Healing, Berlin and new priorities

Rather than dwelling what has been in running terms a nightmare 6 months lets focus on where I am now. I started out in October doing 3 light jogs a week, around 20-25 minutes a time, all around Charleville at a slow snail pace of around 9,20 a mile. I had to take a break for the last week busy on a personal front and then picked up a chest infection which lead me to take a few days off work. Today (Sunday) was a surprisingly good day knocking off a easy 6 mile at 9 minute pace. Hope fully I can can get 3 X 1 hour jogs at a steady pace by the New Year. Then I can think about speedwork after that and then about races in February onwards. The ankle is better without doubt but i have to be a lot better at being rigorous about doing my physio. The arm is better too but not 100% and it may never be

In terms of long term plans (even though these days I am scared to think too far ahead) for running the big news is that my entry for the Berlin marathon has been accepted. I found this out while at Accident and Emergency on Wednesday night (nothing serious all fine) so that was a definite shot in the arm. Berlin is massive news for me and a big motivator for me to get back training for a marathon. I don't know if I will ever get back even attempting to push for a PB but I will be settling a the moment to simply get to the start line fit and fresh, It is after all 9 months away.

Let's keep it simple. Running is my hobby but it ain't my priority,

More plans and updates

12^th July

I was on the whole pretty happy with my plan a few weeks ago to walk 1 hour every day. I was walking 3.75 miles a hour, around 16 minute pace. It was going well that is until the Saturday when the ankle starting swelling up again so back to the R.I.C.E thing for the last few weeks, limiting the walking to 30 minutes a day. I did get a appointment for the fracture clinic in the CUH for next Thursday week so hopefully the healing process on the arm will have shown to have gone well. I think it is going well as it is, mobility is much improved, able to lift my arm above my head and side to side. It’s also able to bear some weight in that cleaning my teeth, holding a spoon or a cup of tea is fine. Anything in terms pushing a trolley, lifting a shopping bag or wielding a hammer/saw is a bit trickier .I still can’t put my hand behind my back or bring down quickly. That has it’s advantages- being able to dodge domestic duties when required though I think my dearly beloved is beginning to cotton on.

Driving is still out of the question until the clinic give me the go ahead and sleep is a fitful exercise at times. I suspect the poor sleep has much to do with the fact I am not actually doing anything during the day as anything else. I don’t think uploading 600 albums on my iPod or getting through entire box sets of House of Cards or Narco’s counts as work. I am pretty good at spending time in my company so it’s good opportunity to catch up on some reading as well.

As to when I will returning to light jogging I don’t know it depends on the doctors and physio’s opinion. However as it is nearly 5 weeks since I went running I don’t think any running will extend beyond any more than a walk/jog for quite a while.

I do indulge in dreaming up some running plans over the next 12 months but with a new arrival on the way in November (fingers crossed) it might stay a dream for a long time. At the moment I will settle for running for fitness – happy to get out 3-4 times a week, hopefully starting in early August. It does mean I will have to defer a few races I have entered – Charleville 13.1 and the Galway Bay marathon. The hunger for racing is a different thing entirely. It has been a issue since last August when on holidays in Spain I picked up a stomach bug which made me compromise on my training for Frankfurt. I did bounce back to record a decent time in the marathon in October followed again by a good spell of training in November and early December resulting in a PB in the Newmarket 5k. This in turn was followed by a tough spell at xmas and a average race in the Dungarvan 10 miler in January. February was marked by work and personal stuff taking priority and a large dose of the flu which wrecked a decent chance of doing well in the Ballycotton 10. Looking back it was obvious I was dealing with a lot on my plate. March – May were good months for running in that I was taking part running solid times but the Cork half marathon was a nightmare situation. I dropped out at mile 8 not happy with the mess at the start and having messed up my pacing. That is something I hope I will never do again. However I was building up a good head of steam in terms of racing and was hopeful of setting one or two PB’s before  the fall and break happened.

From a positive point of view it means that at least I can enjoy running from August onwards to the rest of the year without worrying about races. Build up my base, add some speed and hopefully by xmas be in a position to decide what to do next. I will probably watch McGee at a few races and hopefully catch up with my Mallow clubmates as well. Aoiffe said saw no reason why I still can’t train and run  marathon’s for the foreseeable future.  That’s great support from the people who counts. We will see how it goes.

A break rather than a tear.

Week ending 26^th June

Blimey the last entry was very gloomy. That said I haven’t made my mind up about what the situation is regard to running, weather I will get back into racing at all. For purposes of fitness I would be disappointed not to get back running by August but training for races I don’t know.

I had a MRI on Wednesday (200 smackaroos) and to my surprise it wasn’t a muscle tear I have suffered at all but a fracture of the upper arm (proximal humerous). This was much better news as it shouldn’t mean any surgery but a simple case of letting nature take it’s time and keeping it a sling. It means I should be driving by August and while physio can take up to 4 months it’s a case of easy as it goes rather than anything too involved.

 A muscle tear would have required surgery and lots of post operation recovery. The left foot ankle feels much better. I am doing my exercise and trying to a bit of walking every morning , usually 45mins to a hour. Walking bores the shit out of me so it was a handy excuse to buy that i Pod I always wanted. I’m currently uploading 600 CD’s as I speak. A nice project. It keeps me out of trouble. Sleeping is a big problem. I  can't put weight on my shoulder or arm when in bed and i have to pretty much sleep sitting up propping my back up with pillows. It usually means I can only get 6 hours of sleep a night. That said I catch up with naps during the day. The ankle is still rather swollen and while the x rays showed up no breaks it does concern me somewhat. That said walking isn't a issue

Bar the arm issue the summer is going well so far. Teachers (unpaid) holidays,plenty of books to read, football on the box, (Ireland just lost to France but at least did so with pride), garden is coming along well as is my lovely wife. Having some good social meet up with friends is nice too. No summer holidays this year but on the whole things are ok. Everyone I know and love is in good health.

The thrill is gone. Injury update.

Week ending 19^th June

Any future running plans are to be put on hold indefinitely for a long time to come as a result of my fall on the 9^th June. I wrote in my last entry I entered the Galway Bay marathon  (a couple of days before I fell).I thought, after the X-Rays ruled out a fracture, I only had a heavy sprain and that it would clear up in a 2 week period. Unfortunately this will not be the case. I am waiting to be called in for a MRI scan to see or confirm if I do have a rotatory cuff injury in my shoulder.This is a muscle tear that limits movement of the upper arm. Lifting, reaching out, side movement are all effected. Either way if this is the case (and it is suspected it is) recovery - be it through physical therapy or orthopedic surgery will take up to 2 – 3 months if not longer. This assumes of course I do get called for that MRI promptly. All these delays between the fall, x rays, MRI and resolution impact on recovery time and I find it all very frustrating . Viva -  the health service!!!!

 Running considerations aside , in terms of more important real life issues like mobility , driving, lifting,  being able to sleep correctly, all these at the moment have proven to be difficult (lifting and sleeping) or impossible (driving- lots of reliance on public transport). At the most I can only lift my arm to chest height, reaching any higher or over is impossible. I also won’t be able to correct the state exams for the summer, so there is a financial impact as well.

Anyway back to running. It’s hard not to consider giving up on the whole idea of taking part any more in races or marathon training. Since 2012 my times in general have either disimproved or remained stagnant. Injuries seem to have become a regular part of running to the point that it becomes expensive or foolish to continue. You have to wonder about continuing in a sport/ hobby that actually takes a toll on your physical well being and ends up costing a small fortune in recovery. All of these makes even less sense when you realise I am at best a mid pack runner. Even in terms of PB’s I haven’t PB’ed a marathon since 2012, a 10k since 2012, a 4 mile ,5 mile or a half marathon since 2013 or a 10 mile race since 2014.

Even on the club scene it’s frightening the amount of people who are getting constantly injured and while many of these injuries are hardly serious they do seem to be very common (PF, slipped kneecap’s, twisted ankle, I.T band and so on). 

I even know of club runners who have dislocated shoulders or under gone major surgery to repair damaged bones or tissue (hip replacements and knee replacements) and have had to take time off work as a result simply because of running. There seems to be too much of a casual acceptance to injury on the club scene for me at the moment to make it attractive any more.

It also seems to follow that once a cycle of injuries start it seems to be a regular issue for participants. In my case I have had at least one injury issue or bodily stress issue every year since 2010 – all running related. This time is probably the most serious as I seemed to trip and fall for no reason, it wasn’t as if there was a outside factor that caused it. My leg just gave way and down I went. It could have happened to me at any time and while it could happen to anyone even non runners  it was a shock. Even the staff in Mallow general said these days the amount of cyclists with broken collarbones and runners with tissue damage or fractures is way on the increase.

A gloomy entry I accept but it’s the way I see it. Once we get things sorted here with the shoulder maybe things will look better in a few months but I can’t see myself hitting the roads for a long time yet.

the harder they fall

10th June.

I had originally targeted the Cork city half marathon as a goal race to end off what was a decent training block which started with the 4 mile Boherbue race. The plan was then to focus on a possible marathon in August or October. I had run a good race in the Killarney half marathon and a solid time in the Ballindreen 5 mile in May (34.32) so I was hopeful. However things were a bit of a disaster on a number of fronts. Runners were misdirected at the very start of the race and ending up running a half mile extra before they reached the first official mile marker. This meant there was no chance of anyone getting a proper PB. I ended up running the first 3 miles at what was in effect too fast a pace and by mile 7 I was beginning to wilt. It was very hot but my mindset was all over the place knowing I wouldn't get any where near a PB or a course best. I decided to pull the plug before the official 8 mile marker(8.7 miles on my watch) deciding there was little point in wearing myself out running a 13.5 mile plus race. My buddy Aidan and my Mallow clubmates all finished the race in what was a hopelessly organised event. I don't know if I will be back doing next year. It was my own decision to drop out though and I should have adopted a more sensible pacing strategy. Having run close to 20 half marathons and DNF'ed 2 I think I made the correct decision. I won't be dropping out of races  again though unless I am injured or sick.

Tuesday I ran 4.5 miles at a slow 9 minute pace with a HR reading of 135 and I was happy with that.

Thursday was a hell of a day. 4 miles into a routine 8 mile run I took a tumble near Harrison's place and landed heavily on my shoulder. I got a bit of a shock and I had a terrible time getting back to my house. I feared I dislocated my shoulder and broke a bone in my ankle (it was quite swollen), Thnakfully the local park keeper spotted my distress and dropped me back home lecturing me on the dangers of running !!!!!

 Thankfuly the ankle was only swollen and the shoulder while sore , battered and bruised wasn't broken or dislocated. This was confirmed by the good people at Mallow general hospital in the disgracefully downgraded A and E department , now called the local injury unit. I can't drive a car for at least a week and general mobility is at 50 %, Running is out of the question for a similar period of time, maybe longer. As the pictures show the grazing is light enough but the ankle is swollen.

I did enter the Galway Bay marathon set to be held on the 1st October, That will be the focus of my training when I do get back running.The course consists of 4 X 10km loops plus 2.2 km. To be honest I don't know whether it will be a well organised low key event or a badly organised one. Time will tell, lets get the training done first.

Race update

Week ending 15^th May

I have been averaging around 35 miles – 40 miles a week. It’s reasonable mileage and I have been trying to run one race a week. No PB’s set in any of them but they weren’t all that bad time wise either. Essentially they were all in the average range. I am probably one of the slower runners in the club now whereas once I was a solid midpack runner. The standard is getting better all the time.

Ballintotis 4 mile in 27.20, Carrigtwohill 4 mile in 27.23, Cobh 10 mile (very tough – went out too fast) 1.14.04,

Midleton 5 mile in 34.28, Killarney Lakes half marathon 1.35.58. See photo below and my rather odd running stride.

I have also been putting in a bit of speedwork on Tuesdays (8 x 2 mins and 5 x 1 miles at 6.45 pace) with the usual long run on Sunday and when possible throwing in a few marathon pace runs or hill runs up in Cork. I haven’t run many club sessions apart from the Doneraile hill sessions. Just too busy with work and looking after family members.

At this stage my aims over the summer are to stay injury free, get around 40 miles a week in, get a good race in once a week and hopefully one of two PB’s. In terms of marathons I won’t be running either Frankfurt or the Dublin marathon or any marathon at all for probably a long time. Longford might be a option in August. Impending parenthood has a (nice) habit of changing my plans..

2 week snap

Week ending 24^th April

I ran around 32 miles this week and 33 miles the week before. Not high mileage at all but good workouts. Mondays consisted of a 2 mile walk each time with my wife. I normally prefer a 40 mile easy jog but I enjoy the chat with Aoiffe and it has pretty much the same impact. Tuesday last week was 7 miles, maybe 8 miles with 2 X 15 minute inserts in the middle. I covered over 2.2 miles each time at around 7.08 – 7.10 pace and on Wednesday after a long drive up and down to Tralee with my mum (she got the knee done) I did around 6 miles in Mayfield. Hopefully I get up there a bit more in the next few months. Thursday was another MP run of around 7 miles at 7.45 pace. I kept the pace controlled and the Hr was at 155. No run on Friday and I had to forego the Doneraile hill session with the club running 10.5 miles in Charleville early in the morning. Sunday morning was another early start heading to the Fota flower show for the day. A good week but far from hard core either.

This week was more of the same. 2 mile walk with Aoiffe. 7 miles on Tuesday with 8 x 2 minutes at 6.35 average pace. Wednesday a very tired 7 miles at 8.30 pace and a 4 mile race in Ballintotis. I haven’t run here in 3 years. I Pb’ed at the time 27 minutes according to the clock but in reality 26mins 57 seconds according to my garmin. This time I ran a pretty solid time. I didn’t wear a garmin for this one but lost around 10 seconds at mile 3 and another 10 at mile 4. Again far from the finished deal but I was happy enough with the time of 27mins22seconds (chipe timing helps). Clive and Paudie had cracking races. No running as usual Friday and slept out Saturday morning and was basically lazy for the day. I ran 12 miles this morning at 6.30 am at 8.30 pace. Hr was 148 spending the rest of the day watching the London marathon.

As I say a good two weeks but plenty plenty to work on.