Oi! Weights! Who's the daddy?

See what I did there? I uploaded an image of Ray Winstone to link in with the thread title (i.e. the film 'Scum'). Not bad for an old technophobe like me. Obviously the effect is now spoiled by my lack of nonchalance but, you know, small steps.

Back to weights. Yesterday I planned to do lower body weights - effectively the other half of the full programme that I'd postponed the day before - but felt good while there and ended up doing the whole programme even upping the weights on several exercises. Net result? No DOMS. Maybe there's an argument that on a couple of exercises I could push more but on some - chest press, Pallof press, face press and bicep curl for example - it was a struggle to eek out the last rep.

I'm pretty pleased with that and whilst the calves are maybe still a little knotted they certainly seem better, perhaps aided by the cardio work at the gym being done at a very steady level rather than pushing hard for any 'challenges'.

I'll do an exploratory 6/7 miles along the canal later today to give them a test.

My other reason for feeling a little smug is that I've stuck well to the core stability exercises. Result there is that the core feels more stable and strong already, as if the muscles have been energised (or maybe just re-awakened?). No groin pain and generally no 'odd' feeling at all.

Definitely not racing on Sunday though. Discretion is the better part of valour. Isn't it?

Day One (again)

Suitably chastened by Allison's stern rebukes I decided to cancel yesterday's club run and just test the groin with a 2.6 mile jog with Bethan.

I made a point of focusing on engaging the core muscles - (semi) specifically the ones you'd clench if you were desperate for the loo but not yet near one - and suffered no discomfort during the run. It took a bit of concentration to keep that up. Its something I found hard at first but then more or less got in the habit of doing it every time though I suspect that recently when I've tired either at the end of longer LSRs or during races I've let slip.

Afterwards there was no great problem and certainly no lower abs discomfort at all, just that feeling of the left hand side of the groin somehow feeling slightly 'misaligned'.

By this morning even that had passed.

However, I'm going to be cautious as I've been here before - chasing miles or times while it gets progressively worse and have come up with a plan:

1) Start on the core stability exercise program again
2) Cut back on mileage this week by just running once more with Beth and doing 6-8 miles at the weekend
3) Replace this week's runs with cardio & weights at the gym
4) Cut back LSRs to 10/12 miles max for the next couple of months
5) Really concentrate on engaging the core at all times during runs

With luck that will keep me on track without anything getting worse.

To kick that off I revised the core programme today and did the first set:

• Plank
• Side plank
• Swiss ball hyperextension
• Bridge
• Static lunge
• Walking lunges
• Single leg dips
• X-band walk
• Supine hip extension
• Lying hip adduction
• Piriformis stretch

All lovingly tabulated into an Excel plan in the colours of my favourite Adidas Adizero kit. I really need to get out running again soon don't I?

2 weeks on: everything changes yet stays the same

Lets start with the running. That's been going pretty well - aside from a few aches and pains.

Club runs on each of the last two Tuesdays have been good. We're just getting into the longest days of the year meaning 10 weeks or so of being able to run off road, usually around Eccup Reservoir. That's been good - far more pleasant than pounding the busy streets of north Leeds.

On the two Thursdays I've attended club speed training sessions. First one was on the fields at 'Bedquilts' and was 4 x 1.1 mile intervals. I was surprised and pleased by that. Firstly that I ran at what was easily at 7:15 a mile (despite weight) and secondly because it caused no pain groin wise. Last Thursday was on the athletics track at Carnegie, and consisted of some drills and then 15 x 0.25m intervals done at 5k pace (6:15 - 6:50 pace for the inervals). That was tough but enjoyable. Only downside was that the faster I go the more prone I am to run on the forefoot, and repeatedly going the same way round a curved track like that led to quite deep blistering around the ball joint, especially on the right foot.

Besides that I've done a run with Bethan, a couple of runs from home on a mix of public footpaths and pavements and two longer runs of 9.3 miles and 10.1 miles heading on trails and road around Adel, Harewood, Alwoodley and Bramhope. The poor old canal just hasn't had a look in! 25 and 30 miles in each of the last 2 weeks and looks like it'll be about 30 again this week.

All pretty much pain free. Last week's trip to the physio confirmed that my core stability is good
now. Whilst I can't neglect that, the focus now is to build up my left glute - which is far weaker than the right one (and as such an underlying injury risk with regards to groin injuries). A couple of weeks ago I was doing 20 - 30 exercises a day to strengthen glutes and core but the last week that's slipped a lot, initially through DOMS in my core and then through inertia.

The weight has been up and down. I've weighed as little as 12st 4lb and as much as 12st 10lb during the last 14 days, as I've struggled to maintain focus for more than a few days at a time. I've set myself an ambitious target of getting down to 11st by the weekend of 24/25 July when there is a family get together on the Saturday and the Pudsey 10k on the Sunday. At my lowest point that looked perfectly achievable but with a fortninght of not really getting anywhere it'll now be a challenge. Still, I do love a challenge!

Putting a date to the target will help. Previously I've only done consistently well when there's been a time limit - without one there's no great imperative to stick to limits. The other thing that I hope will help is having a few days off bread. Its always been an achilles heel for me - I can go into the kitchen and easily eat 5/6 slices of bread or toast, and when I do I tend to move onto something else for a mini binge. A week without should give a decent start.

Club run tonight and hopefully speed training Thursday but the next 4 days sees meetings in Barnsley, Poole, Bridgend and Nottingham as well as an overnight stay in Somerset, with Thursday's session being dependant on the traffic heading back from Bridgend.

A real breakthrough!

If Thursday's run was a disappointment, Saturday's was the complete opposite.

On Thursday I just couldn't get going. I got through the distance ok, I just felt a bit unresponsive.

On Saturday I decided to do a little over 7 miles, heading out from Apperley Bridge to Shipley and back.

I felt far better from the outset and stopped after an 8:12 opening mile to spend a minute doing some dynamic stretches. This is something I'd got out of the habit of doing but both the injury prevention workshop and the latest book I'm reading expound on the virtues so I've decided to quit being lazy and bring them back into the running routine.

I felt good as I set off again and decided to focus on just one thing - engaging the deep abdominals and keeping them engaged. This has been a key focus of the physio work - preparing me for identifying and using these muscles to help stabilise my pelvis - and is also regarded as something that takes alot of conscious effort to maintain while running. Previously, when I'd dabbled with Chi running it was something I'd think about but within 20 seconds my mind would wander and I'd relax them without realising.

That didn't happen this time. Instead, I was able to keep them gently but noticeably engaged for the remainder of the run. From a proprioceptive point of view the run felt noticeably different - I felt a little more solid, more upright in the torso and more 'together'.

That last bit is difficult to explain but if you think of the body as machine made up of a series of connected levers, at times, when injured especially, my body has felt like some of the levers are slightly misaligned but this time it felt like all the levers were perfectly aligned and well oiled. That made the run feel more efficient and sustainable.

By the time I reached Shipley and the 3.7 mile turnaround point the average pace had reduced to 8:01 a mile without my realising. I ran back feeling equally comfortable and with the aid of a couple of short downhills at the locks on the way back, speeded up a little more still so that when I finished the average had reached 7:51 a mile. That's only about 10 seconds a mile over half marathon race pace, which based on injury, lack of training and current weight is pretty good.

However, the most important factor was that I had no groin pain during the run (which is common enough now) but also no pain at all later in the day or the next day (which although reducing has still been occurring each run). On the basis that the distance was greater than I'd recently been allowed and the pace was the fastest since the autumn it wouldn't have been too worrying to have had a little more than of late but this time there was nothing!

So, without wanting to get too excited, it feels like I'm definitely on the mend and that by following this approach I'll certainly get a more economical gait and prevent pain.

Its dynamic stretching every run and for the next weeks a conscious effort to concentrate on engaging the deep abs for stabilisation throughout every run in the hope that it becomes second nature.

Its coming down like stair rods...

...and the sky is the colour of slate. Really mixed weather - an hour ago there was a thunderstorm and 10 minutes ago it was sunshine and white cloud. Should add some variety to tonight's run anyway!

Physio appointment last week brought good news. Firstly I seem to be a little less tight and a little stronger, secondly I am doing the exercises properly (though there are a couple I could sharpen up by slowing down) and finally my aims of a 'racing season' in the autumn should be achievable without too great a risk of injury.

Carrying on with the same exercises and with the addition of 3 more for the next 3 weeks then its back again. Running wise I still should try to stick to the 5.5 mile limit, at no great pace and not on muddy trails but the physio did say I'd be ok to start going out on club runs again - as long as I run with one of the slower groups at first just to limit distance.

And that's where I'll be tonight. In the rain!

The runs for the last week have been fine except for last Friday's fall. I'd never fell while running until earlier this year when I slipped on a rock but I've now doubled my tally.

I went out in road shoes, not really appreciating how wet the towpath was from a couple of days of rain but fortunately also wore a long sleeved top. At one section of path there are a number of pieces of brick/hardcore poking through and somehow I very slightly caught the toe of my right foot on one and went hurtling forward. It seems I tried to land on the inside of my left instep and fell onto my right side - leaving some slight scratching to my calf and hands, bruising to the thigh and left big toe and a bloody lump just below my right elbow - all hidden by mud until the post run shower. Funnily enough I didn't feel a thing until I got back into the car a mile later (at the time I was more annoyed that I hadn't thought to immediately pause the Garmin!) but it did break my rhythm for that last mile.

Beyond that I did 10k on the Concept 2 on Saturday (as well as a bit on the cross trainer) and then did another canal side 5.5 miles on Sunday followed by the latest Dales walk - Kettlewell to Starbotton and back via a climb up Cam head - about 6 miles.

Weight still fluctuates within the week but is generally falling - 2lb off last week overall. Definitely feel and look better for that.

Its still chucking it down though...

I smell bacon

Yesterday I had a binge and this morning the tempting smell of other people's bacon cooking is wafting up from the kitchen.

Sounds terrible huh?

Its not so bad.

After 4 weeks of pretty much universally clean eating the bacon doesn't have too much effect on me and whilst last night I went overboard (a bowl of all bran, 2 wholewheat granary bagels and 2 bowls of granola, nuts, yoghurt and dried fruit) it wasn't anything like the chocolate and toast centred mini binges of the past. This morning's weigh in may be a bit on the high side due to 'food in transit' but by tomorrow it'll all be gone.

Weight loss wise things have slowed a little. Week one gave the huge loss of over half a stone, week two over 2lb, week three a fraction under 2lb and week four just over 1lb. I'm happy with that. I certainly look noticeably slimmer and clothes are looser. To some extent that's what its all about but I do want to lose 'weight' too - purely for the running times. I'm relaxed enough to feel I'm very much on the right track and it'll all happen in time though.

Running wise I've been sticking to the physio's limit of 5.5 miles, and no muddy trails but if anything I've been a little less frequent than her limits. I ran the day of the appointment on the 11th and 4 more times since. I'll also go out later today. The runs themselves have felt pretty good - no great advance in pace but I'm increasingly feeling comfortable with faster pace (if that makes sense?).

They don't seem to have caused any major pain either. I tend to be a bit sore afterwards but that has pretty much gone by the following day.

I've also been to the gym fairly regularly and have started to row again as a supplement to the cross trainer. I used to use the rowing machine a fair bit and actually owned a Concept 2 for a couple of years until 2005 but haven't done anything since. Again, it feels like progress - I'm doing something 'new' and pain free and its noticeably easier now than it was 10 days ago.

The physio's exercises have been mixed. There's one that I can't do - it requires a step I just don't have and there are a couple of others where I'm not certain that I'm doing them right as they feel strangely easy. I've missed 2 days where I should have done exercises but work/life got in the way - or more accurately I've allowed work or life to get in the way - but overall they have got easier and I've tried to add in elements of them to runs or walking (such as clenching glutes and core as I go) and doing some supplementary exercises I've found or have been told about on a few days. I feel like I'm a little stronger.

Its back to the physio tomorrow and I'll have a number of questions - what's the long term plan and prognosis, am I doing the exercises right, should I be feeling any pain during or post run, exactly when should I feel the correct muscles fire and does clenching them while active actually help? She's going to love treating me!

Lastly, we've also been walking in the Dales the last 3 Sundays. Nothing too arduous but enough to add a bit of variety to the exercise regime.

Last Sunday was climbing up Pen-y-ghent, which was surprisingly easy to climb (as in my legs felt no great challenge) but a bit hairy in the last bit when you literally climb on hands and feet up the last hundred metres of steep, wet, and occasionally loose stone with a significant drop behind you, all the time buffeted by quite a strong wind.