Took the ramp. Landed with a headache.

I thought the pre-season tasks to the 12-week programme would never start. Now I’m getting nervous that there aren’t enough of them. The start line is approaching and I seem to have slowed to a very slow crawl. In fact, I appear to be side-stepping, so not moving forwards at all. This is not a good place to be!

The last time I posted I was heading at break-neck speed for a bloody great ramp! Well, I can tell you now that I failed to dodge it, had to bend knees, tuck in and schuss! It was too late to realise I’d forgotten my helmet. Fortunately, I didn’t break my neck upon landing, in spite of the speed. I did, however, end up with a whopping great headache … which has been with me for two days now!

But if I’m not on my feet, I have at least got as far as hands and knees and yes, I’m not going to spend any more time whining (well, not much, anyway – what’s life without a whine, eh?). Actually, the only thing I’m whining about is my inability to running and the thought that my 2012 goals are still very much hanging in the balance. I’ve stuck to my guns and my promise to not run for two weeks. Nearing the end of Week 1 and going stir crazy. I’ve been attempting to do my weekly distance on the indoor rower … had       15 km planned yesterday but I can honestly say that I was simply losing the will to live after 10 and I stopped.  I didn’t leave the gym, though. Did a couple of sets of lunges, single leg squats and calf raises, followed by a 3-minute plank (just to prove to myself that I could still do it!). My head was pounding for the rest of the day BUT I sucked it up and went kickboxing anyway!!

Today, well, I’m not exactly bouncing with energy so I’ll keep this short before I start moaning again. Head still banging but I’ve hoovered, tidied the living room, emptied out and sorted two big drawers and done the filing. Now I’m going to plan my food till the end of Jan.

This week’s pre-season has been about setting those goals and gearing up. My goals may have to be moved but I’m slowly getting my head around the fact that this would not be the end of the world. I may not make the marathon but I could still ‘walk’ the ultra? That’s not what I initially had in mind and feels like wimping out but a little common sense just might help my knees …  As for the gearing up, I noticed yesterday that my not-too-old trainers already have a couple of little holes in the top (hazard of running through deep water in them) so I just might have to buy some new ones!! Now, there’s a thought that I can cope with?? lol

I’m going to end on the positives. My headache will not last forever (Note to self: serves you right for not avoiding that ski-jump (made of carbs and sugar)). My knees WILL recover and all the rowing and leg work I do this coming week is only going to ensure my speedy return to running. I am going to smash it at kickboxing tomorrow.

Business WILL pick up (puzzle for the week: to apply or not to apply for the PT job advertised at my local gym???)

Oh – and I was shortlisted for a prize in a national writing magazine with my poem on the set theme of ‘daydreaming’. Life is good, so shut up and get on with it!

The goal for this week? CONCENTRATE ON ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO – AND STOP THINKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO!

Tags: 12wbt

Small stone 27-1-2012

I pull myself up short; stop the words ‘You might as well not be wearing a skirt for all the good that piece of thread is doing!’ from tumbling out of my mouth. Mantra for the day: I will not turn into my mother I will not turn into my mother I will not turn int……

Small stone 26-1-2012

Smart trousers, polished shoes, long-sleeved pressed shirt, no tie … regular clothes tipping my world into a different era … worn by my baby boy heading for his first university interview! Magic.

Tags: river of stones, small stone

Small stone 25-1-2012

Sounds of Grieg gently probe each nook and corner of the room, surprised occasionally by the intermittent percussive snoring of the Golden, stretched out and dreaming; ever-so-light rhythmic clunking noises emanate from upstairs, evidence of a boy’s piano practice, headphones on; no pings or crashes, thumps or yells, not even a voice … Home … in the middle of a deep sigh.

Tags: river of stones, small stone

Bugger!

Took a wrong turn on Friday night. It’s now Tuesday and the downhill is getting steeper and steeper. Crap! Just spotted a ramp at the bottom and the speed at which I’m heading towards it is more than a little hair-raising. Bracing myself for a big fall! Hope to God there’s a pile of something useful to land on. A trampoline would be nice … the bounce back up would be easy, but I think I’m kidding myself. More likely going to be a big pile of poo … sounds about right.

Should I close my eyes and just accept the consequences?

Suggestions on how to avoid the ramp needed rather urgently!

Tags: 12wbt

Small stone 24-1-2012

‘Snow’ sounds cold and somewhat negative, don’t you think? Shnee (shne-eh) sounds a lot more fun. There’s something about that word that always makes me smile – maybe because it sounds like Snow plus a couple of G&Ts.

Tags: river of stones, small stone

No toys left in my cot …

Who says toddlers are the only ones who have tantrums? I can proudly – or not so proudly – lay claim to a massive tantrum yesterday morning. It was so bad I couldn’t even bring myself to blog yesterday. I swear I must have thrown every single toy out of my cot!! Luckily it was a seafront cot … nobody else around, which meant there was no-one else in the firing line. Lucky for them lol

So I’ve been struggling with what I think is a most undeserved injury and it’s been causing me no end of stress. In December – after months of work building up my leg muscles in sheer defiance of everyone who told me ITB injuries were permanent – I really felt I’d won! I was running again – finally. And back to decent distances as well – my kind of Heaven. Now, I’m not talking marathons every Sunday – I’ll leave that to the LDLs (Long Distance Loonies) – but anything between 10 km and 20 km. Love it. Just love it.

I sprang into New Year with a host of new and exciting goals, since I’d just regained my long lost running feet. Week 1 – fantastic. Thrilling. Week 2? Niggles … in my supposedly ‘strong’ knee! I was forced to step back and thought I’d take it easy for a week. Switched from running to run/walks … no change. Anything over 5 km and the hurt would start kicking in. Against everything I believe in, I rejoined the damn gym (hate them hate them hate them) – just so I could get my hands on an erg. So I completed my 50 km target on the rower. Best of all, I visited the acupuncturist and he didn’t even ban me from running – just told me to go easy and throw in a few shorter runs. Yesterday, I was bouncing out the door – delighted to have permission to keep running. I was even so good as to do a run/walk, not wanting to push things. Testing … testing … all good until the 5 km mark. Kept going. So many times these things can be run through. I needed to make sure the pain wasn’t in my head – as it sometimes is! 6 km and I’m definitely struggling and down to Run 30 secs/Walk 30 secs. Frustrating. At 7 km I was brought to a sharp standstill with pain shooting up my quads (this was new!!). It was more like intermittent bad cramps but I could barely walk back to my car (and still had to run my Sunday circuit training). Luckily my knee brace was in the car!

But the physical side of it was nothing! Mentally, I just crumbled. What the hell was going on?

I’d just rediscovered the joy of running and it’d been taken away from me. I’d been so excited about my new goals and already starting my running build-up and …………. no more running? This was the only way I was ever ever REALLY able to de-stress, relax, chill, escape into my own world … and I couldn’t do it any more?

I was a mess! My best friend here texted me to say she wouldn’t make it to circuit training but hoped I’d had a good run! Poor friend! My reply was laughable (now, at any rate!!!).

So today …………….. time to Stop, Rethink, Reset some boundaries. Time to get back to base camp and prepare to try that climb again – perhaps via a different route. Nothing is impossible. Everything is doable.

It’s not a problem! It’s a challenge.

And the solution? Well, I’m not sure what the solution is, but I’ve mapped out a new route:

(a) No running for two weeks.

(b) I will not back down on my 50km/week target for January. I’ll do them on the rowing machine instead.

(c) Got to concentrate on strengthening quads and hamstrings and somehow get the balance right to give my knees all the help they k-need? lol

(d) No more tantrums. There’s always another way.

(off out to buy some new toys ….)

Small stone 23-1-2012

Heaven comes in the form of Schubert’s impromptu performance accompanying the rustle and thrill of pages turning. The television is OFF! Parents and children are reading.

Small stone 22-1-2012

I used to laugh at the idea of ‘listening to my body’ – Hello?? But my knee spoke to me yesterday. At 2 km it woke up, yawned and said ‘Go back to bed’, at 6 km it started to shout. At 8 km it screamed. Heard it that time!

Naughty magic!

It was tough getting up this morning. The trouble with being really careful with one’s nutrition and training plentifully (is that a word???), is that as soon as one is invited for dinner the result is a complete and utter MESS!! Or is it??

It was ba-a-a-a-a-a-d!! I mean, I was full from the ‘nibbles’. The meal hadn’t even started!! Not good, eh? But, I have a rule that’s a very personal one – not one that would particularly suit anybody else. I don’t get out for dinner very often (probably once every two months), so when I do go out, all bets are off. There’s no calorie-counting, no guilt, no planning if or when to hold back ….. Nope! When I’m out, I’m out and that’s it. Of course, I also know that one night out, for me, is not the end of the world. It’s not the beginning of a week’s bingeing or a back-to-square-one kind of battle! I’m very good now at having my ‘one night only’ and moving very quickly onwards and it works for me, so no guilt. I DO have to laugh, though …

Deep-friend parsnip crisps, melon and parma ham …. Oh yum, yum, yum!! There were so bloody good. Oh – and best mention the Kir Royale x 2!! Then baked trout with veggies (not so bad) and Dauphinoise Potatoes (could you get any worse?? LOL) …. and finally Summer Pudding with Cream (well, it’s berries, isn’t it? Berries are good, aren’t they?? haha)

Oh dear. Did I forget to mention the wine?

Now, THAT is where I have to laugh. I drank far far FAR too much wine and paid the price as I attempted to crawl out of bed this morning without lifting my head, much less moving my stomach!!! Nothing like a bit of kickboxing to get rid of the hangover, eh? I almost didn’t go … but then firmly installed the JFDI chip in my little brain and …

You know what? I THINK I NEED TO DRINK MORE OFTEN!!! Honestly … that was one of the best kickboxing sessions I’ve done in a long time. I couldn’t believe it. My instructor wanted to know ‘what I was on’!!! (Red wine??? lol)  And then, to top it all, as I was managing to miraculously nail my combos (for once), I went for a pet-hate kick – jumping spinning side kick! Guess what! Best one I’ve ever done AND loads of people just happened to be watching at the time. Oh, a huge WOO HOO moment!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you know what? There are times when the faeries are smiling and you just get away with it!!

They’re few and far between, those times, but you’ve just gotta love them! (But I’m not going out for dinner again any time soon!!!)