Morning, morning. A few rants and raves this morning and another injury update.
Rave:Â I’m really enjoying the gym. When I have a focus this always happens.
It makes me feel bad ass đ I love making my workout plans the day before and deciding what I’m going to do when I get there. There’s no way I could get a proper workout in if I turned up to the gym clueless.
I’m trying to figure out what the best split is in order to do strength training…upper body/lower body, body parts, mixed… so far I’m kind of combining a few bits and bobs. For example, this morning I worked on shoulders, chest and triceps. I’ll do one or two big compound moves (such as deadlifts, squats, bench press and military press) and then follow with accessory moves or different variations to target different muscles.
I used to hate how my arms looked because they seemed a bit too muscle-y but now I love them! But my main goal is to just feel strong, any additional aesthetic gains is just a bonus đ
Rant and rave: Did I mention I bought some goat meat (specifically goat shoulder)? Well, I did. Goat meat isn’t that widely available in the UK. I think people assume it’s a tough meat, but it really depends how you cook it – as with all meat. Anyway, I asked the butcher how best to cook it and he suggested slow cooking it without adding anything crazy as it was my first time having it so I shouldn’t swamp its flavour.
Well, now that I have my teeny tiny slow cooker I couldn’t put the entire thing in it so had to halve it. I seared the entire thing by frying it in coconut oil quickly before slicing it in half and freezing the other half. By searing before slow cooking it helps retain the flavour and moisture.
Slow cookers are marvellous inventions and I love mine. It does help to turn the bloody thing on before you leave for work in the morning though. I only remembered as I was half-way to work. GARGH.
Anyway I slow cooked it over the evening instead (such a lovely smell to wake up to!) and had it for lunch on Saturday. I shredded the meat and then fried it with lots of veggies and roasted pumpkin in onion marmalade (a weird choice, granted, but I have limited condiments at the moment due to the move and packing etc.).
Verdict? Very tasty instead. It’s kind of a cross between chicken and beef flavour-wise? And incidentally it has less fat than chicken.
Rant:Â As I can’t run at parkrun I’m still volunteering and helping set up and clear down. I take Alfie with me as well as it’s a great way for him to get a good walk in and he’s (fairly) well behaved. However with the autumnal weather and rain he gets so muddy. This means having to give Alfie a bath when I get back.
Oh just look at his face! He hates having baths but won’t kick up a fuss. He’ll just stand there looking miserable. He smelt gorgeous afterwards though.
He raced around afterwards and rubbed himself all over the carpet…lovely.
Injury update: So I’m almost 95% certain it’s not my IT band that’s causing me grief. I’m 4.5 weeks out from the marathon and my knee is still very painful. The odd thing is it’s not consistently painful. Sometimes I can walk around and walk up and downstairs absolutely fine. I get a glimmer of hope which is then promptly dashed later in the day when I suddenly get a sharp pain which then doesn’t go away until I stop walking.
The pain is intense, it’s a shooting and sharp pain inside my knee. There’s still a bit of puffiness around the kneecap. I’m icing, compressing, stretching, foam rolling…and no real improvement has happened. My muscles don’t feel tight at all. There’s no discomfort, just a sharp pain.
At the start of the week, I saw a sports massage therapist for another opinion (and he costs less than my physio and can see me in the evening at my home) and he’s pretty sure it’s an impingement of my fat pad in my knee. Massage won’t help it.
Bizarrely yesterday I was in agony walking a short distance to Tesco. I almost couldn’t make it. The pain was identical to the marathon pain (where I had to walk the last two miles). When I say agony, I truly mean agony. I was almost in tears and wasn’t sure I could make it back.
I’m hoping to see my physio again this weekend (he’s kindly seeing me out of hours on Sunday – I think he can smell my desperation) and I’m hoping he can confirm things and provide me with some light at the end of the tunnel.
At this point, I’m not going to lie, I’m panicking. I’m worried about Boston which I know is so far away but the weeks are quickly flying by. I thought I’d be running at some point in November but it seems highly unlikely. At the moment I can only dream of running at some point in December. As long as I’m running in January I can do the marathon. I’ve paid for the flights already and not mention the non-deferrable ridiculous costing race entry.
The only thing keeping me from falling into a dark, dark pit right now is how much I’m enjoying the gym. I’m just trying not to think about the next few months at all. Because it makes me feel sick.
What are your rants and raves?
Have you ever had a seriously painful injury before?
What’s the most exotic meat/food you’ve ever had?
I love goat meat (when I ate meat)! We have been to the Caribbean a few times, and they eat a lot of goat there, so goat curry was a must. We have a big Caribbean community here in Manchester too, so lots of goat on the menu.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Potato, Sausage and Kale Pie by Dannii
Yes I’ve heard the Caribbean is a big fan of goat meat. I really enjoyed the taste. Definitely going to find some more! I’m very jealous of you.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23
There is no such thing as too muscl-y!! Ok, so maybe there kind of is, but not really in my opinion! Muscles mean strength, and hard work, and effort. I think your arms look fantastic đ
As for the injury, Im sorry to hear it isn’t getting better. As someone who had to go to 3 doctors before a real diagnosis on a knee injury, I know the frustrations you have. Hang in there!
Kat recently posted…Thinking out Loud #59
Thanks Kat đ I agree – muscles look great and represent strength.
Oh wow, three doctors! Jeeze, I’m sorry to hear that. đ I know for my injury I’ve had a few different things that were believed to be wrong!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23
Well, from a purely aesthetic point of view I would definitely have motivation to stay in the gym. Your muscles! I have worked for years and years and still have nowhere near the level of definition that you’ve achieved in a few short months. You’re totally ripped and shredded…it might not be running, but you clearly have an aptitude for lifting too.
Aww, Alfie’s sad bath face melted my heart. He’s just as cute as a cat, and that’s saying a huge amount coming from me!
How long you have to train for Boston depends on whether you’re running for time or simply trying to finish. I think you have such a high base level of fitness that you can get away with a lot. I know it’s easy for me to blab on about how you shouldn’t worry about it, but you really do have a decent amount of time for things to turn around and improve. My worst injuries in terms of severity were my stress fractures. My pelvis is held together with plaster of paris đ Still, the nerve impingement in my lower back is by far the most annoying and frustrating…and there’s no ‘cure’ for it. It will be there forever and every race will just be a matter of luck as to whether I can actually ‘race’ it or have to just jog/limp the whole thing.
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You’re lovely Jess but those muscles seem entirely useless it seems. But I do know I’m very lucky to be naturally gifted with toned arms. Thank you, genes!
I shall pass on those comments about Alfie to him. He’ll be chuffed as he knows what a big cat fan you are đ
Boston I’m thinking won’t be for a PB attempt. I don’t want to spoil a perfectly good holiday by failing at reaching a target. I’d much rather train in earnest for an autumn marathon (finger’s crossed all being well of course…look what happened with Bournemouth after all!).
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23
So envious of your arm muscles – my upper body is so weak but I’m going to try to get into weight training in the hope that it will help me with some of those trickier yoga moves that rely on upper body strength! x
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But it doesn’t quite amount to actual strength – I’m so weak in reality!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23
Your arms look fab! And I know what you mean about feeling strong, but you look so strong too. It’s great that you are enjoying going to the gym.
My hip thing was very painful at times, and I am not convinced that the (very expensive) physio I saw actually worked out what caused it. Touch wood I have not had it as a problem for all of this year, but every now and then if I am running I feel a sort of heat in the joint area, and ease off a bit. But it felt like something had popped out, and I could not put weight on it- I was limping about at work and I felt stupid as it was hard to describe and I didn’t really know what it was. Bodies can be frustrating things.
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I find the worst injuries are the ones you can’t explain. It’s so strange because it’s your body and you should be able to explain where pain is etc. but it’s impossible. The pain can also not be the area of issue either. Blooming complicated! Glad your hip has been good though for a while.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23
I did something to my right foot, which was insanely painful, and took ages to heal (knocked me out of Bath Half that year – so I cheered N, who promptly got a PB, then got a second PB over the distance a week or so later at Reading). I remember crying all over Shouty-man at the Regent’s Park 10K about three weeks before Bath, which I’d used as a test – I DNF that 10K. That’s as about as insanely painful as it got (according to a doctor I saw recently, I have a high pain threshold…)
Rabbit and goat are about as exotic as I get. And venison. And I’ve not had any of those for years…
I hope you track down the cause of the injury. Perhaps you need referring for some imaging?
Jane recently posted…Speed: lacking. Stamina: lacking. Sweat: abundant.
That’s the problem with runners, we do have a high pain threshold and can just ‘forget’ or ignore pain when we really shouldn’t.
I’ve seen my physio and he’s ruled out anything structural thankfully. More to do with lots of other muscles being tight or overcompensating. Great stuff…
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Rants and Raves #23