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The Middle Ground
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Just back from four warm days in Spain: 25 or so, so 3 degrees yesterday morning was a shock. Actually haven't felt great since my return. Legs dead , also: most of the running in Spain was on the concrete prom; legs not used to harsh surfaces.
Got absolutely soaked on today's run, despite waiting for a dry window of opportunity. So wet that my phone no longer works, despite being iny goretex jacket pocket.
The climb over the bridge at 15m is significant and lonely as no supporters, then you come off that to a long gradual drag up 5th Avenue, peaking with another climb at 23m.
Despite there being a cock up with Starr, with the corrals on my start going vack to front either slowest at front, unlike London, once I got through the first mile I had loads of space. Had that happened in London it would have taken 20m to have a clear run.
I feel hugely disappointed that covid indirectly ruined this for me in 2020 then almost as a tragic parting shot it had me in 2023. Currently now dealing with covid, jet lag and post mara soreness. The positive is, if I felt like I do now on Saturday night I don't think I'd have made the start.
I had really hoped to preserve my sub 2.50 majors record, I guess at least I've preserved sub 3.
Spain sounds pleasant, know quite a few that went there over half term and enjoyed great weather.
Lewis wanted me to have a complete week off to reset, and that was before covid diagnosis so I was a bit resistant, however now it sounds like a great idea!
Foul weather here again so a good day to watch cricket! Should squeeze in half an hour or so running the. A long stretch this evening. The latter is definitely something you could be doing at present, DT: gentle yoga or Pilates rather than anything dynamic, I would suggest.
This however has been a very different beast. Tuesday night about midnight I woke drenched in sweat but cold and shivery. Started feeling better yesterday pm but then relapsed a bit last night. Feeling OK again now, just a snotty nose.
I've got a day out at the darts tomorrow so need a good sleep tonight.
I am definitely going to spend a bit more time on basic strength stuff after tomorrow. I have a place a week Sunday at the Derby 10m, but can't see there's much purpose in turning up.
Currently need 80k to get to my 2023 in 2023k target!
I've been going through motions last month or so since NY. Covid took more out of me than I thought it would then Lewis told me he was moving away from coaching to essentially run the company and do tv work , do recently switched coaches slso.
Local 10m pudding run last Sunday. Was an opportunity to find where I'm starting from as I emerge from the bottom of the curve. Not a fast course and not helped by a late reroute of course due to a stabbing on the route in early hours, added about 200m. I thought I'd done enough to sub 60 with 5.56mm average but came in 60.14 for 10th. It was Midlands master champs though and I got silver.
Popped to parkrun for a social this morning at just faster than my, came in 19.05. Such is my age that gets me a 75% wave. I remember the first time I achieved a 70% wave, it was a big deal to me.
I've decided to run Newport mara in late April. Planned Manchester but we decided to book an all inclusive to lanzarote for a week incorporating Easter weekend late March. Manchester came too soon off that and London is same day as sons birthday. Plan is to run London 25 from champs start. I've two attempts in 2024 to achieve it.
75m off 2600m this year. Should just make it.
Wondering how things are with everyone. I know DT seems to be going well! Things are not good here though! Currently badly injured (by far my worst ever!).
I had been training steadily over the past many months, mainly in preparation for moving to my new 70+ age group which I reached in January. Almost all my training had been easy running, with the occasional fartlek and parkrun. I had also been guarding against injury with Pilates one hour a week, plus two other shorter sessions per week, and further stretching and strengthening most days at home, particularly planks and squats, including one legged.
On 17th Feb I ran Alexandra parkrun and was pleased to see 23:29 and 75% age grade, without being flat out. All seemed to be going well! Fastest for years. In the week following both hamstrings were sore, evenly, so just ran some short easy runs. I note that at Alex Park I wore carbon plated shoes for the first time.
On Friday 23rd Feb I was due to race the Last Friday of the Month 5k in Hyde Park, London: this was going to be my first proper race as a 70 year old! However, whilst warming up my hamstrings were too sore so I decided to just run round at an easy pace with a friend. This was, in hindsight, a major mistake! Again wore the super shoes!
Unfortunately, at around 3.6k, whilst running comfortably, I suddenly came to an abrupt halt with a severe pain in my left hip; apparently I leapt in the air like Derek Redmond in the 1992 Olympics!
I struggled to walk, with discomfort in a whole range of different places in the left hamstring and elsewhere in my thigh, particularly in the adductor area, plus my glutes; the right hamstring was also tender. I found climbing stairs difficult as I could not push off with the left leg. Also, normally I can put my hands on the floor when I roll down; after the injury I could not get past my knees; struggled to put on socks and tie shoe laces.
Saw one of my GB team manager friends and he organised an MRI scan; he phoned a day or two later: a 6cm tear of the semimembranosus hamstring tendon 5cm away from the origin. He sent me to London on March 21st to see a Prof Haddad for a surgical opinion. Haddad wants to try and avoid an op and is hopeful that physiotherapy plus PRP injections should see me back running gently at some point although he fears that my competitive days are over. If the tendon is not healing within five or six months then he will operate. If I were 40 or 50 years younger he would have operated immediately.
Last Thursday, 4th April, I had a PRP injection into the wound which seems to have irritated the site of the injury. Hopefully it will settle. Another injection on the 18th. At some point, probably in June, I will have another MRI scan. Have some exercises to do although these are on hold for a week post the injection.
Totally fed up of course and it is costing me a fortune, although I am prepared to pay for my hobby! After over 6 weeks I can just manage the 500 metres to the nearest alehouse, on one crutch.
I hope you are able to get over this and get back to running.
I've been getting on with things with Newport in 2.5 weeks. 10m pb early March then 20m pb (though the significance is more to do with mara pace as I ran it in such a way) then a course pb at national rd relays in the wind last Saturday and finally a 5k pb at the Hereford 5k. 17.21 so a mere 3s but it counts! Strictly speaking my 5k pb was 20.33 as I've only previously run one in 2013, opting for parkrun since.
I'm taking it to the wire as I've just had a down week on hols so drop off after Tuesdays session then 10m at mp as part of a 14 next Friday then it drops off a cliff.