A tale of two runs

It's a couple of weeks since we blogged, and it seems like a lot has happened and nothing has happened at the same time. I won't go through it all in detail, but the salient points are;

• Tiger Angel's German Measles turned out to be not measles, but an unknown virus, the only treatment for which was to wait. Treatment worked (eventually) and the rash and most of the itching has subsided.
• Tiger Angel's hip scan showed no arthritis (excellent!!), but gave no indication of what may be causing her pain. New anti-inflams aren't having any particular effect. Don't really know where to go next. She's on zero activity at the moment, and hating it.
• I'm slowly getting back into stride. Last week was my first 'marathon' week (> 42k) since January. It hurts to watch all the winter races that I missed last year go drifting quickly by again, but I guess my main aim for the moment is to get a good base back under my belt (safely!). I'm also looking forward to running with TA again just as soon as she can.
• Tonight, we took a leap of faith and entered the City 2 Surf. We've asked for an A2 entry together. Last year TA was A2 & I was A1 (and then we both DNS'd with injury, but that's another story), and the year before she was A1 and I was A2. Hopefully this year we can actually run it together (even if we have to piggy-back each other)!
• Having been gradually ramping up since I started running again (7 weeks in total), I think that it's time for a 'down' week this week. I'll just pretend that I'm tapering for GC :-)
  

So what's the tale of two runs I alluded to in the title? Well, on Saturday morning my aim was to do an hour's run while I was waiting for Micro's footy match to start. What a drag! I felt heavy and slow and uncomfortable, and the run was everything that I don't like about running. Anyhow, 60 min, 10.5k @ 5:40 pace. Sunday Evening, on the other hand, was everything a run should be. I felt great, was light on my feet, in a great rhythm, and the k's just flew by. Even the big hills seemed smaller than normal. Lovely!

The funny thing, though, was that when I analysed Sunday night's run (91 min, 15.75k @ 5:49 pace), it was slower than the sad-sack run on Saturday. In other words, how much I enjoy a run has nothing to do with how switched on my legs are, but just with how switched on my brain is. I must remember that next time I have an attack of the Blahs.

Gnome (who should be in bed after waiting up till way too late last night watching the web updates on our Western States heros...)

p.s. to all you heading for the Gold Coast this weekend - best of luck, enjoy yourselves, and make us jealous with your reports of mighty feats! :-)

I Can't Win a Trick Lately.

I went to see the Dr today to get some test results and let him look at my hip as it still hurts every time I run. I'd, also, noticed a rash on my body when showering this morning so thought I'd show him that too.



Upshot of my visit was

• my iron levels are finely in the desired range after 20 months - Yah!
• my thyroid meds need reducing or I'll get osteoporosis
• I have to have a scan on my hip to check if it's bursitis or possibly osteo-arthritis and the piece-de-resistance
• he thinks my rash is German Measles so I'm to stay home under house arrest till he gets the blood test results. He's, also, checking my liver function and for Measles and Glandular Fever

I think Gnome needs to find a new model - this one's crap :-)

TA

Party Party!

Happy day! Tiger Angel and I did a track session last night (200 firm, 200 firmer, 400 float, repeat 3 more times, plus warm ups, drills, strides & all that jazz beforehand) and then I ran the 4k home feeling really really strong. Sounds good, but it gets better!

This morning, I didn't hurt. I didn't ache. No problems walking down steps. No ill effects at all. First time since you know when.

((Gnome wanders off into the distance whistling happily...))

As expected...

As expected, the imbalance dragon has been puffing his little bursts of fire at me. I went for a run on Monday morning, but only managed a few k before my knee started to hurt to the point where I had to stop. I did jog home again, but only because that was faster than walking. Not happy.

I had a physio appointment on Thursday afternoon, so no running until then. He confirmed that everything on my bad side was very tight, and a combination of very weak glutes and some muscle just above my knee with relatively strong quads was pulling my knee cap out of alignment, hence the pain. I don't know whether they're weak because I was protecting them for so long, or because of nerve damage, but the trick now is to strengthen them. To that end, he's given me some exercises that are supposed to do the trick, and I've got two weeks before I see him again to "make those muscles pump, baby"!

He gave me the OK to run, so we headed off to Run Club. It was;
- 1200 at AT pace. I'm still getting used to my pacing again and I started too fast, but brought it back after a quiet reprimand from Tim at the 400 mark.
- 10 minutes of rolling hills. I walked down the steepest parts to protect my knees.
- 10 minutes of 1min on / 1 min off.
My knee survived OK, but my thigh was pretty sore when Dr pain had 'released' all the tight bits. Finished off the evening with a bite to eat with the rest of the Run Clubbers down at a local.

Nothing on Friday, recovering (how come I have to recover after 5k??) for Saturday's Striders' 10k. Tiger Angel had volunteered to marshall before she found out she was clear to run, so I was running it on my own. Even as I was going off for a warm up I still had no idea of what I was aiming to do, so when Ben said he wanted to do sub 49 it sounded like a good idea to me. We sat behind the 50 minute pacer for the first 3 or 4 k, noting that his "putting time in the bank" had him running at about the same rate as I thought we needed to (I've never been a great fan of the time-in-the-bank theory, even on a hilly course like Lane Cove). Consequently, we were actually about the right time at the half way. We didn't rush the down hills, but used them to recover so we'd be ready for the later undulations and then the big rush of the final couple of k.

There were a couple of times around the 7-8k section where I thought that I was going to lose Ben, but I could hear that he was breathing cleanly and rhythmically, so I figured that he still had a bit more in him. To give him his absolute due, when I called for him to catch up, he responded immediately and was very quickly up on pace and he never dropped again. At the 9k I suggested that he go ahead and make the running, whereupon he promptly took the lead and pulled out a 4:30 to have us home in 48:43!

Since I started running again, I've been waiting for the day when it would all feel good again. I got that day on Saturday. Running down the hill with Ben brought back all those old feelings of just floating along that I love. Unfortunately, at about the 9k mark (just after Ben took the lead), my knee started complaining again. It wasn't bad like it had been on Monday so I had no problems getting home, but it was a reminder that I still have to build for a while yet.

This race was my focus from the day I got the OK to run, and I haven't thought past it at all. Alas, now is the time to look forward again. What's the 'Next Big Thing'? Dunno yet, but whatever it is starts tomorrow morning early... :-)

Gnome