Sorry for the delay in getting post out to you. It’s been another crazy couple of weeks. We have just returned from a nice break in southern Ibiza, a holiday planned for a while with my twin Sons to celebrate their forthcoming 18th Birthdays.
Just before leaving I ran 10 miles and then started to get a sore throat, swollen glands, a cold and I generally felt run down. The plan in Ibiza was to do long 16/17 mile run however when we arrived we quickly discovered the area was very hilly and not suitable for marathon training at this stage of the training process. So the week was dedicated to X-training and generally resting from running to recover from the virus I had picked up. We managed to walk for 50 miles which was great. The weather was a very pleasant 16 – 19 degrees all week. Sometimes a change is just what you need, you really don’t have to worry if you have to back off and do another form of exercise. In fact I actually think it probably does you good!
An exploration out to the next cove lead us by chance to a fabulous restaurant called Es Boldado at Cala d’Hort for lunch http://www.restauranteboldado.net/ . The fresh tuna & goats cheese salads washed down with the best Sangria we have ever tasted were just wonderful. We thoroughly recommend you seek out this off the track restaurant which is renowned for it’s fish if you are near by.
Our first long 14 mile undulating trek from our apartments along the coast to San Antonio took in the sights of un-spoilt Ibiza. Wow what beautiful rugged scenery and hardly a soul in sight, a few packs of scary dogs and that was it! Party season doesn’t start until May so not much to see in San Antonio apart from the harbour. Alas, no pool parties or drunken Brits!
The taxi driver who brought us back from San Antonio because it was getting too late for a long walk back was a keen mountain biker and he recommended our next trek which was 6 miles to the top of Mount Atalayasa and back. From the top we managed to get fantastic panoramic views across Ibiza. There is a sad tale about this area, it is the site of a plane crash back in 1972 where over 100 people were killed when their plane struck the side of the mountain whilst coming into land at Ibiza airport. There is certainly an eery feeling about the whole area and we as we stood taking in the views we remembered the poor people who lost their lives so suddenly.
Well all good things must come to an end and back to England shivering with our fleeces on again! Thankfully the nasty cold has gone and our legs (well mine at least) feel good from taking a rest from running for a week. A 10 mile spin on the gym bike on Monday was followed up by a flat 8.3 mile run with my good friend Chris on Tuesday. His brief was to pace me at 9:30 pace but once again it proved difficult to do so we settled for 9:10/9:20’s in the end. Wednesday another 10 miles on the bike and Thursday a hilly 6 miler on my own around the local villages of Ruscombe, Randwick and back on the flat to Stroud. Our house is at the top of a hill and I usually walk up the steep Callowell track to reach it but on this occasion I ran all the way, proof that I must be getting fit!
A long flat non-stop 18 mile run we decided was essential for our Saturday training session, firstly to get our minds focused on the task ahead and secondly as a confidence builder for 26.2 miles at the end of May – eek!
A popular marathon training route with fellow Stroud AC runners takes you out to Eastington on the canal path, across the fields to Frampton, a loop of the lanes back to Whitminster and back on the canal. Bearing in mind my previous dehydration problems and after listening to Paul Radcliffe’s training tips for Kelly Holmes, for this run we decided to try High 5 citrus advanced sports drink mix. It contains electrolytes, carbs and caffeine. I am so glad we have found this product because it really is excellent, just what the Doctor ordered – issues solved and it helped to keep me going along with my yummy Cliff bars too!
Graeme’s brief was to keep the pace at 9:30/mile but it was quite apparent at 3 miles that this is still really hard to do so I tried my best to hold back and let him go ahead. My strategy for this run was to break the 18 mile session into 3 x 10K’s in my mind and treat myself to a drink and food at every 6 mile point. This proved to be a good plan and mentally it definitely helped break things down into more manageable sections.
I generally I felt good all the way round however Graeme at 14 miles was really suffering and complaining about his knees and did have to slow right down and take it easy. Training continues to be hard for him, he will do his best to complete the marathon to help me but I think this will definitely be his last.
How am I feeling right now in this stage of the marathon training process? A question I frequently get asked, well pretty good, juggling work, training and home life is very tiring but I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Regular monthly and now bi-weekly visits to see Jason at Stroud Sports Injury Clinic http://www.stroudsportsclinic.com/ to loosen up my glutes and lower back are proving to be well worth while. Jason looks after so many marathon runners and really does know which areas to focus on, he’s a top guy and a good sports massage is so important!
How am I feeling right now in this stage of the marathon training process? A question I frequently get asked, well pretty good, juggling work, training and home life is very tiring but I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Regular monthly and now bi-weekly visits to see Jason at Stroud Sports Injury Clinic http://www.stroudsportsclinic.com/ to loosen up my glutes and lower back are proving to be well worth while. Jason looks after so many marathon runners and really does know which areas to focus on, he’s a top guy and a good sports massage is so important!
