Days 19 & 20 Training, and Adventures in Chiropody!

So after reaching the elusive 30 mile barrier the previous Sunday, it wasn't until the Saturday 19th of May that I managed to get my next bit of training in for The Long Push 2012.

DAY 19 : SATURDAY 19th MAY 10.4 miles 
Todays training was just a gentle 10.4 miles around the seafront from around 5.00pm. Nothing much to report about this one, although I did stop for a few minutes to loosen both trucks to see if I could straighten out the grip tape that is moving under vibration. It worked...kinda...sorta! But since then it's worked loose again. I may just have to take the tape off around the drop thru slots. Only 10.4 miles, but probably all that I needed just to keep me on track after last Sunday's tough journey.

ADVENTURES IN CHIROPODY!
WARNING! THIS POST INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS OF MY FEET!
Those of a nervous disposition are advised to skip this paragraph and move forward to 'Day 20'! Photo's follow these arrows:
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The things I do for charity!!! 

In all my 47 years I've never been to a chiropodist. I should have! I've been dogged with at least one persistent bugger of a corn/veruca or something for years. Tried to Bazuka it (other foot therapy remedies are also available) and thought I'd succeeded but, alas, no. But now I'm an athlete (ahem!) it seems like the time to get these things sorted once and for all. And both feet were troubling me on the 30 mile journey recently. So, I bit the bullet and took the recommendation to try a local chiropodist who came highly recommended, named ANDREW HANNAH. And he was very good.

Before...with corns on outsides of both feet

After...avec bandages!

He identified the problems with my feet very quickly and made some recommendations about how I should be starting to treat them on a daily basis. Then he got down to sorting out the two corns, one on each foot. I winced and clenched my teeth while he went to work, digging out the offending corns. Andrew commented that he'd rather work on women's feet than men's because women have a much greater pain threshold and are less likley to kick him in the face in a reflex action to the work! He's probably right! Still, it didn't last long and he finished by bandaging them up and telling me to keep the bandages on as long as possible to allow the wounds to heal. Straight away I could feel the difference. Money and time well spent I think. So I wonder why I waited so long to have it done???

DAY 20:  THURSDAY 24th MAY : 14.4 miles
The seafront was the background for this training push again tonight, but this time the temperature was up, so the shorts were on and the sky was blue when I started, with the sun setting behind me as I finished up. I still had the bandages on my feet from the chiropodist visiting, but they were no trouble in my DC's. I varied my route a little on these few miles, just to shake things up a bit. I love Southport seafront for longboarding, but I'm keen to get out of town and skate The Long Push route more in training. All helps in researching the route for anything I may have missed when I planned out the route by car over the winter.

Bright orange In Heat's stealing the sunset's thunder!

Tonight was the first time I'd done any real kind of distance since changing the 83A Orangatang 'Durian's' for the softer 80A Orangatang 'In Heat's. I put on the standard core versions, saving the aluminium core ones for The Long Push itself. I still haven't found time to put the Paris 180 trucks on yet, but I will. 

I was expecting the softer wheels to be smoother, naturally, but with the wider contact profile I was also expecting them to be a tad slower too. Not so. I'd had a quick blast around the promenade the night before, but not enough to call it training. But it had had been enough to get the new Loaded 'Jehu' bearings rolling, and because the seafront area is pretty smooth all the way round, I noticed barely any loss in speed. Good result. Very pleased with the 'In Heat's'. Finished up just as a few people gathered around the sea wall to watch the sunset, while I spoke a few words into the camera again. The only problem I had tonight was a really annoying 'creaking' sound that started. I wasn't sure what it was at the time, but I talk about it in the video.

*VIDEO TO BE ADDED ONCE I FIND A DECENT WI-FI CONNECTION TO UPLOAD IT!*

Thanks again to Kyle Chin at LOADED BOARDS and Richard Birchwood at J&R SPORTS for supplying The Long Push with the ORANGATANG 'In Heat' wheels.

Day 21 training coming soon...

Chris