ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

While driving home from work on Tuesday, I was asking myself whether I should go ride or run that afternoon.  The question was answered for me when I got rear ended on Tuesday and sustained a minor Whiplash Injury.  Stunned after getting hit from behind and being pushed into the car in front of me, I was able to get out of my car and ask the guy behind me, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?".  When a motor cycle cop showed up at the scene within minutes, he directed us to pull off the road.  When I got back into my car, my neck locked up and I was unable to turn my head.  After being checked out by the paramedics and turning down the ride in the ambulance I was standing in the parking lot with a fat lip and stiff neck deciding what to do next.  Of course, my husband was out of town and I was unable to reach a friend to come pick me up.  As time went on, my muscles relaxed and I was able to get into my car and make the 3 mile drive home.  I knew going to the Emergency Room was in my best interest so a friend took me and we had "girls night out" in the ER.  The x-rays and CT scans of my neck and back confirmed that I did not have any fractures and that the muscles along my spine contracted to keep me safe and now I would have to deal with the consequences of the dreaded whiplash.  I received prescriptions for all kinds of muscle relaxants and pain relievers, but they did not realize that I was an IRONMAN!

So I laid on ice for 2 days and took my over the counter anti-inflammatories and slowly started moving around.  By the 5th day, I attempted a gentle spin on my trainer and a short swim both of which felt good, but today I am feeling the effects.  That is the thing with a car accident, you never know what you are going to get.  I am being optimistic that I will come back with a vengeance but will proceed with caution.   I am thankful nobody was seriously injured and the biggest headache is dealing with the insurance companies.  I am even more thankful that I was NOT on my bike when I got hit and that I am an Ironman which probably helped me avoid more complex injuries.  What's a little neck and back pain!  We overcome this every day.  I wish I could just take a protein drink and recover quickly, but I know this might be another small setback on the road because ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.
During this extended rest break this week, I was able to attend a talk by Joe Friel, Endurance Athlete Expert and Author on Five Training Tips for Endurance Athletes.  Here are the notes from the talk and what I am focusing on.  If you want more detailed information, pick up one of his books.   I am working on my goals as I type and looking forward to start reading his books.

FIVE LESSONS: TRAINING FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES by Joe Friel

1. SET GOALS THAT ARE OUTCOMES: outcome-oriented, challenging, realistic, well defined and measurable

• small number of goals (3)
• sub goals=training “objectives”
• training objectives based on “limiters” (things holding you back)

2. STRENGTHEN YOUR LIMITERS: fix weaknesses, what is holding you back?
   Limiters are race specific weaknesses and can include: course, competition, length of course, endurance, etc.

• Race your strengths
• Train your weaknesses (what are yours?)
• Common Limiters

• training knowledge and methods
• time
• equipment
• physiology (increase VO2 mac, increase lactate threshold, increase economy/amt of fuel needed)
• nutrition
• body weight
• injuries
• motivation
• support

3. CREATE A PLAN TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS BEGINNING WITH TRAINING OBJECTIVES: 16-24 weeks cycle to your FIRST EVENT OF SEASON
   Training becomes increasingly like racing
   A. BASE PERIOD (8-12 weeks): focus on general fitness, limiters, aerobic endurance, muscle force (weight training), and efficiency (speed)
   B. BUILD PERIOD (6-9 weeks): focus on race specific fitness (novice=duration and veteran=intensity) and race like intensity
   C. PEAK PERIOD (1-2 weeks): taper duration, race specific simulation
   D. RACE WEEK (1 week): focus on rest and short race intensity
4. MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARD GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   Example of what is measurable:

• Aerobic Endurance (Z2): Power/Pace/Speed divided by HR (if you use Power or Speed, number should increase)
• Anaerobic Threshold (Z4): 20 minute “FTP” test: how fast you can go in a 20 minute period (you can measure power, pace and/or speed): 9 mile hill good place to test yourself!
• Race Readiness: B or C-priority race performance
• Patience: always emphasize 3^rd quarter of your workout. Divide workout into 4 quarters and make Q3 your best.....all top athletes do “negative splits”

5. REFINE YOUR SKILLS:

Early base period: skills come before strength, speed, and stamina
Bike: Bike Fit, Engage the pedal earlier in the downstroke to increase average power
Run: Decrease ground contact time
Swim: Catch

Resources: TrainingBible.com/freeresources; jfriel@trainingbible.com; joefrielsblog.com

SPECTATOR SPORT

Who in their right mind would go out and watch a sport that lasts for 17 hours!  Who would get up before the sun rises to secure a spot to watch 2700 people jump into an urban lake and swim 2.4 miles at the same time.  The sight of 5400 arms and 5400 legs splashing through the turbulent sea created by humans trying to complete the first of 3 challenges fighting off blunt trauma from a kick in the head or an elbow in the eye.  The spectators run to the transition shoot to watch the athletes try to re-orient to a vertical position after being stripped of their wetsuits and run to the changing tent to donne their form fitting bike gear.  We run over to the 112 mile bike course where we count 3 loops and look for our friends as we admire the beautiful shiny vehicles on two wheels and the buzzing sound they make as they whoosh by.  We scream every time we see someone we know and even harder on the next loop as we know that muscles are tightening as legs reach their limit pedaling in circles and stomachs are churning as the athletes try to keep their carbohydrate stores topped off.  The spectator looks at their watch and decides to wait just a few more minutes (at least 10 times to try and give everyone that last needed cheer) before running to T2 where the athletes hand their bike to a stranger who has graciously volunteered to valet park their most prized possession and off they go to change into their running shoes to carry on the final task of the ultimate test, a 26.2 mile run.  We find different spots on the zig and the zag to call out their names (which are marked on their race numbers).  We even manage to find time to volunteer for a 6 hour shift at a run aide station handing out water to the parched who are struggling to push beyond their limits to achieve greatness.  You can see the conflict between pain and joy as each athletes strives to achieve a goal that they have set to cross the finish line.  For some making it to the start is a victory, but for most reaching the finish before midnight is the final payoff!

As a ONE time Ironman Finisher and a FOUR time Ironman Spectator, I can truly say, that SPECTATING and VOLUNTEERING are no easy walk in the park.  I have always been just as fatigued, if not more, when on the other side of the fence.  Spectating requires endurance and patience for being on your feet, being able to persevere over the desire to sit, eat, or take a nap, to be alert and ready to give the athlete the support or the boost of energy they need.  I don't think most of us could complete the 140.6 miles if it were not for our spectators and volunteers whether it be that cup of water, that word of encouragement, that understanding of the pain we are feeling at that moment, that distraction from the voice that is trying to tell us to stop, that cold sponge, sip of coke, drink of warm chicken broth, a sprinkle of salt, or just a simple smile can turn a race around for an athlete.

It warmed my heart when I saw an athlete who was stuck inside of themselves and you could provide them with a smile to help them through that moment.  (Even, if you could not see it on their face.).

This year spectating was even more fun being part of ONE Multisport's famous aide station on the run.  Last year it was the boost of energy on the lonely side of the lake that kept me going to finish my first Ironman and this year I got to be part of planning and executing this great aide station.  Ironman selects groups to operate the aide stations and the Ironman Foundation donates funds to a charity of their choice.  This year the theme was ONE CARES and we were supporting an organization called "PEPPED UP" (http://www.peppedup.org/) who donate electronic devices to children fighting cancer to help them stay connected to friends and family and help the time go by during treatments and hospitalizations.  We dressed in our club color scrubs and had great music and it was a great big party.    I think we PEPPED UP our runners as well!

So, is IRONMAN a spectator sport?  Only for those who have the endurance and the guts to appreciate the beauty of the sport, respect for the challenge of combining 3 endurance events into one day, and are inspired by the story of each athlete behind the journey and the fight.  To those who dare to come see what it is all about to watch, to cheer, to track, or to volunteer at the race, do so at your own risk, because this is where most IRONMAN get their start.....it's a very contagious sport and as far as I know there is NO KNOWN CURE!

Muscle Memory: Tri-ing to Remember!

As Arizona Ironman is approaching in less than a week and there is a lot of bottled energy waiting to be released on the course, I reflect back and think about that day and the journey to get there and this song runs through my mind.
(I wanted to post more pictures from my day, but my blog is not cooperating)

Memories
(from the WAY WE WERE, lyrics by Michelle Lewis),

SUPPORT CREW: Back to the Assembly Line

This week was about putting the pack of Lifesavers back together, the people that will support me through the next 11 months on the road to Chattanooga.

This week I met with my bicyclologist (my bike fitter and instructor), Jeff Lockwood from Lifesport, Inc.  He is the most brilliant bike guru in the area in my opinion.  We took time to get a baseline to see where I was starting from with a spin scan on the Compu-trainer.  The good news is that I improved from 68% to 98.2% efficiency from my initial assessment on my old bike from almost 2 years ago to present time.  The bad news was that although my technique was still improved, I had some corrections to make due to losing power midway in my pedal stroke and wasting energy.  A little instruction goes a long way to smooth out my spin scan and we reviewed the pedal stroke and used a little biofeedback on the video screen, then moved on to the dreaded ROLLERS that Jeff has wanted to put me on for a while.

Once I learned to balance on the rollers that Jeff uses between 2 walls with wooden platforms built up to roller height for quick exit and little training wheels on the front to prevent your bike from sliding off to the sides, I fell in love with my bike all over again.  You have to learn how to use your core to make corrections and it helps you pedal more evenly in a complete circle.  Jeff's goal for the session was to get me up and riding on rollers and to my surprise, he had success (as I am not the most coordinated cyclist on the block!).  Afterwards, he had me ride around the block outside to feel the effects and I can only describe the feeling as flying to the moon on my bike like ET!  I felt like I was floating.  I returned home later that day and told my husband we need to get some ROLLERS (and the little training wheels and platforms too!).  Jeff and I agreed that I could benefit a lot from doing some more sessions on the rollers.  So happy to finally make it back to work with Jeff and look forward to him helping me recoup and surpass my previous level of peak performance on my bike.  I also had Jeff help me find the RATTLE on my bike that was driving me crazy for the past few weeks.  Between Jeff and the mechanic, Mike at Curbside Cyclery it was determined that my crank was loose and a bearing needed replaced due to rusting out.  I got the double lecture about making sure you take your seat post after your bike gets wet and letting the insides dry out.  Jeff also felt that this may have been affecting my performance on my rides.  I am more inclined to believe it was my fitness level, but I will take any advantage I can get and hope that having my bike in tip top condition will only make me pedal better.

The next person that I have drafted for my team this year is Brooke Schohl of Fuel to the Finish Endurance Nutrition Coaching to help me get my nutrition back on track.  Her philosophy is trying to make endurance athletes more metabolically efficient by training the body to burn more fat.  My first goal was to get back down to a good training weight and Brooke is patiently trying to help me cut back on grains and combine nutrients and increase my protein and healthy fat intake.  My body weight has been directly related to the amount of exercise that I do which is a great side effect of endurance training, however, when the miles go away, the pounds return.  Weight control has been a struggle my entire life and I seem to lose the same 20 lbs over and over again.  Hopefully Brooke holds the magic key to helping me get rid of the excess as a lighter leaner athlete is a faster athlete.  I find that knowledge is one part, but action is the other part.

So I have hooked up with a friend (and new Ironman finisher herself) from a past support group and we have agreed to be accountability partners to help each other achieve our goals.  She also invited me to an online support group that are doing a Holiday Challenge since November and December are always challenging months for weight control with sweets all around.

Next week, I will return to the pool and restart my swim workouts on Wednesdays with my triathlon group and a few private lessons with Sole Swim Solutions (with the great coach Frank Sole).  I feel like I can slack on the swim, but it is always a nice toning, conditioning and recovery sport that I don't want to be away from the water for too long.  I made a pact with another IMIT to resume early morning swims!!!!

So for now, these are my current life savers.  My TRI CLUB, ONE MULTISPORT is like the wrapper that holds all the flavors together.  I just renewed my membership to a great club filled with all levels of triathletes who share the same passion whether it is to GO FAST AND HAVE A BLAST (according to founder, John T. Dean) or TO GO SLOW AND ENJOY THE SHOW (according to the Turtle with Wings).

This week I fell short on the number of workouts I would like, but that is ok after 2 race weekends in a row.  I did a 7 mile trail run and a 42 mile bike ride.  I signed up for a few running races in the next 2 months and am still working on putting together a training plan for IM Chattanooga.

JOKE:  What do triathletes do in their off season
ANSWER:  Train for a Marathon.

Well, I have tossed the idea of a marathon around, but my common sense is telling me to try and stick to the half marathon distance and save the marathon for IM....we shall see.  Especially after today's attempt at a long run when I bonked at 6 miles, walked 4 and called for a ride home for last 1.5.  It is always good to get a baseline check to measure "where you are today".

TEAM ASSEMBLED:  Time to clock in for work!