Meet my new “friend”…
This bike will be my friend for a little while…
One week has passed since being back from Dubai and still not running.
Monday was travel-day. Leaving 3:35am for arriving after lunch at home, loosing approximately 20°C during the trip and being welcomed by snow, rain and cold. I knew I should have stayed in Dubai… Took this day as rest day.
Tuesday this week was dedicated to finding out what was wrong with me left foot. First a 40-minutes wait before getting to the doctor, regular check of the foot. Walked on the toes and then on the heels. All ok. The doc suggested as well that it could be overwork. But really? After one week doing nothing, it should feel a bit better and not worse. Because now it feels even when I walk… Got sent to take an X ray of the foot. To check whether it could be broken or a stress fracture or nothing. Walked slowly to the xray place. Took 6 minutes including the wait for my turn and I walked back home. Checked with the doc if I could/should go to the physiotherapist now or wait for the results of the xray (which are taking up to 4-5 days…). So biked to the physio Erik S. and there, got him to press on my foot, compare both feet and conclude that until we know for sure if there is or not a stress fracture, it was better to just bike or run in the pool. And avoid all foot-specific workout. Back home and more work to do.
Wednesday turned into a rest day as well. Lots at work to catch up as well as trying to figure out where I could be training as biking outdoor seemed impossible due to the weather and the next two weeks program includes bike and water-running. Cannot run in my bath-tub…
Thursday, time to raise from the ashes!!! And move that butt a bit. Long day at work and directly followed by interval workout on bike outdoor in the dark. Worked quite well actually. A bit unsure what “tempo-pace” is while biking, so took the fastest I felt I could. 3*(2-4-6 minutes). Woke up the body pretty well. Quick shower afterwards and directly to the cinema to watch an Indian movie on the court system there. (forgot to eat right after the bike, so had to buy a vanilla bun before the movie…). Good movie, but after a long working day and bike workout, I felt pretty tired and my eyes closed themselves a few times… No problem to fall asleep after that.
And finally it was Friday. Early start, work and chat with the physiotherapist Anna. When the day was complete, went to the gym closest to home to try a free session. Bike. Intervals on time. Got to drink my water bottle and lots of sweat. Stretch. And bought a gym-card, so I could bike indoor at any time of the day while my foot was not back on track.
Real slow start to the weekend. Saturday lunch arrived after a bit of tv-watching and then time for workout. Bike indoor. 3*10 minutes. Increase of pace every two minutes to reach tempo-pace. Once again, nor knowing really what to refer to, I arbitrarily decided on the rpm to have. The final two minutes of each serie went however way fatter than I thought I could handled, being at the end of the 10-minutes interval. All good. Especially when noticing there is a little fan on the top of the bike… Could be handy when biking for a while and getting sweat! Rest of the day turned into easy at home. And late in bed after movie almost watched to the end… 2.5 seconds and I was gone to Dreamland…
Final day of the week, Sunday started to early for my taste. But had to get prepared breakfast for the first one to get to the athletics competition. Took this time for getting in the mat for a core&stability workout. Not to good balance on the left foot… But not too much better on the right one either! Anyhow, took 26+minutes. Time to jump into bike-shorts and off to the gym. Good to see that “my” bike was available. Decided to go for a hill program, 60 minutes. Started the little fan on low after a couple of minutes and it was just to pedal pedal and pedal more. Lots of water drinking again, but thanks to the fan (?) did not feel really sweaty. Light stretch and back home. In shorts and bare legs. Through the streets with snow and 2°C outside. The large plate of pasta with green peas and ham felt well-deserved after this workout 🙂 Not much rest after that, as it was high time for the afternoon indoor-athletics competition. Got to find some Gatorade (which was not possible before here in this cold country…). As well as having new references for 600m (E) and 800m (G) for how fast I should be running my intervals in the near future… Challenge is on! Still snow outside. Chill out rest of the day, preparing for a fully-booked week ahead. One more week with bike and water-running workouts. Hope to get at least once to the swimming pool…and that the Xray will show something or nothing, but at least that can start taking care of this foot of mine…
Great week to you! Keep on running (or biking, or swimming, or walking…)
30 hours and 40km later…
Time to get back to work today. Therefore awaken early (read: 4:55am) and up within a few minutes afterwards (yap, there are days like that!). Gear on, quick check at the temperature (2°C…), music on and off I left. Pretty easy pace, light wind during a few km, only few people met (and none of them were smiling…), a few hills and a starting ache in the front of the left tibia (yeay…). Back home after 15km, thorough stretch and a plank to complete the run…and it was time to prepare breakfast before school and work.
All day long working and then time to prepare for early dinner (risotto with salsiccia, yummy!) and a bit of rehab before bed should do the trick.
Yesterday was recovery runs-day. Easy pace, two runs, the second one including thorough stretch and drills. So yes, took approximately 30 hours to get from “Happy new year” to after-run “Gainomax and banana”. But tomorrow will be rest day. A real one and for the whole 24 hours…
Time to get a bit of energy before starting the tapering down…
Berlin – Recovery Day 4
Ok, now it feels like it is enough. I know I promised (did not swear on it…) to take a full week off running, but it is now getting boooooring. Up this morning at 4:03am (yap! Change of time apparently!), forced myself to remain in bed. In normal day, would have certainly put in my gear and tiptoed outside home for a run, but not today. I considered for a while to take a bike ride, but with headlight and when it is pitch black outside??? No thank you!
Did a quick run to the ferry though, he he he! 600m definitely not at easy pace, but fine. Slight feeling in the calves but who would blame them…
Day at work full full full and then back home. Crashed on the soffa watching “a castle in the sky” so sent all to bed a but earlier than normal… And now I cannot sleep!
So if waking up early tomorrow, will definitely consider a super-easy run in the dark. Recovery pace, easy and relaxing.
What does “Whoooosh” in the morning?
Have turned a lot while sleeping even waking up a couple of time having dreamt I had done my morning run already…Of course as the clock had not rang I knew I had NOT run!!!
Finally 5am, silently going up and off in the roads. Met a couple of trucks picking up the rubbish, a few rabbits running in the fields but from the moment I got the first roundabout it became quiet. Only a few birds and the noise of the water spritzers… Nice to have left the mp3 at home. Headed towards the village close-by planning to turn back after 5K, coming back to the roundabout and then getting a couple of additional km this way. Changed my mind though, wishing to run to the swimming pool we used to train in when we were little. Quiet city, and sun going up, nice colours already painted in the skies. Passed the city hall and continued on a slope, which my memory could not recall. Reaching the top, I met a wall and a street towards right or left… No sign of swimming pool however 😦 Headed right towards a wood area, then nice long slope down and still no pool. So much I could not recognise. Woods there, houses here… Got to a field and saw a plane taking off ahead of me: ok, this meant the airport was in front of me and I had to get to the left of it . Tricky to read the streets names and not knowing what city you are in!!! Even thought for a while that it would not matter if I got lost: I had my phone do could be running my 15K and then call for a ride home 😉
Turned left and right and got on the original road so just had to follow it and take a nice pic of the sun going up…Waited this time when the water sprinkler made the road wet and ran back home.By this time people started to be in the road and they were driving fast! Got almost driven on twice, by cars driving faster than on motorway and too much on the bike path…
15km at easy pace and low pulse. Liiiittle ache in the heels, but ok. Hamstring felt liiiiittle better, but not normal. Arrived to a quiet still asleep home. Shower, light breakfast and work. Long morning finishing with a very nice long lunch (pizza orientale, rosé wine, chocolat liegois… Yummy!) and then back to the office to finalise everything possible before starting vacations.
Officially now in vacations. Really tired. Lots to do still, but not now…
Just Running Around... 