Confessions of a Comrade Cailin

Am distraught this morning. Achilles was coming on really well and after a short test run last night, it wasnt great. In truth it was pants ,sob.
Major recovery required so I am letting brain take over and am going to be really really sensible - truly so that I can have a go at the 24 hour. AM going to be my number one patient for the next few weeks!
And when I come back in teh next life..I want bigger feet

I had been struggling with a sore right Achilles tendon since the Comrades marathon 3 weeks previous and felt that either option of 100k or 50k was inadvisable. Indeed the marathon was also inadvisable having not managed to run further than 8M without pain but I wanted to test it out to see how it behaved on a longer run.I just wanted to start the run and enjoy the atmosphere and pull out as soon as I started feeling pain. There was no point in risking further injury as Belfast 24 hour in 5 weeks was a race I really wanted to do .In preparation , I had treated it with all manner of electrotherapeutic modalities, massage,rolling and even the eccentric exercises so often recommended for Achilles injuries religiously for the preceeding days.
I crawled out of my little tent at 6am to wish the 100k guys the best of luck as they passed near me then promptly went back to my sleeping bag with alarm set for 8am to do the same with the 50k runners but I didnt wake up til nearly 9am. Achilles felt a bit stiff but not painful. I got ready in the toilet block with many of the Marathon Club vets and enjoyed the craic there. Before long we were waiting at the start line , cheering on the ultra runners on their way through.
Then at 10am we were off ourselves. The rain which had been pretty heavy all morning seemed to break from time to time and the sun helped dry us off between showers. Right from the off I did the run/walk strategy that helped before and which was the most advisable tactic under the circumstances . I expected to last no more than about 10 miles but the loops passed and everything felt reasonable apart from a painless tight/stiff feeling in the lower calf. Having experienced stroppy Achilles before I felt that this wasnt anything like what I had before and didnt feel unduly concerned.
I enjoyed a few chats with Frank and Eamonn and the ultra bunnies. Fresh from a whopping 8:41 Comrades , Ruthann felt she was struggling. For a slower than usual long run pace for her, she said her chest felt as if it was going a 5k effort. In spite of the legs feeling fine it is amazing how long it takes really tough runs to leave the system on a more general level. My heart rate was also higher for an equivalent pace compared with early May pre Comrades but I opted to keep it within the recovery70% effort as this was really just a test toddle and there was nothing to be gained from pushing the pace.
I was really enjoying the banter and the friendliness of the race this year and settled in quickly compared with a very stressful run last year, following a disastrous start.
About 16-17 miles the achilles started getting sore. I decided to continue the lap and reassess it then. While it was still sore , it wasnt any worse. I kept going but decided to walk a lot more, and so I did , keeping company any other runner having a walk break. By the last lap it was more sore so I mainly walked with some run breaks til I got to the final km. At this time the second placed 100 k finisher had a big smile on his face as we both started our final and last lap together. In spite of the huge mileage he left me for dust. Im sure he was dying to get finished. I'd love that pace for a 10k not to even mention a 100k!
Some of the 100k veterans looked so strong throughout. I wished I knew their names but they were very impressive.
I ran with George for a bit and he was going well. He was taking a minute walk break every 10 minutes as advised by one of the front runners. It was working well for him too.
I crossed the line in 4:29 . This was a big surprise as I thought I would be closer to 4:45/5:00 with all the walking. Finding out a few days later that I came second was a bit of a shock with such a slow time. The faster younger girls had battled it out in the 50k with some very impressive times.
The long walk back to the carpark was a bit miserable in the rain. I felt very cold , not having left any bag at the finish line. It will be great next year to have this area as the main start\finish/refreshment area rather than at the marina which is a bit of a nuisance with the soggy loop.
I had intended to wait for the 100k lads to finish and started taking down my tent in the meantime. Eamon came by the refreshment table at 87km. I called to him that after another 2km he would have covered a flat Comrades. Haha! In fairness he was running very consistently and deserved a great finish after the trojan hours of preparation he had done and today was still bothered with a sore hoarse throat. Frank came through shortly after. Having gone through a miserable patch with vicious ITB and pain all over his left leg , he was battling bravely and seemed to be managing well. Digging deep was the order of the day all around.
The guy from Colorado running in the vibram no shoes shoes was packing up too. We went back to the hotel for a hot soup and coffee where we were slagged as being the fun runners of the day by the 50k and 100k guys. All in all this was a very good day.




I really want to have a go here at the 100k and I think that next year I might make this my target. I think that due to unforseen circumstances ,having to walk so much uphill in Comrades put a lot more stretch on my Achilles complex, than if I had been able to run more.
Another thing that came to mind was that 4-5 months is long enough training for a long event. Mental and physical fatigue/boredom starts to come into it after that. But at the same time there is a huge loss if there is nothing scheduled after a goal race. Even if it seems a long way off, there has to be something to look forward to and something to restore the discipline of training after a recovery period. For now , my priority is to win this Achilles battle for once and for all. Fingers crossed I will be sorted by Belfast.

One week down. Still limping but not as badly. Probably not helped by being on my feet all day going up and down stairs, moving house. Looks promising. Might get a jog in before 2012:(

Have started carb loading .. on the off chance of a miraculous recovery. Want to be ready :rolleyes:

One hour on the exercise bike. 30km
Limp almost gone for normal slow walking

Saw Doc and had scan on Friday. Its coming on well. He says I can start running next month- a minute at a time . It will be
great to get a start but it just feels an overwhelming challenge to get back to where I would like to be. Still.... I have to start somewhere.

Months of carb loading should pay off.... am well fuelled for my first 15 minutes of walk/run :rolleyes:
Have got so stiff and inflexible I can barely reach my knees. Time to get stuck in to the stgretches before I do more damage.

Going to draw a line under this thread and start a new log for my new start.

Thanks for all the support advice, and encouragement on what was the best race experience of my life.

Any chance you could stretch the cut off time to about 8 hours? I could easily defend the title of .... last person across the finish line:D

dont know how to change title of thread so here we go with a new log....

Sunday 23.October
5mins warm up . Walk 4 mins + run 1 min. done 4 times. 5 mins cool down.
15 Heel drops with weight.
Stretches in sauna. ( ambition is to touch toes with foot flat against the wall. Can go mid shin so far with back bent and knees with back straight)

Im open to suggestions but where I am right now ..... is starting right back at scratch , so something that reflects that I guess.

Tuesday 25th.

4 mins walk : 1 minute run x 5 times.
Bit sore yesterday after it but will try again tonight.

4:1 x 8 times , mad stingy and couldnt manage another one

4:1 x 5 times + 10 minutes bike

3:1 x 8 times.

feeling no more than sore so happy out. Going to try to treat it as much as I can myself as well, which I hadnt been doing.

If treaddie goes well this weekend , will start going outside.