Training Log Archive: jennycas

Hanging upside down from a tree branch by my three toes :)

Actually:
7am flight to Sydney with Geoff (I got to see where it had snowed out Oberon way)
Breakfast/bookshop/markets in Glebe
Lunch with Tracy & family and a walk where I requested no downhills in deference to my knees
Traditional 'take the in-laws to Bunnings and let them loose with a trolley for support' afternoon
Help sister-in-law and niece decorate birthday cake for nephew's 7th birthday

So it was a pretty good day for the first of spring!

I Do Not Like Green Tea. I could learn to drink fish oil, I think. But the best anti-inflammatory I have found is running a cold shower over my knees. Pity the effects don't last very long. Pity also that every time I bend knees even slightly I get a stabbing pain in my shin, yet it's not at an obvious tight spot. Neural?

C • Green tea 12

C • 1

Had a meeting in the city which finished early so, armed with my bike, went to Belair to ride the length of Long Gully return, then past the nursery, up to Belair station and back to the golf course car park. Nice to be out - I have missed Belair - but I don't know yet whether riding is good for knees. I suspect not...

I know, I shouldn't have. And it's less than the minimum loggable time, but in terms of effort and painfulness, felt like so much more. It was a scientific experiment in trying to work out how much of the problem is tightness which can be stretched/massaged out and how much is inflamed tendons which should be left alone. So far my verdict is: about 50/50. But the horrible thing is, it keeps changing. Even when walking I will suddenly get random stabs of pain, not necessarily in the same place as last time. This is why you can't run on bad knees whereas you can on other sorenesses. Last night I thought I had everything massaged out when I went to bed and then I was woken in the night by a cramp in a bent knee, so bad that I couldn't straighten my leg to get out of bed and find the icepack.

C • REST 4

Happy puppy. He got a decent walk. I'm still struggling with stairs (of which there are thankfully very few at work) and squatting (to retrieve casenotes which are usually buried at the bottom of the trolley).

The dog didn't even get walked today. I made it to work with the aid of Panadol but am seriously wondering whether I can ask George for a taxi home (via the pub?). There comes a point where stretching and massage can actually aggravate an injury more, and I think I have reached it :(

C • Ow! 10

Horrible horrible knees. I started out quite happily with F&T, B&S, having spent the previous 15 minutes massaging both knees - but on the first downhill left knee gave an almighty twinge and it was all downhill from there. Ended up having to walk even quite small descents because it was so painful (and unpredictable); can I train only by running up hills from now on?

The Arrows manager has ordered me to REST. Not quite sure what he's threatening me with if I don't but I'm really not confident of running nationals or being able to hike in Tas if this doesn't settle. It's *only* ITB, of course, but hasn't been this bad since 2001 nationals, after which I gave up running for quite a while. A combination of small tightnesses has gradually built up, I guess: no foam roller and not enough stretching in Darwin, standing for a few hours on ward rounds, running shoes getting old...and I really struggled with the heavy clutch and gear-changing when driving the ute on the weekend.

And I was (still am) so much looking forward to 5 weekends in a row of orienteering, starting with the Big Foot Sprints in Sydney this weekend.

Up to Tower Hill, a lap of the fire tower and weather station, and back down again. At this point knees didn't hurt too much because I'd spent some very painful private time massaging out 5 of the 8 tight spots surrounding them. But by the time I'd stood on my feet for 6 hours, knees were so painful when control collecting that I was walking slower than Jan Hillyard up the finish chute (my uphill finish wasn't popular, but my courses got good feedback). It was a nice clear, if cold, day out in the forest and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Certainly the DNF rate was very low. And if I say so myself, the Arrows are a pretty professional outfit - we know how to run relays :)