Ascent: 1580 ft
Rucksack weight: 2-3kg
Calories burnt: 2794
Time: 3h28m
Since the last update I've had one week off from running, but otherwise I've stuck to the plan: no more than 3 runs a week (and many weeks I've just been out twice, such as this week) and not more than a 10% increase in the weekly mileage.
Each person will react differently but I do know from previous marathon training that my body starts breaking down after about 3 months on 4-5 runs a week. Hence my intention is to keep the frequency of weekly outings low but keep increasing the distance of the longer run: I have to ensure injuries are kept at bay over the next 9 months or so.
A couple of weeks ago was the highest weekly mileage at a modest 21.25 miles which included a 13.25 mile run (2h18m) with over 1200 foot of ascent. Unfortunately that run gave me a painful reminder of something I suffered with many years ago when I last went running a few hours: severe nipple abrasion and bleeding! Sufferers will know how painful that is when you're showering down afterwards.
In time for today's run I bought and tried out this American product called NipGuards and I had no problems at all.
For today's run I thought I'd give the Durham Dales Challenge a go.
This is an annual event organised under the Long Distance Walker's Association rules.
The LDWA's events aren't open to runners unless the event is a "Challenge" event. I've read elsewhere that, as these are predominantly off-road events in the hills and dales, they're great training events for the build-up to the Marathon des Sables.
Right up to the starting gun I was fiddling with what kit to carry and ended up running with about 2-3kgs in my rucksack. Yesterday I bought a 4 litre chest pouch to attach to the front of my OMM32 litre rucksack to store a map and food on-the-go. This is something I've read elsewhere as being recommended for the MdS to prevent having to stop too often to get the map/compass/food etc. out.
The chest pouch didn't work for me. After a couple of miles of today's event I found my upper body struggling to dissipate the heat I was generating: it felt like there was no airflow around my back (obviously, with a rucksack on) but also none around my chest. I detached the chest pouch and haven't worn it since. That was an experiment worth trying as I wouldn't want to find this out on the MdS itself.
From the off it took a lot of willpower to reign in a natural desire to want to run the whole thing along with all the other runners so I had to remind myself I'm training for different purposes. Once I settled into a run/walk rhythm I began passing those who'd raced off ahead at the start. The last few miles saw me start to struggle on an increasingly warm day and what felt like an increasingly heavy rucksack; muscle cramps came on as I tried getting my tired legs over yet another stile and my shoulder muscles ached.
I felt quite pleased with today's 16 mile effort with a rucksack and the leg cramping is simply a case of getting the leg muscles stronger and getting the electrolyte balance right in my water intake. Dealing with aching shoulder and neck muscles is a simple case of getting used to wearing an increasingly weighted rucksack. Today's effort meant I felt pleasantly shattered for the rest of the day.
By the winter my body needs to be used to going out for a 20-plus mile run every week. That's quite a jump to go from running 18-20 miles in total each week, as I have done the last couple of weeks, to running that distance in one go on a weekly basis!
Unfortunately though my calves and Achilles still aren't fully performing: while I can get out and keep on my feet for a few hours I finish sore and I know an irreparable injury will come up soon if I'm not careful.
I've been given a recommendation for a sports masseur (i.e., the painful sort, not the wishy-washy-plinky-plonky-soft-music-to-fall-asleep-to sort!), so that's my next stop!
