Well the good news is that my physio doesn't think I have a stress fracture :-) He thinks that I have tendonitis (or is it tendonosis - I forget) in my hip flexors, TLF and/or psoas together with some irritation or inflammation in my hip socket. All I know is that 3mins 30sec running on the treadmill at the physio's on Monday just about crippled me for the next 48 hours. So...all future races have been wiped from my diary (again) & with a medium-term view in mind, we have kicked off "Operation - Rebuild Jen". I'll spend the next month - at least - focusing on rebuilding my recalcitrant "postural habits" (thanks ET) and body - which basically means not only strengthening my glutes & core but getting my glutes to fire when they are supposed to and getting my pelvis back to a more "runner friendly" angle. So ahead of me I've got a daily glute/core strengthening session, a trip to the gym 3 times a week for a few more quad/hammy/core exercises and (hopefully) a few very short runs. I'm not sure whether the bike will aggravate my hip or not but I'll find out this weekend. I'm also planning to get back in the pool a couple of times each week to try
and keep at least some degree of aerobic fitness.
Talk about Groundhog Dog. Ho hum. Still it will give me time to focus on a few other rewarding & fulfilling projects I have in mind....
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Home sweet home
Don't ask !
The battle of the flags...
Canola fields..
More canola...
What can I say - there was a lot of canola !
Meet Rocky...
and Bullwinkle :-)
Momma moose & baby moose
Sunset on Clear Lake in the Riding Mountains National Park
Dusk at Clear Lake
Saturday, July 21, 2007
I'm on the road again....
Sitting in the Plaza Premium lounge at Vancouver International airport. Happy days. Why there aren't more pay-per-use lounges in airports around the world is completely beyond me. All for the cost of $CAD30, I get unlimited food, drink & internet use, comfortable lounges to relax in (as opposed to the usual hard, uncomfortable plastic ones found in airports the world over) and - perhaps best of all - a shower; a particular favourite given that I'm already 10 hours into my journey home with another 5 hours here in Vancouver before my 19 hour flight home.
A crazy amount of travelling in a period of 10 days but completely worth it. There were tears when I left M & E this morning (both M's & mine) but plans are in the making for me to make a return visit for my first white Christmas. At least with the weather getting down to -50 degrees, there won't be much running on that trip either ;-)
A few photos to follow once I (get home before we return to regular broadcasting with a new blog name - Jen_swims.....
A crazy amount of travelling in a period of 10 days but completely worth it. There were tears when I left M & E this morning (both M's & mine) but plans are in the making for me to make a return visit for my first white Christmas. At least with the weather getting down to -50 degrees, there won't be much running on that trip either ;-)
A few photos to follow once I (get home before we return to regular broadcasting with a new blog name - Jen_swims.....
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Safe & sound eh?
Well I'm safe & sound and back in small town Manitoba after spending the last four days at the town of Wasagaming at Clear Lake in the Riding Mountains National Park. To use the word 'mountains' in the name of the national park is more a reflection of the fact that it is slightly elevated & somewhat hilly when compared to the rest of the province rather than as a descriptive term. The province of Manitoba is beautiful - dead flat, 'prairie' country with fields of canola, which flowers in an almost fluorescent yellow colour, in full bloom. Our cabin at the lake was beautiful and the lake itself is stunning - (as the name would suggest) clear and clean, surrounded by a national park full of elk, moose, deer, coyotes, bison and squirrells (all of which I've seen) and bears and skunks (which I didn't see). I've basically spent the last four days eating, drinking, sleeping, going on walks around the town (most of which included a trip to the ice cream shop), going on drives through the national park in the hope of seeing some of the wildlife & catching up with both families. The weather has also been perfect - Sunday morning we had rain (perfect for testing out the fireplace in the cabin & curling up in front of it with a good book) but otherwise the weather has been clear, still and in the high 20s to low 30s. After getting back this afternoon, we spent a couple of hours in deckchairs at M's place overlooking the river with a glass of vino - or two - in hand while the weather hovered in the mid-20s. Ahhhhhh. What a way to spend a week.
As I mentioned, there were fortunately no encounters with either bears or skunks - though the fact that I only ran once for 20mins somewhat reduced the odds. My hip is not happy - the less the said the better right now. I did make it to the gym on Friday for an upper body weights session and will get back there again before leaving for home on Friday. And yes, the gym is located in a women's clothing store. Strange but true. I've done nothing but eat since I got on the plane - E's mum is a great cook and has fed us pineapple upside-down cake, butter tarts, raspberry & coconut tarts and banana muffins to name a few things over the last few days. With my hip the way it is, it looks like I'll soon be a regular visitor at the pool to work off some of the weight that I've packed on. Oh well, life is short & I'm on holidays :-)
As I mentioned, there were fortunately no encounters with either bears or skunks - though the fact that I only ran once for 20mins somewhat reduced the odds. My hip is not happy - the less the said the better right now. I did make it to the gym on Friday for an upper body weights session and will get back there again before leaving for home on Friday. And yes, the gym is located in a women's clothing store. Strange but true. I've done nothing but eat since I got on the plane - E's mum is a great cook and has fed us pineapple upside-down cake, butter tarts, raspberry & coconut tarts and banana muffins to name a few things over the last few days. With my hip the way it is, it looks like I'll soon be a regular visitor at the pool to work off some of the weight that I've packed on. Oh well, life is short & I'm on holidays :-)
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Maple syrup, maple leaves & me - greetings from Canada !
Surprise :-)
I am writing this from the beautiful state of Manitoba in Canada. For those who don't know where that is, get an atlas ;-)
My "baby" brother and only sibling M turns 30 this Sunday. M moved to Canada last year to live with his Canadian girlfriend, E. We are a very close family so my folks decided that M couldn't celebrate his 30th birthday without them. Just after I got back from Nepal, I decided that there was no way I was missing out on the big party so I applied for unpaid leave & booked myself an expensive flight - 6 weeks, 5 plane meals, 4 hours hanging out in Vancouver airport, 3 flights and a 2 hour drive later, here I am :-)
I flew into Winnipeg (via Honolulu via Vancouver) after about 28 hours travelling at about 8pm last night (Thursday) where my folks were waiting to pick me up from the airport (they have been travelling in the USA for a few weeks) for the long drive to M's house. With the assistance of E, we had managed to keep our visit a sekrit so you can imagine my brother's surprise when he answered a late night knock at the front door and discovered my folks standing there - I was hiding in the garden around the corner & walked in the house about 5mins later for a second surprise :-) What came out of his mouth when he saw me will be part of family folklore for years to come ;-) Due to a distinct lack of annual leave, unfortunately I only have a few days here before heading home but my folks are staying for a few weeks before continuing their travels.
Of course it's summer over here at the moment which makes a nice change from Sydney's weather. Today it will be in the high 20s with weather in the 30s expected. Bewdiful :-)
Despite sitting on my butt for 30 odd hours to get here, my hip has improved considerably. I was tempted to head out for a run this morning but decided to give it another days rest & stretching before heading out for a short (test) run. I have been warned to keep an eye out for skunks when I do head out for a run. Ai ai ai. M & E live in a very small town - there is a 'gym' but it is apparently part of a woman's clothing store. Weird. I'll head down there a little later to do my physio-ordered stuff & an upper body weights session check it out.
We are heading off tomorrow to spend a couple of days at cabins by a lake in the national park a couple of hours drive away. Apparently the park has 400k of trails so finding somewhere to go for a run (assuming my hip co-operates) should not be difficult. However this is Canada and you know what that means...
Yes, that's right.
Bears.
Black bears to be precise.
Holy guacamole Batman.
I have closely studied the 'You are in Black Bear Country" brochure issued by the park, paying particular attention to the "If you encounter a bear" and "If an attack occurs" sections - did you know that there is a very big difference between what your response should be if it is a defensive or offensive attack? No? Me neither. I also have to carry a bear bell - yes a bell designed to warn bears of my presence in the area which makes an incredibly annoying yet hopefully effective noise. I must
say the prospect of coming across a brown snake along a trail somewhere close to home doesn't seem so scary anymore....
I'm off to have a jet-lag induced nana nap before getting ready for M's birthday party tonight. We are heading up to the park tomorrow morning so if a bear happens to mistake my bear bell for an announcement that 'dinner is served', it's been nice knowing y'all ;-)
I am writing this from the beautiful state of Manitoba in Canada. For those who don't know where that is, get an atlas ;-)
My "baby" brother and only sibling M turns 30 this Sunday. M moved to Canada last year to live with his Canadian girlfriend, E. We are a very close family so my folks decided that M couldn't celebrate his 30th birthday without them. Just after I got back from Nepal, I decided that there was no way I was missing out on the big party so I applied for unpaid leave & booked myself an expensive flight - 6 weeks, 5 plane meals, 4 hours hanging out in Vancouver airport, 3 flights and a 2 hour drive later, here I am :-)
I flew into Winnipeg (via Honolulu via Vancouver) after about 28 hours travelling at about 8pm last night (Thursday) where my folks were waiting to pick me up from the airport (they have been travelling in the USA for a few weeks) for the long drive to M's house. With the assistance of E, we had managed to keep our visit a sekrit so you can imagine my brother's surprise when he answered a late night knock at the front door and discovered my folks standing there - I was hiding in the garden around the corner & walked in the house about 5mins later for a second surprise :-) What came out of his mouth when he saw me will be part of family folklore for years to come ;-) Due to a distinct lack of annual leave, unfortunately I only have a few days here before heading home but my folks are staying for a few weeks before continuing their travels.
Of course it's summer over here at the moment which makes a nice change from Sydney's weather. Today it will be in the high 20s with weather in the 30s expected. Bewdiful :-)
Despite sitting on my butt for 30 odd hours to get here, my hip has improved considerably. I was tempted to head out for a run this morning but decided to give it another days rest & stretching before heading out for a short (test) run. I have been warned to keep an eye out for skunks when I do head out for a run. Ai ai ai. M & E live in a very small town - there is a 'gym' but it is apparently part of a woman's clothing store. Weird. I'll head down there a little later to do my physio-ordered stuff & an upper body weights session check it out.
We are heading off tomorrow to spend a couple of days at cabins by a lake in the national park a couple of hours drive away. Apparently the park has 400k of trails so finding somewhere to go for a run (assuming my hip co-operates) should not be difficult. However this is Canada and you know what that means...
Yes, that's right.
Bears.
Black bears to be precise.
Holy guacamole Batman.
I have closely studied the 'You are in Black Bear Country" brochure issued by the park, paying particular attention to the "If you encounter a bear" and "If an attack occurs" sections - did you know that there is a very big difference between what your response should be if it is a defensive or offensive attack? No? Me neither. I also have to carry a bear bell - yes a bell designed to warn bears of my presence in the area which makes an incredibly annoying yet hopefully effective noise. I must
say the prospect of coming across a brown snake along a trail somewhere close to home doesn't seem so scary anymore....
I'm off to have a jet-lag induced nana nap before getting ready for M's birthday party tonight. We are heading up to the park tomorrow morning so if a bear happens to mistake my bear bell for an announcement that 'dinner is served', it's been nice knowing y'all ;-)
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The nutcracker suite
I'm allowed to run Lulu but I can't because it (still) hurts to walk. My hip has however improved today but my plans to do the Bush Capital 25k are looking a little shaky right now - at the very least, I hope to be able to do the 16k option. Not being able to run or ride is really starting to annoy me - not least because I have been rather"undisciplined" when it comes to my eating habits since I got back from Nepal and I am about 2kgs heavier than I would like. Let's just say that watching yourself on a screen running on a treadmill wearing only a croptop & bike shorts is somewhat confronting.
I headed into the gym before work today for my glute/abs/quad/hammy physio-ordered session. I have to admit that I felt like a bit of a goose doing my 'movement exercises' in public. I'm basically trying to teach my body to (properly) transfer weight from one foot to the other. Who knew that I was able to get through 32 years of my life without knowing how ;-) I also spent 5mins on the treadmill practising my new running style. Don, it's not so much hips-forward as tilting my pelvis in the opposite direction to which it likes to sit,LOL. It feels very unco but the effects are immediately noticeable. The amount of rotation in my upper body - particularly in my arms - decreases considerably when I do it (properly). I was hoping to do an upper body weights session as well but ran out of time. After doing my glute/abs physio-ordered stuff at home on Tuesday night as well, my butt is toast - I think it's about to fall off in protest. One can only hope;-)
Thursday brings another long and busy day - is it too early to think about the weekend yet? :-)
I headed into the gym before work today for my glute/abs/quad/hammy physio-ordered session. I have to admit that I felt like a bit of a goose doing my 'movement exercises' in public. I'm basically trying to teach my body to (properly) transfer weight from one foot to the other. Who knew that I was able to get through 32 years of my life without knowing how ;-) I also spent 5mins on the treadmill practising my new running style. Don, it's not so much hips-forward as tilting my pelvis in the opposite direction to which it likes to sit,LOL. It feels very unco but the effects are immediately noticeable. The amount of rotation in my upper body - particularly in my arms - decreases considerably when I do it (properly). I was hoping to do an upper body weights session as well but ran out of time. After doing my glute/abs physio-ordered stuff at home on Tuesday night as well, my butt is toast - I think it's about to fall off in protest. One can only hope;-)
Thursday brings another long and busy day - is it too early to think about the weekend yet? :-)
Monday, July 09, 2007
Choc mud scones :-)
One of my many discoveries from the weekend.... ;-)
No Owly. Unfortunately the pinching in my hip didn't subside over the weekend so I had a very relaxing weekend, lounging around doing bugger all (except eating & drinking). Exactly what I needed after a few busy weeks.
I went to the physio this afternoon to go through the results of my biomechanical assessment. Ai ai ai. I have come away with a stack of glute, quad, hammy & abs strengthening exercises to do on a daily basis as well as a new running style which I need to practice on the treadmill at the gym. I basically need to focus on keeping my butt tucked in/under & is (surprisingly) bloody hard work right now. Of course I feel terribly unco. Still I have changed my running style before, I can do it again :-) Thankfully he didn't think it was necessary to back off the training at this stage so I still have my eye on W2B.
Another busy week ahead - I am itching to ride or run but think I will have to settle for working on my soon-to-be glutes/quads of steel & a few upper body weights session. At least the weather will warm up soon :-)
No Owly. Unfortunately the pinching in my hip didn't subside over the weekend so I had a very relaxing weekend, lounging around doing bugger all (except eating & drinking). Exactly what I needed after a few busy weeks.
I went to the physio this afternoon to go through the results of my biomechanical assessment. Ai ai ai. I have come away with a stack of glute, quad, hammy & abs strengthening exercises to do on a daily basis as well as a new running style which I need to practice on the treadmill at the gym. I basically need to focus on keeping my butt tucked in/under & is (surprisingly) bloody hard work right now. Of course I feel terribly unco. Still I have changed my running style before, I can do it again :-) Thankfully he didn't think it was necessary to back off the training at this stage so I still have my eye on W2B.
Another busy week ahead - I am itching to ride or run but think I will have to settle for working on my soon-to-be glutes/quads of steel & a few upper body weights session. At least the weather will warm up soon :-)
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Muse me
Thankfully a quiet week after the craziness of the last few weeks. I felt really tired & flat all week - not surprising I suppose given that the alarm went off at 3.20am on Monday morning so I would be ready for my 3.50am transfer from our hotel at Main Beach to the airport for my 6am flight! Needless to say, Monday was a long day at work...
After my run on Tuesday I have been experiencing some pinching in my hip - it feels like the head of my femur & hip socket aren't getting on very well - so except for an upper body weights session on Thursday, I've rested all week. R & I are heading down to Shellharbour for the weekend - my running shoes are packed but right now, I think the odds are stacked against a long run. Oh well, I'll just have to stay in bed instead ;-)
Today I went to see a physio recommended by Easy Tiger for a biomechanical assessment. ET suggested that while I was (relatively) injury-free, it might be a good time to get an assessment as he isn't convinced (nor am I) that we have solved the underlying source/cause of my (persistent) injury problems. I am very impressed with the physio - he takes a holistic approach (training, strengthening and running style) rather than just focusing on the symptoms. I'm heading back to see him on Monday to go through the footage he took of me running on the treadmill today & a program. I'm feeling positive that finally we might just be getting to source of my underlying problems - then look out world ;-P
After my run on Tuesday I have been experiencing some pinching in my hip - it feels like the head of my femur & hip socket aren't getting on very well - so except for an upper body weights session on Thursday, I've rested all week. R & I are heading down to Shellharbour for the weekend - my running shoes are packed but right now, I think the odds are stacked against a long run. Oh well, I'll just have to stay in bed instead ;-)
Today I went to see a physio recommended by Easy Tiger for a biomechanical assessment. ET suggested that while I was (relatively) injury-free, it might be a good time to get an assessment as he isn't convinced (nor am I) that we have solved the underlying source/cause of my (persistent) injury problems. I am very impressed with the physio - he takes a holistic approach (training, strengthening and running style) rather than just focusing on the symptoms. I'm heading back to see him on Monday to go through the footage he took of me running on the treadmill today & a program. I'm feeling positive that finally we might just be getting to source of my underlying problems - then look out world ;-P
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Living strong
Thanks for the toast Cirque ;-)
Not long after my post on Saturday, Cirque & I left Brisvegas & headed for the Gold Coast. Just as we arrived at Main Beach, we spotted Nando, Rags & Ellie out for a stroll. After lunch with them and some time spent by the pool reading the paper (ah, love Qld in winter!), it was off to the surf club for dinner. Sunday morning was a typical morning for a CR cheerleader - early start, walk to the start & then 5+ hours of cheering at the GCM. It's funny - people kept asking me why I wasn't running. For once I could say that I wasn't injured ;-) But having done all of my long runs on trails over the last 4 weeks has really reaffirmed that road races hold absolutely no appeal for me - if I have choice (as I did this weekend) between a trail run & a (road) race, well there really is no contest.
After the race it was back to the unit for a shower before heading back to the surf club for some more food (an overwhelming theme of the weekend) and catching up with some of my favourite CRs. I had a wonderful weekend though it was somewhat overshadowed by news that a friend had a rather nasty stack off his bike on Sunday - thankfully he is ok :-)
Today I was very tempted to stay in bed but managed to drag myself out just after 5am for an easy 30mins. A few lil tight spots but nothing that an hour with the Tiger didn't solve. Finished with 4.59km in 30:12mins (av 6:34m/k).
MTD: 4.59K
Not long after my post on Saturday, Cirque & I left Brisvegas & headed for the Gold Coast. Just as we arrived at Main Beach, we spotted Nando, Rags & Ellie out for a stroll. After lunch with them and some time spent by the pool reading the paper (ah, love Qld in winter!), it was off to the surf club for dinner. Sunday morning was a typical morning for a CR cheerleader - early start, walk to the start & then 5+ hours of cheering at the GCM. It's funny - people kept asking me why I wasn't running. For once I could say that I wasn't injured ;-) But having done all of my long runs on trails over the last 4 weeks has really reaffirmed that road races hold absolutely no appeal for me - if I have choice (as I did this weekend) between a trail run & a (road) race, well there really is no contest.
After the race it was back to the unit for a shower before heading back to the surf club for some more food (an overwhelming theme of the weekend) and catching up with some of my favourite CRs. I had a wonderful weekend though it was somewhat overshadowed by news that a friend had a rather nasty stack off his bike on Sunday - thankfully he is ok :-)
Today I was very tempted to stay in bed but managed to drag myself out just after 5am for an easy 30mins. A few lil tight spots but nothing that an hour with the Tiger didn't solve. Finished with 4.59km in 30:12mins (av 6:34m/k).
MTD: 4.59K
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