The Comrades “Down run” is all about pain management and pushing through one’s pain and physical limits.

The theme for the 2009 Comrades was, “This is my story.”

This is Michelle’s story. It gives a great account of the sort of courage and determination required to complete the Comrades marathon, and the rich rewards for those who do.

“Strength and growth come only
through continuous effort and struggle”
Napoleon Hill

Resting HR (average): 52

Injury status: (R) calf/shin 4/10

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm):
Baseline 36; Afterwards 32

What a terrible week! My right lower shin and calf have been sore. Initally I thought I’d strain my tibialis posterior (one of the shin muscles), but I should know better. I don’t really get muscles strains.

The previous weekend I had been in a 3 day seminar and I think the sitting upset my back which refers pain down into my shin. I should just keep running small amounts as it helps to loosen up my back.

This week has been a diaster with very little running. It doesn’t help when I just struggle to wake up and then when rugby season starts! Too many middle of the night games from South Africa to watch make it hard to wake up and get out for a run!

Next week’s challenge is to wake up, get some decent runs in and get back on track!

“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength”
Oprah Winfrey

“I am not discouraged, because every wrong
attempt discarded is another step forward”
Thomas Edison

After a good week to start November, things rapidly deteriorated.
I managed to back up after doing a 45km on the 6th November with a couple of short runs, before pain from a sore wisdom tooth made it too uncomfortable to even contemplate exercise. Every step I ran made the pounding in my tooth and head unbearable.

Having not been to a dentist in 19 years I was not pleased to firstly have to go visit a dentist, then to have extra scans and see a specialist. It seems bizarre not to exercise due to toothache!

It took a few weeks to get to the specialist a couple of times and get the surgical removal of 2 wisdom teeth. As I recover from this, I have not been able to exercise as I am not allowed to raise my blood pressure.

During this time we’ve also had to move, a process that took about a week and a half. Living in places with little gear hasn’t helped, although one really doesn’t need much to run! However I’ll use the fact that it was unsettling as my excuse!

With only 25 weeks left until Comrades 2010, now is the time that most Comrades training programs start to become serious.

Living in Australia it’s the time to start make travel arrangements. Unfortunately funds are a problem and it seems 80-90% likely that we won’t be able to afford the trip for Comrades 2010, or to return to our beloved South Africa and experience the once in a lifetime Soccer World Cup.

Whilst it is a sad reality that money dictates the choices we have in life, and we will hold onto to the hope that maybe a miracle will occur, the harsh realisation isComrades 2010 in all likelihood will not happen for me  due to finances.

It seems strange that what could stop my Comrades dream may not even be a physical barrier at all.

It will make the mental aspect of continuing training that much harder, but if it doesn’t happen, then a plan will have to ensure Comrades 2011 doesn’t suffer the same fate.

My great concern is not whether you have failed,
but whether you are content with your failure”
Abraham Lincoln

“All give some, some give all”

Resting HR (average): 56

Injury status: Left calf tightness 2/10

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm):
Baseline 29; Afterwards 24.5

The worst part of starting up again is that exercise is always hard! You lose conditioning so quickly, and it takes time to get back to your previous fitness levels. It makes life very frustrating, but allows one to appreciate the rewards of being consistent.

Monday was a very easy 8km, trying to get the body used to running again.

Tuesday was a slow 15km. I can’t believe how hard it was to run a mid-length run, even at a slow pace. Wednesday was a day of strengthening and nice to do some upper body work on the total trainer.

On Thursday I had a tempo run and I was quite surprised I was able to go under 5:00/km. Not that it is very fast, but the fact I could run faster than what I have been doing is good. The remaineder of the day I was very tired and could feel my body telling me it had been pushed hard, and needed rest.

When my alarm rang at 2am on Friday morning to get up for a long run, my body couldn’t respond! I ended up sleeping in and aiming for recovery. Saturday was much the same.

Sunday I felt like doing the same, but I knew I had to get out and exercise. It was my first Sunday run in 7 weeks! That’s a disgraceful statistic, and one I can’t afford to repeat as Comrades Marathon 2010 starts to loom closer.

I knew it would be a tough run as my neural mobility was very bad. The right side of my low back was sore, and that resulted in me only being able to get down to 33cm in my neural stretches. Anything above 30cm represents danger and indicates my calf is more likely to flare up.

I started off slow as I could barely run, struggling to relax as everything felt difficult. Whilst it was a faster run than Tuesday, it felt twice as hard. All I wanted to do was stop, and I had to remind myself, “just one more step, one more km, keep going.”

Most serious Comrades Marathon programs will be starting in December. Time is ticking away, and now it’s time to make sure I train hard and more importantly train consistently. I can’t afford too many more lazy days, so it’s time to start giving it all…

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing,
motivation determines what you do,
and attitude determines how well you do it.”

“The difference between the impossible and
the possible lies in a person’s determination”
Tommy Lasorda

SEPTEMBER 2009

Resting HR (average): 55
Resting HR range: 51-61

Average weekly mileage: 28km
Average training load: 65

Running time:km range: 4:56 – 5:26

Weight: 72.1kg
Fat %: 22.4%

“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use
to describe dedicated”