Getting somewhere...

Right, after another osteopath session and no more serious injury issues I feel like I'm getting back into things a little better again despite feeling inadequate when running in the wrong group at my local running club this week.  When suddenly your running the fastest mile you've run this year...you know that your in the wrong group and that pace over anything more than 1 miles is unsustainable!  

It's a shame because even when I dropped back to a slower group, they were still gunning it a little too much for my liking.  I hope this was just a blip and normal club support services resume next week as it was certainly the hardest run I've done in a while and I could have done without the fastest mile segment at the start which I might as well use for my most recent Magic Mile.  It took me quite a lot out of my legs and I didn't feel like running for the rest of the week!

I still want to try and get up to full marathon distance this year and I'm looking at attempting some longer runs shortly to try and get back into routine.  I've actually walked further the last two weekends then I've run for sometime so hopefully that work will help keeping me upright for longer when I attempt longer runs.

I still intend to use the Galloway walk break technique for the longer runs and the running club follows a similar technique with regular short stops to regroup which suits my style of running and helps me to enjoy them much better as they feel less of a slog!

Then if all goes well, I can start introducing some core strength exercises into my routine and perhaps some cycling commutes when the weather improves.  This week I'm looking at starting back at Week 15 on the Galloway programme but I will attempt the long run with the view of just seeing what I can do.  For this I'll plan a long 14 mile route but will ensure that if I'm struggling that there are opportunities to bail out if required.

I was almost back!

Pun intended.  Its been almost 4 weeks since my last blog and I haven't posted as I didn't want to tempt fate as I was doing OK.  My fitness was improving albeit slowly and although my flexibility was still limited I was returning to some kind of normality by running 2 to 3 times a week and certainly last weeks runs had pushed the distance covered north of 4 miles which was the longest I had run since doing my back in.  I even attended a local organised running club run this week as I was up for trying something new to improve variety and motivation.  

It was all going so well then for no reason whatsoever, I could feel something wasn't quite right with my back on Sunday...a weakness, a twinge and then on the Monday and Tuesday its been much worse.  I've been keeping mobile but its just so frustrating!

I'm hoping its just going to be another blip and it won't keep me out of this game for too much longer as its been hard enough as it is to get back into a routine and I was almost there!

I'm planning a trip to the Osteopath soon which may help to speed up the recovery this time around and then promise myself that if I feel any twinges or issues with my flexibility/mobility over the coming weeks to go back despite the cost as it may keep another relapse away and give me enough time to recover some much needed core strength!

Hopes of a quick return to fitness dashed!

My back wasn't getting any better without running and as I needed to regain my fitness and start building up some more core strength I decided to start running again this week…slowly. 

Monday (1^st run) – It was OK however, no matter what I tried I just could not run slow.  However, when I stopped I realised everything wasn’t OK as my chest was extremely tight and I had to use my puffer to help my breathing return to normal.  This was expected though as it was my first run/exercise for over 4 weeks.  My back didn’t seem to problematic either as long as I kept sharp turns and inclines to a minimum.

Wednesday (2^nd run) – This was different…breathing seemed easier and my back felt better but, my legs felt dead and it was a struggle to keep them moving.  Chest was tight on stopping but, not as bad as Monday’s run.  Too hot for a long sleeve top now though when the Sun makes a rare appearance.

Thursday (3^rd run) – Prior to the run, back didn’t feel quite right but my breathing and legs felt normal…but unfortunately as soon as I started trying to run my back wasn’t playing ball.  I could feel my Back locking and Jarring after every stride and impact with the payment or with the grass verges making continuing extremely uncomfortable/painful.  So to avoid damaging my back further, I turned back and when I had finished I had barely managed a mile.  At least it was a slow mile….

So there we have it, that’s 4+ weeks now with back trouble and no real let up, even sitting down and typing this is painful at times!  The hope of being able to get back to normal has been dashed before it even began!  I’ll now leave it until Tuesday and if there is no improvement after a rest then I think it will be a trip back to the Osteopath for further treatment.  Here's hoping for some improvement soon...