On the mend

This week has been recovery-running-from-ankle-sprain week where i am running three easy 7kms and one easy 15km....the first two were a real shock to the system after 10 days rest and the week before that being pretty easy..it's amazing how the edge wears off in this short amount of time...on my first run my ankle blew up a little the next day which had me worried until i googled that it was normal.....the second days run was extremely hills which made my ankle hurt near the end...I put it in a bucket of cold water afterwards and then it has been relatively painfree since..

This morning very little pain, still sluggish but i really feel like i am on the mend.

I have also been practicing Chi-Running in preperation for my first coaching session in a week or so......i think i undestand how the midfoot strike is achived (kick legs out the back more?) and this means you can lean forward while keeping your pelvis engaged....I have to say it feels pretty good and natural although i have sore muscles in places i dont usually get them (hips, glutes, shins)...I hope this means Im doing it properly..

I now have three weeks of training left to get ready for Marysville Half...it wont be my finest moment but so long as i get out there and enjoy it Ill be pretty happy..

Time for Coaching

Just had a revelation over the past week...if i continue to battle with niggles my enjoyment of running is at risk and I need to change something..not because of my ankle (that wasnt related to posture) but the other niggles that have been plagueing me.....Ive decided to book a session with a coach, a Chi Running coach as it makes so much sense...

I love the quote

'The aim is to become more self-aware and to feel "one with the road." Finish times and pace times are considered less important than improving one's efficiency'.

I want to get it tatooed on my arm so i remember it...

I also think the idea of 'body sensing'..tuning into your body as you run, making sure the upper and lower body works together, that you are relaxed, core engaged, efficient...

Ive emailed a coach in the city so lets see how it goes...

Healed!!!!!

Ok, i know Im abit more excited than i should be, after all its only been a sprained ankle but there's nothing more satisfying than the fruits of patience...ive spent the last week on the stupid crosstrainer and followed all the advice i could find..stretch, write the alphabet with my foot, strengthen and avoid the temptation to run...not running for 8 whole days is an all-time record since i started 2 and a half years ago and I did it!!!!!

I feel totally clear now and even my thigh strain has gone and other niggles....maybe I should do this every few months or so as Im rearing to go....

I now have three weeks until the Marysville Half..this week Ill ease back in, then thrash myself for two weeks and taper abit on the last...Ill spend one week teaching in New Zealand too so will get some great running in Aukland, Wellington and Nelson...found some great routes last time I was there, with the highlight the riverbank run in Wellington.

After that it's the beginning of Marathon Training (Canberra) but i also really want to do some exploring long The Great North Walk too, to Crosslands and other places..cant wait!!

Time for some music...

Patience IS a Virtue

After two and a half years running it's amazing how Im still learning things that seem pretty basic once youve got them

1. Running by it's very nature will mean youll hurt yourself every now and then

2. Proper patient recovery is the best way to keep going

I know a sprained ankle isnt much to whinge about but its finally dawned on me that there is no need for all the angst and carry-on whenever i have to take a week off here and there.....God knows my legs are enjoying it and once the obsessional bubble has burst I can even admit that so am I....its a great antidote to emotional burnout.

Ankle is not hurting much now, just a little on the side..im focussing on strenghtening ans cross training and will not run until next Tuesday to be on the safe side...Im super proud of myself because its the first time Ive done this the right way....after a groin strain last year and an adbuctor strain a few months ago i just kept going and needless to say they have never really fully gone away since..

Great Article on Ankle Sprains

Management of Ankle Sprains

MICHAEL W. WOLFE, M.D., Lewis-Gale Clinic, Salem, Virginia

TIM L. UHL, PH.D., A.T.-C., P.T., and CARL G. MATTACOLA, PH.D, A.T.-C., University of Kentucky College of Allied Health Professions, Lexington, Kentucky

LELAND C. MCCLUSKEY, M.D., Hughston Clinic, Columbus, Georgia

Am Fam Physician. 2001 Jan 1;63(1):93-105.

Without adequate care, acute ankle trauma can result in chronic joint instability. Use of a standardized protocol enhances the management of ankle sprains. In patients with grades I or II sprains, emphasis should be placed on accurate diagnosis, early use of RICE (rest, ice,compression and elevation), maintenance of range of motion and use of an ankle support. Sprains with complete ligament tears (grade III) may require surgical intervention. [corrected] Although early motion and mobility are recommended, ligamentous strength does not return until months after an ankle sprain.

e-case design. J Athl Train. 1997;3

Here's the link

Nietzsche Was a Runner

How is it possible that this crazy philosopher, existentialist, nihilist, immoralist was so right about running?

Sit as little as possible; give no credence to any thought that was not born outdoors while one moved about freely—in which the muscles are not celebrating a feast, too. All prejudices come from the intestines.

The sedentary life—as I have said once before - is the real sin against the holy spirit.

......from Nietzsche's Ecce Homo, (trans. W. Kaufmann), p2 s1

Exhaustion is the shortest way to equality and fraternity.–Friedrich Nietzsche

“On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will

reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so

that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

He's clearly not running here

Busted Ankle in the Bush

Had a fantastic bush run this am with 2 friends along the Great North Walk with the aim of making Galston Gorge and back...lovely river crossings.

Great trails...

Great views..

Good friends..

Sprained ankle..

Yes, about 1hr into the run I step on a tuft of grass jumping off a rock and get my first sprain ever......I had to then hobble back for another 45mins like a wounded dog on some pretty rough terrain..

My main thought is "thank god its an injury unrelated to biomechanics'.. hooray for a real injury.

Nine hours later, after RICE'g alot in still hobbling around but its slightly better..

The key now is to remember that proper rest and time off will be the key to not making it a long term issue....looks like it nothing for a while, then the bike for a week or two...

The Value of Easy Weeks

Ive been discovering lately that's its not just the easy recovery run that sets you up for a hard slog the next day but that easy weeks are also necessary.... Ive been finding that my body starts to break down after four of five weeks of hard training, with muscles getting tighter and old injuries feeling sore again....if i give myself a week of lighter training they disappear and i can go harder again....

I think the reasons for this are both physical and mental..physically Ive been trying to run faster on both my tempo and long runs and feel ive made some gains..my tempo run is down to about 5.2mins/km and I can hold 550 on a 15km run at the moment...this may not seem fast to some (or many) but its pretty good for me......Ive also increased my weekly kms from 35 to 45 in the past few months....physically I find Im having to stretch more and more at around the 4 week mark..mentally though i start to get burned out and less keen to get up for my runs....

Right now Im in a recovery week..I clock the same kms but go out to enjoy them rather than run hard...Im already feeling much better in my legs and looking forward to running hard again next week..

Im not the only one who has found this valuable...here's a great blogpost about it on The Running World According to Dean .....here's something on the Runners World website...

Best Run in The World

If you could make up a run what would you include? Beach? Cliff tops? Lakes? Bush tracks? Seafront? Here's 15kms Long Reef to Narabeen, along the lake, thru the bush, to Dee Why and back....