteopath on returning from holiday assured me that nothing drastic had happened with my back but the strains were going to take some time to recover. It is improving but I still can't lean forward with my right leg out for a hamstring stretch without low right back pain.

I have now got back to regular running and my distance is increasing in readiness for a 10K in one week's time. All is looking well for the 10K but I'm not optimistic over the time as I am still running five minutes and walking two to in order to avoid excessive strain to injuries.

The big news is that I have now definitely decided to try for a marathon. My birthday is early May 2023 so I searched for marathons late April or May 2023. Three possible options are Edinburgh two weeks after my birthday, Manchester three weeks before and London only two weeks before.

I hadn't really considered London but having watched it this week on TV and feeling it is the big one I bit the bullet and spent my money and entered the ballot this week. 

So it's now watch this space until the end of October when I'll know whether it's the London or whether I'll fall back to Manchester which would be my home marathon and a lot simpler and cheaper with no travel or accommodation required.

Follow me on Instagram @ged70marathon

social media tags #26at70 #MarathonDream #MarathonAt70

Pain and Progress

Meet @ged70marathon on Instagram, my new alter-ego for 12 months as I try for a marathon at 70. I'd be delighted to get followers to encourage me.

I concluded my previous post with the hope that I would manage a couple of 5km runs by this one and I'm delighted to report a couple of 5's and a 6 over the last two weeks.

Suffering some knee pain which is not from running but from another interest - Dry Stone Walling.  I volunteer with National Trust and every Wednesday I am to be found repairing walls. The most recent job was on an steep slope and working up ladders and all the up and down and bracing trashed my knee and my right Achilles isn't at all happy. Lots of wearing a knee support and being careful not to twist it.

A gorgeous sunny morning today for 5.82 km. At the moment while nursing injuries and getting fitness back I am walking 2 minutes and running 4. A great benefit of running is getting out of the house and seeing sights; Bramall Hall looked stunning in the sunshine.

 

Holiday and Recovery

The two weeks following my last post were spent trying to get my back fit enough for a sailing holiday. I have never paid so much attention to recommended heat and exercise routines. I went for one short run but decided that avoiding antagonising my back was primary so stuck to walking.

The good news for my wife and me was that it worked and we returned last weekend from 2 weeks sailing in the Ionian Islands, Greece.

Now sailing sounds bad for your back though healthy and active. It actually involves a lot of flexibility work moving around the boat but very little leg work other than standing and bracing. It was around 35C most of the time so walks rarely went further than a taverna for an evening meal. Basically, my legs were hardly used for a fortnight!

Returning home, my back was miraculously improved but I was suffering shin and calf pain and my right Achilles was complaining violently.  Early in the week, a fast walk to an appointment led to lower leg pain that lasted 48 hours but I returned to my dry stone walling with the NT on Wednesday and have done a few light indoor bike sessions, and this morning I finally feel something like normal.

This will be one of the challenges of a Marathon at 70, aches and pains, recovery and adjustment are not what they used to be when I was younger.

So, here's hoping that I will be able to report a few 5Ks in the bag for my next post.

A False Start

Well, that didn't start well!

Sunday 1st May I ran the Alderley Edge Bypass 10km and it went really well.  I had intended walk/run intervals but in the event ran the whole distance and finished in a very pleasing 1:00:37.

All my training is done alone but I got talking to another runner who was on her first 10km and ended up pacing her to the finish and helping her meet her target time which she was delighted with. It was a good exercise for me as it is the first time I have tried to hold a conversation whilst running and I was very pleased with my breathing control.

I say I paced her to the end but actually I probably ran a better race for it myself because I was being very positive and steady for her and it worked for me.

The following Thursday, I did my back in; an old injury which has plagued me for many years.

So this morning was my first run for 6 weeks. 3.2km with intervals walking 2mn and running 4mn. Lungs seem to have forgotten how to process oxygen, I have some pain in my right knee and my right Achilles is complaining.  But my back seems ok.

It'll get better, onward and upward!