Back off the couch (pumps air and does a back summersault)

[Tomas]

First off, one of the three statements in the title is a lie. I'll leave you to make your educated guesses as to which it might be.

After half an hour's torture (read: sports massage) on my poor injured hamstring, my physio told me yesterday that it would be okay to start running again in preparation for the HM on the 19th. Take it easy, she said. Start with 5 km, and if that feels fine, then you can do up to around 10 km, and then increase it gently over the week up to 10 miles. I don't know what I had expected - after all, I'm the one who has set the target with the 21 km in two weeks time. But still...

So I trotted along, keeping a careful eye on the heart rate monitor and tried to maintain around 145 bpm (similar to my last long pre-injury run a few weeks ago). 10 km took 3:20 longer than it did then; presumably that's the loss of fitness from not having been out running for two weeks. The run ended up being just under 12 km. Not because I don't know how to follow instructions, but no matter how many times I phoned the council and insisted they should come out and shorten the roads, they just wouldn't hear any of it. And I thought it would look stupid if I had brought my laptop with me on the run and sat down in the rain to work. So all in all, I needed to get home, and it just so happened that it was 12 km to do that.

The physio had said to stretch as soon as I got in from running, so I skipped the usual 5 minute cool down walk and instead ran home and stretched right away. Amazing how much further I can stretch my hamstrings with warm muscles compared to the (by now regular) cold stretches she's got me doing three times a day. Talking about which... I'm still a bit wary of stretching cold muscles, but I guess it would be stupid (even more stupid than I normally am) to pay good money for professional advice, and then go on to ignore it. So I'm doing as I'm told.

Spent a good 15 minutes stretching hamstrings, calfs and quads. Pre injury I have been doing 15 seconds on each leg for each of the three muscle groups, so a couple of minutes in total. The physio wasn't having any of THAT. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times, she said. With all this obedience from me, it probably won't be long until my owner takes me on the agility course. Good little puppy that I am. Woof!

I feel fine. No aches. No pains. My right hamstring is a little more tired than the left, but not uncomfortably. No wobbling when going up the stairs. So all in all, I consider myself being off the injury couch.

I'll see how I feel tomorrow, but if I'm okay still, I'll go for a 5 km recovery run, and then take Thursday off for rest. Add another long run on Friday and the 10 miler on Sunday. That'll give me a week to taper before the HM. I might just make it. I'm very optimistic today!

Summersaults? Baah, not in a million year from this old geezer, that's for sure!

[Rignold]

Excellent news Tomas! Looks like we'll both be able to toe the line on the 19th.

Somersaults are overrated but just hope your flatulence improves by then.

[Tomas Graduate in reply to Rignold]

BOL!

[Rignold in reply to Tomas]

Err? You're doing your Half marathon in Croatia?

[Tomas Graduate in reply to Rignold]

*Bursts *Out *Laughing

[Rignold in reply to Tomas]

ah! Okay. Better than bursting out anywhere else.

[amateurwriter Graduate]

That's great news, I bet it was the fist pump that you didn't do lol, glad your back up and running and I hope the HM goes well even if you do it a bit slower than you would hope, just remember that even if it is slower you still got up and still finished it I wish you good luck on your HM (took me a few minutes to realise what HM meant lol)

[GettingFitter Graduate]

Great news Tomas you must have been happy with a 12k run.

[notbad Graduate]

Sounds very promising, make sure your 5k is a recovery run though, resist the urge to speed up (I'm speaking more from my own perspective on that one, I'm sure you'll be more sensible than me!) All my best for the HM.

[atomic]

That's great news...no, it's GRRRRREAT news!

So glad to hear you're off the couch - it gives me hope as I'm there too.

Agree about the physio-directed stretches. Pre-injury I stretched religiously after running and thought I was doing it right, but my physio did the whole Crocodile Dundee thing "that's not a stretch... THIS is a stretch!" My rehabilitation stretches are almost a workout in themselves; calves, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, IT band, other stuff I'd never heard of...!

It's a whole new world

[AnnieW55]

Glad to hear you're back in training Tomas.

Good Luck for the HM - you'll do it.

[misswobble Graduate]

Glad to hear your training is back on track. I hope the next run goes off all right

[poppypug Graduate]

Great news Tomas , good to hear youre back on track xxx

[MarlyParly Graduate]

Aww SO glad to hear you are off the injury couch, & it sounds like you are in pretty good shape all things considered. Stretches defo need to be held for 30 secs minimum

in my experience, takes some time for your body to settle into it. Best of luck with your onward training for the HM, you sound very determined & that forms more than half of the battle in my experience x

[aliboo70]

Thats great news Tomas, glad to see you off that injury couch, good luck with your runs for this week