Swimming AND breathing?

One of the things that's come out of tonight's ultrasound session was the possibility of more swimming. That's a stretch for me - I've never been a confident swimmer. Never been comfortable with immersing my face in the water. Never worked out how to breathing and swimming at the same time.

I can stay afloat and even make reasonable ground in the water. But front crawl consists of head-in-the-water-rotate-the-arms-swim-super-speedy until air runs out, then surface, stop, breathe in and repeat. Not how they tend to do it in the Olympics. Unless you're Eric the Eel. And even he seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly.
I've always meant to do something about it, but never quite known what or where to go.

But I've now discovered a possible solution. Rather than embarrass myself at swimming classes (I doubt Genevieve would be that impressed if I turned up at hers, although the novelty value would be good for about 10 minutes), it turns out the Bedford Tractors (triathlon athletes) hold a regular swimming training session at Bedford School with a coach to help improve performance. And that includes people with my swimming technique.

Definitely worth a try.

Tony

Don't forget to sponsor me at Just Giving: 500milestogo

Climbing the walls

OK, this is driving me spare. While the Achilles tendon seems to be getting better - no more burning pains at the back of my left leg - it's a slow process. And it's been three weeks since I last went for a run. So I'm lagging behind on the miles to clock up, time is running out ahead of New York and I feel like all that early work is slipping away from me. Argh. To put it mildly...

But. Here's the good news. The ultrasound with Kevan's been helping a lot. And tomorrow I'm talking again to Rachel about how to restart the training programme. It's now going to be focused, I feel, on a get-me-round version rather than a relatively respectable time. But we - I - am going to get there all the same.

And the 500 mile challenge? Still holds. Definitely still holds. But the New York 26 miles won't be the last 26, they'll be somewhere in the middle. So 500 miles to go before 40 still holds. And I'll be keeping this going too.

Who knows, I may end up completing the 500 miles at the Luton marathon in early December. From never having done a marathon to doing two before 40 - might not be such a bad thing. Heh.

Tony

Don't forget to sponsor me at Just Giving: 500milestogo

Sponsorship

A reminder. Yes, I am doing it for the good of my health, actually. But I'm also doing it for the good of other people's health too - specifically children.

I'm running for the NSPCC, who've asked for a minimum of �1000 in sponsorship. But we can do better, you and I, so I'm targetting �2600. Whatever you can spare, I'm grateful for.

To sponsor me online go to the address on the left - www.justgiving.com/500milestogo

Thank you.

Tony

Frustration building

Now this is tough. Having checked it out properly, it's now plain that I've damaged the achilles tendon in my left heel. Not seriously, irreparably, but enough to make me stop running and rest it. And the inactivity is driving me crazy.

I'm now on a course of ultrasound and gentle stretching, but I want to be out there running. [You have no idea how strange a thought that feels in my head...] In the meantime, no running. And when I do, no hills.

No hills?!?

Have you seen the terrain around here? Granted, it's not exactly the Himalayas or even the Cotswolds. But Clophill sits in a valley - something plain from the poor radio and TV reception here. [Why do Channel Five only show programmes and films where it's snowing all the time?] So, as I've previously pointed out, every run starts off uphill. And that's the biggest no-no of all.

So. I've had two weeks of inactivity. I'm going to start covering the next chunk of mileage on a rowing machine. It'll keep me fit, and building my fitness. It'll give me distance to cover, so I can keep chipping away at that 500 mile target. And it'll stop me going insane with inactivity.

And soon I'll be back on my feet, ready to resume the road-pounding ahead of New York...

After dark

Back home again now and, after a week's rest, ventured out last night for six miles. Running later in the evening in a vain attempt to miss the humid heat that saps the strength. No such luck - drenched within the first two miles. And s it got dark, I became increasingly aware of my vulnerability running on unlit roads.

Where possible I ran on pavements, but the surfaces are treacherous in the dark and I often resorted to the roads once more. And however bright and white and reflective the running top I wear may be, it's not much good as cars hurtle over the crest of a hill or round a corner. And plenty do...

Still, a good six miles run. Even if this morning that achilles tendon's acting up again. Time for another conversation with Rachel at Personal Best about how best to resolve this before my training disappears completely.

But on the bright side, I've passed 100 miles in the programmme...

110 miles down, 390 to go.

Flat out

Back from the week away and straight back onto the blog to update things. Not as much to update as I'd hoped, but more on that in a moment.

First day away I went off for an eight miler, along the canal towpath in Devizes. I hadn't realised how much I'm now used to road-running - running on the slightly uneven grass surfaces was more difficult than I'd imagined - lots of instability and aches in the calves, ankles and knees. But what was even more interesting was how much faster it was compared to running at home in Bedfordshire.

Don't let anyone tell you that Bedfordshire is flat. It ain't. "Undulating" is an understatement. Particularly running out of Clophill - where any route starts with a hill. And apparently there are more hills going up than coming down. No, honestly, I'd swear to that.

Running along the canal towpath, however, there weren't any. Well, when was the last time you saw a sloping canal (although I suppose it would make it easier to waterski without a boat)? The upshot was a full minute and a half faster per mile.

The downside was something that's been building for a couple of weeks - an achilles tendon problem. Or at least that's what I assume it is - it's a pain in my lower left calf. And a feeling of "twanging" or "fluttering" when I walk about. And unlike my previous marathon training in 98, I'm listening to aches and pains far more - so no more runs for a week.

I did brave the gym at the hotel on the Sunday, with the intention of pedalling out some miles on the cycle while watching the cricket, but even that set the tendon off. So instead tried my old nemesis, the rowing machine. With surprising success - better pace and better condition than I'd dare hope.

For the rest of the week, we were back in Devizes and I watched longingly at other runners padding up and down the towpath. Amazing - it's only been a few weeks that I've been doing this and I already get withdrawal symptoms. Dangerous...