Run run run run run run run....

AuldManKing

Terrible luck and great attitude about it. Take it easy.

RacoonQueen

Ah that's really sh*t C...hope you're ok!

Sensible decision that pat of us would not have made. Rest up, get healed and attack another one. You'll probably be able to knock marathon out in June!

Narco0o0o0o

Wow, what crazy bad luck but fair play to you for being so philosophical about it. It would be a shame not to get an all out marathon effort from such a great training block though. Have you heard about the East of Ireland Marathon series? 25quid to enter and there's one next weekend. Nobody has run sub 2.40 this year but there's been a 2.45 and a number of sub 3s. Perhaps you could rope in a few people to pace you for segments...

eastofirelandmarathons.com/events.html

Alternatively, if there's another marathon that might fit the bill a number of weeks away, the Pfitzinger and Douglas book has a proper schedule they recommend in situations like this where you've tapered but missed the race for whatever reason. I think it's a rolling 2 week schedule where you can sharpen the knife again while still going into an approaching marathon in decent shape, and those guys know what they're talking about.

rom

Make sure you use and abuse those sick days in that fruit merchant. Hard luck but Cork could be an option though not ideal ?

Krusty_Clown

Sorry to hear about your disappointment Jebus. Look after yourself. When things line up, it's going to be a really special marathon.

aero2k

Just got home and logged in mainly to read your race report - really sorry to hear about your troubles.
Sounds like you're keeping positive, you'll be back out on the road in no time.

jebuz

Wow, thanks so much for all the messages of support everyone, it really brought a smile to my face and smiles have been very rare recently. Quick update anyway, it's been quite an ordeal the past few days but I'm over the worst..I think.

I know this is a training log but I've no training to log so for the time being this will be a Pilonidal abscess log.

I managed to get my flight changed to come home Sunday with my clubmates, knew it had to be sorted asap. Even with one of those neck cushions to sit on, the flight home was the worst flight of my life, I wasn't far from using one of those sick bags which I've always wanted to do. Got back into Cork but then had to sit in a taxi for the next 20 mins almost lying down but got home eventually, walking like a duck. I popped some more painkillers when I got home and tried to sleep planning on getting to a GP first thing in the morning. Woke up at 12:30am in unbearable pain and I knew there wasn't a chance I was sleeping any more so I headed for the A&E. Dunno how the fcuk I managed to drive to the hospital but I had my trusty neck/ass cushion to help.

After the worst wait of my life, finally got called in at 4am where I was put on a trolley and given painkiller on a drip which did ease up the pain a bit. I drifted in and out of sleep and the doc eventually got to me at 7am. By now the abscess had ruptured and she said I was lucky to have come in when I did. The intense pain had subsided and she cleaned up the wound a little, gave me a penicillin and more painkillers and told me that I'd need surgery on it. Surgeon arrived a few hours later and told me I'm on the list for surgery that day and it would likely be the afternoon. I got moved to the corridor of A&E and I waited. I waited some more and then I waited a little longer. My Dad came up from Wexford and brought me some clothes and things, I had no idea I'd be here this long. Eventually at around 10pm that night and going a little insane, I found out I wouldn't be getting surgery until tomorrow. I had been fasting all day and all for nothing so I gorged on 3 pastries. I was going a little mental on the trolley but around 11pm they moved me to a proper bed where I also got tea and toast. That toast was the best part of my day. Finally with some peace and quiet, I managed to get a good nights sleep for the first time in 3 days.

Woke up early the next morning where the surgeons told me I was still due to be operated on today so I just had to wait to be called. I waited and I waited, still fasting, and getting more and more frustrated and suddenly its the afternoon. I passed time by counting the rings on the curtain surrounding my bed. I just wanted it to be done but I knew if any life threatening emergencies came in that they'd be dealt with before me, which is fair enough. I was starting to give up hope when it got to 9pm but then I got the call, time for surgery young man! Then <scene missing>. I woke up having had a general anaesthetic, in a daze and in my delirium I told the nurse I had a pain in my "cork" area, whatever that means. Surgery had gone fine, they had essentially made a 1cm cavity in the area and stuffed it with a special wick material. I was on morphine too so feeling pretty happy with myself. I got back up to my room where once again the simple act of tea and toast completely made my evening. I got a great nights sleep until I was woken at 6am for my antibiotics and still in slight pain from the wound.

So right now I'm still in the hospital, I'm waiting on the surgeon to visit me in the evening and he'll make a call on me getting out of here either today or tomorrow. I had to get the dressing changed earlier which was as excruciating as the initial pain, even though they gave me a shot of delicious morphine. Have to get that done every 2 days arghh!!

Running-wise, one of the surgeons who is a runner told me she reckoned I'd be able to start running again in 2 weeks and relatively speaking that's not too bad at all. As for the next marathon, I haven't thought too much about it but my immediate feeling is if I will run one, I'll leave it until Sept/Oct when I can peak properly for it again instead of rushing into one when I get better again.

Forgive the long story but I've a lot of time on my hands, just be glad it's not too detailed. For now it's time to log off for a period of R&R and I'll be back soon hopefully with some running to report on. Thanks again for the messages, it very much emphasises the community spirit of the forum, god bless us everyone.

viperlogic

Glad to hear you are on the mend C.

I've two weeks now to get some of my Strava KOM's back off ya!!

TRR_the_turd

glad you got it sorted. Did the surgeon give any indication how it may have formed?

jebuz

They didn't tell me what caused this one but typically the cause is an ingrown hair or foreign material being compressed on the skin and then a cyst forms which gets infected and balloons up. It can be there for weeks before actually getting sore so it was really a case of just terrible timing. Also there's a family history of these, thanks very much FAMILY!!

RacoonQueen

jebuz wrote: »

They didn't tell me what caused this one but typically the cause is an ingrown hair or foreign material being compressed on the skin and then a cyst forms which gets infected and balloons up. It can be there for weeks before actually getting sore so it was really a case of just terrible timing. Also there's a family history of these, thanks very much FAMILY!!

That's those rotten Wexford genes of yours.

ThebitterLemon

Glad you're recovering, you've taken a very practical and sanguine approach to it. Even with the morphine I'd be tearing the place up

TbL

PaulieC

you were lucky Jebuz. I had one of those about 15 years ago and had a cavity about the size of a box of cigarettes. I had to visit outpatients every day for three months to get it repacked. And had to have a bath every morning to remove the old packing. Now my ass crack stretches all the way up my back

aero2k

Jaysus Jebus, I wouldn't have wanted to go through any of what you went through at the weekend - except for maybe the morphine.....

ThebitterLemon

PaulieC wrote: »

you were lucky Jebuz. I had one of those about 15 years ago and had a cavity about the size of a box of cigarettes. I had to visit outpatients every day for three months to get it repacked. And had to have a back every morning to remove the old packing. Now my ass crack stretches all the way up my back

Ah, that makes sense now PaulieC, I thought I heard lads that I reckoned were friendly with you say, you're some arsehole, they must have meant you've some arsehole

TbL

PaulieC

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Ah, that makes sense now PaulieC, I thought I heard lads that I reckoned were friendly with you say, you're some arsehole, they must have meant you've some arsehole

TbL

I think they meant the former...

AuldManKing

Glad it was sorted in time but surprised that the Doc reckons you'll be back running in 2 weeks.

In hindsight had there been any symptoms that you can think of in the past few months??

jebuz

The impression I got was that how soon I come back depends on a combination of my ability to heal quickly and the intensity of my running addiction. We already know the latter is off the charts so I'm banking on that wound healing quickly. I've actually been surprisingly relaxed about the whole not-running thing, maybe because it feels like I've actually just run a marathon. In all seriousness though, I won't be hitting the roads again until I'm at least 97% sure I'm ready.

In hindsight any symptoms? I noticed an elevated morning heart rate the week before the marathon, about 7-8 beats above what it should normally be. It being my 5th marathon, I didn't expect nerves to be an issue so I had a suspicion something was up but felt absolutely fine and had no pain down there. It was only Thursday evening after a light evening jog I started feeling slight pain but brushed it off being nothing but it wasn't nothing, it was something, something big. The little fella was waiting for the perfect moment to strike and arrived bang on time to spoil the party. I still think I'll have the last laugh...someday

pconn062

Glad to hear you're OK jebuz, that's pretty serious stuff.

jebuz

Monday 27/04 - 3.5 miles @ 7:49 min/mile

Dear log, it's been 16 days since my last run. I've missed you a lot and it's time to come back...please have me back.

So the big hole in my backside (the other one) is healing well and today the lovely nurse who dresses and packs it told me I could go for a 30 min jog this evening and it might even help the healing. My eyes lit up like a little mouse finding a gigantic ball of cheese, not the mouses favourite cheese but still, a big moment. The wound was actually bigger than I initially thought, about 3cm deep but I've been told its been getting smaller and smaller each day, this is a good thing. I still need to get it dressed daily though which is not ideal, some say it's a right pain in the hole. I've been waiting to use that line.

I headed off after work, nice looking evening but bloody baltic and extremely windy, lovely welcome back. Immediately the calves were screaming at me though, it felt as if they were hibernating for a lot longer than 16 days. I headed for the grass on the GAA pitches nearby and trotted out a few laps. Horrible and cold but it was really good to be running again. No pain on the wound, fitness definitely lacking but not worried about that too much, had to stop a few times to stretch the calves, they were really ruining my comeback run. I headed back for base but I had to cut it short when I was almost home as one calf seized up and said please no more.

I went into the gym then for some extensive foam rolling, some core work and weights and that's the first run back out of the way, now we build.

Duanington

Good to see you back at it Jebuz, best of luck with the rest of the recovery

jebuz

The road to recovery continues though my calves and quads are not one bit happy with me right now. I still feel like I belong in a retirement village but it'll get easier, I'm sure.

Tuesday 28/04 - 5 miles @ 8:16 min/mile

Stiffness and soreness still remains but this one got easier as I settled into it. Headed down to the Mardyke and duly banged out monotonous laps of the pitch. Plenty of foam rolling in the evening.

Wednesday 29/04 - 5 miles @ 7:40 min/mile

Down to the Mardyke pitch again, legs still sore, tiredness lingers and I felt like stopping after 1 lap but I felt this was one I could and should push through, it's just a case of bad DOMS and the body will adjust. It again got easier as I settled in but I got sick of doing laps so headed for the roads for the last 2 miles and finished feeling fine. I feel so far away from where I was 3 weeks ago but this is the time to be patient and dare I say, sensible.

jebuz

Thursday 30/04 - 7 miles @ 7:23 min/mile

Things getting a bit easier though my muscles still ache like hell. Stuck to the road for this one and took a hilly route, managed pretty well and glad to be upping the distances comfortably.

Saturday 02/05 - 10 miles @ 6:36 min/mile

Took Friday off to give the body a little break and then dished out a nice serving of punishment today. This run was in essence a signal from me to my legs telling them to get prepared for some hardship again. I parked up in the Mardyke and headed out the straight road without much of a plan except to run 10 miles. I settled into a pretty nippy pace after a few miles, it felt comfortable so went with it though I'm aware it's a little 'eager' on my first week back. I planned on pulling the pace back around 7/8 miles but I was feeling good so kept it going for 10 miles. Though it was drizzling throughout, the weather really turned on me for the last 2/3 miles as I battled the headwind and rain but it didn't really bother me, I was feeling good. Got back and hopped onto the track for a few cooldown laps in the now torrential rain and that was job done, felt great.

Sunday 03/05 - 8 miles @ 7:38 min/mile

After a brief visit to the care-doc to check on my wound (all ok), I headed out to the UCC farm so I could get some grass running in. Bumped into a clubmate and jumped in but pace was too nippy so I jumped out and ran my own pace for the remaining miles. Calf and quads were aching and general tiredness lingering so I said I'd cut this run off at 60 mins. I had planned to run around 12 miles but that was in an ideal world. That's a good first week back and apart from muscle soreness I'm feeling fine so will consider a return to sessions next week depending on how the legs feel.

Weekly total: 40 miles

jebuz

The boring road to recovery continues. Body is very tired, paying for the over enthusiastic effort on Saturday.

Monday 04/05 - 8 miles @ 7:55 min/mile
Sluggish, lethargic, effort was forced. Pulled the pace way back after 10 mins and just took it very easy.

Tuesday 05/05 - 8 miles @ 7:49 min/mile
Ran with club mate who ran a cracking 73 mins at the Limerick half so both recovering in our own different ways. Felt better than yesterday but still very sluggish. Any notions about a session this week are out the window. Just want to get back to a point where an easy run actually feels easy so patience required.

Ah I'm bored being patient, I want it now.

jebuz

Wednesday 07/05 - Rest
Think its important to throw in a few rest days here and there while I recover, running 7 days a week would not be the smartest right now. Gym for core & weight work.

Thursday 07/05 - 10 miles @ 7:32 min/mile
Ran warmup with clubmates and then headed off on my own cursing them and their sessions. Felt improved today compared to Mon/Tues but effort still much higher than expected for this pace.

Friday 08/05 - 8+ miles mixed
AM: 40 easy mins on treadmill
PM: 30 mins very easy jog post dry needling session.
Core work in the evening.

Saturday 09/05 - 11 miles @ 6:56 min/mile
A really positive and enjoyable run and much more sensible than last weeks effort. Naturally picked it up from miles 8-10 feeling good. Still nowhere near my previous fitness but on the right track.

Sunday 10/05 - Rest/Hangover
Planned a couple of miles but was at a wedding afters the previous night and rest day was forced upon me. Pizza + PS4 was a much better option.

A good week again, happy with the effort on Saturday. I've been having glute pain on my right side all week and the dry needling on Friday evening seemed to have an instant impact on Saturday as I felt no pain whatsoever. I haven't made any decision on going back to sessions I suppose I'll just know myself when the time is right.

Weekly milage: 46 miles

Monday 11/05 - 10 miles @ 7:18 min/mile
My most comfortable run yet and really happy with this one. Hilly route but effort was controlled and I enjoyed this, great signs as there were times last week where every step was a chore. Core work in evening.

jebuz

I had written this out Friday but then lost it then got annoyed and I kicked a cat now I'm back in a calmer state. The cat bit was made up before anyone calls the ISPCA.

Tuesday 12/05 - 9+ miles @ 7:17 min/mile
Pretty hilly route taking in 2 big climbs but felt pretty strong and in control today, big improvement from last week and confidence coming back slowly. Weight session at lunchtime.

Wednesday 13/05 - 65 min recovery @ 8:25 min/mile
Pulled the pace right back today, relaxed and enjoyed it. Body felt good and possibly over cautious but needed a good recovery after the hilly runs earlier in the week. Right glute still causing issues, more needles booked for Friday.

Thursday 14/05 - 10 miles w/20 mins @ 6:10 min/mile
Getting the itch for some faster running and since the body was feeling good this week I said I'd attempt a 20 min effort but holding back slightly. This went pretty well, lunch time session so jogged 3 miles into the city and knocked out the 20 mins keeping the effort honest and fairly consistent at 6:10 pace. 3 mile jog back up the hill and happy to get through this and feeling good.

Friday 15/05 - 40 min recovery @ 7:56 min/mile
Routine friday morning recovery around the neighbourhood. No ill effects from yesterdays effort and body feeling fresh. Dry needling in the afternoon followed by weights session.

Saturday 16/05 - Farm session. 4 x 1.2 mile laps @ 5:35-40
Felt ready to return to the farm sessions but knew it wouldn't be 100% effort today. The session was 5 x 1.2 miles which is a single large lap around all the pitches off 2 minutes recovery. I gave myself a target of 4 reps and jumped in with Lizzie Lee and was pretty happy to be able to stick with her for 4 of them and then called it a day. Felt the last one extremely tough but kept them all pretty consistent between 5:35 and 5:40 pace. How I missed that feeling of satisfaction following a tough grind on a Saturday morning. Happy with those paces at this stage and probably exceeded my expectations of the session.

Sunday 17/07 - 70 mins easy @ 7:29 min/mile
Not wanting to push it after the session yesterday I just took this one nice and handy. Felt surprisingly fresh and had to hold back the pace at times. Great finish to the week.

Weekly milage: 60 miles

I'm pretty happy with the last 3 weeks and how I've eased myself back into the sessions this week without any major mishaps. I'm still not back where I want to be and I still have a couple of extra lbs hanging around so there's still work to be done. Target at the moment is to race the Strawberry 5 mile in Enniscorthy on the 7th June and that will give me an idea of where I'm at.

jebuz

Monday 18/05 - 10 miles @ 7:09 min/mile
Ran with clubmate after work, normally we run these a lot easier but I guess we just went with the flow today. Loop around the city and then some laps of the track. Killer climb back up to work but felt good today overall.

Tuesday 19/05 - 8 miles @ 6:57 min/mile (with 20 mins fartlek)
Up early and over to Dutchland on my usual 6am flight, love it. Long enough day at work, got back to the hotel just before 9pm so laced up and headed off planning on getting some sort of effort in as I was missing what would be a track session back home. I headed off in one direction for 20 mins, turned and started throwing in random efforts, might be 2 minutes hard or just sprint to that lamp post up ahead. I did that for 20 mins or so and got back to the hotel, ordered my dinner before the 10pm cut off and got another 15 mins or so cooldown in. Steak was a little chewy, slept like a log.

Wedneday 20/05 - 40 mins @ 7:57 min/mile
I knew this was going to be a manic day so got a 40 min job squeezed in before breakfast (which I laced into, who knew when I would eat next). It was indeed a manic day and any notions of a PM run were quickly out the window. I was supposed to by flying home the next morning but no surprises when I find out it has to be extended until Friday. Back to hotel around 11pm, everywhere closed so off to McDonalds for a tuna salad and 6 chicken nuggets. Ussain Bolt eats them so they must be good for running.

Thursday 21/05 - 10 miles @ 7:29 min/mile
In work for 8am but things went pretty smoothy so got out of there around 5pm and headed for Schiphol arriving just before 7pm, checked in and ample time for a little jog. This was a lovely run, after a while I found myself right out into the countryside and they even have bike lanes there, great for running in. Happy with this one in terms of effort, felt very comfortable.

Friday 22/05 AM - 30 mins @ 8:08 min/mile
Decided to head out to a 5k race tonight so decided to throw in a 30 min jog just after landing back in Cork. Felt nice and relaxed.

Friday 22/05 PM - Kilcredan 5k race in 16:48 @ 5:22 min/mile (1st)
I know I'm far from ideal race shape having essentially ran easy for 4 weeks since coming back but with an eye on the 5 miler in 2 weeks I was keen to get a race under the belt to to get that feeling into the body again. I really didn't expect the win but to be honest the standard was poor and I expected some of the top East Cork lads to turn up. That said, to get the win and run better than I anticipated felt great, it's done wonders for my motivation. I'm confident when I hit the track again and with some hard work I can get the 5k under 16 mins by the end of the summer.

Pre race
About a 50 min drive to Ballymacoda, a lovely village in east Cork where the whole community was out and there was a great atmosphere in the air on this sunny and slightly breezy Friday evening. I was feeling very tired and sluggish and was worried the 30 min jog earlier and week abroad would catch up with me. Registered and then jogged around the GAA pitches for 15 mins where effort was really forced. Still I didn't worry too much, just relaxed and kept telling myself there's no pressure, it's just a race to see where I'm at and to try see it as a hard session. Race was scheduled to start at 8pm so got down to the line with a few minutes to spare, big crowd with over 300 ready to go. I didn't spot any of the top Cork runners so I started to think I maybe have a chance to pick up a prize today if I run a decent race. The loose plan was to hold 5:30's and get in under 17 mins. I lined up near the front on a narrow country road and tried to relax before the gun went.

Mile 1 - 5:20
Whoah, this was a shock to the system. About 8-10 runners flew ahead of me and the pace really caught me by surprise. Immediate thoughts of not being able to sustain this pace hit me, which is ridiculous after 30 seconds but that's why I wanted to race, to harden up the mind a little. Soon I settled in and started to make ground on the group, checked the watch and satisfied to see 5:20 pace. I found myself in 4th around half way through the first mile and really starting to relax into it. The lead van had a guy commentating which was hilarious and really entertained me throughout the race. I wasn't wearing my singlet so never got a mention for the first while. I was keeping a steady pace but the 2nd and 3rd runners were slowing already and I naturally eased past them and caught right up to the 1st runner from Youghal. Suddenly my mindset switches and I'm all about winning this race, time didn't matter and I didn't look at the watch for the remainder of the race from this point. I took the lead just before the first mile and Youghal sticks to my shoulder. The van calls 5:12 for the first mile, but my watch doesn't beep until 5:20, hmm. I'll take the 5:12!

Mile 2 - 5:29
Really feeling in control here and running pretty smoothly but Yougal is still sticking right on my shoulder. Mile 2 was tough, we hit a difficult climb just before half way and then turned into a pretty tough headwind. I started to gain a few yards here but effort was increasing. The guy in the van eventually got my name and club here and then went on to repeat it for the remainder of the race, it was pretty cool to be honest. Hit 2 miles in 10:50 and as he shouted the split I knew I had slowed slightly but still the focus was dropping Youghal and by the end of the mile I had started opening a gap on him.

Mile 3 - 5:20
As always the hurt really starts in mile 3. We turned into the finish straight and some respite from the wind. I was breathing heavy but still holding a decent pace and the determination to see this out and hold onto 1st was strong. The guy in the van was keeping me updated I was still opening the gap, about 150 meters now. Around halfway through, I could see the GAA clubhouse come into view. I knew I had the win, had no idea of my time and I was clinging on but I wasn't going to relax and wanted a strong finish. The last mile seemed to fly by, bit of a climb coming into the finish but the whole village was out cheering and really brought a smile (internally). I crossed in 16:48 and pretty satisfied with that time everything considered. Thoroughly satisfying and well worth the trip out though that sort of time shouldn't really merit a win especially when you consider the last 2 winners were 15:09 and 15:21. There's a lot of work to be done but I'm ready for it.

Headed around the course again for a cooldown jog with a couple of friends. Much nicer this time around.
The presentation didn't happen until 9:30pm and again kind of cringy the fact I got a huge plaque with the previous winning times on it. Makes me want to come back next year and post a cracking time to defend it. Great event overall for 8 euro, love these small community affairs where everyone pulls together to help out, super spread afterwards. It's a decent course but there is quicker around, still as I said I'll definitely be back and that's a better than expected return to racing.

Dubgal72

Welcome back

jebuz

Saturday 23/05 - 10 miles @ 7:40 min/mile
Body didn't feel too battered after the 5k so just relaxed and enjoyed this one.

Sunday 24/05 - 13 miles @ 7:02 min/mile
Really enjoyed this one and great to be finally back down to the marina for a long run. Met up with some club mates tapering for the Cork marathon and time flew by as always when you have company. Quicker than I had planned but went with the flow and felt pretty comfortable throughout. Demolished a slice of carrot cake post run.

Weekly milage: 68

Pretty good week again and fitness is coming along nicely while building the milage steadily. Will be stepping back onto the track on Tuesday, first time in 7 weeks so kind of looking forward to that, that might all change when the session starts however.

ThebitterLemon

Jesuz Jebuz that's a superb return to form after been out for so long.

Great to see!

TbL