Sunday was my last day with roboleg and I’m now back to wearing two shoes, not just the left one.
Feels great to be out of it but I think I’ll miss some of the attention I got in terms of strangers smiling to me, saying some encouraging words or simply starting talking to me, or seeing the look on people’s faces as they saw me cycling by, roboleg on.
But, it’s great to have it off. Summer has hit London this week and it’s above 20 degrees so roboleg would not have been comfortable to wear.
Think I’m doing good so far rehab wise, taking it easy with how much and how fast I walk so I’m optimistic that it’ll be ok. Not going to start my running (1 min, increasing to 2 mins, 3 mins etc) for another week or so but build up the time I walk and take it from there. Getting all so excited about soon being back to normal, being able to build up my form again. Love it.
Just paid the deposit to Health Unlimited so I'm officially going to NY to run the ING NY marathon on the 2nd of November! Wiiiiiiiiii!!! So excited! Love travels and love running so what better than a race that gives me an excuse to go to a city that I've been wanting to visit for ages!
My colleague John wrote to me on facebook and told me that he'd just bought Nike+ and loves it! Reminded me that I still hadn't uploaded my latest runs. Once they were uploaded and I visited the my Nike+ site, I got this message:
Made me feel a little better but man I want to go for a run. I want to press that round button and hear 'beginning workout'.
Speaking of training. Tomorrow I'm going for a fast 2 min walk to see how my leg is handling that. Official start of slowly reaching my 20min fast walk goal in 2 weeks, after which I can start adding in a minute of jogging, and then increase to 2 min, 3 min, 4 min , 5 min... Joy!!!
Woke up at 7am this morning. It was a gorgeous morning, the sun was out, hardly any wind... Got ready and jumped on the tube about 7.50 to go down to Jess' for breakfast in Surrey keys. There were so many marathon runners on the tube and no surprise I got really emotional. Saw a girl that used to go to my gym and later turned out that she was running for HEART UK as well. She sat together with her friend and I really envied them, sitting there talking about the start, their worries... Opposite me sat a first time runner and a guy that had run a marathon before. Hearing the guy telling the first time runner what to expect... I really wish I was in their shoes and couldn't hold back the tears.
Started talking to a guy on the jubilee line and asked him if it was his first marathon, which it was. Once we started talking two other guys joined in the conversation and they asked about my leg. For a moment I felt like I was one of them, on my way to the start line. I got off the tube with a 'good luck and run for me as well'. I wonder how they did.
Had a really nice breakfast over at Jess' and then head up to Surrey Keys road where my charity HEART UK had their first cheering point. Carol was there and it was really nice to see a familiar face. Quiet a few HEART UK supporters turned up and we were in time to see the elite women, wheelchairs, elite men and the rest of the runners.
The sky literally opened up just before 11.30am and Jess and her flatmate Uma went back to theirs and I started heading up to Tower Hill for the biggest of HEART UK's cheering points. Couldn't find anyone I knew so slowly walked down towards Embankment. Stopped along the way where there was a hole in the crowd and watched the runners go by. Cheered on the girl from they gym, got emotional a few times but it was good to stand there and cheer on the runners.
Walked down to Embankment around 3.30pm and made my way up to Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury. Ran into one of the physio girls that was there at the get together. She told me to email her and she'll give me some tips on how to get back into running after my injury. Ran into Jeanie, one of the girls I've met twice before and spoken to quiet a bit. Was great to see her and hear that she completed it in around the time she was aiming for.
Were quiet a lot of supporters and runners there. Looked around to see if I could find someone else and when I couldn't I rang Jess and said that I was probably going to head home soon. Just felt really misplaced and it just made me sad that I wasn't there to share the joy and soar muscles. Despite the rain and hail today I really do wish I'd been running. I desperately wanted to be one of the runners getting on the tube this morning with a big expo bag, struggling with the tube stairs after the marathon. Instead I've been limping along on the side with my one redlaces running shoe, my running vest and my little HEART UK flag.
It's not really a surprise but unless my doctor strongly advices me against doing NY in November and London in the end of April, I'm going to pay my deposit on Wed and secure my place with Health unlimited.
This week is a week I've been looking forward to since November, only I don't anymore.
In 5 days I should have been running the marathon. By now I was supposed to be in the best form I've ever been, feeling great and being nervous and excited all at the same time, only I don't. In 2 days it's a month since I last went for a run and not being able to do proper cardio is driving me insane. My tummy hurts and no matter what I eat it gets upset. I'm feeling yuky, sleeping badly and got all this energy that I don't know what to do with. Feel like hyding away somewhere, alternatively crawl out of my own body. It's amazing how your craving for unhealthy foods goes up, almost exponentially to the amount of excercise you do, or rather don't do. I'm back drinking again, which is great but it's also made me realise how much better I felt when I wasn't drinking. Have to admit it's been a bit too much drinking lately so a middle way is propbably advisable...
I just got a leaflet promoting next years Flora London marathon registration, which opens on Sunday. Suppose the positive thing is that I already got a place so don't need to worry about that, but it's little comfort. It's over a year away and that's a very, very long time from now. I'm feeling really down about missing the marathon. I really wanted to be there at the start and finish on Sunday. Still haven't made up my mind about NY cause I'm worried I'll be taking on too much running two marathons in 5 months and to have to raise another £1000 on top of the other £850 that I still need to raise for HEART UK. Will speak to my doctor next Tuesday when I go back for what will hopefully be my last visit. No more aircast for me please.
Looks like I’ve got a place, if I want to, for the ING New York marathon. I’d really like to run it but getting a bit concerned that perhaps it’s pushing myself and my body too much to do two marathons within a year, more precisely New York on the 2nd of November this year and then the London one in April next year.
It’s (obviously) really hard work for the body and I guess I’m a bit concerned that my knees won’t be able to handle it. On the other hand I’d probably only run 4 times a week and focus more on building strength, which I can start with as soon as the air cast comes off. I don’t know… In a way I’m thinking that since I’m already in good running shape it’s not going to be so hard to train to the NY one if I keep up my current form (obviously not running the same long runs). I could then allow myself 1 ½ months break (i.e. less running but still keeping up the shape) between the NY marathon and before I need to start training for the London one and surely if I’ve just completed a marathon and been wise about the training volume my body should be used to it and it shouldn’t pose too much stress on it.
But, at the same time I think back on how tired I’ve been from the marathon training this year and wonder if it’d be too much, but then I think of that it was a bit different as I didn’t run more than 7k in one go before I started my training mid November, plus I missed a month due to illness. I guess my head is telling me that it should be fine, but then I get worried about my knees and causing them permanent damage… I don’t know. Would really like to run NY and London. So typical of me to get it in my head, be stubborn and then before I know it I’ve signed up. Going to think it through and speak to my doctor when I see him on Tuesday for my 2nd X-ray.
Really struggling with the thought of not running a marathon this year. I’ve had my mind set on it for what feels like an eternity and I really want to do it.
Have run the same distance and more as a half marathon a number of times during my training so it’s not really a challenge. Of course I could challenge myself time wise, but I want to complete a marathon, this year, not wait a year.
Looked at the World Marathon Majors and NY is on the 2nd of November. That should be far enough away, time wise that is, for my leg to heal and it should give me lots of time for training. Spoke to Alex in work who’s run NY twice and London once and she said NY was better though hillier.
Will look into it tomorrow and see if I can get a place. Never been to NY and Dion and I have been talking about going there anyway this year so why not combine the fun :D
All of a sudden I feel a bit happier!
