The Long Run

[Apologies for not posting for a while, I've been doing fairly boring training over the winter and only just now coming onto my big races]

Only partly true...

I have my first "proper" ultra coming up in less than two weeks, the South Downs Way (SDW) 50 mile run. I say "proper" because I technically did an ultra a few weeks ago at the 45km long Six Foot Track Marathon.  But that was barely longer than a marathon and doesn't count. To me anyway.

To prepare for the SDW50, my coach gave me a challenge for last weekend of running 5 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday.

Eek!

Well, as you have likely already worked out, I survived.

The past two days were a great learning experience for me.  I gained insight into the value of mental focus, nutrition, recovery and correct pacing.

Saturday - ran at roughly 5:30-5:50/km for 2.5 hours along the canals and then turned around to come back. In this time I covered a little over 26km and was feeling great at the turnaround.  I passed the marathon mark at 3:59:04 - which is not bad for a training run! At about 44km the wheels started to come off though. I was hurting (nothing specific, just normal body stuff) and I lost my focus.  At 48km I gave up running and walked for about 1.5 kms. However as I was starting to get cold I managed to put my head down and run in the remaining 3km.

I was also feeling a bit sick of the gels - I don't think they work for me past about 4 hours. 

Afterwards, my feet had a few small blisters, but nothing exciting. I guess my pre-taping was successful on the whole.  My legs were really tired and I was hobbling around the house somewhat on the Saturday evening. I made sure to get lots of high quality food into me and to avoid sitting (I'd seize up and standing up straight took me 5 minutes).  Following some sage advice, I went to bed at 9pm to heal up.

Sunday - woke up feeling pretty decent all said. Still quite creaky, especially in my left hip socket and lower back. Maybe 1.5 or 2/10 on the pain scale though, not too bad all said.  After a morning slothing around the house I made it out for a 18km run at 5:15/km pace.  Started off at 5:45/km, but by the time I warmed up again I was down to 5:00/km flat for the last few kms.  I forgot I was supposed to do the fast finish (how convenient!) for the run.  Not sure I would have had a 4:20/km 5k in me though.  Not without someone yelling at me anyway :)

So this weekend I learnt that:

1. If your mind gives up you are screwed.  But don't worry, just walk it off and things can come good.
2. I should try more real food on longer runs. I could pack sandwiches or bagels without too much hassle.
3. 5:30/km is my "ultra cruise" pace on flat.  Takes a long time to get anywhere at that speed though!
4. Lots of sleep and healthy food makes for a good recovery.  Especially the sleep.

All said and done, the weekend wasn't 100% successful as I didn't do the fast finish run.  But I certainly learnt quite a bit about myself!

Long Overdue Update

As Julie has mentioned to me several times, I haven't been updating my blog recently.  This hasn't been because of any falling-off-the-wagon or somesuch.  Nope, still proudly plant-powered, going as strong as ever.

Wales:  Hot, hilly, hard.

It also isn't because of a lack of athletic endeavours either.  I ran the Wales Marathon, finishing a respectable 21st place out of 287 finishers. I also ran did the 5 mile National Lottery Anniversary Run, getting a handy-dandy 413th out of 11,841 people.  Both were challenging events, Wales due to the heat and hills, the Anniversary Run due to the speed required and the fact it was a week after Wales.

So why haven't I rushed off to Blogger to write down a detailed blow by blow of my events?  I've thought about this a bit, and I think it is primarily because I didn't learn anything from my diet that I thought interesting enough to share with others.  No secrets to vegan fuelling (unless "enough Clif Shot Bloks over a 3 hour period to make you want to be ill" counts as advice) and no sage-like knowledge on how avocados can help you push through "the wall" and reach your goals.

Why this post at all then?  Well, in retrospect I did learn some non-foodie things that may be worth sharing, namely:

• 600 metres of elevation over 26.2 miles isn't much for some, but it was enough to destroy me completely. If the course description says "hilly" then do some proper damn training on hills beforehand you nonce.
• If you are entering a race with nearly 12,000 people, some of whom who have never run 5 miles before, get as far to the front as you can. Otherwise you will be stuck for over a mile trying to get past the agonisingly slow bastards who assume 10 minute miles is "pretty fast".
• Much of running a race, regardless of distance, that is run at your maximum effort is mental.  Not 10%, not even 50%, probably closer to 80% of it is in your head.  If you let the devil on your shoulder convince you for 1 second that you "don't have to do this you know" or that "maybe you could walk this bit" you are toast.  The little bugger won for a bit in Wales, but with the help of another runner I was able to block him out and salvage the performance I owed myself.
• High-5'ing Paula Radcliffe while running in the Olympic Stadium is awesome.  Highly recommended should the opportunity present itself to you.
• The quote "Living well is the best revenge" from George Herbert, English poet and orator, is quite applicable to vegans.  Most people find it difficult to be critical of my lifestyle when I'm clearly quite fit. Saves quite a lot of time and somewhat pointless discussion really.

What's next then?  I have a 10k race on Sunday, which I'm going to try and pace myself to a 41 to 42 minute finish (crowds permitting). I'd like to get under 40 minutes, but I'm not quite there yet I don't think. After that my next race is the Nike Run to the Beat half marathon, which I'll be angling for a PB at.

Let's see how it all goes.

Ready... Set...

So, as I sit here writing up this post I'm dressed in my running kit, ready to go out for my final pre-marathon run.  Sunday is the big day, looming large in my thoughts. Did I train enough? Will I perform on the day? What if it rains? What sort of maniac goes vegan and trains for his first marathon at the same time?

It is at this important juncture I need to stop and just ask myself the most important question... What would a real Aussie think when presented with a proper challenge?

She'll be 'right mate.

Damn right it will.  Don't you think so too Paul?

Pretty sure Paul is with me on this one

So, time to just suck it up and see how I go.  People do these things in their 70s or in absurd costumes, I should be fine with my normal run gear and oh-so-masculine pink race vest from Breast Cancer Care. 

Rockin' the vest!

Did I mention I'm running for charity?  I did?  Well I better mention it again anyway! Head along to my Just Giving website - every pound given is matched by Barclays, so every little bit helps!

I did have a bit of a wrinkle in the preparation when I got a cold a couple of weeks back. But that seems to have passed and I'm back to fighting fit.  It may have proven that a vegan diet doesn't make you cold-proof, but at least my recovery has been swift!

Now, I better get out for that run...

Racing and Food

Okie dokie.  So training is going well, just 16 weeks out from the Edinburgh Marathon now.  My long run is back up at 22km and increasing each week.  I plan to be at 32km within 8 weeks or so.  I'm also working on my speed and I've currently set myself three tiers of goals:

• Tier 3 - Worst Case - Complete the damn thing.  No matter if I have to walk, I don't want a DNF (Did Not Finish) on my first marathon.  Or worse yet, a DNS (Did Not Start) due to injury.  Must get this tier at a minimum!
• Tier 2 - Reality Check - 3 hours 30 minutes.  Based on my existing times and proper preparation, I should be able to clock this time.  Not easily, but should be doable.
• Tier 1 - Platinum Standard Awesomeness - Sub 3 hours 10 minutes.  This is my primary goal, as it will get me a good for age place at the London Marathon. It is a stretch, but if I train well, I feel I have this in me.

So there you have it, I've outed my expectations.  Let's review again after I've done my warm up races.

Next up, I thought I'd do a walk through of a recent stir-fry extravaganza!

Step 1: Get lots of stir fry ingredients.  Here I have carrots, broccoli, mushroom, baby corn, Chinese lettuce marinated tofu, and sweet pepper.

Step 2: Cook in a wok until, you know, all cooked and stuff

Step 3: Add some sauce and put in a plate. People like plates, they tend to add a touch of refinement over eating directly from the wok.  Fancy chopsticks are totally optional.

Why I don't have a cooking show on TV is a mystery.  Clearly I'm a genius.

Or not.  You know, since it didn't actually taste that good.  Word to the wise: don't use a BBQ stir fry sauce with tofu that has a completely different flavour.  They compete.  And not in a good way. 

Back to the drawing board...

Break in the weather

Lots of good news for this post my friends, family and random Internet people!

First, the diet.  Going plant powered has thus far provided:

• A more balanced diet and therefore a more balanced energy system (no sleepy afternoons at work)
• A cheerier outlook on life (just feel more positive and less grumpy... No scientific backing for this one)
• I've attained my target weight (73kg, thanks for asking)
• I ran a 5km PB on Saturday (likely due to my running going well and carrying less fat around)
• I've found a bunch of new vegan and vegetarian friends at work (really lovely people)
• A way more varied diet (Julie and I have been experimenting with food, with some success!)
• Regular errr... movements (they don't tell you about constipation re: low carb and thus low fibre diets)

Not too shabby if you ask me.

Next up is a community service announcement.  If you are running for longer distances, make sure you cut your nails.  Otherwise you get this:

Yup, the long nail cuts into the toe next to it, leading to blood and pain and annoyingly difficult to clean socks.

In related news, did a long run today of 19km in absolutely lovely weather.  Not too bad a run, getting back into the higher mileage as I rebound from my calf injury.  Speaking of which, calf is awesome, no problems at all on flats now. Still some issues with hills, but I can work on that as the healing continues.  Never liked hills that much anyway.

Day 17 - More of the same

No big insights today.  Lunch was the same delicious vegetable burrito as yesterday. Dinner was the rest of the falafel stuff from last night.  So much for variety :)

I went on a 20km long run this evening. Just picked a direction and started going.  Felt pretty good, nearly completely recovered from my illness. The hydration pack was awesome, the evening beautiful and London foggy.  No sore knees and/or calves.  Took it slow and easy, came back feeling pretty damn good. I think I'm building a good base to start extending my miles, hopefully staying injury free.

Go plant power! :)

Day 9 - Who doesn't like a PB?

Clearly not me. Very victorious though.

Today I went for a 10km run at lunch and managed to set a new PB (not hard at my pace, but hey). I'm taking this as definitive proof that my plant based diet is working in at least some small measure. However that got me to thinking and I believe that in order to progress you can't focus on a single thing - you have to take a holistic approach.  So while I've been focusing a lot on my diet, I've also been thinking about how I feel (aches, pains, tiredness, energy, etc), my sleep and my thoughts.

So I'm aiming for:

• Positive thoughts - I will not stress about the things I cannot change and will not allow anger/fear to control me
• Good eating - not just eliminating animal products, but thinking about everything I'm using to fuel my body
• Proactive actions - stretches and targeted exercises for weak areas
• Rest - making sure I get to bed at a good time and sleep deeply 

But above all:

• Hard work and patience - good things come to those who work both hard and smart. Progress from determined effort is its own reward.

I think I'm making progress on all these, however incremental. Onward!

Day 7 - Long Run

Today was my first plant powered long run.  It was wet, raining, cold and muddy.  I also tried out my new minimalist trail shoes the New Balance MT10s.  The plan was to go out to Victoria Park, which is 5km away, then do laps of the park, splashing around in the muddy paths with my trail shoes.

At least they look like proper trail shoes now...

So how did it go?  Not quite as I was expecting.

The first thing I found out was the shoes are not comfy for hard surfaces. I'm a natural mid-foot striker, so I thought I'd still feel springy. But no, no springy-ness, instead I felt each step as it struck the concrete.  Not the shoes fault though, instead it was mine for not thinking it through properly.

Once I got to the park and the trails, I discovered the second thing - these shoes make no claim at all about water resistance.  In fact, they are better stated as sieve-like, water goes in easy, water comes out easy.  I imagine in a variety of conditions that will be really useful (trails on a warm day, after running through a river, etc).  Doing muddy 5km laps of the park with a 5km run home on concrete in soggy socks was not a training highlight I'll cherish.

So, once again not the shoes fault, but instead discovery process for me. 

Injury wise, my knee started playing up at the 3km mark, but by some miracle stopped hurting at about the 12-13km point.  Either I corrected my form or the soggy socks drove any consideration of pain out of my head.  Or maybe I'm just getting past a period of adjustment.  I may never know :)

What was the verdict for my first plant powered run? Inconclusive. For a start it is too early in the process for my body to have made many adjustments. Secondly the weather and my poor choice in running gear weighed heavily on the run.  I did manage to bang out 20km, in less than ideal conditions and as I write this in the evening, I'm feeling pretty much recovered. So +1 for recovery speed if nothing else.

Day 6 - Plant Powered

This evening I had a food breakthrough! Thanks to a recipe from Scott Jurek's book Eat and Run (brilliant book, highly recommended) I've finally managed to make my first really yummy vegan meal.  Sure, I've bought some nice meals, and enjoyed a variety of delicious vegan food in the past week, but this time I made a complete meal that worked!

I decided to try out Scott's Long Run Pizza Bread recipe and this time I made sure I got all the ingredients right.  I made a special trip to the shop to get all things not in the cupboard, including spelt bread, tofu, miso, nutritional yeast and seasonings. I then followed the instructions precisely and voila! Success!

Messy, but looks promising

Some tofu "feta" added and 15 minutes in the oven later they turned out great (no professional photography here, clearly):

Not too bad! Tasted pretty awesome too

All said, I'm just so pleased, since I was despairing that I'd never get the hang of cooking anything well. Previously my most complex dishes involved nothing more than 4-5 ingredients, no measuring and a touch of luck.  This has been quite a journey already, and there is lots of room for improvement in the future.

Now, I did say this was the athletic vegan and I haven't mentioned my running much yet.  Mainly focused on getting nutrition right first. Also, my nagging injury from my last long run has limited my options.  Excuses aside, I went for a medium paced 10km run today and it went pretty well all said.  It was very windy and I wasn't pushing myself, but I was only 1 second a km off my PB.  So I'm pleased with that.  Tomorrow is my long run; this time I'll do 5km laps of a park that is 5km away (aiming for a total of 25km).  Let's see how my new plant powered body holds up.