Friday, January 05, 2007

The old two-step

Target workout: four by 1600-m cruise intervals amongst a 16-km run.
Actual result: Aborted intervals after two poor efforts. Clocked up the 16-km, aggravated the knee/leg.
Distance this week/month/year: 46 km.

The old two-step: As in, two steps forward and one back. You hear this all the time from runners with one eye on a goal race while trying to deal with annoying injuries. So why should I be any different? After my 19 km on Wednesday I was very encouraged that the knee/leg was feeling quite under control (not cured, but not painful either). I was also proud of myself for sticking to the regime and not hopping out for a run yesterday in celebration of this relatively happy state of affairs.

Today was the first day back at work after the new year break. I had four times 1600-m repeats on the program. I got to bed a lot later than I planned, but somehow willed myself out of bed at 6:00 am. I ran up to the park at easy-moderate effort; everything, leg included, felt fine apart from the fact that the perceived effort seemed a little harder than my pace or heart rate were saying. I started the first mile repeat and decided not to push too hard. But I still thought I was going at about normal mile-repeat pace, maybe slightly slower. It turned out to be a full 15 seconds slower than the first repeat one week ago. Blech. And I felt a twinge in the leg. Still, I gritted my teeth and started the next one. It was still 7 seconds slow AND I was putting in pretty hard AND my leg now felt decidedly sore AND I need to take a crap. So that was that. I decided that this session should be hereby terminated without prejudice and a resumption to normal aerobic running. And so that is what I did (after attending to business of course), at around HR143.

The leg is now sore/tender again, but not as bad as it was two weeks ago. I suppose this at least justifies the truncated training approach. The next task is to give it some TLC tonight and tomorrow with a view to completing an LSD on Sunday. <sigh>

7 comments:

Ewen said...

Ugh!

To me, it looks like 'putting in' on the second 1600 flared it up. It's easy to say, but the first slow one was perhaps a sign things weren't right.

I hope the TLC does the trick for Sunday.

TD said...

Happy New Year to you Stephen and may it be an injury free one for you.

Samurai Running said...

あけましておめでとうございます! To you too Stephen. I hope to meet you on Feb 18th sometime.

Great photo of the kids. Maybe that guy asking after their biological father may have a point as the last photo I saw of you looked like "Grizzy Adams" and not like the handsome trio of young men I saw on your blog.

Samurai Running said...

Hey Stephen

I was posting to you when my 6 year old comes in and he said to me "Why do you have a photo of Chiaki and Kohta?" I said you know them? And he tells me they are on a TV program he watches.

So we have a celebrity blogging father and a hummble one too. I'm going to look for the papparazzi photos of you in "Flash" magazine from now on.

Tesso said...

Ok, what is Scott talking about???? Your kids are on tele???

Good luck with that knee. Gee, I just hope hope hope (and hope) it comes good asap.

GKK said...

Steve, three more ideas I'm considering for my knee that might possibly work for yours.

1. Custom made innersoles.
2. Special taping of the knee done at Yamane chiropractic (tape goes around the knee and up the leg).
3. Knee band under the kneecap.

Looking back, I realise that only two things have been effective so far - my trip to the expensive Aussie physios and the massage at K's in Ebisu.

MilesandMiles said...

I know Tokyo is shaping up as a major Rendez vous for all runners in Asia but i hope you know what you are doing, training through this type of injury!! I face similar challenges and for me running in my 60s take priority over any specific event... Easier said than done though!