Ball of foot pain

Four days this week I’ve had ball of foot pain. I’ve been icing and applying anti inflamms, but it is still painful to stand on my toes. Last two nights I’ve been on the exercise bike for an hour.

I’ve have 9 days until the City to Surf, and I will not run until this pain settles down even if my next run is the City to Surf itself.

Shin Splints

When I was suffering from shin pain I asked myself the  question; shin splints or a stress fracture?

In the end, my pain, which was exruciating and made it difficult to walk, resvolved itself with massage, physiotherapy and rest, and I was able to get back to running pain free in three weeks. I had an X-ray done to see if there was a stress fracture or not. By the time I got to talk about the X-rays, which were inconclusive, the pain was gone and I was back running. I’m pretty sure if it was a stress fracture I wouldn’t have got back to running so quickly.

So my advice, while you are waiting on the results of the tests, would be to treat it as shin splints and see how it pans out with ice, rest and physiotherapy (I had massage, e-stim, calf and quad stretches, shin strenghthening exercises). Apply plenty of ice (I used ice frozen in a foam cup) and anti inflammatory gels. Maybe you could try running on softer surfaces. Perhaps only run every second day, cut back your mileage and intensity. Maybe your shoes are worn, or you need to look into custom made orthotics?

The odd angry sub 4

I’ve now run nineteen sub four minute kilometres as an old fart.

3:46.98

3:52.22

3:53.04

3:55.27

3:55.81

3:56.65

3:57.92

3:58.38

3:59.01

The other two were in a two kilometre race I did before I purchased the Garmin.

Bongil Bongil 10km Cross Country

Pre Race. Unlike last weekend I intended to race this Sunday. Last night I was watching the clock, I wanted to get to bed so I could sleep and be up to race the next morning.

I woke at about 6:30am and had a lot of time to kill before the race start at 10:30am. I really wish they started them earlier to be honest.

The start of the race was at the beginning of the Eastern Peninsula Road. This is the exact spot where I have parked my car so many times to go and do vegetation survey sites in the Park.

The morning was overcast and quite humid. The starting area was amongst a flooded gum plantation. I did at least three kilometres warm up! I felt quite nervous, I intended to race and race hard.

The Race.Last night I thought about really going out hard and seeing if I could lead one of the young 5km runners at least for a hundred metres or so. The guy that wins most of these races without even trying. Off we go, and I’m going out hard. I’m leading everyone for the first hundred metres. Then gravity, old age and sanity prevails, and the first of the 5km runners goes past.

 A few others go past, one is a guy who often does the 10km, but has been running a few 5km races, because of a knee problem perhaps? He flies past.

The trail is covered with sticks and branches and still boggy patches.

1km 3:58

The first guy that I know is a 10km runner moves ahead. He’s way too fast for me today. But a few months consistent training down the track who knows? Took him a while to reel me in that first kilometre.

There are some really boggy patches, which slows my momentum.

2km 4:14.

A young chap who beat me in the 5km at Nambucca goes past. I keep pace with him and he doesn’t get too far ahead.

The turn around is at about 2.5km. I’m probably seventh out of the 5km and 10km runners. The leading 10km runner is about 150 metres ahead.

3km 4:54

Mmmmm…. an interesting split don’t feel as if I’ve slowed that much.

The race conitnues along the dirt access road, which is covered with leaves from the fallen trees of the adjoining mixed swamp sclerophyll forest palm forest.

4km 4:40 That’s a better split. 

I reach the half way mark at 21:21, and I beat one of the young 5km runners in. 

5km 4:41

Off I go on the second lap. This is going to hurt a bit. I really put in hard the first 5km.   The guy with the niggly knee is doing the 5km today, so I find myself up in second in the 10km

I get some encouragement from the other 10km runners, and the still finishing 5km runners, which is nice.

6km 4:34. I think the kms reflect the eveness of the surface. Even though the course is flat the surface is not conducive to a fast time.

7km 4:47. 

I hit the turn around with 2.5km to go. And I see the guy coming third. I have at leas 250 metres on him. 

He says to me “Do I want it?”

Well, to be honest I want the City to Surf on the 9th August 2008 this is just a practice. What I want is to get to the City to Surf injury free.

I know I’ve got more than enough in the tank to beat this big talking guy home. 

8km OK 4:58 Slowing down, I think it is the surface. Or maybe I went too hard on the progression run yesterday?  

9km 5:02. Almost there. 

I finish second over the line of the 10km runners in 45:21. 

I was running that sort of time on the road back in May 2009. Slowed down the second half a bit, but that’s OK.

I finish and the ball of my foot is quite sore, proving I gave it plenty put there. 

Mr.  ’Talking it up, do you want it?’  finished third and never really threatened.  Love the banter, it’s all good.

The chap who won was miles out ahead, and I congratulate him.

A bit disappointed with my fade in the second 5km. I really lost a lot of time, and finished further behind the winner than I would’ve liked.

 RESULTS: 10KMS – (Male) Tim Parkes 39:37, 1; Paul Sheringham 45:22, 2; Simon Burgess 45:58, 3; Tim Jacobs 47:02, 4; Rod Wilburs 47:32, 5; Ken Crabb 49:38, 6; Steel Beveridge 1:4:15, 7; RESULTS: 5KMS – (Male) Tim Abbotts 17:43, 1; Richard Pearson 18:16, 2; Terry Garrett 19:07, 3; Angus Watson 19:30, 4; Jason Smit 20:21, 5; Dylan Westwood 21:53, 6; Chris Garrett 24:15, 7; Joe Wiegerinck 24:57, 8; Matthew Berrington 24:57, 9; Lach Jacobs 25:39, 10; Graeme Diffey 28:07, 11; Harry Jacobs 28:08, 12; Norman Howard 28:57, 13; Mario Muscat 30:02, 14; Mac Smyth 31:33, 15; Ollie Smyth 31:38, 16; Eddie Harrod 33:32, 17; Terry Booth 35:19, 18; Lachlan  Joseph 38:56, 19; 

RESULTS: 10KMS – (Female) Lee Burgess 47:16, 1; Lyn Fulton 48:02, 2;

 RESULTS: 5KMS – (Female) Tiara Hill 22:05, 1; Emily Parkes 22:36, 2; Isabel Garrett 22:53, 3; Lilli Smyth 25:54, Emma Burgess 26:03, 5; Petrina Pearson 26:45, 6; Diana Westall 27:16, 7; Anthea Martin 27:44, 8; Becky Parkes 28:31, 9; Michelle Randall 28:59, 10; Bridget Diffey 29:17, 11; Trudy Watson 29:59, 12; Emily Joseph 36:57, 13;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday is progression run day

Every run seems to be a progression run for me at the moment. I chose a grassy Aussie rules/baseball field to run on this morning. So as to not be attacked by rampant Spur-winged Plovers (A bird species). One did attack just after about 5kms, but only once.

The were some children playing tee ball on the park, and there was a man starting to put big blue pads on the Aussie rules goal posts. I followed the line markings for much of each lap.  The grass around the lines seems to be more closely mown and it is easier to run on.

I really like the way I’m starting to stride out it feels as if my running legs are coming back. My wasted inner quad is getting stronger, and I only use knee tape to run and cycle. On a couple of runs the tape has come off, and I can still run without problem.

The way I built momentum today was not really a conscious thing. I start easy, and start to concentrate on form, and I stride out longer as I warm up, and the speed build from there.

4:40/km feels like work but is comfortable: 4:30/km is hard work but not a struggle like it was a few months ago, and 4:16/km for the last was bu no means flat out.

To all intents and purposes I’ve been running on one good leg, and I wonder what might be possible when I get my quads strong.

8kms 38.25 (5:42, 5:04, 4:50, 4:42, 4:40, 4:38, 4:29, 4:16)

Gold Coast Airport Marathon 10km photos

20km run Number 3

I ran five minutes quicker than my last 20km run back in May.

I chose the Coffs Creek trail, and the I ran along the footpath almost all the way out to Corambirra Point.

20km 1hour 42 minutes 15 (5:37, 5:21, 5:18, 4:59, 5:07 (26:22), 4:54, 4:59, 4:49, 4:51, 4:56, (24:28),  5:02, 5:06, 4:52, 5:05, 5:08, (25:13), 5:21, 5:21, 5:23, 5:10, 4:54 (26:10)

Progression Run

Did a progression run on the cycle path this morning. It was a minute and a half faster than my previous effort.

12km (55:58)

12km (7.5 miles) 55:58 (5:03, 4:50, 4:47, 4:50, 4:38, 4:42, 4:26, 4:30, 4:42, 4:32, 4:29, 4:30) @ 4:40/km, 7:37/mile

last 10km 46:04 last 5km 22:43.

Better than you big boy!

Not only was I beaten by Fabio, but I love the interchange between the course commentator and a member of the crowd during the finish of my recent Gold Coast 10km run.

This requires audio

http://www4.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports/2009/Gold%20Coast%20Airport%20Marathon

Outside looking in

There’s a photo of me at the running today lining up.  A glimpse of how I look from the outside. It’s never something I’m comfortable with.

You get an idea, maybe how people see me, and react to me.  You’ve got to live with it, whatever people say. Get on with it, do your best.

When I start to run I come alive, I feel the strength.  Look at me I can do this, I’m not too bad at this, can you believe this I’m running?

Inside looking out: I feel better about myself when I run than just about any other time.

Inside looking out: I like the lover of wildflowers; the lover of sunrises and sunsets; the lover the fine light of mulit-coloured reflections of the water at the end of the day.

Inside looking out: I love the man in me that tries to capture fragile orchid flowers in a camera lense. 

Inside looking out: I like the writer in me that tries to write down observations of the beauty of nature.

Inside looking out: I like the man in me that gets a lump of inspiration in his throat watching marathon runners starting their race.