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PB'S Six foot track - 4:09 March 08 3000m 9:50 - October 09 5000m 17:25 10k 36:03 - may 2009 1/2 marathon 79:56 marathon 2:54:56

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Tuesday and some good training done

Made it to the 6:15am cycle class then as soon as that was done I went to Mingara pool and swam an easy 2km in 39:42 stopping every 5 laps then straight after the swim I got a 5km walk in 47:36.

Later I went back to the gym and did the 5:30pm cycle class followed by some core work.

Back was ok today but was tight and I know if I tried to run it would have flared up

Monday, June 23, 2014

Monday's swim

Was going to try a 30min run this morning but straight away my hip/back was sore so I stopped. Annoying!
At 11am I headed off to Mingara pool and swam 2k doing intervals of 50m in 35:44.

That's pretty much it exercise wise. Back felt a little better as the day went on

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Thursday, Friday, Sat and Sunday. Got a bit of running done!

Thursday - Was up in Newcastle this morning and got a 10k run in 53:54. I could ffel the back but it was ok and felt ok as the day went on. It's not better but improving!

Friday - I was on my way to Canberra and stopped off at Mittagong and ran another 10k this time in 52:51. Again the back felt good as the day went on but was a little sore straight after the run

Saturday - Cold frosty morning in Canberra and I run around Lake Burley Griffin doing 16km in 1:22:35 and for most of the run I could feel discomfort in my left hip and in the last 1.5k I could feel slight pain in my back. I put my asthma puffer between my pants and spine and the pain vanished! Weird! But as the day went on the back/hip got pretty sore and was still sore at the end of the day

Sunday - Back on the coast and my back was feeling kinda normal again. Went to the gym and did the 9:15am cycle class then used the sauna where I was doing trigger point work to my gluteus medius and found that really relieved any discomfort I had.
Later I went back to the gym got on the treadmill and ran 1km pain free in about 5:30 then did another 1km faster in 4:50 with a little bit of pain at the end. Then it was yoga

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Wednesday and things are looking promising!

Happy with how today went. Went to the gym and did 1hr on the elliptical trainer. Then I go to the Chiropractor to start work at 8:30am and my client forgo and my 9:45am client canceled as she was sick! Christ sakes that shits me. So I now have a couple of hours free so I go for a run/walk. Did 12km in just over 90min. Back was ok running and for some strange reason if iput pressure on my back while running I seemed to be running pain free. Weird. I then decide to go straight to Woolworths and buy some rigid strapping tape and strap my back and glute up. All felt great with the tape on.
Later I went back to the gym to do some core and upper body strength and did a last minute 1km run on the treadmill in 5:20. Back felt great with the tape on. I could feel it but overall it was quite good. Even better it felt fine as the day went on and even standing on one leg putting my pants and socks on was pretty good and thats the movement that really flares it up.

So I'm finally feel im getting somewhere with this injury and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Well For now at least.

Lets see how it is tomorrow. I'll have a go at running in the morning

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Monday and Tuesday. In the 6th week now of this back injury

Monday was physio day. Saw Stan at 9am then got on the X-trainer for an hour after. Back was fine but still sore to run up and down on the spot. I then did some core work.

Later I got to a 4:30pm cycle class

Tuesday was another cycle class at 9:45am then some leg strength work. In the evening I went back to use the steamroom. Backs pretty much the same as yesterday

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Sunday swim

Up at 7am and at Gosford to watch the Bay2Bay funrun by 7:45am. Took a few photos, chatted to a few mates then got out of the freezing cold to the warmth of my heater in my car and drove to Mingara pool to do a few laps. 60laps (3km) in 57:32 stopping every 1-6 laps for a break.

It was then to the gym for a core workout and to sweat it out in the steamroom.

The back was ok today but I could still feel it

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Saturday

Went down to trotters just to walk and got 8km in walking to Wamberal along Ocean View dve and back

Next was to the gym where I did a double cycle class. 1hr50min in total.

The backs been pretty good but I did feel it after the walk.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Friday the 13th

Well Friday the 13th wasn't too bad a day.
After a morning of massaging clients I was able to get to WoyWoy pool which was 25m today for a 3km swim. Swam between 2-10 laps before I had a break. Finding it a bit boring at the moment to just swim continually so breaking it up made it easier. Total swimming time was 55:32 and must have spent 75min in the pool in total.

At 4:50pm I went to the gym and before I did the cycle class I got on the tradmill and did a mixture of walking and running. Was running up to 4:17 pace and the back just has discomfort while I'm running but gets sore after. Got 4km done in just over 25min

At 5:30pm it was time for cycle class. Back was tight in this but not too sore unless I was pushing a heavy load.

It's 9:30pm now and it's been pretty sore since that little run/walk.

Tomorrow I'm just going for a walk down at trotters then will do the double cycle class

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Thursday....a run/walk and pain again

Got 8km done with a mixture of walking and running. I was up at Mums so trained around Warners Bay heading to Speers Pt and back. Started with 5min slow running then 5min walking then after 5km I ran 1km in 4:35 pace and the back felt fine running that pace on flat but as soon as I stopped to walk then get running again I started to get that stabbing pain again. Pain level was moderate for the rest of the day but unlike yesterday when I was pretty much pain free all day this time it was there just slightly and if I tried to test it out during the day such as running up and down on the spot it would instantly hurt.

Tomorrow I think I'll swim and do the afternoon cycle class.
I'm hoping after a nights sleep it will again st\rt to feel normal again

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Wednesday and feeling good

A double cycle class was on the menu today. Completed it with no back pain at all but it did feel tight on and off throughout the class. Also got a leg workout done which included some plyometrics with no back pain.
No pain in the back as the day went on.
I think its time to try and do another slow run tomorrow and see how it feels

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tuesday. swim, acupuncture, 6k plod and physio

I was going to get up early and do the 6:15am cycle class but I was absolutely bloody tired and it took no convincing to go back to sleep and let my body rest a bit longer. Back felt wonderful this morning.

So instead I went to Woywoy pool and swam 2k in 38:55 then off to see Kristi-Anna so she could stick needles in my back.

With my back feeling good I went to the gym as I had to see Stan (physio) but before I saw him I got on the treadmill and at a snail pace I ran 6k in 41min stopping every 2k to make sure the back was ok. Mostly just felt tight until the last 500m when it was getting uncomfortable.

Physio next and he mainly massages around QL area then stretches and mobilization techniques

Monday, June 09, 2014

Saturday, Sunday and Monday.....a bit of fun at South West Rocks

Woke up Saturday with a back that just felt perfect! Was off to South West Rocks today with Greg Brown picking me up about 9:30am. First up though I got a cycle class done at 7:45am and my back was fine in that.
Rest of the day was spent heading up to South West Rocks and catching up with some other friends

Sunday was the morning of the marathon, half marathon and 10k and a few other smaller events that were held.
Perfect weather and with my back still feeling wonderful I rode around the course taking photos and cheering the runners on. My back was slightly sore in stages riding the bike and by the time I was finished riding it was pretty sore but it was feeling great again not too long later and felt great for the rest of the night

Monday again the back was feeling great. No pain what so ever. When I got home I had a massage to do and still felt fine in that but I did notice it was a little tight. I then went for a 1km run around the block and that stirred it up. Sore again from such a small little run. I guess it is on the mend and feels fantastic compared to a few weeks ago but it's still not ready to start running again and that's bloody annoying!

Friday, June 06, 2014

Wed, Thurs and Fri

So keeping my promise to myself and to blogging while I have this back injury the last 3 days have been mixed emotions.

Wednesday was a great day training wise. Started off by doing 30min on the stationary bike then 30min on the x-trainer. Back was a little sore after that.
I then saw Stan and had some physio then later I got body balance in. First time in a long time since I've done one of those. I then got to Mingara pool to swim 2km slow

Thursday was a day I had a sleep in. I was going to do a cycle class but couldn't be bothered and thought the extra sleep seemed a better idea.
I had to go to Newcastle to massage the Knights so I stopped off at Kotara fitness first to do some core work before work. Nothing else done today

Friday I woke up with the sore back. Very depressing and was quite annoyed. I just want this thing to go away. Almost 5 weeks now so it's frustrating not being able to do what I love doing and that's the joy and freedom of running out on the trails.
I got to the gym and did 48min on the stationary bike then off to Woyoy pool to swim 2km in about 39min then tonight I got in a cycle class. Back felt better tonight

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Need to keep track of this injury

I thought I should blog about this back injury so if I ever get it again I'll be able to come back to this and see how I got through it.

So what have I got? Some stupid ligament issue called my iliolumbar ligament that goes from the transverse process at the L5 and attaches to Iliac crest.

The first sign I had an issue with this ligament was 1 week before it crippled me. I was doing Mt Solitary ultra and about 10km from the finish running down a hill I felt discomfort in my lower back near my spine. It lasted a few km's then going up Kedumba hill for the last 7km it went away and never bothered me again. In fact I forgot all about it and thought all was rosy.
The next sign was the following Saturday when I was doing some massages in Canberra and just had a tight low back.
The next sign was the day it happened. I was out on the GNW with the Terrigal Trotters and after about 6km into a 33km trail run I got that same feeling I had a week earlier at the Mt Solitary race but this time it didn't go away. It didn't really slow me down but I could feel it getting worse. I should have stopped and walked but as we do I ran and paid the price.
From then on it just got worse and worse and when I thought it couldn't get any worse it got worse again!

2 days later I go and see Stan my physio and after ruling out SIJ he thinks it may be my facet Joint.

With the help of another friend Di I go and get a cortisone injection into the L4/L5 and L5/S1 facet joint and after 7 days of no real pain relief I get a 2nd injection this time in my iliolumbar ligament.
The pain level went from a 8/10 down to a 2/10 straight away. It was heaven!

The pain since then had stayed between a 0/10 to a 4/10. I still can't run but I did do 3km in 19min40sec yesterday but even going that slow stirred it up.

So it been like this
Week 1 - PAIN!
Week 2 - PAIN!
Week 3 - 2nd injection and I'm walking with slight discomfort and I tried a cycle class but got sore mid way though
Week 4 - This is where I'm up to now and I did a 3km slow slow slow run yesterday but wasn't too good after and today I've done a cycle class then I had to go to Parramatta to massage the Eels and got there early so walked6km trying to do some 100m jogging but found out I better just stick to the walking. Then later when I got back on the coast about 6pm I went back into the gym and did a leg workout that included lunges, squats, jumping lunges which were all done Bodyweight and also used the assisted chinup machine and got through it all pain free. I did try to run up and down on the spot but that's still painful

So things are on the mend!!


Sunday, June 01, 2014

The injured runner!

Injuries come and go. It doesn't matter if you are an elite athlete, a serious athlete or a weekend warrior. Sometime in our lives we all get injuries. Some people struggle with chronic injuries and some acute. Some people get recurring injuries every few yrs or so while other people get totally new ones.

For myself since I started running in 1999 I've had a lot and I've learnt a lot about how to win the battle against them not only physically but also mentally. Half the battle is the mental one!

The first injury I can remember getting was an achilles issue sometime in 1999. It put me out of action for about 4 or 5wks. I had no clue what to do. I didn't even have the internet back then so it was looking through old runners world magazines to see what this pain was. I was reading stuff about surgery and was freaking out! I was also stressing out that I couldn't run. I hated it! Then after about a month I was back out pounding the pavement again. I've had achilles issues twice since then. Once in 2009 after running hard out at Palmdale which took about 2 weeks to heal and I had issues with it again late last yr but with that one I had no pain just a puffy achilles so I took 4 weeks off to let it settle.

I've have the dreaded ITB. First time was back in 2000 when I was training for my first marathon which is now called the Blackmores marathon. I had no idea what this sharp stabbing pain in my knee was. All I knew was after about 20min of running it HURT! I remember thinking I had a knee injury and thought I was going to need knee surgery or something stupid like that. That one lasted about 6 weeks then came good only to haunt me again in 2009 when it came on all of a sudden running stairs in Bouddi National Park. The second time around I was out of action for 2 weeks then I back into it again.

I've had a strained quad and calf that's put me out of running for about a week

I've done cartilage damage to my ribs falling between two rocks after surfing and I was out of running action for 3 weeks and couldn't lie on my stomach for 9 months

I've dislocated my right shoulder about 8 times since I was 16yrs old and the last time was 5yrs ago ocean swimming out at Terrigal. That put me out of running for 2 weeks.

In 2010 I suffered with High hamstring tendinopathy and got it again in 2012

In 2011 I had a very nasty groin injury on both legs. That was awful and I couldn't run for 5 months between January and May.

In June 2011 I pinched a nerve in my L5-S1 and that was absolutely painful!!! Took 8 weeks to settle

Then last yr in 2013 I got my very first stress fracture in my right fibula but other than running I had no pain at all.

And now in 2014 I got a stress reaction in my tibia after doing C2K a 240km race which took 6 weeks to heal but this one only hurt if I pushed on the bone

Other things I've had peroneus brevis tendon pain in my foot which took 2 weeks to heal.

Had a sore knee for 1 week after running Narrabeen Allnighter race for 12hrs on concrete turning at a witches cone every 1 mile

Got a sore foot that put me out of action for about 2 weeks...No idea what that one was

Had morton's neuroma once which felt like I had a stone in my foot. That went away in about 3 weeks but didn't stop me running.

And right now I've pulled my iliolumbar ligament in my back.

So in 15yrs of running I've had a few injuries and I know if I let those injuries heal they will get better. Most get better in 2-4wks. Some are a little more stubborn though

Believe it or not I don't actually mind if I get an injury because if I never got an injury I'd just keep training hard all yr round without a break and I believe I would burn out.

Things I've learnt from injuries is never train through them. Just about all my injuries have just come on without much warning. My stress fracture last yr I had plenty of warning but ignored it but the rest came without much warning. The warning signs are probably there but I didn't recognise them.

I've done 2 ocean swim races that I loved that if it wasn't for running injuries I would never had done

I've learnt to enjoy swimming, bike riding and general cross training more. I've learnt that I enjoy running and training more than competing. That's why if I get injured I swim, and ride lot's and if I can't do a race then so be it.
I did get a little pissed that I got injured 2 weeks out from TNF100km race this yr though but at the end of the day I've done 3 ultras already this yr.

I've learnt that resting with an injury is a chance for me to recover and let my body heal.


So when my back gets better and if my injury history is anything to go by I should be back in 2 or 3 weeks I will then get back into it again train like a demon for 6-12 months until I get another niggle then take a few weeks off for recovery then train like a demon again which at the end of the day suits me fine :-)