Saturday 19 December 2009

Oh for goodness sakes pt.2

So I went out for a 10km at lunchtime and now I can't walk. Oops...

Think I might have seriously buggered up my left thigh, in quite a lot of pain, severely restricted movement, can't put a lot of weight on my left leg at all. Not sure how the left ankle/achillies is as pain receptors seem to have given up working below my knee (because of all the work they are having to do above it, probably). Did a 52m 25s, which isn't that bad, except...

Shit. Not good.

Friday 18 December 2009

Oh for goodness sakes...

My body is officially falling apart! Well, the lower half is anyway. You'll no doubt be as glad as I was to know that the plantar thing has cleared up, mainly as I haven't been out as much recently as I would have wanted. However the injury-du-jour is now a thigh/groin strain.

I think, as a result of my continuing left achillies issues, that the last few runs I have not run naturally and this has affected the rest of my left peg unfavourably. I noticed a few odd kind of feelings when running a while ago but it seems to have manifested itself now at the front-top of my thigh, leading me to think it might be a IlioPsoas Syndrome injury, mainly as it doesn't really sound like a 'normal' groin strain that footballers get (been there, had that in September when I started playing football again on a Friday afternoon).

I know, I know, I'm beginning to sound like an utter hypochondriac about all this, but when you start to exercise more your body does seem to rebel - well, mine does anyway. I went out for a 7km on Tuesday night and recorded something in the mid-37m range, so about average which was good, but then Wednesday morning walking with the left leg was quite hard work (especially going down steps, but that was more the ankle than the thigh). I was meant to go out again on Thursday night but it just seemed a stupid thing to do, same tonight, if it hurts when I sturry across the road between schools. So hopefully tomorrow sometime, but who knows? At this rate the marathon is looking remote.

In other news apparently stuff has been happening in Japan, but I haven't really been following it. Lots of words have been spoken about Futenma, the US Marine/Air Force base (one of?) on Okinawa, which may be moved, or may not be, etc. I think the Japanese want it moved but the Americans don't, or something, but Hatoyama was going to talk to Obama about it in Copenhagen, but then Barack got the Nobel gong so the meeting was cancelled, or maybe he just couldn't be bothered with it all, considering the other stuff he has on his mind, like his Arakawa Riverview nickname, but anyway Hatoyama didn't have the meeting with the big US cheese.

Talking of Copenhagen something was going on there - an attempt to reduce all the hot-air in the world by producing more hot air than a farm full of Fresians. Did it work? Has anybody been following it?

Anyway this has all been overshadowed by far more important matters, namely Godzilla defecting to the Angels, whilst the Samurai Blue may as well not turn up in South Africa next summer as they ain't gonna win a thing...

Monday 14 December 2009

Just a quickie

As the footie will start soonish. Had all last week off the running because of this plantar thing with my right foot. By Saturday it was feeling pretty good so I thought I'd try it out with a short 5km and glad to say everything seemed OK, I even managed a time, 25.48, that was the fastest for the distance since about July, uncoordinated though I felt. As this felt OK I went for a slightly longer 7km run on Sunday (the first time I had run on consecutive days since the beginning of November), and put in a respectable 37.something, again happy enough with that.

Immediately after the Sunday run, without even passing go or having a shower, I put ice on the left Achilles for 5 minutes, then shower, then ice again for about 20 minutes, and today it hasn't felt too bad at all, so ice treatment is the way forward (will see how it works with the right foot as well). Anyway out again on Tuesday and Thursday nights this week, hopefully, then into double figures at the weekend with maybe a 12 or 14k.

Also tonight I realised another reason why my calf muscles, Achillies and feet might be feeling it a bit. I keep a record of distances and times so tonight totted up what I've been doing recently and discovered:
June -> total distance run 45km
July -> 25km
August ->27km
September -> 54km
October -> 61km
November -> 100km

As you can see a bit of a jump since September and November was 100km! If I keep to my current plan December will 115km!! Pity my poor ankles...

Thursday 10 December 2009

Plantar Fasciitis

Hmm, maybe the 19km run on Sunday wasn’t such a great move. OK it was good mentally as I did it so I know I can keep going, but the right foot/ankle pain I got during the run looks like a case of plantar fasciitis. Not good as it means right now, on Thursday, 4 days after the run, walking is still on the painful side, let alone running, so my plan of a couple of 8k runs this week has gone and the half-marathon before Christmas might have to be dropped as well.

The reason for the injury? Too far too soon (a 5km jump in distance was not a good idea) and my running shoes, which are getting too old and worn out (probably still ok for shorter distances but not the longer runs).

So now it’s rest, recover and then start building up again. How frustrating but only myself to blame.

Sunday 6 December 2009

Phew!

I did it, I went long this afternoon, actually slightly longer than I thought. The plan was 18km but due to some building work on the riverbank up towards Nerima-ku I missed the 28km marker and after going on and checking the time it was taking I decided to turn round anyway and then found the marker on the way back. The extra bit took almost exactly 4 minutes, which at normal pace is about 800m (I'm running almost clockwork 5 minute kilometres up to about 12k, then the pace starts to drop a little).

So anyway, I think I did about 18.8km in the not too shabby time of 1hr 41m 00s, although this was less about the time and more about being able to do it without stopping, which I did bar two water breaks, where I didn't have much choice as the water fountains don't move. This keeps me in line for a sub-4 hour marathon time, which as I've said before I'm not aiming for (sub-5 will be ok with me), but would make me extremely happy (or more likely extremely dead).

Pain wise I can really feel today's run in my calf, which is resting on an ice pack as I type. Actually I felt the calf almost all the way on the run, which is not great news, I was hoping my enforced lay-off due to flu would have repaired stresses and strains, but perhaps not. Then again it wasn't bad enough to make me stop so that's good. Also good is the knee, which seems, touch wood, to have found a groove that it likes and so is feeling pretty good at the moment.

On this run, as it was long, I took one of those energy jelly packs to see if it would help as I ran. I think I took it too late, at the 11km mark, as the period from then until the 14km mark I felt a bit crap and the old mental state started to disintegrate a little (the right calf also started hurting), but then, suddenly, there was a sort of epiphany and a 'bugger this slowing down for a lark' moment and suddenly the pace lifted, the right calf was fine, the left felt better and we were back up to a proper running rhythm. I think it took those 3km for the energy to start being delivered to the bits of my body that needed it, and I think the bit that needed it most was my brain.

I know 'they' say that sport is mostly mental and this week I have begun to realise why. Firstly I've needed to psych myself up for running as far as I did today (lots of 'can I do it?' and 'yes you can' but it was 4km longer than my longest to date, which made me worry), and then secondly with the whole 'pull yourself together' moment going under Kawaguchi ohashi (that'll be 'bridge' for those who don't know). Sure, the energy jelly helped, but I think the biggest help was to my state of mind rather than my legs or lungs.

So that done means next weekend will be a shorter one and we're still on course for the half-marathon before Christmas.

Thursday 3 December 2009

Just a quick one

As I'm writing this in my lunchtime at work. Am fully over the flu, I'm glad to say, so have been out running again. Last friday was a 5k in 26m something, Sunday was 12km in 1h 00m 54s, which is pretty good going if you ask me (2 minutes faster than the 12k I did before) and then last night, Wednesday, it was 7km in 37m something.

So reasonable running but I dropped off a bit when I had flu so need to step it up again. I'm thinking about a long one this weekend (oo-er), maybe 18k, but the weather looks like it will be a bit shitty all weekend long. If it is I might have to rein in my ambitions, but I don't want to as if I do 18 this weekend that means I could get a 1/2 marathon distance (21k) in before christmas, which would be excellent work (e.g. 18 this weekend, a shorter run the following weekend, maybe 12 or 14, then the 21k monster on the weekend of 19/20th December)

Oh, and just to let you know that the old man and I have started playing backgammon regularly online as the old timer needs something to do with his retirement and being thrashed at backgammon seems to satisfy some need. Anyway Monday night I won 6-3 with some admittedly extremely lucky dice; whilst last night I ran out 9-6 winner but this time it was far more about superior skill than lucky dice (well... some lucky dice, but everyone gets some lucky dice, eh?). This all means, of course, that I will be royally thwacked tonight, but it will give the oldster something to be happy about...