What we do and discover on the road to recovery

As many of you will know, I have been plagued by a touch of ankle trouble and have been sadly only able to do the majority of my training in the pool, gym or bike the last two weeks. This can not only prove to be slightly depressing, but also can foster feelings of self pity.

I have taken a decision not to let this weigh me down and feel in alot of ways extremely grateful for all the things that I have in life. Doing work with various charities and less able bodied sports allows me not only to give back, but to fully appreciate what I have and can do.

Little things that we have like the ability to walk, see and hear as well as having enough to eat are way too often overlooked. As my dad always told us growing up and when we showed any self-pity ‘There is always someone worse off than you’. Looking at life this way often trivialises any whinging I have about a slightly sore ankle or a few sore muscles.

Instead of wallowing, I am adopting the Greg Welch approach of learning as much as I can so that I will have new plans to implement when I return to hard training. After talking to various coaches, I feel it is important to not only have new goals on different courses, but also to try various weird and wacky training programs and events (at least just to keep running interesting, fun and so that the interest does not wane).

A friend described to me how last year he took part in a Santa Claus fun run at Christmas. He was not aiming to be competitive (everyone had to wear a Santa suit), but it was a bit of fun with his mates and they got to help the charity that the event was in aide of. They were able to laugh and enjoy the run and take loads of photos of how silly they looked and yet they were still running and doing something together that they all enjoy.

My collection of running books has come off the shelf and is now strewn around my home and I am enjoying reading and in many cases rereading the likes of Noakes, Pfitzinger, Paula Radcliffe, Jeff Galloway and Lisa Tamati. These books provide me not only with information and knowledge, but also the reassurance that even the best were (and are) at times struck down with periods of injury and having to cross train. This is important for all of us to keep in mind if we wish to keep running into old age.

I strongly believe that if we are sensible and keep mixing up the training that the body will thank us long term and the interest levels will remain high. Another friend of mine (now in his late 50s) epitomises this. He has come to accept that he can only do a finite amount of hard running in a week and so supplements this with riding his bike, walking long and lifting weights to keep his body strong. Despite only doing a maximum of 58km a week of running, he still manages to run a sub 3 hour marathon proving Noake’s theory that there is no correlation between length of time training and end result of the marathon. – Sean Muller

Getting to the line no matter what

It's Friday again folks so I thought I would be a little lazy and dig out another of my favourite motivational videos. This one takes us back to the 1997 Hawaii Ironman ladies competition - Sian Welch and Wendy Ingram. Both ladies giving it their absolute all at the end of the run leg.

I don't think anyone likes to see people suffering like this, but it reminds us of what we are truly capable of under extreme circumstances. As the announcer says - this is absolutely unbelievable.

May you live and love the run this weekend. -- Sean Muller

Relationships and the long distance runner

Long distance running can be a very lonely sport. It is not for nothing that the term ‘The loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ is used. By the very nature of things unless you belong to a dedicated running club you can’t always call on the services of a friend or partner to step out with you and run.

I find that the longer the training session, the less enthusiastic friends are about it. A phone call promising the joys of a 2 or 3 hour run on a Sunday morning are more often than not met with less than pleasant language telling me where I can go. Granted these individuals are very often suffering the effects of a night on the booze – something I no longer contend with since I decided not to drink anymore.

So we do what we have to and head out regardless.

But what of relationships and potential life partners?

It is my firm belief that one’s life partner has to either share the same passion as you for an activity or sport, or at least be very supportive of the reasons why you like taking part in said activity.

One of my mates, now in his 40s, who used to run some very quick marathon times in his 20s (PB: 2.25) was talking to me the other night and mentioned that sometimes he wishes he could find the time to train as he did back then and try and get his times back down into the 2.30s (he still runs 2.40 ish on little training). His priorities have changed though and with a few kids and a wife he can’t just up and run as he used to in the past. This is fair enough and although his wife does not run she does let him still run and run a limited amount of races each year which he is happy with.

I know that it can be hard for singles to meet fellow runners outside of a running club (although I have briefly dated a lovely girl I met out running one Sunday morning), but there now seem to be dating sites and agencies actively trying to match singles with similar interests in fitness activities. One of these is FitnessSingles.

This gap in the market will hopefully enable running singles like myself to find someone they are compatible with. These sites differ from traditional dating sites in that people signed up must actually be active in said sports. This alleviates situations where one might go on a date with someone who says they like running or athletics, when in reality the only thing they like is to perve over athletes on television while sitting on the sofa guzzling wine and pizza. – Sean Muller

The experimental runner

This morning I awoke and decided that it was as good a day as any to head out for a run to test my injured ankle (or rather Tibalis Posterior). You see I am trying to get myself fit so that I can run the Sydney Running Festival Marathon on 19 September. The distance is not a problem, however I would love to get some tempo work done in at least the last 5 weeks.

Having been to see my physio for the past two weeks, she has used the ultrasound on me and initially we ruled out the dreaded stress fracture, although now I am not sure and so am heading to one of the best sport doctors in Australia next Tuesday. Hopefully by then I will know what I am facing.

It won’t be a massive drama if I can’t run it as they offer the chance to defer till next year, but it is the 10th anniversary of the marathon and I would like to take part and make it the past 4 years in a row for me. Still it would be foolhardy to try and run hurt. I am really glad though that this did not interupt my Comrades training however.

The past two years have seen heavy training and racing schedules for me and perhaps this is just the body saying that it wants to have a little time out before the next big one.

You see I just want to know what is going wrong with my body and how I can rectify it. I already know the cause of said injury which was almost certainly a combination of new plyometrics and an intensive speed session a few weeks back. This was too soon after the Comrades and my body was just not ready for it I believe. Also big flag for all, I think while plyometrics are great all round conditioning and great drills, they should be done following recovery runs of about 5-8km and not on the same day as tempo work or speed drills.

We as long distance runners are constantly seeking new ways and methods to make us faster, more efficient and stronger runners. I for one am always willing to try out new things I have heard about. Some of these have agreed with me and some I have cast aside as not working for me. As Dr Sheehan wrote, we are all an experiment of one as runners and sadly no one has managed to come up with the magic formula that will universally work for all of us. I guess this is part of the mystique of long distance running and why we keep coming back for more. It is a game of chess on legs and forces one to alter your game plan not to beat others but to silence those voices and feelings inside yourself.

While my ankle felt better than it has on previous attempts at running in the past week, it is by no means healed and there is work to be done.

My experiments this morning lead me to trying out strapping the offending ankle and then wearing two pairs of socks (I have found two pairs of socks have worked with plantars previously). I have also come across the following video by a sports doctor in New Zealand which may be useful to any readers suffering lower limb pain or weakness. – Sean Muller