2011

New Years Countdown Tickers

May it be a very good year for all!  A very special thank you to those who took time to spur me on during 2010 with your encouraging comments!

My very best wishes to each and everyone of you for 2011......Norma

The Journey Back......cont.

I returned to the soccer field this morning and jogged easily on the grass for 30 minutes.  On and off pain in my knee but better than expected.  Should be OK by next year!

Mr Bean and Christmas!

 

  Mr Bean - Nativity Scene
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

It's Becoming Boring & Disheartening....

I'm boring mysef, as well as a few others I suppose, by saying almost the same thing day after day.  So....


For the time being I'll let my blog 'rest in peace', because.......

I went to the soccer field this morning to see if I could jog without knee pain for ten minutes on grass.  I couldn't take more than two steps and had to stop and......

Burst into tears!  Later, somewhat recovered......

I drove to the pool and did 45 minutes of deep water running and this......

I will continue with until the damage,  done by lifting heavy cement pots, has finally mended itself.  For now and till then.......

I ran up, down, across and every other way in the pool today for seventy minutes!

5 min warm-up
3 sets of 9 x 1:30 min hard
30 sec easy recovery
2 min easy between sets
5 min cool-down float! 

On the Seventh and Sixth Days to Christmas...

Just  sittin' around like Santa, but not even fishin'!

I've got some pain in my 'bad' knee after liftin', pullin' and shovin' those heavy cement rose pots a few days ago..  Has to be that that's caused it and I should've known better!  I'm so cross with myself!  I'll try the pool tomorrow.

On the Eighth Day ..........

10km 
1:17:05
AHR 124 (78%);  MHR 140 (88%)..WOW! That's a lota heart beats! 


Beautifully cool, sunny morning, but 10km just about does it for me at the moment.  I'm puffing like mad on hills that, a few months ago, I used not even notice.  I'm learning for the first time that getting fitness back is a slow and tedious road!

More Surgery! But Not For Me!

Delicate surgery on three of my  standard Iceberg roses whose roots had gone through the holes in the bases of their tubs and were travelling happily onwards and downwards between the pavers!  I only became aware of the problem when I saw one of the tubs full of water and not draining away as it's supposed to do!  Tipping the huge cement tubs was no light task, even with a shaky helping hand from Jim, all the time wary of breaking the precious plant into pieces!

Once the rose was lying unhappily on its side, I began the delicate surgery I've already mentioned : Removing all the soil, which had turned to mud and had to be scraped out by hand; partly refill the tub with new soil, replace the uncomplaining, semi-conscious rose in its tub, top up with more soil, drag the tub back into position and pray to God they would all survive their operation.  This, three times! To give them a good start, I cut off most of their wonderful display of flowers (see photo) so that all their strength could be given to recovery of their roots; when more buds appear I'll know the surgery was successful.

In the meantime, every shelf and every table in every room in the house is now filled with vases of white Iceberg roses!

Needless to say I didn't run or 'play' pool today.  I don't even know why I wrote all this, except that it took all day and I do love my roses!

Another Ladder!

At Henley Brae pool around mid-day for another ladder session:-

5 minutes warm-up
1 min hard 1 min easy; 2 min hard 1 min easy; 3 min hard 1 min easy, 4 min hard 1 min easy; 5 min  hard 1 min easy; 4 min hard 1 min easy; 3 min hard 1 min easy; 2 min hard 1 min easy; 1 min hard.
5 min cool-down....slow laps!

Passed My Finals!

I jogged easily on grass for only 5km this morning, knowing I had to see the physiotherapist this afternoon to pass my final test!  I  passed in all areas  and was told to go ahead with my running program taking care not to overdo things too soon.  As if I would!!

5km...very easy, bare feet, on the grass at Renwick soccer field.
50 minutes.....!  Boy, have I got some speed to make up!
AHR  114 (72%);  MHR 126 (79%).


Pool tomorrow....love it!

A Day Off Because....

After only two days of running, my quads feel much the same, but not quite as stiff, as they do after a marathon!  The usual up and down steps syndrome.  I thought I was ready to take on any distance but 2 x 10km has forced a rest day upon me!  How devastating!

Tomorrow, I have my last physio session so that might 'unstiffen' my leg muscles.  I might even follow that up with a session in the hydrotherapy pool if the steam isn't rising off it.

The remainder of this week will include pool running at Henley Brae and the other days 'as I feel'!

Takes a while to get back to where one once was!

I felt today's 10km more tiring than yesterday's and was a bit surprised at that.  When I finished I felt that I couldn't run another step.  I started at the school again and then took off in the opposite direction  from yesterday :  Bong Bong Road, Mary Street, Inkerman Road...and back.  It was a late start, very warm and windy.  

By the time I returned to the school I was thinking : What wouldn't I give for a swim in some sparkling cold water!  And then I saw one of the school hoses.  I wished for cold and I certainly got it; the water was freezing!  I held the hose above my head with the water on full force while I slowly counted to twenty; I could take no more than that.  Soaking wet, I did a few stretches, and lastly....lay on the grass in the sun  for about five minutes to warm up!

10km
1:21:50
AHR 122 (77%);  MHR 135 (85%)  Any time HR went over 130 (82%), I walked till it dropped a few beats.

Just What I've Been Waiting For!

Image by FlamingText.com

First easy & slow 10km entirely on road since the arthroscopy 4.5 weeks ago.  Started at the school and stayed around that area for a while to see what might happen.  No pain at all!  Off down Bong Bong Road, Old South Road and Diamond Fields Road until I'd reached 5km without any trouble at all.  I was SO pleased!

Both out and back had some hills and I didn't falter on any of them!  Well, maybe on one, though I didn't know it, when a truck drove past and the driver smiled and called out something which I couldn't hear; nevertheless I returned his wave and smile.  Would you believe the next thing?  As I came up the last hill in Bong Bong Road, there he was standing outside his property with a big glass of cold water for me!  What a lovely thing to do!  So maybe I wasn't looking as fabulous as I'd thought! 

10km
1:21:18
AHR 122 (77%);  MHR 136 (86%)

I'll stay with this slow and easy running each day for the rest of the month, keeping 2 days each week for pool running as cross training.    Phew! How good is it to get to go again.  January should see the return to my usual full program and a few smackdowns with Ewen that he doesn't even know about yet!

Another Day in the Pool

PROGRAM:  LADDERS (but I wasn't wearing stockings!)

5 minutes warm-up..funny drills!
1 min hard, 1 min easy; 2 min  hard, 1 min easy; 3 min hard, 1 min  easy; 4 min hard, 1 min easy; 5 min hard, 1 min easy; 4 min hard, 1 min  easy; 3  min hard, 1 min easy; 2 min hard, 1 min easy; 1 min hard.
5 min cool-down....swam a few laps and then floated!

Oh My Brain, My Poor Poor Brain!

Image by FlamingText.com

60 minutes of 'steady' running in the pool this morning was, for me, huge mental suffering!


I mean, who wouldn't have a brain drain if all you're doing is running down, across, up, across; down, across, up, across...reverse direction...for an hour?  Well, I did for sure!  Every time I looked at my watch hoping at least ten minutes had passed, it would be only something like three minutes! Anyhow, it was good hard workout both mentally and physically and hopfully getting myself stronger for a return to easy running next week on grass and road.

Program : Pool Running (Henley Brae)

5 minutes warm-up
60 minutes steady running
5 minutes cool-down...floating on my back!

Ready, Set, GO!

I saw Mr Orthopaedic Surgeon this morning and got the go ahead  to resume all activities BUT....to be guided by any pain in my knee as it can take up to 12 weeks to heal completely and mine has been only 4 weeks tomorrow.  He said there's no reason why I shouldn't live till I'm 100!  Very nice as long as I can keep on doing what I'm doing!    What a lovely man!

I've ruled out any marathon, certainly for the first half of 2011, but if I can get out on the road and track by early January and begin my 18 week half marathon program I should be ready for the SMH Half Marathon in May and hopefully another in Canberra the same month or later; so two halves make a whole!

A Happy Outcome Indeed!

Walk, Don't Run

I took my own advice and walked today.....boring, boring!

On the way past Renwick School I could see and hear the bleating of one of the lambs because it wanted to get back into the paddock with the others but from which it had found a secret way out!  Wouldn't you think it would know how to get back in?  A short detour into the school; the lamb saw me, ran up to me and followed me to a gate where it rushed through and into the arms of its mum!


I always check the water troughs for the two cows and seven sheep especially at weekends when they often seem to be forgotten; they needed a top-up so that added quite a bit of time, but not counted in the official walk!  Knee good!

10.5km in 2:03
AHR70%;  MHR 77%

Image by FlamingText.com

...except for mowing the lawns and taking the dogs for their walk.

Lesson Learned!

I made a decision, probably wrongly, to see how my knee felt while doing some easy jogging on the road.  After 5km I could feel a niggle in the exact same place as before the arthroscopy.  I swore bitterly to the heavens and anyone else who might have been listening!  I said every swear word I could think off and was extremely surprised by the extent of my vocabulary!

From that I suppose I can say it's not properly healed, I shouldn't have used the hard surface, I should have stayed on grass and I shouldn't have jogged so far!  Back to grass next week.  Lesson learned!

6km in 57 minutes
AHR 112 (70%);  MHR 123 (77%) 

I walked the first and last 5 minutes of the 6km.

At Last!

..but still pretty much jogging in water!  Renwick soccer field was a quagmire but nevertheless it was the first opportunity in over a week to test my knee on the ground and it passed with the flying colours....of mud and water!

I jogged very easily for 3km through the puddles on the grass....not a twinge in the knee!

Before leaving home, I put my new Newtons in the car as here was a chance, I hoped,  to try them and my knee on the road beside the soccer field.  I had to wash my feet though to remove the mud and grass; couldn't risk a scrap of dirt getting on the new trainers on their first outing!  They, and my knee, felt simply fabulous even though it was only 1km!  I was thrilled with the results of both grass and road and now expect 'full steam ahead' after I see THE MAN on Monday morning.  Seems like all the hard pool running has paid off handsomely.

3km through the quagmire; 30 min.
AHR 74%; MHR 78%

1km on road; 8.4 min
AHR 75%; MHR 80%

Total = 4km

Even If It's Not Monday!

So much rain is enough to get anyone down and hangin' around!   Remember this song?  Of course you do!

Another Pool Session: Henley Brae---

I skipped a few weeks ahead and did a hard session from Week 6. 


5 min warm-up
8 x 5 min hard
1 min easy recovery


5 x 45 sec hard
15 sec recovery
5 min cool-down


Also put in a few McGill drills which I'm pleased to know that no one else was there to witness such an outlandish performance!