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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jaffa Cake rescue

Two races in seven days! If I'd done any training as well it would have been a good week. Actually, I did one session in the week - a 50 minute, six lap run around the very muddy fields behind our house. I felt the same (very bad) on the last lap as I did on the first, so I saw it as progress. I decided to run at Bradda.

It took me a long time to get over the 10km walk I did last weekend. I felt pretty rough on Tuesday (it's always the day after the day after isn't it?) and didn't do the field run until Thursday. Now it's Tuesday again and I'm feeling worse than last week. The Bradda race went pretty well. Despite a steady start, I predictably struggled over the final few miles. Three emergency Jaffa Cakes at the top of Fleshwick (on the way back!) meant I was able to maintain a jog to the finish. I did feel a bit guilty stuffing them in with two miles to go - what if I stumbled over the cliff, landing on a ledge out of sight with a broken leg and I'd eaten my emergency rations? The prospect of the pot of tea and a cream scone waiting at the Bradda Glen cafe also helped. The cafe was closed and I had to make do with water and the other nine Jaffa Cakes I hadn't packed as emergency food.

I love fell running. It is as hard as you make it. You run until you have to walk then you walk until you can run again. Lloyd Taggart broke the course record and, like all athletes at the top of their game, made it look easy. I heard that he ran up Fleshwick. Wow.

No racing like a train...

There's no training like a race (loosely speaking), so I had a go at the final round of the Winter League. I'd been thinking about it for a week or so, and after a good session on Tuesday thought 'why not'?

Well... mainly because I'm not fit enough to get drawn into a 'ding dong' 5km with Peter Kaneen, that's why! He walked a clever race, and after a close first half, was able to gradually pull away to a comfortable margin of victory. Peter's time may well be a UK vetsO45 record, so he wasn't hanging around, and I suppose I was pleased enough with my time. It's hard to reassess your expectations when they are all downwards!

Some good walking on show. Despite his various aches and pains, blogger David M. repeated his handicap win from the previous round. Is that two starts and two wins? Another big Pb from Michael George, who, despite missing his first sub-50 minute 10km by mere seconds, can be happy that he gave it his all. Those of us around the start/finish can vouch for that. A grown man, on all fours, coughing his Sunday breakfast into the grass verge, is perhaps not the best way to attract casual passers by into racewalking, but was a reflection of 100% effort. Congratulations to Kath Colquitt, Enid Watson, Sinead Kaneen, Catreena Moore and Richard Bell for their overall league titles.

35 minutes. Time enough...

Tuesday was good. I went further and faster than previously, walking eight laps of my 'usual' local loop - all faster than last week. I really had to work at it though - far too hard for the level of achievement. I started a bit too hard, and it stayed that way. Trying to shave a second or two off the lap times was a real struggle and all eight were within ten seconds (not a lot over 13 mins). My hypochondria crept in for the final three laps in the form of a sore knee, but it had cleared up by the following morning. Another miracle!

Thursday was a running day. Well, a running hour. I'd have had a bit longer, but I managed to slide my (wide) van into a ditch on the (narrow) Curraghs Road in Ballaugh, and by the time Mr Kneale (what a gent) had pulled me out, I was a bit late. I parked in Glen Auldyn and ran (then jogged, then walked) up to the Mountain Box. Despite a galeforce headwind (which at one point blew my woolly hat inside out - on my head!) it was a great route. I turned right down the 'greenlane' track to join the Mill. Way at the boardwalk section after Sky Hill and then I headed right again onto a path that led back down to Glen Auldyn.

Today (Friday) I had even less time. 35 minutes isn't enough time to do anything really is it? Well, I did what I often do when I'm on a time budget... hill reps. Started at the Dhoon car park and using the road that goes up to Ballaragh, managed to fit in nine reps - 2 mins to walk up and a 90 sec jog back recovery.

Kidding Myself

Sorry I haven't written anything for a week. Unfortunately it isn't because I've spent all my time training - just that I'm slack. It's been an OK week. I'm hoping to compete in walks and runs in the coming months and so, I'm sort of mixing my training. I kid myself that this is to ensure a level of cross-discipline competence, but I know deep down that I'm just enjoying myself and will probably be way off the boil in both.
Sunday was a bit of a tester - a hill run of just over two hours. Bright and breezy to start with, cold and unsettled by the end. That was me - the weather was fine. We are so lucky to live with the hills on our doorstep. I did a variation on the Creg-ny-Baa route and didn't meet a soul - just a solitary set of footprints along a snowdrift near the Brandywell Road (which I found out today were made by my brother earlier that morning...).

Potatoes on North Barrule

The 'Serious Walker' tag is looking increasingly tenuous. For lots of reasons, I haven't done any walking since Sunday! A couple of runs is all I've managed - and one of them was a 40 minute jog in the dark. Never mind - what's done (or not) is done (or isn't).

Tuesday was another beautifully frosty (rioeeagh), sunny morning, and while delivering milk to the good people of Ramsey, North Barrule was a constant, alluring backdrop. The drive back over the mountain was interupted at the Black Hut and half an hour or so later I was looking down on the Northern Plain from the summit of our second highest peak. The run/walk along the ridge from Clagh Ouyr to North Barrule is stunning on a clear day and even a phonecall telling me I'd forgotten to deliver Mrs Kelly's potatoes couldn't spoil it (she got them the next day). The new boardwalk over the permanently boggy bit may not add much to the scenery, but it adds to the comfort. If I hadn't gone up to my knees in a frost-covered ditch less than ten seconds into the run, I'd have had dry feet throughout. It's not proper fell-running if your feet are dry though is it?

Injured for a day

Managed a two hour session on Sunday afternoon. It's not fast but it is further than I have walked since the Parish and it's great not to have any niggles. Another fifteen or so hours on to that and I'll be just about there!

On Monday morning, I was jogging across a garden in Jurby, when I felt a twinge behind my knee. Aggh... disaster! "That's it - I'll be out for months". It was really sore when I pinched the tendon. "I can forget the Parish." Everytime I pinched it got worse. "I'd may as well write off the rest of the year!"

Athletes are hypocohondriacs. No doubt about it. The more effort and time we put into our preparation and fitness, the more we have to lose. Old hand or beginner, we're all the same - realism always plays second fiddle to pessimism. The slightest niggle becomes career-threatening and a sniff is undeniably the onset of flu.

The knee's fine next day - miraculously cured by a day's rest and plenty of ice. To an athlete the most important item in the freezer is ice. Ours is a white, mis-shapen bag of vintage Birds Eye peas. It's so old that the printing has worn off the bag and has been defrosted so many times that to eat the contents would be very dangerous.

One day on, one day off

What a lovely day today (Friday). England won a cricket match, and here the birds were singing and the sun was out. I wasn't. It's been a hard week...

Wednesday I went running with my brother Lee. He's on a bit of a get-fit campaign and, as usual, is starting at the deep end. I joined him for a circuit of East Baldwin taking in Abbeylands, The 33rd, Windy Corner, Brandywell, Beinn-Y-Phott, Carraghyn and St. Lukes. Mist, wind and rain - we had a great time.

Thursday saw me walking again and a repeat of the six-lap session I did last week on Baldhoon Road. The weather was a bit warmer and so was the pace. A more positive start meant more consistent lap times, but I was chuffed to speed up on each one. I have always used sessions like this to provide a no-nonsense gague of 'where you're at', and I'll return to the same session regularly. They are hard, but you can't kid yourself. It's either good, or not.

So, things are moving along, and while the 'one day on, one day off' routine isn't exactly full-time training, it's a big improvement on the 'one day on, five off' I was doing a few weeks ago.

Late again...

One half decent training session and suddenly things are looking up. You take the next day off to recover and then head out for a steady hour's walking the day after that. Half an hour up the road... 'bang', you're exhausted and despite a mainly downhill return trip it takes 40 minutes to get home. This was me last Thursday and it underlines that full fitness is quite a way off. In fact it's not in sight yet...

I was unable to get to the Winter Walking League at Andreas on Sunday, but there were some great walks in all the age groups. Good to see my fellow blogger Dave M. pick up a win on his debut. Speed is always useful - even if we are aiming to walk 85 mles - so why not join Dave and everyone else for a 10km blast at the final round of the League at the NSC on 18th February?

Another hard effort for training yesterday (Monday). I planned a two-lap session (approx. 45 mins per lap) finishing in time to pick the boys up from school. Those who know me won't be too surprised to learn that I was a bit late starting, by which time I only had 80 minutes left to train. Rather than ammend my plan, I opted to run a downhill section of each lap. This left me with a 36 min. walking effort (mainly uphill) and a 4 minutes (downhill) run per lap. Today's tip - have a flexible approach to any planned sessions - things won't always work out as you intend.

Sensitive area friction

After weeks of gales and rain, it was a memorably beautiful, frosty morning today. So, run on the hills (following my heart) or walk on the road (my head)? My dodgy ankle combined with more sense than I used to have saw me spending 90 minutes walking six laps of a favourite out-and-back lap which starts a couple of hundred yards from home. When I say favourite, what I really mean is consistently effective. The classic novice oversight of forgetting to apply a bit of Vaseline added to the overall discomfort.

If a near stranger tells you to 'minimise friction to your sensitive areas', then (hopefully) they are a regular walker and you will do well to listen. Wherever your clothing or your body rubs repeatedly against another bit of your body then 'abrasions', can occur. I'm sure you can work it out for yourselves, but the obvious hotspots are under the arms, between your legs, between your bum cheeks, and nipples. This is a male perspective on the issue - I'll endeavour to find out if ladies suffer elsewhere and let you know.

Walkers of all ages and abilities benefitted from UK Event Coach Andi Drake's advice during his visit last weekend. Andi used a 2km time trial on the track on Saturday to work out training speeds for Sunday's longer session. Talking to a number of people afterwards, quite a few admitted that they had been training too slowly up to now. Andi's message was to 'train smart' - think about what you are doing and ask yourself whether it is the most effective use of your time. Speaking of which... goodnight.

Mower mileage

The alert amongst you will have spotted that Friday, Sunday and Monday aren't three consecutive days (as stated in the last post). Sorry - I forgot Saturday. Mind you... if I could count a couple of damp strolls along the touchline at Marown and the walk across the field for a half-time cup of tea, maybe I could claim four days on the trot..? (The Mighty Greens made hard work of a 2 nil win).


I had a rest day on Tuesday, but it was such a sunny afternoon that instead of catching up on some sleep, I decided to dust off the Flymo and cut the grass. I overslept badly (two hours!) this morning, but the garden looks better.

When I eventually got home from work, I did an hour's run/jog today. Felt slow but that's OK because it was. Adrian Cowin has been on the radio all afternoon saying we're in for storms tomorrow following 20mm of rain overnight. Great!

Clutching at fitness straws...

Well, starting to write this has spurred me into action. I've been out twice in three days. 45 minutes on Friday and 65 minutes today. In fact, if I count a ten minute run (I'm lying - it was a jog) around the fields yesterday, then I've done three days in a row. I also did 2km on a rowing machine. Bear with me - I won't carry on mentioning every bit of exercise I do between now and June - I'm just desperately clutching at fitness straws at the moment.
Of course, I should have done the Peel to Douglas really. There is no harder training than a race. Having decided not to race, I was a pleased to develop a bit of a cold over the weekend - taking away any possibility of a change of mind. I love racing and it's always hard to watch. However, even I know I need to do a bit of work before racing.
Some fine walking throughout the field and loads of walkers stating that they were doing it as part of their Parish build-up. Top marks for the dayglo kit most people wore. The traffic at Union Mills was frightening - some people would drive into the shop if they could.
Loads of junior walkers down at their Monday evening training tonight. Andi Drake, the GB National Coach for Race Walking, is on the Island this coming weekend. If you fancy some top class advice, then get down to the NSC this Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.
I think I'll have a rest-day tomorrow - don't want to risk an overuse injury.

I feel a bit of a fraud...

I am a bit alarmed to see that Murray has labelled me the 'serious athlete'. The Parish was my last walking race and due to slight injury and great laziness, I'm arguably as unfit as I've been in the last 20 years. However, with the New Year has come a renewed focus. 'I'll get out training next week' changed to 'I'll go training tomorrow' and this week I've actually been out twice. So with about five months to go... I'm off.
I did last year's Parish on the remnants of my Commonwealth 50km fitness. It was clear before Rushen that it wasn't enough and I struggled from there on. I plan to be better prepared this time but I'm going to have a flexible approach with key walking sessions combined with running and cycling. That's why I feel a bit less 'serious' than Murray might think.
Anyway, there's months and months to talk about that. The first thing to do is to get fit.