Friday 27 May 2016

The "joy" of ON THIS DAY courtesy of Facebook…

So I typed (and deleted) a “feeling sorry for myself” post. It is actually the first time in 4 years that I have deleted a post. I have to assume it is because I am in a bit of a funk with regards to this hamstring of mine!

Yeah, so I am potentially in a bit of denial…but I am not yet ready to face the prospect that it is not better.


Wednesday I saw my physio and she ran (ha ha pun) me through several exercises and all felt fantastic on my hamstring…no dramas, twinges or pain AT ALL…a great thing. Based on that she told me that I was allowed to partake in a GENTLE run the next morning. 60% of max (max being an all out sprint). In a small sad way I was excited to be able to lay out my gear the night before and set my alarm again and be getting up for an early morning run.

By way of a little aside. I have been listening to podcasts rather than the radio in the car lately and one (of two) that I listen to is called “The Art of Manliness”. It is really good and covers a huge range of interesting topics. One of which was all about “How Bad You Want It.” With regards to endurance sports and the concept of the “Wall”. Anyway, cutting it short otherwise this is a post on its own…they discussed a concept called “Bracing” which is prepping yourself mentally for the toughness and being accepting of it. I have coined the mantra “Embrace the Suck”.

So engaging my above mentioned mantra I accepted that I would be tired, cold and not in the mood come 5:30 the next morning and let my brain digest that and the fact that we would proceed whether the brain came along for the trip of not…

Alarm went off and up I got and a running I went. I did keep it slow…I tend to run a 5 – 5:15 km and my first km was a 6. I opened it up a little for km #2 and it was at 1.92kms that I felt a sharp pinch in my hamstring….NOOOOOOOO!!!! so I walked it off for a couple hundred mtrs…in truth I was at equal points from home if I turned around or if I carried on. 

There was no pain walking so I returned to running and was pain free for the rest of the run. It was tight but not painful. Through the day however it was a dull ache. Today (day two) there is no ache and no pain. I am planning to repeat the 4km test tomorrow and hope for a pain free run…I accept that there is no intervals and sprints for a while but I do want to start running again…..please…..

The reason for the title. Well, through the joys of FB I am reminded that today 4 years ago my sister and I partook in the HBF run for a Reason together (she beat me…enough on that). That marked the start of a much more active lifestyle for me as it was from that run (and really tomorrow) that I embarked on shedding some weight and running around the country and inevitably into triathlon, Ironman and to this point here today….it has brought a smile to my face thinking back over those four short years and the amount that has changed in that time. I am amazed and grateful and truly am Blessed through it all.

It is therefore kind of poetic that I kick off on a cleaner more active regime tomorrow again (and on my life that is coincidence). I will not let this hamstring limit me and I will find alternatives, already planning on at least two if not three days of riding to and from work (a nice little 54km round trip) and I am certain I can find some similar carzies to get in the pool with me too if need be.


So here’s to the deletion of a “downer” blog post, to alternatives to running, to a cleaner regime and to “Embracing the Suck”…


Thanks for reading…

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