Saturday 23 March 2013

Two weeks and counting...

Since completing the 18 mile canal run I have had a minor twinge on the right knee and a bad head cold.  I have continued with a maintenance training regime, but now need to accept I am not going to enhance my fitness, I now just need to get to the start line injury free, carbed up and psyched for the 28th MDS.

Today I have been doing a check on my kit and took a trip to tesco to finish off some of my food shopping.  Yesterday I also took delivery of my freeze dried food from Expedition foods and headlamp / sand goggles from ultra runner!

With less than 2 weeks to go I am so excited to get to the start line...bring it on!

Friday 8 March 2013

The four week countdown has started

Four weeks today I will be in Morocco getting used to the temperature and doing the final bits of preparation in advance of setting off on the first of six marathons.

Over the recent weeks in addition to ramping up my of training I have been ordering final bits of kit and testing out the food I am going to take with me on my adventure.  Still not finalised what dried food I am taking, but hope to get this sorted next week.

Training since my last update has consisted of a 16 mile run on Saturday  from the Warwickshire Health Club out to Shrewley, along the canal, and back with a lap of the golf course to finish with.  I am continuing to increase the weight of the pack I am carrying on these runs to ensure my body has adapted to the weight.  On Sunday I did 2 back to back spin classes with cycling in between, again just as a way of adding endurance to the legs.

Monday was a rest day and this week has involved 8 mile run on Tuesday plus 30 min row and 30 mins on the recumbent cycle, 8 mile run on Wednesday with another hour in the gym on a x-trainer and then yesterday (Thursday) saw me complete 2 hours in the gym made up of 1.5hrs split between cycle, x-trainer and walking on a 10-15% incline at 4mph following by some weights.

The body has felt really good throughout these sessions.

Today I ran 9 miles then finished off with 35 mins on the turbo trainer and I will continue to work the legs tonight at a football training session with the u8 Leamington Hibs Shamrocks!

Tomorrow is an 18 mile run, and rather than doing an out and back I plan of just running back from the football match we have in Southam, taking in the canal and a few parks on route...

Thursday 28 February 2013

Mid way through ramp up week!

As I am changing roles with work I am spending time between multiple locations (more than normal) so a bit more variety in training this week...well variety in location anyway.

Monday was a usual rest week and as I was in London on Tuesday I went for a 6 mile run in the morning followed by an hour in the gym a the Hilton Docklands.  Yesterday (Wednesday) I needed to do a do a split session so I went for a run in the morning then the completed an hour in the gym at the Gatwick Hilton in the evening, having spent the day in Birmingham before heading down to Gatwick.  I was meant to complete an 8 mile run in the morning, but felt a bit under the weather so eased back to 6 miles.

This morning I was up early and completed a couple of hours in the hotel gym (1.5 hrs CV followed by 30 mins weights).  As I sit here back home I am enjoying a glass of wine, but tomorrow morning will be up early for and 8 mile run followed by an hour on the turbo trainer!

One thing to mention is that yesterday while travelling down to Gatwick I sat on the train and a complete stranger saw my MDS band on my wrist and cracked up a conversation as his business partner previously completed the MDS and on his first attempt came 44th.  Anyway, this chap...Andy Parker, a Vet from Truro (a complete stranger only 20mins before) pulled out his wallet and gave me £20 sponsorship.  This really touched me and reignited my faith in human kindness.  Thank you!

Sunday 24 February 2013

Rest week completed...final 4 week build up starts here!

This week has been a gentler, so called rest week to allow the body to recuperate in advance of the final 4 weeks worth of training build up, before two weeks tapering off prior to the off on the 5th May.

I increased the running to 4 days this week, although did reduce the ovarall mileage to allow the body to adapt.  Tuesday was a short 6 mile run and 30 mins on the cycle afterwards, Wednesday was a 6 mile run again, 30 mins on the x-trainer and finished off with 30 mins on the recumbent cycle.  Thursday was a pure gym day with 60mins on the x-trainer, 20 mins on the versa climber and 25 mins on the recumbent cycle and a good weights session.

Friday was another 6 mile run followed by 30 mins on the turbo trainer, then Saturday saw me do a little 8 mile park run (and a trip to go-ape) which was great fun, although not too taxing.  On Saturday the u8s football team I coach (Leamington Hibs Shamrocks) drew 1-1 which was the toughest match we have had in 2013...so a great result for the lads.

Today I finished the week with a back to back spin session at the Warwickshire.  So overall a good week, reduced training volume to allow the body to rest and recover.  Tomorrow is a complete rest day then I look to ramp up the mileage and training volume for the final 4 week push!

This week I also got some Tuf-Foot to start conditioning the feet so that they toughen up and hopefully prevent blisters during the race!

Monday 18 February 2013

Less than 7 weeks to go...

Yes, less than 7 weeks to go until the off!

Training continues to progress well...this week saw a similar training routine with 8 miles on Tuesday followed by an hour in the gym and Wednesday was an hour and a half in the gym (30min x-trainer, 30min versa climber and 30min on the bike).  Thursday was back to running and I did a nice 10.5mile cross country run with mud, canal path a cow filled fields followed by 30mins in the gym.  Friday was back into the gym for an hour and a half, then for the longer run on Saturday complete with back pack - 16 miles in about 2 hrs 25 mins.  I ended the week yesterday with back to back spin sessions.

Overall the body has felt good all week, although the increased miles are definitely causing the body to adapt.

This week is classed as a rest week with less miles, although I am increasing my running to 4 days...total weekly miles will reduce to 26 before ramping up for the final 4 week ramp up!

I have been buying more kit this week and have ordered so freeze dried food to try it out...wish me luck!

Sunday 10 February 2013

The miles are ramping up...

With just over 7 weeks, 6 days and 13 hours to go before the race the excitement is building, as is the  training!

I have not posted for a couple of weeks but the training has been progressing very well...

This week I have been travelling again, so have trained in a few different locations.  Monday was a rest day, then on Tuesday I went for an 8 mile run from the office in Canary Wharf  round the Isle of Dogs, then finished off the workout with a half hour session in the gym.

Wednesday involved an hour and a half in the gym.  This included 30mins on the versa climber which reminded me of a challenge I completed in1998 when I climbed the height of Mt Everest on the Versa Climber in just under 3 hrs 45 mins.  That was a tough challenge!

As I was not going to fit a session in on Friday this week I did 2 back to back sessions bright and early on Thursday with an 11 mile run from the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow down and round Glasgow Green 5 times, followed by an hour and 30mins on the cycle in the gym watching Rambo!  This felt like a really good session and is giving the body the chance to get used to longer training sessions!

On Saturday I upped my running distance to 14 miles with a pack on the back.  I started at the Warwickshire Golf and Country Clb and ran a 10.5 mile road circuit and then completed a lap of the golf course through significant amounts of mud and water...good training for the legs getting used to uneven and soft terrain like the sand!

Today was a couple of hours on the Spin bike with two back to back classes and some!

Overall a very good week and the volume continues to increase next week.

Earlier this week I recieved my race number...779!

As sponsorship is going well and I am not at approx £8,150!  Not far to go to hit my target of £9,500!

Friday 25 January 2013

Rest week...well kind of!

On Sunday the kids activities at the Warwickshire were cancelled due to the snow so Claudia went to the gym and I jumped on the turbo trainer at home for a 1.5 hr cycle...very steady session.

Monday was a rest day, then Tuesday was back to running.  This week is designed as a rest week to allow the body a bit of recovery so the run was a mere 6miles around the docklands...a bit cold and a bit boring but a few miles around the streets.

On Wednesday I went to the gym at our office in Canary Wharf and did a little stepper session then went in to do a 45 min spin class.  The great thing about a spin class is the variety, which adds a bit of a change to the general long, slow paced training required for MDS.

Yesterday I was up early in Leamington and went for a run round Newbold, then through town and back home.  The run felt pretty tough, not sure if this was due to a lack of sleep or just because the body needed a bit of rest.

Today I popped onto the turbo trainer for a short 1.5hr session.  The first 30 mins was a steady session followed by 5 min high resistance (kind of like a hill climbing session) with a 5 min in between for a stead bit of restful cycling.  1 hour of this gave the legs a good bit of challenge with a little rest in between.

Tomorrow is back t the running and he to do a nice cross country session across to and round the Warwickshire...

Saturday 19 January 2013

Two different but really good session...

Yesterday was a mixed day with some good progress made in the office and a great 1.5 hrs workout in the gym (60 mins on the stepper, 15 mins on the rower and 15 mins on the cycle to finish off the session!). Although not pounding out the miles running, these in-between workouts are really helping to build the strength and endurance in the legs without the impact on the joints.

The mixed bit was that my flight from Glasgow back to Birmingham was cancelled due to the snow, although the train journey I opted for was pretty relaxed, if a little long.

Today was a tough, but great run in the snow...I took the boys sledging first thing at the Warwickshire so warmed the legs up running up and down the hills! I then ran a full circuit of the Earls Course and then the Kings course in the snow with my MDS Ultra pack on with a couple of kilos to start getting used to it! This run was tough in the snow, but great conditioning for the legs as it is kind of like running in sand (although a little cooler!). So roughly 11 - 12 miles through the snow!

A cycle session on the spin bike tomorrow before a welcome rest day on Monday.

Thursday 17 January 2013

Another week...more miles...more gym work

I can't believe it's a week since I posted...

I have kept up the routine up over the last week:

A hour an half on the Turbo Trainer on Friday last week (watching 24 helps pass the time!) then on Saturday after my son's football team won 6-2, I went for a nice 10 mile cross country run around the Warwickshire. The mud helped build some good leg endurance and gave a taste of running in sand. I ended the week with a double spin session at the Warwickshire to put 1hr 45 on the legs.

Monday's rest day felt good - a welcome rest!

This week I have been travelling again up to Scotland for the week, although strange as it may seem there has been no snow here...when down South the snow seems to be piling up.

On Tuesday and this morning (Thursday) I went for an 8 mile run from the Hilton, down to Glasgow Green, three laps of the park and back...felt good, if a little chilly! To break up the running yesterday I did 1 our cycle in the gym. A day on a day off running is working at the moment to minimise the risk of injuries!

I received an email today from Sandbaggers saying I won a pair of gaiters...awesome! Saves me a bit of money!

Thursday 10 January 2013

Training on the move...




This week I have been travelling quite a bit so have had to slot training around my various journeys…
Tuesday was a rest day, and I have to say I was in need of it and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I also managed to fit in a sports massage with Mark at the Reebok Club in Canary Wharf.  He found quite a few knots in my calf muscles, which explains why they were feeling a bit tight and giving me a couple of niggles.
As I was staying overnight in Canary Wharf I was up early and managed to fit in a quick 6 mile run from the Hilton Hotel in Docklands around the surround streets.  A pretty flat run, although I could feel my right calf where the Mark had been digging around trying to release some of the knots.  Overall the run felt OK!
Home on Tuesday night and then jumped on a plane from Birmingham to Glasgow at 06.50…after a full day in the office I slotted in a 1 hour cycle in the gym at the Hilton Glasgow.  I don’t why it is but the first 15 minutes felt pretty tough, then I got into the flow.  This was a steady pace cycle (110rpm at L8) for the first 20 mins then I completed some intervals with L18 / 20, some standing and sitting work with L8 rest periods.  Overall the cycle was pretty enjoyable with some Cricket and Football on the telly.
This morning (Wednesday) I was up early and fitted in an 8 mile run from the hotel, down and round Glasgow green a couple of times then a zig zag route back to the hotel, which for any of you who know Glasgow you’ll know you can slot in quite a few short, but very intense hills into this route.  This run felt like my best run this year.  The body was feeling good, I think the bowl of pasta I had as I was going to bed last night certainly helped with the energy.
The first half of the training week has been good and my body is adapting to the increased volume well.





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Sunday 6 January 2013

Gym session to tire the legs.

I joined Phil's 09.30 Spin class this morning at the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club to give the legs 45 minute intense cycle session followed by 45 mins of steady CV in the gym (10 mins on the rower, 20mins on the cross trainer and 15mins on the treadmill at a 6.2km walk at between 10-15 deg incline).

Body felt good throughout, although my calves are starting to feel the increased training workload and are getting pretty tight with a few knots. I am taking plenty of time during and after training to stretch them out but definitely need to get a deep sports massage on the legs to help loosen them up a bit.

I am very much looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. The week ahead is going to be a shock as I am back to my weekly travels with Monday and Tuesday in London and then head to Glasgow for Wednesday and Thursday and working in Birmingham on Friday. Need to remain focused to ensure I slot training in each day.

Saturday 5 January 2013

Tested the MDS Ultrabag today...


I went for a gentle 1 hour run today with my new MDS Ultra bag...

...what can I say, very comfy, lots of compartments to tuck things away in easy to reach locations, very handy water bottle holders.  Overall I am very impressed with my first run out.

My route today was a quick run through Leamington Spa town centre, down the parade and onto the canal.  I then headed East before crossing over into Newbold Comyn for a lap of the park before zigzagging home through the streets of North Leam.  A good run, reasonable pace and felt good throughout.  

I am trying to force myself to take a minutes or so break every 20 - 30 mins to refuel as will need to be able to do this in the MDS and then starting to run again.  I often find this difficult as once I start walking or take a break it feels like a psychological failure that I have not been able to keep running, so getting used to doing this is essential.

Back into the gym for an hour and half session tomorrow...

Sponsorship now up at £6,580 - am working toward £10,000 so anything you can do to support will help.  Visit my page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GrahamNicoll

Friday 4 January 2013

On the turbo trainer...and my MDS ultrabag arrives!!!

I jumped on the turbo trainer today for a 1 hour cycle…great workout for the legs to add some mileage without the continual impact of running – after 45 mins of fast pace the legs started to tyre so eased back to ensure I continued for the full 1 hour.  Although this seems a short duration compared to the eventual Marathon Des Sables daily mileage / time on the feet I am slowly building up over the next 12 weeks from a pretty good base and will start to over load the body through increased time and mileage and with adding a second session to a number of my training days.  I am already looking forward to my Monday rest day.
 
Today my MDS ultrabag arrived – it looks and feels great.  Am going to get out running tomorrow to try it on for size!  Will let you know it feels!  It is like Christmas all over again!
 
 

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Thursday 3 January 2013

Canalside run in Birmingham

At lunchtime today I popped out of the office and went for a gentle 8 mile run along the canal in Birmingham.  From the office on Colmore Square I headed down past Snowhill station, over the flyover and then down onto the canal for a 25 minute run out and back followed by a loop over to the NEC and round the mailbox before heading back to the office.  It was a gentle run as the legs were feeling a little tired today – I think the stepper session yesterday was a bit of a shock having not been on the stepper for many years!
 
The great thing about the canal is the variety of flat, bridges, hills up the sides of locks and you meet some interesting (strange!!!) people on your way.
 
Back to the office now and on with some work…
 
 

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Wednesday 2 January 2013

Gentle gym session today...

A day off from running today so I hit the gym and completed a 45 minute session on the stepper.  With a pretty tough resistance this gave the legs a good workout without the impact of running.
 
I followed this with a couple of body weight circuits to ensure good upper and lower body conditioning.  I figure this is essential to ensure I have the core strength to carry the pack during MDS.
 
 

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Tuesday 1 January 2013

Fundraising page all set up...

With me running as part of the Mencap fundraising team I have now set up my fundraising page at: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GrahamNicoll

This event is going to be awesome and with the knowledge that the funds raised will also help Mencap to continue their great work in supporting people with learning disabilities to live the life they want it will be even better!

13 Weeks, 4 Days, 9 Hours, 42 Minutes to Marathon Des Sables 2013...toughest footrace on earth

Sitting here on the 1st January 2013, with less than 13 1/2 weeks to go until the start of the toughest footrace  on earth...

I have signed up to do this event to: 1. complete this amazing personal challenge and 2. to raise money for the great work Mencap does in supporting individuals with learning disabilities to live the lives they want to live.

Over the coming weeks and months I will share my training experiences - both good and bad...the highs and the lows!  Today was the first days of 2013 training, which started with a great 4 mile muddy hike with the kids - fighting through brambles to collect golf balls from the local course to add to their collection.  This was followed by a steady 6 mile run down to and round Newbold Comyn in in Leamington Spa.

The body feels good following some Christmas overindulgence...bring on 2013...family...work...and training for the greatest footrace on earth - MDS 2013!

Marathon Des Sables