#17 Not much running, but learning to snowboard instead

First run yesterday after 5 days off - my main excuse for the break was a weekend learning to snowboard after which I couldn't contemplate exercise for a couple of days. The boarding was good - not as fun as if I'd skied cos I spent most of the weekend on my arse, but me & K picked it up from never having been before - to being able to haphazardly make our way down the mountain, on green runs from top to bottom, by Sunday afternoon. All good practice for the real thing (kite action).

So yesterday's run was a long one with A - longest lunch run yet. About 10km I reckon.

My route around the ports but with extras: Up to the Hyde Park war memorial and back down to Mrs Mac's Chair, the Opera House, the ports including four of the wharves (last time I did only one), up Hickson Rd and back through the CBD. Had a bit of a twinge in the knee at about half way but nothing that would stop me.

Went back to Clare the physio today. Some improvement since last week but no miracles. My knee still twists inwards when I bend it and the hip still grinds. I left with new exercises to strengthen my gluts.

#16 - Running with a taped up knee

Went for a quick 5km run, ie what was my standard run about three weeks ago (simple round the Domain, the Opera House and up Macquarie St). The taped up knee helped...stopped the knee cap moving around. Did I mention the free leg waxing the physio gave me?

Tonight is drinking, so tomorrow is NOT for running (need to rest my knee anyway!). And then the weekend we're off to the snow (Australia does have a little). I'm gonna try my hand at snowboarding (I have only skied before) which I reckon might be useful for the ol' kitesurfing as well? So no running til Monday assuming I stay away from injury over the next few days.

Uh oh, knocking kneeees alert, the ITB is back

Just back from the physio, thought I'd go check out my crunching hip joint and funny knees.

Last year I had a bit of ITB problem (iliotibial band friction syndrome), ie my ITB is too short partly because of cycling and this causes the knee cap to move about in strange ways and get inflamed at the knee.

This year it's worse, and building on the ITB prob. The symptom is both knee caps moving around funny when I bend my leg, and the knees themselves bending inward rather than the leg bending straight. The reason again is a tight ITB combined with very weak glut muscles. The physio seems to be on the ball (better than the last one). She gave my ITB a good massage and taped up my knee cap to keep it in place. And I've been given those daily exercise you come away from the physio with...

I've got to stand on one leg with heel on small book, and do 10x single leg squats, in front of the mirror to make sure my knee moves in a straight line (ie keep it over my foot, not moving off to the inside), and pelvis straight (fingers on hips so I can tell).

I'm about to go for a (short) run with the tape on my knee to see how it fares.

http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/itb_stretch

#14 & 15 - Flying round the ports to a dodgy hip

Yesterday I did a new run, in fact one I did about a year ago with Phil. The usual Domain stuff, Opera House, then across the Quay and round the ports. I think it's about 8km, and I included all the funny extras, like going to the end of the wharf and up to the top of the park rather than straight across it. Felt really good at the time, rare occasion to run alone at lunch. Could have done the same distance again. Or so I felt anyway.

But today is a different story, with my right hip making some strange noises: it feels a bit like the joint is grinding or loose or something. Also my left knee (new this one) is starting to feel funny.

But I went again for about 5 or 6km with A. And feel OK again.

The longer route around the Domain, Opera House and the ports.

#13 - Australia vs the UK: Running vs Drinking

That's one of the big differences: Over here, ie Sydney, I'd guess that most of our office goes running or to the gym at some point during the week. There's no shortage of people to go for a lunchtime runabout with. I had never, ever, run at lunchtime before moving over here. I know that gym membership's a big thing in Blighty, but there's not so much a widespread culture of fitness. Equally and opposite there's not so much of a quick pint at lunchtime or after the office culture over here. In the park in Sydney of a lunchtime there are numerous clusters of people with personal/group trainers, and there's even "Pain in the Domain" where tens of people subject themselves to, well, pain in the Domain. That's one I'll have a go at next week I think.

So today was out with A (first time), and another variation on the Domain/Opera House route. I finished sweatier, we included up/down/up/down the steps broken up with 10 press-ups and the pace was faster. A led the route and the pace and as a result I pushed myself more than any other day this week.

It's all getting easier - to think not long ago I'd struggle just to plain run.

Almost enjoyable!

#12 - Starting to feel easy

Same as yesterday, with W. I think its closer to 7km. Added a loop of the Opera House into the mix. Easy physically, the only issue is it gets a bit boring.

#11 - Longer at lunchtime

Not done the calcs yet, but prob about 7-8kms. Did the short lunch run, but with a second lap, and up the big steps by Mrs Macquarie's chair twice. Out with W, who can do the distance but is a bit slower than me. Felt good. No major aches afterwards.

#10 - Cracking 4wd action but not much running

Uh oh, the effort's slipping. Short run today - 5km with no gimmicks and didn't feel very good. Short of breath etc.

Spent four days away from town over the long weekend and didn't run a single metre. So my plan is looking a bit wrecked. Last week was supposed to include 46km in total, I managed a mere 13. Can't be doing too much of this or this whole marathon thing is going to drift away from me.

But I did have a cracking weekend. Put the van thru its paces - taking a 100km 4wd-only track from Orange to Mudgee. Awesome. Had to drive down a big cliff and through a river. Camped out in the rain & mist for a few days. Drank 7 different Shirazes in 7 different vineyards in Mudgee. And went horse riding in the Megalong Valley up by the Blue Mountains, K putting me to shame. Top rainy weekend, but my knees did get a rest.

#9 - Steps at lunchtime

5.5kms with A. Went back for more of the steps. And also added a few more by the Woolloomooloo Wharf and in the Botanical Gardens. Felt pretty good. Learnt some good stretches from A.

#8 - Yoga not running

Another tip I was given was do some yoga.

After six days of action in the last seven, my legs were creaking this morning. So I took heed. I just did a "core strength" lunch class, which is like yoga but fortunately required no prior knowledge. Some tricky bits and the odd giggle as I fell off the Swiss ball. But feeling much better now. So back to running tomorrow.

#7 - Knocked a minute off my home to work run

I knocked a good minute off the home-work run, doing the 7.5km in 41mins. I rounded a few corners on the way though, so it's probably more a result of better route planning, rather than faster running.

Despite having two drinking nights since Liverpool/AC Milan (Saturday and last Wednesday) I have held at bay the temptation for the odd cigarette, and quite pleased with that. I'm feeling remarkably well, probably because of the lack of drinking and zero nicotine. Some people I've spoken to didn't drink for months leading to the marathon - while others who did the London recently didn't let the training get in the way of the odd big night out. I'm simply gonna avoid that glass of wine at home temptation and have been refusing K's offers. As I discovered on Sunday morning, having not even had one cig means that your hangover is about quarter as bad as it was in the old days.

I think A from work is going to join in the fun, he did one training run last week though hasn't appeared totally committal so far. But maybe he's just less fazed by it having done a fair bit of running in his youth and university days (unlike me). I think today we're gonna have to get those credit cards out and sign on the dotted.

#6 - Cross training (50km cycle)

The training plans say that by now I should be doind a 20km run once a week. I substituted that with a 50km cycle ride today (about 2.5hrs ride time) which is much more pleasurable - sociable, less pain on the hips. From Bondi to Watson's Bay then La Perouse. Still feeling weak from last week's running though: my thighs (quads?) were very much feeling the last 10kms.

Thee-quarters way round is the coffee stop, which is really the best bit. "No brown bread here mate, white sliced". First bacon in a long time. Yum.

So an aside to this running malarky is cycling. I did a fair bit last year: Around the Bay in a Day (Melbourne), Loop the Lake (Newcastle), Great Welsh Winter Ride, Tour de Malaysia, Sydney-Katoomba, The Gong (Sydney)....that's the first time I've listed them, and I have to admit I'm a tad impressed!

So it's cycling season again and I'm planning to combine that with marathon training. The big focus will be Melbourne which is a few weeks after the marathon. So I'm not gonna train for the bike rides, but doing a few now and again instead of running should be good for fitness and will break up the monotony.

From hot and sweaty to cold and sweaty: Thailand to North Wales

Eating

Yesterday was Saturday. I'm not sure about the training schedules that put all the pain on to the weekend. So after 4 continuous days of running I took yesterday off.

Dabbled at pretend-surfing at Maroubra in the morning and spent most of the rest of the day eating.

I've decided to give my "pragmatic" vegetarianism a break til Marathon-Day, so it was an afternoon cum evening of BBQed lamb sausages, beef sausages, pork ribs, followed by curried "sexy" duck and lamb rack.

I have of course been telling everyone about my new marathon adventure. I get a variety of reactions with one thing in common - everyone has tips & advice. Which is great. I was told last night over beers at the Golden Sheaf that my $25 K-mart trainers are just not gonna do my body any good. I'm to spend $300 on some Asics. OK. But what's more I'm to buy new ones very 200 miles! Bloody hell.

And there's more: I need to make sure I practice running on Nurofen & paracetemol before the big day in case I need to pop a few and don't want my body to react too badly (ie not throw up). And in the same vain - to find out what energy drink they're gonna give us on the day and do likewise to avoid bad reactions in the public domain in the form of sticky brown sludge running down the back of my leg. Agggh.

#5 - Steps and competition

Went out with 3 guys from the office - which made it much more fun. We did a varistion on my usual route which included a long flight of steps. The added element of not wanting to be left behind made me go faster than usual. No pain during, though a few hours later my right calf, hip & knee are all suffering.

The Domain. My lunch route is from the middle of the buildings, out to the left, then across to the grassy peninsular (Mrs Macquarie's Chair), then round the Opera House and back

#4 - Lunch time round the Sydney Opera House

4.5km round The Domain and the Opera House, and back up Macquarie St. I've done this run many times before but it still wasn't good today. Grass cutting was on, and - a rare occurrence - my asthma kicked in and I was wheezy all the way round. Despite mum's wise words!! I wasn't carrying my Ventolin - will be making sure I do in future.

So that's 2 days training in a run. A slow start but at least I'm getting some miles in.

Now being able to run round the Opera House, the harbour's edge and the Domain at a lunchtime is defintely one of the perks of living in Sydney.

If you look closely, you still can't see me running in the background