Daz Does Tri

Finally, finally banked a full week of training last week. 36 miles - all nice and easy base runs. Avge pace just over 8s which at thios stage is not concerning. The main fact is that nothing fell off !! Today, back out the door for an easy 5.5 and it felt really good. Finally starting to get rolling with no real issues which is a first for months. Fingers crossed no set backs just keep building that engine and the plan is to spice it up once March starts. Training is all easy right now, not even doing strides so there is zero attachment to pace whatsoever. Obviously that's not ideal BUT if I can keep going I'll introduce them at the end of a few runs in a couple of weeks. No eyes on racing, I'm still in phase 1 and i'm not rushing anything. I would hope that I can build up the time on feet to 50+ miles over the next couple of weeks. Whereas 4 miles felt plenty I could easily have gone 6 or 7 today. Just a shame the trails are so crap with this weather. Sticking to the ...

After really pushing the envelope with my body the inevitable happened on Tuesday - a calf pull. Not a real tear this time, I caught it just in time (I think) but nonetheless a strain. Tried running again today but it's still tight. Looks like the mighty return will be delayed until Saturday at least now. Cause is maybe doing weights Monday night but I have been running with a tight calf for a while hoping it would settle. It was a shock that it didn't go on Sunday tbf ! I should be more frustrated than I am. In all honesty it's like building a house. I know it's going to come good but it's painfully slow progress. As far as I can tell the calf - the left side - is tight but once that's gone I don't have any old issues hanging over me. Nothing to stop me then ! Phase 1 is always return to pain free running. I cannot believe how long it's taking to get there. It's getting on 3 months now, a return from a stressy would be quicker.  I am quietly confide...

The struggle is real. Finally feel like I am starting again. Absolutely bottomed out in motivation and form but I have been running on - off now for a few weeks. Last week was the first week with some kind of consistency. This week the plan is to just slowly get it done and once my body starts to adapt it'll (hopefully) flow a bit again. It's amazing how you get out of good habbits and discipline so easily when you are not training and racing regularly. I have been making appalling decisions lately. Drinking to excess randomly in the week, letting my good conditioning routines slip, no weights, bad diet, bad sleep. You name it, it's been shite. Hopefully now I can start to build and get back into the groove. I had a really good 5-6 months last year when it was smooth and flowed really well. Hopefully from here I can build a nice base and start to get that back. As always phase 1 is to run, run freely and regularly with no sessions and just feel like I am ready to push on. T...

So, it's been a stop - start - stop again return to running. The skinny is I'm still not quite right. I have a sore hip flexor / piriformis / hip / glute / quad etc. etc. something on my left hand side is not happy. It's not agony, it's not popped but it's simply not 100% Maybe it's covid related (consipracy theory) or just something else but it's not happening. I've basically resigned to doing lots and lots of strength work and then keeping running very basic - 60/30s and a long easy run each week.  I would say it's improving but it's a strange issue. Possibly need to get it checked out but the honest answer there is I cannot be fucked. I am old and my body does not work properly! Motivation is pretty low right now so I'll just play it by ear until it's ready to go again. So that's my status. I'm doing stuff but it's not quick and not plentiful enough to be productive. If the strength work pays off eventually it may help but ...

Take 4,397 !! The diary of an injured runner ... Chapter 1 - anger, avoidance, denial, acceptance ... 8 days since I last ran, it's actually been nice to take a break from running. Just forget about it and relax. Tying that in with an injury and not trying to constantly get back every day really recharged my batteries and I'm ready to start again. Will jog today. I think it's important to realise myself that this is not going to be totally ache free - there will be some aches and pains - there always is. I may need another week of R&R, or maybe even more massage / physio. Accept the fact and move on ! All being well though I will get round a run with minimal fuss. Weight was fantastic last week, still sub 10 st 7 on Friday BUT a weekend away eating and boozing and I had ballooned to 10 st 9 so a return right now is fairly needed !! I will do lots of pre-had - stretch routing, glute activation every day and follow up with glute / low back strength daily just to keep in c...

Started to finally feel a lot looser around the hip today. It's amazing once you give in to the injury it all starts to fall to bits. I'm convinced if I had kept running I'd be patching myself up but getting sessions done. This week it's been the worst I have felt it and I haven't done a stroke since Saturday (well, apart from a gingerly tester on Tuesday).  Yesterday I went to see Jenny for a deep tissue massage and it really helped. I think that the trauma of running just tightened up everything so she loosensed off my back mainly but also my hammys and glutes. The outcome was that it was clear to see how tight my hammy left was at the top by the insertion to the hip. This is probably what's causing the gip now. This morning all felt much better, back is looser (still needs work) but hip is generally much better. Giving myself an extra few days I am finally confident that I should be clear when I start again - well, scratch that. It won't be clear but it...

I'm already tetchy. There's a bit of me that wants to just keep trying to jog BUT on the whole I feel like taking an end of season break actually makes me feel like I am controlling the situation! Many (many) years ago, after my last track race of the season (usually GRE Cup final or last league race) I took a couple of weeks completely off. Usually went away on a lads holiday and ate / drank myself at least a stone in weight. I'd come back and start training fairly half arsed all the way up until New Years Day. After an all nighter for NYE I would wake up on Jan 1st and think shit, only 4 months until track season. Then I'd be completely focussed to getting fit. During my 2 weeks off I had no issues not running, there was no part of me desperate top get out for a jog, in fact when I came back from October to end of year I would do every session but they would be pretty lazy efforts. Get it done but no way I was killing myself out there.  Oh to have today's attitude...