September 28th, 29th and 30th.                   Wednesday,Thursday and Friday

The time sure does go fast!  I can’t remember the last time didn’t post  for 3 days. I guess writing just isn’t as much when I don’t have a workout to report. And I really do dislike whining about my Achilles tendon. The last three days, however, have been a net positive.?

Wednesday – Recovery

No workout today. My morning heart rate was up around 59/60.  So I thought maybe I had been doing a little too much.  My body needed a recovery day.  While doing some reading about Achilles tendon injuries, I came upon an article I had previously read.  As a result I have decided to embark on a regime of eccentric exercises for my injured Achilles. If any of my readers are having similar difficulties with nagging Achilles tendon problems, you can find the link to the article below.  Started tentatively today.

http://www.runningtimes.com/jan08

Thursday – Strong effort

Today my tendon felt better, admittedly  after a day of rest,  but also after the first day eccentric exercising.   I did get in an hour of pretty solid work in the fitness room; 20 minutes on the elliptical machine + 15 minutes on the bike + 20 minutes of weights and core work.  Continued eccentric heel exercises today with a little more intensity.

Friday –  Slipping away

Somehow I let this day get away without doing any workout.  I did get almost 11 hours sleep last, and it was a pretty unpleasant day. But there were two very interesting developments in my left lower leg.  One, I had virtually zero discomfort in my Achilles tendon.  Two, my upper calf muscle was extremely sore.  I’m sure both of those are the result of the eccentric exercises I have been performing for two days.  Throughout today I did 3 sets of 3 x 15 eccentric heel exercises, culminating in the evening with a half mile run between the last sets.  I had virtually no pain once again.  I am a little confused because the article says that it takes 12 weeks for the complete rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon. So, I guess we will see?!?

Stats –

I-Mad -?

a.m.HR – ?

Sleep – 11 hours ?

Weight  – 153 pounds

Workout –  Regeneration days

September 25 & 26, Monday & Tuesday

Monday –

The plan was to test my Achilles tendon on a slow jog on the track during cross-country practice this afternoon. I did that and finished 1 mile very slow with minimal pain in the Achilles tendon area. I could still feel it nagging, but nothing dramatic.  I thought it was a positive outcome.   The true test will be how my leg feels in the morning.

Tuesday-

 I went to Ocean County Park with the cross country team today for a dual meet.  The goal was to run another slow effort of maybe 2 miles this time.  I even heated and stretched my tendon before I got to the park. Well, the tendon was much more sensitive today.  So I cut the run short.   Not positive!  ??

But I quickly rallied and headed to the clubhouse immediately as I returned home. I did 85 minutes of solid work; 40 minutes on the bike, 20 minute swim  in the pool and 25 minutes on core and upper-body work. After 15 minutes in the whirlpool, I headed home, pleasantly drained, to watch the Mets take on the Braves.   It has become abundantly clear to me that I will have to concentrate on swimming, biking and working in the fitness lab for an extended of time until my Achilles tendon is completely healed. I’m perfectly content with that and will continue working my butt off to stay fit.

?   ?  ?   ?   ?   ?

Fortunately,  my stats have remained stable and solid throughout this non-running interval. ?

September 25th, Sunday. 6:00p.m.

A good day of work in the pool.

 I spent 45 minutes total, 30 minutes running and 15 minutes swimming.  My running included 5x the 30 -20- 10 second surge sequence.  In the pool I do that as 55 leg pumps at 5K effort, than  35 at 1500m race pace effort, than 25 at maximum effort.  That usually results in some serious quadricep burning and considerable aerobic stress. It usually takes me two or three minutes to recover from that sequence.

Than into a nice 15-minute whirlpool afterwards to make it a very pleasant morning.

Stats –

I-Mad = 1

Weight – 153 pounds

Sleep – 9 hours

a.m.HR- 54BPM

Workout – 45 minutes in pool as above

September 24th,  Saturday,  1:00p.m.

In the cool, cool, cool of the morning 

On the first Autumn like morning of this year I rocked a solid eight mile bike ride around my Jackson neighborhood in 45 minutes. Added 10 x 50+ max strokes on each hill along the way.  Surprized and encouraged by the ease and alacrity of my recovery was I.  LOL.      Banana + tart cherry juice with green tea  to replenish ??

Stats –

I-Mad – 2

a.m,HR – 54BPM

Weight – 154#

Sleep – 9 hours

Workout – 8 miles on bike in 45 minutes

September 22, Friday, 3:00 p.m.
???

Got an early 40 minute session of straight swimming in the pool this morning. First 40-minute swim in many months.  Afterwards went in the Whirlpool for 16 minutes with special attention to my Achilles tendon and calf muscles. It feels like my tendon is making steady progress.

Stats are steady.

September 21st,  Autumn, Wednesday, After midnight, so, really Thursaday

Not much to report today. Still choosing to err on the side of caution.  I took my bike to practice again today and spent about an hour in motion all over the Jackson Liberty campus.  I actually joined 3 other cross country team members who were on rehab duty today riding bicycles around campus also.  I am confident that my Achilles is getting better each day. Tomorrow will be dedicated to swimming and lifting.

I was accidentally referred to a post from June 13th today. In that post I laid out what I had discovered to be a particularly important point about + 70 running. That point was to start slow and go slow for a long time and let the body do its own adaptations. I will try very hard to heed this advice when I am back on the road again.

Stats are stable.

September 19 & 20,  Monday  & Tuesday

Falstaff:
To die is to be a counterfeit, for he is but the counterfeit of
a man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying,
when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true
and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valor is
discretion, in the which better part I have sav’d my life.

Henry The Fourth, Part 1 Act 5, scene 4, 115–121

As summer grudgingly gives way to fall, I remain in a state of temporary suspension. I am able to do some physical activity each day, and I am able to stay fit.   But I am unable to actually run yet.  The nagging fact remains that the type of physical activity I am doing is not  getting me in running shape. Every time I try a short run, my Achilles tendon tells me it’s not ready yet.  So I have to back off for another few days.  It’s not that I’m in any terrible or excruciating pain.  It’s just that the Achilles tendon is tender: it is sore: and I fear descending into the state that I faced two years ago when I had to take off about two months to recover. DISCRETION!

So, on Monday I did a workout in the fitness room for 45 minutes, and today  I rode my bike around the Jackson Liberty campus during the cross-country triangular meet for about 90 minutes.  All good stuff, but I long for the opportunity to do a 5-mile steady state road run or an interval workout on the cinder track.

Stats –

I-Mad -2?

AmHR – 55BPM

Weight – 154#

Sleep – 8 hours??

Workout – bike intervals for 90 minutes ?

September 18th, Sunday, 8:00p.m 

Today I got in 40 minutes of diverse work.  That was 15 minutes of slow jogging, 15 minutes of solid swimming and 10 minutes on the bike.  I think I’m staying in relatively good shape as my sore Achilles tendon gradually and slowly heals.  I’m encouraged by the lack of pain during the first few steps in the morning. However, I can still feel tenderness to the touch and a dull pain when I start to jog.  I began a regimen of ibuprofen 3 times a day,  but have not been consistent with it.  I guess I can’t convince myself that it’s serious enough to take that many pills. So I will push on with swimming and biking and walking, and jogging  to test for the time being.

Stats are stable.

September 17th,  Saturday, 11:00 p.m.

Ten miles on the bike in 52 minutes on a pleasant late afternoon in Jackson. Just what I needed for some aerobic strength work.

Stats-

I-Mad -2

Weight -155#

Sleep -8 hours

a.m. HR -?

Workout. – 10 on bike in 52:00

September 16, Friday, 10:00p.m

Arlene and I spent this day relaxing, and strolling the boardwalk and snapping pictures of the Harvest Moon over the Atlantic..