Friday, September 2, 2011

I've Been MacGyver'ed

So, Saturday is the big 32k.  Only two kilometres more than last week but it's two kilometres farther away from my comfort zone.

Would you listen to me.  I can scarcely believe that I'm calling 30k a 'comfort zone'.

It's also 2 kilometres closer to the finish line so, in that sense, it's good.  I can almost start pretending that I can see the finish line.  Way, way off in the distance...

Anyway, the other issue is that, because I'm not what you would call a speed demon, I'm running for a really long time now.

Thirty-two kilometres means that I'll be running for over 3 1/2 hours.  That's a hell of a lot of pounding on my feet.  And my shins.

They're holding up fairly well but I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time now before they start really screaming at me.  Right now, they're still just humming away in the background.

Last night I went for my regular tune up with Geoff.  I alternate between my massage therapist (Janice) and my chiropractor (Geoff) so I see someone every two weeks or so.  It was Geoff's turn.  He was pretty impressed (as I am) at how well my body is holding up with all the mileage but he too felt that I was close to the edge.

So he taped me.

I've never been taped before.

It's kinda neat.

What he did was he put some tape over the lower part of my shins in such a way that it relieves the pressure on the part that tends to flare up.  The tape is supposed to stay on for a few days and he said that it should take some of the pressure off during my long run on Saturday morning.

When I stood up off the bed when he had finished, the pressure I feel every time I put my foot down was almost gone.  Not sure if that was the result of the treatment or the taping (or both) but I could feel a difference.  We'll see how Saturday goes.  Like I said, I've never been taped before so I'm not sure what to expect but I'm willing to give it a try.  My next appointment with Geoff is two days before my 35k run (the longest in the training) so I may be getting him to do another MacGyver on my shins.

If it works twice - sign me up for race day!  

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