An update

I've been to the gym three times over the last 5 days and I do feel I am making some improvement, although it is still frustratingly slow.  I have managed to up the speed of the walking and recumbent sessions, so I'm definitely building up a bit of a sweat now and I feel like I am doing some meaningful exercise.  However, I'm still not able to run properly or without pain, which is irritating.


I had another Physio session yesterday and I asked if I need to get a scan done.  He basically said I wouldn't have a chance of getting a scan as I wasn't too bad and wanted to discharge me!  I had to strongly say that I still wasn't right and he has now referred me to another specialist, but it will be a minimum 4 week wait.  In the mean time, I can keep up with the stretching and light exercise.  I think he is secretly hoping that I'll get better and not need to see the second specialist, and I hope so too.

Another session

I could have gone to the gym yesterday, following my session on Friday, which is encouraging. However, I decided to take it easy and go this morning instead.

So, this morning I did:

- 3 lots of stretching.

- 20mins walking on 15% at 5kph

- 15mins on the recumbent at 6kph.

I enjoyed the session and I'm feeling quite good as I'm writing this. When I say '3 lots of stretching', each session is about 10mins long, doing various exercises/stretches, so today was about 30mins of stretching which is good.

Decided to take it even easier for a few days

Because of the ups and downs I'm having at the moment, I've decide to take it even easier and not push it at all.  So the gym sessions are now concentrating on decent stretches and some very light exercise.

Today I did:
- 15mins on treadmill at 15% incline at 5kph
- 15mins on bike at 6kph
- 3 lots of 5min stretching.

I feel okay at the moment, so hopefully I'll be okay tomorrow.  If so, I may go again tomorrow morning for another similar session.

Good session, but pain afterwards...

I've been a way for a couple of days for work, and it's the furthest I've been since I've hurt my back. Generally, it was okay with the occasional pain but it wasn't too bad.

I went to the gym before work this morning and completed:

- 20 mins on treadmill at 15% and 5.3kph

- 20 mins on bike at 10kph

- back stretches.

Although I felt fine at the gym and immediately afterwards, I had some sharp pain in my back in the afternoon, which is a worry. I'm not sure if the gym and the pain are connected.

Currently I'm frustrated with the slow progress. Actually there sometimes is a couple of steps backwards, in terms of progress. I am wondering if I need to go and get a scan done to see if there any other issues

Second gym session

I decided to go to the gym this morning.  I woke up and my back was feeling stiff but I did my stretches in the morning and it eased up, so felt able to go to the gym.

Again, it was just another easy session where I did:
- 20mins walking on 15% @ 5kph
- 20mins recumbent cylcing.  10mins @ 10kph, and 10mins @ 6kph
- 2 lots of stretching.

I knocked down the speed on the recumbent half way through as I was feeling a bit of a pain.  Also, I decided not to do the X-trainer, following the discomfort I felt the other day.

I'm writing this from home just after the session and my back is feeling much better so I'm glad I went!

Treadmill not recommended by Physio?

In a bit of pain again this morning. Not sure if it's due to the gym session yesterday (even though I did take it very easy). I was planning another light session tomorrow morning, but I'll see how I get on.

One thing I forgot to mention from my Physio session is that the Physio mentioned that generally treadmills aren't recommended for running.  I have never come across this before - I had always thought that the general "give" in the treadmill was easier in the joints.  However, he was saying it isn't recommended because the fact that the treadmill comes towards you means it isn't the same action as when running on the road.  I'll need to investigate this a bit further, as I haven't come across this before.  He did say that the best use of a treadmill is stick it on the highest incline setting and walk, which is good for cardio in any case.

First gym session

I had a Physio session yesterday (my third session since being injured) and I was informed that I should be okay to go back the gym. At the Physio session I did a very light and short jog on the treadmill and had some pain, so he recommended that I not run for a while yet. He also said to start of slowly and build up gradually.

With that in mind, I completed:
- 15min walk on 15 (max) incline @ 4.8kph.
- 15min recumbent cycle @ 10kph.
- 10min cross trainer @ 10kph (felt some discomfort, so stopped)
- 2 lots of stretching

The Physio recommended leg curls for my hamstrings so I completed 2 sets of 10 reps on 25kg (which is light). I had some pain, so stopped after the two sets.

Anyway, it was good to be back and getting a sweat up, and getting my heart rate going. Much better than waking around the village anyway!

My first post - a bit about my running "career" and why I've been out for a few weeks

I am somewhat of a "reluctant runner".  In fact, it's only relatively recently that I've allowed myself to be called a "runner".  Somehow, for a lot of the time I do not "feel" like a runner - even though when I'm running I kind of look like a runner.

Up until about 5 years ago, I had hardly ran at all.  Then, at about the age of 30 something kind of crept up on me and I decided to give it ago.  I'm not saying I had the sudden urge like Forest Gump; my reason was much more simple than that - I needed to lose a bit of weight.  Before my wedding in 2005 I was of reasonable fitness and weight, but then between 2005 and 2006 I realised that I was putting on weight and decided to try and do something about it....running was the thing I decided to do.

I've hardly got a glowing career, but I completed my first Torbay Half Marathon in 2007, and completed it again in 2008 and 2009.  I then trained for and managed to complete the London Marathon in 2010 and completed the Dartmoor Vale half marathon in 2010 as well.  None of these have been great events in terms of time, but it helped keep the weight off and meant I could have a few beers and a mixed grill at the weekends without it really troubling me.  For the London Marathon, I had a separate blog, with the final entry available here.

Then, in 2011 I was entered into the Torbay Half Marathon again and 2 weeks prior I injured my back.  I'll never know now, but I was on for a PB (my current PB for the half is 1hr 55min) and I'm hoping to get back to that if possible and I still think I've got a 1hr 45min in me.  We'll see.

Since January 2011, I've also been doing some cycling and was up to about 25-30miles fairly comfortably.  There is a thought that although cycling is generally good for you, it may not be great if you have a bad back, so I'll have to continuously review how I'm feeling on the bike if/when I get back on the saddle

For the last few weeks, I've been doing lots of back stretching and also concentrating on my hamstrings which I've been told are very tight.  Tight hamstrings aren't good for a runner because they pull your hips forward, which in turn pulls your back out.

Reluctantly, I'm going to have to re-join the gym and slowly build up the fitness over the next few weeks.  I'll be blogging about how that goes....