July 23, Saturday

I ran practice this morning at the Manasquan Reservoir. I rode 6 miles on my bike with one full lap around the reservoir.

July 21st,  Friday

It’s a Kenny Vance kind of Friday.  Wait for it!

https://youtu.be/UKbDLrCPjV4

I remember Kenny saying at a concert a few years ago, “I knew when I heard myself sing that note I would never have a day job for the rest of my life.”  One of a kind!

Thursday I visited the doctor for my my foot issues.  No trama noted. Dr faith has a three-part plan. It includes two weeks of anti-inflammatory medicine, plus 4 weeks of physical therapy, plus a set of orthotics.  She also says it is ok to bike, swim and run in water during this period.  I think I can stay in shape doing that plus weight lifting for 4 weeks. Since I have no immediate racing goals, this seems like a good plan. Regarding the use of orthotics, which I was trying to decide about, the decision became easy when I learned that my insurance would cover 100% of the cost.  I can try that approach and see how it works out.

Today I did a half hour weight lifting session at the clubhouse in the fitness room.

Stats –

I-Mad and I-Mid still pretty high.  5/6 ?

Sleep = 9/10 hours average

a.m. HR = 54BPM

Weight = #153

Workout = Weights 39 minutes

June 18th,  Tuesday

3.5 miles very deliberately.  First 800m was walk, stretch,  jog and fitness  course.  I set out to run 2 miles and misjudged the turn around point, so it turned into three and a half total. If I run with an extremely short stride my Achilles tendon is quiet.  It took a full 15 minutes of movement to reach a non-pain state.  I think I’m going to be very sore tomorrow. Thursday is doctor appointment.

Stats – Stable

July 17th,  Monday

“Stand me up at the gates of hell”……

Ran for 38 pleasant minutes for the first time at Turkey Swamp Park today.  This was an act of defiance and maybe stupidity. I made the appointment this morning with Dr Faith Schick from Rothman Institute.  And then I decided that, if I’m going to be telling her of my injuries on Thursday, I may as well be presenting my feet with the most serious and obvious injury so it can be properly diagnosed. So, I decided I would do what I love to do with my feet and run for three days through the discomfort so that on Thursday morning the effects of running will be obvious. I will probably set back my recovery for a few weeks as a result. But, what the hell?  Both feet are aching as a result of the run.  (PF in left foot,  AT in right)  So, here I am nursing two sore feet but planning to run again tomorrow anyhow.  Being old and retired is really great.!

 The good news is that after almost 5 weeks of sporadic training I still weigh 150 lb.  My log shows that in four weeks I have done only 14 workouts and only four of those have been running. The first week was planned rest after my 3 races at Nationals.  The good thing about logs is that they make it impossible to  lie to yourself.  That is why every serious course country runner should keep an extensive, detailed log especially for the summer.  Don’t deceive yourself!  State championships are won in the “dog days of summer.”

Stats –

I-Mad and I-Mid  @ 5/6

Weight = 150lbs?

Sleep = 8 hours average

a.m. HR -54BPM

Workout – 38 minutes  run

July 14th, 15th  and 16th

Friday, 14th – off

Saturday,  15th  – Weights (40 mins.)  stationary bike (20 mins), water run (10 mins)

Sunday,  16th  off

Too many days off and no running for way too long. Making an appointment at Rothman Institute tomorrow.   Can’t figure  out why foot issues are not improving with rest.

Also, four Epsom salt soaks had no positive effect.

Not posting much because it is too boring.    Don’t want  to whine., too much…,☹

 Stats – Humbug!

July 13th,  Thursday

Spent 40 minutes in the exercise room today hitting the weights pretty hard. I covered my arms and shoulders, my legs and some moderate core work. I jogged on the treadmill for 5 minutes until my Achilles tendon started to ache. I was happy to get in some solid work.

I also took three half -hour hot Epsom salt soaks for both my feet in the last twenty-four hours. I did this on the recommendation of Rich Refi and with the validation from my wife, both of whom touted the healing qualities of Epsom salt.  After the first soak both my feet felt a little more tender in the problematic areas. This morning’s soaked seemed to be a little more soothing and things felt better. So tonight I decided to add another soak on the premise that maybe in the long run this will be an effective treatment for both my injuries. I will update my progress with this treatment.

The following is a note for my senior readers about term life insurance.

As I was facing the termination of my term life insurance policy that I’ve had for a number of years, I was facing the possibility of a three to four times rate increase for a new policy. At the same time through Runner’s World magazine I read about a company called Health IQ which offers special rates on life insurance for people who can prove they are in good physical condition.  I contacted them and  bought an excellent policy at a very reasonable rate after I was able to validate my physical condition. Basically if you can prove you can run an 8 minute mile your eligible. So if anybody would like to know more about these possibilities, please respond with a comment to this post and we can talk.

Stats –

I-Mad and I-Mid  = 5

a.m.HR= 54BPM

SLEEP = 8 HOURS

WEIGHT =#152

I

July 11, Tuesday

Let’s get started!

Tonight I headed to Lake CARASALJO to meet the Jackson Liberty cross country boys and coaches for the first summer practice session. We had 15 boys, the largest turnout since I began working with this team.  I ran my first 2 miles in a while with two of  the new guys with no foot discomfort.  It was a good workout for the whole team including drills and core work. The season looks most promising.  I won the “Cutest Towel” award tonight.

Stats – Been inconsistent like my training for a while. Generally ok.  Definitely must get back to regular stat recording.

  June 30 thru July 7th

Mostly avoiding running….

Tuesday, July 11th, will mark two running related moments.   It will be a month  since my 1500m race at Nationals and will be the start of cross-country practice with Jackson Liberty boys cross-country. I am excited to reconnect with the coaches and boys of the cross country team for a new and promising season.

The recovery month has been one of fits and starts. Each time I have attempted to begin running, my feet began to ache once again. So I would opt for swimming and biking to avoid foot strikes and allow for complete healing. My most recent workouts have been swimming, water running and weightlifting.  I have no idea the extent to which I am  conceding my fitness by taking so much time off.  But I have no intentions of competing for another two months at least.  So the plan is to avoid foot strikes until the 11th and see how that works out. That seems like an appropriate time to begin coaching and running simultaneously.

June 28th and 29th

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday  – 9 miles on the bike – Felt pretty good.?

Stats-

I-Mad = 3

I-Mid = 2

a.m.HR = 54BPM

Weight = #150

Sleep = 8 hours

Workout = 9 miles on bike

June 26th, Monday  & 27th, Tuesday

Is it time to try Orthotics?

Monday we spent at Holmdel Park where I walked about three miles.  I thought walking would be a wiser choice than running because my InStep and Achilles tendon  were feeling kind of sore. As it turned out there was not any soreness while I was walking, but later in the evening particularly my tendon tightened up considerably and was aching quite a bit.

So, on Tuesday I opted for a non-impact workout in the pool.  I swam for 20 minutes and ran for 20 minutes in the deep water. I concluded my visit with 20 minutes in the hot whirlpool with particular attention to my Achilles tendon and sore foot.? .

I violated my pledge to refrain from running until my feet were totally free of issues.  Now I have to reboot. Get a grip, O’Rourke!

Do any of my readers have positive or negative experiences with Orthotics?

I am considering an offer by my foot doctor from Rothman Institute to develop a pair of orthotics for my feet. She claims that her creations will totally relieve all my foot problems. Two years ago I declined the offer because she told me my insurance wouldn’t cover the cost. She suggested it again in May but recommended that I wait until after my races because it takes a few weeks to get adjusted to the new Orthotics.  It may be time to try out her suggestion. I am not very confident based upon the experiences of athletes that I have coached.

Stats – Stable