Rehab: Splish

The perceived wisdom of all - when confronted with the news of my "sports injury" - is that swimming would be a good idea. Keep my cardio up, no impact, win-win. There's actually little else that one can do that is active but does not use and abuse calf muscles in some way. Competitive chocolate eating is apparently not active per se (who knew?!).

Since I follow all advice given to me on the training front (unless it involves, um, lots of exercise), today I went off to embrace the water.

I would like to say that my efforts left me looking like a sleek and supple otter, cutting through the (non-existent) waves like a knife. However, I rather fear that I more closely resembled a rather tired jelly fish that had to cling to some driftwood every so often before setting forth into the deeps once more. Except I was in a swimming pool and the sea life was in frankly short supply, that's pretty much how it went. I slogged my way dutifully through 10 lengths, calf muscle seems fine, halo is aglo.

Except... My feeble T-rex arms are apparently part of a strong anti-swimming lobby. Which is odd. But, anyway, they are the latest muscles (no idea whether it's the biceps or triceps and don't care) to come out in support of the wounded (not dead) calf muscles. We are fast approaching general strike territory... My current injury status is thus that my calf seems to be find, but I can't really use my arms at the moment. Awesome!

Tomorrow I expect that I shall find myself bereft of expression when my facial muscles join the party better-late-than-never.

*sigh*

:o)

Stats, Today

Running time/distance: 0 mins, 0 miles (Resting...)
Swimming time/distance: 20 mins, 250 metres (! Even less gifted at this than running!!)

Rehab: Rest and stress

So KT's expert advice on dealing with the sports injury was ice, Ibuprofen and rest. Obviously, the unspoken piece of advice there was "and chocolate" as it was so obvious.

The rest I've got down pat (as recent experience has shown). The chocolate was also easy to square away. The Ibuprofen I've mostly been remembering to take. The ice...

My left calf now thinks that it has been sent to Siberia on its own.

- Why? Why am I being forced to endure such cold?
- You just sit there on that bag of frozen peas and think about it: I'm sure that it'll come to you in time...

Apart from comedy moments at work (it is really not possible to work normally whilst elevating one's leg on top of an ice pack), the ice thing has also been happening.

Leg appears better (although the "pain" is now flitting around various muscles in both legs and my right shoulder has also come out in sympathy). It is somewhat hard to tell as all the tests for one's leg being recovered/ready to re-start training I can do now. I could do them the day after the "injury". I begin to suspect malingering...

All this is fine and good, but I have half marathons and lengthy cycles to complete in short order and there really should be some training going on...

Desperate Google searches on how to train for a half-marathon without running continue...

Hopping onwards!

:o)

Stats, Today
Running time/distance: 0 mins, 0 miles (Resting...)

10k: Injury! Injury! They've all got it, uh, injury!

I have a sports injury! An actual sports injury! Of some description...

Disaster looms...

So, today I'm off out, doing another 10k jowalk for the Proclaimers Challenge and 3km into the run something went wrong with my calf. It felt like it had scrunched itself up, and wouldn't un-scrunch. And that was a fun way to jowalk through 10km, let me tell you...!!

As I'm still hobbling around with a very whiny calf (muscle?), I believe that this may be an official sports injury and that, therefore, the whole Proclaimers Challenge may now be in danger!!

As the treatment is likely to involve rest and relaxation... This may be an on-going drama, as I have another 10k next weekend and then 2 half-marathons the 2 weekends after...!! I, well, just can't be injured right now...

And the calf! I mean - used for both cycling and running!! How am I going to train now??!! Aaargh!!

In other news, the 10k today was quite nice (sunny, scenic, flat) apart from the gale-force winds. Which were quite hard work, it has to be said. Particularly whilst dragging one leg behind me dramatically...

Exercise. It's bad for you. Fact!!

;o}

Stats, Today
Running time/distance: 1 hr 16 mins, 10k (Done!)

10k: Summer fun

The joys of jowalking in July: too hot!

It may well be that there are only a handful of days per year that I am actually willing to describe as good running days... There can't be any rain. It can't be too hot. Some sun is nice. Light winds permissable.

Today started looking like it would be overcast and warm but not hot... Then the sun came out. Blooming hard work!

On the other hand, I had people cheering me on, the course was relatively flat, and I wasn't last! AND I properly knocked 7 mins off my previous 10k times for this year. All in all, practicaly a red letter day!!

On the other hand... All in all the Sunday lunch that followed (pork shoulder and Yorkshire pudding) was much more my thing, and my favourite part of the day. Yum!

:oD

Stats, Today
Running time/distance: 1 hr 14 mins, 10k (Done!)

Training: Holidays!

Well, it's the holiday time of year - sun, fun, frolicking and such like.

Admittedly, I got a little carried away last week - having one weekend off was not really supposed to turn into an entire week off from training... But there you go.

Of course, it wasn't helped by the traditional summer weather. Last week, it was relatively sunny and warm as long as I was at work. Several evenings I intended to go for a run after work, which I was really looking forward to (this may be a lie): however, as soon as I got home rain threatened and/or appeared and that was that.

This week, we've gone all warm but kept (for the most part) the heavy clouds (which have been suspiciously black for most of today). All of which means that the humidity is quite impressively high, it's too muggy to walk anywhere let alone "run", and at any moment the skies will open for some torrential rain (we actually have flood warnings!).

It does occur to me that I may be living in the wrong country given I'm pretty much prepared only to go jowalking if there's absolutely no hint of rain...

Anyway, vaguely attempting to wind up to a July without a weekend off but liberally strewn with lots of random sporting events that I don't really want to do.

Hooray for summer, indeed...

:o)

Stats, Wednesday
Cross-trainer time/distance: 41 mins, 5 miles [Level 5]