Up and running

On the personal side...

Another ankle injury - that was very depressing and almost made me stop. But thanks to my physio, friends and a good brace I pressed on.
Bronchitis - still sufferring a little with that. Can tell my breathing isn't as 'clean' as it could be. Lost 2 months of training.
Work - that never stops and the traveling also messes up the best laid training plans
Races - I did complete the Cape Summer Trail Series. Just. And I have entered the Two Oceans Trail Run, all 22km of it along Table Mountain

On the technical side...

Route planning - I have looked at many, many sites for effective trail route planning. After I let go of the idea of have a 'one site must do them all' strategy I have settled on Walk Jog Run. Really easy to use, great tools, combination of maps, satellite and earth views, logical searching, groups etc. I plan to review it in more detail in a later post.

Run journal - I dabble with other sites but I keep coming back to RunningAhead. I have made some progress on my comparison of journal sites and plan to update that as well.

See you on the trails.

Race Review : CWTS 1 of 4 at Paul Cluver

The Facts

Race: Cape Winter Trail Series or CWTS Race 1 of 4 at Paul Cluver wine farm

Location: Paul Cluver Wine Farm near Grabouw just off the N2. The race is mostly on the De Rust Nature Reserve on the farm
Distance: 9.1km and 16km trail run
Surface: Mostly awesome single track and rough jeep track
Website:  Wild Runner or Trail Series
Organizer: Wild Runner
Cost: R60 per short course and R100 per long course. Discount for multiple entries

The Experience

Entry for the race was done from the Trail Series website and allowed you to enter either a single or multiple races in the series.
Registration was either on the morning of the race or at the Wild Runner office's in West Lake.

Once again, this race is a good example of why I love trail runner. The venue is simply spectacular. The start was between the orchards on the Paul Cluver win farm. Sponsored by Addidas and Spur restaurants by 8am Wild Runner had ensured that there was a good vibe going.

Especially at the toilets section. Not sure if they under anticipated the number of entrants or the need for loos but 6 loos were not enough for 600 odd people! So it wasn't long and there was a lengthy queue waiting to lighten up before the race. Interestingly enough, the race start then pointed towards the loo queue!

The route had it all, some farm track, some jeep track but mostly single track through the nature reserve.

We came from down there, up through some beautiful country side

The climb was taxing on my poor legs but I was determined not to walk. Unfortunately some slower runners held me up and I was forced to walk. No seriously, I am sure I would have run up that vertical wall called a path if they weren't there.

The climb. Is that Pauline there under the cap?

At almost exactly half way was the apex of the course with an awesome descent.

The top!

 Twisting and turning through the fynbos, over a weir and down the 'ropes'.

In the forest area the recent rains made sure that the condition were slippery underfoot.
The section that freaked me out the most though was the farm track about 5kms from the end. Steep descent on a clay road. Clay + steep + rain = soap slalom! Great fun. The last few kays were a trudge through the vineyards and orchards back to the start.

Wild Runner and their prime event sponsor, Adidas, had ensure prizes for the category (Juniors, open men and women, veterans and masters) finishers (first, second and third). Then a number of great spot prices. I didn't win anything this time which means I will have to do the other races.

Unfortunately, kippie here did not ensure that his faithful Forerunner was fully charged. Which is not cool. However, Wild Runner did release the race results the next day.
You can find my race results on my RunningAhead page here.

Credit for the photos must go to Nick who also finished the race in a credible time!

Race Review: Bastille Day Trail Run

The Facts

Location: Upper Berg River Dam, Franschoek, Cape Town, South Africa (Jonkershoek Nature Reserve)
Distance: 12km, 25km and 35km trail run
Surface: Mostly awesome single track and rough jeep track
Website:  Trail Running
Organizer: Trail Running for the Volunteer Wildfire Services
Cost: Cost is to support the Cape volunteer firefighters! R175 to R395

The Experience

Entry for the race was a simple process on the Trail Running website. Payment by credit card or EFT. Registration was on the morning of the race - 6am. And in 2012 that was at a bitterly cold 7degC. Fresh snow on the high lying mountains, some of them having apparently never seen snow before. However, the mood was festive with barrel fires, tots of OBS and a coffee tent available. The event was sponsored by Salomon SA and they decked out the start/finish area with banners to add to the occasion.

Rainbow over the Berg River dam start/finish area

I realise that I haven't run that many races or routes but this was an awesome course! True trail running. Lovely climb up from the dam on rough jeep track then along a contour path. The recent rain had covered the path in mud and puddles. Then an exciting descent back to river level over loose boulders. Then the real fun, the first of at least 4 river crossings. The river was revitalisingly cold and thigh deep. The fast flowing water made for some fancy foot work.

Then we made our way back down the river to the dam and the finish area. Great single track over rock, then through reeds and mud sections. Some single track sections were in reality little streams. The final crossing took you back to the only section of 'decent' gravel road back to the finish line for the last 2kms or so. My Garmin FR305 had the course at 10.9km.

Kippie tired but happy

I managed to loose my much loved orange cap on this race. Didn't feel that I lost it with my buff one. Oh, well better secure my next one!

For my race results and map please check my RunningAhead page here.

The 'parking area' was an interesting mess  as the cars churned everything into a quagmire.

 The Touran also sunk down to its axel and eventually had to be towed out by a tractor.

Ankle injuries woes

I thought I might need attention to my left ankle. I just didn't think that it would be giving me problems where it is. I rolled my ankle 'out' an eversion sprain. So basically stretching the ligmanets on the outside of the foot. So why can I now hardly walk down stairs without serious 'sit up and take notice' pain on the inside (medial) and top (dorsal) side of my foot?

I will know more tomorrow when I visit my physio tomorrow. What to do to recover and how long it will take.

I will recover and I will run again.
More tomorrow.

Ankle start of the road to recovery

Physio visit done and I am over the fact that this has happened.
Due to the medial injury the whole joint became unstable. That instability has lead to the other ligaments and tendons compensating and stressing hence the lateral side injury that followed. I must say that the more I look into the ankle and how exactly it functions the more I am amazed.

First the assessment. This involved gripping the foot and expertly manipulating the ankle joint through the various actions. There was a disturbing grinding sound followed by a click or two. After the initial assessment Gary, my physiotherapist (and a sports injury/recovery specialist) put me on the ElctroTherapy machine.

The first 10 min session was 'through' the ankle - medial to lateral - and my my whole foot convulse like a mean pins and needles session. The heated been bag is to keep the muscle warm. It's damn cold in Cape Town at the moment!

After the first 8min session the joint already moved smoother and the clicking was gone. The next ElctroTherapy session was to stimulate the foot to do eversion action. This was very weird, watching your foot move without conscious control!

Gary then tapped the ankle to support the medial ligaments during recover.

 I am also using TransAct patches to manage swelling and inflammation. Gary also gave strict instructions to elevate the foot as often as possible to help move fluid away from the joint.

To help protect the tapping and the TransAct patch the area was covered in a sheath bandage. Below is a video of the nifty way of pulling the sheath on without taking the taping of the patch off.
Also, ensure that the outer sheath ends lower than the inner sheath to not restrict fluid and blood flow.

Ankles Part 2: Anatomy of the problem

The ankle joint is a Synovial joint type. This is the most common and most moveable type of joint in the human body.
The joint is comprised of:
1. Bones and cartilage
2. Ligaments
3. Muscles and tendons

Bones & Cartilage

The important point to consider here is that the ankle is a complex joint - technically 2 joints.
The first joint, the 'True Ankle Joint or Talar Joint' allows you to bend the foot up (Dorsiflexion) and down (Plantar Flexion). Here the joint pivots around the Tibia, Fibia and upper Talus.

The second joint is the "Subtalar Joint" which allows the foot to move or roll sideways. Either the foot moving inwards (Inversion) or out (Eversion). This joint pivots around the bottom side of the Talus (hence subtalar) and the Calcaneus or heel bone.

The True Ankle Joint is kept in place in a kind of 'mortise and tenon' configuration. With the Fibula providing stability on the outside (lateral side) and the hanmer of the Tibia the stability on the inside (medial side).

Cartilage covers all the sections on these joints where bone meets bone and, along with the joint capsule (a water filled like sack), allows for smooth gliding of the joint.

With respect to the bone structure of the joint there are two important points that impact on the effective functioning:

1. Range of motion
The ankle has a limited range of motion in which it can effectively funciton while maintaing the integrity and stability of the joint. This is measured in degrees and is typically in the region of:

• Ankle plantar flexion (movement downward) 0-50
• Ankle dorsiflexion (movement upward) 0-20
• Ankle inversion (turned inward) 0-35
• Ankle eversion (turned outward) 0-25

2. Destabilization
The closer you get to the maximum degree of the flexibility the more unstable the joint will become. It is said that the ankle in full plantar flexion is very unstable.

Ligaments

The ankle joints are kept in place by ligaments. There are fibrous tissues made from bundles of collagen fibers that connect bone to bone and are very different in form and function to tendons which connect the muscle to the bone.
Initially thought to be very basic structures, they have now been shown to perform their function with surprising complexity.

The ligaments in the ankle (or any other joint for that matter) provide three functions:

1. Mechanical strength. They passively align the joint to function within its normal range of motion and thus stabalise the joint.
2. The viscoelastic nature of ligaments help with returning the ankle to its rest position after it has been used
3. Finally, ligaments provide proprioceptive information. This information helps the brain to determine where you foot is in space

There are two sets of ligaments:
A. Lateral Collateral Ligaments
These are the ligaments on the outside of your foot, furthest from your other ankle. The lateral collateral ligament prevents excessive inversion. It is considerably weaker than the larger medial ligament and thus sprains to the lateral ligament are much more common, especially in trail running. It was these ligaments that i damaged. It is made up of 3 individual bands:

Anterior talofibular ligament (AFTL): passes from the fibula to the front of the talus bone.
Calcaneofibular ligament (CFL)- connects the calcaneus and the fibula
Posterior talofibular Ligament (PTFL)- passes from the back of the fibula to the rear surface of the calcaneus.

B. Medial Collateral Ligaments
The medial ligament also known as the deltoid ligament is considerably thicker than the lateral ligament and spreads out in a fan shape to cover the distal (bottom) end of the tibia and the inner surfaces of the talus, navicular, and calcaneus.

Muscles & Tendons

Most of the motion of the ankle is caused by the stronger muscles in the lower leg whose tendons pass by the ankle and connect in the foot. Contraction of the muscles in the leg is the main way that we move our ankle when we walk, run, and jump.
The muscles and associated tendons and their functions are:.

• The peroneals (peroneus longus and peroneus brevis) on the outside edge of the ankle and foot bend the ankle down and out.
• The calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) connect to the calcaneus by the Achilles tendon. When the calf muscles tighten, they bend the ankle down.
• The posterior tibialis muscle supports the arch and helps turn the foot inward.
• The anterior tibialis pulls the ankle upward.

Now that we understand the structure of the ankle, in my next posts I want to take a look at:
Ankle 3: Injuries and treatment
Ankle 4: Preventative measures

References & Copyright

This information provided in this post is not meant for professional diagnostic purposes.  However, I believe that an informed trail runner is a better trail runner. So the information here is to help you understand what is happening inside your body as you run. I hope you find it useful.
Although I referenced a number of websites, the text above is mostly my own. I claim no right to the images above and their copyright remains with the original party. The images are URL references to the original site. The site that I found the most useful, and from which I link to most of the images is:
Advanced Sports Therapy

Other sites referenced are:

Dartmouth Medical School
Wikipedia of course
Excellent article on ligaments at International Society of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions (ISMNI)
About.com

Nutrition: FutureLife Energy Meal

I got a sample packet of this new energy meal at a Dirtopia Trail Run on Delvera farm. After my training run today I decided to mix it up with the milk option and give it a bash.

Verdict: It tastes, OK. A bit like drinking Pronutro. I mixed mine with cold milk (200ml) and the powder devolved easily and well. Based on the nutritional information I would say it is worth it as a supplementary meal and maybe never as a 'gu'. I haven't used it often enough to say how it supports my training, but maybe later. The powder is 'formulated with ModuCare' and ModuCare I have used for some time as a vitamin/immune supplement.

What does it say on the packet that is worth noting:
High in Protein, Gibre, Omega 3
23 vitamins and minerals
19 amino acids
Prebiotics

Naturally free from Gluten, wheat, lactose, cholesterol and transfer fatty acids
No added preservatives or colourants
Mixes well with milk or water

It has logo support from Diabetes SA, Gi Foundation, Halaal and Vegeterian
Listed allergens include soya and the milk protein Sodium Caseinate

The expiry date seems to be about 6 to 9 months

This is the front of the sample packet.



This is the rear with the nutritional information.



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