55/50/25

We arrived back from West Coast USA on Tuesday morning. We had a fantastic time visiting LA, San Diego, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon (South Rim), Yosemite National Park and San Francisco / Salusalito.
The holiday was a celebration of my 55th, Natalie's 50th and our 25th all in the last week of our vacation. We took our two youngest Max and Lily.
I managed to keep training going pretty well, just one day sick and international date line meant missed two days training. Found a track in LA only 2km away from our apartment. Managed a 3km tempo on it one day and 20 x 400 another day. Most running in LA was around Pan Pacific Park. The roads and shocking state of the 'pavements' meant anything else was near impossible.
At The Grand Canyon I managed a couple of runs, first was just 4km in near pitch dark, but at least I found a track that I ran on the next day for a steady 12km run. Back in Vegas I managed a session in a vacant parking lot (there are many in Vegas!) About 10x500 , and next-day ran 8x800 at University of Las Vegas track (just a mile from out hotel just off the Strip).
At Yosemite I found a Mountainous track via Strava not far from our Lodge but it had signs across the gate at the entrance saying closed due to recent spotting of a mountain lion!!
I still ran along it for a KM (for a Strava segment CR) but ran with a big stick and crapping myself about being meeting a furry friend along the way!
At Salsausalito (San Fran), I did a run from our apartment across the Golden Gate Bridge North to South and back. I hammered it to see where I'd rank on the Strava segments but was disappointed with 62nd all time due to all the cyclist's who had recorded their rides as runs! I have contacted Strava to ask if they can't filter out cyclists and bad GPS activity as it spoils segments , over 13000 people have done this one! And San Fran is headquarters of Strava.
The Bridge is hugely crowded with tourists so go late or early to be able to run across. We walked over during the day at a time running would have been near impossible. Very very windy too!
Salusalito is set on a hillside overlooking Alcatraz and the bay, very picturesque. Our apartment was also on the steepest of streets so I did a session of 12 efforts up it. About 100m with jog back recovery. A week later and my glutes are still in prices from that session , not a wise move!
Got back home and just ran steady all week as I tried to recover from jet lag and that hill session.

10,000m 34;13 Hard Easy

I gave one of the old Loughborough sessions a bash on Tuesday.
25 laps Hard /Easy.
Its a tough one mentally to perform, a long way to go but when you break it down to to just 13 Hard efforts you get through it. The difficulty is trying to judge how hard the hard laps should be and how easy the easy laps should be. If the aim was run a 10 second differential I failed as it was more like 3 to 5 seconds judging by the data graphs on Connect and Strava (plus the track segment results). Still I was might happy to run 34;13 by myself on a near deserted track at Nudgee. I did this session during a purple patch 9th September 2014 and ran a 33;46 but I'm not going to denigrate what I did this week, it gives me the confidence to expect to run sub 34 when I want to.
I am training well, feeling good (niggles in left metatarsals and left patella).
Averaging 110km a week for the last month - way above what I normally do. I can afford to keep it steady for the next few weeks (well two weeks in California will curtail training).

Here is the session;

North Lakes parkrun 1st 16;29 (20th August)

I decided I needed to test myself 'competitively' to get the feeling of an all out effort back into my body. Woke early on Saturday so decided I'd do the local North Lakes parkrun. I'd had a remedial massage the day before and was concerned the body would be really sore but my 3km warm up wasn't too bad.
The course starts on the grass and quickly transfers to concrete pathway and wooden boardwalk sections. The early morning dew on the grass made for slippery conditions underfoot in the first km but I eventually got going. I rounded the first of the 3 laps in 5;20 and pushed onto the second lap. 
Lapping folk, as ever,  was difficult. Moving off the best racing line and choosing the path least likely to cause an accident. The pre run briefing mentioned keeping left and shouting ahead "runner behind!" when runners are coming through so hopefully this perennial bugbear will ease in time. I held it together well to finish in 16;29. 
I amalgamated my warm up and my warm down with the run so don't have an accurate record of my first and last KM's but the middle three were all around 3;22's so pretty consistent running. As I finished I wretched as the feeling of hitting maximal heart rate (172bpm) overwhelmed me! Happy with that performance I didn't really know what to expect but that gives me a good base point from which to try and improve over the next couple of months.
I have been upping the K's to 110km a week over the last month by doing doubles on Tuesdays and Thursday or Friday plus long on Sunday. Keeping the one long interval session on the track. I doubt I can manage much more than that so will see if my body can hold it together and start to come good.
58 days till Perth.

Start

lap 2 or 3

Lap 2 or 3

Garmin 620 poised

Nausea explosion as HR maxes out

First lap

World Masters Athletics Championship Perth 82 day countdown!

Just noticed my countdown timer has clocked 82 days to Rio sorry Perth! I have been getting the miles in but not really getting the track work done other than my opening session 20x400 with 60 jog recovery in 78's. Would have got out to Nudgee again this week but it was raining Tuesday and howling gale Wednesday do I pussied out! Hardly Daley Thompson training twice on Christmas Day I know but I did run doubles Thursday and Friday. The early morning runs are so tough on a 54.9 year old body just to get going. The heel has been good but just when I think I am cured it comes back just to remind me. Last week was 111km never run that mileage since I was a kid! This week will be similar. Found a nice bush run near my Monday Friday work place in Caboolture, at Sheepstation Creek reserve, a 4.4km circular trail in the woods. Of course I got lost but will know the circuit next time. A few wallabies for company and I dare say some snakes . It will provide a cool shaded escape for runs when it starts to hear up.
Have added a regular massage to my regime, in the hope that current back and hammy niggles can get ironed out!
No intention to race for a bit but will do some parkruns soon to get back used to sustained efforts. Track work will be 4's 8's 12's and 1600's with short recovery 8 to 10km long sessions.
Weight under control at 62kg need to shed 2kg to be best shape. A fortnight in California in September will be a challenge on the diet\ weight 😀

Track Racing Results

Here are my track Racing Results from age 15 in 1977 until age 30 in 1992.

Dave is on the road again

I have been able to maintain my training now for 3 or 4 weeks, slowly trying to build up some base. I have added maybe 2kg, so not too much weight needs to be shifted. I am able to run at tempo , I am able to run long and this week i even managed my first interval session! I headed to the kids school oval and ran approximately 13x400 with 60secs recovery. It was tough going on a windy arvo on rough grass but it was joy to be getting back into the metronomic state of reps. I have got a long way to go to get back to running these reps 10seconds quicker and doing double the quantity with half the recovery but at least it was a start.
It is 15.5 weeks till Perth so I need to keep building every week, keep managing the PF and every other niggle, it feels like reaching 55 years of age in September is reaking havoc on my whole body. 

You don't get rid of plantar fasciitis, it gets rid of you!

My MRI confirmed an ugly dose of PF. 
I was slightly surprised because since my initial consultation suggested it might have been fat pad atrophy - I had been able to run. 
I strapped it up, added back the heel cup and ran. 
The first week was just steady 5kms and the second week 10.6km roo+lakes. I had all the standard not run for two months aches and pains, particularly my hamstrings have been incredibly tight. I thought it was something caused by all the cycling I had been doing.
Last weekend I managed a long run (20km around Redcliffe peninsula) and a tempo run (10.6km in 3;52 K's) and was still able to keep going. 
This Sunday I even managed my mega Narangba dreaming loop, though to say I was smashed following was an understatement. I took a recovery day yesterday and got out this morning for 10.6km - pretty steady as Sunday was still in my legs and it was freezing cold (about 8 O C) I wore two tops my beaney and gloves. Pace was 4;35 per KM which is about as slow as I ever run but I still put in quite a bit of effort to achieve that. Will be interesting to see if I can train on a track in a week or so. The consultant suggested my management of the PF was working well and to continue doing what I was doing. He recommended some shock wave therapy - but I'm not convinced of its benefit as last time I had it , it didn't do too much and cost $500 (no rebate). It would probably be cheaper getting it at a local physio as opposed to Brisbane Private. I have tentatively booked back to see the consultant in a months time for PRP therapy (blood extracted spun and platelets injected back into the PF - the only problem is that therapy requires 4 weeks post injection recovery no running and I would have very little time to get fit for Perth and the therapy has no guarantee it will work.
I read on facebook someone said you don't get rid of PF it gets rid of you!

MRI

I had my heel MRI this morning, but don't go back to see the consultant for for two weeks as he is off to Origin camp with Queensland side. He had the impression from his initial investigation that the issue is more my fatty pad than the plantar fascia, which could be more of an issue to rectify than PF. The MRI will tell the real story so no point in second guessing. He said I was doing all the right things for PF, wearing the night splint (moon boot) Calf/heel raises, spiky ball rolling.
Managed a 10.6km roo+lake on Sunday as heel was less painful. 4;17 K's.

Too soon

Well I strung together about 8 or 9 runs, took a day off last Monday and then ran the old Roo+Lake on Tuesday night.
10.6km and my heel obstinately hurt like hell following. On Wednesday morning I knew I would only manage a shortened Lake run (5.3km) but it was somewhat of a limp fest - very disappointing. 
To be fair the heel started hurting on Friday but I tried to ignore it.
Decided to get back on the bike today and brave the cool dark Brissy Winter conditions. Standard 30km at  29kmph (61mins) my bike legs haven't completely deserted me. 
I will have to seek further medical intervention and mix in more cycling if I am able to run at all.

A tentative return

A puncture 2km into a ride just over a week ago followed by a walk home and back out for a 5.6km run was a tentative return to running after over 8 weeks off. The heel come though it ok and I followed it up with another ride the next day then a week of running just 5k's a day. Fitness level was OK but by the end of the week the heel was giving me pain, so took a day off yesterday and will see how I go this evening. 

Garmin recorded masters track performances

Here are all the track races I have recorded with my Garmin from 2010.

Steady running from me only with one long run and a recovery ride the following day.PF pain is manageable but not feeling inclined to step things up for a while. Had some right Achilles tendonitis through the beginning of the week but that has gradually come good.
Weight is 60/61kg which is fine but when I'm not racing the tendency to stray from the paths of correct dieting are stronger!

Milan San-Remo

Here's a catch up.
Following my heel injection I was going to take one or two weeks off running to see if the heel would settle down. As it panned out I took 3 weeks off, well it wasn't quite a holiday, I was getting up at 4:00am everyday and getting on the bike at 4:30am for an hour, working pretty hard for me at 30kmph. I managed to clock up my 1000th cycling lap of North Lakes, a 10km loop, so that's 10,000km recorded on Strava/Garmin probably since about 2011'ish. Amazing really as I only ride if I can't run! 
I'm on about 800 recorded laps of Roo+Lake (in reality probably run 2000 times in the 12 years we have been here).
Last week I started running again.
The heel is still painful but runable and something I will continue to monitor and manage. I will throw in more cycling days and continue on with my miriad of remedies: stretching it, ice rolling it, sleeping with the Frankenstein Boot on, wearing heel cups and running on grass where possible, avoiding speed work.
My pace has been pretty good considering the lay off and the weight is hovering around 60kg so won't be too far from form. I even managed a 22km easy long run this morning, it was on the road but I double heel cupped to add protection. I will give it a month and make an assessment. It's still 7 months till competition starts in Perth.