21st Nov 2014 – Running to standstill

So it’s over 7 months since my operation and the surgeon’s prediction that I would be back to normal by now isn’t holding through. Frankly, I’m a long way being back to normal and it’s kind of frustrating as I think I’ve followed all the advice I’ve been given and fairly well struck to the physio exercised I was given.

Anyway, I continued to run throughout September as per the physio’s advice and I gradually built up the distance. I was back into see the physio in the hospital, a new physio again and she identified a weakness at the very start of the lift off. She gave me some exercises to focus on this and also encouraged me to continue running. I was also discharged as I had run my course in the hospital as I was functionally back to normal as far as they were concerned.

So I continued running, 3 times a week and building up on one of the runs to 8km. However, I seemed to be getting slower and slower and more laboured over time. Also, my Achilles seemed stiff all the time. So I persevered for a while but it didn’t feel right at the time and in retrospect nearly everything was wrong. So I went back to my own physio and brought him up to speed on what I had been doing and how it didn’t feel right. He had a good luck at me doing heel raises and jogging on the spot. He immediately gave me a fairly good synopsis of my situation which rang true with me. Basically, I haven’t yet developed enough strength to be able to run properly. The bio-mechanics of correct running require your Achilles to act like a spring so that you exert pressure to a certain point and then it springs back. So I wasn’t doing this at all and when I was running I wasn’t really using my feet or Achilles at all but instead driving from my quad with a flat footed motion.

This all made sense to me and although it was going to take a bit or maybe a lot longer it meant that at least I’d be able to get it right. So I’m not to do any more running. I’m skipping every morning which aims to try and activate the Achilles and get it working like a spring. I’m also using the Tera-band doing toe extensions – something I was doing back in April.

I’m also doing run walks – one minute run and one minute walk. The aim in this is to run with really good form with good spring for a short period and hopefully over time build it up. At the moment, it feels a tiny bit better every time I do a run/walk or skipping – mostly it starts off firmly stiff and then frees up a bit. Then about once a week it feels really good and much better. I’ve been doing it first thing in the morning and it never feels good at that time.  

Everything else is going well – my swimming feels fairly good and I’m getting 2 swims a week in. I’m getting out for one long cycle a week and one indoor session.

I feel reasonably fit but it’s very hard to get really fit without running.

I got an email about Ironman 70.3 in Dublin in August saying that I can register on Monday. Would love to do it but no guarantee that I’m going to be able to at this stage but something to aim for (as long as it doesn’t sell out).