8km...pain free.....

So, I've run up to 8km, and my knee doesn't hurt.  Both my knees feel a bit strange though, possibly I'm just ultra aware now that the physio has pointed out I over extend my knees constanty and I'm NOT supposed to!  The physio has given me the all clear, a lovely list of exercises to keep strengthening and set me free.

Me though..... I'm feeling a bit uncertain, a little lost......?  Is it normal to develop an unhealthy attachment to physio advice?  I would like to keep going until he's diagnosed and corrected all of my physical failings, and THEN I can be superman!!!!!!! 

1km

It's nearly a month since my last run.  This round of physio is the first I've had for many years, seeing the physiotherapist once a week over the month.  Occasionally I've sprained something and had it seen to check it's not anything terrible, but I've not gone back for ongoing care.  Generally, I would have said that I know my body fairly well, most minor injuries I can rest then 'run off' sensibly.....

A bit older, a bit more decrepit, a bit wiser??  Maybe I just got a real fright at how sore my knee was when I ran.  Anyway, I have for the first time in my life, done all the stretches, exercises and rests recommended by the good physio.  (There was a brief hiccup the first week when I chose to interpet touch rugby as not coming under the "no running" instruction, as it wasn't 'going for a run').  (Oh, and I forgot to take the stretchy band thingy for my exercises when I went away for Queen's birthday weekend, so that killed a few days.)  Besides that, I've been awesome.  I've really tried to make the most of my chance to strengthen the many parts of me that have contributed to the injury, hoping that it'll see me right.  And doesn't it make sense that if my hamstrings are stronger I'll be able to run faster??

Anyway, I'm off for my first run in a month.  1km, maximum of two if it feels good.  I'm not sure that Roger, the physio, knows that the first km on my runs never feel good, it takes me over half an hour to get going and get over how much I hate running.  Instead of racing out the door right now, I can feel that I've lost all that hard fought momentum I had.  I'm anxious on two accounts.  Firstly, that my knee will still hurt and I'm not 'fixed' yet.  Secondly, that my knee won't hurt, but the rest of my body will feel like shit and I won't enjoy this run I've been so keen on.

I'm off.

 

I've entered an event......

Not a lot to say really...... 

I'm seeing the physio weekly and haven't been for a run for over three weeks.  I've been trying to get out on my bike regularly though, and 'in' on my windtrainer. 

After driving people mad with my to-ing and fro-ing, pondering and lamenting over the events I might enter, I have finally made some progress.

Rotorua Half Ironman Team - I've pulled out.  Turns out the girls have their first gymnastics display that day, so instead of racing the event, I will be racing between supporting Tom in Rotorua, and cheering on the girls in Te Puke.  The bike leg was the only one I could count on being able to complete with a running injury and no swim training, and I can't say I'm weeping over not having to train and race for a 90km road ride.

Tarawera - happy to let it die a natural death but Clare may have sorted us a relay option.......

Nov 16th - MTB skills training in Rotorua.

KidsCan Santa Run - 2-3km in a Santa Suit on December 4th.

Come join me....

https://www.facebook.com/events/208915285953743/


Strangely content with a mindset change from poring over training plans for a 60km ultramarathon, to hoping I can do a 2km fundraising run in a little red suit.  I wonder if I have sneakers that will match?

Windtraining

For anyone who doesn't know, wind training is when you pop your bike on a special roller system in the garage, so when you pedal, you don't actually go anywhere.  It turns your bike into an exercycle so you can get your training session done without leaving home.

Personally, I think part of the point of training is actually to leave home?  But anyway, two mornings a week, Tom gets up at 5am to go swimming and I wake up.  I've tried for weeks to roll over and pretend I'm asleep, but actually I'm just lying there not wanting to get up so I've decided to do something worthwhile with that time.  Seeing as the girls are still sleeping, and I can't leave home, I have my bike set up on the windtrainer.  As a windtrainer novice, I've learned a few things over the last couple of months.

1  Start in an easy gear.  Otherwise, when you try to do a set on a harder gear to 'challenge' yourself, you will want to vomit.

2  Have a fan.  No matter if it's winter and you're in the garage, you're not actually moving.  It's amazing how warm the body gets when there is no wind chill factor.


3  Have a towel.  Because even if you don't sweat,  like me, chances are you will sweat on a windtrainer.

4.  Wear as little as possible.  Comfy bike shorts and a sports bra is more than enough as your body hits high temperatures.  It's the only time my muffin top is ever exposed in training, although sometimes the sight of it disturbs me and I pull the waistband of my shorts up and pretend I have abs.

5  Snot and Sweat.  Cycle gloves have little terry towel absorbent bits.  Left for sweat and right for snot.  On the road, snot can be snorted as long as no other cyclist is immediately behind you.  Husbands will frown on this practise on the garage floor beside the workbench.

6  Ensure the bike is firmly connected to the windtrainer.  Ejecting from the windtrainer while spinning at 90rpm only inches from the workbench with all manner of tools, equipment and broken toys waiting to be mended, can only be distastrous.

Physio

So, I've been to the physio today. 

It was better than a stage show. 

For the record, my chosen physio is highly recommended by a good physio friend, and a number of friends who use his services all completely rate him.  Even Tom reckons he's worth the money.  I have now experienced first hand, the magic of being truly 'physio-ed'.

He wobbled my legs, wiggled them, rotated them, pulled them, pushed them, on angles and planes I hadn't even imagined.  And then, in a moment which should be punctuated with "Eureka" he said "Do you feel that?"  I was completely oblivious but trying to look intelligent, which obviously he's used to because he repeated the movement. He holds my knee firm to the physio table where I am lying on my back and gently pulls my foot upwards (hyper extended the knee).  Left leg and I look politely interested as it slowly moves up a little.  Right leg, and hey presto, there's not any resistance, the foot just flies up.

An injury to a P-something in the back of my knee, alongside weaknesses in something and my hamstring, which aren't pulling my leg forward as they are supposed to after each step.  So the ITB is having to do the work which is then hurting in my knee.  

I find that quite magic, that in less than 5 minutes, he's discovered things about my body which I haven't even noticed in many years of living in it. That I've taken thousands of steps, on hockey fields, soccer pitches, roads, trails, and didn't know my hamstrings were crap. 

Treatment:  "Exercises and I'll see you next week.  Don't go for a run."  Or maybe he said "No running."  That might sound like the same thing to you, but I feel there is an important difference in the two running statements.  So, I have been very sensible and have not put on my running shoes, found a trail and "gone for a run".  However, there may have been a touch rugby game which we didn't have enough girls for, and that may have involved some running..............

Stolen Blog

Turns out supergenericgirl has my injury.  So I don't need to bother to write about it.

http://supergenericgirl.com/2013/03/13/this-pain-in-the-knee-is-a-pain-in-the-ass/

What she said.

Injured!

Within hours of creating my new super snazzy training plan.  I'm injured.  Brilliant.  Serves me right.  What a crappy way to start.  I was doing better BEFORE I had a training plan.  I was all excited about these goals I was going to achieve, heightened motivation, a real determination, so as a result, now I'm even more disappointed.  If I had known I was about to fall, I wouldn't have climbed the ladder to the roof.

I've got flat feet, and some womble at ASICS changed their footprint this year and they don't fit me anymore.  After months of uncertainty, my old shoes finally wore out completely, and I've been running in cheap shoes without stability control for months.  Since March actually.

Thought process:  "Those dastardly shoe corporations, with their emotive marketing strategies, I've wasted a FORTUNE on stability control shoes for years, because look, I've been running in these ones for months and I'm just FIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!"

My knees been sore for the last few weeks, tender till I'm warmed up then niggly towards the end of  a run.  I'm doing more K's so thought that was natural and I'd soldier on, toughen up and get over it.  But last night's run, we went out to Otawa, doing our usual rough run over roots and brush.  It's hard going and can be jarring, particularly on the downhill, where I slipped a little on a mossy tree root.  We were at 9km, a shorter run because Clare wasn't feeling so well, and I was getting these sharp stabbing pains with each step.  Managed to finish the run, drove home and nearly rolled out of the car because I could hardly move it.  So sore after my shower that I could barely get up from the ground and had to find some drugs, which I hate taking. 

DR Google said something about an ITB, weak glutes and hamstrings, overpronating, blah blah blah.

So I rang a friend.  He works at Fisher & Paykel.  I see you're struggling to make the connection, but he's just one of those capable people who knows pretty much everything and you'd trust with your life.  He's SO amazing, he gave up a successful physio business to do some business-y scholarship overseas, and now, what he does for a job is beyond my intellectual understanding.  Anyways, I rang Johnmolloy.  (And you might think his name is John..... Molloy, but they're actually amalgamated and he's called Johnmolloy.  I'm sure it's a long story but I can't actually remember it.)

Gosh, I'm waffling tonight.  I think it's the anti-inflammatories.  I'm not good on drugs which is why I try to avoid them.

Anyway, the general gist that I got from Johnmolloy:
1  See a really good physio and get a whole lot of exercises to fix all the weak muscles in my body.  Booked.
2.  New shoes a good idea, but not as good an idea as some strengthening.   (Now I need to change all my workouts to include 10 mins exercises and stretches.)
3.  I can still run, within my limits.  (It was too blimmin sore to run, think I'll be avoiding that for a while)
4.  If biking feels good, go for it.  (Biking it is)
5.  It's a common runner's injury.

DID YOU HEAR THAT!!???  It's a runner's injury.  I'm a runner.   Johnmolloy said, so it must be true.