Getting keen for more

Things seem to have been progressing quite well over the last month. With each run I'm getting a lot of motivation and the enthusiasm I had when I first started this blog.

My last Long run was a whisker over 15km last Sunday. The best thing about the increase in distance is that it has come with absolutely no pain or niggles at all even in the hrs after my running.

The plan at this stage is to increase from 3 to 4 days a week, and continue to bump up the long runs. This Sunday I'll be looking to do 17km so I'd say after maybe four more weeks I'll be back to where I was earlier this year.

No goal races at this stage, but I definitely have the drive to do next yrs perth marathon.

I just ordered two pairs of the new 2130's from roadrunnersports which I'm pretty excited about trying out. It will be a 'downgrade' so to speak from my Kayano's but my podiatrist said with the custom orthotics they will provide enough stability that I need.

Two months of down time.

Sorry for the lack of updates of recent times. It's been a frustrating 8 weeks with a few highs & many lows. The good news is that for the umpteenth time this yr I am up and running again, albeit at a much much more conservative level. I haven't really been in touch with forums I used to read/blogs etc but I still will every now and then. I have started getting back into tennis of recent times and aren't sure if I'll ever get back 100% into running.. .time will tell.

Following my sore knee I got hit with the flu just around the time I wanted to start running again. This was no ordinary flu as it knocked me out for a good three weeks or so. At its worse I still only took say 2 days off work, but it just lingered around forever and left me with little energy.

At the outset of that I did start running again but after a week got some nasty shin splints following an 18 km'er. It was around this time that I started to think it was worth just giving it all away. Each time I have come back I thought I hadn't taken it too fast/ too long / too soon but perhaps so.

Where to from here?

Well I've decided to take it much much easier with running at the moment by thinking of what would be reasonable, and doing only a third of that... such as last week I only did 2 x 4km runs. I'm going to leave quite large gaps between runs and increase ever so marginally. As part of this new plan, I haven't set any target races so far. I'm sure it won't be long however before I attend say a 10km somewhere... and it would be good to even train say once a week or so with some of you once I get fitter again.

I'll probably still post say once a week or two, to fill in the gaps.

Slow Return to running / Thoughts on IAAF

Good news to report this time around as I did manage to run 32km last week, 2x10, and a 12km for my own private city 2 surf. I have noticed that my fitness has unfortunately dropped off as the comfortable pace is quite a lot slower that before, though as I am back cycling again to work (so happy it's spring!) hopefully I will get back to where I was soon.

All in all my right knee still is not 100% and I know for next time not to run through any pain as it's just not worth it. My plan is to ever so slightly increase the km's this week and am hoping that I get in a +20km run again within a month.

Well the world championship's have come and gone and as an aussie have mixed feelings about how we performed. It sure was great to see live both Jana win the 400m Hurdles, and Deakes win the 50km walk.

Not much needs to be said about Craig Mottram's run really... except that I had been waiting since the start of the year when I got into running and followed his great performances over the months so was really looking forward to see him realise his dream... only to inexplicably run out of juice towards the end of the race. Perhaps he just peaked a month or two too early, similar in some ways I guess to Alan Webb.

All in all I really enjoyed watching the athletics all week... it was handy having our time zone so close to Osaka that there weren't any late nights or early mornings required. Bring on the olympics I want more!

To C2S or not to C2S?

It's been a while since I have last posted, which as you may have guessed means that I havent been able to go running. The ever so slight twinge under my right knee cap has finally, 'I think', gone away which is great news.

I have actually gone out for what were going to be 10km or light runs but after just 1/2 a km felt a very slight 'this isn't right' feeling. I think I might just leave it for another few days to make sure.

The downside of all of this is that it means I'm really not in a good position for the Perth City to Surf this sunday. It would have been my 1st one which I have been looking forward to for sometime. The way I am feeling at present I know I can easily run the race, however do I want to risk:
- reinjuring the knee by doing too much too hard too soon?
- putting in a below avg time (not really that concerned about this one)
- substantially reduce chances of the Perth 1/2 the week after (at present I think I have realised that this is probably out of reach too)

Hmm, a bit to ponder this week, perhaps I'll go out for a 12km on say Wednesday night and if all things feel great may increase the chances of going in the race. At the moment I'm probably < 50%.

Hump day

I heard today that hump day will be officially entered into the dictionary... getting your mind out of the gutter, it simply is referring to Wednesday where the slope of the working week is on its way down.

I wish that my running came to some sort of a peak today but since last week I only have had one outing last sunday as I ventured out on what I was hoping for an easy 12km. After the first two km that nasty nasty feeling I had in my right knee emerged and I thought it would be best to turn back home so I only got a measly 4km all up for last week.

Walking around the last few days at work I am thankfully not in any pain but I feel like someone has placed a 5c coin under my right knee cap!? The sensation today is quite mild really though I believe another few days rest is unfortunately in order.

I am planning this Sunday to bust up another long run to hopefully get myself back to square one for the um third time in so many months. Someone from work commiserated at what seems like I every second week am having another draw back and indicated that I will probably give this whole thing up...

No way!! It's been a difficult learning curve but I am still highly motivated to push myself to run over long distances, and most importantly, doing it injury free.

As I have been warming the bench & not out there as much as I would have like to, I have taken the time to listen to quite a few podcasts from http://www.mysteriousuniverse.org It contains some pretty out there stuff aka ufo's, conspiracy theories etc but leaves me at night with something interesting to imagine as I drift off to sleep. Happy running, & I hope to be back out there soon!

Overtraining

With the orthotics I've been raving about over the last two weeks I felt invincible and made a bit of a mistake last week. Particularly since I was just coming back off an injury and am in relative terms reasonably new to the whole long distance running thing & got a bit carried away, yet again.

Upon doing a 21km saturday week ago I was thinking to myself last wednesday after already running a 10 and 12km on mon/tue that 'hey, i did 21 comfortably enough on the weekend, I think I'll do another one'... which I did on the wednesday.

Feeling a little achey after the 21km that I did a little slower I thought all was going well if I gave myself the rest of the week to recover and to get out yet again on Saturday for another long run.... which I did, 22km's this time with the last 1km however in pain. Runner's knee on my right knee. I guess that the ideology of ONE long run a week is there for a reason. Since the last four days I have been in major ice / anti-inflam mode to try and reduce the pain.

Two weeks ago I ran 45km, last week 65km. "What a mistaka to maka" I think that I will be sidelined until this weekend at the least and once again have to bounce back from injury. Being enthusiastic is one thing, but not listening to sound advice from others and overtraining is another.

It's a lesson commonly learnt the hard way by those starting out and I'm kicking myself for being so stupid. On a side note though I am pretty happy with the distance I covered :)

Nice day for a half marathon.

Things appear to be falling into place as my training starts notching up again. Yesterday was perfect conditions to get out running in Perth with no winds, the sun out but far from scorching for this time of year.

My long run was supposed to be on Sunday but I couldn't wait till then! I worked out a course that I can run from home and into the city, around the bridges via east Perth and home again.... All up it was 21km and took 2:17:52 including drink breaks which I'm happy enough with as it was supposed to be slow.

Since there are so many bubblers to get a drink from on the way I didn't take any fluids along with me for the run. I stopped probably three times to catch a quick drink and at around the 18km mark took a Gu Vanilla Bean gel (that I carried in one of the pockets in my race ready shorts www.raceready.com )and washed it down. I've got no doubt that this helped in the last few km's giving my that extra edge. I hadn't had the vanilla before and didn't mind the taste or texture at all.

My muscles were pretty sore afterwards, and indeed in the last 2 km but later in the evening hardly felt anything lingering. Today I was itching to go out for another run and probably could have done just a recovery run but thought it best to give the joints a breather after such a long run on sat.

Over the course of the coming months I'll be increasing my distance for the long runs, with next week going for a 23km... after yesterday, I'm really looking forward to it!