Monday 26 March 2007

Another wheezy week

Last week was lost to just being busy. What a rubbish excuse. Missing a week's training needs to be for something unavoidable and big. How does 'having a cold' shape up?

Well, it was probably flu really. I felt a bit rough on Monday and a bit shakey on Tuesday. My sore throat progressed to a cough and a runny nose and by Wednesday I was feeling very sorry for myself. No one else was - Tom and Finn overshadowed me with a couple of days of proper vomitting.

Fuelled by Lemsip, I went for a half-hearted, half mile jog/walk on Thursday - a pointless exercise (but a good pun). Friday I felt a bit better, but was still coughing like a chainsmoker. With half an eye on the Snaefell Fell Race, I tested my coughing limit with a run down to the village and (much more importantly) back up. I managed to keep running the whole way and felt 500% better than the day before. Once I stopped I coughed non-stop, but there was a glimmer of hope...

Saturday was a beautiful morning at work and apart from waking the residents of Cronk Elfin with a 4.15am coughing concerto, I felt pretty good. Snaefell and Clagh Ouyr looked sunny, benign and inviting on the drive back over the mountain and I could hear the 'why not - just jog round' voice much louder than the 'don't be daft - you'll feel awful' one. You can guess the rest. I did it. Despite a coughing fit on the way up in the car (brought on by laughing at Les Dawson on the radio) I got round without too much wheezing and actually felt quite strong.

Sunday's Manx 10km Walk Champs saw a small but quality field walking 12.5 laps of the NSC. Peter Kaneen and Marie Latham were the winners, but there were some fantastic walks behind them. Top billing goes to Michael George (in the photo don't his hands look like wax?) who set his third pb in two weeks (20km, 5km and 10km) and smashed the 50 minute barrier. Jock waddington was faster than ever to take bronze and Simon Capelen set a pb - 30 years after his previous one. Jane Mooney was one of just a few Parish walkers to contest the race (speed is important too folks) and was rewarded with a 61 minute pb. I had itchy feet again.

Thursday 22 March 2007

Wincing like a baby

A race, a lie-in and a hill run made for a tiring weekend. I overslept by two hours on Saturday and it was almost light by the time I started delivering in Ramsey at 5.45am. Two coffees on the way to work (wide awake) and radio off (I'm easliy distracted). Five and a bit hours later, having not missed a single delivery (many people even got the milk they had ordered), I was whacked, but I had broken my Saturday Round 34 record by 13 minutes (I'm sad enough to write down my fastest times).

In the six-goal, FA Cup semi-final thriller at Glen Road (we lost), the wind blowing down the valley was such, that both periods of extra-time were 'kicked-off' by a shot on goal! Surely it would calm down for the final round of the Manx Gas XC League at Crossags.

Not a chance. A congheay (north west gale) added to my discomfort as I plodded around one of the best courses on the IOM, albeit in bright sunshine. My first XC race for two years was hard and won't feature on my off-road CV. In another case of car-swap training, Cal had run to Ramsey and I was planning to run home. It would be a tough run after a race, but it would also salvage something from a very poor training week. The forecast had said 'isolated wintry showers', so carrying a bum bag with waterproofs and 'phone (remember the old days when you took a 10p?), I set off towards North Barrule.

Before I even got to the mountain road, the sky had turned black and I was under a gorse bush sheltering from a tremendous 'white-out' snow shower. It eased, and I carried on, wondering if it was still a good idea. On the summit it became very apparent that it wasn't. I had great difficulty keeping upright (I know this is a re-run of last Sunday, but bear with me...), and it was so cold. It was snowing and my windward side was white. I had forgotten my gloves and my hands were frozen, so I dropped down the first wall into the Corony Valley. 100m below the ridge it was calm. Looking up, I could see plumes of snow being blown over the ridge and hear the muted roar of the wind. Looking towards Clagh Ouyr the whole view was silvery grey, with snow on the ground and an angry grey sky.

The run home was fantastic - not for the quality of the running (if only), but for the surroundings. As I crested the ridge looking across the Agneash/Laxey Valley, the grey landscape was off set by a single, sunlit patch of the brightest green on the lower slopes of Mullagh Ouyr. Half an hour later I was in the shower wincing like a baby as the blood worked its way back into my finger tips.

Friday 16 March 2007

Pig-headed old lady

Saturday's races threw up some great performances on a tough, windy (never..) day. Colin Griffin (left) walked a faultless 30km and a sub 4 hour 50km debut next week looks on the cards. Jo Jackson set a big pb to win the ladies 20km and Dan King led home the men. Fine local walks from Michael, Jock, Marie, Lauren, Alice, Kirsty etc. It was tough watching rather than racing, but I know I'd have struggled to be vaguely competitive. Sunday morning there was a coaching session led by Andi Drake (GB) and Michael Laine (Ireland). It was good to hear their largely positive comments on the techniques they'd seen the day before.

On Sunday afternoon I needed to go to Ramsey to pick up my van for work. (Much of my training seems to revolve around the dropping off or picking up of vehicles at the moment). I ran up to the Bungalow on the Electric Railway line and then to Ramsey via the Black Hut, Clagh Ouyr, North Barrule and Elfin Glen. I know I've been going on about the wind a lot... but that's because it's been windy. There was a cross wind (south easterly) on Sunday, and as I ran along the N. Barrule ridge it got stronger. Having managed to run all the way from home (i.e no walking), I approached the last 200m up to the summit confident that I could make it. I would have done too - if only I could have stayed on my feet! I was blown off the path and had to sit down to prevent being blown into rocks. For a couple of minutes, the elements were very much in charge, and although I was pig-headed enough to stumble on to the trig point, it was only after dropping off the summit towards Ramsey that I had full control over which direction I was going in.

Been really busy this week - didn't get out (training) at all until Thursday! That's the difference between a serious athlete and a recreational one. I trained every day (sometimes more than once) for over a year in 1988. Clearly not good practice (although that is clearly a good pun) - no recovery and it included my wedding day and honeymoon! Everything then was fitted around the necessity of training. Now I fit in some exercise if there's time.

Thursday was another variation on the run over the hill to Glen Mona - this time climbing up to Clagh Ouyr first. It was a real 'blow-the-cobwebs-away' hour and after a few days cooped up indoors, the fact that I was running like an old lady seemed of secondary importance. Bucking the recent trend, on Friday I actually went for a walk! It's 'the thought that counts', so let's not dwell on the fact that a tiny, sharp edge of my little toenail digging into my second little-est (how do you spell that?) toe in slightly-too-narrow shoes caused great discomfort and the abandonment of the session after 25 minutes. So, another poor week for me while, in contrast, my fellow bloggers are up towards 50 miles. Anyone stumbling upon our respective writings would undoubtedly have mine down as those of the first-timer and Mark and David's as the serious athletes.

Saturday 10 March 2007

South-westerly weak

A week off work. Late nights, lie-ins and the opportunity to fit in a bit of extra training. I didn't take it, but it was there.

Tuesday dawned dry and bright and was predicted to stay that way, with what Adrian's mates described as 'fresh' breezes. I had to question their optimism as I crested the summit of North Barrule. The wind blew my hat off and a contact lens out and I was struggling to keep on my feet. I retreived my hat but for a focused view I had to close my left eye for the rest of the morning. I had parked on the back road from the Hibernia to the Gooseneck, planning to run to Greeba - just to see how approx. half the Mountain Marathon might feel.

Windswept. That's how it felt. Minutes of calm at the Black Hut and Injebreck were offset by hours of leaning into a 'fresh breezy' south westerly gale. It rained on Clagh Ouyr too. I was rubbish on the steep climbs, but managed to run most of the gentler ones. I hadn't done the Carraghyn to Greeba section for years, and although I was flagging a bit by then, it was great to just be up there a bit nearer the clouds with the ravens and hares (white hares north of Snaefell, brown to the south). Despite the knee-jarring, final Kings Forest descent off Greeba to the main road, the three hours ended injury and blister free. Mountain Marathon? The jury's out...

Wednesday and Cal's car had to be dropped at the garage (again) in Ramsey. It was another sunny morning and I said I'd take it and walk home. Well, I intended to walk but started jogging for a warm-up and ended up running up Slieu Lewaigue hill. I was pretty chuffed with that, but reverted to my walking plan from there. There was a head wind again.

To finish the week off, I ran home over the hill from Glen Mona on Friday. I reversed my 'to school' route (see a few posts ago) but added on an extra detour to the top of Clagh Ouyr. Guess which way the wind was blowing?

It's the Manx Harriers Open Meeting at the NSC tomorrow. It will be wierd to be fit (as in 'not injured') and yet not be racing. I got hooked on walking after watching Steve Barry walk his amazing 20km in 1983 in the same meeting. Since then, there have been some fantastic races and I've been lucky enough to be involved in a few. I'm sure there will be some great times set this year, and while I know the legs they are attached to aren't up to it, my feet will be very itchy. Guess what... the forecast is for strong SW winds.

Tuesday 6 March 2007

Dhoon the Prom

After walking around like a rusty robot for most of Tuesday, I felt much better on Wednesday and actually did some training on Thursday. (If ever there is a sign of advancing age, it's how much longer recovery takes). I had to leave the car in Douglas, so walked home. It wasn't fast but it was enjoyable - the wind was with me for once and the sun was out.

By Friday the sun had gone in, but my fell shoes had just about dried out from the weekend, so I ran a regular route to meet the boys from school at the Dhoon. I go up from our house and out 'the back lane' onto the Snaefell Mountain Railway track. Head up the track for about half a mile before dropping into the valley to the river. Over the river and straight up the other side of the valley to where the Clagh Ouyr and Glen Mona tracks meet. Then straight down the latter to meet the main road at the Glen Mona pub. It's a good 'up and down' run and takes 45 mins on a good day. I usually leave it a bit tight for time, and end up time trialling all the way, arriving in the nick of time, exhausted.

Sunday saw me stepping back in time with a session on Douglas Prom. I'd walk on the prom at least two or three times a week when I worked in Douglas, but now it's a bit of a novelty. The novelty quickly wore off...
Having dropped Finn at a two hour party, I decided not to sit in the hotel bar and watch what turned out to be an epic West Ham v Spurs seven goal thriller, but to do three laps (six lengths) of the Prom. Lap one was a warm-up. Lap two was pretty good. Lap three was a struggle. Confirmation that I have made the right decision not to race 20km at the Open Meeting.