Saturday, April 21, 2007

Worse than expected

The injury is worse than expected. The anti inflammatories get the swelling down and pain subsides by morning but after walking around the whole day its back by night. This is going to take longer than expected to cure.

Meanwhile I shall not be running. Tomorrow's Power Run is off for me then. No point risking long term injury. I shall be taking Nick to the swimming complex today and hope to get a workout there myself.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Extensor Tendinitis

I am down with an injury called extensor tendinitis. I believe it occured during last Saturday's long run. There was a dull pain after Sat's run at the top of my left foot but it went away quickly. I did not feel any pain while running my tempo on Monday but as soon as I finished running I felt it.

Icing the foot and oral anti inflamatories helped and I did not feel any pain yesterday before my evening run. After 1k I started feeling a slight pain but by km 3 it was gone. The pain returned after my run. Once again icing the foot and the oral anti inflamatories with rest has helped and the pain is gone today. I need to rest completely for a few days and continue treatment.

I shall leave my Penang bridge marathon registration to the very last minute. There is a possibility of switching to the half marathon if I can't get in sufficient training or if ANY injury occurs or persists.

Description

The extensor tendons to the foot come from the relatively small muscles in the front of the leg. The two main extensor muscles are the Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle (EHL) and the Extensor Digitrorum Longus muscle (EDL).

The tendons from these muscles cross the front of the ankle, pass across the top of the foot and attach into the big toe (EHL) and lesser toes (EDL). These tendons function to pull the foot upward and work with resistance from the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles (flexor muscle group) that pulls the foot downward.

Cause of Extensor Tendonitis:

When these tendons become over stressed they become inflamed and painful. Swelling may accompany the inflammation. Most commonly it is the extensor tendon to the big toe (EHL) that is affected. In other instances the extensor tendons to the lesser toes (EDL) is affected. The most common factors that cause extensor tendonitis are excessive tightness of the calf muscles, over exertion during exercise and falling of the foot arch.

A simple test to determine if the pain on the top of the foot is due to extensor tendonitis is to flex the foot downward and have a friend provide resistance to the top of the toes. Try to pull the toes upward against resistance. If you experience pain across the top of the foot or along the course of a tendon on the top of the foot then the diagnosis is likely extensor tendonitis.

Treatment:

In mild cases of extensor tendonitis treatment consists of
calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. In more sever cases treatment may include a removable below the knee cast, calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. Many podiatrists may also recommend long term treatment with inserts for the shoes called orthotics


Sunday, April 15, 2007

10 weeks countdown

These last three weeks I have to keep reminding myself... Accept and appreciate the fact that not every single run can be a good one... Don’t think too much about it or you won’t do it... Even a bad run is better then no run at all. It has been a struggle so far but I'm positive it can only get better!

I'm not overly happy with my mileage logged so far but I have decided to listen to the body and adjust accordingly. I shall also adjust my race goals appropriately as race day gets nearer and I'm able to judge my level of fitness. In the next 10 weeks the key is to 'somehow' enjoy the experience of training hard in the midst of pain (if this is possible).

Yesterday's failure to complete the planned 25k means I will be skipping the Power Run next week to re-attempt the 25k. Instead of taking part in the New Balance 15k, I've decided to take part in the Centennial Half Marathon in Ipoh on May 6th as the distance would be more appropriate to fit into my training program.

Diverting away from the topic of running now, my wife is suffering from some bad pregnancy sickness again. With Nicholas, it lasted till the fifth month so we are hoping it does not last nearly as long this time. This time it gets worse at night. Do any of you mothers or ladies out there or even guys have any tips on how to ease this feeling of nausea?

This month is a stressful month at the office. The next few weeks could be crucial in indicating what direction the company's business will take in the next two years. There is one major contract renewal pending and a few more crucial pilot projects we hope to get a long term contract for. I have a positive feeling that we are going to have a good year.

Well it's time to get Nicholas ready for bed now. Here come's the little guy calling me now. Sometimes it's quite fun just to sit and watch him play by himself. He's growing up so fast that it amazes us. It won't be long before he's all grown up and will not be calling me saying 'Papa can you play with me or not?'.

Monday, April 09, 2007

A gift from above

Psalm 127:3 - Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Having Nicholas has been one of the biggest blessing both my wife and I have had. He brings such colour and joy into our lifes and we can't imagine what it would be without him. The bible says that children are a gift from God and that we are supposed to bring them up in His likeness.

Being a parent can have its share of difficulty and frustrations, but beyond that the satisfaction and joy of the daily antics that we go through with the child is something not to be missed by married couples who can have children.

Yes you might find that you have less time for yourself, and sometimes even each other, but we have never once regretted and I'm sure you will find the same joy and satisfaction once you have children of your own. So to my friends who are still waiting for the 'right' time, now is that time!

I'm getting quite excited at the thought of our second little one arriving in November and Nick has already planned by himself which of his Toys he would share with his new sister or brother. Making him feel important and part of the pregnancy has made him quite excited about the new baby as well.
















Monday, April 02, 2007

Do your duty

During the last elections, I was almost certain I had registered successfully as a voter, but when the time came it turned out I was on an overseas assignment and could not do my duty as a responsible citizen.

I was quite surprised when I met some election counsel staff in Tesco sometime last year and through their online system found out that I was actually not successfully registered as a voter. So once again I filled in all the required forms and got them submitted.

I'm glad to see that this time I'm on the list. Browse to
http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp and check your status if you have not already done so. Are you one of the 4.9 million eligible voters that have yet to register?