Training Log Archive: PrueD

Walk around Blackburn in the evening. I had an early start today as l had to be at work at 07:00 to organise the first of six 07:30 Monday morning seminars for the Commissioner. There is one next Monday morning, unfortunately, thereby ruining many people's long weekends, including mine.

I tried to jog this morning but my knee hurt. I got 2 kms before walking.

Walking was better. I then spent the rest of the day working on my Blackburn house. This included climbing on the roof to investigate a leak, at which point I discovered that Neighbourhood Watch was alive and well when two sets of horrified neighbours came running out - one lot to hold the ladder and the other to chastise me for climbing up without someone holding the ladder. I've been climbing on roofs for years and am very careful.

I am currently watching a news item about the government's Asian white paper (I think that is what it is called) and the need for children of the future to learn an Asian language. How wrong could my parents have been - they made my sister and me learn Russian so that we would be able to cope after the Russian invasion, which never came. However it has been useful for impressing Peter's Ukranian mother.

I went to the informal street-O training session this morning and walked half of it and then tried, not very successfully, to jog the rest. I walked around with Mark Besley who now has the patellofemoral syndrome also. And guess what - he was wearing Asics 2170s too (both JennyCas and I have had problems with them). Funny thing is, they have a great reputation as a stability shoe.

My knee was fine afterwards but spent the rest of the day gardening and shopping and it started to swell up as the day wore on.

I am pleased that I have my car back. The rear end looks like new - much better than it did previously. It has been suggested I should now crash the front end so that that looks new also. Hopefully not.

Tried to jog - not very successfuly.

Walk around Blackburn Lake and creeklands on a veyr pleasant warm windy morning. I have been on a course of anti inflammatories for a while and knee swelling has eventually subsided. I am holding out great hopes for my new shoes which arrive today. They came yesterday but the courier wouldn't leave them.

Walk around Blackburn. Knee inflammation is improving and time to address the underlying issue, which is the usual patellafemoral syndrome .


I enjoyed travelling to and from Benalla by train this weekend. It cost about the same and took as long as driving. However l could look at the view. However l had to laugh when the driver said 'Attention everybody. This is an announcement for those still on board..' l don't think the others were listening anyway!

Swim in the Benalla pool.

It was a glorious weekend in the NE. I caught up on a few jobs including cleaning my fish pond - which hasn't been cleaned for 2 years. But I killed one of my big fish along the way - I'm not sure how. Maybe the shock of the clean water.

I spent a fair bit of yesterday exploring which runners I should buy to help overcome my knee problem - which is almost ready to start rehabilitating. I have many brands and style of runners - but the only ones in which I have never had a problem are an old pair of Saucony Hurricane 7s. I have been exploring the reason for this and the man in Sportspower in Wang suggested it was due to an 8mm differential between the beack and the front of the shoe -allowing more of the mid part of the foot to take the weight. Most of my other runners have a 12mm differential and the heel takes most of the weight.. This seemed to make sense and I ordered a pair of Hurricane 14s online. Hopefully this helps the problem.

Walk around Blackburn.

Just in case anyone wonders where l am, the MRI scan showed l had a ruptured bursa in my knee (burstitis?) which needs a period of rest to get rid of the inflammation before l can start any rehabilitation. This has been enforced by the absence of a car. Mine is being fixed, which l'm not too pleased about, and should be away for at least another week. So l can't really do any thing or go anywhere other than to work.

C • :-(( 3

Slow walk around Blackburn.

Goodby to little silver suby after being rammed from behind when stopped at a give way sign cos of oncoming traffic. Externally the damage doesn't look much but the chassis and frame are all pushed in, it leaks fumes and l think it is a write-off. The most annoying bit was that the woman refused to give her name and address (in case she was 'blamed', which of course she was going to be). I rang RACV and they told her it was either that or the police.So now l need to get a new car but am not sure what.

C • RIP Suby 3

Slow swim in the Benalla pool followed by some light gardening. I have a resident blue tongue lizard in the place, which is nice. However he is often in the way - lying on the driveway when I want to to go out or lying on the lawn when I want to mow it.

C • just like a cat! 2

Very slow swim in the deserted Benalla pool. Felt a bit off put by the lifeguard standing at the end of the lane (ready for action). MY knee felt as though it had a balloon on it for the first few laps but settled down after that.

I had my MRI scan on Thursday. The hardest bit was keeping my knee still for 20 minutes, as I had the urge to twitch the whole time, plus choosing the music to listen to. I haven't had the scan analysed yet but plan to go to the doctor on Tuesday but even I could see significant areas of fluid. However, at least I have made a start to finding out what is wrong.

C • bad and good 2

Swim in the Nunawading pool. My knee has been quite seized up since the weekend and seems to have been made worse by massage. I went to the doctor today and was almost immediately diagnosed with having a fairly large Bakers cyst behind my knee. This is a form of bursitis, which is usually caused by some underlying issue, and helps explain why my knee is so swollen. I've booked for an MRI scan tomorrow. l don't think l'll be running for a while.

I spent all yesterday Waiting For Telstra to come and fix my phone which hasn't worked since February. Yesterday was the culmination of an extended saga. In the end they sent two technicians- both called Gary - an hour apart to do the same job. The phone us now fixed although, despite my best efforts, it is still registered to a house eight doors away and in another street.

C • good and bad 2

I didn't actually do any exercise today, although managed to do lots of other things at home. I'm not going back to work until Wednesday.

The trip back was enjoyable, with not many people on board. Bruce, who appears to be an aspiring cruise entertainment officer, set the inaugral Ferry-O. He managed to rope in about half of the orienteers on board, including a SA family we didn't know (and still don't know).

The event comprised 20 clues relating to the ship's map that everyone received on boarding. Each deck had about 5 clues - but the lists of clues were hidden on each deck. So first you had to find the clues, then you had to decifer them and locate the feature. The feature had a number and letter. The number related to the order of the letters - which ultimately formed a sentence.

We haven't a record of all the clues - but they were quite cryptic, for example:
- Jumpy Wumpy
- I-I Deluxe
- Outback station
- The smallest house
- I've been known to sulk in the basement
etc etc

The letters and numbers weren't all obvious - for example you had to actually ask the purser for the answer that was supposed to be at his desk. One control was located at the lifeboats but this section was shut off once we sailed (although that didn't stop several orienteers finding it).

About 10 people entered. Most of us had trouble and there were several DNFs when it became evident that the food was only on for another 30 minutes (priorities!). 'The Family' won, Suzanne came second and Kathy Liley third. Ian and I were hopeless. James Robertson shoud have won as he set off at a run - but was never seen again. I hope he made it home (and didn't fall off the boat trying to locate the lifeboat control).

Overall, lots of fun - well done to Bruce for running the event.

C • SA family 4