A Long Gap

Distance 97km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7189.6km] Week4 (1st - 5th Apr)

A long gap in between my postings on my running log. The gap was caused by a reduction in my running volumes due to a persistent wrongly diagnosed injury.
For over a year now I have been running with a sore ankle which I have traced to a nerve impingement in my back.
My back has been weak ever since I first injured it over 24 years ago so it needs to be carefully managed. Certain weight training exercises cause issues and it seems like an ever growing list. Squats, Calf raises with weight on the shoulders, shoulder press, weighted rows. I think the problem occurs when I place the back into a vulnerable position, putting too much of a curve into the low back rather than maintaining it in a more straight neutral position.
For the last month I have been doing a series of short exercises to combat sciatica and taking glucosamine tablets and it seems to be doing the trick.
The distances are going up and the weakness around the ankles is fading away which is great.



1st to 22nd Mar. This period I spend with minimal running as I worked on getting my back fixed up. I began the course of glucosamine tablets to strengthen the cartilage in case it has been weakened by the sciatica. I was averaging around 10km per week so, in total around 30km in this period.

Mon (23rd Mar) 4km. A short run around the lake on my own as my running buddy called it off due to the chance of rain. It will be fine I said, the rain has missed us. That was a little optimistic I must admit, it was windy and the clouds were racing rapidly across the sky. About half way around I could feel the rain blowing from clouds in the distance. Then the wind really picked up and the rain lashed down. I find running with the wild weather invigorating, after all I was warm from the running and it was only a short run so I wasn't going to run out of energy as I fought against the wind.
Wed (25th Mar) 10km. Run from Grange to West Beach and back 

Sat (28th Mar) 13km. A run from Grange to Semaphore. only the second time I have done this so far this year and what was once an easy run for me is much harder without the distance in my legs. I came back along the road and grassy back areas behind the houses by the beach before going back onto the beach again. I felt quite exhausted as I had been on food fasting day on the Friday and only had a light breakfast today so my energy levels were low. 

Sun (29th Mar) 8.2km A good run around the lake on a calm morning with the only incident being the fish hook. At about the halfway point I picked up what I assumed was a thorn or a 3 cornered jack seed, usually a brief kick of the heel to the ground can dislodge it. This time it clung on so I would have to stop and brush it off, I stopped to take a look and saw some metal sticking out of my heel. I had stood on a discarded fish hook and it was longed in my heel. I had to sit on the ground and waggle it around for a while to get it to the position it had come in at so I could get the barb out without it snapping off. I pulled it out and threw it in the water, only a little amount of blood so I carried on running. Very annoying that lazy people can't dispose of fishing items properly rather than leave them lying around. 

Mon 30th Mar 10km A windy run today as the strong breeze switched around to a blustery south westerly. Unwisely i went on the run without my sunglasses as it wasn't bright but they are equally useful for keeping sand out of the eyes. At west beach the sand blows over the road on these windy days so as I ran along this stretch the sand was in my mouth, eyes, ears and hair. Even the next day I still had sand in my ears. 


Thurs 2nd Apr saw a 11km from Grange to Barcoo boat ramp, outbound on the beach and back along the road. A perfect autumn day, a bit breezy on the beach but on the way back with the wind behind me it was perfect.

Sat (4th Apr) I ran a short 7km, relaxed on the run down the beach then faster on the way back along the Esplanade as I chased other runners.

Sun (5th Apr) Easter Sunday and we also came off Summer Time, gaining an extra hour.
I met up with David, Cathy and their friend Sarah at Henley Beach. David and I ran a quite quick barefoot 7km while the girls ran a shorter 3km wearing their Pace Gloves. There was a light southerly breeze which became a tailwind on the way back. We ran at a brisk pace but still at a talking speed. The ground actually felt warmer than the air temperature probably due to the sun. The run back along the beach on the soft dry sand was great on the feet, almost like running on cotton wool. After the run we sat at one of the Henley cafe's, I had a coffee while the others, who hadn't had eaten yet ordered the big breakfasts.

 

Neil