Four Kilometres Means I'm Back

Quick update boys and girls, I know you’re busy.

I continue to increase all my disciplines; swam twice since last week but still with cramping. I’ve worshipped at the bike altar regularly and completed a 95km ride to the Gold Coast last Sunday with the bunch. I rode strong and am improving up hills to the point that not only am I keeping up but starting to lead the group again. Also went up our lesser mountain here in BrisVegas called Mt Gravatt, as opposed to the Mt Coot-tha I mentioned in the previous post. This one is very popular with local cyclists as its short (about 2km) and not all that steep.

A guess would be an average of 6% with only two sharp parts at 8%. The graphic is a profile of the mountain from the south.

I was told four laps was the norm, but I set out to just do two. The first was the hardest and I was committed to doing the pair, but the second was totally different; as if I found a shortcut because I was at the top before I realised it. So I ended up doing four laps and had a smile for the rest of the day.

I am also now running 4km on the treadmill and ready for a road run. This is the shortest distance of a sprint tri here in south-east Queensland, so it represents a little milestone, i.e. technically I could complete a tri now. Of course, this is not enough.

Not by a long shot.

But it’s a start. If the tri season was on now, I probably would go and enter one just because I could. The other encouraging thing about the 4km is that I did it at 9 kph speed with the last 750m at 10 kph and the very last 250m at 12 kph. And through all of that the body and especially the weak leg, held together and kept a balanced rhythm thanks to the orthotics. Speaking of the podiatrist – I visited them today to have a check-up and refit the orthotics. They are quite thrilled with my progress, although not entirely happy with the fact I’m running so early. But I promised that I’d been careful and listened to my body, blah, blah. I did do those things, but I was prepared to push through any negative feedback from the legs, etc. Luckily there was none and so the foot people predict there’s no reason why I can’t get back to my full run distances. Another day-long smile.

So folks, its all on track. Stay tuned, there’s more to come.

Tomawac out.