The Core

Sorry to read about all the injuries LM. I think we all go through periods of that sometimes and hopefully this is just a bad string.

One thing I have prioritized a lot more in recent years is not getting hurt and not getting sick... but since I'm sometimes careless or stupid or (charitably) unlucky, you can't avoid it.

>>plantar fasciitis

I was watching some videos from a woman who is a Feldenkrais practitioner who claims that she can fix PF and people not getting paid to do so say she can. Articles like this
https://www.balancedrunner.com/how-to-fix-plantar-fasciitis-or-plantar-fasciosis/

Unfortunately, her writing and videos are just too abstract for me. It may work, but I struggle to connect my body to her words. Maybe it will mean something to you (I don't have PF; I found her for other reasons).

>lifestyle options

I spent about a year pursuing that.  I tried to increase my carbohydrates to see if it would bring my SHGB down, but it didn't work. 

Well, if eating a lot of carbs help, at least I have that going for me! I looked into the lifestyle options for 10 minutes with a few Google searches and they did not seem likely to have much impact. That's what my neighbor who was a physician who did a lot of TRT with his patients said as well (he injects testosterone as well and thinks everyone over 50 should). Problem is he is also an anti-vaxxer, Covid-denier, anti-masker (not to mention huge Bitcoin booster and climate change denier).

If I took his advice, I would be taking T injections, un-vaxxed, un-masked, heavily invested in Bitcoin and reading books about how the drug companies started Covid to boost profits and using terms like "mass murderers" to refer to companies like Moderna and Pfizer.  So basically I discount everything he says, even though he was a practicing physician for a long time, did a lot of blood testing and HRT with a wide variety of patients and his strong bias based on clinical experience is that your experience is typical.

>>ibuprofen

None of that.

>>Strength & stamina have improved

That's good. Any news on where you are on the wait list? What, if anything, is happening there?

>If I took his advice, I would be taking T injections, un-vaxxed, un-masked, heavily invested in Bitcoin and reading books about how the drug companies started Covid to boost profits and using terms like "mass murderers" to refer to companies like Moderna and Pfizer.

A broken clock is right twice a day.

>nsaids

I find it amazing how many things that we just assumed were safe end up potentially dangerous.

>>plantar fasciitis

Thanks for the link, I didn't get it from running as much as from walking fast. One of the issues with this type of injury is that a food will heal in a relaxed position when sleeping and then when one puts weight on their foot the fascia will stretch and reopen the micro tears -- causing a pattern that takes a long time to undo.  I've been bounding my foot up in an arched back position when I sleep to keep that from happening.

>Sparthos Wrist Support Sleeves

Those look pretty nice!

>I'm doing well.   Strength & stamina have improved a little lately.

Definitely good to hear!

>My diet is highly experimental (72 oz of black coffee a day, heavy on meat) but the labs keep coming in within range so the doc & nutritionist keep quiet.

Sounds like a diet I'd be very happy with.

Thanks for the recommendation.

>A broken clock is right twice a day.

Of course the responsible answer would be to recommend getting your numbers checked out.  There are many healthy men in their 50s, 60s and even in their 70s who have very good hormone numbers.   If you are interested in getting a basic hormone panel get your Total, Free and Bio-available Testosterone checked; total testosterone* is really not enough to give you a complete picture.  Also, get your SHBG and E2 (Estradiol) numbers because they interact with the other ones and it will help to explain the greater picture.  Get the blood work done in the morning following a previous day with an average amount of activity and an average amount of sleep**.

*On my initial test my TT was in the high average range and my concerns were dismissed.  Several months of process could have been avoided if I requested the finer details first.

**Stressors like lack of sleep could really alter your numbers

>But said physician doses people to be 1500 to 1800 for total T, which would be very high even for a 19yo.

Yeah, that's not TRT at that point, but supplementation.  Numbers tend to be highest when you first wake up, but I did read that time of day is less of a factor as we get older -- probably because of the influence of greater SHBG.

>>sounds like a lot

It does, but it sounds like you're avoiding pushing too hard. There is a running coach whose podcast I listen to and he talks a lot about "stress buckets." Some people have very large stress buckets. Some people have small ones. Some pro athletes have huge stress buckets very little going into their stress bucket other than training, so they can train a lot. Some people have more normal buckets and they have demanding jobs, kids to take care of, etc, etc. So they can only have so much room left in their stress bucket for training.

I have found that a helpful framework.

Personally, I've been feeling strange since returning from a trip in early October. For a few days, I was cold all the time, and now more like mildly feverish or tired sometimes, but very mild and only occasionally. So for three days, I will feel better than I have in years where I'm running well and climbing hard, working on one of the hardest climbs I've ever attempted. And then on days like today, just blah and take a rest day or even two.

Probably mentioned this elsewhere. But this Guy is changing views on eating over here. Anyone interested in reading round diet is sure to get something from it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spoon-Fed-almost-everything-about-wrong/dp/1529112737/

I think a lot of the research was done in the US, but its all about the Gut, and why not only processed foods are bad for your diet but your mental health too.

About the Author
Tim Spector is a professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London and honorary consultant physician at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals. He is a multi-award-winning expert in personalised medicine and the gut microbiome, and the author of five books, including the bestsellers Spoon-Fed and The Diet Myth. He appears regularly on TV, radio and podcasts around the world, and is one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. He is co-founder of the personalised nutrition company ZOE and leads the world's biggest citizen science health project, the ZOE Health study. He was awarded an OBE in 2020 for his work fighting Covid-19.

Ergo:
Interesting framework.  I don't think I am filling that big of a bucket in this case because it is just one set per muscle group per day, so I am recovering pretty fully in the 24 hours in between even though that one set is to failure.

Sorry about the on and off fatigue.  I hope it goes away soon.  That said, you fatigued are still a badass.  I woudn't try most of the things you do on a regular basis. Congrats on the climbs.

Creative666:
>6mm
Man, I've been told stones ara about the most painful thing a person could deal with.  Please let us know how the surgery goes.

Rupert:
That's interesting stuff.  I'll have to check him out more.