Thursday 2 August 2012

Olympic Challenge Day 7 : 6.7 mile run, 2.5 mile cycle 87 down, 118 to go

Summary:
  Run, 6.7 miles, Average HR 145, 0:57
  Cycle 2.5 miles, 0:13 
  Total 87.66 miles
  Distance to go: 118 miles, 3 miles ahead of schedule.

I awoke to beautiful blue skies, perfect reason for an easy run around one of my favourite running routes - the Four Bridges, so I got up and sneaked downstairs in a attempt to not wake the family.

Whilst walking around the house my right plantar fascia was now uncomfortable, while my left had eased off - a complete reversal from the previous day which had be puzzled and frustrated in equal measure.  The discomfort eased off with a bit of fascia release using my foam roller and I felt reasonable confident a six miler wouldn't cause problems.

I headed off at a very gently pace, keeping my HR in the low 140's on flats, and under 155 on hills, my feet felt fine in my Neo Trails.  Two miles I descend down the track through Cohillan woods and saw a tiny cloud out in the Valley, just hanging their at my height, a bizarre sight to see between the trees.



Passing from the south side of the valley to north side takes you to trail that goes under Samson's putting stone, an attempt to capture the scene looking back eastwards towards Callander didn't quite work as the HTC One S's panoramic shot mode obvious doesn't handle the different stitching well when the individual photo's exposure times varies significant.  The central shot was heading towards the sun so I think it was a big ask for a perfect panoramic shot.


I heading up the trail and came up to cattle so I slowed as they were near the Trail, one of them stopped right in the middle of trail looking right at me.  I approach very slowly, even more slowly once I realized it was a bull. Once I stood still he eventually moved on.  It was too close for me to comfortable take a photo of him, I really didn't want to spook him and if I did I wanted to be ready to leg it downhill.  I did get photo of one his pals once he passed.

  

The return leg back through Callander was rather less eventually, the sleepy high street that I went through half an hour earlier was now busier.  Sunny days like this are essential for the health of the town centre, the tourist trade being so fickle weather wise.  

Passing the shell of the empty Julian Graves shop was disheartening though, another casualty of the recession, and one of my most visited shops - no more almonds, liquorish and beetroot juice treats :-|

My planter fascia were fine during the run, but through day have founded them uncomfortable after sitting down for any prolonged amount of time.  Curiously my right foot now seems fine and my left foot is really sore at points.  I can't fathom why the pain is shifting, I guess the fascia and surrounding tissue are all healing and swelling and rightness is ebbing and flowing as I go through the day. 

In the afternoon I went into town to pick up a parcel and some light shopping so topped up my total for the day with 2 1/2 miles of cycling.

I'm now one week down, and have done a total of 87 miles, so I'm 4 miles ahead of my schedule of averaging 12 miles per day.  The injury niggles are a real concern though, my plan was to run a Marathon this Sunday, three days away, but with niggles from the Hill Race still not settling I'm not confident that I'll be able to complete a Marathon without causing a real injury.  If the niggles don't settle in the next two days I'll adjust my plan, perhaps doing two Olympic Triathlon's and then a Marathon would be easier on my body than doing a Marathon, then Triathlon then Marathon.  Will just have to keep things easy of the next two days and see how things pan out.

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