Sole Endurance

Beet-It Shots

2013-02-08T00:24:00.003-08:00

As we all know the likes of EPO and blood doping is a huge and troubling problem in sport today, as we have seen with the Lance Armstrong blood doping evidence it has been especially prevalent in cycling.
Even runners have been coming out of the wood works with the use of EPO like Christian Hesch who out rightly confessed to use of the banned substance.
As an athlete I am always looking for a way to improve my ability to run faster, train harder and beat my competitors. But i couldn't live with myself knowing that if i did pick up a GB vest/prize money or achieve a PB that I did it not by pure determination and grit.......But with the use of a banned substance.

The only option available is to find a natural way to increase my performance and feel good about the times I achieve.
A company called Beet-it were actually producing a Beetroot Juice as a small part of their vegetable range when they were approached by some researchers from the William Harvey Research Institute. It was these researchers who persuaded their MD Lawrence Mallinson that their beetroot juice was going to become popular within the health market (through links to blood pressure and flow) and sports nutrition (oxygen usage efficiency), initially he wasn't convinced, but after sales increased in those specific markets increased , it convinced them to work closely with the researchers.
When the England Rugby team tested the organic juice and found that drinking 250-500ml before a game just wasn't suitable, they then found that by concentrating the juice, the nitrate content developed to a 0.3g concentration in 70ml. After the Organic shot became established it was obvious that the sporting world was more focused on the nitrate content and associated sporting benefits rather than the organic credentials of the shot. They therefore developed the SPORT shot from conventional (inorganic) beetroot with a 33% increased nitrate content. The Nitrate is a nutrient found in soil that helps build protein. This converts into nitrite in the body and then into nitric oxide, which has a “double whammy” effect: It widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow; and it reduces the oxygen needed by muscles, enabling them to work more efficiently. To really reap the benefits of the juice you need to be drinking the concentrated shot of 7cl /0.4g of nitrate, to get the same amount of nitrate from the regular beetroot juice you would need to drink 550ml.
Some have called this the new “legal blood doping”.
I recently spoke to the Beet-it company and explained I was writing a piece on the effects of the beetroot and they happily sent over a pack of the shots to test. My test was to use the shots for a race I had coming up - Wimborne 10.
I would take a weeks worth of shots in the build up and have 2 shots in the morning with a few hours between them, the results were amazing.
Pre shots I was running around the 55-54 min barrier for 10 miles which is pretty quick and wins a few races but it was not what I wanted by the end of the year, I wanted quicker times and more PB's.
The Week build up:
I was due to do quality sessions instead of quantity, so I felt fresher in training and races. Below shows my week's build up and paces while taking the shots.
Monday: 3 miles @ 5:05, :5:06, 5:06 with 3 miles warm down to get a bit of mileage in there.
Tuesday: 6 x 1200m @ 3:30 - 3:40 pace which all were in (a little quicker than i was told to do so it meant the shots were doing the trick)
Wednesday: 45 mins at 5:55 - 6:05 which i would cover just over 7 miles and a great aerobic workout.
Thursday: easy 20 mins in the morning followed by easy 40 mins with 1min strides in the evening.
Friday: REST
Saturday: easy 30 mins with strides
Race day: I got up around 6am to start hydrating my body. I started with a shot of the beet-it sports drink followed by an electrolyte drink.
see my results

My overall review for the Beet-it shots are a massive 10/10, I have never experienced such a huge benefit from something I read about in a magazine. On the start line I felt recovered and relaxed enough to not think about who could beat me and went into the race thinking “what time could I post on the shots and actually looked forward to the time instead of thinking, “I am really tired”.
It is probably psychosomatic but I felt it mentally helped me to stay focused, and focus on what time could I post.
It benefited me such that I have implemented the shots into my next race plan where I aim to run a 10km in a PB which currently stands at 32:48.
Yes the shots can be expensive at around £32 for a pack of 15 shots however if you are looking to improve your times in a healthy and legal way then Beet-IT. You would not want to take these shots every day but in a 2 week build up to a big race. You can also use the Beet-it Organic 1 liter carton juice as a part of a normal everyday option then increase it with the shots as and when it is needed.
If you are willing to give this a go then you might want to take a look at this video by Andy Jones, one of the creators of the Beet-it shots who talks about the key points of taking the juice.

The Grid

2012-09-19T07:19:00.001-07:00

Over the last year I have been using foam ‘rollers’ to help reduce the injury rate my body has been going through, (on and off for the past 5 years).

My body knows just the right time to let me down – just as I need it the most, when I think I am at my best physically and when I have my most important races lined up.

Since using a roller I have seen a definite decrease in the number of different injuries I was getting, anything from shin splints to Achilles tendon problems. It seems to be working for me.

A few months ago I came across ‘The Grid’ – a roller with a difference! It’s a roller with a unique ability to help, well everything. Let’s just say I love ‘The Grid’!

There is some much going on with it, I can pretty much use it daily and reap the benefits from it, I am utilising it in my everyday routine, from Core work to warming up the muscles before a long run.

‘The Grid’ was developed by a company called TP Therapy, using durable EVA foam around a hard hollow core to stop that dreaded misshaping that we are expect from the traditional foam rollers.

So what can ‘The Grid’ can do for you? With its “Distrodensity Zones”, it can locate the targeted zones to give you a massage that only a good sport masseur would be able to do but without the price tag. Not only can the Distrodensity Zones give you a more realistic massage experience it can help with a core body workout.

It is unlike no other Foam roller currently on the market.

The makers of ‘The Grid’ have said they developed and designed ‘The Grid’ not only for athletes but all people to be able to achieve a comprehensive core body workout.

The key area’s I have tested while using it as a massage are:

• Calves – this is great for runners as we pound that area day in, day out

• Quads – for me this is a killer and always leaves me in pain but once its done I do feel better for it.

• IT band – because the IT band connects to a lot of different muscles around the leg area, a slight tightness of the IT back will leave one area in pain, using it on the IT band really helps with my knees.

For me it’s a no brainer really and I had to buy one to get the best of both worlds as a runner. To reduce the risk of injury and to have a great core workout, it’s everything an athlete wants from a piece of equipment with no extra cost of sports masseurs and heading to the gym.

The best thing about ‘The Grid’ is that it’s compact and light enough to carry to and from training sessions and travelling from location to location.

So, my advice is, say good bye to buying a new foam roller every 2 months and hello to ‘The Grid’ with its long life span and for no more than your top-end foam roller.

These Grid rollers can be purchased at any good gym or directly from TP Therapy.

Here are some suggestions what ‘The Grid’ can do for you:

Warm-up

Use the broad grid area to warm up muscles gradually. If you are massaging the legs, have both legs on ‘The Grid’, or one leg on ‘The Grid’, and the rest of your bodyweight on the floor for a gentle warm up.

Post Run Massage

Gradually build up to massaging one leg at a time on ‘The Grid’ with the other in the air. Depending on tightness or muscle soreness this could take a few days/weeks to recover.

Core work out

A by-product of using ‘The Grid’ to massage your legs is that you will be almost forced into positions that strengthen your core. There are also a number of specific exercises that you can do to strengthen the core on ‘The Grid’ such as modified push-ups; crunches; planks and bridges.

There are some cool YouTube Videos on how to position you in different area’s of the body.

You can check out the company and its other equipment by visiting http://www.tptherapy.com/

Back on it

2012-08-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

Good morning all from a wet and humid England, in the past month there has been some ups and downs, Achilles injury followed by knee pain then to training harder than before with no pain.

The Achilles problem was due to some inflammation build up on the heel with connective tissue to the Achilles, therefore making that area very painful however I knew it was fixable very quickly when after 2 days of not running the pain disappeared only for it to emerge again when I did a 30 min run.

3 trips to see Colin Campbell at Saruam Physiotherapy and I was a fixed man. Colin did some needle work and ultrasound to the effected area and placed some new pads to my orthotics and I was running within 2 weeks of the initial pain.

However unfortunately I developed some knee pain in the left leg but it didn’t hold me off my running as I was only doing rehab sessions, doing some proper warm ups and a self massage on the IT band seemed to have sorted that.

Now I am back to training and seeing the exact same times prior to the injury, it has been 5 weeks since I was training hard and now I am finally back on it.

I am now cycling every other day and concentrating on the hills.

This is to strengthen my legs but also to get in some extra miles without pounding the legs. I have recently been told by a few physio’s and cyclist that my build is of a hill climber which is really interesting as I do like the hills (once being called “king of the hills” in a local paper) so I have been contemplating whether to change the focus of my training to see what I can do however its really hard to decide.

Going back to training, I did my usual 11 miles but the pace I was running is quicker than I was doing 5 weeks ago with majority of the miles coming in at 6:11 and last few miles at 6:00 which is really promising. When I have been cycling, I have been focusing on the hilly courses and really focusing on my canines speed and making sure I do not get out of the saddle. I am really enjoying the bike sessions and I have planned to do a 5 loop course with a massive hill with a few flat parts and slight inclines early Saturday morning before I go to see my coach in Wimborne.

This week:

Monday: 40 mins at 6:15 pace

Tuesday: 40 mins at 6:10 pace – 10 mile ride

Wednesday: 11 miles with last 2 miles quicker

Thursday: 50 min easy running – 17 miles on the bike

Friday: 60 miles steady with last miles quicker

Saturday: 5 x 6mile loop (hilly)

Sunday: 1.5hr steady run with Mr Plummer

Next week I will be writing about a fellow runner who just recently picked a fight with Cancer. #TeamHiller

London to Monaco

2012-07-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a Fellow Dorset runner had very kindly written a piece about the London to Monaco Charity ride for A life for a kid. Helen Summer who is currently promoting her book - "Running Crazy"
you can find more details on the Dorset author - www.helensummer.com or Twitter - @seasidehelen
Huge thank you from all the L2M 2013 team.

Cycling Crazy

Having written a book about people who have run over 100 marathons, it seems somehow fitting that I am now writing about a couple of guys who intend to cycle over 100 miles a day for 9 days – to total 987 miles, which apparently, will take them all the way from London to Monte Carlo – (and/or bust depending on how things go).

In what way is that fitting? Well, apart from the fact that my car registration has the number ‘100’ in it, making that three 100s in a row, I’m thinking more of the title of my book – ‘Running Crazy’, which led me to come up rather brilliantly, in my humble opinion, with the title for this piece, ‘Cycling Crazy’. Well, they say there’s no such thing as an original idea, so why waste time trying to come up with one?

Now, far be it for me to suggest that people who have run over 100 marathons or who intend to cycle 100 miles a day for 9 days, are crazy; I’m simply reflecting on the reaction of those who when informed what I was writing about in both cases, responded with the words, ‘They must be crazy!’

I would say, ‘And who am I to argue?’ – but, and this is a big BUT (told you so), I prefer to take a more pragmatic approach to these things and consider the matter carefully first before jumping to any crazy, or otherwise, conclusions.

So, I hear you ask, what’s to consider?

Well, in the case of the book, I’d have to suggest you read it to find out; in the case of our two intrepid cyclists however - read on… (and to give the impression that I’m a real writer, I’m going to adopt the rules of journalism for this next bit – known as ‘the five Ws’ – or the ‘Who, What, Why, Where and When’ of the story).

Firstly, the Who?

No, not the 60s pop group – our intrepid cyclists (come on, I know modern man’s attention span is meant to be less than that of a gnat, but that’s ridiculous) – Who are they? They are Jono Lancaster and Kyle Pepperman-Hackett (who I’m going to refer to simply as Jono and Kyle from now on, for obvious reasons), plus a few friends.

Jono originates from West Yorkshire but grew up in Featherstone. He was born with Treachers Collins, a disorder that affects facial features by not allowing them to develop normally. Today, Jono works as a reality TV presenter for BBC3 and stars in documentaries about his life and his disorder. He likes to challenge his body to its limit, does a lot of running and gym sessions and has now dusted off his bicycle and started pedalling around the streets of Featherstone in readiness for this challenge.

Kyle was born in Coventry but now lives in Blandford, Dorset and works as a management information systems (MIS) support advisor for Pearson Education, who develop and support MIS, which are used by schools of all abilities. In his spare time, Kyle competes for Poole Runners Club and has been listed in the top Fifteen in the IAAF World Series croos country race. Having won county, club and South of England cross-country titles. He is currently running 85 miles per week in training, as well as chucking in the odd spinning session.

The two met through Twitter. (I always knew tweeting was a dangerous sport.) Jono tweeted that he wanted to do something crazy and with a lot of endurance. Kyle felt the same and suggested they hop on their bikes and pedal off to Monaco. Apparently Jono thought this an excellent idea.

The What?

Okay, so unlike a real writer, I’m going to repeat myself as I’ve actually already covered this, but for those gnats, menopausal women (me) and people who’ve been knocked on the head recently and suffered amnesia (forget I said that), the ‘What’ is - a 987 mile bike ride from London to Monte Carlo, Monaco over 9 days, averaging over 100 miles cycling per day.

The Why?

Good question. Well, actually, and this is where the craziness becomes maybe just a little questionable – Kyle and Jono are undertaking this massive challenge primarily to raise funds for the children’s charity, ‘Life for a Kid’ (www.lifeforakid.co.uk).

Life for a Kid was set up in 2009 by Dean Hoggard, with the aim of helping kids over 16 and their families to pay medical bills for life-saving or correctional treatment or, if their condition has progressed beyond medical aid, to help give them a better life experience for whatever time they have left. Jono has received help from Life for a Kid in the past and is now a patron.

The When?

Jono and Kyle start their challenge on 1st June 2013 at 0900 hours and, all being well, will finish 9 days later on the 10^th June 2013, time yet to be decided!

The Where?

The cycle ride (why do those words make it sound like a jolly little jaunt round the Isle of Wight?) starts from next to the 02 Arena, London and finishes in the centre of Monte Carlo, outside the Café de Paris, where Jono and Kyle will be found sitting atop several plump, feathery cushions with their feet up sipping a double Expresso.

So, what can you do?

Well, Jono and Kyle would love for any one of you lot reading this (gnats included) to turn up at the 02 Arena for the start to show your support for what they are hoping to achieve and send them on their way with some jolly loud and/or lewd good luck messages and/or make a donation to Life for a Kid by nipping along to their donation site: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/london2monaco, or, alternatively if you want to offer company sponsorship, contact them through www.sole-endurance.co.uk – otherwise it will be just two guys and some friends boarding their bicycles and pedalling from London to Monte Carlo in 9 days – now that would be crazy!

Benefits of using Ultrasound Therapy

2012-07-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Good day all,

Today I thought I would write about the benefits and how to use the physiotherapy ultrasound equipment. The reason why I am doing this is because last week I suddenly developed an Achilles problem where it slowly developed from the top of my leg to my Achilles in one single run, I could actually feel the pain slowly move down into the Achilles where it stopped and continuously to hamper my end of summer season.

Luckily last December I treated myself to a portable ultrasound kit for these kinds of injuries and so far it is working a beaut.

Ultrasound is applied using a round-headed wand or probe that is in direct contact with the patient's skin. Gel is used on all surfaces of the head to reduce friction and assist transmission of the ultrasonic waves. Therapeutic ultrasound in physical therapy is alternating compression and rarefaction of sound waves with a frequency of >20,000 cycles/second. Therapeutic ultrasound frequency used is 0.7 to 3.3 MHz. Maximum energy absorption in soft tissue occurs from 2 to 5 cm. Intensity decreases as the waves penetrate deeper. They are absorbed primarily by connective tissue: ligaments, tendons, and fascia (and also by scar tissue)

The background of the ultrasound kit, The first large scale application of ultrasound was around World War II. Sonar systems were being built and used to navigate submarines. It was realized that the high intensity ultrasound waves that they were using were heating and killing fish.^[2] This led to research in tissue heating and healing effects. Since the 1940s, ultrasound has been used by physical therapists for therapeutic effects

The benefits are:

Deeper Heat to the affected Tissue
Scar Tissue treatment
Reducing pain
Deeper stretching as it loosens the muscles.

I will update my Blog on how the rest of the treatment goes. I hope to be back to training in the next week and this means I can start a long block of training ready to go into the winter season race with a fair bit of aerobic sessions in me

Being Crazy

2012-07-09T06:22:00.002-07:00

On Saturday I was at a friends wedding, it was a brilliant day and the evening reception was at what was called the Rose Bowl now the ageas Bowl in Southampton. This is where the Hampshire and England team play their matches.

After a few drinks a endurance cyclist sat beside me and explained that we had just come back from Scotland where he competed in a bike event for his team, incidentally they came 2^nd from last as he had accident on his first lap and put them right at the back of the field.

We were exchanging a few competitions and then I explained what sole endurance was all about, by the end of the conversation he said “so your company is to allow fools and idiots the opportunity to do foolish and stupid stuff” I said yes and he replied “Now that’s a company”.

After that conversation, it dawned on me; there are not a lot of the crazy and endurance events where the endurance junkies can get their kick.

This is where sole endurance comes into play.

I have planned to create a 100 mile ultra running event which will cater for the south of England athletes to try something hard without travelling to the coast or up north in a remote place.

Please leave a comment if you would like to see a ultra 100 mile event and where would you like it to be and see there?

Update from June 2013

2012-07-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

Hello guys and gals,

So recently I have been extremely busy with training, travelling and sorting out the London to Monaco charity ride.

I have just come back from a week of warm weather training down in the family house at Tourouzelle which is located in the south of France.

The week went ok however I didn’t feel I got the most out of the weather. With it being on average around 34c and hitting 39c on Wednesday it was extremely hard to complete a speed session.

On June 9^th I went to Basingstoke to compete in the southern athletic league for my running club. I was running the 5,000m with training partner George, we both took the race by storm and started lapping all the runners bar one, with 2 laps to go I had dropped back by around 90 meters and with the back straight extremely windy I felt like walking the last lap but as usual I managed to kick the last lap to catch George and make up around 14 seconds and close the gap to 2 seconds apart.

Winning time 15:46, my time 15:48.

The London to Monaco is ticking over nicely, we have a new rider of Justin Reilly who s the Managing Director of Pearson Fronter (part of Pearson Education).

He comes from a cycling background and it’s really excited for the ride.

The new Sole endurance website went live last night with a L2M 2013 event page which will tell you more info and link to a blog where the riders will update with their training info and thoughts about the 987 miles they have to do next June.

Check out my new Website www.sole-endurance.co.uk

Keep your body Hydrated

2012-06-01T06:59:00.001-07:00

The key to a good performance in a race or an intense training session in the heat is hydration, if your not hydrated correctly then the performance is simply not there.

There are 3 types of drinks that can boast the performance of your activity whether its pre or post session. They are:

Isotonic sports drinks: they are designed to effectively replace the fluids and minerals that are lost through sweat. Isotonic drinks are ideal for rehydrating and fuelling for the next session. They best suit endurance athlete who are planning of a activity for more than 30 mins.

Hypertonic sports drinks: hypertonic contain sugar and high levels of carbohydrates compared to isotonic drinks. Hypertonic drinks should not be used as to maintain hydration, generally they are best known for as a post drink/

Hypotonic sports drinks: these kinds of sport drinks contain sodium which helps to prevent dehydration, they are often lightly flavoured so that it encourages you to drink more which in turns allows better hydration for your activity. They are normally low kcal so it’s useful for the kcal counting athletes such as long distance athletes.

On Sunday I used the Isotonic sports drink as I knew it sat well in my stomach and I have used it before, my coach said, make sure it’s a brand you know well, don’t try something new just because it may have a higher sodium rate.

If you are planning to change the sports drink you use for races, make sure you change it before and not the day before the race. You can also create your own sports drinks but again don’t try this on the race day. Keeping hydrated is very important, the number one rule is; is your urine clear, if not keep on drinking.

One last tip, try to keep hydrated the day before the race and as the race time get close, only intake sips of water..

Here are some sports drinks that I recommend:

Powerade Ion4

Lucozade Zero

Lucozade sports

High5 Zero (tablet mixed with water)

SIS hydration (power mixed with water)

What a shake up this has been

2012-05-28T03:45:00.004-07:00

On Sunday 27^th May was the traditional Poole Festival of Running which was organised by Poole runners. The Poole Festival of Running is a day out for the kids and family who can enjoy the beautiful sun by the lake and watch the crazy people run around Poole park in the heat that was yesterday.

I was one of those crazy people, as I was participating for the team and trying to extend our lead for the Dorset Road Race League I didn’t have much to do with the organisation and that I live 40 miles from Poole.

Although it was an awesome day and it was such a great race and amazingly organised. My club mate at Poole runners did a great job with organising probably the best 10k by a running club in the UK. I have never been to another club race like it.

The race was won in a staggering time of 29:37 by Kenyan born Peter EMASE LEMUYA, first Brit was fellow training partner George Miller in 33.06 and I finished 5^th in 33.30 which was my highest ever place at the race.

Steve Way who came in 4^th in 33.10 was in better condition than be thought. Check out is website blog http://www.steveway.co.uk/ it’s an interesting read.

The conditions were hot with no wind to cool us down which made it real hard to get fast times.

On the same day the Monaco GP was taken place, I had to watch the BBC highlights but it turned into an interesting race with the first corner of the first lap being the worst incident. Mark Webbers Red Bull cruised to victory with Rosberg in second and Alonso in third. Fellow Brit Hamilton placed 5^th to retain another consistent run of points and Jenson Button who DNF the race due to a spin out while trying to over take Finnish driver Kovalainen.

It seemed that a lot of teams decided to protest the Red Bulls air flow hole on the floor of there car near the rear tyres. In the regulations it stats that a hole can not appear in the floor because of rain water can floor through it however the hole that currently is on the floor allows the air flow to directly flow towards the inside of the rear tyre and move towards the brake ducks and diffuser. As there is a ban on blown diffusers which allowed the exhaust to blow the air directly on the diffuser it now mean the teams have to find other ways, Red Bull have been very good at channelling the air to the right places all thanks to the brilliant mind of Adrian Newey.

You can find more info at the BBC F1 website.

London To Monaco 2013

2012-05-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Sole Endurance and BBC three presenter and Life for a kid patron Jono Lancaster are organising a huge event called London to Monaco challenge, it’s a challenge that we decided upon over twitter last year to not only raise awareness for the charity “life for a kid” but to raise as much money as possible for them.

You can visit the website for “life for a kid” by clicking on the link below:

www.lifeforakid.co.uk

We will be starting at the o2 arena on June 1^st2013 and cycle 987 miles to Monte Carlo, Monaco over 9 hot and gruelling days. We have 8 other riders and 2 aides in the support crew who will make sure we are on the right tracks and lug our equipment around.The initial support has all been positive and Jono has already been on ITV Calendar news (local Yorkshire news station) and on Australian radio putting a big shout out.

We are all very much excited for this adventure and challenge. The reason why this fits in so well with Sole Endurance is because it’s a real challenge, pushing the boundaries if the bodies limit each day till we have finished.

We are currently still looking for sponsors to help us with equipment, anything from bike equipment, clothing, food rations, and GPS machines for the bikes.

If you would like to support us please contact me.

we have a twitter account @London_2_Monaco

Please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=London2Monaco to check out the riders and show you support, even if its just £1, it all helps in the bigger picture.

Sole Endurance “pushing the boundaries of human limits”

What's next for Sole Endurance

2012-05-20T10:02:00.001-07:00

With London to Monaco still being organised I have other plans to make the company bigger with other events.
It's all about the challenge, if their isn't any challenges then there is no human endurance.

So what's next for Sole Endurance is a local event that's just that bit different than a normal event, something that will prevail the ultimate person in their own right.

What would you like to see?
Maybe an ultra running race, freestyle football event, skate offs, MotoX racing???
You decide.

2 races in less than a week

2012-05-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

SalisburyTri and Purbeck 10km

Last Sunday I was asked to run participate in the LewisAndrews Foundation tri team which I ran the 4.13 hilly courses. The LewisAndrews Foundation was set up by Dan Brunton when Local Triathlete LewisAndrews was tragically taken from us last year in a car accident 3 weeks before Lewis had gothis first call up for the GBR tri team to complete in Beijing, Chinaat the World Championship which saw the Brownlee brother dominate in the elite event;Lewis was to compete in the U23 event.

We had local triathlete Hannah Drewett swimming first leg,ex pro cyclist Chris Ball cycling the second leg amd myself running the thirdleg.

We won in a time of 1:12hr which I believe was either thecourse record or very close to it.

Hannah Drewett – Swim: 4:44 mins

Chris Ball – Cycling: 45 mins

Kyle Pepperman-Hackett – run: 21:57

It was a brilliant day and I am hoping we can get anotherLAF team out in another event soon.

3 days later I was back out again on a very hilly 10k coursenear Corfe Castle,Dorset for the DRRL race which currently Poole Runners are leading.

It was a straight, out and back event which meant that you couldn’ttake the racing line on the way back as it was populated with other runners..

The Purbeck 10k was always renowned for its fast, flat as apancake course.

Ian Habgood as usual won it but me and George were not farbehind for the first 5k.

Winning time was 32:17 and I came home in 33:40 after dyingin the last 2km.

In 10 days I will be racing again in another 10k trying toget that magic sub 33 which I feel is do able. Watch this space.

Well, its time to recover properly, easy few runs, Ice baths and some good food today.

I am Back

2012-05-11T08:14:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone, its been a while but I am back. so recently I have been training hard and focusing a lot in my times. since tweaking my programme I have seen a huge jump in my times. I have managed to break the Sub 16 min for 5km since 2007 and that was in a windy and wet location.
I will be pushing hard with this blog and try to keep you all updated.
The plan is to move Sole Endurance into the sports market and get athletes to wear the logo as much as possible. Its time the world see's Sole Endurance athletes.

Please leave your comments, if you are interesting in wearing the logo email me.soleendurance@hotmail.com

All Looking Interesting Again

2012-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday 8th January was the Millbourne 10 which is a hilly 10 miles along the back roads of Millbourne St Andrew. The usual BAC and Poole runners were at the fore front battling for the DRRL with one a piece at the moment. I ran a pretty solid race after 5 weeks out with a time of 57:37.
From my understanding Steve Way went out fairly easy and at mid way decided to push it for the course record, which he was only 28 seconds from which is not bad going.

From Monday to Friday my session were pretty much stressful, trying to over come the tightness of my calf's. Every session was painful and had to tone it done in one session and have a 20 min ice bath most nights. It wasn't till Sunday really felt a little better that I pulled out a 1.57 for 17.5 miles at a steady 6:50 pace. I didn't even mean to do that.

This coming week I will be trying to increase my mileage from 75 miles ish odd miles back to 85 miles this week. it will be one of the only weeks I will get to before my wedding in 2 weeks.

plan of action:

Monday - 10 miles
Tuesday - 40 mins am followed by hill reps then 30 min easy
Wednesday - 10.5 miles am then easy 30mins
Thursday - 40mins am followed by Core and easy 40 mins
Friday - 30 mins am then tempo 5 miles @ 5:40 a miles
Sunday - 17.5 miles at 138 BPM on the heart rate monitor - should be no more than 2hrs

Have a good day

Christmas Training in France

2012-01-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

Throughout the Xmas period I was able to go back to training as per last post which meant I was able to head out to France as planned for Xmas with my Fiancée and training in the hills and be merry at the same time. Everything went to plan and was able to run double sessions again everyday with one rest day off which I took off to take a day trip to Barcelona.
After loosing my way through the woods on day 1 I decided I would stick to the single track roads that escape the small quiet village of Tourouzelle. I managed to find a road that would lead me to Escalles which is another small village like Tourouzelle about 5km away, simple out and back was going to be my route for the whole week but what was challenging was the 4 huge hills that got me there. The first hill was the mother of all hills, I measured it at 800m and a incline of 15 which is steep.

Friday: Easy 40 mins
Saturday: 30 mins AM / Steady 30 mins PM
Sunday: 40 mins AM / Steady 30 mins PM
Monday: Steady 40 mins
Tuesday: 30 mins AM / 30 mins PM
Wednesday: Easy 40 mins / 30 mins PM
Thursday: REST DAY
Friday: Steady 50 mins
Saturday: Easy 50 mins
Sunday: Easy Hour run to shake off the New Year fun

This week I am planning on again keeping it steady and completing my first run of the Year at Milbourne 10 near Dorchester

Week Beginning 19th December Training

2011-12-20T00:33:00.000-08:00

It been a while since I last posted but I am back now.
since mid November I just have not been the same, what with the Stag, weekend away in Wales then my Achilles tendon flaring up for almost 4 weeks. Its been horrid not being able to run and being restricted to swimming a million and one lengths of the tiny pool at LA Fitness.
After seeing my physio last night at Sarum Physio centre I have been put on a new stretch and strengthen programme and been fitted with new heel raises till Thursday when my Orthortics are moulded to my feet.

Trying to eat less than normal while only doing 3/4 of my usual training was so hard and some days I didn't manage it, however I managed to put on a tiny bit of weight which I don't see a problem taking off before January. Which means training hard from this week right through to Mid January and only having 1 rest day which will be Xmas eve. I will be running on Xmas day as its been a tradition of mine since I was 17.

I am hoping I will make the Wiltshire team for south west despite not running at the county championship due to injury so its all a bit of a waiting game now to find out.

This week will seem me doing pretty much easy running, my plan is as followed:
Monday - Thursday: single runs at 30 mins easy
Friday - Sunday: single runs at 40 mins easy
This will be great as base training ready for training in France from Friday.

Have a good Xmas Everyone

Charity Bike Ride London to Monaco

2011-11-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

In 2013 I will be organising a charity Bike ride from London to Monaco for......Life for a Kid.
Life for a Kid Foundation was set up in March 2009 with the aim of helping children under the age of 16 by offering funds and equipment to help them lead a better life, also to help children who require life saving changing operations. I was first introduced to Life for a Kid by Jono Lancaster (BBC three's own reporter on his life with Teacher Collins syndrome)

Myself and a bunch of friends will be cycling the whole 842 miles through France visiting Paris, Lyon, Nice and Monaco, its going to be an experience that I will cherish for a very long time. I am hoping to mix it up with Men a Women and make it interesting by pitching a tent when it becomes night fall.
I am hoping there will be laughter and excitement on the journey and with a bit of luck the French sun will shine for the 2 week cycle.

Ideally I would love to raise big money but I am sure anything is better than nothing at all.
I will be posting a website that will be produced to help use make aware of what Life for a kid do, how to donate and to read our blogs about where we are and how we are prepare for the long ride.

If you want to help or know of anyone that can help with donations or equipment for the charity bike ride then please do contact me via khackett65@yahoocom

We are also trending on twitter #londontomonaco
Please show your support by tweeting to @01khackett and @lifeforakid

New training Programms

2011-11-15T02:58:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

Now we have settled into the winter training has anybody changed completly or amended their training schedule? I know I have which makes the winter season go slightly quicker.

I have added an extra 10 minutes onto my longer morning runs and added 3 extra threshold runs in the evening.
This has resulted to me taking my Monday spin class away but its all for the greater good.
If anyone is stuck for idea's on how they can progress with their training please email me at soleendurance@hotmail.com and I will be more than happy to help.

I will be posting my findings on the new SIS Superhydro Hydrant drink in the next few days.
Its going to be and interesting read.

Shin Splints

2011-11-09T01:58:00.001-08:00

It seems Shin Splints are a major cause to injury these days so here is a helping hand.
You will experience pain in only one spot in the inside or outside of the leg, mainly when running. The pain will decreases throughout the work out but feels sharp the morning after a workout.

This is what I like to call a Posterior inflammation (very server shin splints). What happens is that your foot will roll too much inwards or outwards, when you run over a long period of time the muscle connecting to the bone will start to inflame and causes a sharp pains which can lead to a stress fracture. To runners a stress fracture will hold you off running for 4 months minimum.

Treatment

Ice the affected area 3 times a day, especially after workouts.
Compress affected areas with thumb or finger and completed small circular movements with pressure for 2 mins @ twice a day.
Complete leg stretching morning and night.

Exercises

15 x 3 toe and heal raises

Take 2 weeks off running and turn to cycling or swimming, this may seem too long but 2 weeks is nothing compared to the possible 3 months it could hold you off the sport.

Tip

Always listen to your body and make you are eating when your body asks for it.

Make sure you take plenty of water on board and limit your alcohol intake to a bare minimum as alcohol will thin the blood and make it worse.

Diagram to show affected areas

Core Exercises

2011-10-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of core exercises out there for Athletes that will not only make you a stronger athlete but a faster one at that. Athletes have been integrating core exercises into the weekly training session for a while now and it seems to be paying off.

Back in 2006 I dabbled a little with core exercises twice a week in the gym and only focused on the upper body as I felt I got enough lower body exercises with all the running, cycling and swimming I was doing.

I went from running a 5k on the track in 15:41 to running it on the same track 2 months later in 15:10; this was with the core exercises being implemented in those 2 months, which is a huge improvement. Every muscle relies on you abs, hips and central attraction so make sure whatever your doing it’s on these key area’s

There are many to choose from and some better than others, so I thought I would explain a few I am doing:

Plank:
Assume a modified pushup with your feet shoulder - width apart, forearms on the floor. keeping the torse steady and hold for for around 30-45 sec and repeat this between 3 - 4 times.

Side Bridge:
Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor under your shoulders to prop you up, and your feet stacked. Contract your core and press your forearm against the floor to raise your hips until you body is straight from ankles to shoulders. hold for 30 sec and then repeat on the other side.

Plank with Diagonal Arm Lift
Assume a modified pushup position with your feet shoulders - width apart, forearms on the floor. keeping your torso steady, raise your right arm forward and to the right, so its pointing to 2 o'clock.
Hold for 5 sec's, then lower and repeat with the left arms for a further 5 sec's. this is classes as one rep, continue for 8-10 reps

Glute-Bridge March
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms and heels on the floor. push down through your heels and squeeze your gluts to raise your body into a straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold for 30 -45 sec's.
if this feels ok, then lift one leg up and then repeat with the other for 3 sec's at a time.

Swiss-Ball Knee Tuck
Assume the push up position with your shines resting on the Swiss ball, hands slightly more than shoulder - width apart. Keeping your abs tight, draw your knees towards your chest until the toes are on top of the ball.
Slowly roll the ball back so the legs are back to the starting position.

If you are going to implement the core exercises into your training as a “need to strengthen” and not to build muscle then going for a run for 25-40 min run after the session which will loosen up the muscles you have just used and it will break up all the fibres in your muscles and promote healing.

This works really well for runners as they don’t want the muscle, just the strength.

All the core exercises can be done in a gym or the comforts of you bedroom, not much equipment is needed other than a watch, gym mat, Swiss ball and the ability to push yourself.

You will find that the first 1 week you will be stiff and in slight pain as your muscles will not have been worked like this before.

Science in Sport new SuperHydro drink

2011-10-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

I have just been sent the new Science in Sport Superhydro product for testing from Science in sport. The packaging looks great but is the magic going to work?

I will be testing this product for 1 week and will post my findings on here and explain where best to buy these from.

My next post will be looking at core exercises and how you can benefit from them, so please come back and take a look.

Compression Tights

2011-10-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Recently compression tights have become one of the most highly recommended post-training recovery aide; more and more top athletes such as the Brownlee brothers are benefiting from them. I recently tested this myself by wearing compression tights pre and post-race. Normally after a long and exhausting race it turns out to be a lethargic weekend where my legs feel heavy and I would rather just snuggle up on the sofa and watch T.V., but this time my legs felt just as good as when I jumped out of bed ready and pumped for the race. When you first pull out the pair of tights all you can think about is, ‘are they really that tight?’ They seem like a skinny jean a girl would wear on a night out but in fact they could be the best thing you do after a race or training

First I made sure that I did my warm down after the race with a 20 min jog in the tights and continued to wear them for a further 3 hours. Once showered and ready for food, I pulled on a new pair of tights which I wore for a few hours whilst relaxing on the sofa. When I finally took off the tights and walked the dog, my legs felt fine. (I normally experience tight calves or extreme fatigue in the legs, but again I was absolutely fine.) Normally the morning following a race I would continue to feel fatigue in the legs and contemplate going back to bed as waking for training the following morning at 5:45am is not what I want to be doing with tired legs.) However, this time (post-compression tight wearing) with the legs feeling pretty bouncy, I jumped into my running gear and went for the morning run to wake the legs ready for the real session in the evening.

2XU compression tights - The quality of the material and the flat lock seams are excellent. According to 2XU the tights have a circular knit which helps achieve a 360° graduated compression. At the ankle the garment has a neat and clean hem. 2XU seem to be aimed primarily at cycling.

SKINS – Australian made, SKINS worked with the scientific and industrial research to develop a device capable of taking multiple readings of the human body in motion. They seem to focus a lot on triathlon and rugby which is why runners are able to benefit from this product, I have yet to test this but I am in the process of getting this product and giving a full review of it, as I see this to be the compression device of 2011 and possibly 2012. Visit http://www.skins.net/en-GB/index.aspx for more products in the SKINS range

The product I reviewed and tested was the NIKE pro compression tights which you can buy from www.nike.com or from most major sports outlets.

My rating is 9 / 10 for compression tights as post-race/training recovery aide.

Weymouth 10 - 50th edition of the race

2011-10-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday 22nd October 2011

I raced the Weymouth 10 yesterday primarily because it was a part of the Dorset Road League but also as it was a part of the Poole Runner's club championship. I am glad I entered this race because it was such a beautiful sunny race by the sea. What didn't help was the head wind for the final 2 miles, but this is racing and anything goes.

The race started with a few photographs which I purposely stayed out of, but was good to see the local media taking an interest. Bang, the race starts and I am sitting pretty in 4th place with a few pushes to 6th which I took back once they decided pushing this pace was not a good idea. The 2 long hills which were a huge blessing helped me to break away in the final 3 miles. The event was well marshalled and all locals cheered us on in the final stages

First place went to fellow training partner, Willard, who also broke the course record by 1 min 42sec. Ian Habgood, also broke the course record but had to settle for second place. Returning to form, George Miller showed why he is always a contender by coming third.
A well derserved second place and first junior was Abi Jones from Poole Runners, who came all the way from St Mary's University to take part for the team

The race was well organised, the only let down was the prize-giving, not only was it rather late, it was not explained fully and the most important prize, team prize, was not announced which left many disappointed as this was a Dorset Road League race for the Teams.

However, it was the 50th Weymouth 10 mile race and it was a good one; one of the best I have competed in this year. Well done Egdon Heath Harriers.

My rating: 7 / 10

Barefoot Running

2011-10-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

It seems everyone is talking about barefoot running and the benifits of doing it. Some are saying its the cheapest and most effective type of running to stay injury free.
In modern day, runners are spending ££££££ on running trainers with sole cusioning, stride patterns and even shock asobers.
So I thought I would investigate if I could reap the benifits of this in my training and decided to incorprate this in my training just once a week. I decided after my core sessions I would finish off with a 15 - 20 min barefoot session on the treadmill with just socks on. I found I could relie on the treadmill to keep the feet clean from dog poop and glass found on our fields and pavements.
When I implemented this into my training I was in a rocky part of my training with injury and from the 2nd week of implementing the barfoot running I saw the benifits instantly.
My feet were getting stronger, my calfs felt like hard stone and my running pattern in the XC race's seemed stronger.

I have not yet seen any complications in doing this other than the sole's of my feet harding which can be a blessing when it coming to blisters.
Now the conversation must turn to the impact on your wallet in continuing this onto the road and trailways, there is a new product out called the vibram five finger running product, check http://www.vibramfivefingers.uk.com/
I dont beleive this is the way to go, you either run barefoot or you dont, they are so pricey for a bit of thin rubber that will last no longer than 3 months.

I rate them at 6 / 10

The next product is the Nike Free running trainer which I have tested many times and do enjoy these however it is at your own risk, they can lead to injury if you pronate as they allow too much movement. I feel the Nike free should be used primarily for walking or speed sessions on the track or road, try to stay away from fields as they give on the movment too much

I rate them at 7 10