I’m back….

Well I think I managed to experience every conceivable emotion possible for my stay in Perth. We came home on Monday and it has taken me a week to recover. I have been feeling totally exhausted!! I won’t bore you with the family saga’s but there were many.  I will say this though, going home catapulted me back in time and knocked me for a six.  I am actually glad I had the time in Perth before wedding as I think I needed it so that I can really come to terms with the fact that Dad is no longer with us.  Even though it was planned to scatter my Dad’s ashes we didn’t end up doing it.  I just wasn’t ready and thankfully my sister’s didn’t give me to much grief about it.  My Aunty will keep his ashes until it is decided on a more appropriate time.

running

Although I haven’t done any long runs since my last one with the CR’s, I did manage to do 6-7km runs in Perth around the beautiful Swan river.  I use to love going down there when I lived there and sometimes I really miss it.  If only I was running back then as I only lived 10mins from it.  Unfortunately once I hit Kalgoorlie, it was impossible to fit any runs in.  In fact had I been able, I probably wouldn’t have as it is very much a man’s town with one or two drunk aborigines floating around.  On arrival into town we were greeted with two aborigines have a punch up but the funny thing was, they were so drunk it was like they fighting in slow motion with hardly any punches actually connecting with opponent , pmsl!

I did my first run back in Melbourne on Friday down the Merri Creek trail and thankfully calves have settled.  The hot spot that I had on my right shin seems to have settled significantly.  The rest must have helped I think.  Unfortunately my sciatica is back which was my stupid fault as I forgot to put the little 6mm innersole heal lift into runners while in Perth.  I had left it in casual shoe and just clean forgot about it.  I couldn’t for the life of me work out why it was coming back until Wednesday when I saw lift in my casual shoe!  What a complete doofus 😯    

I will be meeting RJ for a 14km long run tomorrow.  We are going to meet at Como’s landing once I have dropped kids off at school and kinder.  We were going to do the 10km Human race today but in the end we decided we couldn’t be stuffed going into city yesterday to register.  RJ had finished work later than anticipated and we decided it was all a bit to hard.  We opted instead to leisurely get together to celebrate my Birthday which was on the 28th and my Hubby’s which is today (31st).  We had a very pleasant arvo/evening topping it off with a really yummy Birthday cake for the two of us.  Needless to say I will resuming Weight Watchers tomorrow 🙄

black cloud

I am forever chasing my tail lately in the blogging department.  It doesn’t help that my 10 year old has been hogging my lap because the home computer needs fixing!  RJ’s two boys have introduced him to msn and they asked if they could set him up so they could chat on-line, stupidly I said yes 🙄

I received my program from physio and discussed it with him and he was happy for me to start it.  He has also given me a new range of exercises to do, ones that I can do at home and not have to rely on the reformers at the clinic.  I have been experiencing a new sharp pain in calf that starts when my heel hits the ground.  It shoots up calf and I think, hammy and buttock.  Its quite different to anything that I have had before.  It seems to settle after I have done a few km’s and a few extra stretches.  I am doing heaps of self massage on calves and I had an appointment with my myotherapist this morning and she did all the magical things that she does.  I had more needling and cupping done on calves and shins, and she gave my right lower back, hip area a good going over as that is still sore and, she also did the hamstrings.  I feel as though I have been in a boxing ring at the the moment but I know its all for the good.  I also have started taking magnesium as I have been told they might help the tight calves.

running

I won’t bore you with all the runs that I have done since I last blogged, I’ll just start with yesterday’s run.  Met up with RJ, Staypuff and Spectre (Cool Runners) down at Como Landing at 8am.  I had been given the go ahead to do a 12km run by the Physio but my Pod wanted me to stay at 10-11km until calf pain and sciatica had settled.  Since my orthotics have had adjustment put on, my sciatica has gone so I decided I would see how the calf behaved and after 5km’s all was well so I ended up doing the 12km’s.  It was a fantastic run along the river and RJ and I finished in the pouring rain which had definetly got us moving 🙂   SP and Spectre threw in a lap of the Tan and because they are fast, they weren’t really that far behind us.  It was so cold but so invigorating.  It was quite funny really because I noticed when I passed other runners going the other way we would say hello with big smiles on our faces……. that can’t be normal surely?? 😆   I have found the long runs with CR’s really great and it is doing heaps for my motivation.  We dried off with a towel and changed into some dry clothes and then eventually found a table at the little cafe there, I think it is called the Kanteen.  I had a coffee and the best blueberry muffin I have ever had in my life, it was yummo!

Well I am off to Perth for two weeks with the kids on Wednesday and to be quite honest, I cannot wait to get it over with.  We will be scattering my Dad’s ashes on the Saturday in a special place at the beach.  I just can’t believe it will be a year since he died, it still seems as though it was only yesterday 😦   My hubby was suppose to be coming along for this trip but was unable to swing it which is a major bummer for me.  I also have to get through my sisters wedding in Kalgoorlie which is going to be an experience in itself.  I just hope that bloody Bridesmaid dress fits!!!!  Still can’t believe I am a bridesmaid at the age of 106 🙄

almost the week that was

running

How quickly a week flies by………

I only managed one 40 minute run down at Princes Park on Wednesday and one x-training session during the week.  I was suppose to go yesterday for another run but it just didn’t happen………  I hate that!!  I am continuing with my stretches and exercises given by Physio on days in between.  RJ and I are doing another Rat Run tomorrow with some Coolrunners and I am aiming for 11km if all feels well.  Unfortunately, RJ is doing a walk/run program that her Physio has set her until her pesky hip settles.  At least she will be down there doing something 🙂   

rambling

I went and saw the Podiatrist on Monday as my sciatica had reappeared after I had my othotics adjusted.  He has readjusted them again and so far so good.  The sciatica has definetly improved dramatically.  He also gave me a heel lift to put in the left shoe of any casual shoes to compensate for my leg discrepancy 😳   I think I will know for sure if the adjustment will be enough after tomorrows run.

Before my Physiotherapist went overseas she told me who she wanted me to see when I needed to come back for review.  Well I had that appointment on Thursday and was extremely happy with him.  He is also a distance runner and I feel very confident that he knows his stuff.  I have been having issues with really tight calves and I have shin splints which the Pod told me, so he did a deep tissue massage on the shin area and calves……. ouch!  He also did some dry needling on my lower right back that doesn’t seem to be settling.  He asked me what I had been doing over the past weeks and he thinks I may have done a little too much to soon after my three weeks off from running due to illness.  I have been doing speed, hilly runs and then my first long run, I jumped straight into the 10km Olympic Dream which was quite undulating.  He has also told me I need to address my warming up routine, where I run (have been doing all street runs) and hydration 😳   Pretty much everything really 😆  I have another appointment to see him on Thursday and he is going to give me some exercises that I can do in Perth while away and give me a written running program to follow for the next 10 weeks in lead up to the Melbourne Marathon half, very excited about that!!  Have a massage booked in for Monday and I have to get her to concentrate on those shins and calves.  Don’t think I am looking forward to that!!

12 week star team challenge

Although I did lose  when I weighed myself on Monday, I haven’t awarded myself a glitzy star on my post.  It was a measley 100gms and in my book that just doesn’t cut it!!