It's global running day and I didn't run

I know right.

I'M A RUNNER. THIS IS MY DAY

Though I feel like it's *really* a day for northern hemisphere runners, where it's the first day of summer. Here it's the first day of winter and it felt like it.

That's not why I didn't run today though. I promise!

Digesting GNW100

If you want a blow by blow of how my attempt at the Great North Walk 100s (GNW100s) went down, read my previous blog post. It's long but worth it (I might be biased).

This post is a little more reflective, but most importantly answers questions I've been most frequently asked about my experience at the Great North Walk 100s.

"Race" tape

The pinky saga has contined up until the last few days before Ironman Cairns.

I definitely need to buddy tape it for Sunday's swim, but both of the tapes I'd been using had come loose during my set. I didn't need this to happen on race day. In fact I needed it NOT to happen.

KKB had the answer.

Progress report / reality check: Ironman Cairns 2014

With 11 days to Ironman Cairns, I'm well overdue for a recap and reality check.

Is my injured pinky back to normal? Am I happy with my training? How is taper going? And how do I think race day will unfold?

Read on for the answers.

Photo a day - Ironman Cairns (part one)

I haven't quite lived up to "a photo a day" but two out of three ain't bad.

28 days and hatching Plan B

It's four weeks to Ironman Melbourne. In 28 days time I'll, hopefully, be heading towards halfway through my marathon.

Hopefully.

I hit a bit of a setback this week in the form of a tight gluteus maximus / piriformus. No injury as such; it's just tight as hell. This means a fair bit of rest in the short term to avoid more serious injury. Which, given the timing, translates to a slightly longer taper than I'd planned on.

Time to hatch Plan B.

A life less floppy

I am taking a hiatus from running to build up some core strength so I'm 'less floppy' when I run.

Not my words. My masseuse Sam at Inclusive Therapy described me that way.

And he's never even see me run.

Recover, rebuild and hopefully reinvent

My next blog post was meant to be about reinventing myself - about trying something new and challenging myself in a whole new way. You see, since my last post, I've enlisted a personal trainer to build strength, particularly core strength. I've had three sessions with Jojo at Northside Boxing Gym.

Right now I should be writing about how hard the first session was. I could have called it "Burpees are not my friend". It's true. They're not.

I could also have told you about how surprised Jojo is about my lack of core strength, me being an Ironman and all. I could be quoting him right now. "You've been neglecting your core." It's true. I have.

I rolled my ankle during the week, though, and have some ligament damage. So I've had to rethink this blog post... and it looks like I need to rethink some of this reinventing stuff.

These shoes aren't made for walking

My planned training for this morning was a walk.

I know. Walking is a cop out. As I write this, I am having a tough time using 'athletic powerhouse' and 'walk' in the same blog post, let alone sentence.

These days though, with my options limited through injury, I'll take walking above nothing. It at leasts gets me moving; gets the blood flowing. And I can always test myself out by punctuating my stroll with some short bursts of running.

Turning the corner

It's been a tough few weeks for the Athletic Powerhouse. I've felt a malaise that is unfamiliar to me; a feeling that all is not as it should be in the universe.

I got a bit gun shy after my ill-timed return to the pool, and spent the next week and a half trying to figure out whether the pain had become good, healing pain, or whether it was still raw, recovery pain.

This week though, I've started to turn the corner. I'm back in the saddle, even if for now, it's only short stints at home on the mag trainer.

Too soon? Yeah, too soon.

When I announced at work during the week I was heading to the pool that evening, I was warned by all and sundry. 

"The pool, what for?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It's too soon!" 

I wasn't sure it was a good idea either. I even thought that perhaps it was too soon. I wasn't sure I was ready to swim, but I was ready to find out.