Can Scotty-mate save me from rooted achilles

First “long walk” last night. 8km. RJ was keen to join in and he boxed on well enough for the first 6k. Started whinging like a bastard for the last two though – to the point where I considered trying-out the achilles to see if I could run ahead and lose him. Was like walking with a thorn in your sock.

With 48 days until original planned taper, I am reconing I will simply not taper more then 4-5 days now. I won’t have the volume or accumulated fatigue to warrant anything longer. So now I have 55 days until taper, I can relax a little more. It’s a bit like when (unemployed) George Costanza tells Jerry that he is stressed and needs a holiday.

Weight – “Scotty-mate” at the gym did the range of weights and measures on me yesterday. 22% body fat shows just how much is available for losing. Even to get down to 10% would yield up 9.6kg. While my weight has not started to climb again, the consistent losses I had going have stopped in concert with the ceasation of running. I may have to go back to being a bit conscious of how much and what goes in my mouth – which is a tad depressing to be honest – I was enjoying the freedom.

Scotty-mate, (at least that’s how he introduced himself. “Yeah, g’day, yeah, I’m Scotty-mate”) is a big dude (about 6’3 in the old money) and fitter than your average pit-bull, though only a marginally more interesting conversationalist. I recon he is only about 22yo, but in the space of our 20 minutes together, recounted a barrage of stories about his time playing for the Panthers. But he was super friendly, enthusiastic and polite. Sure, he says “fuck” a lot, but its so well buried amongst the “yeah”s, “mate”s, and “yeah-mate-absolutely”s, that you don’t really notice. Scotty-mate wants to do me a program, which I tried to resist, but it’s either compulsory or Scotty-mate wasn’t listening “you gotta be LEAN mate. Fuck-yeah, get the L-E-A-N up mate….. metabolism mate….. yadda yadda..” he was losing me.

First endurance swim – done. The Garmin shows a significant fall away in speed (can’t think of a better term than speed, but it certainly wasn’t “speedy” in the normal sense of the word) after 2.2km, so this is something to keep working on. But in the end, I am going to make the swim. It’s just a question now of how long it takes, and what state I’m in at the end of it. Will have another go on Monday 12^th (day off) and dove-tail it into a long practice ride.

Riding – Nothing special last few weeks, but it’s still solid. Did the TT solo this morning and sat between 34.1 and 34.6 average for each lap. Breezy and a bit cool also, and head wasn;t really in the game – so a decent outcome really. Just need a very long continuous ride at decent tempo now to top up the confidence.

Run – Is a disaster. Achilles are rooted at the moment – From Rob Standen’s detailed description, I understand the issue to be that the elastic collagens that make up the tendon, when they’re damaged, are replaced in the body of the tendon by inelastic material. So when the tendon is stretched violently the inelastic materials are coming un-bonded (tearing). Rob even asked if it was too late to get my money back, which is hardly a vote of confidence. So at the moment it's strapped up, and my “run training” is to get in as many long walks as possible for a month or so.

Still chuggin

Brooke, my new BFF

Have decided to rejoin a gym. I think lapsing with the gym a month ago was one of the factors contributing to my body seizing last week, and the resulting achilles business.

I’m going to try New Dimensions at Leonay this time, given its proximity to home. When you walk into New Dimensions you are greeted by two impossibly happy, impossibly upbeat girls, who speak so loudly that you suspect their only physical imperfection is that of being somewhat hard of hearing. The type of girls that make a middle aged man feel even more self-conscious than is already attributable to merely being a middle aged man.

“Hi I’d like to join for 3 months”

“Hi, I’m Brooke. We have a 12 month special that might be better for you”

I’m still not clear if she was trying to ensure I received good value, or had already sized me up and thought that the task ahead was simply not going to be achievable in 3 months. But I stuck to my guns and told her that 3 months would be fine for now. “Sure Sweetie”. Sweetie! Oh please, even my mother doesn’t think I’m sweet. “Oh yeah, and this is Ashleigh, but we call all her Ash”.

Brooke and Ash thought I was hilarious, especially  when I got their names mixed up. “Gaawwd, How could you mix us up, Oh My Gaawwwddd?”. In any case they didn’t hear me say I was actually ready to join, instead seeming to hear “could you please dial-up the sales-pitch-for-middle-aged-guys and smash me over the head with it.” And with that Brooke bounced out from behind the counter, flashed the Shane Warne pearly whites, and waved me on. “C’mon, I’ll show show you around first”. Brooke told me that it was important I know what the gym had to offer. I knew what the gym had to offer, but it certainly sounded more welcoming coming from my new BFF, Brooke.

“OK, so this is the weights room. Have you ever used free weights before?” But before I could answer Brooke had turned and left me standing in the middle of the room like I had asked for a dance, and was motioning me to follow like an already well trained dog. “Ok, so this is the cardio room. Have you ever used cardio equipment before?” I ……… but she was already on the third step waving me upwards, which I dutifully did, up to a room filled with spin bikes. “Ok, so this is where we do the spin classes. Have you ever done a spin class before?” “So do you want to join? We have a twelve month special”.

So through the tsunami of giggles, Brooke and Ash double-teamed getting the paperwork done and the obligatory photo. “Smile!!  Oh come on, bigger,,, SMIII - EELLLL.” I was smiling so big I suspect that when my membership card is eventually issued I will look like the Joker, unfortunately more the aging Jack Nicholson version than the Heath Ledger.

I’m now a member of New Dimensions, but frankly I’m a wee bit frightened of going back.

Time for some witch doctoring

Tried the Achilles yesterday – still no good. Will try again Wednesday. Possibly time to reach into the drawer labeled “Mezza’s 92yo Mum’s Witch Doctor Cures”. My favourite of which being the bicarbonate soda paste applied to the injured area, apparently works a treat in reducing local inflammation. According to Joany, it is also effective for kidney failure, keeping fish fresh and leavening dough.

I think I’m ready to give it a crack, if nothing else my kidneys will feel a million bucks and I am unlikely to start smelling like fish.

Strangely the absence of any formal medical qualifications has never impeded her willingness to recommend various courses of treatments - at times even to the local GP - each prescribed with the confidence and absolute conviction of an experienced surgeon. Given she has lived to 92, and apparently never suffered an achilles strain, I should possibly be more attentive.

Got us semi-lost on Saturday.. Too easy to just enjoy pumping along the shores of the Hawkesbury. Close to being the perfect cycling route, but for the road suddenly turning to gravel. I saw in the Sunday paper Rene Rivkin’s former cedar lodge for sale out there (though it is more Rene that is former, rather than the lodge itself). It didn’t look too austentascious from the photos, so we may have simply sailed straight past, not unlike sailing straight past the ferry port.

Board meeting yesterday, followed by a washout of the Wednesday ride. Had to put up with 60min on the wind trainer, which is as boring as batshit, but still less painful than the Westlink Board. There are house plants that are more capable than the Westlink Board.

World Record for Tubby

A new world record today. 5:32 solo for the 3.9km River Rd course = 42.3 kph.

10 weeks to go. But for the Achilles issue, things are all going OK. Weight loss is averaging 400g per week without dieting, and this week finished with an average of 80.4. (90.3 on 27^th January 2011). If that rate maintained I would go to the line around 76kg, and that would be about perfect for me. (Sydney Marathon 2006 - 78.7kg = 3:06)

Still looking for the first long tempo ride. Hoping for 140k tomorrow via Long Punt – hoping to finish with nothing in the tank.

Sunny weekend forecast – might even be able to sneak in a Sunday afternoon Stand Up Paddleboard with junior at The Spit.

Get into .

A-C-H-I-L-L-E-S

Achilles – has gone foul – a period of as yet indeterminable duration for the ASICS DS Trainers to recover from their recent rigours.

Bike and swim will get a little extra lovin’ for a few weeks.

Argh

Shelley Craft and my headstone

I will quite clearly not be doing “the ideal” IM preparation – thoroughly reaffirmed last week by reading the ancient PIS Gospels.

There will be too little strength work, too few long bricks, no Bell rides, insufficient diet management, not enough swimming, not enough running……………..blah.

Goodness knows there will be insufficient swim technique work to ensure that any digital analysis doesn’t end up on Funniest Home Videos. My fragile confidence couldn’t withstand Shelley Craft hitting the flat screen with a giggling “check out this group of flappers”, of course comprising a tabby who falls into the fish pond chasing the family’s koi karp, a bogan nana sliding down the grand-kids new slippery dip into the deep end in full Sunday best, and Tubby knocking out a set of one-arm swim drills rising above the waterline only briefly to gulp some air and check whether Sweeney is looking so I can sneak a few strokes in.

Self assessment is always hard, so I am not sure whether my reasons are excuses or prudent balance, but I find myself searching for the “enoughs”. Of course it’s bad mental modeling by any assessment. It probably started with “enough” study to get through the weekly Year 5 spelling test, and when you do get through, stumbling only for the eternally tricky HEIGHT, “enough” becomes entrenched in one’s psyche as the habit of lifetime. When I am buried, I want someone to write on my headstone, “He didn’t rise to any great heights in life, but he did enough”. Happy for that to be edited if I die during IM, because clearly it will have been an incorrectly founded statement.

Whether IM ultimately ends up as a distinction or crash’n’burn probably comes down to whether enough, really was enough.

W

Achilles visits, but still on the right track

Twang! – Achilles

First visit from the achilles demon this morning. Not bad in the big scheme of things, but enough to make me limp. A few days off, and some lovin’ will hopefully see it right. Not as if I don’t need some extra swim time.

Big Friday:

Proposed “Big Friday” turned ugly. Woke up sick in the stomach, and only managed to squirrel out 40km in about 90min before packing it in. Horrible ride, no giddy-up and on the verge of a huey for most of it.  

Had a snooze, woke up marginally better, and went to the pool for 1.7k. Horrible

Managed a 9k with Gra in the afternoon, but was struggling to hold his 5:22 pace.

Big Friday was a loss, but if anything, I recovered quicker than I would have if I had slugged it out at work, so probably a plus on the whole.

Saturday Big Brick was only marginally better than Big Friday. Just suffered at the hands of Ads and John. Greendale / Cobbity for a hilly 100k. Wanted to run off, but that was a million miles from happening. Another flat tyre too, which when added to the cost of the gas bomb is really starting to add up.

Sunday – Club “du” due to the lake being high from the recent rains. The little bit of rhythm I could feel coming to the run last week stayed for the weekend. A comfy 5k first leg in 21min. Not sure what the time was in the second 2.5 run, but I pressed pretty much as hard as I could. Nothing to write home about, but it was a massive improvement on recent years. Keen to see the results. Bike leg felt flash, and rode past a few who are generally better than me, incl Richo, Tut and Heidi. Finished the bike leg on the heels of Brendan Smith, which given the lead he had after the run was good going I suspect – but will wait for the official splits.

Monday am: Normally a rest morning, but the only running I did on the weekend was the race, so went out for a recovery run. Far from recovery, it was just slow, and has left me with some achilles pain. See how that goes. Running “weak” I think is bad for my achilles – as most of my historical problems have occurred when dawdling.

All in all – The train keeps chugging.