Rest day...knee update...and congratulations Mushy & VP

The knee feels sore today. Nowhere near as bad as it has been but sore nonetheless.

I was originally planning a 50 mile tempo ride with RW today but sensibly made the decision last night to give it a wide berth as I didnt want to further damage the knee, especially ahead of tonight (will come on to that shortly).  So its a rest day today.

Lastly, I'd like to wish one of my good mates Yatin (aka Mushy) all the best on his big day today as he finally gets wed to VP.  Such a perfect couple - without doubt the Posh & Becks of Docklands.  I will be headng to London shortly to join the celebrations :)

Knee update and Gym session

The knee feels better.  So much so I spent this morning in the Gym.

Rather than doing my usual 5km treadmill pyramid warm up, I done 2 x 2.5km pyramids.  The first starting at 10km/h, incrementing my 0.5km/h every 0.5km, making sure I stretched both legs out properly in between the first two...

So even after all that, the knee felt reasonably good.  As I type this at nearly midnight, the knee feels a little tender but there's an explanation for that.

A conversation with my cycling buddy RW suggested I ought to check the cleats on my cycling shoes.  I knew they were due for replacing so I had ordered a new set and they arrived today.  As I looked at my shoes, it was clear there was a problem with my left cleat.  The top bolt had been lost and the cleat had rotated out of its normal position.  No wonder I felt discomfort on Monday!

After taking a chunk out of my finger with the alun key, I eventually managed to change the cleats and a quick test spin of a mile was all it needed to confirm that was what caused the original injury.  The knee still felt very uncomfortable but I'm putting this down to the discomfort of the original injury rather than new damage being caused.   Looking at my position on the bike, my feet are touching more of the floor than they ever have before, which tends to suggest that either my saddle has slipped downwards or that my legs are getting longer from the cycling.  I'll need to spend some time in the upcoming days before my next ride to ensure I get the correct position then hopefully once this knee niggle settles down, I'll be riding again in complete comfort.

New cleats...with the inflicted war wound...

Oh JB JB...he's only got one knee...

...apologies for stealing Ledley King's song...

Sadly, it appears I have a knee injury

Whilst out cycling on Monday evening, I felt some discomfort in my left knee, something I've not experienced before. It had felt a little sore in recent weeks after running off road a few times but nothing as bad as this.

Voltarol gel (similar to Ibuprofen gel but contains anti-inflamatories) and Nurofen havent really touched the sides over the last 48 hours which is a concern. I was in a huge amount of discomfort yesterday during the day and had to resort to an ice pack just after lunchtime in the office. It does feel slightly better today although only good enough to walk on. Certainly wouldnt think about running on it.

I sensibly have not gone on the Wednesday night Plums run as a precaution, hopefully an extra 24 hours will see it right.

The main question is what has caused it? Having looked at the cleats on my cycling shoes, the left does seems to be more worn than the right so I've ordered a new set which I will fit tomorrow when they arrive.

Having read some articles on cycling knee injuries, it appears anterior (central) pain rather than lateral and medial (at the sides) could be down to having my saddle too low. Both Richard and Matt have mentioned this in the past so I will get the bike up on the turbo and have a look at my position once I've replaced my cleats.

Fingers crossed the knee heals quickly.

Cobham Loop (46 miles)

A decent paced, medium length ride for a Monday evening. I felt reasonably good throughout apart from some discomfort in my left knee. Feels more anterior than medical or lateral, so I'm assuming patella tendonitis which I hope will settle with some ice and some Ibuprofen. Will see how it feels in the next 24hrs.

Plumstead Runners Cross Country Handicap Race

The last few weeks for me, running-wise, have been hard. I've been running with Plumstead Runners since January and almost all of the runs have been on the road, which I'm used to. In recent weeks, we've gone off road and this is a whole different kettle of fish. Uneven ground, tree roots, mud, you name it, you need to adapt your running style and stride pattern to suit the terrain and I've found it terribly difficult...and I've picked up a couple of niggling injuries as a result.

Anyhow, I gave the Plum's Cross Country Handicap everything I had. I'd done a quick reconnaissance run around what I thought was the course on Sunday evening but (i) I missed off half of the first lap and (ii) took the wrong turn at the top of the first lap so I had no advantage. It was good that when I started, I could see a few bodies in front of me and thats always encouraging. I'd passed a few people by the top of the first lap and caught the girls (Mary, Julie and Charlotte) half way down the hill on the other side of the lap. Drove on and caught and passed a few others.

I ended up finishing third overall. Was absolutely chuffed to bits with that. My average pace of 9:50ish min/mile doesnt compare to what I would be running on the road. I wish I had the confidence to open my legs up a bit more on the rough terrain. I hope I can get a bit quicker with some practice.

Official results and race report from the Plum's website below...(click to expand!)

Welling Way Interval Set

24hrs before the Plums Cross Country Handicap so was a restricted interval set tonight keeping lots in the tank for tomorrow evening.

Effort towards Falconwood on the up slope. Recovery on the decent to Welling.

A good session but could feel a twinge in my left knee...

Hill Reps (Shooters x 12)

After a very flat L2A2B, thought it was about time I started to up the climbing. Was very short of time tonight so thought what better way to kill two birds with one stone by doing some hill reps. The one advantage I've got is that Shooters Hill is literally on my doorstep. So after a very short and quick warm up down Welling Way and back (because I forgot to put on my HR monitor), I done 12 reps of Shooters Hill without stopping. 6 London-bound and 6 returning Welling-bound. Was an excellent work out. Its all about keeping some energy in the tanks and not going out too fast. If I was only going over the hill once, I would have given it some more beans but no need for this exercise.

2,250ft in 16 miles. Not quite replicating a mountain climb because you've got the 2 min descent either side of the hill before you come back up again but it'll do nicely for a Monday evening.

Interesting to compare my average HR of this session against a similar session last year...

HR significantly lower this year compared to last, especially given the data from last year would have been lower due to the cool down included at the end of the ride out to Blackfen and back. Clearly the hard work over the last 6-9 months is paying off handsomely now.