Saw the Doc!

Finally got to see the Doc and the news was variable.

My perineal brevis has indeed split, I have hyper-mobile ankles, I'll need a repair of the tendon or it will rupture and I'll need a reconstruction of the area round the ankle to either allow it to be reattached or a sling made for it if the grooze is as narrow as she suspects.

Probably at least a three week wait to see what ACC say. They apparently argue a split is not the result of trauma when trauma is the only cause. Then once the op is done 2-4 weeks in a backslab cast and then into a moon boot - mobilising after about 10 days.

But the good news is I can't do much more damage to it so I can run again if I want and bike! So Auckland half looks like a goer. I'm advised not to run on unstable surfaces or in the dark. Kepler is probably a no go but I'm not quitting til I have an operation date because I can do it unrepaired. I'd hate to pull out and then find surgery doesn't happen until mid-December!

So I am a happy camper! I'll still keep up the DWR because it means I can get in even more training without stress on the tendon...Oo rah!

Sneaked in!

Today was officially my rest day but because I was going to be in Wellington from Thursday afternoon until Saturday afternoon I wouldn't have had a chance to get in my Friday work out. So I did Friday's today.
 Intervals...of course! The lovely ladder of increasing intervals up to 4 minutes and then back down to 1 minute with 30 second recovery. And I was all alone! Oh the freedom of just being able to put my head down and go without judging whether I can overtake before the end.

Now I'm in Wellington where it is cold and rainy and my hotel room is reminiscent of a barracks room apparently.  When they said shared bathroom I didn't realise they meant one bathroom for the whole floor! At least I'm on the floor with the girl's bathroom. Going down stairs in the middle of the night does not sound like fun.

So now I'm starting on a Battlestar Gallactica marathon....if I can get the player software sorted. I may have to turn the heater on....it's Spring! I must make sure I don't drink too much...long way to that bathroom!

Another day of more than 1k!

40 minutes of constant pace meant I totaled 1025m . I had the ipod, the watch and the aquabelt, I remembered underwear and I had $2 for parking  so it was a good day all round. Only two others in the lane meandering so there was a bit of darting and diving but generally I was content.

There was no vacuuming being carried out so another hurrah! Yes, in the world of deep water running it was a glorious day! I'm always stoked to go over 1k! Who'da thunk it! The weather outside pretty much mirrored the conditions in the pool....wet!  so no sorrow there! And a man held the door for me.

The aftereffects of DWR are pretty heavy! My abs are feeling over-worked, I'm sooooo tired and I could eat a McDonalds Angus Burger when I'm finished! I make do with a bowl of Special K and soy milk.  Recent research has shown this has equivalent benefits to drinking a restore/replace drink so I'm happy!

What were they thinking!

Today was 8x2:30 intervals. It was also the day or time the lifeguards decided to vacuum the pool! Now if you are putting a vacuum with a very long out of control blue hose attached into a lane where someone is deep water running what would you do? Would you say "I say excuse me! We're just going to vacuum here. Stay in but you may need to just use half the lane"? Well they didn't! They just pretended we didn't exist! So I was doing 10m loops at one end of the pool and a guy was doing 5m loops at the other! And the life guards just avoided eye contact! Lucky I wasn't doing distance! 9am is usually a fairly busy time but Asian ladies were absent today. Then after 15 minutes they removed the vacuum and put it away. So tell me this....what do we do in the aqua jogging lane and far end of the slow lane that means it requires vacuuming when the rest of the pool does not!

I got my workout in but it was not as fulfilling! I figure I covered about 800m but who knows! And to make matters worse I didn't have the strap for my ipod so no music! I think it was equivalent to a mud run on a pouring day.

Long run!

Yesterday I deep water ran 1.5k in the pool! Not easy! I did 5x5min intervals and managed to knock it off it just under 45 minutes!

I shared the aqua jogging lane with a blind guy. He bungyed himself to the lane divider and swam in place while I charged up and down. We coexisted very happily.

I'm still enjoying deep water running. I may get too fond of it and never want to run on dry land again! You keep relatively cool, there's no stress on your legs, you get to smell of chlorine 24/7 and you get a nice raisin pattern on your fingers. What's not to love!

The day was completed by a lovely BBQ brunch...just like the land runners do!

They tried to kill me!

Today was a ladder session: 1 min fast, 1 min recovery, 2 min fast, 1 min recovery, 3 min fast,1 min recovery, 4 min fast, 1 min recovery, 3 min fast, 1 min recovery, 2 min fast, 1 min recovery, 1 min fast.  It was high powered! The lane was empty at 1pm...woohoo! Apart from the vacuum tube under the surface which would flail out and get me! I had to turn early until a life guard (who only seems to watch the shallow end) finally noticed and removed it.

My otterbox continued to meet all requirements...Green Day 'Gloria' really gets you moving! The aqua-jogging belt keeps my head above water so that is a good thing.  But the watch....went blank the minute I started down the ladder into the pool...had to use the pool timer...not so easy.  And would you credit it...the minute I left the pool back came the display!

Easy day today!

Today was great! I only had to deep water run at the same speed or thereabouts for 35 minutes.  Easy, especially with the tunes on board!  I even taught a new lady how to deep water run! She was kicking her legs out the back and really just dog paddling.  As I would pass her she'd try out the knee raising, butt kicking technique and by the end of the session she was moving really well!  Now if only Asian ladies 2 and 3 would get in to the groove we'd be sweet.

The water was really cold today! I don't know what they're doing! The new lady was quite tentative getting in...but it may have been taking the final trusting step into the deep water and believing that piece of foam around your middle will really stop you drowning!

I only covered 800m but it was a good 800m! I reckon that my arms are getting much more of a workout than they do when running. I have a wake! So the promenaders have to fight through it! Ha ha sweet revenge!

I started late because we had a plasterer in to fix a hole in the ceiling where the bath pipe leaked so the pool was slightly emptier.  It was a bit of an effort going though! Not only did I fall down stairs yesterday and graze my knees but this morning I was plugging the vacuum in to charge and the iron fell on my head! Someone doesn't like me!

No DWR today!

I was looking forward to a simple session today but it was not to be! I fell ass over tea kettle down a client's stairs and took miles of skin off my knees and did something extra to my foot. So the session has been put off until tomorrow.

So I've been entertaining myself with photoshop. Mocking up some shots to taunt a friend, in a loving caring yet in-your-face-I-win way! It was a quicky so no clever shadow work!

Otterbox....Oo rah!

Today's DWR session was brilliant! There was only Asian lady 1 in the pool and she meanders at such a pace I can turn when I reach her if necessary and not get in her way. She keeps left which is always a plus!  She left when I had 5 minutes to go and I was joined by a new player - very pregnant woman. She was slow but sure and I was able to do 1.5 lengths to her 0.5 so we never clashed.

The otterbox is a winner! Time flew while listening to Ozzie singing crazy train, Guns and Roses, Pink being a bad influence, Matchbox 20, good old Miley, Pitbull and my REALLY guilty secret (as opposed to Miley my simply guilty secret) the cast of Mamma Mia the movie! The earphones were comfortable - not even noticeable. Good comfortable earphones is a big ask for me as I have narrow ear canals. Plus they keep the water out! The otterbox clips securely into the armband so after a couple of laps I forgot all about checking it. I thought it might feel cumbersome and weighty but it was not even noticeable. I tucked the earphone cables through my togs strap and this kept them on my back and out of the way.  So fantastaballistic!

It was good I had my tunes because today was a hard one. Probably because it was building on yesterday. The session today was 2 sets of 7x1:30 intervals with 30sec recovery between intervals and, again a glorious 2 min recovery between sets. At the time it didn't feel too bad but when I got out of the pool I knew I'd worked hard! During the workout I covered 925m. Tomorrow is just a 35 minute straight DWR session so that will be a nice change. It'd give all the other pool occupants a rest from my serious pushing my limits face!

And the highlight for pool goers today  was...I wore pigtails! I don't feel I can wear a swimcap because my head doesn't go in the water. I may need to wear googles for long 'runs' because my lenses don't like the chlorine. Such an attractive sport!

Yeah Baby!

Woot woot! My otterbox arrived today!

Now I shall have tunes will I run...in the water that is deep! I'll try not to listen to Miley Cyrus "Bottom of the Ocean" or Lily Allen "The Fear" while in the deep deep water!

I am so happy! I want to go out and get in the pool right now! But despite what some people might think I have restraint! Tomorrow! Yee ha! The tunes will be pumping!

Note to self: do not sing Lily Allen "F**k you", GreenDay "American Eulogy", Any Eninem songs, most of Pink's songs... out loud or even mouth them or the old ladies might have a conniption!

Feel da burn!

The water was boiling today because I was feeling da burn! Two sets o!f 6x1:30 intervals with 30secs recovery between intervals and a glorious whole two minutes between sets! Adding in the 5 minutes warm up and warm down I covered 875m today!

When I initially arrived the lane was clear! Glory glory allelujah! I had a good 7 minutes before Asian lady 2 arrived. She added her perfume to the water making it even more crucial to not swallow the pool! We worked out a complicated little dance whereby we both coexisted happily.

Then the games began! Asian lady 3 arrived and promenaded up and down with Asian lady 2. Still I managed to get round them and time things just right. So I moved up a level in the game of Aqua jogging dodgems! Two older women entered the mix! Now these two promenaded but had half a body width between them, making passing hard! I went through the middle once in a bid to get the message across.  The funniest thing was when I was on my last warm down length and I heard Older woman 1 say to older woman 2 "I'm not going to talk much today because I find it interferes with my workout!". I very nearly drank the pool then!

I am providing entertainment for the guy on reception who is noting my increase in speed both in the pool and on my crutches! Nice to know that I'm providing a service.  Paid $3 to park right outside the door today but I don't know if it's worth the extra dollar.

I am stuffed! I definitely feel like I've had a good workout. I hoovered a bowl of rice pudding as soon as I walked in the door. Feeling nearly human now.

Sunday long run!

Today's long run was....wait for it.....1k! Yes I did 1km in 40 minutes. It was a pleasant day. The usual conditions for DWR prevailed....humid air, very wet. There were only two others in the lane so it was not too bad. The only disconcerting thing was the guy in the mask and goggles sitting on the bottom of the pool.  He made me realise just how deep the pool was!

I know I definitely reek of chlorine! So I'm just going to go with it!

I had an excellent brunch after the run which I felt I earned. The cafe in St Kevins Arcade on K Rd was a pleasant venue, the company was delightful and the coffee and bagel went down well. It's the little things that make life bearable!


The wonderful thing about DWR is that it is not affected by the weather! It was lovely, sunny and 19 degrees this morning but now the dark clouds are rolling in. But it doesn't matter! I did have to park in the car parking building today since all the outside parks were full. I paid $5 for the privilege of walking further!

The Chlorine Queen

I have never spent so much time in swimming pools! This morning I took Toby and Felix to swimming lessons. Toby is doing so well! He just needs to hone his technique - less flailing! But Felix! He has come along in mega strides.  Before the class he was cavorting underwater and swimming without a board! He now dives in...I got some great video footage which has never happened before...normally he'll only try things once!  Both boys are now real water babies.  We even went to Meadowbank bakery to celebrate...a huge treat!

Having escaped the Sacred Heart pool with seriously frizzy hair I went to the Olympic pool to see what other damage I could do! My one piece was still drying so I had to wear a two piece....nerve wracking...would I lose the pants? Would the top stay up?

Everything stayed where it should and I completed four lots of 5 minutes hard - legs pounding, fists flying, teeth gritting - with 1 minute recovery in between. With the five minutes warmup and warmdown it was 34 minutes of immersion. W00t! Something I have noticed is that my aquajogger is narrower than the ones hired out by the pool and I have to work slightly harder to keep my shoulders above water.  This is not a bad thing because my abs get engaged more and my legs have to keep moving.  I'm enjoying warming down by pedalling and keeping my arms behind my back. It means I can check my technique and my arms get a rest ...win-win!

Bring on Kepler!

Intervals and dodging

Todays session in the world of DWR was intervals. Fast for 1 min, rec for 1min, fast for 2 mins, rec for 1, fast for 3 mins, rec 1min, fast 4 mins, rec 1min, fast 3 mins rec 1 min, fast 2 mins rec 1 min, fast for 1 min.  It went well and time flew.

However, I couldn't get any idea of distance because I kept having to zap across the lap and turn round to avoid the promenaders, it was between 700 and 900m.  Do they actually think they're getting any value as they bob along? There is no exertion involved! It's not even social because they all bob along in silence. A benefit is that I'm getting the hang of turning without the leg flailing!

It's a rainy day so I had to hop using my crutches rather than taking a little weight on my toes to avoid wet sock syndrome. After a DWR workout it was hard! The car seemed to have got further away! I was starving by the time I got home. A peanut butter sandwich hit the spot nicely and set me up for work.

Whinge

After over six weeks of pretty constant pain and discomfort I'm having a bad day! I can't wiggle my toes because it involves the use of the split tendon, it  seems, and therefore results in stabbing pain so my toes are getting crampy. I feel like my foot is slowly burning.  I am sick of ibuprofen. I am sick of only wearing one shoe....and it's never a nice heel! My tubi-grip looks nasty! My sock gets wet when it rains. It huts to drive, it hurts to walk, it hurts when you get that cramp in the middle of the night.

If I wasn't able to deep water run, I'd be a basket case! The four weeks of no exercise nearly did my head in! I gained 4 friggen kilos! I've kicked just over 1kg off so that's good. I am not thinking what will happen if and when I have surgery and I can't get in the pool. Maybe I'll have to have my lips sewn together too!

I wonder if ACC cover chocolate purchasing for medicinal purposes?

12 second tv whinge!

My long "run"

I did my Wednesday long 'run' today since I was in Wellington yesterday. Half an hour after a five minute warm-up. I managed to do more than 925m! - I'm not the best at length counting! It was a reasonably hard slog and the water was a tad chilly today.

The usual promenaders were there...I reckon I travel more distance then I think getting around them.  There was also a grandmother and her grandson...between 4 and 6, I reckon.  She put an aquajogger belt on him and had him trying to swim up and down...in 4.4m deep water. I was worried he was going to slip out of the belt.  Initially he was terrified and crying.  He got a bit better but I think he felt much happier when she took him into the recreational swimmers lane which is 1.5m deep at the end. They were a chore to get round since they were side by side.

I'm getting slightly less tolerant of the people who are not really getting in the spirit of aqua-jogging....the ones who breast stroke slowly up and down.  I get whacked with their hands when I try to pass and the sign saying "Aqua-jogging lane - aqua-jogging only".  They should be in the slow swimming lane.  In fact I've only seen two other people actually doing anything resembling aqua-jogging.  One was a woman with no belt....huge kudos to her. The worse thing is when they wander in the middle of the lane because there is no room to pass on either side.  We need an aqua-jogging cop.  "Pull over swimmer!  Good morning madam, are you aware you are doing the breast stroke?  Did you see the sign back there?  Would you please accompany me to the slow swimmers' lane."

I'm having a mixed bag of experiences in the changing rooms. It is no fun juggling shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and crutches to the shower...there is a real danger of losing your towel.  Streaking from the locker to the shower is best performed by clients of the local plastic surgeons and is only then barely tolerated. If I don't take the crutches the crippled hobble is not much more dignified.  I also must remember to vet my underwear!  Appropriate underwear is essential in a Newmarket changing room.  Underwear that snuck in the washing machine with the new black jeans is not appropriate. It looks Bridget Jonesish!  All underwear should match,  it should have a requisite amount of lace and it should have intact elastic. 

More non-running training

My indoor trainer for my bike is insitu also! When I get the go-ahead to pedal I'll be on it! No balance issues so it is not stressing the peroneal tendon....apparently.

My poor treadly is feeling very unloved! It will welcome being buds with the Tranzx Indoor trainer, I'm sure! Nice gift from Simon, huh!

Got good reviews - good value! Oooo Rah!

Instead of running I flew!

I flew to Wellington and back to Auckland today. Not bad for a former very nervous flyer! The weather in the capital was gorgeous and the coffee was excellent.

Air New Zealand are using a safety briefing video with body-painted staff to try to get passengers to pay attention.  Our purser on the flight was one of the body-painted staff (she was dressed). An excellent way to see if anyone actually watched the briefing!

Air New Zealand's safety video

And on another note: The 1:05 pm Jetstar flight was delayed over two and a half hours! Way to go Jetstar!

News Flash!

My aqua-jogger belt has arrived! No more using the pool's skanky ones and having to adjust them so I don't drown and no more having to scrape together $3! Ooo Rah!

Two things!

Number one!
My cheapie sports watch did the job in the pool! I could keep track of my intervals and just made sure not to press any buttons in the water. It beats slogging up and down counting "1 Missississipi 2 Missississipi.....". 6x2:30 intervals today with 30 sec recovery. My abs are being put to good use! And I no longer think about how deep the water is which is huge progress. Of course, I double check my belt before entering the water.

 The turning at the end is still a slog....I seem to be fighting to get across and round. My technique (I use this term very loosely) goes to pot and I end up leaning sideways with my left leg sticking out. I keep telling myself "You are a swan. Calm on the surface and paddling/running like hell underneath."

Number two! 

Since I am getting around in a moon boot or two crutches I noticed the diffrence in attitudes between the sexes. The door to the pool is a heavy Art Deco style one which has to be pulled to open.  Men will generally hold it open for me and will even run to do so. But women! Today I was behind a woman who saw me, opened the door, stepped through it and let it close in my face! This has been my general experience apart from the woman at the coffee place at Wellington airport who insisted on carrying my coffee and food over for me.

Is it so hard to spend two seconds holding a door open? Especially for someone who could hit you a good one with either crutch. I always smile and thank them. Where are those Random Act of Kindnesses? I may start 'accidentally' putting my crutches down on toes at the pool side or in the changing room.

And so my rant ends!

Morgan and I are considering chess or petanque as a safer sport but me and heavy boules are probably not a good idea. As Morgan says "yep, big steel balls are always dangerous!".

Goodbye nails!

The first casualty of DWR has been my beautiful acrylic nails!

They don't like the water  and chlorine so were turning cloudy and looking like they would detach. So I bit the bullet and had them removed. Ouchy! Tantamont to having your fingernails pulled off and you are left with short stubby nails because the long nails under the artificial ones are so thin and pathetic they just peel off.


So now I have short functional nails that better like the water or they will be for the highjump! Some ultra dudes remove their toenails to prevent perpetual black peeling toe nails....would it be just as acceptable for a DWRunner to remove her fingernails? ;-)

The training starts now!

First day of  the DWR training program. 2 lots of 5x1.5 min intervals. If you can sweat in a pool, I was! I got a monthly pass ($65) which will be paid off in just over 9 sessions and since I'll be doing at least 5 a week it's good value!

When I arrived there were 3 sedate pool walkers ambling up and  down. I joined them for my 5 min warm up. They  were unaware of what  was about to be unleashed! After 5 mins it was running time. It really is hilarious! You look like you're roaring  along but movement is similar to running in jelly! But I wasted the walkers! I'd roar (figuratively) past and then  a bit further ahead slow down for my 30 sec recovery. But none of them passed me! I also restrained myself and didn't shout 'Runner on your right!"

I do feel like I've done some work. I didn't brave the steam room today (10 mins steam, cold shower then hot shower to remove the chlorine smell) because it was full of elderly men. I didn't want to cause any heart attacks ;-)

Tomorrow is 6x2:30 hard intervals. I'll have earned my coffee!

Bad day!

Not running has made me a little bitter. Today was a rest day from pool running so I had little to work my anger out on. So it was a bad day for Simon to go to brunch and a) not tell me and b) not check why I wasn't there.

Finally at 1:30pm he arrived home. I was not a happy camper. It felt quite depressed....didn't even want to sneak off and do an extra DWR session.

Health and safety warning:

If someone is injured to the extent they can do very little, DO not do anything that might anger them.

On the bright side, I've found an intensive 9 week DWR (Deep Water Running) program. It has DWR 5 days a week and cross-training if able.....which I'm not. So now I'm happy-ish! At least I have a focus and feel like i'm not blindly treading water.

I've ordered a bouyancy belt so I won't have to hire the pool's ones which are always adjusted for huge abdomens. And so I penguin on....penguins fly in water, right!

Pool running!

Since I can't walk, can't run and can't bike and have a pathological fear of swimming I needed to find something to stop me from killing every runner I see.

The answer is pool running! Delicate petals refer to it as aqua jogging but I refuse to. I am going hard out so I'm running not jogging and I'm in a pool....pool running!

So what does my new sport involve? Basically I wear a bouyancy aid around my waist which by the miracle of science stops me sinking to the bottom of the 4.4m deep pool.....this is the woman with the pathological fear of deep water we're talking about! There is a lane for aqua jogging only so you don't have the annoyance issue. When I first tried it I spent 10 minutes in the Rec swimming lane so i could get used to rhe sendsation and still be able to touch the floor. Stepping into the unknown of the 4.4m deep pool ewas a real leap of faith! Once in the pool I move up and down in an exaggerated running motion. I managed 45 minutes today! I will get better. You can do most sorts of running workouts...apart from hills! It is quite boring going up and down up and down. There's no music playing in the pool and I have no waterproof ipod. Currently I use visualisation to keep me going but when I'm up to 2 hours or more I'll need something more!

You work really hard but your heart rate doesn't seem to get that high, you're cooler (no sweat!) and there's none of that impact! But you do end up feeling tired! Not muscle aching tired, just "Ooh it would be nice to curl up for a nap now" tired. You also seem to get a better upper body work out than with running due to the resistance of the water. Also if you pass close to a fast swimmer going in the opposite direction you get the added resistance of fighting their wake!

The people on the running machines in the gym overlooking the pool seem to find me very funny but as Lisa pointed out they are running and getting nowhere so who are they to laugh! at least I get to race elderly Asian ladies.

I'm planning to follow my Kepler training program in the pool so I'm going to spend a lot of time at the Olympic pool. I'll be there just about everyday up until my orthopod appointment and then see what happens. Either keep at it until I have surgery or if surgery is a no-go then I'll carry on! I guess I'll get used to the smell of chlorine which oozes out of your skin despite liberal use of body wash. I may have to invest in a waterproof mp3 player.

Long long runs will be fun! I guess I hop out of the pool every hour and hydrate (ha ha), eat something small, do a toilet stop and then back in. Currently I have to do two lengths every 8 with my arms tucked behind my back because they lose strength due to the fibromyalgia. But it means I concentrate on good technique while doing it so it's a win-win!

The year that's been!

Up until 5 weeks ago I'd had a brilliant year. My fabulous physio had fixed my hip, I'd got faster...really faster! I'd entered two Ultras: the Great Naseby Water Race and the Kepler Challenge. I was trail running and loving it...life was good!

And then disaster!

I slipped off a kerb and hurt my heel. It didn't improve so I went to the A&E. It was put in a tubigrip and I was to have an xray on the Monday. I had the xray and the doc looked at it and said "All fine. Just a strain. Take ibuprofen and carry on". So I did. Then the xray report arrived! Possible fracture! No contact from Doc but my lovely physio arranged an appointment with a sports Doc for me.

I went off to Lower Hutt where I'd entered the 5 Bridges Marathon. It was not to be either! I made a great cheer section in my moon boot and had a blast at Norman's 50th birthday party instead!

On the Wednesday after my return I saw the Sports Doc who sent me off for a CT scan. Finally got it done the following Monday...four weeks after injury. Back to Doc ....fracture was pretty much healed so he said get rid of the moon boot. I had the feeling he thought I was a hypochondriac! On examination it was still bloody sore. OK...we'll get an ultrasound done. Not likely to show anything.

In between I go to Naseby to once again support at an event I was meant to be running. Still I had grat fun being the timekeeper (scored a woolly hat) and trying curling! Woo hoo!

Got in for the US on the Monday....5 weeks have passed. Radiographer looks and says it all seems fine. There's a bit that looks like a split but it's probably just a variation on normal. She decided to get the Radiologist to look. In they both come. Radiologist directs the radiographer on where and how to put the probe and voila! a bloody great split in one of the peroneal tendons!

Just going off on a slight tangent here. Where you go to the radiologists often it is to see the cause of a pain. So you would think they would realise that repeated wriggling around over a sore point is not pleasant! But no apologies!

Anyway, back to the Doc on the following Wednesday. Quelle surprise! you are not a hypochondriac! No! I have what I originally thought I had! So he talked about 6 months rehab! I then asked about surgical repair. Having read research and feedback I felt happier with the idea of a total repair. He agreed to refer me to an Orthopod. And surprise surprise.....get back in your moon boot! Bloody hell!

I rang the Orthopod and got an appointment...in nearly 4 weeks! So if she refuses to operate on healing tissue I'm going to be very angry cos I could have seen her by now if all the tests had been done at once rather than piece meal to appease the hypochondriac!

So that is where it stands! Kepler looks like yet another ultra i don't get to do but I'm not admitting defeat yet! I have 90 days!