22nd August 2008
Just been to Pure Sports Medicine in the city; I saw a Sports Physician who put me on the slab then prodded and twisted me around for half an hour. He does not believe that I have a hernia nor a groin strain, but it may be nerve related so he then packed me off for an x-ray and I’m due back in a couple of weeks to see an osteopath.
He did however say that I could continue training, but that I had to listen very carefully to what my body was telling me and if things worsened then to stop and come back. Methinks some low intensity training is in order for a while.
Someone who will be very pleased though is the dog, who does not understand why we haven’t been running through the mud and puddles for the last 3 days. In her mind, all of a sudden I just got lazy :(
Friday, 22 August 2008
Thursday, 21 August 2008
The honeymoon is definitely over
21st August 2008
That’s it, I’m crocked!
On Sunday I ran round the heath as a warm up and then went swimming in one of the ponds. I spent a long time peering into the murky depths trying to see the size of the fish before I got in. I should have taken more notice of the shivering swimmers exiting the water before I got in. It was freezing, my body went into shock and I almost went straight to the bottom. Suffice to say, I will not be repeating that experience any more than absolutely necessary.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve pulled / torn my groin. It doesn’t actually hurt when I run or swim, but the rest of the time its absolute agony.
Anyway I’m off to the physio tomorrow for the good news
That’s it, I’m crocked!
On Sunday I ran round the heath as a warm up and then went swimming in one of the ponds. I spent a long time peering into the murky depths trying to see the size of the fish before I got in. I should have taken more notice of the shivering swimmers exiting the water before I got in. It was freezing, my body went into shock and I almost went straight to the bottom. Suffice to say, I will not be repeating that experience any more than absolutely necessary.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve pulled / torn my groin. It doesn’t actually hurt when I run or swim, but the rest of the time its absolute agony.
Anyway I’m off to the physio tomorrow for the good news
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Progress of sorts
16th August 2008
I didn't drown, so that makes it twice that I've been swimming and survived! This time I managed 60 lengths, but before you gasp in amazement, as before it was in sets of 2 with a breather between each set. I'm not despondant however, I just need to increase the number of lengths in each set until I can match the 11, 22, 14, 9 breakdown required so that I survive this madness. You just gotta love the logic of an eternal optimist :)
I'm off to Hampstead Heath in the morning for a swim in the ponds so I can get an idea of what it is like, murky with big fish waiting to drag me to the bottom is how I imagine it.
Had a good run today, did 9.5 miles (my longest so far) and felt remarkably good, which in my language means that I didn't need CPR at the end.
My training target for August was 60 miles, and it looks like I'll beat that with room to spare. So I'm going to up it to 85 miles on the basis that if I can't run 85 miles in a month, then trying to run it in under 27 hours is just a pipe dream.
I've also discovered that I do need these challenges to drive me on, so I'm going to look for some events through the winter to keep me motivated.
I didn't drown, so that makes it twice that I've been swimming and survived! This time I managed 60 lengths, but before you gasp in amazement, as before it was in sets of 2 with a breather between each set. I'm not despondant however, I just need to increase the number of lengths in each set until I can match the 11, 22, 14, 9 breakdown required so that I survive this madness. You just gotta love the logic of an eternal optimist :)
I'm off to Hampstead Heath in the morning for a swim in the ponds so I can get an idea of what it is like, murky with big fish waiting to drag me to the bottom is how I imagine it.
Had a good run today, did 9.5 miles (my longest so far) and felt remarkably good, which in my language means that I didn't need CPR at the end.
My training target for August was 60 miles, and it looks like I'll beat that with room to spare. So I'm going to up it to 85 miles on the basis that if I can't run 85 miles in a month, then trying to run it in under 27 hours is just a pipe dream.
I've also discovered that I do need these challenges to drive me on, so I'm going to look for some events through the winter to keep me motivated.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Ahhhggg, swimming
14th August 2008
This swimming lark is beginning to seriously worry me. I got some more details on what is worryingly being called a duathlon, it goes something like this.
Swim 180 metres (11)
Run 800 metres
Swim 350 metres (22)
Run 500 metres
Swim 220 metres (14)
Run 1.5 miles
Swim 150 metres (9)
Run 800 metres to finish
The pool at my gym is 16 metres in length, so the numbers in brackets represent the number of lengths. Obvious isn’t it, I put the telly on, get a few tips from Michael Phelps and pop up to the pool and swim 56 lengths.
Wrong!! I managed 8 lengths before I was rescued from my resting place at the bottom of the pool and had the water pumped from my lungs. I then managed another 22 lengths in groups of 2, yes a whole 2 at a time with about 15 secs rest between each group.
What’s with this whole moving of the arms, turning the head and breathing thing? Don’t they know I’m trying to keep myself off the bottom of the pool and kick my legs at the same time?
So, it’s back up to the pool tonight for another go. If I’m not back by 9pm, then the fishes have got me!
This swimming lark is beginning to seriously worry me. I got some more details on what is worryingly being called a duathlon, it goes something like this.
Swim 180 metres (11)
Run 800 metres
Swim 350 metres (22)
Run 500 metres
Swim 220 metres (14)
Run 1.5 miles
Swim 150 metres (9)
Run 800 metres to finish
The pool at my gym is 16 metres in length, so the numbers in brackets represent the number of lengths. Obvious isn’t it, I put the telly on, get a few tips from Michael Phelps and pop up to the pool and swim 56 lengths.
Wrong!! I managed 8 lengths before I was rescued from my resting place at the bottom of the pool and had the water pumped from my lungs. I then managed another 22 lengths in groups of 2, yes a whole 2 at a time with about 15 secs rest between each group.
What’s with this whole moving of the arms, turning the head and breathing thing? Don’t they know I’m trying to keep myself off the bottom of the pool and kick my legs at the same time?
So, it’s back up to the pool tonight for another go. If I’m not back by 9pm, then the fishes have got me!
Monday, 11 August 2008
Has anyone seen my marbles?
11th August 2008
Can someone tell me if I am going through a mid life crisis, or have I just lost my marbles! My brother phoned me on Sunday:
Pete: George (brother-in-law) wants to know whether we are still doing it.
Me: Doing what?
Pete: The swimming / running race on the Heath.
Me: eh?
Pete: You know, you said that you would make up a 4 man team in a race that swims round every pond in the heath and runs between them.
Me: Why on earth would I promise to do that, I’m no good at swimming!
Pete: Drink?
Me: Good point.
So that’s all I know, the result of much drink and bravado at a summer wedding, means that I am doing a race I know absolutely nothing about the morning after another family wedding reception in 4 weeks time.
I’m off to buy some buoyancy aids and find my marbles!
Can someone tell me if I am going through a mid life crisis, or have I just lost my marbles! My brother phoned me on Sunday:
Pete: George (brother-in-law) wants to know whether we are still doing it.
Me: Doing what?
Pete: The swimming / running race on the Heath.
Me: eh?
Pete: You know, you said that you would make up a 4 man team in a race that swims round every pond in the heath and runs between them.
Me: Why on earth would I promise to do that, I’m no good at swimming!
Pete: Drink?
Me: Good point.
So that’s all I know, the result of much drink and bravado at a summer wedding, means that I am doing a race I know absolutely nothing about the morning after another family wedding reception in 4 weeks time.
I’m off to buy some buoyancy aids and find my marbles!
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Back down to earth with a bump
7th August 2008
Well that was a bit of a wake up call. I went for my assessment at the gym last night and was given a dose of reality. I must admit that I thought that it would be completely different, I was expecting for him to put me through my paces until I dropped and then set me up with some sort of training routine. It couldn’t have been more different. I was weighed, had my height, waist and hips measured, had my blood pressure taken, did 3 minutes of step ups and held some fancy machine which after 30 seconds told me that I was fat. I did some basic stretching and he gave me the following results:
Body Mass Index (BMI): Current= 25.44, Target = 20 to 25
Body Fat: Current = 25.30%, Target = 20% to 21.5%
Waist to Hip Ratio: Current = 8 +, Target = 5 +
Blood Pressure: Current = 125/90, Target = 120/80
Resting Heart Rate: Current = 60 bpm, Target = 50 to 70
Fitness: Current = 96, Target = 70 to 95
Flexibility: Current = 15 -, Target = 10 +
So, just a little bit of work to do then!!!!
For anyone who is interested, here are the details of my runs so far:
Jun-08: 10 runs, Total distance 19.92, Total time 03:16:02
Jul-08: 25 runs, Total distance 67.83, Total time 10:16:30
Well that was a bit of a wake up call. I went for my assessment at the gym last night and was given a dose of reality. I must admit that I thought that it would be completely different, I was expecting for him to put me through my paces until I dropped and then set me up with some sort of training routine. It couldn’t have been more different. I was weighed, had my height, waist and hips measured, had my blood pressure taken, did 3 minutes of step ups and held some fancy machine which after 30 seconds told me that I was fat. I did some basic stretching and he gave me the following results:
Body Mass Index (BMI): Current= 25.44, Target = 20 to 25
Body Fat: Current = 25.30%, Target = 20% to 21.5%
Waist to Hip Ratio: Current = 8 +, Target = 5 +
Blood Pressure: Current = 125/90, Target = 120/80
Resting Heart Rate: Current = 60 bpm, Target = 50 to 70
Fitness: Current = 96, Target = 70 to 95
Flexibility: Current = 15 -, Target = 10 +
So, just a little bit of work to do then!!!!
For anyone who is interested, here are the details of my runs so far:
Jun-08: 10 runs, Total distance 19.92, Total time 03:16:02
Jul-08: 25 runs, Total distance 67.83, Total time 10:16:30
Thursday, 31 July 2008
The pain subsides
31st July 2008
The black eye is looking less like the aftermath of an afternoon of fun down at Millwall and more like a bit of tiredness. The bruising on my face, knees and hands has turned into the golden glow normally associated with a tanning session but with slightly longer results than you get from the average bottle and the pain in my left knee has dulled from excruciating to hardly noticeable. I’m back :)
For my birthday, my young lady bought me a gym membership and for the last couple of days I have been doing non impact exercise as I have not managed to run for more than a mile and a half in the mornings without collapsing in a heap. It’s a great little gym with a swimming pool and the couple of times that I have been there after work; I’ve almost had it to myself. I’d tell you where it is except you might join and crowd me out :) It even has bikes that I can take out on the various trails in the area which should allow me some cross training. The only negative aspect of joining the gym is that I have an assessment next week and I’m going to have the humiliation of listening to how unfit I am. I was chatting to Mark, who will be doing my assessment and he asked what my goals were, the conversation went something like this:
Me: I have an 85 mile race that I want to do next year.
Mark: Oh, you’ll need a bike then
Me: No, I’ll be running it
Mark: Do you run Ultra’s then
Me: No, but I’ve run 6 miles though
Mark: (walks off tapping the side of his head muttering)
This morning I ran 3 miles with the dog before work and I’ve not seen her look so relieved for some time. She’s been a bit miffed with me recently, not only did I climb Snowdon without her but I came back a wreck. Without the runs that she has come to expect, she’s been a bundle of energy the last couple of days.
The black eye is looking less like the aftermath of an afternoon of fun down at Millwall and more like a bit of tiredness. The bruising on my face, knees and hands has turned into the golden glow normally associated with a tanning session but with slightly longer results than you get from the average bottle and the pain in my left knee has dulled from excruciating to hardly noticeable. I’m back :)
For my birthday, my young lady bought me a gym membership and for the last couple of days I have been doing non impact exercise as I have not managed to run for more than a mile and a half in the mornings without collapsing in a heap. It’s a great little gym with a swimming pool and the couple of times that I have been there after work; I’ve almost had it to myself. I’d tell you where it is except you might join and crowd me out :) It even has bikes that I can take out on the various trails in the area which should allow me some cross training. The only negative aspect of joining the gym is that I have an assessment next week and I’m going to have the humiliation of listening to how unfit I am. I was chatting to Mark, who will be doing my assessment and he asked what my goals were, the conversation went something like this:
Me: I have an 85 mile race that I want to do next year.
Mark: Oh, you’ll need a bike then
Me: No, I’ll be running it
Mark: Do you run Ultra’s then
Me: No, but I’ve run 6 miles though
Mark: (walks off tapping the side of his head muttering)
This morning I ran 3 miles with the dog before work and I’ve not seen her look so relieved for some time. She’s been a bit miffed with me recently, not only did I climb Snowdon without her but I came back a wreck. Without the runs that she has come to expect, she’s been a bundle of energy the last couple of days.
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