Apologies for the delay ... went to see the specialist a couple of weeks ago and the news came through that everything is good.
About time too. No more operations or hospital visits needed ... until next time. Hopefully many years into the future. Strangely though, I like hospitals. Always have. Maybe it's the community spirit and camaraderie that exists in the wards. Like one big family all striving for the same goal ...
hmmm ... like ultra running perhaps.
OK, let's get Christmas and New Year out of the way then I can begin training again. As mentioned earlier I have been running (shhh !!!) and doing one or two bits and pieces indoors to keep fit but nothing approaching what anyone would call proper training.
The scheduled date for switching from running to training is Sunday 12 January and the target race in the Tooting Bec (London) 24 hr race on 20/21 September.
So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who reads this ... and the RUNNING blog will resume in a few weeks time.
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Quick Update
Another brief post ... just to let everyone know that I had my final operation of the year (hopefully) about two weeks ago and I'm feeling happy about that.
Going to see the doctor next week and it should be confirmed that I won't need any more surgery for a few more years.
Then I've just got to wait for my body to recover from the surgery and for my breathing to return to normal after the swelling has gone down. And then I can gradually start training again.
As mentioned earlier, I have been doing what I can to keep as fit as I can. But that's never been a problem for as I enjoy running so much - even when I'm ill I go for a run when I'm able although the distance and speed are not important. So ... 10 to 20 minutes a day. If that's all I can do then I'll do that.
I know it's only a temporary hiatus.
Even chemotherapy didn't stop me, although back then it was a case of 'I don't feel ill so why should I behave as though I'm ill ?'
This autumn has been different though - laboured breathing has made me realise my current limitations.
More news after I've seen the doc next week.
Saturday, 8 June 2013
summer cold, etc
Just when things couldn't get much better they took a turn for the worse. Over the past few days I've developed a rather bad cold. Over the past five or six days I've noticed my morning pulse getting progressively higher and higher and that's usually a sign of illness.
It hasn't been high enough to reduce my training in any way (until today) but yesterday afternoon the cold began in earnest. Streaming nose, tiredness, lethargy, etc. I immediately began taking lots of vitamin C as advocated by Frank Horwill and others. Not as much as he suggested but I realise now that I should have started the 'medicine' a couple of days ago.
One thing I have noticed over the past six months or so is that I seem to have forgotten stuff like that. I'm sure it will all come back once I get properly into training mode again - only another four weeks to go.
As mentioned above my morning pulse was exceptionally high - over 20 % higher than normal. So, I've decided to ease back on the cycling and strength training for a few days. The running, such that it is, is only at a very low level anyway at the moment.
One thing I have noticed ... England Athletics have put on their website details of an English 24 hr Championship - this year held in conjunction with the Tooting Bec race in London. There appears to be some confusion though because there are slightly different details on the two pages it is mentioned - here and here - and no mention on the race website (or on the entry form).
If this is the beginning of an annual English Championship then that can only be a good thing as athletes in all other disciplines have a national championship to aim for. For me it's just a shame I won't be fit enough to take part but hopefully it will be something the powers that be continue with - and maybe (hopefully) us it as a selection event for a home nations 24 hr championships. Or is that a step too far ...
At this point I should mention that I suggested a championship to England Athletics back in 2009 when I also pointed out that the list of English records did not include ultra distance events. Within a week or two some ultra records were included but, even now, the men's 100k is missing and the women's 24 hour (road) has not been updated to include Lizzy Hawker.
It hasn't been high enough to reduce my training in any way (until today) but yesterday afternoon the cold began in earnest. Streaming nose, tiredness, lethargy, etc. I immediately began taking lots of vitamin C as advocated by Frank Horwill and others. Not as much as he suggested but I realise now that I should have started the 'medicine' a couple of days ago.
One thing I have noticed over the past six months or so is that I seem to have forgotten stuff like that. I'm sure it will all come back once I get properly into training mode again - only another four weeks to go.
As mentioned above my morning pulse was exceptionally high - over 20 % higher than normal. So, I've decided to ease back on the cycling and strength training for a few days. The running, such that it is, is only at a very low level anyway at the moment.
One thing I have noticed ... England Athletics have put on their website details of an English 24 hr Championship - this year held in conjunction with the Tooting Bec race in London. There appears to be some confusion though because there are slightly different details on the two pages it is mentioned - here and here - and no mention on the race website (or on the entry form).
If this is the beginning of an annual English Championship then that can only be a good thing as athletes in all other disciplines have a national championship to aim for. For me it's just a shame I won't be fit enough to take part but hopefully it will be something the powers that be continue with - and maybe (hopefully) us it as a selection event for a home nations 24 hr championships. Or is that a step too far ...
At this point I should mention that I suggested a championship to England Athletics back in 2009 when I also pointed out that the list of English records did not include ultra distance events. Within a week or two some ultra records were included but, even now, the men's 100k is missing and the women's 24 hour (road) has not been updated to include Lizzy Hawker.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Fay and Fiona
OK I know that title is a bit strange but there is a good reason.
Let's start with Fiona. She's a Scottish ultra runner who is seriously ill at the minute - and not for the first time. She's a lovely woman who needs all the support she can get, and if she reads this she should know that I really do wish her all the best. I know she'll make a full recovery - she's a tough cookie, that one.
Now let's move on to Fay. On Tuesday evening, at home, we had a little 'episode'. Well, quite a major episode as it turned out. She began feeling unwell at about 6:00pm and at 7:45pm I phoned for an ambulance which took us to the A & E in Leeds.
We were there until 3 o'clock the following morning when the doctors finally managed to sort out what was wrong and get things under control. I'm not going to go into great detail (you really don't want me to ...) but the problem was that the new contraception we're using had caused a blood disorder.
For a menstruating woman, having blood that doesn't clot is not good.
Happy to report that everything is under control now but it was quite scary on Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning.
There was light hearted moment when we finally got home though. Fay said to me: "I know you're supposed to go for a run after breakfast but why don't you go now (4 am). You're tired and it's dark outside, it'll be just like a 24 hour race. You'll enjoy it."
I politely declined on the grounds that I was too tired. But really I wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure everything was OK. It is, and everything's back to normal.
Let's start with Fiona. She's a Scottish ultra runner who is seriously ill at the minute - and not for the first time. She's a lovely woman who needs all the support she can get, and if she reads this she should know that I really do wish her all the best. I know she'll make a full recovery - she's a tough cookie, that one.
Now let's move on to Fay. On Tuesday evening, at home, we had a little 'episode'. Well, quite a major episode as it turned out. She began feeling unwell at about 6:00pm and at 7:45pm I phoned for an ambulance which took us to the A & E in Leeds.
We were there until 3 o'clock the following morning when the doctors finally managed to sort out what was wrong and get things under control. I'm not going to go into great detail (you really don't want me to ...) but the problem was that the new contraception we're using had caused a blood disorder.
For a menstruating woman, having blood that doesn't clot is not good.
Happy to report that everything is under control now but it was quite scary on Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning.
There was light hearted moment when we finally got home though. Fay said to me: "I know you're supposed to go for a run after breakfast but why don't you go now (4 am). You're tired and it's dark outside, it'll be just like a 24 hour race. You'll enjoy it."
I politely declined on the grounds that I was too tired. But really I wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure everything was OK. It is, and everything's back to normal.
Monday, 31 December 2012
my year in brief
Well ... the end of another year and for me it was a year of three parts.
The first part was spent recovering from a broken bone in my foot - falling down a flight of steps at home is not a good idea.
The second (and best ...) part was training for, and taking part in, two long ultra distance races. The first was the ULTRArace 100 mile event around the Cotswolds in England. Really enjoyed this race in stunning scenery and good weather. It was good to have Hugh Pearson (Otley AC clubmate) crewing for me and hopefully we'll be able to continue that relationship as his running and coaching experience is invaluable. My report can be read here.
The second - and most important - race was the World 24 hour Championships which were held in Poland at the beginning of September. The first 21 hours of that race were fantastic as I was on schedule for well over 240 km .. and feeling good too. The atmosphere was terrific and the crewing was brilliant (thanks go to Eleanor Robinson, Richard Brown, Adrian Stott, Rory Coleman, Marco Consani and Andy Smith). My brief report can be read here.
The third part of my running year began at 9:00am on Sunday 9 September. Injury struck during that 24 hour race as it did for about 10% of the runners. I've since learned that the IAU considered moving the race to a different part of the park because of the poor condition of the road surface and sharp corners. This report by US runner Jonathan Savage explains ...
Although I seem to have now recovered from that badly sprained ankle I was also struck down by gout in late November and early December which delayed my return to running somewhat. Thaings are now progressing nicely though and today's 20 minute run scored an encouraging 97.5 % although the abysmal weather made it very hard work.
That's a brief account of my running year but there has been other highlights too. Most notably Keir successfully passing his A levels and getting into the university of his choice - Ulster - to read History. That's been his plan for a few year's now and I'm pleased that it's come off for him. I'm so proud of his achievements too. He's worked hard for that and he deserves it ... I remember spending about an hour a day for three or four years helping him with speech therapy exercises.
And next year ... more races of course ... have fun and take care.
The first part was spent recovering from a broken bone in my foot - falling down a flight of steps at home is not a good idea.
The second (and best ...) part was training for, and taking part in, two long ultra distance races. The first was the ULTRArace 100 mile event around the Cotswolds in England. Really enjoyed this race in stunning scenery and good weather. It was good to have Hugh Pearson (Otley AC clubmate) crewing for me and hopefully we'll be able to continue that relationship as his running and coaching experience is invaluable. My report can be read here.
The second - and most important - race was the World 24 hour Championships which were held in Poland at the beginning of September. The first 21 hours of that race were fantastic as I was on schedule for well over 240 km .. and feeling good too. The atmosphere was terrific and the crewing was brilliant (thanks go to Eleanor Robinson, Richard Brown, Adrian Stott, Rory Coleman, Marco Consani and Andy Smith). My brief report can be read here.
The third part of my running year began at 9:00am on Sunday 9 September. Injury struck during that 24 hour race as it did for about 10% of the runners. I've since learned that the IAU considered moving the race to a different part of the park because of the poor condition of the road surface and sharp corners. This report by US runner Jonathan Savage explains ...
Although I seem to have now recovered from that badly sprained ankle I was also struck down by gout in late November and early December which delayed my return to running somewhat. Thaings are now progressing nicely though and today's 20 minute run scored an encouraging 97.5 % although the abysmal weather made it very hard work.
That's a brief account of my running year but there has been other highlights too. Most notably Keir successfully passing his A levels and getting into the university of his choice - Ulster - to read History. That's been his plan for a few year's now and I'm pleased that it's come off for him. I'm so proud of his achievements too. He's worked hard for that and he deserves it ... I remember spending about an hour a day for three or four years helping him with speech therapy exercises.
And next year ... more races of course ... have fun and take care.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
ready to go ...
Right, now that that's out of the way and the pain and discomfort has subsided (and the sprained ankle is better too) I now feel able to run ... tomorrow.
Two weeks of ibuprofen seems to have done the trick although for the next year or more I'll be having regular tests to assess the level of uric acid in my system. This is normally excreted by the kidneys but for gout sufferers it isn't.
So the long term aim is to reduce uric acid levels by dietary changes which, in my case, will mean consuming less of the following: turkey, mackeral, sardines, herrings, marmite and beer.
That really comes down to no poultry, oily fish, yeast extract or beer. Which means I'll also have to be careful about where I get my B vitamins. I'm sure I'll soon learn to manage all this but if not there are drugs available to help.
But tomorrow morning I'll be out running and I feel confident that it will be a pain free experience. That's the first time I've been able to say that since early September. I'll only be out for ten minutes or so but it's a good start and if all goes well (which I expect it will) I'll be able to begin training properly by mid to late January. And racing next summer.
Over the past few months I have been doing an increasing amount of cycling and strength work. The cycling appears to have paid off in terms of my aerobic fitness. During August my average waking heart rate was 44, by mid November that had risen to 53 but over the last couple of weeks it is noticeably falling again.
One last thing ... I'm going to post all my training on this blog and you'll be able to find out what I do by clicking on the 'training' tab at the top of the page. It won't be in great detail though [I wouldn't want to give away all my secrets :) ].
Two weeks of ibuprofen seems to have done the trick although for the next year or more I'll be having regular tests to assess the level of uric acid in my system. This is normally excreted by the kidneys but for gout sufferers it isn't.
So the long term aim is to reduce uric acid levels by dietary changes which, in my case, will mean consuming less of the following: turkey, mackeral, sardines, herrings, marmite and beer.
That really comes down to no poultry, oily fish, yeast extract or beer. Which means I'll also have to be careful about where I get my B vitamins. I'm sure I'll soon learn to manage all this but if not there are drugs available to help.
But tomorrow morning I'll be out running and I feel confident that it will be a pain free experience. That's the first time I've been able to say that since early September. I'll only be out for ten minutes or so but it's a good start and if all goes well (which I expect it will) I'll be able to begin training properly by mid to late January. And racing next summer.
Over the past few months I have been doing an increasing amount of cycling and strength work. The cycling appears to have paid off in terms of my aerobic fitness. During August my average waking heart rate was 44, by mid November that had risen to 53 but over the last couple of weeks it is noticeably falling again.
One last thing ... I'm going to post all my training on this blog and you'll be able to find out what I do by clicking on the 'training' tab at the top of the page. It won't be in great detail though [I wouldn't want to give away all my secrets :) ].
Saturday, 1 December 2012
result ...
Well, at least I now know why my right ankle has taken so long to recover from the trauma sustained at hour 21 of my last race.
And the answer is ...
for the last few weeks I have been suffering from gout.
That has been causing pain when running (and at other times) but, unusually, it is not the big toe joint which is affected but the ankle joint - very strange. But that's typical for me I suppose.
I haven't been running for a week or so to get this sorted out and now I have another week to let the drugs do their work before I can resume. Cycling and gym work continues though.
At this point I should say that I was quite worried at possible diagnoses which included cancer but ... now I know what's wrong and how to manage the situation I seem to have recovered my mojo.
Now I'm really looking forward to racing again next summer.
And the answer is ...
for the last few weeks I have been suffering from gout.
That has been causing pain when running (and at other times) but, unusually, it is not the big toe joint which is affected but the ankle joint - very strange. But that's typical for me I suppose.
I haven't been running for a week or so to get this sorted out and now I have another week to let the drugs do their work before I can resume. Cycling and gym work continues though.
At this point I should say that I was quite worried at possible diagnoses which included cancer but ... now I know what's wrong and how to manage the situation I seem to have recovered my mojo.
Now I'm really looking forward to racing again next summer.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
running dangerously
This morning I came across something on the BBC website which I've copied below. My thoughts are that after suffering with three potentially fatal illnesses I know that my lifestyle is a lot healthier than most other people's way of living. My lifestyle was in no way the cause of any of those illnesses though but exercise has been my way of coping with what life has sometimes thrown my way. I remember having chemotherapy and training at the same time ... very strange for all the staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary to watch this as I trundled up and down the corridor of Ward 15 pushing a drip stand. One doctor told me that I was the only cancer patient to leave the ward with blisters on his hand.
And as for marathon running being extreme - well that's just wrong. My take on that aspect is that many runners find themselves drawn towards the marathon in the belief that 26.2 miles is the ultimate endurance challenge. Television and press coverage of races such as the London Marathon tend to perpetuate that but, strangely, I have never subscribed to that point of view and have always believed that most people can, with training, run 26 miles. The problems arise when trying to run that distance as quickly as possible.
Instead I believe that every runner should try a 24 hour race at least once before hanging up their trainers. The challenge is immense and these races are very different to races over a fixed, and much shorter, distance. The personal and emotional rewards are far greater too and the sense of achievement second to none - even if the material rewards are almost non existent.
Read the article yourself below
MRI scans on 40 athletes training for challenging sporting events like triathlons or alpine cycle races showed most had stretched heart muscles.Doing extreme endurance exercise, like training for a marathon, can damage the heart, research reveals.
And as for marathon running being extreme - well that's just wrong. My take on that aspect is that many runners find themselves drawn towards the marathon in the belief that 26.2 miles is the ultimate endurance challenge. Television and press coverage of races such as the London Marathon tend to perpetuate that but, strangely, I have never subscribed to that point of view and have always believed that most people can, with training, run 26 miles. The problems arise when trying to run that distance as quickly as possible.
Instead I believe that every runner should try a 24 hour race at least once before hanging up their trainers. The challenge is immense and these races are very different to races over a fixed, and much shorter, distance. The personal and emotional rewards are far greater too and the sense of achievement second to none - even if the material rewards are almost non existent.
Read the article yourself below
Marathon training 'may pose
a heart risk'
MRI scans on 40 athletes training for challenging sporting events like triathlons or alpine cycle races showed most had stretched heart muscles.Doing extreme endurance exercise, like training for a marathon, can damage the heart, research reveals.
Although many went on to make a complete recovery after a week, five showed more permanent injuries.
The researchers told the European Heart Journal how these changes might cause heart problems like arrhythmia.
They stress that their findings should not be taken to mean that endurance exercise is unhealthy.
In most athletes, a combination of sensible training and adequate recovery should cause an improvement in heart muscle function, they say.
But they believe more investigations are now needed, since their small study in Australia did not look at any associated health risks.
Extreme training
The medical director of the London Marathon, Professor Sanjay Sharma, agreed that more research was needed and said the results provided "food for thought".
"My personal feeling is that extreme endurance exercise probably does cause damage to the heart in some athletes. I don't believe that the human body is designed to exercise for as long as 11 hours a day, so damage to the heart is not implausible."
But he said it was too early to say that taking part in endurance sports causes long-term damage.
And Doireann Maddock of the British Heart Foundation said the findings should not put people off doing exercise.
"It is important to remember that the health benefits of physical activity are well established. The highly trained athletes involved in this study were competing in long distance events and trained for more than 10 hours a week.
"Further long-term research will be necessary in order to determine if extreme endurance exercise can cause damage to the right ventricle of the heart in some athletes. Any endurance athletes who are concerned should discuss the matter with their GP.''
In the study, the scientists studied the athletes a fortnight before their races, immediately after their races and then about a week later.
Immediately after the race, the athletes' hearts had changed shape. The right ventricle - one of the four chambers in the heart involved in pumping blood around the body - appeared dilated and didn't work as well as it had been in the weeks leading up to the race.
Levels of a chemical called BNP, made by the heart in response to excessive stretching, increased.
A week later, most of the athletes' hearts had returned to the pre-race condition. But in five who had been training and competing for longer than the others, there were signs of scarring of the heart tissue and right ventricular function remained impaired compared with the pre-race readings.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
European T & F Championships
This morning I watched the men's marathon in Barcelona and was pleased to see that Viktor Rothlin, from Switzerland, emerged victorious.
Twelve months ago he was in hospital with a very serious heart condition which eventually required him to take a variety of medicines including Warfarin. This made him seriously consider giving up the sport, especially when, at the end of 2009 he suffered a running injury and was unsure whether it would be possible to be fit enough to compete at these European Championships.
He made the decision to compete only a few weeks ago after a race in Gateshead, England and I bet he's glad he did.
I find it very inspiring to see other people overcome serious medical problems to run better than ever ... things like this definitely help my mind-set sometimes.
Good news too for team GB, especially Mo Farah with golds in the 10k and 5k.
Twelve months ago he was in hospital with a very serious heart condition which eventually required him to take a variety of medicines including Warfarin. This made him seriously consider giving up the sport, especially when, at the end of 2009 he suffered a running injury and was unsure whether it would be possible to be fit enough to compete at these European Championships.
He made the decision to compete only a few weeks ago after a race in Gateshead, England and I bet he's glad he did.
I find it very inspiring to see other people overcome serious medical problems to run better than ever ... things like this definitely help my mind-set sometimes.
Good news too for team GB, especially Mo Farah with golds in the 10k and 5k.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Filey
Had a good few relaxing days in Filey on the east coast of Yorkshire. A small town with lots of nearby trails for walking and/or running. The weather was very hot (often over 27 C or 80 F) but windy most of the time.
On Thursday I had a bad day though. Went for an early morning run (7.00am) of about 6 miles through Gristhorpe and Muston before returning to Filey. Very hot and humid even so early in the day but all went well. Later that day though - about nine hours later - I began to feel ill, very ill. It's obvious to me now that it was a heat related illness.
Normally I'm very careful with hydration, shade, suntan lotion, etc but had lapsed whilst in Filey and things had caught up with me - severely. After four hours or so of vomiting and feeling bad I went to bed and woke up on Friday morning feeling more or less normal but vowing to be more careful in future.
Back home on Saturday and went for a for a run in the afternoon and began to feel ill again as soon as I did something other than steady running. Came home again after only 10 hill reps instead of the planned 20 and rested for the remainder of the day.
This morning I feel fine and I'll go for a run this afternoon. I had planned to do 6 miles at about 6:40 per mile but I think I'll just run steadily instead - it's far too windy to run so quickly anyhow.
On final thought for today. Who'll win the World Cup this evening ... Spain or The Netherlands ?
On Thursday I had a bad day though. Went for an early morning run (7.00am) of about 6 miles through Gristhorpe and Muston before returning to Filey. Very hot and humid even so early in the day but all went well. Later that day though - about nine hours later - I began to feel ill, very ill. It's obvious to me now that it was a heat related illness.
Normally I'm very careful with hydration, shade, suntan lotion, etc but had lapsed whilst in Filey and things had caught up with me - severely. After four hours or so of vomiting and feeling bad I went to bed and woke up on Friday morning feeling more or less normal but vowing to be more careful in future.
Back home on Saturday and went for a for a run in the afternoon and began to feel ill again as soon as I did something other than steady running. Came home again after only 10 hill reps instead of the planned 20 and rested for the remainder of the day.
This morning I feel fine and I'll go for a run this afternoon. I had planned to do 6 miles at about 6:40 per mile but I think I'll just run steadily instead - it's far too windy to run so quickly anyhow.
On final thought for today. Who'll win the World Cup this evening ... Spain or The Netherlands ?
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
a strange day
Let me start by recounting yesterday's training. In the morning (7.30am) I left home for a 25 miler taking in an eight mile stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. Overall time 3h 35 ... no problem at all.
In the evening I spent an hour doing strength and conditioning followed by some stretching. I did this in lots of extra clothing and in an extra warm room. Again no problems at all ... apart from lots of sweat.
This morning my heart rate was quite a bit higher than normal ... usually in the morning it's about 43 to 44 bpm but this morning it was 51 bpm. An increase of well over 15%. I thought that perhaps my cold was about to get worse.
7.15am - headache started ... took two ibuprofen
7.30am - spent 50 minutes on the bike. Wearing lots of clothes and in a very warm room. Headache fading.
9.00am - headache returns with a vengeance. Took two more ibuprofen.
9.30am - feeling very ill now, and getting worse. Symptoms were: headache, feeling cold even though the air temperature is 22 degrees C (71.6 degrees F), restlessness, complete lack of appetite, extreme sleepiness.
11.00am - managed to get into the kitchen to make myself a large cup of coffee.
noon - beginning to feel a bit better.
1.00pm - feeling almost normal.
2.00pm - went for a run ... 13.2 miles in 1h 50. Pleased with that considering I didn't push the pace at all and this morning's experiences were always at the back of my mind.
4.00pm - everything back to normal ... but what will tomorrow bring ?
I can see I'll have to be careful with this heat training thing.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
getting a cold ... but a couple of things to look forward to
Well ... I've been lucky so far but I suppose it couldn't hold out forever. Fay has had a bad cough for about four weeks now and that developed into a cold about ten days ago. Despite taking 1000mg vitamin C daily (just in case) I have now started showing symptoms of a cold. Not a cough though, which is a good sign.
Training has now become quite daunting at times (nothing to do with my cold) as I get closer and closer to the big race. On Monday this week I ran 25 miles in the morning and cycled for about an hour in the evening. Yesterday was strength/conditioning stuff in the morning and 25 miles fartlek in the afternoon. Using the Otley 10 route. Hard work - windy too.
Although the rest of this week will be tempo running and hill reps I do plan to take things slightly easier than planned to avoid making my cold any worse than necessary. A couple of things to look forward to this month though.
The first is the monthly Otley AC handicap. For one reason or another I haven't been able to run one this year so I'm looking forward to this event at Eccup (near Leeds) on Saturday morning. The route is about 6 miles and then I'll probably run home - another 7.5 miles.
At the end of the month is the first race in the Harrogate League. A very enjoyable series of five races organised by local clubs over distances of 5 to 7 miles. The first is in Ilkley and is only two weeks before Brive.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
progressing well
Everything is progressing very well following my recent spell in hospital. Running has to be slow at the moment - my throat is still not up to 'puffing and panting'.
Lots of cross training though ... stretching, cycling, strength exercises.
Overall I'm feeling very positive about things at the moment - things are looking good.
Lots of cross training though ... stretching, cycling, strength exercises.
Overall I'm feeling very positive about things at the moment - things are looking good.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
running again
Earlier this afternoon I went out for my first run since leaving hospital. Only 40 minutes at a slow pace but it was good to be out in the fresh air and exercising again.
I now truly feel that I'm on my way back ... to some good performances next year.
Because of my recent illness I've had to change my list of upcoming races - a revised list of stuff I have planned at the moment is here. Of course, this list is always subject to change.
I'm glad I had a supply of decent coffee to sustain me during my time off. Recently I've been drinking Italian Roast by Starbucks which is excellent. I do like the dark roasted stuff, I also seem to like Indonesian coffees and on the whole I like the excessively nutty and/or fruity coffees less.
I now truly feel that I'm on my way back ... to some good performances next year.
Because of my recent illness I've had to change my list of upcoming races - a revised list of stuff I have planned at the moment is here. Of course, this list is always subject to change.
I'm glad I had a supply of decent coffee to sustain me during my time off. Recently I've been drinking Italian Roast by Starbucks which is excellent. I do like the dark roasted stuff, I also seem to like Indonesian coffees and on the whole I like the excessively nutty and/or fruity coffees less.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
illness
You've probably all noticed that I haven't posted for a while. The reason is straight forward - I've been ill.
If you read my report of the Commonwealth Championships you'll be aware that as a child I had a recurrent papilloma on my larynx which I last had removed in 1983.
Well, my recent illness was diagnosed as a recurrent papilloma. To say this was a massive surprise is surely the understatement of the year. One good thing is that when I was younger the removal of the growth was by scalpel whereas nowadays they use a laser. This cuts down the recovery time substantially.
One minor operation later and I'm now back home and planning to start running (interspersed with walking) next week. Until December I've got to be careful to avoid heavy breathing ...
For the past few days I've been living on soup and ice cream - the chocolate & ginger ice cream that Fay found in Ilkley is wonderful. Almost worth having a throat operation just for this [or maybe not !!!].
If you read my report of the Commonwealth Championships you'll be aware that as a child I had a recurrent papilloma on my larynx which I last had removed in 1983.
Well, my recent illness was diagnosed as a recurrent papilloma. To say this was a massive surprise is surely the understatement of the year. One good thing is that when I was younger the removal of the growth was by scalpel whereas nowadays they use a laser. This cuts down the recovery time substantially.
One minor operation later and I'm now back home and planning to start running (interspersed with walking) next week. Until December I've got to be careful to avoid heavy breathing ...
For the past few days I've been living on soup and ice cream - the chocolate & ginger ice cream that Fay found in Ilkley is wonderful. Almost worth having a throat operation just for this [or maybe not !!!].
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