Training is starting to take it's toll on me. My Achilles is giving me problems and I'm starting to feel burnt out. My Achilles problems started last Sunday. I hadn't done a long run in a couple of weeks and my first one since China was 2:35 long.
I knew I should have cut it short at the 2 hour mark. Then on Tuesday I should have rested it and didn't and last night I should have rested it and didn't. Instead I did a speed run at 12:30 am.
This morning I was paying the price. It was tough to walk. I had a long bike scheduled and figured the Achilles should be okay, but it wasn't. Immediately into the ride I could feel it was still being stressed, especially on accelerations.
Ten minutes into the ride, I was going to turnaround, let it rest today and try to do my long ride tomorrow. I said to myself, "if I see a cyclist soon, I'll keep going, if not I'll turnaround". It's my equivalent of "flipping a coin". Within seconds of saying that, I saw a couple of cyclists. So I kept going.
It didn't take long until I mentally started feeling burnt out. I wanted to turnaround but didn't. The weather didn't help, it was sunny, but windy and I found it pretty cool out. I persevered and was riding strong.
I got to just past the hour mark and my chest was feeling weak and my determination to keep going was getting less. I was also getting "pissed off at the cold and wind", I didn't want to do anymore uncomfortable weather rides.
Instead of quitting, I decided to ride a couple of major hills. The first being "Rattle Snake Point" and the other being "14 side road". I was happy with my heart rate, I rode both under 143 bpm. It was slow, but I didn't get out of the seat once and the hills didn't beat me up.
Afterwards, I decided to cut the ride short and head home. My Achilles hurt and I felt burnout. Just as I was pulling onto my street I saw Alan Adcock bent over his bike, adjusting the back wheel. I stopped and said hi and we chatted.
He had read about my China experience on my blog and we talked about it. Alan is from South Africa and he told me he just came back from Cape Town, he was visiting his parents. While he was there, he did the "Cape Argus" bike race, along with 35,000 other participants.
Even Lance Armstrong rode it. Alan said it was amazing riding and one guy even did the 100 km's on a unicycle. Part of the ride was wicked with an 18% grade hill to climb. He said the Cape Town area is cycling Nirvana.
I was telling Alan about my Achilles and burnout. Alan's done Ironman's and knows about training, he told me to rest. He said I should take a few days off. He has a friend who is a good athlete and he'll take 3 or 4 days off and come back much stronger. I took his comments to heart. Why did I just happen to run into Alan? was it a sign? were his words what I needed to hear?
When I got home I was so exhausted. Mentally I was spent, I barely had enough energy to have a shower. While in the shower, I just stood there with my head down and feeling the pleasure of the hot water raining on my head. As I was stood there, I heard a loud crack from my ankle area.
I know that my Achilles problem is from an alignment issue. I've had this before. I usually get it at the beginning of the season and it takes a few weeks to get rid of the discomfort. Right now I don't have much time for it to get better, it's only 20 days until Ironman St. George.
My plan is to rest it and adjust my training schedule. I'm going to push my long ride and bike into sometime mid next week and take some time off work to do it. For the next week or two I may cut my running down to two times a week.
I can't believe how burnt out and exhausted I feel. Even writing this blog post I'm having trouble focusing and remembering things. Even proofreading it, I'm falling asleep.
I've had a lot of people ask me about John Barclay's health. He's now doing fine. I got an email from him last night and he just started getting back in the pool and on the bike. For both sessions he felt strong and mentally he's back to normal.
Long Bike - 2:07:31 / 56.52 km / 26.6 kph
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12 comments:
B
Sorry to hear about your Achilles. Rest is the best medicine.
J
Rest a few days. I was feeling burnt as well and Luis said to take some time off. I took 3 days and never felt better today on the mountain bike. If you really feel like doing something, do something different. After months of run bike/trainer, swim it felt good to get on the trails and have some fun!
Rodney
Ouch! Sadly I have no magic wand or bright ideas to help with that one. Rest does wonders though.
How did you get Reid to look like a girl in that photo (yesterday)? Was it a deliberate wind up?
J, yah it's a bummer, but everything happens for a reason. Maybe it's forcing me to rest.
R, I think your right.
J, I think your right as well. Also, thanks for making my day, Reid looking like a GIRL, I can hardly wait to tell him, you thought he looks like a girl in that photo. You've given me some new "material" to abuse him with. haha.
B
dude, you know you have a connection over at Rocktape, i will hook you up with a roll of nice shocking pink. this stuff really works, i never leave home without it anymore. i made the mistake of trying to train without it and felt fatigued and drained. put it back on the next session and felt stronger and was running with much less pain.
im trying to shake some allergies but running 10 miles tomorrow morning( my longest run ever ) and then hitting a hilly 56 mile ride and brick run afterwards on tuesday.
let me know if you want some. you know i will give you a great discount mate
JAM, Oh, I didn't realize it was for Achillies. I thought it was "ROCK HARD TAPE", it was a sexual aid. haha.
Just kidding, okay, okay, I"ll try it, I don't need a discount, I'll try it, but if it doesn't work, I'm going to stock you and when I get you I'm going to put you in the hole, "silence of the lambs" style and tie you up with "Rock tape" and have you "put lotion on the skin". haha.
B
hi!, yeah.. rest is underrated, hope your achiles is only a fright, tho.
v
Sorry to hear about the achillies and burnout. Rest up, you are almost there!
tis the time of season to be tired! you are into your 2nd IM already with a pile of miles behind you! as you know you wont lose your fitness if you cut back and allow the miles to sink in! stay healthy and have fun!
Ouch - my Achilles has been acting up too - I hope for you it is only a fright, not tendinitis. Burn out happens, especially with the volume you have been putting in. Stay healthy.
I am really sorry to hear about your Achilles. I guess that at this time the best you can do is to rest. Your fitness is at all time high and even if you lose some of it, you still have plenty left to set a PR at St. George. All that is important now is to get there as healthy as possible. Sleep as much as you can and don’t rush into training before you feel better. I quickly searched “Achilles” on Google and the first treatment they suggested is: rest and apply cold therapy (ice, compress). You can also self-massage the calf as physical therapy for the Achilles tendon . Best of luck and hopefully you’ll feel better tomorrow.
V, thanks.
E, thanks.
JF, Thanks, your right. MAO said the same thing. Helps make it a little comforting.
C, thanks, I hope it's not a big, big deal. I've had it before and I've worked through it, but it takes time.
D, thanks, all great advice. I also think all the dehydration I had didn't help, first China, then beer. Lots of water is now on the menu.
B
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