by Mollie Millington | Aug 21, 2019 | cycling, product review, race review, running, water sports
In an effort to rekindle my running mojo, I signed up for the London Triathlon* rather last minute. To keep it a realistic goal after my running injury, I selected the shortest distance. The Super Sprint course is 400m swim, 10km bike, and 2.5km run. For a short moment, I considered bumping up to the sprint distance (750m, 20km bike, 5km run) to challenge my PR from 2012. But I decided to keep it safe/play it smart by sticking to the shortest distance to avoid re-injury.
My entry wave was at 3:10pm on Saturday afternoon. About 95% of the women in my group (I chose women-only vs mixed start) were first timers. The London Triathlon is a great race if you are tri-curious.
Entries and fees: The race doesn’t sell out (it is held over two days with lots of entries available) and entries are available close to the event. There are different fees depending on the distance you sign up for. It ranges from £40+. Remember that triathlons tend to be more expensive due to the amount of logistics required to set up swimming, cycling, and running courses. Personally, I think the London Tri is very reasonable considering the scale of the event (the race takes up half of the ExCel Centre).
Course and bogs: The course starts and ends at the ExCel Centre. The swim is in the Royal Docks and the longer bike course goes to Big Ben (the super sprint course is only 10km). All bike segments are on closed roads, which is great. The run is along the Royal Docks on paths of varying width. Different distances compete at the same time, so you will have different abilities on the course with you. I did shout to a few people who were walking three abreast to keep to the left as no one could get by.
This year, it was almost so warm we didn’t have to wear wet suits. I really like my Aptonia wet suit from Decathlon.* It fit me perfectly, which is hard for a woman as our body shapes are so diverse. The zipper is a bit tricky to zip up as it is designed to unzip bottom to shoulders, but I think that might make it faster to remove.
Location: Unfortunately, there isn’t anything glamorous about the ExCel Centre in East London. However, the location is super convenient for anyone in London and especially for me as I live about five miles from the start line. Inside the ExCel, there is a small amount of vendors if you need to pick up gels or a few pieces of run kit, including official merchandise.
Atmosphere: There are not many cheer points along the route. Many friends and family were cheering at the swim and at the finish line. The transition area is really big, so it is hard for your fans to see you as you switch disciplines. Otherwise, you are on your own out on the course
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Race bling and goody bag: No goody bag but you receive a medal just after you cross the finish line. You also get to pick up the official race t-shirt (which I really like) and the Tenzing team was there to hand you a can as you walked out of the finish area.
Tips if you want to take part next time: If you are coming back from injury, triathlons are great as the cross-training allows 2/3 of the training to be low impact. That is one of the big reasons why I signed up. Also, make sure you try open water swimming at least five times before the race. This gives you a chance to get over the fear of not seeing the bottom, learn how your wet suit fills up, and get used to having to swim continuously. Finally, do some brick sessions (two disciplines back to back) to get your muscles used to working differently and to try out different outfit combinations. My kneesuit with sports bra underneath worked perfectly! You can also use bricks to think about water food and drinks you will need during the race.
Feeling inspired and want to give London Triathlon 2020 a “tri”? Register your interest now.
*Thanks to London Triathlon for the complimentary race entry and Decathlon for the wet suit. All opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Jul 25, 2019 | cycling, product review, running, water sports
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| Waiting to scan my barcode at parkun |
On the morning of 13th July, I slotted in some time to dedicate to my triathlon training even though the Super Sprint should only take me an hour or so (the course is a 450m swim, 10K bike, and 2.5K run). My training plan was a brick session, which meant I had to complete two disciplines back to back. I took my bike out for an eight mile cycle before parkrun which was nice as the roads were fairly quiet. I also tried to only turn left so that I could keep my momentum going. Parkrun is always 5K, twice the distance I needed to run. Conveniently, my parkrun is two laps so I took the first lap what I thought was pretty fast (for me) to replicate what the London Triathlon will be like. After looking at my splits on Strava, it turns out the second lap was faster for me. My legs must have been feeling it from the bike ride. That is one of the great things about brick sessions is that you have an idea of how your body will feel switching disciplines. You can mentally and physically prepare yourself for the race, knowing that you will come out the other side.
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| Kneesuit for me is function over fashion |
In order to stick to my rule of “nothing new on race day,” I tried out a kneesuit from Simply Swim* as part of this session. This suit appealed to me because I could wear it under my wet suit and not waste time in transition changing my outfit. Padded shorts are not my thing, which is why I didn’t go for a traditional tri suit. Of course, I needed to wear a sports bra under the suit because it only had a shelf bra but this would be the case if I wore a regular swim suit too.
Usually, I prefer to wear clothes that cover the areas of my body that make me insecure (primarily my stomach). This kneesuit leaves nothing to the imagination in terms of my body shape but at least it is all black. The light blue on the top is a nice detail too. While I don’t think it is flattering on me (some swimsuits may have shaping material but the kneesuit did not), it did not cause any chafing or get pulled into an uncomfortable position. Not once did I have to adjust it while on the bike or run. That makes it a winner in my book and perfect for the tri.
Although I was self-conscious at first of this form-fitting suit, I quickly realized that I actually looked pretty bad-ass in it. I was training for a triathlon! The people around me didn’t know what distance I was doing. I just looked like I meant business in my knee-length-swimming-costume-turned-run-kit. As my mindset changed, I carried my head a little higher and slowly started to pass people, though the passing people bit was probably due to my legs recovering from my bike ride.
There are two downsides to the kneesuit. The first is that I don’t have anything to wipe my sweat or snot on (this is where a sleeve comes in handy). The other is that it is hard to stop for a pee in the suit as the entire top needs to be pulled down to use the bathroom. Luckily, this was never an issue during my training sessions in the kneesuit. With an aim of finishing the Super Sprint in 60 minutes or less, so I should be able to hold it. It would be something to consider if I up my distance next year. Many times during my marathons, I have to stop and use with bathroom. Some athletes, who take their racing much more serious than I do,will urinate on their bike or while running. I don’t think I can do that on purpose. If I start coughing while running, it might happen but be out of my control. We shall see what happens on race day.
The kneesuit worked great with my Aptonia triathlon wetsuit* when I finally tried them both in the open water. While I am a fairly confident swimmer in the pool, mentally everything changed for me in the open water when I couldn’t see the bottom. It took a few sessions in the open water to calm my nerves and figure out that I needed to pull my neck and sleeves a bit open to ensure water entered my wet suit. Again, no chaffing from either piece of kit during the swim, which was a relief. Having tried these together makes me more confident for the London Triathlon* on Saturday.
What do you wear for a triathlon? Do you change your outfit depending on the distance?
*Thanks to Simply Swim for gifting me the kneesuit, Decathlon for the wet suit, and Limelight Sports for the London Triathlon entry. All opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Jul 12, 2019 | product review, running, travel
Summer race season is here. Many committed runners have ultras booked in (any race longer than a marathon) and some even are looking forward to an ultra in an extreme location, such as high mountains, hot jungles, arctic snow, or in the desert. I only have experience with a desert ultra so far so I thought I would share the things I am glad I packed. Of course, this list is not exhaustive nor specific to your event. Be sure you read all of the race info when packing as some races, like Marathon des Sables, you have to carry everything you pack while you run. But others, like Ultra X Co’s events, will transport your luggage for you. These are important details you don’t want to overlook.
In no particular order, here is a short packing list. Items marked with a ✓ are for if you do not have a weight restriction. I will say that a local Jordan man joined us last minute with a regular rucksack, plain old trainers, and a baseball hat and was able to finish the race. No sunglasses or fancy equipment. Mind over matter, eh?
Salt/hydration- In the desert, you are going to sweat more in order for your body to deal with the heat. Plus you will be running, which is another reason to sweat. Staying hydrated is very important. Drinking plain water on its own will affect your body as osmosis in your cells won’t work properly. You need to add salt in some shape or form to your drinks and food. I used Aptonia Salt capsules* during my race, along with nuun tablets and salted pretzels. I kind of made up my own dose and luckily didn’t have any problems. Please speak to a professional when determining how much salt you should take and when.
Poles- I used my Leki Micro Trail poles (similar to these Micro Trail Pros) every day except the first when out in the desert. I didn’t strength train enough, nor practice enough in sand, to move efficently. With the poles, I could use my upper body to pull myself along, as well as keep steady in the shifting sand. My poles have a minimalist ‘glove’ which protected my hands and secured the poles. They easily unclipped from the poles for ease (rather than having to remove the entire glove). The poles were super-light and folded up if I needed to attached then to my rucksack instead of using them. Poles tend to be a personal preference. If you are new to desert running, I would say give them a try. The majority of the competitors used them.
Sunscreen- This is a no brainer. Adding a sun burn on top of fatigue would really put a damper on the race. My Race Kit recommended Tingerlaat SPF50 because the sand won’t stick to it. It was expensive but I used it and can report that the sand didn’t stick to me at all.
Cap or scarf- You need to have something to cover your head from the sun. I picked up the RaidLight Sahara cap and loved it as the cloth attaches with velcro.
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| My snazzy cap and Salomon Agile 6 with Camelbak |
Bag to carry stuff- If you don’t have to carry everything with you, but just what you need for the day, a small rucksack could do the trick. Of course, you should try running in the bag before your race. Figure out how/were a hydration pack will go too. The Salomon Agile 6 worked for me. I had two water pouches (one for plain water and one for nuun tablets) plus it fit my 2L hydration pack. I would have preferred zippered pockets on my waist for easy access to snacks but I guess that is why the bag was so light!
Snacks you crave- As I mentioned, I had pretzels for the salt, but also Haribos, protein cookies, Lucho Dillitos, and more to keep me sane. The one thing I didn’t pack but wish I had was Diet Coke (hello- no weight limit!).
Warm clothes for evening- Depending on the time of year and where you are sleeping, the desert can get a bit chilly in the evening. The nights we were in tents, I was fine. We did have one windy evening outside on a rock, for which I wore my beanie cap and everything I had that was dry.
Biodegradable loo roll- Lessen your environmental impact but using biodegradable loo roll. I found it basically disintegrated when it got wet but it was better than nothing when in the middle of a 50km run.
Sunglasses- You need to protect your eyes from the sun’s rays, as well as have a slight barrier for blowing sand. My SMITH Attack Max with Chromo Pop were amazing. They wrapped around my eyes and had a maximum view of the landscape ahead of me due to the single lens design. The other cool thing, is that the lenses are interchangeable so I could choose a lens to suit the weather (but never had to swap as the sun was bright every day). This option is perfect for like in the UK.
Music for the long days ✓- I bought a £10 MP3 player off of Amazon and only used it on my longest day. I went for something cheap as I wasn’t sure how the heat and sand would affect the technology. To be honest, I don’t usually run with music, so for not having music the majority of the race wasn’t a problem.
Solar powered battery pack ✓- This should be the first extra thing you pack when you discover you can. I used it to charge my fitness tracker and activity camera (or faux pro as I like to call it). Of course, I was not running to win the race which meant I had plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the scenery.
Blister kit- This is a no brainer. Do your research to figure out exactly what you need. Practice taping your feet up beforehand too.
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| Getting blisters fixed by the pros |
Hand sanitizer- For the wild wees and camping without running water. Nobody wants to get sick in the middle of the desert. Along the same lines, don’t high five anyone until after the race.
Camera ✓- As mentioned above, I had a faux pro for snapping the scenery and taking some videos (which will some day be a vlog). The serious competitors did no bother with this or used their mobile phones. It depends on how you want to remember and commemorate the experience.
Diary and pen to write memories ✓- This would be the thing I pack after the battery pack. I have a terrible memory so I needed to take a few minutes each evening to record what happened that day. After a while, everything becomes a blur! If weight is precious, you can download an app, such as Evernote, to type in your memories each evening. It works without internet.
Head torch- Because it gets dark. Make sure it had red light so you don’t wake up your tent mates and is strong enough to light the path ahead of you when running before sunrise.
Container and spork for eating food- Depending on what you pack, you will probably need a bowl of some sort (although I think for MDS you can use water bottle) and a spork. You will be hungry.
Comfy shoes with insoles- In Jordan, I wore the Salomon S Lab Sense 6* (similar to these Sense 7s) with SOLE active medium insoles*, plus sand gaiters. Because of my history of Achilles tendinopathy, I am very particular about what trainers I run in. I need something stable and cushioned. The Senses were super comfortable during my training before I had the velcro for the gaiters sewn on. Unfortunately, that is a risk with any pair of shoes when you have to add on velcro. I was so bummed I couldn’t wear them any more! I have worn SOLE in the past and went with the medium thickness to allow for sandy conditions where my foot would be flexing over uneven terrain. I then transferred them to one of my other pairs of running shoes and am very happy with the fit.
If you have ever run a desert ultra, let me know if there is anything I have missed off of this list by leaving a comment below. If you want a packing list for a regular race, click here to have a read of my head-to-toe packing list.
Interested in the Ultra X Jordan race (read my review of the 2018 event here)? Entries close 21 July 2019. You had better register asap if you want to join the team this year.
Items marked with an * were given to me pro gratis to review. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. This post also includes affiliate links which cost the buyer nothing extra, but help contribute to running this website.
by Mollie Millington | Jun 21, 2019 | cycling, recovery, running, spinning, water sports
On Thursday afternoon, I was back at Function360 for my check up. I am only going every three weeks now which is great because it means I am nearly done with my recovery. It is also sad though because I love seeing the team (especially Hugo, the office dog). My osteopath, Emma, is pleased with my progress, even though I still have some tenderness to the touch on the medial side of my left Achilles. The swelling has gone done quite a bit and I no longer have any pain in my right Achilles (while my right posterior tibial tendon is a different story). Twice I week, I complete my rehab regime and I am religious about stretching and foam rolling after exercise.
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| Emma, from Function360, working her magic |
At these visits, Emma will examine my lower legs, looking for symmetry, swelling, tenderness, strength, and tight muscles. Depending on what she finds, she might massage my calves, stretch my hips, dry needle my tendons or all of the above. This week was just stretching and massage. She also assigned two new exercises to me which will help with my posterior tibial tendon (in fact, I am doing them as I type this).
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| To infinity and beyond! |
My dedication to the rehab program seems to be paying off as I am now able to run for 10 minutes with a 1 minute walking break three times per session which gets me up to a 5K. I hope to be up to steady state running in the next few weeks. It is a bit nerve-racking to start up again. What if the Achilles pain comes back? What if four months of rehab hasn’t made me any stronger or faster? Will I ever run another marathon. When I told her about my concerns, Emma said I shouldn’t be comparing myself to anyone else. She believes things are looking good so far and that I should keep the faith.
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| Cap from 2011 London Triathlon. New cycling shoes #gifted from Decathlon. |
As my prognosis is looking good and I do better with a deadline in my diary, I have signed up for the London Triathlon super sprint distance (400m swim, 10K bike, 2.5K run. (#gifted entry). London Triathlon might have been my first UK back in 2011. I did the sprint course (700m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) and for a brief moment was tempted to do it again to try for a PB. But then I remembered I am supposed to be sensible in my recovery and stuck with the super sprint. It will still be a PB and the cross-training will help my cardiovascular fitness levels improve before I start training for the 20km trail runs in Malawi with Orbis Challenge. I have a lot of work to do this summer.
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| Why is it so hard to look cool in a wet suit? #gifted from Decathlon |
My training strategy is primarily to add swimming in twice a week (once in a pool and once in open water). For the passed few years, I teach indoor cycling once or twice a week, riding about 10-12 miles per class. I might do a few short outdoor bike sessions on my own to learn about my threshold and where I can ride to just below it for about 20 minutes. I will use parkrun to develop my running strategy. Our local course is two laps which means I can use the first lap to tire myself out (simulating excursion on swim and bike) then push myself on second lap.
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| This week’s playlist |
Because I am a competitive person, I am going to study previous London Triathlon results in case there is a chance I can place in my age group. That would be a Christmas miracle but really give my confidence a boost. I am dying to get back out there and continue to develop my speed with track sessions but fear getting thrown back to square one.
Have you ever come back from injury by completing a triathlon? Or taking up one of the disciplines as a substitute for running? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks to London Triathlon for the gifted entry. Full review of my race experience will be up in August.
by Mollie Millington | Apr 15, 2019 | injury, running
My last run was on 8th March on a roof top track in Central London with Advent Running. That day I went to Function360 (gifted) and saw my osteopath, Emma. She hadn’t examined my Achilles before and was concerned at how swollen and tender they both were (particularly my left). She gave me orders to rest for a week and ice every day until I saw her again the following week. Unfortunately, the following week brought even worse news. No high impact activities for at least four more weeks, and continue with the daily icing. I was able to continue teaching indoor cycling, which was a Godsend. Without an endorphin release, I started to go a little bit crazy by week 3.
You may be wondering why I didn’t try swimming or some other form of no impact exercise? I started to get a cold about the same time. I stayed home one day to try to recover from it, yet it still lingers on. Along with the running nose, sinus pain, and now phlemy cough, I feel tired. The silver lining is that my injury and cold are aligned. At least my body is efficient!
Every week, I see Emma and she examines my Achilles and decides if I need soft tissue therapy, acupuncture, and/or taping. When I saw her last week, she said this week we can talk about starting to run again. Then she gave the caveat of one minute on, one minute off to start with. But I will take it!
Even though I am not allowed to run, I still need to do my strengthening and stretching exercises. I have been doing my full physiotherapy program two to three times a week. On my tea breaks, I pop over to the gym and do my eccentric calf raises and isometric holds. I hope by sticking to my program that when I am able to run again, I will not have lost too much speed. My cardiovascular system will need to catch up with my legs but I am hoping once my cold is gone, I can get into a pool (if only my hair wouldn’t get wet).
Since I am injured, I have been volunteering at parkrun. Today, I learned there is a Boston marathon in Lincolnshire that is the same weekend as THE Boston Marathon. As the ever optimist, I am going to put it on my list for next year (even though it will be not too long after Tokyo Marathon).
I have also joined a virtual run club, as I haven’t been running with my Advent Running crew as of late. If you are looking to meet other runners from around the world, why not check out the Run Things Virtual Running Club (scroll down this page for all the info)? These are the people behind Run Up to Christmas for Mind Charity, which tons of people in the UK do every year. For a one-time payment of £25, you get a t-shirt and online support in a Facebook group and Strava club. They offer additional virtual races throughout the year, so if you are motivated by race bling, definitely check them out.
Good luck to everyone running the 123rd Boston Marathon today and congrats to everyone who ran Brighton yesterday. I hope I can stand in a starting pen for Boston in 2021 as my last WMM. If all goes well, I will be running Tokyo in 2020.
If you are struggling with an injury, niggle, or need a sports massage (and live or work in London), give Function360 a call. Their team can handle it all and give you continuity of care. You can get 15% off your first appointment with code #F360MM15.
by thinkmarsh | Mar 13, 2019 | injury, running
Thank you to everyone who responded to my post about being injured and defining myself as a runner. It was a relief to learn that I am not the only one who ponders life choices when injured. I thought I would share a bit more about my journey with my Achilles pain and athleticism with you to understand where I am coming from and my experiences with running so far.
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| Photo by Natasha Wynn |
I am not a very religious person, but I always say that God did not intend for me to be athletic. When I was growing up in the USA, every year at school we had to take part in the Presidential Fitness Test. It compared each student’s athletic ability to the nationwide average. I failed it in the 3rdgrade and was subsequently put on a special exercise regime at home. For most of my childhood, I preferred to read books rather than playing outside with my brother but I did cheer leading on the weekends in middle school.
Football (soccer) was big in my hometown and just about everyone played, so I started playing too when I was in middle school.
I was the back-up back-up goalie and developed shin splints in year 8. By year 9, my widening hips caused patella maltracking (my kneecaps would slip out of place) so I had to wear, not one, but two knee braces.
Whether it was the knee braces, genetics, or just how I was, I cut from high school soccer/football team 3 of 4 years because I am slow.
I continued to play football and softball at a recreational level during uni, after uni, and during grad school as a way to meet new people (including my husband).
Since 2005, Achilles tendonopathy has been an issue during and after football. My friend, who was a physiotherapy assistant, taught me how to tape my ankles as a way to manage the condition during games. I also tried ankle braces and switched my cleats for turfs, both of which seemed to help a little bit. The day after a game though, I would wake up and have to hobble around the house due to stiffness in my Achilles. Finally, I gave up football in 2011 when we moved to London because the pain was too much and I thought my ability would be way under par.
In terms of running for running sake, I started running in 2006 as a fundraiser for my local humane society.
Running was something to stay fit with but I never loved it.
The next charity I aligned with was
RODS Racing, which raises money for orphans with Down Syndrome.
After four years fundraising for them by entering various races, it became harder and harder to receive donations as people knew I was a runner.
To up my game, I had to run farther than a 10K.
I never thought I would do a half marathon because of the Achilles pain, and definitely not a full.
But somehow I managed to achieve both.
I adapted my training from most plans by increasing from 12 weeks to 16.
I took it slow to avoid an overuse injury.
I always wore insoles and selected neutral cushioned shoes to support my feet for these longer distances.
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| Where I experience pain |
I am proud to say I have ran 10 marathons now, countless halves and 5Ks. Only in the last three years, have I started to train properly with speed work and strength training. I have been to see an osteopath, had sports massages, received acupuncture (even electro-acupuncture), physiotherapy, and pre-habiliation. During this time, I have definitely become faster (with a 5K PB in 2018 and half marathon PB in 2019) and fitter but still have Achilles discomfort on a daily basis. Most recently, I attended a reformer Pilates retreat where I met a hip and knee surgeon. He recommended shock wave therapy as the next treatment to try to improve my running ability and reduce my pain. My long-term goal is to run a Boston Marathon Qualifying time of 3:30 by 2021. My current PB is a 4:29 so I have a lot of work to do.
Over the next three months, I am working with Chris Myers at
Complete Physio with three rounds of shock wave #gifted therapy and three months of physiotherapy.
I will be checking in after the treatment is over, and then at the end of the three months to keep you posted on my progress.
You can follow my story on
www.instagram.com/ptmollie and, of course, here on the blog.
If you have any stories to share about Achilles injures, shock wave therapy, shoes to try, basically ANYTHING, please leave a comment below. I am eager to learn from others on how to overcome this.
Thanks to Complete Physio for the complimentary shock wave therapy. All opinions are honest and my own.
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