Birthday run

5M am recovery run

I rested for three days to try and knock things on the head. I'm nearly there... I think. So I rewarded myself with a birthday run! Around the Heath.

Six again

6M pm recovery run

More of the same.

Slowly slowly

6M pm recovery run

Another gentle six. My calf was feeling better at the end than the beginning. Which is good I think.

Summary of week ending 24/06/2012

Mon 18/6 - 6M pm recovery run
Tue 19/6 - Rest
Wed 20/6 - 7M am recovery run
Thu 21/6 - 6M pm recovery run
Fri 22/6 - Rest
Sat 23/6 - Rest
Sun 24/6 - 6M pm recovery run
TOTAL - 25M

Six, feeling better

6M pm recovery run

I'm getting there... all that is left is one strand of tightness in my left calf, and my stride is now normal. I'm still going to be hypercautious and keep it gentle this coming week. No need to hurry things.

I really enjoyed watching the Olympic trials this weekend.

Rest

I was going to swim today, but was too busy again... But I did get some good treatment from Jamie Dearing, Oxford Osteopath extraordinaire.

Too busy to run

Rest

I was too busy to run today. Well, that and not yet up to running the long trog back from Romford with a pack.

Six more. Slowly

6M pm recovery run

Six more, gently along the river this evening before a fine burger and Jack White at the Brixton Academy.

Slow improvement

7M am recovery run

More gentle miles. I'm getting there... but will take it slowly.

Planned rest (and treatment)

I gave myself a rest today so as not to over do it. My legs are stiff from the unfamiliarity of running, but I'm feeling better. Gavin worked mainly on my calf this evening - it is the main area of knottedness that remains.

Six more

6M pm recovery run at ~7.00min/M

Another gentle on around the perimeter of the Heath today. My left leg is still tight in the calf, but much more free elsewhere now. More treatment tomorrow (plus I'll rest). But I'm making progress...

Two days - RUNNING!

6.5M pm recovery run at ~6.45min/M

Yes, I went for another run.

I had no reaction to Saturday's gentle miles, so I headed out again today. I ran in the evening and after loads of stretching and felt symmetrical in my stride for the first time in a while.

Chuffed. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Four miles

4M am recovery run nice and slow

F*** yeah - a run!

Only four miles. But so much better than swimming.

These last few weeks have been weird. Not good. But perhaps good for me in the long run. Enforced rest, plus a lesson about how lucky I have been these last two or so injury-free years.

My left leg has been making slow improvements since my last post. It seems to be no one thing, just a whole heap of knottedness. After four sessions of osteopathy and three sessions of massage, it is now getting close to normality. And the professional opinion is that there is no PROPER injury underlying it.

I'm now mainly left with one big knot at the top of my tensor fascia lata which is eyewateringly painful to massage, but which is beginning to melt.

I've had no reaction to today's run, so I will go again (gently) on Sunday all being well.

Feeling better

45 minute swim

My leg is starting to feel human again. It went from just seeming to be my calf that was sore when I decided to give it a rest to me realsing my whole left leg was knotted and in need of proper TLC. It was really aching just walking and running was not an option. I tried a short run at one stage, but it was definitely going to make things worse, so I stopped and walked.

In the last week or so I've had more osteopathy courtesy of Jamie, plus a massage. I'm going to have another massage tomorrow evening.

And I've been foam rolling the troublesome areas. There are plenty: my calf down its lateral side (peroneus muscles I think); my hamstring high up in the middle and the lateral side; the top of my tensor fascia lata (a recurrent offender - I think this is probably where all this tightness originated); and my gluteal muscles.

I've been swimming to keep my fitness up. Between 30 minutes and an hour a day. I'm so rubbish and slow that it's not that good a workout, but it's quite fun. And relaxing. And, who knows, maybe one day I'll grow muscles in my arms and become a triathlete.

I should think I'll be back to some gentle running by the end of the week.