Training IV

The training has been going well. During the sessions I feel like I am working hard and I noticed this morning that my large stomach is starting to recede although I've a long way to get to my target weight.

Last night's session was one of the toughest so far. We started with the usual warm-up and then began doing laps of the field. We ran the length of the touchline then walked/jogged the other three sides. Next stage was to run the touchline and goal line and walk/jog the rest. The third stage was to run the touchline, goal line and other touchline with a walk along the goal line. The last (and sadly for me unfinished) stage was a full circuit of the field at somewhere between half and three quarters pace.

Regular readers will know that after the first training session I suffered a reaction as my body didn't take kindly to the exertions of two 12 minute running sessions. Since then I have experienced stomach cramps at some point during each training session and last nights was the worst. The pain is excruciating and I had to stop running on the last stage and was reduced to a walk.

Chuckle Elder also did a quick analysis of my running action and diagnosed me as running on my heels which meant I was constantly over stretching my hamstrings which explains why I have had so much trouble with them recently. I think the heel running started after I damaged my calf muscles (soleus tendon to be precise) in the 2006-07 season and I have been over compensating ever since.

After a four minute rest we repeated the whole cycle again but in reverse, i.e. we started with the full circuit and worked out way down to running a touchline. Chuckle Elder and Fat Lad made me lead them off on the run down the single touchline and I'm sure they could have easily passed me, I led them from beginning to end. This was the first time I had gone above half pace since my hamstring injury back in April.

Once we had worked through the reverse cycle we started from scratch again (after a 4 minute rest). Having completed the first cycle in 9 minutes and the second in 9 minutes 30 seconds I suggested that we could do this one in 8 minutes. The lads laughed this off saying that cutting a minute off our best time was too much to ask. Again I led the group off and again I managed to keep ahead of them right until the end (but as the Fat Lad later confirmed, both could have passed me at any time!).

We went through the full cycle but my stomach cramps kicked in again on the last stage and I collapsed to my hands and knees. The lads kept on going and came back to check on me but I just couldn't get up. So disappointingly I had actually ran myself into the ground. I believe my fitness is getting better as my recovery times are improving with my pulse and breathing coming back into line much more quickly, but the cramps are really ruining my training. As for the time for the final cycle, they were right we could only do it in 8 minutes 2 seconds (so close!).

Today I'm helping out at a gala with the Fat Lad. It's the first test with a whistle in my hand. The weather looks like it will stay dry so it might be trainer time instead of boots!