Sorry, I know it's been a couple of months since I posted. It's a combination of things.
I've started a new job, which for 3 days a week means I have a 2 hour commute each way. So I get up at 6am, and cycle on a rented folding bike, to the local train station. I get a train for 1 hour and 15 mins, then a 2 mile cycle to the office. I get there at 08:40am. I then do the same in reverse and get home about 7pm each night, if the train is on time. I then cook, and eat, and perhaps get an hour to do something else before it's time for bed. I have been doing some short runs during lunch, but nothing when I get back as I'm fairly tired from all the cycling to be honest. A run at 7pm is the last thing on my mind.
I've still been suffering from the same back pain, and buttock pain. I think the drop-off of activity has actually contributed and my back is weaker. It's a vicious cycle. I can't run long because of my back, and yet I need to increase my activity to feel good again.
As it stands I've not been in a desperate rush to correct it. After Nepal, almost a year ago, I pretty much wrote of 2012 as a rest year. I think I did just one or two long events this year, and nothing since April.
I've been pretty busy organising the Dusk 'til Dawn ultra. To say I've not been running isn't true, because I have been leading several recces each month over parts of the Dusk til Dawn course for the participants. I've only been running 12-16 miles at a time, sometimes back to back on a weekend. So, I have not been totally idle, but I have not been putting in 30-40 mile+ weeks like I usually would. Not having an event to train for is another factor that reduces the drive to train. My cardio fitness is actually pretty good, I can run up hills fairly well still, fitness probably aided by all the cycling, but my back is pretty terrible. My chiropractor says that I'm so misaligned, and my SI joint has so little motion that all my back, groin, and leg muscles are overworking so hard that they are tiring very fast. This is certainly how it feels. I can get to about 12-15 miles by which time I am in some pretty serious pain, and my stride length has got so short I'm barely shuffling. I'm told I need a few weeks worth of treatment, several treatments a week, to put me on the path to recovery just so I can start to re-strengthen. It's pretty unpleasant to have it very clearly demonstrated just how inflexible my hips are. I'm am getting 50% less stride length on my right leg than my left, and that just gets shorter as the miles go by. If you are particularly interested in SI pain, this video will tell you all about it! I seen my uncle who is a Sheffield chiropractor and he has given me some good advice too.
Dusk til Dawn is on October 27th, after which I've decided to start a strengthening again in November. I'll train my base fitness all over winter, hit the gym a few times a week, and do some Pilate's or yoga to get the flexibility back. Hopefully by January I will be able to take part in some 20 -25 mile LDWA's and try and build up from that to ultras by the time that La Trans Aq comes around at the end of May. That is the only event that I have entered at all so far. I'll just have to see how things progress over the next few months. Hopefully I'll get back up to fitness again. I've done it before, several times...
So, I'm not likely to post in the next three weeks as Dusk til Dawn will keep me crazy busy.
When November roles around, cue the Rocky theme again.
I've started a new job, which for 3 days a week means I have a 2 hour commute each way. So I get up at 6am, and cycle on a rented folding bike, to the local train station. I get a train for 1 hour and 15 mins, then a 2 mile cycle to the office. I get there at 08:40am. I then do the same in reverse and get home about 7pm each night, if the train is on time. I then cook, and eat, and perhaps get an hour to do something else before it's time for bed. I have been doing some short runs during lunch, but nothing when I get back as I'm fairly tired from all the cycling to be honest. A run at 7pm is the last thing on my mind.
I've still been suffering from the same back pain, and buttock pain. I think the drop-off of activity has actually contributed and my back is weaker. It's a vicious cycle. I can't run long because of my back, and yet I need to increase my activity to feel good again.
As it stands I've not been in a desperate rush to correct it. After Nepal, almost a year ago, I pretty much wrote of 2012 as a rest year. I think I did just one or two long events this year, and nothing since April.
I've been pretty busy organising the Dusk 'til Dawn ultra. To say I've not been running isn't true, because I have been leading several recces each month over parts of the Dusk til Dawn course for the participants. I've only been running 12-16 miles at a time, sometimes back to back on a weekend. So, I have not been totally idle, but I have not been putting in 30-40 mile+ weeks like I usually would. Not having an event to train for is another factor that reduces the drive to train. My cardio fitness is actually pretty good, I can run up hills fairly well still, fitness probably aided by all the cycling, but my back is pretty terrible. My chiropractor says that I'm so misaligned, and my SI joint has so little motion that all my back, groin, and leg muscles are overworking so hard that they are tiring very fast. This is certainly how it feels. I can get to about 12-15 miles by which time I am in some pretty serious pain, and my stride length has got so short I'm barely shuffling. I'm told I need a few weeks worth of treatment, several treatments a week, to put me on the path to recovery just so I can start to re-strengthen. It's pretty unpleasant to have it very clearly demonstrated just how inflexible my hips are. I'm am getting 50% less stride length on my right leg than my left, and that just gets shorter as the miles go by. If you are particularly interested in SI pain, this video will tell you all about it! I seen my uncle who is a Sheffield chiropractor and he has given me some good advice too.
Dusk til Dawn is on October 27th, after which I've decided to start a strengthening again in November. I'll train my base fitness all over winter, hit the gym a few times a week, and do some Pilate's or yoga to get the flexibility back. Hopefully by January I will be able to take part in some 20 -25 mile LDWA's and try and build up from that to ultras by the time that La Trans Aq comes around at the end of May. That is the only event that I have entered at all so far. I'll just have to see how things progress over the next few months. Hopefully I'll get back up to fitness again. I've done it before, several times...
So, I'm not likely to post in the next three weeks as Dusk til Dawn will keep me crazy busy.
When November roles around, cue the Rocky theme again.
