Test Ride #2

Today was a day I've been looking forward to: the day I get to really try out my new bike.

Remember, I got that fancy-schmancy carbon-fiber racing bike last December after my dismal performance in the bike portion of the the Florida Ironman. I've ridden it ONCE since then because of weather and "dirty roads". Its been on my trainer and I've ridden it for my Spinerval workouts but that's not the same as riding it on  the road.

So, today was the day.

Kurt raised the stem for me (per my request), put water bottle carriers on it, and pumped the tires and checked the brakes. Its nice to have a resident bike mechanic at home (even though he gritches about it all the time).

So I took a spin around the neighborhood first and yowza, it felt so weird!  I've been riding my road bike for the last few weeks (same bike I rode in the IM) and its a totally different bike and fit.

On my racing bike, I'm tucked in tight in a total aero position, whereas on my road bike I'm more stretched out, if that make sense. My racing bike is also much lighter - I can pick it up with one hand.

After test driving it for a few miles, we took off for a 2 hr ride. Whew!  I was flying. I actually passed Kurt for once!  Either those Spinervals were paying off or this was one fast ride!

I felt really good. We cruised along for quite awhile just enjoying the ride. The weather was perfect - sunny, clear, no wind, and about 75 degrees. Kurt likes to ride out east, which is not as pretty as riding west but there's much less traffic.

So we stop to get a drink and chat for a bit and a truck pulls up, and the driver (who obviously knew Kurt) jumps out of his truck, runs over to us and hands us a roll that he said he just made, saying something about a sourdough starter, and then jumps back in his truck and speeds off. We laughed and I took a picture of Kurt holding his roll (see above). I found out later that Mr. Breadmaker is a local psychiatrist...figures!

It took me awhile to get used to my new bike. I was frustrated at the start but as we rode on, it felt better. I can definitely go faster on this bike. But its not as comfy as my road bike and that's a bit disconcerting, considering I'm training for a race that involves a 112 mile bike ride. But after about 20 miles or so, I felt like I was finally "settling in" to the new bike fit and feeling comfortable.

Later, we rode our bikes down to the Rio with the kids - they are really good bike riders - and back home, which is mostly uphill. Had a nice time

Tomorrow Master's swim starts again and I'm looking forward to it. Not a bad weekend, despite the lack of a long run. Capping it off with a margarita almost made up for it!

Being a Good Girl

This is the 2nd Saturday I haven't been able to do my usual long run. And as much as I'm trying to stay positive, there's nothing positive about it. In fact, I hate it.

But the good thing is that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and that is run less. I'm constantly telling myself that its still early enough to not worry about it but its hard when all my friends are getting in really good shape.

OK, enough with the whining...I did run a very slow 3 miler today and I have no soreness or pain at all. Zero. Nada. Zip. This is a very good thing.

Tomorrow Kurt and I are going to ride for 2 hrs and I can't wait. Originally I was riding with the group at 10:30 -in fact, I was the one who set up the ride - then I remembered that I'm supposed to teach Sunday school (oops!) and had to back out of the ride. Talk about a double whammy - no group run and now no group ride!  I miss the camaraderie!

But my dear husband said that he would ride with me so we called up some friends who had asked us to babysit awhile back and asked if they would watch our kids. They said yes - yay!  Its going to be 75 degrees tomorrow and I'm so anxious to get out my new bike.

Monday I'll swim and Tuesday, a short easy 5 mile run. Anxious to find out what happens at Physical Therapy this week - hoping that will make a difference too.

I'm not sure what else to write about in this blog...it might get more interesting when we actually start the Ironman training plan...I'm open to any suggestions!

Have Bike, Will Travel

My kids are on spring break and they've spent almost every minute of it together. They love each other immensely but like any other sibling set, they hate each other immensely too. Today they demonstrated the latter situation quite well.

After oh, maybe the 8th or 9th round of sqabbling I decided that was enough, they either vamoose to their rooms or they will be drop-kicked out the door.

This is one of those times when I can relate to Bill Cosby's famous missive to his oh-so-beloved children: "I brought you into this world and I can take you out!" except with adopted children, you change it to household instead of world (just a little humor, folks, don't take it seriously!).

I love my kids dearly but this was also one of those days that I was GLAD that I had a physical outlet, like running, biking, or swimming.  I needed it desperately today or I was going to strangle two perfectly normal children.

Coupled with the fact that it was going to be sunny and 65 degrees today, I knew I had to get out on my bike. I called my mother to see if her darling grandchildren could come visit for awhile (please, mother dear, please!). She said yes, and before you can say shot blocks, I was out the door, bike in hand, child in the other.

I dropped them off at Grandma's and was on my bike in no time. Ahhhhhhhhh.....yes!  Fresh air...blue sky...nothin' but the road and me for 2 solid hours. And a few cement trucks, Ford F-150's, and errant barking dogs...

I rode for 2 hrs. Felt pretty good and enjoyed an awesome view of the front range. Rode north on County Road 33.

Tomorrow I swim and Saturday, I will try running with the group for 6-8 miles. I'll take a Celebrex first and just see how it goes. I think if I keep up short distances until this "angry" tensor fascia lata heals (that's what Todd called it - he said it was mad), then it won't be so hard to start the real IM training program. At least I hope so.  Wish me luck.

I Love My PT

Here's a good pic of my gal pals in Master's swim class. From left, Sarah, me, Marsha, and Natalie. They're a lot of fun (and they're very fast) and Master's swim wouldn't be nearly as fun without them.

They guys are great too but they weren't interested in getting their picture taken.

We don't actually have master's swim class this week - it runs in 5 week sessions and the next one starts next week (hence, why I brought my camera to the pool). Good time to take a photo.

But my big news of the day is my appt with Todd Smith, PT extraordinnaire at Proactive Physical Therapy and Sportsmedicine here in Greeley. I've been to Todd before and was so impressed that I went back.

Todd was actually a dietetics student way back when I was at CSU getting my doctorate. I worked as a supervisor of dietetics students at the student health center and he was one of my students who I trained when I was there. Not longer after that, he decided to change majors and pursue physical therapy. Wa-la, here he is and we're working together again!

He did a thorough exam and pinpointed the pain fairly easily (and pinpointed is an understatement - he pretty much nabbed it).  Its the insertion of the tensor fascia lata muscle into the iliac crest bone. Just what I thought (ha ha).

He worked the area for awhile moving my leg in more ways than I knew it could be moved, pressing his thumb into the area where it hurt to confirm the diagnosis and well, it REALLY hurt. But I was just glad to have it figured out and to hopefully, be put on a treatment plan.

But all the while I was bracing myself for the possibility that he might say "no running forever". Ok, I exaggerate, I knew he wouldn't say that but I was worried that he would say "no running for 3 months" or something like that.

Todd could see the look on my face and he said "you runners are crazy...no, you Ironman people are crazy!". Then he told me about two treatment options that he felt would really help. The first one was what he calls "ultrasound" which is heat probe that he would apply to the area for 10 mins (what he had done for my lower back a year ago, that really worked). He also told me about a new "needle therapy" that used acupuncture needles, but was not acupuncture, that he had used with some success in other patients.

But he would not do the needle therapy without talking to "my doctor" (aka, Kurt) first.  He said that not running would be ideal, but that he knows better to tell a runner not to run and that slow running on soft surfaces twice/week might be ok. He encouraged me to do more biking and swimming and lay off the running for awhile, except maybe a few slow runs each week. He also said to run only on flat surfaces - not the side of the road where its curved.

This was good news!  His assistant did the ultrasound and it felt great afterwards. I left the office with absolutely no pain but noticed after I drove less than a mile, that it hurt again when I got out of my car. However, it went away soon after that and tonight, it feels fine.

So, I go back twice next week and between now and then, I will do the slow, easy, short runs on soft surfaces and bike and swim more. I forgot to mention that I did run today - 40 mins on the grass at UNC and although I had pain the first 20 mins, it went away (such a weird injury - it comes and goes all the time!).

But I'm really encouraged and happy that its not worse. And I don't mind biking more, its just that biking takes so much more time!  Next week I have a crazy-busy week and it will be hard to fit it in. But I'll do it.

So, that's it for now. I need to focus on the positive and not get down about not doing the long runs on the weekends. Hopefully, I'll be back at it soon.

I love my PT!

Injuries Are a Blessing and a Curse

I haven't run in 3 days and my mind has gone through all kinds of contortions because of it. My normal routine has been thrown out of whack and I should feel all disconbobulated. But I don't. I feel fine.

I never thought I'd say that. After all, running has been the backbone of my life for the last 25 years. It's my therapy, my salvation, and sometimes, my ticket to a zen-like existence that I wouldn't trade for all the chai tea in the world.

But as you know, I've got an injury. The good news is that it is much better and I can hardly feel it sometimes. The bad news is that I still need to let it heal and shouldn't run for quite awhile.

But since last Saturday, I've gotten some killer non-running workouts in. Sunday morning, I did a Spinerval workout for an hour and felt great. Coach Troy has convinced me that indoor cycling (and running) should be a part of any endurance athlete's training plan and i can see why after doing his workouts. I never sweat running as hard as I do doing a Spinerval workout.

Then Monday, I went to the pool even though there is no Master's class this week (it starts again next week).  I got there late but got in about 1500 yrds, which I'm totally happy with. And the best part is that I didn't even feel tired when I was done. I could've easily done more but didn't have time.

And thanks to Tom McIlhenney (sp?) for giving me advice AGAIN. He watched me swim and reminded me to turn my head to the left when I rotate - not just look straight down. He gave me a few more tips and said I was doing great - can't say how much I appreciate all of Tom's advice and support this last year!

Then, later that day, I decided to go for a ride. My husband and children were out of town so i could actually ride without the pressure to get back to pick up the kids - woo hoo. I went through the usual routine that I've described before, of pumping tires, checking brakes, packing up all the gear, including the bike, into my truck, and headed out west. I live in "east" Greeley and I hate riding through town so I usually drive out to Monfort or The Buzz to take off from there.

This time I parked at the Buzz. There were a few men looking at me as I lifted my bike out of the back of my truck and put on all my stuff. They probably thought I was nuts but i really don't care. I just wanted to ride.

I ended up going 28 miles and had a great time!  I felt really strong and fast - managed to maintain 18 - 19 mph most of the time, occasionally going above 20 mph. I rode out to Windsor and up New Liberty Hill, which is a killer hill. I always have to use my triple to get up that hill and felt this time that I didn't really have to use it but I did. I felt so good on that hill that I turned around, went down and back up it again!

Then, I headed around Hilltop Drive and out to the round-about (which is always fun on a bike) and back down to Highway 257.  I don't normally go this far; I usually chicken out and go back on O street. This time I was determined to do something different, so I turned south on 257 and went up the big hill that leads to Highway 34. Although I was thrilled with "pushing the envelope" on my own, I realized that it was probably the wrong time of day to ride on any highway because there was a ton of traffic. And this traffic is flying by at 65 mph - not good.

But I trudged up the hill anyway and turned onto Business 34, which was a last minute decision but a good one. Business 34 has a much better shoulder than the main highway. I tooled along for several miles and turned south onto 95th Avenue and back to the Buzz from there. Great ride!

Its easy to run by yourself but biking is different. You feel as if you are taking your life into your hands by riding by yourself. And its somewhat true - its much easier to get killed on a bike than running. People are not as forgiving to cyclists as they are to pedestrians and plus, you can't always hear cars coming from behind (esp if its windy).  Plus, there's always the fear of a flat tire and not being able to fix it and being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Not good for women.  This is why its always best to ride with a group but it just aint gonna happen for me in the middle of a weekday.

Today I had to teach so not much time for exercise. I would've run if I weren't injured but I was a good girl and decided to just wait.

Tomorrow I have my first appt with Proactive, a physical therapy place. I'll see Todd Smith, who I've seen before (and knew from CSU) and who I really like. Hope to get a core-strengthening program and tips on how to keep this iliac crest injury from getting worse and/or coming back.

That's all for now!

Adapting to Change

No, I'm not talking about healthcare or anything political...I'm referring to going from running 10 - 12 miles with a group of people I really like to running maybe 3 miles with my dog. I love my dog but it wasn't quite the same this morning.

But if I focus on the positive, I can say that "at least I ran".  I went very sloooooowwww and paid close attention to keeping my form correct, i.e., no weird swinging of my left leg, which I tend to do sometimes.

My goal was to run only on grass or ashphalt but absolutely no concrete. I took Daisy along, thinking that would force me to stop occasionally since she likes to do that. We did stop a lot, but I had forgotten that I had basically trained her to run on the sidewalk and well, she ran on the sidewalk. Sidewalks are made of concrete, did you know that? 

But the bottom line is: I ran and I'm glad for it. Even though I felt somewhat lonely - knowing that all my friends were running either 12 or 20 miles today, laughing and joking the whole way - I knew I was doing the right thing. But I was lonely.

So, for now, this is my plan:

1. Run 2-3 days a week (what I was doing before) but keep the mileage low and slow, instead of doing tempo runs and going up to to 12 or more on my long runs, I'll keep it at 5-6 for awhile.
2. Bike 3 days a week, whether its Spinervals or outdoor riding. I want to include one Spinerval workout/week, however, and focus on speed and hill climbing to build strength
3. Swim 3 days/week
4. Lift 2 days/week and get started on a core strengthening program

The weird thing is, that without running hard, I don't get the "fit" feeling I usually have. I feel soft and unfit and I don't like that. That's why its so hard. I don't get the same zen from biking and swimming that I do from running. Then again, maybe I never tried to do that either.

So, lastly, I think I need some kind of daily meditation to keep my head on straight, to not go down the path of self-pity or "awfulizing" (thinking the worst) and to help me think positive. After all, this Ironman is all about having a better experience than my first one and that will mean finishing strong and well, faster than before.

So that's the plan and I'm stickin' to it.

A Different World

On Thursday, I posted this on Facebook: "Its amazing how much time you have when you don't exercise"...and its true. Many people responded to that comment and although it sounded a little strange, I really meant it.

This is because I had decided to make good on my plan to lay off running (despite my 3 mile easy run/walk that I did on Weds) and NOT run on Thurs morning. It was so weird!  I had so much more time and surprisingly, I was very relaxed. I had finally convinced myself that running too much or too often would make the pain in my iliac crest (not hip, actually) get worse. So I worked all morning on an assignment for my class at UNC and it felt strange to have so much time!

The problem is, I didn't even walk or lift so later in the day I had the "slug" feeling, which is not good. Then today (Friday) I had planned on riding with Nancy but it was so cold and windy that we decided not to go. Instead, I did a 40 minute Spinerval tape and lifted a little bit.

The interesting news is that I scheduled myself in to see Kurt for my "hip" pain!  Talk about weird - seeing your spouse, who is a doctor, for a medical appointment. We decided to do that for several reasons (too many to write here) but the bottom line is that he examined my hip and gave me a shot to numb the pain. He also told me that my core is very weak, something I had suspected, and I'm "unbalanced".

What I really wanted was a referral to Proactive Physical Therapy, which I got, and will make an appt next week. I'm really looking forward to this appt because I think Darrell and Todd will have a good idea about what caused this pain and what to do about it. I really want to get started on a plan to strengthen my core and "balance" me so that I don't have this problem anymore.

That's all I can write now. Too tired...will try to run a short, easy run tomorrow and see what happens.  Wish me luck!