Week 2

Number of runs : 6

Total mileage : 53

Second week done and mileage has remained static where the programme anticipated a slight increase. I have an excuse. This is not simply lack of effort on my part but a calculated result of the big event of these next couple of weeks: Speed of Light.

Saturday was my second time on Arthur's Seat, this time as part of the technical rehearsal for SOL. As compared to my previous visit there for the Super Sunday training session, the run distance was significantly less this time, being only a couple of miles all in. That meant that i missed my programmed 5 miles for the day but since that was a recovery session i am refusing to be concerned about that.

The SOL run itself was amazing despite some minor issues (such as the lightsuit not working and not actually being able to see the hill for the fog). I am very much looking forward to both running it for real and being part of the audience. The effect of the lightsuits on the hillside is something special.

Apart from that minor deviation, the week has more or less gone to plan. Various issues have caused it to be a busier week than expected and as such the running has weighed heavier than it might have but i have generally coped and the nerdy data i collect has suggested my fitness has taken a step forward. I mostly use a figure for beats per mile from my run data to assess progress. To some degree this device helps to remove some of the differences between faster and slower runs, being a measure of running efficiency. In reality it isnt quite as simple as that. I seem to  tend to get lower figures when i run more quickly suggested that my technique is more efficient then, possibly because i am running more naturally, possibly just down to increased stride length for the same cadence. Equally terrain and weather also impact the figures so it is far from an absolute measure but it helps  to show trends.

The trend has been fairly static of late but it has now taken a bit of a dip. At the moment anything in the 1200s is good for me and i am now seeing some consistent runs in the range of 1240-1275. That is still nowhere near where i was earlier in the year and i still cant quite establish exactly why i have lost so much fitness since then. While i have had periods out with injury and other training disruption i dont really see why there has been such a substantial impact. I can only assume that it is down to consistency or lack thereof. Now that i am consistently getting the miles in i have seen a step change in my data and i would expect to see another similar leap in the next 3 or 4 weeks.
On the injury front, i can also see some progress. Despite some tiredness my calves are never tightening up to the degree they were earlier in the year. My achilles is continuing to be concerning though. On sunday i could feel it at varying stages of my long run. It is never enough to stop me but i can feel it for a bit before the pain fades away again. Its never good to get niggles like that on a run and even less so when you are hitting the turn on a 16 mile out and back route when you are your furthest away from home and the mild drizzle has just become a torrential downpour...

Moving in to week three though and things look more positive. It seems like my programme of stretching may have been aggrevating it. Easing off on that has improved the symptoms so perhaps my ankle just needs a little love.