I'm Back, Baby

... in the immortal words of George Costanza.

Well the return to running plan is already out the window. 44k in 5 sessions. All easy 4:40-5:00 whilst running, plenty of breaks for stretching.

I started carefully with 3k treadmill then 5k treadmill/2k road Mon and Wed respectively

Friday 10k on the road/paths in multiple small sections, max 2k at once (out there for well over an hour)
Saturday 10k, max 5k at once
Sunday 14k, max 7k at once

Knee a bit niggly first 5-10 min until it warms up, then OK unless steep up/down hill
I've obviously got some altered gait/abductor weakness as my inner heel is scraping the inside of the other leg/calf unless I concentrate on form.
Niggles in plantar fascia, calf,hamstrings and glutes are all to be expcted after a prolonged break but nothing I'm getting too excited about.

I'm going to upgrade my return schedule, would like to get up to 70k/week in the next 2 weeks then back to the 10% rule and if all is good start adding some hills/tempo intervals.

Ready and raring to go

OK - 17 days since the surgery, ready to go.

Stitches came out on Tuesday, have done some crosstrainer, water running, and a little exercise bike (although this still hurts a bit at the point of maximum flexion).

I can hear you all asking - have you run? Of course I've tried! I have little self control. So much so that I told the trainer at the gym to pull me up if he saw me trying to run on the treadmill this week. I did and he did.(I didn't get far before he noticed)

The wound which leaked has healed, but the area still balloons out when I do a ew minutes on the crosstrainer. Strapping it helps a little.

This week I intend to start some gentle running. I'll try to stick to treadmill initially, then some grass running down near Steve's, progressing to flat running on the path around the river. Hills will have to wait.

I've drawn up a fairly conservative return to running schedule,

Feb Wk 1 20k 4x5k
Feb wk 2 30k 4 runs, long 10
Feb wk 3 40k 4 runs long 12
Feb wk4 50k 5 runs long 15
Mar wk1 60k 5 runs long 18
Mar wk2 70k 6 runs long 21
Mar wk3 80k 6 runs long 25
Mar wk4 85k 6 runs long 30
Mar5,Apr1 90k 6 runs long 32

April wks 2 and 3 taper

Looking at it, maybe not so conservative. I suspect I'll be keen to do more in weeks 2 and 3, but then may be hit quite hard by the progressive mileage increase thereafter. I intend to make marathon goal pace 4:30s for now, and may not do anything faster than MP, certainly not in the first 5 weeks. If I'm training well and the knee is good I woud rather start adding in hills at MP at that point rather than tempos.

The only race I'll consider doing is Dalington half - my long run should be up to 21k that weekend and if things are good I'd look at doing it in 95.

Anyway, these plans are almost certain to change to some extent - but it's nice to have some direction.

In preparation I've been looking for running shoes. I've decided despite many pairs of shoes, they are all wrong or worn out, and I'm going back to Asics2130 exclusively. So I've been watching out for a bargain.

Back when we were down south at NewYear I found a pair my size at the Dunsborough sports store for $120, but since couldn't find any my size in Perth, only 2140/2150s. Then I noticed you could buy 2 pairs womens 2130s for $100 at JimKidd - WTF. I did some research, wnt down and am now the proud owner of 2 pairs size 12 (equiv mens 10.5) wide womens 2130s. They are a couple of mm narrower in the toe box but otherwise pretty much exactly the same as he mens.
I did need to get out the black laundry marker and make the colour scheme a little more masculine, but I'm keen to get out and try them.

It's a bit weird. I've read that more womens then mens running shoes are sold in Australia, but they obviously like buying new. Another example was DS trainers, never on sale in mens ($220) were $109 in womens!

But I digress. Hopefully a positive post next week about how well I've coped with returning to running!

(PS - I've enrolled for the Mona training weekend)

Scuppered

WARNING: This post may contain discussion of surgery and medical conditions. I have been reminded over the last week that not everyone is comfortable with this.

My plans of an accelerated recovery program (ala Jana Pittman ) were scuppered this week when I literally sprang a leak. I'd had Thurs-Sun effectively off my feet and seemed to be going well. I was allowed to go to work on Monday, but walking out to the car I felt something rip in my port wound and out came an obscene amount of honey-like joint fluid.

This fluid leakage continued unabated for the next 24hours, soaking dressing after dressing, even when I was asleep. The only positive was that the swelling was going down! I went to see the surgeon the next day and he put a stitch in the wound. For those technically minded I had developed a synovial fistula

Positive - the leakage stopped. Negative - Minimal walking, no cycling/cross training for another week and no swimming for another week until the stitch comes out.

So here I am slowly going crazy with lack of aerobic exercise. I joined the gym and tried the 'water wheel' ergo - like an exercise bike for your arms - but my upper body is so weak I last about 5 minutes and have to stop. I have also rediscovered my dislike of upper body weight training.

So delayed again - shouldn't be a big deal but given my hopes for a Boston finish each further week not running is a further two weeks lost in return - one to regain fitness and one to improve from there. Looks like it will be six weeks gap between runs, four between reasonable aerobic activity.

Cool pics

Screenshots from my DVD!
Amazingly little pain, home watching the cricket by 11:30


1. Hole in cartilage (probe in the hole). There is a second hole/fissure lower left




2. View from another angle



Flattening out/'chomping' the edges

A view of the finished product

Under the Knife

It's been a rollercoaster of a fortnight.

The MRI scan surprisingly showed my lateral meniscus was normal, but a large chunk of cartilage had torn off from the lateral part of the patellofemoral joint - lateral femoral trochlea. (ie under my kneecap).

This seemed unusual to me. Most cases of patellofemoral injuries I come across are to do with bad biomechanics and seen in new runners, often overweight. To have gone so long without knee pain and then a sudden tear seemed wierd. A couple of factors sprang to mind. Firstly I did have a 'sticky' feeling in the knee on descent in Nepal - with the added weight of the pack this activity put a lot more stress on the knee. Secondly I tried a run without orthotics - I think it was the day the pain first came, if not it was the preceeding day. Having run in orthotics always in the last 5 years did this change the forces in the knee?

Anyhow, I am now both an inveterate and a degenerate runner.

An intercurrent gastro infection contracted from one of my nursing homes delayed the visit to the surgeon. In the meantime I have now gone 2 weeks without any running of note. I've headed out a couple of times since the swelling has settled down, with 3k the longest distance covered running. I fashioned my own deepwater running flotation belt from a cheap lifevest I bought at Anaconda (cut off the shoulder part) and have done a couple of sessions - lots of fun but difficult to get a cardiovascular workout of any note.

I saw the surgeon today. My options were twofold. With a large fragment of cartilage floating about inside my knee joint (it has moved to the back), and with the size of the defect in the cartilage, leaving it be was not one of the options. The option I took was to have arthroscopic surgery to trim the edges of the defect and remove the fragment. The second option was for a MACI graft - they harvest some of your own cartilage, grow it in a lab, then graft it back in a couple of weeks later. The negatives of this are 1. cost 2. 12 months until you can run again. Being, as I mentioned, an inveterate runner, this was not my option.

The surgery is first thing Thursday morning (quick but good). The surgeon is confident I'll be running 3-4 weeks after the surgery and thinks I'll be OK to run Boston, although clealy not in PB time with over a month no running then a gradual buildup. I'll be happy to be able to run it at all, and would think best case scenario 3:15 (but there's a lot of water to pass under the bridge before that)

The surgeon told me one of the Eagles players had a very similar looking injury on MRI and recovered successfully. A quick google search shows both Kerr and Brett Jones have had arthroscopic surgery on this area behind the kneecap - Clown may have a better idea given his deep and abiding affection for all things Eagles.

Next progress report hopefully 7 days postop and starting some deepwater running!

2009 in review, challenging times ahead

Belated 'year in review' post, I've just returned from 4 days down at Bunker Bay.

2009 was obviously a breakthrough year for me.

The springboard was good fitness coming into the year. This had been a weakness in previous years, and I used SixInch 08 as a goal to help this.

Jan/Feb - A very solid training block (including 42 consecutive days). Matilda Bay (38:21) 10k PB

March - PB for HM Darlington (1:23:06). Running in my best form ever at this point

April - Canberra in April (DNF) was a disappointment - perhaps a case of getting ahead of myself.

May/June - some good training interrupted by an ankle sprain and a flu

Jul - Perth Marathon (3:04:08) was also a bit of a letdown, despite being a 10 minute PB.

August - City To Surf Marathon (2:57:51) was the clear highlight of the year,

Septmber - a 10k PB at Freo (38:03) capping things off

October - light/rest month

November - Everest Base Camp trek with Clown was a non-running highlight.

December - third consecutive SixInch trail Marathon was a nice way to finish off an all round great year.


2010 has got off to a bad start. On Tuesday morning I felt a few twinges in my left knee. That evening the knee joint developed an effusion (fluid on the joint). Since then I have been unable to run for more than a couple of hundred metres.

It appears I have torn my lateral meniscus (cartilage) in the left knee. Most of the time this does not heal itself and requires surgery - Henry/Homo went though this a couple of years back.

I'm not sure where this leaves me. First up I need to see a specialist, probably get an MRI and discus the options. My initial thought was that Boston was off the cards entirely. More research suggests that I should wait and see. People have got bak running a week after this type of surgery.

Most famously, Joan Benoit won the 1984 Olympic Marathon Trial only 17 days after this type of surgery in 2:31, then 4 months later went on to win the inaugural LA Olympic Womens Marathon.

Update in a week!

Six Inch 2009

Well I did it - couldn't help myself. As expected it was a tough morning on the trails.

Saturday night I made my appearance at the family Christmas Party, got to sleep about 10, up at 2.

It was a hot morning in Perth, luckily a little cooler in Dwellingup, about 16C at 0430 start, 25 by the time I finished - but felt pretty hot in the exposed sections in the last 10k

My race went probably as one would expect - good speed from the good year, lacking endurance.
Starting up the long hill of the first couple of km, I fell into 5th/6th place with Nate - similar to last year. Just as per last year those in front of us - this time Big Kev and Brett, missed a turnoff. I missed it too - but Nate was close behind me and called me back to make the turn. This put us in 3rd/4th (somewhat undeservedly)

The 23k station was 1hr52 - 7 minutes faster than last year, and nate caught me there. The next few km we played yo-yo as Nate passed me up the hills ( I walked up) then I pulled back to him over the down/flats.

I made a little gap at Oakley dam and tried to push on to the second drink station ahead of him - in 2hr45 again about 7 min faster than last year.

I really started to struggle from here on in, walk-jogging the rest. I had a scare with 3k to go when I saw someone about 400m behind me. I mustered up all my remaining energy and finished ahead of them, ony to find out it was the leader of the 11k race, and that Nate was several mintes behind me - needn't have hurt myself so much.

Overall time 4hrs3 minutes -about 6 minutes slower than last year - I dont really believe I lost 13 minutes on last year in the last 10k - unfortunately I lost all my Garmin data from 08 so I can only go by what I wrote on my blog.

I feel sore in the calves, quads and hammies, but luckily no specific tendon or loint niggles (had a stiff feeling knee during the week)

Kudos to Dave for winning, Bruce for second despite cramps, and Nate for fourth. Commiserations to Kev and Brett - I'm sure they would have beated me had they run the 5k less.


On an entirely different front I went down to Perth's new runners store this week and couldn't go past the KSwiss Kona in Australian flag design - as seen in last RFYL magazine. First impressions are light and firm, quite stable for the weight. I've had brief thoughts of running Boston in these, but they might lack a bit of cushioning. Need try them on some longer tempos

I also bought a Nathan brand fuel belt style water carrier with 2x300ml bottles. Wore it today and found it surprisingly good. Much better than camelback and the Target waist pack I used last year. I may even try it on a long run rather than carrying the Powerade bottle