Month: January 2019

29 Jan – JCR Is On The Road Again

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Strictly speaking, this is not exactly true, but the Physio has confirmed I can try a little run, no more than 25% of my usual distance and I must rest for 24 hours minimum afterwards.

This coupled with Mr JCR acting as a muscly stretching person on my unwilling legs and an introductory course of Pilates, is supposedly going to get me back to normal. Hurrah. (I’m trying to forget the squats instructions…)

As to the dodgy shoulder, that’s a longer game, Mert and Victor and Raffaella are going to continue to see me weekly for at least a couple of months to come. As I don’t run with my shoulder, that’s a little less of an issue, although the injury is more severe, but it is going to curtail any thoughts of boxing for a while.

A little ray of sunshine pierced through the injury gloom, and the blooming flowers in the park on the way home, made me feel quite optimistic.

From a Couch to 5K member, to a 2000km runner, I am now back to doing just 2kms, but it’s 2kms more than I’ve been able to do for almost four weeks now.

If the Beast from the East is returning for me, I’m ready and waiting – trainers are on standby.

 

 

 

18 Jan – MVP Awards

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A long while ago in JCR time, Mr JCR introduced me to the concept of an MVP in relation to American Football – the Most Valued Player Award. Last Thursday I went to London Met University for my shoulder and hip physio, to help me with the hotly anticipated boxing debut as in JanCanBox and back to JanActuallyCanRun status.

When I was looking for a pic for MVP, of course you can get famous sportspeople, but I’ve found MVP stands for many other things too:-

  • Minimum Viable Product
  • Mitral Valve Prolapse – don’t fancy that one much, whatever it is
  • Most Valuable Point
  • Monster Versus Player (video gaming apparently)
  • Most Valuable Poet

I have as you might expect my own definitions:-

MVP = Most Violent Physiotherapists

or

MVP =Mert, and Victor Perfect Physios okay it’s more a MVPP

I’ve been told I can run, just take it easily and wait until the hip pain/soreness subsides. Four days later, I know it’s still sore, so I am not running. But pain before gain is my hope. And another physio session beckons this week, so fingers, toes and legs crossed I start feeling better, as my running gear still is whispering curses every time I walk past it.

 

 

 

 

16 Jan – Preparation for Running

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As I can’t actually run until I’ve seen the gruesome twosome of Mut and Victor tomorrow at the Physios, I have to do something else.

Therefore I have put my mind to overcoming the upcoming Blue Monday – which is January 21st.

And this is what I’ve got:-

In 2005, British psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall came up with a formula to predict when we feel the post Christmas blues at its worst. It generally falls on the third Monday of January every year – so-called Blue Monday which is 21st January this year.

The formula is: [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA.

Here’s what it all means:

W = Weather

d = Debt

T = time since Christmas

Q = time since failing New Year’s resolutions

M = low motivational levels

Na = Need to take action

I am suggesting a new day for C25Kers or runners in general, instead of Blue Monday how about we have  Wonderful Wednesday? The day when we create a brand new playlist for running, and hopefully we are so energised by the thought that we are on a musical high and sail through Blue Monday, not noticing it at all. I accept a playlist may not get you over all the horrid news around, but a little distracting tactic is never a bad thing in my view.

My Wonderful Wednesday ‘formula’ is

CR X TPL = H

Couch 25K/Runners multiplied by tracks on playlist = Happiness.

To all fellow retro runners, we needed a theme that made us feel happy with get up and go, so my proposed theme for all your wonderful ideas is 70s and 80s Dancefloor Anthems. And I’ve started us off with my favourites:-

DISCO – Ottawan

War and Eye To Eye Contact – Edwin Starr

Might Real – Sylvester

Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talking’, Saturday Night Fever – Bee Gees

Tainted Love – Soft Cell

Boogie Wonderland – Earth Wind and Fire

Hot Stuff – Donna Summer

Le Freak – Chic

Celebration Kool and the Gang

Looking forward to seeing those Wonderful Wednesday song suggestions, for when I can return to running

JCR X

 

14 Jan – Hey Fatty Bum Bum

jancanrun
brown and white bear plush toy
This bear sums up my physical state…

As of today, I haven’t run for quite a while, which is not good. I can feel my waistline expanding each day of inactivity.

My list of ‘ailments’ include:-

  1. migraine (same old, same old)
  2. a dodgy hip that hurts permanently
  3. a kidney infection requiring antibiotics
  4. soon to be unfrozen shoulder (I hope)
  5. newly diagnosed very high cholesterol count

I have a feeling that my bod has decided to allow all the ailments in, now that the challenge has finished. Luckily, I do have a fix list

  1. New migraine treatment, which should prevent rather than cure them
  2. Physiotherapy at London Metropolitan with the two heavies Mut and Victor
  3. Antibiotics – 3 days down, 4 more to go
  4. See fix number two
  5. A promise to my GP to watch my diet and we re-test in a month

1-4 not really in my control, but number 5, I have a feeling the chocolate, cheese and rich food feasting over Christmas and New Year may have taken their toll, at least I’m hoping that’s the reason. Or maybe throughout the year my Kardashian kulo was growing due to dairy intake and not because of running muscle gain?

I really couldn’t face doing dry January, nor Veganuary, so am settling for reduced booze, chocolate, cheese, red meat, and doing meat free Mondays. I am now on Day 4 of the new regime, I hope to goodness this works!

Thursday we are meeting our friend Pete for a meal at Foxlow – the master of beef cookery in Clerkenwell. P just donated to my challenge, bringing my funds raised to just over £2,500 before tax relief, so I feel that a bit of indulgence won’t hurt, if it’s red meat just once in a week.

Any ideas for veggie recipes that are interesting, don’t involve hours worth of chopping and don’t rely on cheese or cream to make them tasty? On the banned list are the following:-

  1. Cream
  2. Butter
  3. Milk
  4. Eggs
  5. Cheese
  6. Yoghurt
  7. Red meat – beef, lamb, pork, prosciutto, bacon, sausages
  8. Anything yummy, such as cake, chocolate brownies, Portugese Custard Tarts

I found a glorious shepherd’s pie recipe, but it involved copious amounts of potatoes, butter and cheese. Back to the drawing board JCR. We actually ate lentil ragu and spaghetti tonight- I’m trying to convince myself it was yummy, but in truth, at best it was edible. If it was summer, then no problem, bring on the salads and loads of fish. But winter I crave something comforting and warming.

Ho hum, I think January will involve eating sandpaper, aggressive broccoli and lentils –  fingers crossed that this does the job and my GP doesn’t decide I need more drugs. I have this horror of having the daily pill list 😦

Any positive non cholesterol oriented vibes you can send, would be much appreciated.

 

 

8 Jan – Jan What’s The Plan?

jancanrun
person holding pen drawing on paper
If only I had a plan…

This was what my fishmonger asked me, having expressed surprise that I was still running, despite having met my 2018km Alzheimer’s Challenge.

And I don’t have one – yet. Clearly I can’t run 2019ms in 2019, otherwise last year’s effort won’t be a standout achievement and as I am typing this with a runner’s ailment beginning with a ‘p’, most probably caused by overrunning, then I need a new one.

I have a variety of things to consider:-

I like running – mainly because I can do it

I have kettlebells – vampire kettlebells hiding in the wardrobe, as I have a frozen shoulder type issue and my left arm can just about pick a flower up, therefore one side kettlebell training is not great

I quite fancy a go at boxing (not with people, just a punchbag) – but see above re dodgy shoulder

My core is a soft squidgy excuse of a core and if I had a stronger one then I could be a better runner

I appear to have a running ailment requiring physio

I’ve almost persuaded myself to run a half marathon in aid of dementia in Italy and more to the point invited Gill my running buddy to join me.

Therefore, my ‘plan’ such as it is, is:-

  • get the ‘p’ ailment sorted
  • get the shoulder sorted
  • start doing some non-running exercise as determined by a physio/personal trainer
  • then work on the half marathon training

10th January update – I have now been to physio (big shout out to London Metropolitan University Science Centre), where Mut and Victor put me through my paces, under the supervision of Rafaella. What a find this is, final year MSC students needing practice and bargain basement prices, and a really good session.

I went from Jancanrun to Jancanyelp. Mut and Victor are smiling assassins, first off the shoulder is being treated for an impingement and now I have some new movement; after the pair of them took it in turns to apply friendly but serious pressure. This may mean in time I can put on a bra without needing to adopt the hook swoosh method. The hip has been diagnosed initially, treatment starts next week as I should have booked two appointments this time.

In the meantime, it’s shorter gentler runs for me, so as not to make the hip worse.

Part 1 of the plan is started.

 

 

 

 

7 Jan – Looking for Blue

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and finding only grey skies today. Second run of the year, just going where the legs took me.

London is slowly returning to its pre-Christmas normal. The fake German market huts have gone, the lights are down, but the tourists are still around and an awful lot of post-Christmas runners are skipping around the City.

I made my way through the City and towards the Strand, the pavement traffic was light and I was nicely light on my feet, turning south, I wanted to run by the river. Ooh it’s a bit windy and I am ‘joined’ by a running group. They are four and on my heels, but I have solo ninja power to aid me and I keep them at bay. But like wolves circling their prey, slowly, relentlessly they hunt me down and overtake in a swoosh near Tate Modern. I try to pick up the pace but have a slightly dodgy right hamstring, which having read up on Dr Google is another runner’s ailment beginning with ‘p’. I take a chance to have a breather and read up on this new ‘p’ ailment – it apparently can be due to overrunning (mmm I wonder how that happened), or lack of flexibility (okay hands up).

A bit of random stretching is in order, and I do have a right real pain in the bum – literally. Oh that’s another sign of this ‘p’ ailment. I decide to slow the pace and do a jogette back to base. The only light blue I saw was on the Tower Bridge railings, but my mood is not blue, it was a lovely run and an appointment has been made to see a physio on Thursday.

Playlist

First singles ever being tested.

Ride A White Swan – TRex

How Long – Ace

Living For The City – Stevie Wonder

Living Doll – Cliff Richard

Maggie May – Rod Stewart

Baby, Stop Crying – Bob Dylan

It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me – Billy Joel

Bedsitter – Soft Cell

As Long As You Love Me – Backstreet Boys

The Things We Do For Love – 10cc

Babe – Take That

I’m Not In Love – 10cc

Mississippi – Pussycat

mmmBop – Hanson

Take A Chance On Me – ABBA

Hello This is Joanie – Gary Brown

Changes – David Bowie

The Bump – Kenny

Killer Queen – Queen

Cool for Cats – Squeeze

Keep On Running – Spencer David Group

Life On Mars – David Bowie

Creeping Death – Metallica

Transmission – Joy Division

Hippy Hippy Shake – Swinging Blue Jeans

Take My Breath Away – Berlin

Stats

Distance 10.48km

Time 1:07:19

Average Pace 6:25

Elevation Gain 85 metres

Cumulative 16.5 kms (this is 16.5km more than I managed this time last year, so it’s not exactly bad news)

 

 

 

 

 

4 Jan – Thank You For Making 2018 The Best

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The text on the slides may be small (no thanks to WordPress who have changed the system aargh), but the support from all of you has been immense, whether it was cash, encouragement, nagging, or any combination of these, you are the people who helped me make my challenge in 2018. As of today, we have £2460 for Alzheimer’s Research (£2700+ with tax relief) and Mr JCR and I will be adding in some cash to make it a nice round number.

This all will help to provide a cure for the horror that is Alzheimers and other dementia diseases. We snuck over the £2400 barrier thanks to donations from Paul and Rachel and my MCP’s.  Thank you all for being my friends, and in true fashion, I finish off talking about the challenge with a song – helpfully rewritten, by my dear running friend Gill (she who left home and hearth on Christmas Eve to run my final run!!)

🏃‍♀️

Thank you for being my friends

Travelled down the road and back again

Your hearts are true, you are givers of confidence

I’m not ashamed to say

Success is down to C25K

My hat is off, won’t you all stand up and take a bow

And if we threw a party

Invited everyone we knew

Well, you would see the biggest smile coming from me

And the only thing I’d say

🏃‍♀️

Thank you for being my friends 

Thank you for being my friends 

Thank you for being my friends 

Thank you for being my friends 

If it’s support you lack

I’ll be there for you, I’ll have your back

Whatever you need any time of the day or night

I’m not ashamed to say

I hope it always will stay this way

My hat is off, won’t you all stand up and take a bow

And when we all get older

With walking canes and hair of grey

Have no fear, we can give ourselves a cheer,

C25K is the way

🏃‍♀️

Thank you for being my friends (I want to thank you)

Wonderful women and men (I want to thank you)

On you my success depends (I want to thank you)

To you heartfelt thanks extends (I want to thank you)

Let me tell you your all my friends (I want to thank you)

Thank you for being my friends (I want to thank you)

Some ran with me at the end (I want to thank you)

Encouraged me round the bends

I’ve run over two thousand k

And raised some funds for ARUK

To those who gave generously

I raise a glass (or Yorkshire tea)

🏃‍♀️

Thank you for being my friends…

🏃‍♀️

Thank you for being my friends (I want to thank you)

I reached my target and then (I want to thank you)

I’ll rest until the weekend (I want to thank you)

I hope my toenails will mend

🏃‍♀️

Oh yes and today I went for a run – 6kms with a trout and a salmon… 2019 starts pretty much the same way as 2018!