One of the guys in the opponent futsal team this morning was pretty rough.  He was shoving me around when he was guarding me.

 

It happened so quickly, as these things often do.  I was trying to get the ball and it started to get crowded.  My left leg moved awkwardly.  I heard two distinct "crick crick" sounds and then I was down and out.

 

The St John's first aid team sprayed me with stuff from this white can with a blue cap.  I think I was sprayed like 12 times and it still hurt.

 

Rested then played a few minutes in the final game and realised I couldn't do it.  Thank goodness for rolling substitutions.

 

Thought it would be a good idea to see the doctor on the way home.  Glad I did.  I described what happened, how my leg kind of locks and at certain angles feels like jelly, like nothing is supporting my knee.  I removed the knee guard and he said it didn't look good, that there was already fluid in the area.  He got me to stand up and pointed to my right knee that the skin should go in above the knee at both sides.  There was no "dimples" on my left knee area.

 

He asked me to move to the examination table and on the way there, I saw the same white can with the blue cap and he said that would be of no use to me because it only penetrates 2% of the skin and he uses it topically to spray before he cuts an abscess, for example.

 

At first I thought it was ligaments but he got me to lie down and pulled at both my legs to examine me and said it wasn't ligaments.

 

What do I have?  Fusion of the medial meniscus.

 

How bad is it?  I'm supposed to be on crutches to take weight off the left leg.  If I don't get better in a few days, doc wants to send me for MRI and scope me and in the worse case, it's surgery to scrape off stuff to help me heal.

 

I'm pissed off right now cos it means running is out and my daily life is going to get just that more inconvenient.

 

I feel like hiring people to break that futsal player's knees.

When I reached the track, the ladies started warm up laps already.  Made it and lagged just a little behind.

 

The assistant coach had us go through the usual drills - high leg lifts, butt kicks and striding.  Assignments were dished out.  My assignment this evening:

 

10x100m (1:3)

 

At the end of it she asked for my timing and it ranges anywhere between 24 and 32 seconds each lap.

 

The coach appeared at the end of the run to dish out homework for the weekend.  She turned to me and said "60 minutes" and I replied "How about I do longer?" and the other ladies started wolf whistling.  Coach beamed and said "Try 60 to 70 minutes".  I'm feeling pretty psyched so I'll do 10km, however long that takes me. 

 

The coach asked me what my next goal is.  I can't make it for Stan Chart this Dec and I'm thinking of half marathon at Stan Chart in HK, which I keep hearing will be Feb '08 but I don't see any info online.

 

One thing at a time.  Company Futsal event this Saturday and if we go all the way, I'll be playing up to 5 games.  Hope I don't get stepped on or kicked.  Hope my legs can still take the 10k run on Sunday.

After 2 weeks absence as I had started work full-time, it was so good to go back to training tonight.  Special thanks to JY for making it possible.

 

These past 2 days, I had been limping and wearing 2 ankle guards and smeared on muscle ache cream thick.  Tonight, after warm up, stretching, a 33 min 34 sec run, more stretching and warm down, I finally feel OK.  The right calf still aches a bit but I'm good to go.

 

I am tired and happy.

 

Arrived later than planned at the event and was feeling a little flustered.  Wanted to go to the loo but didn't have time.  There's nothing quite like running with a full bladder.  I started off walking because of the sheer number of ladies in front of me and was only able to run after a couple of minutes of walking.  The tendency to shoot off was very strong and I had to remind myself I run to the beat of my own drum.  Good thing too.  The ones who ran past me were walking by the 2km mark and I ran slowly past them after very slow running to warm up and grease my creaky joints.

 

It was so inspiring to see the elite runners.  Amazingly fast.  They're the ladies who can do 10km in 32 to 34 minutes.  I could not help but clap to cheer them on as they whizzed past me.  Not very far behind was my running coach and I yelled her name and clapped to cheer her on.   I also saw another lady from the running group.

 

Suddenly I heard my name being called out and I was so chuffed to see my secondary schoolmate!  I sat next to her in Sec 3, haha.  She had already made the u-turn on Nicoll Highway and we were so excited to see each other, she crossed over to run with me and made the u-turn again!  We ran the rest of the race together and she even waited for me when I finally saw the portable loo and just had to go.

 

It was such a sweet feeling to make that turn on the road where old City Hall comes into full view.  The misting machines were a sweet respite from the hot and humid morning.  I started striding and sprinting when I saw the finish arch and when I turned, my old classmate had fallen behind so I slowed down to cheer her on.

 

What I will always remember is feeling the adrenaline and pushing on.  I had a stitch at 8km but pushed on.  The tongue of my left shoe was rubbing against my in-step but pushed on.  My right foot, at the side near the ankle was aching but pushed on.  When I saw the finish line, I wasn't even thinking anymore.  All the striding training was kicking in and my body was just propelling me forward - everything was working together beautifully finally, in the final moments.

 

I was so excited after crossing the finish line to remove the timing chip from shoe to exchange for finisher medal that I forgot to stop my watch, haha.  The reading of my watch said 1:21:15 and I was so proud of myself.  I was aiming to cut my time to 1 hr 30 mins after an attempt to run 10k was 1hr 37 mins. 

 

I know I ran this race on my own but I wouldn't have been able to do this without the running coaching the last 3 months and all the weekend "homework" runs where JY keeps me company and cheers me on.  JY said he ran for 4 years before doing his first 10k run and it's an accomplishment for someone like me who's never really exercised to run my first 10k, 4 months after I started running.

 

1 hr 21 mins is a very pleasant surprise. 

 

Last night I ran for the first time since last Fri's 3.2 km run through the Central Business District.  I had a stiff neck which turned into a stiff shoulder and developed into a fever/flu along the way.  I was down and out the first couple of days of this week.

 

Last night I changed into running gear and it felt so awkward to walk in running gear with colleagues from the office to the train station where I we parted ways and I moved towards Boat Quay.  Once at Boat Quay, I felt more at home because I saw plenty of runners stretching and running.

 

I called JY as I left the office and he left his place at about the same time.  When I made my way along the river to Clarke Quay where I actually ran past pubs, I heard my name and turned to see JY.  He's got sharp eyes.  It amuses me how Clarke Quay is the point of intersection for the both of us.

 

We ran to Zion Road hawker centre for dinner then took a long walk around the neighbhourhood.

 

In total I think I ran about 3 km and walked about 4 km last night.  Running to meet JY after work is now exercise, a mode of transportation as well as a date.  I like!

Participated in the Bull Run's Fun Run category last night.  I realise I don't know how to run short (5km and below) races because I'm so used to going really slow to economise and conserve energy for the long haul to train for my goal of half marathon.  Even though I stood towards the front, I saw so many people pass me from behind because I wanted to run my own race but was so used to my slow pace even though the watch stats say otherwise (compared to previous runs). 

 

Heat will continue to be my greatest enemy.  The heat from the roads.  The heat and smoke from the cars because only 2 lanes in the city was shut off for the run which caused traffic jams for cars and pedestrains.  I had a stitch again but decided fuck-it and pushed on to run.

 

On the way back, I could see the start/finish sign and I just started striding and then sprinting.  I ended up finishing earlier than I thought I would and JY got stuck in traffic on his way to meet me.

 

I need to figure out how to quicken my pace and maintain a quicker pace than I run now for 5 km (or less) type runs.  Guys have a lot of practice going all out cos of IPPT and for this 3.2 km, they just extend the cheong pace they do for 2.4 km.  JY says, "Run more".  I guess that's the only solution.

 

On the whole, a good experience and I'm looking forward to the GE 10k ladies run next Sunday.

 

Date (yyyy-mm-dd)	12/10/2007
Type	3.2 km Bull Run
Start Time	6:23:07 PM
Duration	23:53:01
Heart Rate  - Max	200 (109%)
Heart Rate - Avg	183 (99%)
Pace min/km  - Max	3:49
Pace min/km  - Avg	7:34
Mileage (km)	3.15
Calories (kcal)	354

Argh! I forgot to turn on the Foot Pod as I started the run.  To think I ran so fast, in an attempt to run the blues away.  Started out too fast and paid for it with a stitch for the entire run.  At some point I gave up and walked.  I ran from home to the park and past 6 lamp posts before I gave up and turned back.

 

I am beginning to realise how much I miss training with the ladies and how much I enjoy running with JY.  Somehow I can endure more pain when I'm with familiar faces.

 

Today's run is estimated to be only about 3 km and because I sprinted right from the start, I was drenched in sweat by the time I got home.

Ran 10 km yesterday morning for the first time, with the ladies running group.  It felt so good to finish. 

 

The coach outlined the route for 10 km back to where our water bottles were and an additional 5 km route for the ladies running 15 km.

 

I realise I start to really need water by the 56th minute of a run otherwise I feel like I can't continue any longer.  Yesterday I was fine after a sip where I drank from the tap of one of the toilet's outdoor sinks.  I made 2 stops during the run, one to use the loo and to sip water.

 

Towards the last 600m of the run, I started to really feel it in my left leg, particularly the side of the thigh up to the hip socket.  The balls of my feet felt quite sore and so did my calves.  I was running slower and slower in a strange limping way but I just wanted to finish.

 

After the run when I took my shoes off, my right bunion was red and aching and my legs were so tired I limped for the next half an hour or so when JY and I went for breakfast.  The coach saw my bunion and suggested I soak my feet in cold water.  Later at JY's place, it was really refreshing to soak our feet in a bath tub filled with 4 trays of ice cubes. My feet didn't feel so sore after that.  Yesterday, taking a shower felt even more refreshing than usual.  JY helped me to stretch cos I was really aching and I smeared on Phiten cooling gel which helped a lot.  I was so tired I fell asleep for 2 hours in the afternoon and still managed to sleep when I went to bed early.  It was just so impossibly hot yesterday.

 

Really happy to have completed 10 km, a first for me.  Not bad for someone who couldn't run more than 5 minutes in July.  I'm feeling more confident about my first 10 km race on 21 October, knowing I can finish it.

 

Date (yyyy-mm-dd)	2007-10-06
Type	Sat, ECP Run
Start Time	7:24:29 AM
Duration	1:37:03
Heart Rate  - Max	173 (94%)
Heart Rate - Avg	160 (87%)
Pace min/km  - Max	5:27
Pace min/km  - Avg	9:18
Mileage (km)	10.42
Calories (kcal)	1,128

 

 

There must be something wrong with me if I would rather go running than to take a family portrait followed by dinner.

 

I missed training tonight for cheesy cringeworthy poses at a photo studio followed by car sickness with dad's driving to an expensive dinner where the steamed fish item was not fresh.  Trust me, I'd rather be running.

 

This entire week has been characterised by being in situations where I wished I was somewhere else instead.

We did circuit training on grass tonight.  It was a different feel to have feet on ground instead of on track.  I found my ankles wobbly and the conscious attempt to stabilise myself. 

 

I lost track of the number of times I ran around the field and the exercises done after each lap.  The coach says it was 8 rounds.  I'll take her word for it.  That and 2 laps on the track for warm up and the usual warm down.

 

Also stocked up on Gatorade and Gu Gel which the coach got in bulk and we shared the cost.

 

I feel a little sad knowing my time with the ladies running group will be coming to an end as I start working again.  It was the plan anyway; to learn and then to stop when I start working.  Have I learned anything? Lots.  But I still feel a little sad about stopping because they're such a nice bunch of ladies.

 

In the meantime, running will continue on my own.  At work, I've been signed up for the Futsal team.  It's kind of funny cos I didn't even go for try-outs and I haven't officially started work yet.  I didn't think I'd be playing football again, indoors or out.