Progress remains slow but is progress none the less. It doesn't help matters to do stupid things like lifting heavy weights beyond your capacity, which rather has a tendancy to undo in an instant all the good work one has put in over recent weeks. Especially stupid when the heavy weight in question has wheels on it to preclude the need to pick it up at all. Dumb. Anyway, a gingerly prodding and poking of various body parts this morning suggests I may have got away with it this time. MLCWife suggested stupidity is one of my strong points, which is a kind of drive by insult. I was impressed. Until I realised what she really meant. By which time she was gone. Clever girl
Anyway/how here we are yet again in another new year. December was a pretty good month for me in running terms. A useful, moderately solid running base on which to build an even better and more useful January. And from there, assuming all goes well (i.e. I don't go lifting heavy weights beyond my capacity etc.) I can then start planning some races, undoubtedly with enormous inspiration provided by all the tremendous race reports of the warrior RC runners putting in the big yards in the coming northern spring
This Sunday sees the running of the local marathon here in Hobart (the one that starts aand finishes at the Cadbury chocolate factory) - sadly once again without moi as a participant. But that only stirs me on with greater determination to get on with the training. There's also a big Commonwealth Games qualifying meet this Friday which I plan to attend (as spectator, obviously) which should help. You can't have too much motivation I reckon!
Spent an hour being tortured by the lovely Rebecca yesterday. Despite the pain and torment however she did come up with a plausible diagnosis of my dodgy knees ... [boring diagnosis alert] ... which is that due to skeletal misalignment of my legs, I am splay footed which has caused my knees to turn inward and my illotibial bands to be too tight, forcing excessive pressure on my knee joints and cartilage. The left one, in particular, has some degeneration but the good news is that she doesn't think this can't be overcome, and that therefore I should be able to continue running! Yea! It will however require a long and arduous (my opinion, not hers) exercise regime.
It was really nice to have someone say "yep, that shouldn't be a problem" rather than the doctor's "oh no, you should stop running - and that knee will need replacing in a few years". Admittedly was my GP's idea to go to a sports physio in the first place - something I should have done over a year ago really
[Rant alert] Rebecca was also surprisingly forthright on a couple of issues of interest to the runner. Here's a couple of rough for instances: I mentioned pilates, which she damned with faint praise, effectively saying that it was worth doing in an holistic kind of way, but only after you've done all the worthwhile stretching and strength exercises prescribed by your physio. Fair 'nuff I thought. And on the subject of shoes, I was bemoaning the fact that every shoe salesperson has a different idea about what shoes I should be using. What she then said about shoes and feet was so knowledgable and sensible that it made me think that next time I buy shoes, I'll have her go with me - expensive perhaps, but it makes sense. My wife is a 'cello teacher, and goes with her students when they buy an instrument to make sure they get the right "fit". Why let some shoe shop kid with a bias toward bigger commissions and/or a quick sale fob you off with an inferior shoe? [End of rant].
But on the whole, a very positive day. My health fund even coughed up for most of the physio's fee (well, slightly over half of it anyhow). Now if I could just get them to pay for my shoes as well...
Sports physios rule, for sure.
I suffered badly with knotted hammies early on last year. My SP (not to be confused in any way with Mrs SP's SP) was wonderful, offering all sorts of remedial torture laced with generous encouragement. She was, like Rebecca, quite lovely. I suspect these are really Runners' Angels, sent down to Earth to bring hope to the terminally optimistic. Bless 'em.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Didn't I tell you to get a second opinion about a year ago...??
If I didn't, I certainly meant to.
It's something I picked up from the Hal Higdon forum when I used to post there. The realisation that runners tend not to listen to their doctors; they just look for another doctor. Then another, and another... and eventually they'll find one who says, yeah, go ahead.
Seriously, the minimum wisdom seems to be: find a doctor who runs. The rest of them will be too cautious and full of (probably unintentional) prejudices like "Why the hell would he want to run a marathon anyway?" Particularly in the USA, they tend to be paranoid about being sued for giving the wrong advice, and are therefore over-cautious.
Anyway, great to have you back. Maybe we'll do that Hobart Marathon one day.....
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
I havn't had to deal with much injury so far; but I'd hope I would have the same pragmatic, long-term view that you've got mate. All the best.
Talking of running angels. May I introduce you to Sunita. For three quid this charming young women will come round to your flat (as she did last night) and fix your aching muscles in a haze of rubs, thumps and cupped slaps. Never have hands so tiny delivered such a thorough assessment of my muscular framework. This, followed by a bottle of Kingfisher Strong. I like this taper business.
Had to forego my usual long walk to work this morning due to warningly strong pain in the left kneecap. This seems to have been brought on not by yesterday's "long" run (I shan't embarrass myself by stating the distance in the current climate of long run warriors), but by the torture regime imposed by my running angel Rebecca. Just at this point in time I must confess I'm thinking Sunita looks the better bet
However. This is a new pain, not the deep-in-the-joint pain I normally get. Which is the idea, generally - to strengthen otherwise little used areas that is. Perhaps I just need to ease back a bit.
Other than that, the running is basically "on track". One month in to my running resurrection, and I have only missed one scheduled run, due to extreme heat which coincided with Christmas jollies anyway. Phew. Very slow progress, and it will be a long time before I'm running any significant distances but it's great to be plodding at all, so I'm happy.
The Athletics season down here has been embroiled in controversy, with at least two track races going an extra lap due to the officials losing count! One was a final, with a visiting American runner sprinting to win the race, only to hear the 1-lap-to-go bell as he crossed the line! He ran the extra lap but not surprisingly lost. Officials admitted their mistake, but still awarded the race to the winner of the last lap. Thankfully they didn't make the same mistake at the running of the local marathon yesterday, which is two laps of a half marathon course! A tad over 50 people finished the race - the winner in 2:43, and the last runner coming in at 5:18.
Sigh. Next year. You up for it SP? Think of the chocolate
I'm currently drooling at the thought of "The comeback kid(ess)" Martina Hingis vs "The most stylish backhand in women's tennis" Justin Henin-Aardvark (or something ) in the first round of the Aussie Open!
After a long day at work, and then some some tedious chores, I ventured into a deli/grocer/wine merchant I had seen and heard about several times but never been into before. It was a beauty, and I arrived home with somewhat more than I had anticipated. Being a stunningly gorgeous day, I sat on the deck watching the yachts on the river and feasting on triple-cream Brie, pesto-stuffed olives, thin slices of salami and a brilliant loaf of kibble rye.
And so my great dietary intentions went out the window, er, off the deck in one fell swoop. I was restrained however - with the Lovely Rebecca's Daily Torture Regimen still to do, I held back on the booze, tempting though it was to crack a nice bottle of something.
And eventually I did go through the torture, and I'm pleased to say my knee has now almost fully recovered from yesterday's worry. So maybe the triple cream Brie was just what I needed.
Not sure if you know the story of that picture, MLCMan.
Chas and Sons were on a skiing sojourn in Europe last year. They posed for their obligatory photocall with the Rat Pack, amongst whom sat Nicholas Witchell, BBC Newsreader and rouge-rugged Royal Correspondent for said Corporation.
This photo captures the moment the Future Monarch was clearly heard to mutter 'Bloody people. I can't bear that man. I mean he's so awful, he really is.'in the direction of the aforementioned Gingernut. The remark was recorded and broadcast to the nation. Much merry-making there was in the BBC Newsroom.
Witchell is known amongst his colleagues as 'The Poisoned Carrot' or, more recently, as the Ginger Weed, after his recent reports on the "Jangaweed" militia in Sudan. Poor chap.
Paul Scholes not withstanding red-headed chaps tend to get a bad press.
Red-headed women on the hand . . . a different kettle of fish altogther
By the way, there's a groundswell of conspiracy theorist conjecture suggesting Oscar-laden animator Nick Park based the rugged good looks of his lead character Wallace on the Heir to the British Throne. I don't know if it's true but the following montage seems to point in that direction . . .
[SIZE="1"]Below: Evidence for the 'Wallace based on Charles' claims . . . and the put-upon Witchell[/SIZE]
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Another good run yesterday - the km's are starting to rack up gratifyingly now, and I'm even beginning to discover a bit of the old running form... touch wood.
Another near dietary disaster last night, with friends from out of town flying in for a quick visit, which necessitated dinner at a nice Italian restaurant (do they have Australian restaurants in Italy?) ... very noice, and I was reasonably restrained in that I did without the usual garlic bread and had no entree, although I did have a wicked baked cheesecake dessert. But get this - we had only one bottle of wine between the three of us! Am I taking this training thing seriously or what?!
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January Jollies
) in the first round of the Aussie Open! 
![[Image: charles2.jpg]](http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2005/04/01/charles2.jpg)