Despite the title of this blog, I never intended to stop writing after running a 100 mile race. It just happened that way. And once the chain is broken, it’s easier to just stop…

Wrapping up 2015

Looking back to the rest of 2015 on my Strava, I raced 22 times: many being minor Meadows races or cross country, 3 10k’s, 2 HM’s

July was what I would call for fun.

August started with the Donkey Brae (fit enough to run hard and do fairly well) and ended with Barry Buddon HM (wasn’t feeling it but fit enough to go at a decent pace regardless).

September I think could be my peak fitness, hitting the Stirling 10k sharp and ready for a 33:57 PB. The next week, Linlithgow for a slower time but better performance.

October finished up the road season with the GSR 1/2M, just missing the 75m mark to be my 2nd fastest half, though probably from a position of more fitness but less destroying myself.

Then Oct/Nov for XC, and my awesome fitness fading away, failing to quite stretch to meet what was asked.

Injury

The last couple of weeks of November I felt a bit of an issue in my right tibia an inch or two above the ankle. Enough to scale back to run only about 50k a week (but still race). Soon after I caught a nasty cold that had me running in misery for a couple days and then stop. The rest of the year disappeared.

I tried to start the year with a bang with the Porty Promathon and a couple parkruns, and start into training. Too much?

I went through some iterations of taking a break until my injury felt better then starting back too quick.

I went to a physio who diagnosed a “stress reaction” (certainly not stress fracture) and prescribed (the usual) rest and strengthening exercises.

I dipped my toe in with the odd run.

I went through some iterations of starting and backing off.

I had some scans show up nothing.

I got into cycling as a way of doing more. In summer, cycling is fun, and I really did get into it, regular post-work long-ish rides, finally got around to doing a ride of 50-odd miles.

Then and now

I still don’t know what to conclude from all this. I’m prone to doing too much. So I consequently resolved to listen to my body when it says no. Yet it would seem I have been too cautious, listening to minor whinges and over-reacting. Breaks from running, losing fitness, and becoming more injury prone when coming back. Better not to break?

It seems that I’m building back more sustainably now, slowly getting back some fitness. About 60km/week, feeling that I can keep adding gradually. Feeling like I’ll be able to enter some races for next year and actually make it there.