In the last few weeks I’ve jokingly referred to myself as the Tin Man as I creak and crunch along the road of this marathon adventure. After my 15 miler (my longest run since the ‘accidental marathon’) I was feeling a bit like Metal Mickey (one for kids of a certain age) and more in need of a pint of WD40 than a litre of chocolate milk. 

A few weeks ago, I cramped up towards the end of my swim but loosened it off and thought no more about it. I woke up the next morning with my calf was in bits and feeling really sore. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was struggling to get up the stairs, I would’ve laughed at the irony of getting injured during the session that is supposed to have the least impact on your body. I had a 6 mile run scheduled in the plan but as the day went on I decided there was no way I should be going anywhere on it, even at an easy pace. So I took a few days off and foam rollered it to within an inch of its life to get myself ready for the first ‘half marathon’ long run of the training block. A timely note from charity noted that this is the point in the plan where runners are prone to picking up injuries. Having ignored the signs from my body loads of times before, a rare fleeting moment of common sense kicked in and I gave myself that extra recovery day.  

My two most recent long runs have been on the trails around Loch Leven. As far as training grounds go, it’s definitely one my favourites. A near 12 mile trail around the Loch, passing little beaches, lavender fields, the nature reserve, the Castle (the story of Mary Queen of Scots being imprisoned on the island and escaping is one of the few things I remember from High School history) and a fair bit of woodland, as well as being surrounded  by the hills that I used to enjoy running and climbing – and hopefully I can get back to that again soon.  The scenery definitely helps the miles pass a bit quicker, although the heat these last few weeks has definitely tried to play a part in making the miles feel harder!  Many of my fellow Team RMHC team mates have said they are jealous of the views from my runs but then they show me photos of Chicago and the jealousy is quickly reciprocated!

Mike and Lesley joined me for the half marathon and then last Saturday I added a few more miles and did a 15 mile solo session, starting and finishing at Kinross High School (the finish line for the Loch Leven half marathon, a magic wee race that I’d recommend to anyone).  The half was great, really enjoyed the company and the laughs going round. I’d worn compression socks as a bit of a comfort blanket for the calf but in the end it gave me no trouble and we got out early enough to miss the ‘worse’ of the sun (or the best, depending on whether or not you’re running or sunbathing). I celebrated with chocolate milk – still no sponsor – and a trip to Hunter’s of Kinross, the local butchers that make amazing pies. I’m a runner that does a half marathon and then eats and recovers like they’ve just run an ultra!

While I was looking forward to the 15 miles, I was also a wee bit anxious about it too. I think I’m going to feel like that for all of my long runs between now and October, especially when I make the step up in miles. Not anxious in terms of whether or not I can do it – I’m confident I’ve got the tank for it – but there’s still a wee voice at the back of my head asking if my body can sustain the training and the impact it’s having. It’s quite a strange feeling because this is also the first time in a long time, maybe since I was in Chicago in 2019, that I feel like a runner again – as opposed to someone who occasionally runs. Running feels like a positive influence on my life again. There’s definition and tone in parts of my body that haven’t had definition and tone for quite some time. Sadly, there are other parts that remain toneless and probably will for the foreseeable but the weight is heading in the right direction, even if the preferred vest for race day remains a bit ‘snug’.  And I’ve managed to get back into that state of mind when I’m out running where I can either use the time to completely clear the head of everything or it can become a productive time to think; coming up with ideas, getting myself organised…and occasionally a few ideas for this blog will pop into my head that I hopefully remember later on.  It’s a really nice choice to have and there’s a time and a place for both.    

But then there’s that wee voice…(there’s always a ‘but’ even though my mum taught me never to start sentences with But…sorry mum).  I know this is common for marathoners, but every wee ache or pain or bit of tightness or tenderness is suddenly exaggerated ten-fold. I’m even waking up with new wee pains or feeling new aches on rest days.  Those parts of my legs that I said I wouldn’t talk about are still letting me know they really don’t like this running lark – the left one especially (you’re supposed to be the good one and I’ve now decided you are the naughty one). Sometimes they will let me know early doors and then give me a break later on whereas other times, they lull me into a false sense of security, we get miles into the run and then boom, remember us!!!  I was listening to the Young Hearts Run Free podcast last night where a runner was talking about ‘learning to suffer’. He was talking about suffering during races, but I think I’ve just started my learning for Chicago a bit early.

I went off on a wee bit of detour there and probably shared more about the inner workings of my head than I was planning to…so back to the 15 miler.  Like the half the week before, I paced it really well. Looking through all the splits there’s a consistency there, a relatively gentle first few miles to warm up, start feeling comfortable three or four miles in and then settling in to a consistent rhythm and form, trying not to sink into the hips the further into the run I go. I’m taking gels and two wee bottles of water with me on the long runs now and I planted a sports drink along the route behind a tree, hoping that a dog wouldn’t come along and pee on it before I got there.  At thirteen miles in, I felt great…but at fourteen miles as I made my way back to the school, I felt burst – it was like flicking a switch. I started feeling some twinges in my lower back that impacted my breathing for a little bit, but it didn’t last too long. It was however, a reminder that it’s not just your legs you need to worry about during the longer runs and indeed the race itself.  I have tried to work hard on my form, trying to be efficient, strong and consistent and I definitely feel that there’s been improvements. One of my running pals who is a physio commented favorably on my form the other week but as another in our group less generously pointed out, I’m probably just the best of a bad bunch. 😊

I’m finishing this post during a relatively ‘easy’ week 8, a few 5 mile runs and a 5 mile interval session but even with Scotland avoiding the worst of the heatwave (and it really is the worst, there’s nothing remotely positive about record highs) those runs on Monday and Tuesday were hard going. Tonight was supposed to be a 5m tempo, but I was really sluggish, lethargic and quite frankly fed up when I started and plodded the first two miles before getting a bit of second wind. I made the turn for home, committed to upping and sustaining the pace and felt strong all the way back. From two 9.50 ish miles to start to finishing with a 8.08 4^th mile then a 7.33 5^th mile! Delighted with that.

Tomorrow I head up to one of my favourite places in Scotland, Killin, for a few days. Mostly to spend a bit time with my pals, recharge and have a laugh but there’s also a small matter of a 16 mile long run on Saturday morning. As tempting as it is to do an out and back route given the stunning scenery along Glen Ogle, I’ve plotted an 8 mile route in and out of the village to do 2 loops. A loop course allows me to place a few drinks on the route and again hope that dogs don’t spot them when out for their morning walk.

Finally, I’m not going to spam everyone with loads of sponsor requests, support comes in many forms, not just financial and I appreciate all of it. But someone did point out to me that the panel with my sponsorship link only appears in the desktop version of the blog not the mobile (thank you for the feedback). So if anyone is interested and able to sponsor me, you can do so over here http://support.rmhc.org/goto/birrell and there’s still some spaces left on my wee grid to become an official mile sponsor for Team Chicken Legs!

Have a good weekend when you get there!