4 weeks is a long time when you're injured :-(

It's funny how life deals you the cards...
the last time I posted on here I was just starting out on my most recent training program and looking forward to gearing up for some Summer races.  I have done hardly any running or exercise in the past 4 weeks and certainly none of the workouts on my "Devil" program :-(  When I can't do those things, I don't come here either as I don't feel I've anything to recount and would end up just moaning so better not to start writing :-)
The sore achilles I mentioned in my last post turned out to be a suspected tear in my posterior tibial tendon which got sorer as time went on, however I have had some pretty excruciating physio sessions and am pleased to report that it feels like it is on the mend.
I have run in the interim, but not much, we had signed up for the Kilt Run in Perth as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations, it was a good day out, a fun event and I managed to run albeit slowly, all the way round the 8km course - wearing one of John's kilts!!!
Last weekend I ran/walked 9.6km on Saturday and then on Sunday John - who also has an injured calf, suggested that we go for a longer run so we drove to Falkirk then walked/ran along the Union Canal to Linlithgow where we had a nice lunch and got a train back to Falkirk.  It was a fine day out and we both survived with no ill-effects of the exercise.
Today was the MHFS 10K in Glasgow, this is the race that our friends from work trained for last year when team Runtime Error was formed, a number of them did it again today and John, while still injured managed to hobble round in a respectable 44minutes!!
I am hoping to get back on track tomorrow with my running and with my Pinpoint-Fitness program as well, that's not been great over the last couple of weeks either due to injury and illness, though hopefully everything is looking up again and I will be back on track.
Keep your fingers crossed for me and send healing vibes :-)

P.S.  Just checked and there are only 9 people in front of me on the "Devil" waiting list now...

Ups and Downs :-(

And not a hill session in sight :-(
I had a good week last week, managed to do all my training sessions and was feeling quite pleased with myself... however on Saturday I was feeling a bit of an ache in my right achilles which didn't stop me running on either Saturday or Sunday, but by Sunday afternoon the ache was officially sore!
Sunday night it was very painful so I rang the physio on Monday morning and was fortunate to get an appointment for this morning.  Some work on my calves, some ultrasound on the achilles itself and some fabby pink and blue tape and it seemed much better so I decided to try tonight's training session.  I jogged for about 10 minutes on the way to meet our friend George, and we jogged for about another 15minutes before the session proper - it should have been 4 * 1km with 200m recovery reps, but as soon as I started to up the pace on the first rep the achilles said NO!!! I hobbled and walked for about another 10-15mins but there wasn't much point.  Fortunately, John came by on the way home from his run and he continued home and came back to get me in the car, this saved me a half hour hobble home.

On a happier note, I went to an early morning fitcamp with the PinPoint-Fitness crew, they are launching a new set of fatloss camps and the Guinea Pigs were invited along.  It was great, I really enjoy working out early in the morning, and it was great to catch up with all the guys again, however I think I'll have to give it a miss tomorrow and Friday is a wait and see at the moment. 

So, keep sending me healing vibes and I promise to try really hard not to moan too much :-)

An achieving day...

Another wee tick in a box in the Big Book of Life for me today :-)
This for those of you who aren't local, is the Clackmannanshire Bridge, it's the newest crossing of the River Forth and is a great link to The Wee County.  However, I have a thing about crossing bridges over water, according to my learned friend Malcolm it's known as Gephyrophobia. 
I have crossed this bridge on foot a few times since it opened as it forms part of a great 20mile loop for us from the house over either this or the older Kincardine Bridge, back over the other one and home again and whilst I have run some of it, I usually walk part of it, sticking as close to the fence as I can, especially if it's windy.  Well after all the preamble, the point of this is that I ran all the way across it today and into a headwind so big :-) about that...
This morning we went along to Falkirk parkrun to volunteer, there was a good turnout once again and although the sun was hidden behind the clouds it was a pleasant morning for a run.  
I am following a new training program (I think I've mentioned this before!) and my weekend sessions are a 60min easy run and a 10mile Long Slow Run henceforth known as LSR ;-)  I could race the 5k at parkrun instead of the 60min Easy occasionally if I want, but tomorrow I am going for Afternoon Tea with Prosecco in Glasgow with 3 friends from work, to celebrate one of them getting a promotion, so I had to swap and do my LSR today and I'll do the easy run in the morning when I get up.  So, I decided that I would run home from parkrun, John dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and said "see you at home - you should head in that direction..." we have a strange relationship in some folks eyes LOL!
There was a wee ENEasterly blowing which meant that I was running into it all the way across the bridge, but I made it the whole way across and carried on along the carse and up the hill into Clackmannan.  A wee downhill out of the town to reward you for the climb up and then along the main road to Alloa.  It feels reasonably flat but when you look at the stats on the Garmin it's a steady climb all the way home.  I've a wee bit of an ache in my achilles and stiff legs now, but apart from that nothing too drastic, I came home and feet went straight into a bucket of rainwater which was fine and cold and helped to chill things off!
A recovery shake, an epsom salts bath, a yoghurt and I felt fine, so I baked some muffins and cookies to pass the afternoon.
This evening has been spent watching the football, Bayern Munich v Chelsea, I've no favourite to win, and I'm not even a football fan, but I enjoy the competition of the big games... Euro 2012 starts in a fortnight and I'll probably watch most of those games too for the same reason.
Still doing reasonably well with the eating, and no alcohol for 12 days now, just 6 more to go until Brussels when I may have a wee vin rouge in the Grand Place as I partake of the jazz festival, then on Sunday we run the 20km race - but more about that nearer the time.

Tired...

Yep I know I've used that title before, but I am! I suppose it's not altogether unreasonable given the tough day we had last Sunday but it's still hard to come to terms with - you think you're recovered but you're not really...
I had a non-running weekend and I really enjoyed it :-) I ran on Friday 5km on the treadmill and although I wasn't too uncomfortable, the legs were still heavy and a bit achey. John was doing his long run on Saturday so I spent the day driving around the countryside in glorious sunshine with the roof down on the MR2 :-)
Sunday I contemplated running but started the day with breakfast outside enjoying the peace and stillness - before the rain came! Did an hour of tidying up in the garden then got showered and organised and headed off to Glasgow to Achilles Heel for new shoes - that always cheers me up :-)
Another nice chat with Katie & Co and
left the shop with my purchases

They didn't have the socks in store that I wanted, but they had them in online store and I ordered them on Sun evening and they arrived today - great service (and free p&p)
I've only done 1 run this week, 5.1K on the treadmill on Monday lunchtime, been really tired yesterday and today - hope it's just fatigue and not somebody's bugs =:-0
So not much else to report, I took the bike out for 40mins yesterday with a couple of good hills in the route so that was better than nothing...
I'm back at physio tomorrow evening so hopefully legs will feel brand new after the pain wears off :-)

Getting ready to race :-)

Saturday morning will see us off to the Lake District to take part in the Lakeland Trails marathon, or as I prefer to think of it a pleasant run round Coniston Water. The weather forecast looks favourable and we are having Monday off work so am looking forward to a pleasant post race meal/beer in a local hostelry after the race and a leisurely drive home on Monday.

It's John's 20th marathon which I think is an incredible achievement!!

I had a physio appointment this evening, my achilles tendon is playing up a bit - not something I'm terribly prone to but there you go, this week I am, so I am all wrapped up in pink tape again :-)
I hope the weather is nice and we can take the wee car as we can get the roof down and get some sunshine...
Will post about our adventures when we get back