Four corners

Just watched a show on four corners.

There was the horrible story of the poor girl in New Zealand. It makes me wonder what sort of people I was supporting by the following the Sharks football side in 2002.

I used to follow the Sharks because of great players like Steve Rogers, Greg Pierce, David Peachey, Andrew Ettinghausen, Gavin Miller, Preston Campbell, David Hatch. Good clean players, players who could run fast and score exciting tries.

A new coach tried to change that culture in 2002. It almost destroyed the club. And to think under this new culture players and staff did this to a poor teenage girl. I’m disgusted.

Now the club has lost its heart and is trying to buy players from all over the place. A team of rugby league journeymen, players always in trouble with the judiciary, getting charged with allegedly glassing their girlfriend. They’re not even entertaining ot watch play. The worst attacking team in the NRL.

 I’m rapidly losing interest in Rugby League. I’ve hardly watched  any games this year. Running is a better sport. I am totally and utterly obsessed by running.

How running has changed my life.

A big weekend

On Friday night I walked 5km. On Saturday I walked 6.6km, swam 1.5 km and walked 5km. Today I walked 6.6km. I thought on todays walk the knee started to improve about half way around. Still I am probably looking at months to beat this thing rather than weeks. I’m hoping for the day that I wake up and my VMO is strong enough for me to walk without the tape. Today I walked without the patella tendon strap.

The Sharks beat the Panthers 24-22. It is the best the Sharks have played in attack for ages.

 

 

 

Going hard at it

This whole weekend, I have been working my knee. I’ve walked the Muttonbird Island circuit 6.3 km three days in a row. I’m trying to ignore the nerve pain, it’s there, but probably wasn’t as bad this morning. Last night while watching the Grand Final, the VMO was pulling the knee cap straighter. I had spent most of the day without it taped. That’s the annyoing thing right now, the tape seems to fire the nerve pain  up.

Anyway, the Storm beat the Eagles 34-8. The Storm was the best team all year and deserved their win. Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith are both wonderful players. The second try that Inglis scored was a ripper. Speed, balance and a killer fend on Robertson. He is a amazing athlete. Ben Cross  who’d been in doubt all week played really well. You could see that the win meant so much to the Storm players, after losing in last years GF. Matt King was so emotional he was trying to pull his hair out.

The Daily Telegraph pulled a stunt, trying to say that all of Sydney was behind the Sea Eagles, and the tradtional Manly hatred had been put aside. Garbage!  I was glad the Storm beat Manly. They were the best team all year, they have some brilliant players who are entertaining to watch. The Telegraph tired to pull the same stunt last year before the Bulldogs Brisbane semi. Manly and the Bulldogs are probably the most despised teams in the comp.

Enternal Bridesmaids

The Cronulla Sharks 40 years and still without a premiership win. Another loss tonight against Manly 29-22. The Sharks had eleven players out injured, so it was a good performance, considering Manly are running second. I hate Manly, my dislike of Manly will never die.

I walked fifty minutes tonight. No orthotics. My whole leg doesn’t feel smooth. There were snatches of pain down the back of my calf, over the ITB, behind the patella itself. However, the pain wasn’t as annoying as when I was wearing the custom made orthotics. I’ve been thinking what a bad injury this really is.  15 months limping around with a sore knee. 7 months McConnell taping and physio  and still a long way to go. I have moments when I think I may have really killed my knee this time.

Sand

Muttonbird Island Looking south

4km Walk 39:40 (20:11; 19:19). The good news is that the walk was pretty much pain free. Not unequivocally better, but heading in the right direction.

Lenny the Cockatiel has had a busy morning eating newspapers, and chewing bandaid packets, and is having a snooze on my arm.  

This afternoon I bought a digital camera, a Nikon coolpix. This afternoon I did the Muttonbird island 6.6km circuit in 66:31. That’s 3 minutes faster than last week. I’m not sure my knee is feeling it, but my foot is. I wore the Nike Air Pegausus with orthotics. I took a couple of photos of Muttonbird Island. I’ve been trying to take a photo of Lenny the Cockatiel but she is scared of the camera.

The Sharks lost 23-12 to the team running second last. A team that lost 56-0 last week. The Roosters. This is looking like being as bad a year for the Sharks as 2003. They just can’t score tries.  

Trip to the big smoke

I had a fairly positive trip to Sydney. Arrived on Friday morning. Spent a bit of time wandering around and shopping. I visited my usual haunts, Galaxy Bookshop, Dymocks, Botanic Gardens. My knee was sore on the plane. I did fifteen minutes on the exercise bike and that probably fired it up. Also did the exercises. The Knee was also cracking alot. It was three hours before my appointment with the knee physio and I have to say that the knee started to feel a little better. The firey foot pain was not as evident.

Anyway saw the physio, and told him that things had improved since last time. Was able to walk more and cycle, the VMO was better defined and the knee cap was deeper in its groove. He was pleased with the increased strenghth of the VMO, and the lack of joint pain, and crepitus. I told him I was getting lateral knee pain still. He was a little disappointed that the improved physical exam didn’t equate to a minimisation in inflammation. He said that the patella still tracks laterally but not nearly as badly as before.

He showed me a new type of taping called Mulligan’s Taping. It shifts the position of the patella tendon. It was something he said I could use if the traditional McConnels taping wasn’t working for me. I seem to able to tolerate the original tape so I’ll stick to that technique for now.

When he hooked me up to the biofeedback machine he said that there was much more activity in the VMO, but I wasn’t isolating it enough becuase the VL was almost twice as strong. This was a bit disappointing.

So I went back to Wolli Creek. The next morning I did the walk around the creek. This was the scene of the great walk I had back in February. My leg wasn’t too bad but some snatches of fireiness let me know it was still there. I finished and checked out the motel gym;  my knee was sore when I stepped on the treadmill.

I went back to the motel room and retaped the knee, Then I headed into town. Bought something to eat at Subway then I walked over to the Botanic Gardens. I enjoyed sitting down near the water. Watching spinakered yachts, speed boats fulls of tourists, a huge leisure launch, perhaps the Packers?. A sea plane flew overhead, possibly doing sighteeing tours from above.

Then I decided to walk back around the Domain back towards the Opera House. There was a fellow walking behind me, talking on a mobile phone who said he was the State Coronor. I’d never walked this way before. I walked around the forecourt of the Opera House and looked out over the Harbour towards Fort Dension, the apartments at North Sydney, pockets of pre 1770 sandstone bushland covering cliff tops. There were ferries and other boats cutting the green choppy water. It was a cold sunny morning. There is something about Sydney that I like, its history its identity. I can’t put it into words, it is something that Coffs Harbour lacks.   By this time my leg was feeling a lot smoother. I seemed to be able to walk faster, the State Coroner walking behind me was puffing as he talked on his mobile.

I headed through the rocks and up George Street. It was after one by then. I thought I might go and see a movie. There was a two hour wait so I decided to go to North Sydney Oval to watch the Sharks Premier League side play, I even bought a Shark supporter’s hat in Mick Simmons.

I walked all the way from Town Hall to Wynyard and caught a train to North Sydney. I walked up Millers Street, which a fairly steep hill. My knee wasn’t horrible, it was catching and clicking a little, but seemingly less painful the further I went.

I arrived for the last half of the Penrith vs Norths Jersey League game. I hadn’t been to North Sydney Oval since 1988, when I watched the Sharks beat Norths 16-12, after being down 12-2 at half time.  The Panthers won 34-6. Each time the Panthers goal kicker lined up a conversion, a keen Norths supporter waved a huge red, black and white flag under the branches of the massive Morton Bay Fig. “Kick it a me.” He goaded the goal kicker to miss. The Penrith player kicked the goal from the side line.  

Then the premier league players came out. The Sharks competed for 60 minutes. None of the players impressed me. Watts the halfback had lots of variety in his kicking game, but only one or two got results. Those that think he is a replacement for Kimmorley have rocks in their heads. At the moment he is a capable premier league player no more. Misi Talaupapa played pretty well, at least he gets involved, and is suprisingly strong for a winger. Another player who has been touted as a potential first grader, Dane Neilsen did nothing special. The Sharks finished losing 31-12. The turning point came when the Sharks receieved a penalty. Watts pushed a pass that bounced around on the ground about twent metres behind the play. Phil Leululai attempted to pick up the bouncing ball, but before he bent over a Souths player picked up the ball a raced away to score.

I felt dpressed after that. I walked back to North Sydney Station. Man it was cold! And I was probably the only idiot in Sydney wearing shorts. Teeth chattering cold. So I got back to Wynyard walked up to Town Hall. I was going to go back to the motel, I thought it would be too cold at the footy.

I got out a Central, and decided to go the watch the Roosters Eels at Aussie Stadium. I walked up Crown Street Hill, which is even steeper than Millers Street. My knee didn’t feel too shabby.

 I was glad I went. The Eels led 22-0 at half time. I was pleased to see the Roosters get beaten, because of what Chris Anderson their coach did to Sharks whilst he was at our club. He looks as if he is doing the same to the Roosters. The Roosters fought back to 30-16. Then the Eels scored late to win 36-16. Jarryd Hayne scored a miracle intercept try.

I walked back down Crown Street my knee sore on the outside but tolerable considering I’d spent all day on it.

Not looking forward to going back to Coffs Harbour. Not looking forward to going into work.

Back

My back has been sore the last couple of days. The back hurts, and then the pain is referred down into the rough bit in the knee, then it goes into the sole of my foot. I put on the quinkin super light tape today at lunch. My leg felt better. Then after work my back hurt and the knee starts to sting a bit. It’s not too painful, just insanely frustrating. I can handle a sore back, I can’t handle a dysfunctional leg.

State of Origin is on tonight. Jeez, Chanell Nine take it seriously, there’s an about a hours prelude to it. Just bring on the game I say. I think it is a bit of circus to be honest. I am more interesting in who wins the premiership. Hopefully, the Sharks will before I’m too old to care.

Talk about a rant. I had one late last night. Hope not alot of people saw it. Feeling much better today.

heart rate monitor

before I went to sleep my heart rate was 59. Considering the lack of exercise I’ve been getting I thought it might be much higher. If I watch my diet a bit better I should get it to  a pre exercise level. I tried a 20 minute walk last evening. The knee was good until the last 200 metres. Then it hurt in the car.

Someone in the neigbourhood was playing loud music from about 1 am to 3 am. The drums and base were so loud they were rattling windows. I’d like to find where they live and keep them from sleeping off their nasty hang overs. Being deprived of sleep makes me a very angry Yowie. And you don’t want to see me angry.  

This morning I hit the first step and the knee let off a extremely loud crack,

Another swimming session. I practiced a few floating drills front and back. Head bobbing kicking drills. I swam several laps, getting my head lower in the water, and breathing much more relaxed.

At about 4pm I went for a 40 minute walk. I wore the ITB strap, taping a nd the patella strap. My leg felt better than it did in the morning.

The Sharks won 30-20 against the Bulldogs. Their hooker Isaac DeGois scored a seventy metre try. Greg Bird beat about six bulldog players to pass to Paul Gallen, who gave Ben Pommeroy a clear run to the line. The ref disallowed a try to Gallen, who seald the match with a try close to the line showing great strength and determination.  This puts the Sharks in third place on the competition ladder.

Sharks v Broncos

Sharks won 16-8. It looked like being a long night when the Sharks were down 8-0 after 10 minutes. Then they fought back to 8-8 at half time. A penaltly put the Sharks ahead 10-8. Quick hands in the forwards lead Gallen to making a nice break, he turned it inside to Kingston, who drew the fullback and gave Bird an open run to score under the posts. Gallen, Bird and Kimmorley all played well, and I suspect that they may get a call up for  State of Origin. This will weaken the Sharks squad over the next few weeks. The Sharks wins have been based around defence, their attack is still pretty ordinary. They couldn’t score any points against the Broncos in 22 minutes. The Broncos were without Darren Lockyer for most of that time.

I walked for an hour and ten minutes this morning. I walked up and down Mutton bird Island Hill. The leg was surprisingly good. There was some stinging and aching, but the burning foot sensation took a back seat. I notice that when I put the tape on there is a lot more looseness in the outside of the fat pad. I suspect that the rough cartiledge has compressed a nerve. When I aggravate my knee it takes ages to settle down. 16th February until today it has been fired up. It’s still fiery even today, but less than last week. Fingers crossed. It would be a huge relief if the tape could work for me again.

Walk rating 6.5/10.

I hate it when you are walking towards someone, you change direction, then they change direction into your path, you change direction, then they change direction. You finish up having to stop to avoid a collision. With my dodgy knee each change of direction is hard on it.  You can see these people coming, I don’t change direction anymore I just hold my line and let them do all the dodging.

Went to the Park beach acquatic centre. Praticed some kicking drills. Some children were leaning on the lane rope over into my lane. I asked them to move but they wouldn’t. I ran into a boy, but still they didn’t get the message. I’m getting better at kicking on my back and side. Not so good at the head bobbing drill.

The limp of life

I’m not doing the “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits. It’s more like the “Limp of life.” Regardless I went for a walk this morning; my heart and lungs loved it. My knee niggled just enough to let me know it is still there. It started to hurt up Jarrett Street Hill. Walk rating 6/10. Later in the day will be the test of just how much it hurts.

I’m five out of seven in the league tipping. I’ve moved up into 13th position out of 30. Sharks are in fifth spot. They bore other teams to death. Each team we have beaten this year has played poorly.

Knee pain rating 4/10. I sense better tracking and a smoother feel to it.