Cycling and Running a wee bit......

After learning that I had Plantar Fasciitis, I thought it best that I give running a break and hope that the fibres in my foot would start to heal.  I took six days off from running and did a bit of cycling instead.  Last Saturday morning I drove to Bishopbriggs and supported those crazy ultra-runners as they made their way along the 56miles between Glasgow and Edinburgh in the G2E Race. Seriously, I have nothing but the utmost of respect for these runners and the amount of training, which they must put in.  I took a few photos too. Photos Here

I was planning in doing a cycle in the afternoon but time seemed to slip away and I made the decision to combine a ride with a trip to St Mirren Park and support the Ayrshire Killie.  I was amazed to see some 1,113 Killie fans there, although I’m guessing that I was the only one that cycled there and back, a total of 16 miles.

On the way along Paisley Road, I noticed that there was a local Gala day taking place in Barshaw Park and I recalled that there was a MadHatters Fun Run held there at Easter.  I had received some medical advice, from a fellow runner, who is also an MD, that short distance running would be good for me, as it would help to stress my plantar, even if it was painful.  I searched the Internet and found that the 3k run was being held the following day. 

Big Kid!

Although I had a couple of pints on the Saturday night, I wasn’t really in the mood. I guess I don’t feel that I deserve a drink if I’ve not been running.

Sunday morning arrived and I decided to give it a bash. I jumped on the bike and made my way towards Paisley.  I passed a group of Glasgow parkrunners on their longer than normal run and against a strong head wind, I arrived at Barshaw Park in time to register for the my first run in over a week.

After the ‘warm up’ I lined up with a wide range of runners, joggers and walkers.  We were sheltered in the park from the wind and the morning sunshine provided ideal running conditions.  The organisers explained the route of the two-lap course and with a leading cyclist in front we set off at 11am.  I wasn’t surprised to see a host of tiny tearaways sprinting away at the start, the exuberance of youth! I knew that the majority of them would soon tire and I had illusions of placing first.  I was having mixed feelings about being the first person across the line and I was glad when another adult over took me.  It was actually a hard wee course, starting on level ground but then turning right, around part of the duck pond, a further right and we continued our slow ascent before a further right took us up a trail. A left turn and we continued to the highest point, a climb of some 20metres or so.  The trail led us back to the tarmac and downhill towards the Start Line for the first time.  I was in third place with the other adult and a youngster a good bit in front.  I caught up with the young lad in front of me on numerous occasions but every time I reached him, he dug deeper and managed to pull away.  I was impressed with his bottle, he just wasn’t for letting me pass.  I crossed the Line for the second time and Garmin revealed that the distance had been 1.96miles and my time 13:44. Spot on 7min/miles.  Not bad, all things considered. 

I congratulated the young lad and the other two and, after receiving my medal, water and Easter Egg, I cheered the other runners home before cycling back to Glasgow with the wind on my back.

Unfortunately my foot was sore after my run but I took advantage of this by having a good gym session on Monday, including some upper body, core and leg work and also some time on the Elliptical and Powerplate machines.  On Tuesday I tried a wee 30min run on the treadmill at just faster than marathon pace.  I increased the time to 45mins on Wednesday and covered 5.7mile and on Thursday reverted back to my Marathon Training Plan, 1M jog, 4M @ Marathon Pace, 1M jog.  Friday was a ‘rest day’ as well as a holiday and I settled for a walk through Queens Park and around Shawlands. 

On Saturday I made my way along to Pollok Park to complete my 88^th Glasgow parkrun.  There was another excellent turnout with some 363 taking part in the 5k, including Killie Harrier Willy Duffy and his sister.  My work colleague Ian Dysart and my old foe Graeme Aitken, who has shed a couple of stones in weight in the last few months.  A number of my running buddies enquired about my foot and if I was still running London. 

It never took me long for me to realise that my foot and leg were hurting and as I approached the cut off point at the end of the first lap, I’ve never been closer to being a ‘did not finish’.  However I decided to complete the race instead and actually increased the pace a little in the second lap.  A fast finish saw me catching a few runners and I crossed the line in 23:21in 110^th position.  Full Results

Much of the post race chat centred around the London Marathon and the enthusiasm of those other runners who are participating in the race rubbed off on me.  I should really be looking forward to the race but I’m not sure at all that my right foot is up to 26.2miles.