Yes

... it has been a while.

The very brief story - the Graves is back which I'm not happy about. The good part is that I went to the specialist thinking he would recommend radioactive iodine which I had my mind set against. He was great - said nobody would make me do anything I don't want to. So I'm back on the medication and also back on a gluten free diet (I'm willing to do anything that might help).

I took a complete break from running to let my heart rate settle (while the medication kicked in). This was while we went to the Territory so it worked out pretty well.

Just back into it over the last few weeks but work has been busy (bringing lots of work home) so this week I haven't run since Sunday. I'm really taking it easy on the runs and trying not to let my heart rate get over 170 - so taking lots of walk breaks. This is a really nice way to run I have to say!

No real running goals at the moment just letting my health get back to normal (also low on iron at the moment). But I have to say that it is good to be running again. I'm yet to to see the gastroenterologist about the other tests. I go to see her in a few weeks, but I'm assuming that all is fine.

Disappointing

Nearly a week later here is my race report:

Woke bright and early noticing that I had a slightly upset stomach (not just nerves but a bit sore feeling). I took my resting heart rate (as I couldn't get back to sleep) and it was 169, higher than the usual 156, but I just put it down to nerves. I hadn't had the colonscopy (as they had postponed it) so I was feeling reasonably confident of a PB - apart from the stomach and the heart rate.

Getting the family ready to go (J was running the 10k too) was a struggle. I had hoped to get to SWR in time for the start of the half to see a friend start but D (my 14 year old non-runner son) was grumpy at having been woken early and didn't want to go. G made him but he dawdled and we set off about 15 minutes later than planned. G was driving my car (the non 4WD) and got it bogged on the front lawn which is very boggy due to all the rain we've had this year. A quick change to the 4WD and we were finally off.

G dropped J and I off and went to find a park with about 10 minutes till race start. This year they had decided to have racing chips so I was madly trying to get J sorted and then myself so that I could make another pit stop at the loos. We were ready about 2 minutes before the gun!

The race started and J took off like a rabbit. I told him to run his own race and not to worry about me. I could see him for about the first two minutes then he disappeared from sight until we passed each other after he turned around.

I felt okay for the first half, I was aware of my stomach feeling uncomfortable, but I was chugging along. I got to the turn around in 27 minutes - If I could just maintain my pace I could beat my previous time of 54.49.

I'm not sure what happened in the last half. I wanted to negative split, but every time that I tried to speed up I just couldn't sustain it. I followed a young woman and we kept changing places, then I followed a tall man and tried to overtake him in the last kilometre but I just didn't have any oomph left. Both of them beat me.

My final time: 55.24 (J's time: 53.21). I missed my PB by 30 seconds but I just couldn't do it.

Some reflections:

• I really didn't train well for this race. Partly because of the wet weather we have had this year and partly because I thought I was having a colonoscopy two days before, up until a week before the race.
  
• Did no speed work and not enough long runs.
• I lost 1 and a 1/2 kilos in the week before the race - with no change to diet ( a bad sign)
• My resting heart rate has consistently been high for over a week now and the weight has stayed off, not sleeping well either. it looks like my remission from Graves Disease might be over which would explain it all. Graves causes a nigh heart rate, muscle weakness and general fatigue.
  

Yesterday I ran for the first time since Sunday and my heart rate shot up into the 170s very rapidly, it even reached a new high of 187 (on an uphill but not pushing hard at all).

Yesterday's run: Distance: 7km, Time: 45.47, average heart rate: 172.
Last time I ran this distance (about 2 weeks ago): Time: 42.44, average heart rate: 160.

I am going to see the doctor in over a week's time (she is very hard to get into at this time of year). In the meantime I will take it easy on my runs and walk when my heart rate gets too high - I did notice yesterday feeling very breathless on the hills and at one stage I could feel my heart rate becoming irregular and a generally heavy feeling in the chest. Not happy but what can I do?

Endless Options

All Dressed up and Nowhere to go
Blame it on the Rain
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

I usually struggle to come up with a fitting post title but today it seems that the options are unlimited. Not a great deal of running to comment on this week as, once again this year, we have experienced flooding. Yesterday I had my third day (for the year) at home because of flooding. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it is annoying to have a day at home but be unable to run because:
a) it is pouring rain
b) the road has turned into a mudslide/creek in places
c) the bridges are under water
d) the wind is blowing huge gusts that, when combined with the soggy ground and massive trees, make the road quite dangerous

Despite the fact that I have only run once this week I am feeling quite positive about my running at the moment. I have been steadily improving my times and have been able to keep the niggles at bay (probably cos I'm not getting out much!).

Have signed up for the 10k at the Macleay River Marathon in two weeks, along with J (who I will struggle to keep up with as he clocked a 13.40 for the 3ks at his school cross country). As I write this the Macleay River has a major flood warning on it so that should be interesting. The major problem I face is that I am having a gastroscopy and colonoscopy two days before this race. So I may end up walking it or having to take it easy if there are any after effects. I mainly signed up because J and I decided months ago that we would run this 'together' this year, so I didn't want to disappoint him.

It's been a while

Time sure flies. Have intended to update this blog but I didn't realise it has been quite that long.

I am still running (just haven't been blogging) and I have managed to stay injury free by not increasing my distances too radically.

I have decided that for the time being I am going to stick to 12ks longest run. This seems to be a good distance for me. I can run it without getting too fatigued, which is when I lose form and my niggles start to get worse.

So much for those thoughts of entering a marathon that I entertained for a while last year. I have realised that I enjoy running too much and don't enjoy walking around with sore knees and a sore back the rest of the time. So if I can keep running (and enjoying those runs ) then that is the most important thing.

I will probably enter the 10k run at the Macleay River Marathon in June. J is going to do it again and I am hoping that he might push me to a PB. I have only run a 10k race once and my time was 54.49 (that was 3 years ago). J (who was 10 at the time) ran it last year in 49.50.

She's Back

I did it. I actually took a break (for 26 days) and ran again yesterday. My niggles all settled down during the break although my knees were a bit sore just walking at first.

Yesterday I ran 5 kilometres. I wasn't sure what to expect and so was pleasantly surprised that my fitness hasn't suffered too much. I half expected to have returned to when I first started out running. So it was good to be able to run the whole way, although a little slower than usual.

Of course I was on the alert for the slightest twinge from anywhere. It's amazing how many twinges you can have - tight right heel, sore tendon in right foot, but thankfully the knees were fine. I could feel a little tightness in my lower back throughout the run, not really a pain more of an awareness of that area.

It was great to get out in the bush again after being in Adelaide, Victoria and Canberra for the past few weeks. So nice to see all the familiar trees!

This morning the only tight area is in the groin/inner thigh area. Although my lower back is a little sore and gives the occasional little spasm. It's not too bad compared to others I know with back pain but it does concern me.

Thanks Scott for your concern. When a rest was suggested to me I reacted the same way as your initial comment but I am pleased to say that it seems to have been a good thing. Good to realise that your fitness doesn't totally vanish in that time period too, although I'm sure that if it was any longer it would have.

Lulu, I have never been to a physio but I have been considering it. I am a little concerned about finding one that won't just tell me to stop running. I might ask my work colleagues when I get back to work.

So what will the new year hold? I just looked back at my goals for last year and I don't think that I met any of them. So this year I will simplify it and just aim to keep running. The marathon plans are on hold for now. I really don't want to keep battling with various injuries/aches/pains. I just want to keep enjoying running.

Resting

I have been having ongoing knee issues over the past few weeks and now my lower back is quite sore too. My last long run was a walk 1k, run 1k (for 10ks all up) but the right knee was still sore after that.

A work colleague (and fellow runner and triathlete) yesterday suggested that I have a rest from running for a month and I am seriously considering it. The only thing that really worries me is that I won't start again. I might forget how much I love it or just decide that it's not worth it.

We are actually heading off to Adelaide tomorrow so it might be a good time to just focus on walking with a bit of swimming.

Anyone have any ideas?

Catching Up

After my busy week things have settled down slightly, although I am off to Sydney on Thursday for work, so this week's training will be disrupted again.

On Sunday of last weekend I did my longest run in a while. Fifteen kms or 25 laps of the creek flat! This was a mixed run. The first 6ks took 35.00 mins (quite quick for me), then I slowed down a little and started to get a bit of pain in my left knee which was quite sore by the last 3 laps (but I kept going as I really wanted to get to 15kms). All up this run took 1.31.47 which is a much better time than my last few 14k runs up the road (usually about 5 mins slower), but of course it is much flatter down there.

The knee has been playing up a bit since, strangely this seems to happen mostly when not running. So I have been taking it pretty easy with the running for the last week or so. The long run for this weekend was only 8kms and very easy.

The knee is feeling better today so I think I can probably get back into it this week (around work commitments which means at least one night away).

Thanks for the feedback regarding training and a program - I printed off the FIRST plan which looks ok, but I also like Scott's idea of planning around getting the long runs done (I guess they are the important ones). Still, that can all wait for the new year, when things will hopefully be less hectic.