The Achilles Battle Continues

So it appears as though speedwork is out completely this season. The achilles recovery has gone well - I can run long distances outdoors with no ill effects - but once I try any sort of speedwork the pain returns. The good news is after a couple of days off I'm back to being more or less symptom-free. The eccentric heel drops continue, and I've also given my tendons a break by making some inserts for my Fastwitches by cutting up some stiff insoles to make heel lifts.

The first real dilemma of my season was this: race the Ottawa River Tri on June 11th, or the Smiths Falls Tri on the 25th. Racing the earlier race would mean my achilles rehab wouldn't be quite as far along, perhaps increasing the odds of worsening the injury. But, in the event that my body didn't respond well to that I'd have 6 weeks recovery before Nationals. On the other hand, I'd likely be more recovered for Smiths Falls, less likely to create any major problems, but would leave myself only 4 weeks to recover for Nationals.

In the end I decided I'd rather take a chance at getting my achilles healed. If I hurt it on the 11th, odds are it wouldn't be recovered within 6 weeks anyways, so at least by waiting until the 25th I've got a fighting chance of having the issue resolved. The other argument in favour of Smiths Falls is it would allow me to properly compare my progress from last year.

Looking at the results of yesterday's Ottawa River Triathlon, there were some pretty fast times put up. Whether that's due to a fast course or lots of fast folks coming out of the woodwork, I don't know. I'll have to wait another two weeks to get a better assessment of how I measure up.

A few hiccups along the way...

I think training is always going to present challenges and life can throw in some added unexpected elements that necessitate some deviation from your plan. Having a child in kindergarten means the never ending parade of germs and diseases that make their way through the house it a constant challenge for maintaining any real momentum with my training plan. Most of the time I can get by with missing a day or two and get back at it, but I started off May with a pretty brutal illness that sidelined my for a whole week. Not a great way to start a new training block.

On top of this, while my new shoes and run form have been great for my knees and feet, they've been wreaking havoc on my achilles. It got to the point where I had to scale way back on my run volume, switch back to my old shoes, and run exclusively on the treadmill. The good news is that the reduction in volume, coupled with a program of eccentric heel drops and some taping, seems to have worked. I had a good long outdoor run last weekend and no soreness afterwards, so I'm dialing things back up again and hope to take another stab and speedwork soon.

The other hiccup was my first tri of the season (Perth) got cancelled. It was the same weekend as Ottawa Race Weekend, and that brought their numbers down enough that it wasn't viable. Disappointing that I'm going to have to wait longer to measure my progress vs last year, but probably just as well given my recovery from the achilles issue. I'm now eyeing the Ottawa River Triathlon as my first event.

Finally, I'm pretty committed to riding indoors most of the time. Partially due to the quality I can get in, and partially due to the safety aspect. But with the nice weather it is pretty fun to ride outside, so with a few parts and modifications I've now got a gravel bike setup. Nice to be able to ride some of the less busy roads around here, and awesome to avoid switching tires on my P2 to get it road-ready.

Race Schedule 2016

2014 was about seeing if multisport was for me.
2015 was about seeing what I could do if I trained for it.
2016 is about seeing what I can really do with more serious training, with a key goal in mind.

After my first attempt at multisport in 2014, I came up with a 3 year timeline for trying to achieve something in triathlon. I just figured that it was reasonable to work my way up from being able to complete in 2015, being able to compete in 2016, and trying to take it to the next level in 2017. Whether that meant taking a run at Nationals (and thus qualifying for Worlds) at the Olympic distance, or tackling the 70.3 distance, I wasn't sure. But I figured the right path would become clear over the course of the next two years.

This year I've found it very challenging to get the training volume I want in for Olympic distance training. And I really do like going fast. So it's been becoming pretty clear that for now, the short course stuff is right for me. I could probably complete a 70.3 with my current training volume, but I don't think I'd be all that competitive. And I've found that the competitive aspect is really motivating for me. So my focus is going to be getting faster at the Olympic distance, which means the goal is making a run at Nationals.

My 3 year plan put this target in 2017. However, this year (and next year) Nationals are in Ottawa. So it really doesn't make sense to miss this opportunity to participate in this event when it's so close to home. In a way, this means my timeline has just accelerated significantly - what I hoped to do in 2017 I'm going to be attempting in 2016. Another way to look at it, though, is to think of this year as a trial run. I'll get the experience of the event and the course so that next year I'll be well prepared to really perform. But make no mistake - I'll be there to race, and I'm aiming to qualify for Worlds. It remains to be seen whether I'll actually go to Worlds should I qualify (the logistics of taking time off work, the expense of travel and racing), but the achievement itself would be a great milestone for me.

Leading up to that race I have a couple of sprints planned, both of which I did last year. They should serve as a great way to assess how far I've progressed from 2015, and will also give me some good race-specific prep for the big race in July. I'd also like to do the Thousand Islands race again, as an "unfinished business" sort of race. Coming off the bike in 3rd last year and then imploding on the run left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, so I'd love a shot to redeem myself there.

So the season begins in about a month at my "hometown" race in Perth. That's where I'll really get a solid idea of what I've been able to accomplish in the offseason.

New Shoes Part 3

The followup at Solefit didn't end up happening. A busy schedule and the 45 minute drive made it impossible to get in within the 2 week time period I had to test the shoes from Sports4.

In the end it wasn't really a problem. The Fastwitch was the clear winner. I couldn't really imagine going with the Mizunos - they just didn't fit as comfortably, and the stiff sole felt unnatural. In contrast, the Saucony's had a much more natural feel. Decent amount of flex in the sole, wide toe box - an overall more pleasant running experience.

I've been running outside in them, on the road and at the track, and still mixing in some treadmill work as I slowly transition into running outside (I did this too quick last year and it resulted in some injuries). So far so good. I'm also being more attentive to my running gait and wearing CorrectToes, and my toe pain is mostly gone. Hard to say if any one factor is more at play there but it''s reasonable to assume it's a combination of the three.

Once my transition to running outside is complete I'll be starting into some speedwork, so that will be another test.

New Shoes Part 2

After a visit to Solefit to solve the issues around the pain in my left big toe, I had a list of 5 shoes recommended by Neil to help fix my issues. I took the list to Sports4 - they have a reputation as arguably the best running store in the city and I've bought from them before. They also have no issues with you buying multiple pairs, trying them out on a treadmill, and returning whichever ones don't make the cut. So list in hand, that's where I went.

They didn't have 2 of the 5 shoes in stock, so it was down to the New Balance 1500, Mizuno Wave Catalyst, and Saucony Fastwitch. All lightweight shoes with mild stability control. I gave each model a few tries in the store going back and forth between each pair. In the end I left the 1500s - they seemed to fit pretty much the same as the 1400s I've been running in, and those shoes are a little tight in the toebox and have been part of the problem for me. I loved the way they hug my foot - it really seems like the shoe isn't there it just fit super well, but the other two shoes had noticeably roomier toe boxes and that was a priority for me.

So back home with the Catalysts and Fastwitches. I'll take them in to have Neil film me on the treadmill at SoleFit and see what he has to say about which ones are better for me, but for now I wanted to get some time in on my own and see how they compared.

I started with 5 minutes of barefoot running, did a dynamic warmup, then ran for 8 minutes each in my NB1400s, the Mizunos, then the Sauconys. The 1400s felt great as they always do, light and nimble, almost like running in nicely padded socks. Feet felt fine, as they always do.

On to the Mizunos. Two things were apparent immediately. 1: These soles are stiff and 2: These shoes are loud. It was like a horse on cobbles. The shoes also seemed heavy - they're a pretty lightweight shoe overall, so it could be the stiff soles just made them seem heavy, I don't really know. Pretty comfortable, though I did get a bit of soreness along the outer edge of my foot by the end of the run. I could see myself running in them as trainers, but I feel like I'd still want my 1400s for racing.

The Saucony's were another story. An even roomier toe box than the Mizunos, and they felt light and flexy - much closer to my 1400s. They didn't seem to hold my foot quite as securely as the Mizunos, but I could probably figure that out with lacing. Overall though they were much more enjoyable to run in than the Mizunos were.

So if it were up to me alone I would definitely go with the Fastwitch, but I'll be interested to see what Neil says. It's not all about what feels best - the most comfortable shoe in the world isn't going to do me any favours if it results in more foot pain down the road. So while I'm pulling for the Sauconys, I'm keeping an open mind.

Now it's off to Solefit for the final verdict.

New Shoes Part 1

Running injuries were a big problem for me 2 years ago. Seemed like I couldn't go more than a few weeks without one problem or another sidelining me for a while. Last year I really committed to staying injury free by incorporating strength work, stretching, foam rolling, and being very cautious about adding run volume gradually. It worked out well - I managed to avoid any real injuries all of last season and keep my training/racing on track.

However, over the past few months I've gradually been developing some pain in my left foot. Pain/numbness along the medial side of my big toe, but also some pain along my sesamoids. I've also noticed that I have limited dorsiflexion in my left big toe compared to my right. The left toe also seems to be angling in a little - not really a bunion yet but heading in that direction.

In looking for ways to treat this problem I found CorrectToes, which helps your toes splay out and can treat a variety of conditions (including all of my complaints in the left foot). The place to get them locally is SoleFit, which among other things does gait analysis. I've done the Retul fit on the bike, and have had my swim stroke analyzed using underwater video, so it seemed logical for me to try something similar with my run. Indeed, given that the run has been where virtually all of my injuries have occurred, a proper gait analysis probably should have been the first thing I did.

So I picked up the CorrectToes and made an appointment to get my running assessed. It's too early to say whether the CorrectToes are having any real effect, but they haven't been causing any discomfort, so we'll see.

As for the gait analysis, it started with an interview with Neil about my background, history of injuries, and what my training looked like. We then did a series of tests around strength, flexibility, etc. and Neil looked at my shoes (I brought in both my ready-to-retire trainers and my newer racing flats) to see what they could tell us about my running style. Afterwards, I ran on the treadmill in both shoes with video from the front, back, and side.
Based on the initial assessment (wear pattern on my trainers, flexibility issues, and injury history - particularly my torn hip flexor) I could already tell what some of the issues were and the root cause of my toe pain. The video evidence confirmed this - I overpronate in my left foot, and tend to overstride. My feet are landing too far in front of me, but they aren't extended far enough behind me. On top of this, turns out I'm a heel striker. I thought for sure I was a midfoot striker but the video was pretty clear on that. Shortening up my stride, upping my cadence, and working flexibility in my hips and calves/ankles will go a long way towards improving my efficiency and reducing the risk of injury I have. Incorporating barefoot running and doing a dynamic warmup before all runs (not just speedwork) would also help.

So I left with a list of stretches and warmups I should be doing, and things to work on in terms of my run form. What I was most interested in, however, was new shoe recommendations. I knew the trainers were due to be replaced, and I wanted to make sure I was getting the right shoe. Interestingly enough, the video showed my running form was much better in my racing flats (NB1400) than the trainers. So we knew I should be in something pretty light without being too cushy. The overpronation thing also showed I should have some mild stability control built into the shoe. Neil gave me a list of 5 shoes that would work, so next up is to go and try some on, buy a few different pairs and go back to SoleFit for another video session to see what works best.

Now it's off to Sports4 to pick up some shoes.

Performance Management

I think most triathletes understand the idea of "tapering" before a big race - basically reducing your training volume in the days/weeks leading up to your priority race in order to feel fresh and have good form on race day. And I think everyone gets the idea of "progressive overload" - that the volume and intensity of your training will increase over the course of your season in order to keep the body adapting to training stress.

In that sense, performance management isn't rocket science. You keep your training progressing, and then you scale it back as you approach a big race. You don't need any fancy analytics to do that, but there are lots of cool tools out there to help this process, removing the guesswork and ensuring you're in top form for your "A" race.

I'm reading Coggan and Allen's Training and Racing with a Power Meter, and they delve into performance management quiet a bit. Their process, which is based on your Training Stress Score (TSS) and how those numbers change over time, results in a cool graphical representation of how your fitness and form evolve over the season.

To this point I've only really looked at what TrainerRoad provides in terms of TSS tracking.

You can see that the overall weekly TSS gradually increases over the last 6 weeks before dropping down - the idea here was a recovery week at the end of my base phase, in preparation for a new FTP test to kick off the build phase.

Coggan and Allen use TrainingPeaks (online) and/or WKO+ (software) to track these metrics, but there are plenty of other sites/software that do similar things. Golden Cheetah is a free open-source piece of software that seems to pretty much cover all the bases. In it, you can see a different (and more detailed) representation of the same ride data that TrainerRoad was using.

Here you can see my Acute Training Load and Chronic Training Load increasing over the past few months as my fitness increases. You can also see the ATL drop off at the end as I scaled things back, actually dipping below my CTL, resulting in a positive balance (i.e. good form). This is the type of situation I'd like to create on race day, and in this case is where I would have performed my FTP test. Unfortunately a nasty stomach bug intruded on these plans - we'll see where I'm at when I get to it later this week.

I'm still in "Base" mode for my running, and will remain there until I can get outside and do some speedwork and longer runs. Then I'll get to tracking run and swim TSS and get an overall picture of my fitness. I don't see this type of software as a "game changer", since the fundamentals of performance management are pretty basic, but I like the easy way to visualize my fitness and using this will be interesting in terms of planning up to my races, and when I do my post-season retrospective.