Running From Strangers

I said in my last post just before going off for our beach holiday, this rather optimistic statement

The weather is not looking good for surfing but OK for running.

True the weather was not good for surfing and in fact the beach was closed the whole time and we didn't even set foot on the sand but it was also atrocious weather for running as well. A big low pressure further up the coast generated cyclonic winds and sheets of rain. But it was mostly the wind which blew the whole week. A local surf club measured gusts up to 105k/hr at times.

My first 10k run was a indication of what was ahead. The wind was strong but often at an angle and I didn't really get to run directly into it till about 50 metres from the turn around point. I lent against it's full force, head down and plodded on. After about ten seconds, I looked up and had the worrying thought I wasn't ever going to get to the turn around. I obviously needed to put in a bit more of an effort, so put the foot down and eventually got there, turned around and whooosh I was off. Sunday morning I did 26.7k in the wind and rain which racked up 105k for the week.

I was now sitting on 392.9k for the month and with a 11k run on the last day of the month I got to 403.9k for December and a 2007 Total of 3,388.3k.

By this stage I had already abandoned my music player for runs. I wasn't worried about the rain because I have a water-proof case, it was just a matter of the noise of the wind on the speakers made it really hard to listen to. New Year's morning was the worst conditions of the week. Again for this 10k, the wind was howling and the rain was heavy and almost horizontal which really stung the face and eyes when running into it. On Wednesday the wind had dropped slightly but it was still raining for the 16.6k run. Thursday conditions were still the same and I went out for 10k. I started to feel a bit of a niggle in my right hamstring with about 3k to go. This was after a long stretch with the wind behind me and it continued to niggle all the way home without getting any worse.

Next day I woke with my alarm. I was on a streak of 19 days in a row but looking out, it was still windy and raining and I rationalised given the niggle that a rest day would do no harm, so went back to bed.

Returning back to Brisbane, I went out on the Sunday but was surprise that after about 4k the niggle was back so I turned for home and abandoned the run. I thought I would give it a few days rest just to be safe. Given that I had done 758k in the last two months I didn't think a few days off would be a problem.

Funny thing is that after a few days off I didn't actually feel like going back out for a run. I think my week of beach running and the effort to get to 400k for the month had used a little bit too much will. If you follow the Mystery Coach over at Mike's Blog you will remember a recent post on using your will in response to the question ,

How much "mental" effort are you putting into your base training?

His answer was.

Most of your efforts during the base building phase should low efforts. Read the next passage by Percy Cerutty which explains why "willing" too hard at this stage is counter productive:

THE USE OF THE WILL. I have long said, that the real use of the will is a “starter”. That is, to get us out of bed to train, rather than to conduct our training as if it was necessary to kill ourselves by continuous ill—advised effort.

Whilst I, and none better, recognize the need of serious and hard effort both in training and racing, I also realize that an over use of the will to ever-lastingly drive us along, day after day, year after year, can in time, end in nothing but staleness.

True, we must be conditioned to do certain efforts, almost routine, but the over—use of the will in exhausting and punishing “do or die” efforts is to be depreciated,

Very often, those blessed with a powerful will, a will that has been the means of lifting their efforts from the mediocre to class performance, these are the very people who find difficulty in using their will in the reverse direction, These athletes find the greatest difficulty in forcing themselves to take a rest, a holiday. to “give it away” for a week, a month, or a year.

The worse their performances become, the more they aggravate the trouble by “willing”, and by redoubled efforts strive to succeed despite Nature’s warnings and symptoms.

Your hard training (specific and speed type) should only start eight to ten weeks out from your race (with the heaviest mileage and speed workouts from eight until four weeks out. Save your mental effort for that time period.


So I am figuring that all that effort fighting the conditions may have been an over use of the will leading to some staleness, and all that running with the wind behind me although making me feel like I was super charged has over used my hammie and given me a physical problem.

This in someways explains why this is my first post for the year.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I lost my mind.

Sorry brain freeze. Fast forward to present time. To cut a long story short, I got my mojo back and after nine days off, last Thursday I went for a 6.5k run (4:57 pace) . It felt like I hadn't run for nine months not nine days. I am seriously going to reconsider the taper after this experience. Hammie was Ok up until about 4k when it started to squeak a little. Same run the next day (4:52 pace), and again it was OK at the start but I felt it a bit more near than yesterday near the end again.

Decided I wouldn't push it too hard, so Saturday I just walked the 6.5k. Managed this at 8:19 pace @ Avg HR 100 (54% Max HR). No problem what so ever from hammie.

So Sunday, I tried the run again but made sure I didn't go too fast. So kept it to 5:13 pace. Bad news is that I felt that damn hammie every step of the way. I certainly have underestimated this one. When I did my left hammie the week before Canberra last year at least it had the audacity to go snap. Running one second , pain, stop , no more running the next. Instant respect. This time it is just a nasty niggle. Now you have niggles all the time and they usually just go away. Sometimes a couple of days rest and there gone. But this one isn't playing the game.

So I pulled out my bible Sport's Injuries by Vivian Grisogono. I have had this book for 24 years and I rely on it when treating any injuries. I poured over the section under Hamstrings - Acute Injuries last year but there is also a section Hamstring - Overuse Injury. The description there certainly fits the bill. The most sobering lines are- In general, the overuse, insidious strains take much longer to recover than sudden strains. Although the pain of the overuse injury may be much smaller, it is extremely important to make a full functional recovery before stressing the muscles again.

So I'm into full rehab mode, with stretching and strengthening exercises for the hammie, and doing walks and swimming at the pool to keep the fitness levels up. Hopefully another week off and I can start getting back into it.