Thursday, June 17, 2010

Wake up call.

I would like to start off by saying that today was another great day in the water. I entered with only one thought in my head - nice, easy swim. Did I do that? I think so but I added a couple of sprints in there to spice things up a bit. Here's the session:

  • 500m Fr/s Warm up
  • 8 x100m Fr/s sighting the first 25m.
  • 10 x 50m kick with flippers
  • 20 x 25m sprints Fr/s, Bk/s Br/s, Fr/s
  • 300m cool down
The last two days gave me alot to think about while I was swimming. Like, what in God's name am I trying to get out of my running. Well, I want to run my Half Marathon, I want to run all the smaller races inbetween now and then keep up the training all the way to my 70.3 next year. Okay, so if that's what I want to do and I have never, ever, ever been a runner before and I want nothing else but to get there injury free then I need to let up a little. I have been trying to get this baby to sprint before it could even walk and the result is aggravation of my SIJ's which has caused intense pain in my right hip and groin two days after my 7km run in the city and 7km bridge run. The X-rays I had yesterday also revealed an 'os acetabulae' or bony spur on the head of my femur.

Okay, so what does all this mean. Well, the word S-L-O-W comes to mind when it involves running. Not that I have to run slowly, just that I have to increase my mileage slowly. I had looked back over my training over the last month or so and I had gone from running about 10km a week to last week running 24km. What was I expecting. Something had to give a little and my weak back is letting me know that it didn't appreciate it. So I have vowed to myself that I will once and for all listen to myself. I will take heed and not tempt fate anymore. I must and will increase my kilometres slowly, and if I feel the need to do more kilometres because I think my numbers are too small for the week I will take it out on the bike. There, I said it.

So, tomorrow is another day of physio and I am sure there will be more bruises cropping up - oh well. Lisa has shown me another new trick to add to the collection. I have to get a golf ball, put it on the floor and then (wait for it) roll my right buttock on it as my "buns of steel" have too many trigger points on it. Holy cow are the only words (well not really) that come to mind. There are many more but I am trying to keep this clean. I have this one trigger point at about the 12 o'clock mark that sends a spasm down the back of my leg. But after some 10 secs of applying pressure it settles and I find myself relaxing on the ball and not feeling it at all. But, you guessed it, when I move to a new spot I go cross eyed.
Thank goodness I don't stay looking like this.

In terms of the running I will be guided by what physio says tomorrow. Fingers crossed they will stand firm with what they said yesterday and I should be able to go for a run. I was hoping before all of this happened to do a 10km run but I will go for a run around the block - 8km if all feels good. And yes I will run nicely and calmly.

Your hard work will be rewarded.

"The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination. And though it has many stumbling blocks along the way, and may go in more than one direction, it is travelled by belief and courage and conquered with a willingness to face challenges and take chances" Barbara Cage