Let’s pick up where I left off then eh? So what have I been up to? Well not a lot of running but maybe that’s more interesting? I'm injured (again, *sigh*) and in a nutshell my latest round of injuries have revolved around my foot/ankle. I went over on my ankle running in the ‘freezing rain’ (remember that morning?) a few weeks back which left me with damage to one of the ligaments in my ankle. The gist of that being that my achillies was in danger of getting completely overworked yada, yada, yada … I persevered for a bit, did exactly as the physio said, started back with 1 mile, then 2, then 4, then and hour, then basically got bored of waiting, went a bit daft, clocked a half marathon in 94mins (it would've been a lot quicker had my ankle not gone snap after 11 mile where I had to then limp home). Went out for another run anyway the next day thinking, I’m so much better than I was and “It’s only 30 minutes” and promptly after 2 weeks of intense physio and exercises I went straight back fully over on my ankle again and was completely back to square one. Great.
In the end it was decided that indeed actually my ankles are chronic and my balance is terrible due to all manner of weaknesses in my core, so trying any form of running before I was completely ‘pain’ free (I say pain – not so much pain, more FFS what is that?! would you just go away!!) and the best thing to do would be to pre-occupy myself with something else (shock horror!!) … So I can’t really give you an update on my running shenanigans, but what I can give you is a bit of an insight into what I get up to when the running is a write-off …
I’ve already said that I used to go to the gym a lot before I took up running and I hate the pool so I figured if I threw myself at both of those things instead of the pavements that might work? I’ve also just moved jobs and now have a 5 mile to commute into Town every day which let’s face it I should be able to cycle as quickly as I can drive … oh and I’d started to do quite a bit of yoga with my previous injury (that was a nice 6 week bout of back and butt pain) which I’d kinda got in to …….
So I had plenty to play around with and over the last few of weeks I have indeed been ‘pre-occupied’ with all manner of stuff other than running. And, oh, my, god, how shocked am I! a) there’s a whole other world out there and b) I was so unprepared for it!
In the end it was decided that indeed actually my ankles are chronic and my balance is terrible due to all manner of weaknesses in my core, so trying any form of running before I was completely ‘pain’ free (I say pain – not so much pain, more FFS what is that?! would you just go away!!) and the best thing to do would be to pre-occupy myself with something else (shock horror!!) … So I can’t really give you an update on my running shenanigans, but what I can give you is a bit of an insight into what I get up to when the running is a write-off …
I’ve already said that I used to go to the gym a lot before I took up running and I hate the pool so I figured if I threw myself at both of those things instead of the pavements that might work? I’ve also just moved jobs and now have a 5 mile to commute into Town every day which let’s face it I should be able to cycle as quickly as I can drive … oh and I’d started to do quite a bit of yoga with my previous injury (that was a nice 6 week bout of back and butt pain) which I’d kinda got in to …….
So I had plenty to play around with and over the last few of weeks I have indeed been ‘pre-occupied’ with all manner of stuff other than running. And, oh, my, god, how shocked am I! a) there’s a whole other world out there and b) I was so unprepared for it!
Here’s the lowdown starting with the moment it all went wrong for the 3rd time and the subsequent last 2 weeks:
Sun: Another half in training to check how the foot was doing, 92mins, felt great dispite the horrendous weather, stopped, realised said weather had possibly taken my mind off my foot, felt like someone had taken a small blunt axe to my achilles and/or ankle and spent most of the day with an ice pack tied to my foot
Mon (am): First proper day at new job and at physio later so decide to take the car into town and go for a run once I got there. Despite the fact that I was still feeling the after effects of yesterday. Sensible. Get half way to work and realise I’ve forgotten my underwear and on my first day!! Arrgghh!! By the time I got back home and back into town I've no time for a run which in hindsight probably saved me and was a real storke of fate as by lunch time I can barely walk …
Mon (pm): Physio. Diagnosis – not good, Stace, you’re just gonna have to rest off this joint and give it a chance
Tues (am): Yoga (45 mins of Geri Body Yoga with Katy Appleton: Warmup, Sun Salutation, Moon Salute, Balance work)
Tues (pm): Go to club, jog the session warm up with a massive bandage on my foot to try to stop my ankle from caving in, get to the start of the session and find myself just stood there in complete disbelief with myself unraveling said bandage off as yes I wasn't in 'pain' but probably cos I'd managed to cut off my circulation with it. Get home and write runnign off for the foreseeable future.
Weds (am): Yoga (what on earth is going on with my hamstrings?)
Weds (lunch): Join a gym in Town so that I’ve something to do at lunch other than shop, chuck some weights about (I have no idea what I did?) for about 30 mins or so …
Weds (pm): Pool running session (aka – the 800s session) - 6 x 2 lengths (33m pool) hard with 60 secs recovery + 10 lengths w/u, 10 c/d swimming (proper nana breast stroke – I can’t really ‘swim’, more like get from one end of the pool to the other without drowning)
Thurs (am): Yoga (what on earth is going on with my shoulders?)
Thurs (lunch): Jog to gym, gym session – 40 mins of supersets – upper body and single leg work (Supersets of 16 reps: Flat DB bench press/Alt Standing Biceps curls on one leg; Incline fly/Shoulder press standing on one leg; Single leg extension - alt leg none stop 16,14,12; Single leg hamstring curl - alt leg 16,14,12; Decline crunch/Lateral raise standing on one leg)
Thurs (pm): Pool running session (aka – the 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400 session) – pyramid, 1 length hard (25m pool – they make it short on a Thursday for a diving class!?), 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 + the extra 20 swimming (still nana breast stroke)
Fri (am): Yoga (what the heyl is going on with my entire body?!)
Fri (pm): Physio – how tight are you?!! Well done though Stace! Not long now until you get out running – but not yet. Can I get on my bike? Yes. Afternoon off work – shop til I drop!
Sat (day): Bike to Saltwell parkrun watch first few finishers, then to Newcastle parkrun watch masses coming in, then home – c. 17 mile. Decorate and clean the house like a woman possessed.
Sat (night): Drinks and dinner at the neighbours – well it’s the first Sunday in I can’t remember how long where I haven’t had to get up at daft o’clock to do something that you can’t do ‘powered by Pinot’?!
Sun: Another half in training to check how the foot was doing, 92mins, felt great dispite the horrendous weather, stopped, realised said weather had possibly taken my mind off my foot, felt like someone had taken a small blunt axe to my achilles and/or ankle and spent most of the day with an ice pack tied to my foot
Mon (am): First proper day at new job and at physio later so decide to take the car into town and go for a run once I got there. Despite the fact that I was still feeling the after effects of yesterday. Sensible. Get half way to work and realise I’ve forgotten my underwear and on my first day!! Arrgghh!! By the time I got back home and back into town I've no time for a run which in hindsight probably saved me and was a real storke of fate as by lunch time I can barely walk …
Mon (pm): Physio. Diagnosis – not good, Stace, you’re just gonna have to rest off this joint and give it a chance
Tues (am): Yoga (45 mins of Geri Body Yoga with Katy Appleton: Warmup, Sun Salutation, Moon Salute, Balance work)
Tues (pm): Go to club, jog the session warm up with a massive bandage on my foot to try to stop my ankle from caving in, get to the start of the session and find myself just stood there in complete disbelief with myself unraveling said bandage off as yes I wasn't in 'pain' but probably cos I'd managed to cut off my circulation with it. Get home and write runnign off for the foreseeable future.
Weds (am): Yoga (what on earth is going on with my hamstrings?)
Weds (lunch): Join a gym in Town so that I’ve something to do at lunch other than shop, chuck some weights about (I have no idea what I did?) for about 30 mins or so …
Weds (pm): Pool running session (aka – the 800s session) - 6 x 2 lengths (33m pool) hard with 60 secs recovery + 10 lengths w/u, 10 c/d swimming (proper nana breast stroke – I can’t really ‘swim’, more like get from one end of the pool to the other without drowning)
Thurs (am): Yoga (what on earth is going on with my shoulders?)
Thurs (lunch): Jog to gym, gym session – 40 mins of supersets – upper body and single leg work (Supersets of 16 reps: Flat DB bench press/Alt Standing Biceps curls on one leg; Incline fly/Shoulder press standing on one leg; Single leg extension - alt leg none stop 16,14,12; Single leg hamstring curl - alt leg 16,14,12; Decline crunch/Lateral raise standing on one leg)
Thurs (pm): Pool running session (aka – the 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400 session) – pyramid, 1 length hard (25m pool – they make it short on a Thursday for a diving class!?), 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 + the extra 20 swimming (still nana breast stroke)
Fri (am): Yoga (what the heyl is going on with my entire body?!)
Fri (pm): Physio – how tight are you?!! Well done though Stace! Not long now until you get out running – but not yet. Can I get on my bike? Yes. Afternoon off work – shop til I drop!
Sat (day): Bike to Saltwell parkrun watch first few finishers, then to Newcastle parkrun watch masses coming in, then home – c. 17 mile. Decorate and clean the house like a woman possessed.
Sat (night): Drinks and dinner at the neighbours – well it’s the first Sunday in I can’t remember how long where I haven’t had to get up at daft o’clock to do something that you can’t do ‘powered by Pinot’?!
Sun (am): Laze about and enjoy rubbish telly
Sun (pm): Continue to decorate and clean the house like a woman possessed
Mon (am): Yoga (ahhhhhh!!)
Mon (lunch): Jog to gym, realize that this ‘jog’ to the gym is a bit more than a ‘jog’ given that I nearly knocked myself out hurtling at a lamp-post whilst trying to cross a road without stopping. Gym session – upper body and legs routine again
Mon (pm): Call Physio – this is great Stace, don’t need to see you today. Can I run? No. Pool running session – 2 x 5 x 1 length hard with 30 secs recovery, 2 mins between sets + the swimming palaver, oh my word I can-not-make-the-air-work-any-harder ...
Tues (am): Yoga + bike to work. (What on earth is going on with my neck?!)
Tues (lunch): ‘Jog’ to gym – legs, back and core i.e. deadlifts, lots of deadlifts and some Russian twists
Tues (pm): Bike home from work
Weds (am): Yoga + bike to work (what on earth is going on with my lower back, my ass and my hammys?!)
Weds (pm): Bike home from work (manage to make a speed camera flash at me faster than I've ever seen before, whoop whoop !!), pool session 7 x 2 lengths hard with 30 secs recovery – exhausted!
Thurs (am): Yoga + bike to work (right my backs's eased off, but what on earth is going on with my quads?!)
Thurs (lunch): the boys at work are doing their regular monthly 2 mile time-trial, do I fancy it? Well I’m at the physio tomorrow so it’d be good to at least give some sort of running a go? 1.5mi there, 2mi hard, 1.5 back. So time trial starts ... first 100m at full blown sprint?! Legs give in at about 1.5mi, finish 2mi in a respectable time, jog back. Canny session.
Thurs (pm): Bike/roll home. Pool session – pyramid 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 in the stupid cut-off-short-cos-of-diving-lessons pool– exhausted!!
Fri (am): Yoga (didn't even bother with the DVD today - know the words off by heart now and getting a bit sick of Geri’s patter!)
Fri (pm): Physio – wowsers – you’re good to go Stace! Go out to celebrate the fact that I might not be able to again for a bit J
Sat: ‘Jog’ to Parkrun, ‘jog’ home …. 8mi round trip, not jog.
Sun: ‘Go out for an hours run’ ………….. which I do and just run without looking at my watch once – 'take your shackles off my feet so I can dance!' comes to mind J v. pleased.
Mon (am): Yoga (actually manage the whole balance section without wobbling), bike to work (slip up the hill that last week I could taste blood at the top of), Mon (lunch): run to the gym (yes I shall now admit it’s a run) do session pain free, Mon (pm): bike home, stretch off.
And that's it, up to date on the training front, but the big question I guess is what now? Jump straight back on the bandwagon of running, running and a lot more running or give the injury and the cross training a real chance to actually pay off ………………………. I dunno, the foots not right for back to back to back to back but my general fitness hasn't disappeared so I guess a balance might be on the cards?
All runners hate being injured, it's boring and the alternatives suck, but I guess if you find something that gives you that sense of achievement or that adrenaline rush, or that basic flat out heart couldn't pump any faster and I'm gonna loose an eyeball here feeling then it makes the 'not running' less stressful.
If you ever find yourself out I couldn’t recommend this article and the Pool Running program in it more.
Until next time ........
Sun (pm): Continue to decorate and clean the house like a woman possessed
Mon (am): Yoga (ahhhhhh!!)
Mon (lunch): Jog to gym, realize that this ‘jog’ to the gym is a bit more than a ‘jog’ given that I nearly knocked myself out hurtling at a lamp-post whilst trying to cross a road without stopping. Gym session – upper body and legs routine again
Mon (pm): Call Physio – this is great Stace, don’t need to see you today. Can I run? No. Pool running session – 2 x 5 x 1 length hard with 30 secs recovery, 2 mins between sets + the swimming palaver, oh my word I can-not-make-the-air-work-any-harder ...
Tues (am): Yoga + bike to work. (What on earth is going on with my neck?!)
Tues (lunch): ‘Jog’ to gym – legs, back and core i.e. deadlifts, lots of deadlifts and some Russian twists
Tues (pm): Bike home from work
Weds (am): Yoga + bike to work (what on earth is going on with my lower back, my ass and my hammys?!)
Weds (pm): Bike home from work (manage to make a speed camera flash at me faster than I've ever seen before, whoop whoop !!), pool session 7 x 2 lengths hard with 30 secs recovery – exhausted!
Thurs (am): Yoga + bike to work (right my backs's eased off, but what on earth is going on with my quads?!)
Thurs (lunch): the boys at work are doing their regular monthly 2 mile time-trial, do I fancy it? Well I’m at the physio tomorrow so it’d be good to at least give some sort of running a go? 1.5mi there, 2mi hard, 1.5 back. So time trial starts ... first 100m at full blown sprint?! Legs give in at about 1.5mi, finish 2mi in a respectable time, jog back. Canny session.
Thurs (pm): Bike/roll home. Pool session – pyramid 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 in the stupid cut-off-short-cos-of-diving-lessons pool– exhausted!!
Fri (am): Yoga (didn't even bother with the DVD today - know the words off by heart now and getting a bit sick of Geri’s patter!)
Fri (pm): Physio – wowsers – you’re good to go Stace! Go out to celebrate the fact that I might not be able to again for a bit J
Sat: ‘Jog’ to Parkrun, ‘jog’ home …. 8mi round trip, not jog.
Sun: ‘Go out for an hours run’ ………….. which I do and just run without looking at my watch once – 'take your shackles off my feet so I can dance!' comes to mind J v. pleased.
Mon (am): Yoga (actually manage the whole balance section without wobbling), bike to work (slip up the hill that last week I could taste blood at the top of), Mon (lunch): run to the gym (yes I shall now admit it’s a run) do session pain free, Mon (pm): bike home, stretch off.
And that's it, up to date on the training front, but the big question I guess is what now? Jump straight back on the bandwagon of running, running and a lot more running or give the injury and the cross training a real chance to actually pay off ………………………. I dunno, the foots not right for back to back to back to back but my general fitness hasn't disappeared so I guess a balance might be on the cards?
All runners hate being injured, it's boring and the alternatives suck, but I guess if you find something that gives you that sense of achievement or that adrenaline rush, or that basic flat out heart couldn't pump any faster and I'm gonna loose an eyeball here feeling then it makes the 'not running' less stressful.
If you ever find yourself out I couldn’t recommend this article and the Pool Running program in it more.
Until next time ........