I started back with strength training this week and boy do I ever feel sore! Wednesday was an upper body workout, today lower, and tomorrow core. I have been experimenting with some new exercises which are geared more towards swim/bike/run. I saw some nice improvements in the three disciplines this past season which I partly attribute to the strength training program I followed last off-season. I'm hooked!
No big plans this weekend. Tomorrow I have a half day of work - suppose to be doing an ethics training course on avoiding workplace violence. I told all my co-workers to line up today so I could get one last punch in at them. After I complete the course I'll have no excuse...
Tomorrow evening we are dropping over to Chris & Jill's pad to meet up with Katie and some of their friends for dinner and wine! Should be fun as we will get to share our stories from Florida. Saturday the plan is to do some Christmas light shopping and decorate our property. I said to Mel we should go all out and be like the Griswold family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Sadly, she denied my request. After the lights are installed I plan on making homemade bread...its been years since I whipped up a batch. My mom taught me several years ago with Nan's receipe...and yes it is totally made by hand. I get about 8- 10 loaves of heavenly goodness with each batch. Whatever dough is left over I usually make toutons with it. Toutons are a Newfoundland receipe - basically it is fried dough bread in a little bit of margarine. Lots of calories but oh so good!
Sunday morning the plan is to spin with the gang down at Tri-it. I figure it is time to get back into the saddle and do a little bit of work to keep some aerobic fitness.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Like a Champ!
I have been a lazy sack of sh#t since returning from Florida. The only activity I manage to get in on a daily basis is walking the dogs with Mel. It feels good to step away from swimming, biking, and running. To keep busy I have been knocking off some projects around the house and started planning some others with Mel. I have also done the end-of-the-season-purge I normally do. Go through all my belongings, donate stuff I don't use anymore and toss stuff that is junk. It is amazing how much "stuff" accumulates throughout the year.
Winter is coming and I am excited in a way. With the snow comes the ability to snowshoe and cross-country ski. Chris, Jill, and Katie introduced cross-country skiing to me last year and I was instantly hooked. What a great overall body workout in such beautiful surroundings as the Rockie Mountains. Mel is going to try it this year and if all goes well we'll be buying our own gear and going regularly.
Been catching up my reading as of late - mostly reading training stuff and I am totally stoked about trying some of it next season. In the meantime, I just plan on going with the flow until the new year. This Sunday I hope to attend Katie/Chris's spin class and try & keep up with Keith who has been a monster as of late with his training.
Winter is coming and I am excited in a way. With the snow comes the ability to snowshoe and cross-country ski. Chris, Jill, and Katie introduced cross-country skiing to me last year and I was instantly hooked. What a great overall body workout in such beautiful surroundings as the Rockie Mountains. Mel is going to try it this year and if all goes well we'll be buying our own gear and going regularly.
Been catching up my reading as of late - mostly reading training stuff and I am totally stoked about trying some of it next season. In the meantime, I just plan on going with the flow until the new year. This Sunday I hope to attend Katie/Chris's spin class and try & keep up with Keith who has been a monster as of late with his training.
Friday, November 20, 2009
70.3 World Championships Trip/Race Report
Wednesday
Our flight down to Florida took us through Dallas, Texas for our connecting flight to Tampa. Overall the flight was pleasant and went fairly quickly. We picked up our car rental at the Tampa airport and drove out to Clearwater Beach to meet up with Chris/Jill who were already there (our rental was about a km from transition). Took just over an hour to get there as we stopped to pick up groceries along the way. Once there, we all made dinner together and were in bed pretty early.
Thursday
Chris, Jill, and I were up early in the morning to do a short 25 minute run along the beach - my first run outside since Sept 27. The weather was overcast, cool, and windy. Early on in the week a tropical storm blew through the area and we were on the tail end of it. The ocean looked extremely rough and we saw a few brave souls out trying to swim in it. It definitely did not look inviting and I was skeptical about swimming in those huge waves.
Later in the morning, the four of us went down to the expo to look around and to get registered. They had a free pair of Foster Grant sunglasses in our race kits which was great. Another neat thing as well were the race numbers had the flag our of country on them.
After the check-in, it was back to the beach house to assemble bikes, test ride them, then off to the carb dinner/race briefing in the evening.
Friday
In the morning we decided to don the wetsuits and give it a go at swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. The waves were giant and powerful. I lasted about 15 minutes before getting motion sickness. Coming back onto shore, where Mel was watching, she commented on how green I looked. I told her I wasn't swimming in that tomorrow - it didn't feel safe. Thankfully they announced later in the day the swim later would be moving from the Gulf to the harbour on the other side.
After the swim, myself, Jill, Chris, and their friend Mark drove the bike course. The course itself is flat as a pancake with a few small climbs up to bridges. It was definitely an urban ride taking us through various surrounding communities and counties. Lots of time in the aero-bars...good thing I practiced that beforehand. It was also incredible to see all the major intersections we had to go through and the potential for side-street traffic to cut into our lane. Part of the course even took us onto freeways where we would have the median lane to ourselves!
When we got back from our bike course scouting, Mel and I went for a drive together. I needed to get away from the race site because the energy there was too intense for me. Races I have done in the past have also had this type of energy there but not in this amount. Too many serious people for my liking. Add to that everyone was in shape - there was only one-size at this race.
So Mel and I drove out to a Christmas store and bought a few ornaments - one of which is a pink flamingo with a palm tree! Weird to experience Christmas in such a tropical environment.
In the evening, Chris and I took the bikes out for a short spin to do some sprints. My knee, up to this point in the trip, was not an issue. Although I still felt a little tired from tapering and were wondering if I started my taper too late.
After the ride, we were back at the rental to pack up our bags, and walk them down along with our bikes to be checked into transition. Transition was pretty cool as we all had individual volunteers to walk us to our designated bike area as well as explain how T1 & T2 would operate.
Later that evening we made a nice meal of pasta, chicken, and shrimp together back on the beach condo. My nutrition heading into this race was fairly good - I cut out alcohol about a month before the race, and cut out red meat/dairy about a week before the race. Katie recommended the dairy/red meat avoidance and I have to say I felt better leading into this race by following her advice.
Saturday - Race Day
Chris, Jill, and I were up at 4:30am to eat and gather our belongings for the race. Breakfast for me was a bowl of oatmeal with sliced banana - I was keeping it light compared to previous races. Gave Mel a quick kiss and the three of us were off shortly after 5am to walk over to transition.
It was still dark outside as we were walking through the streets but fairly warm. I was listening to my music and feeling pretty calm and confident at this point - no matter the issues I had leading into this race I am here and I will make the best of it.
After getting body marked, double-checking our bikes, and setting up our nutrition the three of us left transition to walk over to the swim start. Because the swim had switched over to the harbour side, we would be doing time-trail starts based on our age group.
At the start, we wished each other luck and headed off to our age group lines.
Swim
My wave started around 7am and we were herded off the dock into the water like lemmings. The water was calm and fairly comfortable temperature. We were not allowed a warm up in the water prior to the swim so I took it easy during the first 300m to get into a steady rhythm. After that I kicked it up a notch into a steady pace. I made my way as close to the buoys as I could to be efficient.
Heading out we were going directly into the rising sun. About two buoys before the first turn, I got stuck behind a big pack of swimmers and had to do a large detour to the inside to get around them. It was difficult sighting the last couple of buoys before the turn. I lost track of them and decided to follow the splashing in front of me. After a minute I could make out what I thought was the next buoy until a volunteer on a kayak came flying over screaming at everyone to NOT go left but straight ahead.
I stopped and could actually stand up in the middle of the harbour to take a look at my surroundings. Most of the swimmers were cutting left early therefore eliminating swimming out to the last buoy. It was too late for the volunteers to do anything as a lot of people had already taken the shortcut. Even though I was half-way through the shortcut I decided to swim back around the last buoy. Note to self: don't rely on the person in front of you on knowing where they are going.
The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful as I was swimming on my own. I kept focusing on high elbows, long smooth strokes, and keeping my hips open and up. As we got close to shore I could see everyone starting to funnel into smaller area. They had a single lane ramp leading out of the water onto shore - it looked really congested. I swung to the outside of the group and swam as hard as I could to pass as many people as I could before cutting back into the line...hehe.
Swim time was 29 minutes even and a new PB.
Had a fairly quick T1 - 4:12
Bike
With the swim over, I had two things on my mind:
When I rolled into T2 I felt like a million bucks!!! I paced the bike a little easier this go around but still cranked out a new PB - 2:17:33
Had a quick-for-me T2 - 2:51
Run
Normally when I start the run I am having stomach issues and feeling like crap. Today I felt like a Rock-Star. I switched up my nutrition plan for this race which included changing nutrition products as well as decreasing the amount of calories I take per hour from 300 - 350 to the 220 - 250 range. It worked like a charm!
Knowing I hadn't ran outside since the end of September I knew I would really feel the run about midway through so I picked comfortable pace and stuck to it. The first lap went well but by the 12km mark my legs started to feel heavy and weak and my pace slowed a bit.
Started to feel my knee on the downhills so with 3km left to go I decided to dial it back to enjoy the last few kms and take it all in. I walked for a bit gazing at the palm trees which seem so surreal, high-fived some volunteers, and just enjoyed being out there.
Approaching the finish line I slowed it down to really soak in this finish!
4:43:27 - new PB
Post-Race Thoughts
I really surprised myself with the results I achieved at Clearwater given the issues with my knee and the lack of training during the last 1.5 months. For a while there I was digging myself into a hole worrying about the missed training. It took a few heart-to-hearts with some terrific people to get back on track. I applied their advice, and some stuff I recently read, to my mental preparation during final two weeks leading up to this race. And it paid off - I had such a positive race.
I have heard that previous races at Clearwater were notorious for drafting. This year was no different. The number of packs - their sizes, were absolutely atrocious. So many drafters benefited from a fast bike split and subsequent run split because of fresher legs. I believe people like that are weak and it is an indication of what kind of person they truly are. Some argue that you can't help but draft on a course like that. I whole-heartedly disagree - you have a choice whether you want to latch onto a pack or let them go by. I am proud that my PR is my own work and not the result of someone else doing part of the work for me.
On a more positive note, both Chris and Jill also had great races and both PR'ed as well.
My short-term plan is to take some time off from structured training and start back on strength training.
Thanks for reading!
Shannon
Our flight down to Florida took us through Dallas, Texas for our connecting flight to Tampa. Overall the flight was pleasant and went fairly quickly. We picked up our car rental at the Tampa airport and drove out to Clearwater Beach to meet up with Chris/Jill who were already there (our rental was about a km from transition). Took just over an hour to get there as we stopped to pick up groceries along the way. Once there, we all made dinner together and were in bed pretty early.
Thursday
Chris, Jill, and I were up early in the morning to do a short 25 minute run along the beach - my first run outside since Sept 27. The weather was overcast, cool, and windy. Early on in the week a tropical storm blew through the area and we were on the tail end of it. The ocean looked extremely rough and we saw a few brave souls out trying to swim in it. It definitely did not look inviting and I was skeptical about swimming in those huge waves.
Later in the morning, the four of us went down to the expo to look around and to get registered. They had a free pair of Foster Grant sunglasses in our race kits which was great. Another neat thing as well were the race numbers had the flag our of country on them.
After the check-in, it was back to the beach house to assemble bikes, test ride them, then off to the carb dinner/race briefing in the evening.
Friday
In the morning we decided to don the wetsuits and give it a go at swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. The waves were giant and powerful. I lasted about 15 minutes before getting motion sickness. Coming back onto shore, where Mel was watching, she commented on how green I looked. I told her I wasn't swimming in that tomorrow - it didn't feel safe. Thankfully they announced later in the day the swim later would be moving from the Gulf to the harbour on the other side.
After the swim, myself, Jill, Chris, and their friend Mark drove the bike course. The course itself is flat as a pancake with a few small climbs up to bridges. It was definitely an urban ride taking us through various surrounding communities and counties. Lots of time in the aero-bars...good thing I practiced that beforehand. It was also incredible to see all the major intersections we had to go through and the potential for side-street traffic to cut into our lane. Part of the course even took us onto freeways where we would have the median lane to ourselves!
When we got back from our bike course scouting, Mel and I went for a drive together. I needed to get away from the race site because the energy there was too intense for me. Races I have done in the past have also had this type of energy there but not in this amount. Too many serious people for my liking. Add to that everyone was in shape - there was only one-size at this race.
So Mel and I drove out to a Christmas store and bought a few ornaments - one of which is a pink flamingo with a palm tree! Weird to experience Christmas in such a tropical environment.
In the evening, Chris and I took the bikes out for a short spin to do some sprints. My knee, up to this point in the trip, was not an issue. Although I still felt a little tired from tapering and were wondering if I started my taper too late.
After the ride, we were back at the rental to pack up our bags, and walk them down along with our bikes to be checked into transition. Transition was pretty cool as we all had individual volunteers to walk us to our designated bike area as well as explain how T1 & T2 would operate.
Later that evening we made a nice meal of pasta, chicken, and shrimp together back on the beach condo. My nutrition heading into this race was fairly good - I cut out alcohol about a month before the race, and cut out red meat/dairy about a week before the race. Katie recommended the dairy/red meat avoidance and I have to say I felt better leading into this race by following her advice.
Saturday - Race Day
Chris, Jill, and I were up at 4:30am to eat and gather our belongings for the race. Breakfast for me was a bowl of oatmeal with sliced banana - I was keeping it light compared to previous races. Gave Mel a quick kiss and the three of us were off shortly after 5am to walk over to transition.
It was still dark outside as we were walking through the streets but fairly warm. I was listening to my music and feeling pretty calm and confident at this point - no matter the issues I had leading into this race I am here and I will make the best of it.
After getting body marked, double-checking our bikes, and setting up our nutrition the three of us left transition to walk over to the swim start. Because the swim had switched over to the harbour side, we would be doing time-trail starts based on our age group.
At the start, we wished each other luck and headed off to our age group lines.
Swim
My wave started around 7am and we were herded off the dock into the water like lemmings. The water was calm and fairly comfortable temperature. We were not allowed a warm up in the water prior to the swim so I took it easy during the first 300m to get into a steady rhythm. After that I kicked it up a notch into a steady pace. I made my way as close to the buoys as I could to be efficient.
Heading out we were going directly into the rising sun. About two buoys before the first turn, I got stuck behind a big pack of swimmers and had to do a large detour to the inside to get around them. It was difficult sighting the last couple of buoys before the turn. I lost track of them and decided to follow the splashing in front of me. After a minute I could make out what I thought was the next buoy until a volunteer on a kayak came flying over screaming at everyone to NOT go left but straight ahead.
I stopped and could actually stand up in the middle of the harbour to take a look at my surroundings. Most of the swimmers were cutting left early therefore eliminating swimming out to the last buoy. It was too late for the volunteers to do anything as a lot of people had already taken the shortcut. Even though I was half-way through the shortcut I decided to swim back around the last buoy. Note to self: don't rely on the person in front of you on knowing where they are going.
The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful as I was swimming on my own. I kept focusing on high elbows, long smooth strokes, and keeping my hips open and up. As we got close to shore I could see everyone starting to funnel into smaller area. They had a single lane ramp leading out of the water onto shore - it looked really congested. I swung to the outside of the group and swam as hard as I could to pass as many people as I could before cutting back into the line...hehe.
Swim time was 29 minutes even and a new PB.
Had a fairly quick T1 - 4:12
Bike
With the swim over, I had two things on my mind:
- How was the knee going to feel when I started biking.
- What kind of cycling fitness am I in now?
When I rolled into T2 I felt like a million bucks!!! I paced the bike a little easier this go around but still cranked out a new PB - 2:17:33
Had a quick-for-me T2 - 2:51
Run
Normally when I start the run I am having stomach issues and feeling like crap. Today I felt like a Rock-Star. I switched up my nutrition plan for this race which included changing nutrition products as well as decreasing the amount of calories I take per hour from 300 - 350 to the 220 - 250 range. It worked like a charm!
Knowing I hadn't ran outside since the end of September I knew I would really feel the run about midway through so I picked comfortable pace and stuck to it. The first lap went well but by the 12km mark my legs started to feel heavy and weak and my pace slowed a bit.
Started to feel my knee on the downhills so with 3km left to go I decided to dial it back to enjoy the last few kms and take it all in. I walked for a bit gazing at the palm trees which seem so surreal, high-fived some volunteers, and just enjoyed being out there.
Approaching the finish line I slowed it down to really soak in this finish!
4:43:27 - new PB
Post-Race Thoughts
I really surprised myself with the results I achieved at Clearwater given the issues with my knee and the lack of training during the last 1.5 months. For a while there I was digging myself into a hole worrying about the missed training. It took a few heart-to-hearts with some terrific people to get back on track. I applied their advice, and some stuff I recently read, to my mental preparation during final two weeks leading up to this race. And it paid off - I had such a positive race.
I have heard that previous races at Clearwater were notorious for drafting. This year was no different. The number of packs - their sizes, were absolutely atrocious. So many drafters benefited from a fast bike split and subsequent run split because of fresher legs. I believe people like that are weak and it is an indication of what kind of person they truly are. Some argue that you can't help but draft on a course like that. I whole-heartedly disagree - you have a choice whether you want to latch onto a pack or let them go by. I am proud that my PR is my own work and not the result of someone else doing part of the work for me.
On a more positive note, both Chris and Jill also had great races and both PR'ed as well.
My short-term plan is to take some time off from structured training and start back on strength training.
Thanks for reading!
Shannon
Monday, November 9, 2009
Excitement is growing...
I started rounding up my gear yesterday to pack. Visited our buddy Katie last night to borrow her bike box. I was telling her about my training challenges over the past 1.5 months, particularly the run. She gave me a really good analogy involving a pyramid which really cemented to me that things will be OK on Saturday. As she stated "You play the hand you were dealt". I've been getting great advice the past few weeks from a few key sources - you know who you are and Thank-You!
Last week I had a really hard and focused week of training. By Saturday night I was wiped and took it easy yesterday by focusing on packing and doing a short easy 30 minute swim. This morning I woke up feeling refreshed, calm, and excited about racing this weekend - I can't recall the last time I felt this way. Did a short run on the treadmill - legs felt snappy and there was no knee pain! Lunchtime I did a short bike ride warm-up followed by some heavy-duty foam roller action. This evening I'm boxing up my bike and finishing my packing. We leave bright and early on Wednesday morning.
I am excited that Mel is joining me now on this trip as this is something I really wanted to share with her. I am also really excited to be experiencing another Ironman event with our friends Chris & Jill. Every Ironman event I have ever participated in I have done with these two.
Happy Monday!
Last week I had a really hard and focused week of training. By Saturday night I was wiped and took it easy yesterday by focusing on packing and doing a short easy 30 minute swim. This morning I woke up feeling refreshed, calm, and excited about racing this weekend - I can't recall the last time I felt this way. Did a short run on the treadmill - legs felt snappy and there was no knee pain! Lunchtime I did a short bike ride warm-up followed by some heavy-duty foam roller action. This evening I'm boxing up my bike and finishing my packing. We leave bright and early on Wednesday morning.
I am excited that Mel is joining me now on this trip as this is something I really wanted to share with her. I am also really excited to be experiencing another Ironman event with our friends Chris & Jill. Every Ironman event I have ever participated in I have done with these two.
Happy Monday!
Friday, November 6, 2009
What kind of Gym person are you?
As much as we may not like to admit it, we put labels on people. Good or bad, consciously or sub-consciously - we all do it. Take your local gym for example - we all have our regulars whom we have dubbed with nicknames. In my local gym I have:
If I were to describe myself, based on what I think other people would perceive, here on my gym personas:
- Older Weird Lady - one time Mel was on the eliptical machine and OWL came up to her to tell her she had the machine booked at 6pm - it was 5:01pm at the time. I believe the world misinterprets her quirky habits and appearances.
- Too Skinny Lady - I see her from time-to-time on the eliptical machines - she is really too thin and struggles to push her legs/arms through the motions. I feel empathy towards her.
- Who wears short shorts Man - Older fella who wears his socks hauled up to his knees all the time and his shorts hiked up over belly button. He spends quite a bit of time watching the ladies.
- Of course, there are the students - the guys who smell like the cologne aisle at the Bay and spend more time checking themselves out in the mirror as opposed to lifting weights.
If I were to describe myself, based on what I think other people would perceive, here on my gym personas:
- Quiet Serious Guy - rarely smiles or talks to anyone. Too focused on what he is doing and never takes the time to say hello to his fellow gym patrons.
- The Guy with shaved legs - what dude in his right mind would shave his legs?!?
- Pansy Man - the guy who uses 10lb dumbells for arm curls and benches less than most of the females in the gym.
- Mr I-have-a-pickle-up-my-arse - the guy who will interrupt you to tell you he has booked this treadmill for noon when there are 4 others wide open. (lol, that is why you have to book the machines at the front-desk!)
- Mr Weird - spends a shit ton of time doing weird stretches on the foam roller.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Temptation
Everyone has been bringing in left-over halloween candy.
Temptation...
What I am currently diving into...2 bananas sliced, tangerine, and yogurt splashed on top...YUM! And as Julie would say "BOMB PROOF!!!"
Temptation...
What I am currently diving into...2 bananas sliced, tangerine, and yogurt splashed on top...YUM! And as Julie would say "BOMB PROOF!!!"
Race No: 669
Just found out the Competitors Lists are up for the 70.3 Championships in Clearwater. I have a spreadsheet created to track my weekly training totals - volume and time. When I resumed training last week, I managed to scrape up 669 minutes of training. My race number is 669 - I shit you not! Wonder what significance, if any, that has?
There are approximately 150 people in my 30 - 34 age group with 9 of us from Canada. I believe at least 5 of us from the Calgary area!
I'll be extremely happy with two things at this race:
My bike is currently in the shop getting a major overall. I get to pick it up today in time to hammer out a 2hr ride this evening. Sandwiched somewhere in there will be a 38 minute tempo effort. The plan is to get in some more key workouts until Friday in a last ditch effort to gain a little speed. After that I'll taper for a week into the 14th.
The last month I have been pretty diligent with my diet and have dropped 13lbs since the Calgary 70.3. This week I am eating a lot of salads with loads of veggies, protein, and some form of carbs in there. Next week I'll resume normal eating to fuel up for race day. I am also implementing a tip from my buddy Katie and that is to cut out all diary about 3-4 days from the race. Diary didn't agree with my before the Calgary 70.3 which I think may have contributed to my stomach issues.
Getting some good runs in on the treadmill and hope to try the knee out this weekend outside. It is not perfect but I'll manage.
Happy Hump Day Folks!
There are approximately 150 people in my 30 - 34 age group with 9 of us from Canada. I believe at least 5 of us from the Calgary area!
I'll be extremely happy with two things at this race:
- Finishing
- Not coming last overall
My bike is currently in the shop getting a major overall. I get to pick it up today in time to hammer out a 2hr ride this evening. Sandwiched somewhere in there will be a 38 minute tempo effort. The plan is to get in some more key workouts until Friday in a last ditch effort to gain a little speed. After that I'll taper for a week into the 14th.
The last month I have been pretty diligent with my diet and have dropped 13lbs since the Calgary 70.3. This week I am eating a lot of salads with loads of veggies, protein, and some form of carbs in there. Next week I'll resume normal eating to fuel up for race day. I am also implementing a tip from my buddy Katie and that is to cut out all diary about 3-4 days from the race. Diary didn't agree with my before the Calgary 70.3 which I think may have contributed to my stomach issues.
Getting some good runs in on the treadmill and hope to try the knee out this weekend outside. It is not perfect but I'll manage.
Happy Hump Day Folks!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
I walk the line...
It has been a really busy week for me past. Worked kicked into over drive and I have worked everyday this week and into the evenings/nights with the exception of tonight. We are launching our H1N1 site for the school tomorrow. Last minute changes from VP's had our team scrambling to get everything completed for tomorrow mornings launch. Thankfully I enjoy what I do for a living.
Mel landed a job with the city this past week (Yeeeeaaah Mel!). It seems to be a great opportunity and I am REALLY glad - after she had to leave an amazing career in Halifax to come back out West. With dual incomes again we decided she would come to Florida with me next week. Bought the ticket today and booked the kennel for the dogs. Already scoped out the outlet mall to hit up after the race. I plan on parking in the food court with a book and relaxing while she shops for some new work clothes.
I managed to make it home from work for the last hour of Halloween trick or treaters. We dressed the dogs up...Jessie was a princess and Sammy a bumble-bee (see new blog image). Unfortunately J is afraid of cameras so we did not get a good pic of her to post.
Training has been OK - I won't say great but it hasn't been as frustrating as before. After a pep talk from Mel things started to fall into place and I am starting to accept what is instead of what could have been.
That said I have been able to manage my knee pain through the following:
This week I also started wearing layers during my bike/run workouts to start getting use to the heat we'll experience in Florida. Mel laughs and shakes her head.
Mel landed a job with the city this past week (Yeeeeaaah Mel!). It seems to be a great opportunity and I am REALLY glad - after she had to leave an amazing career in Halifax to come back out West. With dual incomes again we decided she would come to Florida with me next week. Bought the ticket today and booked the kennel for the dogs. Already scoped out the outlet mall to hit up after the race. I plan on parking in the food court with a book and relaxing while she shops for some new work clothes.
I managed to make it home from work for the last hour of Halloween trick or treaters. We dressed the dogs up...Jessie was a princess and Sammy a bumble-bee (see new blog image). Unfortunately J is afraid of cameras so we did not get a good pic of her to post.
Training has been OK - I won't say great but it hasn't been as frustrating as before. After a pep talk from Mel things started to fall into place and I am starting to accept what is instead of what could have been.
That said I have been able to manage my knee pain through the following:
- Icing it at least 3x daily for 20 - 30 minutes and immediately after each workout.
- Got some new runners - my old worn ones are likly the cause of my issue.
- Wear my orothotics everywhere...I switch them into whatever footwear I am wearing at the moment.
- Put new orothoics in my cycling shoes
- Stopped riding to work and take the bus/train.
- Bought a knee support brace I wear when commuting to/from work.
- Adjusted my biking position - instead of sliding all over my seat throughout a ride I now ride 1-2 inches further ahead on my saddle and stay there. I have the new saddle sores to prove it. I also stay in my aerobars as sitting up aggravates the knee. Good thing I suppose for a flat course like Florida.
- Running - I power/speed walk for 10 - 20 minutes to warm up and run 10 & 1's throughout the run. I have found that 10 minutes of running is the max I can run before the pain kicks in and I have to stop and walk it out.
- Wear my knee brace during bike/run workouts.
- No pushing off the walls when swimming - this got old really quick when I was doing a 2000m time trial earlier this week.
- Lots of self-massage - the knee that is.
This week I also started wearing layers during my bike/run workouts to start getting use to the heat we'll experience in Florida. Mel laughs and shakes her head.
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