Achilles Pain - Taking Breaks - Getting Faster at the Same Effort

Ever had achilles pain? The kind where you wake up in the morning and limp for an hour and it kind of goes away?

Yeah me too. Then last Monday night happened. It was a track workout with my friend Jerry. He and I have put a few miles in together and sometimes we push each other on the speed days. I was having a fantastic interval workout and while he has me on the short bursts (the guy has some serious quad speed!) I can usually get him on the longer sprints.

I paid the price for that speed workout. Tuesday morning I was WRECKED.  Limped around for an hour, then the next hour, then the next.  I wasn't walking right until 3 days later, and even then the pain was just dumb.

So...  I took a week off.  No running or deadlifting, just mobility work and kettlebell swings.

Yesterday I ran Rancho for the first time in a while.  Decided to stick to Maffetone for as long as I could.

As long as I kept my stride length short (i.e. POSE-like), I could run without achilles pain.  The moment I opened up my stride, shooting pain in the heel cord.

So.  Low heart rate (180-age).  Quick step POSE running, and I get a PR on a half mile segment in Strava at the SAME heart rate as I did in August of this year.  Also I am battling a head cold.  Odds were NOT in my favor for a decent run.

Here's the therapy I've been doing on the calve muscles:

• foam rolling the upper calves
• 2 minute stretch on each side with toe flexion
• 45 reps each side of heel eccentrics (my legs are a little sore from this actually)

Here's the Strava run:

Stay the Course - Boring Be Damned

Tonight's strength workout is the same as it's been for the last 10 workouts:

Deadlift:

• 10 x bar
• 5 x 135lbs
• 5 x heavy
• 5 x less than heavy

Shoulder Press:

• 10 x bar
• 5 x 75 lbs
• 5 x heavy
• 5 x less than heavy

GHD situps with a 15 lb slam ball on the neck

GHD back extensions with a 15 lb slam ball to the chest.

Why the monotony?  Get  the book "Easy Strength" if you really want to know.  But long story short: it works.

Of course, the definition of success is up to you, but here's the deal:

• I'm deadlifting twice a week without pain
• I'm shoulder pressing twice a week and making progress.
• My core(back and abdominals are stronger than ever.
• I can run and continue to add 10% mileage per week for the last 5 weeks and I am NOT INJURED.

As for running, my goal is still the same:  get a sub-10 on the American River 50 miler.  Then.  Finish a 100 miler in the fall.

So far my sights are set on the Kodiak 100.  Granted, it's an extremely tough course and I will be trashed by the end, but I know I can train for it.  Keeping the joints and tendons strong via garage training will be crucial to finishing this thing.  Running the longer weekends will be part and parcel.  Back to backs, carb-fasted, hills, you name it, the strength training I am doing now (PTP-based) is not too heavy to recover from, yet heavy enough to elicit tissue change over time that will contribute to the overall success that will be 2015.  Yeah I said it.  2015 is going to be awesome.

Running a Sub-10 Hour 50 Miler

Ever have the feeling you have unfinished business out there on the trail?  That nagging sense that you could have done more/better/faster?

Then you'll understand this post.

The goal is the April 4, 2015 American River 50.

It will be my 5th year running it.  It will also be the first year I go sub 10 hours.

It's time to clear the training slate, step up and honestly own where this is going.

SUB-10 AR50

How will this translate to training?

Resurrect PTP (deadlifts and presses 2x5's).

Reboot Viking Warrior Conditioning

Lasso the Yasso 800's and other awesome track workouts.

Run, and run some more.

Stay tuned!