I can't run for at least a week

Well I went to my ortho and recieved a diagnosis of Tendonosis (micro tears.) the result a reccomended rest of 4 weeks without running...barebones minimum 2 weeks off start running when the swelling goes down on your Achilles,unless you want a rupture. There are 4 options of what I can do:

1. Ignore the Doc run on my leg and have a 50/50 shot of a marathon PR or a season ending tendon rupture. I'm Crazy not stupid the idea of a tear is enough to scare me straight.

2. Scrap Ironman New Zealand beat my head against the wall for wasting $400, enter Providence 70.3 and take my rage out on the Half Ironman speedsters in July...be afraid be very very afraid. I really don't want to eat $400 bucks.

3. Sit here and mope about how I can't run for two weeks..oh woe as me..eat fattening foods and generally make a mess of myself. Tempting but what gets done that way?

4. Take the two weeks I can't run and focus more on swimming and cycling. See this unplanned rest as mandatory cycling focus, use the orthodics in my bike shoes build mileage and hence improve my weakest event. Get my swimming from top 60 to flirting with course record status. Go to Taupo pilage the field on the swim and bike and hold on Normann Stadler style on the run. We have a winner!

Ok so I'm not a huge fan of the Norminator but I guess if I want to have a positive outlook on not being able to work my usual second strength, I need to work my weakness if I want a shot of a Kona slot or finishing in Daylight. My swim is stellar, my cycling is improving and now my marathon which is normally a no brainer is now a question mark. All I can do is swim and spin and hopefully in two weeks begin to build my run mileage back up.

Thankfully this weekend it's supposed to be cold, but no snow so hopefully it will be an ideal weekend to ride, On tap for tonight masters maybe an hour or two on the trainer. Now that I know what I've hurt and to what extent I know what I have clearance to train it's time to put in more of the work..hopefully weather and classes will co-operate.

R.D.

Ironman ready in 3 months?

Well I'm really considering going back to New Zealand if there are still entries available in late December, a few friends are talking me into it a few more are talking me out of it... it's a constant tug of war. I wasn't able to enter IM Arizona through genral entry and Bjoern's knee is shot so he didn't enter. The more I look at how much it would cost me to do an American Ironman the more New Zealand is looking appealing and "do-able" My pal Gary from HEAT wrote, " Rob, you'll have your entire life to do races like Kentucky and Arizona but New Zealand is on everyone's top 3 list and you have the shot to do it twice." My trigger finger is itching just to enter and be done with then I could justify long training hours, and get my self out of my personal ninth circle of doubt and fear and I can start looking forward.

Another reality has also hit, I haven't trained the way I did last year. At this time last year I had all my cold weather gear, stocked up on toe warmers and was riding 100 miles a week, this year..eh not so much. I have swam a little more and ran a little more but it was not to the same extent as last year. So I sit here in late November debating on if I can be Ironman ready in 3 months, would NZ be a folly, should I just do Kentucky which would give me almost 9 months to train. Should I do both? What about Kona implications? My self assuredness took a hit, this year, yet I was riding at minimum 60 miles a week. The weather ( with the exception of last week ) has been somewhat mild and part of me is wondering if it's a sign to do Ironman New Zealand , if I don't do it will I be kicking myself in 20 years. 3 months to build bike mileage and get my swim back into it's normal fast as hell shape, 3 months to get myself marathon ready again, 3 months, a quarter of a year, I've done it before I'll do it again. Even if I'm not bound for the land of the kiwis I'd sure as hell like to train like I am.

R.D.