I don’t think I realised how much I depended on it until I stopped. Frustration and excess energy to start with (as anyone that’s ever had a running injury knows), then anger and more frustration because running used to be the best way to deal with frustration. That vague hope and longing every time I drove past a runner in the street, and reading on other blogs how far people have come in the amount of time I’ve not been running and wondering how far I could manage should I make a miraculous recovery tomorrow.

The running world was an island and I was drifting out to sea. My first thought on a nice evening was still “good time for a run” but I’d lost the urge to lace up my trainers and go.

Unfortunately I also stopped going to archery. 3rd May was the last time I shot. It was a competition (an American round, in which I placed 3rd) and was very enjoyable despite the wind, rain and hail (I kid you not). I was in pain within the first end, and by the time the medals were about to be handed out I was in agony. I decided then that the pain outweighed the fun of it and, as I wasn’t ready to start any adapted shooting, I would take a break.

Wheelchair basketball is now the only sport I have. Now that running and archery are out of the picture I’ve started taking it a bit more seriously – it’s no longer just something to do with Ally, it’s a serious competitive sport. However, a lack of official diagnosis (or even a vague clue) as to the problem with my feet meant I was still competing as an able-bodied player, which reduced my court-time (I prefer to think it was that and not that the coach just didn’t want to put me on the team!).

Three GPs, four rhuematologists and a nerve conduction specialist later and I have a diagnosis…of sorts. I’ve been told the pain has been classified as Allodynia – pain in response to pressure – and I’m on medication generally used for peripheral neuropathy (despite no reported nerve damage). I get the impression that there’s still a lot of uncertaintly but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

The first day of starting the new medication and I couldn’t help but be overly hopeful – the last doctor I saw recommended physio to get me back into shape as soon as possible and I spent the next 2 days day dreaming of the races I could still run. (I’ll admit the Marathon des Sables briefly featured but I think even that is a bit of a stretch). It never occurred to me that maybe I should be more excited about the fact that in the near future I could walk more than 100 yards, it was all about the running. My goal of finishing a marathon before 30 was becoming attainable again.

Having been on the pills a little while and seeing no improvement, the hope-induced elation is wearing off. I’m still optimistic about running again but I’m also realistic. I hope to run again soon but for now I’m just adapting my zombie apocalype plan accordingly :-)

My most recent run was the 3km (and then another 2km) I managed last Friday. Seeing as how I should be able to rack up the miles with an empty gym and plenty of free time, having to stop after 20 minutes is extremely frustrating. Where I used to feel better after a run, regardless of how long it was, I now just get annoyed.

A lack of running isn’t really conducive to a running blog, and so I’ve decided to take a break while I sort myself out and try to figure out what’s wrong with my feet. I’m staying optimistic and keeping my places in the races I’ve entered for next year so with any luck I’ll be back on here pretty soon. I imagine I’ll still post on the odd occassion anyway, especially when I finish these damned pressups! :-)

See you around.

Merry Christmas.

During the trial day I got shown around and then got a chance to use the treadmill. I managed 5.1km but pain in my feet stopped me from going much further. It’s a problem that’s been getting worse over the last 10 months or so, though it’s only been the past few months that it’s affected my running. This is the first time that it’s stopped me from finishing a distance I’ve set out to do and was a bit frustrating but at least I managed that far. I decided to finish off on the exercise bike instead (built in iPod charger was a first for me) and did 5k on there at a decent clip.

Yesterday I had my proper induction and, while I didn’t really need to shown around again, the induction is free (I’m on a pay-as-you-go membership). I got to 5.5km on the treadmill before having to stop. Not very far but it’s better than nothing. I’m just glad I’ve managed to get a few runs in this week.

Monday: Too cold to run today so I did a mini weights session at home in the evening.

Thursday: Finally got an hour of basketball in at the leisure centre as per last Friday’s post.

Friday: Spent 3 and a half hours at archery – though the first half an hour was setting up and the next 2 hours was spent coaching.

Saturday: Shot another Portsmouth at archery in the morning and actually managed to beat last week’s score, giving me a new PB of 562.

Sunday: Had our game against Bury Bombers. Lost 17-71, which was quite a defeat but never mind. I only played one quarter and only scored once, but still enjoyed it.

Total Run: 0km

Well that was short. Hopefully I’ll have something a tad more interesting to post next Monday :-)

As you may have seen in Monday’s post, we didn’t get to play last Wednesday (28th) as the venue was closed (we play in a school that was closed for half term). No problem, Ally and I had got some 1 on 1 in at the local leisure centre (there’s a mini court that’s perfect size) on Wednesday and, even though I wasn’t shooting well, it saw me over. On Sunday, we didn’t play again as our other venue had been booked out to a coaching course. This Wednesday we found out that team practice was cancelled again…rather annoying as that means there hasn’t been much in the way of preparation for the game. Ally and I decided to book an hour at the leisure centre on Wednesday afternoon but when we got there we were told they had double booked the court.

It seemed that we were destined not to play, all three venues were against us…but we booked in at the leisure centre again and yesterday we finally got to play. I wasn’t on top form but at least we got an hour in before the game.

I don’t mean to sound pessimistic but the odds aren’t looking too favourable at the moment. The Bombers have won all three of their games so far, the last 2 by over 50 points. No matter though, as long as we have a good game it should be fine. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

So, on with the week…

Monday: Rather disappointed with last week’s run total I wanted to run but didn’t get round to it until I needed it in the evening. Did my normal 7.6k route but decided to add on The Hill to make it 9.56km. I also managed to maintain a reasonable pace (up until I got to The Hill anyway) and made it back in 58:02.

Tuesday: Did my regular 7.6km route but stopped at 7.54 and walked the last 60m. In case you were wondering, yes, I only did it to round up yesterday’s distance.

Wednesday: There was no basketball practice today as the venue is closed, so Ally and I played some 1 on 1 at the leisure centre.

Friday: Archery in the evening. Shot for about 2 hours instead of 3 as I didn’t want to overdo it before Saturday – I was still aiming for that oh-so-close-but-not-close-enough 440.

Saturday: I finally did it! Not quite sure what happened but I felt quite good at archery on Saturday morning and managed to score 560 for the Portsmouth round. Was rather pleased with myself so I’ve ordered a badge to celebrate :-) No running in the afternoon as I stuck around at archery to help coach the new beginner’s course.

Sunday: Basketball was cancelled again, and horrible weather conditions stopped me running, so today was a bit of a write-off.

Total Run: 17.1km

This week I entered the Great South Run for 2010. I wanted to run it this year but by the time I had decided to it had sold out, so I thought I’d get in early this time and make sure my place was booked. It’s 10 miles, so should be a bit different to the distances I’m used to running, though with any luck I’ll have found and finished a half marathon by then anyway so shouldn’t be too much hard work!

Some of you may have seen the guest post I wrote on Zombie Command back in June, in which I introduced the idea of being able to run as a basic necessity when the zombie uprising starts. If you’ve seen ‘Zombieland’ and remember rule 1 (cardio) you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Ally carves his name into Ichabod the pumpkin

While, in fact, the ability to run isn’t limited to zombies (and likewise – zombie survival isn’t limited to being able to run), it’s certainly an important point. One can’t be complacent in thinking that all zombies are going to be slow and stupid. As I mentioned in the article for Zombie Command:

“While purists may argue the unlikelihood of a ’28 Days Later’ style infection in which the victims still have good motor control and coordination (aka, the Running Zombie), failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Who can forget Robert Carlyle’s Don running from the house 10 minutes into ’28 Weeks Later’ with dozens of infected sprinting behind him? The best escape plan can fail. Be prepared to up and run when you need to.”

While my article for Zombie Command was designed to convince people that already had elaborate ‘bug out’ plans to start running, you guys already know how to run. Instead, we’ll stick with 3 zombie survival basics.

Aim for the head: Whether you have a cricket bat or a shotgun, this is the general universal rule for stopping a zombie. Removing the head or destroying the brain will stop a zombie permanently, but taking a limb off could slow it down.

Have a plan: Being prepared is probably your best weapon. You might want to avoid largely populated areas, which for most people probably means travelling out of towns and cities. Know your destination, the route, and what you need to take. Have backup plans, which might include defending where you are in the eventuality that you’re unable to travel.

Stay alive: There’s a lot to take into consideration, and a lot of it can’t be planned for. Don’t assume anything and get as much information as you can. Be disciplined, don’t take risks, be prepared to run!

The best defence is...running away

Obviously, I can’t cover everything now, I’d be here all afternoon and I’m already late for archery :-) There’s a vast array of information out there if you’re interested. Yes, you could watch ‘Night of the Living Dead’ again, but for good solid advice I’d recommend Max Barry’s ‘Zombie Survival Guide’, which I first read in 2004, and the follow up ‘World War Z’.

To celebrate Halloween and this being my 99th post (and because I found I still had some lurking under my desk) I’m giving away a Running from Zombies sticker to the first 3 people to comment on this post. Happy Halloween, and remember: Don’t be an easy meal.

Tuesday: I got up and the thermometer said 7 degrees. No matter how committed to running I might be, there was no way I could run in that. By 10.30 it had reached 11 degrees and so I decided to give it a go. Asthma didn’t like it and so I couldn’t go as fast as I would have liked. 6km in 37:31.

Wednesday: A really good basketball practice in the evening. We concentrated on shooting, which was something I needed. Our next game was supposed to be on Sunday but it’s been pushed back.

Friday: Somewhat spurred on by what I posted in the morning (more in the sense of “well I’ve posted it now, I have to run”) I went out for a 6km, which turned into a 7.6km in 46:30. I decided to spend the evening at archery to get some practice in before Saturday’s round.

Saturday: Archery in the morning. 7 of us shot a Portsmouth this time and, even thought I was on for a new PB, I only managed to match last week’s score of 537. Slightly disappointing but still a good score. About 6pm I decided to go for a run and did the same 7.6km route I did on Friday. Even though it felt like a better run I clocked 47:47. Happy with it considering the temperature out there.

Sunday: I was contemplating running in the morning but had an ache in my left hamstring and so asked Ally to give it a massage. I don’t know what was in there but it was the most painful sports massage I have ever had, and it still hurts today. In the afternoon we went to basketball and had a good few hours doing a few new drills and a game of 3 on 4.

Total Run: 21.2km

Congrats to my brother, Neil, who started running not too long ago and recently made 5km in about 32 minutes on a training run. We’ll have you racing in no time :-)

This past week I’ve been debating runs in temperatures that aren’t impossible, but would certainly be difficult. Consequently, I’ve been avoiding getting out there, and it wasn’t until yesterday that I actually thought about this. I really do want to go for a run, but I think that I’ve got it in my head that no running at all is better than having a bad run. I expect to be able to run at the same pace as I was doing in the warmer months and get disappointed when I don’t. So from today I’m going to be taking a new approach – if it’s above 11 degrees I’ll go out but not worry about how far or fast I’m going. As long as I’ve run for half an hour then I’ll be happy.

Even though running is my first love, it’ll be taking a back seat until it gets warmer (or someone mails me a treadmill). Basketball season is in full swing, WBA having already played 2 games, and with two training sessions a week it should keep us pretty busy until May. Archery is back indoors and TVA is taking part in an indoor league of my favourite round – the Portsmouth. Assuming I have the time (and the petrol money) I’ll be trying to get to archery at least twice a week and get that elusive 550 points.

Don’t be too surprised if the blog takes a bit of a different directions for a little while, I imagine it’ll just reflect what I’m actually up to.

Friday: As per Friday’s post, it was too cold in the morning to run. Having picked up some new tyres and inner-tubes for my basketball chair on Thursday, Ally and I decided to book an hour on the court at the local leisure centre that evening. We did some shooting and then a bit of 1-on-1.

Saturday: Archery in the morning. A few of us decided to shoot a Portsmouth (5 dozen arrows on a 60cm face at 20 yards) so it was pretty non-stop. Good score though, got a new PB so pretty happy…which is more than can be said for the afternoon’s run. I decided to ease myself back into it by just doing 5k, but still struggled. I got a stitch, my asthma kicked in and I lost the feeling in my toes and soles of my feet. It took a rather abysmal 31:25, but I’m glad I’ve got that over and done with. Hopefully the next one will be better.

Sunday: A slightly less than exciting session at basketball. There were only 5 of us there and Ally dropped out half way through. Hung around for a while afterwards to work on my shooting.

Total Run: 5km