July 15, Sunday

https://youtu.be/je5wMVo4sd4

Another day of sixty minutes in motion. I did 15 minute consecutive swim, 15 minutes running in the water and 30 minutes of pretty tough work on the bike.  Followed that with a beautiful 30-minute walk on the boardwalk in Avon with  Arlene.  What are you close to a perfect afternoon and evening.

Great late dinner of home made chicken broth with fresh veggies  and a salad of even more fresh veggies.

STATS – All good with exception of heel soreness persistence.

July 13, Friday

Forty-Eight hours after receiving an injection of trameel, I did a 4-phase workout today. The workout was a 20 minute swim,, a15 minute water run, a15 minute bike ride and a slow 800m run as a test on advise of doctor.  Throughout the 800m run I felt a slight twinge of pain with every foot strike. Not debilitating but clearly present. I think I got the sensation  that the discomfort  decreasing as I went along  as I remember happening when I had achilles tendonitis.  I kept telling myself that I probably could complete a 5k at that pace with that level of discomfort. I’m not sure what effect it would have on long-range healing, but I could probably do it.

Before I started the workout I practiced laying out my transition equipment and did a few run-throughs to see how the whole operation fit together. I think that I am getting it down pretty solid.

I have been icing and rolling and stretching at a highly accelerated rate for the last few days. The intent is that with the injection and all of the other activities I can accelerate healing and be prepared for  next Saturday. The injection is of a substance called trameel which is a natural substance designed to reduce inflammation. Apparently it has no negative side effects it has been around for number of decades. There has not been a dramatic change in 48 hours, but I’m hoping that it gets better in the long term.

Happy with today’s progress.

Stats on stable.

July 10th,  Tuesday

A lot of good things came out of my visit to Dr. De Waters this morning.  I am happy to have a plan in place to successfully complete the Triathlon in 12 days. New soft gel insoles, as shot of some herbal material designed to reduce inflammation tomorrow, and the first of three procedures of ultrasonic blasting on Thursday before the event.  Apparently the cushioning on my heel pad has thinned with age.

Biked for 4 miles at 1st Liberty cross country practice tonight.  This can be a good season.

July 11, Wednesday

Received an injection of trameel this morning. With new shoe inserts and increased intensity of stretching, I hope for positive results in next few days.

July 9th, Monday

Doctor’s appointment was rescheduled to tomorrow a.m.  by the doctor.

Today I worked on a light swim, plus light water run, a practice transition rehearsal from swim to bike and a follow-up 4 mile bike ride.  I did try to run a little after the bike ride but was forced to stop because of  heel pain. That was about 30 minutes in motion.

Four out of five aspects of this workout were positive.  The transition went smoothly. The swim, run and bike went off without a hitch and without any soreness or pain in my foot. However, within 150 yards of running very slowly my heel hurt to an extent I had to stop. I will get some advice from the doctor tomorrow on the possibility of completing in a triathlon in 12 days without causing serious injury to my foot.  I will update.

Steady stats____

July 8th, Sunday

Gotta get going…………!

With two weeks to go until my attempt at a triathlon there are a few things that come to mind as I start to write. First, I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to get some advice about how to deal with my sore heel / plantar fasciitis. Second, Todd Engle from Liberty cross country has scheduled for summer time and meeting with a team on Tuesday of this week. I am looking forward to rejoining that crew. Third, I am continuing to work on and stress a little bit over my upcoming presentation at Push Your Pace cross country camp.  Fourth, the past seven days of no workouts has been very discomforting.

Fifth, and most importantly, I did a very strong workout today on Kevin’s speedy bicycle.  To my surprise I was able to complete 15 miles in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Now I wasn’t trying to go very fast and that is not a terrific pace, but being able to complete 15 miles gives me confidence that I have not lost a tremendous amount of fitness during the past three weeks with my intermittent training. And I have gained confidence in my understanding of the gears on Kevin’s bicycle.

So, The Beat Goes On………

Stats-

Weight = a surprising #152

Sleep = a steady 7,8,9 hours

AM heart rate =  54bpm

Left foot discomfort in AM = 6/7 .!!!!

Diet = Very good!  Which probably explainswhy my weight has stayed down despite my lack of training for a few weeks.

Today is Friday July 6th

I have not written a log / post since June 30th because I have been, sadly,  inactive.  This is unsettling not because I am suffering any serious health issues. I’m very fortunate that I am healthy for a 75 year old guy. I have enjoyed the pleasure of running and the thrill competing for the last 6 years. However, right now my ability to train has been thwarted by this nagging heel pain and it is frustrating.  Things I have done to try to alleviate pain…. I stretch. I roll. I wore the sleeping device.  I have worn orthotics.  I have taken anti-inflammatory drugs for 10 days. I have stopped running for extended periods. And my heel  hurts just as much as ever.  So I have made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor for  Monday harboring little hope that anything can be done before my intended Triathlon event in two  weeks.  But maybe this new doctor has a cure.

In the meantime I intend to resume my previous training plan since nothing has worked to cause any progress. I will swim and bike and water run between now and the 21st of July, and if necessary I will take some painkillers on that day to complete the 5K part of the triathlon.  At the least I will be staying fit and not going crazy sitting around doing nothing.

No stats….lost week…

?

June 29th, Friday

Rest & continue to heat the heel.  Heating up in NJ!

June 30th, Saturday

In anticipation of a very warm forcast, I set my alarm for 7 a.m. planning on a early morning bike ride. I’m not typically a very strong morning person, but this seemed necessary and will probably be necessary for the next 3 weeks based on future weather predictions. I have concluded I can do bike rides early in the morning when the roads are still shade covered from the early morning sun.  Later in the day when the crowd clears out I can swim and run in the cool of the evening in the pool.

So I rode the 11 and 1/2 Mile distance that I will be racing on July 21st. There are moments of severe stress along this route because there are some fairly intense Hills. 11 and a half miles took me 73 and a half minutes. That does not seem very fast compared to the results I have seen from last year’s New Jersey triathlon. I am a bit confused as to how people can ride 11 and a half miles in 28 or 32 minutes when it takes me 73 minutes. I know I don’t have a great bike but I don’t think it’s a horrible bike. These people have to be averaging over 20 miles per hour for the entire time. I average about 12 miles an hour. I am not sure if things get quicker during the race or not. And I am told there are no Hills on this race course in Mercer County. But even on flat portions of my route my watch tells me I am going at best 5 minutes per mile. That’s still comes out to 57 minutes, which according to the results of last year’s race would be one of the slowest bike elements in the entire race. I need to do more research on this issue. One dude actually finished the entire Triathlon in 51 minutes. That is crazy!

Stats.

Morning heart rate = 54 beats per minute

Sleep = 6 hours

Morning foot indexes much better = 2

Weight = 153 lb

June 28, Thursday

Another 45 minutes in the water both swimming and running as my heel gets increasingly better.  Swam 5 nonstop circuits of 100 strokes.  Than ran for 20 minutes.  It was good work.  Currently on day 7 of a 10 day ibuprofen program. It appears to be working.  Also not doing any impact work.  Must have patience.p!

June 26, Tuesday

More work in the water today. Moving for 65 minutes both swimming and running.  Once again the pool was totally mine.

Heel still hurts…….

Stats holding steady .

June 25, Monday

My bike ride today was 11.5 miles.  Along the way I added about 14 or 15 surges of 50 to 120 pumps.  This fatigued my quads and worked my aerobic system pretty well.

I am continuing a program of ibuprofen for my sore heel that consists of 400mg Ibuprofen three times a day.  I will continue this for at least 10 days and maybe go to 14. I really miss running, but I think I am keeping fit doing the things I’m doing in the pool and on the bike.  I am determined not to begin running again until my heel is completely pain-free. That has not occurred yet.  So I continue with weightless running in the water, swimming and cycling for the time being.

Stats –

Sleep = 9 hours

Morning indexes = Heel 3/4.  Achilles 0

Weight = #154

a.m.HR = 54BPM