As I climbed off an exercise bike in the gym on Tuesday, a very hot and sweaty mess,  I bumped into one of the Navy’s PTIs (Physical Training Instructors) that I’ve spoken to before. He asked how the running was going, and I told him about my exploits in the Fling.  He’s a runner himself and the chat developed into PBs and training (I can take him over any distance above 13.1!), and I voiced my concerns about being a submariner and maintaining running fitness. “Let me show you something”, he said.

We walked back to his office, and then he handed me this book…

He explained to me that he had been in the USA and Canada as part of the crew on HMS Ark Royal last year, and had met a US PTI. He had exchanged his beret (The US Navy don’t wear them, but think they’re great) for this book. I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but this is actually a book about running ON THE SPOT! Apparently ideal for a submariner like me, but despite the author of the book’s forward, I needed some convincing… he lent me the book…

Having skimmed through it, the whole idea of the book would appear to be based on the Sports Psychology principles of Schmidt (for further reading see, ‘Motor Learning & Performance – From Principles To Practice’ by Schmidt, R.A, 1991 - I was a PE student remember!) which suggests that any practice/repetition, is better than none; i.e. practicing putting on the carpet to improve your golf,  is better than not practicing at all. It’s a very interesting read, and I ran a mile on Thursday night in my cabin! There’s an annex to the book which gives suggestive running times per mile (‘On The Spot’) based on your average run/race times, each mile being approximately 1.5 mins slower to equal the energy/calorie expenditure of a normal run.

The book also discusses barefoot running, and how we can use ‘Running On The Spot’ techniques, as a means to improving our running performance.  i.e. as with barefoot running, we can improve our running form through running barefoot, ‘On The Spot’! Given the need for silence onboard a submarine, I was particularly interested in this chapter! 

There are also chapters on running ‘uphill’ on the spot, and running ‘speed sessions’ on the spot… I’m yet to be convinced by these, but if you apply Schmidt’s principles (of which I’m a great believer, and wrote my dissertation on), then there must be something in it! It’s a fascinating book, and I don’t want to give it back… as I (surprisingly, let me know if you can – I scanned the above) can’t find it online, it’s photocopying time at work!

Keep on running friends… but apparently ‘On The Spot’ will do!

Good luck one and all!

I wrote this on Wednesday after my run… old skool!

“I’m sitting in my Cabin at Faslane, using pen and paper to put down my thoughts as I have no internet access. I feel inspired to waffle on after the run from which I have just returned.
For some time now I have complained about running out and back from Faslane, and of not enjoying my runs. Well suddenly, the evenings get longer and the sun shines brighter, and I have time and  daylight to fill (not to mention some very cool new trainers!).
I’ve discovered a cracking run which loops away from Faslane, up the Glen Fruin Road (allowing for some serious hill reps, e.g. 2 mins up, 1 min down x 8), followed by about 2 miles of glorious downhill running to destroy whichever leg muscles I haven’t already trashed going up the hill!
I’m even starting to enjoy those out and backs which tormented me just a few weeks ago. This afternoon, I ran my 6 mile out and back (well out and back apart from the loop at the halfway point!) and was reminded why I’m a runner. After 7 snowy miles on Saturday, 14 long miles on Sunday, 6 miles tempo on Monday, and the above mentioned hill session yesterday, today was never going to be anything more than a recovery run/steady plod… the kind of run I generally hate! Armed with just my ipod - no GPS, no watch – I decided to run my six miler, knowing I could turn back and cut it short if necessary. But the sunlight brings with it new treasures… the snow glowing on the tops of the hills, the sun sparkling off the water as a couple of tugs dance on the waves like Anne Widdecombe and her partner on Strictly Come Dancing, the sea breeze blowing the scent of salt water through the air, my ipod shuffling up some classic tunes,  and even the residents of the Faslane Peace Camp are pottering about enjoying the day… peacefully of course! If it hadn’t been for the traffic and the concrete underfoot, I might have thought I was on the trail, miles from civilisation. 
So, why am I a runner? Because even on days when it’s hard work just to maintain a slow pace, when you feel like a pantomime horse taking part in the Grand National, and when the biggest challenge of your run is to get out of the front door in the first place, you are reminded that the outdoors is a fabulous, and beautiful place to be!”

My good form has continued… I’ve run every day this week (twice today!) and covered 53.5 miles. I ran 15 miles yesterday @ 7:22 m/m pace and felt fantastic. My training’s really starting to come together now and I’m thoroughly enjoying being a runner again… now if I can just find a few races to do…

(You can blame Caroline for the title. Apparently it’s some clever reference to a pub in something called Coronation Street? Not sure what she’s talking about, but she thought it was clever!?!?)

Anyway, this week, after a bad day in the office last Sunday for me, it’s Caroline’s turn to complete the run. I thankfully, am only here as the designated driver! Last week, Caroline was ill, so stayed at home, whilst I joined JK et. al. for the 31 miles training run on the Way. I completed the distance, and in a reasonable time, but I was not happy with my run. To put it bluntly, I was hangin’ out my arse from Bridge Of Orchy onwards. I’d had a bad stomach all week , I had perhaps completed too many long runs in the previous weeks, I was wearing new shoes, it was windy, the day had a ‘y’ in it… whatever excuse you want! Truth is, I probably got a bit carried away and pushed the pace a bit (surprised?).

At the top of the forest above Crianlarich, I set off down one of the hills in my usual manner… and that was the last I saw of the other guys! I ran all the way to Tyndrum without walking (except when I Superman dived onto the floor having apparently not seen the big lump of tree sticking out the ground), and was feeling pretty good. Having read JK’s blog of the run, I had made 4 minutes on them from the top of the forest to Auchtertyre Farm, and that’s not that far… clearly I got a bit carried away, and hence leaving Tyndrum, I started to suffer. Anyway I lived to tell the tale, but had the usual, ‘never doing this again’ chat with myself over the final miles!

So this week was Caroline’s turn… and yep… she did exactly the same as me… I was so proud! As a result, she ran 24 faster miles, and then came to a grinding halt. Personally I think it will do her confidence more good to have run like that, rather than just plodding on through 31 miles… I’m pretty sure it mean’t she enjoyed it more too (well the first 13 miles anyway!)

In my role as support crew, I ran 20.5 miles! I did 9 miles out and back from the Drovers, 7 miles out and back from Bridge Of Orchy, and then 4.5 miles back and out, and then out and back, from Victory Bridge. When I ran on my own, I ran hard, I maintained a sub 8 m/m pace and ran all the hills… I had a great time! As things turned out, it was a really good days training for both of us!

We have a little something special (running orientated) planned for Caroline’s Birthday the weekend after next, but if I told you what it was, I’d have to kill you!!!

I haven’t done much this week, my legs were a little tender to say the least after last weeks efforts, so after doing nothing on Monday, it was cross training in the gym that was called for on Tuesday. I pushed myself far too hard on the bike for 40 minutes, and my legs were certainly not more recovered after the session.

On Wednesday we had a training exercise on the boat in the evening, which pretty much gave me no time to go running, but after an early finish on Thursday (2pm), and a beautiful day to match, I climbed into my running gear (under protest from my legs, may I add) and headed out for a run. I decided just to go out and explore, with the main intention to find the Glen Fruin road. After a few uphill false starts, I found it, and it’s definitely a hill! On my ‘still tired from the weekend’ legs, it was only pure bloody minded stubborness, that saw me run all the way to the top without stopping. Then, when I reached the top of the road, I was anal, and had to take the trail to the very top. Something my road shoes were not very happy about! After enjoying the view for a few minutes, I ran back down the way I came, then out to Garelochhead and back. I was out for over an hour and a half, and although I enjoyed it, my legs really did struggle with the run after the climb.

When I returned, I got into the shower, taking my trainers with me for a rinse (they were disgusting!). Just after I’d got in, and was starting to enjoy the hot water, the bloody fire alarm went off! I took my time to dry myself and get dressed (I figured I’d rather have to smash the window with my desk chair to get out, than go out there in a towel), and was glad I did. After about 10 very cold, wet haired minutes, they finally acknowledged that it was a false alarm, and I headed back in to rejoin my trainers in the shower!

On Saturday I joined Caroline for a 25.5 mile run on the Cateran Trail. It was very wet and soggy under foot, and with quite a lot of ice in the early stages, I continued to make my latest running experiences eventful, by performing a Torvil & Dean style manouevre. Unfortunately I failed to include the grace or the finesse of their Bolero performance and ended up in a painful heap on the floor! I’ve had better starts to a run! Anyway, Mrs pacepusher ran really well and we had, in the words of Wallace & Gromit, ‘A Grand Day Out’.

I’m back to Faslane in about 3 hours… I feel a bit happier about it this week!

Yesterday saw me back on the WHW running from Drymen to Rowardennan and back (just over 30 miles) with lots of other like-minded folk. Hurray, an out and back for a change! We were lucky with the weather on the whole and it was a good run, but true to my name, I got a little carried away and pushed the pace somewhat,  hence the sore legs this evening.

The highlight of the run, for anybody close enough to see it (but, not for me!), would have to be my dip in Loch Lomond! The usually narrow, shallow flow of water leading across the beach and into the loch, was rather deeper and wider than normal yesterday. I thought I’d get the ball rolling and jump first having spotted what appeared to be a passable section. As I began to jump however, the section I was standing on collapsed sending me in free fall towards the ice-cold water. When I hit the bottom I continued to sink into the sandy ground and I concluded my venture into the loch, waist deep and with half the beach and a few small fish in my shoes. The next group to arrive spent a bit more time looking for a way across, succeeding in a dry crossing of the hazard, just a couple of meters up from where I went for a swim!

Last week, due to the rotten weather and some cross training, I’d only managed one run, a twelve mile run… out of Faslane for 6 miles, then back the way I came for the 2nd 6 miles! I ran well, and the out and back nature of the route didn’t bother me for once. Thanks for all the comments and ideas for runs after my last post. The problem I have at the moment however, is the lack of daylight I have for exploring. Still, developments over the next few days might mean that running is one thing I truly don’t have to worry about… there’s not much call for it onboard a submarine!

The problem with running from Faslane is that you only have two choices. Turn left out of the gate and risk a near death experience on fast, busy, country roads with no lights or footpaths, or turn right towards Helensburgh, with the safety of street lights, pavement and the added security of the Faslane Peace Camp. Call me boring, but I always choose the latter! The added downside to this however, is that however far you run away from Faslane, you’ll have to run the exact same distance, on the exact same roads, on the way back… I hate this!

The first time I did 10 miles from base, I enjoyed a nice, mostly flat path, all the way to Helensburgh, using the Commodore Public House car park as a turning circle, as I nicely attained the 5 mile mark. Then came the run back… nice, flat path my arse! The path was now a hugely undulating rollercoaster of a route with 95% of it going uphill, and there were pot holes all over the place just waiting for me to break my ankle… One was not amused! On top of all this, I turned left too early, found myself on the beach, which then became someone’s back garden, and I had to let myself out of their lovely wrought iron garden gate! Going through said gate, I came face to face with another runner that I had just spent ages catching up with and overtaking. The look of confusion on his face, and my slight embarrassment, saw me sprinting away from him back towards base, hoping that by some strange wonder, he wouldn’t be a fellow Faslaner, but a member of the Peace Camp or a lost Helensburgh resident!

I’ve also been playing a bit of 5-aside football, netball, and badminton whilst on base… they ask, “do you want to work or play sport?” Well, it’s a tough one; let me get back to you on that! I enjoyed the badminton so much (and having been asked to by some high-ranking officer) I was considering playing twice a week with the base club. I still might, but I worry about my knees during such sports… I think if I’m going to keep being a runner, then that’s all I need to be. Besides, I’ve lost my racquet and can’t face splashing out on a new one! I also passed my annual RN fitness test, putting lads half my age to shame! I opted for the bleep test over the mile and a half run… both are equally invaluable when onboard a submarine, but the bleep test is indoors, and doesn’t involve 10, yes 10, cold laps of the Astroturf!   

Saturday 22^nd January, saw me back on the WHW, running the 34 miles (the path was closed from Lundavra, and we had to take the road) from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William with Ian K, Jamie A, and Shettleston Bob. Mrs p (or Caroline as her new look blog refers to her), with other things on her mind, decided on alternative arrangements. This meant that she ran/walked a lot of uphill, some on her own, some with us, and was also able to provide a taxi service back to Bridge of Orchy. She was also able to join us for soup and a coke in the Trailrace Inn in Kinlochleven. Well the four of us had soup and a coke, Caroline had some strange herbal tea thingy that only she and JK could possibly extract any satisfaction from! The company was great, the weather was even better, and a great day out was had by all!

Back to Faslane, and back to the out and back crap! Monday’s easy run presented another evil of the out and back route – the wind. Heading out, I was the Usain Bolt of the marathon world, International superstar and record breaker. Coming back, I was more like Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor on a World Darts ‘pub crawl’ Christmas night out! Still, according to SPOTY10, I was still a sporting superstar… well a runner-up to a jockey anyway!

Tuesday was as above but slower and with no excitement, then on Thursday, after a complete waste of time, Volleyball session (The girls were scared of the ball, and there was only me and another lad playing. Let’s just say that there weren’t many rally’s going on!), I forced myself to the gym for an hours cross training… yawn! yawn! yawn! 30 minutes on a bike… boring! 20 minutes on a cross trainer… weird and boring! Then 10 minutes on a rowing machine… I just don’t get it, even more boring! Worse still, the same song was on the badly tuned music channel on the big TV screen for the entire hour… well maybe not, but with the crap that’s in the charts at the minute, it might as well have been. Every song seems to be some new R&B/Rap star who is selling their records by featuring Rhianna! Still needs must, and it meant I got some CV work done and saved running on what had developed into very tired legs by Wednesday morning… hence the day off!

‘What about next week?’ you ask. Well, I’ll probably run out of Faslane, then turn around and run back to Faslane on that increasingly familiar tarmac a few times!

So, to catch up briefly… illness and injury led to me not running the 24  hour race, and due to the world’s finest Navy failing to give me any definite plans for the near future, I haven’t entered the WHW Race as hoped either. In fact, all I have entered since my last participation in a race (WHWR 09!) is lower levels of fitness and trousers with a slightly larger waist band! I still have no definite plans for the future, but I’m hoping to do the Fling, and possibly the Edinburgh marathon. Again, these plans rely heavily on what the Navy has in store for me, and that is a complicated story just now… although if you don’t know, I’m now thankfully based at Faslane!

Anyway, about running. I’ve been forced to make use of the treadmills at Faslane during the week due to the ‘adverse’ weather and early dark nights (I hate treadmills but they’ve served a purpose), then on a weekend I’ve been partaking in Mrs pacepusher’s training plan, and joining her for her long runs. On Saturday, we ran 20 miles, some on the road, some on the trail. Now some of you may not have noticed, but on Saturday, that ‘adverse’ weather reappeared…

I know that loads of you out there love running in the snow and the ice, be it in new trail shoes, with new shoe attachments, or simply with no shoes on at all (you know who you are, and you’re mad!), I however don’t get it! There is a reason why somebody took the time to invent skis after all. More to the point, there’s also a reason why somebody invented those goggles that you wear to protect your eyes whilst using said skis… it means that the snow doesn’t constantly go in your eyes and you don’t start to become mildly blind from staring at the whiteness below your feet. Unlike on skis, it is also almost impossible to run at any decent pace in the snow, and if you know me at all, you’ll know that I hate running slowly!

Trying to cheer me up, Mrs pacepusher pointed out that it was great because there was nobody else around… I pointed out that she was there, and her constantly telling me how lovely it was did not create the solitude that she was so lovingly describing. There was also a reason why the only other footprints we could see belonged to a rabbit. He had to be there, he was probably running from a hungry fox, or a fat farmers gun whose 4×4 was stuck in the snow preventing him from getting to the butchers for his lunch. We, on the other hand, had been sitting on the sofa watching Soccer AM before I was dragged kicking and screaming out of the house. We did not have to be out there, the rabbit did! It did give me an idea though…

As we hit the tree line I picked up the pace and ran on ahead a bit. Once far enough ahead and out of sight, I stopped in my tracks, and dived to the right into the trees, thus leaving no footprints, and giving the impression that I had been abducted by aliens! I crouched low and watched as Mrs p ran along happily following my footprints… until they vanished that is! I could see the confusion on her face as she looked around trying to work out where I had gone. Eventually she continued a little further up the trail before stopping, turning round, and calling out for me (see, she does care!). I put her out of her misery and appeared from the trees pissing myself laughing… for a brief moment, I was enjoying the run, although at that point I wasn’t technically running!

By the time we got home, Mrs pacepusher’s red rosy cheeks made her look like one of Santa’s elves, were as I looked like I had been attacked by a  bad pantomime dame’s make-up artist! I had to start with the shower on cold and gradually turn the heat up as my body thawed out… seriously, why do you all think that running in the snow is fun? I for one did not enjoy being pointed and laughed at by all the sane people in the world… although maybe it’s us runner’s that are the sane ones, with all the crazy things I’ve done as a  runner, I’ve never managed to decide!

Anyway, I went back out in the snow tonight and ran 5 miles at 7:44 average pace, so I can’t have hated it that much! I actually enjoyed my run tonight and have three things to report. Firstly, It’s easier to run on the road where there is no snow, rather than on the path where there is lots of snow, however, cars, busses and lorries, use roads and you get in their way if you run on them – oops! Secondly, when the batteries have pretty much run out on your head torch, and the beam is about as much use as Rudolf’s red nose is to Santa on a foggy christmas eve, you should avoid areas with no street lights – oops! Thirdly, I have a new game. The aim of the game is to get the best/strangest noise out of walkers as you run past them. Night time is the best time to play this game, but other than that you’ll need to develop your own tactics. I like to watch as a walker drifts to one side of the pavement, then run past them on the narrowest side. Your sudden appearance will almost guarantee an entertaining noise from the pedestrian as they get just a wee fright (WARNING: Don’t play this game with old people, the noise you hear may be the last noise they ever make!). Tonight’s lucky contestant made a noise somewhere between a dying Christmas turkey and Mika on helium – a classic, she’s made my top three!

Happy Christmas readers!

Well…

Marshalling… all the free kit, but no training, no race fee, and, wait for it, you don’t have to run the bloody thing… Genius!

Running… well, I’m in the process of completing my application form for the Tooting 24 hour track race (any comments?), and, if I’m around next year, and I’m accepted, I’ll be on the start line for the WHW 2011… bring it on!

I guess running wins!

The first week he found quite hard as the only exercise they did were the very short running and swimming tests.  It was mostly sorting kit and being given into trouble!  He has been doing more press ups than running, some as part of PT and some for punishments!  Having been made class leader though he seems to get it a bit different to the others.  I think he has found it quite a steep learning curve though in leading and managing others!

Last week they were doing more running including some cross country.  They were split into three groups and he was in the top one.  There was a female PT instructor leading their group and I think some of them thought they were in for an easy time but she was the fittest of the lot of them!  Turns out she runs for the navy cross country team.

For those who know Neal they will find it surprising to hear he is going to church every week!  However this is because if they go to church they get a wee break afterwards with tea, coffee, biscuits, newspapers and most importantly I think Match of the Day!

He is quite excited about getting to learn to shoot an assault rifle this week and quite glad he is getting home in less than two weeks for xmas.  They are a very lucky group getting a break in the middle!