Week 7: Letting Go

I found out this week that I don't have a stress fracture and can begin running and cycling again.  I plan on letting go of everything I knew to be true about running from last year and start from scratch.

Letting go.  It's an interesting concept.  I don't know about you but I seem to hold onto things when I shouldn't.  Sometimes I hold onto things that aren't even in my possession.  Maybe sometimes it's good to just let go and start over.  The new year always seems a great time to do this.  Wipe the slate clean.  Start fresh. (Yeah, you can read between the lines and realize I'm not just talking about running.  Be my guest.)

My plans?  To do the airsquats I should have been doing.  Use the blue band Dr Sadri gave me.  Do all of the hip, glute, and quad exercises I need to be doing.  And slowly start running again.  Take care of my body this time instead of beating it into the ground.  Stretch.  Ice. Massage.

I'm also going to spend the next 12 days off from work cleaning out my basement and house and getting it ready for the 2011 Tri Season.  I'm excited.  I'm giddy.  I'm happy once again.

There are a lot of ups and downs training for triathlons.  I'm letting go of the downs and invite you to do the same.  Let's get out there and get ready for 2011.  I get the chills just thinking about how completely remarkable and fantastic it is going to be.

Week 6: Patience

I'll be the first to admit that patience has never been a strength for me.  I want what I want and I want it now.  So perhaps it's a good thing that Triathlon came into my life.  To force me to slow down.

Wait, you are thinking, that doesn't make any sense.  Aren't tris all about being fast?  Well yes and no.  And after spending the past 6 months or so pushing as hard as I could and training like crazy, it's very hard for me to accept the off-season.  Forced on me because your body needs rest after training so much but also because of injuries.

I never dreamed that the hardest part of the triathlon game was going to be mental for me.  Never thought of that at all when I got into this sport.  The worst part lately has been me questioning whether or not my body will ever heal.  What if I'm told to never run again?  What if I don't build the legs necessary to be able to fly on the bike?  Quite simply: what if I don't reach the goals I have set for myself?

So my solution to that shows up in two places.  One being the experience of my fellow athletes who give me advice and comfort.  The ones who have suffered stress fractures, broken collar bones, and hamstring tears who say "yes, you will recover and you will come back stronger than ever and you will succeed".  I don't know if they have any idea how helpful their words are...the impact is incredible and powerful and fills me with hope.

The other being finding ways to fill the time.  Swimming, lifting weights, and finishing all those projects around the house.  And realizing that 2011 may be the year where I won't be fast.  I won't podium.  I won't break any records.  But I'll become strong.  And more importantly, maybe it's the year that I finally learn to to be patient.

Week 5: The Diet Begins

Diet.  Ugh.  Yes, I said it.  I’m 5 weeks into my Ironman Training and it’s the off season and my injuries prevent me from doing anything other than swimming with a pool buoy and upper body weight training.

I admit I have been using food a little bit, comfort food, to ease the pain.  But after seeing 135.2 on the scale for the past few days, I had to face the fact that dieting needed to commence.

So here we go again.  If you ever dieted, and I imagine most of you have.  Because endurance athletes know that body weight is a huge factor in running and cycling fast.  I could cite many examples but I think Lance Armstrong is the one I always think of.  When he dropped the weight after getting cancer, he then went on to win all those Tours.  There are many who say he would never have gone on to victory at his pre-cancer weight.

There is this theory out there that one should gain a few pounds during the off season so that you have it to lose when you start up hard training again.  I don’t believe in this.  And I have read so many articles to the contrary.  I believe that it’s important to maintain your ideal weight.  And when you start burning more calories, then add more calories to your diet to fuel your training.

My goal?  128 pounds.  This puts me at 10% bodyfat.  That’s about the lowest I can safely achieve without health issues.  I think the first 5 pounds will come off pretty quickly because I have bounced around between 130 and 135 for the past month.

It’s breaking the 130 mark that has proven so difficult for me.  And without running or cycling to aid me, it’s going to be all food.  I’m ready.  I know what it feels like for my stomach to be screaming at me to eat while my brain is saying “no way, I have a goal here, and you Ms. Tummy, with all your incessant screaming, are NOT going to ruin that for me.”

Wish me luck.  Say a prayer.  But please don’t tempt me with anything yummy.  For I surely will cave.

Weeks 3 and 4

I raced injured for the majority of this year and am committed to not doing that again in 2010.  Luckily IMFL is in November and I have plenty of time to heal, and build my running base back up.  There's not much to say because training right now is quite different from what I will be doing next year.  Rejoined LA Fitness so I can do yoga, spin, and lift weights.  Swimming one day a week and long rides on Sundays. 

Yesterday's ride was a drag.  I went from 16.6 avg mph to 14.4 for the same distance and course.  The wind was 10-15 mph and I went from loving Silk Sheets to hating it.  I mentally couldn't do it yesterday and wished I was off the bike almost the entire time.  The highlight of the ride was when a deer came flying across the road chased by two dogs.  It was a beautiful sight.

I ran the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving day with Jeannine and although it was a ball because we took our time and made many stops, I realize in retrospect, that it was not moving me towards recovery.  I'm headed off to see Dr Julien today so I can find out exactly what is wrong, and discover his path to health.  I am guessing it's 3-4 more weeks of not running.  There is plenty of time.  No need to hurry.

Week 2

This week was very hard on me mentally.  I was told by my doctor on Wednesday that I was to stop running for 6 weeks.  I love running.  During a low time in my training recently, and by low, I mean I'm sick of swimming and cycling, I had seriously thought about quitting tris and taking up ultras and just running.  Because running takes me to a place that is so freeing and peaceful and lovely, that I can't imagine my life without it.  So there I am on Wednesday.  And I'm on my back with Dr. Cho working on my left foot.  And I'm staring at the ceiling with tears welled up in my eyes.  And I'm thinking, did they really just tell me that?

Did they just tell me I can't do the thing that occurs to most people like breathing or eating?  How can I get around this and still run the Atlanta Half Marathon?  How can I still run?  And my friends wouldn't hear of it.  Beat me down.  Made me realize I was being stupid and stubborn.  So I won't run.  And I'll figure this all out.  And I'll come back healthy and start all over again.  Because that's what people do.

Success of the week?  Well, I was finally able to ride aero on my aero bars for 50 miles.  I had them installed about 6 weeks ago and have been incredibly nervous every time I got into aero position so I would never stay more than a minute and was freaking out.  On Sunday, I just told myself I could do it...and did.  That was on the flat Silver Comet Trail.  This Sunday I'm hitting Silk Sheets and hoping I can do the same on hills like I did on the flats.

All this happened while fighting off a pretty bad cold.  Next week will be better.

360 Days to go...

This past Saturday I joined about 20 of my friends in Panama City Beach FL to volunteer at and cheer on the athletes at Ironman Florida.  It was an absolutely amazing experience.  I was assigned to work the kayaks and woke up early Saturday.  Well yes at 2 am.  I set my alarm for 3:45 since we had to be there at 5 am.  But in true triathon fashion, I woke up early and laid in bed staring at the bottom of the bunk bed I lay under.  After a horrible experience at Waffle House, note to self: only drunk people go to WH at 4 am, I ran to the beach while eating my food out of a plastic container.  It was 37 degrees outside.  That was just plain wrong.  Originally supposed to be a lifeguard, I was elated to my upgrade to kayaker.  It was peaceful and serene despite the cold temps and amazing to see 2500+ people swimming by me.  I only had to help out one guy who was struggling.  And I was so happy to see Ben Holiday who is a friend of mine when he stopped to say hi.  The rest of the day is a blur.  Cheering, drinking, celebrating with friends.  Mostly watching everyone in the marathon since the bike portion was impossible to watch.

We dressed in costumes so that we could add some cheer to the long day ahead.  I'm pretty sure the athletes loved it.  Especially when we yelled out their names.  I was hoarse by mid-day.

But certainly the best part was the last hour when everyone went crazy bringing in the remainder of the competitors who were still on the course.  It brought tears to my eyes.

I went to Florida 100% certain I would not sign up.  I had no interest.  So I'm not sure what happened that I woke up Sunday morning and decided to walk down and sign up for next year's race.  It came out of peace.  There was no question in my mind that it was the right thing to do.  And I'm still sure of my decision.  It feels good knowing that in less that a year, I'll be making the same journey.