68 degrees,91% humidity and calm in St Augustine this morning. Having zero mph wind is very, very unusual in St.augustine. We arrived February 1st and the wind did not stop for 3 weeks.
I was out of bed at 7 a.m. today but have not run yet. It is now 9:30. Still dealing with sore achilles on left leg. Lots of heat!
Having made a decision to write each day about my training has made me think a lot more about what I’m actually doing. I have a tendency to forget the advise of people close to me at times. Two things happened in the last 24 hours to adjust my perspective on the sore leg I have been whining about. I recalled the advice of my friend, Rich Refi. He always reminds me to, “Do what you tell your athletes to do.” He is a pretty smart guy. So, if I’m such a good coach why don’t I listen to myself. I have told my athletes for years who are having soreness in lower legs calves and achilles tendons to heat the legs before each run. I was in the habit of doing that myself back in New Jersey and had stopped since I came to Florida in February. Maybe I thought the warm weather made that unnecessary. But I definitely got out of the habit. So I will be heating my legs before each run from now on. Secondly, Arlene reminded me this morning of the reason why I had decided to begin rising at 7 a.m. this week. It was because the weather had become 88 – 92 degrees. Running in the afternoon, which is my normal habit, became intolerable. There was no need to force myself out onto the beach at 7 a.m. I also reminded myself that I have no competition schedules for the foreseeable future. So I write today much less stressed and much smarter than yesterday. Thank you Rich, Arlene and Old Coach O.

My plan for sore achilles tendon problems is the following. This is what I did yesterday and my leg feels much better. Rest and take one ibuprofen every 4 hours. Heat your lower legs before each run and ice after each one. I have done it simply by dangling my feet on the edge of the cold pool. But 15 to 20 minutes with an ice pack will do the job. It is not necessary to freeze the muscle or the tendon. I also plan to start again to use my lower leg compression sleeves. That is another thing that I stopped doing since I came to Florida. Not sure why, maybe just because they are a little hard to put on and I got lazy.

So, sitting on this lovely deck, temperature about 75 degrees now, watching the ocean and the beach on a Saturday morning as still as church during Consecration (That is the best simile I could think of.) I am totally stress-free and relaxed.

I will continue the treatment for one more day and try a gentle walk this afternoon.
We are heading into Old Town in a while to a Fair of some sort with good food and beer I am told. Sounds like a nice afternoon.

THANK YOU to all my friends and relatives who commented and liked my post on Facebook. I hope some of you are reading this and you enjoy it. I am definitely having fun. Please leave any comments with your thoughts or suggestions.