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!

TRIATHLON TRAINING CONFUSION

This week after attending a workshop on Nutrition and Psychology for Endurance Athletes and doing a book search for the latest triathlon books, I realized how confusing making the best training choices can be.  As a self coached athlete, I want to research the latest and greatest training programs, nutrition plans, race strategies and gear.  Once you start digging into the different areas and networking with other triathletes and coaches, you really see how trendy these areas are.  Everyone thinks they have the latest and greatest approach to gaining an edge on their competitors.  Many people and professionals think they have come up with the best plan to help athletes reach the finish line or achieve a new PR.  Look around and see some athletes getting leaner and faster.  Look the other way and see other athletes getting injured and struggling with nutrition.  Sometimes, one area improves, while another takes a nose dive.  Many are starting over again after having to take an extended vacation from the sport due to injury, illness, work, family, or burn out.

While I take on the daunting task of choosing the best strategies for myself, I am lost in triathlete confusion.  One trend is to mix things up to trick your body into being prepared for the stresses placed upon it and not to repeat the same old routine, while another coach may recommend a consistent program to train your body through memorization ("muscle memory").

The other night I attended a talk where there were 4 different approaches regarding nutrition.  I will focus on this area when discussing TRIATHLON CONFUSION because it is one of my greatest needs to get leaner for Ironman Training.  Each member of the panel had strikingly different approaches to eating for performance and health.
Approach Number 1:  Raw Foods:  Eat 80% raw foods to get the greatest benefit from foods in their most natural state so the body can break them done.  You need amino acids vs protein so you can find the essential amino acids through a plant based diet.
Approach Number 2:  Paleo:  Return to simpler times when diet came from sources in their most natural form without chemicals, additives or preservatives.  This way of eating includes meat, fish,  organic veggies and fruits, and nuts (excluding peanuts, legumes and grains).  People that practice this diet are often into CROSSFIT training where you do short burst of continuous high intensity exercise.
Approach Number 3:  Metabolic Efficiency:  Teaching the body to utilize fats more efficiently by minimizing intake of grains, increasing healthy fats and proteins and reducing sugar and eating a combination of nutrients together during meals.
Approach Number 4:  Eat a balance diet 80% of the time without eliminating any food group.  Shop on the exterior of the grocery store and indulge 20% of the time.
PSYCHOLOGY of NUTRITION For Endurance Athletes:  Eat to Live/Train, Do not Live/Train to Eat, Avoid the Ripple Effect (doing everything because your teammates are doing it), and Life is a Journey, Not a Guilt Trip so if you are going to indulge, enjoy it.  Food should not be a reward for training, it should be used to fuel your body.  If you are struggling with weight, look at what you are eating and why.  If you are craving the same foods, underlying emotional issues need to be addressed vs craving a variety of foods, your body may actually need to be replenished.

I wish I could be as committed as each of the panel members to a specific diet, but there is something about each plan that I feel I could not "LIVE WITHOUT".  I love vegan food, but I do not want to give up meat.  I love healthy fats, but I do not want to give up grains.  What in the world is wrong with whole grains and lean meats.  And give up sugar......the whole world is made up of sugar and a spoonful helps the medicine go down!  It seems that triathletes are trying to move toward low carbohydrate diets for more fuel efficiency in burning fats and runners are still eating carbs, just choosing healthy whole grains.  I would love to just go exTREME (to the raw side, to the meat side, to the fat and protein side, and to the outside of the grocery store), but my history and personality won't allow me to put up too many boundaries (ask my family...I turn into a horrible monster).  I think I am still exploring what will work for me with the help of a nutrition coach and plenty of books.  I know the deeper I get into training, the better food my body craves.  I think Approach Number 4 fits my philosophy the closest, but I will continue to study the forever changing science of nutrition and the latest and greatest in how it affects performance.  I just know that I am carrying around a 20 lb weight trying to run, bike and swim and it is going to be so much easier to move when I can shed my fat suit!

Then you have other training decisions to make like distance, intensity, frequency, weight training, flexibility, power, agility with thousands of approaches.....go long, go short, skip the meaningless miles, etc etc.  We will save that for another day.  What voice do you listen to?

This week, I also learned that sometimes all you have to do is SHOW UP, to be a WINNER.  I met my friend from Seattle in Tucson and we raced in the USA Duathlon World Championship Event held in Oro Valley.  She wanted to qualify for World Championships in Spain.  I was not training for this event, but I did not want to sit on the sidelines, so I decided I would just train on the course and I signed up for the race.  They invite the top 17 athletes in each age group to participate in Worlds and so everyone in my age group was invited as there were only 16 (and I finished 15th!).  It was a humbling experience because without a swim, I cannot get a head start on the fast runners and the field was filled with fast athletes who came from all over the US to compete for a spot.  I had to just enjoy being out there and accept bringing up the rear on a beautiful fall day, on the rolling course with the rugged rocky Catalina Mountains in Tucson. 

It then dawned on me, that I would be in my new age group in two short months even though my birthday is not until August.  Thinking about moving up into the 50s and it actually happening are scary and exciting at the same time.  I have to accept that I am getting older, but I don't have to accept that my performance will not improve.  Look at the 89 year old who was the final finisher who crossed the line with a crowd of cheering athletes welcoming him home.  They save the best for last.  So back to training we go!  I had a great training weekend with a 3 mile run Thursday night on the duathlon course, 10 mile run with some hills and 11 mile ride on Friday, Duathlon on Saturday 5K run, 35K ride, 5 K run and finally a 10 mile climb up Mt. Lemmon (20 mile round trip) while my friends made it to the top for the cookie.  No cookie for me today.....but there will be a cookie in my future because I am getting HUNGRY!

HomeBaked Triathlete: Starting from Scratch

 

It may take more time and patience to produce a recipe from scratch rather than buying the "just add water" mix, but in the end home baked always tastes better.  This is the journey I am choosing to take this year to reinvent myself by starting over from scratch and right now I am shopping for the right ingredients and then I will figure out how to combine them into a final product that I can be proud of at the finish line.

I felt broken down at the end of my summer season followed by 6 weeks of forced time out.  My mind and body were out of sync.  When my mind was ready to get back to work after signing up for my next Ironman, my body gave out and my immune system could not keep up with the demands and then as my health finally started returning, my head was no longer in the game.

I was doing everything in my power to find motivation including posting my Ironman Finisher Picture everywhere, studying books and magazines, cut and pasting train logos to remind me Chattanooga is a coming and living vicariously through my friends upcoming Ironman.  My body and mind seemed to be rejecting my efforts at rebuilding stamina to workout and the motivation to overcome the mental and physical fatigue.  I felt defeated like I would not be able to return to that place I had gone before where you reach deep within your soul to be all that you can be.

What is the best way to cure a sick triathlete you might be wondering.  Just like a dead battery, sometimes we need a jump start.  I was signed up for a sprint triathlon in San Diego, so I had to cram for this race in a few weeks.  I almost did not even want to go, but these are the times that you need to "JUST DO IT" the most. 

So I managed to put in the minimum training to get through a sprint course.  I was pretty convinced that 1/8th of an Ironman was going to "feel" like the full distance at this moment in time.  To my delight after a relaxing run around the bay in San Diego, even though it did not feel like heaven, my pilot light was reset.  I came to terms with where I am at that moment and had hope that I could start this process over from scratch.

By accepting this, it made it easier to go enjoy the "SPRINT" and I was pleasantly surprised that sometimes cramming for a test pays off.  It was a great pre-test to assess "where I am" and "where I want to go".  I was pleased with the results and enjoyed the opportunity to use the sprint distance to refresh and rejuvenate.  The experience reminded me about the spirit of triathlon.  It was a great dress rehearsal, transition practice and speedwork all wrapped up in one.  Since it was an Esprit de She Event, it was fun bonding with old and new female triathletes.  There is something powerful about tri-ing with a herd of women!  I ended up pulling off a decent race finishing 11/56 in my age group and 119/417 overall (3/56 in the swim and 12/56 on bike (ave 18.6 mph) and 11/56 on run (ave 9:11 pace).  Now that I got a jump start....off to the shop I go for some base training, basic maintenance and maybe a few new parts!

Sometimes you have to clean out the closets and throw away the old stuff to make room for the new stuff that triathletes are made of.  Now time to go shopping!  What do you think should go into my recipe?

UNFIT

Inside the turtle's shell are cramped quarters with little air.  One must slow their breathing down, close their eyes, and quiet the mind in order to survive under the shell.  It is usually a place we go for protection while we are resting or recovering, but sometimes it can be an escape from the world.  This writer usually leaves out the darkest moments of her life as she does not like to write in the dark.  Perhaps this is dishonest or may be it is only half the story being revealed.  Today, the only word that really strikes me is UNFIT, if even that is a word.  Spell check has not told me otherwise, so we will just go with it.

This week, I started breathing better.  I had hope that I was finally regaining my health and I could finally start training for my next Ironman.  I have been trying to stock up on motivational strategies to generate excitement and motivation for training including:  posting my previous Ironman Finish all over the place, changing my profile picture, signing off with the train whistle to get ready for IM Chattanooga, and watching the IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in KONA on my new Smart TV.

I went out yesterday on a 37 mile bike ride which is the longest ride in the last few months and finally felt like my legs were connected to the rest of my body .  For that I was grateful, but then the truth was revealed in how difficult the ride was for me.  It was not too hot, too cold, too hilly, or too flat, it was simply that I am UNFIT.  What would once be an easy short ride took a great deal of time and effort.  It is not something I am unwilling to give, but it is certainly discouraging to look back at your abilities a year ago, especially when you see other athletes preparing for their Ironman races.  (I also ran 1 hour and swam 30 minutes this week..so sad that those feel like the IM distance at this very moment).  You are almost willing to KILL for that feeling of determination, strength and invisibility for just one more day.  But that feeling is EARNED.  Even the pros rarely give up a few days of training to sustain the ability to be at the top of their game at the right moment.

Life happens and keeping up an Ironman pace of life for a recreational athlete is not always top priority.  Instead of looking at being unfit as depressing and staying inside my shell, I know I need to FIGHT and earn back the fitness that makes you strong in mind, body and spirit to TRI another day.  It is just hard when you are knocked down to the ground.

I am trying to remember this bottom of the barrel feeling so each month when I look back, I don't get discouraged as I am slowly climbing back to the top of my game.  Let me imagine now what it will look and feel like in 50 weeks when I am 50 years old and competing in my 2nd Ironman race fit and strong and ready to go.  It is a hard image to focus on, but I am going to create this picture in my mind until my painting comes to life!  In the mean time.....I JUST KEEP TRI-ING!

WHISTLE WHILE YOU TRI


High Ho, High Ho, Back to Work We Go
With a Hee Hee Hee and a Ha, Ha, Ha
High Ho High Ho High Ho

With a swim, swim, swim and a run run run
And a pedal pedal pedal, being unfit is so not fun
High Ho, High Ho, Back to Tri We Go