Sibylle's blog

Here is one for next year!

Some of you might remember the "city boys" tackling the 180km Sunshine Coast Trail back in 2003 (the trail won) and again in 2004. I heard all the tales, saw all the photos, film trailers and met some of the Powell River crew. I have, however, not been beyond the second ferry on the Sunshine Coast in years.

Not sure where my running training is going this year. At this point it seems to be going no where fast...

March I was lying low because of an recurring Achilles injury. Luckily, the rest and no running regime helped and so far the Achilles tendon is pain free.

I have to admit that in the 15 years I have been living and running in Vancouver I had never ventured to Burnaby Mountain. Fortunately, I tested the course descriptions a few weeks before the Burnaby Mountain Run and can vouch that the views are spectacular. Unfortunately, on the morning of the events, the clouds hung very low and none of the participants were treated to the breathtaking scenery.

The day dawned blustery and grey and I knew it would be my turn to run. My other half just does not like to be out in the rain.

Being my meticulous Germanic self, I showed up at the deserted Centennial Theatre parking lot about 30min before the official start. A small group of enthusiastic runners slowly assembled and huddled around Craig's car. Where was the guest of honour, Jesper, and his host Karl? Luckily Jesper had mentioned Friday night at the presentation that he was not a morning person. A quick phone call threw him out of bed. He looked slightly hung over when he finally hopped out of the car. Where did you take him, Karl?

It's been a good week all around. After taking a injury break from running for 4 weeks I gingerly hit the trails for the first time on Monday.

My first outing lasted a grand total of 5 min. The pesky Achilles tendon felt unused and slightly stiff. That first run made me worry. Tried again the next day and felt great. Not to overdo it, I stopped after 8 minutes and finished my workout at the gym.

With so many CFA events coming up I did feel a bit pressured to prove my heel was back to normal, pain free and able to take a longer run. Happy to report that I managed a 30min trail run yesterday without ill effect. Just signed up for the Vancouver World Run on Sunday. I am planning a very "custom" course, running with the group for the first few km and then making my own way back...but who knows.

See you on the trails. And thanks for all the good wishes over the last 4 weeks. Now, if we only could fix  Ean's knee!

It's been 4 weeks to the day that I haven't run.  Thanks to lots of deep freezing I am glad to report that the acute inflammation in the Achilles tendon seems to be gone.  Between Ean's Patella Femoral syndrome and my heel we were literally fighting for the ice packs.  No nicer feeling than when you move your legs under the cover in bed only to come upon a half thawed bag of peas...

Since I can't contribute any progress or race reports - my Achilles is still on the mend and I am off running - I thought I share an email with you that I received over the weekend from a woman who wrote me late last year inquiring if Club Fat Ass offers beginner running clinics. I wrote her back, encouraging to join a clinic and offered to take her out for a run/walk. Never heard back until now. Here is what she shared:

It's official. I acknowledge that I am off running with Achilles tendonitis. After last Saturday's test run on the Burnaby Mountain Run course, the pain and stiffness worsened. I pondered the situation a day or two and sadly made the decision to pull from the upcoming Dirty Duo race.

Against better judgement I headed out for a run today. My right Achilles tendon had improved over the last few days - thanks to lots of ice - and I was hoping for a miraculous recovery....

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The Achilles tendon felt stiff right from the start and didn't limber up either.

How can an old injury that has been kept in check by regular stretching and specific strengthening exercises pop up out of the blue without warning?

If you know the answer to this I'd like to know if I can make this disappear as fast as it came?