Rattling around

cast number 4, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

Rattling around inside the cast.....might need a new one. Rattling around inside the house. Might need to get out!!

Eating my way out of trouble

Who ate all the pies?, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

Managing a return from injury is particularly difficult over the festive period, especially with a broken leg. All manner of situations arise with the notion of no outlet to burn off excess calories.

Luckily, I have taken to a mild exercise regime of crunches, dips, arm curls, stretches and crutch walking. In true OCD fashion I have generated a spreadsheet to chart my progress and to better myself on a daily basis. Body mass has dropped in recent weeks although I am not convinced that this is due to muscle wastage or the effect of reducing intake of food, particularly red meat. I seem to crave chicken and cheese, although not at the same time and I am sure the vitamin supplements, green tea and ginseng are going to help.

It has been a great opportunity to catch up on the blogs of other marathoners and ultra runners.

Pinned Down

X-Ray of tibia, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

Well I finally had my second appointment at King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, London today. This is the internal outcome. The consultant stated that the bones have meshed together well and it is unlikely that I will need another operation as yet. The maisonneuve fracture of the fibula will heal naturally.

There was a lot of blood loss at the time of operation to cast 3 (the orange one) and this was highlighed when the cast came off, my foot was sat in a pool of dried blood which took the nurse some 20 minutes to clean off. Some of the pain I was experiencing over the last few days was due to skin deterioration being next to wet dressings, some due to shrinkage within the cast due to swelling reduction and some due to lack of hardcore pain relief.

My next set of x-rays are on 10th January. No weight-bearing until this date and with some intensive physio needed between then and the next few months, I think I will be running possibly between easter and the summer.

There are some obvious things I miss. Getting out to run 50 miles a week being the major one, but work, standing up to cook, going to the pub, even getting out of the house. I am working a few hours a day via email but it is really slow going owing to the painkillers monging me out.

Still, I read Dave Immune clocked a 3.18 marathon. Wow! The guy is literally....Immune!

I think for me, the idea of a marathon this year is fanciful, and I need to just get back on my feet before I start making plans. The quadricep muscle after 12 days of non-use has virtually disappeared. However, the pectorals, with the use of the crutches are firming up. Lets look on the bright side!

Break for months

Ultramarathons over for 6 months, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

After a lovely 20 snow run on tuesday as work shut early due to snow I went down to the shops on weds eve after a short recovery run. 150 metres from the hous I slipped on the ice and something bizarre happened. I felt like I had passed out, all sweaty and hot but awoke on the pavement. As I attempted to get up my leg bent in the middle around about the bit that was hurting when I was lying on the floor and I went down again. Concious that I had twisted an ankle I hobled home but had to crawl on hands and knees. I sat up in the lounge of the new house Susie and I had bought 4 days prior to this moment. Susie in Malaysia at Chris and Penny's wedding I panicked and phoned Glen and Sue to take me to hospital but they were snowed in.

After a call to a cab firm I found myself passing out in the King's College Hospital A&E and was quickly taken to X-Ray and was administered painkillers. Morphine and a drip later I was flat out in a resus room and was told that I would need to stay over for an operation. I thought I had twisted an ankle but oddly, after a second set of X-Rays I had discovered I had a compound fracture of the distal tibia, fracture of the upper tibia and Maisonneuve (spiral) fracture of the fibila and ligament damage. 3 days later I left the fantastic nurses and consultants in the Matthew Whiting wing of Kings Hospital. Having had 4 titanium screws to bolt back together the tibia and 3 casts, one after another to hold together the shattered leg but with removals for a severed vein, I left hospital with the knowledge that I would at worst be on crutches for 6 months and at best 3-4 months.

I can't believe that after consideration for the SDW and NDW double 100 milers in July and August 2011 and some BGR recces, that I will be just coming back to walking by that time next year.

Next time I want to pop out for some garlic brea, a pizza and a bottle of wine, I will stay at home and wrap up warm.

There is only PMA in my head as for 2012 I am going to do 2 100 milers and aim for a top 20 at the Ridgeway UK ultra distance championships. Until then I must only dream. But dream I will......

Race report: Founders Marathon

At the end of the Founders Marathon, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

It is with some trepidation that one enters a XC marathon with no marshalls and a set of directions with no more than 30 miles a week under ones belt 8 weeks after the Ridgeway but bumping into a couple of familiar faces after a cold start cheered me up.

I caught up with Irish Tom who just made it to the start. Some runners had gone off early but a small field left for a lung-bursting 2 mile uphill from the start line at Peaselake Memorial Hall in the Surrey Hills. 3 runners went off like the clappers up the hill, then followed by a couple. I presume they were all on the marathon, rather than the shorter loop of 16.

Tom and I settled down with a group of about 12 runners who, apart from the faster few were at the head of the field. The directions are always going to slow you down and more heads are better than one. It is so easy to go wrong. Having said that, we made a steady pace towards CP1. The weather warmed from a chilly 1 degree and the presence of the sun and the hills meant that I was glad I left the extra longsleeve in the car.

After CP1 the field began to split. I was aware that the field was stringing out and out group had pulled clear of the rest of the field. Tom stated at the end that he thought I had chosen to go hard and break the group. I was not aware of doing this but was running on feeling, with the Garmin tucked under my ronhill. We ran and chatted and soom enough, caught the 100 marathoners that went off half an hour before us. CP2 was full of lovely sandwiches, biscuits and crisps. Filling up on water bottles and we were off.

Tiredness inevitably crept in and we went wrong. Twice. We added at least 2 extra miles and at Friday Street, were caught by the fastest of the leading pack, who were in fact, 2 chaps who went off 5 mins before the start.

We dropped them again and after literally a minute at CP3, hot footed it up the steep hills to the end. Some of the hills were more like scrambles and the heavy rain had made the pathways rubbly and dangerous but we were better than that. At the finish we signed in, to find ourselves equal 6th. No other runners made it under 5 hours and fair play as it was a tough and technical challenge.

Cider at the finish to watch the rest over the line was the order of the day

Coming to an end

Sunset from Peckham, originally uploaded by ultraBobban.

The year is coming to an end and although the mojo is back, I am just not putting in the miles. Time is the biggest blocker here. Work pressures and all of the things that allowed me to run long have gone on the back burner for the moment. I can easily do 10-12 miles running back to back mon-weds but consistency and the LSRs on a saturday morning just are not happening. Still, 14th Founders Challenge tomorrow and hopefully all will be fine. Something that I am looking forward to, despite all of this rain.

It has been an incredible year. It looks like there will be 11 marathons and ultras for this year, with Founders and Portsmouth Waterside coming up in the next few weeks.

The notion of getting faster was potentially my goal for 2011. I am back running with the elite group at the club, although not comfortably. I guess there are 3 issues here: 1, improving VO2 max; 2, speedwork down at the track (no way!); and 3, mind over matter. Building the confidence is a lot of the problem with quicker running. However, I am now committed to the Thames Trot 50 in feb and the SDW 103 in July. These are my goals for the first part of 2011. Heck, I might even have another pop at the Ridgeway.......but I would like to get an overseas marathon in too.