Testimonials

Next Up!

It's been a while since my last post but I wanted to take some downtime after my trail race on May 3.  I haven't run in almost three weeks and while it is driving me a bit nuts, it's a much needed rest for my Achilles.  It feels better but not great yet so I thought it was time to call upon my friend, colleague and best physical therapist around, Stuart Wilson at Champion Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy (www.championsmpt.com), to get the pro to take a gander at it and provide me his professional review.

I visited Stuart today and after the one-hour consultation, he concluded that my Achilles tendonitis stems a bit higher and the Achilles is took the "hit".  This is why I like Stuart so much.  He looks at the causes of the pain instead of the actual pain itself.  Here's what I mean.  I have an issue going on with my lower back which shifts my pelvis forward on the left side of my body which is forcing my left foot to overpronate quite a bit more than my right.  This stress combined with wearing stability shoes instead of motion control shoes combined with my favorite sport of trail running in the mountains finally added up and my body's way of letting me know to take a break was to send the signal to me through my Achilles.

So, I have a few exercises (strength/manipulation and flexibility) to do daily along with keeping the great tape job that Stuart put on me today and getting a pair of motion control shoes to help with my pronation that will assist in my recovery process.

Stuart is hopeful that I can start running on flats when I am pain-free for 2 consistent weeks and possibly even get on the trails in 4 weeks if all goes well.  However, for now, I think I'm going to treat my body to a much needed rest and hit the trails on my mountain bike, hop in the pool whenever possible and do some weekend paddling with my oldest son on a nearby lake for some good upper body exercise.

The Leadville 50 mile trail run in mid-July is out of the question but does that bum me out?  Nah!  I'll just focus on my efforts on the Leadville 50 mile mountain bike race!

Leadville is an integral part of my training and life and I am thankful that they offer different competitive options.

Now it's time to build my confidence on the mountain bike.  It usually takes me a good month to quench my early-season "fears" and poor handling skills.  I'll be ready by mid-July though and will start with hitting the trail tomorrow for a couple of hours.


Until my next post, enjoy the Holiday weekend!

Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com