A mixed bag (or a run with good bits and poor bits).

[SkiMonday]

I've got into the habit of doing a long run every other week where I extend the distance. It's not a habit that I set out to establish, more something that just happened (planning? what's that?)

Anyhow, most of my runs are 5k which I can do comfortably at 6:00 / km and I've found that I can keep the same pace on my long runs. Two weeks ago, I ran 28k so, for this run, I figured that 32k would be manageable and would equal my longest distance.

I've been having some problems with overnight calf cramps so I put an electrolyte mix in my drinks bottle. Since it looked like there would be a rain shower about half way through, I opted for shorts on the grounds that my legs would dry faster and because I didn't want to be running in soggy tracksuit trousers.

Ten minutes into my run, the rain arrived (hurrumph). I hadn't realised before just how many puddles form on the Bristol and Bath railway path. Aside from that, the first half of the run went pretty much as expected (although I started off a bit late and I'd agreed to drive Mrs Monday somewhere later so I wasn't sure that I'd have enough time to complete the run, it's an out and back course so getting the right turnaround point was important).

So, I turned around at 16km and that's where my pace dropped (oops, I'm in trouble here)! Looking at Strava afterwards I can see it's a 40m climb over 8km, not a huge gradient but it seemed to make a difference (although two weeks ago I was able to hold my pace on a 35m climb over 3km). I guess it was just one of those days.

Towards the end of the run, my left sock started rucking up, I suppose that's a consequence of running that sort of distance with wet feet (it hasn't happened before - the sock problem that is, I'm kind of used to running in the rain). When I got home, I found lots of bits of leaf and dirt in my socks and the ball of my foot aches a bit.

My average pace was 6:25 / km, not as quick as I'd hoped but 12 minutes faster than when I did that run before (16 months ago). However, I did get back in time for the drive

I still had some problems with calf cramps, but that might be something to do with the beers and not enough water afterwards. I might break out the foam roller later on.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Well done SM! That’s a huge distance in my book, and a fantastic pace too - plus 12 minutes quicker than last time is mega. I’d take that as a brilliant run! 👊 🏃‍♂️ 👏

That’s a great idea using the cycle path. I don’t mind puddles but I don’t like mud, and you can probably imagine what it’s like down by the river at the moment! 😩

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thanks Cheeky! I suppose I tend to judge my performance on what I think I might be able to do. Still, I'm pleased at getting back to 20 miles (and having shaved some time off). I read somewhere that training runs shouldn't be longer than three hours (because of the risk of injury) so I need to cut back a bit. Hopefully, if I keep plugging away at the "comfortable" 5ks, I might be able to do this distance within that limit (maybe next December 😀).

The cycle path network does provide a good running surface. I avoided it earlier in the year because staying 2m away from everone isn't practical. However, it seems that being outside and passing within 2m for a short period is low risk so I'm happy with that. It's also accessible from lots of places and it's long enough for almost any run. I don't like mud either; I find myself picking my way through to avoid going bofarts instead of getting on with the run.

[misswobble Marathon]

Well done 👍😃

The calf thing was a signal to eat and drink perhaps. I’d deffo be doing that on a 32k. Bag of hula hoops is brill as a pick-me-up and is far more palatable than a gel 😋. You do have to stop to scoff though 😃.

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon in reply to misswobble]

Thanks MW, I do like hula hoops, so that's something to try. I did have a sachet of SiS energy and electrolyte powder in my drinks bottle and I chomped a Tribe energy bar on the way. Maybe I need to build up my electrolyte levels?

I do find the drinks too sweet so the hoops are a good option. With the energy bar, I've found that I can chew at the side of my mouth so I can breathe and keep running, I guess the same technique would work with the hoops.

[misswobble Marathon in reply to SkiMonday]

I find most drinks too sweet. I like the zero high five ones and tailwind I save the Tailwind for the longest training run and marathon day as it’s expensive 🙂

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

That's fabulous progress!!! 6:25 for 32k is brilliant. You may find throwing in an extra cutback week after every second long run helps your recovery if the cramps become more problematic. An electrolyte drink after the long run may help too.

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon]

Thanks Linda. I think cutback weeks should work well for me, maybe 5 or 10 k instead of a long run. I originally planned to take a week off now and again but I do that very rarely and it seems to take a while for me to get back into my routine so I'll try regular cutbacks instead.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

Good work. Yes, wet socks can be unpredictable. Keep an eye on that ball of foot ache, you don't want that turning into something. A foot massage might help.

For me, any muscle cramping is usually a sign of insufficient hydration.

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thanks JoJo.

Thankfully, my foot seems to have settled down: went out for a 5k yesterday and everything was fine (except the weather!)

I think you're right about hydration: since it's happened a few times, I think I may need to top up with electrolytes. My skin gets get quite salty after a run but I've been following the general advice to cut down on salt intake (if only I had a light like the dishwasher has to tell me when my salt needs topping up).