Training Log Archive: W

Headed out to do some intervals in the snow. 8 x 3 minutes at 10k, which on trails in mud and snow was around 3:40 pace on the flatter one, it fluctuated with the rolling hills.

Some light twinges in my foot during the run, but not too bad. Oddly enough, it was more lateral arch today than standard medial heel. Its like my foot is toying with me.

Again, it was nice to run fast, I wish I could do it more often. Going to have to start to anyway, since the first event is next weekend. Cripes. I'm so not ready.

Tried to do another workout in the afternoon, but I'm really suffering on the stationary bike. It makes me sleepy.

Training was stunted today by going to an officials course. It doesn't matter what it is, I'm likely to fall asleep at it. Sitting + listening, no hope for me.

Hopped on the trainer when I Got home for some spinning and standing.

Oh, also, we got 5cm of snow today. BOO-URNS.

C • Snow 2

First run in quite some time. Probably 95% pain free, but, then again, not 100% pain free, and as far as I'm concerned, if it still hurts, its going to start hurting more until I'm back to zero. Still, cool and rainy, plenty muddy, nice to be out.

cycled to the shop. I was aiming to make this longer, but left too late. Still, some fun diversions on some muddy singletrack.

Naturally, cycling to the shop requires me cycling home as well. Had more time, and took a much longer route home. Some single track, some paved, some gravel, off-leash dogs in not off-leash area, standard stuff. Did the long downhill which still had some snow. Good fun down, tricky climb back up. Good stuff.

3 x 10 minutes at marathon-esque pace at Fast Trax intervals. The schedule said 5, but I went with three, just for good measure. Foot held up okay, though not amazingly well.

So, today I went and visited a physio at the Glen Sather Sports clinic. Yeah, my sister is a physio, but I thought I'd go see someone who is not on a tropical island and get some new ideas.

That was a colossal waste of time and money. First thing the physio does, after having a student take my history for 10-15 minutes, is march in and begin to criticize my level of training. I said I typically do about an hour and a half, seven days a week. He says "That's way too much, no runner should be doing that much, have you ever heard of resting?".

Naturally, this caught me a little off guard. This is a sports clinic right? He is aware that perhaps its not exactly 90 minutes every day? Some days are shorter, some are longer, some are faster, some are slower, some days I train (gasp!) TWICE? Seriously, 90 minutes x 7 days is just 10.5 hours, that's not exactly crazy. Do I have to explain how training works?

Now, if I were the physio, I'd think, "Hm, that seems like plenty, I wonder WHY he does that much training? What is his history? Does he have experience with this much running?" These seem like pertinent questions to ask. Not just as a physio, but as a someone whose job is to provide quality customer service. How can you possible do your job well if you have no understanding of the context of your customer's needs? That's right, you can't. And thus, he had absolutely no flippin' clue about me. But gosh darn it he was going to judge me anyway.

Sure, once doing the world's fastest assessment, he told me what I already knew. And, sure, he gave me a couple of new strengthening exercises, and some new strategies, and maybe they'll help, but I was too pissed to consider it a positive experience. In my "hour-long" appointment starting at 12:30, I didn't get called in until 12:40, talked with a student until 12:55, waited until 13:00, got criticized until 13:02, was assessed until 13:10, got some exercise advice until 13:20, another quick little criticism and was told, "man, if I ran for 15k in a week, I'd be dead" (which, by the way, strikes me as odd given he was just preaching about how to run), and he was gone by 13:25.

They're all such smug know-it-alls and so dismissive. This is why I hate visiting medical professionals. And bankers. And my financial planner.

If I can take one small positive, is that it reminds that the customer service I provide at the shop is so damn awesome.

C • Butterdome 2

I'm not going to lie, when training isn't any fun, my enthusiasm for blogging/logging/[insert other things]ogging significantly wanes.