Anyone for pain?

Well after my last post I was fairly confident of being back on the road to regular running - the knee felt good, relatively pain free and a PB to boot!

Not wanting to push my luck I rested a few days before doing anything else, got back to the pool and completed another leisurely mile swim. Further rest until the following Sunday and back out on the open road again, well for about mile before it all came crashing down around me. I had to limp myself home in the most pain I've been in since October. Sore, devastated & frustrated (hence having no interest in posting for so long!)

A further visit to the docs as I'm now in more pain all over the knee and it transpires I have patellofemoral pain - basically another ligament is shot. More stretches, more exercises and still I wait for the injection.

You too could look like a real athlete!

Various guises of kinesio taping have tried and partially succeeded in relieving some pain but enough is enough!! The doc advised some lightweight cycling wouldn't hurt - low/mid gearing, high cadence should reduce any pressure on the knee.

So after a week of no exercise whatsoever I managed to drag myself back to the squash court (and win a game!) on Monday, get out on the bike for 18k on Tuesday - it didn't break any records but felt good to be back and tonight complete 3 sets of 400m back in the pool tonight. Whilst this may seem fairly trivial it does feel like I am on the road back, the injection is due next week so I'll by nil by foot again while that kicks in all the while continuing stretching & strengthening as well as investigating the possibility of some physio/bio-mechanical testing to find the root cause of the frustration then progressing to some more gait analysis all in the hope of future prevention from ever having the ITB pain again - trust me you do not want to know.

Mile Swim 15.01.2014 - 400m Sets 17.01.2014

High Cadence Bike 28.01.2014 - 400m Sets 29.01.2014

In other news the new steed could shortly be on the way and I have already eyed up some short circuit bike racing too - what's the worst that could happen ;-)

Rhythm is a dancer and also apparently a runner

As Snap! once declared back in the early 90's Rhythm is a dancer, but it also turns out it is a runner too well nearly. During my visit to the docs last week we not only discussed exercises for my knee but also cadence or steps per minute (SPM).

ca•dence
pron. (ˈkeɪd ns)n.v. -denced, -denc•ing.
1. rhythmic flow of sounds or words.
2. the beat, rate, or measure of any rhythmic movement.
3. the flow or rhythm of events
4. a slight falling in pitch of the voice in speaking.
5. a sequence of musical chords moving toward a harmonic point of rest or closing.
6. to make rhythmical.

From the definition above point 2 states that cadence is a beat, rate or measure of anything rhythmic, therefore cadence=rhythm, therefore rhythm is a runner - see not long winded at all!! So with this in mind the doc explains that shorter, more frequent strides could potentially help my knee by reducing all sorts of pressures exerted upon it with long strides. Shorter strides will keep my leg more central to my body an I won't be over-reaching and it should also improve form.

"I'd like you to count the number of times your right foot hits the ground in a 20 or 30 second period, you should be aiming at 30/45 times"

Ok I think to myself an off I go merrily on my way armed with new knowledge, an hour or so later and several Googles on I discover that in most studies elite athletes have a cadence of around 180. A little bit of maths and that turns out to be 45 right foot strikes in 30 seconds.

"But that's what he doc wants me to aim at"

Echoes around my head whilst becoming a little befuddled about the advice. So a week later and almost a week and a half since I last run I have been sticking to my stretches and strength exercises as well as having rested the knee and this after noon decide to go for a run  taking on board the advice from the doc.

Setting off I don't have a count going but just shorten my stride to what feels comfortable and manageable. Around 2k into the run the trusty knee is becoming tired and sore but not to the same extent as before - maybe this new short, stable stride affair is working to some extent? I decide to have a random stride count - 1st count 45 right foot strikes in 30 seconds! another random count a few minutes later 44 right foot strikes and again a 3rd count 44 strikes. I finish the 5.5k run with what turns out at around 176-180 cadence and a sore but manageable knee even as a write this the pain has all but subsided. so it would transpire that this high cadence, short stride thing may be my future but what does it mean in real terms........

New PB!!

.....in real terms I was quicker overall which to my surprise corroborates my earlier Google findings!! Whether it actually was the cadence that improved my time or a combination or the rest and cadence I'm not sure but I shall definitely be pursuing the theory from now on!

For those that wish to reminisce ! 

I'm not a cyclist!

If you've got it flaunt it!

A quick conversation with one of the lads on Friday afternoon about the progress of the bike and my riding it led to me exclaiming that I will use the bike for training and triathlons but that I'm not a cyclist - now the more quick witted of you out there will be jumping on the same band wagon as he did.

"So when using the bike to train and for triathlons and you're riding it you won't actually be a cyclist - so what will you be???"

I was quick add that I will be juggler but then went on to explain my theory of not being an *actual* cyclist that goes out at the crack of dawn for a 200 mile round trip!

Having nipped the inner tube on my first attempt new ones were ordered and promptly fitted on Thursday evening with great success and jubilance, bar tape to follow on the Friday along with a quick tinker with the brakes and gears and we are ready for the maiden ride come the weekend.

So this morning quickly arrives and at 7am I am woken to the sound of the rain driving against the windows - "Oh well I cant possibly go out in that" I quietly think to myself by 08:30 it had all passed so I forced myself out of bed and in to more goodies that Santa delivered - the lovely yellow SubSports SUB COLD leggings!

Wheeling the bike out of the garage I'm still in some trepidation about heading out in the wet but that aside lets crack on. The first half mile was fraught with anger as I realised the bottom 9 gears were nigh on useless - maybe I'd pissed the settings out too far or maybe it was the chain/cassette - who knows till I get it to the shop. Anyway the top 9 seemed to be much better so I stuck with those as I continued on becoming more and more comfortable* on the bike reaching about half way in record time.

Post Ride

* Comfortable meaning relaxed and confident, not actually comfortable - well who would be on one of those seats. It still hurts now as I type this nearly 2.5 hours afterwards!

A quick decision not to push my luck saw me cut short the planned trip with a slight detour before soon being back on the relatively flat cycle path. The return leg had it's own issues, well my issues actually (see the * above!) but nonetheless I completed the 17k route unscathed and quite chuffed.

Compared to the last ride I did as part of a brick session on the mountain bike with chunky tyres I have saved a grand total of 4 minutes over 16k not bad for my first attempt on the road bike, in the words of D:REAM "Things can only get better!" However, I may have been somewhat hasty in removing the mudguards - I think they will be going back on!!!

Road Bike Ride 1

Knee on the mend - we hope

After my last post I was due a visit back to the docs to further investigate my knee - success another injection booked and more strength exercises in the bag so hopefully get back to running properly again mid Feb!!

2XU Shorts - Brownlee I ain't!

So with running currently off the agenda (I may sneak a couple of short ones in the interim!) it was back to the pool to test out the new 2XU Tri Shorts Santa delivered over the festive break. Sleek, snug fitting swim shorts with a micro-fibre pad in them for the cycling stint - whilst they may not have turned me into 1 of the Brownlee brothers they were very comfortable and did more than a good job.
 

So swim 1 this week came off the back of the previous nights return to squash so I thought I'd take it easy and try some drill type training trying to concentrate on technique and get my legs working better.

Swim 1 - Techniques & Drills

For swim 2 I thought I'd progress back to some distance - with the effort of swim 1 I was never going to achieve a massive amount so set off with 3x 500m in mind. 2 Down and third started and now the shoulder starts playing up - brilliant. Someone once told me rugby would catch up with me but I was then young and fearless and brushed it off with the retort of "fetch me more beer!" (probably what happened) however, as it transpires they were probably right!

Swim 2

That was Wednesday night done, Thursday I had a rest to try and rectify the inner tube issue on the push bike and Friday further work on the bike - the weekend will hopefully bring about the maiden voyage on the road bike and maybe a run and swim.

Festivities are finished - let the training begin....

Now all the turkey, booze and mince pies are finished it's time to get back to training. Prior to the break I had some further issues with the knee after work related climb and a short run.

During the break I managed a couple of events which haven't helped in fixing the knee. An 8k hill run followed the day after with a swim.Whilst enjoying the hill run it it did cause the knee to flare up yet again so I thought I'd take to the pool for some respite - wrong again. I think I really have to work on my kick technique as I keep managing to injure the knee in the pool by kicking from the knee rather than the hip. So a few days off required (more due to motivation than injury I must admit!)

Big Dipper 8k

Recovery Swim

So into the New Year and the last of the drinking and eating is completed so back to it now fully kitted in new attire thanks to the Jolly Fat Fella in a Red Suit. Yep Christmas Day saw me open an entire array of new kit from barefoot runners and tri shorts to quick laces and thermal compression pants. Jan 2nd and the 1st run of the year ended abruptly at nearly 4.5k due to the knee once more. A hobble home and a quick call will see me back at the quacks on Monday - not a happy bunny.

I also still need to get out on the road bike which will prove slightly difficult now I've manged to nip the inner tube during a dry run of tyre changing - best get some new ones ordered!!