On The Mend (Take 2)

So ..... I was obviously being a bit premature when I thought my calf/achilles problem had been sorted out by a three week rest and discovered it definitely wasn't. Since then I have managed to arrange some physiotherapy treatment and its doing the trick and I am on the mend.

It turns out the Achilles itself is fine - its the calf muscle that is the problem. I had my first appointment last Wednesday evening and Jayne (the physio) poked and prodded around to identify the problem area which was the base of the calf muscle. Jayne got me to lay on the couch with my legs out straight and point my toes towards my knees. The average person can get their foot to an angle of around 10-12 degrees. When I tried, my right (okay) leg got to 10 degrees but my left (injured) leg would only get to 4 degrees! :-( Jayne manipulated and massaged the calf muscle, seeking out the tender and sore areas where the knots were. Of which there were quite a few! I didn't yelp with pain but there were a few moments when I had to grimace and bite my tongue (and swore under my breath!).

Jayne gave me a stretching routine to do up to 5 times a day to loosen up my legs. It's all of the stretches I already do before a run but it turns out I wasn't doing them for long enough. They need to be held for at least 30 seconds. And there is one particular stretch I wasn't familiar with which targets the base of the calf muscle where the problem is.

I have been doing this stretching routine between 3 and 5 times a day for the last week and things definitely felt better to me. So I went back for my second appointment this afternoon to find out what the 'expert' thought. When I tried the 'point your toes' exercise again today the right leg got to 12 degrees .. and the injured left leg got to 10 degrees. Jayne was thrilled with the improvement! She massaged the calf again and didn't find so many sore spots this time (so less swearing going on!).

I have an additional exercise to add to the stretching which will help with strengthening the calf muscles. It's like the stretch where you stand on the bottom step on your toes and allow your heels to drop. The difference is you raise yourself up on your toes then over 5 seconds let your heels drop down slowly. I have to do 10 repetitions (or more if possible until it becomes slightly harder to do) and have to try and repeat this three times a day.

All being well, I'll be able to improve on the 12/10 degrees mark when I go back again next week.

There again .. maybe not!

Hmmph!! - this is not what I thought I would be writing about today :-(

I managed to run 3 miles on Thursday evening without any problems - no tightness or soreness from my left achilles afterwards and things seemed to be going well. So I headed out again on Saturday morning thinking I would do 3 or 4 miles (I wasn't sure how unfit I would be after a three week layoff). As I reached the end of the first mile I felt a twinge from my left achilles and my heart sank. I tried to keep running a bit further but within 200yds the left achilles was too painful and sore for me to carry on. I turned round and hobbled home (walking was painful, let alone running or jogging).

So that's that then .. no more running for a few more weeks. Later on I'll get hold of my private health provider Axa to see if I can arrange some treatment with the physio I have used in the past.

Any lingering thoughts I had about still being ready for the Bath half-marathon have disappeared. In fact, over the weekend I sent an email cancelling my entry. The Bath Half was supposed to be a stepping stone to getting fit for the Coast To Coast walk in July. As things stand I may be able to run again in a month or two. But for the time being I think I'll forget about any thoughts of running and concentrate instead on building up my walking mileage.

On the mend ..

Two weeks ago I had to cut short a planned run because of a pain in my left calf. Since then I have decided it was due to a problem with over-stretching my Achilles tendon. I have been resting since then (no walking and definitely no running). The pain seemed to have finally gone away so today I ventured out and walked into town. And I'm pleased to say there was no pain on the walk and none since. So I will carry on with the stretching for a few more days and then will go for a tentative jog around the block and see how my left Achilles feels afterwards. If all is okay, then I can restart my training for the Bath half-marathon (now only 8 weeks away).

Ouch ..

Just when things seemed to be going well, an injury that has stopped any further running for a week or two.

I set out on a 9ml run on Saturday morning but didn't get far. 1.5mls into the run I started to feel a pain in my left calf. I stopped and tried stretching the calf muscle hoping it would help. But when I started running again the pain got worse so I had to abandon my run. The 1.5ml walk home took me 40 minutes and everyone was over-taking me as I was having to take very slow, short strides.

What is frustrating is that I did the usual pre-run stretching routine that I do every time I head out. So I would love to know what has brought this on. Three days on the soreness has mostly gone away. I can drive without any problems and can walk around. It is only when I take a slightly longer stride or go up or down stairs that I notice how 'tight' the calf is.

So I am stretching the leg as often as possible and will just have to give it time to improve. And because of this problem I will spend even longer stretching and warming up before any more runs. I remember a very good stretch that my physio showed me the last time I was being treated - so will be including that one as well in future.

I am guessing it will be January before I can head out again or get on the treadmill and start trying to get myself (literally and metaphorically) back up to speed.

Mission accomplished

The previous long weekend was a busy one with trips to the local recycling centre and a party to attend on Friday, a pre-xmas family get-together taking place on Saturday and more garage de-cluttering and recycling centre visits planned for Sunday. Add being on-call from 10am on Sunday morning to the mix and I was beginning to wonder when I would be able to complete my planned long run. I realised that the only solution would be to get up early on Sunday morning and do my long run before starting the on-call session.

In the event I managed to get out for a run although getting out of bed at 7am seemed a trifle odd (after all, it was the weekend). But I had my breakfast, let it settle, got changed into my running gear and was out of the door by 8:15am. And it was a beautiful morning to be out running. No wind, not too cold, a very light drizzle that soon petered out and not too many dog-walkers out and about in Cirencester Park. For once the other runners I saw outnumbered the dog walkers. Early runs on Sunday mornings are obviously more popular than I realised.

I was planning to up my long run distance to 9 miles. But because I needed to be back home by 10am I had to stick to 8 miles. But even though it was a shorter run than planned, towards the end of the run I reached a target I set myself back in January. I had already worked out my target of 500 miles in 2013 would be reached as I approached the subway at the top of the hill on Tetbury Road. And my cunning plan of balancing the phone on the subway barrier and using the self-timer on my phone worked as you can see ..

I would love to tell you the blurring is due to the sheer speed that I was running past the phone but you would call me a fibber anyway so I won't bother :-)

Plans are afoot

I've been making plans lately - so it's probably time to 'fess up and explain what I have in mind for 2014.

Having said 'never again' after the Bath half-marathon in 2011 (when I got cramp in my calf after 9mls exactly as had happened in 2010) I have had a change of heart. My running has been going well this year and I am well on course to reach my target of 500mls. The scores on the doors show I'm currently at 481mls so I should reach my target in the next couple of weeks (I must try and remember to take a photo when I get there for the '500mls in 2013' thread that I post on). So, having been able to train regularly and managing to get a PB at the Tring Ridgeway Run (9.7ml) in October, I have taken the plunge and entered the Bath half-marathon which is on 2nd March 2014.

I worked out earlier that the Bath HM is only 13 weeks away but I'm currently managing 8mls on my long runs. So I feel better prepared than in previous years and have put together a training plan - the main aspect of which is gradually increasing the distance of the weekend long runs to a maximum of 14mls. I'll try and remember to pop back here regularly and post updates on how the training is progressing.

Once the half-marathon is out of the way there is another challenge I have set myself. It will also need a training plan of some sort with ever-increasing distances. After the Thames Path in 2012 and the Ridgeway in 2013, my goal for 2014 is to complete Wainwright's Coast To Coast path. I've booked with a company that transport your luggage and provide a guide. These were concessions that I allowed myself as the path isn't marked like the previous ones I've done. And the route from St.Bees on the east coast, via the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors to Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast, is 190mls long and involves lots of climbing. There are some long (20ml) days where we will be out walking for anything up to 9hrs. So preparation (and lots of it) will be the key. But before that, there will be a visit to Cotswold Outdoor very soon to get some new walking boots and get them worn in.

The C2C is something I have dreamed about doing ever since seeing some 'coast to coasters' near Ennerdale while on a walking holiday in the Lake District. I promised myself I would do the C2C myself one day and the time seemed right so I decided to get it booked and do it rather than keep dreaming about it. Again, I'll try and remember to pop back here and post updates on how preparations are progressing.

Tring Ridgeway Run 2013

Since finishing our walk along the Ridgeway back in June I have been concentrating on my running. I did the Tring Ridgeway Run in 2012 and remembered it as we completed walking the Ridgeway - so I entered the race again this year. Here's my thoughts on the day ..

I’m sitting in my car at Tring Park Cricket Club, its warm and cosy, but outside people are scurrying around in the rain, some wearing that well known fashion item, the black bin-liner. Others are running around in shorts and vests – is it warmer out there than I think? 25 minutes to go – I emerge from the car wearing my jacket and realise the answer is no, it’s not! Any thoughts I had of not bothering with a jacket rapidly evaporate. A quick jog around the field to ‘warm up’ (literally) and I notice one or two men admiring the scenery through the hedge and make a mental note that the queues for the toilets must be long – luckily I didn’t need to find out. 15 minutes to go - I have warmed up a bit and the other runners are beginning to make their way to the start so I join them. 5 minutes to go - gallows humour is the order of the day as we stand in the wind and rain, spectators nearby wrapped up in coats and huddling under umbrellas. It’s cold, it’s wet and we are all about to run 10miles in this weather.

There is no hooter or whistle - people just begin to shuffle forward soon after 10am and then we’re off and running. The first mile is flat and along a farm track and I pick my way through the puddles. We cross a road soon afterwards and run along a grass verge. By now I am picking my way through mud as well as puddles. There is a delay while we queue to enter the first of many footpaths and begin a gradual climb through the woods. We emerge at the edge of a golf course and running on grass makes a welcome change. Then it’s over another road, through a farmyard and the mud returns with a vengeance. I’ve given up trying to avoid the mud and puddles by now and just splash through regardless.

Then it’s time for the first big climb up to Bridgewater Monument. I try to run up the footpath but the slippery mud and steepness defeat me. I walk as fast as I can and start running when I reach the top. My family are there to meet me and cheer me on. The first 3 miles have been done in around 37 minutes - about what I expected. We get some respite then and are running on a decent track through the woods along the top of the ridge. We reach the halfway point and I have settled in with a group of 5 or 6 other runners.

Just after 5 miles we start down a sloping footpath – the mud is worse than ever here and I feel my feet slip a few times. Then the inevitable happens and I go over. I land on my right side and slide in the mud for a metre or so. I get up, the other runners stop to check I am okay, I seem okay, so I wipe my muddy hands on the grass and we all set off again. 

Soon after that we reach Inchcombe Hole, a steep grassy descent. I feel my feet begin to slip again and am taking no chances so I walk until the slope lessens. At 6mls we cross another road and I can see Pitstone Hill ahead. The time is around 70 minutes so I still seem to be on schedule. My family are there again – I give them a quick wave and I try to run up the hill but admit defeat and walk (like everyone around me). I’ve lost contact by now with the other runners who were nearby and am by myself.

After another flat ridge section we start to slowly descend along the route of the Ridgeway Path through the woods. There are some flattish sections here but it’s mostly downhill on muddy paths and towards the end there are even some steps. I don’t take any chances and walk down them. A couple more muddy footpaths to negotiate and then we emerge onto the road and run back along the grass verge to the original farm track. The traffic stops for the marshals, I cross the road and am relieved to finally be back on solid ground.

I look around and see I am a long way ahead of the runner behind me. Ahead I can see the stragglers of the group I was with in the first half of the race. We’re all struggling by now and having to take short walk breaks. On the plus side the heavy rain has washed most of the mud off my legs. I eventually pass under the start banner and realise I am into the last mile. I have gradually been catching a couple of ladies ahead of me. I pass one as we take a left-hand corner and 100yds up the road I pass the other lady. By now runners who have already finished are making their way back along the route looking for their slower friends. They don’t get in the way and get growled at and I make my way through some trees and turn right onto the road leading back to the cricket club. I can’t see anyone ahead of me by now. I glance back and the ladies I passed are both walking again so I risk a final quick walk break.

Then I see the entrance to the finishing field across the road ahead of me and start running. I reach the entrance, the marshals hold up the traffic, I cross the road and run through the gate, their shouts encouraging me to attempt a sprint finish. After one final effort and I cross the finish line to the cheers of my family who have made their way back. I look at my Garmin and am amazed to see that despite my earlier fall and having to walk down the steep sections I have beaten last years’ time by a minute and I’m left wondering what might have been if the weather had been better.

The marshalling was excellent throughout and the signs everywhere meant there was no chance of going astray. I collect my tech t-shirt (a tasteful shade of day-glo orange this year!) and wander back to see my family and explain how the run went and about my fall. I am soaked through and it’s too cold to stand around for too long so I say my goodbyes and head back to the car thinking I’ll more than likely be back again in 2014.