Bad Blogger! Bad Blogger!

It's scary when you haven't turned on the lights for awhile and the first thing you see is your race countdown clock at 67 days!! Seriously, where does the time go!?
I figured I'd take a break and spare you all the agony of reading the multiple posts I would of threw up here all revolving around my current obsession with my aching feet.

Bad mojo baby!

Sorry, indulge me a bit here on the feet though. :-) They are ...dare I say it...getting better!? Ok, maybe that was a bit premature but I have been treating them aggressively since my last post. If anyone is suffering from plantar fasciitis, USE THE GOLF BALL! I got the tip from Fluro who is dealing with some serious foot issues. The ball therapy has been HUGE in getting my feet to a point where I can actually run. It isn't the most fun digging a golf ball into the pain points in your heel but I definitely feel like I am breaking up the knots in there. If i'm sitting down, I'm working the golf ball, simple as that. Also, firm support of the arches at all times with the Birkys has been a major help as well..got that tip from Steven's Karen so getting some love all around....oh, and using the foam roller to keep the calves nice and loose....actually a goal since my calves are pretty "knotty".

Running has been pretty pitiful the last 3 weeks....2 weeks ago, I could only run once due to the pain (6 miles) but last week I was able to crank out 19 big ones (kinda funny bragging about running 19 miles eh?)...the feet were definitely sore but the fact that I could actually run was huge. This week, I ran 4 miles yesterday and got attacked by a bird...maybe he was trying to tell me to stay off my feet? Whatever...it scared the crapola out of me when it divebombed and hit me in the head and then came back for a second pass which I was able to avoid by ducking....this was on the woodchip trail around the nike campus and I think it was probably protecting a nest but come on...just trying to get my run on!! ;-) The second loop, sure enough...the same bird was stalking me and every time I looked up it was getting ready to divebomb me again...crazy! I must have looked like a fool sitting there clapping and yelling while trying to run but was able to avoid any bloodshed so it worked.

I'm hoping my feet continue to heal...I will continue with the aggressive therapy on my end. I figure I will continue to run as well...I can't run fast since whenever I hit around a 7:45 pace they (feet) let me know they aren't happy but each week the pain seems to be just a little less then the prior week....I'd hate to think it was my pain tolerance going up eh!?

Finally, instead of living vicariously through all you studs and studettes who have already raced this year, I am going to toe the line at the Pac Crest 1/2 Iron on Saturday. It was definitely iffy for awhile and my run is definitely the X factor since I have no miles in my legs to speak of. I'll just have to HAMMER the bike so that I can still have a decent finish if the run turns into a walk! Thank god it's only a 1/2 iron....if this was IMC, I would not be happy!

I know several of you are racing IM CDA so I'll definitely be following online. Positive vibes headed your way for a strong race out there...stay in the moment and believe!

*Peace*

Breaking Down

It's starting to be a constant theme around here but can we talk about me feets!? They hurt man!! The sad thing is the PF pain has elevated to where BOTH my feet just ache walking around- definitely not good. It hit a new level this weekend when I finished a beautiful bike ride on Saturday with Steven and had to shut it down about 10 steps into our transition run. Nothing worse then watching your bro run off into the distance to bang out a transition run as you *WALK* back to your car.

Aggressive therapy is probably needed at this point since my feet are falling apart and I only ran 3.25 hrs last week. It's not like i'm throwing out 50-60 mile weeks. One thing that has really helped in the last day is wearing Birkys (thanks Karen!!) instead of my comfy crocs. As Karen stated, your feet need support right now, not cushion. She is battling similar issues and the dull ache I was experiencing while walking around is pretty much gone with the birkenstocks *good news*.

I have given up trying to wean myself off of orthotics and will look into getting some new ones asap. Timing could be a bit better though. I am signed up for the Pac Crest 1/2 Iron on 6/24 so that may turn into a swim / bike / walk? Oh the horror.

Now on to better things, Steven found a new route that goes through the little burg of Timber on the way out to Vernonia and it was AWESOME.

SERIOUSLY

An hour away from his house we were riding along in some beautiful country without anyone else in sight. One of those rides where you rarely see a car since they really have no reason to be out there unless they live in Timber. Nice mix of some rolling hills, flats and steeps on the way back but a solid ride that moved right up to the top of our fave rides.

Saturday Bike
5.5 hours
94.6 Miles

I would have liked to run on Sunday since I seem to be obsessing about it with my foot issue but figured a bike ride would probably be much better then taking a chance with the feet right now. Got out a bit late into the winds but just put my head down and banged it out. I went out for a loop around Hagg Lake before heading home.

Sunday Ride
3.75 Hours
71 Miles

Now for a long overdue PSA (public service announcement). You all need to get one of these!!


No not the really cool glasses, I'm talking about the DORKY rear-view mirror. I've seen these for years and have always thought they screamed GOOOOFY until I started riding with Steven and was amazed at how he was always aware of what was going on behind us waaay before i even realized a car was approaching. I finally broke down and bought one about a month ago and I seriously don't think I could ride without one now.

Increasing your awareness can only be a good thing when you are riding around on a bicycle with a big bullseye on your back. We are really blessed to ride in a very cycling-friendly community up here in Oregon but for those of you having to regularly deal with homo sapiens of the assholicus maximus sub-species (I dealt with my fair share down in Cali so I can relate), this product can literally be a lifesaver. Swallow your pride and vanity, affix the mirror to your glasses and let your Dork Flag Fly!!

Seriously, it's not about you, it's about the people you love and making sure you come home safe and sound each time you swing your leg over your bike.
*stepping off soapbox now*


IMC Training Week 13
24.0 TOTAL Hours
Swim 2.0 Hrs
(6,750 Yrds - 3 swims. Swim volume was lacking big time. I missed the weekend swim again and one of my weekday swims was only 15 minutes!!. I need to work on my timing and figuring out the pool hours here!)
Bike 17.25 Hrs
(288.6 Miles - 5 rides. Big bump in cycling hours due to the Memorial Day ride this week. 272.6 road miles / 16 Computrainer *Intervals*)
Run 3.25 Hrs
(25.6 Miles - 3 runs including 1 off the bike. Need to work on the PF issues, as noted above - not good!)
Weights 1.5 Hrs
(2 x 45min sessions)

As always, thanks for stopping by. Have a great week and be safe out there!!

*Peace*