Tag Archives: back

Easy Does It

My back has been steadily improving all week since my sneeze of doom on Sunday morning. I was concerned about returning to work on Monday morning but my work car is so comfortable and supportive that I think driving has actually helped. I’m convinced that the heated seats have also contributed especially having them on the high setting for long periods of the day.

As well as warming my ass in the car I’ve been walking each evening. Sunday and Monday I just about managed 3km and 4.75km, very slowly and with a walking pole for additional support. On Monday I could feel a significant improvement although my right leg was still dragging as my glute was operating at about 70% with mild spasms giving me regular reminders.

Tuesday evening I could feel further improvement and after the first 10min I realised I didn’t need the pole. It was still slow but manageable without any significant pain, still dragging my leg very slightly but hugely improved.

Last night and tonight I left the pole at home completely 💪

I’m full sure that this kind of managed, active recovery has helped. I’ve found in the past that stopping all activity to protect my back is counter productive and just prolongs recovery. Controlled and gentle exercise is much more effective.

Of course none of that would have been possible without the prescription grade anti-inflammatories I’ve also been popping!

I got these at the start of November when my dodgy knee flared up (yes, my body is falling apart!). I got a 4 week supply but only needed them for approximately 2 weeks. Like a proper Irishman I did the responsible thing and kept the balance “just in case”!

They’ve definitely assisted my recovery this week also. However, as I was feeling a lot better I decided to skip my dose last night to see how I got on. No major issues today so same thing this evening. I’ve 4 left so that will carry me into and over the weekend when I hope to get back on my bike for Saturday morning.

It’s 2 weeks today since I last turned a pedal on NYE. I’m definitely missing it and it took a fair bit of self denial not to join the Club night spin this evening. I’m also very conscious that I’m already halfway through the month and still have a 100km spin to complete and maintain my RRTY 100 progress.

Saturday’s forecast is just about as good as you can get for January and I’m really having to talk myself out of not ~~doing~~ attempting the 100km this weekend! The long range forecast for the 24th is also looking good but that could change. The sensible decision is to wait of course.

The one member of the household happy about the last week is of course Cooper. It’s hard getting the time to walk him properly with all the other stuff I be doing so he thinks this week is a late Xmas present!

I’ve been getting home from work most of this week between 5 and 5:30pm and the stretching evenings are getting more and more noticeable. Especially this evening with the mostly clear skies. The photo below was taken at 5:30pm. Official sunset was 4:35pm but it didn’t really get dark until 5:10pm and even later they’re was still some brightness in the Western skies.

*The Bluestack Mountains just visible below the clouds*

Now all we need is a stretch in the mornings. It’s getting progressively more difficult to get out of bed at 7am in the dark…

Sneezey Does It

5 Replies

Since finishing the Festive 500 on NYE I’ve been very lazy. I have various ~~excuses~~ reasons: needing some recovery time, spending some family time, weather, returning to work. Unfortunately, also due to a niggling sore back that was pushed over the edge this morning.

I’ve had an off-and-on issue with my back for about 20 years. It’s the usual issue of an aging body, lack of fitness when I was younger and a weak core that I’ve done nothing really to help.

After the second-last Festive 500 ride I could feel a niggle in my lower back but called in Mr Ibuprofen to keep it at bay enough to get the last one done and the Challenge completed. The evening of the last ride though it was noticeably worse and it has been causing me issues ever since.

I haven’t had much issue with my back over the last year or more and I’m putting this occurrence down to an over enthusiastic trip to the gym at the beginning of November. I definitely overdid things on one of the machines and I could feel it for a week after. I figure this hadn’t healed properly and the lack of recovery over the 7 rides brought it back to the fore.

All was going OK until I had an “unexpected” big sneeze this morning and lots of unsupported muscles in my lower back simply went sod this! I’ve been limping around the house ever since trying to find ways of relieving the ache while not straining it any further. I’m hoping it’s sorted by the morning as getting in and out of the car is one of the trickier operations when I’m like this.

The weather over Xmas was one of the helpful factors in getting the Festive 500 completed. From Xmas Eve it turned very cold here with temperatures hovering either side of freezing. Unusually for here though, it stayed dry. This meant that despite some very frosty starts the roads weren’t slippery and cycling could continue. This changed pretty much as soon as I got off the bike on the final ride. It became windier that evening and NYD ended up being quite wet and windy, so much that we cancelled our plans for a beach walk.

Over the weekend rain turned to snow with quite a bit on Saturday and Sunday night. Monday morning I was working from home and was an early morning snow taxi for Owen and Catriona who don’t like driving in those conditions. Returning home after dropping Catriona off it started snowing heavily again and although I could only get halfway up our drive I was happy just to get up our road and as far as the house.

It snowed heavily again after that for another couple of hours but thankfully I was able to get out safely in the afternoon and evening to collect both of them from work again. I credit my success to bringing coats and boots, prepared to walk at least part of the way home, thereby allowing the universe the option of proving me wrong but thankfully in my favour…..

The snow came again on Monday night but this time we all worked from home before a partial thaw on Tuesday evening and Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday saw the temperatures plummet again with the joy that is partially melted snow and ice mixed with rural roads. All manageable but once again I was called upon to provide taxi service.

A pal on Facebook posted some fabulous photos from a snow covered Sperrin Mountains on Friday evening and I concocted a plan to pay a visit to Sawel and Dart on Saturday and get some Winter walking before it all disappears again.

The last time I was on those two mountains was 2007 with my pal Jim. I’m sure the mountains haven’t changed much but we certainly have!

My plans were completely foiled early on Saturday morning when we woke to incredibly difficult road conditions with extensive black ice following overnight showers and then a freeze. I was able to get out locally but decided a trip to the mountains was foolhardy. Aldi was as adventurous as it got!

As Vince states over on Omil:

Good to look at from the inside of a warm house, otherwise rather inconvenient and a bit overrated, except for skiing, in my opinion!

Similar conditions to here in a nearby village

Since yesterday afternoon our weather has reverted to type with much milder, wet and windy conditions and a yellow wind warning for this evening. Pretty gloomy to look out at but at least we can get around safely…

My ambitions for 2026 aren’t off to the best of starts and it’s now only 10 weeks until my first goal….

Some dog photos to finish. Apparently Spaniels have only two states of being: On or Off…

I lied, one last photo. I made a digital graphic as a memento for the Festive 500. My sister printed it on photographic paper on her fancy printer and I framed it. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

metric challenge 2021: may

5 Replies

In the very first week of the month I managed to aggravate my back. I’ve had sciatica issues with my back off and on now for a good few years and every so often I will do something to cause it to flare up. This time it was unusual in that the pain and spasm was on the left as well as the usual right side. I obviously managed to hurt the muscle on that side. For the first two weeks I was wearing a support to work every day and taking prescription anti inflammatory tablets to keep it under control. While I was keeping up with my daily walking cycling was definitely out of the question.

As the month progressed the pain eased but two weeks ago I still had serious doubts about being able to complete a 100km spin for the month. I had managed to get a decent hike on the 19th and had hopes to get cycling again that week. However, the weather gods decided that wasn’t going to happen and it was the 25th before I got out for an hour after work, just enough to see how the back would react. Everything went well and I had a good 50K spin the next day. Apart from some tiredness I felt good and no major complaints from my back. The plan then was to get a second short spin after work on Friday before trying for the 100K on Sunday – sounds scarily like a training plan!

In the end up Friday didn’t happen. The forecast was for rain and I was knackered after a busy day at work. However, summer was finally on the way and I was still clear on my plan for Sunday.

As well as the usual bike and kit preparation I also got my back ready. I still had some of the pain medication so took a full dose on Saturday and also Sunday morning before leaving to give me the best chance of completion without causing any further issues.

Sunday morning is also football training for Conor and with Catriona at work I had to delay my start until I had dropped and collected Conor. I usually like to get on the road between 9 and 10 but Sunday I wasn’t away until well after 12:30. Just like in April I had some stomach issues that morning again. Some of it may have been the beer at the BBQ in Mum and Dad’s the previous evening for my brother’s birthday but I think it was mostly nerves and anxiety that I wasn’t up to the challenge.

Leaving home the route was still very fluid. I knew I was heading for Ballybofey and into Barnes Gap before turning off to take the back road route to Laghey which also mostly follows the route of my Donegal 200 Audax Permanent. After Laghey I had a few options in mind and in fact it wasn’t until Laghey that I decided how to go home. The first 40km to Laghey were mostly into the wind. It was blowing from a mix of S and SW direction and forecast to flip to the SE later in the day. At Laghey I decided to push on to Ballintra along a sheltered rural route before turning back to Donegal Town and home with hopefully a tailwind to help.

I’d been passed by quite a few motorbikes on the main roads and coming through Donegal Town the Diamond was full. There must have been 150 bikes parked up and the local shops were doing a roaring trade in coffee and ice cream. It was great to see signs of normal life finally returning. I left Donegal Town on the bypass before swinging back in at the other side of town to stop for lunch. It was a simple sandwich, Snickers and a bottle of Pepsi but it was great to sit in the warm sunshine and get a sugar and caffeine shot.

Heading back to Ballybofey another cyclist caught up with and stayed with me for most of the way through the Gap. He was from Raphoe and riding a MTB with light off-road tyres. Before we parted he mentioned being puffed from staying with me on the road bike but I felt it was me keeping up with him and he still looked pretty fresh to my eyes! His company and conversation was very welcome as the road back through the Gap is not enjoyable, busy with traffic, pretty boring and a sapping steady climb that I’ve never enjoyed. His conversation distracted me and made it a lot easier – as did the tailwind!

I turned off at Lough Mourne with the intention of taking the Corgary Road and descending Meenglass into Ballybofey before heading home but at the top of Meenglass I changed route yet again. I was feeling pretty good and didn’t fancy the final 1.6km climb home so decided to stay on the Corgary Road to Aghayarn and Castlederg before climbing the gentler Moneygall Road and dropping down to home. It was approximately 10km longer but I figured the extra distance was worth the chance to finish mostly downhill for the final 5K.

My final distance ended up at 111.22km which is my longest spin for 2021 and my longest since October last year. I felt a lot better than I expected with almost 6 weeks of very little cycling and with a recovering back.

The weather all day was bright, dry and mostly sunny with temperatures in the high teens/low twenties. It was a joy to cycle in warm air for a change but it created a hydration challenge I underestimated. I only took one 750ml bottle with me and this was gone by 35km. I’d hoped to be able to refill once only at 50K but not to be. Thankfully there were plenty of shops to get refills but I’ll need to be more careful on future long runs in more rural areas. As it was I had no water for the final 15km due to extending the route and felt pretty dehydrated by the time I got home.

On the good news front my back coped much better than expected. It was burning quite a bit for the last 20-30mins but that was normal and not unexpected. Alternating position plus on-the-bike stretches kept it under control until I got home and there were no long lasting effects that evening or the next day at work. In fact it has continued to improve and I was back cycling today for 50K with virtually no problems.

This weekend is another Bank Holiday in Ireland and I’ve also booked some holiday days so I’m hoping for some more good weather and at least 2 longer distance spins.

bessy bell hike

8 Replies

I haven’t been on the bike since the 100km spin for April. The following Bank Holiday weekend was pretty grim weather wise and the Wednesday after I managed to hurt my back doing some clearing out of the attic and garage. I’ve had problems with my lower back for a good number of years with a slightly bulging disc that causes sciatica when irritated. Nothing major but it flares up from time to time. I’ve had various physio treatments for it but I have a weak core and a terrible lazy streak that means I never totally get rid of it.

This time I strained my left side which resulted in pain and inflammation on both sides of my lower back. I’ve had to start on a course of pain killers and wear a back support to work to allow me to stay on my feet all day. I’ve been able to keep working and walking but had to stop cycling to allow it to heal. It had improved towards the end of last week so I decided that a hike was in order to get me out in the fresh air for a few hours and to test the limits of my back in a situation where I could easily bail if I was in too much discomfort.

Bessy Bell is a large hill/small mountain just outside Newtownstewart and approximately 25min from home. I was last up here about 5 years ago and figured this would be a good time for a revisit. The 12km loop is completely on stone forest roads and easy for navigation. The climb to the summit isn’t too taxing (maximum height 420m) and the views are very rewarding.

Rosie isn’t a good traveller, she gets car sick, but at only a 25min journey I decided she could come too. She’s getting on at 10 1/2 now but has been full of energy all week so I figured she would manage better than me!

After the summit you descend most of the way by the same track before branching off to follow the Ulster Way most of the way back to the start. This is pretty level all the way with a mix of forest and clearfell areas, very easy and pleasant walking.

The Ulster Way is overlapped in this region by the International Appalachian Trail. New signage has been installed in the last 6 months or so and this is a later section than my previous walk in Killeter Forest a few weeks ago.

For food I took the usual packed lunch but also decided to take a gas cannister and stove for the first time ever. Normally I carry a flask of tea which usually results in a sub standard, stale tasting and lukewarm drink for lunch. Using the stove provided a very refreshing cup to accompany my sandwiches and definitely worth the slight extra weight.

The final 1.5-2km section is along a stretch of rural road. It’s a busy enough road but quieter than I expected this time. Also there was still lots of flowers to admire and nice scenery to enjoy along the way.

Despite the rest of the country being under a thunderstorm warning it managed to stay dry, warm and mostly sunny for the day. My back coped well and has continued to improve slightly every day since. I hope to get back on the bike for short spins this week.

niall harran

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