One of the biggest challenges of The Long Push so far is finding time to get all the training I need in around work, life and the weather! To be fair we've had some awesome weather for March here in the UK just recently, and when everything has fallen into place I've taken advantage of it to get out there and get some miles in. But trying to fit my training in around a three week shift pattern that mixes day shifts and late shifts is not easy at all. Still, here's how I managed it over the last three times I got out...
DAY 8 : Monday 19th March 7.78 miles.
Today's training was just two laps of my Marine Lake training circuit after work one evening. It was bright and sunny, so had to be done. Pretty uneventful as I remember, but It's a while ago now, so I've lost track a bit. Seem to remember I had the wind behind me going north and against me coming back south. I tried to make a vid at the end of it, but the sound seems really bad on the camera for some reason. If I managed to 'tweak' it then it's here below. If it isn't then... I didn't! And I deleted it again! I really HAVE to get this lack of video situation sorted out.
DAY 9 : Thursday 22nd March 9.93 miles
Aaaaarrrggh! If anyone saw my Facebook status when I posted the stats of this direct from RunKeeper you'll know that I just clicked 'Stop' without really looking at my distance for this training and it was at 9.93 miles, when I was aiming for 10 miles! I only needed to leave it on for another 100 yards down the pier to the car and I'd have made it to the 10! Grrrr! What a doofus! Still, this was a good ride. Another session after work around the Marine Lake circuit, and the first time this year that I was able to get out training wearing shorts and a T-shirt! The wind was in my face northbound this time and then behind me coming back around the lake onto the promenade. All good practice because the wind could be blowing any which way on the two days of the ride. but hopefully it will be behind me at some point and allow me to deploy the Sporting Sail maybe? Still need to trial that too on a training day sometime. I got the attention of a lot of the skaters in the skatepark while I pumped past down the pier. Problems? Yeah, a couple this time...
I very nearly rolled my left ankle while pushing tonight. I've rolled this one twice before skating on mini ramps, so I know how much it hurts if it sprains fully, but at the time I thought I'd got away with it and carried on. Since then though it's needed some regular heat rub ointment to heal the muscle. I was lucky, it could have been MUCH worse, but I now know it's something to watch for. I may use an ankle support the next few times just to help it fully heal.
The bigger problem after tonight's session was that I got struck down by some virus. Either that or the 'man-flu' I had last weekend hadn't fully cleared and came back to haunt me! It started right after I got back from training and knocked me for 6 all weekend. And I was working late shifts at the weekend too! Ugh! I felt dreadful, and I was planning on trying to break the 20 mile barrier on the following Tuesday too, so this well and truly scuppered those plans. There was no way I could take on 20 miles until it had passed properly. So that was dissapointing, especially as we had the most amazing day of weather on the Tuesday! Grrrrrrrrrrr! Still, that's what happens with plans and I was just going to have to adapt.
Day 10 : Wednesday 28th March: 10.54 miles
So, virus passing and just a day after I intended to do the 20 miles, I felt well enough to get out again, but felt that, discretion being the better part of valour, to not do quite as much. Not to mention that I was also going into work again at 3.00pm, and I've learnt from experience not to do too many miles training before a full shift at work. It was another beautiful day, with temperatures well up into the late 50's/or 60's degrees farenheit, barely any wind and another shorts and t-shirt day. I didn't want to just do the Marine Lake circuit today, as I was keen to get back onto The Long Push route plan. So after a push along the Promanade and the old Coast Road to The Long Push starting point, it was back onto Sector 1 again, along the Coastal Road with a slight northerly tail wind and right down to the end to the roundabout at the Plough pub. Here I stopped for a bit of a breather and then pushed back up to the pier, making me up to a pretty respectable 10.54 miles. I was pleased with that. No problems at all today. That 20 mile barrier remains elusive, but I know I can do it and aim to have it well and truly beaten by Easter.
More soon,
Chris
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