Onwards and upwards (and upwards..and then upwards some more)

That last post is making me uncomfortable, so I feel the need to take it off the top. But you should read it, and then go here.

I have a follow up podiatrist appointment tomorrow, including a proper biomechanical analysis. I'll finally be able to find out for certain that I am a bad BAD pronator :-) Nah, sarcasm aside, I am looking forward to the appointment, to finding out whether this dastardly PF is going to ruin my Road to Boston plans, and to finding out how I can take better care of myself from now on.

I'm feeling reasonably upbeat and optimistic. I spent the first part of last week taped up, and off running (and swimming, and all things fun, and in the end I thought "Blow it. I'm going to be Bloody Lazy this week" and so I was), but ran with no heel pain on Thursday morning, and felt good. I wasn't sure what to do about my long run yesterday, and ended up riding the trainer for an hour, then jogging out to Miramar to run with my club.

Best decision ever. I owned the uphills, flew down the downhills, whooped on the muddy trails and laughed the whole way. I even kept running all the way up the Goat Track (Pedestrian Access) that takes you from the Chocolate Fish back up to Miramar. Ouch. After 50-odd minutes of uphill slogs and technical downhills, that really freakin' hurt! It was awesome, and reminded me how much I love club runs, especially when we go on adventures. They're not so fun on your own, without anyone there to laugh at you when you slip in the mud, or to keep you puffing up the hills. I find it hard to fit them in when I'm marathon training, being a fan of the Saturday long run, but I really will make more of an effort from now on.

So, if I have to take it easier on the heels for a few weeks, I will try to maintain my fitness by mixing cycling and medium-long runs. All up yesterday was 1hr cycle, 40 minute run to the club and 60 minutes out on the hills. It's not the same as an 18-miler or a 20-miler, but I think it will be enough to keep me on the marathon path, provided I can get back into it properly by the time we come back from the Gold Coast. The gains I've felt in the past 4 weeks are enough that I am confident of a PB in Auckland, even if training doesn't quite go according to plan (so long as it goes according to Plan B!) and I can't reach my super-secret "A" goal.