Easing Back In

After following the physio's advice virtually to the letter - and yes, it did hurt! - I went on Wednesday and was cleared to run.  He applied some of that coloured tape you see proper athletes sporting to give my calf some extra support for the first few runs, and it shows no signs of peeling off yet.  Here are the rules for my rehabilitation:

1) Stick to the treadmill for 2-3 weeks
2) Don't run on consecutive days
3) Alternate running with walking
4) Start with a short time and build up gradually
5) At the first sign of tiredness or pain, stop running
6) Continue with the strengthening exercises, building up to 3 sets of 10
7) Stretch frequently

So, my first run on Wednesday was for just 20 minutes, running for 15s out of each minute.  On Friday I did 25 minutes, starting out running 20s out of each minute, switching to 30s run/30s walk after 10 minutes.  On each of those sessions I made up the balance of an hour with other exercises -bike, rower or crosstrainer.  I've also done a couple of strength training sessions - one of which has left me with some rather sore muscles as I must have overdone it.  I also did a full 2 hours of crosstraining in the gym on Monday, in place of the 9 mile run that was on my schedule.

Next Monday is due to be 16 miles, or 3:45 - which is an awfully long time to spend in a gym cycling round different pieces of equipment.  I have yet to decide whether I am even going to attempt that time. Physically, it will be good for endurance.  But I think the real benefit would be mental.  It's about discipline... making a decision, and following through.  Because on 13th April, if I think that giving up is an option, I might be tempted to do it.  Whereas if I know that the only reason to stop is a serious injury, I will keep going when it gets tough.  As for Monday - rather than do a longer run session, I may do 2 or 3 20 minute ones so I am doing more running in total, but having breaks in between to reduce stress on my calf.

The guru of run-walk-run, Jeff Galloway, suggests that for the pace I have been running at, the best ratio to use is 30s running and 30s walking.  Before this latest setback, I was using 60/60, and itching to increase the amount of running - which is where I came unstuck.  Galloway also says that shorter run segments and more frequent walk breaks reduce your risk of injury.  Bearing in mind that 30/30 and 60/60 are exactly the same proportion of running to walking, I'm inclined to stick with the 30/30 from now on.

One of the articles I found on the internet about coming back from injury suggests that, for each week during which you have not run, you should think of taking two weeks to get back to the level/distance you were at before the injury.  At that rate, it will be early March before I get back to a 13 mile run,  and I may only manage 15 or 16 before it is time to start tapering for the race.  A lot of decisions to be made - and nine weeks to go.

Another online donation this week leaves me just a few pounds shy of £1500 raised, plus I know that people have started to fill in sponsor forms.  There's also another fundraising event been organised - a Brass Band concert in March.   It's going to be a busy few months, and I am very grateful for all the support and encouragement I've received.