Finally!! I'm bouncing back and have been able to get a little consistency back into my training. This makes me happy.
My spark of renewed hope in order to be ready for the 50K in 3 week's time is slowly building to a small flame. The main thing is this last training week has helped get me closer to where i should have been at without all the Covid and injury issues through the last couple of months.
After my last post, my Fri/Sat/Sun training was back to back runs of 5km | 5km | 20km. This is only 7k short of the long run in my original plan. I could have pushed the long run to 25k but to do this after the few weeks I had before would have been madness.
To come back with my target run as 27km (as per my original training plan) for this returning long run would have been training suicide. I have to balance between quickly building back, and the wheels coming off. So close to game day, it would be one of my more questionable life-choices.
I pre-fatigued myself with two back-to-back 5k's (one of which I made a MAF Test run which I'll talk more about in a moment) in order to make it harder on the body. It was a gamble, but the 300k is 6 days back-to-back later this year and I need to get up and out on tired legs.
The 20km trail run was uncomfortable but was running pretty freely. It was only the last 3 km where my hip flexors were tightening significantly. I eased through the last 3k and got back in one piece. We shall call this a win. Considering I'd put 30km through my legs in short order, that's not too shabby at all in the circumstances.
My next long run will aim for 25-27K. I'll ease off the pre-fatiguing so the legs feel fresher for it. Given my hip & back is only just sorting out, I'll make a judgement call as to if I push for a 30km the following week, before I ease off on a 2 week taper into the 50km (9th of April).
Any significant issue now could cause a real problem as I've only 3 real training weeks after the 50 before I then take on the JCC 100k (my nemesis from last year). So I'm being as sensible as I can be for now. ...I say sensible, but I'm still performing EVERY run 'Fasted' (i.e. no food since the night before). All part of the fat adapting master-plan that I'm working on. It's still a little unhinged, if you ask me... but you don't do a challenge like mine unless you're 'not quite the full biscuit'.
Latest MAF Test
For those who don't know what I mean, I explain the MAF test here https://www.longroadtoultra.com/post/13-maf-tests-maffetone-s-measure-of-progress-results In short, you run for 30 mins after warm up on an even/flat surface (treadmill is perfect), while keeping your heart rate at the top of your aerobic zone (180bpm minus your age, as a basic rule of thumb... so 133bpm for me). This means an easy run, simply using only body's fat for fuel (rather than glycogen... read the link above and it'll explain all).
Sidenote: Maffetone method great for us old people who want to build slowly and help avoid injury (though I'm injured LOL... To its credit though, it was an injury inflicted on my by the Pilates Mafia, rather than through running).
My MAF tests, while fasting and fat adapting have been hard work all year. My last one before I went down with Covid was 3.5km in 30 mins @ 134bpm at the start of February... Not too terrible, given I was still suffering from the hip issue (pain causes your heart rate to go higher). Last week, after barely running for a month, and with some terrible long runs when i did run, I got to 4.22km in 30 mins @ 128bpm! You can see from this chart for the MAF test that my heart rate was even and my pace constant at around 7.4km/h.
That is VERY encouraging. Here's why...
Last year when I attempted the JCC 100k, my final pre challenge MAF test was 4.44km in 30 mins at 134bpm Heart rate. That was May, with the 100k only 1 week later. Don't believe me? check out this post from last May: https://www.longroadtoultra.com/post/58-final-maf-test-moment-of-truth It's now March (and two months sooner than a similar result than last year) and I'm almost at the same level. This is VERY good news. Even more so, considering the training challenges and injuries I've lamented over for the last couple of months (along with being a year older and about 5kg heavier!).
If I can shave off another 5kg between now and mid-May I hope to be close to the 5k in 30 at 133bpm level if I can keep training on track! That will be huge and should see me come in that 100k in under 24hrs (my stretch target last year). In fact, If I can drop to 95Kg or lower in the next two months, and I hit that mark then I could be targeting a 20hr finish (weather and injury permitting, as they can make a significant difference). The reason i didn't get around in under my 24hrs (last year's stretch target) last May wasn't me not having the gas in the tank (I absolutely did), but because it was that my feet were shredded to pieces and I ended up hobbling the last 20+Km (out of the 84km I achieved) at a snail's pace. I did that last 20km at an average pace of 2.5km/h because it was so goddam painful... In fact, I could have gone that last 20k faster on my face, than what I did on what was left of my feet! General Progress
My Training Progress chart looks like this once again, and puts me in the right zones for sensible progress. Fitness turning back up, and fatigue (how hard I'm working) is also on the rise. It's a real balancing act right now between pushing and not pushing too hard that I kick off another set of problems.
you can see from this next chart that I'm back in the progressive training zone, and can feel the difference it's making once again. This week it should look even better with form (effort) pushing deeper into the productive zone. I have to also be kind to myself here as I am fully fasted when I train at the moment, so I do this already very depleted in my energy levels. I certainly notice it towards the end of a 3 hour run, when all I've had is water and a coffee that day.
On a final note on progress. The weight has started to move again. I am now bang on 100kg
The last time I got to 100kg was April last year. This puts me on track to get to sub 95kg by the time the 100k comes around in May. Given I'll be training progressively more (and a bit harder) than at the same stages last year, I should be good for hitting that mark (or pretty damn close to it). That's also encouraging given I'm where I am after a shambles of a last 6 weeks (both falling of wagon with food and training issues while lamenting my situation through Feb and the start of March).
While not quite as far along as I'd have hoped to be at this point in time, I'm further forward than the same time last year. This is with a crappy number of weeks now behind me.
I can only be pleased about that...
Where my head is now at
The first Ultra is looming large, and is high in my thinking. I cannot express how relieved I am I can run again and get on track. I'm still cautious as I still get pain in my Glute muscle (piriformis) and through my hip flexors. Getting them working properly again after 4 months of dysfunction is a priority. This means stretching, bastard-shakti-mat sessions every other evening, glute strengthening and core strengthening work is being stuck to religiously.
The pain, while not the 9/10 it got to on that fated 20k a few weeks ago, is still getting up to a 6-7/10 on the end of my most recent long run. But it's different. It's like my muscles and tendons are trying to figure out how to work properly again and are readjusting as my bad leg is taking up more of the effort again, mechanically.
My thoughts now are turning to thinking around race day logistics for the 50K, kit, fuelling strategy, and recovery. It's only 24 days away from Today so I need to take care of that. I'm lucky that I have last year's model to guide me, which will help. I know what worked and what didn't when I ran 53K last year. That will help hugely as the heavy lifting of what supplements, what footwear/socks/shorts/waterproofs/underwear/ant-chafing/blister solutions/etc, have all been done before. We test. Learn what works. Learn what doesn't and use that to help execute a tried and tested plan i already know worked for me...
That's a post for another day though.
Thanks for reading.
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