Ellen’s final blog before the 1/2 tomorrow

Running Blog Take 3

10/09/2017

So this morning, after work, I got home and decided to go for a run. I felt good and knew I was going to aim for 5km and depending on how I felt when I got to the end of the 5km I might try to go further.

Unfortunately I did not come back with the same positivity that I left with. The first five minutes of the run was good however after that every time I stepped down on my left foot, it felt like someone was stabbing a sharp knife through my kneecap. I managed to run the 5km however came back crying. When I got back, both my mum and dad were around but I did not want to show to them that I had struggled so I just said I needed a minute and went up to my room. I had to strip off as my brace was too tight round my leg and then my running trousers were making my knee more sensitive. I managed to calm myself down enough to stop crying but just felt defeated, which then led on to me feeling like I had bitten off more than I could chew with signing up for the half marathon!

About 5 minutes later, my mum came up to check on me. I wiped the tears away but she could tell something was wrong! I could not help but break down, telling her my worries about not being able to complete the half marathon and letting all the people who have sponsored me down. For some reason the thought of my future life was also upsetting me.

Ever since I’ve had my CRPS I have always had goals to get to the end of. At 15 it was my GCSE’s. At 17 it was my A Level’s. At 20 it was finishing University. With all of these focuses, thinking about my long-term life never really happened but now at 22, in full time work, there is no end goal. This means its more about thinking of moving out, meeting someone, having children things like that and also knowing that I might be suffering with CRPS for the rest of my life. I know that life could be as good as any life I was going to have before CRPS but the thought of living with pain everyday for the rest of my life is still absolutely frightening and upsetting.

My mum has never really liked to talk about this aspect of the CRPS because no one wants to think of their child being in pain for all their life but today she listened then did what my mum is so amazing at. Distracting me, and pulling the real me back out! We chatted like mother and daughter do and started giggling and the pain finally subsided. Today was a bad run, but I am sure even Mo Farah has bad days!!

12/09/2017

This week really has not been good so far! After Sunday, I took it easy yesterday hoping not to make it worse. I hardly did anything all day but still had stabbing pain through my kneecap still. I went to bed at my normal time however could not get comfortable and so could not sleep. After an hour of laying in bed I gave in and took some painkillers. However even these didn’t work and so 30 minutes after I’d taken the ibuprofen, my knee flared up. It was a short one but where I was drained from all the pain during the day already, the flare up made me feel extremely lightheaded. Within 2 minutes of the flare up settling down, I had layed down and basically passed out. One wake up in the middle of the night and then I was up for work as normal this morning!

I wore my big metal brace all day to support my leg while I walked, which meant I could get through work and then also drive to my physio appointment. I do not like wearing the brace as it draws attention to my issue, which I cannot stand but what I cannot stand more is feeling sick because of having to take so many painkillers. Wearing the brace means I do not have to take pain killer throughout the day so it is the lesser of two evils! Luckily I do not loose my freedom anymore when it flares up as last year I got an automatic car, which means I can drive without using my left leg, and so means I do not suffer pain when driving anymore!

At physio I spoke to him about everything I had spoken to mum about on Sunday and he reminded me that each day is different and so I will never know what the future will hold so what is the point in worrying about it! With regards to the running he reminded me that a week ago I ran 7 miles. No one forced me, my determination did it so my determination will be what gets me round the half marathon! He told me that this last month before the run, needs to be more relaxed and I need to focus on getting myself to the start line, rather than the finish line! This gave me a boost and the confidence I needed to carry on running, just once my leg is 100% better!

UP understand pain

14/09/2017

So at the beginning of the week, dad told me he was not going to set up his own fundraising page, and instead he was going to ask all his friends to donate to my page and then he would match whatever I make! This morning he emailed the link to my fundraising page out to his friends and my goodness have I been overwhelmed by emails telling me how much people have sponsored me! The amounts keep getting bigger and bigger and my target of £500 had been doubled within a few hours and the sponsorships just keep on coming! Means I definitely cannot back out now because thinking of what that money can do within both CRPS UK and UP makes me jump for joy! Although think Dad is starting to regret saying he would match whatever I make!!

18/09/2017

So from a week after my last run tonight I finally felt strong enough to put my trainers on again and try to go out running! I had a vague aim of where I wanted to get to for my run but knowing how bad the last week had been I knew that setting a proper aim might make it worse so I just needed to go out and do my best. As I was getting ready my four-legged running partner, Cooper was staring at me, begging me to take him with me. Knowing the companionship, even from a dog, might make the run easier, I took him with me!

We both got into our rhythms and just kept on running. Cooper is really good because he quite happily just trots alongside me and does not get too distracted, which means I do not have to worry about keeping him on too tight a lead, which would affect my arms while running. What always amazes me about him is that if for some reason my normally breathing pattern while running gets disrupted he immediately looks up at me to check on me! He is a really good running partner as he can run exactly the same as me but also check on me!

We kept running and running and when we got back home, I had the biggest smile on my face as we managed to run 4 miles in 45 minutes! There was a little bit of pain but that seemed to be coming from the ill-fitting brace rather than my actual knee. With this in mind I have ordered a new support, which is more open so is not too tight and will not make my leg quite as hot while running! I cannot wait to get back out at the end of the week!

21/09/2017

I was expecting some backlash pain after my run on Monday but I felt nothing. In fact I felt better than ever! My new brace also arrived and I was desperate to try it out however today was gym day, so the running would have to wait! With it being so close to the run, my personal trainer thought it would be best to just work on stretching out my legs properly and working on general fitness. With having to have a week off, I thought I would be puffed out within 5 seconds of lifting a weight however surprisingly I was fitter than ever! I skipped the most I’d ever done, I lifted the largest weight I’d ever done and I did the best pull ups I’d ever done! I thought the week off would slow me down, however it seems it’s just made me stronger. I feel more ready than ever for my run, which is now on only 17 days away!!!

23/09/2017

I was desperate to try out my new brace and I felt I needed to try out running a long distance again. I decided I was going to try running a 10km although Dad is away so was worried I might struggle a bit without any company to keep me going. I had a plan of where I was going to go in my head however did not completely set the route as I never do, to reduce the risk of any pain. When I set out I just thought I would try my best, whether it would be small or long.

Every run I have previously done from home starts the same way, by going up a steep hill onto the main road I run along. Previously I have never been able to run all the way up this hill, normally get half way up before I start puffing however today I ran and ran and ran and then was at the top. Before I had even started the proper run I had the biggest smile on my face because I had managed to get up the hill! It gave me such a boost and so the main run began. I changed the route in my head as soon as I started, as I wanted to make sure I was as comfortable as possible. My first part of my run was only about 1km so I went slow and steady and used it as my warm up.

My new brace was incredible and so I had hardly any pain, which meant I got into my rhythm really quickly and still had the biggest smile on my face! It was getting warm but my breathing was under control so I was still feeling comfortable! I got to the point, which I originally decided would be turning around point as I was going to do, two laps but I was then worried if I turned around the pain would start so I carried on. I ran down a road that was very up and down but I was still running by the time I got home. I was so happy with myself however still wasn’t sure how long I had managed to do! I got my phone out to check and I had run 10km and felt like I could have kept going! It was hard but it was also such a boost!! I finished my run today, really excited for the actual thing!

29/09/2017

It’s been a quiet beginning of the week as I did not want to do too much with the race day getting closer and closer. However today is the turn of my last proper gym session before the real thing! The main focus was overall body strength and all was going well until the second round of dumbbell presses on my right side. As I pulled the weight up, the left hand side of my back too a big stab. I dropped the weight and sat down. I hate when my condition becomes obviously within a public place as it makes me so nervous, which then makes the pain worse. However my personal trainer was very good, letting me sort myself out before getting me to carry on but move onto something else, which would not be as irritating. We did lots of different backstretches, which dispersed the pain so I still walked out normally. I was so happy about this as I had also planned to go for another long run with Dad tomorrow and I really did not want to miss that, as I knew how important it was! I may not have worked out as hard as I wanted but I feel today was more of a success with the fact that even with some stabbing pain, I could carry on!

30/09/2017

Work went way too quickly this morning. My nerves about going out for my first ever 16km run was at its maximum. I went to meet Dad at the office and was so nervous I could not even speak to him; I just wanted to get going to see what I could do.

We set off both feeling good, except for a massive stitch that I had in the left side of my abdomen. The first 5km seemed to go so quickly. I think this was because for the first time I actually spoke to Dad while running. I’ve never done it before because I was always worried about disturbing my breathing. I’ve worked on my breathing rhythm so much that now it just comes naturally and I do not focus on it. This made me feel better about talking to Dad, and when I did start talking to him, it brought me straight away from any aches I had.

We ran pretty much all of the first 12km however as we started our last 4km loop, Dad began to suffer with some pain within his legs. This meant we did a mixture of walking and running but that was fine as my pain was starting to get worse so it also gave me a bit of a break! I am so determined to run this half marathon that even when I have been in agony on training, I do not stop and I do not say anything because I feel I can just keep going, even if that makes the pain worse. So actually Dad needing to stop was a bit of a benefit as it made me take a break and let my body settle a bit.

We made it to the last 1km and now Dad had to keep me going as my hip felt like it had completely dislocated. I was running, if you could call it that considering I was limping, all the way to the end! Even when Dad pulled up with cramp I continued to the end. I got into the office and thought I was dying, but then I looked over at Dad and he looked exactly the same as me so I felt a little better! Now I know I can run 16km, I feel a lot more confident about next week as now it is only the last 4km that will be new! I cannot believe in 8 days I will be running the real thing! It has come so quick but I am so excited for it now!

02/10/2017

So unfortunately the happiness and excitement of Saturday’s run was not long lived. After going to the cinema Saturday night, I suffered a flare up, which was a bit of a knock back. It has always been normal for me to be left in pain after the cinema so adding the pressure of the run on top of that, meant I was not surprised when it happened. People always think I am strange when I just accept the flare ups, but if I do not accept them, I cannot move on and get on with my life each day. That does not mean they do not still frustrate me and upset me every single time but I left myself feel those feelings then I carry on.

I carried on, on Sunday, doing my horse in the morning then going to work and although it was hard, my will power keeps me going. The afternoon was not so easy, the pain got worse so I knew it was time to ask for help. I asked someone to look after my horse and luckily I did as I then suffered a second flare up. Having double flare ups in the space of 24 hours does not tend to happen to me anymore so I try not to dwell on them but it is hard as you feel like you are being knocked down twice!! However once the second flare up was out the way the aching lifted a little, just enough that I could smile again.

I thought the last few days would make me more nervous for the run however all its done is make me be more realistic. I have just accepted that I will probably be in a lot of pain after my run if not suffer a flare up, but that’s okay because it would have been for a good reason and maybe just this once, the pain would be worth it.

04/10/2017

I agreed to go and see the personal trainer to discuss my nutrition for the last few days before the run and also to stretch myself out properly before the run. I never knew stretches could be so painful!! Everything ached and twinged as the personal trainer helped stretch me out. However afterwards I felt so good and loose. Felt like I could go run a marathon, which is luckily because I’m running half in 4 days!!

We spoke about the best things to eat on the day and to eat before hand and I was so glad he said I didn’t have to eat beetroot as every runner had told me that I needed to have a shot of concentrated beetroot on the start line, but I hate beetroot!! He said it might be an idea to have some jelly babies in my pocket during the run to give me an energy boost when I need it, however I then remembered that on my Duke of Edinburgh I ate jelly cubes and so that was it, I was taking jelly cubes to the run with me!

I cannot believe how quickly the run has come around. I am both excited for not only getting myself this far but also for the possibility of the actual day and also nervous about letting people down. People have been so generous donating to me and I really will put my best effort into running it on Sunday! Let’s hope I make it to the start line!