New T-Pace

I have a new swimming T-pace.  It's eight seconds faster than the previous mark, 1:48/100 yards.  This has been confirmed after multiple sets of 500s at tonight's Fortius swim. My first indication of change in the water came during one of our early drills.  I was supposed to hit my T-pace in the third of five sets of 100 yards and go faster for the remaining two sets of 100s.  I started off way faster than anticipated, a brisk (for me) 1:37 without much effort.  Problem.  I was supposed to come in at 1:55, with the next set at 1:50. Problem again, as I "slowed" to 1:41.  Then 1:37, 1:33, 1:32.

This continued for the remaining two sets of 500.  More often than not, I came in at 1:40/100 with :20 rest, usually arriving closer to 1:37-1:39.

I suppose my real T-pace in the water in a non-stop 1,000 is still 1:48 as I'd imagine I'm slowing over the course of the TT.  But this still gives me hope of improvement on the horizon.  If I can maintain that 1:40 pace over longer distances, I'll really start saving some major time in events where I'm wearing a wetsuit.  And my swim times came after a fairly intense run early this morning at chilly Griffith Park.  I ran my first 7:30-ish mile pace in roughly six months.

My strength is coming back...nearly three months removed from Ironman Arizona.  I may have recovered physically a month ago, but I'm starting to see strength gains for the first time now.  Even my trainer, Shannan, indicated that "my nervous system is coming back online" based on the improvement in my coordination and agility in recent sessions.

Man, an Ironman sure takes a toll if I'm just starting to get my nervous system back in working athletic order now!

Anyway, it's really nice to see progress after being down in the dumps for so long.  If there's hope for me, there's hope for you too.  It just takes time.  And patience.  And a willingness to accept and trust the process of healing and rebuilding.

Not the easiest thing to do.

But certainly among the most worthwhile.

124 days and counting.

Breaking the Rules

Funny that training three hours on a Saturday feels like taking the day off.  But that's just what I did today, forgoing my afternoon time trial swim to spend time with Steph.  We went to a nice lunch and then to see No Strings Attached, the rom-com with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.   Ironic that just yesterday I was writing about rom-coms. There's a lot to be said about recovery from training.  It usually involves icing, stretching and minimal movement.  But today it was all about spending quality time with my lady.  I had truly forgotten what it's like to have free time in the afternoon on a weekend during tri-training.  How sad is that?  Saturdays are for training. Plain and simple.  But by breaking the "rules" a bit, I feel so much better.  I had a great afternoon filled with R&R after a hectic week on the road.  And now, I'm eager to get in the pool tomorrow and run before prepping for a little Super Bowl soiree.  Best of both worlds.  Especially considering how exhausted I would have been after swimming and how little energy I probably would have had for the evening.

A little unplanned rest can go a long way sometimes.

136 days and counting.

Officially Recovered

It didn't occur to me until late this afternoon that I had run three days in a row, each without pain.  Nearly six miles with several climbs on Friday, three miles yesterday following a long pain-free bike ride and today, nearly eight miles of trail running in just shy of 1.5 hours. Yeah, I'd say that marks a recovery or if nothing else, a significant improvement.

Duration: Two months exactly.  About one month longer than I ever expected.  But better late than never!

Now, what contributed to this recovery?  I think it's a number of things that all blended together:

-- Accepting the need for recovery: This was definitely the most difficult part of the process.  I thought I could just leap back from my Ironman after a few weeks and start workout out again for the next event.  Not even close.  Once I realized that, my real recovery began.

-- Listening to my body: I had twinges in my hips, knees and IT bands I wasn't used to, and instead of ignoring the pain I did something about it.  I pulled back on races, consulted my coach, personal trainer and ultimately, my ART therapist.  There's a time to ignore pain (perhaps in a race) and a time to acknowledge it (training, post-race).  I'm very grateful I chose the latter route.

-- Taking time to recover: Once I accepted that I needed a recovery, I decided to let the process run its course.  I'm inpatient, so this step was especially difficult.  But it's necessary because rushing through an injury will likely just make matters worse.

-- Extensive stretching: Instead of workout out, I stretched.  And when I wasn't stretching, I was trying to schedule a yoga class.  While it's nowhere near as fun (for me) as cycling out on the open road, I've felt the differences from stretching and foam rolling more often.  Combined with the ART therapy (below), my body has felt fresher lately.  In addition to stretching though, I got back on a strength training regimen that has helped my muscles replenish themselves.  I've been careful to primarily rely on body weight, cables or light weights and met with my trainer to ensure that all exercises helped alleviate my leg problems, not contribute further to them.

-- Active Release Technique therapy: ART therapy has made a huge difference, in my opinion.  I was skeptical at first but am now a believer.  My hips have experienced the biggest benefits so far from the gripping manipulation techniques, and my IT bands are no longer tight like they were in the weeks immediately following Ironman Arizona.

-- Overhauling my running form: I've used the past few weeks to try and ditch my heel-striking ways once and for all.  The process has been long and slow, and at time frustrating. I'm slower than usual.  My calves have been sore, but the end-result should be more pain-free running and ultimately I should be faster by leaning forward and relying more on forefoot striking.  The key for me has been not to get frustrated, or be intimidated by any upcoming races.  My light racing calendar this year is helping me emotionally accept being slower and the moment and being more diligent about learning to run again.

-- Re-emphasis on nutrition: The holidays added weight to my frame, but not the good kind. More like the chocolate kind.   There's probably more of a connection between my lack of recovery and poor nutrition than I'd care to admit.  But once the New Year rolled around, I took a balanced and healthy diet more seriously.  Do I think nutrition was the primary factor in helping me repair myself?  No.  But I do believe in the "body in, body out" mantra, and it's no coincidence that my recovery took a sharp turn for the better in January compared to December.

Will my recovery last?  Can I finally put Ironman Arizona in the rear-view mirror once and for all?  Time will tell.

But I'm finally ready to focus on on improvement, not recovery.  If you are recovering as well, I hope this primer helps you!

149 days and counting.

No Pain!

Two months to the day of Ironman Arizona, I enjoyed my first truly pain-free run. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah!

This wasn't any run either.  For those of you who live near Sherman Oaks, I climbed Woodcliff St. all the way to Mulholland Drive.  And ran back down, a beating on the quads.

Did I mention it was pain-free?

The best part? I re-discovered a near eight-minute mile, clocking an 8:20 with my new running form and what felt like minimal effort. Glutes were firing.  Legs were kicking. Forefoot was striking.

Hallelujah!

Here's my Garmin run data below.  I know it's not that impressive from a distance or speed perspective, but the progress alone was the best Friday gift I could get.

To top it off, I made it out of work early enough to attend the Black Dog Yoga deep stretch class tonight.  This opened my hips up wide, along with my smile as many of my Fortius teammates joined in the fun.  Some of whom I haven't seen in weeks.

Now I'm going to take Steph out to dinner.

In short, this weekend is starting off just right.

151 days and counting.

Overcoming Excuses

It would have been so easy not to have worked out today.  So many excuses.  Bad weather (though improving finally!).  Injury (injuries?).  Stephanie's first day off work for the holidays.  Chili cheese dogs and frozen yogurt for lunch.  Apollo 13 on HBO for the umpteenth time. I could tell that for the first time in a long time, sloth, laziness and worse yet -- self-pity -- were starting to get a grip on me.  It would have been so easy to stay on the couch!  My mood reflected my outlook.  I was down, even edgy with Steph. As I told her, I just don't feel right lately.  Whether it's the accumulation of holiday junk food (I'm now up nine pounds from my race day weight) or that sinking feeling I've been dwelling on about not being able to train the way I'd like, I'm having a hard time staying motivated.

But I've realized that the only person who can change my outlook is me.  I can't rely on the Ironman Kona coverage on NBC.  I can't rely on my teammates to pick me up.  I can't wait for a feeling to wash over me like magic.  That's a victim's approach.  A passive approach.

If you want to change your mood, change it.  No excuses.

So I did.  I dragged myself off the couch at 5:30 p.m., drove in traffic to the local pool and plunged in the water for an hour set that felt a little more difficult than I remember similar workouts in the past.  But, 2,500 yards later, I got through it. Maybe not the best swim, but a completed swim. (Though my T-pace is pretty much the same as it was pre-Ironman.)  And with Christmas and New Year's hovering, one of the few workout activities I'll be able to fit in the next several days.

On the way home, I was smiling inwardly and on the outside.  I physically and mentally felt better.  Of course, this presented a bit of a challenge.  It's important our significant others know that when we come back in a great mood after a workout, it's a separate part of ourselves that's being enhanced.  It could easily get confusing for a partner to think that you need a work out to stay happy, not them.  I made sure to share that with Steph tonight as soon as I got home. Fortunately, she understood.  Steph knows that she's the foundation for making all of "This" work.  Without her, I can workout all I want, but it just wouldn't be the same.

So, I guess I reinforced two things today.  First, bad attitudes happen. It's how YOU respond with yourself that defines what happens next.  Second, in this holiday season, take extra time to honor your friends and family.  They all see the joy we experience from our triathlon training and racing.  But it's nice to remind them that our training and racing only works if they understand how important they are in our lives.

Now, I want to wish you a happy holiday season.  I never expected to make friends with people from all over the world who read this blog.  You've touched my life and held me accountable all at the same time.  That said, I hope we all unplug a bit during the next couple days. No Facebook. No Twitter. No blogs.  Let's just hang out with our families and loved ones.  Let's show them where our priorities really are.

With that in mind, I'll be offline the next couple days.  Probably blogging again on December 26 or 27.

Please have a Merry and Safe Christmas.  I will be thinking of you, as I consider those of you I've gotten to know as real friends.  And I hope those of you who read this blog without commenting will introduce yourselves soon.  I'm very much looking forward to that.

180 days and counting.

Red Zone

I'm not sure how many of you use Training Peaks as your online training tracker.  The thing I'm really addicted to with it is the color-shading for each workout. It's simple, green for completed as scheduled, yellow for either slightly over or under on the scheduling, and red for an incomplete workout or something way beyond what was required.  Call me a creature of habit, call me old school, call me Pavlovian, but I NEED that green shading after each workout.  It makes each workout real, tangible. An all "green" week for me is a happy week.  A productive week.  A successful week. Those yellow (unless it's to symbolize more work) and red shades, they gnaw at me.  I view them the way my family viewed B's on school report cards amidst a string of A's, "What happened with the B?" Arrrgh!  Really???

So you can imagine how I feel now when I log into Training Peaks and have to ignore any running workout for the next two weeks and any cycling activity for the next week.  The latter is Coach Gerardo's order and the former is my ART specialist's suggestion.

There's gonna be a whole lot of bleeding read staring me in the face the next few weeks.  I hope I can handle it!  It's like bringing home a report card filled with D's and F's!!!

How will I live???

(Yes, I have a touch for the dramatic.)

Here's why though.  This morning marked my second ART appointment, and my therapist really worked deep into my hips and psoas region (connector between hip, IT band and what feels like my abdomen area).  He identified what he clearly thinks the problem is for now, extremely tight hips and weak glute muscles that are combining to severely limit my range of motion.  Ironman Arizona and the final training that led up to the race are likely causes.  Along with what I can only describe as an ill-informed, ill-thought out and overly aggressive recovery period.  A "recovery" period that isn't making me better, but probably exacerbating the problem(s).  Compounding them, or just POUNDING them.

I feel like I've wasted the past four-plus weeks since IMAZ with inconsistent workouts that have either been too long (first trail run), too strenuous (two-hour trail run in the rain?), or too unnecessary (yesterday's two-hour rainy bike ride).  What I haven't done enough of is yoga or basic strength training, and it shows.

Today though, after my ART session, I went back to Black Dog Yoga for a Deep Stretch class with Gerardo and a couple Fortius teammates.  Though it will be hard with the holiday schedule, I'm hoping to live in the yoga studio the next couple weeks, waiting patiently to get my groove back.  I'm going to have to trust that slower (or non-existent) will ultimately lead to faster and smoother.

Lately, I've been writing about committing to recovery but not really practicing it.  Today, I finally come to terms with it. Yes, I know I've been wishy-washy.  That's my brain and heart winning out over my body.  Now that I know clinically what my physical ailments are, I'm ready to accept the "red zone" and move back towards the green one.

Hopefully by the time I'm fully recovered, I'll add one more adjective to describing my "green" workouts: Gratifying.

181 days and counting.

Visualizing the Problem

About 1 p.m. today I just couldn't stand being at home doing nothing.  Well, next to nothing, as I had just (finally) completed the single-player campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops.  I stared around the house, thought of the next game I should play (Red Dead Redemption or Mass Effect 2), and promptly decided it was time to brave the rain and knock my workouts off the schedule. Today's regimen called for a 45 minute light run on a soft surface along with an hour strength training session.  Because of the issues I've been having, Coach Gerardo has re-arranged my training schedule to be lighter and to focus more on recovery than pre-marathon build-up.  I think it's a wise choice, probably what I should have done all along.  Especially after my strength training session with Shannon illuminated what seems to be the real problem.  I decided to see Shannon today instead of working out on my own, primarily to ensure I was correct on form and wouldn't further aggravate any niggling injuries.  I brought my iPhone so we could take photos of some of the exercises, and to see if we could spot problems worth pointing out to my ART therapist and Gerardo.

Boy, did we find them.

As you can see, it's clear that my right leg bows outward while the knee cap over-rotates inward.  Further, you can also see in the following images that my right hip is not firing in alignment with my left hip.  My left side is generally stronger than my right, perhaps because the left leg is a full inch longer.

I think the next step is to re-examine my exercises, the weights involved, my training in general and customize a plan to allow me to regain some semblance of better alignment before I resume full-blown Ironman training. I'll admit that I'm a little scared about whether my body can handle the ultra-distance aspect of this sport.  Clearly, IMAZ and the training that led up to it took quite a toll -- far beyond what I expected.  These problems seem to be serious and I don't want to risk long-term damage to my body for short-term glory.  Then again, I don't think we did enough strength training last year or even yoga, so perhaps this is the logical effect of too much cardio and not enough strengthening.  Shannon even indicated she thought my legs looked thinner and that I've lost a lot of balance and strength since we were training together regularly more than a year ago.  Though we laughed about it during some of the exercises, it's still disheartening to hear yet I know she's right.  I can sense it for myself.  I'm not really using weights on some chest exercises, for example, opting for the lightest resistance bands and still having a hard time maintaining balance.

As I've mentioned this week, I'm doing my best to keep my head up and stay strong mentally.  I'm training myself to accept that I have a new challenge -- regaining health, strength and mobility -- and that my real goal needs to remain Ironman Coeur d'Alene. That means the LA Half Marathon, Surf City, Wildflower Long Course, and whatever else comes my way between now and June 26, 2011 are gravy.  One race matters this year, and I need to focus on being physically and mentally prepared for it.

Now that I can visualize the problem, I need to visualize a new journey while redefining what "success" may be.

It's tough to swallow at the moment, but if I've learned one thing from all this training and introspection it's that hurdles or setbacks make the accomplishment sweeter.

Who knows, maybe Ironman Coeur d'Alene will be even more meaningful to me than Ironman Arizona?

For now, I'll just focus on trying to get better and recovered, one day at a time.

183 days and counting.

Benefits to a Late-Season Race

I am learning that the holidays are the perfect excuse for an extended hiatus from training. It's not that I don't want to train.  I do, legitimately.  In fact, I swam a whopping half-hour, ran three miles and spun for a little more than an hour this week.

Of course, I used to do that as a warm up in Ironman training, but hey, let's not be too harsh right now.  I have a delicate ego at the moment.  Steph teased this morning that she found lint in my belly button (TMI?), and the only thing that ran through my mind was, "That means there's a belly now large enough to have lint again!"

We triathletes are a messed up bunch, aren't we!?

But thank goodness for the holidays.  The timing for Ironman Arizona really couldn't be much better.  You run the race, you recover, you eat a lot of turkey, you catch your breath, light some Hanukkah candles, light some birthday candles (happy birthday, Stephanie!) and BAM!  Christmas is around the corner, along with all the year-end holiday parties.  So, with such a schedule to keep, it's easy to let training fall by the wayside a bit.  Could you ask for a better excuse?  Our significant others, friends and families have put up with so much crap from us for the rest of the year, a year-end race has a built-in recovery period that forces other priorities to take their rightful place atop the life podium.

The holidays also provide an opportunity to socialize with our spandex-clad warriors in arms sans swim, bike or run gear.  Last night, for example, Fortius teammate, friend and massage therapist David co-hosted a 1920's themed birthday party in Los Angeles.  Several teammates and LA Tri Club members showed up, the vast majority sporting period-appropriate costumes.  We looked uniform, as usual, but with a different flair and lighter attitude.  It was nice to unwind in a different setting, and it actually helped boost my training batteries indirectly since it's obvious other folks are going through a bit of the Winter Training Blues like me.

So, if you're considering which Ironman to sign up for, I'd definitely recommend a late-season race.  Don't make me cut you.

Trust me, you're going to need the recovery period no matter what.  Might as well make it a merry as can be.

192 days and counting...slowly.

PS: With two birthday parties, an awards show and a company holiday party, there's no working out today -- for two days in a row now.

Rest Day

Thanks to a half-day at work and and an off-day from training, I enjoyed a true rest day. Ah, so this is what it's like?

I got home around 1:30 p.m. and, after catching up on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" (Al Capone's character steals the show in this series), I took an hour nap.  What a luxury!  I was only awakened once by Trudy and Bam-Bam, which isn't bad in the middle of the day.

Instead of feeling run down at the end of a work week, I feel refreshed and eager to get on the bike tomorrow for another 112-mile jaunt.  Except, in my eagerness to clean said bike I popped the chain while applying White Lightning chain greaser.  I was flipping through the gears and cleaning the chain when I dropped into the smaller chain gear and watched in astonishment as the chain bunched up like a train wreck around the crank.  I tried fixing it based on what I'd normally do if I dropped the chain on a ride. This seems worse.  The chain is completely separated from the crank and pedal, just dangling there helplessly.  Fortunately, I'm riding with Frank tomorrow and he'll help me fix it.

Well, at least my bike is pretty.

This sort of mechanical problem is what I'm most afraid of for Ironman Arizona.  While it's unlikely I'll drop a chain on a flat course, if I get a rear tire flat I'm going to be in trouble.  I plan to practice over the next few weeks, as I've mentioned in past posts. But it's especially frightening to think a silly chain derailment could be the difference between meeting my goals and a big fat DNF.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to easily pop the chain back on when it's separated from the crank, I'm all ears.

Until then, I'll continue to rest.  And avoid touching anything that has moving parts.

35 days and counting.

Well-Deserved Recovery

No big workouts to report today, not after this past weekend's mash-fest.  Instead I took care of myself with an early evening yoga class that left me dripping with sweat (still can't get that hand-stand!) followed by a long massage with David from LA Body Mechanics.  While the yoga class at Black Dog was a little more than I bargained for, the massage helped me drain the rest of the pain from my body.  Not without a fight though. My glutes, quads, adductors, calves and lower back were quite sore, though David said overall my body right now is in great shape.  That's reassuring given the intensity of the past few weeks and my lack of stretching. Turning away from my body for a moment, my real focus the next few days is going to be on the weather.  When we get a big shift like the one we've had in Southern California -- 90 degrees one day and rain the next -- my immune system goes straight down the toilet and I usually get pretty sick.  I'm hoping that all the training hasn't left me winded and incapable of fighting off another cold.  This leaves me torn as tomorrow morning I should have a long bike ride before work.  If it's rainy, damp and cold, I'll probably stay indoors and ride on the trainer for nearly two hours.  That could wreak havoc on my butt though, as I'm starting to get saddle sores.  I know, not the sexiest subject, but if you're sticking with me from the beginning of my training you should know the truth.

Ironman hurts.

Bad.

At this point in the training, expect to wake up in the middle of the night to eat.  Expect sores in uncomfortable places.  Expect to need food in the middle of work meetings or risk getting a headache.  And expect to need food soon after eating a hearty meal.  Expect to be sore in one place or another all the time.  Expect to pay for massage work every two to three weeks with two months to go until the race.  (I'm on a schedule with David now.)

And expect to be antsy to work out when you've had a couple light training days.  For all the bitching and whining about the training, it's addictive.

So while I'm recovering today, I'm already thinking about tomorrow.  And despite the volume of this past weekend, I feel pretty good.

Progress.  Every day a step closer to the final goal.  Every day a slight new victory. A new insight.  But it requires doing the extra work.

47 days and counting.