No pain this morn!!
A little stiffness maybe, but no pain!! :)
Did plenty of stretches for recovery from yesterday plus strengthening core exercises to avoid more issues.
Really need to work on core on a regular basis.
Fasted overnight for a blood test (cholesterol and glucose) for bio age testing next week. The week before we started the PT sessions, we had our bio ages tested.
I was four years under my chronological age! :)
I wish I'd been tested at the beginning of the year when I was 10kgs heavier. Would've been interesting to see the difference.
Had a mate visiting from overseas do there was a big dinner and plenty of drinking. Stuck mostly to red wine... Purely for the anti-oxidants of course! ;)
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 24...
Looking forward to final work PT session happening this arvo. It's a cardio class, so no running in the morn.
Did 35 push ups then planks and cobras for a couple of mins each.
A bit of stretching... I can now actually touch my toes if I curl them back! Been a while since I've been able to do that.
And then... The nightmare began...
Was reaching into the car to grab my suit jacket before going into my first appointment. I didn't realize the edge of the gutter that I was about to step on was broken. Put my foot down and slipped off the side.
Slight pain in my ankle, but the bigger concern was my back... I had twisted and jarred my body suddenly and I could already feel pain in my lower back. :(
GP recommended some anti-inflammatories and light stretches. Popped the pills but couldn't do the stretches I wanted to do in a suit. Did what I could standing up though.
I was really bummed out.
This was what I'd been dreading for the last few weeks... Within sight of doing Tough Mudder and then injuring myself... Eight months of training and then not being able to take part...
Heart breaking...
What really had me worried though was the feeling in my back... It reminded me too much of last year...
At the end of 2010, I was a passenger in a car accident. It was only quite minor, but we were hit from behind at fairly high speed and I had minor whiplash in my lower back from it.
I recovered within a couple of weeks thanks to a couple of physio sessions.
But around mid-2011, I had a flare up that was much worse than the original pain from the event.
It turned out that my muscles in my back and legs were so tight that they were spasming and pulling my body out of kilter.
About two solid months of massage, dry needling, stretches, physio and Pilates got me back to normal thankfully. My core strength had been crap and was providing minimal stability. The Pilates was great for building up my core, while the stretches, massage and dry needling loosened my muscles.
The clinic I attended was top notch.
Smart Health (just off Richmond Rd) has a range of skilled professionals under the one roof.
I highly recommend Anh Vo as a physio. Thorough and healing hands. :)
I was still planning on attending my PT session, but had accepted that I'd probably just be stretching and goading my colleagues on from the sidelines. This was the tenth and final session. I was the only member in the group who had managed to attend every single one. And here I was, about to miss the last class.
However...!
All was not lost...
As it was just a cardio session and my ankle was fine, the PT still got me to participate. There was no twisting involved and he got me to just avoid the rowing machine.
We did five min rotations on treadmill, bike and elliptical trainer. Two lots on each.
I kept upping the resistance on all the machines cos what was recommended wasn't feelin like enough of a challenge. Sweated up a storm!! :)
Did two lots of thorough stretches in evening and massage with foam roller.
Was trying to beat the back pain before it beat me!!
Did 35 push ups then planks and cobras for a couple of mins each.
A bit of stretching... I can now actually touch my toes if I curl them back! Been a while since I've been able to do that.
And then... The nightmare began...
Was reaching into the car to grab my suit jacket before going into my first appointment. I didn't realize the edge of the gutter that I was about to step on was broken. Put my foot down and slipped off the side.
Slight pain in my ankle, but the bigger concern was my back... I had twisted and jarred my body suddenly and I could already feel pain in my lower back. :(
GP recommended some anti-inflammatories and light stretches. Popped the pills but couldn't do the stretches I wanted to do in a suit. Did what I could standing up though.
I was really bummed out.
This was what I'd been dreading for the last few weeks... Within sight of doing Tough Mudder and then injuring myself... Eight months of training and then not being able to take part...
Heart breaking...
What really had me worried though was the feeling in my back... It reminded me too much of last year...
At the end of 2010, I was a passenger in a car accident. It was only quite minor, but we were hit from behind at fairly high speed and I had minor whiplash in my lower back from it.
I recovered within a couple of weeks thanks to a couple of physio sessions.
But around mid-2011, I had a flare up that was much worse than the original pain from the event.
It turned out that my muscles in my back and legs were so tight that they were spasming and pulling my body out of kilter.
About two solid months of massage, dry needling, stretches, physio and Pilates got me back to normal thankfully. My core strength had been crap and was providing minimal stability. The Pilates was great for building up my core, while the stretches, massage and dry needling loosened my muscles.
The clinic I attended was top notch.
Smart Health (just off Richmond Rd) has a range of skilled professionals under the one roof.
I highly recommend Anh Vo as a physio. Thorough and healing hands. :)
I was still planning on attending my PT session, but had accepted that I'd probably just be stretching and goading my colleagues on from the sidelines. This was the tenth and final session. I was the only member in the group who had managed to attend every single one. And here I was, about to miss the last class.
However...!
All was not lost...
As it was just a cardio session and my ankle was fine, the PT still got me to participate. There was no twisting involved and he got me to just avoid the rowing machine.
We did five min rotations on treadmill, bike and elliptical trainer. Two lots on each.
I kept upping the resistance on all the machines cos what was recommended wasn't feelin like enough of a challenge. Sweated up a storm!! :)
Did two lots of thorough stretches in evening and massage with foam roller.
Was trying to beat the back pain before it beat me!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 25...
Started the day with a 10km run.
Did it in 56min which whilst isn't fantastic for my City to Bay goal of 12km in an hour, I'm still happy with the distance.
Was a really damp morning and although I had taken a couple of puffs of my asthma meds prior to running, at around the 4km mark, my breathing felt really wheezy... Was close to stopping but pushed on and thankfully thru it.
The four km mark was along a stretch of pathway that I'd had troubles before as well... Maybe there is some bad juju along that path! :)
One of the best parts of the run itself was when jogging passed the local racecourse. As I was getting closer, I could see what I thought was fog around the area but there was no fog to be seen anywhere else, so I assumed it was steam from using hot water to wash things or something similar.
The closer I got, the thicker the fog got. It turned out that it was fog coming from the wetlands that are in the centre of the racecourse.
I wished I'd stopped to take some photos... But i was so set on trying to record a fast time that I didn't want to stop.
To my imagination, it looked like an entrance to Tír na N'og (the Celtic Otherworld). An area where the barriers between reality and the Fairy Kingdom blur allowing mortals the opportunity to cross over at their peril.
Will definitely take some pics if I see it again.
Plenty of stretches at home as well in the arvo. Did some planks and cobras to round out the day as well.
Did it in 56min which whilst isn't fantastic for my City to Bay goal of 12km in an hour, I'm still happy with the distance.
Was a really damp morning and although I had taken a couple of puffs of my asthma meds prior to running, at around the 4km mark, my breathing felt really wheezy... Was close to stopping but pushed on and thankfully thru it.
The four km mark was along a stretch of pathway that I'd had troubles before as well... Maybe there is some bad juju along that path! :)
One of the best parts of the run itself was when jogging passed the local racecourse. As I was getting closer, I could see what I thought was fog around the area but there was no fog to be seen anywhere else, so I assumed it was steam from using hot water to wash things or something similar.
The closer I got, the thicker the fog got. It turned out that it was fog coming from the wetlands that are in the centre of the racecourse.
I wished I'd stopped to take some photos... But i was so set on trying to record a fast time that I didn't want to stop.
To my imagination, it looked like an entrance to Tír na N'og (the Celtic Otherworld). An area where the barriers between reality and the Fairy Kingdom blur allowing mortals the opportunity to cross over at their peril.
Will definitely take some pics if I see it again.
Plenty of stretches at home as well in the arvo. Did some planks and cobras to round out the day as well.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 26...
Now I'm paying the price more for yesterday's stupidity.
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Monday, August 27, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 27...
An educational, rest day would be the best description for day 27...
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 28...
A bit of a rest day for targeted exercise.
Felt well rested after a solid sleep.
Some light stretches in the morn and around 33 push ups.
Did about 3.5 hours of gardening, which was the main extent of my training for the day. Had a beautiful day for it, which was refreshing after all the recent rain.
Since early March this year, when my training really started to kick up a notch, I haven't been drinking alcohol much. There has been the odd night out or a rare wine at dinner time. Used to maybe have a glass of wine every couple of evenings, sometimes the odd beer or a whisky. Being winter is perhaps part of the reason for less drinking but part of me has also not wanted to, in order to avoid the extra calories.
Often if there was beer in the fridge, I'd be more likely to drink it, just because it was there. However, there is a six pack in the fridge that's been sitting there for probably about two months and was only opened when we had guests around!
So this arvo the Adelaide Crows were playing the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. The footy season is definitely at the pointy end and the Crows are sitting at third on the ladder. :)
Caught up with a couple of mates at a pub to watch the game, but on the way there, I had resolved to do one burpee for every point the Crows scored to make up for the beer and snacks I was going to consume.
Two hours later... Two beers... Too much deep fried food... And the Crows destroyed the Demons by 69 points! Adelaide scored a whopping 150 points!!!
Oh yes... I'm looking down the barrel of 150 burpees that I plan to do before the day is through...
I start dividing them up as I'm driving home... It's 7pm... so 30 burpees per hour... Seems easy enough... I get a call... The family is starving and can I grab something quick along the way... Uh oh...
I settle on KFC... Not a great dinner option but conveniently located on the home stretch and quick enough...
As soon as I'm eating it though, I start regretting it... I've already had chips and wedges at the pub... This is more deep fried nonsense... Haven't had KFC in ages so would usually look forward to it, but today is not the day I should be eating it. :(
Didn't end up finishing it. Just felt off. Hadn't done any burpees but still felt I had plenty of time. Then daddy duties kicked in. Bathed and put my son to sleep. I fell asleep on his bedroom floor for a bit... Long, fairly active day plus a couple of beers will take it out of a lad. ;)
Look at the clock... 1030pm... Still determined to do burpees... 50 per half hour still sounds do able... I have done large amounts of burpees before... Probably the most in I've done in a single session has been when I've done some Tabata Training (http://tabatatraining.org/) but I've never counted how many I've done in the four minutes... Usually cos I'm wrecked! ;)
So I start doing lots of ten... A bit of a rest and then another ten... And again the same... I've done a total of thirty and I come to realize two things...
1. I feel like I'm going to throw up, not because of physical effort, but because I've got a belly full of oily crap.
2. I'm hyping my body up way too close to bed time and if I continue, I'm not going to be sleeping well tonight.
I'm a bit disappointed but I face the fact that the burpees aren't going to happen tonight.
But they will be done tomorrow... Come hell or high water... :)
(PS - the pics come from random Pinterest pages but unsure where from originally so can't credit where it is due)
Felt well rested after a solid sleep.
Some light stretches in the morn and around 33 push ups.
Did about 3.5 hours of gardening, which was the main extent of my training for the day. Had a beautiful day for it, which was refreshing after all the recent rain.
Since early March this year, when my training really started to kick up a notch, I haven't been drinking alcohol much. There has been the odd night out or a rare wine at dinner time. Used to maybe have a glass of wine every couple of evenings, sometimes the odd beer or a whisky. Being winter is perhaps part of the reason for less drinking but part of me has also not wanted to, in order to avoid the extra calories.
Often if there was beer in the fridge, I'd be more likely to drink it, just because it was there. However, there is a six pack in the fridge that's been sitting there for probably about two months and was only opened when we had guests around!
So this arvo the Adelaide Crows were playing the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. The footy season is definitely at the pointy end and the Crows are sitting at third on the ladder. :)
Caught up with a couple of mates at a pub to watch the game, but on the way there, I had resolved to do one burpee for every point the Crows scored to make up for the beer and snacks I was going to consume.
Two hours later... Two beers... Too much deep fried food... And the Crows destroyed the Demons by 69 points! Adelaide scored a whopping 150 points!!!
Oh yes... I'm looking down the barrel of 150 burpees that I plan to do before the day is through...
I start dividing them up as I'm driving home... It's 7pm... so 30 burpees per hour... Seems easy enough... I get a call... The family is starving and can I grab something quick along the way... Uh oh...
I settle on KFC... Not a great dinner option but conveniently located on the home stretch and quick enough...
As soon as I'm eating it though, I start regretting it... I've already had chips and wedges at the pub... This is more deep fried nonsense... Haven't had KFC in ages so would usually look forward to it, but today is not the day I should be eating it. :(
Didn't end up finishing it. Just felt off. Hadn't done any burpees but still felt I had plenty of time. Then daddy duties kicked in. Bathed and put my son to sleep. I fell asleep on his bedroom floor for a bit... Long, fairly active day plus a couple of beers will take it out of a lad. ;)
Look at the clock... 1030pm... Still determined to do burpees... 50 per half hour still sounds do able... I have done large amounts of burpees before... Probably the most in I've done in a single session has been when I've done some Tabata Training (http://tabatatraining.org/) but I've never counted how many I've done in the four minutes... Usually cos I'm wrecked! ;)
So I start doing lots of ten... A bit of a rest and then another ten... And again the same... I've done a total of thirty and I come to realize two things...
1. I feel like I'm going to throw up, not because of physical effort, but because I've got a belly full of oily crap.
2. I'm hyping my body up way too close to bed time and if I continue, I'm not going to be sleeping well tonight.
I'm a bit disappointed but I face the fact that the burpees aren't going to happen tonight.
But they will be done tomorrow... Come hell or high water... :)
(PS - the pics come from random Pinterest pages but unsure where from originally so can't credit where it is due)
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 29...
Saturday... But no rest for the wicked! ;)
Snoozed the alarm for a bit (hell I'm only human...sometimes!) but got outside by 7am. Grey clouds but no wind so chance of rain was low...but was packing my zip lock bag just in case. :)
Didn't feel as energized as the day before unfortunately. Didn't sleep very well. Too much going thru my head to be able to settle properly. Legs felt heavy and lethargic but kept at it. Was determined to do at least 10km.
Pace was fast even though I didn't feel on the ball. Was maintaining sub 5min kays.
However, got to the 6km mark and just felt like I couldn't go on. For the last kilometre, legs were feeling crap and brain was telling me to give up. Tried fighting both but succumbed at 6km. Did some stretches to try and revitalize muscles. Felt nauseous and almost purged. Things weren't going too well. :(
Runkeeper's auto-pause/resume function was being a bit sensitive while I was stretching so my pace time was ruined. No matter... Once I felt semi-human again I hit the trail. Was still determined to go at least 10km so kept pushing on.
As I clocked up the kms I decided to head to the only small hill in the area and do some loops. But with a twist!
Jogged up hill, did ten push ups, jogged across then down hill. Then across, back up to the top and did nine push ups then repeated until I counted down to zero.
It was great. There was a goal to aim for, so that kept me more focused than just striding on for another kilometre.
It was also punishing. That hill is small but I've done bugger all in the way of hill training due to local terrain.
But it put me in that sweet place where you're in pain/uncomfy so all you can focus on is putting one foot in front of the other... Just one more push up... Push thru the pain... Focus on the music coming thru your headphones...
For those who know me well, they know I tend to be a little on the hyper or manic side (or hypermanic or manically hyper or maniacally hyper)... You should hear what goes on in my head at times!! (or perhaps it's better you don't) ;)
Just running comfortably means I can have a continual monologue going thru my head like a freight train... But hit that pain zone and there is silence... Peaceful painful bliss... It's not the nicest place to be, but it has its perks...
So I hit zero push ups for my last loop and headed towards home. Jogged until I hit 12km and then walked the rest of the way as a warm down. It was interesting watching the sweat drip off the peak of my cap as I walked... Felt like I had accomplished something. :)
Was shattered when I got home. Chilled for about 20 min and then stretched over breaky. Plenty of protein and about two litres of water.
Probably not much else on the cards for today. Maybe a little stretching and planning for what Day 28 is going to be... Perhaps some weights...?
Snoozed the alarm for a bit (hell I'm only human...sometimes!) but got outside by 7am. Grey clouds but no wind so chance of rain was low...but was packing my zip lock bag just in case. :)
Didn't feel as energized as the day before unfortunately. Didn't sleep very well. Too much going thru my head to be able to settle properly. Legs felt heavy and lethargic but kept at it. Was determined to do at least 10km.
Pace was fast even though I didn't feel on the ball. Was maintaining sub 5min kays.
However, got to the 6km mark and just felt like I couldn't go on. For the last kilometre, legs were feeling crap and brain was telling me to give up. Tried fighting both but succumbed at 6km. Did some stretches to try and revitalize muscles. Felt nauseous and almost purged. Things weren't going too well. :(
Runkeeper's auto-pause/resume function was being a bit sensitive while I was stretching so my pace time was ruined. No matter... Once I felt semi-human again I hit the trail. Was still determined to go at least 10km so kept pushing on.
As I clocked up the kms I decided to head to the only small hill in the area and do some loops. But with a twist!
Jogged up hill, did ten push ups, jogged across then down hill. Then across, back up to the top and did nine push ups then repeated until I counted down to zero.
It was great. There was a goal to aim for, so that kept me more focused than just striding on for another kilometre.
It was also punishing. That hill is small but I've done bugger all in the way of hill training due to local terrain.
But it put me in that sweet place where you're in pain/uncomfy so all you can focus on is putting one foot in front of the other... Just one more push up... Push thru the pain... Focus on the music coming thru your headphones...
For those who know me well, they know I tend to be a little on the hyper or manic side (or hypermanic or manically hyper or maniacally hyper)... You should hear what goes on in my head at times!! (or perhaps it's better you don't) ;)
Just running comfortably means I can have a continual monologue going thru my head like a freight train... But hit that pain zone and there is silence... Peaceful painful bliss... It's not the nicest place to be, but it has its perks...
So I hit zero push ups for my last loop and headed towards home. Jogged until I hit 12km and then walked the rest of the way as a warm down. It was interesting watching the sweat drip off the peak of my cap as I walked... Felt like I had accomplished something. :)
Was shattered when I got home. Chilled for about 20 min and then stretched over breaky. Plenty of protein and about two litres of water.
Probably not much else on the cards for today. Maybe a little stretching and planning for what Day 28 is going to be... Perhaps some weights...?
Friday, August 24, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 30...
Weighed in at 81.2kg
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Countdown to TM: 31 days...
Originally planned to get up for a run at 545. Woke at 515 to rain, hail, thunder, and lightning... The princess in me killed the alarm and slept until 7am. ;)
Luckily had work PT session this arvo. Core strengthening was today's theme. It was savage as per usual. And I loved every second of it. :)
Thought during the session that I'd be feeling it tmrw...but already feeling it now!
The wood chopper twists using a resistance band were particularly punishing. That's what I'm feeling now I think.
Mountain climbers were taxing.
Side planks... Often collapsed a couple of times on one side but then would be stable and stronger on the other. Was weird.
Cobras were easy. Nice and strong with those now. Even did the last 45 seconds holding a ball between our feet for extra challenge.
PT called me his "sweaty little gnome" today. Well I think it was gnome...was mid exercise and mildly distracted. He said due to the amount I sweat, I'm a good indicator if the group is working hard enough. That's gotta be the first time someone has complimented me for sweating so much. :D
Everyday of the countdown won't be this active, but it's a bloody good start!
Now time to sleep and recover.
Luckily had work PT session this arvo. Core strengthening was today's theme. It was savage as per usual. And I loved every second of it. :)
Thought during the session that I'd be feeling it tmrw...but already feeling it now!
The wood chopper twists using a resistance band were particularly punishing. That's what I'm feeling now I think.
Mountain climbers were taxing.
Side planks... Often collapsed a couple of times on one side but then would be stable and stronger on the other. Was weird.
Cobras were easy. Nice and strong with those now. Even did the last 45 seconds holding a ball between our feet for extra challenge.
PT called me his "sweaty little gnome" today. Well I think it was gnome...was mid exercise and mildly distracted. He said due to the amount I sweat, I'm a good indicator if the group is working hard enough. That's gotta be the first time someone has complimented me for sweating so much. :D
Everyday of the countdown won't be this active, but it's a bloody good start!
Now time to sleep and recover.
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