Scaphoid

Well, as I write this it is two weeks on from the Great Forest Run, and two weeks before my next race, and my running plans are in tatters.

Last Tuesday, my Mum was trying to get Zac dressed for school, and he was not being at all co-operative. He twisted out of her arms, and she fell over and landed on her left wrist, unfortunately breaking the scaphoid bone. Well, that was the initial diagnosis… she was later told that it wasn’t broken, or that it might be. Time will tell… and further x-rays in a couple of weeks.

Poor Mum – for her it means pain, a plaster-cast, potentially no driving for at least 4 weeks (if it is broken), difficulty dressing etc.

For me, it means (as well as feeling very guilty, and sorry for Mum) a change in my training plans, as she often looks after Lily-Rose in the mornings so I can go for a run. Obviously she won’t be able to do that for a while, so I have had to mainly stick to the treadmill at the gym, but also to get creative and try something new…

So, these last few weeks in September have looked a little like this:

Monday 13th: 5k on the treadmill (3.1 miles)
Tuesday 14th: Same again

Thursday 16th: I tried something different! My friend Dave, who also has a severely autistic son, competes in races, running whilst pushing Jacob along in his special needs buggy. He often runs in 10k events and still manages to complete in under 60 minutes, despite the extra weight of a 9 year old boy in a very heavy buggy. (I am in awe.) So, taking inspiration from my friend, I decided to go for a “buggy run” with Lily-Rose, along my favourite riverside route, the Millennium Walkway.

It was a very different experience running whist pushing a pushchair because 1) the extra weight obviously makes it much more challenging, and 2) having to hold the buggy handles the whole time means not using your arms to run, and this makes the whole thing feel very unnatural and awkward.

However, I managed 2.2 miles, which is not bad for starters. I think it’s probably good stamina training anyway, and I will be trying it again. The good news is Lily-Rose absolutely LOVED it.

Friday 17th: Made it to the gym twice in one day! 5k x 2.
Tuesday 21st: 7k (4.3 miles) at the gym.
Wednesday 22nd: 5k at the gym.

Saturday 25th: Finally a proper outside run, on a very cold autumnal day. I ran my 5 mile Viaduct route, crossing the River Medway at two points. It was just a fantastic run… the cold weather was perfect, meaning I didn’t overheat, and the views were amazing as usual, but something just “clicked” and I felt full of energy and ran the whole way without slowing to a walk at all, even on the steepest of hills. I wish I knew what the ingredients were for a good “running day”, because this is how it should always feel.

Tuesday 28th: 7k (4.3 miles) at the gym.

Well, that brings me up to date. I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep running enough over the next few weeks, that the Petts Wood 10k race on 10th October will be comfortably manageable. I will be hoping for another sub-60 time, and possibly a new personal best. But it all depends on how much training I can put in, and that all depends on the scaphoid bone of a certain lovely Grandmother!

Distance run (in miles) since 11th September: 31.3
Total miles for September: 60.9
Total since starting blog (21/6/10): 259.4