However, the Half Marathon training plans starts with a 4 mile run, and that’s too much for me at the moment. SO, I’ve had to come up with my own plan, which starts with a 2 mile run on a Sunday (followed by 1 mile runs during the week) for 2 weeks, then 3 miles on Sunday (followed by 2 miles during the week) and building up gradually from there. Yes, it’s very little to start with, but that’s what injury does to you I guess.

So anyway, I walked down to Marlay park today (which is over a mile walk, and seemed like a decent warm up) to jog 2 miles. Iphone in it’s armband, all ready to go, when I found out there was no music on the iphone, as it had all been deleted when syncing with itunes. Bastards. I fired my my “may my run” app to log how long I was running and at what time/pace. Did the first mile in 8.5 minutes, an ok but not great pace, and felt like I was about to die. Kept going anyway, determined to make the 2 miles and I ran and ran and ran and ran. The app is set up to tell me every mile how far I have gone and how long I have taken. But the GPS must have gone offline or something, because when I eventually did reach 2 miles, I had been jogging for 25 minutes. If the app is right, I ran the first mile in 8.5 minutes, and the second in 17 minutes. Which is stupid, because my walking pace is a mile every 15 minutes, meaning I jogged it slower than I walk it.

So I’m not sure exactly how far I did jog in the end, but it was close to 3 miles by my reckoning. That’s great and all, but the whole reason for starting off REALLY slow with just 2 miles was to avoid injury to the leg, and sadly it’s really been at me since I got back home. Not killing me, but certainly not fine either. I’m doing all the exercises and stretches and massages that my resident physiotherapist told me to do, and I’m only due to run 1 mile on Tuesday, so hopefully by the time that comes around in wont be a problem, and I’ll be able to Run ryan, RUN!

Ryan Phillips is training to run the Dublin City Marathon on 25 October 2010. Over one third through the year now and he’s still not able to run more than 2 miles without getting injured. Things are starting to look a bit grim. Day 131 was Sunday 7 March 2010

Just to update this post (it’s now 9.36pm), I have now played my first match, which we won. 3 sets and some good exercise had by all, EXCEPT that I have injured my leg again. Exact same spot, exact same pain. What a fucking pain in the hole! I am only hoping that this means it was never the running to start with that caused the original problem, but rather the badminton. That would mean I can’t really play badminton any more (which is fine since the season is over) but can still run and so keep training. I have called Orla to put the ice pack in the freezer and am making arrangements to get a leg massage to try and unknot the muscles as quick ad possible. Tits, arse, balls, wank I say!!

One Final Update (It’s now 11.15pm) I’m now finished my badminton match, and as predicted it took longer to get through 2 games of badminton than I hope it will take to run the marathon, at a time of 4 hours 15 minutes. What a sham. We lost by the way, Dunboyne Badminton club kicked our ass, but I did manage to win my mens double match if that’s some small consolation.

Anyway, that’s the end of the badminton season (unless Mount Pleasant come back to us to re-schedule matches that were missed) and I can’t say it has been particularly helpful for getting me fit. Tonight, I did work hard and sweat and panted and did all the things that make you think that you’ve been doing some physical exercise, but those nights have beem few and far between

Of course the big story from today is that my bloody leg is now at me again. I am gutted. I’ve been stretching and benging and flexing and doing all the thing the physio told me to do to minimise the risk of the injury re-occurring, but to no avail. I had originally thought that the problem must have been the running, but since the leg only started hurting when I was playing badminton today, I’ve been thinking it might be the badminton rather than the running! Still, whatever the cause is, now I can’t run or put too much weight on it again until it’s better. Arse to it!!

Arse to it!!

Ryan Phillips is a DJ on Dublin radio station Spin 1038. He is trying to train for the dublin City Marathon 2010, but keeps getting injured. Today was day 122, Thursday 26 February 2010, and once again, he’s injured. Pants.

Back to the gym today, and a little bit of gym rage. I’m used to going to the gym in the afternoon, but I got help up yesteday doing stuff so I didn’t get to the gym until just after 6pm and it was full of people. I was not impressed. There were girls on all the threadmills, 3 friends who were working out together, which was sweet and nice and lovely except they had all just started when I arrived. Grrrr..

I spent 15 minutes on the Cross Trainer to warm up and keep busy, and to keep an eye on the threadmills so I could jump on as soon as one of them got off. Eventually one did, and I popped on. According to the training schedule (which putting up on the site is on my “to do” list) I was to do a 3 mile “hard” run today. Again, I had hoped to run a course outside, but also want to be able to track my distance and speed at tihs early stage, when I have no idea of my pace or what I’m doing., so that’s how I ended up waiting for the threadmill to start with.

I decided to try and minimise the risk with my ankle so I put on an ankle support on my left ankle and did my 3 miles at a faster pace than the last two runs. The threamills are in kiometres, so the pace I ran on Sunday was 10km/ph, then on Tuesday it was 11km/ph, so today I went up to 12km/ph – Running at 12km/ph gets you round the marathon course in 3.5 hours, which is my target.

The ankle help up fine, which I was delighted with. I’ll keep wearing the brace until I build up the strength in it with my exercises and wobble board. In terms of fitness, I also coped fairly well with the distance and speed. Was pretty tired at the end mind you!!

Feeling really good at the moment, this is starting to feel like progress…said he tempting fate!

She wasn't one of the offending girls...

For the record, I did 15 minutes on the bike and 15 on the cross trainer, but I upped the level of resistance to make it harder and keep the heart rate up. Man it was tough work. Even I’m starting to get bored of writing the same thing every day about being on the bike and the cross trainer, so it must definitely be time (after 5 weeks) so start mixing things up more and adding in more swimming and, yes, some actual jogging!!

I’ve an appointment with the doctor tomorrow so I’m going to check the general state of my health and what level of exercise I can safely take on without killing myself! Then next week I’ll be heading down to Amphibian King in Bray to get a decent pair of runners for my gait and then I’m good to go.

Typically, I’ve come down with the mother of all colds, which just arrived out of the blue and without warning earlier and has me feeling pants. Not sure if I will be able to train through it or if that will just make it worse, so may have to take an enforced few days off the heavy exercise anyway. Boo erns to it!!

Today, I pushed it!

Today's motto in the Gym

That was more or less the story of day 30 of Marathon training. Everything was a bit sore and I was conscious that I had a badminton match to play on Thursday so I decided to go wasy easy on the training. In actualy fact, I managed to do pretty much a full session, 20 minutes on the cross trainer (which I might add is 20 minutes of properly going for it, I also do 2 minutes warm up and warm down….in case you were doubting my awsomeness….) and 15 minutes on the bike (likewise).

That’s more than I thought I’d get done today. Result.

Nice Boobs....not me, obviously

I decided to go over to the gym and just aim to do 15 minutes on the bike and 15 on the cross trainer. Almost just to keep my hand in as it were.  But then I found some hidden reserves of energy somewhere and did 25 minutes on the cross trainer and 20 minutes on the  bike. I’m not sure I can remember the last time I was so impressed with myself! Nor, for that matter, can I remember the last time I sweat so much. It was dripping off me. And, when you don’t have any real idea what the hell you’re doing, sweat is a good indication of things going well. What I don’t really get is why my heart rateand my burning calorie rate is higher on the cross trainer, but I sweat more on the bike….that is something of a puzzlement to me.

Better still, while I was training, I figured out what I’m going to do for my God Daughter’s Christening present next week. Total result.

Hoping to take a break from the gym and go out for a real no fooling run in Marley Park tomorrow. Weather permitting, obviously, I’ve no intention of running the marathon of it’s raining, so I wont be needing to train in the rain. Kidding.

Here’s some before and after pics of training today!

The Dreaded Cross Trainer

Before

After

It’s a bit mad to think that I’m nearly 3 weeks into this training regime thing. I have to say I don’t feel that I’m any fitter or have more energy or anything, but I guess you probably don’t really notice things like that over night do you?? By the way, operation “touch my toes” is making steady progress. I’m incredibly inflexible and have never been able to touch me toes, but I’ve to stretch every day now before and after exercise, so hopefully when I’ve been stretching every day for a year I’ll be able to touch my toes. It’s a small thing, but worthy of mention, I feel.

Where all the magic (and by that I mean sweating) happens