Thank you, thank you

You know an undertaking like this is not for the faint-hearted or the self-less person. The amount of time needed for this training, sleeping, wingeing, eating, chiropractic work, physio takes away from time that could be shared somewhere else.
Thank you to my wonderful hubby Doug and my special angel Kayla. Kayla has stood at the front door on quite a few occassions announcing I am going running and when I get back there is much excitement. She has met me on the road sometimes and run a few hundred metres with me. She has joined me on the stretching and stretched her body in ways mine can't even think of going!
Doug - well words would never really be sufficient - you have supported unstintingly. You have celebrated each new distance with words of encouragement and BIG Sunday morning breakfasts, you have cajoled me out of bed, you have listened to my woes, worries, distances, times, injury concerns. You encouraged me to have the courage and guts to attempt this really big fat hairy audacious goal - that at times completely over-whelmed me. You never lost faith in me.
My fantastic, fun, flippin-talented-athlete friend - Fiona. I LOVE your friendship and value it enormously. You are always so generous with your advice and time. I safely say that after every training run with you I came away an improved athlete. And after every breakfast a fuller fatter one too!
To my Mom and Dad - always thank you. I suspect it is really difficult for you to understand this madness that afflicts your eldest daughter at times and I do believe that I came from the cabbage patch (the sporty one) but you always listen and ask questions and be interested in something very foreign to you. Mom thank you for picking up the slack with Kayla when I go running - it is simple if you didn't do it at Easter when I was with you I would not have been able to go. Dad - my gorgeous Dad who loves his sleep - thank you thank you for getting up way before the birds were farting to get me through to Hillcrest and then to fetch me again 4 hours later.
Ali - for still listening to me even though you had to give up on your Comrades dream. And always for your dry humourous medical advice. There is another dream for you out there - perhaps not with the Comrades name - but it is there.
Michael Barber - I really value your chiropratic knowledge. I know I was very challenging for you - thanks for taking up the challenge.
To my mates on Facebook who respond to my statuses with words of encouragement and at times disbelief - thank you.
And to that doctor who shall remain un-named - your simple words of "I don't believe you will finish" have actually done just the spurring on I needed at this time. Without you knowing, you kicked into something really powerful in me. Thank you.
We are at C minus 5 days. I can't sleep again because I had cortisone in my back - 4 injections and I didn't even cry (only little squeeks). I am ready. I have a fighting chance at finishing. I am looking forward to crossing a boundry of physical and mental toughness to see what is on the other side. This is not just a physical journey (although I may have to remind myself this at various breaking points - Fields Hill comes to mind) but I suspect possibly a bigger spiritual journey. I am looking forward to engaging with my angels on this journey that is culminating in 89.28 kms.

Rollercoaster

I am running, I am not running, I can do it, I won't make it, the pain is fine, pain ain't so fine - whoa get me offa this rollercoaster. Last Friday my dreams of comrades were slipping fast and furiously from my finger tips. The cortisone injection did not work - my run on Friday was as painful as before. I was devastated. I had a milo and muffin with Bruce and he pepped talk me up a storm. I spoke with Ali Camp on Sat (my mate in KZN who is an OT and who had a bursitis). She suggested a strapping procedure with kinetic tape.
I ran on Monday - with pain and with determination to check my fitness. Coz of course in all of this there are these concerns from various sides that I am losing cardiovascular fitness and what all else. I then went for another cortisone injection. This time it was done under ultra sound and the area better identified. In fact I would go as so far as to say it was put in the wrong place last time! I then went to see Sam Newton - a physio specialising in this taping and sports injuries. Tape on and excitement back up again. I couldn't sleep again on Tuesday night - 5 hours and the water tasted funny again. It's that cortisone stuff. Luckily it doesn't seem to affect the taste of wine!
The run on Wed with the tape was great in that there was no pain in the bursa area at all - YAY! But I had quite a bit of pain above the hip bone. I was not limping or anything tho. It just felt very bruised and tender. I went back to Sam today and she was pleased. She said the different pain was due to the muscles being used better because of the positioning of the tape. Oh the relief....
So we have left the tape off to give it a rest, I will do a couple more little runs - 5 or 6 kms.
I get a cortisone jab in my back on Monday morning - into the facia joint and then restrapped on Tuesday.
Gosh what a journey. I had a little chat with my soul - actually I have quite a few of those. The sense I got was NOT to give up. Keep with the faith, keep with the belief this is the right thing to do.

Watch this space

Ok so the reality is this will be my one and only Comrades. I visited an orthopaedic surgeon to have a look at the current painful affliction called Bursitis. He also did an MRI scan and Xrays. Effectively the L4 and L5 disks on my spine are compressed. There is no liquid in between the disks and there is a level of both of the disks bulging out. One is irritating the nerve but both still allow nerve movement. This at least explains why I ALWAYS have a sore back. This is not caused by running but is made worse by running big distances. In time surgery is required but I should be able to manage it for some years - building core strength, cross training etc. He did say to me he did not think I would finish Comrades. I just took a deep breath and said I won't get into a conversation about that but my head was a lot stronger than my body. There is something to be said for someone who challenges some things about me. It has really spurred me on mentally to ensure I finish - one to prove him wrong and the other because this is a once in a life time adventure for me. Cool - bring it on!!
I did get a cortisone injection in my hip. He made me go collected the script from the pharamacy before I saw him. There is a level of cruelty in doing that. The one needle I picked up was f...!@#ing enormous and at that stage I thought it was going into my back. Anyway he did endear himself to me by saying I was so skinny so he could use a small needle and then he said I looked Irish - in a complimentary way.
The next step will be a run tomorrow morning - yay - am getting withdrawal symptoms.
Then the Monday before Comrades I go back in for a cortizone injection into the fascia joint to minimise inflamation for the run.
I had an interesting night last night. I was very hyped, not hungry and couldn't sleep at all. All very unusual behaviour for me.
Had our last Comrades talk at Randburg Harriers. I am so excited at the moment and really looking forward to this big adventure - physically , spiritually, emotionally - everything.

Oh boy....

Well my tapering has come to a stand-still - literally. I appear to have bursitis in my left hip - big einaar! I did 15km last week - big glup - programme says to do 54 km. I have been resting - which quite frankly I have loved. I do a test run tomorrow morning and will probably have a cortozone injection on Tuesday. Comrades feels very surreal now. 20 days left - feel the need to do more running.....

Well that was horrible....

I felt really good physically after the 60km last Sunday. I recovered quicker after this run that after the marathon or so I thought. However mentally it is all a little messy in there. I have really been battling with motivation this week. I was very busy work-wise, it rained from Thursday and winter arrived so all in all it was a little tricky to get me out of bed. I got to the club this morning to do a 30km hoping for a bit of motivation from fellow runners. I ended up at the back of the pack from 200m outside the club gate and it went down hill from there (and that was not the run profile). I wanted to call Doug a hundred times to some a fetch me but managed to out-manoevre myself on this. I ranted and raved and convinced me this was good and was my choice. And when I got back to the car 4 hours later and there wasn't a single person there I burst into tears! In my opinion not a good CLUB run but whatever.
Anyway I am hurting - knees, back, glutes but the good news is I don't run tomorrow and it is a holiday! Off to bed now with a book and painkiller

60kms and counting.....

I ran the RAC 60km run on Sunday and it was GREAT! But bliksem it is bleddy far! The run was so well organised and there were a lot of runners. I imagined that it would be lonesome me at the back of the pack but I ran with people the whole way. I ran with my old buddy Bruce "oh captain my captain" Clark for the 1st 20 or so kms. We had a really lovely natter. I battled a bit from 20 - 32 kms and then something else kicked in. I took an Ibumol for my knee (the ITB in my right knee was biting) and put my ear phones in and sang my way through about 30kms. Dougie met me at about 34 kms. It was lovely to see him and get some snacks and TLC. I finished the run strong mentally and physically and also not feeling like I couldn't take one more step - which has boosted my confidence. I got to 45kms at 5h30 and finished in 7h40. It is still a little slow. I want to get to 45km on Comrades in 5:15 which just gives a little more breathing space for the 2nd half.
I am so excited and nervous and can't wait and am dreading it and ready for the challenge.
I still have a couple of weeks of biggish milage but it will all start coming down now.

The road is long

Well I have been battling injuries a bit and the milage has really suffered. I got a bit sick the week after the marathon - I guess my immune system dived a little. I have had left hamstring issues, on-going back issues and the last long run my right knee was aflicted with VERY painful ITB.... but apart from that everything is going fabulously well!
As of tonight 50 more days left. I do big milage this week and next week run the long run - 60kms. I have now run the last 34 kms of Comrades - so at least I know what that road looks like. I am apprehensive and excited and doubful and positive. I can feel the end of the race but I have some inkling of the pain as well. Oh boy....
I said to a non runner the other day - well to be precise my Mom - that perhaps this goal was a little too big for me. She said well then I should just not do it. At this stage that is like saying to a horse on the way home from a long day on the range that it should not go back to it stable. I WILL be on that start line and I will give it my ALL on the day.