5453 feet

I had a terrible nights sleep. Unfortunately when at the spa on Saturday I bought some very expensive and lovely smelling bath salts that have a detox effect when using them... they also have too much perfume in them, because it gave me thrush so bad I was unable to sleep. This problem then brought on cystitis, and I have had to bathe in salted water to try and alleviate the discomfort.

So, I attempted a run anyway (as you do!). From the moment I left the house I needed the loo and the feeling got worse and worse and worse. I felt like I was waddling like a duck and I probably looked that way too. I felt generally uncomfortable and was quite disappointed to still be feeling tired from Saturdays' long run. I hoped I would be fighting fit by now, and thought to myself that I may have to do 2 long runs and then have a cutback on the third week from now on. Looking back in my training log it seems this is the pattern I seem to be following so far... one week big run, second week bigger run, third week crap and tired, fourth week next big run! Oh well... there's no right and wrong in training, you just have to follow the path that works for you, and as I have mentioned previously, I now know that no two people are the same and we all have our own way that works, which doesn't necessarily work for others.

So, I got back from my run (which was cut short with a phone call to Graeme to pick me up at about 3.5 miles) and I went straight into the shower and followed up with a salt water bath. I'm marginally better, although another thing I noticed during the run was that my shins (especially the left one) was a bit achy and tired. Looking back through my log to the other times I have done this route I find that my shins always hurt afterwards. This made me look at the elevation gain and what I saw shocked the life out of me... the 20 miler has an elevation gain of 5453 feet.... bloody hell... I couldn't believe it... that's like... high!
Suddenly the fact that I'm so tired after it doesn't seem so surprising. Plus of course the fact that I did it in my XL vest (I haven't ever done this route...or such a big distance during training, since beginning training with William and Shaun). So, I suppose I should be very pleased with myself!

This also made me look at other training routes, and I found that on Wednesday the "Cliff" I ran up was just that... a bloody cliff. The elevation gain for that 30ish minute run was over 1500 feet, although other runs (like the massive run from Sunderland to home through the very hilly Hawthorn) have nowhere near as much elevation as you'd think. (That particular run only had a measly 718 feet...hardly worth putting a Camelbak on for...lol).

So, I may have to reside myself to the fact that this week is not going to be setting my training log on fire... but I'm just thinking how it will improve my training once I'm recovered from it! Small steps, and all that...

And I have found some great stuff for my feet. It's called Flexitol and is a callus remover cream. It's very good and after only a couple of days I am noticing a difference on the skin around where the old blister was. (Thank goodness that's another thing that has finally been sorted). As for the trail shoes, I am sending the Merrell ones back. I put my foot in them and instantly thought "NO". To be honest nothing is as comfy as the Kanadias (no matter what I try), so when I go up to Scotland at the end of next month to do the 30 miler, I'm going to wear them with gel toe caps in place and take plenty plasters and see if I can find a way to stop my big toe blistering. It is possible, after all, that the only reason it kept re-blistering is because of all the dead skin that I probably should have cut off in the first week! Here's hoping!