Day 23 - Tuesday 24th January - Change!

Mileage - 0 - Injured - Tendonitis - No running for minimum 1 week, possibly 3.

Change, Change, Change but not necessarily in that order

Today I should be gutted, devastated and really f***ed off. I am lame. I am a 'non runner'. I am sick note. I am Darren Anderton. I am injured.

The tendinitis in the lower left shin is bad. I'm limping around like Heather Mills with woodworm. Every time i move my ankle it squeaks. The tendons are sore and inflamed. In technical terms, I've buggered it.

Physio on Friday, but i fear the worst. I am bracing myself for the news to take a 3 week break from running, though secretly i am hoping for 7-10 days.

I must ice, rest, stretch, massage and pray it heals. Oh yes, and i must not wear 5 year old knackered cowboy boots without any heels or Run 50 miles a week for a while, and certainly not in cowboy boots.

So why change as my theme of today?

I went to see my pal Hamish at Profeet - www.profeet.co.uk - They have a running lab and hook you up to computers and shit, film you running and create special inserts and the right kind of trainers to assist with bio-mechanics in how you run.

In essence, my trainers were 2 years over their sell by date. You are supposed to change them after 500 miles otherwise they lose their shock absorption. I reckon i had done close to 1500 miles in mine. My inserts were 18 months past their sell by date. I was effectively running in clogs. If you add the fact i have been doing 50 miles a week for nearly a month, and minimally stretching, my muscles were basically saying to me - "Oi, what the hell are you doing to us you stubborn twat. Right if you're not going to change then we'll show you, lets strain this tendon and maybe he will take notice".

I was embarrassed turning up with those, and to rub it in i was wearing my favourite cowboy boots which have worn down to a stump, offering zero support.

They prodded my calves, ITB bands and hamstrings which are more tightly wound up than a dry drunk, and shook their head. "What the hell have you been doing?" was the question. I had no answer. I was told that i need to lengthen my muscles, that years of doing endurance sports without due stretching and care has made them shorter than a midgets cock.

I was shamed. It made sense. What i have been doing is doing things my own way, smashing myself, pushing myself without all the correct equipment, advice. Going alone until i crashed and burned, causing myself pain. Then when i reach bottom, i have to ask for help and look at other ways than my own. Do things with advice and properly and then maybe it will be easier. Addicts will identify (as will most men who pride themselves on not following the instructions)

So that is why i think this is a good thing. This is a lesson to be learned. To tailor my approach and change. Lets be honest who the fuck wants to stretch? It's duller than Paul Merton on Valium. All i want to do after a run, is bugger all. Stretching requires patience, tolerance, diligence and discipline. Yuk to all of those.

But not doing it makes my body break. So the next 1-3 weeks is clearly a chance for me to apply the same mental discipline i was putting to running. In order to stretch out my body and make it better prepared for real training. I want to totally beast myself when back training but in a smart controlled regimented way. Getting my body straight will help this.

I was told to get an orange foam cylinder called 'The Grid' - www.foamroller.org.uk - It;s amazing, as you put your body weight on it and roll it out on stress points of your body. Calves, Hips, Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes, Lower and upper back, ITB's and Lats.

I had no idea. Jesus Christ, I did it tonight and it was total agony but amazing. A little Like getting a brutal sports massage from Fatima Whitbread but without the hand job) My god when i rolled out the glutes and hips it felt like i was being shagged by Linford. I was screaming on my own, in my flat. Nothing the neighbours aren't used to though. wink.

So that is clearly my challenge every day. Dedicate 30 minutes to brutalise myself, it will make a Nice change from the usual sort. But it's an opportunity to fix my body and get me better prepared than ever before to resume training. See i told you i have done all those marathons and Ironmans on my will and terms. Despite myself and my body.

It feels right to do this, as long as i can control my urge to bugger off to the gym or yoga at any spare moment. It;s going to require a change in attitude, but that's what this is all about right?

Talking is easy. I've just got to actually do it now. Thats the hard bit.

Until tomorrow followers. I believe that I'm up to 8 now. If i try and add a new one a week I'll be at the dizzy heights of 20 by marathon day. Now that's a goal to aim for!

PS - If you can't post comments on this blog because Google want to own you, feel free to post on my Facebook page. Feedback is good and will help me know if more than 8 of you are following it?

Until Tomorrow

Nicholas Edward
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