Rehabbing the foot with some gym work after surgery
9th June 2006
Hi Everyone,
Time again for another update.
Things are progressing well up here in the mountains. I'm back running comfortably twice a day now and am
starting to build in faster work. My foot is coping well and getting stronger everyday thanks to all the exercises
and drills I have to do each day. I am so enjoying running out on the trails again and we have been lucky so far
in that the weather has been sunny and dry. We had a few cold days but now it is nice and warm again.
I had a few days in New York a couple of weeks ago for the launch of the new Nike Plus. This is an exciting
new venture between Apple and Nike where runners can not only listen to music comfortably while running but also
get amazingly accurate feedback on their speed/distance covered, and also at the hit of a button get their chosen
Powersong played straight away to help them through that difficult patch.
The system works with an ipod Nano plus a small receiver and a chip which fits into a selection of Nike shoes,
and the range will be expanded still further in the next year or so. I have had the opportunity to use the
technology for a while now and I love the concept especially the Powersong, and the accuracy is excellent.
There are also plans to incorporate heart rate feedback shortly. However one of the best features is the way
you can download your data and go to the website, nikeplus.com,
and see all your runs build up over time, compare with rivals/friends all over the world and even challenge others
to small goals (eg. first to log 100miles).
I think the biggest effect will be seen in the number of people this idea will encourage to simply get
outside and run. With the audio feedback on pace and or distance etc. its like having a personal trainer
continually with you and the music of the gym - but outside, where we all know it is far nicer to run.
I also have had a short trip to Belgium to see Jean-Pierre Wilssens who has been doing my orthotic inserts for
years now. I just wanted to check that nothing had changed in my foot plant since the surgery that could cause
problems if left unnoticed. Luckily my style was still unchanged and we only made a very small modification to
support the metatarsals a little more.
I spent one night there as Jempi and his club set up for their annual Kids camp. A great idea where the children
from the running club (around 100 of them) get to spend the long weekend at a Youth Hostel in the forest for a
weekend of fun, training and team spirits. I think its a great idea to help encourage children to get involved
and stay involved in Athletics. Everyone made me feel very welcome so thank you to them.
On other fronts it was disappointing to see Athletics' profile slip further even before the World Cup begins
when there was no UK TV coverage of the opening Golden League in Oslo. This is the first time I can remember not
having the opportunity to watch Golden League meetings. However, on the positive side, congratualtions to Rebecca
Lyne on a great performance there and I look for more to come from her as the season progresses. Also congratulations
to Chris Thompson on a great comeback from a very difficult time with injury and already achieving the 5000m
qualifier for Gothenburg.
I have also included a few pics of my foot at the different stages, from surgery through to now. Speak to you all soon.
|
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
