Gadgets and gizmos

My parents very kindly bought be a fancy Garmin Forerunner 110 for Christmas - ironically purchased on the very same day that I fell over, and therefore it has remained in the box ever since. However, spurred on by reports of friends doing brilliantly in various 10ks and half marathons over the last two days, I thought it was about time for me to get moving again. 

According to the box "Hotfix GPS helps you get started with your run faster than ever". Maybe this little device is just what I have been looking for. The box contains the watch device thing, a plug, a usb cable and 12 separate instruction manuals in different languages - which seemed like a bit of a waste of paper to me. Surely there could be a single leaflet directing people to their website, which they could put the instructions on instead of this:

Despite this, the watch is nice and easy to use, and I didn't even need to set the time, as it gets that from the satellites. This did unfortunately involve me hanging around on a street corner for five minutes, while it searched for the satellites, making me grateful that I was clad in lycra and tatty tshirt, otherwise I may have attracted some unwanted attention.

I headed out after dark - I suspect this will become more of a problem within the next month because I don't really fancy going out after 10pm as summer approaches, but I'm yet to get over my fear of being seen by someone that I know. I pressed the start button, and off I went. This handy little gadget keeps a record of the distance and the current pace, and beeps every half mile just to let you know its there. 

Unfortunately, I have regressed to even worse than when I started back in November, and my lungs felt like they were on fire after 200 metres. However, I managed to keep going for 2.24 miles before I had to stop, which is further than I thought I would be able to do. My legs feel fine and could keep going; it is my breathing control which is the problem. I know that this will improve quite quickly - I just need to stick with it. I'm going to aim for for 3 miles continuously by this time next week. 

Plugged the little watch into the laptop on my return home, and it really is quite cool. It produces a little map and shows all the stats (including how pathetically slow I actually am!) just like this:

I think it will help with my motivation when I can see how I am improving as the weeks go by, and I just need to believe in myself a little bit more than I do now. I like that it tells me how many calories I have used as well, I can justify the supersize of my chicken nugget meal by running an extra mile now.

As usual, I will finish with today's motivational quote. Thank you for popping by.

 

I'm back with a boob

It's now over four months since my little fall, and apart from the occasional twinge, my ankle feels almost back to normal. So inspired by my little brother's amazing performance in the London Marathon on Sunday I have decided that it is about time that I removed my increasingly lardy arse off of the sofa, and got back to my plan to become an athlete.

I thought that going for a little swim to get myself back in the swing of exercise might be a wise idea, so yesterday I grabbed the only swimming costume I could find and headed down to the pool for a few lengths. It did not go well. Turns out that the swimming costume was a size too big, and after having happily completed a few laps, I stood up only to find that my right boob had escaped and was now on display to the entire pool - including several children who were having a lesson at the time, and will no doubt now be traumatised for life. I escaped as quickly as possible before I could be stopped by the staff for being a flasher. Not my finest moment. 

Anyway, its back to the running club tomorrow night, and I'm just hoping that it isn't one of the hideous hill sessions. I have also signed up to the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, and will be training with my housemate for that so hopefully we'll be able to keep each other motivated. 

Here's my little motivational quote for today: 

 Thank you for reading.

Sadly, not this year.

Well, nearly a month has passed since my little fall, so thought it was about time for an update.

Sadly, I do not think that I will be running the Bath Half this year, as my ankle has not healed as well as I had hoped it would, and at present walking remains a bit of a struggle. I have seen a physio a couple of times, who thinks that there is damage to the achilles tendon, which would account for the swelling that is still there. I am very sad at having to admit defeat in this challenge - but I will be doing it next year, even if it means being pushed around in a shopping trolley.

I've not given up though - I'm aiming for one of the autumn half marathons - Cardiff, Bristol or Birmingham, and any recommendations as to which one would be best would be great.

I've noticed that in the last week that my arse has increased in size without the regular exercise, and therefore I have joined weightwatchers before I turn into a lump of wobbliness. So therefore I am currently obsessing over the points value of cottage cheese, and have filled my fridge with fruit and vegetables in anticipation of a much healthier diet. Hopefully weighing a bit less will make running that little bit easier when I resume my training, and will also make my legs a lot less likely to give way from underneath me again.

I saw this and it made me smile:

Thanks for reading.

A little setback

Saturday morning, and off to Parkrun having managed to change my shift at work until the evening. It was all going really well, as I was running with Deb from the club who is faster than me, so was on for another PB, until I fell over. Over nothing other than my own feet. And had to limp all the way back from the furthest part of the course to the start, covered in mud and feeling pretty stupid. Grrrr.

However, I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to Deb for walking back with me, and to Chris, Julia, Howard and the rest of the Lliswerry Runners that stuck around to patch me up, bought me a much needed bacon roll, made sure that I was ok and was able to get home. And also to Liz, lecturer at uni, who randomly happened to be in the cafe afterwards - I must admit, I was a bit worried that she might ask me which structures I thought I had damaged and I couldn't remember a single one at that point - but who just gave me some great advice on what to do next.

 

Chris trying to sort out my damaged limbs!

I managed to drive home, and then discovered the lump on my left ankle was the size of an egg, so decided that visit over to A & E might be in order. Except I couldn't walk. Despite the fact that I live about 500 metres from the hospital, I was contemplating calling a taxi, when a lovely couple that were collecting their student son for the holidays took pity on my injured self and gave me a lift - I must have looked a complete state, still dressed in my running gear, with blood down my leg, and soaking wet from the rain, so was very grateful at that point. 

I couldn't really fault the service at the hospital - I know everyone moans about the NHS, but in and out within 3 hours on a Saturday afternoon, following two x-rays isn't too bad at all. Maybe the shocking pink and the sweaty odour was upsetting the other patients a bit too much and they rushed me through. The good news - despite the doctor's initial concerns, my ankle is not broken and my patella is intact. The not so good news - the ankle is sprained, and will take up to 8 weeks to recover. The Bath Half is 12 weeks away so if recovery does take that long there is no way I will be running it.

After a day of doing nothing, both legs are feeling a bit better. The bruising is getting worse, but that is to be expected, and the ankle is more stiff than sore, and I have no dorsiflexion at all. I found another scrape and bruise on my shoulder this morning, and my elbow has also gone a bit purple. 

I thought I would include a couple of pictures from today in case anyone thinks I am making this all up to get out of becoming a supreme athlete:

My right knee.   The hospital advised me to keep the manky plaster on for the next 48 hours.

I do not usually have elephant ankles! I can currently only get my feet into my ugg boot rip offs and my wellies.

 

Thank you for reading. I'll keep the blog updated with my recovery. And like all the x factor contestants say "this is not the end, you haven't seen the last of me."

 

 

 

Drowned rat.

I haven't been out running at all since last Wednesday, as over the weekend I was on an annual booze cruise to France, and there was as much chance of me flying to the moon as there was of me doing anything vaguely healthy. And due to work and uni commitments this week, I am a bit limited on other opportunities to train. So despite the pouring rain, and the lure of Chelsea v Man City in the pub, I went out for a little 5k, and was actually quite look forward to it. Until I had been out for 10 seconds.

Whoever it was at the running club who told me running in the rain was invigorating was lying. It's not. It's crap. And wet. That lovely pink and black waterproof that was so enthusiatically purchased a couple of weeks ago? Not waterproof at all. I would have stayed drier had I wrapped myself in newspaper. 

It has been pouring down virtually non stop all day here, and the drainage system is clearly inadequate, meaning I spent at least half the time ankle deep in freezing cold puddles. Still, I kept plodding on; determined not to be defeated.

I was approaching the last 500 metres or so, with the end in sight, when some tosser (not a word I use often) decided it would brighten up his evening to slowly pull up behind me in his 4x4, then acclerate through a huge puddle, thereby ensuring that I was completely drenched, instead of the 90% soaked that I had been previously. And he shouted something indecipherable, but no doubt jolly amusing out of his window at the same time.

On a more positive note, I managed to finish in the same time as I did the route in last week, which given the amount of time I spent jumping puddles wasn't too bad I suppose. And happily for me, the football was an 8pm kickoff so I got to see the last hour at the gym. 


Thank you for reading.

 

Fastest 5k yet :-)

Really tired so not going to write too much. The running club had their 5k time trial as part of their annual 4 sport challenge tonight - it also involves swimming, cycling, and some hideous sounding circuit training thing at the gym, which sadly I am likely to miss out on as I am away for the weekend. 

It was good to try a 5k on the pavement, as so far the Park Run and night time plodding around Roath Park has been at least in part on grass or bark. And I managed it in 31.58, which is a huge 3 minutes faster than I have done that distance before. Also found it easier running with someone else, as it meant that I didn't slow down towards the end. It was an out and back course, and as usual, there were lots of words of encouragement from the faster runners who were on the final bit while I was still puffing along the first mile. 


I do wonder why some men find it necessary to beep their horn as they drive past though. Maybe the sight of two slightly sweaty, red faced women was too much for the motorists of Newport tonight, and they just couldn't contain their excitement.

My reward was a lovely three course meal with the Newport and South East Wales Triathlon Club, who are closely associated with the running club, and happened to be having their Christmas do tonight in the clubhouse. Probably consumed five times as many calories as I burnt off running, but it tasted so good!

Can I raise my sitting bone towards the sun?

I have purchased a very helpful book entitled Run for life: the real woman's guide to running for a bargain £2.49 at the Kidney Research charity shop. It's full of useful tips to help me on this journey. And apparently yoga is the way forward. It helps with flexibility and strength which is always helpful, and also balance and coordination, and I am sadly lacking in both of those. 

I didn't really "get" yoga the last time I tried it about 10 years ago, at some overpriced health club in Surrey where I was living. It was all a bit much - full of the hairy armpit brigade and much burning of incense, along with strange constipated dog type noises, and that music which is meant to be dolphins talking to each other or some other such nonsense. And the only workout I got that day was of my pelvic floor muscles as I tried not to wet myself laughing when the instructor told me to "raise the sitting bone towards the sun, and absorb its energy into your soul". Which if I recall correctly, means stick your arse in the air. 

Anyway, not being one to rest on a good idea, I decided I would go tonight and have an evening off from the running as I had been out the previous two days. First problem, there was no yoga class on at the gym tonight. But there was pilates. And from the little bit I know, I thought they must be almost the same thing.

I opted for the beginners class, and went into the semi lit room - not quite sure why it needed to be dark, it just means that you can't see what the instructor is doing - and saw that I was the youngest in the class by at least 20 years. Oh well, I thought, this will be nice and easy, and then I can go back to the jacuzzi where I belong. Except it wasn't easy at all, I am quite clearly also lacking in flexibility and strength as well, and I was shockingly bad compared to everyone else there. The instructor had to come over and show me the easy versions of the moves on several occasions, while I observed sympathetic smiles from everyone else who was able to lift their bum more than 3 inches off the floor. My humiliation was complete when the lovely retired lady next to me offered to carry my mat back to the cupboard as I was clearly having some difficulty reaching down to put my shoes back on. 

However, when lying in the sauna shortly after, I did note that I felt all nice and stretched, and since there was no incense or any mention of my sitting bone, I might just go back again next week, as I can only get better.