Daz Does Tri

I think I am pretty safely over hip watch now. 100% it's not quite right but it's not likely to develop into anything serious (touch wood).  Still need to make a concerted effort over the Christmas period to strengthen and get more flexible - glutes, core, hips, ankles are the main focus but I do feel like I am out of the woods (not patting myself on the back just yet!) Since Saturday's disappointment I got a very solid long run in on Sunday (6.18/mm avge) a rest day on Monday and a steady 5 (6:28/mm) and shakeout 3 yesterday. I honestly feel like I have something in my system (would be the most convenient explanation for Saturday's inability to push on). I'm nowhere near feeling great when running. Possibly just pushing a little hard BUT the strangest thing of all at the minute is how slow some of the quicker paces feel. 6.20 pace feels really slow (not easy - don't confuse the two words). Generally when I am fit 6:20 pace feels like race pace, I'm wonderin

Agggghhhhh, nicely sums up my feelings on that one!  Had the chance to put out a decent target for the boys racing tomorrow and it literally went pop ! Set up for the race was great. Felt brilliant and once we warmed up I felt great. Zero complaints. On to the race, lined up behind the fast guys (sub 16) and agreed to pace Jacob to the first mile. We are off, start on grass (not ideal in Adios) and onto the pavement after 10 secs or so. Settle down and try to relax. Doesn't feel amazing but the pace and effort is roughly right. Dead turn after ~400m and back, then up incline over the bridge and into the wind into the sharp turn. Down a gradual incline all the way to another dead turn and down to the river. First mile in around 5.21. Feels bleugh but manageable. Nicely blocked from the wind by the river until we hit the rise. 2km up in 6.30. On pace but pushing. Garmin reading is very slow (it was way out anyway) push on. Very sharp climb back up and then down the finish straight. 8

OK, so obviously slightly stuff more on my mind this time !! Hip - since the chiro put me back in place this does feel much better almost to the point where I'm not overly concerned with it. I know if I stretch, do the drills and don't get lazy then this should be OK. Looking back I have actually managed to fend off in the past so recognising what I need to to AND THEN DOING IT is most of the battle! Back - I think from using heavier weights with the sprinted lunges I have pulled some muscles in the back. Simple, it's happened before with weights and it will ease down. Just fucking annoying right now - AGHHHHHH  Heat helps massively so I am either hot showering (to the point of scalding) or standing up against a radiator - much like a cat ! Form - so frustrating. Yesterday I left my run VERY late for me. Jumped on the treadmill and set to 14 kmph. Now I know they're not 100% accurate but generally on Zwift this will show anywhere from 13.9 to 14.3 kmph. Starts showing

Day off early doors, did nada!  Off to the Chiro in the afternoon.  Long story short - ankle flexibility and tight hips are the issues. No nerve or structural issues just good old alignment and inflexibility. Cool down all the rolling, more static stretching hips and ankles.  See how it goes. Possibly best case scenario. She put me back into alignment (hips and spine) and I'll see how things are. Back (right upper) is still crazy tight so will tens it later and run 45 mins very easy - probs treadmill as cold and dark. If Saturday goes well I'll be back for more!

After total rest yesterday, felt the usual pre-run lethargy today. Good warm up pre-run as top of back is TIGHT and have a nagging very slight (almost like I am imagining it) ache in left hip on the joint. Started run - mile @ 14 kmph feeling very bleugh to start but focussed by the end. Stopped for a pee then 3 miles @ 16 kmph. Have to say this felt VERY relaxed and pretty easy. Not even steady effort. HR was 145 avge - even with the 10 bpm it would be outdoors that's still pretty easy. Warm down to 35 mins. The new Adios are bang on. These are my new treadmill shoes for sure. I'll race in the pink ones but keep these ones indoor. Feel pretty good, still concerned about the aches and pains of the back and the hip but I am in good shape even minus the sessions. Will do strength set tonight - cannot be avoided that is where this will die out or become an injury. If I can build the muscles it should avoid any major issues.   The hip does feel like a nerve issue which would make s

Rest day today, glutes and hip felt 'fatigued' today. Pretty certain I survived the long run OK but happy for the rest! Had a massage this morning with Jenny, I think if I get issues again I 100% need to get in to see her. She mainly focussed on the back which still isn't fully relaxed - the knots are brutally tight BUT I do feel all around much better. Total rest today - body needs to heal and start getting set for Saturday. Race day looks OK, bit cold but not much wind so should be OK once I get going. Need to do course reccy on Strava today, see where and when it'll be fast, slow and congested. The first new pair of Adizero Adios Pro turned up today. Day glow not as nice as the pink ones but I'll be using these for my steady runs I reckon. They are pretty sweet to be fair. On Jenny's recommendation have booked into Chiropractor to get my spine and hips put back in to line. Can't see that hurting for the weekend. Idea now is to relax into Saturday, runs wi

OK, so I'll drop the hash tags! After yesterday's decent tempo. Late night decision to do an outdoor easier and longer run today to reccy the 10k route for NYE. Ian wasn't running with DC and DC was running with the Hunts boys so headed up with him to tackle the route. The route is pretty shit. From about a km until the end of the 2nd mile is twisty, muddy, slippery & hilly. Last 4 and a bit is quick. Not a great course for me but if it's OK weather wise I will tempo it just for the catch up and the craic. Run wise, felt pretty good. 6.40 pace feeling pretty easy. Few (ok a lot) of stops to check route and to avoid ice but felt really easy at that pace. Distance as usual is an issue after about 9 miles which just felt bleugh but overall that was pretty easy. Hip a little sore (left one) when I got home. 2 hours in car probably not helpful so usual routine to take the edge off. Possibly should keep distance outdoors under control at this stage but it feel ok enough -

I am very aware I'm using hash tags incorrectly in these title lol  Rest day yesterday - just did strength set. Feel refreshed today, hip not 100% but much better. Very slight ache. Funny thing is I am actually much better than normal aches and pains with this, I just don't want anything to completely derail me. Plan today is to do a 5k TT on the treddy. Very controlled effort but lift the pace from what I have been. It's just to test things at pace. Any movement and I'll sack it off. After Wednesday's run I should think the pace would be pretty manageable. Is it relatable to outdoors?  No that's much quicker ;) So the target it to hit 5k @ 17.6 kmph for ~17 mins. HR for 16 kmph on Tuesday was levelling out at 148 bpm so am assuming this will be closer to 160 (around threshold). Probably 10 bpm higher outdoors. Warm up as normal and should be ready to roll about 12.15 after a lazy start today !! So... Warm up fine, feel pretty good today as in theory I'm pea

Banked 3 days in a row, 2 of those pretty much exactly the right sessions and just the speed work replaced with a steady run. Actually feeling really fit at the moment. Funnily enough I feel a bit more mentally refreshed too - obviously the stress of worrying about developing into an injury isn't helpful (ultimate #firstworldproblems) but you can't have everything !! The hip feels the best yet this morning. Almost like I am trying to feel something. Good news is that today is a rest day so giving it a better chance than ever to respond. My record in working through niggles is better in the past couple of years - probably because I don't completely stop running and actually try and do some rehab - but there has still been times I haven't been able to continue. Will continue this morning as usual - do all the stretching and drills that I normally do pre-run but I won't actually run on it. I will do the same strength set today though, I think that properly helped thin

Feel much much better today, woke up feeling usual stiffness but definitely feel much better than it has. Clearly not out of the woods yet but yesterdays routine does seem favourable ! Today plan is to run easy 45 mins (usual Thursday run) which obviously I'll do on treddy. Hot / cold shower didn't really do much today as was pretty loose anyway but I'm going to tens and stretch pre-run and hopefully no issues running. Little bit of mojo returning, need to bottle it up for now as I look to prolong rehab into the new year. Gutted to swerve Dorney on Saturday but not feeling that a 90 min drive for what would be a glorified tempo that may pop something can be justified. As I am resting tomorrow I am debating doing a harder 5k effort on treddy on Saturday. The sub 6 effort yesterday was pretty relaxed.  But I'm jumping ahead of myself (good sign the mojo is back). Missed the strength work yesterday as the DOMS was loud so will most likely do again tonight as I need to buil

Ahh the reason for the blog - for future Daz to look back on previous injuries and self diagnose the how, what and why from past Daz !! OK so the rehab is happening. Post yesterdays run started to feel very 'DOMS-y' - this is only a good thing (I think). Did the same strength set in the evening, hip impingement & calf raises. Sprint squats and single leg balance.  This is definitely working the correct areas.  The plan is to build up strength in the muscles around the hip to take the load of whatever weakness is causing the problems. Pain wise, it's pretty low - more of an ache but now it seems specific to the right glute - can locate the issue all the way from hip to hip joint. Pressure point massage with tennis ball works a little in reducing pain but most affective stretch is laying on back and pulling knee across. That bad boy really gets it. Planning to run again today on the treadmill - a reduction of usual session so will aim to run a mile warm up, 3 miles steady

Yesterday didn't run. The plan was to run easy and rest today but seemed a much better bet to swap that out. There is a 5k at Dorney on Saturday that I had an eye on running. It seems like taking that off the table gives me a much better opportunity to get myself back to health! The key right now is not turning a niggle into an injury. If I am honest, I don't know if this is just aches and pains or if something more sinister is lurking. I'm pretty sure I can stay on top of this if I am careful. Lets face it, at 45 (very nearly 46) aches and pains go with the territory! But proper injuries mean long term set backs, not just the time out but 6-8 weeks to return to current fitness levels. So what advice would I give someone else in my position?  Don't stop running. That's not going to help right now.  But need to manage what running helps and what running doesn't. Up to steady pace should work ok, retaining conditioning and holding on to fitness is critical. But do

Hmm, sitting here this morning. Slept much better last night and the rehab has definitely helped. Hip feels about 90-95% right. No pain whatsoever, very little in the way of tightness. Still feel something there but it's clearly on the mend. Now the question - to run or not to run today. I know deep down I should leave it another day. That way I can be pretty confident that it will be even better. But (excuse the butt) I'd like to test it and at least find out if running will compound any damage. Also, not running today may not improve anything. So, I'll do the usual pre-run warm up today. Lots of rolling, hot/cold shower, stretching, glute activation and make a final decision once I'm ready. I'm pretty certain I'll test it but I'll see. 2 unplanned days off, shouldn't really affect fitness at all but it's the mental side of the game that takes the biggest hammering. Pre run weigh in - 10st 11lbs - about 3 lbs over 'normal' So, I set up, got

Little bit injured, little bit ill. Was going to post about glute rehab work I'd been doing but now it seems a bit worse than I feared. Firstly the little bit ill. Def feel a bit chesty. Slight sore throat but nothing major to worry about. Only really mention it as timing it with injury seems pretty handy! I always EXPECT to be ill at some stage in December. It goes with the territory - booze, cold, late nights, mixing. This year I thought I may actually stave it off but it's been so long since I had anything that I can take this on the chin. Either way, plenty of Lemsip & plenty of sleep and 'll be 100% healthy again in a few days The little bit injured - well that's a little more complicated. The hip flexor - always the bloody hips - seems to be strained. Self diagnosis says that tight glutes have probably pulled on the hip joint and pulled the flexors too much. A second day off today and I'll hammer the rehab (roll, ice, hammer, tens, stretch, activation). It

Another week in the bag, this time no switched sessions! Even managed to get them done at times that work for me. Have to say, possibly the best week nailed - possibly ever for the shape I am in!  Every session done at the right pace, HR was good and progress is being made. Happy days. The but - there always is - is my butt. My glutes are still not quite right. I'd take that at this stage though as it seems muscular which means I am finally working them hard. Found an older video of my running form on my phone today - from around May when I ran a 16.47 5k TT. Rear form was perfect - almost too high with the butt kick but you can clearly see the front leg extension not reaching far enough. Need to do another one at some stage to compare as I would say that with the form corrections I have made I should be better. Glutes aside I am shocked that I don't really get any other aches and pains. Everything seems to be holding up. I feel good enough to be confident to push almost every

Interesting week. Niggles and pacing time trials meant that everything was very much arse about face. Have to say, net - net I got away with at least maintaining fitness but it was a stressful way to do things! So Monday rest day - think maybe the only day that was to plan !  However I had woken up with a stiff back which wasn't ideal.  Loads of rolling and stretching but I had managed to get a pretty severe knot in both my shoulders. Tuesday was still sore so ran the easy run as best choice (Thursday's session). Felt amazing (as I should on easy after a rest day) and back seemed fine although still wasn't out of the woods. Wednesday was Tuesday's session on the treddy and it went really well. Back was ok - there BUT manageable however my glutes and hips were a little achey. Thursday was Wednesday's run (are you with me). 5 steady BUT off the back off 7 steady and treadmill session carried a little more fatigue than I would have liked. Glute was pretty achey. Pace c

Decided to try and work on my run form while we are in lockdown 2.  Now I am  I'm pretty sure I have Anterior Pelvic Tilt after a solid Dr Google session yesterday. It's basically where your hips tilt forward and it means that your hip flexors and lower back become super tight. This all adds up for me as I sit here with my back pretty shredded and I've been concerned about hips for some time! You become quad dominant and don't engage quads correctly. The diagnosis actually matches nearly ALL symptoms I have had in the past 10 years with running injuries (apart from the calf issues of 2015-2017 !!) Easy to spot (although it took many videos to find one) - your arse and your belly stick out. Tuck in your arse to straighten out your pelvis and you will engage core and activate glutes. Need to visualise by looking side on in mirror. So hopefully this will mean less strain on my hip flexors and lower back. Correction was best put to Pre by Bill Bowerman - the point of deepes

Back into lockdown, in the cold.  Can only mean one thing - plenty more treadmill for me and the boys !! Form is really coming along now, really starting to believe #project15 can happen. It's only a whisper but the improvement is there. The concern, as always, is the body holding up.  I'm doing more of the rehab and S&C that needs to support this and right now it feels like I can hold it together. It's a funny battle. The hips, glutes, lower back area is where the problems are so strengthening all of that chain is required. Putting the area under stress and most likely to collapse under strain seems counter intuitive but left un-strengthened it will fail spectacularly as it always does! Backing off the miles really takes a lot of pressure off. Pace this week is much better, a 5 mile steady run on Wednesday at 6.07/mm felt pretty relaxed. That was flat out 5k pace at the start of the year ! I can handle that pretty comfortably at the minute which is a great sign. It doe

I hate chasing miles. Gone are the days I could stick 5-6 months of a marathon build averaging 60-70 miles per week. My marathon days are long behind me. In truth, I never much enjoyed the long runs. Anything over 18 was mentally so draining. 2+ hours on feet was just soul destroying, I never really relished the thought of it and the lack of them is probably the reason I never managed to hit a marathon that is comparable to my shorter distance stuff. The last few weeks, certainly pre-Bedford I was set on looking to build to 50 mpw and possibly up to 60 mpw to keep the project alive. My previous 6 weeks before Bedford averaged 34.6 miles. Longest run was 9.47 miles. Last 2 weeks I upped to 44.9 & 39.2.  On Saturday I definitely noticed that the aches and pains were starting to return. Feet / achilles pains have been managed but the hip / glutes are starting to grumble and that always spells bad news! The Saturday run just felt like a very tired effort, chasing miles to get close to

And so to the last race of a pretty solid racing block!  In fairness, feeling a little underwhelmed about this one.  I had aimed to start lifting up the training with a view to train through the race, however feeling a little tight around glutes / hips on Friday means a rest day instead of a session so I knew I would be going in a little fresher than expected. Arrived at the venue, was really nice to see so many familar faces today. Run Through events have totally lucked out in this new World order. Putting on events from 5k to 10k, half marathon, 16 miles, 20 miles and full marathon in a random motor track in Bedford turned out to be the hottest ticket in town. And everyone that rocked up was not disappointed. Cool conditions and ZERO wind! Warm up OK with Griff. Possibly longer than normal and faster - went for the Adios Adizero Pro - possibly the best decision of the day. Race start was single file, socially distanced and one by one. Everyone going off a second or so behind the pers

After missing last weekends mile it felt an age since I last raced!  This weekend was off to Bromley for a stab at 3000m and a head to head with Jake.   I haven't raced here since probably 1995/96 or possibly as long as the very early '90s for a young athletes league meeting. I digress. Quit a late start (6.02pm) and quite a long drive (1 hr 40 mins) but we arrive with no drama. Warm up felt pretty good, only down side was the khazi was quite literally an absolute shit hole !! First race goes off and it's clear the times are quite a way off predictions (race was 8:45 - 9:31 against predicted 8:22 - 8:55). I am in the 2nd race with Jake.  Entry times are 9.05 up to 9.35 (me!).  Line up where we like and bang we are off.  Settle in, I'm slowest on paper so sit towards the back. A dude and I assume his Mrs settle in behind me. Pace feels pretty strong. Through 200m in 38. Shit. I was hoping to feel like I was tripping over my feet for the first km. 400m in 76 and already f

Nope, not that way ... summer to autumn training !! I've decided to blow off the mile race on Saturday. Mainly just to give Jake a better shot at a decent 800m. He's going to have a bucket load of waiting around if not (probs 2 hours + travel time) plus it's going to be wet and miserable! So it gives me just the (unlikely to happen) 3,000m next weekend to close out my track season. What it does mean is that I can kinda start to progress towards Autumn training slightly earlier. More threshold and less speed work!  I can also get some good quality in before the 3k. I have entered the Bedford 5k on the 18th October though - unfinished business after Milton Keynes and should be a great indicator if things are progressing, remaining static or regressing! Coming from a late track season it's a lot less rest required - I've hardly had a tiring series of stressful races - so a gentle transition is all that's really needed. The plan is to move from current ~36 miles per

Getting older has it's obvious drawbacks when it comes to running. What I find difficult is comparing times that I run now to times I ran in my youth. Clearly it's depressing (and totally unrealistic) to think about lifetime bests. This is why I always quote OAPBs !! There are a few good tools and indicies to use out there. WAVA is a great one for comparing times by age grading. The older you get the less fast you have to run to get a comparable time! This year is actually my fastest Age Graded year for many years! My best results this year are - (distance, time, age grading, age) 1500m 4:28.3 = 84.3% 45 5k 17:02 = 83.43% 45 800m 2:13.85 = 83.18% 45 Comparative to my 'best' performances as an OAP - 5M 26:47 = 80.6% 35 5m 27:10 = 80.25% 37 5k 16:37 = 79.81 35 Clearly my 35 - 37 year old self was faster BUT relative to my age my new performances are much better!  I like WAVA as a tool, it also shows that my runs are consistent this year even when (in the 5k) I didn't

... or the one with all the wind! Looking forward to this one, a chance for a decent 5k and from recent training a slim chance of an (OA)pb! Training has gone well. Raced Thursday night in Harrow over 800m and then an easy 9 on Friday and a shakeout 4 on Saturday. Early start - that never goes down well with me - to wake up the legs and collect Nic at 8am for the 45 min drive to Milton Keynes. Started to feel a bit under the weather in the last few days but nothing serious. Few early nights and I've been holding together but I am definitely on the verge of getting ill (if I'm not sensible!) #excusenumber1 Today's wind was pretty shocking too. 17 mph with 33 mph gusts forecast. I'm pretty surprised how many people turned out considering! It was going to be pretty exposed for several longish sections #excusenumber2 The course when warming up (and confirmed in the race) had some pretty tight turns to navigate. The Alphafly do not like going around corners !! #excusenumber3

Tired is best way to describe going in to today's race! Easy 5k leg opener this morning and felt OK but after a crap nights sleep I have been feeling tired all day. It's possibly just apprehension about the race but def not feeling 100%. HR at 49 bpm (just ticked under 50 for the briefest spell) at 4pm after coffee and morning so not bullet proof but either way I am racing! Set off for the long journey to Harrow. Scene of many training sessions in my youth as I lived down the road for 2 years whilst at uni. Track in a bit of a shit state with building work going on. Nowhere to sit and mud everywhere. I digress. Warm up feeling OK -ish. I'm fairly apprehensive if I am honest as I have no clue what to expect. In my head I think 2.12-2.15 but anything under 2.15 will be great. Try not to get carried away thinking sub 2.10 lol Line up and we are off. 11 in my race, a mixed bag. Boys and girls, young and old, even another Preston in the V45 category! Start is quick but settles a

Almost perfect week in the bag for this stage of training. 38 miles with a race, a tempo session, a speed session and a hills session. It's been a push this week as we build towards the next few races, hopefully capitalise on some good form and consistent training next week. The potential lockdown is a bit of a scare. It could kick in before I have a chance to bank anything else ! But we can only go on the information we have and right now it's all systems go (spoiler alert - it's not !!)  Legs are almost ok this week. Obviously I wake up like a 90 year old man but they come back to life fairly quickly. Need to continue with the s&c - it's a bit of a focus this week to make sure I stay healthy. That needs priority Mon, Tue & Friday! The idea is to pep the legs daily now to make sure I feel really, really good every day. Thoughts of how to continue to build fitness without taking risks are always at the forefront. This week will be pretty relaxed outside the 2 ra