6 weeks til marathon day

My plan to keep this recovery well blogged has not been good. I'm coming up to 5months post op now.
Fortunately that is largely to do with being able to train well and because I've been really really busy at work - and the best bit - coping with it.

Prior to surgery my groin, SIJ, back etc etc would get so tired and I would be very limited to how much work I could do. Now I can do much more and suffer much less afterwards.

Training is going well. Slight shin splint niggle on the right (operated) side - because my function isn't perfect yet on that side. Hoping I can get through a 2 hour run today OK. I've already run 3hours last week and will go for 3.5hrs next Sunday. Following that I will do an easy 10 and then a final long run of 20-22miles (4hours ish) the week after. Then 2 taper weekends until the big day - April 11th.

Fitness wise I'm doing great. The hip is good and I just need to get on top of this shin to progress and hit my target.

I always struggled before to rise up onto the ball of my foot as my hip/hamstring etc would not allow it - now I can do it but my calves (both of them) are relatively weak. I'm strong mostly in my legs although my right hammy and glute are both weaker due to the poor ROM pre-op.

My training partner has not had such a good time and has got a knee injury which has forced her to stop running and pull out of the marathon. However there is a half marathon on the same day and she will be able to transfer to that provided she can recover in time.

13 weeks to Marathon Date

Had a really good week of running this week despite the snow. Did a run in a blizzard on Tuesday morning which was brilliant fun. Did 6x 2 and half minute hill reps on Wednesday evening. And topped it off with an 8.5 mile run today which took 1hr35. Lots of snow underfoot, some was fairly easy to run on - the crunchy stuff - but some was really knobbly and really tested the stability of my hip.
I could feel the inside deep in my calf on those knobbly bits cos kept pronating lots, but was fine as soon as I got on the road and off the knobbly footpaths.
Been working on glute med with these awesome wall leans. You lean agains the wall with the leg nearest the wall bent up and with the side of the thigh and foot against it. The leg you are standing on is the working leg. You press the foot into the floor and press your hip into the wall. Either hold or do 12x squeezes. Really hits those glutes well and you can get a good squeeze if the firing is a little dead. Will def keep working on those!
Really looking forward to next week. Lots of work carried over from this week, because of all the cancellations I had, but hopefully I should still be able to focus on keeping the running consistent. 11 miles long run next week!

15 weeks to Marathon (lost track of hip surgery numerals)

Well we are on the flip side - the first leg of my recovery was, well, recovering and the second side - over the brow of the hill with only one goal in sight is the training up part for the Connemarathon.

Went out for a snowy run round a reservoir on Christmas morning, nice and gentle - beautiful! and thoroughly enjoyable - will post a pic. Especially of my friend Adelle's snow angel which had big wings and a pea head.





Went out again on Sunday to run and ran for a good hour through uneven ground, slidey slush and mud and we had chosen a good route which didn't have any ice. Again round a reservoir, the snow was starting to melt away but it was still beautiful.
I adore running round the reservoirs and now that marathon training IS A GO! we will be spending most weekends up there builing up to 3-4 hours of run time pre-taper.

I had a bit of an enforced break the couple of weeks leading up to christmas as we were moving house and I got extraordinarily involved in closing the deal so that we could move before christmas. We moved on the 21st Dec and I feel like I have been living here forever. Our new home is beautiful. We are going to start some builing works in Jan/Feb and convert the large garage into a gym and therapy room. I'm soooo excited. I just want to jump up and down every day :)

Getting stronger :)

Have done 3 runs now and built up to 30mins - 4mins run, 1min walk on Sunday. Next run planned for Wed and going to do 30mins without walking. Can't believe how quickly its building up again. I'd planned to run/walk for 2 weeks but my hip is not reacting at all to the running, althoug my leg muscles are feeling well worked.
Had a personal training session today with a chap from the gym - I traded with him cos his lovely lovely girlfriend needed her shoulder sorting out.

I really enjoyed the training it was so cool being the client and being tweaked and corrected and pushed! I did 1 leg squats, 1 leg lunges, 1 leg kettlebell deadlifts and my balance was pretty good (especially since I'd done 7 clients already myself by 3.30pm and was pretty fatigued) I was so surprised that I could do all the exercises. With each one I tested it out carefully but it was all great. I'll just have to see how I am when I wake up tomorrow morning! :)

Up & Running! 9 weeks post op

I ran for the first time yesterday. Just 20mins of 1min run, 1 min walk. Then today I did 20mins 2min run, 1min walk. It felt amazing, I am ecstatic!! I felt much more even than I did before and I have a whole new quadrant that my leg moves in now that I can put it into extension properly.
19 weeks on Sunday until Marathon Day :)

Bring it on

Yay! Sleep caught back up now - fatigue levels down and back to normal progress again. That will learn me. Top priorities for optimum recovery are definitely quality sleep and quality nutrition. Have started to reduce my starchy carbs and increase heavy proteins in line with the cold winter setting in, in line with my seasonal change in my metabolic type and feeling the benefit.

Went swimming this morning and had a great session. I felt much better that the previous week which was my first time back. Its amazing how much more even I am in the water now.
I can really feel the difference from before the op. I can actually kick properly with my right leg, without it unbalancing me. Hoping its gonna be the same with my running :)

Also started to include some short adductor strength work on the machine in the gym, low weight and combined with some contract relax work to get progressively more range of motion. That has really made a difference too.

Going to take my bike out this weekend for the first time (if the weather is kind) and then see Mr Schilders on Wed next week. And all plans are to start my run/walk program from the following weekend if he gives me the nod. - So excited!!! Will have 18 weeks to train for my marathon.

Back on track

Finally had enough rest to go back into the gym and get some stretching done.
I was so tightened up. I stretched my adductor and psoas from the hip end, but the most effective stretch was to do a series of backbends to release my upper abs, upper psoas attachments and across my chest.
Have been feeling lots of pain and pinching and catching in the groin and these stretches really helped.
My resolution to ensure I do a stationary cycle plus some rehab and stretching every single day is full on!