Adarq.org

27-05-25

Cardio

Jog to gym [longer route than usual to test out foot outside, 10 mins no issues]
Treadmill
55:30 @ 6:40 pace, 1% incline [131 HR]
30:00 @ 12:00 pace, 12% incline [132 HR]

Lifting

Pulldown 4 x Drop
Chest Press 4 x Drop
Pec-Dec 2 x Drop
Lateral Raise 5 x Myo-Drop
Bayesian Curl 4 x Drop
OH Cable Ext 4 x Drop
Machine OHP 4 x Drop

Notes

Literally 0 foot, ankle or lower-leg pain during this workout. Same mild soreness in lower-leg area first thing upon waking, but not felt it at all since. And this is on a day where I expect it to be bad (i.e. 24 hours after (a) lots of hard running, (b) plyos, (c) calf work in the gym and (d) generally leg vulnerability from having lifted the day before). Not calling it 100% yet, but entering the "don't need to think about it every session" period now. Still, played it sensible and switched to walking after an hour just in case. Tried lower incline faster walking since my calves were a bit sore. Enjoyed it just as much – little less pressure on the hip flexors which can get pretty worked getting the knees high enough for each step at 15%.

HR a little higher than effort indicated. Air-con still down in the gym and I had too big a breakfast too close to this session. Hate when I make that mistake.

Realised I trend towards doing a lot more pushing that pulling volume. Am okay with that since I think (a) my back is just way more developed (viz. being close to OAC, chinning substantially more than I dip, etc) and (b) my back require less volume (lats are sore every session even with just one exercise hitting it with a big drop set).

Think I am going to into some sort of intra-workout nutrition/carb-based fueling. Electrolytes defo helping, esp with how sweaty I get running indoors without a breeze etc, but for these long ones when I lift after, can feel the need for carbs biting me. That and on weekdays when I exercise first thing, the walking on my commute just feels unduly brutal (especially stairs etc) since my shake has not digested yet.

25-07-25

Jog to gym
treadmill walk @ 15% x 20 mins
run @ 6:21 @ 1.5% x 13 mins
walk a while more
jog home
52:38 total, 124 avg hr

Notes

tired

23-07-25

AM

Jog to gym
Treadmill @ 15%, 4.6km/h x 30 mins [128 HR]
Jog home

PM

Jog to gym
Treadmill @ 2%, 6:41 pace x 15 mins [137 HR]
Treadmill @ 15%, 4.5 km/h x 15 mins [135 HR]
Machine Chest Press 4 x Drop
Pulldown 4 x Drop
Cable Lateral 5 x Myo-Drop or whatever [LRx5 basically, dropping weight after the 3rd set, no rest]
Pogo Hops 2 x 14
Cable OH Extension 4 x Drop
Machine Preacher 4 x Drop
Jog home

Notes

Was planning to take the full day off work but for reasons only took the afternoon off. Still, got 30 mins more sleep in the AM and did a double workout day. The dream.

Still a little pain with pogos, maybe 1/10 foot and 2.5/10 'achilles' (i.e. presumably the PTT next to the achilles), but that's progress.

0 pain in the running. We back baby.

21-07-25

Jog to gym
10 @ 15 / 4.5
10 @ 4 / 8.5
10 @ 15 / 4.6
10 @ 2 / 9.5
5 @ 15 / 4.7
Jog home

Notes

2 x 10 mins running. Felt good. Will probably try and go for an actual outdoors run towards the end of this week.

19-07-25

Jog to gym
Treadmill @ 15% incline
5 @ 4.0
5 @ 6.1 [147 HR]
5 @ 6.3 [161]
3 @ 6.5 [172, 35 RR]
1 @ 3.5
Treadmill @ 2%
1 @ 9
3:30 @ 13.5 [169]
1:30 @ 8
5 @ 13 [170, 35 RR]
2 @ 8
3 @ 10
Treadmill @ 4.0
5 @ 11.5 [172]
Treadmill @ 15
2 @ 4.0
5 @ 6.2 [172, 33 RR]
17 @ 4.0

Seated Hamstring Curl 3 x Drop
A Calf Raise
134 x 6, 5
B Leg Press
120 x 8, 7
OL Calf
52x6+4+3
Leg Ext 2 x Drop
(Ab/ad)duction superset, 2 each

Notes

Insane rain and storm this morning so we bailed on the Parkrun.

21 consecutive mins running in the middle of this, with pain no greater than 2/10, and usually 0/10. Also felt basically 0 pain jogging to gym. Wore the Vomeros for the first time in ages for this. Typically had been using Cliftons or a retired pair of Cloudmonsters for gym stuff since those are the running shoes I find most comfortable for walking.

Possible, then, that the Vomeros contributed as much as actual recovery to this feeling better on the foot. They're no less of a neutral shoe than anything else I run in, so I doubt it's because of any stability feature per se. That said, they are the only one of my primary shoes that have long enough laces for me to do the heel lock lacing techniques. Pretty sure that I have read that (a) tighter lacing and (b) using all available eyelets are have both been found to reduce symptoms from PTT/stability issues. So, that would make sense here.

Saucony Tempus 2 looking tempting as well. Seems hard to find a stability shoe that is tempo/session compatible (well obvs you can do sessions in anything, but it's more fun when the shoe is fun).

17-07-25

Jog to gym

Treadmill --
Walk
10 @ 15/4.5
10 @ 15/6.0 (154 HR avg)
5 @ 15/6.3 (170, 33 RR)
3 @ 10/4
Run
2 @ 1.5/10
5 @ 1.5/13.8 (168, 35 RR)
3 @ 1.5/9
Walk
2 @ 15/4
5 @ 15/6.1 (166, 33 RR)
5 @ 11/4

(Ab/ad)duction machine superset, 2 each way

Jog home

1:03:57 total

Notes

Nice. Foot again pretty much fine, even with 5 mins at a good clip. 18 mins total running or so. 25 mins SubT, decent workout.

15-07-25

Jog to gym
Treadmill @ 15%, pace in km/h
5 mins @ 4.4
5 @ 5.8 [145 HR]
5 @ 6.0 [157]
5 @ 6.2 [165, 32 RR]
5 @ 4.0
5 @ 5.8 [155]
7 @ 6.0 [164, 33 RR]
3 @ 10/4.0
Now run at 1.5% grade
2 @ 10
2 @ 11
1 @ 12
1 @ 13 [160]
1 @ 14 [165]

Machine Chest Press 3 x drop
D-Handle Narrow Cable Row 3 x drop
Calf Raise 134 x 5, 4

Notes

So about 30 mins SubT effort here again. First time running fast since the reset. Felt good with minimal food botheration! Will try to do no running tmrw other than the jog to/from gym, then see if I can extend it out a bit more on Thursday.

SubT incline walking feels a bit mad tbh.

May meet pals for Parkrun on Saturday, but if I do I won't race it. Will either just cheer them on or, if foot is feeling good, may just jog the course. Will see, but things are looking good!

13-07-25

Cardio

Run to gym
60 min incline walking on treadmill
30 min elliptical
Avg HR -- 127, ~1:35 total

Lift

Lat Pulldown 4 x Drop
Machine Chest Press 4 x Drop
Chest Supported Row 3 x Drop
Pec Deck 3 x Drop
Cable Lateral 4 x Drop
Cable Overhead Ext 4 x Drop
Machine OHP 4 x Drop

Started a separated watch activity for the lifting portion of the session. Amusingly also exactly 127 avg hr, though more spiky ranging from ~100-150. 24 mins too, for 26 sets. Intended to use the lap function to see time spent lifting vs moving between lifts (so one lap would be the entire time spent on the lat pulldown, including the like 20s or whatever taken to change the load, reattached my straps and get back in position). Didn't do a very good job of that, though, but something to try to pay attention to in future b/c it'd be fun to know the work:rest ratio.

ETA: Was thinking more about PTT and how it fits well with some stuff I experience with running.

1) I've always been an over-pronator on the right side. Hadn't really thought about it since I don't give much credence to gait stuff having much meaning. That said, given I have a neutral gait on the left, this suggests that the right-side could be a downstream symptom of an existing problem rather than a problem per se. A key role of the posterior tibialis is foot inversion, i.e. preventing (over)pronation.

1b) Moreover, this could also explain that camber preference I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. If flat ground isn't an option, I prefer running with my right foot landing on the lower part of the ground rather than the other way around. If you imagine this uneven height is a result of a naturally curved ground, you see this means that the instep of right foot is landing on higher ground than the outside of the foot. That is basically like wearing an insole that prevents pronation.

2) Plays an important role in downhill breaking. In that last Parkrun, I really gunned it on the downhills. Notably, I actually _lowered_ my cadence in the downhill portions to really take advantage of airtime (for downhills, cad 180/length 1.8m, else 188/1.33m). My quads were pretty sore, but they're very well-trained compared to calf/foot/ankle unit. Perhaps no surprise that given the existing vulnerability, this race was the precipitating event for the latent PTT to shift from "mild nuisance" to "actual problem".

Anyway, been doing a good job of doing regular banded foot inversion training. Think that + general calf/foot strength + integrating some stiff-leg/ankle-focused plyos seem like they'll be the key, since I rest of the hip/knee chain is pretty strong. Actually maybe more hip (ab/ad)duction stuff probably good to do too, but I've been good about that as well.

Basically no pain on the jog to the gym today as well, fwiw. Maybe go for an actual run again this week.