As I have been gently reminded, it has been far too long since I updated everyone on what's been happening. So, here we go...
I had originally thought about jumping straight into training for Tasmania's Cadbury Half Marathon in January, however since my knee still isn't terribly happy with me increasing distances, I've had to do the smart thing and scratch that plan. Instead, my physio has me relegated to "technique work".
Why technique work? Because my bad running mechanics is probably what's contributing to my knee issue. How do we know this? I endured the humiliation of seeing myself running on video. My my, wasn't that an experience and a half? And not a terribly pleasant one let me tell you! I can liken the experience to one that most people have probably had, where you look back at old photos and gasp in shame at what you used to wear (I'm sure any ladies that had "80's hair" will know exactly what I'm talking about). And back then you thought it looked good, right? Having yourself videotaped evokes similar feelings.
Not that I ever deluded myself that I actually looked GOOD while I was running. Oh dear no. I've never been one of those enviable "natural runners" that look like they're effortlessly gliding along the ground with the grace of a gazelle. If I had to liken my running style to an animal, it would more likely be something along the lines of a hippopotamus being forced to run on its hind legs. Oh, and one of those hind legs is prosthetic. Ker-THUMP, ker-THUMP... Yes, that fits my mental image nicely. Because, I do actually run somewhat lopsided, as the video showed.
I tend to lead with one side (as one glute is stronger than the other), which puts excess strain on the hip and knee on the other side, plus my hip drops far too much when my foot hits the ground. Because the hip drops when my foot is on the ground, I have to lift the hip on the other side to bring my leg underneath for the next stride. This means my hips are kind of going all over the place when they really should be staying fairly level. Anyway, interesting running mechanics information aside, it means I have to do some serious work on my technique before I can even think about running higher distances again.
So, I run for 30-45 seconds with perfect technique, then walk for 15-30 seconds, and repeat. And repeat. And repeat some more until I can't hold that good technique properly any more (usually about 30-40 minutes). It is hard, it is mentally draining, it is monotonous, and I feel really silly stopping and starting like that when all I want to do is just keep running. But, all whining aside, I'm sure I'll be thankful for it in a couple of months time when I'm back to running properly again. In the meantime, if you're around the Brisbane river and you happen to see me doing my thing, please try your hardest to not laugh out loud? Cheers.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
I may be the slowest thing on two legs...
Run - 8km (00:06:45 pace)
... But I get there in the end! I ran my old favourite 8km return route along the river from the Kangaroo Point stairs, past Southbank and out to West End, and despite my legs feeling totally dead at the end, it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.
Actually, it was great. For the first time since coming back off my knee injury, I was able to ignore my struggling body long enough to appreciate the cloudless star-sprinkled sky, the brisk breeze, and the lights sparkling off the river. I'd forgotten how much I love running at night! Running during the day carries feelings of urgency, of being overwhelmed by the bright sunshine and the energy-sapping heat, but at night its peaceful and even somewhat relaxing.
Plus, there's the added feeling of achievement that comes from pushing myself through 8km, which is the longest distance I've done since hurting my knee. Next week, I'm gonna make it 10k!
... But I get there in the end! I ran my old favourite 8km return route along the river from the Kangaroo Point stairs, past Southbank and out to West End, and despite my legs feeling totally dead at the end, it wasn't as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.
Actually, it was great. For the first time since coming back off my knee injury, I was able to ignore my struggling body long enough to appreciate the cloudless star-sprinkled sky, the brisk breeze, and the lights sparkling off the river. I'd forgotten how much I love running at night! Running during the day carries feelings of urgency, of being overwhelmed by the bright sunshine and the energy-sapping heat, but at night its peaceful and even somewhat relaxing.
Plus, there's the added feeling of achievement that comes from pushing myself through 8km, which is the longest distance I've done since hurting my knee. Next week, I'm gonna make it 10k!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Slowly but surely...
Run - 6.4km total
10min walk warmup
2 x 3.1km (00:06:30 pace) with 200m walking recovery
10min walk cooldown
I still feel like a tortoise, but its getting easier.
I've never been a fan of running in the heat, I much prefer to hit the pavement either early morning or in the evening, but with the way my uni schedule is at the moment, I have to squeeze runs in whenever I can. So, I guess I'm just going to have to get used to coming home and dripping little pools of sweat all through the house like I did after my 10am run today. Nice.
10min walk warmup
2 x 3.1km (00:06:30 pace) with 200m walking recovery
10min walk cooldown
I still feel like a tortoise, but its getting easier.
I've never been a fan of running in the heat, I much prefer to hit the pavement either early morning or in the evening, but with the way my uni schedule is at the moment, I have to squeeze runs in whenever I can. So, I guess I'm just going to have to get used to coming home and dripping little pools of sweat all through the house like I did after my 10am run today. Nice.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Pant, gasp...
Run - 6.4km total
10min walk warmup
2 x 2.5km (00:06:20 pace) with 200m walking recovery
1 x 1km (00:06:00 pace)
10min walk cooldown
6.4km! Four long, long months ago, 6.4km would have been nothing more than a tiny blip in my weekly mileage. Now however, the excitement of actually having gone as far as 6.4km is eclipsed only by the fact that I did a grand total of 18km last week. The joy, the rapture! It is so worth the stabs of pain that radiate from my quads with every thud of my foot on the ground. It is so worth the burning in my chest and the rasping sound of my own breathing heavy in my ears. And most of all, its worth the occasional twinges of pain from my knee, even though I still gasp in fear each time I feel one.
All in all, my knee has been quite well behaved through all of this "return to running" business. It has its moments of course, and plenty of times that, while it doesn't actually hurt, it just doesn't feel 100%. But I'm playing by the rules, doing my stretches and taking things fairlyly slowly, so I guess all I can do is keep on hoping, and keep on running!
10min walk warmup
2 x 2.5km (00:06:20 pace) with 200m walking recovery
1 x 1km (00:06:00 pace)
10min walk cooldown
6.4km! Four long, long months ago, 6.4km would have been nothing more than a tiny blip in my weekly mileage. Now however, the excitement of actually having gone as far as 6.4km is eclipsed only by the fact that I did a grand total of 18km last week. The joy, the rapture! It is so worth the stabs of pain that radiate from my quads with every thud of my foot on the ground. It is so worth the burning in my chest and the rasping sound of my own breathing heavy in my ears. And most of all, its worth the occasional twinges of pain from my knee, even though I still gasp in fear each time I feel one.
All in all, my knee has been quite well behaved through all of this "return to running" business. It has its moments of course, and plenty of times that, while it doesn't actually hurt, it just doesn't feel 100%. But I'm playing by the rules, doing my stretches and taking things fairlyly slowly, so I guess all I can do is keep on hoping, and keep on running!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Just a quickie!
Run - 5km total
10min walk warmup
4 x 1km (00:06:25 pace) with 200m walking recovery
5min walk cooldown
Its late, I'm tired, so this will be a short update.
This was one of those runs I probably shouldn't have done, but my pig-headedness asserted itself and I did it anyway. My knee had felt a bit iffy all day so I was a little wary of running on it, but things turned out ok. Actually, I felt great afterwards. Instead of heading down to the river as I usually would I decided to stick close to home, and did a few laps around the local streets. Nice for a change.
10min walk warmup
4 x 1km (00:06:25 pace) with 200m walking recovery
5min walk cooldown
Its late, I'm tired, so this will be a short update.
This was one of those runs I probably shouldn't have done, but my pig-headedness asserted itself and I did it anyway. My knee had felt a bit iffy all day so I was a little wary of running on it, but things turned out ok. Actually, I felt great afterwards. Instead of heading down to the river as I usually would I decided to stick close to home, and did a few laps around the local streets. Nice for a change.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
"On the road again... "
"... Just can't wait to get on the road again..."
Run - 10min walk warmup
4 x 1km (00:06:30 pace) with 200m walking recovery
10min walk cooldown
And she's back.
Now that I'm feeling like I'm training properly again, this blog can be more about running and less me whingeing about not being able to run! So, while these reports will in no way compare to the speeds and distances I was doing pre-Gold Coast, they're still better than nothing. Gotta start somewhere eh?
Not even dreary weather and drizzling rain could have kept me from hitting the road this morning. In fact, I think I'm glad of the unfriendly weather because it kept the majority of people indoors and left me with the river path all to myself. No one to leave me feeling like a plodding, slow-moving sloth as they cruise past me with gazelle-like grace. No one to hear my somewhat tortured breathing as I struggle to make my legs go forwards when all they want to do is stop and have a rest. No one to see me pulling what I'm sure are amusing grimaces and assorted other facial expressions as I sternly berate myself for being a wimp and wanting to turn around and go home. Nope, it was just me, the puddles, and the steady plop of rain on the brim of my cap. And it was great.
I'd love to say I cruised, but in truth it was a struggle. My heart-rate skyrocketed, my quads were burning, and that niggly voice in the back of my mind kept saying "Come on, that's enough for today, you're going to hurt your knee again". My stubborn pig-headedness won out however, and I finished the total of 5k feeling on top of the world. That's the longest distance I've covered since Gold Coast. Now all I have to do is keep up the momentum and I'll be back up and ready to race again!
Run - 10min walk warmup
4 x 1km (00:06:30 pace) with 200m walking recovery
10min walk cooldown
And she's back.
Now that I'm feeling like I'm training properly again, this blog can be more about running and less me whingeing about not being able to run! So, while these reports will in no way compare to the speeds and distances I was doing pre-Gold Coast, they're still better than nothing. Gotta start somewhere eh?
Not even dreary weather and drizzling rain could have kept me from hitting the road this morning. In fact, I think I'm glad of the unfriendly weather because it kept the majority of people indoors and left me with the river path all to myself. No one to leave me feeling like a plodding, slow-moving sloth as they cruise past me with gazelle-like grace. No one to hear my somewhat tortured breathing as I struggle to make my legs go forwards when all they want to do is stop and have a rest. No one to see me pulling what I'm sure are amusing grimaces and assorted other facial expressions as I sternly berate myself for being a wimp and wanting to turn around and go home. Nope, it was just me, the puddles, and the steady plop of rain on the brim of my cap. And it was great.
I'd love to say I cruised, but in truth it was a struggle. My heart-rate skyrocketed, my quads were burning, and that niggly voice in the back of my mind kept saying "Come on, that's enough for today, you're going to hurt your knee again". My stubborn pig-headedness won out however, and I finished the total of 5k feeling on top of the world. That's the longest distance I've covered since Gold Coast. Now all I have to do is keep up the momentum and I'll be back up and ready to race again!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Do not pass go, do not collect $200...
Yes, it does feel a little like I'm back to square one... My first "run" since the Gold Coast Half Marathon was an exercise in humility, as someone that thinks of themselves as a "runner" was reduced to the position of "runner-wannabe". I panted and staggered my way through my 5 x 30second intervals at a speed barely above walking pace, gasping like a fish that had flipped out of its tank and feeling like my legs were made from reinforced concrete. Nothing could have stopped the exhilaration though, the unadulterated excitement at being able to RUN! And it got better from there.
I've done a few more sessions since then, and each one has improved upon the last. Friday I did 3 x 800m repeats with 1-2min walking recovery, and last night I did 4 x 800m repeats. Its probably a little above what I should be doing, but as long as my knee isn't hurting I don't see the harm. I'm back to see the physio on Wednesday so if he yells at me I'll just accept it as justified and do my best to stick to whatever program he gives me. My stubborn and pig-headed side is very hard to subdue though! Especially since someone mentioned to me a marathon/half-marathon in January that, can you believe it, starts and finishes at the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Tasmania! That race must have been made for me! Could I be ready for another half-marathon in 13 weeks? I really don't know, either fitness-wise or knee-wise, so I guess I'll casually mention it to the physio on Wednesday and see what his reaction is.
Meanwhile, I got some runnin' to do!
I've done a few more sessions since then, and each one has improved upon the last. Friday I did 3 x 800m repeats with 1-2min walking recovery, and last night I did 4 x 800m repeats. Its probably a little above what I should be doing, but as long as my knee isn't hurting I don't see the harm. I'm back to see the physio on Wednesday so if he yells at me I'll just accept it as justified and do my best to stick to whatever program he gives me. My stubborn and pig-headed side is very hard to subdue though! Especially since someone mentioned to me a marathon/half-marathon in January that, can you believe it, starts and finishes at the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Tasmania! That race must have been made for me! Could I be ready for another half-marathon in 13 weeks? I really don't know, either fitness-wise or knee-wise, so I guess I'll casually mention it to the physio on Wednesday and see what his reaction is.
Meanwhile, I got some runnin' to do!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Finally, a positive update!
Yes, please don't die of shock or anything, but I've actually got good news to report for once!
I've spend the last two weeks walking like a gumby, and while my legs and glutes have been screaming in protest at this horrible mistreatment, it has paid off. The excessive load has been taken off my knee, which has broken the pain cycle, and during the past week I've been mostly pain-free. I've still had the odd twinge, but where one twinge used to mean I'd spend the rest of the day whimpering and dragging my leg behind me Quasiomodo-style, now it means I limp for a few minutes and then it subsides.
I've also spent the last two weeks doing some horribly uncomfortable neural stretches that make me feel nauseous as I'm doing them, but take any knee twinges away instantly. If you have ever felt a nerve being stretched, you might know what I'm talking about. Not everyone gets it, but y'know that sharp burning and pulling feeling you get behind your knees during a hamstring stretch? That's nerve stretching, and its possibly one of the reasons my knee hasn't improved properly, because I've got a lot of neural tightness down that leg. Either way, like them or not, the neural stretches help so I'll keep on doing them. I do look a bit of a nutcase lying on the ground with my leg in the air, but hey, I've kind of gotten used to the strange looks I get from people when I'm doing those sorts of things at uni. I mean, c'mon, they're IT students... Their only concept of a physical human body is as an inlet for pizza and an outlet for communication with the computer. The thought of using their body for *gasp* running would be an incredibly alien concept to them! But I digress...
Anyway, I'm allowed to work some running in this week. Sort of. Walk for 10mins, do 5 x 30sec run with 1min walking recovery, then walk for the remainder of 30-40mins. Not much, but its a start. I'm alternating between uncontrollable excitement at being able to run, and abject terror at the thought of blowing my knee up again! Guess I just have to get out there and try. Fingers crossed for me everyone!
I've spend the last two weeks walking like a gumby, and while my legs and glutes have been screaming in protest at this horrible mistreatment, it has paid off. The excessive load has been taken off my knee, which has broken the pain cycle, and during the past week I've been mostly pain-free. I've still had the odd twinge, but where one twinge used to mean I'd spend the rest of the day whimpering and dragging my leg behind me Quasiomodo-style, now it means I limp for a few minutes and then it subsides.
I've also spent the last two weeks doing some horribly uncomfortable neural stretches that make me feel nauseous as I'm doing them, but take any knee twinges away instantly. If you have ever felt a nerve being stretched, you might know what I'm talking about. Not everyone gets it, but y'know that sharp burning and pulling feeling you get behind your knees during a hamstring stretch? That's nerve stretching, and its possibly one of the reasons my knee hasn't improved properly, because I've got a lot of neural tightness down that leg. Either way, like them or not, the neural stretches help so I'll keep on doing them. I do look a bit of a nutcase lying on the ground with my leg in the air, but hey, I've kind of gotten used to the strange looks I get from people when I'm doing those sorts of things at uni. I mean, c'mon, they're IT students... Their only concept of a physical human body is as an inlet for pizza and an outlet for communication with the computer. The thought of using their body for *gasp* running would be an incredibly alien concept to them! But I digress...
Anyway, I'm allowed to work some running in this week. Sort of. Walk for 10mins, do 5 x 30sec run with 1min walking recovery, then walk for the remainder of 30-40mins. Not much, but its a start. I'm alternating between uncontrollable excitement at being able to run, and abject terror at the thought of blowing my knee up again! Guess I just have to get out there and try. Fingers crossed for me everyone!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
An overdue update...
And the MRI results are in...
Let's do the good news first - no structural damage. No meniscal problems, no ligament issues, no major swelling or inflammation. Whew! Now for the bad news - what the MRI showed was consistent with ITBFS, which is what we've been treating all along and what should have been better by now. Damn... It... All... To... Hell... So, it was back to Rich for another cortisone injection and strict instructions to rest my knee as much as is humanly possible. Easier said than done! Yesterday morning was horrendous. Usually the pain doesn't start until afternoon/evening time, after I've been walking around on it all day, but yesterday it was hurting right from when I got up. I saw Dolph after walking to and from uni already that morning, and he said my leg was as bad (tightness and knotted-muscle wise) as the first time he saw me after I did the injury. Wonderful. Talk about being back to square one!
Having to walk to and from uni across the Goodwill Bridge most days with a 10-15kg backpack doesn't exactly fall into the "rest my knee as much as is humanly possible" category, but there's no way around it. I did consider hiring a couple of sherpas, one to carry me and one to carry my backpack, but I think that's a little outside my budget currently. Seeing as that's not an option, Dolph has got me altering my walking style instead because he thinks how I walk is what's irritating the ITB. So, I now have to stick my butt out more and try to land my foot as close underneath my body as possible, rather than my usual "flick the leg out in front" motion. Sounds simple? Not quite. My body isn't particularly happy with me trying to change what its been doing quite comfortably for the past 25 or so years, but hey, if it works I'm not going to complain.
And it does seem to be working. My knee felt okay after walking back from uni yesterday, where usually I would be practically dragging my leg behind me in an effort not to have to bend it. As pessimistic as it sounds, despite this temporary success I'm trying not to get my hopes too high. Right now it feels like I'm never going to be able to run again. I guess we just have to play the waiting game some more.
Awww, the waiting game sucks! Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos! (--kudos to anyone that gets that reference ;)
Let's do the good news first - no structural damage. No meniscal problems, no ligament issues, no major swelling or inflammation. Whew! Now for the bad news - what the MRI showed was consistent with ITBFS, which is what we've been treating all along and what should have been better by now. Damn... It... All... To... Hell... So, it was back to Rich for another cortisone injection and strict instructions to rest my knee as much as is humanly possible. Easier said than done! Yesterday morning was horrendous. Usually the pain doesn't start until afternoon/evening time, after I've been walking around on it all day, but yesterday it was hurting right from when I got up. I saw Dolph after walking to and from uni already that morning, and he said my leg was as bad (tightness and knotted-muscle wise) as the first time he saw me after I did the injury. Wonderful. Talk about being back to square one!
Having to walk to and from uni across the Goodwill Bridge most days with a 10-15kg backpack doesn't exactly fall into the "rest my knee as much as is humanly possible" category, but there's no way around it. I did consider hiring a couple of sherpas, one to carry me and one to carry my backpack, but I think that's a little outside my budget currently. Seeing as that's not an option, Dolph has got me altering my walking style instead because he thinks how I walk is what's irritating the ITB. So, I now have to stick my butt out more and try to land my foot as close underneath my body as possible, rather than my usual "flick the leg out in front" motion. Sounds simple? Not quite. My body isn't particularly happy with me trying to change what its been doing quite comfortably for the past 25 or so years, but hey, if it works I'm not going to complain.
And it does seem to be working. My knee felt okay after walking back from uni yesterday, where usually I would be practically dragging my leg behind me in an effort not to have to bend it. As pessimistic as it sounds, despite this temporary success I'm trying not to get my hopes too high. Right now it feels like I'm never going to be able to run again. I guess we just have to play the waiting game some more.
Awww, the waiting game sucks! Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos! (--kudos to anyone that gets that reference ;)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Saluting the fantastic plastic...
Thank goodness for credit cards is all I have to say! While the MRI wasn't as expensive as I was dreading, $200 is still a lot for a full-time student trying to scrape by on the pittance the fitness industry pays for my 25hours a week work. When Rich (the sports physician) rings me with the results I'll know whether it was worth the cost or not, but hopefully it will at least give us a bit of an idea of what the problem is. Whatever it is, its not simply ITBS.
One of my regular gym clients confirmed that for me yesterday. I had been talking to him about my knee, not knowing that he's actually an orthopedic surgeon specialising in knee surgery (apparently he drives a Mercedes with the license plate "KNEE", I think that sums up the situation quite well), and he offered to have a look at it for me. After putting my knee through its paces, he said my ITB was a little tight but not that bad, and my range of motion was all normal. Manipulation tests were normal as well, so the good news there was he said whatever the problem is, he doesn't think its something that will require surgery. Whew! Meniscal or ligament tears are looking pretty unlikely, thankfully, so its looking like possibly tendonitis at the hamstring insertion, popliteal tendon or something along those lines. We'll know more when I talk to Rich about the MRI.
The MRI itself was something of a surreal and rather bizarre experience. Having to lie completely motionless inside a tube for 20-30minutes listening to the sounds the machine was making gave me plenty of opportunity to watch the thoughts bouncing around my head. The sounds were very Star-Trek-ish, with interesting rhythmical sub-sounds that kind of reminded me of some sort of electronic tribal dance. They were actually quite soothing, and had I not been so tense with the effort to remain motionless I might even have started snoring (despite it being 9:30am at the time). Hey, gimme a break, there hasn't exactly been a lot of sleep happening lately!
Well, nothing to do now but wait. Oh joy. We all know just how good I am at that! (and anyone that doesn't know... I'm being facetious).
One of my regular gym clients confirmed that for me yesterday. I had been talking to him about my knee, not knowing that he's actually an orthopedic surgeon specialising in knee surgery (apparently he drives a Mercedes with the license plate "KNEE", I think that sums up the situation quite well), and he offered to have a look at it for me. After putting my knee through its paces, he said my ITB was a little tight but not that bad, and my range of motion was all normal. Manipulation tests were normal as well, so the good news there was he said whatever the problem is, he doesn't think its something that will require surgery. Whew! Meniscal or ligament tears are looking pretty unlikely, thankfully, so its looking like possibly tendonitis at the hamstring insertion, popliteal tendon or something along those lines. We'll know more when I talk to Rich about the MRI.
The MRI itself was something of a surreal and rather bizarre experience. Having to lie completely motionless inside a tube for 20-30minutes listening to the sounds the machine was making gave me plenty of opportunity to watch the thoughts bouncing around my head. The sounds were very Star-Trek-ish, with interesting rhythmical sub-sounds that kind of reminded me of some sort of electronic tribal dance. They were actually quite soothing, and had I not been so tense with the effort to remain motionless I might even have started snoring (despite it being 9:30am at the time). Hey, gimme a break, there hasn't exactly been a lot of sleep happening lately!
Well, nothing to do now but wait. Oh joy. We all know just how good I am at that! (and anyone that doesn't know... I'm being facetious).
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Perhaps you've guessed...
... But the lack of posting after my "allowed walks" should perhaps have clued you all in to the fact that no, they didn't go well. In fact, the Monday after was like being back to day one, where landing slightly off-centre on my right leg would stop me in my tracks by sending electric spasms of pain from my knee. Bending my right knee as I walked was too painful so I developed an interesting Quasimodo-style hobble (come on, you try walking with a straight leg and see how sexy you can make it look!) Watching me walk down a flight of stairs? You might as well pull up a chair and grab a coffee, its going to take a while.
The physio is obviously somewhat concerned as according to him the pain really should have settled by now and I should have been back to some low-intensity running. So, it seems that there might be something other than ITBS going on. He's sending me back to the sports physician next week, and suggested that perhaps an MRI is in order. Great. So in addition to the pain in my knee, I'll be developing some pain in the hip-pocket area. Y'know, the type caused by having to shell out hundreds of dollars you don't really have, being a full-time student and all. Perhaps someone wants to buy one of my kidneys? I do have two after all, I'm sure I can do without one.
All for a good cause I suppose. No running means no stress relief for me, so its all slowly building up. The next person that gets up my nose is in for a serious shock, namely that a 5'3", 52kg female has a punch like a freight train when its fuelled by frustration, rage and masses of unrelieved stress. The fact that I had to miss the Bridge to Brisbane this year, and listen to my housemates chattering excitedly about the event, certainly didn't help the situation. I'm not much of a crier as a general rule, but there was a few sniffles that day.
Hey, I've got an idea... Instead of selling my spare kidney to finance an MRI, I'll just swap it for a working knee! Any takers?
The physio is obviously somewhat concerned as according to him the pain really should have settled by now and I should have been back to some low-intensity running. So, it seems that there might be something other than ITBS going on. He's sending me back to the sports physician next week, and suggested that perhaps an MRI is in order. Great. So in addition to the pain in my knee, I'll be developing some pain in the hip-pocket area. Y'know, the type caused by having to shell out hundreds of dollars you don't really have, being a full-time student and all. Perhaps someone wants to buy one of my kidneys? I do have two after all, I'm sure I can do without one.
All for a good cause I suppose. No running means no stress relief for me, so its all slowly building up. The next person that gets up my nose is in for a serious shock, namely that a 5'3", 52kg female has a punch like a freight train when its fuelled by frustration, rage and masses of unrelieved stress. The fact that I had to miss the Bridge to Brisbane this year, and listen to my housemates chattering excitedly about the event, certainly didn't help the situation. I'm not much of a crier as a general rule, but there was a few sniffles that day.
Hey, I've got an idea... Instead of selling my spare kidney to finance an MRI, I'll just swap it for a working knee! Any takers?
Friday, July 27, 2007
The definition of frustration...
"A deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs"
Thankyou Dictionary.com, I couldn't have said it better myself. Well, perhaps I would have used stronger words than "insecurity" or "dissatisfaction"... Maybe something along the lines of "A deep and chronic desire to scream incoherently, tear one's hair out and lay waste to whatever people and/or objects are within the immediate vicinity, arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs". Yes, that sums it up nicely. I would be jumping up and down with said frustration if it didn't hurt my knee so much. Even five minutes on the physio's exercise bike was enough to flare it up badly a week or two ago. But, it is getting much better now, so I should probably stop whining and complaining and get on to the good news.
About a week and a half ago, I had a cortisone injection in my knee. It is certainly not an experience I wish to repeat in the near future. Or the distant future, come to think of it. Try and imagine the sensation of someone stabbing a knife into the nerve that runs down your leg, sending shooting pains from your knee right down to the bones in your toes. Sounds lovely doesn't it? Not that the doctor was sticking a needle into my nerve or anything, it just felt that way. Plus, I was one of the lucky 10% the doctor warned me about that will have a period of 24-48hrs where the pain gets worse before it gets better. Anyone that has experienced the joys of a "steroid flare" will know exactly what I'm talking about. Hooray! I spent that night with the very bones of my leg aching and my knee protesting every movement. Oh wait, more whining... I was supposed to be getting on to the good news wasn't I?
Well, I spoke to my phsyio today, and he's letting me off the leash for two 1-hour walks over the weekend. Well, the second walk is going to be dependent on how my knee feels after the first one, but I'm going to do the mental equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and singing "La la la" and pretend that its going to feel fantastic. No chance whatsoever that it might be sore, its going to be strong and pain-free. Positive thinking and all that. Of course, I'd much rather be running, but as someone that hasn't been able to do any exercise for the past four weeks the idea of even walking has me in throes of joyous rapture. Yes, before anyone suggests it I know I could have been swimming, but have you felt the temperature out there lately? Snowflake's chance in hell of me getting into a pool!
Anyway, hopefully my next entry will be much less depressing and may even have a report of me jumping up and down with the joy of feeling good after my walk. Fingers crossed everyone!
Thankyou Dictionary.com, I couldn't have said it better myself. Well, perhaps I would have used stronger words than "insecurity" or "dissatisfaction"... Maybe something along the lines of "A deep and chronic desire to scream incoherently, tear one's hair out and lay waste to whatever people and/or objects are within the immediate vicinity, arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs". Yes, that sums it up nicely. I would be jumping up and down with said frustration if it didn't hurt my knee so much. Even five minutes on the physio's exercise bike was enough to flare it up badly a week or two ago. But, it is getting much better now, so I should probably stop whining and complaining and get on to the good news.
About a week and a half ago, I had a cortisone injection in my knee. It is certainly not an experience I wish to repeat in the near future. Or the distant future, come to think of it. Try and imagine the sensation of someone stabbing a knife into the nerve that runs down your leg, sending shooting pains from your knee right down to the bones in your toes. Sounds lovely doesn't it? Not that the doctor was sticking a needle into my nerve or anything, it just felt that way. Plus, I was one of the lucky 10% the doctor warned me about that will have a period of 24-48hrs where the pain gets worse before it gets better. Anyone that has experienced the joys of a "steroid flare" will know exactly what I'm talking about. Hooray! I spent that night with the very bones of my leg aching and my knee protesting every movement. Oh wait, more whining... I was supposed to be getting on to the good news wasn't I?
Well, I spoke to my phsyio today, and he's letting me off the leash for two 1-hour walks over the weekend. Well, the second walk is going to be dependent on how my knee feels after the first one, but I'm going to do the mental equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and singing "La la la" and pretend that its going to feel fantastic. No chance whatsoever that it might be sore, its going to be strong and pain-free. Positive thinking and all that. Of course, I'd much rather be running, but as someone that hasn't been able to do any exercise for the past four weeks the idea of even walking has me in throes of joyous rapture. Yes, before anyone suggests it I know I could have been swimming, but have you felt the temperature out there lately? Snowflake's chance in hell of me getting into a pool!
Anyway, hopefully my next entry will be much less depressing and may even have a report of me jumping up and down with the joy of feeling good after my walk. Fingers crossed everyone!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Excuse me, fat sloth coming through!
Which is basically how I feel at the moment. Its amazing how much you appreciate something once you can't do it anymore! While at one time I would have enjoyed the break from running, its become apparent just how much I'd started to enjoy it in the past six months or so. Running used to be a chore, something I did to keep my weight under control and my fitness up, but now its a staple part of my life. A staple part that has been forcibly removed, leaving me feeling like someone has chopped my legs out from under me (no pun intended). The physio did mention the possibility of running next week, so I shall wait for that moment with bated breath.
Speaking of the physio, he's been great. Aside from the whole "elbow in the glute" thing anyway. In fact, I'm really not a fan of any of the rather painful releases he does on various protesting muscles in my legs, but it feels better afterwards and that's what's important. He cracks me up actually, because he's not like my last physio that would apologise gently yet profusely with a worried expression on his face whenever he did something painful. Oh no, this physio laughs. Digging his thumb into my ITB and seeing me wince, he's most likely to laugh out loud and say "Ooh, that one hurts doesn't it?". Yes, damnit! But strangely enough, the laughter isn't offensive but is actually quite comforting.
My ITB is still inflamed but at least I have movement in my knee again, even though I'm still walking like a complete gumby. Ice, Voltaren tablets, and more ice is about all I can do until the inflammation settles down, and then we can get to work on figuring out exactly what causes the problem. An out-and-back course on cambered roads was one of the biggest issues apparently, which I can definitely understand as 95% of my training is on flat pathways rather than roads. I think its going to come down to poor lateral stability and bad running mechanics as well. Oh well, that bridge will be crossed when we get to it. In the meantime I need to find some exercise I can do that doesn't involve my legs. Either that, or I'm going to have to stop eating! I've gained a kg or two already, yeesh.
A massive thankyou to everyone for their well-wishes and positive comments after the race. I have to admit to being rather depressed about the whole situation, and you all really helped to brighten my outlook and put everything in perspective. Thanks again :)
Speaking of the physio, he's been great. Aside from the whole "elbow in the glute" thing anyway. In fact, I'm really not a fan of any of the rather painful releases he does on various protesting muscles in my legs, but it feels better afterwards and that's what's important. He cracks me up actually, because he's not like my last physio that would apologise gently yet profusely with a worried expression on his face whenever he did something painful. Oh no, this physio laughs. Digging his thumb into my ITB and seeing me wince, he's most likely to laugh out loud and say "Ooh, that one hurts doesn't it?". Yes, damnit! But strangely enough, the laughter isn't offensive but is actually quite comforting.
My ITB is still inflamed but at least I have movement in my knee again, even though I'm still walking like a complete gumby. Ice, Voltaren tablets, and more ice is about all I can do until the inflammation settles down, and then we can get to work on figuring out exactly what causes the problem. An out-and-back course on cambered roads was one of the biggest issues apparently, which I can definitely understand as 95% of my training is on flat pathways rather than roads. I think its going to come down to poor lateral stability and bad running mechanics as well. Oh well, that bridge will be crossed when we get to it. In the meantime I need to find some exercise I can do that doesn't involve my legs. Either that, or I'm going to have to stop eating! I've gained a kg or two already, yeesh.
A massive thankyou to everyone for their well-wishes and positive comments after the race. I have to admit to being rather depressed about the whole situation, and you all really helped to brighten my outlook and put everything in perspective. Thanks again :)
Monday, July 2, 2007
Race Report - Gold Coast Half-Marathon
21.1km - 2:03:05
I had two cohorts for this race, Lawrie and Philby, and we all headed down the coast lunchtime on Saturday to make the most of a relaxing pre-race day, have a good dinner, and hit our hotel beds early for a 4:30am wake-up.
There is much to be said about carbo-loading before a race, and I think I went slightly overboard. We went to Sak's at Marina Mirage, a restaurant that I was overjoyed to find as having a gluten-free menu complete with bread and more options than you could poke a stick at. A far cry from most other places that offer gluten-free as something of an afterthought, and don't exactly put much effort into it. The dinner was amazing, I stuffed myself with enough bread and pasta to fuel myself through at least three half-marathons. Then it was back to the hotel for what should have been an early night.
The night before the race was spent, like my fellow room-occupant Philby, tossing and turning and trying to curse my brain into shut-down mode. It wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention, so both of us ended up ready to run a half-marathon on about 2 hours sleep. Oh joy. A coffee in the room, followed by a caramel double-shot long black at the race precinct was enough to drive the last shreds of tiredness from me though, and excitement really started to set in. A bit of a debacle at the toilet queue (people, if you're not running in the race, don't hold up the queue in front of half-marathoners that have only five minutes until their start time!) had us dashing to the start line with only a few minutes to spare.
I had planned to run with the 2hour pace group, so was frantically scanning the crowd for the black balloons that would signify their position. Not a chance. By that time, everyone was so packed in to the start area that we were lucky to squeeze in at all. Turns out we were actually far ahead of the 2hour pacers in the pack, and it was probably the best thing that could have happened.
The gun went off, the crowd began to move, and we started the usual start-line shuffle until there was enough space to break into a run. I saw the 1:40 pacer balloons ahead of me, and realised at that point the 2:00 pacer must be behind. I didn't exactly fancy standing and waiting for them to catch me, so I figured I would just run my own pace and if they caught up to me, just continue running with them.
By the 3km marker they hadn't caught me, and my GPS told me I was averaging 5:30/km. The wrist-band I had gotten for the 2hour pace group said I needed to average 5:41/km to hit the 2:00 goal, so I was definitely ahead of them. The wrist-band also had the 5km, 10km and 15km split times I should be aiming for, and when I hit the 5km marker I saw I was still about a minute ahead of schedule. And I felt good!
In fact, I was cruising. Don't get me wrong, it was hard. But I felt like I could keep it up, and that was the important point. The 6km, 7km and 8km markers breezed by, I was concentrating on just keeping a good pace and not getting caught up with the runners that were passing me. From the 9km marker I was excited to realise I was going to do my fastest 10km time ever, and I was still ahead of the 2:00 pacer.
Not long before the turnaround point I heard Philby call my name and gave her a wave. She had taken off like a shot at the beginning and was now on the return part of the race, and running fantastically well. From the turnaround point myself I was still feeling great, especially knowing that I was more than halfway through. From the turnaround I was watching for Lawrie, and gave him a yell and a wave when I saw him looking like he was struggling along somewhat. I started to tire a little from about 13km, and I was getting really quite worried that I had gone out too hard and wasn't going to be able to keep my pace up for the last section. I was still maintaining 5:30-5:40/km, but it was getting harder. I needn't have worried, it wasn't going to be tiredness that was going to stop me in my tracks.
Just before the 16km marker, my right knee stopped working. No pain at first, it just refused to bend. Perturbed, I stopped, gave it a bit of a stretch, and tried to take off again. I got three steps before the pain forced me to stop again. The outside of my right knee was in complete agony any time I tried to run. It faded as I walked a few steps, so I took off again, and this time just gritted my teeth and ran through the pain. It dulled a little within a hundred metres, and I figured out that stopping and starting was a lot more painful than just continuing, so that's what I did. My pace slowed to 6:00/km and I was hobbling along, but I was still moving. I seriously considered talking to a race marshall and just giving up, but my stubborn side reasserted itself. i had trained too long and hard for this to stop now.
The 2:00 pace group caught me up at about the 17km mark. I managed to hobble along with them for about a kilometre, but they were just going too fast for me at that point, and as I watched the black balloons fade away into the distance ahead of me I couldn't help the tears that started sneaking out. I have never been in so much pain in my life, and I still had a bit over 3km to go.
The graph shows my pace for each kilometre along the run. Can you spot the point where my knee gave up? And then were I tried to keep up with the 2:00 pacer? Technology is a wonderful thing.
My breathing was pretty ragged that last couple of kilometres, not because my fitness wasn't up to it, but because its hard to sob and run at the same time. I kept waiting for the 2:10 pace group to overtake me as well, but thankfully I wasn't going quite that slow. Reaching the CoolRunner cheersquad felt like the highlight of my life at that point, especially when SarahV took off and ran along the sidelines with me for the last section. It was the boost I needed to get me through to the finish line, which I staggered over with a net time of 2:03:05.
I should be happy with my time. After all, my original goal time was 2:15:00, and I absolutely smashed that. But I'm not happy. Not now that I know I could have done under 2:00 if it weren't for my knee giving up on me. At the finish line, the tears were as much from disappointment as from the pain.
A lovely race marshall lady saw me bawling like a baby coming out of the finish chute, gave me a hug and escorted me to the physio tent. Their diagnosis? Acute ITB (iliotibial band) inflammation, brought on by the repetitive friction of the band over bone. Its going to be incredibly painful for a couple of days, then it should be okay as long as I get some physio and sort out whatever biomechanical problem brought it on in the first place. Wonderful.
After they released me from the tent I caught up with Philby (1:50!) and Lawrie (2:30), gave Sarah a cheer in her 10k, dashed back to the hotel slightly late for our check-out, and headed off to find some food. A coffee and a cooked breakfast later I was feeling much better, despite walking like a complete gumby and having to let Philby drive my car back to Brisbane. I had people texting me, asking how I went, and I just didn't have the heart or the energy to have to tell my story. I just wanted to get home, curl up and have a bit of a cry. They could wait until morning.
The morning after my whole body feels a bit like someone has taken to it with a baseball bat and my knee still screams in protest when I bend it, but hey, I'm still alive. As for the half-marathon, well... There's always next year :).
I had two cohorts for this race, Lawrie and Philby, and we all headed down the coast lunchtime on Saturday to make the most of a relaxing pre-race day, have a good dinner, and hit our hotel beds early for a 4:30am wake-up.
There is much to be said about carbo-loading before a race, and I think I went slightly overboard. We went to Sak's at Marina Mirage, a restaurant that I was overjoyed to find as having a gluten-free menu complete with bread and more options than you could poke a stick at. A far cry from most other places that offer gluten-free as something of an afterthought, and don't exactly put much effort into it. The dinner was amazing, I stuffed myself with enough bread and pasta to fuel myself through at least three half-marathons. Then it was back to the hotel for what should have been an early night.
The night before the race was spent, like my fellow room-occupant Philby, tossing and turning and trying to curse my brain into shut-down mode. It wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention, so both of us ended up ready to run a half-marathon on about 2 hours sleep. Oh joy. A coffee in the room, followed by a caramel double-shot long black at the race precinct was enough to drive the last shreds of tiredness from me though, and excitement really started to set in. A bit of a debacle at the toilet queue (people, if you're not running in the race, don't hold up the queue in front of half-marathoners that have only five minutes until their start time!) had us dashing to the start line with only a few minutes to spare.
I had planned to run with the 2hour pace group, so was frantically scanning the crowd for the black balloons that would signify their position. Not a chance. By that time, everyone was so packed in to the start area that we were lucky to squeeze in at all. Turns out we were actually far ahead of the 2hour pacers in the pack, and it was probably the best thing that could have happened.
The gun went off, the crowd began to move, and we started the usual start-line shuffle until there was enough space to break into a run. I saw the 1:40 pacer balloons ahead of me, and realised at that point the 2:00 pacer must be behind. I didn't exactly fancy standing and waiting for them to catch me, so I figured I would just run my own pace and if they caught up to me, just continue running with them.
By the 3km marker they hadn't caught me, and my GPS told me I was averaging 5:30/km. The wrist-band I had gotten for the 2hour pace group said I needed to average 5:41/km to hit the 2:00 goal, so I was definitely ahead of them. The wrist-band also had the 5km, 10km and 15km split times I should be aiming for, and when I hit the 5km marker I saw I was still about a minute ahead of schedule. And I felt good!
In fact, I was cruising. Don't get me wrong, it was hard. But I felt like I could keep it up, and that was the important point. The 6km, 7km and 8km markers breezed by, I was concentrating on just keeping a good pace and not getting caught up with the runners that were passing me. From the 9km marker I was excited to realise I was going to do my fastest 10km time ever, and I was still ahead of the 2:00 pacer.
Not long before the turnaround point I heard Philby call my name and gave her a wave. She had taken off like a shot at the beginning and was now on the return part of the race, and running fantastically well. From the turnaround point myself I was still feeling great, especially knowing that I was more than halfway through. From the turnaround I was watching for Lawrie, and gave him a yell and a wave when I saw him looking like he was struggling along somewhat. I started to tire a little from about 13km, and I was getting really quite worried that I had gone out too hard and wasn't going to be able to keep my pace up for the last section. I was still maintaining 5:30-5:40/km, but it was getting harder. I needn't have worried, it wasn't going to be tiredness that was going to stop me in my tracks.
Just before the 16km marker, my right knee stopped working. No pain at first, it just refused to bend. Perturbed, I stopped, gave it a bit of a stretch, and tried to take off again. I got three steps before the pain forced me to stop again. The outside of my right knee was in complete agony any time I tried to run. It faded as I walked a few steps, so I took off again, and this time just gritted my teeth and ran through the pain. It dulled a little within a hundred metres, and I figured out that stopping and starting was a lot more painful than just continuing, so that's what I did. My pace slowed to 6:00/km and I was hobbling along, but I was still moving. I seriously considered talking to a race marshall and just giving up, but my stubborn side reasserted itself. i had trained too long and hard for this to stop now.
The 2:00 pace group caught me up at about the 17km mark. I managed to hobble along with them for about a kilometre, but they were just going too fast for me at that point, and as I watched the black balloons fade away into the distance ahead of me I couldn't help the tears that started sneaking out. I have never been in so much pain in my life, and I still had a bit over 3km to go.
The graph shows my pace for each kilometre along the run. Can you spot the point where my knee gave up? And then were I tried to keep up with the 2:00 pacer? Technology is a wonderful thing.My breathing was pretty ragged that last couple of kilometres, not because my fitness wasn't up to it, but because its hard to sob and run at the same time. I kept waiting for the 2:10 pace group to overtake me as well, but thankfully I wasn't going quite that slow. Reaching the CoolRunner cheersquad felt like the highlight of my life at that point, especially when SarahV took off and ran along the sidelines with me for the last section. It was the boost I needed to get me through to the finish line, which I staggered over with a net time of 2:03:05.
I should be happy with my time. After all, my original goal time was 2:15:00, and I absolutely smashed that. But I'm not happy. Not now that I know I could have done under 2:00 if it weren't for my knee giving up on me. At the finish line, the tears were as much from disappointment as from the pain.
A lovely race marshall lady saw me bawling like a baby coming out of the finish chute, gave me a hug and escorted me to the physio tent. Their diagnosis? Acute ITB (iliotibial band) inflammation, brought on by the repetitive friction of the band over bone. Its going to be incredibly painful for a couple of days, then it should be okay as long as I get some physio and sort out whatever biomechanical problem brought it on in the first place. Wonderful.
After they released me from the tent I caught up with Philby (1:50!) and Lawrie (2:30), gave Sarah a cheer in her 10k, dashed back to the hotel slightly late for our check-out, and headed off to find some food. A coffee and a cooked breakfast later I was feeling much better, despite walking like a complete gumby and having to let Philby drive my car back to Brisbane. I had people texting me, asking how I went, and I just didn't have the heart or the energy to have to tell my story. I just wanted to get home, curl up and have a bit of a cry. They could wait until morning.
The morning after my whole body feels a bit like someone has taken to it with a baseball bat and my knee still screams in protest when I bend it, but hey, I'm still alive. As for the half-marathon, well... There's always next year :).
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Disaster!
I guess I didn't wrap myself in enough bubble-wrap this week. I've been careful with my running, doing my best to taper down properly for the half marathon on Sunday, and yet I may have come undone from something as simple and silly as wearing socks while going down a flight of varnished wooden stairs.
It was 4:45am, I was all dressed and ready for my 5am personal training client, I put my socks on to keep my feet warm as I trotted downstairs to put my shoes on. Well, wasn't that just a bad idea? A couple of steps down my foot slipped from under me, my butt hit the ground, my back hit the sharp edge of the step behind me, and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs in a manner very different to what I had anticipated.
After a quick "Oh my god, the half is on Sunday!" moment and checking to ensure all limbs were attached and working correctly, I stood up, and promptly had to sit down again. I was so dizzy it felt like I was going to pass out and hit the ground in an ungainly manner for the second time that morning. Nauseous, faint, cold sweat, the lot. I hadn't hit my head so concussion wasn't an issue, I figure I just jarred my brain or something along those lines. I somehow managed to text my client to cancel our session, half staggered, half crawled up the stairs and collapsed on my bed. Woke up a couple of hours later feeling much more capable of remaining conscious, had a shower and went to work.
Seems to be no major damage, however my back feels somewhat bruised and a bit stiff. The bruise is right on the spine, which is worrying me quite a bit. Hopefully it won't cause any issues for Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
It was 4:45am, I was all dressed and ready for my 5am personal training client, I put my socks on to keep my feet warm as I trotted downstairs to put my shoes on. Well, wasn't that just a bad idea? A couple of steps down my foot slipped from under me, my butt hit the ground, my back hit the sharp edge of the step behind me, and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs in a manner very different to what I had anticipated.
After a quick "Oh my god, the half is on Sunday!" moment and checking to ensure all limbs were attached and working correctly, I stood up, and promptly had to sit down again. I was so dizzy it felt like I was going to pass out and hit the ground in an ungainly manner for the second time that morning. Nauseous, faint, cold sweat, the lot. I hadn't hit my head so concussion wasn't an issue, I figure I just jarred my brain or something along those lines. I somehow managed to text my client to cancel our session, half staggered, half crawled up the stairs and collapsed on my bed. Woke up a couple of hours later feeling much more capable of remaining conscious, had a shower and went to work.
Seems to be no major damage, however my back feels somewhat bruised and a bit stiff. The bruise is right on the spine, which is worrying me quite a bit. Hopefully it won't cause any issues for Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Splish splash!
Run - 6.04km (00:37:03)
Oh boy, how hard was it to motivate myself out the door today? It's been dark, dreary and pouring with rain all morning, but I really wanted to get in a run today with the GCM coming up on Sunday. So, on with the jacket and out I went!
Its actually kind of fun running in the rain, dodging puddles and avoiding car up-splashing, but not something I would do on a regular basis. I was pretty concerned (okay, paranoid) about coming a cropper on the wet ground and injuring myself before the weekend, so I took it very easy.
Thankfully, temperature-wise it was pretty comfortable. Running in cold rain would be a very different, and horribly unpleasant, experience I'm sure! Though I gotta tell ya, a hot shower never felt so good as it did after today's run :).
Oh boy, how hard was it to motivate myself out the door today? It's been dark, dreary and pouring with rain all morning, but I really wanted to get in a run today with the GCM coming up on Sunday. So, on with the jacket and out I went!
Its actually kind of fun running in the rain, dodging puddles and avoiding car up-splashing, but not something I would do on a regular basis. I was pretty concerned (okay, paranoid) about coming a cropper on the wet ground and injuring myself before the weekend, so I took it very easy.
Thankfully, temperature-wise it was pretty comfortable. Running in cold rain would be a very different, and horribly unpleasant, experience I'm sure! Though I gotta tell ya, a hot shower never felt so good as it did after today's run :).
I've been tagged...
... By Sarah. So I guess its my turn to share the love ;) Lawrie, consider yourself tagged!
1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Relationship? Non-existent
3. Your hair? Ponytail
4. Work? Challenging
5. Your sister? Wonderful
6. Your favourite thing? Food
7. Your dream last night? Bizarre
8. Your favourite drink? Starbucks
9. Your dream car? WRX
10. The room you’re in? Study
11. Your shoes? Adrenalines
12. Your fears? Failure
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Successful
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Friends
15. What are you not good at? Decisions
16. Muffin? Anything!
17. Wish list item? Laptop
18. Where you grew up? Brisbane
19. The last thing you did? PT
20. What are you wearing? Trackies
21. What are you not wearing? Hat
22. Your pet? Rock
23. Your computer? Acer
24. Your life? Hectic
25. Your mood? Indecisive
26. Missing? Cat
27. What are you thinking about? Running
28. Your car? Lancer
29. Your kitchen? Messy
30. Your summer? Awesome
31. Your favourite colour? Purple
32. Last time you laughed? Now
33. Last time you cried? May
34. School? QUT
35. Love? Please!
1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Relationship? Non-existent
3. Your hair? Ponytail
4. Work? Challenging
5. Your sister? Wonderful
6. Your favourite thing? Food
7. Your dream last night? Bizarre
8. Your favourite drink? Starbucks
9. Your dream car? WRX
10. The room you’re in? Study
11. Your shoes? Adrenalines
12. Your fears? Failure
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Successful
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? Friends
15. What are you not good at? Decisions
16. Muffin? Anything!
17. Wish list item? Laptop
18. Where you grew up? Brisbane
19. The last thing you did? PT
20. What are you wearing? Trackies
21. What are you not wearing? Hat
22. Your pet? Rock
23. Your computer? Acer
24. Your life? Hectic
25. Your mood? Indecisive
26. Missing? Cat
27. What are you thinking about? Running
28. Your car? Lancer
29. Your kitchen? Messy
30. Your summer? Awesome
31. Your favourite colour? Purple
32. Last time you laughed? Now
33. Last time you cried? May
34. School? QUT
35. Love? Please!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I'm not getting the hang of this "taper" business.
Run - 6.04km (00:36:29)
Today was supposed to be an "easy run" on my usual Story Bridge - Goodwill Bridge 6km loop. And it started out that way, I was holding about a 6:10/km pace fairly comfortably, right up until coming through the Riverside Centre. Then I started getting passed by other runners, they looked like they were running as part of a group. Well, I didn't want to look like a little plodding blob now did I? So I ended up speeding up a bit. Not too much, so that was okay, at least until just after the Goodwill Bridge.
I was obviously feeling reasonably competitive at that point, so when I spotted a group of runners trotting along at a fairly slow pace, I guess I felt the need to redeem myself and reclaim my pride. I sped up some more, and in an effort to catch and pass them, I ended up doing 5:30/km for the last 1-2km of the run. And damn but it was hard! Oops.
Oh well, I will probably only be running a couple of times this week, 6-8km on Tuesday and possibly an easy 5km on Wednesday, then nothing at all until the half on Sunday. I find I run my best with about 3-4 days of complete rest beforehand, so this week is going to be very quiet running-wise. With that in mind, I guess I can forgive myself if I overdid it a little today :).
Today was supposed to be an "easy run" on my usual Story Bridge - Goodwill Bridge 6km loop. And it started out that way, I was holding about a 6:10/km pace fairly comfortably, right up until coming through the Riverside Centre. Then I started getting passed by other runners, they looked like they were running as part of a group. Well, I didn't want to look like a little plodding blob now did I? So I ended up speeding up a bit. Not too much, so that was okay, at least until just after the Goodwill Bridge.
I was obviously feeling reasonably competitive at that point, so when I spotted a group of runners trotting along at a fairly slow pace, I guess I felt the need to redeem myself and reclaim my pride. I sped up some more, and in an effort to catch and pass them, I ended up doing 5:30/km for the last 1-2km of the run. And damn but it was hard! Oops.
Oh well, I will probably only be running a couple of times this week, 6-8km on Tuesday and possibly an easy 5km on Wednesday, then nothing at all until the half on Sunday. I find I run my best with about 3-4 days of complete rest beforehand, so this week is going to be very quiet running-wise. With that in mind, I guess I can forgive myself if I overdid it a little today :).
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Bring on breakfast!
Run - 9.86km (01:04:07)
I am STARVING this morning... Got back from my run with Sarah ready for a full-on frontal assault on the kitchen. Eek. I hate being so hungry, I always end up hoovering up far too much food and feel like a pig. Yeesh.
Was a good run this morning, did a few faster intervals during the 6km I did with Sarah, between 5:40/km and 6:00/km. Unfortunately she was fighting some glute pain which doesn't bode very well for the GCM in a week's time :( Fingers crossed it works itself out! It was cold, but not as bad as I was expecting. I'm so very glad I bought a pair of gloves to wear though, my fingers would have been icicles otherwise.
I'm feeling great after the run. There's something about running so early in the morning, before the sun is even up, that sets your spirits soaring for the day. I wish I could do it more often.
Just added up my mileage for the week... I'm supposed to be on taper, but I still did 35km which is actually an average week for me. Whoops. Obviously great planning there Nikki. Oh well, next week really will be wound down, I promise.
I am STARVING this morning... Got back from my run with Sarah ready for a full-on frontal assault on the kitchen. Eek. I hate being so hungry, I always end up hoovering up far too much food and feel like a pig. Yeesh.
Was a good run this morning, did a few faster intervals during the 6km I did with Sarah, between 5:40/km and 6:00/km. Unfortunately she was fighting some glute pain which doesn't bode very well for the GCM in a week's time :( Fingers crossed it works itself out! It was cold, but not as bad as I was expecting. I'm so very glad I bought a pair of gloves to wear though, my fingers would have been icicles otherwise.
I'm feeling great after the run. There's something about running so early in the morning, before the sun is even up, that sets your spirits soaring for the day. I wish I could do it more often.
Just added up my mileage for the week... I'm supposed to be on taper, but I still did 35km which is actually an average week for me. Whoops. Obviously great planning there Nikki. Oh well, next week really will be wound down, I promise.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I don't like having blue fingers.
Run - 6.04km (00:35:11)
Why did I have blue fingers? That freakin' freezing cold wind grabbing at me with icy hands of death! Excuse the melodrama, but I just don't seem to have the cold tolerance I used to have. We're only just into winter, and already I'm on my knees begging for summer to return. My legs don't like the cold any more than my fingers do, they feel all heavy and sluggish and it seems to take me forever to find my stride.
That being said, I had a great run this morning once I finally got going. Maintained about 5:50/km pace for 6km without feeling like I was going to die. Nice! Its funny how I automatically seem to run faster in the couple of weeks preceding a race, without making any conscious decision to do so. I swear my legs are taking orders from something other than my brain. I'm not complaining of course! I wish all runs could be this good. Thank goodness I headed out with my jacket on though, or I would have frozen into a solid lump before I even got going. Sarah, I hope you've got a jacket for Saturday morning, it may be another chilly one!
Why did I have blue fingers? That freakin' freezing cold wind grabbing at me with icy hands of death! Excuse the melodrama, but I just don't seem to have the cold tolerance I used to have. We're only just into winter, and already I'm on my knees begging for summer to return. My legs don't like the cold any more than my fingers do, they feel all heavy and sluggish and it seems to take me forever to find my stride.
That being said, I had a great run this morning once I finally got going. Maintained about 5:50/km pace for 6km without feeling like I was going to die. Nice! Its funny how I automatically seem to run faster in the couple of weeks preceding a race, without making any conscious decision to do so. I swear my legs are taking orders from something other than my brain. I'm not complaining of course! I wish all runs could be this good. Thank goodness I headed out with my jacket on though, or I would have frozen into a solid lump before I even got going. Sarah, I hope you've got a jacket for Saturday morning, it may be another chilly one!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Piker!
Run - 6.01km (00:36:55)
Yes, piker, that's me today. And for the most pathetic reason... I headed out planning on a moderate 9-10km, but at about the 3km mark, my ipod died on me. Damn. Did I just suck it up and continue? Nope. Lack of music became a good enough reason for me to take the 6km turnoff at the Goodwill and cut the run short. Slack, slack I say! I have to admit, I was struggling a fair bit, my legs felt like someone had cunningly replaced them with blocks of reinforced concrete and I just couldn't seem to find my stride, so perhaps the music thing was just a convenient excuse.
I was also running in new shoes (same model as always, just a new pair), plus I was trying out a pair of Skins capri tights for the first time. I've never run in them before, and I have to say it was an interesting experience. Some people say they feel like they're wearing nothing at all, but perhaps I'm just more conscious of tactile sensation because I could feel the restriction of them the whole run. It was quite strange, but I also felt my shirt twisting on my upper body with every stride, if that makes sense? It was a shirt I wear regularly, but it doesn't usually feel like that. I'm not sure whether the shirt was catching on the different material of the Skins, or the Skins themselves were keeping my lower body more stable so my upper body moved more, but either way it was quite an odd sensation! I suppose I'll just keep running in them and see if I adjust.
Ooh, and my new Adrenalines are the spiffy ones with the shiny aqua colours... About time they brought out a women's running shoe that looks cool! And no, I don't care in the least that I'm being superficial ;). I just hope I can wear them in properly before the GCM.
Yes, piker, that's me today. And for the most pathetic reason... I headed out planning on a moderate 9-10km, but at about the 3km mark, my ipod died on me. Damn. Did I just suck it up and continue? Nope. Lack of music became a good enough reason for me to take the 6km turnoff at the Goodwill and cut the run short. Slack, slack I say! I have to admit, I was struggling a fair bit, my legs felt like someone had cunningly replaced them with blocks of reinforced concrete and I just couldn't seem to find my stride, so perhaps the music thing was just a convenient excuse.
I was also running in new shoes (same model as always, just a new pair), plus I was trying out a pair of Skins capri tights for the first time. I've never run in them before, and I have to say it was an interesting experience. Some people say they feel like they're wearing nothing at all, but perhaps I'm just more conscious of tactile sensation because I could feel the restriction of them the whole run. It was quite strange, but I also felt my shirt twisting on my upper body with every stride, if that makes sense? It was a shirt I wear regularly, but it doesn't usually feel like that. I'm not sure whether the shirt was catching on the different material of the Skins, or the Skins themselves were keeping my lower body more stable so my upper body moved more, but either way it was quite an odd sensation! I suppose I'll just keep running in them and see if I adjust.
Ooh, and my new Adrenalines are the spiffy ones with the shiny aqua colours... About time they brought out a women's running shoe that looks cool! And no, I don't care in the least that I'm being superficial ;). I just hope I can wear them in properly before the GCM.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Funny how your legs find their own pace...
Run - 12.8km (01:21:29)
It was beautiful weather for running this morning. Brisk, but not cold, with bright, warm sunshine creating sparkles on the river. Enough of a breeze to cool the sweat on my face but not enough to create a painful headwind. Plenty of other runners and cyclists about to give me a friendly nod or cheery "Morning!". I went out with no particular plan other than to just run as far as I felt like running in whatever direction took my fancy.
With the Gold Coast Half Marathon only two weeks away its time to start winding down my training a bit, so my long run today was far short of the 21km I've been doing lately. And y'know, I'm glad it was shorter. I struggled even on the distance I did. Despite my best intentions, my legs had this idea they didn't want to sit at long run pace. Oh no, they wanted to go faster! Perhaps it was a subconscious reaction to my concerns about being too slow for my goal time in the half, or maybe I was just selecting fast songs on my ipod, but either way I constantly had to pull myself up and slow down or risk not even making 10km.
I did feel a few hip niggles on the way back through the cliffs which worried me a bit. I'm going to put it down to my shoes though. With 820km of ground-pounding behind them, they're definitely in need of replacement. I got a good 6 months out of them though, so I'm not too worried about shelling out another $200.
After chowing my way through a huge gluten-free hamburger (and was I ever excited to find a place that makes these!), hot chips and a serve of Cold Rock icecream, I'm glad I ran as long as I did today. Now I don't have to feel like so porky ;)
It was beautiful weather for running this morning. Brisk, but not cold, with bright, warm sunshine creating sparkles on the river. Enough of a breeze to cool the sweat on my face but not enough to create a painful headwind. Plenty of other runners and cyclists about to give me a friendly nod or cheery "Morning!". I went out with no particular plan other than to just run as far as I felt like running in whatever direction took my fancy.
With the Gold Coast Half Marathon only two weeks away its time to start winding down my training a bit, so my long run today was far short of the 21km I've been doing lately. And y'know, I'm glad it was shorter. I struggled even on the distance I did. Despite my best intentions, my legs had this idea they didn't want to sit at long run pace. Oh no, they wanted to go faster! Perhaps it was a subconscious reaction to my concerns about being too slow for my goal time in the half, or maybe I was just selecting fast songs on my ipod, but either way I constantly had to pull myself up and slow down or risk not even making 10km.
I did feel a few hip niggles on the way back through the cliffs which worried me a bit. I'm going to put it down to my shoes though. With 820km of ground-pounding behind them, they're definitely in need of replacement. I got a good 6 months out of them though, so I'm not too worried about shelling out another $200.
After chowing my way through a huge gluten-free hamburger (and was I ever excited to find a place that makes these!), hot chips and a serve of Cold Rock icecream, I'm glad I ran as long as I did today. Now I don't have to feel like so porky ;)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Well, blow me down with a feather...
Run - 1km warmup
8.5km tempo (00:48:56)
1km warmdown
... I can run faster after all! I was feeling rather down about the speeds of most of my training runs, it felt like I was running my hardest and still plodding along slower than I was a few months ago. And so, I went out there today with something to prove! I originally planned on a tempo run across my usual 6k Story Bridge - Goodwill Bridge loop, but figured since I'm trying to focus on the half marathon distance I should go further. And I did. 8.5km in fact.
Don't get me wrong, it was damn hard, and a far cry from the comfortable pace I did last week during that 20km with Lis. But the thing is, at least now I know I can do it. I can maintain a faster pace across a distance, though it remains to be seen just how long I can hold onto that pace. I'd love to do the half in 2 hours or under, but that would mean running even faster than I did today, and in reality I just don't think I'm capable of that. I guess we'll see. Adrenaline works wonders, but exactly how much magic it can work on my legs during the race is subject to limitations. Ah well, I will be proud of myself just to finish the half, because at least then I have a time to improve upon.
8.5km tempo (00:48:56)
1km warmdown
... I can run faster after all! I was feeling rather down about the speeds of most of my training runs, it felt like I was running my hardest and still plodding along slower than I was a few months ago. And so, I went out there today with something to prove! I originally planned on a tempo run across my usual 6k Story Bridge - Goodwill Bridge loop, but figured since I'm trying to focus on the half marathon distance I should go further. And I did. 8.5km in fact.
Don't get me wrong, it was damn hard, and a far cry from the comfortable pace I did last week during that 20km with Lis. But the thing is, at least now I know I can do it. I can maintain a faster pace across a distance, though it remains to be seen just how long I can hold onto that pace. I'd love to do the half in 2 hours or under, but that would mean running even faster than I did today, and in reality I just don't think I'm capable of that. I guess we'll see. Adrenaline works wonders, but exactly how much magic it can work on my legs during the race is subject to limitations. Ah well, I will be proud of myself just to finish the half, because at least then I have a time to improve upon.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Run - 8.41km - 00:53:57
I decided to run to work for my 5pm personal training client rather than driving today, since taking 40minutes to drive 3.5km isn't exactly my idea of fun. And what do you know but partway there, my phone rings. My client has cancelled. Hmph. Considering the second State of Origin game is on tonight I shouldn't have been surprised, but that wasn't much comfort to me standing on the Story Bridge wondering whether I should just turn around and go home. Well, I figured "What the hell...", I was out there all ready to run, I might as well make the most of it. So, I continued on, and ended up doing my usual Story Bridge - Victoria Bridge loop. And y'know what? I wasn't going fast, but it still felt hard.
Maybe I wasn't fully recovered from my 20km on Sunday, or maybe I was just tired from only getting about 4 hours sleep last night, but either way it was a bit of a plod tonight. Up until Southbank anyway. I got overtaken by a short, chunky, elderly lady that looked like she was more race-walking than running. Well, my ego just wasn't going to take that sort of abuse now was it? I tried to overtake her, but she must have seen me coming up the inside as she sped up too, and we ended up battling it out for about half a kilometre. At the Goodwill Bridge I managed to power past her and kept just in front the rest of the way at a much faster pace than the first half of my run. To that lady, if you're out there, kudos to a worthy opponent, and thankyou! I would never have pushed as hard through that last couple of kilometres if you hadn't been there chasing my tail.
I decided to run to work for my 5pm personal training client rather than driving today, since taking 40minutes to drive 3.5km isn't exactly my idea of fun. And what do you know but partway there, my phone rings. My client has cancelled. Hmph. Considering the second State of Origin game is on tonight I shouldn't have been surprised, but that wasn't much comfort to me standing on the Story Bridge wondering whether I should just turn around and go home. Well, I figured "What the hell...", I was out there all ready to run, I might as well make the most of it. So, I continued on, and ended up doing my usual Story Bridge - Victoria Bridge loop. And y'know what? I wasn't going fast, but it still felt hard.
Maybe I wasn't fully recovered from my 20km on Sunday, or maybe I was just tired from only getting about 4 hours sleep last night, but either way it was a bit of a plod tonight. Up until Southbank anyway. I got overtaken by a short, chunky, elderly lady that looked like she was more race-walking than running. Well, my ego just wasn't going to take that sort of abuse now was it? I tried to overtake her, but she must have seen me coming up the inside as she sped up too, and we ended up battling it out for about half a kilometre. At the Goodwill Bridge I managed to power past her and kept just in front the rest of the way at a much faster pace than the first half of my run. To that lady, if you're out there, kudos to a worthy opponent, and thankyou! I would never have pushed as hard through that last couple of kilometres if you hadn't been there chasing my tail.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
As birds migrate for the winter...
I migrate for the technology. Yes, this is my third blog change in about four years. I'm not flighty, I just get frustrated with the limitations or deteriorating usability of certain sites and decide to pick up stakes and transplant myself. No biggie. I think I'll settle here for a while. Anyone that's bored (and disturbed) enough to want to read backwards through my life can check out my old blog here.
Now on with the show...
With the Gold Coast Half-Marathon approaching at the speed of light (I'd really like to know how three months became three weeks seemingly overnight), I do admit to getting mighty nervous. The wonderful 20km I did yesterday morning with Lis (Vege-girl) did much to allay my worries, but still there's that niggling doubt in my mind. People seem to be expecting me to get under 2 hours and as much as I hate to disappoint them, I just can't see it happening! Truth be told, I will be ecstatic with anything under 2:15:00. Hell, I'll be happy just to finish! I know I can cover the distance, but I also know myself and I have a horrible habit of pushing too hard at the beginning of a race. In a 5k that might not be such a problem, but across 21.1km it could get ugly. Oh well, I'll never know if I don't try eh? I just hope I don't freeze into a popsicle at the start line!
Yes, I have a feeling that 6:30am on the 1st of July is going to be freezing. I'm not looking forward to that part at all. I don't deal well with the cold at the best of times, so the mere thought of standing at the start line in thin running clothes is enough to set me shivering even in my currently air-conditioned comfort. Brr! Come back summer! Maybe I should migrate with the birds.
Now on with the show...
With the Gold Coast Half-Marathon approaching at the speed of light (I'd really like to know how three months became three weeks seemingly overnight), I do admit to getting mighty nervous. The wonderful 20km I did yesterday morning with Lis (Vege-girl) did much to allay my worries, but still there's that niggling doubt in my mind. People seem to be expecting me to get under 2 hours and as much as I hate to disappoint them, I just can't see it happening! Truth be told, I will be ecstatic with anything under 2:15:00. Hell, I'll be happy just to finish! I know I can cover the distance, but I also know myself and I have a horrible habit of pushing too hard at the beginning of a race. In a 5k that might not be such a problem, but across 21.1km it could get ugly. Oh well, I'll never know if I don't try eh? I just hope I don't freeze into a popsicle at the start line!
Yes, I have a feeling that 6:30am on the 1st of July is going to be freezing. I'm not looking forward to that part at all. I don't deal well with the cold at the best of times, so the mere thought of standing at the start line in thin running clothes is enough to set me shivering even in my currently air-conditioned comfort. Brr! Come back summer! Maybe I should migrate with the birds.
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