Sunday 24 June 2012

Street Running - It's a nightmare.

On the 26th October I went for a run. It was after my injury, but well before the operation, it was even before the injury had been diagnosed.

I ran 5.12 kms in 32 minutes. I didn't run all the way, it was a bit of running, a bit of walking.

Since the operation I have been running on the gym. The treadmill promises an even surface with no surprises but, as I have said before, it does a lot of the work for you. My best performance in terms of speed has been 10 minutes at 12 kph, or 25 mins at 10.7. Clodagh said last week that I was okay to start running on the road so this morning I waved Katie off to her tennis lesson and set off on the pavement.

Using google-map I had worked out a small circuit with two long sides of 400 metres each, and two short sides of 100 metres each. I ran the first 400 and was knackered by the time I reached the first corner. I walked a hundred metres, feeling like I couldn't go on. By the next corner I had enough breath to run another 400. I continued doing this for 3 circuits. In the gym I reckon I could have run the 3km in about 15 minutes without too much bother, just.

On the mean streets of West London I was dying, and that included walking a hundred metres after every four hundred. I did it in 18 minutes and was shattered. Sitting here now typing a few hours later I am still tired. More tired than after any gym session. Road running is, I estimate, at least 30% harder than the treadmill. One of the problems is judging pace. At the gym you can set it exactly and you get to know your limits. Pounding the streets I have no idea how quickly I started off. I know now it was way too quick.

My plan now is to do the street at least twice a week. I hope it gets easier. About 15 years ago Katie and I went running quite a lot. We'd got to a point where we could run quite quickly, chat to each other and actually enjoy it. Then she tripped over a pavement, cut her knee really badly and that was it. We never got back to that level but that is what I am aiming for.

Friday 22 June 2012

I've Run a Marathon. Who Would Have Thunk It?

Yes, I have run a marathon. In June 2012.

It started on the 1st of June, at the gym,on the treadmill and I have had 13 runs on it since then. In that time, ending today, I have run just over 43 kilometres. It has only taken 240 minutes, that's only 4 hours. Not bad, a marathon in 4 hours, just 4 and half months after the operation.

In other news...

Having graduated from ACL club I went back for a physio update with Clodagh. She did various pulling, pushing and twisting and seemed happy. Then I asked her if she wanted my stats.

"Ok." She said, suspiciously.

"I've been keeping a spreadsheet at home so I've got them all." This is for all the different exercises such as hamstring curls (28kg), leg press (124kg), knee extension (35kg).

The look on her face was a mixture of surprise, interest and astonishment. Not all of it admiring. Whilst it is useful for her in monitoring my progress I think she was a little disturbed that I had been documenting it all.

"I can email you the whole spreadsheet if you like. There's stuff on there above and beyond what you need and you might find it interesting. You could give it to other patients to use as a template."

"I've just got to go and check something."

She left for a bit. I thought it was so she could check to see if any other physios wanted to come and talk to me. I now think she just went away to avoid falling into a deep sleep.

She returned with some forms, and filled in various bits, using my data.

"It's going really well. The next couple of months will be the most frustrating. There are no new exercises to give you, you just need to carrying on building up the strength but you're doing really well."

I couldn't stop myself asking. "Of all the people who have had the operation, do you think I'm doing better than anyone else you've ever worked with?" I'm actually only twelve years old.

She looked at me for a bit, I think she wasn't sure if I was serious. "It's ok, you can tell me, I won't tell the others." She pondered a little longer.

"Well [pause] you're certainly ticking all the right boxes."

"Ticking the right boxes to be the best ever, or ticking all the right boxes for a good recovery?"

"Yes." She stood up and started folding things up. Our session was over and I am the best patient she has ever had, I think.

I skipped out, although I'm not really allowed to skip yet, but stopped when I realised I'd forgotten to tell her that I'd run a marathon. I went back, but she was with another patient. I'll tell her next time.


Sunday 10 June 2012

4 Month Anniversary

Today, the 10th of June, marks four months since the operation. An important milestone and so a day for jubilation. I awoke bright and early and set off for the gym. My cheery mood was instantly halted by a police cordon blocking my route. I approached the bobby manning the plastic ribboned area.

"Morning officer."

"Morning Sir. Nice day?"

"Well the sun's out so yes, but there's obviously been some trouble on my street so no. What happened?"

"It appears there was a shooting last night. No reports of casualties but forensics are looking for stuff up there." He pointed towards the far end of the blocked off area.

"I think I heard the shots actually. At 3.45am. Four shots, then I heard a car going that way." I pointed. I thought he might take out his notebook as I was obviously an ear witness to the event. He looked around and then up at the skies. I thought he might be about to say something about the problems with society.

"The weather's turned out nice." I gave up trying to be a helpful citizen, turned and went the long way round to the gym. I told myself that the extra distance would be a good warm up. It was.

At the gym, four months after my operation, I ran for twenty minutes and covered a distance of 3.57 kms. Not bad I reckon although I realise that the running machine makes running so much easier. You just pick your feet up and put them down again and the treadmill moves them along. It is a false achievement but it is still not bad. One of my nieces had visited on the Friday, she's a runner and competes at county level. She's only 16, is stick thin, and has the physique of a proper runner. I wish I hadn't but I asked her how quick she ran.

"1500 metres I can do in about 4 minutes 50." I'd seen the athletics from Oslo the night before and by coincidence had noted the time the woman had run the 1500, it was 4 minutes 4.

"That's pretty good."

"Nah, it's slow."

"What other distances do you do?" I was being the friendly uncle but I really wanted a bench mark to measure my running against.

"I did a 3000 race and finished second. I think my time was 11.05." I did a sharp intake of breath. "Slow again, it was only the first time I'd done that distance."

A quick bit of mental arithmetic will show you that she is running about 50% quicker than me. On my spreadsheet I added her times as a target. I've probably never been able to run that quick so it is a bit stupid but it's something to aim for. I could probably run that quick for about a minute before dying. I'll try it soon and let you know. Of course if I die, you'll never know.

Coming back from the gym I encountered a street meeting between three of my neighbours. They were discussing the shooting.

"Police say they've found the shells but no casualties were reported." Announced Mo.

"Drug gangs. You've got to be unlucky if you get caught in the crossfire." Added Barry.

"They never report any injuries do they? The gangs. They'd be shooting themselves in the foot straight away." Paddy completed the discussion.  I was tempted to chip in a joke about them probably not aiming for the feet with their shots but it seemed inappropriate.

Mo and Paddy left with their kids for a curling match. Barry chuckled to himself.

"Funny thing is that I was just telling the people who have just moved in how quiet it is here. They won't talk to me again will they? Stupid thing though, it is quiet. The drug gangs shoot each other but not us. I've lived here 16 years and never had a spot of trouble." He repeated his feeling about being unlucky if you get caught up in it. "I'm putting a quid on Gerrard to score first and England to win 1-0." He was referring to tomorrow night's match at Euro 2012.

"I wouldn't bother telling the new people that, they won't believe anything you say now."

"It's only a couple of quid."

We'd moved on from the previous night's drug shooting in which, for all we knew, someone had died, or at the very least been badly injured. It had happened on our doorstep but it may as well have been a million miles away. I don't think this can be a good thing but I am not sure what we should do about it. I tried ringing the Trident Hotline to tell them what I'd heard but it went straight to answerphone. On the sheet of paper that had been posted to everyone in the street it also had a Crimestoppers number and offered a reward for information. I didn't want to profit from someone's death or injury so I put the paper to one side. I'll call it later. Maybe after the football.