Still more time to reflect. ...

Not that I really want time to reflect!! Im being given it anyway.

About a week ago I think I wrote about the challenge of coming back to run, wanting to run, missing running, but all these things in relation to the deeper purpose of runnibg for Him.

I havent been able to help myself start to imagine the London marathon next year already. What teeshirt could I wear? My friend Andy already gave me one great little tip there : put my name on it. That way, supporters can shout out my name which gives extra and much needed encouragement!  But what else? I have thought about:
(Front)
SUB
  3

(Back)
     by
GRACE
     OF
      G

yes. I like that.

Limbo

Posting has been very scarce for the simple reason that I am in that place no runner (or sports person... heck, anyone!) want to be: injured, and it's been in no hurry to go away. This morning I tried to chat it over with God. In the shower. I felt reminded of how he placed those three foundations into my running last time things were difficult, and it gave me so much depth and meaning to my running, that is to say by God, for God and with God. I felt challenged to consider why I wanted to run again. Yes I miss it. SOOO badly. But I felt like he was saying that I needed to miss the running with him and for him and by him. He is working on my wound and cleaning the wound.

Today I tried resuming driving because even using the clutch pedal has been causing aches the following day and going for a 5 minute trot with my daughter strapped to me (she's only 5 months!), the first steps running in 3 weeks. Both seemed to go okay despite how it went just three days previously with just some driving. But the key test is tomorrow.

By the way, the UTMB was last weekend. I found this video to be quite inspiring especially with the dramatic scenes that kick in around the 12 minute mark. Will it be days, weeks, months... years? Whatever, I'll be back!!!!

Run injury-free, there is nothing more precious!

Time to take some time off

After having experimented with Physio, supports, exercises, resumed training , and antiinflammatory gels, I was inspired by Sage Cannaday who managed a twin tear, both inside and outside of his ankle. He took three weeks off. I am doing the same, except for the Physio that is. I am starting with a new Physio on Monday.

One of the tricky things with this ankle is that discomfort is 90% after the solicitation, esp the next day, in fact.

Sooo frustrating to have made so little progress since April!

Physio Ankle exercises

Here's a quick summary of some of the physio's ankle exercises (equipment needed in blue, specialised equipment needed in orange, exercise/practice that caused more harm than good in red):

Physio 1:

• Use an ankle circumduction machine on injured side. Rotating in both directions, increasing difficulty (resistance) in ensuing sessions.
• Bounce on a small trampoline on both feet (I can't remember if we did just on injured side).
• Skipping with skipping rope.

Physio 2:

• Stand on physio supple pad on injured side. Vary this by moving arms around, closing eyes, or even combining all this with swishing the head from side to side.
• Stand on balance board on injured side. Vary this by closing eyes. (I used dual hemisphere and single hemisphere).
• Stand on forefoot of both feet and twist outward, creating a sort of simulated sprain / strain on the outside of both feet, hold for a couple of seconds and back in, repeat x 10.

Physio 3:

• Stand on the damaged ankle on one foot, and send and receive a ball (beach ball, football...) varying the directions.
• Rest the ankle by standing on a step with the injured ankle simply hanging in space.
• Stand on a step sideways on injured side and rise and lower on the front of the foot. Use the good foot for balance if and when needed on the step.
• Practice walking on the front of the foot.
• With a ball under the uninjured foot, practice moving it around in all directions with weight on injured foot side.
• Have ultrasound applied. (acutely painful when the physio failed to move the device much or even at all!)
• Duration of balance exercises: 10 mins twice a day is fine.

Other (me!)

• Practice those times when stationary (e.g. brushing teeth) standing on the injured foot side. Close eyes if too easy.

23 km road and London is in the bag!

2:15 for around 23 km, leisurely. After 4km my ankle made itself known but slowing solved this. I still don't have the courage to take things off road yet as I always imagine re-twisting it! Absolutely fantastic to be able to do a run of this length although I have noticed that my natural foot strike has reverted back to heel striking.

I have been feeling desperate to get back into the running of late and really need to sort my autumn schedule.

I don't think I mentioned it on here before but... I have qualified for London 2014 good for age! Very excited about that....

Physio is wonderful, and so is focus

Friday 12 km and tough Physio session
Saturday 4.5 km, 1 km at marathon pace

Today, dimly aware of ankle, but this is significantly better than I would have felt in the same conditions even before my third ankle twist.

Note to self: see the physio straight away!
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Generally this week has seen a surge in my running "mojo", I'm just so excited about running again. I am reconsidering the whole mountain bike idea, I think I would rather keep my main focus. In the Purpose Driven Life, Warren demonstrates the close connection between focussed living and peace. I also seek peace in my sporting practice and I know time is going to be limited next year. My good friend Wim, keen mountain biker, is going to be disappointed!

1st sport, 2nd sport....3rd sport, 4th sport....

New blog entry for runningwithcertainty:

10 km in 50 mins on the flat (yesterday)
40 km trail biking in 1hr50 (today, some was on road).

Since I re-twisted for the third time in three months my ankle at the ultra event I decided to maintain, it has been a good opportunity to focus on getting some physio and developing a second sport of cycling. Actually, this is not strictly true: my experiences in the ultra of last December and my lesson-in-humility on 8 May have shown me that already I was moving from road-running to trail running, and that this transition is a big one, 2 sports already!

Since March I have also put on 4 kg - up from 66.5 (approx) to 70.2 kg now. My mind boggles when I think of what I must have been putting my body through in the build-up to that marathon!