Yesterday's Gone!

It’s not over until the fat lady sings as they say. Well if anyone has a request, she took to the stage today and has been belting out hit after hit. Her opening number was this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDN9y2vTdUs

I started my running program on Anzac Day and within 60 seconds I knew it had to be the end. There was pain in my foot. It was bearable but it was far from encouraging.

All along I have pushed to be ready for this event. In training when all was well I did many weeks of 100kms approx. One week I got close to 130km. I have run up and down agonising hills in the Dandenongs in the middle of the night. I have run in pouring rain and in over 40 degree heat. I have done several ultra trail events. I have run 80km in 8 and a half hours. I have run 6 days each week for well over a year.

Since I have been injured on February 20, I have done everything possible to recover in time. Professional advice from a GP, a Physio, a Sports Med Doctor and a Podiatrist has all leant towards the thought that it would not be so wise to do the event. I chose not to ignore that advice but rather take it on board and find out for myself if it was going to be possible. I followed a program from my doc religiously, wore the ‘moon boot’ every waking hour and felt that if I could get through this program and be running pain free prior to the event then I would give it a crack. As stated earlier, I haven’t been able to Run Free. So now there’s 382 days to go(2012).Maybe even 747 days(2013). Who knows? Who knows if my Maths is correct?

A while ago the thought of being unable to do this event was just plain ugly. I imagined I would be devestated but I’m not. Far  from it. My very awesome wife made things clear for me on Anzac Day. She said, “you are missing out on one event but you get to keep running forever.” The damage I could have done if I pressed forward might have had me out for months to a year or more. Now that I’m not doing the event, I know for sure I’ll be back to running normally pretty soon-ish.

So today I joined a gym for three months. I am going to go every week day while I’m on long service leave. I can build up core strength and flexibilty, focus on nutrition and all those other things you’re meant to do when running long.

So if no one else has any requests, I might aske the lady to sing this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8arvEzHsA8

22 Days to Go

I saw a podiatrist today. She checked me on video while I walked on a treadmill. The upshot being that I could do with some orthotics. Apparently my metatarsals are at quite a pronounced angle and and there’s a fair bit of pressure smashing down on them poor little suckers. So the Pod. , whacked a bit of plaster on both feet to get a mould for some custom made supports. They aint cheap but they’re going to minimise the chance of fractures in the future.

We also spoke of the pros and cons of taking pain killers during the race. The cons being I won’t know if I’m doing damage during the run and the pros being I won’t know if I’m doing damage during the run.

The program from here is

To 25/4 – boot off when home, deep water running, exercise bike and some x-trainer

25/4 – Start walk/jog program – on alternate days, in between days bike and DWR.

Level 1 – 4min walk, 1 min jog x 4 = 20 mins followed by ice

Level 2 – 3min walk, 2 min jog x 4

Level 3 – 2 min walk, 3 jog x 4

Level 4  – 1 min walk, 4 jog x 4

Level 5 – 20 min jog

That will take me to May 3^rd. Hopefully continue running gently for another week then head to the Blue Mountains on the 11^th, couple of days of nothing then 100km in hopefully between 17 and 20 hours. Starting to get a little bit nervous.

On Track

It’s been a good week. Not only is it the first of 14 weeks worth of holidays but I went and saw my Sports Med Doc and she was really pleased with my progress. She had me jumping and hopping on the ‘sore’ foot  and I only really felt it on very minor level. So that was good, my flexibility was good and any difference between the fractured and the good foot when she poked and prodded was hardly noticeable.

The Doc has given me a program to follow that takes me right up to a 4-5 day taper before the tip-toe through the mountains. I start walk/running in two weeks and will hopefully cope with that without any flare ups. I am also going to see a podiatrist and get fitted with a small orthotic that will make the 2^nd metatarsal float like a butterfly, it will be that well supported.

Finally got back to training, on a bike, with Seb and Gully on Sunday morning. We went up and down Waverley rd hill near Springvale rd. It’s a teenage skater’s biggest challenge and it’s a skater’s parents worse nightmare. A monster of a hill. I will be back again this week for some more quad pain.

So with 30 days to go I am still being cautious but getting more confident that all will be OK. My Doc was concerned that if I get too excited about the fact I am virtually pain free then I would do too much too soon. I assured her that if I break down it will be in the race, not before. Just got to get on the start line.

36 days to go

Slow and steady is going to win my race. That will be the motto on May 14 on the start line. I won’t have any choice but to go super slow. For one thing since Feb 20, I haven’t got one single real kilometer in the legs and secondly, well it’s a hundred kms. I keep forgetting that minor detail. I have been completely focussed on my injury. Every step I take is an analysis of degree of pain to assess where my recovery is at. It isn’t quite doing my head in but it is probably dominating too much time & space in the cranium.

However, there have also been a stack of moments recently when I have thought of how I am missing running with the D-Mac crew and The Glow Boys. D-Mac crew is a bunch of guys, most of whom I went to school with and the Glow is Seb and Gully, my long run, running mates. These are the facts and they cannot be denied – I do miss all of them because aside from the running there’s a truck load of social chat that goes on as we step, step, step. It’s so social sometimes that you forget you’re running and a couple of free kms clock up.

One door closes temporarily and another opens maybe forever. The amount of people that I’ve come into contact with and the support I’ve received because of the injury has been amazing.

It started with my Physio, Phil. When you walk in not knowing what’s going on it’s very comforting to be in the care of someone so knowledgable, skilled and honest.

My Sports Med doctor Bianca suggested I shelve ideas of doing the upcoming ultra but as soon as she realised I was still keen to attempt it she was on board and giving me a program to get there.

My sister, the nurse, gave some of the best advice ever when Seb and I were wondering about the possility of irrepairable damage. That advice is that unless I pretty much sever my spinal cord, I’m not gonna be doing any irrepairable damge on this run.

People I have never met personally but have chatted with on TNF100 forums have been so supportive and the realisation is that there are many other struggling to get on the start line. We’ll help each other on the day too.

Parents of kids I teach – One today, a podiatrist, said to come and see him if need be. Another last week dropped off an aqua jogger for me to use in the pool. I love that aqua jogger, it works a treat. Others have just been wishing me well constantly.

There’s so many more positive people who keep pushing up and encouraging me to get well and get running. It’s been huge. Today I received a card (see above) from my year 5 class as I left them to go on long service leave. I will carry the card on the run in my pack. When I cross the finish line I will get a photo taken holding that card and send it to the kids. Now when you make a statement like that, you just gotta get it done. We’ll see.

Thanks so much to all mentioned here and the countless others who keep me moving forward.