No Dorset CTS today - but for a good reason

I'm very pleased I ran CTS Gower recently, because Dorset is off - Mrs had an ATFL repair and retinaculum reinforcement procedure done yesterday, so it's no load bearing whatsoever on the foot for a good few weeks. I'm on tea and chores duty (to be honest, it's about time :)

Before: Just in case the surgeon forgets which leg and what they're supposed to do with/to it

After: All done, bar the rest and the long road to running again

Still managed to nip out for a parkrun this morning - Brentwood inaugural was a crispy crunchy grass and trail route with some nice splashy puddles. Billed as "undulating" I'd say it was quite hard, though clearly not as hard as CTS Dorset half marathon would have been.

There are plenty more races in the Endurance Life series, so maybe I'll try one or two more after Christmas.

Races go right into May - I'm sure a few will fit in with the marathon training plan

Sign-ups opened this week for Marathon Talk's winter motivator "Jantastic" - now including swimming and cycling in addition to running, and featuring Strava integration. I've already populated Training Peaks with the 18 week marathon training plan from the famous Pfitzinger and Douglas book (last year I tried the 12 week plan, it got me to the end... just...) - so my path to Rotterdam marathon that starts on Tuesday 9th December. That contributes 5 runs per week, and I'm going to try to fit in a swim and at least one cycle commute to work per week too. Together with two trips to The Athletic Edge per week that should be enough to keep me busy and out of trouble for a few months.

My Jantastic targets

Marathon Talk Magic Mile

The one-mile race is a rarity these days. The iconic distance has been replaced by the metric precision of 1,500m - it's fairly hard to find a one-mile distance race these days. But what if 3.75 laps of the 400m track just isn’t enough? You want the full 4? And then maybe another 9m, you know, for fun? Every year Marathon Talk can help you in this quest.

Marathon Talk’s Magic Mile challenge is an annual event at the close of summer that encourages everyone of every ability to get out there and smash out a mile as fast as they can.

There are dozens of Magic Mile events of all sizes being held, and today there’s a special virtual mile event by Marathon Talk. There are some big names signed up including Olympians ScottOverall, Tom Daley, and Alistair and Jonathon Brownlee. The rules are simple, at some point today, Saturday 31st August, run a mile and record the time.

My Magic Mile path by the Zeller see (Lake Zell) - and an orange Ironman buoy ready for tomorrow!

I decided to start from the hotel where we’re staying in Zell am See, Austria, for the Ironman 70.3 Zell am See Kaprun on Sunday. I walked through the village and down to the lake. I jogged a half mile up, turned around, and jogged back. I even set my Garmin units to “statute” for the very first time ever.

Not the fastest mile I've run by any stretch of the imagination!

I'm not quite sure how I managed to burn 130 calories on a gentle 1,609m - oops, I mean "1 mile" - jog, but never mind. This probably isn’t the best thing to do the day before a race, but so what – I’m not a contender for the podium so I may as well have some fun while I’m here. Maybe next year I can "smash one out hard", as they say.

As soon as Marathon Talk's magic mile page is fixed, I'll even log it. There's a prize draw for everyone running the Saturday virtual mile, a pair of Adidas Boost trainers up for grabs.

Podcasts, Ultras, and The Road to Unogwaja

20 months ago, if it had existed then, I'd have been listening to the wonderful parkrun show podcast by Danny Norman and Nicola Forwood without having ever completed a parkrun. I'd still have enjoyed it, but I'd feel a little like an impostor - parkrunning vicariously through the adventures of others. I fixed that in April 2011 when I ran my first 5km parkrun at Wimbledon Common. I was hooked, and the regular reader will have noticed my subtle pro-parkrun stance. There were, however, a few more of my favourite podcasts I needed to "legitimise".

The parkrun show on facebook

This summer, I was overjoyed to complete my first (and second) full distance Ironman events, which meant I could legitimately enjoy IMTalk (iTunes) - the absolutely fantastic Ironman-centric podcast by Coach John Newsom and Bevan James Ayles.

IMTalk podcast

My Mrs met them in Kona this year and had a great time (and got mentioned quite a few times on the show as a result). I was proud to give the guys some exposure and finished both IM 70.3 Ireland in Galway and IM Wales in Tenby in my IMTalk tri-suit.

L-R: John Newsom (IMTalk), Nick Rose (@ironrosey), and Bevan James Ayles (IMTalk)

220 Triathlon magazine had approached Ironman for an Age Group athlete to run an article on in their November edition, and my name was suggested. So I managed to get IMTalk even more love and exposure by getting my article in the number one triathlon magazines in the UK.

My 15-minutes of fame in 220 Triathlon magazine (click for larger image)

As I outlined in a previous post, I was hoping to run a stand-alone marathon at the end of November - and as a result be officially able to consume the wonderful Marathon Talk podcast (iTunes) from Tom Williams and Martin Yelling. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, it doesn't look like that's going to be the case.

Marathon Talk podcast, by Martin Yelling and Tom Williams

I suffered some pain in my left knee after the Royal Parks Half Marathon recently, and it's never really settled. A couple of times I've needed to cut some runs short as it's started to hurt, and even when that hasn't been the case I've suffered quite badly in the hours following a run. Last week I decided to have a full week away from running, and then gently plodded around Wimbledon Common parkrun yesterday in the positively pedestrian time of 28 minutes and 27 seconds. A little wobble from the knee at 4km, but everything felt OK by the end.

Within an hour or two I found I couldn't get up off the sofa without yelping in pain. This lasted a few hours, and then by late afternoon all was well again. It's fine this morning, but clearly something is wrong. On Monday, I'll go to the Doctor, and get a referral to a physio to get it checked out properly.

I'm very frustrated about this right now, partly as Mrs has just gone out for a 90 minute run, and I'd like nothing more than to have gone with her, but mainly for the following three Very Big Reasons.

Reason #1 that I need to get my knee fixed...

Despite still not being able to listen to Marathon Talk yet, I am still hoping to legitimise my enjoyment of the incredible Talk Ultra podcast hosted by Ian Coreless (with early editions co-hosted by ultra-running superstar Ian Sharman). This is a fortnightly release focusing on the ultra-running scene. It's a long production, regularly well over 2 hours, and with in-depth interviews and discussions and thought-provoking interviews on training and nutrition. It's opened my eyes to a world of opportunities I didn't even realise existed. It turns out people can run a long way, a really long way.

The more you listen to these productions, the more it becomes apparent that the athletes completing these races are regular down-to-earth guys and girls like you and I. They train hard and have incredible mental strength, but what they're doing isn't outside the realms of possibility (OK, so the times they're putting in are far outside the ability of most, but the distances less so). As ultra-running legend Karl Meltzer says in the intro to his regular "Meltzer Moment" section on Talk Ultra, "100 miles is not that far".

Ultra-running legend "Speedgoat" Karl Meltzer: 100 miles is not that far (image form here)

As a result, I have entered the London Ultra 50km, to be held on 17th February 2013. Of course, I haven't just been brainwashed by podcasts, there is another reason I've entered this race. That brings me on to...

Reason #2 that I need to get my knee fixed...

I've entered possibly one of the most iconic and well-known ultra marathons in the world - the Comrades Marathon in South Africa. This race has an incredible history, having been held every year since 1921 (with exception for the war years of 1941 to 1945). The course runs from Pietermaritzburg to Durban one year (the "Down" run), and back the next (the "Up" run). 2013 is an Up run. Read How It All Began on the Comrades Marathon website. The wikipedia entry has a detailed history of the race throughout the decades.

Comrades Marathon

I automatically meet the entrance requirements by being a full distance Ironman finisher during the qualification period, but I am confident I can get a better placing by completing the London Ultra in a good (for me) time.

Ever since I heard the inspiring Comrades Special edition of Talk Ultra it's been on my wish list. I was never intending to enter it in 2013 (my original plan was to try and go fast at IM 70.3 in 2013, and think about learning to run a long way later) - but one big amazing jaw-dropping opportunity popped up in front of me. And that is reason 3...

Reason #3 that I need to get my knee fixed...

The @TalkUltra twitter account retweeted some content from @ComradesMarathon that made reference to @theunogwaja. Thinking "What's that?" I checked it out. The second I read the description, I wanted to do it. Immediately, right there and then, my plans for 2013 were rewritten.

This is from the Unogwaja Challenge website:

The Unogwaja challenge was initiated to follow the footsteps of Comrades legend Phil Masterton-Smith, who was affectionately known as “Unogwaja” which means the Hare in Zulu.

Phil Masterton-Smith was involvedin two of the closest finishes in Comrades Marathon history, when in 1930 he narrowly lost to the great Wally Hayward. The following year in 1931, he battled against Noel Burree, and crossed the finish line meters ahead to claim Comrades Victory and become the youngest ever Comrades winner at the age of 19.

In 1933 Masterton-Smith couldn’t afford the train fare from Cape Town to run the Comrades Marathon, so he cycled over 1700kms from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg in 10 days, and on the 11th day he ran the gruelling Comrades Marathon and came in 10th position. Noel Burree and Phil Masterton Smith – 1931

Tragically Phil Masterton-Smith was killed in action on 5th June 1942 by a mortar bomb, defending the Gazala line during the siege of Tobruk in World War II.

This ultimate story of passion, willpower, courage and determination was mirrored by four young men, who followed in the footsteps of Phil Masterton-Smith 78 years later. Team Unogwaja succeeded in cycling 1677km’s in 10 days from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg, and then running the Ultimate Human Race on day 11.This journey came alive & the Unogwaja team came together through Red Sock Friday (RSF), an initiative that shares its origin, like Comrades, in the aftermath of a World War, and is a global community of people who share a common passion for life and positive energy. The moment that founder of RSF, John McInroy, heard the story of Unogwaja from Dr WP van Zyl, a stranger at the time, the two knew this was a path they were going to follow.

2013 is the third year of the Unogwaja Challenge, and the first year it's being opened to the public and only 12 places are available. I went through the application process, I exchanged tweets and emails with John McInroy, and then had a Skype interview with him the day after Mrs' 40th Birthday celebrations.

The Unogwaja Challenge is open to the public for the first time in 2013

I found out on Friday that I've been accepted onto the challenge!

So that's my focus now: The London Ultra 50km in February, and the Unogwaja Challenge and Comrades Marathon in May and June. And this is why I need to get my knee fixed Pretty Damn Quickly.

Despite what it says in the header to this blog, it turns out 140.6 miles isn't really very far at all - I need to reset my belief of what's possible (and probably update my blog design as a result).

Life changes so quickly, it can be hard to keep up. Stay open to adventure, grasp the chances that cross your path, and never be afraid to dive into the unknown.

PS: I don't really believe that you aren't entitled to listen to listen to the parkrun show, Marathon Talk, Talk Ultra, or IMTalk if you haven't completed the events they discuss - in fact quite the opposite. These podcasts have educated and excited me so much, and I don't think I'd have such bold objectives if it wasn't for them showing me what's possible. Download and listen now!

This rest day is a training day

I have been almost relentlessly positive about my training progress. This is in part because progress has been rapid - I had (and still have) weight to lose and strength to gain, therefore any structured plan would show an improvement. It's also in part because I try to take a positive approach to everything I do - I find that if I can remain positive and focused about training that transfers directly to other areas of my life. I've found it's important to have a mental strategy to deal with alterations to the training plan as it can become a problem if that level of positivity hinges on each session being completed succesfully.

This week the weather has been very warm in the UK. I'm a big fan of summer, I love the sun and being outside on my bike or (now I'm a bit lighter) even running. It does take a few days to adapt to the overnight temperature though - as a result this last week I've had three consecutive nights from Wednesday to Friday night of very broken and unrewarding sleep. This peaked on Friday when I'll wager that I got no more than 30 minutes uninterrupted sleep at a time. Not only nowhere near enough sleep, but definitely not enough to sustain a heavy training load.

Saturday was due to ba a long and hard day, challenging at the best of times. Up at 4am, pick up Danny Norman (go and download The parkrun Show now) and drive to Marple in Cheshire for their inaugural parkrun, drive home. Sleep for 3 or 4 hours. Get up again, cycle up to Clapham and meet some work colleagues at 11pm for the London to Brighton Night Ride - and, in order to make it a real Ironman-worthy training session - cycle back home afterwards.

Marple parkrun was gorgeous. A challenging undulating course on a beautiful hot early-summer morning. I met some great people including Tom Williams and his wife Helen and daughter Rosie, Tom is a presenter on Marathon Talk (grab it from iTunes) and UK Manager for parkrun. David and Sharon Rowe who have been involved in the parkrun community for many years; and James, Marple parkrun event director, and his crew. I even got to say hi to Tony Audenshaw, who I know as the voice of Tony's Trials in Marathon Talk, but is apparently better known as Bob from Emmerdale. We had a lovely coffee afterwards at sleepy coffee shop and bakery Libby's in Marple Bridge - I'm not sure they knew what had hit them!

Marple people and parkrun people in the sun (check out how sharp the shadows were at 8:30am)

As I was driving back yesterday early afternoon I knew something had to give. I was absolutely shattered, only a Grande Filter from Starbucks and Danny's chirpy chatter kept me focussed enough to get home. I collapsed onto the sofa and was micro-sleeping almost immediately. Regrettably, I had to call the night's 180km mega-ride off.

I have a real problem with people who promise to do things, and then don't show up - it's a behavioural trait that winds me up, particularly when others have gone out of their way or might be looking forward to your presence. I try very hard not to be that person so missing the ride was not a decision taken lightly.

Would I enjoy cycling 180km (if indeed I made the distance) in a catatonic haze? Would it make me a better Ironman? No on both counts, and it would have a negative impact on my adaptation of the week's productive load.

I ate well yesterday afternoon, made an effort not to nap, and turned in at about 11pm in the end. I slept solidly until 9.30am today - a sleep that gave me far more training benefit than the ride would have done.

So I'm sorry I missed the ride, I hope the guys that did it had an awesome time, but for me - my night's training was spent dreaming and recovering. It was a positive decision, it was the right thing to do.

Rest is training too.