Week 21 - running again!
Week 21 February 12th, 2010A few weeks since I last posted but thought this merited a short blog 
Went to see my NHS physio on Wednesday and demonstrated I can do calf raises alebit only about 2 or 3cms high. I dont care as that felt fantastic.
She then said right get down the gym and try jogging on the treadmill. 3 mins running 1 min walking. See how you go…
You betcha. Went down today climbed on the treadmill with a little trepidation walked for 1 min and then pushed the button and ran. First time in 5 months. Boy did it feel good and I suffered no pain or discomfort. Rested after 3 mins and then repeated. I did this 3 times and it felt wonderful. Absolutely knackered at the end of it but I dont care. I have to do this for the next 3 weeks and if I suffer no problems I can move outside to road running!
Am now home and the leg feels fine, no swelling or pain. My goal of 3 10k races this summer and a half marathon in October looks achievable 
All the best everyone
Graham
February 12th, 2010 at 15:20
OH MAN…..CONGRATS!!
I’m 12 weeks 2days and dreaming of running slowly again. MY PT says to get the thought of the 5K (end of May) and the Triathlon (end of June) I did last year out of my head…not this summer she said. I still hope and pray.
Good Luck…”Slow and Steady wins THIS race”.
February 12th, 2010 at 15:39
Great stuff, Graham.
Incidentally, I’ve got a gym visit - accompanied by physio - next week. Certainly won’t be running on any treadmills though!
February 12th, 2010 at 18:55
Congrats. That’s great.
February 12th, 2010 at 22:53
Not a runner myself, but congrats! Your progress at calf strength back at 9 weeks seems much better than mine (9 weeks mow) — and I’ve generally been pleasantly surprised with mine (it’s my second ATR!).
I just put a little electronic scale on my theraband while exercising my “bad” calf, and it looked like I was getting only maybe 10 pounds of pressure at the ball of my foot(!). I weigh a LOT more than that, and I assume I’ll have to get close to my body weight before I can walk normally again. Hmmm.
February 13th, 2010 at 01:53
I just stuck my booted foot on a zeroed-out bathroom scale and checked how high I could push the weight while hinging the boot down, and I got to around 60 pounds without discomfort or fear. That sounds a LOT more like it, even if it is overstated by the weight of the boot itself!
February 13th, 2010 at 06:33
Good for you, Graham!
February 13th, 2010 at 14:27
Graham - that’s fantastic. My PT actually had me running around a little in his office a week or two before my doc green-lighted me to begin running again at week 12. Being able to run (ok, jog at best really), even badly, was a huge milestone. The recovery accelerated big-time from that point on.
February 15th, 2010 at 15:00
Congratulations Graham! Once you get your “wind” back it will get easier.
February 16th, 2010 at 10:55
Thanks all for the kind words. I went again to the gym yesterday and ran for 7 mins until my leg got a little sore so I stopped. Didn’t want to push it too much. But running without stopping felt fab. Leg a little sore last night but today is fine.