A Post About Running

It has been over 4 months since my last past and much has happened in the UK - mainly royal or sport based related.  The break (not my knee) since the last post has been so significant that it took me over 20 minutes to log-in - an embarrassing start.

Lets start with a bang and provide an update on the knee and the other knee - I know you're all dying for one.  Well the knee (left one) is now my favourite and has behaved impeccably over the last few months.  The other knee is a bit of an arse, it still hurts and requires constant attention (morning exercises, which I do as frequently as I shave now).  

However, my running has become a lot stronger since the last post (http://pete-tizard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/filler-post.html). I ran 8 miles today (non stop) in just under an hour and ran 12 miles last weekend in just under 1 hour 40 minutes (did stop every 14 minutes and walk 1 minute).  Although not as fast I was pre the other knee injury, I do feel the pilates session have been really helpful in improving my core and stability (long term I think I will get faster because of this).  Although being the only guy in these sessions I do feel a tad out of place, like dressing up to a Halloween party when no-one else does (I did this as a teenager).

For those of you who don't know, I have spent my summer vacation in Surrey - this seems to becoming a (annoyingly) regular occurrence.  The good news is I am soon to be back in London (townnnnnn) from October and will be looking forward to immersing myself in the cultural melting pot that is Kentish town.  I am excited about the move but have been told there is a few crazies there - fortunately I am a good screamer so I should be fine.

When running today I did wonder what to post about (I know what my closing section will be on, stay tuned) - it is difficult keeping it interesting and also trying to sound not too conceited.  I did listen to one track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVA-xTBeHyM) and thought I would let everyone know that it was a good track to run to.  Also I wanted to pass on my running track of the month (could become a regular feature!!!) which is Matchbox Twenty "Let's See How Far We've Come" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9vOwc-6t-8).

Closing statement - the old "give me your fxxxxxx money" plea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFQ4HNvcz3w).  I am running a half marathon on October 7th (unfortunately timed as is the day after a good friend's wedding - that post will be titled "Running with a hangover") and I am trying to raise £350 for my usual charity (RNIB - charity for the blind have been great help to my granddad). 

Any donations here would be appreciated (donate here http://www.justgiving.com/Pete-Tizard-RoyalPark2012) but you can always wait until I spam you via email.  Until the next post (next week - I promise), have an amazing week.

P.S.  -  Have been accepted on the 2013 London Marathon :)

A Filler Post

Happy Bank Holiday!  Its been 2 months since my last post and thought it was high time for an update regarding my recovery.  I can sum up the progress in one word - "slow".

The worst thing about injuring your knee is that it is one of the few limbs that is difficult to rest (unless you get crutches).  On top of this my physio has informed me that I am "hyper mobile" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermobility#Lifestyle_modification) which effectively means I can stretch my joints further than a normal person (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2012/may/07/francois-hollande-france-mr-normal?newsfeed=true).  I am in good company here with concert pianists, gymnasts, many top  athletes (Federer & Nadal) suffering from this.  However, for a weekend warrior like myself it means my joints (the knee and the other knee) are more susceptible to injury.  This also delays recovery time as when I am walking/standing etc. the other knee can be in a position of stress (e.g. the knee going backwards) which will heed my recovery.
To counter this I have to build-up my thighs and glutes (arse) muscles to improve core strength which will take away stress placed upon my glass knees.  Unfortunately this results in about 45 minutes to a hour worth of menial (laborious) exercises every day.  Hopefully the end result will mean my core will be stronger, I will be able to run further/faster and you will be able to crack an egg off my buns.

On my last post (http://pete-tizard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/road-to-recovery.html) I mentioned that I would not post again until I had ran.  Well, I ran on Saturday for the first time back in Surrey - the mean streets of Walton-on-Thames (BRRRAP! BRRRAP!).
The run consisted of 1 minute walking and then 2 minute jogging then repeat, the "run" lasted for about 25 minutes.  The knee was ever the rock but the other knee was twinging a bit especially when going round corners.  The run itself was pleasant - the weather was dry (really), few pedestrians on the pavement and I indulged in nostalgia as I ran past my old primary school Cardinal Newman (http://www.cardinal-newman.surrey.sch.uk/page/?title=Home&pid=1).
I could only see the playground but it brought back some poignant memories - being told Father Christmas didn't exist whilst standing in the lunch queue, the magic of Christmas died at that moment.  The Portuguese kid who couldn't speak English knocking himself out by running into a opened window - we thought he was dead (morto).  Running away from the fat blonde girl whilst playing kiss chase, it wasn't difficult she was very overweight.
Its amazing how quickly times goes and I am constantly aware that I may not be making the most of the finite time I have available - writing this blog maybe a great example of wasted time.

Over the next month I will continue to be vigilant with my exercise and slowly building up the number and distance of my runs.  At times this recovery has felt like one step forward and two steps back, I am still weary of injuring myself and will be erring on the side of caution rather than throwing myself fully into running again (as much as I would like to).
With that in mind I have signed up for the Royal Parks Half marathon in October of which I will also be raising money for RNIB - I will be asking for donations .  Additionally, I am considering running the Luton (glamorous) marathon in November which will be good preparation for the full London marathon which I will be doing next year (knees permitting).
Done - will post again in a month or so and hopefully by that stage I will have progressed further with my recovery.  Enjoy the short week!

The Road to Recovery

Its been too long and no doubt you are awaiting an update on my tragic circumstances (the running not my everyday life).  This post will focus on the exploits of the other knee and will have little mention of the knee.  Although I will say this, the knee has been a rock this past month and I am grateful for its support.

In my last post ( http://pete-tizard.blogspot.com/2012/02/pete-doesnt-run-london-marathon.html ) there was mention of a plan to see the old knee doctor - these last few weeks I have implemented and executed said plans.  

Two weeks ago I had a MRI scan done on the other knee and after had an appointment with the knee doctor (only does surgery on knees, imagine the stories he has). 

The knee doctor was a bit of a character.  When I entered and remarked that I felt a bit of a fraud as I wasn't hobbling around on crutches or in a cast.  He replied with a smirk that this only happened after the patients had seen him.  

We caught up (training for the marathon, the knee, my blog, etc.) and then he started to look through my scans.  He did get annoyed that I questioned whether he was looking at the correct scan (had a MRI scan done on the knee last summer).  He informed me that he was able to tell the difference between the right and left knee. 

The knee doctor was a sucker for suspense and liked to build this up when delivering my results.  He left dramatic pauses and shut me down on several occasions when I would jump to the conclusion that I was fine.  Eventually he delivered the results... (pause) ... (sip of tea) ... (long pause) ... I don't need surgery - Huzzah!  He believes what happened was I originally had a hamstring injury and this altered the way I walked which caused a secondary injury resulting in patellar tendonitis (http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/patelladisorders/a/patellartendon.htm).  I was recommended a treatment of physio over the next 2 - 3 months and not to run.

Last week I restarted my treatment with my physio and she wasn't happy that I hadn't kept up with her prescribed exercises.  In my defence, they were pretty boring.  I now have exercises which I have to do twice daily (takes about 20 minutes), they are very emasculating.  

I am not yet allowed to go back to Pilates but can do low impact exercises at the gym - swimming, bike or cross trainer.

I will dedicate myself to getting the other knee (my favourite knee) back to health and am now thinking about potentially doing a marathon later in the year (September/October time).  However, I realize patience and persistence is the key here and will not rush it.

The question that remains is when do I post next?  Do I wait until I run again and write my joy about pounding the pavements once more?  Keep you abreast with my progress with the physio?  Inform you of the next injury I do to myself?  

The first option sounds "right" and will happily wait to write that post.  Until then, enjoy the week and I leave you with a song that inspired me to write this post (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN7Xs9WVNBU).

P.S.  -  I realize the knee was mentioned quite a bit, its always on my mind.

Pete (doesn't) Run the London Marathon

Weekend warrior with a tired arse and shot knees - that was what I hoped to title my next post which was inspired by comments made by my physio and pilates teacher (he also said I had a lazy arse - arse fetish?).  From the title you can infer that something significant has occurred.  It is with great sadness to inform you that I have pulled out of the 2012 London Marathon.

In my last post ( http://pete-tizard.blogspot.com/2012/01/unmitigated-running-disaster.html ) I commented on my Hampstead Heath run.  I hurt myself and have subsequently been trying to nurse my way back to running.   I tried running about 10 days ago and had to give up after a mile due to impact pains in my right knee ("the other knee").  I always assumed it would be the knee that may of prevented me from completing the marathon and is somewhat ironic that it was the other knee.  The Friday gone was the last day possible of pulling out of the marathon and giving my place to some fortunate runner.  The other knee is still screwed (along with the knee) and I do not want to do any long term damage and hence have thrown in the towel - so much for crawling (http://pete-tizard.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-post-first-thoughts.html).

That Sunday run has been playing on loop in my head - the anger and frustration has not abated.  Not sure if I am to blame due to not being in the right physical state on the run and not stretching after?  Did I hubristically take on a steep hill at too fast a pace without enough hill work under my belt?  Was it due to not wearing in my new shoes enough?  Is the knee at fault, was the other knee over compensating for too long and decided to give in its P45?  Ultimately it doesn't matter, it was probably a combination of all this and a large slice of bad luck.  

I want to make it clear that I am very upset about dropping out, it was not a decision I took lightly and it fills me with regret that I will not be able to partake in this great occasion. When I see runners jog past me with grace and that look of steely determination it fills me with yearning and sadness.  I am very grateful for all the support and money that I've received - I can only apologize again for not going through with it.  The good news is that I can defer my marathon place for next year and the money already donated will be put towards this (to those who donated, please email me as I am happy to donate to another charity of your choice).  

The experience of training for a marathon (although I did not get far into it) has been beneficial for 3 reasons.  The first and most important is that it has cemented my passion for running and is something that I want to keep at and grow old with.  I have made myself a goal that I will run a marathon every year for the foreseeable future and am excited about the places it will take me.  I was lent a very inspirational book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/0099526158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329079981&sr=8-1) where I have essentially borrowed (ripped off) the author's goal.  

Secondly it introduced me to the joy of writing, you can only be so creative at work writing emails to clients or filing RPDs (the majority of you won't know what I am on about here).  I do get a kick out of writing and I realise my works is no doubt full of clichés and poorly written proses.  However it has given me the opportunity to take a retrospective look at my life and formative years.  You'll be excited to hear that I will continue to update this blog (sporadically at least once a month) about my recovery and leading into when I actually complete a marathon.

The third part is it has stressed the importance of exercising your core as well as getting the required miles under your belt.  Pilates forces you to stretch every sinew (table top position), focus your mind and be in the moment.  It is very technique driven which is very different from running where you just get up and go.  

What next?  That's a difficult questions as like everything in life you can plan and plan and then get hit by a bus.  However, I will be emailing my doctor (GP and knee specialist) to see if I can get a referral for a scan.  Once I have a scan on the other knee I then should hopefully have the information available to make an informed decision.  It will be a very shitty situation if I need surgery on both knees.  The upside to this would be if I was on crutches for a while it would mean my guns would get really large and transform them from their current twiglet state.

Thank you to RNIB (http://www.rnib.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx) for their support and understanding - I am excited about running and raising money for them in 2013 and beyond - you lot are the good guys, keep up the great work!

For all (3) that have read my blog (and will hopefully continue to), its been a pleasure and I'll catch you on my next post.

An Unmitigated Running Disaster...

The first draft of this is being written on a train going up to Waterloo, I feel like a writer and am sure those sitting around me are impressed, if only they could read the drivel that is being written.
This has been the worse running week thus far of my running career, with me covering only two agonising miles and picking up a potential injury - more to follow.

As promised in my last post (http://pete-tizard.blogspot.com/2012/01/anonymous-give-me-break.html), my teenage running years will be explored.  I think my biggest achievement over the 7 years at St Georges College (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_College,_Weybridge) was skiving the most collective days of games sessions out of anyone in my year - I remember that I used to be jealous of the kids with asthma as they had this golden ticket off games.
My best and most used excuse was my ingrowing toenail which matron kindly gave me a sick note off each week for.  However, as kind as matron was it was not always guaranteed and occassionally I was forced to don the maroon shorts and head out onto the boggy pitches.
One event I dreaded each year was the inter house cross country, my house (Southcote!) was the top performing house but strangely declined after I joined.  I always fell in the bottom 10% of this gruelling 3 mile run (mas o menos) except for one year... where I cheated and did pretty well.  The start of the run you would do one lap of the running track and then head out of the school gate turn right and head towards Chertsey and its meads.  Rather than turn right I went left and hid in the caravan site (by the bins) which was at the end of the run.  One tyrannical sports teacher did complement me on my time and made me feel a pang of guilt (rather that than a stitch though).
During lower sixth I approached one games session seriously after research running online - carbs = more energy = better performance.  Because of this I had a big pasta for lunch and was eager to impress come the afternoon games session.  I was placed in the slow running group and we had to do one lap of the new running track.  This did not end well and in the last agonizing 100 metres sprint of the track I came to an abrupt stop and promptly threw up all my lovely pasta lunch - a mass of cream and mushrooms.  The plus side to this was that I was excused for the rest of the games session - huzzah!
That same summer I decided to get in to shape and bought a treadmill with the money I saved stacking shelves at Sainsbury - I was too embarrassed to run outside.  The treadmill was in the garage and I set-up a TV opposite it and worked through my collection of Family Guy DVDs.  I didn't run that far (max about 5K) and my pace started very slowly but gradually got faster.  This persistent exercise combined with me going on the Atkins diet resulted in me losing 2 stones - a runner was born.

I ran Hampstead Heath for the first time last Sunday, this is a green oasis in North London and would encourage couples and dog walkers to visit.
In my opinion (and I may have taken the wrong route) this is not ideal for runners specifically road runners.  It is very hilly, the path is uneven (roots) and there is a constant stream of yappy dogs getting under your feet. My pace for this run should have been 12 miles @ 8 mins a mile, I felt I would struggle as I was ill on the Saturday and my energy was low. About a mile into the run I attempted a steep hill climb. I passed a oldish bearded gentleman (good look) in baggy grey sweats and stated to increase my pace.  At this instance I felt a pain in the back of my right thigh (I believe), I wasn't in immediate pain and ran on.  After 3 miles (few more inclines then declines) I collapsed on a bench next to the frozen pond.  My energy was spent and I rested for 15 mins then slowly jogged back home - crucially I didn't stretch when I got back.
I got up early the next morning to go for a long run to make up for Sunday's poor showing.  I knew straight away something was wrong as my right leg (not the knee) was in agony especially the back of the right knee and my right upper hamstring.  I tried to run this off and after two miles I had to stop due to the pain, I limped into Russell Square station and got the tube the rest of the way into work.
I have subsequently seen a physio and we think it maybe a hamstring pull (although I am very concerned that it might be worse than this).  I have some exercises to do and will try running again on Thursday. As I noted in my first post (http://pete-tizard.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-post-first-thoughts.html) my goal is to run the marathon in sub 3 1/2 hours - this injury may have put me back 3 weeks (at least or potentially more if this doesn't heal up) and it make me feel sad and frustrated.

This week I won't take the opportunity to plead for your money (http://www.justgiving.com/pete-tizard-london2012).  Enjoy the rest of the week and I will let you know how the hamstring is getting on in my next post.

Anonymous give me a break

Due to the busy nature of Christmas and New Year I neglected my blogging and unfortunately my running also.  To quickly summarise what I've been up to these last five weeks: went to Seville (es muy bonita) and grown a beard.

My relationship with running did not start smoothly but has evolved with me and is now one trait that I feel defines me as a person, I will write in a future post in more detail the reason why I run.  

My first memory of running was when I was 4 or 5 competing in the school sports day. Unfortunately the instructions were not explained to me sufficiently and I ended up running the opposite direction as the rest of my competitors.  Not only did I come last but my pride was dented with this story being constantly retold by my family.

Another "fond" memory was several years later when I was was given a pair of Rhyno trainers.  Being a naive youngster I thought that these would instil me with the speed of a Rhino.  Therefore I hubristically challenged my older brother to a race to the neighbours' tree.  They didn't work.

Towards the end of primary school I was a chubby kid (my Mum would affectionately call it puppy fat), however, I still was just about to squeeze into the school athletic team.  My last competitive athletic event was on a cold school field somewhere in Surrey.  It was a grey, miserable afternoon where I would have rather stayed in the minibus than be standing on a line against 7 other athletic looking (skinny) 10 years old.  I came last and felt I had let down my school - it was a sad farewell to my primary school sport career.

On my next post I'll take you through my teenage running years, it gets worse.

I am now running to a schedule which I got from here - http://www.asics.eu/myasics.php.  I am currently in the pace period of training, this means I will be running shorter distances at a stronger pace than I would run the marathon.  I am enjoying it for its variety and am feeling fitter for it.  

One run in particular (5.5 miles at 7:30 min pace) is especially enjoyable, I am fortunate to live near Regents Park and running pre-work (about 6) is a treat.  The air is crisp and refreshing, the views are spectacular and showcase the red soaked towers in the distance.

The knee, that bastard knee, has been pretty good recently.  That deep pain still exists when walking but haven't had difficultly when running on it.  I purchased a ice pack which I rest on top of the knee after long runs.  The knee can be fickle though so will let you know if it starts playing up again.

My charity target of £1,500 (http://www.justgiving.com/pete-tizard-london2012) is a daunting figure and I am hoping that you can help me attain this goal.  RNIB (http://www.rnib.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx) is a great cause and they are supporting those unfortunates who have lost their sight.  It would make me hugely proud if we can smash this target.  Thank you to all of you (4) that have sponsored me, a big thank you goes to Anonymous - which reminds me of a  clip from Curb your enthusiasm ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqncCjxGqGw).

Incidentally I am thinking of organising a charity quiz night at work, any colleague who reads this please let me know what you think and whether you would be able to help.

Thank you for your continued support.  Pete

97 days - 13 hours - 01 mins - 15 secs