Recovering from injury and Ironman training envy

I just got in from a 50min run, all be it a very easy paced one and I had no discomfort in my knee at all. Yay. I have had no problems at all this week with my knee and I think if I keep on top of my stretches and core strength exercises then I will be able to say goodbye to the ITB issues (touch wood). I have heard a lot about people having ongoing issues and I'm hoping that if I don't get lazy with looking after my body then I won't have further problems.

My build back into training will be a gradual one. My main problem at the moment is training envy. Its gotten to the point where I don't want to ask the guys I train with how their training is going or how far they have been going. It makes me feel like a wuss. It also makes me think about the training I haven't done and how it would have helped for the races later in the season. I guess I need to focus on getting as much quality training in between now and my next race, rather than focusing on the missed training. It seems to be that external motivation thing kicking in again. I'm all about the comparing with others and at the moment my is definitely smaller than yours.

Entered and Paid - Port of Tauranga Half Ironman

I have entered and paid for the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman!

The entries filled in just eight days, so lucky I didn't muck around. I missed out last year so I was entered within a few hours of it opening this time around. It should be great to race in front of my family and friends. If that doesn't keep me motivated nothing will. Now if I can just string together a few good blocks of training I will be all good.

Injury/training update #2

Its the end of another week of slowly but surely rehabing my knee. It has been reasonably successful, despite being slower than I would like. I got through a 30min jog yesterday and a 2hr spin this morning on the bike. I rode an hour, to watch some of the people I train with doing a half marathon or 10km run. Congratulations to everyone that ran. I was jealous to be stuck watching, which was made worse by uncontrollable shivering due to the cold. I was consolated by a plate of warm pancakes and some jelly beans, that the race organizers were providing for the runners. I think they meant to spectators to be fed too... Well thats my story and I'm sticking to it. I was concerned after last week, that the cooling off while watching the run would give my knee a chance to flare up and cause me grief on the way home. I am glad to say it didn't. Though for the first 10mins the shivering was so bad I almost shivered my self off the road a couple of times! I have my program for the next several weeks and its a long slow build back to full Ironman training program. I am looking forward to increasing the volume and intensity, so I can feel like I'm actually making progress rather than maintaining at best. Lets hope everything remains positive.

79.8kg!!!!!!!!!!!

James' weight update... 79.8kg!!!!!!!!!! Thats all I have to say about that.

Injury/training update

It's a bit sad to be doing “injury updates”, but such is life at the moment. This weekend I got through a 20min jog on Saturday, followed by a 15min cold water wade. It was interesting to see how a little thing like the camber of the footpath, played such a big part in my pain levels. I got through 10min reasonably well, then started running along a footpath with an, I guess, “reasonable” down to the right camber. Its my right ITB that is giving me grief and almost immediately the pain increased. I clicked after about a minute and moved to the part of the path sloping the other direction and walla! The pain went away within a minute or less. It really illustrates how small things can make a huge difference and how functional the injury is. I guess for the next while I will be sticking to the left hand side of the road, at least until I get this issue sorted.

This morning I joined the 2hr Sunday group ride, to see how I held up on the bike. We have made some significant changes to my saddle position that seems to have helped. The ride went pretty well, but ended in a frustrating fashion. One of the group got a puncture which is a common occurrence and cant be helped (to tell the truth I enjoy the break, though I was missing the few kg of body fat this morning brrrr!). In the five or so minutes we waited it seemed the part of my knee that swells when irritated got a good swell on and for the last 15min I was in a good deal of pain. At this point there was no way I found to be rid of it. I think, for the next while. no stopping and ice and anti-inflammatories immediately are the order of the day.

I am feeling pretty positive, despite the niggles, a few more weeks and I can get back to smashing it. As of todays date there are 133 days till my first, what I'd consider serious race. Yes I am counting it down already...

James' 'Weight Update' #6

I have had a number of people asking how my weight loss is going and I thought I would give you all the goss. The skinny of it (pun intended) is that... No I didn't get under 80kg by July 1st. I am disappointed and I admit contemplated a sweat it out weigh in attempt. But I thought better of it, as it wouldn't have been in spirit of the goal. I just weighed myself and I tipped the scales at 80.5kg. I have been maintaining the strict caloric intact since last time I reported, but the down fall of the, lose weight to go fast goal, was the injuries I'm carrying that have basically stopped me in my tracks. As a lot of you Ironpersons will know, an ITB problem is one of the lamest injuries in the world. You strut around all day feeling like a box of birds, then you run for ten minutes then fall in a heap. Not only annoying, but, unimpressive compared to other more visual/ believable injuries. I almost feel like limping all day just to make sure everyone knows I'm injured and I'm not just blagging training. I feel a ITB education post coming on in the near future.

I'm now in serious rehab mode and will continue the weight updates, full steam ahead for the under 80kg goal at the end of... July?

Oh, by the way, a big thank you for responding to my request for comments, 'touch it' (interesting nickname) who was kind enough to show me I wasn't rambling to myself, cheers.

I Apologize, I have been neglecting you...

I am sorry I have been absent for the last week or so. It has been a combination of other projects taking up my time and injuries ruining my buzz. My Ironman training has been riding a rough road lately as I have mentioned previously, but hopefully with professional input and a solid rehab program, I will be back into it. I will endeavor to be more regular with my posting. It would be more encouraging if some of you guys start to give me some feedback through the comments function. I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself... hello? anybody out there? nuff said.

Will post again ASAP.