LIFESAVERS

IMIT (IRONMEN IN TRAINING):
Do you feel tired all the time?  Do your muscles ache before, during and after your workouts?  Are you having trouble sleeping?  Do you suffer from pain in one or all of your joints?  Are your muscles so tight they feel like a leather belt?  When you move, do your muscles go into spasm? 

You may be suffering from IMOTS (IRONMAN OVER TRAINING SYNDROME).  Some athletes go into a IMMD (IRONMAN MELTDOWN), while others take sleeping aides, magic rubbing ointments, or whatever over the counter cocktails they can safely mix together.  Your coach might recommend a shot of 7 HOUR BIKE RIDE to cure you of your IMOTS!

We all have experienced one or more of these symptoms and we each have to find a way to get our weary bodies through the last 6 weeks of training and to the start line with a strong healthy body.  I wanted to take the time to recognize how I am getting through these ROUGH PATCHES (as one of my VIPs likes to call them) and talk about my LIFESAVERS.

My LIFESAVERS are the people who make a difference in giving me the physical and mental capacity to keep training.    Lately, my massage therapist (Cory), has been the lifesaver who has helped relieve the tension in my entire body and especially get mobility back in my arm and shoulder and deal with the pain I have been having in my arm and shoulder and every other part of my body.  My stick helps to roll out my screaming muscles, my 400 SKINS full body compression gear aides in muscle recovery, and Dr. Hoy's miracle cream alleviates some soreness and provides some temporary relief.  But, nothing works like the healing touch of the hands.  Cory does an amazing job molding my muscles back into the shape they are supposed to take around my skeleton.  He is able to release the tension that builds up over miles of training and restore my range of motion and abolish trigger points.  His knowledge of how the body is connected and his passion for healing along with being an IM himself, he takes the extra time to keep this IMIT moving forward.  I thought I was going to be able to make it through this journey on my own, but I am most grateful to have someone that can keep me in the game as what I thought was an individual sport really requires a full team of players.

My next LIFESAVER is Jeff, who I call my bicyclologist, because he knows everything BIKES and not only did he create a bike to fit my short stature, but he has been there through the entire journey providing me with individualized instruction and endless tips about the bike and how to ride it.  Most people think riding a bike is second nature, but it is really not something that we are born with and though some might be natural at pedaling, there are optimal ways to pedal to produce power and conserve energy.  In fact, we had a training session where the focus was about energy management and working on the best strategies for pedaling and changing gears.  Jeff taught me a way to remember key principles for riding with an acronym he created that he uses when training cyclist at all levels called C.A.L.M which stands for cadence, air, leverage, and momentum.  Using these principles, he taught me ways to work on cadence and shifting to manage my energy for endurance riding, specifically for Ironman.  He is the most passionate teacher and has so much knowledge to share.  He has an amazing way of teaching the basics I was missing to try and fill in the gaps from the simplest skills to stopping, starting, cornering, pedal technique, changing gears, using your upper body as an anchor and engaging all 4 limbs, and standing, along with nutritional tips, bike accessories, and how to get through a "rough patch" when your mind does a 180 and you have to get your head back in the game to move forward.  He always shares the latest and greatest research on riding a bike and is an eternal learner who seeks data from his clients and then develops individualized strategies for them based on their learning style.  Jeff knows what I need and he has been there to help me achieve my goal of finishing an Ironman.  He talks for the entire time I am with him and I have spent countless hours captivated by his knowledge which will come in handy on race day as I repeat the words he has put into my head.  I have to give Jeff a lot of the credit for helping me find the "right" bike and teaching me to ride it.  Don't assume just because you can pedal that you can ride!  His voice will be by my side during the 112 mile bike ride.

Other LIFESAVERS on this journey are my ANGELS.   One day at a team meeting, my friends Al and Dee and I called ourselves the ANGELS for Charlie's Angels, but we were playing a game with our friend and our team name was Paul's Angels.   Everyone is lucky if they have one angel watching over them, but I have been lucky to have 2 angels watching over me from the beginning when I jointed the racelab team.  We send daily texts, do some of our extra workouts together, and take girls nights out when in crisis or not.  They are my life line when the chips are down or up.  We laugh together and we cry together and we hang tough together.  When one angel is down, we find a way to turn things around.

Besides my angels, I have an entire team of support between all the racelab coaches and athletes.  If one person is struggling or excelling, the SEA OF YELLOW is always close by at group workouts, races, meetings, emails, or on facebook to energize, encourage, lend a hand, give a pat on the back, a hug, or a "I know how you feel" nod.  The coaches serve as our guides leading us through the workouts day after day and week after week.  The IM team makes it easier to get up at 3:30 in the morning as I look forward to sharing the journey with them.  The sag vehicle is always a source of comfort to remind you that you are not alone on this journey along with filling up your water bottle!

And last but not least again is my husband and my son who are tolerating this crazy schedule and enduring my absence like true IM fans.  Without them to come home to, I might not survive.  They are my favorite flavor in my pack of LIFESAVERS and I am thankful for their support in encouraging me every step of the way.

We are a step closer to the START Line.  I completed a brick workout with a 71 mile ride/3 mile run on Saturday and our longest run today of 20 miles followed by an hour swim.  No athlete can achieve this without a pack of LIFESAVERS.  I am thankful that my IM budget has been extended to include everything I need (even if we are in deficit spending).  We will balance the budget at the FINISH LINE.  Sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.  I know I will be rich at the END!