Thursday - 90 minutes with a 20 minute effort thrown in (am) + 40 minutes on the stationary cycle (pm)

The plan was 80 minutes easy. I wanted to test myself a bit, so had decided early on to throw in a 20 minute effort - similar to Saturday morning. Equipped with my GPS, reliability was ensured. Ran steady along the beachfront, and was very happily joined by Quentin at about the 16 minute mark. He to was keen for a sessions, so was more than willing to give the 20 minute effort a shot. Today felt remarkably better than Tuesday. And consistency was key this morning. Unfortunately the GPS went flat at the 18 minute mark, so just kept running until I heard Quentin's watch beep at the 6km mark (just over 20 minutes). Not sure what the last kilometer split was, but the preceding splits were 3:22, 3:20, 3:22, 3:21, and 3:24. So I would anticipate around 3:21-22 average pace for the 6km. So very happy with that, especially as it felt more controlled (and faster) than the same effort on Saturday.min fact, the 20 minutes was slightly faster than the average pace for the 2 x 3km efforts on Tuesday. Straight into 40 minutes of easy running, we decided to run up to North Head. Quentin took me on a tour around sites I have never seen - including the highest point above sea level at North Head - which is just what I needed after the effort (not)! Two highlights were stopping momentarily at the lookout at the Fairfax Loop to check out the amazing sunrise over Bluefin Point. The second was finding a $10 note on Darley Rd on the way home. At this point the planned 80 minutes had already elapsed, and I still had over a kilometer to get home. Got back to Pine St at about 87 minutes, so thought 'why not make it 90?' Not sure what the total distance was, but 22.5km would be a solid a guess. Just really happy to get my first solid effort in post-injury where I am quite satisfied with the pace and the feeling of running at a faster speed. And the company made the session more enjoyable. Will likely try to spin the legs later on today followed by some weights - just picked up a squat rack yesterday so can now add squats to my repertoire of deadlifts and squats. Talk about variety!

Got out just before (a late) lunch - down to Manly Beach Health Club for 19.3km on the stationary bike (40 minutes). Despite my early declaration of adding in squats, time got the better of me so simply stuck to deadlifts and cleans - although I slightly increased the weight.

Wednesday - 60 minutes easy

Decided to sleep in this morning, after two quite massive days at work and uni. Got up at a leisurely 7:20am, and set out for an easy hour. Ran to the lagoon, then up to North Head. A lap of the Fairfax Loop, then back home. Really starting to get annoyed at my GPS, so did an experiment this morning. Found my old Garmin, and wore this on my right wrist along with my current one on my left. True to form, there was a difference. I completely trust the old one, as race distances were always spot on. The same courses were always exactly the same. With the current one, I can race the same course (i.e. Striders) many times and get a different distance each time. So, according to the old one, I ran 13.8km in 4:21's. Going to take the new one back today - when you pay that amount of money for a high-tech watch, you want it to work. Some mornings it has had me running across the ocean?

Tuesday - 2 x 3km (13 minute cycle) (am) + 40 minute spin on the stationary cycle (pm)

Bloody tough out there this morning! Dark, freezing, and very windy. Was solo again this morning, failing to convince anyone yesterday to join me. Warmed up down to Queenscliff, back to halfway along the Shelly Beach path, back to North Steyne, then to Manly LSC. Did the reps in the bike lane, which out and back equals 3.2km. Tried to keep the efforts controlled, not looking at the watch except for the kilometer splits every 1000m. In fact, the first effort was all over the shop with the GPS, reading 3:02 for the first kilometer, then over 3:30's for the remaining two (I would say the first was nowhere near that, however the latter two were faster than that). Nevertheless, I finished at the three kilometer mark in 10:04 (3:21's). I felt pretty spent for the second effort, but was only fractionally slower in 10:09 (3:23's). All in all, not bad. As always, I would have liked to have been faster - but at this point in time it's simply all about getting through the sessions painfree - which I achieved this morning. Finished off with a 5km cooldown, so just over 16km all up. Will likely sit on the bike and lift some weights before a late lunch today if all goes to plan.

An easy spin in the bike at Fitness First at Randwick followed by a quick couple of sets of weights. 19.3km.

Monday - 40 minutes easy

Started my first proper week back at training this morning with an easy 40 minute jog around Manly. A nice scenic route along the beachfront before veering west and running long the harbour. Bloody freezing, so dressed accordingly (similar to Macca yesterday, minus the long pants). 9.34km in 4:17's. Can barely notice my Achilles, which is fantastic as yesterday was the longest run I have done in over a month.

Sunday - 1 hour 45 minutes

Felt great this morning despite the cold and a relatively late night. Met the gentlemen at the pool for a 6:15am kick off. There was Macca, Justin, Ben, Craig, Tim, Hayden and Toby. The former two and myself started to gap the others from about Dee Why onwards - I think the coldness helped towards motivating a slightly quicker pace. Reluctantly turned around not too far south of North Narrabeen SLSC for the return leg solo, adhering strictly to the plan of 1 hour 45 minutes set out by Gary. Finished just past my place in Pine St, getting 24.8km at 4:14's. However, I think the GPS (once again) was playing up early on, so it's likely the distance was less and the pace was slower. The best news is that I can barely feel my left Achilles now. Optimistic!!!

Saturday - 16km with a 20 minute controlled effort (am) + 40 minutes easy on the stationary cycle (pm)

I jinxed myself on Wednesday. Here I was talking it up, how my Achilles was back - only to wake up quite sore on Thursday morning. It was a 50/50 call, but I reluctantly (probably a good thing in hindsight) decided to sleep in. Two days of complete rest (something I haven't done in a long time)! I spoke to Gary regarding this morning, and he encouraged me to come along to the squad at Centennial Park. Thought long and hard about this, but decided to stay local in the end. The combination of an uneven surface, along with a lack of confidence and speed led me to believe running solo at Manly was a better option. So I simply replicated the session that I had originally planned for Thursday morning. Ran the entire 16km up and down along the beachfront. An advantage of winter (especially on a freezing morning such as today) is that you can get up a bit later and still avoid the crowds. Kept the 20 minute effort controlled, but honestly by the end of it I was hurting (in a good way). Managed 3:25min/km pace, so not too bad (sad to think that this time 51 weeks ago I held 3:19's for 21.1km)! As Tom said, don't worry about pace when returning from injury (which I honestly didn't today - only calculating this once I got home). Cruised the final 22/3 minutes to get 16km. Saw Jamie as I was finishing - he is slowly coming back from his hip injury. Makes my injury seem like a little niggle in comparison. Might do some weights later today, unsure about spinning the legs on the bike. Got the program for next week, so am very excited to get back into it! I've reset my goals the next few months after pulling out of the Gold Coast and SH10km. I think C2S, Blackmores Half (which is going to be held on a new course), with the pinnacle being Burnie 10 in October (two days before I hit my third decade)!

Ended up getting an easy 40 minutes on the bike this afternoon. 20.65km at Fitness First in Dee Why. Now at home finishing up with some weights! Going to get massive!

Wednesday - 80 minutes

It's official, I'm back running again! I can confidently say this now as I pulled up ok after yesterday's (modest) speed session! Last Friday I was limping after Thursday's efforts, today I ran 17.75km, with the second half completely (that's right, 'completely') painfree. I was bit nervous heading out this morning, especially more so as I had agreed to meet Tom (with Erika a 'maybe') at the Lagoon entrance at 6:04am. The Achilles felt tight, but not painful. Got to the meeting point right as Justin and Tom arrived, so we set off heading towards Manly. It was so nice to run (or even simply training) with others. I didn't shut up the whole way, I basically had a months worth of stuff to talk about! We ran to the wharf, turning around at Fairlight, back to the lagoon entrance when Justin peeled off having already run his 19km. Tom and I finished with two laps of the golf course, both noticing that our Achilles (he has been suffering as well) had completely warmed-up (I had actually totally forgotten about mine at this stage). Finished off solo by running back along the beachfront. It took me just over 75 minutes by the time I got to Pine St, so to celebrate my Achilles coming good, I bumped it up to 80 minutes. A crisp morning with an amazing sunrise at the end. Certainly beats Fitness First! No strides, I won't be rushing back into these. 4:30's for the 80 minutes.

Tuesday - 65 minutes continuous (20' easy, 10' controlled effort, 5' easy, 10' controlled effort, 20' easy) (am) + 40 minutes on the stationary cycle (pm)

It was either this or an ergo session. I decided the principle of specificity is key, so stuck with the running. Really happy with how this panned out, essentially painfree the whole time, with a mild noticeable sensation in the final 20 minutes only. Pace-wise I was reasonably satisfied, holding 3:23's and 3:22's for the first and second 10 minute efforts respectively. I think making the session continuous helped the Achilles, as I noticed that the stopping and starting of last Thursday's run wasn't helpful. So really happy that I was able to get through a(n almost) proper session! Ran it all in the bike lane between Queenscliff SLSC and Manly LSC, so just over five 3.2km loops all up. 16.8km. The Achilles is a bit tight now, but so far better than Thursday, so looking encouraging. Will likely spin the legs on the stationary bike before lunch instead of rushing into double runs at this stage.

A nice and easy spin for 40 minutes on the stationary bike, 20km. Finished up with some deadlifts and cleans. Achilles is barely there, so extremely encouraging!

Monday - 75 minutes

Decided on Friday to work from home today, so had the luxury of staying up late last night to watch the Formula 1, and recover by sleeping in this morning. Double win! Anyway, the Achilles was slightly more painful this morning compared to yesterday (to be expected), but once again warmed up sufficiently that by halfway I didn't really notice it. Still unlikely to commence any speed work on it at the moment though. Still without a program from RunCrew, so decided to run for 75 minutes. Getting bored of North Head, so ran to Nolan's, a lap of the golf course, then down to Fairy Bower via Queenscliff, back to the wharf, up to the start of the MSW, then back to Fairy Bower before finishing at Pine St. Stupid GPS played up for the first 6 or so kilometers, extremely frustrating! And Garmin are absolutely useless to deal with - a shame, as they are super quick to sell you their products, but then don't want to know you if something goes wrong! Anyway, supposedly ran 17.6km holding 4:15's. I am probably running these slightly too fast, but I guess that is generally due to my legs feeling fresher due to the relatively low mileage and absence of speed work.

Sunday - 21km run + 30 minutes on the stationary cycle

Went to bed last night planning to get up at half six for a 60 minute row followed by a 60 minute cycle. However, woke up at about 2:30am and decided to set my alarm earlier just in case my Achilles felt up to it. Luckily it did, so met Justin, Ben, Macca, Craig and Hamish at the pool at 6:15am. The plan was to go slow, but I actually felt better with a slightly quicker pace, so ended up running solo from about Brookvale onwards. The others were going further as well. The GPS played up quite significantly, continuously spitting out 4:30 min/km every kilometer, despite variations in perceived effort. The reality of it hit between 9-10km, when it was reading 5:00 min/km pace, and the  kilometer itself was way longer. So turned around just past Bunnings on Pittwater Rd at Narrabeen (well over 10km). The GPS seemed to recalibrate around Long Reef, so the final third of the run was accurate. A few sub-4 minute kilometers towards the end, finishing with a 3:35 along the beachfront. Very happy, mostly because it was the first run where the effort was more painful than the Achilles. In fact, for a large part of the run, I had totally forgotten about it. 21km in 4:20's, although I think it was a bit further and faster than that (probably a blessing is disguise, as I won't get into trouble for running it too fast). Then up to Fitness First in Dee Why for a 30 minute spin on the stationary bike, where I just read the qualifying reports for tonight's upcoming European Grand Prix. Should be interesting! 15km.

Saturday cross-training - 4000m (off 4 minutes), 4 x 1000m (off 60 seconds), 4 x 500m (off 60 seconds) + 30 minutes steady (am) + 40 minutes easy on the stationary cycle (pm)

Decided that the Achilles wasn't ready for intensity at the moment. Pulled up quite sore yesterday morning, but progressively got better as the day went on. So decided (and reluctantly) went back to the rowing ergo for a session this morning. Felt really good for the first half of the 4km effort, but then the freshness of not rowing for a week wore off. Still held a great pace, averaging 1:55.6/500m pace; a good second per 500m faster than previously. Was thinking of doing a 3km effort following this, but the former really took it out of me. Settled with 4 x 1000m, with legs full of lactic acid (scientifically incorrect, but I will use simple on my blog) which showed with the paces; 1:54.8, 1:55.8, 1:55.5, 1:55.4/500m pace. Then down to 500m efforts. Don't let their shortness lull you into a false sense of security. I was pretty much spent now; 1:55.4, 1:55.6, 1:55.8, 1:55.1/500m pace. Only two of them were faster than what I managed to hold for 4km. Admittedly, the first 15-20 seconds of each effort is simply getting up to speed, so the averages more than likely are inflated the shorter the distance, as it takes a relatively longer component of the interval to get going. A short break then into the dreaded 30 minutes steady/easy. It's meant to be 'easy,' but I have been using the term 'steady' as there is no such thing as 'steady' on the rowing ergo. 2:08.08/500m pace. Just over 17km all up. Didn't manage to stay dry either, covered in sweat - not rain, like my fellow runners (still jealous). The plan is to get out for an easy 40 minute jog later today, but I may change this to a spin on the bike instead. The easy running hasn't flared it up, but just want it to come good ASAP. I'll see what the weather is doing. First world problems!

Decided to play it safe and stuck to the cycle. 40 minutes spinning whilst watching a replay of Friday Practice of the brand new European Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan (not really Europe). 21kms.

Thursday - 2 x 2km controlled (off 3 minutes)

A little bit nervous this morning introducing a little bit of intensity back into the running. The key word was 'controlled,' which I did my best to adhere to. A twenty minute warm-up had the Achilles feeling the best it has. Started the first effort heading north from Manly LSC. Remarkably, it was the first time that I ran without even noticing the Achilles. It remained that way the for the entire interval. On the contrary, it is amazing how much you notice the effort when you haven't run for a few weeks! I don't think the GPS was entirely accurate for the first rep, clocking me in at 6:16 (3:08's). I am adamant that it was not that quick. A three minute walk and this is when the Achilles let me know it hadn't completely disappeared. Headed back for the second rep, again, barely noticing the Achilles. A more realistic 6:32 this time (3:16's). Pretty knackered after that, a bit of a worry (not really, this is what is expected after time off). The good news is that the fitness is well and truly there (thanks to the mind numbing ergo sessions), it's simply the neuromuscular action of running that is a bit stale. The Achilles was a bit angry after this, and made its presence know for the 5km cooldown. It wasn't unbearable, but not amazing either. Probably at a similar level to how it felt for the 20km run I put it through on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see how it pulls up as the day progresses. I'm optimistic though. A complete rest day tomorrow will do it a world of good.

Wednesday - 60 minutes easy

It's getting better everyday (Lennon, McCartney). The Achilles is still there, but much more in the background. The fact that it is becoming less pronounced each day is super encouraging. After a massive day at work/Uni yesterday, I opted for a later start this morning. Ran to North Head via as much of the Manly to Shelly route that is open at the moment. Four Fairfax Loops, then back home. 13.75km all up, holding 4:22's. 134 heart rate. Attempting a controlled half session tomorrow - looking forward to it!

Tuesday - 40 minutes easy

I got the ultimatum from Gary yesterday for running too far on Sunday (and most likely yesterday as well). Under strict instructions, I had to simply go for 40 minutes today. Easy. Ran to Queenscliff SLSC, then up towards North Head - however this time deviating left instead of going underneath the stone arch. Then downhill back home. 4:29's all up, just under 9km. The Achilles felt fine after 30 minutes, noticeable beforehand though.

Monday - 16km easy

Public holiday, so no alarm. Woke up just before half past seven, put the shoes on, and ran. Headed to Queenscliff, turned around, ran straight to North Head (options are limited post storm damage), ran seven laps (that's right, seven) of the Fairfax Loop, before making my way back home. The first few kilometers felt like absolute rubbish, it's amazing how much more impact is imparted on your body as a runner compared with all other sports. Took me until about the 8km mark before I started to feel good again. From here on, each kilometer felt better and better. All up, a solid 16km holding 4:27's, 127 beats per minute. The Achilles felt better as the run progressed, so super encouraging. Most likely just going to run easy miles this week, as the body isn't ready for speed work just yet.

Sunday - (Mostly) back running!!! (20km run + 30 minute spin)

The original plan was to sit on the ergo for 60 minutes, then attempt anywhere between 30-60 minutes of running (anything less than 60 minutes would be completed on the stationary bike). This morning the motivation to sit on the Concept 2 was at an all time low, compounded by the fact that I had managed a 30 minute jog yesterday afternoon. And upon waking this morning, there were no after effects at all! Nevertheless, went to a Fitness First, paid my $20, sat grumpily on the ergo, flexed my left knee - and there was pain! Behind my knee! This was great, it meant that I couldn't row! So that meant one thing - I was going running! Didn't how far or long, but decided to head north, with a small glimmer of hope to run into the Manly Crew. Similarly to yesterday, I could notice the Achilles most of the way, but it certainly wasn't pain. In fact, uphill was great! I was in luck coming into Collaroy when I bumped into the returning gentlemen, so turned around early and ran back towards Dee Why with them, mostly chatting to Scotty. I let them go as we entered Dee Why - they had picked up the pace slightly and I (for once) was not the slightest bit interested. Ended up running past Fitness First, past the Mall, got to Nolan's then turned around, headed to Brookvale, did a lap of Curl Curl ParkRun via South a Curl Curl headland (a massive detour), before heading back to Fitness First. Started playing mind games, telling myself to push for the 2 hour mark. But it was arguably silly enough going this far, so surely going beyond 90 minutes/20km was pushing the friendship. Stocked to complete the run feeling no worse than before I started. Decided to get a final 30 minutes on the stationary bike, which was mostly spent reading the qualifying reports from this morning's Canadian Grand Prix. Should be a good race, pity I don't have Foxtel!

Saturday cross-training - 20 minute effort, 10 x 500m (off 60 seconds), 30 minutes steady (am) + 30 minutes easy running (pm)

Hopefully the last of the hard rowing ergo sessions. Had a quick chat to Gary last night, and we agreed that I need to test the Achilles on an easy run first, so that is the plan for this afternoon. In the interim, I had a slight sleep in this morning, getting up at half six. Fitness First at Dee Why was the location once again, expensive but fantastic set-up. A bloody tough session, starting with a 20 minute effort. Got through this slightly better than anticipated, getting 5160m averaging 1:56.6/500m pace. A five minute break then straight into some 500m efforts. The trick with these is to keep in mind that there are 10 repetitions, so pacing is key. Only went slower on one, with the following splits; 1.54.9, 1:55.1, 1:54.9, 1:54.8, 1:54.6, 1:54.6, 1:54.6, 1:54.5, 1:54.2, and 1:53.9. Another quick break before finishing with a 30 minute cool-down/steady row, averaging 2:07.2/500m pace, 7090m. 17.44km all up. A beautiful day out there, it's morning's like these when it is hard being stuck indoors. Not long now!

Got out for an easy 30 minute run!!! Could notice the left Achilles from about 30 seconds onwards, but it wasn't pain - more or less just a sensation. It didn't get worse, and if anything, felt better towards the end. Can't believe how much I have missed running - you don't realise how blessed you are until you can no longer do it. The real test will be to see how it pulls up over the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. 6.67km holding 4:30's, 132 beats per minute.

Thursday cross-training - 4000m, 2000m, 2 x 1000m, 2 x 500m (off 2 minutes, 90 seconds, 4 x 60 seconds) (am) + 40 minutes on the stationary cycle (pm).

Quite a massive one this morning. Decided to go to Fitness First at Dee Why as my free trials have all but expired. It may be expensive, but it is a world class facility. Despite the toughness of this session, I always enjoy ladder sessions such as these ones, especially as the distance of the effort progressively decreases. Doesn't make the session any easier physically, but psychologically it is more tolerable. Once again, I was happy with how it worked out, averaging 1:56.4, 1:54.8, 1:54.8, 1:55.3, 1:54.8 and 1:53.9/500m pace for the 4000m, 2000m, 2 x 1000m, and 2 x 500m respectively. Those first two efforts really did take a toll, as you can see my second 1000m rep was slower, and my first 500m wasn't exactly firing. The rest periods between efforts was quite short, not helping the cause. Nevertheless, happy to get the 9km worth of efforts done. Finished off with 30 minutes steady, bringing up 16.2km all up. Achilles is feeling 80-90% (considering it was about 2% last week), so very close to running again. To be honest, I could have 50/50 run today, and in the past, definitely would have done so. However, I want to be 110% before I run again. I reckon it will be touch and go for a weekend return.

40 minute spin on the stationary bike before lunch. 19.3km.

Wednesday cross-training - 60 minutes rowing + 30 minutes cycling

The Achilles is feeling the best it has in over a fortnight! It is my 14th day of not running (minus a failed early attempt Sunday week ago). So very encouraging. Similar to last Wednesday, I broke the planned 90 minutes medium long run down to 60/30 on the rower/bike (again, going beyond 60 minutes on the ergo would be torture)! As I have observed consistently over the past fortnight, my rowing is improving every session (kind of expected I guess). Comfortably held 2:04.8/500m pace, brining up just shy of 14.5km. To put that into context, my first 60 minutes continuous 12 days ago got me 12.8km. Probably pushing the pace slightly more, but not significantly so. Straight onto the bike for a 30 minute spin. Unusually, Anytime Fitness in Manly only has two bikes - one of which has been out of order ever since I have been there. Today, the 'working' bike's screen display no longer works! Didn't care much, just sat there and spun the legs for 30 minutes on the same resistance as previously trying to maintain 90 rpm. 90 minutes of mixed cross training certainly is tougher than th 90 minute medium long run. Hopefully the last of the former is done and dusted (until my next injury). Fingers crossed.

Tuesday cross-training - 4 x 2000m (off 90 seconds) + 8km steady (am) + 40 minute spin on the stationary cycle (pm)

Decided I didn't need to get up so early this morning, so hit the snooze button on my alarm a number of times. Went with some 2km reps. Originally wanted four, then optimistically thought perhaps five? Silly idea, and didn't go down the latter route. This was thought this morning. Felt great, but just a hard session! Very happy with the averages in the end, holding 1:56.5, 1:56.4, 1:55.9, and 1:56.0/500m pace. Ironically, the first two were the toughest. No way I could have gone for a fifth. A quick walk around before a steady 8km (got to get to 16km) holding an average 2:06.9/500m pace. Rode home via the beach - amazing surf, with a whole heap of photographers gathering around North Steyne SLSC along with a helicopter filming some crazy surfers! Will head out for an easy 40 minute spin sometime later today.

Out of free trials at Fitness First, so had to pay up today. 40 minutes of easy spinning, 19.9km.

Monday cross-training - 40 minutes rowing + 40 minutes cycling

Really spent some time last night massaging and icing the Achilles, and it felt a lot better this morning upon getting out of bed (usually the worst time of day). Did notice last night that the whole region on the outside of my ankle is swollen and red! Anyway, this morning I substituted the planned 80 minutes easy of running for 40/40 on the rower and cycle. It's amazing how much easier it is mentally to row for 20 minutes less than yesterday. Got just under 9.6km averaging 2:05.7/500m pace. Then 25.9km on the bike. The latter is easier, but arguably more boring. Frustrating that I am still not running, but at least I am keeping fit (arguably fitter). Just got to take each day as it comes I guess.

Sunday cross-training - 60 minutes rowing + 60 minutes on the stationary cycle

The weather was even worse this morning, so much so that I drove down to the gym! Today is a tough one, not in terms of intensity but for duration. The first hour is harder, as time slows down to a greater extent on the rower compared with the bike (at least with the latter you can check Facebook, etc). Felt ordinary for the initial 10 minutes, got through to 20 minutes, then the remaining 40 felt great. Finished the latter two-thirds very strongly, coming home in 14.3km at 2:05.8/500m average. A quick transition to the bike where holding an rpm of 90 was a bit of a slog. Boring as hell, but at least I stayed out of the elements outdoors. 37.4km on the bike. A solid long endurance session, pumped for some breakfast now!

Saturday cross-training - 3 x 3000m (off 2 minutes) + 30 minutes steady (am) + 40 minute spin on the stationary bike

Couldn't have been happier to have been injured this morning. It is absolutely grim out there today (and predicted to get worse). I stayed nice and dry, riding down with an umbrella in hand to Anytime Fitness for another ergo session. Went with the above mentioned session. A tough one, but nothing is impossible. Happy with how it went, progressively increasing the pace with each rep. Averages were 1:58.4, 1:57.1, and 1:56.5. Almost felt like collapsing on the floor after rep number three (I didn't). A quick walk around to get some more blood to the legs before settling in for a nice and steady half an hour (this is just as tough - mentally that is)! 30 minutes did the job. All up, 16.1km in 65 minutes. Planning for an easy 40 minutes of the bike later today, and perhaps even a quick jog (most likely on the treadmill) to test the Achilles.

A nice, easy, and dry spin on the bike for 40 minutes before lunch. 26.9km. A few strides up and down the car park underneath my place to test the Achilles - still there, but pain intensity has reduced a lot, and it didn't get worse - both of which are encouraging! Hopefully not long now (although the weather isn't exactly motivating to run)!

Thursday cross-training - 8 x 1000m (off 60 seconds) + 8km steady (am) + 40 minute spin on the stationary bike (pm)

Well, my 7-day free trial at Manly Beach Health Club officially expired yesterday. I rang them up stating that I am happy to pay for a casual membership, or perhaps even a 7-day pass (I don't want to commit long term as I plan to be back running ASAP). However, they wanted a $90 joining fee and a minimum 2-month pass, with the requirement of a minimum 30-day notification period of cancellation. Too complicated, I went elsewhere. Was going to try Anytime Fitness in Manly, but they didn't have admin people available until later this morning. So I went to Fitness First at Dee Why. Was happy to pay the $20 casual fee, but then realised that the lady at Fitness First in Randwick never asked for my code number for the free one session trial. So tried using it this morning, and it worked! A fantastic gym, and surprisingly not too many wankers there! Got an ergo (the dreaded Concept 2) and went for 1km reps. Each was progressively quicker, starting at 1:57.3 down to 1:54.5/500m average pace. Quite brutal actually. But felt controlled, and very happy with how it went. A few minutes to stand up and walk around, then into an easy steady 8km to get just past the 16km mark (34:00 exactly). A solid session. The Achilles is feeling so-so, but haven't taken any Ibuprofen yet. At least I haven't lost any fitness!

Came to the realisation that the Nike's I have been wearing predominantly (both running and at work/study) have half the heel missing out of the sole on the left side! That's the side I am injured on. Put the Saucony's on this morning, and can jog slightly with only a very mild discomfort! Could it have been as simple as that? Fingers crossed. Tempted to try a very light and easy run in the Saucony's, but after some words of wisdom from Tom & Emma, I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow and go from there. 40 minutes of easy spinning on the stationary bike. 28.1km. Clearly differences in machines account for the discrepancies in cycling distance.

Wednesday cross-training - 60 minutes steady rowing + 30 minutes steady stationary cycle

This was a mental battle from the start. 60 minutes continuous on the Concept 2 rower is psychological torture. Bumped into Burkey just before I started (another injured Manly runner), which made me feel a little less reclusive. Anyway, dragged through the hour getting 14.1km, averaging 2:07.4/500m pace. Then on the bike for 30 minutes, 13.9km. Couldn't fathom 90 minutes on the rower, hence the latter. Looks highly unlikely that I will be racing North Head on Saturday. Oh well, plenty of other races to look forward to (besides, not sure it is going to have a strong showing at the front end)!