As avid readers of my blog will know I have suffered through 6 months of Plantar Fasciitis , actually you, the reader, has probably suffered just as much with my posts. Anyway it seems I may have finally got on top of the dreaded PF but honestly I cannot say what allowed me to do so. Over the 6 months I’ve tried exercise, shock therapy, pyschio visits, many tablets , magnesium rub , night socks, sand running only  and sacrificed a virgin. (That last one was a joke, I don’t think she was a virgin !) Personally I feel with PF time is the only real healer but you might as well keep busy with the many other ‘miracle cures’.

Was there a benefit of being injured for 6 months and avoiding racing or pace on hard surfaces ? Probably not, truth be told, but it did force me to get back on then Elliptigo and start commuting to work rather than sit on the train wasting my life away watching rubbish on my iPhone. By Elliptigo’ing to work I have found any extra 7 hours exercise weekly and this has allowed me to create a cardio-engine that I hope I can add a turbo too (by adding tempo and threshold sessions to my training week) and explode into 2019 a faster runner. Personally I have never felt fitter and at nearly 52 years old that is saying something. The GO is a hard work out and I’m not one for cruising to work enjoying the view, that’s not me people. As with all things I give it 110% (all exercise things that is …the important stuff!) and I regularly end up at work in the changing rooms sweating like a prize fighter whose gone 15 rounds with Ali. I just about recover for my 10.6k Kings Park hills and trails before jumping back on the GO and getting back in the ring with Ali. Needless to say I have not seem my pillow for 10 weeks, I feel my head move towards the pillow and then ‘hey presto’ it’s time to get up, sleep depravation is not a problem when you average over two hours exercise a day.

Another benefit of the GO is it is non impact training so the knees don’t take a hammering daily. My 10.6K Kings Park loop is 90% sand so my knees are spared any hard surface work here as well. End result the legs feel great with no niggles even though I’m starting to get up to 100k a week running and 200k a week on the GO. I’m still aiming for my 15 hours a week exercise after watching the ‘man in the halo’ video on Tim Don.( https://zone3.com/tim-don-documentary/ ) C’mon people, if Tim can average 15 hours a week with a broken neck we should be able to reciprocate, surely ?

Of course I’ve always known core work is beneficial to running but taking time to do any has always been a problem. I use to do a circuits class twice a week at work , when it was free, but never joined a new class when we moved buildings. (Although I did keep going for nearly two years as you could sneak in through reception into the gym where the class took place and I’d been going for so many years they just assumed I was still in the building. It was only when that part of the building closed my free circuit class days were finally brought to an end. Pity, that building also had an outdoor tennis court and a 28m lap pool. As it was my first building coming to Perth I assumed they were all like that…unfortunately not !) So the GO has allowed to me get my core fix as well as a cardio engine building workout. After many years the Matthews Six-Pack is back, though as Mike says it’s mainly ribs !!! I must admit to using a few kilo’s but am enjoying losing the ‘middle aged’ spread that was starting to introduce itself, mainly due my lack of running due to PF. I actually think it was a comment from no3 Daughter about me putting on a few pounds that made me embrace the GO, and boy I’m glad I did.

The first test of my new found fitness will be the 6 inch on December 16th and I’m secretly (well not that secretly anymore?) hoping to maybe give my course PB a tilt. I always aim for a top 10 finish, win the Veterans (over 50) trophy and try and beat all the women home. Last year I achieved two out of three but failed to beat Nera to the finish line after Zac got me lost… ok, ok.. maybe I helped get me and Zac lost. I love Zac’s comment you know you’re lost when Big Kev says “I know where we are” .  ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com )  The 6 inch will be a good yard stick from which to measure my fitness going into 2019 and one of the big goals of the year, the Australia Day Ultra in January. ( http://australiadayultra.com )

Last year I probably had one of the runs of my life to sneak under 8 hours and I’d love to go a tad quicker in 2019. This really will be a test of my GO inspired fitness and also the Nike Vaporfly 4% trainers I brought for the Bunbury Marathon but never used. They are virtually brand new so I’m hoping they’ll propel me to a new PB on the 100k course. With Jon and the T-train as my wing-men I reckon we have a good chance to all go quicker than we have ever gone before, isn’t that a Star Trek quote, or was that going somewhere where no one had been before and being bald ? (or was that bold, whatever… you get then picture ?)

So the point of this post, assuming you’ve read this far in which case well done, is you need to find another aerobic exercise that is non-impact and add this to your running bag of tricks. If you can combine this exercise with commuting to work then great, no impact on family or social time ( do runners get social time? If you do shouldn’t you be running instead..? ) Of course not all people are a lucky as me with the facilities and bike paths in the Perth area. My commute to work is 18k with 95% of that on bike paths and only a couple of road crossing where I have to interact with the car and its driver, who is usually too interested in their iPhone to look up , it’s a worry! The Elliptigo is , in my opinion, the ultimate cardio workout and best alternative to running, it gives you a running workout without the impact, trust me people it really is that good.

Right that’s it, I’m off to see if I can stay awake long enough to feel my head hit the pillow, confidence is, as always, low…..

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