Introduction to Laser Run

Yesterday, a local friend here in George gave a bunch of us an introduction to the sport of Laser Run. Otto has wanted to share his sport with our group of friends for months. His son recently competed in the Biathle World Champs in Bali so we've got some pedigree here. 

Laser Run is a sport of running and shooting (laser gun) and it falls under Modern Pentathlon.

In events, you start with shooting. The target is a 17cm square with a circle in the middle (approx 60mm diameter) that you must hit. At the top of the target are 5 LED lights. They start off red and each time you hit the target a light goes green. In each shooting series, you must have five successful hits within 50 seconds. You stand 10m from the target and must shoot single handed. 

Otto in the blue tee

Then you run (600m) - on trail. Then shoot, then run over and over. You do rounds so that you end up with 5 x runs and 4 x shooting series. The first person across the line wins. Shooting gets harder as you progress because you get more tired and out of breath so it takes more effort to get your breath under control to shoot accurately.

It turns out that I have a pretty steady hand. There is a club in George and I look forward to giving some events a shot next year.

Altra Lone Peak 6 trail shoes

Almost two weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a new pair of trail shoes. Now that I'm on the mend, with thanks to three chiropractor sessions, I'm getting back into the regular running game - and not just trotting and hiking.

Needing more toebox room, I decided to try Altra.

I've never gone for them before purely because of their puffy sole. I was in very tactile, almost racing-flat trail shoes for many years. As my big-toe joint needs some TLC and the Altra has a wide toe box, these ticked the boxes.

I've gone for the Altra Lone Peak 6, in the ladies, which is almost the first - if not the first for me to be in a women's trail shoe. They fit perfectly from the start and are feeling really good.

I ran the Port Alfred parkrun in them last weekend and I've enjoyed three short runs in them this past week.

As much as I was delighted to get the shoes, as I told my chiro, I felt like I needed to go home and have a little cry about the money spent. New shoes are exceedingly and, dare I say, prohibitively expensive. Running is not a cheap sport.

I hope that this is going to be my best purchase this year and that me and these Lone Stars will enjoy many hundreds of kilometres together.

First chiropractor visit, first parkrun

19-months after waking up on a Sunday morning with a swollen right knee, I'm still not 100%. Sure, I'm out on my feet every day, I can go hiking, walk the dogs and I can trot along the trails. But I can't run. Like properly run. A good, sweat-inducing run. Well, I can physically run, but if I do, I can expect inflammation.

In August 2020, I went to the physio the day after waking up with an inflammed knee. No structural problems found. It got worse, triggered, as I discovered six-week later, by my new trail shoes, which I'd been wearing casually and that left me limping and sore. 

In early October 2020, I saw an orthopedic surgeon (I was taking my mom there for her post-hip operation check-up). I had x-rays, he checked me out and proclaimed that there was no structural issue.

In mid-October 2020, I saw our local GP, who removed 5ml of fluid from my knee, did an ultrasound to check the soft tissue and confirmed no structural issue.

I then saw a biokineticist (twice) and the physio. 

Then I moved from Parys to George.

I couldn't do any of the exercises given to me by the bio - too painful. Instead, I walked daily - initially only 1-2km and later further, wearing my old road shoes. And daily stretching.

In February 2021, I started with a local biokineticist. She tested my knee and confirmed no structural problems. I then started on a programme to activate glutes, balance left and right (I'd been favouring one side for months), and achieve the correct relationship between muscle groups - like quads and hammies (my quads were too strong). The first three months were the most intensive and then I checked-in every few weeks. 

I remember August-September 2021 being pretty good as I was doing quite a bit of mileage in scouting and preparing for my Checkpoint Challenge event for World Orienteering Day. But then something set me back.

We're now in April 2022 and I'm so tired of not actually knowing what the problem is and why I keep having inflammation flare-ups. I've got low-grade inflammation regularly. I'm not in any pain and my mobility is not compromised, but I know it is not right.

I toyed with the idea of going to a chiro for some time because I haven't had a proper check and assessment since October 2020. I've suspected that the issue is still muscle/tendon/ligament and not bone/cartilage but I've had no plan or way forward out of this, and I've been terrified of doing too much for fear of long-term damage of any sort. 

"Chiropractors are trained to diagnose, treat, manage and prevent disorders of the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, and muscles), as well as the effects these disorders can have on the nervous system and general health."

Sounds like what I was in need of,

On Friday afternoon, I had my first session ever with a chiropractor. His assessments confirmed that there was no structural problem with my knee - meniscus great, patellar tracking spot on, and joint mobility all normal.

He did find a discrepancy in leg length related to tight right glute and sacroilliac joint and right shoulder sitting a bit higher than left. He sorted this out

In June 2020, I slammed my right big toe into a rock. Head-on collision. I don't recall it giving me any worry until after the knee started and I've suspected it to be a factor. Videos of me on the treadmill at the bio show good form and no problems with foot landing or toe off, but of course this can be part of the problem. X-rays in October 2020 showed joint inflammation and signs of osteoarthritis, which the orthopod confirmed could be as a result of the impact. It has messed with my toe mobility - I can't lift it much. This can affect the toe-off when running and walking.

The chiro worked on my big toe joint, getting more mobility into the joint. This made a big difference.

All in all, a good experience. I'll see him again on Wednesday when he'll check how the SI joint is doing, work on toe mobility and check in on the knee.

Since the George parkrun got going again in October 2021, I've been volunteering - most of the time on barcode scanning. Until this morning, I had yet to run a parkrun since pre-lockdown. 

The house I moved to at the end of January is 1.5km from parkrun, so I've been running to and from parkrun every Saturday. I've been thinking of running early, before the start, and then doing my volunteer duty, but I just have not had the confidence to do so. When a clock is ticking my brain switches into another gear. 

I did think that today would be the day... It was raining early so I figured I'd just do my normal jog to the start, which I did. Just after the start, I began packing up the start items when I was told that only one barcode scanner was needed, another guy was in place, so I could slot in with handing out tokens or collecting tokens. I was picking up dog water bowls when I thought - well, maybe I should run!

I knew it wouldn't take me long so I told the team that I was going to run and that I'd hop into a role when I got back. Off I went. This was maybe three minutes after the start with a trail of walkers leading up to the gate.

I know the trails of the route very well as I'm on these at least once or twice a week. It would be muddy and there are lots of tree roots on the one stretch. I enjoyed passing all the walkers and catching the slower runners, moving steadily up the field. I had two little walkies on hills, and ran the rest. I ran easily and comfortably, focusing on footfalls and posture and form.

My finish time of 32:32 means that my real time was likely just a sub-30, which on this course is rewarding for me for a first running. I'm not unfit - I walk, hike, swim and paddle with odd jogs - but I'm not up to scratch with running at all. Women's winning finish times on this course are not often under 24 minutes and this summer have mostly been over 25.

This was my first parkrun run since 14 March 2020. I have now done 105 parkruns and I've volunteered 127 times (72 of these as Run Director). 

I'm itching. Itching to run hard and fast. I've been really contained these past 19 months. I started running as a teen and I've hardly let up in almost 30 years - until now. My frustration has been tempered by enough other activities and a crazy work schedule. I haven't really had the capacity to deal with my knee situation because I haven't known what it is. This has been eating away at me and has had a big psychological impact.

My knee journey is not over. The knee is the symptom probably of transference from my toe. While slamming it into a rock was the start, the new trail shoes were the trigger that set off this whole situation. Bio helped, keeping active helps. 

I'm hoping that we're now going to find a long-term fix - one that will see me back to the activity that I love most.

First road run in a very long time

In early March I wrote about an 'injury' that has plagued me for many months - since middle August 2020 to be exact. I've been seeing a biokineticist since February. Our focus has been on balancing muscle strength between left and right and also various muscle groups. My assessment in late March showed marked improvement. In April, Megan got me on a treadmill to check posture, foot strike, alignment - all ok. 

I've only been trotting and walking on trails with the dogs these past months. I haven't been in pain, but I haven't been 'normal' either. Some right-knee stiffness here and there (even just from sitting or sleeping) - it is a general always-there awareness that my right knee exists.

I've been doing well and so two weeks ago I joined the George Trail Running Monday Social group for their 8km run - in the dark, by headlamp. I felt a bit skittish as I'm terrified of tripping and falling and setting myself back months again. The terrain and route were familiar to me and I took it easy and felt good. The next morning I was overjoyed to suffer no ill effects of the run.

A few days after this - perhaps from one of the strength exercises I'm doing - I felt quite niggly again. 

And then, a week ago, I woke up in the morning feeling nothing (which is a great thing). And this whole week I've felt nothing. I even spent a chunk of time placing rubber flooring mats, hammering, trimming, cleaning - and still nothing.

I'd spoken to Megan about trying a bit of road running, which I haven't done at all for the past 10 months! Four weeks ago she said I should give it a shot. Start off small - just around the block - and see how it goes, increasing from there.

Well, I've been too chicken to try, especially as I had not been totally niggle-free, which would bring in too many variables as I'm trying to isolate what keeps poking the bear.

After a week of feeling nothing, nada, zilch, I decided to give a short road run a try this evening. I began on a mostly flat stretch of road with a nice wide cycle/pedestrian path. I ran easy 1km down and 1km back up again. To my surprise I was clocking 5:30/km. I didn't expect that because I wasn't pushing very hard.

I felt nothing in my knee while running -  a great place to be. I added a loop within the nearby suburb to make it a 20 min run and then enjoyed a nice 10-minute walk to get back home. I hope to wake up in the morning feeling as good as I do right now.

I've got a bio assessment on Tuesday. We've got an hour session booked with treadmill (we do video side and back of me running - also to compare to previous videos) and other assessment elements included to see where I am. 

I have no doubt that this assessment will set new positive scores and it will prove yet another benchmark to better.

Biokineticist scorecard

Last week I had my first re-assessment by my biokineticist since I started working with her six-weeks ago. This assessment looks at six muscle groups and compares the strength between left and right and allows us to look at this balance and the balance of interaction between the muscle groups - like quads and hamstrings.

The exercises that I've had to do have focused on core, glutes, hammies, quads, illiacus abductors and adductors. In our quick 30 minute sessions, Megan works specific exercises or tests other ones on me and she tweaks the programme.

In my first assessment, my numbers were totally off. I knew this - although not to such an extent - as I'd been favouring my left side because of my right knee niggle. Where the percentage difference between left and right should be less than 5%, mine were all 10 to 26%, with the exception of my quads (at 2%).

Six weeks later and all but one number (adductors) is below required. The biggest change was in the iliacus (hip flexion) which improved from 26% to 3%! Glutes can still do with some work as they're sitting on 5% and we ideally want less of a difference.

It is interesting how I've lost strength in some groups but gained in others. And the interaction of hamstrings vs quads is not yet in goal range, but closer. 

Next week I start on a strength programme and I'll also have my first treadmill-based assessment to see how everything is working together to influence posture and foot landing, form and such.

While I'm not running-running, I am still walking daily and lightly 'trotting'. I've still got a way to go but seeing the numbers from the assessment gave me a much-needed psychological boost.

Shoes, toe and knee

 This post has been pending for six months and two weeks. Without answers, I haven't known quite what to write and how to write it. 

I have not been running - like proper running - for six months and two weeks. I have never had such a long 'time off' in my 28 years of running. 

I can count the number of injuries that I've had in the past - that have limited my running - on one hand:

• 2000 - lower shin stress fracture caused by old shoes. Took me out for a few weeks. I didn't know what the issue was or what caused it. I rested (took up more mtb instead) and replaced road and trail shoes - problem solved.
• 2002 - A bad step on a round rock at a race, suspected fracture in a small bone on top of my foot. Two weeks in a cast, six weeks of rehab and stability exercises and months to regain full confidence and proprioception.
• 2003 - groin 'injury / niggle' caused by brand new shoes worn for a weekend (lots of running and hiking) - same brand and model as I'd been wearing. Caused a sore limp. Multiple physio sessions offered no relief nor solution. They couldn't find anything wrong with me. As I recall, I took a break from running was wearing summer sandals while away for work. One day, I pulled on the shoes, ran across the road to the shops and minutes later I was limping. I never wore those shoes again. I replaced them with the same brand and model and had no issue with the replacement.
• Odd niggles - as far as I can recall, any niggles that have cropped up have gone in a day or two. Not many of them - fortunately. Very few have prevented me from running for more than a few days.
• Other incidents - like dropping a table on my foot (badly injured nail bed) have taken me out of action for a few days. 

I read trail runner Nicolette Griffioen's 'The Injured Runner' blog post last night. 

If you'd told me six months ago that I wouldn't be running for six months, I'd have crumbled. But, six months have passed in a blur and I'm fine, well and functional. Of the six month, I actually had four months of no running - only walking. In early January (month 5) I started with light trotting - uphills only. And then a bit more and a bit more. I was feeling reasonable. 

In early Feb (the 9th) I went to see a biokineticist here in George. I wanted to gauge where I was in my recovery process. A few minutes on the treadmill set me back. I spent a few days on Genpayne and ice. The session was too hard and too fast but the video of me running was useful in identifying issues to correct. This week is my fourth week with the bio and I'm doing ok.

So, what is my injury, you ask.

I've had a sore right knee.

On Sunday, 23 August 2020, I woke up to a swollen - not sore - knee. I'd been out on trails the day before. Nothing different to usual. I was alarmed! I did icing and went to see the physio the next morning. She didn't find anything structurally wrong. I stopped all running and took to only walking the dogs. I was on anti-inflams, ice and Transact patches to reduce inflammation. Initially my range of motion was not affected but this changed along the line to become discomfort with reduced mobility.

August into September is a blur. In late Sept I enjoyed a gentle run with my friend. Wasn't right, wasn't wrong either. I stuck to walking. A month or so after seeing the physio I bumped into her at paddling. She asked how I was. "Not right," I replied. My knee was generally sore all the time by this stage and I was still limping. She said I should see our local GP in Parys, who is more than just a regular GP (he is an athlete - running and cycling - himself). The physio's assistant tried to get me an appointment. Nothing available for a few weeks. I left my name on their waiting list. My mom had a hip replacement in August and I was taking her to see her orthopedic surgeon. I figured I may as well see him. 

So, 6 October, I saw him. X-rays showed bursitis 'water on the knee' (I read this in the radiologists report after the appointment) and confirmed both of my knees to be in excellent condition. He moved my hips and knees around. No problem. He didn't offer any solution or explanation. I asked him what I should do as I couldn't run. I literally couldn't run. I left there in exactly the same place I'd arrived there but knew only that there was nothing structurally wrong with my knee. So why was it sore? Why could I not run? 

From above

From the side

From the back

I made an appointment with our local GP and got to see him two weeks later. He removed 5ml of fluid from my knee (instant relief!) and injected cortisone and ozone to treat the tissue and inflamed nerves running over my knee. He confirmed that it was a really good thing that I'd stopped running immediately the morning I woke up with a swollen knee - it was the best thing to limit the chance of any long-term damage. A week later I saw the physio (twice) and biokineticist (twice - assessment and programme). We then packed homes and factory and moved to George.

September and October were madness months. I don't remember too much and I certainly had no capacity to focus on healing. November and December were much the same. Work and daily walkies with Rusty were all I could manage.

Most of the exercises from the bio I could not do because they put too much strain on my knee. I walked with Rusty daily and did some stretches everyday that I found to give me a lot of relief. Some days were good, some days were not as good. Daily walks started at one or two kilometres and progressed to maybe 4km. By mid December I was walking longer (60-90 minutes a day on trails) and harder. Daily stretching still made all the difference. 

In early January I began adding in bits of running - only uphills. I progressed to gently running uphills, flats and easy downhills with walks in between on most days.

Wanting to know where I was, in early February I went to see a local biokineticist who came highly recommended. Her assessment identified imbalances in quad, glute and hammie strength and functionality - and also between left and right. I was aware of most of this - I could feel it. I'd spent a good month of more limping and in the process lost muscle in the right quad and had my left side working too hard, all the time, because I favoured the left to go easy on my right knee. We needed to fix this. 

I've been in the bio programme now for three weeks. I see the bio's assistant (also a bio) twice a week for 30 minutes. Each session she does exercise tests to see how I fare in the activities and keeps a check on my prescribed homework exercises which are there primarily to activate and strengthen quads, glutes and hammies and to achieve the correct balance between these. I can feel the difference but it will probably be another few weeks until I'm running - like real running - again.

By now you may be wondering what caused this injury?

I didn't trip or fall or slip or slide. I didn't bash my knee or land on my knee. Instead, my sore knee has resulted from some kind of referred injury. I have two theories.

The Toe

Maybe in mid to late June last year, I whacked my big right toe into a rock while running. It was a total head-on collision that affected the big joint. I remember hitting my toe, I remember it being really sore but I don't remember it bothering me at all. At the time I was wearing really light, tactile shoes that offered little more than some sole protection from rocks and thorns. No cushioning. I'd like to think that if the toe was a problem, that I would surely remember it?

I do remember the joint being more sore around the time I first saw the physio in late August. The x-ray in October confirmed a narrowing of the joint space - which explained the toe's reduced range of motion - and early signs of arthritis. The orthopod said the arthritis on the x-ray could have been cause by the impact.

Both feet to compare joints

Right - "Degenerative changes in the first metatarsophalangeal joint, narrowing of joint space and widening of metatarsal joint"

This injured joint may very well have seen me changing the way my foot lands, which would have affected knee alignment, muscle function and, over time and with repeated motions, created the knee pain. So while my knee has no structural problems, the supporting tendons, ligaments and nerves were taking strain with inflammation and pain resulting.

The Shoes

I bought new shoes on 28 July 2020. Same brand I've been wearing for years, different model. 4mm drop. Great fit. I felt at home from the first. Wore them for mostly short (4-6km) runs for the three weeks until the morning in August when I woke up to a swollen knee.

I still wore the shoes daily for the next two months - to work, errands and walks. It did not even cross my mind that the shoes could be responsible. 

Until...

On the first Sunday morning of October I was doing housework - cleaning and vacuuming floors. I'd woken up with my knee feeling better than usual, the weather was great and my home was good for a clean. I remember pulling on my new running shoes to take Rusty to my mom's house and within minutes I was limping. I took off the shoes and didn't wear them again until mid-November.

I told the ortho, GP, bio and physio about the toe and shoes. They suspected the toe to be the cause. The GP acknowledged the likelihood of the shoes too.

I took to wearing my old road shoes as my old trail shoes were completely trashed. There was little chance that I was going to put on the new shoes. While my knee wasn't right, I made steady progress with my short dog walks and daily stretching. I progressed from limping to no limping and from short walks to longer, more challenging walks. I went from always feeling my knee to sometimes not being aware of it.

And then I took a chance. I decided to wear the shoes. Buying this new pair of shoes had burned a big hole in my small pocket. And there they were just sitting in my cupboard. I needed to know whether it was the shoes.

In mid November I pulled on the shoes for a walk I'd done a few times at a place I walked a few times a week. Nothing new, nothing different to what I was used to. I started to feel sore on the walk and I spent the next two weeks on anti-inflammatories and Transact patches and regular icing. That walk easily put my progress back a good 3-4 weeks! 

I sent an email to the agent - a guy I know. I explained the situation and then sent the shoes back to him by courier. I was (and am) convinced that they have a manufacturing fault. Not something that you can see, but something subtle and structural. Much like my 'injury' experience of 2002 with that brand-new, out-of-the-box pair of shoes. 

He told me that wear pattern was normal, he couldn't see anything and that he wouldn't replace the shoes but that I could by a new pair for half the retail price (his retail price was almost R800 more than what I'd paid in a store!). He recommended another model, which I have had and hated. The thing is, I really liked the model I had bought but I am convinced that this particular pair - not the model - has a flaw. I couriered the shoes back to myself. They're sitting in their box in my cupboard and a team of huskies wouldn't drag me into ever putting them on again.

I continued wearing my old road shoes for another few weeks and in mid-December I bought a pair or Saucony Peregrines -  a model I've had before (two or three editions) and I've enjoyed them. These are serving me well.

Toe and shoes?

Of course, the injured big toe joint and a flaw in the shoes may have been the perfect combination of wrong to cause the knee pain. I must clarify that on a scale of 1-10, I'd peg my sore knee at 1 mostly and occasionally 2 to 3. It has been primarily discomfort more than pain. 

Considering that I've made progress in my rehab and recovery even with a still-affected toe, my money is still on the shoes.

Despite not running for so long, I've been in an OK head space.

The first four months being off running were ridiculous with work, stress and moving. It really is all a blur. I had walking and paddling to get me outdoors. January gave me some light running and lots of walking - plus paddling. February has seen me walking (daily), paddling (once a week) and on the bio programme.

I've lost hard-core cardio fitness, that I only really feel with running. I've missed this. I am living in a trail running mecca. I haven't done any of the peaks. There is also the George Trail Running (GTR) group. I get the messages about social runs and time trials but I haven't done any of them. I have covered most of the lower and mid-elevation trails in the area by walking them on my own with the dogs.

This evening I set off on today's GTR social run route about 30 minutes before the group. I hooked up with them around halfway and learned of a new bundu-bashing trail that I would not have known about otherwise. I saw a few people I knew. As I was with the dogs, I'd planned to take a shortcut on the return, which I did. Rosy would have been up for more distance but not Rusty. Nice to see people but being with the group made me feel, for the first time in these months, that I was missing out and gave me the craving for a really hard run where sweat is running and you feel completely worked over. 

Good things come to those who wait, I tell myself.

I am doing a flatwater kayak race this coming weekend that I am looking forward to. I can push hard on the water with no knee repercussions.

I have had very few injuries of any sort - ever. Multi-discipline participating and cross training have definitely had a hand in injury prevention. 

I've always been quite astounded at how top athletes - like many of our local trail runners - go through serious injury after injury and then get back into the game. Physical and mental fortitude! My injury is not serious by a long stretch. I don't think it would suit me to be injured over and over and over again. I love running but there are other activities to enjoy and to keep on enjoying.

I count myself lucky to have had 28 years of pretty much injury-free running. And I've got great knees. Structurally. 

You may be wondering why I'm not mountain biking considering that there are hundreds of kilometres of riding to be enjoyed here in George? Risk. I can't risk anything happening to me. I single-handedly run two companies that answer to partners and customers. If anything happens to me that puts me out of action, we're in trouble. I can't risk falling off my bicycle. Bicycle injuries can be bad. There is considerably less risk in walking, running and paddling.

My whole injury-and-recovery saga could probably have been sorted out if I'd seen our local GP in the first two weeks of my injury and if I'd had the right biokineticist programme and guidance then. I didn't have the mental or emotional capacity to deal with it back then. I'm only now trying to focus on myself.

In Nicolette Griffioen's blog post she gives great insight into identifying injuries and the injury management process - something that she is going through. It is worth reading.

As far as my knee goes, she nails it.

"It is important to remember that the location of your pain is not necessarily the origin of your pain, even with more localised injuries."

I've probably got another 3-4 weeks of rehab, With six months already gone (WHAT!!!), I'm in no rush. It is worthwhile taking the time now to have running a part of the rest of my life.

Below: Out on the trails this evening

Overcast but with a great view.

Dogs. Long tongues.

My Rusty girl on the railway track.

Dogs leading the way.

Old tunnel built in 1912.

Consider patella tracking

The kneecap (patella) is a wondrous design that protects the knee joint from damage. An array of tendons and ligaments surround the knee cap. The tendons attach muscles, like the quadriceps, to bone while the ligaments attach bone to bone and serve to hold structures together and keep them stable.

The kneecap sits in a groove in the femur (thigh bone). When you bend your knee, the patella should stay centered, in the femoral groove. If the patella instead moves to the left or to the right - misaligned to the femoral groove - then this is known as patella tracking disorder. Common causes are weak thigh muscles and imbalances in lateral and medial muscles. Also tendons, ligaments, or muscles in the leg that are too tight or too loose. Of course, activities that stress the knee again and again, especially those with twisting motion (think quick direction-change sports like soccer and ultimate frisbee), can cause patella tracking disorder.

The pain / discomfort is felt around the kneecap.

This is relatively easy to correct long-term through a variety of stability and strengthening exercises like squats and leg raises. Taping and knee braces are bandaids that provide structural support to keep the knee cap aligned. 

I have another 'cause' to add to the list: restrictive clothing. Clothing that covers your knee can mess with how your knee cap tracks.

I have three examples.

I had a pair of tights that ended just below my knees. Every time I wore them, I developed a sore left knee. The pain and discomfort would sometimes disappear over night, or it would last for a few days. It took me a while to identify the tights as the cause. Stop wearing the tights = stop getting a sore knee. This was the first of two pairs of tights where I had this problem. With the second pair I cut I fabric to loosen the tension over my knee and the problem was solved.

In 2012, I had the pleasure of participating in a 24-hour rogaining event in Ireland. Before the race I bought a pair of really good waterproof pants. Berghaus. They have those pouches for your knee to bend. As it turns out, I found the crotch-to-waist length a bit too long for me and so I had to roll the top to get them to sit right and to ensure that the knee-bending pouch was correctly placed. After hours and hours of my knee hitting the seam, I developed a sore knee that I totally put down to patella tracking - where the lie of the fabric prevented my patella from tracking in its normal alignment and as a result caused increasing pain and discomfort. After the race I took the pants off and never had another problem. I've only worn them for short periods subsequently and have made sure to tuck them so that the pouch is properly over my knee.

Last week I developed a sore right knee - from doing not very much. And I put it down to the tight 'skinny' jeans that I was wearing most days. I spent most of my time sitting at my desk working. tight jeans, pulling over my knee, squishing my kneecap out of alignment... sore knee. I did a few nights of anti-inflams, stopped wearing those jeans and my knee is right as rain again.

I wa discussing this with a running friend this evening. His daughter wears knee-high compression socks that come just under her knees. If they are too high (like just under), she gets a sore knee. My 'diagnosis' is that the tightness of the top of the socks compresses the tendons and ligaments below the kneecap which alters how they pull on the kneecap to cause pain and discomfort. To remedy this, she makes sure that the top of the socks sits lower below her knee.

So, if you develop a spot of knee pain for no particular reason, consider what you are wearing. The type of fabric will have an effect - even stretchy fabrics - as illustrated above - can influence knee movement.  And, remember that weight gain and weight loss can change how clothing interacts with your knee movement. Clothing doesn't have to be tight; incorrect positioning of loose clothing (like my rain pants) can have as much of an effect.

Seven day personal running challenge

Last Saturday, I ran the Kopjeskraal road. I enjoyed the distance and being out. Just running. It is a simple one-direction route. I hadn't done that for ages. I wrote at the end of my post that I was thinking of making it into a personal challenge... Well, I did.

Starting on Monday, I ran this 10.5km route every day - alternating the direction each day. I have my mom to thank for either dropping me or fetching me - and taking Rusty for walks while I was out running. On Tuesday I got a lift home with Celliers after joining him for a walk up the hill. The run downhill shook my legs out perfectly.

I had a good week of running. I actually cannot remember the last time I had a 70km week. Or a 60km week. Or even a 50km week. And, I ended the week feeling better than when I started out.

I ran pretty evenly all week - my best and worst time varying by five minutes. Conditions ranged from warm to cool to cold and from a light breeze to very, very windy. Some days I may have had one brief walk; on others I enjoyed two or three brief walkies.

My friend Karen joined me for a section on most of the runs. Her house is 20 minutes from mine on the out route and 40 minutes on the return. Today she cycled a stretch with me.

My friend and old neighbour Andrew ran with me on Thursday. Andrew and his daughter Tara are training for next year's Comrades Marathon. It will be Andrew's 60th birthday. He is a very good runner with past Comrades finishes under his belt. This will be a special one for him to run with his daughter. Tara got trapped in an online meeting on Thursday so she made it through for Friday afternoon. They decided to make it their long run for the week as the cold front was expected the next day. Andrew and Tara ran from home to my start point, met me there, and then turned around to head back to town. A good 22km in the bag for them.

Yesterday I had the pleasing experience of doing a good deed. 15 minutes from home I noticed a white horse in a field. It looked like the horse was holding its leg out. Reeds obscured my view and then I saw its tail blowing in the wind and figured that was what I'd seen. I then got a better line of sight and saw that the horse was holding its leg in an odd way - out to the side and then lifting or lowering it. I stopped and decided to crawl under a fence to take a better look.

I'm glad that I did because the horse's lower leg was caught in a twisted piece of fencing wire (not barbed, fortunately!).

I crawled under another fence just next to the horse. She didn't even flinch and allowed me to work on getting the wire loose. She did not even try to struggle at all. I suspect that she had not been caught for every long and thankfully there was no damage to her skin or leg at all. There is no way she would have been able to get out of it on her own as it had tightened above her ankle and took a lot of manipulation by my hands, with their useful fingers, to work it loose.

After I got the wire off, she stood for a moment looking at me - and let me give her a pat on her shoulder. Like a thank you. That felt really good. I slithered under the fences again and resumed my run.

There is a property that usually has wildebeest, springbok and zebra milling around within sight. I saw them most days.

I needed this challenge to tie me down. To focus on. To get myself to commit. I needed to be reminded how I enjoy longer distances than the 5-8km that I hit most days. I needed a kick. I needed it to channel my motivation, which has been low overall.

I'm chuffed to have finished these seven days with 73.5km in the bag.

This week ahead I'll be doing shorter sessions. It is time to focus on some speed sessions to get myself back to where I was pre-lockdown.

Hitting the road

I've got a great road route that I rarely run. There is not any specific reason why I don't run it more often. Perhaps it is because I don't think about it, can't take Rusty (too long for her), I need to be dropped to collected... And every time I run it I swear that I need to do it more often.

What works well is for my mom to take the dogs to our favourite trails while I run from home to the property. By the time they are done walking, I reach the gate and she gives me a lift home. The route is about 11 - 12km from home of tar, a dash of dirt, little traffic and rolling ups and downs.

Great being out to enjoy the warmth of this winter day. 

With load rotation scheduled today from 1pm to 3pm - and the day a beautiful one, my mom came to collect Rusty and I set off on foot.

As I've mostly been on trails for the past few weeks - shorter distances of 4 to 7km - I didn't have any high hopes for this run. I was very chuffed to have had a really good, comfortable run that was 15-minutes faster than I'd estimated (including three wee walkies). 

The road ahead. 

My running has been a bit off kilter too. My trail shoes are totally trashed so I've recently been wearing a pair that I bought on an online sale some years ago (same brand, different model to the ones that I do like) but for which I have little affection. They are hard and have less flex. My old shoes are essentially like racing flats with little cushioning, almost zero drop and they primarily serve to protect my feet from thorns. This style works for me over all distances. There isn't much else to them. These other shoes have a thicker midsole and seem to restrict movement of my feet. My legs have been feeling heavy and my calves very tight. This is certainly due to how the shoes alter my biomechanics. 

My road shoes are a few years old and they too are flat as a pancake, but I like the tactile feel and freedom of movement without much restriction. My feet are used to this and they like it too. My feet felt great on today's run. 

I'm thinking of a personal challenge to give myself a kick in the butt: running this route every day for a week, starting on Monday and alternating directions (to or from town). Yeah, I think this is a great idea! 

No good reason not to.  Bomb's away! 

Badger Hunt clues and locations - half way

We've got a really fun running 'game' happening in Parys at the moment. One of our local guys, Willem, a cross-fit trainer, created a super game for May. It is called the Badger Hunt.

Every night, the people who have signed up are sent a clue on Whatsapp for the next day's location. The clue could be a few lines - cryptic / poetic - that relate to the location or there could be scrambled letters or, like this morning, a word in Morse code that gives a hint as to the location. At the location, Willem leaves a badger footprint tag to confirm that you have the correct spot. You have to take a selfie and Whatsapp it to Willem to verify that you were there.

He is also collecting kilometre submissions - not only to the location but your distance run for that session. I haven't been logging any mileage so I won't be part of that aspect of the 'competition'.

That's the thing with living in a small town - the whole town is the play area. It is really fun puzzling over the clues.

I began hunting locations a few days after it started. I knocked off the first bunch of clues in three sessions to catch up. Most days, I just do that day's clue with an extended out-and-back to extend my distance run if the location is near home. It is fun seeing other clue hunters around the area.

I've created an album on my phone for clues and selfies so that I can keep track. I've got quite a collection now.

I'm missing the one from this past Saturday as I didn't go out and I'll miss tomorrow morning's one (I haven't solved the clue yet either!). Rusty cut the side of a toe this afternoon so I'll do a yoga class at home with her instead. I'll catch up on these when I can figure out where they are.

Willem will be dishing up 30 days of clues. Today was Day 15 so we're halfway.

I've told Willem that he'll need to do this as an annual activity (but maybe 10 days instead of 30 so as not to exhaust the clue locations) because it is such great fun! He and his wife Lelane are really doing so very well with this.

Here are some of our selfies (I couldn't get Rusty in all of them but she was with me).

Morning time warp

Level 4 lockdown regulations permit walking, running and cycling between 6am and 9am. Only.

Just getting up in the morning has been a struggle for me from as far back as I can remember. I remember my poor mom, a (very early) morning person, trying to get me up for school. Whether I sleep four hours or eight, mornings have never been kind to me. Sure, I wake up, get up, smile and face the day, but if I can avoid getting up until the sun has warmed the earth, then I will.

As for exercising in the morning... I generally avoid it. Of course, I have crawled out of bed on many an early morning for events, races, and hooking up with other people. It is not my preference but it just so happens that all but a handful of events (odd night races) start in the early morning, not in the afternoons (how screwy is this!).

When I'm up, I appreciate the morning, listen to the birds chirping and the cooler morning temperatures in summer are great. But, for me, mornings are the exception and not the norm.

My usual routine is to go to bed late (midnight is common - sometimes I do very late nights but they do nail me), wake up by 07h15, jump up, get changed, wash my face, make tea and turn on my computer. Boom! It takes me 10 minutes to be at work and so my day begins.

My days are non-stop and crazy; emails, calls, admin, errands. In summer, I aim to be out of the door by 17h30 to run. In winter, I love the warm afternoons and try to get away by 16h00. Either way, I get back, put dinner on the go, shower and then I put in another few hours, which could be anything from another two to six hours. If I don't work extra or I only do a dash more, then I settle in for Netflix or an audiobook and my current crochet project.

The bonus of training in the evenings is that I'm awake, I'm warm, I'm go-go-go from the day (most of the time), my body is ready for the action after sitting a lot in the day, and it helps me to destress, loosen up and to put some of the day behind me.

The downside to training in the evenings is that it can be hot in summer (draining) and the work day and last minute invites can get in the way. This can result in shorter sessions or cancelled sessions through cuts in time and lapses in motivation.

With these Level 4 restrictions, I have no option other than to run in the mornings.

I get out between 07h30 and 08h00 (or by 08h30 for a quick 30 minute of I'm really struggling) and get back by 09h00. A guy in town has created a clue-based location hunt where we get daily clues that take us to a location where we must take a selfie with the tag. It is good fun. I started it a few days in so now I'm catching up.

Me and Rusty at a tag.

Once back, I have a shower, make tea and start up my computer. The thing is - I'm slooooowww in the morning, easily distracted and time seems to fly past. I feel like I lose too much ground when my day starts at almost 10h00. Sure, I catch up at night, but daylight just seems to burn away. I've also found that residue from lockdown is that I really like being outside in the day and not tied to my computer - so I'm a bit resentful of being confined.

Of course, you are wondering why I don't just wake up earlier to get my run done and my day started? It is colder and darker and totally unattractive to me. And if I get up at 6am, then in all likelihood, I've only had 5hrs of sleep. I've been there and done that way too much and it hurts. 07h30 is palatable.

Then you're wondering why I don't go to bed earlier to make sure I get 7hrs of sleep or more so that getting up is easier? Well, I've learned from experience that regardless of when I go to sleep and how much sleep I get, I just don't do mornings. I've always thought that it would be nice to wake with the birds and embrace the rising sun, but it just doesn't work for me. And as for night, I love this time of day. Quiet, peaceful and I get a lot done. With my midnight routine as it stands, I still get 7-8hrs sleep, which is fine.

I've often wondered whether the people who have run out of cigarettes and are experiencing an enforced 'quit smoking' will go straight back to it again when they can buy smokes. Some will, some won't.

For me, when we are permitted to exercise at any time of day, I'll certainly go back to my afternoon and evening sessions. That said, now that I've had however many consecutive number of morning runs at the reasonable hour of after-07h30, I would definitely do it outside of lockdown, especially if my morning has less urgent work pressures and I have other activities planned for the evening.

When in Rome.

I've never enjoyed getting up in the morning, even if there is a whole lot of excitement in the day ahead. As a child I struggled, as a teen I struggled and things did not change in my adult years. Of course, as I got older I dealt better with always feeling like I'd be hit over the head by a sledgehammer whether I had the misfortune of only getting four hours of sleep or the pleasure of 10.

As a result, if I can avoid waking and getting up before the sun has warmed the earth, I do. My preference is to run in the cooler evening hours in summer an the warm late afternoons of winter. Of course, I do mornings where I have to for events or meet-ups with other people, and I enjoy being out once I'm up.

With lockdown restrictions lifted to Level 4 and exercise permission granted only from 06h00 to 09h00, morning running is my only option. When in Rome.

These near-winter mornings are brisk but very pleasant by the time I'm out of the door just before 8am. And the skies! Sparkling, clear and deep blue.

Rusty, like me, enjoys the comfort of her bed in the morning but the moment I start lacing my running shoes she bounces into action.

Rusty in her basket.

The best view ever. Rosy and Rusty.

My Rusty girl this morning next to the river.

With Parys being a small town, I enjoy shouting hi to friends and parkrunners when I see them out-and-about. What I have seen very little of are children and teenagers! Exercise would do them a lot of good. Maybe they'll get out during this coming week? I think the optimist in me is going to be wrong...
Exercise permitted has been limited to running, walking and cycling. Paddling and other watersports are currently prohibited. Like many other regulations, this makes little sense but it is what it is - for now. The real bugger is that for the past five weeks, the river has been running higher than during most of summer. It has been brilliant this weekend after last week's rains. Oh well.

This easing of lockdown has come just at the right time for me. On Wednesday, my annual pre-birthday 'game' starts and this year it is '44 Days of Running' and my 10th consecutive year of doing this. I'm ready!

Lockdown loops may adjust circuit race perspectives

During lockdown, people are walking or running loops around their apartments and gardens to keep fit. Some of these loops can be as short as 25m, often in the 100m range and could be up to 230m. Even so, these are small loops to run around and around and around.

It got me thinking about running circuit races, where you run the course loop as many times as you can in the time available - usually 12hrs, 24hrs and up to 6-day events!

I've run two 12-hour events and I thoroughly enjoyed the experiences of these. I also did a trail circuit race in the Parys area unofficially in 2010 (I didn't stay over so I'd popped in to run for a few hours and then headed back to JHB).

In April 2006 I did a 12hr circuit race in Randburg on a 1km route. This one was run from 19h00 to 7am - through the night. It was superb! I clocked 98km and was the first lady and 3rd overall.

Dawn2Dusk in August 2015 was run in the day and it was swelteringly hot but a great experience nonetheless. For this one you had to reach at least 80km within the 12 hours available. I clocked 80km in about 10hrs and then retired to the shade and to shoot the breeze with friends. I was an idiot though because I was first or second lady at that stage and running well so I should have stayed out there walking and running to log more distance and an official placing. As I hadn't run more than 12-15km in months before this, I figured that 81km was just fine for me that day.

Runners (and non-runners!) will generally laugh when you tell them about circuit races with their response usually being, "And why would you do that???".

It really is fun!

I would reckon that right about now there are thousands of people that would see a 1km loop as a blessing. haha

You can argue that lockdown loops are run by necessity, because there is not another option. Circuit races are entered by choice, even though you have other options of running A to B or long-distance route.

Of course, circuit races are about mental fortitude but they're also far more of a 'party' that standard events and those that go through the night are quite special. You've got spectators, music, cheers and a great vibe from the company of other participants. This is really what circuit races are about.

For the sake of the circuit races out there (there are not many), I hope that after lockdown more runners will give these events a try.

With their lockdown-adjusted perspective, a one-kilometre, two-kilometre or three-kilometre loop will not seem such a ghastly thing anymore.

Out of the running shoe loop

I havent bought a new pair of running shoes - road or trail - for a few years. Needless to say, I've run the treads flat! My shoes are on their way out, especially the trail shoes, which have holes now in the upper. 

With what to replace them?

For the past few years my running shoe purchase has been more luck based as I've been running in Inov8s picked up on clearance sales. For R650 I'm happy to try something different and I've ended up with whatever was available in my size. 

I have the fortune of having great biomechanics and I've loved various trail models from Adidas, Asics, Saucony, Inov8 and Salomon over the past 21 years. So I'm open to trying shoes. But I'm not prepared to spend two grand to try something unfamiliar. 

I recently submitted one of those Asics team applications - I've had a few great pairs of Asics trail shoes. In fact, one of my all time favourites was the Asics Fuji Racer. Like a racing flat, this shoe had great tread, sufficient foot protection, almost no cushioning and was a superb ride.

My current Inov8 trail shoe is the Trailroc 245. I've never liked the heel box but the rest of the shoe has served me very very well. Flat, minimal, long lasting and tactile.

While my Asics team application was unsuccessful (they had something like 35,000 applications for 200 slots), they did send me a 20% off voucher (I don't know whether it is valid in South Africa?). I thought I'd take a look at their line-up to see what they have.

Back in the day when I was Gear Editor at Runner's World Magazine, I used to write the annual Shoe Buyers Guide and I knew well the road and trail shoes of the brands available in South Africa. In writing these guides, I'd researched the lineage of shoes and knew the background and heirachy. 

The Asics model names confused me with some looking like a fusion of two lineages. 

I was in JHB yesterday so I swung past a sports store to see for myself the one that had caught my eye. While they didn't have it in stock, I did try what they had as well as some from their sale table.

I realised how unaccustomed I have become to puffy, lifted soles (I'm on zero drop or no more than 4mm) in road and trail shoes. The shoes also felt narrow in the toe box (Inov8 has space) and it felt like the soles were 'forcing' my forefoot to over-roll inwards on the take off. No wonder physios are so busy. 

I didn't risk buying anything and will search online for a store that stocks the model that I'd like to try. 

I've also been keen to try Mr Price's Maxed shoe offering. Man, it is scary to spend a lot of money to just try a shoe. It helps that I know what to look for and what I like best. This 25-minute stop at the sports store reminded me what a minefield buying running shoes is - and even more for newcomers to road and trail who tend to focus on price and the colour and appearance of shoes. 

Bert's Bricks 21km 2020

Last year was, I'm fairly certain, the first in about 18 years, that I did not participate in a single road race! So when I was reminded of Bert's Bricks 21km, which I missed last year as I was out of town, I couldn't resist the challenge.

The curse - and blessing - of road races is that they start early. 6am starts best the heat but they do nail me. I was surprised to see this morning that it is now more dark than light at 5am, as I made my way to Potch - one of our closest large towns that is only 50km away.

At the race, I was warmly greeted by many Parys runners. We see each other regularly at parkrun, myrun or Wednesday evening time trials. 

Despite the cool morning and overcast sky, it was pretty humid. Hendrick - a local Parys biokineticist who has a spaniel dog that usually runs with him - and I settled into the same pace from the start and we ended up running together. 

The element that makes this run so much 'fun' is that you have the option to pick up a brick at the halfway turnaround at the Bert's Bricks factory. If you run all the way to the finish with it, you can claim a 6-pack of beer. 

Running with a brick is not easy! It feels like it gets heavier and heavier with every step! It is also awkward to carry and no position is comfortable. It is also not something that you can put into a backpack - as some tried - because it whacks against your back. 

I take along a pillowcase. With the brick inside, I have more options for how to hold it. 

We went through 10km in 56 minutes - nice and easy. We finished in 2:04, mainly losing time when we took the water points on the return route as opportunities to walk a bit and to shake out our arms. I'm sure we arrived at the finish with arms significantly longer after carrying our bricks back! 

A great morning and I felt better on the road than I expected. I'm sure I'll have stiff shoulders and triceps tomorrow, but legs and knees and lungs were all good. 

I've already put my keyring memento onto a set of keys that I use daily. A nice alternative to a medal. 

I haven't got any plans for much road racing this year, but I did thoroughly enjoy this morning's run - a reminder of my running roots. 

The Hill - first running

There is a hill just outside of town that I've been running regularly this year - at least every two weeks. Sometimes I just go out there with Rusty to trot along other trails but usually I head up, up, up.

This hill is a bugger. I can't run the whole thing (yet) without walking.

From the first day that I came here, a plan began to form: to do a hill challenge event. My idea was that is would work much like the 'Crazy Kay' that I used to organise for AR Club in the early to mid-2000s on a one-kilometre stretch of road.

The participants were provided with the distance from start to hilltop (2.3km) and the gradient (150m elevation gain with a max 23% slope), and they were then asked to write down the time that they thought it would take to get to the top. Participants were allowed to run with watches but were asked not to look at the time until they pressed the stop button at the top.

There is a cement strip from 1.5km, which makes the surface easier - but the gradient is not! The route itself is not linear - it winds as it climbs.

There would be two winners: the person with the fastest overall time and the person closest to their predicted time.

A chance conversation with friends on Saturday morning led to the first running of 'THE HILL' on Sunday afternoon. What a blast!

Runners, walkers and dogs (Rusty and I were not in the photo because we took it. Celliers was already on the way up.)

Mandatory selfie - I'm at the back.

Andrew logged the fastest overall time at 15:24 and I was closest to my predicted time (11 seconds faster at 17:23).

Celliers, Ruben and Kyla came through to enjoy a walk up.

 We'll definitely have another running - maybe one each season? It is good fun and a good benchmark of one's fitness!

First woman and dog at SPCA night run

Earlier this year, a SPCA fundraising run was held in town and last night another was hosted at the Parys Golf Estate. This time I took Rusty along. They had a 5km route and a 10km option (double lapper) so I decided to run Rusts with me for the 5km, drop her with my mom along the route and then run the next 5km.

It turned out to be the most perfect evening - the temperature was just right.

Of course, Rusty was a monster before the start - at timetrial, parkrun and myrun too! She likes to bark and gets so excited - totally embarrassing! Fortunately, after the first 200m of running she is again a perfectly behaved girl.

She did very well on the 5km and seemed happy to see the finish because she didn't want to turnaround to head out again to catch my mom. It took a bit of convincing and then she trailed behind me (she is usually in front or to the side). For the next 500m, I almost dragged her and then she seemed to realise that she wasn't getting out of this and she picked up the pace again. Luckily for her, my mom was only another 200m away but when I handed her over, Rusts then wanted to watch me running of instead of walking to the finish with my mom. Mom says it took a while to get Rusty moving towards the finish. Funny girl. At the finish, my brown girly was waiting so patiently, looking out for me. My heart!

There weren't many of us on the 10km. I had a really strong second 5km but there was no way that I was going to be able to catch Elise. She led from the start and must have ended a good 500m ahead of me. There were no guys ahead so that would have been a one-two placing for us.

The turnout wasn't as good as in March, but there was a decent crowd -  and a good number of dogs (some we know from parkrun and myrun). There was a prize for the first man & dog and first woman & dog. Hendrik with his young spaniel were ahead of us; Rusts and I got the woman & dog prize. We received a lovely gift bag with goodies for Rusty (toy, ball, shampoo and munchies) and for me (chocolate). 

Our Parys SPCA went through a rough time about a year back and NSPCA stepped in to take charge. The new committee has made a huge effort to raise funds, upgrade the facilities and to improve governance.

Thank you to Lorette, all her helpers and Parys SPCA for a lovely run. xxx

Crater Run 10km win

The Crater Cruise MTB event has been held in Parys for many a year (around 15 years, I think). The event added a trail run (4km, 8km and 10km routes), which I entered and enjoyed this past Sunday.

I was last out at Attie's (from Anatomic and RIDE magazine) farm - Koedoeslaagte - in April 2010 for a circuit race that he hosted. In the intervening years, Attie has put in a huge amount of work creating a trail network, especially for mountain biking, which is his main focus. They host schools MTB events, training camps and the annual Crater Cruise and now the Crater Run.

The 10km run route was a treat. The morning started chilly - 3.5°C when I arrived at 7am - but it warmed quickly for the 7.30am start. The route starts off following the smooth and wide mountain bike trails on the river side of the main road, climbing gently to the road crossing. The winding track is good fun. We then crossed the road for the hillside trails, which are steeper and more rocky. I remembered the climbing from the circuit race!

I worked the hill well, taking two short walks on the steepest section and playing 'rally car' on the winding descent. Crossing the road, we were back on the smooth trail and I was feeling great so I let my legs out, working hard to the end.

The lady who came second was ahead of me until the last kilometre or so. I actually thought that she was on the 8km route, which had merged with the 10km route, as I passed her easily. She must have gone out faster than me from the start (mornings hit me hard!), which is why it took me so long to catch her. I was in my groove and moving very well on the last section.

I don't get to participate in many events so this really was a treat; not only to take part but also to do well. Of course, in a field with more depth, I would have been spat out the back. Nonetheless, the morning was mine and I'm chuffed.

I can commend Attie and his team for a well-presented event with superb route markings. Everything was punctual from the start to the prize giving and I look forward to heading out there again to run - with Rusty.

New timetrial PB

After my super birthday run yesterday, I wasn't planning on a spectacular run at timetrial tonight - but I had one anyway!

Contrary to popular belief, a dog clipped onto you doesn't mean a faster run. Said dog likes to sniff and pee here and there, which loses time like crazy. I think that the best time that Rusty and I have had at our local 4km timetrial may have been last week when we ran a 22:40-something - even with a bit of sniffing. That was surprising.

I started running time trials earlier this year. They're held at 17h30 on Wednesdays starting from a local park. It is a tough 4km route.

I've done a low 22 minute on my own, but not less than this. Well, tonight I nailed a 20:20, taking around two minutes off my PB.
(I judge PBs off the last three-odd years, not all time).

I am super chuffed. Now to take this to a sub-20. I haven't done any speed work but I am doing the big hill once a week, which seems to be making a difference. Yeah!