Yume No Chikara

"Patient has sore lower leg from running and is training for the london marathon so is keen to get a cure, two weeks of ibruprofen failed to cure problem. Urgent physio referal" I didn't ask but I suspect this could have been our running doctor!! He had a prod and said no to compartment syndrom (however you spell that!), suggested tendonitis but said the physio would confirm if it was tendons or muscle. Physio booked for 2.35PM tomorrow so I'll find out then!

Called the Dr this morning and have an appointment at 5.25 today - just 5 mins but that's all I need to get a physio referral! Got to work and called BUPA - they OK'd me booking a physio appointment for tomorrow and confired I have £500 as out patients money, which should cover all my treatments!! Phew!! Called a physio too and have an appointment for 2.25 tomorrow! Walking distance from work. I am so organised!

There appears to be a pattern this year .... Sunday long run, cancelled due to ill health/injury. Last weeks 10M at Bramley was OK, new PB and leg only niggled when the hills arrived. 2 days of slight tenderness (no limping!) and 2 days of ice/cold/snow meant I didn't run until this Friday's club run. 3.3m of mainly hills (Ashby doesn't do flat) at a slower pace than Bramley and yesterday the leg hurt more than after Bramley. Also my foot on the same leg is sore, feels like I've stood on something hard and sharp. Tomorrow I will call the doctors and get a referral to the physio. FLM is now a walk/run/get round and have fun event. Tad down about this all - especially as I have the Reading Half next weekend and the Ashby 20 the week after. I may ask if I can start that early so as to not keep the marshalls out for too long! Anyway must pop off to Tesco for the bits I forgot to buy yesterday!!

Well I haven't run since Bramley ... I have my excuses ... recovery, cold, snow, windy, cold and icey. Today I haven't had any ibruprofen and I think I have done something to me leg. So I will go to club tonight, speak to people, possibly run, probably run!! Sunday I will attempt a long run. I want to do about 14m but hubby will be at work Sunday morning so this means I will have to get up before 6AM so that I can be awake and out of the nice warm house before 6.30AM. At that time it will be about -5 so NO leon despite what you say I WILL NOT be doing the ice bath when I get back!! But 1st thing 1st - club tonight!

Having just seen the horrendous Bramley piccies (I look so fat) I realised I haven't noted my splits. Like Robert I made the course slightly longer (like 0.025m!!) which means that according to my GPS 10m was 2:03:45 not 2:03:59!! (sad Pixie!!) Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m Split 11.42 11.43 11.54 12.08 12.04 12.26 12.54 12.33 13.23 12.54 Av HR 177 191 192 191 192 191 190 188 184 186 Average HR was 188 (88% of max) and pace was 12.21mm. You can see the part were it got too hard and my "Inner child" was shouting at me!! Still great PB for me so happy. Mind you if I hadn't had run would the leg be 100% now? I don't know!! The East Midlands is currently covered in snow so I doubt if I would have made it to club tonight anyway!! I may try a snow covered trot alone, in fact I may leave work early if the weather doesn't improve. I almost turned round after 5 mins of my drive to work today .... tomorrow's weather is forecasted to be worse so I may sta

The weather has turned wintery and Britain is "gripped with snow and ice" ... so we've had a snow flurry or two!! I have to admit I did take advantage of the snow to leave work early - well who wouldn't!! As I drove home with the wipers going to keep the screen clear I couldn't help but think "oh snow ... I'll go for a run!" 'cos it looked so lovely! Work in Loughborough is wet and cold with the odd bit of white whereas home is like a Christmas card with about 3" of snow. Sanity did reign though and I stayed in the house!! One concern was that I did notice that my lower right leg was swollen last night - I hadn't had any ibruprofen since the morning but it didn't feel bad. Tender yes and like my legs felt over all "you ran hard" so I was surprised to notice the swelling. So I slapped on some ibruprofen gel and it went away. Today I'm again feeling fine - legs still tired. No limping but still a slight tenderness there.

Well I went home last weekend, meet Fraggle and Duck for a meal Saturday night then Sunday did the very cold 10m race at Bramley. Despite both Duck and Fraggle suggesting I was limping Saturday ( I wasn't it was an uneven floor - honest! ) I did run on Sunday. Until about 6.5m I was just about able to make sub 2hrs ... then Duck managed the hill better than me and I was just too tired to make up the gap and stay with her. So I progressed on my own, with horrid stitch at 8m that I couldn't run through so walked. I was detirmined not to let the yellow jumper with red coated pacer beat me!! We had taken them at 6m and they passed me twice between then and 8m but I kept them behind me in the end. Finished in 2hrs 03.59 which is the fastest I have ever run 10m in training or racing. So despite a pitifull last 2-3m I got a PB by 11mins ! I was really pleased! The drive home was horrid ! Despite a massage at the race and a shower my legs kept on stiffening in an almost cramp like

Last night I went off for a swim - not being a good swimmer I did 4 sets of 10 lengths with a breather and drink in between (and a chat to the friendly locals - the folks in the Midlands just chat for no reason!!). Anyway it was hard work!! I "felt" the leg at times too which was a bit worrying, and it was then that got thinking. I've been running since 4th July 2002 and during that time the only time I have been properly injured or unable to run for an extended length of time has been when I've been FLM training! It's as if my body is saying" dappy bird - you aren't supposed to do marathons!". This just supports my idea of going back to short distances and working on speed once FLM is over.! You see I WILL do London , even if I have to walk most of it ... I will get that FLM experience. After 17th April 2005 I will rest, recover and get back to doing 10K to half marathon distances but faster. I won't do another marathon until I am faster an

Problems encountered recently: Sore shins through running on concrete cold and wet long runs colds unable to run due to short lunches hubby's working hours prevent runs/ club runs not enough training Possible solution .... a treadmill. It seems that Makro are selling a Carl Lewis foldable motorised tready for £200 + VAT. It's not super fast but then neither am I - it goes 7.5mph max and has 3 inclines (manual). Now I usually say "bleurgh hate treadmills" but this would help in training and would be more cushioned and I could use it more frequently and do BT work on it (cos I'm slow!!). It could live in the garage, cool in winter and summer that way. It's my birthday in April so I could pool money (pay now on credit card!). So now I'm pondering and confused - do I don't I ..... advice please kind folks!! STILL PONDERING - told hubby and he didn't say no. Leg still hurts and getting frustrated (and comfort eating), could a tready keep me on the stra

Just when I thought things were starting to go right after all the colds/lurgy I have had it's all gone wrong again. I'm starting to think that I'm not supposed to run London! I will run London OK I will do London even if I have to walk most of it but life has just thrown me another swerve ball. After Friday's run I reported a sore right shin and suspected shin splints following online chats to the folks on the Runners World forums. Having spent the weekend with me legs raised, bandaged and plastered in ibruprofen cream as it hurts meaning I'm limping when walking and cringing walking down stairs I think I can confirm this! I am assuming it isn't a stress fracture as I can prod my leg without it hurting its only when the muscle moves (eg when walking or applying brakes in the car!) that it hurts. So I have mailed my club captain (who is a trained PT) to ask advise. So far my thoughts have been - try to use my exercise bike 2-3 times this week and swim on Wednes

and what do I have to show for it? A blister and sore shins :-( - ibroprufen consummed and nice sticky bandage purchased and wrapped round leg. Grrrr Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 4.2m Time 11.30 12.32 12.26 12.29 2.27 Av HR 166 177 181 180 183 So that's 4.2m (yes a tiny bit further today!) in 51.26, average pace of 12.12 so slightly faster and an average hr of 177. Buton a more positive note I've stayed calm today! Off to mum's tonight so see you all next week!

And I'm not just meaning the small matter of a marathon in (gulp) 65 days. OK I'll admit it I feel guilty about moaning about work when you think about the tough jobs that the likes of Benz and Aim High have but work sucks like a dyson just now. It's an endless consistant draining pull. I've been in busy working environments and until now I can honestly say that the stresses of work 90% of the time have past over my head. I've always had the "why stress" attitude. I mean it does you no good you get nowhere and don't achieve any more so WHY !?! This time last year .. team of 7, 4 clients (average of 300 reps each) and using US staff level calculations we were 1.5 people short (we were 1/2 a person over according to the UK calculations - maybe that is why the UK make more money, we have fewer staff and pay them less!) anyway now ..... 3 staff 4 clients (2 of which have now got 100-200 more reps) and an extra client that we are "looking after

Well I had decided to take advantage of lack of boss and do a longer run.... well 4.1m isn't exactly long but longer than the normal lunchtime run of 5k! So I prepare myself for this run, a tempo run I decide. Work mate (who sits 3ft away) declares he has flu (man flu I guess!) and stays in work spreading his lurgy (please please please no more lurgy for me) so by the time it gets to lunch my mind says "I can feel a cold coming on!" Anyway off I trot aiming for 11-12mm pace and finish mile one in 11.58 feeling fairly OK. The front of my lower legs then start to tighten (just like on Monday when I went off too fast!) and I noticed who Alan Moss Road makes a lovely wind tunnel! aving had to stop/walk across two main roads I then stopped for a brief stretch knowing that as I turn the next corner the nice straight road will soon turn into long slope! For some reason by now I am finding this a hard run, I'm working really hard yet doing 12.30mm pace and I realise

Being an active member of the Runners World Forum I always liek to support others if I can. Lately we have had Wild Will start and e-nutrican site at XHog - Be Fit Not Fat and we also have Fetch with his excellent site FetchEveryone . I signed up to Fetch's site when he 1st mentioned it and have to admit I hadn't been there for a while - but today I did! He's really done a lot! He's added in a feature where you can see who else is at your race, race reviews, your PB's and a training log. OK so the log isn't fancy but I love it 'cos it does what you want and also gives some encouragement by showing your weekly milage and predictions for various race distances! Pixie likes! As such I will look forward to my tempo run tomorrow lunchtime (boss IS away!!) and will record it with interest - just need to study the map to see where in the exciting Loughborough town center to go!!

Today's short run ... Distance 1m 2m 2.3m Time 11.09 13.12 3.32 HR 170 167 178 Well 2.3m in 27.55 gives an average pace of just over 12mm (av HR 170) which isn't too bad. The first 0.3m was very fast much faster than I would normally run and it felt so good! But I paid for it in mile 2, which given I walked and stoped to stretch as my legs tightened was very good for 13mins. This does show that maybe that speed is slowly coming back! Will rest tomorrow and do a longer run on Wednesday as I think the boss is out of the office so I can do a longer lunchtime run. No club this week as hubby is working early Wednesday and I have to go home on Friday (half term next week for Oliver so mum is having him!) Hoping to meet up with Fraggle on Sunday for a long run of (hopefully) 15-16m including a lot of the Reading Half marathon course!

Decided that I just had time for a 2m recovery run today. So off I went, felt fantastic, hige smile, floaty feeling loved it - checked speed ... 9.30mm!Whopps This is a RECOVERY run! Somehow that 1st mile just wasn't meant ot be slow ... I just couldn't run slowly! It finished in 11.09 and then BANG legs said "WOW hang on we did 13m yesterday!" which wasn't a shock really!! Walked trotted and got back to it so the second mile was just over 13mins including a stretching stop! By the end of the run (2.3m in total) I was back at 11-11.30 mm pace Legs now tired! Mind you is this a sign that I am over the lurgy and the legs are coming home?? I do so hope so!

Wow today was slow wasn't it ... Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m 11m 12m 13m 13.4m Split 15.41 17.22 13.51 13.37 13.41 13.16 13.16 14.02 14.02 15.06 13.47 12.58 13.55 6.17 Av HR 152 158 167 166 167 170 171 168 167 166 170 169 170 159 But look at that HR - that's unknown for me! You can tell I did a lot of walking!! Now Friday's club run .... Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m Split 12.19 12.29 12.11 12.15 7.35 Av HR 173 179 181 183 188 HR and pace totally different! Still as I keep on reminding myself (and that was before the wine!) today was just about miles NOT pace no really it was!! Now I need a long bath ... legs are complaining! So bath and a rub down with my Lush Wiccy Magic Muscles from Lush . They discribe it "If someone hadn't got the name first this bar might have been called 'Sporty Spice' because Wiccy Magic Muscles is spicy and good for sportspeople. Don't panic when you first try it; it feels very warming on the skin because of the ci

Wow am I tired or what! Today I decided that my long run had to be longer, I had to catch up on some miles so I decided to get up early and do 3hrs or plodding. My plan was to walk and run (no set pattern) from mile one. The alarm was set and I was out of the door at 7.05AM. Stupid time to run. The legs and body were half asleep so the 1st 2 miles were vvvvv slow but hey the HR was low!! Ended up doing 13.4m in 3hrs 10 with an av HR of 166 (pace a slow 14.19mm!!). I walked in every mile and the fastest mile was mile 12! It was the walking that slowed me down as most of the plodding was about 12mm after mile 2. On the good side I felt better than the pre-christmas 11m but they were done in 2hrs 17! I felt I could have done another mile or so but not another 13!! Got home had a shower and hot drink and protein bar then went swimming with Oliver! Came home and had beans egg and tortilla. Roast turkey for tea - so lots of protein for recovery like a good runner!! Friday was a

Yes tonight is club night, lets hope the legs play ball! My intention is to do a little warm up 1st whilst the others "gather" and hopefully this will help. Will report back later!!

Bit like BR ... getting there slowly!! So anyway, yesterday was club run. Wasn't sure if I was looking forward to it or not as I hadn't run since last Wednesday and that was a disaster! But here are the stats.... As with last week the 1st mile was fine then I slowed down. Just after the 3m mark I thought someone had removed my legs and sounded like a herd of elephants coming along the road! I was really struggling but the stubborn pixie in me refused to give up; the last 0.8m included a bummer of a hill that I somehow sprinted up (then walked to recover!) which saw my HR hit 199 !! How come when I was sooooo dead did I suddenly find my legs!! The downhill section was a great sprint (GPS read 8.48mm by the bottom of the hill!). Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 4.8m Split 12.12 12.26 12.19 12.40 9.07 Time 12.12 24.38 36.57 49.38 58.45 Av HR 168 182 190 188 190 Tomorrow is club run and will be a longer run. Hopefully it will be better ... I have a plan. I will leave the meeting poi

This is to confirm that I am not responsible for the various coughs colds flu bugs and general lurgy attacks hitting those training for FLM and blogging! Honest guv it wasn't me!

Sad I know but today I did my walk with my HRM and SDM! I was plesently surprised by the results Distance 1m 2m 2.3m Split 14.06 14.52 .12 Time 14.06 28.59 33.11 Av HR 155 154 158 Which gives an average HR of 67% and 14.26mm but I also managed more of the old wiggle walking getting up to 10MM according to the SDM!! (Ok so it was probably for a few seconds but still!) Was surprisingly hot after and almost as sticky as a run but not quiet! Still it's a good use of my lunch hour!