Piper doon!

So far this spring, training has been going exceptionally well. Everything is getting faster, and I'm well-recovered for all my sessions, such that the quality is high when it's supposed to be. The new coach continues to kill me in the pool, but in a way so that I'm getting quicker. (I still can't hold good form all through the workout when it's a tough day, but I'm getting better.) All the numbers on the bike are going up. And then, there's running.

My new system of lots of easy volume with only a touch of high-intensity was working. My training paces were getting faster, and my effort/HR was going down at any given pace. My new form was starting to click and I was about to unearth new speed. And then this happened. The good news is that it's definitely not a stress fracture. The fact that I didn't jump off the table during manipulation ruled that out. Now it's just a nagging tightness that I haven't been able to shake for about 10 days. When I saw the doc last Wednesday, we'd hoped I'd be back at it this weekend, but an easy 3km run on Sunday morning was enough evidence that the foot isn't quite there yet. So I'll try again on Wednesday, or maybe wait until this weekend. I'm hoping this isn't a chronic problem, and given how I think it developed, it shouldn't be. If we look under the causes of inflammation, overuse and too tight shoes are culprits. It's not that I had a dramatic change in volume, but the tenderness started the day after my first significant speed workout. Going from 6x1 minute at I pace with long rest, to 4x3 minute on short rest, probably proved to be too much for my foot. Since I'm in the midst of changing form, I asked too much. As well, so that I wouldn't have any breaks during the workout, I probably tightened my shoes too much and double-knotted so I wouldn't pop a lace. Well, there's two votes for tendinopathy right there, and I'm left with a bad wheel for a bit.

Depending on how quick things come back, I hope my spring race is still on the books, but if it's not, it's not the end of the world. There are more important things going on this year, and many more races in the future. It's frustrating, but I can give it a week to heal now and get years of running pain-free, or force things now and end up retiring early from the sport because I can't shake the injury. Not a difficult decision, especially in a year with no 'A' race, and barely any 'B' races.

What's been up

It's still really early in the season (if there's going to be any kind of "season"), so right now I'm mostly logging time, trying to get some things straightened out while keeping/building some speed. Since commuting makes up the bulk of my base bike miles, the weather has kept me from my biggest miles. I'm still getting two solid rides on the trainer every week, with lots of threshold work. Add in what miles I get traveling to work, and I'm building some strength to put to use.

The gait re-training is starting to pay off on the run. I can feel when my form is clicking, and my body is beginning to find this a more efficient way to run. Downhill is still a bit problematic, and my natural tendency to speed up through cadence is still there, but more runs will help to solve this. I did have a bit of a "falling apart" at the end of Sunday's long run, but I don't think that's fitness related. I think the new running muscles were getting a bit tired, and the cold weather shrunk my foot inside my shoe, which then became quite loose, and my ankle was rolling around and starting to hurt. I'll keep an eye on this during my next long run. If it keeps up, I may have to do some adjusting of the schedule.

The new swim coach continues to hand me my butt on regular intervals. On man, do I wish I could kick. I may be the worst kicker in the whole pool. Luckily I only race in a wetsuit, which helps to mitigate the damage. My strength is coming back, and I'm holding form deeper into every workout. We had a 800m TT a couple of weeks ago that put my pace just off where I was at the height of last year. It's like two workouts forward, one workout back. This may be killing me, but I'll be plenty faster once I dip my toes in a race.

And speaking of races, I have a very tentative schedule for next year. There definitely won't be seven triathlons and a handful of road races. Instead, I have a 10k in April, (hopefully) a triathlon in July, another 10k or a half-mary in September, then one of: a) a HIM in September, b) Olympic in October/November, c) nothing else. Maybe with the money saved on race fees I can buy myself some pretty gear.