Hitting a speed bump in week 5

This blog has changed address. Please visit my new blog at http://thekiwirunner.blogspot.com/

Hit a bit of a speed bump this week. The shins have been okay if a little niggly but nothing too serious. The thing that does still concern me is my heel/arch issue and this week that surfaced again.

I'm in week five of my build up plan which calls for a one minute walking break for every five minutes of running for a total of 24 minutes. That won't seem like much to many of you (only about 2 miles) but it seems to be about my breaking point at present. By about a mile 1/2 my left arch was starting to ache to the point where I pulled out of completing the last 1/2 mile not wanting to risk anything more serious. I have run on regardless in the past with this thing and suffered for a few days afterwards.

It's a pretty frustrating injury and to date I haven't been able to put my finger on what it may be. I don't think it's a Plantar Fasciitis injury as one of the symptoms of that seems to be a really sore heel first thing in the morning. I don't have that its more just a slight ache most of the time which is aggravated when running. It only started about a year ago and would usually put an end to my runs after about 30 minutes. It seems pretty clear that even with all the rest I've had this year, this injury hasn't gone away.

I was due to run again today but opted to rest an extra day. I'll head out on Saturday and see if I can last the two miles.

I'm persisting with the Chi Running and I'm pretty convinced that this style has got to have some benefits for more longer term. I just need to get over my injury issues and when I do I'm pretty sure this style will help to keep me injury free.

The main focuses I'm concentrating on are;

-Maintaining a good upright posture but then leaning from the ankles to encourage a mid foot landing.

-Trying to keep my lower legs as relaxed as possible, picking up my feet instead of pushing off with them

- Maintaining a good alignment - pointing everything straight ahead.

I should post a decent review of the book but I guess a key take out for me is in how simple and logical some the theory of the style is. For example here's a couple of quotes from the book where the author Danny Dreyer, is writing about shin and lower leg injuries,

"If your shins are sore, it's because you're using them. You'll need to practice relaxing them. You're probably either tensing your ankles or pushing off with your toes instead of picking up your feet with each stride"

another on along the same lines is equally straight forward,

"At the risk of sounding repetitive, I'll say it one more time. Most leg lower leg injuries are from some sort of overuse. If you don't use it, you can't abuse it. Whenever I'm running I'm always focusing on relaxing my lower legs through every phase of my stride"

So this is one area which I have worked hard on and I'm starting to understand what is feels like to run with relaxed lower legs. I'm not pushing off with my toes thus I'm not using my shin muscles and therefore I'm pretty confident that I will overcome the shin splints in time with the help of the Chi Running method.

Just need to fix the heel and arch now!

I'm still biking to cross train. On weekends I take my mountain bike out for a ride around the streets of the North Shore. Lately it's an 11 mile ride which takes slightly under an hour. A couple of good long hills in there to keep me honest. For those into maps here's the route.

Catch ya later.

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Still on the Road to Recovery

It's hard to believe that we have been back from our North American vacation for a over a month now. Time does pass quickly doesn't it , though the fond memories from our trip won't be easily forgotten.

This last month I have been slow to get back into any type of physical activity. I still sense that my shin and foot are not totally right so rather than rush back into any type of training I've taken my time to decide on what my next step will be towards getting me back running.

The time I've had away from running (over three months now) has re affirmed to me the enjoyment that I do get from running and I would so much like to be out there, but somehow I need to figure out a way to put these injuries behind me.

I was reading some stuff online last night about treating and preventing shin splints (or more correctly Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome) and it was encouraging to read that it is possible according to experts to fully recover from this cruel injury. Sometimes over the past few years I have doubted that and wondered whether I just don't have a body made for running?

There is so much stuff on line covering shin splints that sometimes you wonder whether the so called experts even know the true cause. Some seem to think that an exaggerated pronation of the foot is the chief cause others say it's an over use injury brought on by too rapid an increase in mileage etc.

Truth is there does seem to be a multitude of factors that can contribute to shin problems and I just need to find out which ones are relevant to me.

What I do know is this;

- I have always had very tight calf muscles and achilles.
- I have generally been inflexible from feet through to hamstrings / glutes etc
- I have and some muscle imbalances which needed strengthening.
- I have not had the best running form.

It seems to make sense that these factors are the main ones that will be causing my shin problems. I don't think I have overly flat feet which would encourage excessive pronation and the last podiatrist I visited did not think I pronated extraordinarily so while I may always need a stability shoe I don't think over pronation is a main cause.

So to enable me to get back on on the road (well grass firstly) I need to continue working on stretching and strengthening my feet, calves and legs. For the next few weeks that's what I'm concentrating on.

For the next month I'm going to try and run/walk one or two miles twice a week on grass just so the legs don't forget what running is all about and also just to try and not lose too much fitness. I haven't done any swimming for three months either nor biking so my fitness will have dropped bit.

Something I picked up in my reading last night about running technique was that over striding can be a factor also. This leads to an excessive heal strike and 'slapping' of the fore foot and over use of the tibialis muscle. So in my short run/work workouts I will be also concentrating on good form and short strides.

Another treatment I picked up on was regular self massage of the calf muscles to loosen them up. This is something I haven't really tried too much of before though I have heard of it working for others. It's got to be worth a try.

Happy running.




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Time for another break

My body told last week me it was time for another break. After amassing a huge 37 miles for the month of February, I've again succumbed to heel and shin issues.

Here's a wrap of my runs over the last two weeks:

18/2 4 miles 35 mins
20/2 4.1 miles 37 mins
25/2 8.3 miles 47 mins
27/2 2.7 miles 19 mins (and broken)

I don't know what's worse at the moment, my heel or shin. The heel just seems to ache almost from the start of a run and gets progressively worse. It also extends into the arch of my foot. The shin is still the same, always nagging, always there, but last week it was just nagging a bit louder.

It's hard to stay motivated at times like this. When I'm not running I tend to let the other things slip that I should be working on to get myself right again. Hence I've done no stretching, strength or cross training for five days.

Its less than five weeks now until our big North American trip, so that's another reason why I'm perhaps not so into my training right now. It's unlikely that I'll have much time to maintain a regular run programme during our month away (I don't see "running" being on the agenda much when travelling in a foreign country with a 6 and 4 year old, though I'll try and find room for my running shoes just in case).

My question therefore is "Do I bust a gut now to get back out running in a few weeks only put things on hold again for a month in April? Should I just take an extended break from running now?

What ever I decide about when to start running again, I know I need to maintain my cross training (Swimming/yoga), strengthening of the leg muscles and stretching.

Someone who definitely deserves a break is Kieran after successfully completing Ironman New Zealand on Saturday. Check out his race report here.


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Resting Up

It has been ten days now since my last run, a 5.8 mile loop that takes me around the Orakei Basin in Auckland. I'll write some more about the route in another post but lets say it is a very scenic run that includes a section along the Tamaki Drive waterfront, which on a fine summers day is a great place to be, even if the running is not going as good as one may like.

Throughout the run I was dogged by an aching left foot and my shin was a little sore as well. The foot problem is one that I had thought I had overcome as whilst in some recent runs it would be a bit tight to start with, I had been able to run through it recently if I just concentrated on maintaining a relaxed easy running style. Perhaps I was a bit tense and was not able to relax as much as I would have liked. I knew this run was going to be pushing it for me as in the week prior I had already completed two 40 minute runs and 50 minute run and to try for another 50+ run was possibly asking for a bit much from my still recovering body (and lower legs in particular).

As it turned out I wasn't able to run through the aching foot and it stayed with me for the duration of the run, something which I'm still paying for today in the form of a constant ache in my foot.

I think also I was getting tired of the constant daily routine with would always involve some stretching or strength training of some sort. I have been maintaining the strength work for almost four months now since I started back running in October and whilst I guess it has been partly successful, in that I have lasted this long, I'm somewhat disappointed that I'm still not 100% fit.

So this last ten days, I haven't stretched once nor have I done any other sort of training, other that a short 800m swim last week. It's been a good chance to get away from having to think about any of that stuff. The shin is feeling better for the rest and I don't think I'll need anything like the four month break I had off over winter. I think anther week off running and I'll be back into it. I'll start up some strength work again this week so the legs don't get a total shock next week.

Thoughts of the Half in Rotorua in March have gone from my mind. I was probably being premature considering such an event when I'm really still on the comeback trail. I've re-evaluated my short term goals and am now just focusing on the Run Auckland series of 5 and 10 K runs over the autumn / winter. Even these will just really be fun runs as I'm probably not yet is a position to try any speed work and press for a fast time.

I haven't been sitting around idle over the last week though. We decided it was time the boy's bedrooms needed a fresh look with some new paint. They each picked a colour which we have used as a feature wall with Jack choosing a race car red and Sam a turquoise/aqua colour. We found a nice colour with a hint of green but also some light brown/ grey tones to complete both rooms. Having just finished Jack's room today (actually they share it now since we set up their buck a month or so ago), the rooms are both looking quite stunning and while the colours the boys chose are are a bit "out there" they look great now and really add a youthful feel to that end of the house. Sam's old room is really now a toy room or a spare room for when we have guests.

Have a good week.



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Boys Weekend

It's not what you think.

Michelle was in Rotorua over the weekend (Thursday Night thru Midday Sunday) with her Netball team for an end of season tournament. By the sounds of it there was more partying than Netball, but I guess that's what happens on Netball/sports tours right?

So that meant it was a boys long weekend at home with me firstly taking Friday off to drop Jack and Sam off and pick them up from school/pre school. In between those duties it was back home to tidy the mess that had been left then it was down to check out the brand new Westfield Albany mall that opened last week just up the road from us. It's your standard shopping mall and wasn't there to shop, just curious that's all.

It was then back home to mow the lawns and do a bit of section tidy up before I was out the door again to pick the boys up.

Saturday was a quiet day mainly at home though we ventured out for a couple of hours around to M's Nana's old unit which she has recently vacated for a retirement village. M's parents needed some help around there moving some stuff. It was then back home and we biked up to the local playground for a bit of fun on the slides, then back home for some computer games. M's parents had kindly invited us over to their place for dinner which was gratefully accepted. I am fortunate to have a good relationship with my in laws and they of course love to spend time with the boys too.

We were soon home and boys were in bed by 8pm (a little late for them) and I settled in to watch the New Zealand Warriors seal 4th spot on the premiership table with a 24-20 win over Penrith in the NRL thus also setting up a home semi final next week.

Fathers day Sunday and the boys brought out their presents (some much needed clothes)and then set out to make me some breakfast (toast) while I was laying in bed. I could hear the toaster was getting a bit of a hammering so while the thought was nice I sort of took over at this stage and ended up making toast for them.

After breakfast it was time for another big clean up, clearing up two days of mess before M was home. Boys were a little scratchy today obviously still tired (Jack just can't sleep past 6 AM it seems). Fathers Day lunch was up at the retirement village with M's parents and Nana and M turned up a little early than expected so was able to join us for lunch as well. Boys had a swim in the complexes indoor pool which they loved. The swimming lessons we have enrolled them in since they were toddlers are really starting to pay off. They both have great confidence in the water.

M's has nothing but great stories about the girls weekend and is already talking about next year. Now when was that next golfing weekend of mine? November i think!

Training remains uneventful. Only a swim, aqua run and body balance class last week.

Some slight improvement in the shins/ heel bit it remains slow. I'm still doing a range of stretches 3-4 times a week so I don't lose any flexibility I have. Now that my one month LMI membership is up I'm going to attend a weekly yoga class to keep working on the flexibility. The class i've settled on is a Bikram Yoga class near my work at this place.

I haven't been doing as much weight training as I intended so this week I will get back to that also aiming for one morning a week.

The slow progress is a disappointing so if there not much more improvement by the end of this week I will go back to a physio to seek some more advise. I might try the Millennium Sports Institute on the North Shore this time, which seems to have a range of health professionals all at the one facility.

Finally, just an update on Jack's Soccer season which finished last weekend. Of 14 games played they won 5, lost 5 & drew 4 scoring 20 goals, conceding 16. After a shaky start those five wins came in the last eight matches. Not bad for a rookie coach eh. Jack didn't make it to the score sheet but is never the less enthusiastic. Everyone seems keen to keep the team together next year so hopefully we will be a stronger unit for having our first year behind us. It's also been said that once you start coaching kids sport you won't be allowed to give it up!

Have a good week.

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Injuries, Beach Fun and Sick Kids

It's three weeks to go until I even contemplate running again and to be honest I'm not even sure that I'll be ready then.

My shin still doesn't 'feel' 100% right. I'm sure you will know what I mean when I say that. Some how you just get that feeling that it's not fully healed yet. I've also got the slight bruising on my heel and somehow I've picked up a bit of a knee strain, I'm guessing through the increased weight training I've been doing in recent weeks as there's nothing else I can really put that down to.

It seems I'm going through more ice than ever before on the heel and knee together with the shin when that flares up. How ironic. During my rehab I manage to pick up more injuries!!

I know they're only minor annoyances that I probably shouldn't bother too much about (who doesn't carry injuries right?), but I would have liked to come out of this period injury free if at all possible. My one major goal remains to get on top of the shin splints as I know that once I've beaten that anything else should clear up in time.

Here are some shots of Takapuna Beach taken on the weekend. It's a superb beach right in the heart of Auckland's North Shore great for walking, running or just lazing in the sun. The weekend brought us two contrasting days from a mostly fine Saturday to Sunday when the wind and rain got up. It didn't stop the boys though from having a great time playing at waters edge chasing the waves. The island in the background is Rangitoto an old extinct volcano that last erupted around 600 years ago.







This week both the boys have been home sick. Michelle took Jack to the doctor today and evidently he has a swollen ear drum which was very close to bursting. He's on antibiotics now which will hopefully settle that down.

As a result of a few unsettled nights I've missed my early morning workouts. I did make it to Body Balance last night however and am loving that. It's a mixture of Pilates, Yoga and core strengthening and I can really sense the benefit I'll be getting from it.

Monday lunch time I got to the pool running session and tomorrow morning hopefully I'll be up early and into the gym for Bodypump. Friday lunch time will be a swim.

Have a great rest of the week, happy running.




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Injury & Rehab Update

I'm in week five of the eight week rest and reconditioning period I set myself as I try to overcome the shin splints that have been dogging me for most of my running 'career'.

The last four weeks have seen me biking, aqua running and swimming once a week, with two weight lifting workouts a week also. I'm also stretching and doing strengthening exercises on the muscles around the shin/ankle area.

Occasionally my shin still reminds me that its not 100%, so I know more rest is still needed. Somehow I've bruised my heal however and I think I did this while doing the shin strengthening exercises, one of which involves standing a foot out from a wall on your heals while flexing the fore foot up and down. I'll play it safe and keep clear of that one.

Last weekend while at soccer (which we won 3-0) I was given a prize for referee of the day which entitles me to a months free membership at our local Les Mills gym. What perfect timing I thought. Four more weeks of rehab and I get landed with a one month gym membership!

So I was right in there on Monday morning trying out the elliptical trainer and bike. Tuesday morning I did a Body Pump class and Tuesday night I did a Body Balance class.

Wednesday is my rest day but I'm out of the house and into work early so I can get off early to take Jack's Soccer practice.

All these early starts mean I don't see the boys in the morning and it is amazing how you miss them when you only see them for an hour or so in the evenings before they're in bed. Michelle said the boys really miss me in the mornings too.

So today I went for a swim at lunch time which means I can stay home a bit later and see the boys. It was worth it too as Sam came up and gave me a cuddle this morning and said he loved me. It's really nice to hear them say things like that.

I've only got three more weeks at the gym though and really mornings are the only time I can go (the gym is not near my work so I can't go at lunch time). Evenings are out as that just means I won't see the boys at night. I'll go for two morning workouts a week, plus the Tuesday night Body Balance after they're in bed. That leaves me one early morning weight session in my garage and a swim one lunch time and the weekend bike ride.

As you can see I'm definitely not resting up, I'm just not running!!



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Starting Over

I've been thinking some more about when I'm going to start running again and also about what sort of mileage I should run when I start over.

The shins have still been niggling me at times over the last week so naturally I'm a bit gun shy about taking to the road again in case it is too early and I end up incurring the same old problem. I've therefore put my come back run back one week just to be safe. By that stage it would have been three weeks rest from running and I will just have to get out there and see how it goes.

I came across a website the other day called marathontraining.com. It's a site full of useful information for runners of all experience levels, however it is chock full of information for first time marathoners or those training for their first full marathon.

Given my current shin splint problem, I was particularly interested in the page on minimising injuries. The key thing I picked up from that page was something called the 10% rule which states that your weekly mileage should not increase by more than 10% and the distance of your weekly long run should also not increase by more than 10%.

I had heard of this rule previously as I'm sure most readers probably have also. I never really paid much attention to it though. I was just looking back in my log at the training I did in the lead up to my first half marathon last October. I trained for that with just six weeks of running as prior to that I was out with the shin splints. The biggest weeks of those six were weeks four and five when I ran 23 miles for the week. The problem has more or less been with me since then and I have managed it through regular icing and only running a maximum of three days a week. Long term though that doesn't seem too healthy and as my Podiatrist said, my aim should be to get to the stage where I'm running pain free.

Maybe way back in October is where the current shin problem has stemmed from. I just came back too fast in trying to make the start line for the Half instead of going for a slow buildup. That said, I'm glad I did the Half and got that first one out of the way, but maybe I just shouldn't have waited until now to take a break.

So from next week, I'll be rigidly following the Milage Buildup Schedule from the marathontraining.com site. This will ensure a gradual buildup in milage thus avoiding any chance of again falling into the trap of doing too much too soon.

All going well the 10 k races I wanted to do next month will still be doable, we'll wait and see about the Half in July though.

Happy running




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Missing Running and a meeting with Dean Karnazes

I suppose I'm going through what every runner has at some point. That is experiencing the frustration of not being able to run through injury or illness. It's ten days now since my Podiatrist said to take a two week break to rest my Shin Splints and while I'm not the sort of person to let those frustrations show outwardly, it's just a feeling on the inside that a part of you wants to get out and run. I know though that if I'm to improve longer term this is something I have to work through.

I'm also a little concerned that two weeks might not be enough rest. We had practice last night for Jack's Soccer team. The practice went for about 45 minutes or so and afterwards my shin was almost as sore as it would have been after a run, and that was just after running a kids Soccer practice!

I went to the pool on Tuesday intending on a 1500 meter swim, but only managed about half that before I called it quits. The motivation just wasn't there on the day and I used the excuse of leaking goggles to call it a day. Is that weak or what!

I was back at the pool today and tried some Aqua Jogging as suggested by Ewen last week. I went in the deep water and used a vest unlike my last dabble with this activity which I found to be a bit of a waste of time. Today whilst I certainly felt in a bit more in the legs it still wasn't the cardio workout that I feel I need. I ended up doing about 15 minutes of Aqua Jogging before I reverted to the lanes and swam a good 700 meters. The swim felt good and no problems with leaking goggles today.

Tomorrow moring I'll get up early and jump on the exercyle for 40 minutes or so.

Mike raised a good point about not repeating mistakes of my past. I can't help wondering if I'm being a bit optimistic by wanting to build up to a half marathon in just eight weeks of training (that's if I can start up next week). May be I should flag the half and just go for a more gradual increase in mileage building the to Auckland Half Marathon in October.

This weekend ultra runner Dean Karnazes, the man who famously ran 50 marathons in 50 days, is in Auckland as part of his down-under tour. I thought I would pop along to hear him speak. I don't know too much about Dean, other than his 50 marathons in 50 days thing, so I would be interested to hear any stories or comments from other RBF members who may have had the chance to meet and/or run with him.




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The Last Week

If you caught my last post you will know that I have not been running this week and have about another ten days of rest ahead of me before I can hopefully get out and run again.

This last week my shins have seen plenty of ice and anti-flamme cream. I'm keeping up my stretches and strengthening every night which includes, hip flexors, short & long calf, calf raises, hamstrings, quads, one legged squats, gluts. I'm even thinking about taking a Yoga class to really work hard on my flexibility.

I made it down to the pool twice during the week for a total swim of 2300 in 62 minutes. Didn't get my bike out as intended but I did get on the exercyle yesterday for 40 minutes. First time that's been used in some months! It was a good working though even if I could only get the HR about to around 130. The calf (the one I sprained in March) was a bit sore throughout the workout and has been a bit achy today. Strange that it should still not by 100% as prior to ceasing the running I had been on a few tough runs and the 5K race in which it was no problem.

So this week will be two more swims and maybe some more biking (will see how the calf feels).


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Halt all Running

I thought it about time that I seek some medical advice about my ongoing shin pain and numb foot, so I visited a sports podiatrist on Monday to see if we could get to the bottom of these problems.

After all the usual back ground questions, inspection of the feet, exercises, and jogging up and down his office/gym with him carefully watching my style, he eventually gave me his plan to get me out running again, pain free ... two weeks rest from all running, lots of ice followed by self massage of the shin with Anti-Flamme and stretching.

I guess I was half expecting that news. I know deep down that the shin pain is not going to go away unless I take some action and give them a decent rest. It is a little annoying, but I'm not totally gutted because I know that it's for the best longer term and that if I stick to the icing & stretching then I have a good chance of coming back a stronger runner.

The other thing the Podiatrist has said to do is to go without the orthotic insoles. Did you ever here of a Podiatrist saying such a thing? He reckons my gait and pronation is not overly bad and that the orthotic together with my structured/control shoe (Adidas Adistar) is too much. I'm even to take out the cushioning insole I had been alternating with and go back to the standard flimsy insole which came with the shoes.

On to the numb foot. The Podiatrist thinks this could be caused by a medical condition known as Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. Basically the numbness is brought on by the compression of a nerve in the ankle/foot brought on in my case through running. Hopefully rest will also account for this but we will wait and see on that one.

In the mean time I'm restricted to swimming and biking to maintain my fitness. Swimming is something that I do get a bit bored with and I literally had to drag myself down to the pool yesterday. Once in the water though I got stuck in, swimming 1100 meters in 32 minutes (is that slow or what!). The plan over the next two weeks will be to both swim and bike twice a week. One bike ride will be on the road one on the stationary bike.

My comeback run will be May 23. I'll just be starting out lightly for the first two weeks, gradually building up to five or six miles over that time. All going well, that will leave me with six weeks until the Run Auckland Half Marathon on July 15.

My 12 week plan will therefore become a six week plan! It sounds short I know, but I prepared for my first Half last year with only six to eight weeks of decent training so I know I can do it. The one slight concern might be that I would be increasing my mileage too fast and could therefore be risking the shin again?

Happy Running!

P.S. Hope you like the new colours.


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Strained calf again or just some soreness?

My right calf has been sore for the last two days since Thursday's training run.

I'm not 100% sure whether I have re injured it or whether the pain is just general muscle soreness from Thursday's hard session. The soreness seems to be lower than where the strain occurred and I'm thinking that as I didn't pull up lame on Thursday after the run then it is more than likely just soreness.

I have my 5 km race tomorrow morning which I'm still really keen on completing. I went for a 2 km run this afternoon just to test the calf out and though it was a little uncomfortable and tight I was able to complete it without the discomfort getting any worse.

I really have no idea how I will go as I have never run a 5 km race before but the plan tomorrow is to start at at around 4:40 pace for the first k. The next k or so is uphill so I will probably look to ease back a bit to around 5:00 pace. The last 2k is all down hill to the finish to hopefully I will have enough in reserve to run the last two at around 4:30 pace to finish around 23 -24 minutes.



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Weekly Wrap

Just the three runs this week;

- Tue, 6 km (3.8 miles) 33:00 No HR data
- Thu, 6.9km (4.3miles) 36:30 No HR data
- Sun, 10.2 km (6.3 miles)52:30 Max HR 165 Ave HR 145

Today's run felt a bit awful, with the numb foot again frustrating me. Stopped and stretched after 20 minutes. Played around with the orthotic. Lasted another 15 minutes, stopped, adjusted orthotic, lasted another 5, stopped walked 5, adjusted orthotic, ran the last 12 minutes home. On top of that the shins are still sore.

I've just googled 'numb feet when running' and it brings up all sorts of issues from laces being too tight, worn out running shoes, through a problem in the back? Most likely cause would seem to be some pressure being applied to a nerve in the foot which results in the numbess after 20-30 minutes of running. I'll keep up my stretches but I'll probably have to get off my butt some time and see a specialist or a podiatrist as this has been hanging around for some time and is getting to be a real pain the --- as I can't run the distances that I want to.

Update on the Pose method. Given the calf strain I had which I'm guessing was probably a result of the extra load I was placing on my calfs, I'm not running Pose at present though I am still trying to be aware of my foot position on landing and not heel striking too much. Oddly when I was attempting to run Pose I was not getting the numb foot as much.



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A Run too Fast, too Soon?

Today's run was another test to see how far the strained calf has come along. Rather than the slow and easy I have been running over the last week today I stepped it up a notch.

- Distance - 6.6 km (4.1 miles)
- Time - 33:45
- Pace - 5:05 mpk (7:32 mpm)
- Max HR 169
- Ave HR 140

The physio said I should aim to increase my runs by about 5 minutes per week. With the Xterra 11 km Trail Run coming up in Rotorua on Saturday week, I have been trying to up the distance by about 1 km or 5 minutes on each run. Hopefully that will get me to Rotorua in some sort of shape to have a good run. Today that meant I needed to run for about 35 minutes.

I also decided that I needed to up the speed work a bit. After about 15 minutes I was still moving along at I guess about 5:20 pace (K's) but the HR was still way short of 150.

I lifted the pace for a K then eased back for the next K. The calf was beginning to tighten and say "enough". I wanted to try one more faster K but delayed it until the calf had settled. I again lifted the pace but before long the calf was tightening again. I stopped, stretched and then just jogged the last K back to work.

I was a little worried that I may have gone too hard and done some damage but the calfs seem to have settled down okay this afternoon and I'm sure they're okay. Sometimes I wonder whether the other calf has a slight strain also but then it could just be the calfs still adjusting to the Pose Method.

I'm heading down to Christchurch tommorrow on a business trip. Will be spending Tuesday night down there so will take the opportunity for a rest from training for two days before hitting the road again on Thursday where I'll aim for 7-8 K.

Have a great week & happy running.


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Running Pose Method Calf Strain

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A Swim then Physio

After the Sunday's run which ended with a strained calf muscle, I am off running for the next week or so and will be spending a bit of time in the pool for the next wee while.

Today's Swim;

- Distance - 1200 metres
- Time - 34 Minutes

Reasonably happy with that effort. It's the longest I've swam for several months as I have been limiting my swims recently to 1000 meters. Given I'm not going to be running for the next week or so I felt I should up my distance in the pool to try and compensate.

On 1 April I am wanting to enter a short Triathlon. It's a 400m swim, 10K Bike and 4K Run. I can only hope my calf will be okay by then. I won't really risk it before that. I will stick to biking, swimming and jogging in the pool for the next week. Depending on how that goes I might test the calf on a short run around the middle of next week.

I'm a little unsure about whether the Pose Method has contributed to the calf strain or not. There's no question that the method does place more load on your calfs and maybe I just haven't done enough of the suggested strengthening in that area before I took up the new method.

I went to a Physiotherapist this afternoon to get the calf checked out. He confirmed that it's a minor strain and that I should be okay again in about two weeks. It's clear though that I remain generally pretty stiff through both calfs which is likely also to be the cause of the ongoing shin troubles. I have another appointment on Friday and hopefully we can work on that some more. No doubt further stretching exercises to come!


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Swimming Calf Strain

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Round the Bays ends in Pain

I ran in the Round the Bays Fun Run today. It's an 8.4Km run around the Auckland waterfront which attracts upwards of 70,000 runners and walkers of all shapes & sizes as well as a few outrageous costumes.

Distance - 8.4KM (5.2 miles)
Time - 39:50
Pace -4:45 min Kms (7:40 min miles)
Max HR 179
Ave HR 161

This is a flat course so I was hopeful of a time of 40 minutes or less so to achieve that goal was pleasing. The pace was faster than I have been running in my training and I was pretty pleased with the effort I put in to maintain that pace for as long as I did. I've done this run a few times over the years however always for the fun and social side of it. Whilst I did enjoy that side of it today also I was also keen to put in a good effort and achieve a good time.

I started about 50 meters back from the start line and took about a minute to cross the line after the gun went off. The start was pretty slow as the field spread out. By about the 1 Km stage the field had sufficiently spread out enough that I was able to run at a steady pace.

I passed a marker at 5.5 km at about 25 minutes so I new that I had 15 minutes to cover the last 3Km to make my time. I tried searching for a little more pace to ensure I made my time and with about 1 Km go I was pretty much out of gas. My pace was slowing and breathing was very laboured.

Then it happened ... I felt a small twinge in my right calf muscle. I've never strained a calf before but this is what I imagined it was, definitely not just a case of tight or sore calfs. I managed to jog the remaining kilometer and crossed the line in just under 40 minutes.

So, pleased with the time but not at the expense of a strained calf. I can only hope that it's a minor strain and that with some treatment and a bit of rest I will be back running again soon.

I had wanted to run another 10Km race next weekend and then an 11Km Trail race next month.

I'll be pretty gutted if I can't at least run the trail race as that's something I've never done and would love to give it a go.


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Running Round the Bays Calf Strain

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