Monday, August 2, 2010

Wow!! Maybe I showed too much patience

It's been a very interesting last 4-5 weeks. I figured I'd be running full time a long time ago, but this has not been the case. The achilles didn't respond to anything I did too it, so I ended up finally getting into physio (shoulda done that the first week). It's coming along, but still stiff at times (got a night splint) and tender, but my physio seems to think it's better that I think it is...

The good thing has been I purchased a hybrid road bike. it's more road bike than mtn bike and although it's a cheaper model, it's definitely smoother than anything I've been on before. if there's one thing I can actually handle when injured it's bike riding for 2-3 hours. I've only just got the bike, but I've had a couple 90min runs mixed in with some pool workouts at the Glen (where I have lived this summer) as they have two pools there and I was able to find a cheap pool running belt (BIG % is a plethora of cheap sports crap!!!). Mix that in with a few runs and things are coming along. Now, I just have to to get hold of my 'love handles' get in some SFU and Bellingham runs and hope that the Fall is not like last year (October meltdown).

At they very least it looks as though I may have a part time training partner this Fall. A young kid we've been working with at our school ran some great races to win the two distance events (1200 and 2000m) at this yrs BC Summer Games. He's still a work in progress but he shocked the hell out of us in running a very aggressive 1200m (we didn't think he'd win as the other kids have more pure speed and have been running 2:04/05 800m), but he simply bullied his way to the front with 2500-300m to go and then kicked like a mad man to win. Slow time, but he closed in 63.

In the 2000m he ran somewhat similar, but we also expected he had a good shot to win. The final times made his dominance in the race look close. The way he handled himself in the race (controlling the tactics and strategy and being patient and smart) shows he has come a long way. He simply took off with 100m to go, much like the change of pace work we had given him over the last few weeks of training (good 100m with 300 to go and then another hard surge with 100m to go), worked wonders. It was one of those things where we know he needs to get in good position with 200m to go, as he doesn't have the pure leg speed so we felt that he needed the mental routine of practice surging to run better races tactically.

Considering eh has done all his training on his own, doesn't belong to a club and is in hist first year of the sport shows the potential we felt he had...