Live, love, run

So I have spent the week travelling in Melbourne and Sydney for work. We won the State Agency of the Year Award at the AdNews Agency of the Year Awards. Great stuff but noit something I can lay claim to after only 6 weeks in the chair…

No running this week with only a short beach walk yesterday, but lots and lots of deep core exercises which basically has me breathing out and engaging my deep core for two breaths then releasing. I do this horizontally, standing and sitting for 10 reps each. I have tried to do the exercises during the day too. I have to say that I feel like I am sitting straighter. Maybe because I am focusing so much on engaging my core. 

Will ride my bike to work tomorrow, and go for a couple of light runs  during the week with the Swan Twilight 5km race on Sunday evening to close it out. It’s a beautiful run and will be nice weather.

I’m hoping for the next phase of my core exercises from the physio on Tuesday, but I have to pass level one engagement first. I never liked exams…

So frustrated. Achilles has flared again and back at the physio. I am having a fresh gait analysis done on Tuesday morning, orthotics assessed and a new regime of strength work for my glutes and hips.

The physio treatment on Friday was NASTY. Hurt like hell and is really sore and inflamed today. Will ride my bike to work on Monday and not run tomorrow. It’s hard to say when I will back on the running properly, but I refuse to start again until I have this Achilles thing sorted out. I feel like things are slipping badly now and the Melbourne Marathon feels like a stupid idea.

But I have said I am doing it, and I hate to not try. Time to suck it up.

So January was all about cycling and leg strength. No running. I stuck to my guns and it has all worked out well so far.

I had my first run today for 5kms which went well. No achilles pain. Will take it easy with a mix of short runs, cycling and gym leg strength sessions. Maybe even a spin class.

I had my first ride to work last week. 27kms each way which was good, but definitely need a new bike! The old Repco mountain bike is not a commuting vehicle! 

Work is going great. Loving the new surroundings, and really feeling confident I can make a difference. I am in week four next week and each wqeek that passes I feel better and better. I think its going to be fantastic all round.

Two weeks until next race, the John Forrest 6km trail race. Looking forward to it.

So I havent run since my last post. In 2010 I have run zero kilometres. It’s time to get my achilles sorted properly. So I am cycling and walking and doing leg strength work. I’m going to do this for the whole month of January. I hate it…

A year where I struggled to get through injuries, and really haven’t sorted them yet, 2010 is the year that I sort them out for good.

My kilometrage was lower, but I did run my fastest half marathon and 8km race during the year. I’m hoping for a better running year this year, and edging towards my first marathon.

My Workouts

Since 01-01-2009
65		433.82 KM
18		59.77 KM
7		15.50 KM
13		116.77 KM
44		16:35:00
11
114
7		05:15:00

It’s going to be an exciting 2010 with new work, new challenges and a growing family. Lets see if we can’t make it all happen! Looking forward to it.

So when I wrote last I planned to start my strengthening campaign, and promptly went off to the gym to meet my PT for a session. I outlined what the physio/ pod had said and asked about plyometrics.

The ensuing gym session was a leg and ab fest with some exercises I have never done before. Jumping onto weight benches from a standing start x 30, continuous squats with holds for five minutes, ab exercises in all sorts of forms, and the final exercise which was using the cable crossover machine to swing my leg  in front of my body and up to the side. This exercise was TOUGH, and has left me in a great deal of pain. It’s mainly muscle soreness but wow it has been debilitating.

The funny thing is that being sore elsewhere makes you forget about your achilles! Anyway, will continue and keep doing plyometric work and swiss ball at home. 

Found lots of good info online, and will be working in a number of these exercises in specific sessions - http://www.runningplanet.com/training/plyometrics.html. I’m also going to continue riding my bike which I think has helped to strengthen my legs, and is a good break from the pounding of running.

My Achilles was a bit achey after the City Beach 8km run, so I went and got a fresh opinion from a different physio/ podiatrist yesterday. She was very thorough (if not a bit nasty…) and had me running, hopping, stretching, measured me and checked out all my equipment. Orthotics are fine even after 1,400 plus kilometres, but my Mizunos are stuffed after 370 kilometres. The walls are week and my feet are rolling out causing tension in my calves and achilles.

My shuffling style is the cause, and weakness in my legs. They are not strong enough to propel me so the calves take the load then the achilles once they fail. She recommended new shoes and plyometrics to give me more strength.

It’s clear that I nowhere near strong enough in my legs, hips and core, so need to work harder on this. Plus, the added issue of lack of power in my legs is hurting me. Might be time to ease back on kilometres per week and add in more strength to give my achilles a rest and get my strength right.

So next we try Brooks Trance 9 shoes. They are stable, a little lighter and feel good so lets give them a go! I’ve started studying up on the plyometrics and will start incorporating that into my PT sessions and at home.

This is the view from my local lookout, and the highest point of any of my local runs. It’s where I go to check out the beach, surf and have a break during my run.

I am in week four of nine weeks off between MF and Meerkats. I have spent the time relaxing, working around the house, going to the gym, running and cycling. It’s been restful and allowed me to get my head ready for the great challenge ahead.

I have met all of the key MK staff, and had a session with Mike and Ronnie where they outlined the history of the business and their expectations of me in the Managing Director role. What they have achieved is amazing in such a short period. What they have built is something quite special.

Leading into Christmas I am doing less work and more running and relaxing.  I haven’t been too much of a pain for Lou I don’t think and have helped with school runs and lunches and things.

I’ve been riding to school with Tyler a couple of times a week which has been great fun. Amy finishes this week and Tyler the next so looking forward to spending some time with them both.

The City Beach 8km is on Sunday. Looking forward to the run but it is sandwiched between a 37c day and a 38c day!! Could be painful. Achilles is OK without being great but hasn’t slowed me down. I feel like the gym work has helped my strength and core. Roll on Christmas.

So before I went to Bali I got a job offer……a great one!

I took the time in Nusa Dua to think about what I wanted, and what the potential could be. The answer? To big to ignore.

So we got back, and I accepted. Meet the the new Managing Director of Meerkats (www.meerkats.com.au) - Perth’s most exciting new agency with a philosophy that I think will see it go from strength to strength.

Mike and Ronnie who are the two founding partners are smart, professional and have built what I think is something clients are going to love more and more. And they do it from a philisophical perspective that is grounded in wanting to make a real difference in the world. For an ad agency, that’s not just new, that’s exciting, untested and fertile ground.

So, the family is in, I’m in and our world is about to change. In preparation I am concentrating on my fitness, and on my mental preparation. I am running more often, shorter distances mainly, but keeping the long run on the weekend for endurance. Running is, and will continue to be an important part of how I maintain top form.

Stay tuned for the exciting developments. I’ll be mixing in more work amongst the running as my new life unfolds. Hold on for fun…

Have been in Bali for a couple of weeks and have logged a couple of runs in my new fave iPhone app www.runkeeper.com, which cost the princely sum of $11.99 and logs all my runs via GPS while updating me during my runs. It is superb.

Bali was great and a nice break.