Your can't have it both ways

Yesterday, after work I swam for half an hour and was very pleased with the process if not the pacing.   I worked with the TempoTrainer and did the warm up at 60SPM which ended up being slightly slower than usual at around 5 minutes. Then I upped the cadence to 62SPM for 400m of RHS only strokes which felt fairly hard going and came in at 9:42min which is OK.

With some degree of depletion I set off for sets of bilateral breathing gradually increasing the SPM to finally 66SPM, the rationale being that my cadence is well below that usually recommended. I get it helped keep up the rhythm of the sets and doesn't need a leading arm to be held for ages.

It was hard to review the times and link back to stroke rate (the Garmin recorded stroke rate is averaged with an initial glide) but it does seem that somewhere around 64SPM may be optimum. I was surprised how comfortable I felt doing this and easily managed 100m sets and included a 200m set when I felt that my pace had been interrupted. None of the sets were fast, around 2:25min/100m at best, but the important thing is that it felt manageable with bilateral breathing. It would be great if I could do that for 400m or more, but in reality I suspect I'd be over 10 minutes.

Anyway, come this morning's run I think the swimming effort was apparent! I struggled with every ascent, couldn't find a comfortable temperature and was glad to get back home. It was a good job that I'd set off with an intention to be 'slow' as if I'd been hoping for a record I'd have been disappointed. But this all makes sense, I can't expect to make gains on consecutive days.

5 years on...

After hearing last night's weather forecast for today I didn't hang around after breakfast. I wanted to be out and about before it became too hot. Seemed like a good day for my Blacka Moor 'half marathon'.

From the outset I felt tired, heavy legs, hot; even though the air temperature was moderate at a mere 19ºC. I admit that I didn't push myself but by the end I'd really had enough.

Looking back at my GPS data I first logged this route in the summer of 2013 when I was 1 minute per km faster! I don't have heart rate data from that run so can't compare 'effort'. I'm aware that I kept my heart rate low today whereas historically I used to try hard on every run, but even so, it still felt tough today.

Hard work this morning

It should have been so easy. A 'quick' half marathon loop via Blacka Moor which I've run many times before. It was hard work within the first 100m and it didn't get any easier despite walking far more than I should have needed too. Being objective though, I suppose that I can accept that:

• I did swim quickly yesterday
• This is the furthest I've tried to run in a some months
• Circuit class was tiring after a few week's break and so leg muscles will be tired

So now I need to rest and do some stretches and rolling to encourage recovery and get rid of some irritating muscle knots.

Cross Bay Challenge

It's rare for a race cut off to be a matter of life and death but for the Cross Bay Challenge it truly is. This half marathon route crosses Morecambe Bay, a 'short cut' that has been in use for at least 700 years. I understand that every year the course changes to reflect a safe route across the river channel and quicksands that make any crossing of the Bay treacherous. This year the start was moved north 8 miles to Silverdale so that the River Kent was fordable.

The date is selected to be the weekend day with the deepest low tide at mid-morning giving a window of 4 to 5 hours to cross. That time is then shortened by the need to place way markers and have the safety team in place and you're left with a 3 hour cut-off.  That seemed a pretty achievable time even allowing for running on sand and mud.

The registration area was vey well organised although almost everyone seemed to be very cold by the time the race briefing got underway. At last we were allowed to start and within a short time we were in the water, much deeper than I'd anticipated.

By the first mile marker I was tired. I'd set off cold and stiff, I was wet and more cold and to make matters worse the route was directly into a 30mph wind. By mile two I had an abdominal cramp and wondered how I'd ever finish. I recalled all the advice I've read and decided to walk as required, keep taking small drinks and try to eat something. Really I didn't need to eat and my mouth was too dry anyway.

The 200-plus runners gradually made a snake curving across the sands and from an early stage the leaders were visible as distant dots, converging on the next strategically placed tractor.

I chose a plan of two minutes run and a minute walk and counted this strictly to myself. This worked and I gradually started to catch up with runners who'd passed me earlier. My abdomen settled, my breathing seemed less strained against the wind and eventually a 3:1 cycle felt right. With this rhythm the miles started to pass. Eventually I reached the 8 mile marker. For a little bit I'd expected a turn back to shore as we'd been heading offshore, into the wind since we started. This was it, a welcome relief.

Now the wind was to our left and there was a psychological boost that the path was towards the finish, which was just visible on the horizon. A 5:1 cycle was now achievable, albeit interrupted by small water crossings. I'd decided that it was far too much effort to run through anything over ankle depth, again this was a successful plan.

The final few miles became easier as the wind played on our backs and the finish solidified from a mirage. Then I could keep up a reasonable run pace.

After 2:25 hours I crossed the timing mat feeling very relieved and very slightly disappointed at my time; although considering how I'd felt during the first 15 minutes it was a good result. Being in the top half is good enough and completing such a unique race, reward in itself.

The scenery is so unusual that I spent a few minutes every so often just looking around, but the vast flatness can't be readily captured in a quick snap.

By comparing the route and my pacing splits it's clear how much effect the wind had on me and perhaps, unbeknown to me, I'd worked far too hard in the second kilometre. Luckily I took action early enough to not become too tired.

I recommend this run both for its 'challenge' (definitely an example of 2nd degree fun) and the charity it supports.

Going slow

This morning's run brings the week's total to just over 30km which is still feeling a struggle after my enforced break early in 2016. I focussed on a gentle approach and watched my heart rate quite closely which is shown by the data.

 I was succesful in my plan to have maximum heart rate of around 140bpm and walked a number of the steeper ascents. Of course the result of this attention was a slow run, actually the slowest I've ever done this particular loop.

It's notable that in 2013 I was quite a bit faster. I don't think this was due to being 3 years younger or better fitness, more that I wasn't so aware training zone. I'll bet that I worked hard on that run, it was the first time I'd done the 'Blacka half' and I took a day off work to do it. I wasn't wearing the heart rate monitor, and didn't document how I felt, so we'll never know!

A decent long run at last

I've been able to build on last week's 20km and today managed to do 23km and thus exceed a half marathon distance comfortably. Of course the pace was slow as I was working on limiting my heart rate but it felt great to be out for over 2 hours.

The route was my Blacka Moor half marathon as described in the (almost 3 year old) video above. The day started a little cool but with the ascent onto the moor the sun came out and I was plenty warm enough for the rest of the trip.

Last week I complained of feeling tired as soon as I left the house and today it was apparent that I was on the cusp of being ill last time. Today I was negligibly faster but found the run far less 'work'. It's also been an easier week physically as I've not done a swim at all.

A rather sparse week due to feeling lousy

Cattle on Hondkirk Road

After the essential task of getting a load of washing on the line I ran my half-marathon length route up though Blacka Moor to Oxytones via Houndkirk Road. On the verge of Byway there were some new residents chomping away at the spare vegetation.

I suspect these are dun-coated Highland cattle but would welcome correction. I only saw four but there might be others free on the moor. They make a change from sheep but might be a bit scary if one crept up on you.

Anyway, the run was Ok. I didn't really notice my ankle until the 12km mark and on the descent through Limb valley I became aware of my left knee. Things weren't too bad when I got home and I easily managed to pop to the shops and cut the grass so no real problems. However this was my first run over 20km since the Canalathon so inevitably there is a bit of effort and retraining involved.

At the start of the run my heart rate data were all over the show - sometimes ridiculously high. Often this is due to the contacts being dry but that wasn't the case as I repeatedly moistened them. For the latter two thirds, or perhaps even four fifths the readings were fine. Maybe the level of sweat had built up enough to maintain the pick up. Might be worth swapping the battery to see if that helps.