CATCH-UP CORNER...MAY... Week 2. There is a voice that does not use words...

[Oldfloss]

... that voice is in our head, and we do well to listen to it.

Well runners.... here we are, into May and hopefully, beginning to see a change in the weather?

The corner is open, warm and cold drinks and some super, duper healthy snacks and a few not so healthy too … Blueberry croissants today! Grab your cushion and rest awhile !

I do know that many of you are getting into a super, happy routine of running and some rest day exercise by now; and I do know that some of you are really doing very, very well.

But, and there is always a but, I am noticing here and there, yet again, in a few of the posts. comments or questions about running and illness or injury.

I am also, as are some of the other Admin's, noticing, sadly, that some folk are either, not reading replies which give support and useful advice, or, reading them and then ignoring the advice. Then there is a repeat of the problem and time on the IC follows.

Now, I am going to repeat some advice that all of the Admin' Team, and that of our more experienced runners, will hand out, all the time. I am using past posts to demonstrate this.

Injury ( or illness), when running can affect anyone, from the most experienced of runners , to the newest beginners. From pushing ourselves too hard... to trying to run with muscles that have no idea what they are doing.

Injury or indeed illness can knock your confidence and impact on your motivation, so it is important to clear your mind set when this happens.

Many, many of us on all the forums have suffered injury from running, non running injury which has stopped us running, or illness which has also stopped us running.

One of the hardest things, when you are on this programme is to recognise, that what is going on, means that you really need to stop running. Listening to that voice in your head and taking notice.

I have learned over my eight years plus, running, that if I take the correct action, and follow expert advice, however hard it may be, then in the end, I will run again! I can say also, that I think that only on one occasion did I come a cropper, but I had up the point I had to stop, done all the right things after an injury, and then after time out, I went out again, and clearly, the issue was not resolved. The only thing I did wrong then was , I limped home instead of phoning someone to come and get me!

I can in all honesty say, also, I am never tempted to rush things and when I first head out after any stop, I take it slower than a slow snail on a go slow. An  Irishprincess jogette

We do when starting this expect what we refer to as, normal, aches and pains, and they are just that. real pain is easily identified and should never be ignored. We always advise stopping running when that kind of pain occurs, seeking expert support and advice, and also, never, never to mask that type of pain with painkillers.

So... here is a list of the most common complaints we may get as new runners.

1. Knee pain

2. Achilles pain

3. Shin pain

4. Heel pain

5. Muscle strains

Learning how to recognise certain injury is helpful, but there is no substitute for getting expert help and a correct diagnosis. We are not medical experts, and even though folk on the forums may have had similar issues, no two cases will be exactly the same.

Please do check out past posts on this subject, What feels right and what doesn't and the action we should take. Posts that may help us to begin to distinguish between what is normal... and what is not, in our running.

You will, for the most part, know the difference between niggles or twinges and real pain.

I do know that  mrrun will not mind me saying that he knows only too well, how costly it can be , to ignore pain or problems.

The thing that we need to remember, always, is, that the runs wait; they are patient and no matter how long it takes, they will still be there.

Right

Okay... please do sit a while here and let us know how your running is going right now.

How you are finding your runs. Have you had any issues where you have been unsure whether to run or not? Have you gone out for a scheduled run, when deep down you knew it was really not a great idea? It is good to share our experiences.

Looking forward to seeing some of you here

Oldfloss x

PS

I am going to tag some of our new runners, and some of our returners, to remind you that the corner is always open. We would love to know what you are up to.

[David_G]

Well said, Oldfloss as you know, I’ve been lurking on here for a number of years and have suffered my fair share of injuries and illness. 😢 It’s worth remembering that the little niggles we feel may be a sign that something isn’t right and we need to take note of them. In many cases they can be cured by simple things like stretches and strength exercises and a visit to a trained sports physio can often point us in the right direction.

Thanks for your continued support - I’ve just started week 9 of C25K (for the umpteenth time) and I’m sure I’ll get there! 🏃‍♂️‍➡️👍

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to David_G]

Hello and you are most welcome here this beautiful morning.

Yes... you have had a fair share of niggles, twinges and more serious issues too! But here you are. The simple things we are able to do to address those issues, and the time to go and get things checked out. So true.

You have made a super comeback, now giving so much back too, to the folk, who like you have suffered heart issues... and are on the brink of Week 9 and that re graduation podium.

Re Graduation or not... we will allbe there, ready to cheer you home again .

Thank you so much for calling in today and sharing this x

[Annieapple Graduate]

🍏 I have taken up your invite to sit a while before dashing off to my exercise class shortly. A glass of cold water to keep my hydration going! Thank you!

Confession time!! Yesterday afternoon I went out for my scheduled Wednesday run having missed it in the morning due to having to be somewhere else very early! Hubby warned me that it was very hot.. 🥵 a sudden rise in temperature..instead of heeding his advice and waiting for the cool of evening..I went out for a short 3k ..bad idea!!

My hydration was insufficient! I forgot my hat and sunscreen in my rush to get out! This DEFINITELY puts me on the naughty list!!!

My legs felt very heavy from start to finish.. For the first time in a long time I didn’t enjoy any part of the run … I had to walk the last half k &. No after joy BUT lesson learned the hard way!!! Tomorrow I will be more sensible!!

Thanks Old Floss. Enjoyed that water & must get going! Thank you for all the reminders in your post that are for our good, that keep us running, and more importantly keep us enjoying them! 🤗

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Uh oh,,, good job I did not see this earlier! What on earth ! I am so glad that you are okay and did not feel any real side effects

It is easily done though... but it has been suddenly warm and we do not get chance to acclimatise here in the UK... maybe listen to the hubby , next time Hopefully this will give the hint to anyone reading this, that without the right hydration and the right gear, the runs can be really unpleasant .., Thank you so much for owning up

Plenty of water has been drunk now, I know... and a rest too... take care you... you are forgiven xxx

[Annieapple Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

🍏☺️Thank you! Today’s run was awesome!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

That's just great ...well done you...! Xxx

[Over60sRunner Graduate]

Hi Oldfloss 👋 Thank you for another inspirational post. I am more than happy to sit on a cushion and just rest a while as my fatigue is particularly bad at the moment 🙄😴🙄

I am, however, still walking regularly and as long as I do it at my own pace I am managing at least two miles a day, which I will take with a big smile on my face 😁

I've got another appointment with my Long Covid OT next week and we are going to discuss the possibility of me starting to run again, even if I only run say a couple of times a week rather than every other day. I still believe (and so does the OT) that the crux of my fatigue problem is my work rather than what I do outside of it as I have a very full on job and cognitive fatigue can cause physical fatigue which is something that I have struggled to come to terms with.

I'm 65 in August, and will receive my state pension in August 2025 at 66. I'm now seriously looking at whether I can afford to retire a year early and use my savings and perhaps part of my pension pot, which is not huge and won't give me any appreciable monthly income, to tide me over until my state pension finally arrives six years after I expected it to!

Well, that was a longer post and I was expecting to do, so I hope I haven't bored you all. Thank you for the offer of a hot drink, mine's an Earl Grey, and yes please to a blueberry muffin or anything else to satisfy my sweet tooth.

May we all keep on trucking in a way that is best for as something is always better than nothing unless you are absolutely unable to do anything at all in which case, take this with grace, and put out your intention that it won't last forever 🙏

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Over60sRunner]

Earl Grey and Blueberry muffin ... here you go... ! Good to see you here today... and a rest is here, anytime you wish to have one

Walking.. the finest exercise... still , and as long as you are able to do that, however slowly.. you will not go far wrong! This Long Covid... what a dreadful legacy it is leaving folk with.

Worries too over your pension... so many folk having to rethink.. and every year it seems to get harder.

All we can do is what you suggest... we have to try, and hard it is sometimes, to just keep finding our way. Even the smallest effort is worth it... acknowledge, accept and try oh so hard, to adapt.

You are welcome here any time... always here to listen and support... and hand out the snacks too

[Sammyyy Graduate]

Thankyou OldFloss, always good to be reminded of good advice.

I actually have some pain in my ankle when pointing toes down, & thanks to your advice to not ignore it (which I was doing in…), I’ve discovered it’s an impingement in my ankle & now know how to treat it, rest & avoid stretching the foot down, so thankyou for your timely advice x

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Sammyyy]

Hello!

I am so glad that you are finding some relief for those achy bits! We can sometimes try and just get on with things and see if they improve, but finding some stretches and some rest time too... that is just great.

Good to see you here and thank you for sharing x

[limberlou Graduate]

yes I have been guilty today I’m afraid😳🥴.

I overdid it a week or so ago doing my friends garden in one fell swoop instead of staggering things but the weeds were growing so fast I was afraid to stop. That took me from the Wednesday to the following Sunday before I could face running and then surprisingly did the 1st 5k in 10months. Felt really good too. And then I went to the garden centre with my friend and she bought 4 bags of compost which I got someone to carry to the car but then it was me that carried them down over her garden and put them in the shed 🥴

Then 2 days later I barely managed 20 mins running with a 1 min walk in the middle. Then the headache started about 4-5 days ago - I’m blaming the atmospheric pressure- and it’s still with me. Also I’m back to waking several times a night and that doesn’t help.

Yesterday I ate well, hydrated well, just did a gentle stroll at teatime ( stupidly not wearing my toe socks and I rubbed a huge blister on all of the pad of my big toe) and went to bed early. And today I hopped out of bed thinking “ it’s nearly 8 and a lot cooler so I’ll run “ and I was really looking forward to it. My lower back was a little stiff which I put down to sleeping heavily. And I padded up my toe with a blister plaster and toe socks and off I went.

When walking I thought “oh my back has loosened up - that’s good “and then I started to run and about every 4/5 steps I felt a twinge in my SI joints …..so of course I carried right on for 45 mins and 5k!!! And then I could hardly walk home, barely lifting my feet off the ground and then after my shower I just lay in a heap for most of the day. I had to find the Ibuleve gel and apply that liberally. And of course my headache is still pounding away. I’ve taken anti-histamines, decongestants, my daughter has massaged my neck and shoulders…..still pounding and when I have to bend down (which of course happens all the time when you have a bad back) it feels like it’s going to explode.

I have a sports massage booked for Thursday and I know Emma will tell me off. Andbthen a chiro apt the following Monday so hopefully I should be sorted then.

I don’t know why I don’t listen to my own advice because I’m always telling my daughter and now my son too don’t overdo it especially if you are feeling rough or some thing is hurting.

So as my mum used to say “ Don’t do as I do, do as I say!!”

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Hello and welcome. You sound ready for a sit down and a rest,

Gosh... that headache sounds really painful and they can be so wearing. The changes in weather and the air pressure can and do have a huge impact on many of us. I get, thunder headaches, and on my run yesterday, the air quality was very poor indeed. I was glad to cut my run short.

You have been in the wars... enthusiastic gardening, blisters, weight lifting! I do agree, that maybe, you do need to really listen to that voice in your head. Oh dear.

Maybe just until Thursday... some very gentle, relaxed yoga or mindful exercise. No strain at all on your body, types..

do.yogawithadriene.com/blog...

We often, me included, are kinder to others than ourselves... time for you to be kind to you now. Ease back and g] get those appointments done... the weeds and the runs will wait.

Sit a while longer and thank you for sharing this with us. I really hope you feel better soon xxx