Thursday 22 September 2011

And here we are

Having posted precisely sod all for the last month or so this might be the first of several in the next few days.  Typical me: all or nothing.


I haven't really had a huge amount to blog about.  No great initiatives, no big leaps forward but no disasters either.  Equally I've had problems accessing some other blogs that I've found today, can be solved by using Safari rather than Explorer.


For what its worth, by way of an update, here's what's happened on my main blogging themes:


Injury
No big changes.  I still get a bit of stiffness each morning, achilles still feels 'odd' at times and the back of my right heel can still get quite tender.  I've been using the podiatrist supplied insoles for 'x' weeks now but there doesn't seem to be any great change.  Mind you, I've not been doing the prescribed exercises for the last 10 days and a little sporadically prior to that so therein may lie the problem.


Running
As the injury hasn't settled down there's been precious little of this.  


I was hoping the insoles would work their magic and decided to more or less write off running for a number of weeks to allow them the time to do so.  After very little running since the middle of May I've become resigned to it (and I will be blogging about this soon) so another few weeks didn't seem much of a hardship.   


All I've been doing is the Couch to 5k programme with the eldest daughter.  This time last year, aged 11, she could (reluctantly) cover 5 miles of trails but she stopped running and this was a way I hoped to get her back into it and provide an accomplishment she could feel proud of.  She's enjoying it and doing really well, and my achilles seems to tolerate tiny bits of jogging.


Marathon Plans
Having cancelled my participation at Chester all my hopes were pinned on Paris next April.  Registration opened last week but a few weeks ago I decided I wouldn't be running.  Due to the date next year the family wouldn't have been able to go and a trip on my own would mean it would have to be a serious PB attempt or I wouldn't bother (as the total cost for registration, gels, accommodation, flights, food while there would have easily been £400), and this wasn't going to be a serious attempt.  


To have had a decent crack at it I'd have needed to start training at 55 miles a week in early December and ramp up quickly from there...to do that I'd have needed to be doing 45 miles a week pain free from mid October...and to get from zero miles and discomfort to 45 miles with none in 6 weeks was just never going to happen.


Bit of a bugger that.


Gym
So, my surrogate running is gym based, which works.  Sort of.


A few weeks ago I came up with a plan.  I like plans, maybe I like them a little too much, as the truth is I'm better at planning than doing; so I opted not to herald it to the blogging fraternity. 


However, the idea was to replicate the time and type of exercise that might be used in a middle of the road marathon plan.  In other words train 6 times a week, with some easy days, a couple of days with weights and cardio intervals and a long session on Sundays.


Rationale was that if I had something with a bit of intensity and structure I'd stick to it more,  feel a sense of accomplishment, find weight control/reduction easier and find transitioning to running easier when the achilles settled down.


As I said that sort of works.  For the first 10 days or so I stuck to the plan relentlessly but since then my adherence has been more sporadic.  I think there are three challenges:



  1. If I work away the plan has to give way - the gym can't go with me in the same way a Garmin and trainers could.
  2. There's no end objective so less incentive to stick to the plan.
  3. If I felt lethargic or under the weather running from home and seeing 'how it goes' was almost always the approach but its harder to get the kit, towel, change of clothes, drink etc ready and drive to the gym on that basis.
Beyond that though its worked OK in that I enjoy my time there.  Its not outdoors, its not as social and it doesn't feel as hardcore but I still enjoy it.  Likelihood is that I'll tweak the plan for the next 4 weeks and get going consistently again.



Diet & Weight
Unsurprisingly its chequered news on the diet/eating front too.  Some days I eat extremely well, others I don't.  As per the exercise, with no firm objective in sight its difficult to stick consistently to any sort of 'diet' so I've hardly tried.  Whilst that still leaves me a long way above the sort of weight I'm happy at the good news is that my weight has stayed level for a couple of months now.  At least its stopped going up.




Overall, I've ostensibly become accepting of my current lot and I'm really not sure if that's a good thing or not.  On the one hand I no longer beat myself up for being unable to run or for having some ice cream but on the other not being able to wear quite a few items of clothing and feeling I don't look/feel at my best constantly niggles away at me in the background.


Time will tell I guess?

6 comments:

Manj said...

Finally...good to hear from you :)

Bugger about the running, but its good that you are still able to do "some" running and its all good that you're being sensible about it! I'm impressed by that :)

Paris, I was wondering if you were going to do that. I admit, I was tempted by Paris but feel I could do with some time off marathon training as well.

Plans. I love plans me. Making them that is. Good to have you back X

Running Rob said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rose said...

Hello hello.... glad to 'see' you back! Looking forward to lots of updates as promised.....

It's a shame about Paris but there are other marathons, other times of year and maybe other challenges?

Do you do cycle or swim at the gym (or outside for the cycling)? Have you seen the 2012 challenge? www.goldchallenge.org - there are two diff challenges - 1 is to try lots of different sports or the other is to cover 2012km..... I know it's not a real event but maybe something like that could help with the motivation?
I'm interested to hear that you did the C25K with your daughter, I'm trying to get my 10 yr old interested and have been doing sporadic runs with her but that might be a better idea.

Rosexx

Maria said...

Hello- nice to see you back.
It seems that you are dealing with the issues and injury really well- I like the idea of following the same structure but in the gym machines instead. Shame about Paris next year, but as Rose said there are always others and you can look for those another year.

Jessica said...

I thought you'd fallen off the face of the planet! I was a bit worried honestly, because I know you're the intense, disappearing type and thought you might not be back blogging, and be internalising all of the frustration/pain.

I really want to poke your podiatrist in the eye: it could be the lack of exercises but I've seen so many idiots in the past, including physios that thought IT band syndrome was serious cartilege damage in the knee and a podiatrist that said I had a stress fracture in my foot when it was just a strained tendon. Oh, and the best physio that said categorically that my hip stress fractures were just mild groin strain and I'd have to suck it up and 'run through it' after a week of rest. Idiots. Perhaps a second opinion might be worth it if at all possible as this type of injury shouldn't drag on for so long?

You're a star for running with your daughter: I love my Dad but I couldn't help but feel jealous that she has someone there to motivate her when running. I'd have loved a running partner to do C25K with me when I was younger! You're being really magnanimous in helping her while injured yourself. Please don't let your self-depricating nature blind you to how great it is that you're helping her with her goals.

xxx

BabyWilt said...

So I managed to miss your post, between your sporadic posting and my sporadic reading (and unreliable blogger updating my blog roll!!). I'm pleased to read that you no longer beat yourself up about not running in the way you would like to, physically the long term your body will thank you. and I'm pretty sure you will find a plan you can stick to ... it's in your blood ;-)