Weekly News Number 31

Last week, I probably spoke a little too soon when I said that this time I had my training load management under control. Once again, I celebrated a little too early. Or, as I always say: once a kid has discovered the sweets cupboard, it's hard to stop going back again and again.

Enough with the sayings, because this week wasn't only about the lows. There were also plenty of positives.

A small setback

So, what exactly happened?

After my run on Tuesday, I had pain in my plantar fascia, the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. I'd been feeling it on and off for the past two or three weeks, but it always settled down again and I'd managed to keep it under control with my strength exercises.

Over the weekend, I probably pushed things a little too hard with my strength training, and the run the following day was simply one step too far. By Wednesday morning, I was practically crawling around on all fours because I couldn't properly put weight on my foot.

But what happened next also showed me how lucky I am to have built such a great support network here over the years. I'm very grateful for that.

From Wednesday lunchtime onwards, I started carefully warming up and stretching my foot. At the same time, I was already in contact with two people and managed to see my massage therapist that same evening. He was able to reassure me that nothing appeared to be torn or seriously damaged. There hadn't been one particular moment during the run when something suddenly happened either. So, a bit of luck in an unlucky situation: the plantar fascia was most likely just very irritated.

At the same time, I managed to get an appointment for the following day with someone who has a lot of experience working with athletes and these kinds of problems.

Shockwave therapy and Plan B

The next day, everything was checked again. We did some jumping tests and different single-leg tests, which also showed that the plantar fascia was mainly irritated.

So we were able to start shockwave therapy straight away. The treatment uses a device to send short acoustic waves into the painful tissue. The idea is to stimulate the area and support the healing process.

My foot already felt noticeably better afterwards, which meant I could continue training on the bike and in the pool.

Foot exercises that are currently part of my daily routine.

That's where things stand at the moment. It's amazing how quickly you can be brought back down to earth and realise that maybe you turned the screw just a little too far. Next time, Kurt and I can approach things a little more conservatively.

But as always in life, looking back is much easier than looking into a crystal ball. When you're trying to get the maximum out of yourself, sometimes you unfortunately push the limit a little too far. The important thing for me is that we learn from it. One thing I really appreciate about working together is that we always try to make the best out of every situation.

There's something positive about slowing down too

The positive side of all this was that I had a few quieter days and could consciously enjoy the extra time.

I didn't really do much and instead spent more time with Emma. We went out for coffee or simply sat by the water and enjoyed the sunshine. These are all things I don't do that often when the main focus is on training and performance.

Maybe sometimes you need exactly these moments to slow things down a little and enjoy everything else around you.

An evening with the Litscher family

On Friday evening, we went to visit the Litscher family. I know the New Zealanders pronounce your name differently, but I'm sticking with the German version.

The Litschers are good friends of Emma's family and were all here on holiday together. From grandma and grandpa to their daughters and son and all the grandchildren, the whole family was there. From Grandpa Litscher all the way down to Baby Litscher, everyone had made the trip.

After spending a few great hours with them, and knowing we'll be visiting them again before Christmas, I've decided I can definitely keep using the German version of their name. The Kiwis say "Lecher's", but it sounds almost like the way we'd say "Litscher" anyway. So for me, they'll simply remain the Litscher family.

Jeff and I got along from the start because he's a sailor and I spent my whole childhood sailing. So naturally, we immediately had something in common to talk about. Not that I usually struggle to find something to talk about anyway. But I always find it fascinating to hear other people's stories.

I also really enjoyed seeing an entire family going on holiday together and spending a whole week with each other. We had a very relaxed evening and shared plenty of laughs.

Now I can't wait for them to cook for us when we visit before Christmas. So the pressure on Jeff has definitely gone up a little. Thanks again for a great evening maybe this blog will even find its way to you.

Just over four weeks to go

There are now just over four weeks until my race here on the Sunshine Coast. So there's still enough time to get properly back on my feet and give my plantar fascia the time it needs to recover.

I'm doing my foot exercises consistently and continuing to train on the bike and in the pool as much as possible. Today, as I'm writing this blog, I'm also starting some training on the cross trainer before slowly getting back to walking and eventually running again.

So everything is still heading in the right direction for race day.

A good race preparation never goes exactly according to plan anyway. And after all, you have a plan so you can adjust it when you need to.

That's it from me for this week. I'll obviously keep you updated on whether the shockwave therapy continues to work. My motivation for the race is still very high, and I'm really looking forward to standing on a start line again.

Take care, and I'll speak to you or rather, you'll read from me again next week.

Cyrill