Week 4: Overtrained?

I have had sore knee this week that worried me.  Last year I had an operation to repair a torn meniscus and a repeat of this would put pay to my running ambitions.  I am hoping it is common condition known as Runner's knee and not a repeat of my meniscus problems.  Runners knee can be managed and does not necessarily exclude running.
I started the week with a 7km double tour of the local reservoir.  I was quite pleased, as my pace seemed faster, although my Strava recording went a little crazy at the end.  Unfortunately the next day my knees were sore, so I decided to give my gym sessions a miss this week.  Many beginner runners make the mistake of training too hard too fast.  This can lead to injury from overtraining.  Better to build up training slowly.  So I decided to let my knee rest.  I did one other run of 11km and I am pleased to say that the knee was okay.
In the meantime I am still working on my training program that has had to change because of professional constraints.  It is not easy to fit three runs and two gym sessions into a working week.

Week 3: Experimentation

This week I decided to do something different to avoid boredom and vary my training.  I headed for the local 400m running track.  I started with a slow jog around the track to warm up.  Then I alternated running with my knees high for thirty seconds, jogging for thirty seconds, then heel to backside for thirty seconds.  After this I alternated thirty seconds jogging and thirty seconds at high speed.  This is commonly known as Fartlek.  Finally I did one complete tour at jogging pace.  My emphasis was not on distance but speed and fitness training.  I finished with a series of stretches.
For my next run I did a longer 10km run with a heart monitor to gauge my heart rhythm.  Knowing your heart rate can help with training, as many plans include training at a certain percentage of maximum heart rate.  An average person has a heart rate of between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM) when resting.  The lower the better, high level athletes can having resting rates of 40.  Mine is around 70.  According to calculations found on line (the simplest and probably least accurate is 220- age) my maximum should be around 170 BPM.   During my long run I fluctuated between 140 and 160, so not really at maximum effort.
My final run of the week took place at the local gym.  I woke up in the morning to pouring rain and, wimping out, I headed for the running machine.  It was my first time on a machine and, once I got over the fear and embarrassment of falling off the end of the machine, I was able to vary speed and gradient.  The information on the screen proved very useful and should help me understand pace.
I also decided to sign up to my local gym to undertake fitness training, and running during the worst winter months.  My objective is two gym sessions per week.  During these sessions I will do some weight training and either static bike or rowing machine.  On very cold or wet days I'll use the running machine.  In this way I'll be running three times a week and fitness training twice a week.
I have also started looking for a good race preparation plan.  There are literally hundreds of plans of varied lengths for all sorts of races from 7km to Marathons.  Some concentrate on kilometers, others on time and the more complicated on effort measured in percentage of BPM.  I think I will end up creating my own plan which will take something from all of these and suit my schedule.
I have also started thinking about nutrition, diving into a world of calories, proteins, fats and sugars.  There seems to be much debate about the amount of protein necessary ranging from 0.8grams per kilo for a sedentary adult to as much as 3grams per kilo for an athlete.  I have plumped for 1grams per kilo which is nice and easy to calculate.  I haven't started looking at calories yet but one on line calculator suggested 2500 calories a day.  To be honest at 1m72 tall and 58 kilos I'm more worried about losing weight and ensuring I have enough energy reserves.   I definitely do not want to become obsessed about diet.

Time to trail train.

In recent years running seems to have exploded in popularity. More and more of my fellow villagers drag themselves out of bed at the weekend to pound around our local reservoir. Last year my wife decided to set a target for her approaching fortieth. She set her mind on a marathon. I tried to train with her but a torn meniscus in my knee gave me a good excuse to sit it out. Despite not being an enthusiastic runner, my wife stuck to her training plan and in early 2015 completed the Geneva marathon. I was there at the start and the atmosphere of anticipation and adrenaline was infectious. Once all the runners had left I felt empty and very lonely. Then at the finish I felt jealous and envious of all the successful finishers.

A few months later these feelings returned as we volunteered to help out with an Ultra Trail near our home in the Belledonne. The Echappe Belle is not for the faint hearted, 144km and over 10, 000 metres of altitude during three days of trail running. The race has the reputation of being very demanding. We were at the finish line and saw the first and last runners come in. The general atmosphere of good humour and the sense of achievement on the faces of the runners motivated me even more. I decided that I would try and train for a race.

I picked trail running because of my love of the mountains. Our family walks a lot, often from our own doorstep. We have the advantage; some might say inconvenience, of living in the mountains. So going off road and uphill is pretty much obligatory. I had heard that trail running is less violent for the articulations than road running. We are also very luck to have a trail station in the vicinity.

The concept of Trail station was launched a few years ago in the Chartreuse by the company Raidlight, maker of trail equipment. Each station offers running routes of varying lengths and distances for trail runners. So great training opportunities.

So with the lazy over indulgent summer ended and the kids headed back to school I have started running. Just small runs of 6 - 10 kms, three times a week for the moment but I will intensify things from October. And my goal? Well I am undecided but the Echappe belle offers a shorter 47km run in a years time so who knows. In any case I will be charting my trials and tribulations through the pages of this blog.

Where to begin?

I started my training research on the internet and soon got bogged down with all the advice that is out there.  Silly me, I thought it was just a matter of a T-shirt, pair of shorts and trainers.  I should have known better, my meniscus injury a year ago was in part due to bad running shoes.  I had bought myself the most expensive pair of trainers I had ever owned after this experience, and they were definitely worth the investment.  I had also invested in a pair of knee length compression socks that help with blood flow.  This with my iphone running application Strava was all I needed to get started.  However I quickly saw that I was going to need a training plan, that my training sessions had to be varied and include some fitness sessions.  Nevertheless I decided that to avoid procrastination I had to get out there and run.
A favourite in our village is the 4,5 km tour of the local reservoir, so I started here.  My first outing was pleasantly surprising in that I found my pace comfortably and without suffering managed 7km.  In the first week I did one, more longer run of 12km.
The week after I decided to step things up a bit with two short (7km and 5km) and one long run of 13km.  I also decided to add some fitness exercises in the mornings and evenings.  A series of squats, lunges, press ups, sit ups, and some yoga stretches.  I found the second week harder with stiff muscles in the mornings.  I had to force myself out to run and push through the first parts of my runs.  However I was still happy to see that once I hit my rhythm I felt more comfortable.
My objectif is a couple more weeks with three runs before embarking on a real training program.