Behold, the Running Gods have spoken ! I get over one injury and then pick up another. Doh ! It seems that my 20km run on Saturday has further traumatised my rib injury to almost up under my armpit. So I am benched until the swelling goes down and the pain goes away. At the moment it hurts to walk, twist, cough and lay on my side. Last night I had 3 sneezes and almost passed out ! (ok, not really that bad). Voltaren Gel seems to work pretty good, so I'm really hoping its muscular rather than cartilage, or worse fractured. If its muscular then I'll be back by the weekend. Cartilage is 4 weeks. Fracture is 12 weeks from what I can see. Mood: --->

Week 2 of Kids Marathon training had Jackson and I up the distance from 1.2km to 1.5km. We ran yesterday afternoon on hot conditions yet Jackson handled it with ease and finished far more comfortably than last week. We'll step up to 1.75km next week. At this rate he'll run the 2.195km race distance 3 or 4 times before the big day. That will no doubt give him a huge boost of confidence.

Week 7 of 18 19.5km | LSD Blkbox and I set off bright and early this morning for the scheduled long run on my Hal Higdon program. Whilst we left at 6.30am, we were not long into it and thinking that maybe we should have started at 5.30am ! Very humid and getting hotter by the minute. I had a map printed and was self appointed navigator. First mistake. ;-) We made our way through Kingsford and Pagewood, then down to Matraville. We were seaching for our turn off (Franklin Street) but unfortunately Franklin Street was that one a few Kms back with the vandalised sign. LOL. So by the time we came across Botany Road we worked out that we were nearly at La Perouse. Oops ! A quick shortcut through a horse paddock had us running north again where we soon enough found Anzac Parade for our return journey. We finished a little trashed from the heat, but overall pretty good. My scrapes from my mid-week stack have pretty much healed except for my ribs which remain pretty bruised and sore. Just don't make me laugh and I'll be OK. :-) Also it seems that I'm on top of my achilles and heel problems now. Give me another week of stretching, ice and a few magic pink pills and I'll be a 100% I reckon. EDIT: I've pulled up really sore in the ribs. Overnight I have been in considerable pain and expect that the run yesterday (my first since the stack) has exacerbated the injury. I'm guessing that 2 hours of arm action has further torn the rib cartilage. Washing the car this morning was agony plus ! Mood: --->

Week 7 of 18 10km | Easy Ironically, Blkbox, SydneyGal & I were discussing last Saturday the dangers of running in the Sydney Eastern Suburbs at night because of the uneven footpaths and protruding tree roots. You know where I'm headed here .... I started my run last night by heading up York Road, which boarders Centennial Park. Big trees and bad lighting. You get the picture. Not long into my run my left foot caught the raised footpath in a pitch black section. I stumbled, lurching over for 3 or 4 steps like a pilot in an uncontrollable downward spin. I thought I could recover and avoid a crash. Nope, I landed will full force on my left ribcage. Then followed with my palms, a scrape of my knee and finally my left cheekbone were all skidding to a halt on the concrete. I laid there face down in the dark, winded for about 20 seconds. Got up. Thought about turning around and walking home. Then walking slowly in the direction of Bondi Beach. After that I managed to finish the 10kms that I started but arrived home stiff in the left knee, bloody in the palms and very sore in the exhale. I couldn't sleep on my left side last night and rolling over was pretty sore. Feeling OK this morning albeit a tad sore here and there. Might take the night off tonight. LOL Mood: --->

Week 7 of 18 5km | Easy Uncle Hal said 5km easy, so that's what I did. He also said "Resist the temptation to do more or run faster." LOL, no worries about that. More than happy to bludge anytime you want me to Hal. I have almost a full stretch on my achilles now. The planter f-thingy doesn't hurt anymore and feels as soft as the other one. So my only complaint today is a sore heel on the same leg. I understand that "heel spur" is a result of a tight PF and/or calves and achilles, so I guess the sore heel is a flow on of all the past crap. Hopefully a continued stretching regime and ice blah blah will fix it up soon. Mood: --->

My 8yo son Jackson has recently decided that he would like to run in the Kids Marathon at Canberra in April. So whilst Dad toils the 42.195kms at 7.00am, he will start the 2.195km Kids Marathon at 8.00am. Yesterday was his first training run. We ran 1.2kms around the block at a steady pace. He jogged it all the way and didn't stop once. We arrived home a little red faced (me too - gawd it was hot), and he was very proud of himself. Needless to say that Dad was very proud of him as well. We'll do the same thing next week and very slowly ramp up the distance as we get closer to April.

Week 6 of 18 11km | Easy My program had me down for 11km for the long run in this my easy week. Blkbox and Sydney Gal agreed to also run a shorter distance today, so we set off from my place bright and early. It was lovely running down through Woollahra and then down through Darling Point for a brief stop at McKell Park with its stunning views of the harbour. I was a tad tight in the heel/plantar f-thingy, which stems from me being unable to give it a full stretch in the calf for ages. Still, it didn't really inhibit me in any way. I'm sure it will fix itself up when I get full mobility back in the achilles. Now off to Bronte Beach for a refreshing dip (water temp is 16C at the moment !). Mood: --->

Week 6 of 18 5km | Easy The mojo meter was sitting on about half way last night as I headed out for a run about 8.30pm. I an attempt to keep me marginally enthusiastic, I went in a different direction and ran down Ocean Street to Edgecliff, Double Bay and then back up to home via the Junction. Apart from feeling achy in the legs, tired in the lungs and totally mooshed in the brain, I did OK. ;-) The quicker I get this over with the better, was the motto of the day. Mood: --->

Week 6 of 18 8km | Easy After 24 hours of rest and re-hab on my bits, I felt good enough to hit the road and turn the legs over. Uncle Hal had me down for 8kms, so I headed into the City for the first time for ages. I don't mind running this route as there is always something to see as you dash through Paddo and Taylor Square to Hyde Park. I must admit though, the new paved surface on the Oxford Street footpath is really hard and beats the legs about a bit. I can feel the effects this morning. Achilles and other stuff survived OK. Happy with that. Mood: --->

Yeah me and the great Paul Kelly have done dumb things. Last night walking home I was particularly chuffed that my achilles was feeling 100%. I walked with a spring in my step and was thinking about my program for the next week. Then I got home and give myself a biiiig stretch. PING ! Doh ! My achilles complained for the over zealous swami type position and threw me into pain and served me a big slice of humble pie. So last night was spent with ice strapped to the leg and much shaking of the head. I did my eccentric calf exercises this morning and popped voltaren. Not sure if I can run tonight. Yeah I've done all those dumb things.. Mood: --->

(L to R) Owl, Running Angel, Ellie80, Beki, Sydney Gal & Blkbox. Carnage at Carrington: Owl's stack.

Week 5 of 18 20km | Easy | trail It was a constellation of CoolRunners down in the Royal National Park this morning. Blkbox collected me this morning and I had the pleasure of meeting Beki for the first time. It was great to also see Sydney Gal who was also in tow who I hadn't seen since before the C2S. We arrived down at Audley around 7.00am and were shortly joined by Owl, Ellie80 and Running Angel in the carpark. Nice to see them as well. Yesterday I was trying to look after my achilles by icing and rubbing with voltaren gel whilst keeping it wrapped up tightly in an elastic bandage. That seemed to work good as I hopped out of bed this morning hardly feeling any niggle. The Royal National Park is a wonderful place to run and it was a real pleasure running along the fire trail which follows the Hacking River. We all took off at a easy pace and chatted happily along the way. We we joined at about 5/6km mark by CR Moh who we had passed earlier in Princes Highway. Moh joined us until the end of Lady Carrington and continued up to Waterfall. Nice guy too. Soon Owl came to grief when she tripped over one of those jumping sticks that you see every now and then which brought her down A over T. Owl bravely continued with blood trickling down her leg. Soon Ellie was the second casualty of the day who needed to walk for a while because of a bung knee. Soon after Beki and RA turned around as their programs only allowed them a slightly shorter run today. BlckBox, Sydney Gal, Moh and the Gronkster continued to the turnaround and upped the pace to the climb to the gates. After a rest we headed on the return leg and ran at 10km pace for the next 5kms or so. It felt nice to open the throttle up a bit and the three of us scooted along nicely. We finished the day in about 2 hours and I'm feeling great right now. No niggles to speak of with the achilles feeling just fine. Just hoping that it feels just as good later on once it cools down a bit. I've got some pics to upload, but Blogger is being a bitch right now so I'll try a bit later. Taking the tribe down to Bronte for a dip this arvo after a little picnic in the park. Happy days. Mood: --->

. As predicted, my old body was not up to three days in a row this week. So instead I got myself off to the doctors yesterday for a check up (blood pressure, full blood test). As a typical male I haven't really had myself to a GP for many, many years so I thought it was about time that I did something about it. All good it seems. Firing on all cylinders the Doc says. This morning I got myself off to see Acupuncturist Teresa Lee down in Hunter Street. Teresa is highly regarded by many CoolRunners and I wanted to see her about my left achilles. It's a funny injury this one. Almost a claytons one. I can run on it fine now and can stretch almost 80% without pain. It's when I compress the tendon (ie; point my toe) that it gives me pain. I have noticed that because I am unable to do a full stretch, I am getting tight in the calf which is flowing on to a tight heel, PF and a bit in the shin. I've never had acupuncture before with the exception of the occasional dry needling that Larry the Physio used on my shin splints. So I was ready for the full pin cushion treatment, whatever that entailed. Teresa gave me a light massage and announced that I don't drink enough water. Apparently she could feel this in her hands. This can lead to injuries she said. I spent an hour on the table and must have had 20 or 30 needles in me in various places. Mainly in my heel, achilles and calf with a few in my neck, shoulders, hands and butt. During that time she also worked on my hip and glutes with shiatsu massage after she found that my left foot was cold. The combination of acupuncture and massage would clear up my blocked channels it seems. No running until Sunday and I am instructed to have a shower first and then apply an adhesive herbal strip she gave me from my heel up along to my achilles. She also recommends that I tape my heel and achillles for the next couple of weeks, drink 3 litres of water a day and avoid sour foods. This includes beer, white wine, citrus fruits and Chinese Duck. Not sure why she mentioned the last one LOL. Oh, and bananas are great for recovering old legs. Cool, love the odd nana. I found a guide on taping the achilles here. Mood: --->

Week 5 of 18 8km | Easy Uncle Hal had me down for 8kms last night. It was my first run two days in a row for ages. Maybe some time in September I reckon. The legs felt crap. Fatigue x 100. Wednesdays on the program seem to be pretty important. The longish midweek run Hal calls it. I found it hard work. The legs were tired and the mind wanted to go home. I guess this marathon training is all about learning to run on tired legs and to tough it out. No doubt that Wednesdays will be hard and I will need to have a mindset that expects it. I have a short 5km run scheduled for tonight. I'm not sure that the old legs can manage 3 days in a row right now. We see how I feeling later on. I'm a tad paranoid in pushing myself beyond my limits and ending up with a niggle right now. Mood: --->

Week 5 of 18 5km | Easy Uncle Hal had me down for a easy 5km and well I just didn't feel like it. Yawn. Anyway I tore myself away from the 20/20 and zipped (?) around the block. I managed to see Gilly get out on the big screen just as I ran past the Ashes Live Site in Bondi Junction. I'm now playing with embedding my route created with MapMyRun. It seems to work great (you can even move it around !) except for the fact that it shows in miles rather than KMs. Doh! A work in progress... EDIT: Sorta fixed. Click on drop down box to change to KMs then hit the Show KM button. Mood: --->

12.5km | Easy I met Blkbox at the gates of Centennial Park bright and early for a run around the coast. We headed up through Randwick and got the rundown on his venture to Quarry Road and the infamous Black Stump Fat Ass. Once we found the coastal path, it started to heat up and we both started to feel the heat of the day. By Glamarama his Garmin anounced that we had only run 7kms at some stupid pace of 7:00/km. Either we had a satelite issue or we had been running into a fierce headwind ! The run up the long haul of Bondi Road was a grind in the heat and we finished pretty wasted in about 1:24 I think. Slow goings but I will blame the heat and the terrain. ;-) Mood: --->

4 January, 2007 14.5km | Easy On the way back from Coffs we stopped off at my Dads at Umina Beach for a few days. That gave me the opportunity to head up and over Mount Ettalong to Patonga and back. I ran the steep Patonga Drive past the Pearl Beach turn off and followed the steady climb through Brisbane Waters National Park. There were only a few cars to speak of at that time of the day, which allowed me to run on the road rather than the uneven shoulder. A glance at my watch revealed that I had been running up hill for over 25 mins before I got relief of any sort. It was starting to heat up a tad and the fuel belt was getting a work out big time. I reached Patonga in 50:45 and found the Great North Walk track at the south end of the beach. Kudos goes to the GNW100 guys who ran this goat track for a day or two. The climb from Patonga was mainly stairs cut into the dirt/rocks and it snaked its way up the mountain for about 2kms until it turns left towards Girrakool (sp) and I took the fire trail east to Pearl Beach. I gotta say that running down to Pearl Beach into the rain forest was a real pleasure. The canopy covered much of the trail and I came across a huge cave which soared at least 20m above the fire trail. Awsome stuff. Once in Pearl Beach I asked a few locals the way around the rocks to Umina and ran it around the headland. Actually I ran it QUICK because of the signs posted by Gosford Council announcing that I do so at my own peril as falling rocks will result in severe injury or death ! LOL. Happy Days. Mood: --->

2 January, 2007 13km | Easy A quick scan of the local maps revealed a undulating tar/dirt road which winds itself up, down and around the hills high above Coffs amoungst the banana plantations. I set off shortly after dawn and was soon climbing the hills and running away from the odd snake sunning itself on the road. Can't say I'm a fan of the slithering types. Once up the top of the hill the road winds itself down through the nanas and tall red gums into gullies and then up to high ridges. It was a tough run but very rewarding views over the coastline with the only company being the odd cow providing the mandatory dickhead look, that they all seem to have down to a fine art. The hills were a real test for the archilles and I am pleased to say that it passed the test with flying colours. Happy chappy ! Mood: --->

1st January, 2007 14km | easy I headed out early on NYD to escape the heat. NYE was a sober occassion (for the first time ever I think !) as we spent the night at Coffs Harbour at the Carnival and fire works from the Jetty. This time around I headed north along the highway and turned off at the first opportunity. It took me into a suburb called Sapphire and I soon found that it was a two street joint and ended up on the sand for a stretch. Soon I came across a Caravan Park called Sapphire Spit and ducked inside there and made my way up to the highway again until the Moonee Beach turnoff. Moonee is a pretty (and sleepy) town by the beach dominated by the huge pristine lagoon behind it which supports a huge water bird population. Beautiful stuff. I returned home before 7.00am with zero post run pain in the archilles to speak of. Mood: --->

30 December, 2006 7.5km | Easy Merry Xmas & HNY to all in Blogland ! Not much had been happening from before Xmas and till now. Much treatment on the archilles with eccentric calf let downs and ice the only running related activities 'round my parts. After Xmas I took the tribe up to Coffs Harbour for a spell at the Sebel Aqualuna which is a resort type of digs perched on Sapphire Beach about 7kms north of Coffs. Plenty of cross training in the pool and the beach seemed to do it (the injury) the world of good. So much so that I was able to head out one morning for a run through the hinterland in neighbouring Korora. There is not much flat stuff around Coffs and the short stroll into Korora took me through tall coastal eucalypt forests which was a real pleasure to see in the early morning. Plenty of wildlife too see including brush turkeys, echidnas and the odd wallaby. The archilles held up well and gave me a little confidence that things were on the improve. Mood: --->

5km | easy
I took Jackson out for a 5km spin around the Park in the late afternoon. It was a hot one and I could see that he was doing it tough. Very red in the face etc. We stopped 3 times over the journey. Twice for a drink at a bubbler and once for a little walk rest. I don't blame him as I was pretty dry in the throat as well.


We'll be doing the 4km down at the Maroubra Fun Run on Sunday morning. Should be a good run for him as long as it's not too hot.