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| Heading up to the North Rim |
The Past Week
This past week I was still dealing with a sore right foot. It is sore in the front ankle area, probably due to tightness and some hyper dorsiflexion running the trail as well as I tend to tighten my shoes too much so they constrict the top of my foot where it flexes, and below my ankle where my Posterior Tibial Tendon attaches to my extra bone below my ankle. I also have soreness on the bottom of my foot similar, but not as sore, to the PF I had before. Due to all this I have avoided doing much on it but wanted to get it to move some so began doing some easy 2 mile walks on Wednesday , for a total of 6.8 miles, and also on Saturday rode 20 miles easy on the trainer.
Thus not much done this week but now that the swelling is down on my foot, though still sore, I can start some stretching and working on mobility. More on the plan for the weeks ahead to follow. When I ran the Grand Canyon I was pretty sure this would be the case with my foot as had similar issues after running the Land Between The Lakes 50 miler a few years ago when the course was super muddy and slippery and this was harder on my ankle with more descending and the trail being rougher. So a slow comeback from the R2R2R was to be expected and with only really needing 12 weeks to get ready for Boston I have some time to rest up my ankle. So that is where things are at for now.
I want to add that while I say I did not do much the "not doing" was important as rest is as important as other aspects of training. I tend to think when I am doing little I am accomplishing noting but that is far from the case. Rest and Recuperation accomplishes much and I need to remember that.
The Last 20 Weeks
In looking back on the last 20 weeks I think things went pretty much as planned. I did a have a strained muscle here and there that needed a few days off but fortunately nothing serious. The goal of my training to date was to work on my aerobic capacity with as little damage to my foot as possible but also with enough running to make it possible to run/hike the Grand Canyon R2R2R. To that end things went great.
As I mentioned in my R2R2R Report one thing to keep in mind when you see my training is that I enter this training with a large base. After 47+ years of running and 37+ years of riding my base is such that while my mileage was low from a running perspective over the last 20 weeks I do have a pretty good aerobic endurance base after years of training. Would I have like to run more, sure, but due to foot issues I had to minimize my running and rely on a few longer runs; of 15, 17 and 20 miles over the last 6 months; to cover being ready for a R2R2R. Running and riding are sports that truly do rely on, and produce, a base over the years. Would I have run faster with more running mileage – maybe, but the goal of this run was not to run fast but simply to experience it with friends. This also played into my training plan.
The soreness of my foot after the Grand Canyon run is not so much from the lack of training on it. If I had run more it is likely I would not have been able to do the R2R2R at all. The soreness is simply a reinforcement of what I have know for some time and that is till I deal with the biomechanical and muscle imbalances issues I have that led to the foot issues I will not run anything over a marathon/50K and even that distance will be restricted to Boston and maybe a few other runs and may focus on shorter runs/races of 5K to the ½ marathon. That is till my foot is good and healed and the causes of the issues have been sufficiently dealt with.
That all said I have a second goal with my training – to take part in cycle events and more specifically gravel racing. Thus my training has been focused on longer rides so as to get ready not only for the Dirty Kanza 200 mile ride but also long gravel rides in the future. I truly think I can meld running shorter races for the near future with extended rides to be able to ride longer gravel races.
Over the last 20 weeks I have worked to start to build a base of longer rides with enough running to be able to do races from 5K up to my recent R2R2R and seems to be going as planned. I will cover next what is my general plan for the next 20 weeks and beyond.
Let me add here one other aspect of my training that weaves throughout it all. I train at least 80%, sometimes more at a much lower HR than many. I tend to hold to what is referred to as the MAF Method where you take you take 180 – your age with some adjustments up and down. I wrote about MAF here but I would also add as one gets older I feel some adjustments can be made and thus I tend to keep my HR on MAF runs at around 130. For my long runs and rides based on fuel intake I can tell this is pretty much at my cross-over point where I am still at a fat burning level. Thus my diet (LCHF) and training all work to increase my metabolic flexibility so that I can run and ride mostly on fat but when required burn carbs and thus my fuel intake is much less than it ever has been – just check out my R2R2R Report.
The Road Ahead
For the next week or two my goal is to start some specific stretching and strengthening work that I think is contributing to my foot issues. In the midst of this I am also going to work in some barefoot running drills to strengthen my feet as well as implement some work from the Pose Running Method along with going over some of the Balanced Running work I have done in the past. I have heard mixed reviews on the Pose Running Method but in looking over some videos I think there are some principles I can use to help with my foot issues.
It is strange that after running for so many years I need to work on things like the Balanced Running work and the Pose Method as one would think running should be natural to me by now. I am of the opinion that it is more a matter of things changing in my body , such as my Accessory Navicular Syndrome being a worse in my right foot along with losing some mobility that has all led to my running form needing to be worked on so as to minimize my foot issues.
Thus from now till the end of the year I will be working on things from a number of fronts with regards to my running so that when I get to the start of 2020, with over 12 weeks till Boston, I will be ready to work towards a good run there. I will keep my running mileage low but up my stretching and mobility work as well as the required exercises needed to sufficiently adjust my running to work to allow my foot to move s it should and, if all goes well, not get sore. This will include, as I have mentioned , barefoot running exercises as suggested by my friend Ben Markwart, who I interviewed here, so as to strengthen my feet to be able to run longer when required.
While I will keep my mileage low, as compared to most marathon plans, I will be upping my riding miles. Not so much on a weekly basis but in that my rides will be longer and I will work to have a long ride every other week, or so, as weather permits. I also, again as weather permits, want to work in more gravel rides so as to be ready for the specific things gravel throws at you that eh road does not. I m not sure what gravel races specifically I will ride after Dirty Kanza but plan to ride the Kentucky Gravel Championships the first part of August and depending on work and family schedules may ride the Steamboat Springs Gravel race the next weekend. - we will just have to see how it goes.
I am not really planning on a specific mileage as of yet as with regards to running as I just need to see how things go and for riding I have to travel in the next few weeks that will not allow me to ride so will pick things up again on that front in CA when I go back for work after Thanksgiving. However when I get back from CA I will have to see what kind of riding I can get done in January and February in Kentucky as well as, if all goes well, work my running and riding mileage up some. The plan for mileage it to run more two a-days if I can and then do a longish run of 15 – 20 once, maybe twice, a month depending on how my foot goes.
That is a quick run down of the road ahead training and while not real specific I will work to fine tune things once I get my foot sorted out. Winters are always fun as you never know what weather you will get so often just have to improvise.
If you have any questions or comments you can leave them in the comment section below
Last Week's Overview #19
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