Playing in the Mud

If you remember back a few days, I did have some troubles with my right foot/shin. The problem disappeared after 2 or 3 days, after I started wearing a compression wrap. Niggles like that come and go, no need to waste any time worrying about it. Well, on Thursday it was back, and it really hurt. I was in quite some discomfort all day, and I'm not talking about the time I was running, it hurt all day in the office. I applied my usual therapy: ice and compression. Elevation isn't that easy in reality, I can't just lie there for hours with my leg up high, and rest is generally my last resort.

Friday's run was more to test the waters than a training run. I felt the discomfort all the way through, but it did not get any worse, which makes it hard to draw any conclusions. Obviously it's a running injury, why else would my shin hurt, but if running 10 miles doesn't make it any worse then can I keep running or not?

Taking away the pain, by the way, I felt very good on Thursday and Friday. 7:40 pace seems to be the pace I tune in automatically if I just cruise along easily, running with minimum mental effort, which is how the coach used to describe Lydiard's “quarter” effort, the effort level you should hold for your easy runs.

There was supposed to be a 5 mile race on Friday evening in Tralee, but that was cancelled. Athletics Kerry seem to be struggling at the moment. The 5k in Killarney was ridiculously long, despite the fact that the course should have been utterly familiar to everyone, and now the cancellation. Something seems to be going on here.

The weekend was very busy, and I was rushed on Saturday morning. It still didn't make much sense to run as fast as I did, the 3 minutes I saved that way did not really make a difference, but I found it impossible to relax when my subconscious was constantly urging me on, and eventually I gave in and went with the faster pace. I was surprised how easy 6:40 pace felt, despite wearing my heavy, clunky trainers, which I take as a good sign for next Saturday's half marathon.

The kids were invited to a birthday party on Sunday, and initially I thought I would have to get up in the middle of the night to run, until I realised on Saturday evening that I could go running when they're away. Looking at the conditions on Sunday made that a really good option, it was really wild outside with the rain coming in horizontally.

Niamh suggested I set up the bike trainer, which sounded a great option as I would be able to watch the coverage of the Berlin marathon at the same time (thank you BBC, even if it's only for Paula). I was highly tempted, but then decided against it. I'm a runner and consistency is very important and getting used to running in the rain may well be vital preparation for Connemara, so I decided to face the conditions.

Then a miracle happened, after hours of truly wild conditions the sun came out just as I was getting ready and the wind seemed to quieten considerably as well. In order to protect my shin (which was already feeling better) I headed for the trails, running loops at the Coillte Caragh Lake Forest Park. There are two routes towards the summit, a muddy trail and a jeep road, and the two together combine to make a good, challenging loop. The summit is a bit off the loop, and for the first loop I made it to the top because it would be a shame to run on the hill for almost 2 hours and not get the view from the top, but for the rest of it I just ran the loop, 2 in one direction and 5 or 6 in the other, because running up the trail made for a much more challenging workout so I opted for more of that.

It's amazing how hard you need to work for 9:20 pace on such a trail! Once I fell and very nearly face planted, and my foot kept disappearing into mud holes until I learned the best options through the worst sections.

Running on that trail was great fun, even if running loops of about 10 minutes each isn't exactly my preferred option. I'll be back, I guess.

I got to watch the Berlin coverage after I got home. Great, exciting stuff, with Haile seemingly pulling out at 25Km and temporarily moving back onto the course, Makau chasing and getting the world record and Paula racing for the first time in years. I didn't catch a glimpse of any of my acquaintances running though.

22 Sep

8 miles, 1:01:30, 7:41 pace, HR 145

23 Sep

10 miles, 1:16:48, 7:41 pace, HR 148

24 Sep

5 miles, 35:01, 7:00 pace, HR 153

25 Sep

13.65 miles, 1:58:50, 8:42 pace, HR 155
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