This Saturday my sister, my wife, our dogs and I went to Lake Vyrnwy, a picturesque reservoir not too far from where we live. The plan was for me to run around it while the girls walked around, all of us in training for our respective charity events.
11.1 miles of smooth roads with barely a gradient change for the entire route. I set off with the intention of taking it easy to preserve my knees but despite the sun it was a pretty chilly day so I had to pick up my pace to generate some body heat.
I have discovered that I usually run on my toes, my heel barely ever touches the floor. For over half the distance I ran in my usual tip-toe style but after about 45 minutes of running my left knee finally began to protest. I decided to adjust my gait and began to run leading with my heel and allowing my foot to roll to my toes. This did seem to alleviate some of the pain in my knee but the damage was already done.
I competed the 11 miles in 1 hour 56 minutes. The girls walked around with the dogs in 3 hours 45 minutes. So all in all we did quite well.
Sunday was going to be a session back out in the boat but Nigel had commitments in the afternoon and I had commitments in the morning so it had to be postponed.
This morning I hit the pool again for a 45 minute session. The knee was agony and I was really struggling to kick with it but it loosened up through the swim and by the end I had thrashed out my limp.
Once the knee stops hurting completely I am going to carry on running but I think I am going to have to cut the distances I am doing down to build strength but reduce the damage.
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Training, Planning and Running the Devizes to Westminster Race
Welcome to my blog where I am documenting all of the training and planning toward competing in the Devizes to Westminster kayak marathon in 2010.
When I started this my one and only goal was to be ready to take part in the DW race but once I begun my training in earnest I started to look around at other endurance events with a desire to take part in those as well.
On the 22nd of March I took part in the Ironbridge half marathon finishing the race in 2h 01m 32s.
The 12th September I will compete in the Great North Swim.
8 days later I will take on the Great North half Marathon.
And then in April 2010 is the reason for all of this, the Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra marathon.
Thank you for your support.
When I started this my one and only goal was to be ready to take part in the DW race but once I begun my training in earnest I started to look around at other endurance events with a desire to take part in those as well.
On the 22nd of March I took part in the Ironbridge half marathon finishing the race in 2h 01m 32s.
The 12th September I will compete in the Great North Swim.
8 days later I will take on the Great North half Marathon.
And then in April 2010 is the reason for all of this, the Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra marathon.
Thank you for your support.
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Short sleeve thermal top
Short sleeve lightweight cag
Long sleeve heavy cag
Full length lycra or thermal trousers
Zipped spray deck
Normal spray deck
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The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world. It starts in the quiet market town of Devizes in Wiltshire and finishes 125 miles later at Westminster Bridge, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London.
It is held over the Easter weekend each year and has been a fixture in the British sporting calendar since 1950. But DW is much more than just a canoe race - it’s an adventure! It forces competitors to dig long and deep into their reserves of physical and mental stamina which is why the race is often called “the canoeists’ Everest”.
Having the technical skill to paddle a kayak or canoe is essential but the most important quality needed to complete DW is raw determination. And the reward for making the mighty effort needed to cross the finish line is a sense of satisfaction so profound that many paddlers can’t resist coming back year after year.
It is held over the Easter weekend each year and has been a fixture in the British sporting calendar since 1950. But DW is much more than just a canoe race - it’s an adventure! It forces competitors to dig long and deep into their reserves of physical and mental stamina which is why the race is often called “the canoeists’ Everest”.
Having the technical skill to paddle a kayak or canoe is essential but the most important quality needed to complete DW is raw determination. And the reward for making the mighty effort needed to cross the finish line is a sense of satisfaction so profound that many paddlers can’t resist coming back year after year.
2 comments:
You really should run with your whole foot for distance running. Sprinters run on their toes because toe running's faster, marathon runners use the whole foot because toe running leaves you more open to injury.
Disagree. Running on your toes is how a human is designed to run with the calves acting as the shock absorbers. Running on your heels your entire body weight is effectively dropping onto the bottom of the tibia and the shock can only be absorbed through the joints.
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