Iron Strength

I am now totally convinced that most of the progress I made those past few month are directly related to the strengthening program I started.
"Program" is a complicated word for squatting and lunging during the dog walks.
It is time to take it to another level.
Here comes the Iron Strength program.

Iron Strength

To be fair, "The Run Experience" triggered it. But I guess I do not really the incessant coaching, following and pushy of their "experience". I can see the benefits of a "class" or "group" for some people who need external motivation.
But I am more on the solitary side.
Metzl's 3$ Kindle book will do it.

Injury Free for LIFE !!!! I'ld buy that.

The book is good. Simple. Straight to the point. Good introduction to all hot topics in running. No gimmicks.
Definitively on your hit list.

Anyway, no magic in the workout. That's just a template.
Here are my notes:

30s jumping jacks squats back lunges
6x15 jump squats
(2) 5 min 15 Plank lift push up sit up
(3) 5 min 10 jump lunges single leg toes
(3) 5 min 15 mountain climber , legs down
(3) 5 min dead lift, overhead push, biceps 10lbs
5x 10 burpees
Planks 3x 1 min

He advise to do it twice a week.
No surprise, this is a pretty hard and mean workout.

I don't know if you ever did 50 burpees, even in 5 reps. That's pretty serious stuff.
Twice a week. Took me around one hour.

I guess that's a small price to pay to run forever.
(Or to the end. Why ? Do you want to live forever ?)

eLectronics

Slowly I am getting motivated  to work on the boat - almost impossible at the mooring - I am preparing for (hopefully) a couple of weeks in Lahaina Harbor and maybe several weeks on Oahu, later this year.
And getting ready to work means ... spending money !

Garmin GNX Wind Transducer and NMEA2k Wifi Bridge

Electronics have been missing on the boat since I got her, and I decided to jump ahead and get at least the basics : Wind and Speed.
All the rest will go through an iPad or the onboard laptop.
Cheap, but enough.

The windvane is wireless, which gonna save me a lot of pain to drive a cable through the mast. Nothing is easy on a boat, but this should not be more than a couple of day of work.
I am getting ready for the Bimini and finishing the dodger.

Believe it or not, but I am closing on my 'hit list'.
The real list is infinite.

Stay tuned.

Squatting

It has been roughly one month I have started the rehab of my calf and foot, trying to heal from my Achilles tendonitis. They called for 6 to 8 weeks. After 4, I can definitively see an improvement already. The pain almost disappear in non running days. I was able to run a nice 2:30 trail run last week without too much worries.
In one word, the exocentric exercises appear to work pretty good.
It takes time. That's a given.

Filled a back pack with weights and water gallon,
and get ready for up to 60 calf raises.

But it works. What to ask for more ?

Well, we could ask for a butt like that....

A key point of those past few months is my commitment to strengthening exercises. I am down to around 100 squats, 100 lunges and around 40 single leg squats, all that while working on the dog on 30 min walk.
Except the rising eye brow of all the neighbourgs, it is a cool way to maximize training time. jog 30s, 20 squats, jog 20s, 20 lunges. Repeat.

This is what you want to look like. Naked.
Correct form 

Following the advice of still amazing - The Run Experience team - Seriously, check them out. Don't forget to setup your email rules for spam though, I finally decided to commit to daily hip and leg exercises. And it seems to work as well.

It has been month I did not go kiting (To be fair, I am not fon of the summers on the north Maui coast, tons of wind, sure, but small and bumpy wind waves). Today, as a pre-warmup for the winter season, I decided to dust off the gear (need to refresh it, been a few years :) - did a 45 minute session, and no psoas pain  - at all.
That's what I call a freaking good sign.
Let's cross fingers, train hard, and say good bye to those 2 - 3? - 4? - years of struggle.
That would be amazing.

51.14 + 225 = Fun times

The end of the tunnel ?

I have been doing strengthening exercises since at least 3 weeks, and, even if I can still feel my knee and ankle **a bit** screaming, overall it is back in the "easy pain" zone.

Pain that **might** not be a problem.

51.14, bread and butter.

Been a while I did not race Lower Kula. Actually, I did not intend to race it. and started quite slow.
A good sign that I am still in a good shape, I **almost** beat my PR on my bread and butter run.
1 minute short.
Which is quite a lot, on a 50 minute run, but still, that's my second best since 3 or 4 years.
My good old Garmin 220 eventually gave up after a long swim in the ocean.
Waterproof, they said ?

Modern life. iMac, Mio, Garmin.
Give me Wifi and a boat, and I am gone.

Anyway, got a got deal on a refurbished one year old 225. Thank you amazon (which days after days looks almost like eBay). Same but fancier, and with a heart zone sensor integrated.
Bye, Bye, the Mio. I feel already lighter. 20g off.

Un ange passe.
Or a hurricane.
Or two.

Madeline, Lester. Like an old couple.
Or two eyes. And a nose. Can you see Hawaii ?

Prey for the boat, and consider long running again.
Maybe a 1:20 Makawao Forest loop, the usual fun run, for tomorrow.
Let's give it a shot, and check those tendons.
Hopefully, won't be too wet.
That's just a hurricane passing. Or two.

Tendoni....what ?

Never ending story.
As I am getting more confident about some progress in my hip flexors - hard to tell as I barely run anymore - I am still fighting a couple of low profile recurring injuries.
An achilles tendonitis that was actually pretty painful on the left foot, and an patellar tendonitis on the inside of the right knee.
Funny enough, all those are rated top injuries for most of the runners, then, somewhere I am glad I am a good representative of the runner's community.

There is a good set of PT exercises you can do to help - it takes around6 to 8 weeks with 3 set of 20  per day. I am doing both knees and both ankles, 3 exercices each.
That's takes a lot of time and a lot of reps.

Patellar Tendonitis

Achilles Tendonitis

Now, waiting to get better on that front, I am swimming almost every day.
I am not sure if I ever will become a good runner, but soon, I am gonna compete with Phelp for 4x100, if I continue to spend that much time at the pool.

The more annoying is, as a Runner, pain is expected. the question is how much. How much is worrisome ? When to stop ?

If you reconcile this chart:

The Grey zone is Yellow.

with this one:

I see Jesus coming...

Actually, the key factor is to make sure the pain is not getting worst, and do not last too long.
There is ton of info everywhere to not advise you to take Ibuprofen or even to ice where it hurts - supposedly it will slow down recovery by not allowing your body to heal himself by swelling a lot - and by hurting a lot - then this can be used as a good indice as well.
If you cannot bear it without medication, this is certainly too much.

Key point is not to rest.
R.I.C.E is dead.
Now, you work on it.
And if this is not excruciating pain, and you are doing the right exercices, this is a step in the right direction.
Hopefully.
I guess we will know in 6 weeks.