An exciting weekend (Hannah)

Last weekend was exciting for a number of reasons...

1. It was a bank holiday which is always a bonus.

2. The sun decided to come out and play.

3. I was in a place I love (Milford-on-Sea and the New Forest) with all my immediate family.

4. I was finally able to run properly again after a month of virus / post-viral fatigue.

5. I was announced as one of the TORQ Trail Team for 2013!!!

Let’s start with the first four... I was in Wales over Easter and it really felt like my running was coming together.  I ran four back-to-back days including a really enjoyable 4 hours on the Gower coastal path.  It felt like the base was there so that I could spend the next few months really building on that and getting to a place where I could nail the ultras I’ve entered this year.  A few days later (the 4^th of April to be precise) I felt the inkling of a sore throat.  And a couple of days after that I DNFed 10 miles into the Compton 20 miler once a painful chest had made it clear that this was more than a sore throat.  I’ve attempted a few shortish runs since then but have mostly been resting and sleeping.  Lots of afternoon naps, time off work and 12 hour sleeps.  Very frustrating!

So after starting to question whether it was time to go for some blood tests, it was really exciting to be able to run for three days in a row without any hint of “something dodgy coursing through my veins”.  The only thing that was slowing me down was a couple of spare kg’s and the twenty-degrees-warmer-than-we’re-used-to sunshine (which I’m not complaining about!). It was great to feel like me again!

In amongst all this fatigue, worry and frustration, I had been selected for the TORQ Trail Team.  This has really provided me with the motivation to rest properly, get better and achieve my 2013 ambitions.  At school I was most definitely not in the sporty crowd – not helped by the fact that lessons were only 35 mins long (even at that stage I preferred endurance to short sharp dashes) and usually involved a ball of some sort.  I used to take drama as a sports option. And for years afterwards (even when rowing seriously) I would insist that “I wasn’t sporty really”.  Stu’s comments at the TORQ assessment day around psychology and self-perception really resonated with me.  It’s only in the last couple of years I’ve started to think of myself as athletic – and even now I sometimes struggle with this description.

So to be picked to be part of someone’s team is a real novelty and means a huge amount to me.  I want to make the most of it and prove that I really deserve that place.  Especially given that I’ve met so many of the other people who applied and know what fantastic running CVs they have.

And now I’m preparing for my first race as a member of the team – the 50k Marlborough Downs Challenge this coming Sunday.  Off the back of the whole viral thing, I’m not really approaching this in the manner I would have hoped.  But I’m pulling on some of the advice that Stu talked about in terms of mental preparation....

• I was "there" at Easter in terms fo my running ability.

• I did the race last year and so I know the course.

• I’ve got so much in my legs and in terms of mental preparation from last year.

• I nailed my “routine” last year in terms of fuelling / clothing etc.

So at the moment, I’m keeping things ticking over, not doing anything too crazy and looking forward to this weekend being the start of a great season filled with lots of adventures and some very cool people!

Something to get the trail running mojo going... (Hannah)

Last weekend I met some really inspiring people and am now feeling motivated to get going with the 2013 trail running season...  We were up early on Saturday morning and round Birmingham by 8am – we resisted the temptation to join the queue for the X-Factor auditions that were being advertised on local radio and instead headed off into Shropshire.  As we neared our destination the roads became narrower, windier, flanked by banks of snow and less-well signposted.  So we were pleased when a mix of navigation and luck led us to our destination – the youth hostel at Ratlinghope.  It was with some nervous excitement that I walked up to the door where I was greeted by Simon in his Torq t-shirt. 

Back in January, I spotted an advertisement for the Torq Trail Running Team in Trail Running magazine.  They were looking for non-elite trail runners to be part of their new team – this sounded like a seriously exciting opportunity.  And so I’d filled in the application form with a lot of hope but being realistic that there would be thousands of other applicants and so nothing was likely to come of it.  But in March I received an email letting me know I’d made it through to the next stage.  So here I was to spend the weekend with 50 other hopefuls.

I had a brilliant weekend.  I met so many cool people and my one regret is that we didn’t have a whole week together – I only managed to speak to a fraction of the people there and I’d have loved to get to know everyone and learn their trail running story.  Everyone there had achieved things that many wouldn’t think possible.  I left wanting to get to know all of these inspirational people a little better and knowing that many of them would become close friends if they lived down the road.  So I’m really excited that one thing that will definitely come out of this whole experience is an online community of new friends – we’ve already been scheming training sessions and planning to meet up at races later in the summer.

As well as getting to know each other there were a couple of interactive talks – with Ben from Torq about nutrition and Stuart Mills about the psychological side of running.  These were really thought provoking and sparked some good debate.  The one which I’m sure will keep bubbling on is the fact that you can’t control the urge for a pork pie (or something equally distant from a carefully constructed energy bar) when you’re 75 miles into a 100 miler.  We’ve left Ben with this challenge so maybe we’ll see a bacon butty flavoured energy gel hitting the shelves next year...

We also headed out for a couple of runs while we were there – the youth hostel is nestled in the shadows of the Long Mynd and I was really excited to get out and explore.  Saturday’s run started with a long steep uphill into a massive headwind.  And at this stage everyone was champing at the bit and anxious to prove themselves.  In all the excitement, I was surprised to find myself running up a hill I would only ever consider walking at any other time – maybe it was that some of Stu’s advice about pushing your limits was sinking into my subconscious?!  Eventually we were right up in the cloud and lost sight of the runners in front.  There was a slightly worrying moment when we realised we were lost up a hill in the wind and drizzle with no map or phone!  But luckily our internal compasses did their job and we found the group again in time to head home through the snow.  We may have only been out for an hour but by the time we got back to the youth hostel my legs and shoes were dark with mud and from the look of us all there was no arguing that we were here cos of a love of trail running.

On Sunday we had the opportunity for a longer run and so we headed up onto the Long Mynd.  There was no cloud on top this time and we were greeted by some fantastic views.  It was such a stunning area and one I’ll definitely be heading back to for a holiday.  The sort of countryside that only comes when you also have quad-busting hills to run.  And all of this was a fantastic chance for some more chatting.  I love getting to know people while I’m running – it’s so natural and unforced and I find conversation tends to flow in all sorts of directions even when you’ve only known someone for a few minutes.

So I’ve come home feeling really grateful to Julie, Simon, Stu and all the guys at Torq for a brilliant weekend.  And feeling lucky that I was able to be a part of it.

I’m also excited about the rest of the year and beyond – with various seeds planted in terms of races I might want to do in future.  But for now this is what the next 6 months or so looks like...

• 12 May – Marlborough Downs Challenge – 50km
• 25 & 26 May – run round the Isle of Wight – 70 miles
• 15 June – Welsh Ultra – 100km
• 20 July – three reps of Trionium’s Midsummer Munroe course – 40 miles
• 17 August – the RAT Plague – 100km

The second and fourth aren’t official events but they’re such significant points in my training programme that I think it’s worth sticking them in here anyway!  So here’s to 2013....

Here are some photos from the weekend - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.472908256113772.1073741826.406953896042542&type=1

Are we really "enjoying the basics"? (Hannah)

Until we moved out of London, I hadn’t realised how much I appreciate listening to birdsong.  Nowadays, one of my favourite times of the day is when I’m lying in bed in the morning listening to the birds as I gradually come to and prepare myself for the day.  And this morning the dawn chorus was in full swing as I was taking my first steps from the house towards the station – a wonderful way to kick off the morning commute and quite different from the lorries and fumes that used to greet me on the Upper Richmond Road!

We moved 7 weeks ago now and regularly comment on how pleased we are that we did.  We’re still well and truly in commuter-belt but the pace of life is noticeably slower and less image conscious.  And we’re only minutes from being in the countryside.

The move from a teeny weeny flat into a house has also had a positive impact on our lifestyle.  Though the fact that we still haven’t managed to get the TV to work probably helps as well!  When we were in London we’d started to have “no technology Saturdays”, which meant no TV or computers.  We haven’t found the need for that anymore – the extra space means we find it much easier to relax with a book or a newspaper rather than defaulting to sitting on the only seat available and switching on the TV or laptop due to lack of space for anything else. 

So there are lots of positives.  But somehow this doesn’t leave us both feeling relaxed and happy.  Instead, it feels like we've been going at 100mph for the last few months.  It would be silly to pretend that a house move is anything less than exhausting. And it's taking me a while to get used to my new commute.  It's best part of 2 hours in either direction and touch and go as to whether I can get a seat on the train.  At the same time Brett's work has been insane – checking his blackberry at 6am, getting to the office around 7, getting home at 8 and working until bedtime. He also spends large chunks of the weekend working.

So all of this has got me reflecting on the title of this blog and some of the sentiments behind that when we set it up.

It feels to me like the balance is out of kilter.  By setting ourselves challenging objectives at work and in our sport whilst also trying to do up a house we aren't giving ourselves space to enjoy the basics. Like just being with each other and building our new home together. Or playing with our nephews.  Or  spending time with friends and family.  I'd also love to have the space to enjoy the area we’ve moved to and make some new friends.

Brett has a great saying – you can have it all but not at the same time. That might be something to think about over the next little bit.

Going back to basics (Hannah)

I've not written anything for a while. This has largely been down to an exceptionally busy time at work coupled with us pressing towards both selling our flat and buying a house. I've not had much time to either write or do things that it might be interesting to write about. But (although we're still waiting to exchange on the house move) things have now calmed down and we're both trying to rebuild. To do this we've gone right back to basics.

As soon as we returned from the Transalpine in September, I started working in excess of 10 hours per day and was away with work at least a day a week. When I was at home I was either doing some more work, doing admin for the move or cleaning our flat for viewings. This wasn't really conducive to the recovery I'd planned!

That said, I managed to retain a basic level of exercise as my quickest commute to work involves a 5k run in each direction. And when I was away I'd do my best to walk 25 mins to and from the station rather than taking a taxi. With weekend runs as well, I was probably averaging 20-30 miles a week. Gym (i.e. core work) essentially went out the window as I usually squeeze this into my lunch break or do pilates when I get home from work.

I reached Christmas exhausted. I ran virtually every day but struggled to keep up on an easy 10k run and just felt like I wanted to crawl back into bed. On top of that my core felt soft and squidgy - it certainly wasn't providing me with something strong to support me when I was running.

But I've been somewhere like this before and know that if I go back to basics and am patient then I'll be back where I want to be fairly quickly. So this is what I'm doing at the moment and I'm already starting to see the benefits and really enjoy running again.

So what do I mean by "going back to basics"?

1. I'm forgetting about going fast and doing all my runs at a nice easy pace while gradually building up the distance. And I  walk the hills if I need to. In the past I'd have done this with the aid of a heart rate monitor but I do it on feel now.

2. Rest days are really important to make sure I don't gradually train myself into a hole. For me this means taking Mondays and Fridays off from running so I get a get a 2 day and 3 day block of running each week. On my rest days I'll probably walk about 10k and do a core or pilates session.

3. I'm gradually building up basic body strength again through TRX exercises, pilates and other core work. I've also started to bring in some low weight / high rep leg weights and plyometric exercises too.

4. Lots of stretching and mobilisation exercises. Pilates comes in again here as it helps keep my spine and hips nice and mobile.

5. Eating properly - lots of fruit, veg, nuts, pulses and other whole foods.

6. Making sure I get plenty of sleep - for me this means at least 8 hours per night, preferably a little bit more.

7. Not worrying - the fitness will come back. I've just got to follow the process and give it time.

A little bit of reflection (Hannah)

Things have been rather busy in the Keartland household since the Transalpine. In large part this has been due to both of us working silly hours at work. But it's also due to us starting the move out of London, which involves selling a flat and buying a house.

So there has been a necessary reduction in running, though unfortunately this hasn't been in the structured way we had hoped - i.e. involving rest, gym work and cross training.

That said, we did enjoy a two week trial period at The House of Yoga in Putney. It was fun to do something different as the two of us. It reminded me how much I enjoy yoga and persuaded us both that we need to find time to incorporate it in our lives - for relaxation, strength, flexibility and balance. Over that 2 week trial period we each did 8 sessions of yoga and we really started to notice the difference.

Last weekend we decided we needed a break and so we took ourselves off to Milford-on-Sea as we tend to do when we're in that situation! It was a great weekend with a lot of time spent reading and watching DVDs. We also took time to try out one of the recipes from Scott Jurek's book, which we've both just finished and can highly recommend. I cooked his veggie burgers and they were really yummy - luckily there are enough left over for dinner this evening!

Another highlight of the weekend was our Sunday morning run in the New Forest. We parked up at the Wilverley Enclosure as per usual and were pleased the sun was out - a perfect crisp autumn morning to be going for a run. We noticed a huge number of runners gathering. It was the New Forest Runners and we asked if we could join them. It was fun to run with a group and to learn a new route. And the route was very muddy so we had fun slipping, sliding and falling in. It was the longest run either of us had done since the Transalpine and it's definitely got us inspired to start running properly again. 

We're starting to gather ideas for 2013's challenges. Challenge number one will be the house move but, all being well, that will give us some time left over for some more fun stuff...