In my previous post, written in early July, I was feeling confident about my upcoming races, having got some good bike work in and looking forward to some structured and intense run training, something I had not managed last year. I surmised that by having the opportunity to follow a full training plan that my finish times this year would see some big improvements and my relative position would move upwards, as I had happened in my June half IM.

Well… what’s that phrase about counting eggs and chickens ? Yep, just after I’d written the previous blog (which wasn’t posted for 6 weeks due to my technical incompetence), my Achilles started to play up. Going from basically flat terrain to very hilly terrain plus an increase in faster intervals on the treadmill, played havoc with my ageing tendons, and being the obstinate old fool that I am, instead of backing off I tried to run the pain off.

Of course that wasn’t gonna happen, and instead of getting 8 weeks of top run training, I ended up reducing and then having to completely stop running. The sensible thing to do in that situation would be to increase bike and swim, but I was so disheartened that my motivation plunged as much as my run volume, with the only real increases being around my waistline and on the scales.

Luckily I belong to a running group, “Get the Run Done” who are all “ streak runners”, and though we rarely meet, we do communicate online, regularly updating on daily runs, having a laugh and most importantly, motivating and supporting each other. They had recommended me to see a physio, but I’d done nothing to arrange it, not really believing it would work and not wanting to spend the big bucks a good physio costs. So, being the proactive bunch they are, they took the situation into there own hands and before I knew it my run streak colleagues had set me up with a a home visit from one of the finest physios in Tokyo

Cut a long story short – he worked wonders. He not only did his thing on my Achilles, but told me it would be perfectly possible to race in September, as long as I followed his advice on various stretches and strengthening exercises as well as follow a strict run program! Which I did. And I’ll update on that next blog, but things look much rosier now, and although I had to drop out of my fun local triathlon, I am set to go to my “A race” in Korea in a few weeks time.

So a shout out to the crew – Misty, Francesco, Padraig, Glenn, Stan and Mark, thank you! And Anthony my co-worker who kept being positive when I was really doubting (and kept me off the chocolate!). And dexterous Donny, the Aussie with the magic fingers who got this all back on the road.

And as someone said (and I paraphrase) “why is it we will happily spend money on having a good time but we are loathe to spend on our health“…

So very true and something I need to change.