Sunday, March 17, 2013

Late entry

Distance 107.8km [total: minimalist 285.6km: Barefoot 4269.4km] Week 11

Thursday, 21-Feb 6km.

I have found the connection between my ankle/calf problem and the gym exercises I have been doing. In the past I have noticed that my achilles became sore after doing calf drops so I decided to ease back on them, reasoning that the barefoot running should be enough to strengthen the calves. On the Sunday I did one 3 sets of 15 calf drops, don't ask me why, maybe I just had to try it one more time. I wouldn't be running for a few days so I though this would be enough time for any calf soreness to dissipate, wrong! My calf was sore, at the top for around 4 days. Even today it had not fully recovered. This is what I believe has led to the tendon soreness, the sore calf cannot control the foot landing sufficiently and more strain is put on the tendon making it sore. I did a road run today but ended up cutting it short as my tendon started to ache, I ran back along the beach but I was not enjoying it so when I reached the river I decided to forgo the run and turn it into a more leisurely walk and also remember the lesson I have learned.

Saturday, 23-Feb 7km

A hot one today, forecast is for a 38C later on. Now at just after 7am it is a pleasant 22C. Many people are out getting some early morning exercise before the heat kicks in. There are runners, people walking far too many dogs, boot camp participants all filling up the beach. The tide was on it's way in but there was still a good amount of firm sand to run on. The sun is rising much later now, around 7am in fact, so, for most of my run I was in the shadows of the double storey houses that line the beach but by the end the sun had risen above them enough to keep me fully exposed. I wore my swimming gear under my shorts today so rather than looking longingly at the cool water but not being able to go in, this time I could have a swim and a lie on the beach and then get home for breakfast at around 9am. What a fantastic start to the day.

Sunday, 24-Feb. 8.2km 

A run around the lake was in order today, I got there at around 8am as it was going to be a warm day today. The overnight temperature had stayed up around 27C. There were plenty of early morning joggers out along the route as I ran silently around the lake. I started to feel a bit tired at the end, the heat had drained a bit of my energy on the last km so I took a nice leisurely pace up the smooth concrete path running along Sportsmans Drive, the path only 6 months ago I was sprinting along, where has my speed gone.

Monday, 25-Feb. 7km

I felt very sluggish on my evening beach run today, I may have overdosed on birthday cake which I baked yesterday and brought into work today. I don't think I handle stodgy high calorie food. The run felt like a bit of a struggle, the soft sand and incoming tide didn't help matters. The lower leg is still not 100%. I will not be fit enough to do the Beach Bash this year so I won't bother entering just to finish halfway, I like to enter a race feeling a bit competitive.

Thursday, 28-Feb. 8km

With the onset of a few days of cooler weather the south wind was quite strong so today it was off the beach and a run along the river. It's been a while since I ran along the river to the estuary. I'm still finding it hard to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone, it keeps popping up past 140BPM so I try and slow my pace, it works for a while then my pace must creep back up along with the heart rate.
The one drawback with the river run is the amount of seeds dropped by the trees, it is worse on the return journey than on the outbound side. The path temperature was ok, if the day had been a few degrees warmer then it would have become uncomfortable. Only got one comment on my run off some half pissed bloke who was laughing and shaking his head, so I just had to imitate him to wind him up.

Friday, 1-Mar. 7km

A beach run tonight, As usual the tide was high and I was confined to a thin strip along the edge. Running along the sloping edge is not good for my ankle, I can feel the pressure of staying upright on the slope.

Saturday, 2-Mar. 8.2km

A very early run day 7.10am by my watch as I set off around the lake. It was warm at 25C which was around the coolest it had been all night. In a few hours it will be pushing 30C. The lake was quiet at that time of day, the sun had not popped up over the hills and the ground was cool. The lake was quiet except for some early morning rowers with the coaches riding along the edge of the lake giving instructions. The run was easy, heart rate a little elevated due to the heat

Monday, 4-Mar. 7km

After a late night at the Clipsal 500 car race and watching the entertainment that consisted of Motley Crue and Kiss which was very impressive I felt much more the worst for wear today. Can't take it like I could when I was a youngster. I had to have a recovery day away from work. My ear was giving me a bit of a problem so that was enough. By mid morning I was feeling a bit perkier so I drove to the beach for a run. At last a time when the tide is really out. There were plenty of people out walking and sun bathing, a day I usually spend in a room of artificial light staring at a pc the entire day. I just jogged along slowly, the legs felt heavy from the long hours of standing yesterday 

Thursday, 7-Mar. 7km

 Hot day so no running on the roads today. Onto the beach to run at high tide on a small strip of sand. Nothing special today, just hard work in the heat.
The Henley Beach bash was on today at 6.30pm but I didn't enter it this year. I just hadn't done enough training and my speed was non existent. As it turned out it was another hot Adelaide day and the race was run at high tide on very soft sand, about as tough as you can get.

Monday , 11-Mar. 8.2km

A public holiday in South Australia to celebrate Adelaide Cup horse race but it was going to be a hot one at 38C. If I was going to run today it would have to be early in the morning. I opted for the run around the lake as it seems like the tide is always high in the morning and in the evening when I usually like to run, the only time when I get a nice expanse of flat, wet sand is in the middle of the day and on a day like today I was not going to hang around waiting for that.I got to the lake later than I anticipated as I got an overseas call that held me up, I got to the lake at 9.30am and already it was 28C. I drying breeze blew from the north, I ran into this as it sucked all the moisture out of my lungs. The ground wasn't overly hot at this time of day but in another few hour you would not want to be barefoot walking over it. I had intended to go to they gym after the run but felt too drained by the time I had finished so just headed home.

Wednesday, 13-Mar. 9km

The heatwave is almost over, a cool change is going to creep over the state later tonight and tomorrow we get to a high of the mid 20's, a relief after days of above 30C. I should be able to sleep without waking gasping for a drink. It was warm when I set out but I could run along the pavement, without burning the underside of my feet, the real kick that the sun has is waning at this time of year with the evenings closing in. Another few weeks and the hour moves forward and darkness will come much earlier. I came across a big patch of broken glass across the road from the pub at Henley and skillfully negotiated my way around it, or rather through it without getting any cuts, maybe the feet are tougher than people think

Friday, 15-Mar. 9km

After a day off running on Thursday to go to the gym I resumed today. I took it nice and easy as I did some leg presses at the gym along with some calf work, not calf drops I hasten to add, that would take too much out and not give me enough time to recover. I didn't take my watch with me today, it would be a recovery run at an easy pace. I feel a bit freer without a watch on my wrist. No real problems to report except for the fading ankle soreness that is on it's way out now.

Saturday, 16-Mar. 8km

A bit of a slow start on my beach run this morning . The weather was great, cool and cloudy. We had a high tide at around 7am so now, at 9.30am there was some firm sand to run on. The run got better the longer I was out but still nowhere like the speed I had around 6 months ago.
I finished off my run by doing 200 walking lunges which really made the quads throb.

Sunday, 17-Mar. 8.2km

A cool overcast morning. As I reached the lake they were putting up diversion barriers for the mini triathlon being  held that morning. I'm not sure of the distances but it is split into Tin Man and half Iron Man I think. The ground was cold under foot today, a sign that winter is not all that far away. I did my usual loop of the larger part of the lake with a smaller loop at the bottom and ran right through the race that was just getting underway. They were still into the swimming and cycling leg so I didn't have the company of the runners.

After a long break in updates I shall try to be more consistent as I build my distances up again as we head towards winter.

Neil

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