It's safe to say that my running has been a bit slow to get going this year! After my last post I said I planned to run once per week, however I didn't keep to my word, and have only been running twice since.
The first time was last week, when I managed a nice 4 mile run which I was pretty pleased with considering the long breaks I keep taking. My first mile was a bit fast (no surprise there!) so I slowed up for the second mile. Actually a bit too much, which meant I had some speed left in my legs, and my last mile was the one that felt the strongest - it was only two seconds slower than my first, which is pretty unheard of for me.
The day after the 4 miler, I felt pretty knackered and stiff! I am the fittest and strongest I have ever been currently, so when I run I tend to feel pretty good (even my breathing is starting to calm down), however there is no substitute for actually running - you have to put the miles in if you want to improve your stamina and your post-run recovery! I found Attack and Pump quite hard work the day after, and was very much looking forward to a Friday off work with the hubby which was supposed to be a rest day, however we ended up spending a fair proportion of it walking around Reading doing a bit of shopping, so not entirely restful!!
This week I have done my usual sessions - PT on Monday (involving a military style fit test - thanks Ashley!!), Balance and Pump yesterday (involving the most difficult shoulder and lunge tracks I have ever encountered, plus my second time using 13kg of weights for the squat track). It's safe to say, my legs are feeling a bit tired and heavy! When I was packing my running kit this morning, it was absolutely chucking it down outside, and I was already thinking to myself that there was no way I was going to go running if it was still like that when I finished work. Luckily for me, the day got progressively better, and it was really nice out by the time I was ready to run. Because I was feeling weary, and have another double session at the gym tomorrow, I decided to cut myself some slack and stick to a shorter run, and try to go for some speed. It's good to throw shorter runs in every now and again, as you're still getting the time on your feet to build up your run fitness, but it is less intimidating somehow, and also good for cardio strength and working on different strides. I was overtaken about a quarter of a mile in by a man who breezed past taking it easy, whilst I was trying to go as fast as possible. Harrumph thought I! I decided to try and use him as a marker and not let him get too far away from me. Well, it must have done the trick, as
Strava tells me I ran my fastest ever mile, and fastest ever kilometer! And all whilst watching a rather beautiful sunset. All in all, not a bad evening!
First race of 2017 - Royal Berks 10k, 21st May 2017. T minus 60 days!
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Friday, 27 January 2017
And we're off!
I ran today!
First run of 2017, finally off the mark!
I have continued with all the other exercise stuff, however as often happens in winter, I stopped running for over two months in the end. A combination of being very busy, weather, and not wanting to go running in the dark. I could have found time for it if I really wanted to, I know that, however if something has to give on the exercise front, for me these days it is running that I ditch in place of a gym session!
The good thing is that because I am doing so much other exercise, when I do go running now even after a long break, it still feels ok. In fact today, it felt really good! I set off with the intention of running an out-and-back two miles around GPK, because it is quiet, has streetlights and is flat, making it a nice easy re-introduction. I also deliberately held back the pace, despite the best efforts of my legs to keep speeding up! I ran at a speed that was comfortable for my lungs so that I never felt like it was a struggle. As soon as my garmin beeped at a mile, I turned around to jog back feeling strong and fighting the urge to just keep going and make it a 5k, as I know that doing too much too soon is usually counter-productive. When I got back to the office, Pete wasn't there yet (we were car-sharing so I was waiting for him to arrive to pick me up) so I continued a little trail around the car park (up a ramp, round in circles, down a ramp, dodging colleagues on their way home, round in an even bigger circle, etc. etc!) until I finally decided enough was enough and stopped - final distance 2.67 miles.
Really pleased with that! Even happier when I looked at the pace and it was an average of 10.09 minutes per mile. Not bad at all for an easy comfortable run! In fact a year ago, that sort of pace would have been me going full pelt!
The plan now is to run once a week, slowly increasing the distance to get ready for my first 10k of the year, which will be the same as last year - the Royal Berks 10k in May. I'd also like to find a few more races to enter over the summer to keep the momentum up.
Anyone reading this racing 5k or 10k, and want to send me some recommendations?!
First run of 2017, finally off the mark!
I have continued with all the other exercise stuff, however as often happens in winter, I stopped running for over two months in the end. A combination of being very busy, weather, and not wanting to go running in the dark. I could have found time for it if I really wanted to, I know that, however if something has to give on the exercise front, for me these days it is running that I ditch in place of a gym session!
The good thing is that because I am doing so much other exercise, when I do go running now even after a long break, it still feels ok. In fact today, it felt really good! I set off with the intention of running an out-and-back two miles around GPK, because it is quiet, has streetlights and is flat, making it a nice easy re-introduction. I also deliberately held back the pace, despite the best efforts of my legs to keep speeding up! I ran at a speed that was comfortable for my lungs so that I never felt like it was a struggle. As soon as my garmin beeped at a mile, I turned around to jog back feeling strong and fighting the urge to just keep going and make it a 5k, as I know that doing too much too soon is usually counter-productive. When I got back to the office, Pete wasn't there yet (we were car-sharing so I was waiting for him to arrive to pick me up) so I continued a little trail around the car park (up a ramp, round in circles, down a ramp, dodging colleagues on their way home, round in an even bigger circle, etc. etc!) until I finally decided enough was enough and stopped - final distance 2.67 miles.
Really pleased with that! Even happier when I looked at the pace and it was an average of 10.09 minutes per mile. Not bad at all for an easy comfortable run! In fact a year ago, that sort of pace would have been me going full pelt!
The plan now is to run once a week, slowly increasing the distance to get ready for my first 10k of the year, which will be the same as last year - the Royal Berks 10k in May. I'd also like to find a few more races to enter over the summer to keep the momentum up.
Anyone reading this racing 5k or 10k, and want to send me some recommendations?!
Wednesday, 4 January 2017
2016 - A year in review
What a year 2016 was! And I don't mean that in the same way as most people I guess - I am hearing so much about how 2016 was an awful year and how everyone is glad to see the back of it.
True, politically, it has been a year of shocks, but let's not go into that. And yes, a lot of much loved celebrities have shuffled off this mortal coil (maybe on to better things, who's to say!), however when I look back on 2016, I look back on a pretty good year. There may have been celebrity deaths, but I did not attend a funeral. My Grandad is still going strong at 93, and has shaken off a lymphoma diagnosis with relative aplomb. My Dad was diagnosed with type two diabetes, and rather than start taking more pills, chose a complete change in diet which has not only led to him losing around 2 stone in weight, but also reversing the diagnosis completely (I'm very proud of you Dad, in case you are reading this!). I gained a beautiful new niece in Evie, and a new sister-in-law in Sally, and my brother got to marry the woman of his dreams. My brother also ran his first marathon at VMLM, and raised a load of money for the NSPCC in the process (very proud of you too Greg, if you're reading!) Pete and I had some awesome holidays, with Vietnam being a highlight, however Brecon and Cornwall also served us very well!
For me personally, the year didn't get off to a great start. I was taking anxiety medication as a result of work-related stress, which had led to me actually being signed off work towards the end of 2015. I'm not a massive fan of taking tablets, but they really did help to get me through a stressful period and out the other side. However I didn't want to find myself in the situation where whenever things got tough, I ended up on medication. I needed to find some other way of coping.
Luckily for me, Pete had signed us both up to a new David Lloyd gym that opened in Newbury in December 2015. We went a couple of times in December and I found that I quite enjoyed it - especially after I was introduced to Racket Ball, which is like squash but with a bouncier ball. It was nice to go there with Pete and have a little go on a bike or cross trainer, and a little hit about on the squash courts. I remembered how much fun exercise can be, and how it is great at taking your mind off things. In January we both went for a review with the fitness instructors there, and both ended up signing up for personal training, starting in February. I had also started running again. Short little runs with a colleague around Green Park, with the aim of running the Royal Berkshire 10k in May, and hoping to better my time from the previous year. That combined with the gym sessions with Pete was really helping me to feel better. Then Pete had to go away for work, and I hit a crossroads - I didn't have someone to go to the gym with for a couple of weeks, personal training hadn't started yet and I didn't want to lose my motivation and stop going. So I signed up to a couple of gym classes. This is a new thing for me, as besides Pilates I have never done proper gym classes before, so to say I was nervous about it was an understatement! I thought people would look at me and judge me, because I wouldn't know what I was doing, and they would all be fitter than me etc. etc. I couldn't have been more wrong, and I wish I had known sooner what an uplifting experience it can be to go to gym classes. It isn't an understatement to say that starting those classes has completely changed me! It took a little while to find the right classes for me (the first class I tried was a 30 minute Grit Cardio class, and even now I haven't braved going back to one of those as I honestly thought I was going to pass out and be sick, possibly even die!!), however once I found the right balance and got into a routine, there was no stopping me! I started with two Body Balance classes a week, along with a Body Attack class early on Saturday mornings. Then the personal training started too, and I was also still doing Pilates at a different studio, and regularly running. So I went from being someone who had said to Pete it wasn't worth getting a gym membership and not to sign me up, to someone who was exercising most days of the week! I was also able to stop the medication (all medication, as I had been on blood pressure medication too) as I no longer needed it.
I cannot emphasise enough what an impact it can have on your life to find some form of exercise that you enjoy. And whatever you choose, don't always do it alone. I have been regularly running for years now, however most of the time on my own as I prefer to run alone. But what I learned from the gym classes is that any form of exercise is more fun when you combine it with a bit of socialising and interacting with other people! The Attack class I do on a Saturday morning is one of my favourite parts of the week (it must be for me to get up earlier than I do for work to go to it!!) as it tends to be the same people attending, and we all get there a little early and have a bit of a catch-up before the class starts. Since I have been going to the gym so regularly, it is very rare for me to turn up to a class or PT session and not bump into someone I know and have a little chat. I have built up to doing seven classes each week (2xBalance classes, 3xPump, Attack and Spin) alongside PT and a little bit of running. I sometimes drop one of the Pump sessions or Spin if I am in need of a break but that is the general routine. I seem to have done my usual winter trick of dropping the running, having not been for a few weeks now, however I will start up again now everything is getting back to normal after the holidays!
Speaking of running (which I guess I should really, as that is what this blog was originally about!!) 2016 was probably the best running year I have had. Obviously running London was an amazing experience, but this year has been different. I have been much more consistent with my training, and I have enjoyed it a whole lot more. I have kept the distance down to a maximum of 10k so as not to put pressure on myself. I entered the Royal Berkshire 10k, with the sole aim of beating my time from the previous year (which was 1hr 15 minutes, some way off my 10k PB of 1:04:26 set back in 2008), however on race day I managed to not only beat the previous years time but also to set a new PB of 1:01:58! I was in shock at the time! All of the other exercise I was doing was having an effect on my running speed, so I decided to set myself a couple of targets for the year. I wanted to run a 5k in under 30 minutes and a 10k in under an hour. I continued with the training and entered quite a few races - 11 in total in 2016 - seven 10k and four 5k, which is the most races I have completed in a year. I bettered my 10k PB twice, once on a tough course in Yateley, and then again in my final 10k of the year where I managed a time of 1:01:01. Not quite under the hour but getting close! My 5k PB had been set back in 2007 at 33:52. I know I was probably faster than that in the interim years, but I hadn't entered any 5k races as I went for increasing distances instead. I smashed that time in my first 5k of the year with a time of 30:57, and then in my final 5k of the year at Greenham Common I managed a time of 29:26 and achieved my target! I also started a new little tradition of going running whilst on holiday, including managing to run twice in Vietnam and once in Thailand, around a park in Bangkok.
I'm going to sign off with a few stats for you, but before I go I just wanted to say this - if anyone who is reading this is thinking about trying a new form of exercise, or trying to get the motivation to start back at something, or even starting exercising full stop, just get out there and do it! Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen? You don't like it? Fine, try something else. You'll know when you've found the right thing for you, and hopefully when you do it will have the same effect on you as this year has had on me. Yes, I lost weight (which also meant I got to do a lot of clothes shopping!!) but more importantly I have gained so much. I am more confident, healthier, stronger and fitter than I have ever been before. I am also so much happier. And I wish that for all of my friends and family for 2017 and beyond.
Total Number of Runs - 54
Total Distance Run - 173.92 miles
Total Time Spent Running - 30:56:46
Total Races - 11
Total PT Sessions - 40
Total Gym Sessions - 196
Total Exercise Sessions Combined - 294
Total Time Spent Exercising - 238:57:13
Total Weight Loss - 6.7kg
Starting weight of 65.6kg (10st 4lbs), Current weight of 58.9kg (9st 2lbs)
True, politically, it has been a year of shocks, but let's not go into that. And yes, a lot of much loved celebrities have shuffled off this mortal coil (maybe on to better things, who's to say!), however when I look back on 2016, I look back on a pretty good year. There may have been celebrity deaths, but I did not attend a funeral. My Grandad is still going strong at 93, and has shaken off a lymphoma diagnosis with relative aplomb. My Dad was diagnosed with type two diabetes, and rather than start taking more pills, chose a complete change in diet which has not only led to him losing around 2 stone in weight, but also reversing the diagnosis completely (I'm very proud of you Dad, in case you are reading this!). I gained a beautiful new niece in Evie, and a new sister-in-law in Sally, and my brother got to marry the woman of his dreams. My brother also ran his first marathon at VMLM, and raised a load of money for the NSPCC in the process (very proud of you too Greg, if you're reading!) Pete and I had some awesome holidays, with Vietnam being a highlight, however Brecon and Cornwall also served us very well!
For me personally, the year didn't get off to a great start. I was taking anxiety medication as a result of work-related stress, which had led to me actually being signed off work towards the end of 2015. I'm not a massive fan of taking tablets, but they really did help to get me through a stressful period and out the other side. However I didn't want to find myself in the situation where whenever things got tough, I ended up on medication. I needed to find some other way of coping.
Luckily for me, Pete had signed us both up to a new David Lloyd gym that opened in Newbury in December 2015. We went a couple of times in December and I found that I quite enjoyed it - especially after I was introduced to Racket Ball, which is like squash but with a bouncier ball. It was nice to go there with Pete and have a little go on a bike or cross trainer, and a little hit about on the squash courts. I remembered how much fun exercise can be, and how it is great at taking your mind off things. In January we both went for a review with the fitness instructors there, and both ended up signing up for personal training, starting in February. I had also started running again. Short little runs with a colleague around Green Park, with the aim of running the Royal Berkshire 10k in May, and hoping to better my time from the previous year. That combined with the gym sessions with Pete was really helping me to feel better. Then Pete had to go away for work, and I hit a crossroads - I didn't have someone to go to the gym with for a couple of weeks, personal training hadn't started yet and I didn't want to lose my motivation and stop going. So I signed up to a couple of gym classes. This is a new thing for me, as besides Pilates I have never done proper gym classes before, so to say I was nervous about it was an understatement! I thought people would look at me and judge me, because I wouldn't know what I was doing, and they would all be fitter than me etc. etc. I couldn't have been more wrong, and I wish I had known sooner what an uplifting experience it can be to go to gym classes. It isn't an understatement to say that starting those classes has completely changed me! It took a little while to find the right classes for me (the first class I tried was a 30 minute Grit Cardio class, and even now I haven't braved going back to one of those as I honestly thought I was going to pass out and be sick, possibly even die!!), however once I found the right balance and got into a routine, there was no stopping me! I started with two Body Balance classes a week, along with a Body Attack class early on Saturday mornings. Then the personal training started too, and I was also still doing Pilates at a different studio, and regularly running. So I went from being someone who had said to Pete it wasn't worth getting a gym membership and not to sign me up, to someone who was exercising most days of the week! I was also able to stop the medication (all medication, as I had been on blood pressure medication too) as I no longer needed it.
I cannot emphasise enough what an impact it can have on your life to find some form of exercise that you enjoy. And whatever you choose, don't always do it alone. I have been regularly running for years now, however most of the time on my own as I prefer to run alone. But what I learned from the gym classes is that any form of exercise is more fun when you combine it with a bit of socialising and interacting with other people! The Attack class I do on a Saturday morning is one of my favourite parts of the week (it must be for me to get up earlier than I do for work to go to it!!) as it tends to be the same people attending, and we all get there a little early and have a bit of a catch-up before the class starts. Since I have been going to the gym so regularly, it is very rare for me to turn up to a class or PT session and not bump into someone I know and have a little chat. I have built up to doing seven classes each week (2xBalance classes, 3xPump, Attack and Spin) alongside PT and a little bit of running. I sometimes drop one of the Pump sessions or Spin if I am in need of a break but that is the general routine. I seem to have done my usual winter trick of dropping the running, having not been for a few weeks now, however I will start up again now everything is getting back to normal after the holidays!
Speaking of running (which I guess I should really, as that is what this blog was originally about!!) 2016 was probably the best running year I have had. Obviously running London was an amazing experience, but this year has been different. I have been much more consistent with my training, and I have enjoyed it a whole lot more. I have kept the distance down to a maximum of 10k so as not to put pressure on myself. I entered the Royal Berkshire 10k, with the sole aim of beating my time from the previous year (which was 1hr 15 minutes, some way off my 10k PB of 1:04:26 set back in 2008), however on race day I managed to not only beat the previous years time but also to set a new PB of 1:01:58! I was in shock at the time! All of the other exercise I was doing was having an effect on my running speed, so I decided to set myself a couple of targets for the year. I wanted to run a 5k in under 30 minutes and a 10k in under an hour. I continued with the training and entered quite a few races - 11 in total in 2016 - seven 10k and four 5k, which is the most races I have completed in a year. I bettered my 10k PB twice, once on a tough course in Yateley, and then again in my final 10k of the year where I managed a time of 1:01:01. Not quite under the hour but getting close! My 5k PB had been set back in 2007 at 33:52. I know I was probably faster than that in the interim years, but I hadn't entered any 5k races as I went for increasing distances instead. I smashed that time in my first 5k of the year with a time of 30:57, and then in my final 5k of the year at Greenham Common I managed a time of 29:26 and achieved my target! I also started a new little tradition of going running whilst on holiday, including managing to run twice in Vietnam and once in Thailand, around a park in Bangkok.
I'm going to sign off with a few stats for you, but before I go I just wanted to say this - if anyone who is reading this is thinking about trying a new form of exercise, or trying to get the motivation to start back at something, or even starting exercising full stop, just get out there and do it! Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen? You don't like it? Fine, try something else. You'll know when you've found the right thing for you, and hopefully when you do it will have the same effect on you as this year has had on me. Yes, I lost weight (which also meant I got to do a lot of clothes shopping!!) but more importantly I have gained so much. I am more confident, healthier, stronger and fitter than I have ever been before. I am also so much happier. And I wish that for all of my friends and family for 2017 and beyond.
Total Number of Runs - 54
Total Distance Run - 173.92 miles
Total Time Spent Running - 30:56:46
Total Races - 11
Total PT Sessions - 40
Total Gym Sessions - 196
Total Exercise Sessions Combined - 294
Total Time Spent Exercising - 238:57:13
Total Weight Loss - 6.7kg
Starting weight of 65.6kg (10st 4lbs), Current weight of 58.9kg (9st 2lbs)
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
Progress
Since I got the news about my knee, I have been deliberating 'when' and indeed 'if' I should have the operation.
The thing is, for the very first time in my life I am enjoying exercising, and am not only doing it very regularly (at least 5 times a week) but am seeing progress in a way I never have before. I'm not really losing weight when I get on the scales, but I can feel my body changing and I can see the changes - I have muscles in places I've never had them before, and my fitness particularly when I run is totally different. I spent years slogging out the miles running and running and running and running (shameless opportunity to link to this!), throwing in the occasional gym session, thinking I was doing ok for myself. Now I realise that was just not the right approach for me. I have been doing Body Attack, Body Balance, Pilates, seeing a personal trainer, running (including shorter interval training) and the occasional racketball session and I have never felt better.
Another bonus is that my blood pressure appears to have normalised without medication, which I have been taking for the past five years or so as hypertension appears to be a hereditary trait in my family. When I saw my GP and she told me that my BP was 120 over 85 I nearly fell off the chair! She wants to do another 24 hour monitoring, and if that is OK then no more drugs for me.
On the running front, I have done a couple of out and back runs where I attempted to blast one mile as fast as I could, then turn around and jog back at an easy pace. On both attempts I ran the fast mile in under 10 minutes, which is not something I think I have ever achieved before! Also, the return mile on both runs was faster than my previous average, so definitely progress. Then the past couple of weeks I have been working on gradual distance increases ready for the 10k in May. Last week I headed out for a run around GPK and managed a 5k PB without even feeling like I was pushing it! Today I headed out with the aim of running 4 miles. I felt great for the first mile, however I've not been feeling great in the tummy department today so found the next couple of miles a bit tough, including getting a stitch, so decided to slow down the pace a little. I ran 4.4 miles in total, and imagine my surprise when it was another 5k PB (by a second, but every second counts ok!) and my overall average was identical to the 3.5m run last week. I have slogged out the miles for years with no discernible increase in pace, so it feels great to finally see that change a little!
The last improvement I have seen is totally vain - I randomly decided to try on a pair of jeans that were once my favourites. They have been languishing in a drawer for a few years now because they didn't fit me, and to my surprise they now fit me again! So much so that I took a photo - and I really wish I had taken before and after shots, or taken measurements or something, because my weight has pretty much only changed by a few pounds lighter, however the fact that I can comfortably fit in these trousers means I have without a doubt changed shape in a good way :-)
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Warning - Post containing self pity and swearing!
This is an MRI scan of my knee.
I'll give you a clue - it's not meant to look like that!
I mentioned in my last post that I was thinking about seeing a different surgeon to look into why I am still getting so much hip and knee pain when I exercise, and a few weeks ago I went to see Dr Arvind who recommended a hip and knee MRI. I went to see him today for the results.
The good news is that my hip labral tear is looking fine - no issues with the scan. The not so good news is that my knee is looking less fine.... in fact it is looking pretty bad. My kneecap is no longer in the right place and that is causing cartilage damage. What you see in the picture is my patella veering off to the left, and the slight white tinge within the patella where it is meeting the bone is where the cartilage is being damaged. This change in circumstance (I say that, because I had an arthoscopy on my knee during all the previous surgeries on my right leg which found it to be in pretty good condition) has probably occurred as a result of the osteotomy changing the way I walk/run etc. So fixing one problem has caused another to come into focus. *sigh* This rotation of my kneecap is also the likely culprit for the hip pain as I am still placing undue pressure on my hip, just for a different reason now. Apparently the catching sensation in my hip is quite common for people with this knee problem.
I listened to all this, and looked at the scan, and I just knew that he wasn't going to say we could fix this with physio! Oh no, nothing can be that simple for me! The only way to fix this is to have ANOTHER OSTEOTOMY, this time on the other end of my tibia (called a Fulkerson's Osteotomy if anyone wants to know more). So they want to break my bone.....again....and move everything around....again.....
I don't know how I didn't blub right there and then, as the prospect of more surgery, and not insignificant surgery too, is something I really wanted to avoid. I feel like I've done my time there, served my penalty for wanting to fulfil my marathon running dream dammit! Why couldn't I just be one of those people who could do the training and run the race and that would be that?!?! (I did warn you about the self pity party......)
This surgery involves another 6 weeks in plaster - 3 of which will be with a straight leg. I only binned the fucking crutches from last time a few months ago!! (I warned you about the swearing too).
I haven't confirmed to Dr Arvind that I will have the surgery yet as I asked him if I could think about it for a little while. He said that was fine, but stressed that I shouldn't put it off for too long as the damage to my knee will only get worse over time, as will the pain, and not having this operation now will probably result in requiring more major surgery at some point down the line.
Fuckity Fuck.
I have dealt with this information in a mature and sensible way - by having a good cry over a cup of tea and a massive slice of chocolate tiffin, and then booking myself in for an additional personal training session tonight to vent my frustration!
So the plan is to cram as much as I can in between now and my 10k in May, and then resign myself to spending some of the summer on crutches. In the next couple of months I will keep at the gym classes and personal training (I can't even contemplate having to miss out on those as they are keeping me sane currently), try and get a few days skiing in, and then we have our two week holiday to Vietnam carried over from last October. The Royal Berkshire 10k is in the middle of May, and I will book in for surgery as soon after that as I can so that I will be well back on my feet before we head to Brecon for a week with friends at the end of July.
Wish me luck, and good humour, because I think I may need it!
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Seeking a second opinion
So 2016 has started off pretty well so far - albeit we are only 17 days in!
Thanks to the gym membership, and discovering how much fun racketball is, Pete and I have been going to the gym 2-3 times per week. 40 minutes of racketball and between 20-30 minutes on other kit (stationary bike, cross trainer, elliptical, rower, TRX stuff, etc). Alongside that I have been running pretty consistently 2-3 times per week. Starting at 1.4 miles and now running loops of either 2 miles or 5k. One of my colleagues wanted to start up, so I have been running with him around Green Park, and also running from home on my own.
Pilates classes start up again next week too, and I am feeling the benefit of it all straight away - sleeping better, more energy and definitely good for my mental wellbeing.
There is one slight issue though. Since I started exercising again, I am suffering with significantly increased hip and knee pain. I have been wearing a knee support for racketball which really helps that, however when we were playing today I was really struggling with my hip. I don't find it hurts when I am running or in the gym, however when I play racketball it has become more noticeable, and also it is back to occasionally waking me up at night. Also post-exercise, it can be painful to walk and quite stiff.
I am going to sort myself out with a new pair of trainers for running as the ones I have now are the ones I did the marathon in and are getting a bit long in the tooth, however alongside that I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and get a second opinion on what is going on in my hip. The previous surgeon signed me off from his care in spite of the fact that in the paperwork I filled out that day I had noted that I still suffered with hip pain daily for certain activities. It might be that I need another cortisone injection in my hip, however I see that as a short-term solution only as there must be something going on in there for there to be significant pain still appearing almost two years post the labral tear operation.
Thanks to the gym membership, and discovering how much fun racketball is, Pete and I have been going to the gym 2-3 times per week. 40 minutes of racketball and between 20-30 minutes on other kit (stationary bike, cross trainer, elliptical, rower, TRX stuff, etc). Alongside that I have been running pretty consistently 2-3 times per week. Starting at 1.4 miles and now running loops of either 2 miles or 5k. One of my colleagues wanted to start up, so I have been running with him around Green Park, and also running from home on my own.
Pilates classes start up again next week too, and I am feeling the benefit of it all straight away - sleeping better, more energy and definitely good for my mental wellbeing.
There is one slight issue though. Since I started exercising again, I am suffering with significantly increased hip and knee pain. I have been wearing a knee support for racketball which really helps that, however when we were playing today I was really struggling with my hip. I don't find it hurts when I am running or in the gym, however when I play racketball it has become more noticeable, and also it is back to occasionally waking me up at night. Also post-exercise, it can be painful to walk and quite stiff.
I am going to sort myself out with a new pair of trainers for running as the ones I have now are the ones I did the marathon in and are getting a bit long in the tooth, however alongside that I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and get a second opinion on what is going on in my hip. The previous surgeon signed me off from his care in spite of the fact that in the paperwork I filled out that day I had noted that I still suffered with hip pain daily for certain activities. It might be that I need another cortisone injection in my hip, however I see that as a short-term solution only as there must be something going on in there for there to be significant pain still appearing almost two years post the labral tear operation.
2015 Summary
The last post I did on here was pre-Reading half marathon last year. A loooong time ago!
I am not going to dwell on the half marathon too much, as to be honest it was one of the worst runs I have ever done. I had to walk quite a lot towards the end, and honestly if I hadn't had Sui with me I'm fairly sure I wouldn't even have bothered finishing. I don't know how much of it was in my head but running up the hill less than 5k into the race I was already thinking, I can't do this. I felt like I had to drag myself around and about halfway in, I felt done in. I wanted to run past the hospital where the previous year I had been watching from my room after my hip operation, however I couldn't even muster the energy, and instead walked past in tears. And I sobbed uncontrollably when I finished too. Ho hum!
I had a place for the London Marathon, and prior to the Reading half, there was a part of me that had a vague hope that I might be able to give it a go again. After Reading I knew there was no way in hell, so instead Pete and I went along to Fetchpoint to cheer other runners on instead. I actually found it really emotional, more so than the previous year. I wanted to have been running it so badly, and it was a deferred place so no chance of carrying it over to 2016.
After that I took a step back. I had totally fallen out of love with running and found it very difficult to start up again. Then one of my Inspire friends did a 72 hour race (yes, you read that right!!) and did such an amazing job that I knew I would pick my trainers up again. I had already entered a 10k a few months prior, however had decided I wasn't going to bother running it, but I was all inspired and decided to give it a go. And it was great fun! I actually enjoyed running! I then went along to the Symantec World Run Day event at Green Park and realised that I could enjoy running if I didn't push myself so hard. I met a lady who wanted to run at lunch times, and so we did a few times which was great. I even took part in the 26.2 challenge in Maidenhead as part of the Campaign Monitor team, running two 2.62 mile legs. I was slow but it was fun, and we even won a plaque for fastest IT team!
I continued running after work and started to creep the mileage up. Only to around 5 miles or so but more importantly it was fun! I even took my kit with my on a holiday to Brecon, and went for a run around Talybont Reservoir!
Towards the end of the year, life and work began to get in the way a bit. If I'm honest, I was in a pretty bad place, resulting in being signed off work for a short while. I did the occasional run of a couple of miles here and there, but nothing consistent. Then in December, a new gym opened in Newbury and Pete signed us both up as members. It turned out to be just the kick start I needed! We started to go and spend an hour or so on different bits of exercise kit, and also began playing racketball. I started to realise how much I needed the exercise for my wellbeing - I had more energy and was sleeping so much better! My last run of 2015 was on boxing day, when I managed a little run around Hermitage with a grin on my face, and rounded off the year just nicely!
I am not going to dwell on the half marathon too much, as to be honest it was one of the worst runs I have ever done. I had to walk quite a lot towards the end, and honestly if I hadn't had Sui with me I'm fairly sure I wouldn't even have bothered finishing. I don't know how much of it was in my head but running up the hill less than 5k into the race I was already thinking, I can't do this. I felt like I had to drag myself around and about halfway in, I felt done in. I wanted to run past the hospital where the previous year I had been watching from my room after my hip operation, however I couldn't even muster the energy, and instead walked past in tears. And I sobbed uncontrollably when I finished too. Ho hum!
I had a place for the London Marathon, and prior to the Reading half, there was a part of me that had a vague hope that I might be able to give it a go again. After Reading I knew there was no way in hell, so instead Pete and I went along to Fetchpoint to cheer other runners on instead. I actually found it really emotional, more so than the previous year. I wanted to have been running it so badly, and it was a deferred place so no chance of carrying it over to 2016.
After that I took a step back. I had totally fallen out of love with running and found it very difficult to start up again. Then one of my Inspire friends did a 72 hour race (yes, you read that right!!) and did such an amazing job that I knew I would pick my trainers up again. I had already entered a 10k a few months prior, however had decided I wasn't going to bother running it, but I was all inspired and decided to give it a go. And it was great fun! I actually enjoyed running! I then went along to the Symantec World Run Day event at Green Park and realised that I could enjoy running if I didn't push myself so hard. I met a lady who wanted to run at lunch times, and so we did a few times which was great. I even took part in the 26.2 challenge in Maidenhead as part of the Campaign Monitor team, running two 2.62 mile legs. I was slow but it was fun, and we even won a plaque for fastest IT team!
I continued running after work and started to creep the mileage up. Only to around 5 miles or so but more importantly it was fun! I even took my kit with my on a holiday to Brecon, and went for a run around Talybont Reservoir!
Towards the end of the year, life and work began to get in the way a bit. If I'm honest, I was in a pretty bad place, resulting in being signed off work for a short while. I did the occasional run of a couple of miles here and there, but nothing consistent. Then in December, a new gym opened in Newbury and Pete signed us both up as members. It turned out to be just the kick start I needed! We started to go and spend an hour or so on different bits of exercise kit, and also began playing racketball. I started to realise how much I needed the exercise for my wellbeing - I had more energy and was sleeping so much better! My last run of 2015 was on boxing day, when I managed a little run around Hermitage with a grin on my face, and rounded off the year just nicely!
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| My brother and I at the start of the Royal Berkshire 10k |
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| After a run around GPK - treated myself to a whole load of funky running kit this year |
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| Setting off for leg 2 of the 26.2 Challenge |
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| At Fetchpoint |
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| 26.2 Challenge - Team CM's plaque |
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