Power walking pains....and hopefully gains!

Wow, can't believe how long it has been since I last logged on. Where has that time gone? I can't believe we're almost 5 months into the year - and it's quite scary that my weekends are now all booked up until mid-September. Gosh!

Well, social life apart, I have been very much focusing on my training these last few months and have stepped up a gear these last 4 weeks. I used to love running so much, but I have come to terms with the fact that I am never going to be able to run again and I have finally come to terms with it. My time has been taken up with swimming, spinning and my power walking training. As I am not going to be able to do a running marathon, I have decided to do the next best thing - a power walk marathon. 26 miles of walking and stamina - with the added benefit of fund-raising for charity as well, so an added bonus. 

I've enjoyed getting back into the training again, but it is strange how walking bulks up your muscles whereas running slims them down - I can honestly say I have thighs of steel at the moment and not an inch of cellulite. But, I guess the best thing of all is knowing I am raising money for a really good cause. After some sad family news recently, it is even more personal and precious now knowing I am contributing towards research for Breast Cancer UK - even if it helps more people like my mum and helps save someones life, then I am happy in that knowledge and all the aches and pains seem trivial in comparison.

Unfortunately, with all these longer walks I am now doing my knee problem has flared up again - I even had to limp the last mile in total agony this morning to get back to Limehouse Station, but I feel like I have achieved something today. I have never walked that far before in my life. Even though I know I will not be the fastest person there, the fact that 5 months ago I could barely walk 3 miles before my knee would give way, I feel like I have already achieved a lot. As long as I can cross that finish line in a few weeks, with the slightest muster of a smile on my face, then I shall be content in the knowledge that I have contributed towards someone else's treatment and there hope of a future.

7 Weeks & Counting...

The count down has begun, training schedules have been released and it is only seven weeks to go until my 10k run through Battersea. On printing out my desired schedule, my first thought was, 'Oh, fuck!'

I was hoping to enter in as an intermediate runner, planning to finish in little over an hour, but considering how out of touch I am and due to the fact I know in my heart I cannot stick to this plan they have created, I have had to opt for defeat and go with the beginners schedule.

But all is not lost. I managed to do two runs last week, although I don't know if you can count the first as a run - I managed a poultry 2k before slowing to a fast walk, which I had to endure for the last 1.5k as my knee was saying no, no, no! But, after getting my super shiny brand new trainers delivered on Friday, I decided I just had to test drive these at the weekend - and what a difference they made! Granted I'm still incredibly out of shape compared to six weeks ago, but I managed a whole 4.5k without stopping and my knee was barely twinging when I got back home - hurrah! Excluding the fact it took me almost 40 minutes to run and I most probably could have walked the last half km faster than I ran it, I still did it and pushed through.

Onwards and upwards as I have said before - even if it takes me three hours on the day, I am determined to get across the finish line, be it running, jogging, hobbling or crawling on all fours.....

Sweaty Betty Returns

After spending the last five weeks being a total couch potato, I have finally had my MRI results back and been given the all clear to start introducing exercise again. It is a total relief to know I can start working towards a goal again, to focus on getting my fitness levels back up to scratch.

A very good friend of mine has given me some strengthening exercises to do. After shattering her knee cap she was advised to work on developing her quad & hamstring muscles which takes pressure away from the knee.
My strengthening exercises have now commenced and I even managed to attempt an upper body work out this morning. I was quite appalled at how much my stamina has fallen. My back is aching, my arms feel like I have been in a boxing ring with a pro and where as a few weeks back I wouldn't even have broken into a sweat - this morning I was well and truely a sweaty betty!

But, I shall focus on the positive in that I have taken my first baby step on the road to recovery and fitness. I felt like a little kid at Christmas, all excited at the prospect that I shall soon be up and mobile again, putting my trainers through there paces once more.

Hopefully by the time July rolls round this sweaty betty will be a fully functioning glowing jogger once more!

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Let There Be........A Steaming Pile of Shite????

I am seriously starting to doubt this little thing called life. Life! What the hell is this crap? I am constantly feeling like I am taking one giant step forward - only to be pulled back by two.

I try to stay positive, laugh off the bad times, be the bigger person, excuse others selfishness and/or rudeness, think to the future - but no matter how brave a face you put on it, something always comes along to trip you up so you splatter face first in the shite that is the very essence of existence. I am almost positive that God created man (and woman) so he could look down upon us from his glistening throne - and laugh his pants off at our misdemeanours and misfortunes. Ha bloody ha.

There are some people that breeze through life, finding every silver cloud along the way. Then there are others who spend their life searching for just a glimmer of silver - only to be left standing out in the rain. I have come to the conclusion that I must have really pissed the big man off upstairs and he is wreaking his revenge by putting me into the latter category and seeing just how many hailstorms he can pass my way. I even seem to get bonus rounds involving thunder and lightening, yippee!

Seriously, here was me thinking I could try to give myself a goal to distract me from my lets-drift-a-while-phase-of-life and I can't even get that right! I managed to get my training of the ground with a good start, even managing to build up my last three runs to a cool 7.5 - 8k and then wham comes the lightening bolt. It appears I do not have runners knee as previously suggested, that would even seem like a blessing right about now. No, it appears that after spending a whole week limping around in agony and having gained the nick name peg-leg Lil at work, it seems I have actually accumulated some tissue damage to my knee. The result as per the quack? Total rest. No exercise. An MRI. Total boredom.

I need to exercise, I need to train otherwise I am going to go stern crazy. Not to mention the fact that I may start to represent the Pillsbury dough man from lack of sport.

I reckon I know where I am going wrong in life and what to do from now on out to stop getting so harangued. If you just come to expect the worse, then you really won't give a shit when it all comes crashing down around you.....sit back, put your feet up, take a toke on your cigar and a sip from your beer - and laugh at life's attempt to pull you down with it. Not today matey! 

Runners Knee

Following on from the pain saga of my first long distance run last week - it appears my persistent knee pain is rather common among runners, especially females. As if women do not suffer enough as it is, now I find out that there is also a very common problem with our DNA which makes us susceptible to runners knee - lovely!

Apparently it is caused by week muscles supporting the knee cap and instead of the knee cap moving up and down over the thigh bone, if the muscles are weak then it doesn't hold it in place and instead moves to the side.

After doing some investigative work I have found out that it doesn't cause any lasting damage providing you do not run through the pain (looks like I may have to give running a rest for the next week) and that there are some simple exercises to do to strengthen the knee muscles.

I say simple......

I figured that there is no time like the present and thought I would start doing these simple stretches last night. All was going well until I tried the one for the hamstrings, where you have to lay on your stomach, one ankle resting on the foot of the other leg and raise the leg slowly towards your back. Then I heard this really loud crack and felt pain shoot all  the way up my thigh muscle.

Now, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that perhaps that shouldn't have happened.......

After spending most the night tossing and turning trying to get comfortable, I awoke this morning not only looking like a tired old hag - I was also hobbling about like one too. So Londoners, if you see someone limping around the City today feeling sorry for herself, please take pity and do not barge into me whilst I'm walking at 2mph and your whizzing by.

Although, to be fair alot of the fluid seems to have subsided so maybe it has done some good, in a backwards knee-cracking-pain-shooting kind of way. We shall see.........

Push It Real Good...

I have finally bitten the bullet and decided to put my arse into gear to get fit, healthy - and lose some weight for the summer sun.

Having shied away from strenuous exercise after collapsing at work a few years ago, I took the doctors orders literally by doing 'less taxing sports' which won't cause my chest to seize up - and to be quite frank, I have been totally bored using it as an excuse to feel sorry for myself.

There is no excuse - I don't believe in 'can't do' attitudes and a friends recent stint in doing a half marathon has finally given me the wake up call I need to stop being scared and milling around the fact that I have just become plain lazy.

I'm afraid to say I haven't quite signed up for a half marathon, but I have signed up for a 10k run instead. I figure I should at least try and break myself in gently before doing myself any serious damage - or looking like someone on steroids with pumping muscles from too much running!

For the last six weeks I have been gradually building up and I had got to a comfortable 5k when last week I decided to join The Boutique run with Katherine and go for a challenge, thus being the 10k.

I have til the 9th July to build up and double my running length. This shouldn't be that hard surely? I feel this may well be my famous last words....

I did a practise run Sunday afternoon and managed to push myself and do a nice 7k - I was extremely tired when I got back but well chuffed with myself for running that far. My only main problem was my knee, getting pain down the outside whilst running.

To combat this, I thought I would invest in a knee support and test-drove this on Tuesday evening when I got home from work and it made a huge difference. I had a few twinges in my chest but when I woke up Wednesday morning I felt fine.

After all these years you would think I would learn to listen to my body, but no. I decided to go for another run this morning, hell bent on keeping up the momentum and new found 'spring' in my step. The run itself wasn't that bad - I got up at 5am so there was no one about, there was a nice chill in the air keeping me cool and I had the added bonus of seeing the sunrise whilst half way round my circuit.

The problem came when I had about a mile left to run - I started getting pain build up in my other knee and then felt my chest getting really tight. I was determined to finish the run and made it back in one piece - but my god was I in pain! My knee had swollen and looks like it has fluid built up around it, my chest felt like it was in a vice and when I sat on the floor to stretch out my thighs I felt my spine crack in two places I didn't even know existed.

I know they say no pain no gain - but is it really meant to be this painful?! I feel I need to stop being so stubborn and take a step back, building it up gradually. But it seems what the body says and what my head says are two completely different things! I shall definitely need to get them in synch before July, can you imagine how embarrassing would that be flaking out in front of a whole parade of people....!!!

Fitness Guru....or health freak?

This seems to be the lively topic of debate floating around my office at the moment, involving my fitness regime. Am I becoming some type of fitness guru, getting up at 5:30 am to do my exercises - or am I becoming a health freak and should be lazing in my bed as suggested by one certain colleague?

I don't think I'm that extreme - I'm focused on how much weight I want to loose and what areas I want to tone up - but I don't feel I go overboard. You'd never catch me doing a 26 mile marathon and putting myself through un-necessary duress and I don't get up every single morning to work out and then put myself on a really strict diet.

I like to think I have the balance right - exercise two-three times a week - then go down the pub two to three times a week to even it out! That's what it's all about, right?! Cancelling out the bad with the good.....no, only kidding - kind of....

My thoughts are that if I'm already in an insomnia-induced semi-awake conscious state, I may as well make the most of the morning and waken myself up fully. I know they say no pain, no gain, but the longer you exercise the easier it becomes. For me it's more the thought of getting up, than actually doing the exercise that causes me pain. I do actually really enjoying it once I'm out running or doing my kick boxing or pumps etc... and I can notice a big difference now to say two months ago. I can now do a 5k run without hobbling round like an old lady for two days afterwards, my knees no longer ache and when I cool down afterwards I can now actually reach my ankles - hurrah! That in itself is a life time achievement!

So, in answer to my colleagues question - fitness guru or health freak? I say neither, I'm just someone who's slightly insane and trying to stave of a jelly belly in my old age.....

No pain, no gain....

So, its a new year and a new day with a new dawn. I'm afraid to say I was one of those people who made various new years resolutions - including shaping up and getting fit, which I'm actually determined to stick to it.

I'm not going to be unrealistic, but I could comfortably do with losing about half a stone and want to tone up - and feel I am slowly making progress.

I've cut my drinking nights out down to 1 or 2 nights a week as opposed to 4 or 5 like I was doing the latter part of last year. Whilst my social life has taken a dire battering, my bank balance was still in the black at end of January and I'm sure my liver is secretly applauding me too due to the fact it is no longer drowning or intoxicated by fumes!

Whilst I still have a long way to go to get a body to rival Claudia Schiffer, I feel I am heading in the right direction. Only this morning I realised I could reach my ankle whilst stretching doing the box split, whereas I could barely touch my calf three weeks ago.

I'm working through the 5:30am get-ups with the knowledge that come the summer I will hopefully be nicely toned and un-ashamed to dig out my hot pants. I just need to remember no pain is no gain the next time I'm hobbling up the stairs at work.....

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