44 Days

That's how long its been since my last run. 'Luckily' half of that I didn't even feel like running, a bout of bronchitis that had me coughing just about all night every night for 3 weeks and waking up feeling like absolute crap.

Even though the sports doc said I can run a slow 10 to 20k a week I'm not, and the physio thinks that's a good idea. My pgm of strengthening exercises he gave me takes about an hour. Of course I've built up to more reps and added my own stuff in and find I can easily spend 90 minutes at the gym most days doing it all (add an extra half hour or so when I do upper body weights). The iPod also gets a good workout.

I've been hitting the pool at another Fitness First centre - its free with my membership, indoor (no sunburn), clean, warm, and always virtually empty ... of people, not water :) Not as much fun as running but not as boring as I thought it would be - the waterproof mp3 player helps. Yesterday I managed 1500m and will try to do that or more at least 3 times a week.

As for cycling I'm not too sure. I did a couple of spin classes, the first I took very easy as I hadn't done it in years. The next one I worked hard and the hammy was sore afterwards :( I think when the doc said I can cycle he meant just sitting on the bike peddling.

Not sure how much longer I'll be out. There has been a slight improvement. I'm supposed to see the sports doc again in a few weeks but I might delay the appointment until that improvement feels more than slight. The goal is to be back in action in time to do some training for Kurrawa (25k) in December.

At least I'm getting my money's worth from Fitness First, and catching up on all the gym goss. And I'm listening to lots more music. And I don't have to wash my hair so often. And my car smells less like a runner's car than it usually does.

Its not all bad.

Prognosis Negative

Since the Gold Coast Marathon ....

The PCRG post GC cocktail party was so much fun. Its always a great night and gets better every year. Highlight of the night was being given the first ever Life Member award. What an honour, it totally blew me away. I was speechless .... I was without speech.

Pat & Tesso ... & trophy :)

Clairie, Pat, Tesso

No post GC party is complete without doing serviette head


At the end of July the Brisbane Running Buddies did the inaugural "Full Glenno Half Mary" - 10 pubs and 21.1k - to celebrate Glenno's birthday. Dressed in Jackie Howe blue singlets with home made race bibs we started at Dicey Rileys (Irish pub) at Garden City and ran back to The Regatta, via The Mt Gravatt, The Holland Park, the Stones Corner, The Norman, The Pineapple (giant steakburgers for lunch here), The Story Bridge, The Ship Inn and The Fox. I only downed three drinks, pretty wussy compared to some of the guys who had a beer at every pub.

Dicey Rileys - first stop

The Stone's Corner ... obviously a wee bit later

Since then I've been doing maybe 60 or 70k per week made up of the usual sessions, but with the hammy still making itself known haven't been pushing it 100%. I wasn't expecting much at all at C2S, just hoped to get under 75mins to stay in the A group, so was more than happy to cross the line in 66:30.

Re the hammy, the good news is it hasn't got any worse. The bad news is it hasn't got any better so the physio recommended I see a sports doc, which I did. He sent me for an MRI. The sports doc was away for a couple of weeks and I only just got to see him yesterday to get the results. Not good, there is actually a 2.5cm tear in a hamstring tendon.

He says I need to limit my running to 20k per week (no speed or hills) and get stuck into cross training to stay fit ie swimming and cycling. Water running is out as it will put too much pressure on the hammy. I think I'll actually take three or four (or more) weeks off running altogether and see if I notice the difference. I see the doc again mid October. He says if its not better in six months surgery may be necessary :(

Oh well, could be worse. Could be both legs. And if the doc hadn't have spent 10 days in China I would have got the result sooner and missed all the fun of C2S.

Mat & Tesso - how's the running style, no wonder I'm injured

Gold Coast Marathon 2008

Mission accomplished. I took it easy, had a bit of fun, and got to the end in one piece. Hammy is fine, and hardly any DOMS to speak of. Though I do have a sort spot from the belly punch Ewen gave me at the 27k mark ;)

My only real problem was a blister threatening to form in the same spot that got me in Canberra. Stopping and adjusting my shoe and sock five or six times did the trick there. And it gave me a bit of a rest :) Better get that sorted before Melbourne Marathon.

I thought I'd finish somewhere between 4:00 and 4:15, and I did - a net time of 4:06.13. Its a PW, and over half an hour slower than Canberra, but I'm more than happy.

Quite a few highlights but the best part was running the last couple of kms with Blair, especially when we hit the CR cheersquad and then the PCRG cheersquad. Awesome does not begin to describe how great they were!

And that last km was my fastest of the day but I had to keep up with Blair ... he's claiming that he was just trying to keep up with me. Too funny!



At some point along the way



Blair forcing me to run faster .... he was trying to steal a koala kebab

Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown

News from the physio is the hammy tear is all but healed, though the muscles are still tight and the glutes need strengthening and the back muscles need loosening and and and ....

Anyway, he's basically given me open slather runningwise (not hills or short sprints though). Still, I'm erring on the side of caution and not going much faster than 4:45s for the time being.

Its been good to pick up the mileage again, with averages over 70k the past two weeks.

Friday morn was an 18k-er at the GC. Followed it up with 22k on Saturday back here in Brissie. Gotta say the Saturday run is the best I've felt since even before the hammy went. According to Blair's trusty Garmin we were averaging 5:20s - seemed slower which is a good sign. I felt like I could have kept going though was having a bit of a sock issue due to my shoelaces being too loose, and also I'd forgotten my sunnies. Amazing how quickly you get out of practice with the basics that are usually just routine.

Sooooo, after much procrastination I've decided to do the full, it will be my 19th standard marathon. Now to start worrying ....

Back in Business (almost)

After over two weeks of no running and several physio visits I got the go-ahead to hit the road again last Wednesday, just 30mins or so every second day, which didn't feel too bad. It was only slow, but the hammy was still tight enough to make me want to run conservatively anyway.

On Monday Adam (physio) said it would be okay to increase the distance and to run on consecutive days. He's been doing lots of work on my back and glutes, seems that's where the problem lies. Monday arvo following my visit was probably the most free I've felt running in a while, including the couple of weeks before the hammy tore. Yesterday's massage seemed to improve things even more, I've got another one booked for next week.

The Gold Coast marathon is still a possibility. I go to physio again on Friday and hope to get the all clear to do maybe 2 hours or so on the weekend. Go the reverse taper!



I wasn't the only one happy to be back at PCRG :) How's the fog!!!



Even Pat was pleased to see us!

Hamstrung at Warwick

Well, knowing the hammy was gammy I started out gingerly in the half marathon just trying to find the pace that hurt the least. Around the 14k mark the hammy got more and painful and then just 'went'. I was reduced to a slow jog and soon couldn't even do that so walked to the finish line.

But the weekend wasn't over for me. Being one of just five people (and the only female) to have completed all five races at all pentath-runs there was no way I was pulling out and so walked the rest of the events, finishing dead last in a couple of them. I did beat some 3 year olds in the 1500m though :-)

Half Mara - still running at this stage ... & there are actual runners behind me!



5k road race - looks like I have an entourage :-)



10k mountain ascent - okay, joke's over :-(

************

Saw Adam the physio first thing Monday morn and the hammy is torn. He gave me a few simple exercises and basically said do nothing (no walking, no water running etc). Went back again yesterday and there's a big improvement. The massaging didn't hurt nearly anywhere near as much. I was given the ok to hop on the stationary bike and do some swimming (just using the arms).

Adam asked me what events I had coming up and I was doing the GC marathon in less than 6 weeks. He didn't bat an eyelid. Well, I didn't see him bat an eyelid, I was face down on the physio table at the time ...

Up The Junction

A couple of weeks after Canberra Marathon last year I was hit with a bit of a hamstring problem. Funny (well, not really) a couple of weeks after this years Canberra its happened again, different leg though.

Last year I was able to run through it to a degree and so have been doing the same this time. Then on Monday I thought I'd take the smart option - have a few days off running and do some strengthening exercises etc. Went to PCRG this morn to give it a test drive and it hurt a little during the warmup, so rather than run fast for the 1k reps I just sat on a 'steady' pace. By the end of the second one I was almost limping and had to pull the pin.

Not the best considering its Warwick this weekend.

And I have a cold.

And we lost the State of Origin.

And my blog isn't imbedding what I want it to imbed.

And and and ...