Good advice taken

Thanks you to everyone who has commented this week. It's been a unanimous 'stop running' from everyone. I know you are all right.

Well, you'll be pleased to hear I didn't run a step this week. I can't tell you how hard it has been not to run. You convince yourself that if you miss a session your fitness will suffer!

I was working away from home on Monday night, and on my way back home on Tuesday I called in at my uncles for some treatment. I was almost pleased to tell him that my foot was hurting whilst walking, and I wasn't imagining it all. His sports massage therapist loosened my back on the left side, and also that muscle beginning with P in your bum too. Had a mental block, can't think of the name. I keep thinking Peroneal, but it's not that in this case. It sounds a bit like it though! Anyway all of that was tight and could have been contributing.

When my uncle came in to see me he decided it was definitely the foot that was the issue. To some extent this was a relief, because he explained the tightness and pain in the rest of my ankle and leg (Peroneal tendon) was secondary pain because they were being overworked as a result of the foot weakness. So, at least I am not suffering from tendonitis. The foot however felt fine until he went to work on it. He did want to x-ray it first to rule out a fracture, but I convinced him otherwise. I was positive there was no fracture as I could more or less walk fine. It was the running action that caused the issue. So, working on the assumption that my foot was in one piece, so to speak, he first set about locating the most painful areas and 'massaging' (one mans massage is another mans torture!) them. The main area of pain I get is behind the little bone on the outside of the foot, half way down towards the heel. It's actually your 5th metatarsal protruding I think. Anyway, that is the area of pain, but as it transpired the whole length of my foot between the 4th and 5th metatarsal hurt a lot as it was being worked. I literally had my hands gripped to the bench, trying to keep the strangled squealing noises as quiet as possible, to avoid scaring his paying customers!

Once the massage was over, he then loosened all of the joints. This basically involves bending parts of the foot and ankle back and forth, also pulling the foot whilst I hold onto the bench, pushing down on the base of your toes until they each 'crack' (like when you crack your knuckles), and even applying a blow to release locked joints. This might sound quite brutal, and it did hurt, but I didn't mind as I knew it was doing me good. He really knows what he is doing, and said he'd had 'foot day' with lots of patients with foot complaints. He also worked the other ankle a little, and also mobilised my back. Anyone who has been to a chiropractor knows what this involves. Typically you lie on your side, one knee up towards the chest. The practitioner then lies on top of you, you breathe in, out, and then they apply force and twist your pelvis back into line. Mine crunched a number of times; a good release. After this he then put me on his interferential machine for 10 minutes, before home.

Later that evening I went to the gym. Instead of a 30 min V02 run, I did 30 minutes on the bike doing a 'sports training' program; quite intensive. Following that I did an hour strengthening and core stability as usual.

On Wednesday I was due for a 100 minute run. Instead I did 50 minutes on the bike, followed by 50 minutes on the cross trainer. Initially I was not sure if my foot was up to the cross trainer but it went ok. 100 minutes on cardio machines is torturous; dull, boring. It's a necessary evil though I know.

On Thursday I had to go to Belfast for the day to work. I had to get up at 4:30am to get a 7am flight, then a flight back later and got home at 6:30pm. I was totally shattered and had been suffering from localised stomach discomfort for the last couple of days. I decided the 95 minute session would have to be cancelled. I was so tired, I didn't much regret it. I was in bed for 9pm. I woke in the night still suffering with stomach ache. This worried me more than a little.

On Friday I had another session with my uncle. It was an exact repeat of Tuesday, so I won't take you through the gory details again. He did say I had more movement in my foot than Tuesday, and I had been using an icepack as instructed. He asked how I was, and I said I had a rough stomach. He asked where and I pointed to lower stomach, right side. He said 'that's where your appendix is'. The world stopped for 10 seconds. My face dropped and I said "I can't afford to have my appendix out". I remember 2006/2007 MDS competitor Alan Silcock had to have his appendix out at this very time last year. He had to stop training for 2 months! Add that to a morbid fear of anaesthetic (I would have to insist on a local. Not sure if they do it for appendectomy, but I'd tell them to give it a whirl!). He lay me on my back and pressed on my stomach, which hurt. He then pushed hard in, and kind of let go so it bounced back. It didn't hurt. He said something about a rebound pain or something if it was my appendix. He seems to know a little about everything, considering he's a chiropractor. Anyway, he said it was likely some bowel irritation (sorry if you are eating breakfast!). I breathed a sigh of relief. I hope he's right. It's still not totally gone now, but it's not as bad. I know if I had full on appendicitis it would really hurt me, I assume much like the acute pancreatitis I had once 7 years ago (now that hurt!).

On Friday night I wrestled with myself; Devil on one shoulder, Angel on the other; well more like an ultra-runner on one shoulder, and a bed-ridden-one-footed-hospital-patient on the other. One saying "You must do the 25 mile Six Dales Circuit event tomorrow, you have paid for it, you'll be fine", the other saying "Don't be so stupid, you'll just injure yourself worse". This conversation went on all night. I loaded up the course route on my PC. I looked over the route description. I went and stared and my backpack. I looked at the road route to the start line. I rubbed my sore foot, and remembered how much the treatment had hurt hours earlier. I decided not to do it.

I still woke on Saturday morning, thinking, ‘I wonder what time it is?’ The race starts at 9am. If it is 8am or before, I could probably still get there in time. I stumbled into another room; it was 8:58am. So, I'd missed it, luckily. A couple of hours later I went to the gym and did 1.5 hours on the cross trainer, followed by an hour strength session. It was the longest gym session I can ever remember. I was so tempted to get on the treadmill, but thought 'No, I might as well have just done that race if I do". I completed the session, quite tired, but pleased that I had at least worked hard.

On Sunday I did exactly the same; 1.5 hours on the cross trainer, then a strength and stability session straight after.

So, I've managed it, over a week without running. I will go to the gym on Tuesday and try to run on the treadmill. That will be 10 days without running by then. If it niggles even once, I’ll stop; I won't run for the sake of completing a 35 minute session. If Tuesday goes ok, I'll see about the rest of the week, but certainly won't be running 100+ minute sessions. My foot does feel ok, both to walk on, and to the touch, so I'm hopeful.