Single Dad

Acting the single Dad at the moment with Kirst in the UK. Managed to get out last night as I took the kids to Narrabeen track. Ran 8 x 400m with Gus and Luke (the strongest of the young Striders) striding the first 200m and making them kick past me with a Coe double kick at 200 and 100 to go. All averaged about 88's with 30 seconds rest so wasn't panting. Lots of sprints and stuff which did my heel no good this morning but have tretched and iced and it's calmed down.

Core session with Carl over lunch which was good. Anything to get the heart rate up (other than driving my new car at 80km/h around tight bends) is good this week.

Almost a runner

Easy 6km with Kanser at lunch today, same route as Monday. I say easy, but Kanser was piling on the pace just to try and make me suffer. Small victories, I thought.

Cycling

Rode in pretty quick (just under 36), then went out to Centennial with Ray at lunchtime and rode 4 laps then back. Fastest in 6:43 where I was trying hard but not killing myself (Ray did 7:41 but he has a slower bike). Then a ride home after a long day at work. Fine until Battle Boulevard where I was just hit by fatigue and felt knackered. Famished now.

Heel still great, swelling has come down even more.

More running

Another 6km with Wildman and Timmy Cradock. Nice to be able to get out for a run with the boys again. Beautiful day and heel still feels good - lots of flexibility in stretching it.

Rode in and out - fast on the way home to get the kids up to Narrabeen track for a Tony Wong special. 4 x 500m, 1 x 300m and 3 x 150m. Billy cried at one point and Bec only kept going when I told her she wouldn't get pudding unless she beat me. I'm going to suggest I take the young ones next time and just do some fun sprints and relays as that's all they turn up for.

Happy again

Voltaren kicked in beautifully from Thursday. Swelling has come right down. Really pushing the stretching exercises and getting much more flexibility. Saw JLP yesterday and he hammered my Solus which was agony but eased things up a lot. Today I cut a line down the back of my old Brooks ST Racers (the ones with the heel wedges in) like Tim Cradock had suggested last time I saw him. Ran the Manly beach 6.15km in between showers in 25:17 (4:07's) feeling great. Felt a bit like running in thongs on my left foot but first time I've finished a run in months with no pain or stiffness.

Haglund's Syndrome

I'm convinced this is what I've got. Sounds better than "insertional achilles tendinopathy" as well. Have done so much on the achilles but the swelling never comes down unless I take anti-inflammatories. All the stuff I read on the net suggests that's more of an indication of bursitis. I've plainly had achilles tendinopathy as well as that is what the ultrasound showed. Haglund's Syndrome is where you get retrocalcaneal bursitis (what I was originally diagnosed with) and insertional achilles tendinopathy (what I was subsequently diagnosed with) at the same time.

Achilles seems to be getting under control (from what Gary said yesterday) so I'm going to attack the bursitis with NSAIDS.

Getting lazy on the exercise front. Nothing all of last week while hobbling around following the blood injection. Rode in and out on Monday but too wet Tues, Wed and today.

Have gone long on Timmy L at Gold Coast and short on the Tiger. Need Kanser to make sure he gets Timmy out for a couple of hard sessions this weekend. I reckon it could be pretty close in the run in but no-one's got more guts than Timmy L....

Pain, Pain and more Pain

Last Friday was a gentle 6km with Springer.

Monday took the kids to training at Narrabeen track with Tony Wong and the young Striders. Ran 5 x 800m which was fine as it was nice and easy. But then we all did some handicapped sprints and I got carried away trying to catch the 9yr olds. Woke up the next morning in a bit of pain. This was exacerbated by seeing Dr Kuah at lunchtime and having my first autologous blood injection into my achilles. It was very painful. It was almost as painful as massages with JLP. Lesser men would have cried. Struggled to walk yesterday and marginally better today. Will give it 5 days complete rest then start the eccentric loading from scratch building up over 10 days. Determined to beat this injury.

Realised I've been drinking too much without the threat of a run the next day to curb my enthusiasm so have decided to go dry during the week. I'm up to 68.2kgs. Could kill a beer.

Updates

Heel not so good this week which is very frustrating. Just as things seemed to be taking a step forward I take 2 steps back. Did a very easy jog yesterday after a Tiger massage, other than that it was a ride home on Monday (new PB I think in 38:43), ride in and out on Tuesday and rides in and out today. Threw all my effort in Parriwi Rd today managing a 3:32 - legs were numb even at the first turn and were jelly with 100m to go. Pretty pleased especially as I had no momentum at the bottom of the hill due to a traffic jam.

Watched Rebecca run her area X-Country yesterday. She came 40th out of 60 and made me incredibly proud. She's only in Yr 2 yet was running against girls in Yr 4 - she looked tiny compared to most of them. She obviously gave it everything and was knackered at the end. She complained this morning about her legs being "sore". I'd like to wake up in the morning just once when my legs aren't sore. Manly West kicked ass. Those kids from the posh surburbs like Balgowlah Heights and Seaforth may teach maths better but the kids aren't half as fit.

Step aside Mr Lindop, Mr High is in the house....

Running wise, pretty uneventful. Drank far too much on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, meaning I'm wrecked. Running tends to curb my excesses so I need to get back into it. Friday was a great night with the Striders Dinner and listening to Deek speak. We retired to the seediest pub in town to play pool, where Timmy L was on fire as usual but was matched (and, later on surpassed) by Dicky H. I think it was more a question of Timmy not being able to hold his beer as well.

Disappointing to hear Muz and Wildman will shortly be leaving us. Both will be much missed from the HuRT Squad, not only as great runners but great socialisers too.

Managed to drag myself out for a run on Sunday. Just an easy jog again - this time from the Pittwater Rd car park at Queenscliff lagoon to Shelly Beach and back in 26:46. Heel still OK but not as good as early last week. Realised that I took 2 Nurofen last Sunday night when I had Man Flu which most likely removed all pain from the achilles at the same time.