Back to the Future

RedRunner

11/5- 30mins on bike and 30 mins core and some calf rolling

12/5- Lunchtime run around city. Very blustery out, Managed to keep the wind at my back for a lot of it hence the pace being on the faster end of easy. Achilles is still niggling but fine once I warm into the run. Will probably have to get it seen to at some point, but will keep rolling and stretching for the moment.

4.97 miles @ 8:23avg

RedRunner

13/5- Lunchtime visit to S&C guy. Very positive meeting. All in all he thinks I'm in a better place than I think I am myself. He gave me three simple exercises to do for the moment which 1. Step up with weights and knee lift 2. side steps with resistance band. 3. Sitting leg lift.(This is the most innocuous looking exercise but really works the hip flexors/groin area)

I also signed up to a 3 month back strengthening programme that will have me out there 2-3 times a week, starting next Monday. Hopefully will get some benefit from this.

Did 30 mins on the bike in the evening and a few sets of the exercises I was given earlier.

14/5- Did a nice run when I got home from work this evening. Felt really comfortable throughout save for near the end when the achilles got a bit sore. This has been lingering for a few weeks now and find it hard to shake it. Stretching and icing after and will keep an eye on it over next while.

7.43 miles @8:39

RedRunner

Decided to take a few days off to see if I can sort out this bit of Achilles tendonitis...:(

so....

15/5 - Went out on a work social night and got hammered. Beer mile training.

16/5 - You guessed it...nada. Was about as useful as a chocolate teapot all day

17/5- Some static bike work,,,about 40 mins I think followed by about 20 mins core work

18/5 - Cycled to work this morning for first time ever. My nerves are shot!
First of all it was pretty windy this morning and some cheeky F**ker was draughting me all the way from wooden bridge as far as east point. I made the mistake of trying to shake him when really I just have just slowed down or even stopped. Apart from that I have a new hatred for cars and an even deeper hatred for taxi drivers. The irish roads are a disgrace and so not conducive to cycling , no wonder I prefer running. You really have to have your wits about you. Between avoiding cars, other cyclists, taxi drivers who think they own the roads and don't use their mirrors , watching out for every flippin pothole and rut in the road as my tyres are quite skinny. I'm mentally bloody exhausted!

Give me running any day over cycling! at least when it comes to commuting to work.

Anyhow a 7 mile cycle into work was followed after work by a 5.5 mile cycle to SSC in Santry for my Back Class. Went really well and have access to equipment that I normally wouldn't have. Spoke to a few people there who have been attending and they all have seen good results. I can't get there the three times a week for the first couple of weeks because of kids football matches etc but I can still follow the programme online from home and will do 3 nights a week anyway. When all the football is over I hope to get to Santry more often over the next three months. I think I'll concentrate on the bike and core this week and see if the Achilles sorts itself out.

Another 5.5 miles cycle home to make it 18miles for the day on the new rothar!

I'd like to get 4 or 5 weeks running in before stepping into a plan for DCM 2015 as this is my ultimate goal for this year, just make the starting line.

yaboya1

Agree about the cycling. Not nice on the streets of Dublin.

Are you doing the beer mile then?

RedRunner

yaboya1 wrote: »

Agree about the cycling. Not nice on the streets of Dublin.

Are you doing the beer mile then?

The plan is to do the Beer mile alright. Sounds like a bit of craic and at least I'm confident I'll be good at one skills required for the evening!:D

Beef

You're having a rough time of it by the looks of things Red, hopefully those back strengthening routines will pay dividends and get you to the DCM start line.

yaboya1

RedRunner wrote: »

The plan is to do the Beer mile alright. Sounds like a bit of craic and at least I'm confident I'll be good at one skills required for the evening!:D

Definitely. You need to be good at both to be competitive, but for a respectable finish the chugging is far more important than the running. I think I took longer to drink two of my beers last year than I did to run the respective 400m laps!

RedRunner

Beef wrote: »

You're having a rough time of it by the looks of things Red, hopefully those back strengthening routines will pay dividends and get you to the DCM start line.

Thanks Beef. Long time no speak!..post..whatever

I'm ever the optimist Beef. Where there is hope, there is life...and there is life in this old dog yet!:)

RedRunner

19/5 - Rested

20/5 - 30 mins on static bike followed by 45 mins or S&C work which included

Multidirectional squats, weightlifter warmups, assisted squats to warm up, followed by hip hitches and hip flexor holds and then onto Goblet squats, Step Ups with weights and pressups pressups . Couldnt make SSC so had to do these at home and couldnt do the full prgoramme as I didnt have all the gym equipment at home.

Bought myself some Kinesiology tape and did a bit of a DIY job on my achilles to try and help the tendonitis I'm currently experiencing. It's annoying as I'd be out running again only for this. This taping worked for me before when I had it done before DCM12. I'll lay off the running until next Monday I think but I really need to start putting some miles in if I am to be ready for any kind of marathon plan.

Firedance

RedRunner wrote: »

19/5 - Rested

20/5 - 30 mins on static bike followed by 45 mins or S&C work which included

Multidirectional squats, weightlifter warmups, assisted squats to warm up, followed by hip hitches and hip flexor holds and then onto Goblet squats, Step Ups with weights and pressups pressups . Couldnt make SSC so had to do these at home and couldnt do the full prgoramme as I didnt have all the gym equipment at home.

Bought myself some Kinesiology tape and did a bit of a DIY job on my achilles to try and help the tendonitis I'm currently experiencing. It's annoying as I'd be out running again only for this. This taping worked for me before when I had it done before DCM12. I'll lay off the running until next Monday I think but I really need to start putting some miles in if I am to be ready for any kind of marathon plan.

Hey R, can I ask about this, do you need to know what you're doing/is it easy to make a bags of doing this? Am also having some achilles niggles so might be worth a shot?

RedRunner

Firedance wrote: »

Hey R, can I ask about this, do you need to know what you're doing/is it easy to make a bags of doing this? Am also having some achilles niggles so might be worth a shot?

It's definitely worth a shot. Can be tricky enough to apply the tape yourself but some good instructional visa on you tube. Will send you the link of one I used later. Don't have access to it now on the mobile.
Some different taping techniques too. I managed to get it on my second attempt. The roll I bought cost a tenner.
plus you look cool when you run with taped up legs.;-)

RedRunner

Hey Firedance. This is the youtube taping video that I followed as it was closest to the way I had it taped before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC7-eiy3M_U

Firedance

RedRunner wrote: »

Hey Firedance. This is the youtube taping video that I followed as it was closest to the way I had it taped before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC7-eiy3M_U

thanks R! will def give it a shot for my longer runs this weekend - and as you say, it'll look cool too :-)

RedRunner

Brief Update to let you all know where I'm at.

Went for a run on Sunday, did 5k around St Annes while watching a bit of the Summer Series 10K and my eldest playing football. Had no issues on the run. Back was fine and achilles didnt bother me too much.

Back has been good in general actually and I've start the back strengthening classes so doing a lot of core related work but the achilles was just not healing so took the plunge yesterday and went to the physio. Would have gone to Ecolii but I needed quick access and someone close so went back to a guy i used before in Aidan Woods place as he fixed me before.

He treated me yesterday, brought me to tears with the pain and direction is no running till the pain is gone which he reckons could be 2-3 weeks with treatment. Right calf was very tight and probably contributing to the problem but I need to loosen out my right hip too. More exercises to do along with the core so I will be very much occupied with rehab work.I'm hoping to be back in time to start a DCM programme in mid to late June. The goal then will be to purely get some consistent training in and make the start line in October. I'm way behind where I really want to be at this stage but hey what can you do, such is life.

Beer mile is potentially a doubt too which would be very disappointing.

Bungy Girl

RedRunner wrote: »

Beer mile is potentially a doubt too which would be very disappointing.

Come along and drink beer! You don't have to run

Delighted the back is behaving itself and that you at least have a timeframe now for the achilles. All the rehab and strength work will stand to you when you're back in action.

Firedance

RedRunner wrote: »

Brief Update to let you all know where I'm at.

Went for a run on Sunday, did 5k around St Annes while watching a bit of the Summer Series 10K and my eldest playing football. Had no issues on the run. Back was fine and achilles didnt bother me too much.

Back has been good in general actually and I've start the back strengthening classes so doing a lot of core related work but the achilles was just not healing so took the plunge yesterday and went to the physio. Would have gone to Ecolii but I needed quick access and someone close so went back to a guy i used before in Aidan Woods place as he fixed me before.

He treated me yesterday, brought me to tears with the pain and direction is no running till the pain is gone which he reckons could be 2-3 weeks with treatment. Right calf was very tight and probably contributing to the problem but I need to loosen out my right hip too. More exercises to do along with the core so I will be very much occupied with rehab work.I'm hoping to be back in time to start a DCM programme in mid to late June. The goal then will be to purely get some consistent training in and make the start line in October. I'm way behind where I really want to be at this stage but hey what can you do, such is life.

Beer mile is potentially a doubt too which would be very disappointing.

its the right thing to do R, I know you have a ton of exercises already but I find these very good for the Achilles and calves. Hopefully you'll be back on the road again soon, pain free
http://www.runnersworld.com/stretching/how-stretch-your-calf-muscles

RedRunner

Firedance wrote: »

its the right thing to do R, I know you have a ton of exercises already but I find these very good for the Achilles and calves. Hopefully you'll be back on the road again soon, pain free
http://www.runnersworld.com/stretching/how-stretch-your-calf-muscles

Thanks FD

tang1

I know you wont like me saying this, but DCM in October, are you mad? Forget about a marathon for this year and give the body time to recover and strengthen up again after the ordeal its been through. Give the back a break from the rigors of marathon training. Theres far more to running than just marathons, concentrate on the shorter stuff for the rest of the year and build yourself back up.

It will probably fall on deaf ears, but at least think about it. Your body may thank you for it in the long run.

HelenAnne

RedRunner wrote: »

... went back to a guy i used before in Aidan Woods place as he fixed me before.

He treated me yesterday, brought me to tears with the pain and direction is no running till the pain is gone which he reckons could be 2-3 weeks with treatment. Right calf was very tight and probably contributing to the problem but I need to loosen out my right hip too. More exercises to do along with the core so I will be very much occupied with rehab work.
Beer mile is potentially a doubt too which would be very disappointing.

I think they are all very good there (am trying to get Eoin to go in - he has a foot like the elephant man's at the moment!), but if you go to the same man there as me (Tadhg), take heart from the pain. He hurt me quite a bit when I sprained my ankle, but whatever trigger point stuff he did really loosened it out and I think it healed quite quickly because of that - once the swelling went down it didn't get too tight or immobile. I've been to Aidan, Tadhg and Kate there and liked them all.

Also, I will be going to the beer mile and just drinking beer, so you won't be alone. I don't want my first F40 mile to be a beer mile

Get well soon!

HelenAnne

tang1 wrote: »

I know you wont like me saying this, but DCM in October, are you mad? Forget about a marathon for this year and give the body time to recover and strengthen up again after the ordeal its been through. Give the back a break from the rigors of marathon training. Theres far more to running than just marathons, concentrate on the shorter stuff for the rest of the year and build yourself back up.

It will probably fall on deaf ears, but at least think about it. Your body may thank you for it in the long run.

Ps I agree! Not because I think you can't do it, but because I think it's working for me. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm keeping my mileage below 40 miles a week and taking two rest days, and barely a niggle since last October ... and I've had one mile, 5k and 10 mile pbs off lower mileage and more rest. I'm going to build the mileage back up gradually in 2016, and not think about marathons until I'm injury-free at about 45-50 mpw and much faster at all the other distances. Give it a shot! (She says, probably setting herself up for some catastrophic injury in the next week or two!)

RedRunner

tang1 wrote: »

I know you wont like me saying this, but DCM in October, are you mad? Forget about a marathon for this year and give the body time to recover and strengthen up again after the ordeal its been through. Give the back a break from the rigors of marathon training. Theres far more to running than just marathons, concentrate on the shorter stuff for the rest of the year and build yourself back up.

It will probably fall on deaf ears, but at least think about it. Your body may thank you for it in the long run.

I actually do appreciate the advice B and promise to at least think seriously about what you are saying. If I said I would just run it to complete it rather than race it for a time,would that make a difference?

HelenAnne wrote: »

I think they are all very good there (am trying to get Eoin to go in - he has a foot like the elephant man's at the moment!), but if you go to the same man there as me (Tadhg), take heart from the pain. He hurt me quite a bit when I sprained my ankle, but whatever trigger point stuff he did really loosened it out and I think it healed quite quickly because of that - once the swelling went down it didn't get too tight or immobile. I've been to Aidan, Tadhg and Kate there and liked them all.

Also, I will be going to the beer mile and just drinking beer, so you won't be alone. I don't want my first F40 mile to be a beer mile

Get well soon!

Thanks Helen. Yes I went back to Tadgh. I think he is really good and it felt slightly better this morning even after one treatment. My calves felt like they had been beaten up though!

HelenAnne wrote: »

Ps I agree! Not because I think you can't do it, but because I think it's working for me. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm keeping my mileage below 40 miles a week and taking two rest days, and barely a niggle since last October ... and I've had one mile, 5k and 10 mile pbs off lower mileage and more rest. I'm going to build the mileage back up gradually in 2016, and not think about marathons until I'm injury-free at about 45-50 mpw and much faster at all the other distances. Give it a shot! (She says, probably setting herself up for some catastrophic injury in the next week or two!)

Some food for thought along with what tang1 is saying. I have plenty of time now to mull things over and see how I'm getting on if/when I get back running.

Well done on your recent performances by the way!

HelenAnne

On the other hand, running is just a hobby, so if marathons and marathon training are what you like best, I suppose theres on reason why you shouldn't do them, just to complete them, if you can stay uninjured.

Maybe see you at the Beer Mile? Or if you are marshalling the mini marathon (if you are doing that try to get a spot in the first k or two or you'll be out there all day! )

ps I am always covered in bruises after any massaging done on my legs there! If I'm not I feel i haven't got my money's worth .

annapr

Hi R, I have to say I was thinking the exact same thing as Tang when I read your update... marathon training and the race itself puts so much stress on your body, from what I've read here, I think you'd be asking for trouble.

Still... best of luck with the rehab and whatever you decide. I'm sure it must be very frustrating at this stage.

tang1

I dont think even doing it for completion would be a good idea as you still have to put the body through long hard miles to even complete it. Like myself, i feel you deserve a break injury wise and i dont think the rigors of a marathon training cycle will give you that break.

adrian522

Maybe spend the next few months re-habbing and building up the miles and strength. Make a call around July depending on how things are going?

RedRunner

Back with physio today for some sports massage on calf, hamstring and achilles itself. There has been some improvement but it's a slow healer so still no running until the pain subsides completely. I think conservatively that's another week or two.

In the meantime I've been doing my back strengthening programme three times a week and throwing in 30min sets on the static bike every other day too as well as the exercises I got for the achilles problem. So I'm working hard, just not on the roads:(.

I think the back is improving too. I'm doing 40-50kgs deadlifts without any issue at the moment so that must be good. Idea is to work my way up to about 90kgs. Week 3 of 12 in the programme so lots of work to do yet. Will start cycling more into work too to keep some form of fitness going. I've piled on a few pounds again which is annoying but I've only myself to blame there. No willpower on the sweet things!

Session last night was hard going with lots of planks, deadlifts, squats, step ups with weights, pressups,paloffs,aleknas etc. You do be well tired at teh end of it. There are people who are worse off than me in the group,had pins put in their spine etc etc so I should be thankful that I am not in that bad a place.

Will drop in again in a week or so to give an update, hopefully with some more news of improvement on all injury fronts.

Bungy Girl

RedRunner wrote: »

I think the back is improving too. I'm doing 40-50kgs deadlifts without any issue at the moment so that must be good. Idea is to work my way up to about 90kgs.

Great to hear that. You won't even need to pace me the next time, you can just carry me around

RedRunner wrote: »

No willpower on the sweet things!

Me neither - it's all or nothing. It's like even a tiny taste will unleash my sugar demons.

RedRunner wrote: »

Session last night was hard going with lots of planks, deadlifts, squats, step ups with weights, pressups,paloffs,aleknas etc.

That's hardcore. It's a great sign if you can handle that sort of load without any adverse effects.

RedRunner

Injury Update:

Long and short of it is that recovery is very slow .After 3 or four massage sessions,five weeks of no running whatsoever and strictly observed exercise regime the improvemt is very slight so far. I still have soreness when I put the foot to the floor first thing in the morning although it goes away pretty soon after that.
I'm up to 20 calf raises now (from 10) before I start fatiguing so more work needed there. Next stop is dry needling session on thursday and I have referral letter for Dr Rod O'Loughlin in Dundrum to look at alternative therapies if necessary.

On the bright side, the back strengthening classes are continuing to pay dividends and I'm keeping up the fitness by cycling to work and out ot the classes three days a week.

I am resigned to writing off 2015 and hopefully I'll be back running within the next month so that I can begin to base build and hopefully get through a good winter program. 2016 will be devoted then to managing my way back to where I was in 2014 (pre london) and then the long term view is to nail 2017 and peak just after my 45th birthday:)

Did a health check thingy recently and all my bloods were good. ECG showed up strange but not unusual given my cardiac history. Showed a HR of 59 which is up from 51 when I had it done two years ago. Due annual echocardiagram in Aug/Sept anyway with the Prof so nothing to be concerned about. BMI is 24.5 so I havent gone obese....yet!

Steroo

a very frustrating time for you R ;(
keep up all the strengthening.
is swimming an option?

RedRunner

Steroo wrote: »

a very frustrating time for you R ;(
keep up all the strengthening.
is swimming an option?

Pretty frustrating alright Ste!

Swimming of course is an option but I find it very hard to motivate myself to go swimming, it just doesn't do it for me. I'll never make a triathlete , that's for sure.