Arizona Training- Final Days

Well the last three days of camp are done with and I am back in Boulder. It was basically a 2 day block for me as I only did a 45 min run on day 6. It was too bad that I wasn't running more as we went to the Cactus Forrest which is filled with some really awesome trails. I was jealous of all the guys that got to do a 2 hour+ run. I still noticed some twinges in my feet. Honestly I am more concerned about the right one now as it is "new". The left one just feels bad in the AM but seems to go away. I am making some changes that I think may help in the long run (no pun intended)

My last two days at camp were really solid. On day 7 JD, Matt, Jonas and I went out for a separate ride. The main group was going on a two hour ride in preps for the long day 8 "Kit Peak" ride. I opted to go longer because of the lack of swimming and running. Plus it gave JD and Matt some extra people for their ride.

We went out on 86 which would be the direction we go out on Day 8. The plan was to ride 40 miles out to the base of the Kit Peak climb and then turn around. We turned off onto 286 at some point which was the wrong way to go. We just went out until we hit 35 miles and then turned around. Going out we had a bit of wind and some rollers that were more "up" than down. It was a main ride for JD and Matt so they were going at a good clip. When we turned around we dropped Matt but I think it was just that he didn't have any aero bars on his bike. Gordo seems to think we smashed him which may be the case as he has ridden pretty hard all week. But I am sticking with "lack of aero bars" as my story :-) Jonas randomly turned back 10 miles into the ride. He had a blister or something LOL.

When we got back we did a little run in the trails behind the compound (camp home base). The run was pretty good for me and I am always thank full when I get to run. I have noticed that one of the problems I have is that running on a surface that is not flat or level like a street, I really run a high risk of twisting my ankles and feel totally unstable. This should not be the case with me given my cross country background. I love trail running but over the last years I have noticed some issues with it.

What I have decided due to a few things I have read and some basic common sense is that I need to get out of my current shoes and orthodics. When I ran in High School and College I was not accustomed to running in super supportive shoes. We ran in light trainers and even lighter racers. I have a pair of my old CC racers at the house and was looking at them. I put them on and could not believe how "nothing" of a shoe they are. Then I put on my current trainer and felt like I had on platform shoes that someone might wear because they have issues with being short.

Here is what I think happened:

Over time shoe companies started making training shoes that had more and more support and over time most people ended up in a much firmer shoe than is needed. I did a decent amount of running in shoes like that but would also switch down to an ultra light racing shoe that didn't have anywhere near the support. So over many miles in the more supportive trainer, my bodies own muscles that are used to keep me stable became weak. Finally one day when I put on the light racer and ran hard I injured my foot because I was overworking weakened foot muscles and tendons.

Of course when you get injured you end up being told that you need more support, motion control, orthodics etc. And maybe you do in the early stages of the injury. But after a while you become so "addicted" to them that you find walking bare foot or without the support terribly uncomfortable.

It has been argued in several articles that I have recently read that states people who wear cheaper, less supportive shoes have lower rates of injuries. Some of these articles have also stated that the impact your body takes in these heavier shoes can be worse than if you were running with bare feet. Hard to believe for most. I was for me but when I really sat down and gave my running some thought certain parts of this theory started to ring true.

For one thing, not only do I feel less stable in the "more stable" shoe, I also feel that my body is not reacting to the surface of the ground as fast as it needs to. Think about it, When you walk or run your body is sending signals to your brain that tells your body what muscles to fire to keep you up and going. If you have all this shoe under you, well you are going to be getting "blurred" messages and delayed signals. Running for me in the past two years has taken a toll on my hips as well and I am wondering if it is because my form is being altered due to the thick shoe?

The question now is really to figure out what is going on. I can't continue on the path I am on. I am often angry and unhappy about my injuries and if they continue I will need to stop all together. That would suck. But at least at this point I have less to loose with decisions I make.

Here is what I have done:

I got out my racing flats that I ran in all year. They are much "less" of a shoe than my trainers. I took out my orthodics and put in the standard insole that comes with the shoe. Then I proceeded to put on way too many clothes as it is cold as crap here in Boulder and went out for a little jog.

I could tell instantly that I had a better "feeling" of the road. It almost felt barefoot to me! But I kept on and ran out for 10 min and then turned around. The feet felt pretty good on the run. I understand that making the switch back to a basic shoe is going to take some getting used to. I won't be able to jump right into this but I am hopeful that if given the proper acclimation period, I will get back to my roots of injury free fast running. Like I said, I have nothing to loose at this point.

Here is my plan:

I was scheduled to race Wildflower and Ironman CDA. All that is on "pause". It is uncertain if I will do either. It is also uncertain if I will even do an Ironman this year. The stress of trying to train for a race while you have multiple injuries going on is too hard and ineffective. This is a bit hard for me to digest as I love to race and proved it last year by racing a ton. Granted I did quite well for where I was but it seems I am left now in a state that is unproductive. Is that due to all the races I did on an injured body? Maybe? Does that mean that racing alot is a bad thing? Not in my mind. There are plenty of people out there that race all distances all the time and do VERY well. I think the key to that success is that you can only race a ton when you are injury free. As of now, I am not.

This week back in Boulder is going to be filled with VERY short runs in the lighter shoes paying close attention to how the feet and body are adapting to the change.

The bike is going to be cut back as well. There will be no long rides and nothing too fast. That won't be hard with this weather! For the most part my riding focus is going to be about recovery. Gordo and I both agree that I have put some decent work in and that letting the body absorb it is not a bad thing.

At camp I got a second cortisone shot in my AC shoulder joint and that took a large majority of the inflammation down but swimming still aggravated it and I have pain throughout the day. However, I took the last few days off from the pool and have noticed that many of my muscles in my arm and shoulder are sore from that one simple 2K swim that I did on Day 8. That is probably a good sign because it just means that the surrounding muscles need to get back up to speed in order to support the joint. Dr. J thinks that that shot may take a few days to have a full effect and that I can work swimming back in at small doses. I am also going to schedule an MRI as the burning sensation I feel might indicate a tear. If that is the case then we deal with it. I know plenty of people that have had a tear there and a simple procedure can be done to fix it and the success rate is very high. But I would really prefer avoiding that route. I am going to try a 1,500-2K swim every other day and see what happens. Again, nothing to loose.

Once I get some of these things sorted then I can figure out what a good basic week will look like for me. Until then it is operation "Fix BDC"!

I guess I never got to Day 8 of the camp. I will write about that in a separate blog as it was a very decent day and deserves it's own blog. I am SOOOOOO glad to be off the road and back HOME! IT has been a long 3 months.

Cheers,
bdc