Off games again

Over recent months my left heel has been niggling away at me.  It would generally ache after running, and I noticed it most when I got out of bed in the morning and the first few steps would be really hard work.  By last Monday it was really getting quite sore all the time, and that evening I led my first Romsey Road Runners session - 4 x 1km intervals around Braishfield.  Right from the off I knew it wasn't feeling clever, but I like an idiot I pushed with a grimace.  By the warm down at the end I was hobbling, and so it continued through the next day at work.

Kate at Romsey Physiotherapy Centre saw me on Wednesday.  It's acute tendinitis, which means no running for a while.  Goodbye RR10, and goodbye to the 2014 Thunder Run... I feel terrible about letting the OS team down.

It's a real disappointment, and no mistake.  Two off-games notes in six months - it sucks.  On the other hand........ I'm quite philosophical about this. The last time I had a running induced injury was in 2011, when my left hip seized up - it was essentially the results of two decades of running without ever bothering to stretch.  I can still cycle, and I'm learning about stability-giving muscles I've never heard of (specifically the gluteus medius) and how to exercise them.  I'm doing a bunch of new exercises every day which will, I trust, make me more resilient to this sort of thing.  This has got to be a great opportunity to learn something new and come out the other end a bit stronger.

RR10 2014: Stoney Cross

I had not run for a few days prior to this with a sore Achilles' tendon on my left side.  I managed to arrive in reasonable time with no flapping whatsoever.  Everyone was muttering about how muddy the course was meant to be, but I quite like mud, up to a point.  My main concern was to keep something in the tank for the final long climb to the finished, which did for me last year.

Off we went, down off the plain and into the valley.  When we left the gravel track it was properly muddy - really gloopy sucky stuff.  All good fun; I enjoyed watching runners ahead flailing around.  It was all quite technical in the middle section with roots, mud, water and slides slopes everywhere.  I managed to gradually work up the field.  And then back on the track and up, up the hill, which this year was less fearsome than I had remembered.  I put on a sprint to the finish, felt good about overtaking Jack Webb from Stubbington but with 5 metres to go got pipped by Pete Boustred from Lordshill.  Nicely done Pete, but I'll be looking out for you next time.  24th position overall.

The season is shaping up interestingly.  So far I'm just above the 90% ranking target and I'm 4th vet... let's if I can hang on to that.