Week 12 is done with another high mileage week in the bank. No swimming again this week, just the morning dips in the ocean after my morning runs. My upper back is still a little stiff for some reason, not sure why. It’s not affecting my running at all, I just want it to be gone before doing any swimming . Like the week before I managed to do some good longer runs to help build up my endurance ready…
With my foot better from the weever fish sting, I was ready to have a good week of training. My back muscle, although much better was still not 100%, so I opted not to swim this week but still went in for a dip in the cold Atlantic Ocean for some cold water therapy. In the oncoming weeks I will be looking to increase the kilometers and elevation gain. I will possibly be having some lighter weeks maybe every…
Why do you trail run or WHY SHOULD you? Trail running has become an incredibly popular sport over the last ten years with no sign of it slowing down. People are drawn to trail running for the chance to get outside, the adventure, the fitness, the fresh air and an opportunity to reconnect with nature. So what is it about this sport that is drawing people in droves? If you are one of the many who has already discovered the…
Why Chafing Happens and How to Prevent It It’s an annoying little problem that happens to many runners and athletes who enjoy a number of sports. Let’s talk about why chafing happens and more importantly how to prevent it so we can get on with the business of enjoying being out on the trail. A Fraction Too Much Friction It all comes down to friction, whether it be skin-on-skin friction or fabric-on-skin friction. Common areas include the thighs, the groin,…
More Rest Than I Anticipated. Well week 10 was an eventful week, but not in the sense of training. First off on the training side of things, I had a very light week as I planned. I only ran 2 of the 7 days so I have had a straight 5-day rest. It was lighter than I initially planned but after finishing a 10-week solid block with everything going quite smoothly, I was more than happy. Wednesday of this week…
Week 9 is completed with all the goals that were set, done. It has been great having Jim over here training with me of late and will be sad when he takes off back to Australia soon. I now have around 10 weeks of solid base training completed. For this next week I will be looking at doing a few runs early in the week while Jim is still here, then will be looking at having the rest off the…
Jim is 33 year old runner from northern NSW Australia, near the beautiful beaches of Coolangatta. Andrew first met Jim at a running group “Border Striders” and they soon became great training buddies as well as great mates. Jim has recently come over to Portugal where he got the chance to run in some new and exciting places and we got the chance to sit down with him and talk about running. So Jim, how long have you been a…
After falling short on the elevation total last week, I was determined to put in a solid week of climbing to make up for it. I’m definitely finding there is a noticeable difference from when I first started over here in Portugal. Running up some of my local hills around Cascais are noticeably easier. This is a good indication that my legs are getting stronger . I feel more work is needed climbing ( and descending) in more technical locations…
Runner Profile – Margie O’Brien About My First Marathon is our very first runner profile and we are super excited that our very first runner is Andrew’s Mum Margie! Margie O’Brien is an active 67-year old who likes to run regularly to maintain her fitness. Margie is a big believer in the “Use it or Lose It” mentality and does not want or expect to be idle at any stage of her life. She lives in the beautiful seaside…
Week seven is done along with a road trip with my mate Jim Turner from Australia. The trip was over 4 days so was a good half of the week. We went from Cascais down the west coast towards the Algarve, along the bottom of Portugal then back up through the Alentejo near the Spain border. With all of the travelling, not to mention a couple of beers here and there, I still managed to get my goal distance done….