my next step. literally.

March 31, 2011

i've had numerous running-related injuries over the past few years and am going to hop on the bandwagon and start moving toward a minimalist running shoe.  everything i've been told and have read suggests that as running shoe technology and materials "improve", running injuries still continue to rise.  after researching several different candidates, i've decided to gradually transition away from my bulky, heavy anti-pronating shoes to the saucony kinvara.  two years ago i made an uneducated jump into a racing flat and wound up with a stress fracture, so this transition will be very slow and very gradual and i hope to be running in them full time by the end of the year.

WinterMan

March 29, 2011

was out of town this weekend but still had to get my training in.  was much colder than anticipated and this guy greeted me in the mirror at the end of my run.

cobourg

March 24, 2011

i've added the provincial duathlon championships to my schedule this year.  i was hoping to do a couple more duathlons this season but after talking things over with my coach, some of the other races i'm interested in will likely be detrimental to my 70.3 in syracuse.  see you in cobourg.

check out my entire 2011 race schedule here.

age group profile

March 21, 2011

friend, competitor and fellow blogger larry bradley was kind enough to include me in his ongoing age group interview series.  i read all of them and am honoured to be a part of it.  check it out here.

thanks, LB.

made it through

March 18, 2011

it's been more than two months, but it looks like i've finally beaten this latest injury.  after a 5k race simulation last weekend and some track work this week, it appears that my knee's strength has returned to a level that i don't need to hold myself back any longer.  run intensity and volume are at 100%, putting me on track with eight weeks to go until florida 70.3.  run speed is long gone and will take a lot of work to get back, but at least i'm up off the sidelines.  hallelujah.

it's taken a whole team of people to help me through this one and i wanted to give a shout out to all of them.  first and foremost, dave frake from balance physiotherapy has seen me through this thing from the very beginning.  for several weeks i was seeing him up to three times a week and he guided me through each stage of the injury and gave me instructions on how to safely ease back into training without overdoing it.  i've seen many physiotherapists over the years and frake is by far the most knowledgeable, patient and effective.  he's also an incredible athlete.  he won his age group at last year's world duathlon championships and finished sixth overall.  cindy from absolute endurance (another incredible athlete) worked her ART magic and saw me immediately following several workouts, and carrie ann from totum is the most talented (and by talented i mean least forgiving!) RMT i've used over the years.  being on her table can be torturous but the rewards are well worth it.

thanks, all.

ramping up.

March 08, 2011

the past couple weeks have been my first weeks of full, heavy training since early in the new year.  i've been slowly ramping up my running again as i move past my most recent injury, and things seem to be getting better with every week.  duration is up to 90 minutes on the treadmill and intensity is coming along as well.  this morning, for the first time in two months, i was running at over 10mph.  it was only for 90 second intervals, but still an achievement.  my first race of the year was supposed to be a 5k this weekend in toronto, but i'm nowhere near ready so i've had to scrap it.  i'm confident i'll be ready for a 10k a few weeks from now and a half marathon at the end of april, but neither of those races will be fast ones; both will be training tools to help me get stronger in preparation for the triathlon season.  a month ago i was feeling like my season was over, now i'm feeling like it's just beginning.  a much later start than i'd been hoping for but it's a start nonetheless.