18th run and 5km

Small 5k this Friday. It is late and night is coming earlier than expected. Should I rather reschedule my run and spend the night watching Transformers 7 (revenge of the revenge) with beer and tortillas? Que nenni! Night lamp mounted on top of my head, I'm out in the dark :)

I like how everything looks bigger, stranger and threatening in the night. Your everyday routes become adventurous, you feel like exploring territories unknown to mankind! I can barely see the path in the spotlight. But I know this trail better than my apartment and my footsteps bring me safely back home. Small run today, taking it easy to be fit on Wednesday and beat new records!

17th run and 7km

NEW RECCORD today, with 7km painfree !

I'm convinced that good gear doesn't make a good runner, but it's nice and really motivating to get new stuff now and then. Thanks to my brother-in-run for this awesome birthday present: a new pair of sunglasses, that makes me look like I'm about to jump on my snowboard and descend the Mt. Blanc on immaculate snow... Yeah right, I'd like to see that! :)

Perfect sunny Sunday to try them on. Oh right, I got an haircut too. About time, I was starting to have difficulties seeing in front of me! I feel great today, let's break down in pieces some new record. I'm out for a "long run", following my favourite trail even longer, rediscovering these nice places that have seen so many of my past trainings. My watch marks the 5th and 6th kilometer, still no pain in my foot, maybe just some discomfort.

I'm trying to leave the cushioning trail to wander a bit on concrete, since Berlin's half and full marathon only consists of such. Not a big fan of hard surfaces, but my foot doesn't complain more. The 7th kilometre shows up like the finish line of an ultra. I'm kinda proud of me, 2 new reccords in a week. I really feel that the 10k, second step of my recovery, has never been that close!

16th run and 4km

Small 4k run this morning, I jump out of bed and land directly into my shoes. Sunny weather but freezing cold. My foot complains a little, I usually wait one hour after getting up before running.

I follow my favourite little trail, nothing new today. Oh yes, true, I got a new running buddy: He's small and I carry him inside my running belt: my new rugged smartphone! The old one was getting way too old. This time I picked a solid model with a strong battery pack and a reliable GPS, to satisfy my craving for exploration. I'm already addicted to it!

15th run and swampy 6km

New record today: 6km pain-free at pace 6:40!

Who said you need to wander deep into the forest for some adventure! I found it right in my back yard ;)

It's been raining for 3 days straight and my favourite trail changed into a swamp. But with just one run last week, I gotta get out! Mud up to the knees, I fight my way out, tracked by hungry piranhas biting my calves... Ok, I may oversell the story! You want action or what?

The narrow trail gets wet and slippery, but I am targeting a new record today so I hang on. I realise I don't really have the proper equipment for that. Water-resistant socks would be the minimum, trail shoes a must! I am adding this to my list to Santa.

The swampy trail makes it really hard to stay steady. The more I progress, the more I need to watch where I put my feet. Water wets my socks, I have dirt all over me, rain is forcing me to shut my eyes... The good thing though is that my foot is "digging" this cushioning ground and I run through the 6th km easily, no pain whatsoever. A new amazing victory, over nature, over man, over myself :)

     

14th run and 5km

I'll be doing whatever snow does IN SUUUUUMMER!

Olaf, Frozen

Another 5k this morning, after 5 days of rest. I skipped running on Monday, since I was exhausted and did not want to catch a cold.

I'm not sure if skipping a session is a good thing, I should really try to commit to running every 2 or 3 days, so my foot doesn't get lazy.

Time to bring my little prince at the Kita and I'm on my way. Pace is good, a little too fast at the beginning. I need to slow down a bit after 1km, feelings some scratching in my sole. But nothing painful. I keep on smoothly, enjoying the sunny morning and the frozen trail. Zero degrees this morning, brrr!

I finally head back home, tackling down the 5th km. My watch indicates 30min, pace about 6:00. Not bad for someone who couldn't run a month ago! I think I can move on towards greater distances, like the 10k. Not sure if I'll be ready for the half  in six weeks, but that's ok. I am enjoying this adventures one step at a time :)

13th run and 4km

Don't be in such a hurry! Work on your technic, speed will come later without you even noticing.

Li Xu

How many times have I heard that from my former kung fu master, who learned amongst the shaolin monks? In our daily life, we are obsessed with speed, always trying to do everything as fast as possible. But speed is merely the habit of repeating the same action thousand times. If we work on speed instead of technic, we will end up being very fast at performing poor quality actions!

It is the same with running. Don't think about speed at the beginning. Work on your stride, your position, your landing, your arms, your breathing, your mental and so on. Soon you will realize how all that has become easy and how fast you are now.

Why am I playing the old wiseman this morning? Maybe because one more time I realise that my master was right. After a month working on my stride, not paying attention to pace or time, I run this morning at 5'55, whereas I was barely under 7'00 a month age. No rush, no pain, my usual pace is just coming back naturally. Let's hope my foot will get along with it :)

12th run and 5km

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweat"
J.J. Rousseau

Nope, last Friday was no miracle! I ran my second 5km today, at a better pace! Not even worried this time, just a regular 5k, like I used to run 4 times a week last year.

Now I can say that my foot is definitely getting better. When I tried to resume my training last September, just 3 months after my injury, I crashed at the 5k distance and couldn't keep on because of the pain rushing back. That's when I started a more aggressive recovering phase, with daily stretching and icing of my foot, and Voltaren applications. Finally, I can say it was energy well spent!

Well let's not get too excited too soon! There road is still long up to the 50k :)

11th run, 3k easy

Very short 3km run this morning,  to keep a stepped progression after my amazing 5k last Friday!

I had an exhausting weekend, with a 12h mocap session on Saturday (yeah to carrying heavy boxes around) and hardest of all, a Kinderkaffee and pickup mom-in-law at the airport on Sunday x_x

Anyhow, even with all that moving around, my foot seems to recover quite rapidly. Good thing, cause I got plans this month and I need its support!

10th run, 5km and 1st goal achieved

"Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy."

Saadi

Wooooh! 5km today and the first step of my recovering program achieved: the 5k!

Now, 5k can seem like the end of the world for many couch-addicts, but it used to be my keystone, a reference distance I used a lot. It gives you a good idea of your average pace, it's a nice segment in a marathon (run 5km at a time!), it's usually the distance separating two supply points (who doesn't like them?) and it's a nice distance for a short run. I usually never ran shorter than this. But today I kinda feel like a couch-potato myself, striving to see that 5 beeping on my watch!

No rushing though, I take my time, let's see how far I get today. The stepped training and running only 3k on Wednesday is working. My foot feels rested and ready. I warm up my calves before starting, as usual, and follow a narrow trail I know well.

Last night I watched 'Run Free', the documentary on Caballo Blanco, the famous ultrarunner who lived amongst the raramuri indians in the Copper Canyons. He used to run more than 100 miles a week in the mountains and had a very distinctive stride: small steps, back straight, arms low... I'm trying to copy his posture, quite different than mine. It feels smooth, relaxed, I like the small steps, which are less demanding for my foot. Before I even notice, my watch marks the 5th kilometer. I did it!

It took me 3 weeks to reach my first goal, but I really feel everything is on its way. I still cannot commit to any training plan right now, with only 15km a week, but it shouldn't take long. The recovery train is up and running! Next stop: 10km station :)

9th run easy

Easy 3km run today, since I started this stepped training, alternating easy and intensive runs (don't laugh, 4km can be intense!)

Nothing new, following the trail, I stride across little paths. Always this pleasure of discovering hidden areas.

Reaching 3km, my foot starts to complain. It is most probably still recovering from Monday. The stepped training is definitely a good choice! Let's see how it feels on Friday.

8th run and 4km

Big step today with 4km painfree!

Slipping out in the rain, I am pretty sure I won't last long, since I had a tiresome weekend with lots of walking and carrying boxes. Thus, I listen carefully to my body signals. My foot feels good and enjoys the swampy cushioning trail. Something different today? I removed my orthodic sole, which seemed to bother my foot more than helping it! My stride is now smoother, I bounced back nicely. I think this orthodics is not made for running and kind of impairs my stride every time I step on it. I run now with the regular soles from my asics nimbus and it feels right.

I warm up my calves before starting, the usual 50/10/10 and stretch. Feels good too, no starting pain, not even unpleasant sensations.

Since I am now close to the 5k, my first recovery goal, I plan to switch to a stepped progression with an easy run between two "longs". I will run 3km only on Wednesday and come back to 4 or 4,5km on Friday. This should give my foot more time to recover.

It's going pretty well guys, the ultra is just a footsteps away :)