Training Log Archive: DWildfogel

At home. Theraband interleaved with core: essentially full reps on the theraband exercises, getting close on core; two sets. Adductors. Bar dips (6). Weights: nearly full reps with 15 lb bar bell; two sets. Added a few glue exercises, not many reps, just to get started again. Also did one set of toe raisers while squeezing a ball between my heels.

[Strength exercises]

Bought a Strassburg sock today for my plantar fasciitis. Tried it on twice for a few minutes. Doesn't seem like it would do much, but after each time, my foot felt better. Probably coincidence, or the power of suggestions.

Also used our ma roller (well, ours has more ribs than a standard one) yesterday and today quite a few times, and THAT really seems to help.

Foot exercises for PF. Done throughout the day.

The usual weekly accumulation of morning exercises: stretching, strength and balance. Trying to extend how much I do for each exercise, and to be more particular about proper form.

Local terrain. Jeep trail next door. Walk as hard as I can given the pain in my foot. Actually felt a little better towards the end; guess things loosened up.

Splits are for 2 laps (0.4 mi):
748, 726, 701

For the first time (after a couple of sessions to get used to these), pushed on the leg strengthening exercises Kevin gave me.

1. Kettle bell squats. Used 15 lb dumb bell. 3 sets of 8.
2. Interleaved with 1: toe raisers squeezing ball between heels: 3x12.
3. Monster walk: with Thera-ring around thighs, squat and walk sideways for 10 steps, then back. 3 sets.
4. Step ups: with 4 lb dumb bell, 3x10 each leg.
5. Bosu upside down: 1 min each leg, moving in 4 directions; two sets.
6. (Actually did these in the morning) bridges, with pulsations at the top. Feet on roller. Three sets of 24 (only 20 on last one).

[Leg strengthening]

The three foot exercises, done in sets throughout the day.

Late this evening, foot is feeling better than it has in a while.

Walked from the Hertz place on Stevens Creek to the Subaru dealer, wearing my new Kayano 24's and my new Spenco orthotic inserts. Definitely made my foot sore - got relief when I switched to sandals for the drive home. I hope that the shoes will loosen up a bit.

Local terrain. Jeep trail next door. Out very late (still before dinner).

Walk in my old Kayanos (loosely tied) after the new ones made me feel sore. After the first two laps, started jogging about 40m, walking 40m, then cut the walking down some. The jogging definitely irritates my heel.

Splits are for two laps at a time (0.4 mi):
732, 606, 545, 542

At home. Theraband interleaved with core. Bar dips. Adductors. Weights.

Hadn't done this in quite awhile, so did only two sets of everything, 85% reps on upper body stuff, 70% on core.

[Strength exercises]

Did 6 sessions of the three foot exercises (each session: 3 sets, 20 reps) during the course of the first day. For the first time, used the Thera-ring for the scoops.

JCCLG. Hadn't planned to come here, but 17 was jammed (after dropping off my car at the Subaru dealer), so stopped for a snack and then decided to do a quick workout.

Very intense. All the upper body exercises, a bit more than I did yesterday at Oracle.

Local terrain. Jeep trail next door. With L. Finally some less hot weather.

Moved along as fast as my foot would let me. Thought I would go for 2 mi, but decided against the last two laps as my foot started feeling a little more sore.

949, 900, 902, 829

Starting to ramp up on the exercises Kevin gave me for leg strengthening:

1. Squats with a weight held in my hands between my legs (kettle bell squats)
2. Step ups, with a weight in one hand
3. Monster walk: in a squat position with circular elastic band around my thighs, walk sideways.
4. Bridges, with pulses at the top (actually did these this morning).
5. This is really part of the PT for my foot: Balancing on upside down bosu.

Did something over half of the sets/reps prescribed by Kevin.

Been doing the three exercises for my plantar fasciitis for a couple of weeks now, but only dozens of reps per day, not the hundreds per day Kevin wanted. Now making a more concerted effort to do several hundred a day. Do sessions of three sets of 20 reps each for each of the three exercises. Aim is to do at least 5 such sessions per day. Did that today.

As part of my morning exercises, on the jeep trail next door:

408 walked a lap, with several little jogs thrown in.

240 jogged a lap. My sore heel made it awkward; surprised it was that fast.

Oracle gym. A little bit of all the upper body exercises. Haven't done these in quite a while, so just getting started again.

With L. Good paced walk on the trail behind the house. Julio had just cleared the trail on Sat and put in some new (dirt) steps.

Right heel is hurting, and I had to walk in an awkward way.

Very hot, already over 80.

Time is close to right, distance is just a guess.

Kevin's. Deep tissue massage on the bottom of my right foot and my calf. Very painful. (Not logging that timewise.)

Toe raisers with rubber ball held between my heels. Then a number of balancing exercises on a board, then on an upside down bosu.

For a couple of weeks, been doing 3 foot exercises recommended by Kevin:

1. Arch lifts: pull toes in to make the arch taller.
2. Toe yoga: alternately lift just the big toe, then just the other toes.
3. Scoops: move your foot from outside to inside like you're scooping something out of the ground (supposed to do with theraband, but haven't done that yet).

However, he wants me to do 100's per day, and I've only been doing dozens. So, today I started ramping up. Did 3 sets of each, 20 reps per set (only 12 for the scoops), and did all that three times spread over about 5 hours. Hope to that 5 times a day, which would amount to 300 reps.

[Physical therapy for PF]

Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park. Hot. Planned to do just the first "loop" of the advanced course so as not to overly stress my Plantar Faciitis. That turned out to be 11 controls. Around #7, I was feeling good enough that I started thinking about maybe going beyond the first map exchange. But then after #10 (maybe it was the climb to #9), my heel started hurting, and I had to slow down, and there was no question of continuing on.

Taped my own right foot along the bottom, the way Kevin had shown me. Hard to get it right on oneself.

Despite familiarity with the park, using the "trail-less" map is quite challenging, and the pressure of a competition makes it even more so.

I was in twelfth place (out of 45) overall when I reached #11. Was running at a pace which would have allowed me to complete the full 6+ km, so I think the comparison to those who went on was pretty reasonable.

1. In a hurry to get going, helped set up the Start and then took off without being completely ready. Headed in the direction suggested by the position of the two start punches, but quickly realized there should be forest patches ahead of me and there weren't, so checked the compass, realized I needed to make a 90 degree left, went to the last patch and nailed it (though it seemed more out in the open than the map suggests). Given my initial error, surprised I was only 7 seconds off the best split.

2. Rough bearing, realized I was headed for the top of the hill but needed to be a little further right, adjusted, nailed it.

3. Bearing, over the ridge, the vegetation ahead was much too nasty to go through, so went around to the right. Really should have done that in the first place, so lost maybe :05 on this.

4. First thought was to contour around, but could see the ridgeline was so close that decided to go up and over. Plan was to get into the open area on the hillside and then look for the first thicket on the right. Did that, and there was a thicket there right away, which surprised me; realized then that I didn't event know the scale of the map. Stopped for a second, checked the scale, checked the map, yeah, that's the correct thicket, nailed it.

5. Headed back to the ridge line (to make it simple so I didn't have to read the map), but really should have gone straight, which also would have avoided a little climb. No trouble getting to the correct hillside, but matching the vegetation to the map wasn't that easy, so it appears from the splits that I slowed down a little, even though I wound up going right to the control.

6. Headed roughly N to avoid the thick vegetation. Turned right when I got past the edge of it, went right to it.

7. Around the left side of the big knoll. Wasn't reading the map very carefully, just trying to gauge the location relative to the big knoll. Got about to where I thought it should be, but then spotted the bag about 50m further to the right.

8. At this point, my foot was feeling pretty good, and I started thinking about going on to the second loop (despite the heat). Stayed in the open area well left of the circle of stones and then of the hill, contoured around to the spur, then could see the vegetation below. Went nearly to the far end of that, cut in, right to the bag.

9. Up hill, some trouble with deadfall. Then used the top of the trees in the copse just over the ridge to guide me and correctly picked out the third bush down.

10. Rough bearing, not really paying attention to details, spotted the bag pretty quickly.

11. Easy to pick out the big hill, headed for the left side. But my right heel started hurting and by the time I got to the map exchange (staffed by Matthias), it was hurting pretty badly.

[Orienteering race]

Warm up. Not wanting to stress my heel (and being in a hurry to beat the heat), just jogged out to the start. Then helped set it up, then started in a hurry just before 10:00.

Actually, should do a good warm up to get my calves loose - that would help take stress off my heel.