Another Run

Over a month since my last outside run but I managed to get myself out this morning for a little R1W2 round the block.
I really miss my Garmin - I lent it to Tigerrunner as I wasn't running for his FLM training but I am such a data geek I need to know the numbers. My HRM has a flat battery and is away being replaced, so I don't even have a watch! So today I borrowed Runnerbeanz's 305 - and I managed to programme it to bleep appropriately, so it kept me going all the way round. Only couple of km but hey, its a start.

What got me out this morning was this community of runners - I decided that I was a fraud if I didn't get out there and do it. I can't claim to be a runner if I don't do it when I have the chance and fitness!

Studentbeanz is home for 2 weeks and we are having a concerted effort to lose some weight, if we can have two weeks of good habits maybe we can maintain it for longer and both get to somewhere more healthy.

well a good start

First day of the hols yesterday and I managed to use it constructively.

• Some gardening- digging is a bit of a strain on the back though.
• Some exam board work.
• Browsing various bits of software for teaching.
• Another gym session, my back did not like th hill setting on the tready.
• And a weigh in - 3 pounds lost this week :>))

So now I have no excuse of the stresses of the job I need to stay focused.

Rest day today - with plenty of non-physical things to do.

Hoping to make progress

Must try and get back to this running business now I am on holiday (again).

It has started well with a RW forum social. Nine of us gathered, the first social without Steady,
but June was there















and birthday boy Muzzy



















And most of the other regulars - RichK, Mark, LMH, MrBeanz, KatieJane and Tigerrunner. Unfortunately most of the photos are rather fuzzy, so they will not be appearing in public!

So all the talk of running made me want to get out and do some!
Saturday was spent at Wollaton Park at the InterCounties XC . I did not run of course, but was Team Manager for the Derbyshire Senior Ladies and U15 girls.

This morning I have gymmed - including 20 minutes RW on the tready. I seem to have survived.

My plan is to really concentrate over the next three weeks on regular exercise and eating properly - I know, I know, I've said it before and always seem to have some excuse for falling off the wagon.

no running

Back at school after half term and the drive is kicking in again with my quads.

So I have wimped out of running, I have tried to do my quad strength and have remembered most mornings.
And I've stretched and taken the rolling pin or fingers to the ITB.

But no running.




However I did go and support at the National XC yesterday. It was at Alton Towers, which has lots of park land as well as scary rides.

This first picture shows part of the course which has gradually run downhill to the valley bottom.





There is then a rather steep climb up again:






Tigerrunner (in green) is attacking the hill!


Rather more scary than an Alton Towers ride.


Unfortunately RunnerBeanz had been missed off the club entry, so had to do without this particular thrill.

The Ladies did it twice, the Men and Junior Men three times, and everyone else just the once.

another day, another run

Runnerbeanz was doing a hill session in the park yesterday, so I went down with him and plodded along in the sunshine - it was a glorious day, although there was a cold wind which made itself felt in the shade.
I did R1W2 again - but 7 reps this time, so progress :>)

This morning I have done all my exercises except the ITB rolling pin - must try to do that.

Now I am running again I shall have to make an effort with the sensible eating too, the pounds have crept on in the last few months.

back to it

I had a session with the sports therapist/torturer today. As I thought it's the ITB that is the problem - turns out that both legs are bad, though only one has been giving me trouble.
And ST has given me a whole new set of exercises to do, that put less pressure on the knee but will strengthen my quads and also my core (groan).

She is ordering me a ITB roller thing - meanwhile suggests I use a rolling pin (not to lie on but to rill up and down - like the stick) and lending me a wobble board - when someone returns one that has been lent!

I am seeing her again in 3 weeks, when she will check up how much progress I have made - so I'd better do them!

Running again!

This morning I went for a swim.

This evening I went for a run! Back to the beginning with run-walk so after a warm up walk I did R1W2 x 4 - just a little to test it out. So far no ill effects. The best bit was that I could do the 1 minute running ok - I had expected to struggle with my breathing but that side of it was fine, just don't want to overdo the legs.

Will try a few more reps on Thursday.


PS
National XC is 23rd February at Alton Towers. Almost a home race, should be good and hilly.

English Schools XC is 8th March in Liverpool.

missing week

Last week I had an appointment at the hospital, to follow up a scan the previous week - all resulting in an unexpected follow-up this week - a girlie investigation involving a general anaesthetic - all went well, now to wait for the results. It has rather overshadowed the past week - both thinking about it and planning for the time off work.

So not much exercise at all - but I HAVE been trying to stretch before driving and that has helped - just the ITB to sort out now.

There was one happy note - last weekend runnerbeanz took part in the county schools XC championship for the last time - and qualified for English Schools - yippee!

what was going on below?

I was a little cruel to you readers - at least I did tell the girls that the pump was removing air from the flask, before I asked them to predict what would happen.
Removing air from the flask reduced the air pressure in the space around the marshmallows, which allowed the air bubbles inside the mms to expand. When I let the air back in they contracted spectacularly and looked rather wizened as their skin 'stretched' during the expansion.

On the running front - there isn't any. My quads and ITB are still giving me grief when I drive. I am managing to do the exercises most days, but I suspect I need to stretch more often, especially before I drive home.

Putting the Phyzz into Physics

I want to try to communicate my excitement about physics to the girls I teach.

I have decided to try and add something each week that makes them think outside the current curriculum - maybe a 'wow' moment, maybe a 'why does it do that' moment, maybe an image ......

So this week I did the marshmallows (thanks to Neal for this)

It drew suitable oohs and has - so that by Friday older sisters were asking when they were going to see it as their younger sisters had already seen it.

I now have to collect many more so that there is a different one every week for 5 years!

Next week the colour change ducks I bought in Sainsbury's in the post-Christmas sale.

Forum friends

Its been a forum friend weekend.
On Friday night a group of us met up to welcome a good friend who was passing through. We had a good evening of curry and chat - I wonder where I would be finding friends if were not for the forums. I don't have many friends locally, having never worked locally I did not build up that network and the children were born before we came, so that all-having-babies-together bonding between mums never happened - though I am still in touch with folk elsewhere from that time.
The few times I have begun to make friends locally with someone in a similar situation with children, they have moved away:<( It must be something I do because now I reflect that has happened at least three or four times over the last 6 years.

This morning I have been to see June, Eddy's widow. We had a good chat, a look at her garden and talked to the cats. As I was leaving we said it was such a shame we had all not got together more while Eddy was alive.

On the not-running front, I have sen the physio again and she has impressed upon me the need to do the strength stuff - my right quads have lost a lot of tone and are giving me grief when I drive. She says my knee is good enough to begin a little running once my quads are not a problem. My ITB is also tight. This makes sleeping on my side difficult. So stretch and strength it is.

Muzzy

It was a good funeral and I made it to the wake and was able to spend a little time with June and her family.
Muzzy was there - he was the first forumite to say he would be at the funeral nad he had a haircut specially! He is a stalwart of the East Midlands RW forum meets and although he is camera-shy I have managed to catch a few pics over the years.
In order: High Peak Relay 2004; High Peak Relay 2005; [Maybe we should make a big effort to do HPR in 2008 for Eddy]
Christmas 2007 (before the haircut) and last Thursday in a sharp suit. (Katie-Jane is behind).

Eddy - RIP

Eddy was a stalwart member of the East Midlands Runners World brigade. Much has been written elsewhere about him and people's memories of him. He was a bone marrow donor and also donated blood platelets. He was a runner, a policeman and most of all a good man.

Eddy was struck down by septicemia. After a nine day battle with liver and kidney failure on intensive care he died on 28/12/07.

It is difficult to believe he is no longer with us, but we will have fond memories of him.

To celebrate his life June (LFV) asked that donations be made to Kidney Research, rather than flowers. Donations can be made through BZ's justgiving page. It is fantastic the amount donated by forumites - a real community - not just a virtual one.

Here are some pictures I have dug out of my hard drive.

MrBeanz, Eddy and teenbeanz before the Sinfin 10k in 2005


















Eddy and LFV at the Christmas social in 2006 - Eddy had organised it





















And he organised it again in 2007, only a couple of weeks before he died.

New Year - targets - pah! Reflections on the year past.

A year on and I have not achieved either of my running targets for the year.

Nor lost weight - in fact I am probably heavier than a year ago.

I have not completed a race this year.

What have I achieved?

• completed a year and a term back in teaching
• .........
• .........

I am not sure what I could put in the blanks. I am still here and have a healthy family - so anything else would be bonus I guess.

We have to go on, so yet again I shall start the year trying to eat healthily. I can't have any running targets until I am fit to run. I see the phyzz tomorrow and will talk to her about what is the most sensible way to get back to running (in addition to the obvious of losing weight).

A decision made

I've made the decision not to attempt to do FLM this year.

Yet again Highway Kind provides the right words to help me come to the decision.

I have not run since 10th November and cannot see me doing so any time soon, so it would be foolish to think I could do myself justice on 13th April.

So when I go to see the phyzz next week, it will be for a long term programme of rehabilitation, rather than rushing back to running.

Meanwhile I shall try to work on the eating side of things - tricky with so much chocolate and cheese in the house , but hey I can only try my best.

Not sure who I am writing this for - maybe it is for me. In which case I must try saving it as it is my only training log really, apart from a spreadsheet and the Garmin log.

Gym at last

Wednesday
Made it to the and quite a good session:
10 min walk on treadmill
7 minutes rower
10 minutes bike
7 minutes cross trainer

then strength work

then I made the mistake going Christmas shopping - too much of a good thing I fear, by the time I made it home my leg really ached, like I'd done a very long run

Thursday
A gentle day resting, until the evening when I had to take Runnerbeanz to his training session - I walked for about 20 minutes round the track while he was running - enough for today.

I'm trying - really

Yesterday I didn't make it to the gym, although I had intended to. I don't feel as though my knee is getting better - lots of aching still, perhaps partly because the house was cold - there is no point in having all the heating on when there is only me at home, and I let myself get cold - and then a kind of slump comes over me, I eat what I don't need .......

But today I've managed to go for a swim - only about 20 lengths, but it is hard work because I would normally do breaststroke, but can't do that because of the twisty knee action.

And then on to do a big shop, by the end of which I was limping somewhat - so now I am off to ice.

This week I have ...........

Seen the phyzz

Been to the gym twice to do CV and strength work

Done some step-ups and walking whilst Runnerbeanz was tearing round the track on Saturday

Eaten rather more mince pies than intended

Feel as though there is no chance of me being fit to do London - I really don't want to do it unless I can acquit myself well. At the moment I can't believe I'll ever do a long run again. The phyzz suggests I might be doing some of the early runs as other CV for the time the schedule says to do the running.
I know that if, at this stage I throw in the towel for FLM, I will not do the exercises she has given me properly or try to eat properly, but I feel a fraud saying I hope to do it when I am not even running and its only 17 weeks away.
I do want to do exactly as she has told me and not risk further injury by getting back too soon. But I just feel so fed up

Back to the phyzz

I saw the phyzz today and she is pleased with progress - I am about in the right place for three weeks from injury.
I now have a gym programme, to increase leg strength and also CV fitness, without running.

I am not sure about this CV work - whether I need to get my HR up to the same value - perceived effort on the static bike does not result in as high a HR as running at the same effort - presumably something to do with mot carrying my weight? Or maybe its just that I don't like the bike?

I also aim to get as much preparation for next term done as possible. If I am going to be training for a marathon I need to make time for the training. And if some of that training is in the gym rather than the road, it takes a bigger chunk of time to do and is logistically more difficult.

I've managed to keep off the sweet stuff - apart from (I confess) checking out the first batch of mince pies I've made this season.

I'm in!

Well I have a place for FLM, assuming I am fit enough to train enough to do it justice.

I asked at the club tonight when they would be doing the draw.

But as there were only 3 names on the list, the Secretary gave me a form there and then!

So I have started training.

That is :

• no more chocolate, biscuits, cake .....
  
• do the exercises from the phyzz
• do what CV work I can in the gym
• hope that on 1st January I am able to run

If all these happen I will send the form off on January 1st - closing date 11th January.

Help!