Today’s Focus

Trust the Plan

Planned Workout Description: 

· 10:00 minute warm-up run

· 10 x 2:00 minute run with 2:00 minute recovery

· 5:00 min walk to cool down

The Achilles feels pretty good this morning, but I have a feeling that I won’t be able to run until later this afternoon. We have the first actual day of the carpenters working on the siding, and I have to be available to answer questions that will come up as they pull the old stuff off this morning. I figure that I will get my run in around 3:00 PM or so. That usually means that I will be tired and the run a bit tougher. Then again, it might be the best run since the injury. 

Warm-up: 

I didn’t do the warm-up today, just ran.

Run #1

·    Course:  Philbrick/Howard Lap

·    Distance: 1.13

·    Duration: 10:1

·    Power: 220

·    Running Streak Day #: 8

Run #2

·    Course:  Philbrick Laps

·    Distance: 1.37

·    Duration: 16:31

·    Power: 151

What I Actually Did: 

When I got to run, my prediction turned out to be pretty much spot-on. I didn’t get out until 3:20. The carpenters did show up and began the work this morning. Several questions needed to be sorted out throughout the day as they discovered issues that I had to assess and make decisions on. Also, I attempted to keep Bennie somewhat unstressed with all the banging, and pounding going on was an all-day affair. Add in that TheWife had to make a couple of trips into town. It became a long-tough day.

So when I ran, I did the 10:00 minute warm-up, and I felt pretty good. Being able to move around and get some of the cobwebs blown out was definitely needed. I finished it without any problems.

The second part of the workout was not what I planned at all. The first two repeats were fine, but the Achilles started to get pretty grumpy on the third one. I was attempting to lift my knees higher while running today, putting more pressure on the Achilles. It simply is not ready for this level of load yet. After the third repeat, I decided to shut it down, before the grumpiness became a bigger problem. I need to get back to the slog that, while a lot less efficient, does seem to protect the Achilles quite a bit more.

Which is what is needed now – to protect the Achilles from overloading and setting back the progress I am making.

Although, I have to admit that it felt good to run like I know that I can, and yes, it was also frustrating to see that I can’t run that way – yet. I am beginning to wonder if the 10 minute warm-up run is too much for now, when I do it in addition to the rehab workout I have planned? Something I am going to have to look at closer and think about the alternatives or consequence (good and bad) if I continue doing them.

Variables that impacted the run:

Injuries/Niggles: The Achilles continues to be grumpy, but the lower right back is becoming more of an issue, but didn’t seem to bother too much when I ran in the afternoon. This area becomes more of an issue when I start to increase mileage and/or sit in the recliner too much. It is something I have experienced before and will go away as I get in better shape.

The plantar region on the right foot is getting less noticeable, it is a problem that I have with NB shoes, and the biggest reason I don’t use them is hit or miss when it comes to aggravating the plantar region on my feet.

Weather: Clear sky, 73°F, Feels like 69°F, Humidity 27%, Wind 3mph from SE — It was warmer than I am used to and I could tell that I am not acclimated to the warmer temps.

Shoes: ASICS EvoRide 2 (19.58) — Oh yeah, the EvoRide 2s – not a single complaint, forgot that I had them on and that is the biggest compliment that I can give a pair of running shoes — I forgot about ’em.

Other Stuff

I have logged off Twitter for a while to see if I miss it or not. I did it last night and didn’t really think about going there this morning. If I don’t miss Twitter all that much, it will be one less thing to worry about. 

At the same time, I am not crazy about Facebook and would prefer to simply delete it. However, I like the Groups I am a part of too much to get rid of it, even though I purposely keep the number of “friends” very low due to comments or opinions being shared that I don’t really want to deal with.

Interesting Reading 

How does Stryd auto-CP work? by Steve Palladino

Stuff I should do

It is interesting how much mental fatigue will cause me to not do my non-running stuff than physical fatigue. Yes, I did most of my strength work this morning but bailed out on the stretching, mobility, and balance work tonight. I could have done the work but chose not to simply because I didn’t feel like it. 

When I look back at it, it is somewhat disappointing and something that I have to work on to overcome the dreaded “I’m tired and don’t feel like it.” attitude that I get on days like this. When I am frustrated with the injury and life gets in the way of my running too much. I end up not doing the work, I need to do for the injury to become a non-injury.

I will do better tomorrow, especially since the carpenters won’t be here, they have other commitments, and it is supposed to rain in the morning. Even if they were going to be here, I believe that I would do more simply because I know more about what to expect from them and when they tend to ask their questions. Plus, I will not let myself not do the work I need to do 2 days in a row.