Hello. It's been a while since I last posted but I'm very happy to say my recovery from injury is progressing very well. After months of only being able to manage the odd 3-4 miles or so of running, and keeping it all pretty flat and uneventful (and yet still having a fair amount of post-run discomfort on occasion) it's brilliant to be able to be a bit more adventurous with my routes. The photos above are from a 7.5 miler round the trails of Holyrood Park on Monday 14th. Lots of water about, and some of the trails were deep with it so I got cold, wet feet. My efforts to skirt the worst of the flooding by staying to the sides meant I also got some nice bramble scratches all over my shins (still there 2 weeks later too.)
I did a similar route this Monday (21st), but tacked on a loop of the Meadows instead of one of the Holyrood loops, really just to add in another area I've not run in for several months and to ensure the overall distance was up to 8.5 miles.
Over the past 2 weeks, as well as the 'long runs' (well, long for me at the moment) I've also managed a few shorter recovery runs, at least one gym trip each week and quite a lot of hiking, mostly in the Pentlands.
The hiking is an important part of my schedule for getting back to something like the level of fitness I had a year or so back. My theory is that it means I'm still using the same muscle groups, but putting less stress on my musculo-skeletal system (back, leg joints, pelvis) and also increasing the time spent on my feet, which I think will help as I build the mileage back up. Plus, being a bit of a country boy at heart I love hill-walking and escaping the city.
On Friday, Shona and I went for a 2 hour walk from Swanston village up to Allermuir hill and looping back round (before lunch and cake at Swanston Golf club - shhhhh). Saturday I was at the gym for some stationary bike and cross-trainer action. Sunday I rested, then Monday was the 8.5 mile run. (Like many runs I've done lately - the furthest I've run in months...)
After my longer run on Monday I was already feeling the effect a little on my leg muscles, but wanted to make the most of a day off and some good weather yesterday to hit the hills and get a walk in. I started out from Flotterstone just after 10am, with beautiful blue skies, and headed straight up Turnhouse hill along the ridge. Did Turnhouse, Carnethy, Scald Law, East Kip, West Kip, and then back down to the Howe and along the road past Glencorse Reservoir back to the car. I was walking for just short of 4 hours without stopping, and my hamstrings were pretty sore for the last two climbs (those of you that know the Pentlands will know the Kips are not the biggest hills there, but they're steep little buggers even if they are short). For the final mile or two back along the road my feet were beginning to ache too.
Back at the office today and largely desk-bound, and this evening my leg muscles are tight and feeling the pain of the training over the past week or two. Which brings me to the title of this blog post. This is GOOD pain.
I don't think it's masochistic to say that there is something deeply satisfying about the muscle pain you get from training that is helping you get fitter, and that you have earned in some way. Contrast this with the BAD pain that I had back in September/October last year where some days every step I took was painful, and it was just a discomfort to be tolerated as best I could. It's not something that was earned, or could be attributed to a hard workout, overdoing it, or pulling something with an awkward movement. It was just bloody annoying and uncomfortable!
I know of a number of people whose medical conditions mean they are constantly managing this kind of pain - and may always do so. I admire their patience and resilience more than I can express.
Thankfully my experience has been a temporary one and I'm feeling ever more optimistic that I will leave it behind me and get back to full fitness. And I hope that when I'm feeling the pain towards the end of a hard race - like in the last few miles of the Berlin marathon in September all being well - I will be able to draw strength from my experience and think how lucky I am to be able to feel 'good' pain like this that comes from being fit and able to challenge your body, and instead of letting it weigh on me, just appreciate it for what it represents, smile to myself, and run on.
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