The Green And Red Of Mayo-The Saw Doctors
Not exactly the week I was hoping for.....but ever mindful that "caution is the better part of valour" a step back was better than a grinding halt......
Tuesday July 28th While there wasn't a Cow milked in Mayo on Monday I too opted for a day off to revel in Maigh Eo's long overdue All Ireland celebrations, as a long suffering Cork Hurling fan I know what it's like to wait and wait and wait to climb the steps of the Hogan stand in Croke Park {Pairc an Chrocaigh if we're being technical!!!} but 21 years is feck all compared to Mayo's 75 year wait, to put things into perspective my late Uncle John was a young man when Mayo last lifted Sam Maguire in 1951 23 maybe 24 when he pasted away in 1998 some 47 years later Mayo had yet to reclaim Sam despite several near and at time calamitous misses,mad to think he and so many other sons and daughters of Mayo never got to witness the unbridled joy in Croke Park last Sunday where even the hardest of hearts and the biggest of begrudgers would resent Andy Moran and his team the sweetest of victories,Maigh Eo Abu!!!!Came up 8 seconds shy of a negative splits out in 21.51 back in 21.58 for a 43.49.8 off 8.46 mile pace in 71 degrees and 94% humidity.......not that's not a typo ......94% humidity,I was grateful for the breeze coming off of the Schuylkill River for the middle mile on the traditional kick off to the week route Baltimore Ave, South St bridge,Schuylkill River Trail to Locust Point and back
Wednesday July 29th A negative split out in 22.51 back in 21.40 out and back on Powelton Ave in 70 degrees and 90% humidity.....it's bad when ye celebrate a 4% drop in the humidity........!!!!!For all my grumbling about the Powelton Ave out and back it continues to provide me w/ negative splits, today was not the first and hopefully not the last I have registered, it continues to be the road less travelled in terms of other runners out there compared to my other three routes which all feel like they are more popular but as I said a few weeks ago it doesn't matter who else is out there on a Tuesday or Wednesday as long as I'm out there.44.31.3 off 8.42 mile pace.
Sadly this would prove to be the end of the week for me, post race on Saturday I was painfully aware my right achilles was a little tender.....the same right achilles that became an issue in 09 and cost me my shot at Worlds in Lahti in Finland and flared up again 4 years later scuppering the 2013 season and another trip to Worlds in Porto Alegre in Brazil, since then I have made a point to stretch b4 each training run and race so why now after 13 years all of a sudden it's stuck it's head above the parapet is beyond me?
It wasn't lost on me that Saturday saw me return to triple digit monthly mileage for the first time in eight months but I be hard pressed to say that's why now all of a sudden an auld injury has flared up, I'm painfully aware that in order to make Cork #300 next June I have had to schedule 9 extra races from June 26 to June 27 to make that a reality......and IF push come the shove I have to drop some races and make #300 later in the year I will.....I plan to run the Cork 1/2 marathon #300 or not, hopefully this bump in he road is all it is......while I don't drive i'm not unfamiliar w/ ignoring the "check engine"message on the dashboard, catch 22 would I have been so willing to draw a line in the sand this week on 113 miles for the month had I been on 93 mile and 2 days left to log a pair of 5 milers Thursday and Friday?......thankfully I don't have to wrestle w/ that.
I have been icing the shit out of my achilles since last Saturday on a daily basis and a couple of times on the weekend, I looked into remedies for an achilles injury and R.I.C.E {Rest, Ice,Compression,Elevation} remains the main cure, earlier in the year I bought Wolf Balm for my knee hoping it would help it didn't but in fairness to the makers of Wolf Balm it's more of a Muscle and Nerve remedy where as the knee is more of a bone/cartilage issue and I have to say between the Ice, the Wolf Balm and a few rest days it feels better, I have also looked into stretches to strengthen it so if ye see me w/both hand on a wall leaning back on my right achilles for 30 seconds at a clip don't be alarmed it's not some weird Fenian yoga just yours truly trying to stay injury free and on schedule!!
#113 miles for July and a pair of 10 mile long runs,I'm way ahead of where I was a year ago when I relied on lunch time runs, I'm very aware we are entering The Dog Days Of Summer now in August, I plan to be back out there Monday or Tuesday morning just b4 6am to continue the journey, fingers crossed no issues w/the auld achilles and hopefully next Sunday a 12 mile long run..........
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