A mixed year but ending well

I had a great result even though injured at this years Virgin London Marathon 3:09:08 was just inside the good for age requirement for the VLM  2012. I picked up a calf injury just before which was aggravated on the marathon, then chest problems in the summer meant I had to rest for the next few months.

A knee problem kept me off the pavements and I decided to start cycling to get some fitness back, recent physio has cleared the problem (ITB is tight so judicious stretching regime now in place).

My goal now is to get fit and complete the VLM 2012 in a reasonable time, also to have a crack at some cycling time trials and hopefully a sprint triathlon in the spring.

I took part in the Stockport boxing day 5K and managed a 23:01 which spookily takes me back to my first 5k in recent years at the inaugural Heaton parkrun in June 2009. Back then I was a bit heavier but in a similar fitness state and managed a 23:00, so it tells me there is much work to do!

I did enjoy racing again though and had second thoughts about doing the hot toddy, the picture above was taken by Rachel Chapman and captures my mood perfectly...

On my Birthday (and anniversary to the wonderful Mrs Kelly!) we went shopping, Clare for an eternity ring and me... New running shoes. It was good to see Rick at Sweatshop again and putting a pair of Brooks Adrenalines felt like seeing old friends, I also picked up a pair of ASIC 2170's which will be reserved for distance training and races.

Wednesday I did a gym session for the first time in some time, I had a tough time on the treadmill, for the next couple of weeks I am going to attempt 5k at each running session. The first mile saw a mild ache in the left calf, the new trainers felt good but my chest was aching. The problem with treadmill's are it is too easy just to stop, so when I hit 2 miles it was getting too much I wanted to give up, instead I upped the speed and made the 3.1 in 26.21 so not a bad effort.

Next I tried the "Glute machine" but man are my glutes so weak! I figured not to do too much on my first trip back into the gym, a quick swim later and I was done!

Back into the gym on Thursday as the weather was seriously bad, another 5k on the treadmill and we have resurrected the Wii fit balance board as it acts as a great motivator for all the family!

On Friday I took to the roads on my bike, my goal is to increase my fitness whilst my legs get back to strength. I have fitted a garmin cadence device to the bike, on my first test before Christmas my average cadence was 66 which means I was turning the wheels 66 times a minute RPM) the aim is to average 90 and as I get fitter the speed will accompany the cadence.

Saturday saw the last Oldham parkrun of the year and 45 runners took part in pretty awful foggy wet weather, in 2012 we hope to grow the numbers back to the 75-100's again. Oldhams' micro-climate can often deter runners but it does not keep everyone away!

New Years Day went well as I put my Adidas Kanadias back on for the multi-terrain 'Joe Salts New Years Awakener'. Last year I managed 19th with 27 minutes and some change, this year, unfit and stuck for sections behind slower runners as the paths are narrow... 33:46 not a bad effort and I learned a lot about caring for my injuries. Remember before running I am to stretch my ITB, this is straight forward at the gym or at home, but as a stretch to be carried out lying down can be difficult to fulfil before a race. My calves were behaving today which I was please with but by mile two the left knee painful, I remembered my physio advice to slightly lift the knees  running and drop the pace. This I did for about half a mile and it worked  well, coming down the final hill my legs felt good and I turned on the sprint finish, nicking a place or three at the end!!! Andy O'Sullivan made a tanoy comment about my finish which is kind of embarrassing but everyone gets the same treatment.

So 2012 is here and my marathon training kicked off with a good effort, it tells me there is much work to be done to complete the VLM in a reasonable time. My true performance indicator I guess will be the Great North West half in February... Roll on the VLM

Have a great year everyone.

Mark Kelly 

The week that was

Monday saw me back on the physio bench for session number 3, Andy used a deep heat machine to warm my ITB up for its punishment. We also took some time to discuss linking David Roberts Physio to Oldham parkrun as they have done with Bramhall and Woodbank. They are offering a monthly prize of either a massage (Sports or the relaxing kind!) or 1/2 price assessment, to someone who has been injured. Much like the sweatshop prize for a deserving runner we can help a struggling person :)

I went for a run after physio and boy did my calves give me grief, my sedentary life has been taking its toll on my ahem..."athletes" body. The basic plan is to run the same 2 mile loop whilst I get my fitness back, then gradually increase the distance. The classic London marathon training starts on Jan 1st which gives you around 16 weeks to prepare, for me it starts on my birthday which coincides with the Hot toddy road race which is usually icy and has the best hill (Old Lumbetts) you know the one where you nose is scraping the road.

So after one mile my right calf was screaming and I was forced  to stretch it out for a moment, when I got home I jumped in a hot bath to give my legs a good stretch!

On Tuesday I repeated the same loop and felt a bit more comfortable, that said my right calf was tight and my thinking is that my running style has changed to protect my ITB (Sub-consciously). I need a coach to access my style but the track is shut until Jan 9th, hopefully Brian will be at a parkrun over the break so can give me a check over!

Wednesday was my last physio session, so fingers crossed my ITB issue is under control and I hoped to run at Oldham parkrun this week and use the "hot toddy" race as a training run. To put my RRR vest on once more will hopefully spur me on! (not all plans workout as you see later in the blog)

I ventured out on the same two mile loop that I used this week and yet again the calves where tight after one mile. My physio assures me this is fine and just a case of my body being way out of shape have been a couch potatoe for the last 6 months (my words not his...) happily though I stepped up to an average 8:36 min/mile from Monday and Tuesday's 9:03 :)

Now I can get my training diary sorted for 2012 but RRR have not published the race calander for 2012 as yet...

Yey I joined the gym again at DW sports, got a free month and looking forward to getting into "gym bunny mode" as I was being shown around the gym little has changed since last time I was a member. I will have to dig out an iPod as treadmills are notoriously boring but a neccasiry evil in winter training, my marathon mojo is definatly back in full swing.

Today I took part in the Stockport Boxing Day 5k, my first road race since the London Marathon. On arrival I parked up near Iain Stainthorpe of Rochdale Harriers and chatted whilst we walked to register. The excitement of filling out an entry form flooded back memories from earlier in the year, pinning on the number too much for me and I pinned it onto the back of the shirt in error and proceeded to wear it back to front! 

Of course it is winter but an unseasonably warm 11 degs meant I was getting dressed outside, topless and frantically re-pinning the number I got a "rude" awakening that 11 degs ain't that warm.

It was good to see Angie and Tony from Oldham parkrun in attendance, I also had a brief hello with Gill Doolan from Heaton parkrun... And again as she passed me on the second lap!!! 

I ended up with a 23:01 which was not bad in my current fitness level and recovering from injury. The left calf was quite tight but manageable, the knee behaving its self except on the last downhill section, where the pounding must have caused a bit of discomfort to must runners.

It felt great to complete a race before the end of the year, but I won't be at the "hot toddy" on my birthday as today was a good indicator of my capabilities. 5.8 miles and the biggest hill in Todmerdon just a bit too much to handle me thinks.

Instead I am off to Sweatshop in the morning for some shiny new running shoes and as my garmin's battery life is poor... possibly a new watch.

Just for those to have a laugh below is a picture of me on Christmas day wearing the bad shirt my bro Robert got me. Each year a group of us must buy/make a shirt so ugly you don't want to wear it and certainty not wear it in public. But wear it all day we must and this year I took my family to our local curry house for the best Christmas meal ever... For some reason I got looks of looks from customers and staff alike :p

Back on the road

This week saw me get back on the road after taking the summer and autumn off with health and injury woes. I have been getting physio from Andy Byrne at the Oldham branch of David Roberts Physio centres. The first session on Tuesday was a nervous experience as I was unsure my personal diagnosis would be corroborated!
If the knee issue was serious I.e. needing surgery then I had considered hanging up my shoes. Last Saturday Royton Road Runners had its annual presentation night and even though I was sat in the same place as last year, i could not have felt more differently.

2010 had been a great year and 2011 carried on in much the same fashion, my Marathon PB at London had secured a good for age place in the VLM 2012, but since then I have run just a few miles!

Andy was giving the knee a great looking at and to my relief he informed that my issue is ITB related. It was no surprise when he remarked it is largely due to having weak glutes! During my coaching training I would always be embarrassed giving demonstrations in areas like squats as I just wobble and fall over. Bear in mind that at the time I was marathon fit and should have been doing single leg squats for breakfast!

This week was the last "track" session for RRR, Brian and I met the runners as usual but the track is shut due to building  works! So it was a hill session instead. The weather was so bad I was glad to get the call that the session was over, we won't meet again until the 9th Jan.

I had another ITB physio session on Friday and it is amazing that they don't leave bruises, but it is working   I went for a run today, just a couple of kilometres but it felt good to be out. I dug out the Adidas Kanadia's and headed out onto the snow. My ITB was fine and part of me was happy I had pain elsewhere in my legs! My fitness is at zero but now it is time to start working on getting back to running, London is jut over 4 months away...

On Saturday we had our Santa Dash at Oldham parkrun, 52 runners braved the snow to run around a just passable course. Resplendent in Santa suits and raising lots of money for Christies we had a great time and the cake provided by Tony and Angie.. totally scrumptious. Below a picture of Sandra, Bev and I on the start line, I had no end of problems stopping the oversized trousers from dropping, a jacket that would not stay shut and a belt that snapped first go. Not to mention a beard more annoying than my real one!

So onwards and upwards and once again a say roll on the Virgin London Marathon



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