Sunday 26 October 2014

Double-digits and niggles

Yesterday I ran a double-digit mileage (10.5 miles) for the first time since my calf injury, and on the Thursday before that I had run another 8 miles. The 10-miler was up to the downs, which is also the first time I've taken on the hills all the way to the downs since my injury. Overall I'm incredibly happy!

Having said that, I've got a few niggles in the legs. Now, niggles are weird things - I think I pretty much always get something or other going on in the legs, and most of the time it's fine and goes away again, but having injured the calf I am currently somewhat paranoid about niggles turning into injuries! Presently, I still feel the right calf ache much more than the left so I'm cautious about that; I have a sharp pain which appears occasionally in the right knee then disappears completely; and I have dull soreness deep in my arse on both sides. I'm pretty sure the arse soreness is the piriformis muscle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_muscle), which helps to stabalise the hip, and happens to run near the sciatic nerve so can cause pain issues. I found a few methods on youtube to stretch out and strengthen the piriformis and have been following these since, with some easing in the soreness so far, so long may that continue.

So I'm edging towards a pattern of 8-mile runs mid-week, with a longer run at the weekend, and exercise bike on the non-running days to keep my legs and heart working a bit, except Mondays when I play badminton. Today I cycled a half-marathon on the bike in about 40 minutes. I'll just have to keep edging the long run upwards from here on and hope the body holds together!

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Best post-injury run so far

Well, today wasn't a totally exciting run, gamboling around undulating loops never too far from the residential suburbs near home. However, there were some hills throughout and I ran 8 miles with a 7:45-minute miling average which is definitely my best run since the injury, so feels great! The right calf still felt a little awkward in the last two miles but seems okay overall - it is impossible to tell until another couple of days go by. If all is well, I think my aim from here on will be to do roughly 8 mile runs mid-week with a longer run on the weekends between now and the marathon.

Sunday 19 October 2014

The day of...


Well, had I gone ahead with it I should have just been coming near to the end of the Eden Project Marathon 2014. It's a slightly odd feeling knowing this is the marathon that I didn't manage to get to...there is a lot of social pressure once you have signed up to a marathon and started collecting money for charity. However, I also feel that I was right to pull out given that my body is still making slight complaints as I increase distances a little again, my calf is still properly recovering and each time I increase the distance it is a balance between strengthening and re-injuring it. I know that I will complete a marathon at some point.

So, I have currently signed up for the Heartbreaker Marathon on 22nd February 2015, which gives me another 4 months to train over the winter...I'll commit completely to that and see how I go. My overall aim would still be to complete a marathon at roughly 8-minute miling, getting me around in under 3:30 hours altogether. At the moment, with having to run at slower speeds to keep the calf happy, this could be a big ask, but fitness-wise I already know I ran a 20 mile training run at around 8-minute miling before the injury so it is possible if a big challenge!

Yesterday I ran my longest run since the injury - 8 miles with some hills at about 8:15 minute miling. The right calf started to feel weird in the last 2 miles - definitely different from the left calf which was untroubled - but I warmed down on the bike and stretched everything out and it was okay in the evening. I rode for 30 mins on the bike today (just over 11 miles, increased the resistance to 6 out of 8 whatever that means). Ideally, I need to get my long run up to a half-marathon (13.1 miles) as soon as possible, then start varying it upwards in steps then back down to half, etc. However, initially, just getting back to a half marathon will be a huge achievement...

Friday 17 October 2014

Edging forwards

Yesterday morning was a beautiful autumnal perfection - clear blue skies and sun but incredibly cool and fresh - ideal running weather. I perhaps pushed things a little too much by heading up towards the downs. Since the injury I have been sticking relatively close to home with gentle hills. The route to the downs has much steeper hills and takes me further from home. I definitely felt the extra effort in the right calf, but didn't cause any actual pain and managed to put in seven miles at a gentle 8:30 miling pace. In fact, my bum was more sore than the legs, so I looked up some bum stretches on youtube as this is something I've been neglecting :-)


Tuesday 14 October 2014

Running in the rain

I had almost forgotten how much I love running in the rain. The colour palette of my mind is washed, lashed onto the branches of autumnal trees, floating to the ground to be squished under-foot. The dripping hum of drizzle spreading an auditory ooze, grouting the cracks and smoothing the soundwaves. Combined with the steady rhythm of running it eases and soothes to a melodic, mechanistic trance.

There are fewer other people out in the rain, which is lovely, and as long as you dress appropriately and have a hot shower afterwards it is warm and comfortable.

I sustained my 'return-from-injury' schedule today: another 10k (6.2 miles), this time averaging 7:50 minute miles, with a 7:30 as the fifth mile to give the calf a little tester. Did 15 minutes warm up/down on the bike. Overall the legs feel okay, although I am hypervigilant and notice all niggles, particularly in the right calf, which still isn't perfect. Pretty pleased overall.

Sunday 12 October 2014

Back from holiday!

Me and my partner, Lucy, just returned from a wonderful holiday to the North coast of Poland, Berlin, and Amsterdam. We attended the lovely wedding of my friends, Florian and Honorata, near to where Honorata grew up in Poland, and swam in the Baltic Sea in October (although it was still incredibly cold). The city breaks in Berlin and Amsterdam were fantastic, and whilst we walked a lot and were very busy in Berlin, we slowed down in Amsterdam as we had both been there before, just walking the canals and stopping to drink coffee. There is an air of ease and freedom meandering across the waterways of Amsterdam.

I did no running at all during the holiday - purposefully leaving my running shoes behind. First day back yesterday I got on the exercise bike for 30 minutes, and today I ran a 10k with a warm up/down on the bike. The legs felt good so I kept a decent pace, averaging just under 8 minute miles, although I did feel a slight tension in the right calf in the last mile. It's a good return although I will keep monitoring how the legs feel. I now have a new target of the New Forest marathon in February 2015, which gives me 4 months of training over the winter. Training in the dark, cold, and wet doesn't bother me all that much, but I will have to be vigilant of the muscles in the cold weather.