Choices

Until yesterday I was trying to run at least twice a week and, whilst occasionally managing about three miles before things go wrong, generally I am in discomfort from the first step.
Yesterday was my weekly visit to the osteopath and a description of my efforts only encouraged him to ban me from running for at least two weeks.Swimming, cross-training, walking and upper-body weight training are permissible, but avoid putting weight through my knee at all costs. My right backside muscles it seems are a lump of dead meat. And he set to putting life back in them. Hopefully without the need for the kiss of life!
This morning, I am unable to move, but I am about to lace up some shoes and get out for a good long walk. Tomorrow, I'll head into the gym and pool with Andrew, my ticket to cheap workouts. Aqua-jogger and a bag of training gear in hand.
So, to my choices; I see two options. The one of the brain and the one of my heart.
1. I have an entry (reserve list anyway) to the Devil of the Highlands 2010. I could make that my target for 2010 and forego the temptation to enter the West Highland Way Race, making that the two year project that it really should have been first time round. I can enter the Fling right up until the closing date due to their being no limit, so, if I get back training early enough, I can do it as the start of the build up to the Devil's. I will also hopefully, manage a lot more races, certainly more than 2009 in which I managed three (Alloa half (pb) the Fling and the WHW)
2. I enter the WHW race at the risk of being the world's biggest "Numptie" (© WHW Runner) and undo all the expensive treatments by doing exactly what I did last year. (And be ridiculed by anon the mouse contributors.)

I'm going with 1. above. That will save me from the perils of form filling and I hereby volunteer for marshalling/admin/photograhic duties as directed by the race committee (anything for a goodie bag).

That's one weight off my mind. Standby for the responses....

Trauma Queen

I've mentioned this blog before, but reading it tonight found that the author has been rewarded for his skills and writing abilities. To read more go to his blog

Now, where would I like to go?

Progress Report

After seven treatments from my osteopath, I finally plucked up the courage to suggest running a few miles. he is firmly of the opinion that the way ahead is still swimming, or at least aqua jogging, both of which has me in danger of drowning as I would be risking falling asleep in the pool through the sheer boredom of it all!
Anyway, the man from Del Monte he say YES!! Within reason and with a few days between sessions to ensure full recovery.
So I did what was really a warm-up in Balloch Park on Friday, sticking to grass and doing some stiff strides (stiff as in immobile not hard!) in the highland games field. No real problems so I continued with my exercises and stretches until today when I followed them with an hours slow run/walk on the golf course, trails and farm roads around Cardross. A struggle at times, not helped by looking for a path that doesn't exist but an hours exercise doing what I enjoy most. Mud on the shoes, a wee bit of sweat on the shirt and a wee runners high post run!
Tomorrow night is the club time trial. The first of the (formerly) monthly winter events is being re-started and, as I am secretary and haven't been training for a while, I have been nominated as starter/timekeeper.
I'll also be tackling our social secretary regarding trophies for the presentation night. it had been decided that JR and I, as chairman and secretary, would be responsible for selecting them. I duly picked up the brochures and asked his opinion.
Would you believe that the 12 time Goblet winner and first and only ten in a row finisher of the West Highland Way, icon, legend and father figure, doesn't have the bottle to pick them in case the girls don't like them!!
Name and shame I say.

Back to the osteopath on Wednesday. i'll be reporting a tight butt as the only problem when running. Progress is good.
November fast approaching and I've started a moustache for "Movember" to highlight men's cancer health. OK it's still October but I'm after a wee start. Mind you if past bhistory is anything to go by, it'll be off in a few days. I can't stand the itch and Mairi can't stand the look.

Why not join in to highlight this important agenda?

EDIT: Just after posting this I joined Allybea, Keith, Dave W and maybe John K in registering for NaNoWriMo......... November is going to be a long month.
Several ideas in my head. Favourite at the moment is the tale of three ex-army rogues who set up a personal training company in Glasgow, and have be dug out of deep shit by a big flatfooted polis!

Glee Club Outing on the WHW

Saturday was the first Glee Club run of the winter.Organised by Mark "Drama Queen" Hamilton and Ellen McVey, this is an occasional training group that trains on the West Highland Way in preparation for the Highland Fling and the other two races on the route, the Devil of the Highlands and the West Highland Way Race itself. An amazing 25 runners started at 10am and at least another three arrived late and caught up with the pack. They ran to Beinn Glas farm and back from Tyndrum where I met up with them to spend the day walking, but mainly to take some photos. It was a cracking day, cold and sunny, setting off the autumnal colours to their very best. I had been out to try a run in Balloch Park on Friday, permission having been granted by my osteopath to try an easy run, and could have kicked myself for leaving the camera behind. The Loch was at it's best with an atmospheric mist lending a little extra. So I set off for Balloch to try and catch it again. But as I drove over the Carman Moor I saw the sun rising over the Crags behind Dumbarton casting a beautiful light on the reservoir on the top of Carman. Out came the camera but, as the sun had just made it over the top of the Crags, the flare in the camera lens spoiled a terrific pic. I've kept it though and annotated it with a promise to return on the first similar morning to try again.
Onto Balloch, but the Vale was looking it's very best. You couldn't see it for the mist! Again, I shall return.

Onto Luss for a few views of the Ben and then Tarbet. However, mindful of the time I headed on to Tyndrum where a few weel kent faces were getting ready to run and a whole new set of "virgins" ready to join them. Arriving from the wrong car park came Debbie and Sharon, gabbing ten to the dozen and I gathered them all together for a group photo (above) before waving them off. I sneaked through the grounds of the Ben Dorain Hotel to see a few of them crossing the river and running up to the gate.
After my free coffee and my (paid for) bacon roll in the Real Food Cafe, I set off to the layby at the A82 crossing at Ewich where I walked up the Way to try and catch a few runners with a, hopefully, spectacular background. I've always wanted to send a photo to Runner's World for their "Great Run" photo feature. I had in mind the view from near the top of the forest looking north east following the direction of the river towards Loch Dochart. Damn that bacon roll! I had made good progress, but was caught by the pack before I reached the top and had to make do with pictures as they went past, then making my way down and taking more pics as the stragglers went past me. The only one I missed was DQ who had waited for Mrs Pacepusher at Auchtertyre. A technical hitch (the camera was finding it hard to focus due to a walker passing at the same time - my excuse - I told Mark he was running too fast:-) ) meant I missed this photo. Never mind it's his girlfriend I'm photo essaying!
Back to the car and down to Beinn Glas where I managed a few more photos before lunch was taken. Chicken broth and a roll - delicious! This was a chance to meet some of the newcomers and examine Georges KSO shoes as well as the F lites he was changing into. Never, never do I see myself trying either. There is more sole and cushioning in my slippers. Certainly no use to my flat feet. Outsize they may be, but they are all there is between my ankles and the ground and they have to take all my weight. Unlike a certain London fireman who probably doesn't pay VAT on his children sized shoes.
I took Nora, who decided Beinn Glas was far enough, back to Tyndrum for more (free) coffee and a (paid for) flapjack before finding a very cold and shivering Debbie wrapped in my mate Brian's jacket. She had fallen on the return journey and had done a fair bit of damage to her knees. Last I heard she had her feet up watching her collection of DVDs and her much put upon husband Marco was head cook and bottle washer.
Quite a lot of strenuous walking in Ewich forest has left my hip and knee a bit stiff
but it was nice to be out. Photos here

By the time I got home I was starting to receive texts from Tooting where Lee and Dave were supporting Ian in the Sri Chimnoy 24 hour race. That's 24 hours round a running track!
Sadly, Ian completed 100kms before dropping out, but two members of the West Highland way "family" excelled. Paul Hart was second in the men's race completing 140.983 miles and Aileen Scott won the women's race. (As I type this, Aileen's distance isn't on the interweb thingy but she had passed 113 miles with an hour to go. I'll edit this when I find out the distance.)

A Post About Not Running

I'm sitting on my butt, reading Facebook and thinking about doing the exercises that my Osteopath has given me, when Rachel pops up in "chat" for a blether. She complains about my lack of blogging and, in another context describes me as "inspirational"!!!
I inspire?
Oh, well.
Even Mairi has complained I haven't been blogging. And that from the lady who complains about me sitting with my head in my laptop all the time. (She's sitting opposite me now so if this post ends suddenly......
I'd better fulfil my role then. This blog was set up as the bit on the top says to record my views on running, coaching and life in general. I've pretty much given up coaching, haven't done any jog leading since the WHW race due to my being unable to put on foot in front of the other in the required manner, and life in general is pretty bloody grim, not being able to run. I've only managed a few "runs" since the race and each led to a further period of not running due to new niggles, pains and incapacity. So this is a post about not running!
I thought tapering was a pain in the posterior, but not being able to run at all is a damn sight worse. Most of the time I'm fine. As before the first run after my blisters healed I have no pain at all, other than the slight discomfort in my sacro-illiac joint that has been present for about 10 years. I want to run and regularly get my trainers on and set off only to realise my leg muscles can't actually function at speeds above say, four miles an hour. Walking poles? A zimmer is what I need!
Several aborted attempts at a run did end in pain. I've been aqua-jogging. Borrrrrrrrrr - ing.
But I do it because I know it works. I'm getting good at it too. I actually sweat in a pool! Then one Thursday I go to the pool in the morning. Feel great and -
"I know!! I can go for a run tonight!" Down to the club I go and set off with the pack. Honest, I intended staying with the (absent on holiday) JR's group. All ladies - who stop for a blether with a former member. In the pub car park. 25 yards from the start of the run. I keep going. And find my self loping along at the front of the main pack with Big Ed who is just back from a looonnggg stint underwater with the underwater air-force. And who wants a short easy run before the Great Scottish run on Sunday; that he's trained for an hour at a time on the underwater gym's treadmill. (Could we power the sub on Neal's and Ed's running?)
When the rest of the pack carry on to the Arden Roundabout and beyond, the big guy and I turn off at Cameron House where we try and spot some of the Scotland players who are resident whilst preparing(?) for the Macedonia and Holland games. Big Ed needs a Paula so I slow to a walk while he waters the trees and when I start again......... I have a knee pain and have to jog/walk back to the club.
That was my last effort and a couple of weeks ago decided that I needed to blow the household budget and seek the skills of an osteopath. I've now had three sessions and surprisingly, given the horrendous stories of these guys treating their customers as cash cows,he reckons I'm making good progress and we are already looking to reduce the times between consultations. His thoughts are that I have at least three major muscle groups in my back that have pretty much seized up and,together, have affected my skeletal system so much that my pelvis has tilted, restricting the range of movement in my legs and was well on the way to serious breakdown. Every time I tried to run I was exacerbating the problem. No go-ahead to run again yet so I've resisted the opportunity to give it a wee try-oot. It's hard though.
I've being going to the club whenever I can, to post entry forms and fliers that have come in and last night for a committee meeting. They've given up asking when I'm getting back to training and replaced that with "Jeez, you're putting the weight on". And it shows. My troosers are tight, my shirts are bulging over my belly and my local sweetie shop is thinking of floating on the stock exchange due to the sudden increase in profits.
Mind you I'm now the proud owner of a new Nikon D5000 DSLR camera! And it worked well on Sunday at the club Horseshoe handicap race. Thanks Aviva!

Insurance Premiums - Why are they so high?

Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with my photographic efforts and that I had a wee accident during the Devil's when my Nikon D50 DSLR camera was inadvertently dropped and damaged.
I took it into a Glasgow camera repair company who, a week later, gave me an estimate of £262.00 including Vat for the repair of the camera and lens,both of which were damaged but repairable.
I decided that it was time to finally make a claim on my home contents insurance that fortunately included accidental loss or damage outwith the home. All I was expecting was a go ahead on the repair and for them to send me the cost of repair, less my excess.
I contacted Aviva gave them all the details and they passed my claim to another firm IVAL who would be contacting me in a few days. So I waited, and waited and eventually I contacted them. And gave the girl on the phone all the details - again. She took all the details and put me through to their technical services department who didn't answer. I hung up and called back to the first girl who booked an appointment call for the following day. This call was prompt to the minute and I spoke to another girl and gave her all the details.... again! She told me the camera would be uplifted from me by a courier company the following day and off I went to Glasgow to pick it up. I explained to the guy at the repair firm that the insurance company wanted the camera and he seemed amused at this. I wondered why.
Again, the courier company arrived in time and took my carefully packaged camera off to Eastbourne to the IVAL technical services department. I sent the receipt for the camera and a cheque for the excess off to IVAL by recorded delivery and sat back to await my camera's return in 28 days. I was like a man who had lost his right arm, not having my camera. I presumed that the camera would be repaired by a repair firm either owned by the insurance company or at least who had a deal that would have made it more economical for the insurance company than having it done in Glasgow. How wrong was I?

This morning I received a call from IVAL. After a few security checks to ensure I was the person THEY had phoned, (what is that all about?)the lovely young lady proceeded to tell me that having examined the camera (that could be repaired for £262 remember), they had concluded that they would require to have it replaced. By a new Nikon D5000 and a 18 - 105mm lens. They will order it today and I would have it in araound two weeks. Would that be acceptable?
Is JR a geriatric?
Too bloody true it is acceptable!

But what the F--- gives here? They are ordering it from Warehouse Express and sending it by next day delivery from their place (again, why not get warehouse express to send it direct)at a cost according to WE's website of..... wait for it £754 less any discount they get if they have a contract with them.
My original camera cost me 582 quid nearly four years ago.

Now I don't have a problem with a new camera with twice the pixels of the original(12.3 mp), a moveable screen, live view (D50 doesn't,) a shutter speed twice that of he D50),continuous shooting at 4 frames per second, a lens with more range and all the accessories I'll get with a new camera. Absolutely no problem at all. No, siree! Not against getting the old camera repaired for 262 quid.
But why do we pay such huge premiums for insurance? I just can't figure it out!

Part 3 - Interlude and more from Tim

A few comments on the previous two posts have raised questions about hydration that I've had to research a bit and rack my brain for exactly how Tim explained how the theory actually works.
There is one word that appears on my notes: "Homeostasis" that explains it all.Homeostasis is "The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes". I'll try and explain.
We all know that insulin is the means by which the body reduces sugar levels in the body. However, the real job of insulin is to transport nutrients through the body and deliver them to the liver and other organs. However, as it is the only hormone capable of reducing sugar levels, it has to be used as such when we eat excessively. This means that it is unable to do it's proper job and the body reacts by creating resistance to insulin and that affects our overall health and well being as the insulin can't do it's real job.
Now the body has many systems that act and counteract to maintain equilibrium. But where they are forced to compensate for each other they are unable to do their own job.
So it is with certain hormones that work to keep our body's system in check that are forced to deal with overhydration. They can't do their own job and we damage our kidney's due to MUSCLE BREAKDOWN/RHABDOMYOLYSIS. Remember, those of you who were at the February briefing in Edinburgh for the West Highland Way race?
As has been explained by Noakes, we have evolved to operate quite efficiently when de-hydrated. As long as we deal with thirst, which is an indicator that certain hormones are about to be required, we can operate more efficiently than when overhydrated. Therefore the advice is to DRINK TO THIRST.

One other important point on this is that I'll reinforce is the use of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's). These inhibit the hormones that control, hydration adding to the dangers of MUSCLE BREAKDOWN/RHABDOMYOLYSIS.

Remember the Highland Fling race where many of us suffered in the heat and humidity? I, for one, was scraping salt off my scalp and drinking, as I thought, sufficiently to replace the fluid lost. However we usually have more sodium in our body at the start of the summer and as this was the first hot days running many of us had endured, there was a lot of sweating done and sodium lost. So what did I/we do? Drank more to replace the fluid. Actually, what we were doing was diluting the remaining sodium. And that is what we are being warned against! Anyone vommited clear fluid whilst racing? Wondered what gastro-intestinal complications caused it? Probably none. What easier way for the body to deal with excess fluid!

So, to tea and biscuits in the interval. During this time, someone suggested to Yannis that we could do with hearing more from Tim so he was dispatched to the lecture room to muster some slides to continue his talk. Whilst he was doing so, I wandered back into the lecture theatre. Spotting him alone I asked him about the results of my blood check following the West Highland Way race. Much of my analysis was pretty normal, but my level of Creatine Kinase was highly elevated, with a count of 29,490 as opposed to a normal reading of less than 210. His explanation fro this was simple - "You drank too much". As he had explained that earlier I didn't need to ask any more! But I did think that there may have been a bit more to it!
How about recovery? I explained I had hardly ran since the race and struggled every time.
He said "If I were to cut you open right now, I'd find your heart and muscles in great condition. Your problem is that your brain, having had a traumatic time, doesn't want you to do it all again. It is sending out warnings to you that ensure you don't put yourself in danger again. You will have to progressively re-train your brain to run." Or words to that effect!
I'll have to learn how to run all over again. This time I'll bear in mind what I learned at this seminar. No doubt I'll also bore for Britain, so if you've read this, stop me!

I was also able, over tea and biscuits, to talk to an Norrie Hay an old acquaintance who is the coach of some of Scotlands good middle distance runners. We commented on the information on the weight discrepancy of E.African and US elite runners. Norrie has a good runner who is, by our standards, very light, but he reckons he will have to lose a few kilos to improve. I mentioned the latest revelations in US 5k running who recently ran sub 13 minutes, Dathan Ritzenhein and Matthew Tegenkamp. I wondered about their weight and lo, and behold IAAF stats show Ritzenhein's weight is 53kilos! Norrie told me that when Alan Webb changed coaches to Alberto Salazar, he was ordered to lose muscle mass, of which he was fairly well laden due to weight training. No weights until he got down to what his new coach considered a competitive weight. Interesting!


Tim Noakes continued.....
Back into the lecture and Noakes showed some videos and slides to further illustrate his earlier talk. One of these was Paula Radcliffe's disastrous Olympic marathon in Athens. Remember the bit about animals, and their paralysis of hyperthermia? Animals can't operate in conditions where their core temperature reaches 43 degrees Celcius. They collapse. Humans however are capable of passing this core temperature due to evolution. But the brain will safe guard the body and cause it to stop running before death occurs and that, in Noakes opinion, is what happened to Paula. She had her race plan that had led her to world records and marathon victories but did not have the have the mental capability to run the race according to the conditions she met in the Athens race. The brain simply shut her down.

He also illustrated the power of the brain and that faith and belief in what the athlete is capable of is paramount in achieving their goals. Some more illustrations.
John Landy, an Australian athlete, and Roger Bannister were both chasing the sub-four minute mile and Landy was quoted in February 1954 as saying the 4 minute barrier was "a brick wall, I shall not achieve it."
On 6th May 1954 Bannister told himself that weather conditions that day would preclude any attempt at the barrier. His coach Franz Stampfl disagreed. He told Bannister that he thought he was in fact capable of 3minutes 56! If he was capable of that then he should be capable of 3.59 in the day's weather conditions. Bannister had long before learnt to trust his coach and the belief instilled in himself by Stampfl led to history being achieved. having shown Landy that it wasn't a brick wall, Landy believing himself at least Bannister's equal that produced a (then) world record of 3.58!
Finally Noakes showed this image of South African Josia Thugwane 1996 Olympic Champion and second place Lee Bong-Ju. Thugwane is looking as if he could run it again, Lee less so! They had been seperated by just three seconds!(By the way third place was only a further 5 seconds away!) Noakes said in summing up "Three seconds! Lee could have run faster and won it. How do I know? He's still alive!"


Tolosa Kotu Terfe

As I stated in part 1 this presentation didn't really do it for me. Tolosa's heavily accented English was difficult to follow and I'm grateful to Yannis for operating sufficient slides to get the gist of the lecture. But there is certainly no doubting his credentials. He has been involved in the careers of many of the Ethiopian elite athletes, and is well placed to say just what makes them such sublime athletes.
The main factor is attitude. No that's not a typographical error. ATTITUDE not altitude!
Living and training at altitude is, of course, crucial in their physiological make-up, but the attitude ingrained in them by their culture and media, as well as the incentives, monetary and cultural, ensure they are best suited to succeed.
They firmly believe that their ability to run is God given. They have great faith in that ability and that, together with their need to thank God by using it, gives them their supremacy.
Selection of athletes in Ethiopia is done through regional competitions that feed the successful athletes to high altitude training camps, where the younger athletes have to do work to pay for their keep earning a token payment in addition. When they reach elite status they are separated from the other athletes in much of their training in order that their training can be tailored to the individual rather than the group. In the case of the Dibaba sisters they had to be separated in order that they did not race each other into the ground at training rather than in races!
Training for Track and field season takes the form of a three month base of intermediate and moderate paced sessions followed by an intense three month period of hard training and a main competition period of one month. Obviously they race during the training phases, but mainly as a buildup to the main competition phase. All training is on a non-scientific basis. No supplements, sports science testing (other than foreigners trying to find out why they are so good!). Measurement of training effect and fitness is taken by stopwatch and asking how the athlete feels.
Contrast that with the western attitude where everything is governed by sports science.
And we have seen, from the sports drink industry, that they do not always have the athletes best interest at heart.

He summed up the Ethiopian success as being due to
High Altitude
Natural Food
Childhood hard work (aerobic)
Hard training
and
Rewards.

Rewards. How can we reward our runners? Cars? Got 'em. Money? Not skint, but only our very elite make great money, so I might as well not even try. Fame? How many athletes can Joe Bloggs name? Paula, Kelly, emmm......
To an Ethiopian or Kenyan even the modest rewards from winning a small 10k in Britain, Europe or further afield is worth much more than it would be to you and I. That is why we find that even the smallest races here are being won by the east Africans. They don't need much to live. A group will share the costs of a house, their dietary needs are simple and certainly won't be wasteful and when they return to their home country, the pounds, dollars and euros convert rather nicely, thank you!

So that's it. My recollections of an excellent seminar. No doubt others who were present will be able to fill in any gaps, or interpret things, perhaps a little differently. I hope it is useful and that I haven't lost you midway!
One lasting impression that was left on me by Yannis and Tim was that they are willing to admit they were wrong. Scientific knowledge is always advancing. Five years ago they concluded the East Africans had genetic advantages over us mere mortals. now they admit, subject to further findings, that they were wrong. That is refreshing. In much of our society we are hindered by the refusal to amdit that our standard practices are flawed. We need to lose the pride and admit that smarter people than we are have advanced thinking. We need to follow.

I hope it's not another five years before we have another seminar!

Note: I'll go back over these posts and compile some references and sources to enable you to take your understanding a bit further.