Running for my Disney - a PPTR...

[zanzibar138]

Can't seem to catch a break at the moment! Didn't start on my running again this week because I kept waking up with a sore throat - think I was fending off a cold or something. Feeling much better now (apart from hayfever!) so should be able to get back into it this week.

I did manage to go for a bike ride yesterday. It was more of a social ride than specifically for exercise. I forgot to take my Garmin, but used mapmyride to figure out that we did about 10km, so was still a decent ride. Nice bike path too - pretty flat alongside a creek.

Hopefully I will start having a bit more to report soon!

 

[zanzibar138]

And this week I actually have something to report

Well, as you know, I was all set to start on the C25K again. But then, I found a thread on the WISH sub-forum, which had information on a 5k program by Spark People. I googled it and found it to be a more gentle introduction to running, so decided to go with that one in the hopes that my legs will cope a bit better until they get stronger.

Week 1 of the program is 4 minutes walking followed by 1 minute jogging, repeated 4 times for a total workout of 20 minutes. (And yes I'm doing the rest period first because I figure an extra warm-up can't hurt!). Unfortunately the program isn't giving me much of an aerobic workout at the moment, having worked up to running 4k. But of course the main thing is my legs, and I'm happy to say so far, so good! I'm considering also doing a bike ride on my aerobic days to help maintain the fitness I've achieved so far without adding any extra pressure to my legs.

Also on the website, I've found a strength training program designed for beginner runners. It consists of various combinations and modified versions of squats, lunges, push ups and planks. I'm doing this on my non-running days (to be referred to as strength days), and have so far found it to be a very good workout! My upper body was so sore after the first one!

After each workout (aerobic or strength) I've been doing a stretching routine. I found some specific stretches for runners (also on the spark website), and I have added some extras in which specifically target my ankles and shoulders/upper back.

Pretty happy with how things are going now, and absolutely stoked to be able to be training again Really hoping that my legs hold up a the running gets more serious, otherwise it will be back to the physio for me!

 

[zanzibar138]

I just got back from a weekend in Perth visiting my family I decided to surprise them so just turned up at the doorstep on Thursday night It was a great weekend and it's a bit sad to be home again so soon.

So anyway, the second week of the program turned out to be too much for my legs. On my second run for the week (which was in Perth) I realised that it wasn't going to work again. My parents took me to a specialist running shoe shop in Perth, where they gave me a COMPLETELY different style of shoe to the other place, so now I'm a bit confused as to which pair to continue training with. They were a lot more thorough than the place in Melbourne and seemed to be much more knowledgable and confident in their decisions, so I'm going to stick with the new ones for now.

Going forward, I'm going to try to find a good sports doctor (any recommendations for one in Melbourne would be greatly appreciated ) and see if anyone can shed some light on why my legs keep playing up. At the shoe shop they recorded me running on a treadmill and played it back in slow motion, so I could see that my legs were in perfect alignment with those shoes. People have said all along that my feet aren't that bad, so I'm starting to wonder if there's something else wrong.

In the meantime, I might just have to step back from the running for a while and do something else to maintain my aerobic fitness. I'd like to get a cross-trainer to use at home, but won't be able to afford to do that and go to Disney, so will keep thinking!

On the plus side, my strength training is going very well, and there's no reason I can't keep going with that

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm not going to be any help with a sports doctor.

 

[Avail09]

Great to get your update email today Zanzibar, I've got everything crossed for you that this next week sees your ankles and everything much improved. Just do exactly as the physio said and see what happens.

I felt perfectly good after my run this am and at work all day, but this evening am feeling a bit of a twinge in my left hip, only when I first get up after being still for a while, and slightly while walking. Hopefully it's just a slight tweek which will be better by morning.

I'm doing the ride to Sassy's and work in the morning but will try to ride gently. Sat am is riding again, and I have my next 6.4k run on Sunday am. Looking forward to that one, hopefully a cooler Sunday morning coming up.

Nutrition side of things going pretty well so far this week, not too much rubbish and meal sizes pretty right. I know the weekend will be harder with meals out but hopefully enough exercise planned to help compensate. Hardly seems a whole week since you arrived here and surprised us.

Anyway, off to bed, early start in the morning, best of luck with the ankles this weekend.

 

[zanzibar138]

I ended up having Thursday off work, so I took the opportunity to go and see my physio. I took both pairs of shoes with me so she could tell me which ones to train in.

Turns out the new ones are the best, and I'm to wear them whenever I can. So now to visit the other shop for another refund... DH has volunteered to come with me for moral support The physio also gave me some old in-soles they had lying around, which she said to put in any flat shoes I might wear. Fortunately I don't really have a need to wear flat shoes very much, so I haven't had the opportunity to try them out yet.

So basically, yes it is still my feet that are the big problem. However, my new shoes seem to give the right amount of support, so as long as I've got them on it shouldn't be a problem while I'm running.

The phsyio has always been pretty happy with the flexibility of my leg muscles (so the good news is my stretching routine has been working ), but in the course of checking the fit of my shoes, noticed I'm a bit wobbly when trying to do things on one leg, and suggested that my lower leg muscles probably need more strengthening. She has once again forbidden me from running for a couple of weeks, and given me a series of exercises to do every day to increase the strength and balance in my lower legs. And afterwards I'm supposed to ice massage my shins to keep down to relax those muscles and keep down any inflammation remaining from my last couple of runs.

I have to go and see her again in 2-3 weeks, so in the meantime I'll have to get on the bike or find a cross-trainer to keep up my aerobic fitness. I've been given the ok to keep going with my existing strength training routine.

The good news is, although she agrees I'm probably not really built for running, she's confident that we can get through it with a bit of nursing along I have actually grown to enjoy running, but I'll be happy if I can just do this one run, even if I have to find something else to do for fitness after that.

On the finances front, it's looking really good but I'm kind of getting sick of not being able to afford anything for myself! Haven't even been able to go see Frankenweenie Still, it will all be worth it if it gets me to my Disney

 

[PrincessInOz]

Only another 3 months.


Hang in there. The belt tightening will be soooo worth it.

 

[zanzibar138]

Wrong ticker PIO Not that I won't allow myself a small break from intense training while we're in Europe, but I'll be getting right back into it as soon as I get back!

But yes, the belt tightening, and the RunDisney medal, will be worth it

 

[PrincessInOz]

Perhaps.....but you WILL be at a Disney park in 3 months.

I suspect you'll be dipping a little into that fund.

 

[zanzibar138]

I suppose since the saving is going so well I might be able to allow myself a small souvenir but not too much or I won't get to WDW!

 

[PrincessInOz]

 

[zanzibar138]

I took a step up this week, and went to see a personal trainer. I'm just getting so frustrated feeling like I'm not getting anywhere, it's really starting to mess with my motivation.

The PT agreed with my physio that I need to work on the strength and balance in my lower legs, so has given me another exercise to work on for that. I've still been doing my physio ones everyday, and am adding one to each set every day. I'm now up to 17 reps, and when I get to 20, I'll start to work on the balance aspect of it.

The PT also noticed that I was striking too much on my heel and not able to push off properly with my toes, so he gave me an exercise for that too. And also taught me how to pump my arms properly to help propel myself along and take some of the strain off my legs. After each exercise I go for a little run to practise the technique while actually running.

I feel like things are starting to come together. I'm doing well with my physio exercises, everyone is happy with my shoes now, and I've once again got a set plan to go on with.

I know my physio had forbidden me from running until I saw her again, but using the new running techniques I learnt from the PT, I actually wasn't getting any pain in my shins. Even at the session, the first time I got on the treadmill my shins were really starting to hurt, but the other times after that they were fine

So now working on strength training 3 times a week, and running technique 3 times a week, and physio exercises every day. Phew! Makes me tired just thinking about it lol! But once I've got the technique down a bit better, it won't be long before I can start my interval training again

Now, this PT is not good for my budget but I do think it's worth it at this stage. I have one more session booked in and my PT is pretty sure that we'll be able to cover everything in just 2 sessions (as long as I do my homework!), then just come in every couple of months to make sure I'm still doing ok. It's a fine line between saving enough to actually take the trip, and spending what I have to on things that will help me to actually be able to do the event!

 

[zanzibar138]

Well, not much to report this week. I had my second PT session, which went quite well. He was pleased with my progress and could see that I'd done my homework We worked more on strength, stability and breathing in this session. That will be it for now (or else it will take up too much of my budget!), but I've got a lot to go on with and now I know about the technique I should be using, I think I'll be able to get a lot further on my own.

So in the meantime I've been doing a combination of the strength exercises I was already doing, and the exercises I've learnt from both PT sessions. It's getting a bit too much for one session now, so I think I'll break it down and do the core exercises in each session, but then mix up the rest of them a bit for some variety. I'm going to start doing the sparkpeople interval program again too now that I can run a short distance without any pain, and build up nice and slowly. If I get any pain as I increase the running, I'll just go back to the previous week until I've got enough strength and technique.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Your post is making me feel super guilty. All I've done is the couch.

 

[zanzibar138]

Well, once again I'm on the downward part of the rollercoaster... anyone would think I'm trying to train for the rides rather than a run

I tried the very first sparkpeople workout this week and failed dismally. I warmed up really well, and really focused on my technique for the running. I even decided to just run around the school oval instead of running towards town in an effort to keep the impact to a minimum. But I still got shin pain towards the end of my 60 second runs.

This is really starting to mess with my motivation and I'm starting to question whether I'm ever going to be able to even get started again, much less do the actual run! I'm starting to consider the Expedition Everest Challenge as a plan B, and there are a number of reasons this could actually work better. Apart from the shorter distance, also nicer weather, more time to save (I would aim for the 2015 one), and less of a rush not having to worry about getting back in time for the wedding. I'm also thinking of still aiming for the 10 miler, but perhaps allowing myself to complete it in walk/run intervals.

In the meantime, I have to try to keep motivated. My SIL has offered to lend me her cross-trainer, and if I like it I may have to buy one for aerobic fitness. For the moment I will combine this with walking while I build up to more time on it. And throw in a couple of bike rides for variety. I also plan to continue with my strength exercises.

Of course there's still a long time to go, and I might find that I can eventually get past this shin pain and actually get into the running. I won't have to decide about the 10 miler for nearly a year. But I am feeling quite discouraged that it has been over 4 months since I started this caper, and I am now worse off than I started!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Keep at it.....or at the least....I hope you come to some sort of resolution that you're happy with.

 

[zanzibar138]

It's so frustrating! I thought the hardest part would be keeping up aerobically - never expected I would have such problems with my legs!

Still, it may be that they haven't really recovered yet, so I will TRY to be patient and hopefully in another few weeks they'll be fine.

 

[zanzibar138]

Found out some great news during the week! Disney have just started offering a 10k distance at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend I think this is the one, and I think the fact that it is Alice in Wonderland themed is a good omen (not sure if I mentioned the fact that we were thinking of dressing up as Cheshire Cat, Alice and the Mad Hatter) for the run.

I'm actually really excited about the prospect of this race, and have regained a lot of my motivation that was drifting away Works out great timing wise, and TBH I do love California! Plus it's cheaper and easier to get to than Florida. I'd get to go back to San Francisco, plus spend my birthday in my very favourite park and still be back home in plenty of time for the wedding!

So the initial plan is (and I haven't even run this by my parents yet ) and this is assuming that it will be on the last weekend in August again:
* Arrive at Disneyland with only 1 or 2 days before the race, to get our race packs and allow some time for getting over jetlag and acclimatising a bit, plus to allow for delays in transit. Stay at a very close hotel within a 10 minute walk (maybe even splash out for an on-site hotel!).
* Spend the weekend at Disneyland basking in the glory of having finished our race and showing off our medals.
* Spend a week or two travelling around California - I'd like to take the train up to San Francisco, spend a bit of time up there, check out Yellowstone, and maybe take a coastal drive.
* End up back at Disneyland in time for my birthday (mid-September) and to check out the beginning of the Halloween festivities! So I still get to wear my Cheshire Cat Halloween costume!

My initial goal will be to get to the 10k distance. I plan to start with a 5k walk this week and build up to 10k gradually for a weekend walk. Then start adding in some running, and hopefully get to the point where I can run every 2nd km. And see what happens from there. Unfortunately I'm not off to a very good start We had back to back Christmas parties yesterday, and today I've slept in too late to go this morning since it's going to hit 40 degrees C today (that's 104 degrees F for any American disers following). I plan to go later once it cools down a bit.

Still on track with my savings, nearly time for another end of month transfer. Don't think I'll have much to transfer this month having had my personal training sessions and Christmas of course, plus DH's birthday in January. But I was a bit ahead, so it won't be of too much concern if I can't transfer much this month.

And I'll just finish off by wishing everyone following a very Merry Christmas!

Photo courtesy of Tim Taylor Photography (SIL's BF who is trying to get into professional photography)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice photie of the furbabies. Are they yours?


Great news indeed! And it sounds like a fantastic trip. Will you drive? Just drive yourself up from LA to SF along the coast.

 

[zanzibar138]

Nice photie of the furbabies. Are they yours?


Great news indeed! And it sounds like a fantastic trip. Will you drive? Just drive yourself up from LA to SF along the coast.

Yes they're our canine furbabies. You have no idea how long it took to get them both 'dropped' and looking at the camera

DH and I drove from Vegas to the Grand Canyon last time we were in the US, and that was ok (apart from the very end part trying to navigate the strip without running over any 'happy' pedestrians ). I don't mind driving, but only where it's quieter. With any luck, Dad will like that idea and volunteer to at least get us in and out of the big cities