Tag: running

Ankle

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As some of you may already know, I had a bit of a tumble while out running this morning. My right foot found a well concealed pothole on Rhodes Drive near Kirstenbosch and I went A over T.
A quick phone call to my wonderful wife and the family ambulance – complete with concerned junior technicians – came to pick me up and get me to the local ER.

No visible fracture to the sickeningly swollen right ankle, but either a Grade 2 or Grade 3 ligament tear. Cue Tramadol, crutches, bandage and RICE, together with a suggestion to contact the Orthopod tomorrow to see if it needs surgery.

This year’s 2 Oceans suddenly looks a bit of a stretch – which ironically is something I really can’t do right now. 

“Fun” “Run”

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I’m getting up at 0530 on the last day of my summer holiday to do a Fun Run tomorrow. It’s just 5km and it seems very poorly organised, but – thanks to the handy addition of some residing grandparents – it’s one of the very few chances that myself and Mrs 6k get to run together, so it has to be done.

On the upside, it will also give our resident mosquitoes less opportunity to feast upon me. On the downside, I’ve been using that lack of available blood as a fairly believable excuse for some poor average times lately.

So yes, it seems annoying to get up so early for such a short run, but at least we’ll be done before it gets ridiculously hot. We braved the Waterfront earlier and were amazed at the number of roasted tourists. It’s been a very warm December. Thankfully, there are still 13 weeks for it to cool down before the Two Oceans.

Test drive

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What with one thing and another, but mainly just one thing, I never got around to uploading those photos from yesterday and so, no, you can’t see them.

I did test my new RunMix 02 today. It was a weird run.
Usually, when I’m getting tired, I tell my legs that I want them to keep going and then they keep going. This morning, they were being totally ungovernable. I was unimpressed.

I also discovered that running while listening to music can be quite dangerous. Not the whole “you might not hear a car coming” thing – I mean, how’s that going to help you anyway? I’d rather not know I’m going to die. Horribly. Under the wheels of an ageing Toyota Corolla.

No, the danger comes when you’re heading downhill (steep downhill) and Muse’s Map of the Problematique comes on. I couldn’t slow down. Does the 60kph speed limit only apply to vehicles? I could have stuck that song on repeat and run forever.

So here’s my question for you – what other songs will give me that feeling?

I sense a sub-10 minute Two Oceans coming up in 2013…

Just Did It

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I couldn’t have wished for a better race this morning. Aside from the weather, which hit hard as I headed up the infamous Southern Cross Drive, making everyone look like they had literally been dumped in a swimming pool, everything went according to my plan, such as it was. I finished my first (and last) Two Oceans Half Marathon in about  two hours and twenty minutes.

Before the rain hit, I was lucky enough to have some awesome support from my wife and kids at the top of Edinburgh Drive. There’s something very reassuring about watching your 5 year old son knocking back sachets of Energade at 6:30 in the morning and knowing that you don’t have to deal with the consequences. Running down the M3 seemed like a breeze compared with that.

My concerns about my dodgy right calf proved unfounded (although I ran with it strapped) and after a very slow start due to 15,999 other idiots out there, I got into a rhythm of between 6 and 6:30 minutes per kilometre and kept it there. The weather was outrageous: we were running through ankle deep water at times and watching bins floating down the gutters on Rhodes Avenue. Even the finishing straight on UCT sports field was covered in puddles and I got there much earlier than a lot of people (who, admittedly, were running a lot further than I was).

My headphones gave up at about 12km, my GPS at exactly 18.2km and me just about at the finish line. Perfectly paced by one out of three anyway.

After the finish, I found that the shuttle buses back to the start were non-existent and so I had to walk 3km back there (fortunately all downhill) and then cycle home from there (another 3.5km, all uphill). That 6.5km is probably why I’m feeling so broken right now. I got home at about 9:30, very cold, very wet and very cold.

After a quick shower and some breakfast, we headed up to watch the Insurance Guy come through Kirstenbosch in equally appalling conditions to finish his tenth Ultra (56km), putting my sense of achievement firmly in perspective.

But I’m contented enough. And I don’t ever have to do that again.

Happy days.

Up The Hill

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I’ve been doing a little more running over the past month or so. I’m not pretending I’m very good at it or even that I enjoy it, but after yesterday’s milestone, I almost got one of my own today:

10.01km; 1:00:28; +334m

That included the jog up from Wynberg Main Road to Kirstenbosch top gate, so I’m not too upset with the time.

But still…

Next time…