More rest for the wicked

My run may have been enjoyable last week but I followed that up with some hills sprints the next day (I know, I know...) and suffered through the achilles pain for the next three days where I couldn't even walk in the morning and was having to resort to the Achilles Shuffle.

I have now had another whole week off running and will continue to rest over Easter. Some time next week, I'll try another short run and if I am still in pain, I'll be taking a month off and will probably miss the SMH Half Marathon (again). Not something I want to do obviously but I need to get my legs back to 100% so I can crack that 3 hr marathon.

Time off for bad behaviour

After ten days of not running, I have been out in the fresh air for a nice easy 5km jog. And I loved it! For any running that is not yet aware of the torture of injury breaks, I can testify that it is an emotional rollercoaster of hope and self-doubt. One morning you might feel that the rest is doing you good and it's all part of the greater plan - later that night you might feel like packing it all in and getting a jump on the old codgers by swapping running for lawn bowls.

The run began with trepidation and finished with high hopes for the future. I concentrated on keeping my legs loose and running with an easy relaxed style, checking in with myself all the time as to the evenness of my gait and the balance of running off both legs. My right knee felt stiff but it did not affect my running style. Most importantly, I had no screams from my Achilles or my right calf/shin. In the end I finished happy. Garmin details of run >>

The key for my recovery now is to remember that I am in fact recovering! My two part plan is:

1. Start again slowly and limit myself to three short runs a week for a couple of weeks and then add more distance and a fourth short run until I feel strong again when I will add a fifth and eventually sixth run.

2. Stretch my calves and do my heel drops every day - ideally twice a day. Also, I will throw in some Qigong to help open up my hips. I hope to add a yoga session into my stretching & fitness routine this year too, the idea being to strengthen my body to allow me to increase my running training.

My next race is the SMH Half Marathon in mid-May and I think I'll be right back up to speed around then.

Resting injuries

I have finally given into the concept of taking time off running when I feel continuous pain. I haven't run for five days now and I am going to take the next week off too so that my calf might actually heal instead of get worse and it will do my Achilles tendons good too. I am not able to run at all comfortably at the moment and I feel like I am limping and altering my gait to compensate, which will just lead to futher injury.

It has taken a couple of months of pain and mental anguish to make the decision to rest for a prolonged time but I realised that if I want to still be running at all in 10 years time that I need to be more sensible now.

I will still stretch my muscles and tendons and then start slowly running again in a week or so. Once I get back on my feet I will re-assess my goals and targets but I am still confident of breaking the 3 hour barrier in the marathon at some point this year.

10km at Lunch

I ran a 10km in just under 45 minutes at lunch today around Walsh Bay and the Sydney Opera House. Ordinarily I wouldn't be that excited about the pace but considering all the injuries I've been dealing with, it was a good effort. I felt like I had plenty left in the tank and was only limited by the hamstring/calf pain in my right leg the whole run.

Garmin details of run >>


Injury update

My Achilles tendons feel like they are starting to respond to the stretches I've been doing each morning and the supposed neuroma isn't affect my running any more. I'm continuing to put Voltaren on my foot four times a day - it may be helping but I think the stretching and strenghening might be helping it also. I'm going to get a massage on my hamstrings and calves from the local Chinese place after work to hopefully work out the twinge and tightness.

Getting ready for SMH Half Marathon

After been diagnosed with a neuroma in my left foot and with continuing pain in my Achilles tendons, a niggle in my right knee and a twinge in my right hamstring & calf (not to mention tired legs in general), I took of week off running just to clear my head a bit and give my body a rest.

I have now gone back to using the orthotics that were made up for me a few years ago to help with over-pronation. This should help with the Achilles issues and hopefully also the neuroma. The sports doc has also added a metatarsal dome to help with the neuroma. I am also using anti-inflammatory gel directly on my foot to help reduce inflammation. Most importantly, I have committed myself to doing calf stretches and heel drops every day for three months which I hope will lead to resolution of all my injury issues. I am also taking a break from the SWEAT training group while I get my injuries under control.

Meanwhile, I signed up for the SMH Half Marathon today (bib #101) and scraped in to the preferred start off the back of my 2009 City2Surf time of 55:25. This will be my first time ever as a preferred starter in any race so I'm pretty excited about it!

I've started training again after my week off by doing a few slow 6km runs and will try not to over do it for the next couple of weeks but then ramp it up a bit and aim for a sub 84 minute time in the half. Hopefully later in the year I will get a good shot at a sub 80 too, either in the Blackmores or Melbourne half.

Let the training (and stretching) begin...

Note: I just checked the qualifying times for Boston and it looks like as I'll be 35 by the time of the race, I only need 3:15 to qualify.