Walking

I'm taking a two break from training while I'm on holiday. It's not a relaxing beach holiday though, I'm walking a section of the South West Coast Path.

I naively thought this would be good training as I'll be walking every day on steep rugged paths with a heavy rucksack. Despite working very hard in the heat with poor sleep due to camping most nights, my Garmin says that my training load has been low but my fitness is holding steady. I now realise that walking isn't good training for a run. 

#SWCP #training #walking #Firelighter #fitness

Firelighter 2022 statistics

In last years Firelighter Race there were 79 entrants (the maximum number of entrants is 150).

17 did not start so only 62 attempted the course.

21 did not finish.

6 timed out with one poor soul completing in 9 hours 6 minutes - they were so close to completing the challenge :-(

3 received a 3 hr penalty presumably they didn't collect the honesty book pages.

Only 32 people finished the challenge within the 9 hour time limit.  Gulp.

The fastest female and also the overall winner finished in 6 hours 23 minutes. Fabulous achievement!

I would be happy to stagger across the finish line with a few seconds to spare but I have a lot of training to do before 1st September and even then its a big ask.

#firelighterrace #anglesey #racestatistics #fastestfemale #honestybook #timedout #didnotfinish

Getting help

I realised I needed some help if I was to complete the Firelighter challenge so I've enlisted the help of a running coach who was recommended to me by my sister in law. First task was to analyse my running and walking style - that's me on the treadmill below. Although I wasn't too bad, I need to work on my arm drive, contralateral hip drop, overstride, posture and eventually leg cycle and heel height. There is a such a lot to learn! I also now have a new 20 week plan that I access through the Training Peaks app which will take me up to the race day on 1st September. The plan involves training 6 days per week and compared to my original plan, has less running and more cross-training, strengthening, mobility exercises, stretching and even some walking. Rachael, my coach at the Running and Movement Hub is also my accountability partner which will really help to keep me focused. I'm only a week into the new programme and I'm already feeling the benefits and enjoying the process more. It's still hard work and time consuming though and the workload will increase as the weeks go by.

"When the student is ready the teacher will appear"

 

#Firelighter #Anglesey #over50 #running #trainingpeaks #runningandmovementhub #challenge 

Goodbye Fitbit, Hello Garmin

I've swapped my trusty Fitbit Versa which I've had for many years for a Garmin Fenix 7S

It was quite a pricey purchase but I think it will be worth it. The body of the watch is a bit thicker than the Fitbit Versa but the face size is about the same but its round where the Fitbit Versa is square. It records so much more than my Versa - as well as Heart Rate, Steps and Sleep Monitoring, it also records Body Battery, Stress, HRV Status and Respiration. It takes a few weeks to build up enough data to give insights and I'm looking forward to seeing what patterns emerge and how that translates into getting fitter.

    

#Garmin #Fenix7S #Smartwatch #heartrate #running #Fitbit #Firelighter2023 #over50 #challenge

Weight

A mini challenge within my bigger challenge is to lose a stone before the 1st September.  My current weight and body fat percentage is 10st and 30%. My target is 9st and 27% body fat.  Its 22 weeks till the 1st September so that equates to losing .64lbs per week.  My methods are to do the occasional random 800 calorie fast days, some 1200 calorie counted days and generally just trying to avoid the carbs. All of these have worked for me in the past and in combination with the increased exercise, it should be a piece of cake! 

Not a picture of me but kinda sums up how I feel 

#loseweight #firelighterracetraining #running #firelighter #ultra

Image credit - www.freepik.com

Another Parkrun PB and advice from a chiropractor

A cold, showery parkrun yesterday but managed to get a PB of 32:51. This is a minute faster than my previous best at the same location so I'm really pleased with that. The training is starting to pay off 😁

I also visited a chiropractor this week, not because there is anything wrong, but because I wanted to ensure I remain in good physical shape.  I firmly believe that prevention is better than the cure.  Outcome: I must cross train and lift weights - don't just run. The chiropractor said, in no uncertain words, that if I don't follow this advice, I won't complete the challenge. This does seem like common sense, so I'll continue with my plan but add some weight training and another exercise session in the week that isn't running - cycling, rowing or maybe a yoga class). 

#chiropractor #parkrun #PB #crosstraining

Hardwick Hobble

Yesterday I ran the Hardwick Hobble at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. The event was run by Rasselbock whose mission (taken from their website) is to create fun and interactive events for people of any fitness level and age. They also try to help the environment as much as possible and plant a tree for every person who signs up for an event.

I really enjoyed the day - it was well run, the aid station was well stocked and the marshals were all encouraging and cheery.  The medal for completing the challenge, featuring Bess of Hardwick is truly spectacular.

My only small complaint is that the website said that if I ran 4 laps it would be a half marathon (ie 21. 09km) but when I looked closer, it was in fact longer at 25.12km as each lap was approx. 6.25km. When you are a novice like me an extra 4km is a lot!

My target time to complete was 3hrs 32mins but it actually took me 3hrs 52mins. I did walk quite a bit of the last lap but at least I completed my intended 4 laps.

I was a bit disappointed at first that I didn't finish within the time I wanted, but when I thought about it, I realised that I had done a little bit more assent compared with the Firelighter race (in proportion to total distance) and there were 3 aid station stops due to the course laps whereas there would only have been one during this distance of the Firelighter Race - all those short stops add up.  Also, I had stepped up the distance more than planned. 

So I'll keep on running and trust that I'll get fitter and faster!

#teamrasselbock   #FirelighterRace2023  #anglesey   #hardwickhobble  #UltraMarathon