Back on the roads & track

After the rest period I was desperate to get back out running; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were necessary but unwelcome recovery days.

My Saturday run was a joy! Nice steady 5K with the wife and 18 year old nephew. Then me and nephew broke off and extended it out to 5miles, at an improved pace. The last mile in sub 8 min pace. I enjoyed it so much, i finished with the "sprint then vomit" combination. Fantastic!

Sunday, was the easy day. A steady 4 miles and my heart rate at even 165 for the duration. And as an added bonus my weight was new low of 14 stone 8 pounds!

And for today, i'm shortly off to the gym for a weights session, then this evening, a speed session on the track to help blow off the cobwebs. 1 mile time trial, then 1 x 800m, 1 x 400, 2 x 200, and finally 2 x 100.

Easy 5K run tomorrow, then the hills on Wednesday! I'm looking forward to it!

Few of my chums are mulling about the "first monster" biathlon. http://www.firstmonster.co.uk/challenge.php

It is a week after my half, but i'm swithering, but i don't like having to rely on other people staying un"injured"..Aye

The PB Blues - Dreams of Past Glories

"To boast of a performance which I cannot beat is merely stupid vanity. And if I can beat it that means there is nothing special about it. What has passed is already finished with. What I find more interesting is what is still to come." Emil Zatopek

For the umpteenth time I am again trying to get back into shape, and sitting here typing with my sore aching limbs, the thoughts of past times and glories are never far from mind. Unfortunately the medals hanging behind my computer desk act a constant reminder, especially now that some are beginning to rust!

The "What's the point even trying?" philosophy never far away from my mind. How can I ever compete with the 9 1/2 stone 19 year old me, who would run 10K in the morning and then another 10K in the evening? The same person who would go out four a 4 hour run, just because!

Then I have a good dose of perspective, my goal is to improve tomorrow on where I am today.
The times themselves are irrelevant and more a symptom of my continual improvement. I will set my self challanging but realistic goals such as my sub 2 hr half, which I will then reassess as my training continues.

Either that or take up "egg and spoon" racing witht he view of getting some new PB's!

(Up) Hill Sessions = Speed Work

With me currently in rest mode and already feeling a bit twitchy, I thought i'd cast my mind to next week's planned hill session.



Before Rep 1





After Rep 8







Why hills you may add? Well running uphill recruits more muscle fibers due to the concentric action of your leg muscles, i.e. your leg is not fully extended when you have to "toe off" so the muscles have to work harder. It also works the quads, which get woefully underutilised when running on the flat. And finally it improves your general running economy by forcing you to drive with you arms and lift with your knees!

All this transposes to an improved speed when you drop back to running on the flat!

And to top it all off.... it may not seem like it but, you put around 1/3 less stress on your knees running up hill!

My hill sessions typically include 8 reps of 200m @ (20-30 degree slope) taking around 1 min -> 1.5mins

This means you can have a good hard training session in around 30-40mins!

However it is worth taking your time and walking down the slope after each rep and resisting the temptation to run down. Walking allows you to regain your breath clear some of the lactic acid in your legs and avoid the nasty eccentric contractions of downhill running which often lead to knee pain and DOMS.

Overtraining + The Performance Curve

My gym in the morning and run in the evening regime couldn't last. Over the past three days I clocked up 11 miles not including the gym sessions. Yesterday's run can only be described as the "super plods", with my 5K times being 1.5mins then 3mins slower over the past two days. Even though my time was slower, my heart rate was elevated and struggling to drop below 180bpm during my runs, always a good sign I've overdone it! And to top it all off my right knee and right shin were not tip-top to say the least.

On the plus side, if there is one, is that my weight has dropped to 14st 10lbs, and i plan to take the next two days off, to allow my tired limbs to recover.

So I'm hoping that "Super Compensation Phase" will take me right through till September's Half-marathon! OK that might be wishful thinking, but a couple of days off should do me some good. Though I'm running out of time rather quickly ahead of the Men's Health 10K on the 17th June!

I'm planning to get 3 hill sessions done before then, with a view to boosting my speed without putting too much impact on my knees! Though I think my best speed work would be shifting another 10lbs before then!

Are you a Runner or Jogger?

Many club runners scoff at those of us who aren't running 7min mile pace on our runs. They would categorise my 10 min per mile pace as a jog. And by their implication then....I'm a jogger.

Having run 5 min miles, all be it long ago; all i can say is that when you are 15st and struggling your way round a course, you are most certainly not jogging! ( Shuffling, yes!) Running most definitely!

If you are pushing yourself, then you are running! Measure that how you will... high heart rate? Sore legs? Double stich?

I think Jogging, should fall under the i'm moving faster than a walk but can chat to my friends, combined with the personal realisation that "i know i'm jogging".

So forget what people say about mins per mile etc. And you choose whether you are a runner or jogger!

Ditch the Calories - Calorie Expenditure

There is one "benefit" to being an overweight runner, and we have Newton to thank for that!

Us fatties have a higher calorie expenditure. For a 200lb runner you can expect to burn off around 400 cals per 30min run at 10-11mins per mile. Which isn't bad at all.

If you were to run (4 * 30min) runs per week, that is a burn of 1600 cals per week.
A sensible 1600 calorie a day intake provides a calorie deficit of 3000 cals per week.

3000cals + 1600 cals = 4600cals

With 3,500 cals per pound of fat, you could expect a weight loss of 1.5-2 lbs per week.

You will not only feel fitter, but also look better. And to top it all off, the more weight you lose, the faster and easier your running will become.

But a word of warning! But don't subscribe to the "all calories are good calories" philosophy. Alchohol and High GI (Glycemic index) foods won't fill you up for very long and play havoc with your blood sugar levels.

Stick to low to medium GI foods, with a hearty helping of protein. And you will feel full for longer.

However, If you start to notice that your times and performance deteriorating after a few weeks. It may be worth taking a few days rest, upping your calories, and checking to ensure you are not vitamin deficient. Take "1 a Days+iron" for about a week and see if that makes any improvement.

For runners the main culprit are deficiencies in:

Vitamin B6+B12 - Cracked lips, or splits at the side of your mouth
Iron - Feeling of lethargy during running, and slower times even at maximum effort.

I have suffered from both in the past and can testify to how debilitating they can be!

4.5K of Pain

Yesterday's run was a killer as I had arranged to go out with my 18 year old nephew. The very nephew who I introduced to running back in 1999, and whose first race was the junior great Scottish run. Back in those days he was best described as husky!

In my infinite wisdom, I have convinced him to run the Glasgow half this year too, so this was the first of our many training sessions.

But last night, i started to have regrets!. It started fast and just got faster! Thankfully he waited up for me when i really started to labour. In the end i managed to drag my 15 stone carcass round 4.5K in 25mins dead, a whopping 3mins 20 seconds faster than last week's time.

This morning's gym session was a struggle too, as i decided to put in a double session an account of me taking a night off to watch the football.

I rattled through, 1K rowing, 5K Cycling, 1K running @12.5km/h and then on to the weight training where I went through some double reps.

I think i'll take it easier tomorrow!

Insoles for an overweight runner

The insole is the cheapest part of any trainer and this is quite often evident after a few miles on the road. For the lighter more nimble runner, they might never notice, but for your larger big boned runner, the best advice is to seek out a replacement or additional insole for your running shoe. Larger runners are much more likely to suffer with overpronation related problems.


Pronation Control

As a sufferer of heel spurs, midtarsal faults, and splayed forefoot. I use the Ortha Heel Sport insoles

You can normally get them in Boots the Chemist for around £23. They provide a rigid arch and a shaped heel cup. The rigid arch might not be for everyone but if you are suffering from, heel pain, shin splints, IBS, or sore arches in the mornings, I would recommend giving them a try!

Shock Absorbsion

Having tried may different types of running insole including the sorbothane full strike and double strike insoles, i can testify that the best shock absorbing insole i have ever used is the Sof Sole Performance Propel Gel Insole , its like "party feet" for men, and at a mere £3.99 (online) is by far one of the cheapest insoles on the market! Its low profile means that i can use it as an additional insole inside my running shoes. Upon putting your feet into the trainers the comfort is evident, from the involuntary "ooo, ahh" sound that you make. You might need to trim it a bit to get it "just right" but boy what a difference it makes! I don't tend to use these in my running shoes very often on account of the lack of pronation support.

Trainers for the overweight runner

This is something, that over the years, I have come to view as crucial to running injury free.

Per mile. each foot will strike the ground around 800 times, with a force of 3 times your body weight. So at a body weight of 210 pounds that is 630 pounds of pressure per foot strike.

i.e. For 1 mile.....

630 * 800 * 2 = 1008 000 pounds(504 tonnes) of pressure on your feet !!!!

per foot strike * strikes per mile * two legs = pain and injury !!!!

So buy a decent "comfort + cushion" running shoe.

My current shoe is the Reebok Premier Cushion V

It is a great comfort shoe with a nice wide forefoot section and a neutral and forgiving ride. At around £55 it is not too expensive. I combine these trainers with my "ortha heel sports" insoles to give me the required stability

My other current shoe is the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8 £75, which has built in pronation support. This seems to offer just the right level of support for me. For severe over pronators, the Brooks Beast is certainly a shoe worth trying.

I often buy the Asics Gel Cumulus which has a nice mesh at the forefoot that allows my fat hobbit feet a bit more space. Again it is a neutral ride and offers great heel and forefoot cushioning. At £70 it is a bit more expensive. But worth it!

It is always worth going to a specialist running store to have a gait analysis performed to determine your running style, with regards to foot strike and pronation. It is worth noting that prices are normally quite a bit higher in store than you would typically get online! But like snowflakes the same trainer is not always identical, so if it fits you in the shop, it might be a safer choice than buying it cheaper online.

My training 3rd -13th May

Having done a handful of 2.5K runs throughout the year and by playing 5 a-side football twice a week my fitness wasn't too bad! But any runs over 2.5K my calf muscles seemed to seize up, such that each step, either walking or running, was agony. My solution give up the 5s and focus on the running. I don't know if the micro-tears in the muscle fibres from the football was causing the problem, but it made an immediate difference!

So since the 3rd of May, i've been doing gym (mostly upper body) for 40mins in the morning and 5K runs in the evening, with one rest day per week.

My diet now consist of approximately:

Breakfast - 1 post-workout protein shake = 120 cals

Lunch - A Boots Shapers Meal = 400 cals

Dinner - Typical dinner pizza/pasta/risotto = 1000 cals

Grand total = 1500 cals

My old unhealthy diet.

Breakfast - 1 cheese roll (300 cals) + 500ml coke (200 cals) = 500cals
Lunch - Lasagna (450 cals) + 500ml coke (200 cals) = 650 cal

Dinner - less healthy dinner (1200 cals) + 500ml coke (200 cals) + Chocolate (400 cals)= 1800cals

Grand total = 2950 cals

Shocking!!! - It is hardly surprising i had put on so much weight! And that doesn't include my 3 bottles of wine per week (1500 cals) and my 3 sneaky lunchtime pints (600 cals).

So now for the good news.....

With 1lb of fat consisting of a whopping 3500 cals, it was always going to be an uphill struggle.

But, this morning, I managed to hit 15 stone(210 pounds) at my weigh in. I am sure a few pounds will be water loss..but its heading in the right direction!

So 14st(196 pounds) is my next milestone for my next "race"... the Mens Health 10K on Sunday, 15th June 2008, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. Im looking to cross the line in around 56mins. So I have my work cut out!