Fuel For Thought

    Nutrition, or as I like to think of it, Rocket Fuel, is vital to keeping my body functioning. Especially as, I hate to admit, I get older,  I am staring down the barrel of double-nickels, 55. 55!! Fifty. Five. Yikes!!! But age is not the topic here today, only as a peripheral aspect of nutrition.
    As everyone knows, the holidays are a tough time to keep on track with decent eating. I know that fighting against the desire to sample the tasty delights of the season is not worth the stress and angst. So I indulge. I do try to limit it to one or two days of gluttony. But I feel the residual effects. Too much sugar, wheat, and butter (yummmmm) and I am approaching the New Year feeling a bit gruesome. So as I finish out 2016 I am regaining my footing, and getting back on track. After all, a few days of slipping off the wagon is not a calamity (a full month might be catastrophic, but still not insurmountable). With Christmas only 2 days behind us I am already focusing on plant based nutrition, which is actually my norm... so I guess I'm saying, I am back to normal after 2 days off.
    This morning I made one of my favorite breakfast dishes. A concoction I made up a few months ago, and wonder why I didn't figure it out sooner. Yams, quinoa, and rolled oats. Yeah, a little weird, but not really. This is how it goes:
                                       YAM & OATS ala Deasal
     
       1 small Yam, peeled and grated
       1/4 cup Quinoa, rinsed
       2 cups Water
       2/3 cup old fashioned Rolled Oats
       Handful of chopped dried fruit (I like apple)
       Handful of Raisins (I get to use my own homegrown... super yum)
       Dash of Salt
       1 tsp Vanilla

    Cook Yam, Quinoa, and Water in saucepan: bring to boil on medium high, immediately reduce heat to gentle simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until yams are cooked and quinoa has sprouted its little tail. Stir in Vanilla, Dried Fruit, and Raisins. There should be at least a cup of liquid still in the mix (kind of soupy) if not, add a little. Stir in Oats, increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to gentle simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on the moisture, add a little if needed to keep it from scorching. When liquid is absorbed, and oats, cooked, remove from heat and let stand a few minutes.
    Eat as is, if that is your inclination. Me, I like to dress it up a bit. My usual is to stir in a little brown sugar or agave nectar, and a sliced banana. Then I shake some brown rice protein powder into almond milk to pour over it all Sometimes, if I am feeling a little wild and reckless I will add a spoonful of peanut butter.
    This is a very flexible food, add or subtract as you desire, or to go with ingredients on hand. I've added chopped nuts, coconut oil, hemp seed, sunflower seed, pepitos (shelled pumpkin seed), maple syrup... the options are endless, and delicious.

Workout Journal

     I have finally started keeping a workout journal. All these years, decades really, of regular training of one form or another, and I have finally committed to keeping a handwritten journal. It is just the basics: date, time, duration, yardage, sets, type. You know, basics. Then, at the end of each week I tally up swim yardage, time on bike, and total hours of training. At one time I tried to keep the stats posted here, on my blog, but that lasted about twice. Keeping regular records has never been my strong suit. But I have a handful of small journals lying about, each with a different purpose. One is full of quotes that strike my fancy, another for good business ideas that pop into my head at the weirdest of times, one is just random thoughts and lists. I had a spare, unused, hardcover, small journal that needed a purpose,.. my workout journal was born.
    So far, I have been good at keeping it updated. Okay, it has only been ten days, but for me that is a new record. The downside is that the ice and snow we had last week kept me away from the pool all but 2 days. I have really been upping my pool time, and aiming for a minimum of 4 days a week, preferably 5 days. This week and next I will be sabotaged by the holidays, since the club will be closing early two saturdays in a row. Saturday has been my favorite "big" night; heavy upper body workout followed by a strong swim. I will be bumping that to Friday to compensate.
    One advantage of a journal is the ability to accurately track distance and duration. Yes, I am actually really good at keeping a mental record of recent workouts, as well as training schedule. But I am thinking of it in terms of the visual satisfaction of seeing it in black and white. Kind of like making a list of projects and getting to cross them off the list as they are completed. It is very satisfactory.
    Another advantage is that my naturally competitive nature will make me want to keep upping the ante. I am good at keeping myself honest anyway, if I plan on swimming 3000 yards, I will swim the 3000 yards (unless I have a good reason not to). But to put pen to paper will give me even more reason to push myself. At least that is the hope. So, let's see just how long I can keep journaling. Keep it up long enough and it will become a habit, like training, and that is something I am very good at.

Increasing the Mileage

    I made up a new game at the pool today, I named it "Pursuit."  It only works when there is someone else swimming laps, and preferably someone who is at least a tolerable swimmer. So in my case, this won't happen often, since I am usually the lone lap swimmer. Anyhoo, it goes like this: after 1000 yard warmup, I let the guy in the other lane get 25 yards ahead, then I have 200 yards to catch him. Then 100 yards each breast stroke and backstroke for recovery. Repeat 4 times. 500 yards to cool down. The point behind this was to swim a hard 200 yards, at about 90%, long strokes, good form, and pushing hard enough that the last few yards were tough. Okay, really the point was to have fun, take some of the tedium out of lap swimming and get in some High Intensity Interval Training. Also, as I have admitted before, it is really hard for me not to race the swimmer next to me. No matter who they are, or how fast/slow they swim, I want to race them. Slow swimmers I will see how quickly I can lap them. Decent swimmers (like today) I try to either pace them or outswim them. It is easier to gauge my progress if I have to try and catch them. Besides, then they don't know they are being raced. Funny thing today; I could catch the guy in about 190 yards, but once I was alongside him he would put on a little heat and not let me pass. This proves my point: we all race the swimmer in the lane next to us, at least on some level.
    I am increasing both the number of times a week I swim, as well as time and distance of my swims. My "regular" after work evening swims are now closer to 90 minutes, and have a weight lifting workout before and an aquatic leg workout after. I have added two "nooners" to the weekly rotation, Tuesday and Thursday. Shorter swims, 45-60 minutes, but with higher intensity and speed work. Swim coaches will tell you it is better to do 5 shorter swims a week than 2 or 3 long swims. I want to get my weekly mileage up, as well as daily miles. I have started tracking my mileage, actually writing it down. yeah, I usually have a decent idea of where I'm at, but I want to have it literally in writing.
    I have my Eyes on The Prize: The Portland Bridge Swim. And need to train accordingly. If I can manage to add just a modicum of excitement to the endless miles, that is a total Win for me. Playing "Pursuit" is just the tip of the iceberg, time to start getting creative

Decide What You Want....

    I am feeling a little guilty for not keeping up with my writing. Today I read something that touched a spark:
Decide what it is you want.
Write that shit down.
Make a fucking plan
and work on it.
Every. Single. Day.
It brought to mind a mantra I have used for several years:
Rule #1: Train Every Day.
Rule  #2 Make a Plan.
Rule #3 Be prepared to change The Plan.

    I may not have an Ironman in my near future, but I make it a point to train every day. Honestly. Even on days that I'm not hammering on a decent, focused workout. On my "rest" days I am still getting in an hour or so of stretching and flexibility, with some core work thrown in for good measure.
    As we go rolling into the dark, cold days of winter I have fewer demands on my adulting time. Most of the house projects are on hold while the rain lashes the windows and the wind whips the trees. Sure, there will be a decent day now and then, and if it coincides with a day off from work I will go out and putter about. But for now, there isn't a lot of responsible projects on my plate. You know what that means? Yeah, I can get in more training hours.
    I did get my new running shoes, Hoka Bond 4s, and took them out for a quick spin. They are definitely heavier than my Sauconys, but the cushioning is undeniable. But I have to ease into running slowly and gently, despite the plush new kicks, so that won't add much to my training hours.
    Where I am really starting to ramp up is with my swimming. I was in the water 5 times this week. I am making it a point to have specific swim sessions, not just getting in and grinding out lap after lap after lap (though I need t do that now and then too). Tonight I hit the weight room for 30 minutes of heavy upper body weight work. I have decided to use machines twice a week since it lets me lift heavy without the need for a spotter. As always, I do Super Sets. I like working through my different muscle groups without wasting time resting between sets. I've been doing weight pyramid sets: starting with lower weight/higher reps, adding weight each set, until I am doing heavy weight/low reps. I usually do 3 or 4 exercises per Super Set, and 5 or 6 sets. Makes me nice and warm by the time I hit the pool. Tonight's swim was one of my favorites: Individual Medley; 100 yards each breast stroke and backstroke, 200 yards crawl. I like it because it works all my muscles, and it is easy to keep track of my lap count. Tonight I decided I really needed to Burn Off the Crazy, so I decided to "swim until I am done." I had no idea how long that would be, I started with the goal of a single mile. About half a mile into it I decided to shoot for a mile and a half. About 2/3 of a mile in I got the wild hare to go for 2 miles. Now, 2 miles isn't bad when it is all crawl. Crawl i designed to be efficient. Breast stroke and backstroke, however, not so much. Being a neurotic stroke counter I know it takes me 10 strokes to swim one length doing the crawl. Breast stroke takes 22, and backstroke takes 18. Double the strokes = double the time = double the energy. So, swimming 2 miles I.M. is the equivalent of swimming 3 miles. Yeah, I was kinda tired when I was done.
    I am ramping up my swim because I am determined to swim the Bridge Swim come this summer. I need to be able to swim for at least 3 hours in the pool without feeling too gruesome. Tonight I swam for a steady 95 minutes. Not that unusual, but a little longer than usual. 90 minutes needs to become a short, easy swim. And I am working towards that. I know if I swim 90 minutes of the crawl I won't be nearly as tired as I am right now,
    I have also increased my weight lifting/strength training considerably the last couple of months. Strength will increase my stamina. And Strength + Speed = Power.  When the day comes for the Bridge Swim I want to be able to have not only the endurance to finish, but I want to have the juice so I can swim the home stretch with power, beautiful form, and good cadence. In other words: I want to Finish Strong. And I want to have enough strength so that at the end of the swim, in front of all the onlookers, I can manage to get out of the water and back on dry land under my own power, and not so gassed I feel like puking. I think that is reasonable goal setting: Be able to climb out of the water on my own, and not vomit in public,
    So, this is me, Deciding what I want, writing that Shit down, making a fucking Plan, and working on it. Every. Single Day.

Running Shoes

    I have been really feeling the need to get my run mojo back. It is difficult to force the issue when I have such chronic pain in my feet, knees, and ankles. Too many years of sprained ankles and dislocating knees has left me in a sorry state. Arthritis has invaded with a passion these last few years. Yeah, it really pisses me off. Mostly, I have no one and nothing to blame but myself, and a lifelong disregard for my delicate connective tissue. Seriously, what high school kid is going to be too concerned about repeated sprained ankles during basketball season. And the knees. I blew them skiing, then added insult to injury by fighting, with the twisting and pivoting, and playing on broken ground. But all that is neither here nor there. It is done, past, and nothing I can do to change any of it. Though if I could go back in time and give my young self one piece of advice it would be, "Take care of your joints."
    Where all this has led me, at this moment, is the consideration of the Hoka One One running shoes. They are the super cushioned shoes that remind me of a combination clown shoe and marshmallow. They are so puffy they look like they were created for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. I have been devoted to my minimalist shoes for the last 5 years, loving the connection with the ground. Especially for trail running. But on the pavement I have needed more cushion. I loved my Saucony Virratas, but they were discontinued several years back and are a rare find. The Hoka has twice the cushion of the Virrata, and comes in a near zero drop. I have come to the point that I know if I am going to run on pavement I need all the padding I can get. The chronic pain in my feet and ankles, especially the left one, keeps me awake at night. This makes me a tad grumpy. Maybe, just maybe, if I can swaddle my feet in the marshmallowy goodness of the super cushioned Hoak I can start running again without additional damage being inflicted on my already angry joints.
    Yes, I am clutching at straws. But if I am to continue to compete in triathlon I have to be able to run. It is imperative. I don't want to be relegated to the occasional Sprint or Olympic distance. I want to keep training for long course. I still am holding onto the hope that I will get to another Iron distance event. But to do that I have to be able to run. I do enjoy running, and entering running events. It has made me sad to be sidelined. Maybe the Hoka shoes will let me train fully again. Maybe. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. Yes, clutching at strawa. I will keep you posted.

Fell Off The Wagon, A Little

    Fell off the wagon a bit today. I've been cutting back on carbs and upping my protein the last few weeks, trying to shake off my typical autumn Eat-Carbs-and-Sleep Hibernation mode. Today I am blaming post-Election duress. Yes, carbs make me happy. No-carbs makes me sad. It is a simple concept. It used to be cravings for mellowcreme pumpkins, York Peppermint Patties, and Butterfingers. Cravings that were almost irresistible. My nervous breakdown, nearly 5 years ago, was accompanied by an inability to stomach most foods. The only foods that didn't make me nauseous were oranges, and whey protein in warm milk, It was a great way to beat my sugar addiction. Now, my typical autumn cravings are basic carbs. Yes, healthy carbs, but more than I should be consuming except during heavy endurance training.
    Since I am in a build phase I know to lower my carbs and increase my protein. Which is exactly what has been going on the last few weeks. I have to say, being vegetarian, even most of my protein sources have a carbs, so going low-carb is almost impossible. Besides, like I said, carbs make me happy, low-carb makes me sad. Today I binged with sharp cheddar on fresh homemade, whole grain, gluten free bread. Not exactly a feeding frenzy, and still healthy for high carb.
    I mentioned a build period. I have increased my weight and strength workouts. I am on a three day rotation, mostly; legs, core, upper body. I used to go with a two day rotation, but I am giving myself an extra day of recovery between training sessions. I am also alternating heavy weight/lower rep, with lighter weight/higher rep. I'm also doing the 30 Day Squat Challenge: 3 days on, one day off, increasing reps by 5 each day. I am on day 8.
    Along with increased strength training, I am back in the pool religiously. The pool was closed for several weeks in October, really cutting into my swim routine. I feel like I am starting over with my swim endurance. No, not quite starting from ground zero, but I can definitely feel it. I did a great HIIT swim on Monday, and will be sure to have at least one HIIT, one Long Swim, and one Strength swim per week. Time to get back on a regular training program so I can be ready for the Bridge Swim in July.
    In the pool, after my swim, I am continuing with the physical therapy type leg workout in the water. Which includes side steps, high knees, butt kicks, side leg lifts, leg circles forward and back, and explosive jumps. It is a solid 30 minute workout, and I think it is vital for knee and hip strength for running. I am really hoping to get back to trail running sooner rather than later.
    I upped my bike time while the pool was closed, and am having a rest week right now. Having a cold a few weeks ago did put a damper on all cardio, my lungs were aching. I also discovered just how much sinus pressure can increase in the down facing position of aero bars. HIIT sessions will be back in the agenda soon enough. It is the best way to increase fitness without having to add hours and hours of training.
    So, back to carbs. I do love my carbs, but am feeling a twinge of guilt for overdoing it today. On the other hand, I have been training hard, so really, no damage done. Besides, tomorrow is a new day.

All About That Base

    All about that base, 'bout that base...  Yes, that is the plan, all about Base Building. Though I haven't been writing as much as I should, I have managed to get my training back on track, for the most part. The biggest impediment these last few weeks has been the weather. Yes, the sunshine was forcing me to finish up my summer projects at a frenetic pace. Knowing the rains were acomin' and there was too much to get done. It's hard to get in a solid arm workout when you've been scraping paint, sanding, priming, and painting a house. But now we are settling into the rainy season, and I can narrow my focus a bit.
    October has been tough. There were outdoor home improvement projects that had to be finished, cutting into my daylight hours. The pool was closed for two weeks for cleaning and resurfacing, and now will be closed again for the first part of next week, so my swim has suffered. Week before last I had several events that took up entire evenings (work and fire station annual events), which blew holes in training. Then last week I was hit with the wretched cold that has been going around, topped off with 2 days of an intestinal bug that left me feeling pretty hollow. But that was then, this is now. Back to a solid training schedule.
    Base Training, building the foundation of fitness that is essential to have solidly in place before you can really start pushing boundaries. I have managed to keep up with strength training and core work. My cardio has slipped a little from not spending enough time, as well as a week of sinus and respiratory viral distress. I am still having some congestion, so am forcing myself to take it easy. Maybe it is best that the pool is closed for a few more days, keeping me from going overboard in the chlorine laced air. I have been spending more time in the weight room at the club, focusing on leg work. I have stayed very consistent with upper body work, adding in some heavy work as well as swim specific strength training. Core strength is one thing a lot of people skimp on, but it is vital for swim/bike/run, especially once fatigue sets in. I do some level of core work on most days, and do at least 2 days a week of intense core work.
    I am looking ahead to next season and know that the two events I have to do are the Bridge Swim, and The Best in The West half-Iron. Those are essential. I am going to pay the entry fees fairly early in the year, to make sure I won't be able to back out. Hopefully I can remain injury free, which is where Base Training really comes into play. A strong base will help prevent injury later. Of course the Run is where I am most vulnerable. Knee and hip injuries have sidelined me the last 2 years. I have spent the better part of a year working on physical therapy, and strength training to try and prep myself to get back into a regular run schedule. I know I need to keep actual pavement pounding to a minimum, so I have to make up the gap with alternative training.
     I have 11 months until Best in The West, 9 months until the Bridge Swim. That may seem like a lot of time, but I know it will go by too quickly. The best way to deal with it is to follow the First Rule of Ironman: Train Every Day. Build the Base: Strength, Core, Cardio. Then: Swim, Bike, Run. So much to do, so little time.

2017 No Excuses

    Sitting here in a mucous fueled fog, fighting a cold and refusing to be sick, I am looking ahead to 2017. I always have to have one eye on the future, even if, like the last 2 years, there has not been much racing involved. I don't know that there will be very many races in 2017, but I have to make sure there are a few epic ones. There has to be a reason to train, a purpose, There has to be at least one good reason for me to drive myself, push past the pain, live happily with the aches.
    Last season I was deflated by the announcement that my A Race was cancelled, permanently. I shifted my sights to long swims, and a shorter triathlon, But those plans were sidelined as well.
    The coming season, 2017: No Excuses. I don't have a solid race schedule yet, or a corresponding training plan. I have a decent idea of what I want to accomplish next year, so that does give me a wide target for training. I will start with base building, as one should always do. Then, as I get events solidly on the calendar I can narrow my training focus.
    Right now, this minute, I need to get over this cold. But I also need to get in at least a token workout. I am thinking weight lifting, upper body, and maybe some core work. Adding strength is always appropriate, no matter what the training plan. Tomorrow is Leg Day followed by a moderate swim.
      Looking ahead to 2017. No Excuses. There will be epic events.

Food. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

   A major downside of healthy eating habits is the healthier you eat, the healthier you have to eat. I am currently suffering the consequences of a week of injudicious choices. Okay, actually more than a week. I have been over-doing the carbs the last few weeks, and feeling the effects. This last week I have been in work and social situations with bad choices available, and me availing myself of them. I am really feeling it this evening. The general intestinal disquiet, bloating, heartburn brought on by consuming wheat hither and yon over a period of several days. I can get away with a bit of wheat now and then, but not in any quantity, and not several days in a row.  Adding insult to injury, my body is trying to come down with a cold, so I have added doses of decongestant and ibuprofin to the chaos.  Tonight I dosed myself with digestive enzymes and probiotics, and am now sipping herbal tea. Now is time to get back to stoking my system with the jet fuel it has become accustomed to, not kerosene that burns too cool and leaves a black smokey mess behind.
    I was talking with a friend this evening, a friend who has been on as arduous a personal physical journey as I have. He pointed out that when he backslid there would seem to be a delay between the transgression and the noticeable results. I have to agree here. I've been under some weird stress, starting about 6 weeks ago. Stress is the gateway drug to poor eating, disruptive workout plans, which leads to sleep troubles which lead to poor eating. It is a vicious cycle. Now, 6 weeks later, I am really noticing a few weeks of falling off the wagon.
    As of today the work and social events are now things of the past, as is the cause of the weird stress that bushwhacked me. No time like the present to get everything back online. Time to purge. Cleanse. Detox. I will get back to gluten free, cut back on the cheese (though I do so love cheese), lower my carb intake, avoid simple carbs. And cardio. Don't forget the cardio.

Off Season, Getting Back On Track

    Where has the time gone? Pretty sure no one has really noticed my absence here lately, but it has been a while since I posted. I haven't been as diligent with my training this last month as I would like. Partly because I don't have anything on the calendar to be training for, but there have also been mitigating circumstances that have caused a minor break in my habits. The pool was closed for nearly 2 weeks for cleaning and resurfacing. That threw a rock in the cogs, for sure. Then, this last week has been chockablock with outside responsibilities surrounding work and fire station events. I am not making excuses, well, not really anyway. But when an 8 hour work day then extends another 4 or 5 hours, it does make it tough to get in a decent workout. Add in the intruders that came over several times to lay claim to the tiny house, interrupting my peace, and it made for stress and chaos all around.
    Enough of excuses. I have been maintaining my strength and core workouts, even if my swim and cardio have dropped off the last few weeks. Where I have been failing though is in the nutrition arena. This time of year all I really want to do is eat carbs and sleep. Events at work and in various life circles have not helped me refrain from the carb indulgences. This weekend should be the last of the distractions though, as our annual Fire Station Chicken Dinner is tomorrow, with cleanup on Sunday, then I am back to a semi normal routine.
    Monday I will be back in the weight room and the pool, come hell or high water (okay, with the storm warnings for this weekend, high water could be a real thing). I will get back on track with training and nutrition, before the winter doldrums can claim me, and add that winter fat layer. I think that is where I am freaking out the most, I do not ever want to return to my previous, heavier self. Ever. I worked too hard to get where I am to let a month or two of overwork and stress derail me for life. So, Monday. Back on track. Off season training begins in earnest. Weights, strength training, core, cardio, plyometrics. I am on it like sweat on a runner. Back on track.

Training Mojo

    I haven't been posting much this summer. I've been lacking a main focal point for my training that has had me slowly losing my training mojo. I did have the great 4000M swim at the beginning of summer, and the 5K run for the 4th of July. But that has been it as far as events go. One problem has been that I work on saturdays, so that removes a lot of potential events from my agenda. Then there is the cost of racing. Triathlons aren't cheap (and most are on saturday, anyway). I wanted to do the Best in the West half-Iron this year, but couldn't justify the $250 entry fee in my current state of living the life of the Starving Artist. All this has conspired to drain me of training mojo this last month or so.
    I was getting back into running. Finally feeling like my knee and hip were able to let me feel the trail under my feet. I made regular trips down to Molalla River State Park and ran the trail that follows the river. It is the best place in my little world to run. I love it there. The air feels hyper-charged with oxygen, and the river keeps the shady trail even cooler in the heat of summer. Then we had a heat wave, and I let myself falter. Now, with Autumn and the coming rains breathing down my neck I am in the Oh-my-god-I've-got-so-much-to-do-before-the-rain panic mode trying to finish all the outdoor home improvement tasks that require warm, dry weather. I have stayed diligent with my physical therapy to maintain hip and knee strength though.
    The long and short of it though is that I have become discouraged with my training this last month or so. Without an A Race to look forward to it is hard to keep motivation high. Right now I should be just finishing my Peak Training, with my Taper to start next week. If I was doing an Iron or Half-Iron like I have a few years past. Last year I was forced to take it off because of injury. This year I had a slow start since I wasn't quite back to even 80% with the healing and rehab at the beginning of the season.
    Where does that leave me now? Let me tell you. A few days ago I was feeling gloomy and bitter, sad that there was no Epic Adventure at the end of my summer. That kind of thinking doesn't get you anywhere but gloomier, and slower, and weaker. I've decided that I will take a step back. No, not like you are thinking. I am going to act as though I finished my A Race, had the appropriate Rest and Recovery time, and am now getting back to Base Training. Base Training is just what it sounds like. It is building the platform of strength and endurance that you need to have in order to keep piling on the miles, whether those miles are in the water, on the bike, or running a trail. It is about getting the body ready for the intensity of harder training that is in store for any endurance athlete. Most bodies are not able to maintain day after day of swim, bike, or run at the distances that I am wanting to do. My knees and hips can't handle the long, joint pounding runs I wish they could. So I have to compensate with strength training, explosive plyometrics, and more time on the bike doing high intensity training. I need to lay the groundwork, before I can pound the ground.
    Next year I turn 55. That seems like a good year to try a few new things. One event I have vowed to do is the Willamette Bridge Swim. Yeah, 11 miles in the Willamette kind of scares the holy shit out of me. But isn't that the point? Isn't doing things that scare you one of the highlights of life? I still want and need to do an Iron distance event and get an official time. I would love to do another Leadman, since the distances are better suited to my particular skill set: longer swim and bike, shorter run. I want to find a few other things that will challenge me to push outside of my comfort zone. I will do the 4000M swim again, because it was fun and just enough of a challenge that I still smile when I remember it.
     Back to Base: More strength training. More High Intensity Interval Training. More Plyometrics. More Yoga and Tai Chi for flexibility. Always Swim, Bike, Run. Better nutrition, always room for improvement in the area of Rocket Fuel. Making a plan, and sticking to it. Making A Plan, a Good Plan,  I am getting my Training Mojo back.

Plenty Of Energy To Burn

    Being freed from work, like a wild bird escaping a cage, I fled to the woods. I had almost forgotten how much I love running the trail that follows the Willamette River in the Mollala River State Park.  A few years ago I came here nearly every day with my dogs and we would run and hike the trails, play in the water, and explore the underbrush. There was a regular group of us. Funny, I can remember the dogs easily enough: Raven, Shiloh, and Mickey. But it took me a lot of thought to match the human names with their canine companions: Jim, Red, and Carol. Thinking back to those days, with my wolfhound Tonks who I lost to cancer 2 years ago, and my goofball Hugo, it made me a little melancholy for times gone by, and a companion lost. But the park hadn't changed much.
    It is a narrow path, more overgrown than it used to be, that twists and turns, dips and rises, over fallen logs, under downed trees. Damp, packed dirt under my favorite running shoes, a canopy of giant trees above my head, rainforest dense underbrush hiding a plethora of small, woodland creatures. The air feels thick with newly produced oxygen, loaded with positive ions from the wind blowing across millions of fir needles. The air is so loaded it acts like a performance enhancing drug in my system. I run slow and easy. The narrow, winding path doesn't allow for anything else. I am so relaxed, yet alert. In my mind I can imagine ultra-endurance trail running, or that I have slipped back in time a thousand years and am running through the woods to carry tribal lore from one small village to the next. I run easy. I feel like I can run forever. But I know better. I know better than to over-do it on my poor body, which has had a helluva time recovering from a continual array of pain and injury. My run was only about three miles, but it was an excellent three miles.
    A powerful run left me still wanting to burn energy. Of course I had my swim bag, and had planned to hit the pool. Today I decided to do The One Hour Challenge: How far can you swim in 60 minutes. I warmed up with 500 yards of mixed strokes: breast, back, and crawl. Then I slipped into my I-can-do-this-all-day pace. Lap after lap, letting my mind wander. Today was a good day for this, I had been enjoying being inside my own head from the moment I escaped work. I hadn't even turned on music in the car, enjoying silence instead. Lap after lap. At about lap 55 I was feeling a little bit of fatigue in my shoulders, so, being the weirdo that I am, I decided to pick up the pace a little. Besides, this really does help train for a strong finish when racing, and I thought I was only a few laps from the end. I had expected to swim about 1 minute laps so at lap 60 I checked the clock and was surprised to see that I still had about 10 minutes. So I swam on, still pushing myself, really putting some power behind my strokes. I ended up swimming 70 laps = 3500 yards = 1.989 miles. I was pleased with myself for sure. Finished up with a 250 yard cool-down. Total swim 4250 yards = 2.41 miles. A good swim. I do think I will add this swim into the rotation about every 3rd week, it is a good way to measure progress.
    Of course, I followed my swim with the now mandatory 30 minute leg work in the water. I am convinced that this hydro physical therapy is what let me run the Freedom 5K with little joint pain. And it is likely why I am not having joint pain in the days after the race. Yes, It was a slow run for me. My asthma kicked up about mile 2 so I had to slow to a brisk walk a couple of times to get my breathing under control. And it was my first 5K run since the same event last year. I have been too damaged to run in the last year. Now I am thinking/hoping/wishing that I have figured out how to run again without damaging myself. Only time, and more running, will tell. For the moment, I am just stoked to have rediscovered the trail along the river.

Long, Strong, and Silent

    Tonight should have been a Sprint Set swim. That really was the plan. Last night was power, tonight was sprint. I got to the pool so tired, stiff, and sore that I almost didn't swim. I was very tempted to just head for the Jacuzzi. But no, that is not my style. I slipped into the water and started with my standard warmup, with a minor alteration, halving the set: 50 yards each breast stroke, backstroke, crawl (normally I do 100 yards each). Every muscle felt tight and sore. Every. Muscle. I was going to do a few sets to warmup, it turned into 7 sets = 21 laps = 1050 yards. Time for Sprint sets. I swam on lap at a moderate sprint pace, and realized I was still too too, I was going to strain something if I tried to sprint. I hung on the edge of the pool for a moment, thinking of calling it a day and crawling into the Jacuzzi. Not my style.
    What to do? What to do? When speed and/or power are beyond the scope of the day's training, no matter what the schedule says, it is time to change the plan. I decided to focus on technique. More precisely, on swimming as silently as possible. The reason being that the quieter the stroke, the more efficient it can be. I try to swim quietly at all times, though the faster the swim the louder it gets. There isn't much you can do about that. I continued with the same type of set: 50 yards each breast, back, and crawl. Mostly because my muscles were sore enough I wanted to keep changing the muscles being used. But now I was focusing on making each stroke long, strong, and silent. Extending my reach as far as possible, lengthening my entire body from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes. Grab the water and pull, keeping my fingers pointed to the bottom of the pool, and my palms facing back. Pulling myself through the water until my hands pass my waist and it becomes a push. Then pushing all the way through until my thumbs brush my mid-thigh. Easy, relaxed recovery. The hand slipping silently back into the water to repeat the stroke. The only noise was the sound of my own breathing. I would hold my breath and hear only the slightest ripple of my hand entering the water. Long, strong, and silent. This continued for another 7 sets, for a total swim of 2100 yards. Not too bad for being tired and sore.
    I did an abbreviated leg workout, only 2 sets (about 20 minutes), because my legs were every bit as tight and sore as my upper body. Like I said, every muscle felt tight and sore. Every. Muscle. Of course, by the time I was done in the pool I was feeling much improved. I slid into the hot Jacuzzi and let myself melt into the heat. In a few minutes I was drowsy and yawning. But the day was not over yet.
    Saturday is my self-asskicking upper body night. I still had strength training to do once I got home. I drank half a cup of coffee and ate another banana (I eat a lot of bananas), fed the animals, then launched into an intense upper body workout with resistance bands, hand weights, barbell, and pushups. Tonight was 12 various exercises (done in supersets of 4 exercises), 15-20 reps each, 3 sets each. I was quivering, sucking wind, and starving by the time I was done. It was a productive evening for starting out tired and sore. But then, I am not inclined to let that stop me, even if it may slow me down a bit sometimes.

Hard Swim

    Today was my first Swim only event. The Hagg Lake swim series. I toyed with the idea of doing all three distances: 800m, 2000m, and 4000m. I am inclined to set my sights high. Too high, sometimes. Right up until I was setting my alarm last night I was wavering, finally deciding to only swim the 4000m. The deciding factor was the water temp report, it said the lake was 56 degrees. 56 degrees!  Can I hear an, "Oh, hell no!"? I know my body well enough to know there is no way I can be in that cold of water for the time it would take to do all three swims. So I opted for the one race I really wanted to swim; 4000m, or 2-1/2 miles for us 'Mericans.
    Despite carefully planned eating for the last two days, I still woke up with what I think of as "Race Gut." When my nerves play havoc with my gastrointestinal system. Downside: discomfort. Upside: totally emptied out system with no worries about having to poop when I'm in the middle of a lake and wearing a wetsuit (this is a serious worry for any of us that have had to spend a long time in a wetsuit, trust me).
    So I got to the lake with plenty of time (and empty intestines), checked in with plenty of time to get suited up, then stood around for a small eternity waiting for the 2000m race to finish up. I did enjoy watching people swim, and come up out of the water triumphant. About 15 minutes before my start time I finished gearing up. Let me insert here that I was more heavily dressed than most other swimmers. I had wool socks covered with plastic bags on my feet, and my neoprene swim booties on over that. I learned this trick when I had to face a col, high desert lake swim. I also had my heavy swim cap underneath the orange cap they gave us all in our race packets. I don't screw around when it comes to trying to stay warm. Of course there are those crazies that swim events like this wearing just a standard Speedo. It hurts me just to look at them (okay, I am envious too, I admit). I went into the warmup area to quite literally "Test The Waters." I had already been told it was not nearly as cold as I had heard. Thankfully, this proved to be true. The water was bracing, about 64 degrees, but not glacial.
    All that being said, I was excited to get the swim underway. I had surveyed the course, with its fluorescent orange buoys marking the way. Then I slipped on my blue tinted goggles and had the shocking realization that blue goggles make orange buoys look rather dull and brown, and make them blend into the surrounding water. I was not going to have an easy time navigating. Lesson learned.
    We were called to the start line. They count heads as we pass through the narrow entrance/exit gate. They want to make sure that the same number comes out as went in. Of course we are all making jokes, most along the lines of, "Why did I think this would be a good idea?" But I am happy to be there, the water is not frigid, the sun is shining, I'm excited to get going.
    The count down, "Three, Two, One...." and blast of air horn and we are on our way. The frenzy of any swim start is always a bit frantic, aptly named "the washing machine," as we churn up the water, getting bumped, kicked, even swum over top of. It makes for an exciting few minutes.
    I make myself start easy, with long strokes and good body rotation. I control my breathing, forcing myself into the familiar rhythm. It is too easy to get totally blasted in the first few, adrenaline fueled moments of a mass swim. It takes a certain amount of Zen to stay relaxed. I am already having trouble spotting the buoys though, I try to line up a marker on the distant shore to give me at least a general idea of where I need to go. The downside of this is that it is easy to swing wide when your sighting over long distance. Guess what? I kept swinging wide.
    Despite my difficulties with staying on course, and once the first half mile was done and I was warming to the task, I felt like I was swimming well. I practiced for and planned to swim a Negative Split; racing the first half fairly easy, and then really pushing the second half. Of course, there is always the possibility that when you get to the second half you don't have the juice to increase your pace, but that's why we practice. The course was a large triangle with the back side being the long side. It is a strange feeling to be out in the middle of a deep lake with a small group of equally demented people. I finally felt warmed up as I rounded the corner for the third side of the first lap and had an unpleasant surprise: the wind was blowing at such a perfect angle and causing waves that would hit me directly in the face every time I lifted my head to sight. The first few times I got a mouthful of water. Here I have to say, all those hundreds of hours in the pool teaches you to immediately stop an inhale if you feel water where it shouldn't be. It saves me from that desperate feel of choking on a lungful of water, thankfully. I had to adjust my breath cadence a little but then life was groovy.
    The second lap started well enough, but the wind was picking up and so were the waves. I had a few moments of frustration that bordered on panic and surrender from getting pushed off course and having such a struggle sighting. I used my Tai Chi, "I can breathe my way through anything." I did have one of the kayakers  steer me back from an extra wide swing, I told her about the blue goggles/orange buoy thing, and pressed on.
    Rounding the corner onto the back side of the course and it was time to really pick up the pace. I had gotten past the few moments of struggle, and was ready to push it. Out in the middle of the lake the water was so choppy it was like swimming in the ocean. I pretended I was swimming in the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon, bobbing through the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. It made it a game instead of a problem. I kept increasing my stroke length and had my cadence up at the max I can do for long distance. Yes, I've practiced this a lot. And I do mean, A Lot.
    Rounding the final corner and it was time to really max myself out. I had about 600 meters to the finish and I decided that I was going to leave it all in the water. I wanted to see if I could push myself to my limit. I reached that point where the focus of my world narrowed down to; stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, sight, breathe.... hundreds of times. Doing the math, that last sprint for home was probably 300 strokes (per arm), going hard. Half way to the end and my shoulders were burning. "I can't keep this up." I was breathing almost every right hand stroke at this point, double my normal breath rate. My lungs were burning, my shoulders crying, my back was on fire. "I can't keep this up."  "Hell yes I can."  I keep telling myself, "This is exactly what I have practiced for." I was swimming hard enough that my stomach was starting to rebel. Every time I would feel my cadence falter I would narrow my focus tighter, thinking of every aspect of my stroke from the moment my hand touch the water, reaching long, grabbing the water, a long pull, my thumb flicking the outside of my thigh to verify that I was pushing all the way through. Then, arm comes out of the water, relaxed, almost casual as it travels through the air for the next stroke. It is like an iceburg, so little to see above the water, all the action underneath, away from prying eyes.
    I pushed hard, finally seeing the exit ramp, my hand touches the squishy bottom of the lake. This is the sign to stand and run for the exit. I take a few more strokes, actually grabbing the bottom and pulling myself along. Once on my feet I lose my streamlined grace, and am floundering in mud and knee deep water. I get on solid ground and run up the exit ramp. The woman there yells my number to the timer, then says to me, Nice cadence!"  It makes me proud.
    I stagger out onto the grass, and walk up and down for a few minutes to regain my land legs and catch my breath. I look out over the lake and am a little disappointed to see how few swimmers are still in the water. I had hoped to finish more towards the middle of the pack, but I still beat a lot of swimmers by a decent amount of time. I'm pretty sure my inability to see the buoys, letting me drift off course so much, probably added 200-300 meters to my swim. And I'm okay with that.
   I gathered my few things and went back to my car. It wasn't until I took a sip of water and tried a bite of banana that I realized just how queasy I was. The banana almost triggered some dry heaves. I decided I could wait a few minutes before eating.
   The rest of the day was a bit anticlimactic. I changed into my cycling gear, had a bite to eat and went out on a nice 90 minute ride around the lake. All hills. There is not flat ground around this lake. After the bike I switched over and did an easy 25 minute run/hike (all hills, remember), and finished with about 20 minutes of Yoga and stretching.
    It was a good day. A mini triathlon with an epic swim. I want to do another long swim race, with clear goggles so I can see where the hell I am going. Next year the 11 mile Portland Bridge Swim.

Stick With The Plan

    Days like today I really have to force myself to Stick With The Plan. Not in the way you might think. For me, on days like today during my swim, feeling that combination of strength, drive, and the need to burn off stress. I want to go longer and harder than I know I should. I have my first swim only race in less than a week, 800m and 4000m, now is not the time to go crazy and give myself a ridiculous overwork injury. Today and tomorrow I have tougher swims planned, then lighter recovery swims for Friday and Saturday so I can be rested but loose for my swim on Sunday. That is The Plan. Today I hit the pool feeling pretty powerful. Yes, I was tired from work, and almost every muscle was sire from my weekend training session, but the water is invigorating.
    The plan for today was my Power Swim, a combination of Individual Medly and hand paddles. I had decided to warm up with 24 laps I.M. then 24 laps with hand paddles, and 24 laps I.M. to cap it all off. A nice 2 mile swim with muscle intensity, but not the cardio intensity of a HIIT workout with sprints and hard effort. Yeah, I'm rambling incoherently aren't II? I'm tired, I didn't sleep well last night and was plagued with strange dreams about getting exotic pets. Anyhoo, back to the pool.... I was feeling great in the water and found myself pushing the intensity on my breastroke, and speeding my cadence on the crawl to a near sprint. Not part of The Plan. I forced myself to back off. Then once I got the hand paddles on I found myself wanting to push harder and faster. Again, Not part of The plan. I backed down to proper pace and technique. Then, I got the end of the 24 laps and though, "Maybe I can just go another few, or five, or ten laps...." Once again Not part of The Plan. I finally convinced myself to keep on track and not risk damaging myself.
    It was still a great shoulder burner of a swim, and I know I'm going to feel it tomorrow. But feel it in that comfortable achy muscle kind of way, not the sharp stabby WTF-did-I-do-to-myself-this-time kind of way. This is one reason it is vital to Stick With The Plan.  The Plan lets us get through a training season, building intensity and endurance at a proper pace, and not damaging ourselves along the way. Now I just have to keep reminding myself as I try to get my body back on track from last year's injury prone not-a-season. Now for sleep to recover from the intense swim that was just right, and just what I needed.

Event on the Calendar, Finally

    I have done it. Finally signed up for an event. This has been a weird year or so, with nothing on my calendar. It makes it hard to maintain a decent training ethic. I signed up the the Hagg Lake Open Water Swim later this month. There are three distances; 800m, 2000m, and 4000m. I am mostly interested in completing the 4000m so I can be qualified for the Portland Bridge Swim next year, but I am hoping I have enough juice to swim all three distances. I will freely admit, this scares me just a little, and that is good. One reason I tend to set my sights high is to give myself that titillation of fear, it gets my blood flowing. What this means is that I need to stay very focused with my swimming, even though I know that if I'm not ready now, there isn't a lot I can do in so short a time to make myself any better. But I can surely maintain my level of swim endurance, and focus a bit more heavily on my freestyle technique.
    One thing I have to remind myself of, is that when going for long distance I know I get to fall into my relaxed I-can-do-this-all-day pace. No, it isn't fast, but it is efficient. I have spent most of my training sessions over the last few months focusing on High Intensity Interval Training aka HIIT. This is usually some sado-masochistic series of sprints, 95% efforts, and slow recovery laps. It is the kind of workout that sometimes makes me feel like puking, but hasn't pushed me quite that far, yet. HIIT has the advantage of training for endurance by building strength through intensity, without having to spend 2 hours mindlessly swimming lap after lap after lap. Don't get me wrong, a nonstop 75 to 90 minute swim is fairly normal for me. But with HIIT I get to break it up into slightly more interesting sets that keep my brain from going totally numb. Besides, when my brain is tired after work it is hard for me to keep track of counting higher than about 4, and HIITs let me break down each swim into small, easy to count sets.
    I'm excited to finally have an event, and one I am not likely to injure myself doing. This will be my first Swim Only event, and that feels a bit weird. I am going to throw my bike in the car, for a lap or two around the lake after the swim, if I'm not totally gassed. Hagg Lake is very pretty, and the road around it is about 12 miles, an easy ride. I can pretend I am doing an Aquabike (swim/bike race).
    There are a few small events here and there that I would like to sign up for, a small obstacle course race, and a 5K race on the 4th of July. But my hip and knee have been so cranky that I will wait until the last minute to send in my entry fee. I may even resort to the slightly higher expense of registering the day of the race. Damn joints anyway.  For now though, I will bask in the knowledge that I have a race in 3 weeks.

Resetting Goals

    *pulling self up by bootstraps*   Yesterday's walk/run was a bit depressing. Okay, it was a real letdown. I hate the idea that I am likely never going to be a runner again. Funny thing, 6 years ago I would not have considered this to be an issue. 6 years ago I never really gave running much of a thought. It is interesting to think that in the course of just a short time I began to think of running as an integral part of my life. in 2012 I entered 10 running events (including my first trail race), and 3 sprint triathlons. The following year I entered 15 running races, including 2 trail half-marathons, a 10 mile road race, and an Olympic and a half-Iron triathlon. In 2014 I didn't enter many races, but my running mileage had increased exponentially because I was prepping for an Iron distance tri. Then last year, my first race of the season and I was on the injured list. Benched for the season. I haven't quite managed to get off that bench. It has been tough on my ego and sense of self. I feel like I should be able to "tough it out."  That's not happening.
     Yesterday's run was pivotal. It let me know that it is likely I will not be a runner. Ever again. Running in and of itself isn't what is troubling me, it is the triathlete in me that is screaming,  "NOOoooooo!!!" I don't know where this leaves me in my dream to get some Iron distance events under my belt. I don't know if power-walking an event is really an option. Yeah, I know plenty of people end up walking the run leg of a triathlon, but it isn't by choice. Can I train myself to walk at a quick enough pace to make it a viable option? Can I get my swim and bike speed up enough that I can make up enough time that walking the run leg will still get me across the line before the cut-off? Honestly, I don't know.
    One thing that yesterday's run did was trigger my stubborn nature. I don't want to give up on my dreams so easily. I refuse to give up on my dreams so easily. So now I shift my focus. I haven't been able to run at all, but I can walk almost daily, g'damn it. Also, I can push my bike and swim training, increase strength training, alter my approach, again.
    To shore up my flagging spirits I did get registered for the Hagg Lake Swim Series. One entry fee lets me swim all three distances if I choose: 4000m, 2000m, and 800m. My main goal is the 4000m swim. I need that distance to be officially in the books to be able to enter the Portland Bridge Swim (probably not this year, I let my training flag a bit due to respiratory problems). I may swim the 2000m as well, just to push myself. I will see how I feel the morning of the event. I admit, the idea of this scares me just a little, which is just what I need, I think.

National Running Day

    I have spent a lot of brain power on my run training. Brain power because running has not been an option for nearly a year, due to injuries and arthritis. Today is National Running Day, at least according to a running friend of mine, so I decided it would be the day I needed to lace up the latest pair of running shoes and give them a test. I don't know why I keep holding on to the hope that if I can just find the right shoes, or the right combination of food and supplements, or the right strength training, or the right flexibility exercises, or a combination of all of the above, that I will manage to get past the intense pain I have when I run. Anyhoo, so I laced on the newest shoes, Adidas Lite Pacer 2, and headed out the door. First off, let me say, these have more cushion than most of the shoes I have been running in over the last few years, about the same as my Saucony Virattas. Next, let me say, these are damned comfortable shoes for power walking.
    So, I headed out the door, with the plan of just hitting the closest farm road. I just wanted to see how my right hip was going to behave, since it has been the problem child since about February. I didn't have a lot of faith. Even though I have been diligent with physical therapy, strength training, plyometrics, and stretching, my right hip hurts most of the time. It feels pretty delicate and easily tweaked. It also hurts enough that it makes it hard to sleep sometimes. Regardless of all this, I decided to see how running would feel. Yeah, I'm a bit of a masochist. I decided to walk at least 10 minutes before even trying to run. I wanted things to be decently warmed up. Power walking went well, as long as I paid close attention to technique, it only hurt a little. Then, the moment of truth, I broke into an easy run, short strides, higher cadence, good technique, mid to forefoot strike. And holymotherofgod! It felt like someone was stabbing a red hot ice pick into my hip. That is not normal. Hell, after all I've done to try and rehab my hip and knee, that kind of pain is just plain mean. I want to cry "foul" at this point. So, I backed off, back to a power walk. Much better. I walked a few hundred paces. Maybe it was just my stride? Core tight, abs in, pelvic girdle clenched, I broke into a gentle run. Okay. Better. Pain not quite so stabby and red hot. I switched to a near flat foot strike. Better. Still not great, but better.
    Over the course of about 2 miles I tried to run a half dozen time. It wasn't too bad as long as I was wildly conscious of all aspects of technique; soft foot strike, foot alignment, pelvis forward, abs in, core engaged, knees in tight and yet flexing. As soon as I would relax a little, maybe let my feet pronate, or knees turn out a hair, I would feel it either in my right hip, or high up in my left adductor. But no matter what I did, how I ran, the pain in my right hip was too sharp and deep to be ignored. Despite all the hours I have spent I can not PT this problem away. I have to come to the conclusion that it is not an injury that is going to heal given enough time, it is a chronic issue that will likely only be remedied with medical (aka surgical) intervention.
    What did I come away from this with? The knowledge that it is likely I will never run another race. But you know what else I came away with? That I can damned sure still power walk one. Time to start training to speed walk.

Bit By Bit

    An hour of Tai Chi in the morning, which really let me feel last night's leg and core workout, and a day of yardwork. Does this count as a well rounded workout for the day? No, it does not. Monday is typically a swim day, after a long day at work, so tonight will be upper body and a more serious core workout. I will say, pulling weeds and raking are great for chest, triceps, and shoulders.
    I know I've mentioned it more than I should, but I feel like my training intensity isn't matching up to what it could/should be. I know this is only by comparison of what it was 2 years ago. Comparing to even 3 years ago I know my swimming, cycling, and strength training are way ahead of where I was. What makes the difference now is that a solid hour plus swim is par for the course and feels, dare I say it, Easy. A few years ago I was celebrating being able to swim a mile nonstop without wanting to die. Now I feel like a slacker if my swim is less that 1-1/2 miles, and shorter than 60 minutes.
    If/when I get my running back on track then I can start really focusing on the half-Iron training for September. I need to get my leg strength to peak then as well, since the Firefighter Stairclimb is the following weekend, and that will be brutal on weary legs.
    Just gotta keep training. Pushing forward bit by bit. Increasing strength and endurance in small careful increments. "Make haste slowly." Time for a spin.

Mix It Up

    I am nothing if not consistent. I have been maintaining some pretty specific training sessions repeatedly over the months (and years). The downside of this is that I can fall into a rut if I am not careful. Yes, I know that it is better to be steady and consistent than it is to be random. But it is also detrimental to be too repetitive. I am such a creature of habit that I fall into set patterns very easily. Too easily. With this in mind I make sure to mix up my workouts a bit. I am always conscious of this when I swim or cycle. I break my week's sessions into 3 main categories: speed work (sprints in the pool, Tabata on the bike), strength (hand paddles in the pool, high gears low cadence on the bike), and endurance (going long, with some speed tossed in). This also helps break the monotony a bit.
    For the last few months I have been doing about 30 minutes of leg work in the pool after every swim, in an attempt to strengthen hips, knees, pelvic girdle, etc. I am hoping to avoid the injuries that have been sidelining my running for the better part of 11 months. Damn. Has it been that long? Yeah, sadly, it has. My water workout is a nice balance of high knee running and dryland training done with the added resistance of the water. I get the benefits of the muscle movements with resistance and none of the high impact. So far, this seems to be a good combination. I've been doing it long enough that I was starting to worry I would fall into too static of a routine. I've since added about 50 yards of side stepping, and 15 yards of "MonsterWalk" (walking forward with feet more than shoulder width apart) to each set. In addition to my concerns about recurring Runner's Knee and IT Band issues, I am also trying to shore up my hips which have been giving me grief the last few months. I am hoping that by addressing IT Band and pelvic girdle strength and flexibility, as well as potential pelvic tilt, that I might manage to run with minimal pain. I don't ever expect to run pain-free, that is unrealistic, but hopefully I can avoid injury.
    I've also been mixing up my strength training. I have a solid upper body workout that is fairly specific for triathlon, especially swimming. Using resistance bands, hand weights, kettle bell, and barbell. I tend to do large supersets of about 8 exercises, repeating the set 3 times (I don't know why, but 3 sets has always kind of been my magic number), and working through about 16+ different exercises. Lately I am doing smaller supersets, mixing up the order, and tossing in a few extra exercises like pushups with one hand on a weighted ball. I've also done a few nights here and there when I have done fewer exercises, but increased the number of reps and sets, so that time spent is about the same, just more focused. Another of my favorite things to do is top off my Saturday evening swim with a pretty tough upper body workout. I really feel this on Sunday, believe me.
    I still haven't signed up for any events this year. I am waiting to see if I will be able to run again. I admit, I am almost afraid to lace up my running shoes and hit the trail. I have done almost everything I can think of to prep my body to run again, and if I still wind up injured I think that will be the end of it. I don't know if I can mentally cope with the thought of never being able to do triathlon again. It would break my heart. But I will keep training anyway.
 

Focus

    Yesterday was my typical, exciting Saturday night: Swim, legwork in the pool, followed by hard upper body strength training. Yes, I am a party animal. The result of this particular workout is, as you might expect, sore shoulders and chest. One of the best things I have found for this is my Tai Chi workout. It is a great whole body workout with fluid movement, controlled breathing, and lots of chest opening moves. So I started my day with an hour of Tai Chi with Scott Cole. If I had the time I would do Tai Chi every day. I have planted a special circle of grass in my backyard as an outdoor "Hall of Harmony" for summer use.
    I am determined to increase my flexibility and strength, and am taking steps to this end. So today started with Tai Chi and ended with an hour on the bike, and an hour of leg work: step up, calf raises, hip raise, side lunge, dead lift, squat, split squat, bridge, bridge march, high knees, side leg raise, kettle bell swing. Three sets each in super sets of three exercises (my typical pattern). I am really focused on hip and glute strength, balance and flexibility.
    I finally reassembled my treadmill. I tore it apart about two months ago to try and get it working right. For some reason it shuts off after about 1/4 mile. There is a fuse that is triggering and wont reset until the thing has been turned off, unplugged, and let rest for a few minutes. Not exactly conducive to a goo aerobic workout. I had hoped that a good cleaning and lube would set things to right. Trying to put it back together I got frustrated and just put it all away for a bit. Then trying to get motivated to spend a few precious hours putting the thing back together too a while. Finally, today, I had decided to take a day off from my usual hard work on home owner projects. I meant to have a lazy day, but got restless and decided to attack the treadmill again. It did take nearly two hours to reassemble and get the belt tension right. I eagerly started it up, and it was much quieter, and seemed to be running smoothly. I set it to a quick walking pace with high hopes. Not even a quarter mile into it and it shut down *heavy sigh*. So all my work was for nothing. I had really hoped to add it back into my weekly training regimen. I am tempted to sell it cheap and get an elliptical trainer.
    But despite the disappointment of the treadmill I still got in two quality workouts today. That is the plan for my days off, as it used to be back when I was training with intent. I do need to get signed up for some kind of event so I can regain that intent. But I can't sign up until I know I can run again. It is the rock and a hard place: I want events so I can focus my training, I can't have an event until my focused training will let me run, but I can't sign up for an event unless I know I can run, and without events on the agenda it is hard to maintain my focus. I have vowed to myself that I will keep my focus, even if it just to maintain the level of fitness that I have come to expect from my body. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Plan of Attack

    I realized yesterday that I have been focusing too much on what I can't do, instead of what I can, and how far I have come over the last 4 years. I have been down on myself because my fitness level isn't what it was 1-1/2 years ago when I did the 250k. Well, no shit. True, I have been having a lot of trouble with pain from injuries and arthritis, not to mention that nasty (and very painful) little bout with cellulitus that required 10 days of antibiotics. True, I've been having a lot of fatigue the last month or two that has made my motivation slip, I think part of this is residual from the infection and antibiotics. So this is me, pulling myself up by my boot straps, slapping myself upside the head, giving myself a good shake, and yelling, "Get over it!!"  Yeah, it's like that.
    I have been approaching a lot of my leg training as physical therapy in an attempt to be able to run again. This will continue, and get a bit more intense. I've been spending about 30 minutes after each swim (so, three days a week) doing leg work in the water. This has been great. I'm really trying to strengthen my hip abductors and pelvic girdle to give me more stability when I run and cycle. I have been cognizant of stretching in an attempt to loosen up my hips, to decrease my chances of more IT Band issues. I have to interject one thing here, cycling makes for tight hip flexors. I mean stiff, tight, old lady hip flexors. I also have a good, solid leg routine that I do 2-3 times a week of weights, strength training, body weight work, and plyometrics. I am adding to this routine with more stability work to try and better activate small muscles and kinetic chain. Because I don't workout enough, I need to add more. Really though, more dryland training is needed if I am ever going to be able to run at anything more than a hobble for 5K.
    I am back in the running shoe market. Damn shoes. I have some that I really love, but with chronic foot pain I think I need to add more padding than my beloved minimal shoes offer. Especially on pavement. No, I don't plan on running on pavement much, but it is a necessary evil. Even on trails I think that increasing the cushioning in my shoes won't be a bad thing. Honestly, I can't even begin to tell you just how much my feet hurt. Getting older sucks. Now I know why old people move so stiff and slow, it is because everything hurts.
     I am adding meditation to try and move past the aches and pains that are from a body well used, as well as continue a search for supplements, diet tweaks, and physical therapy to reduce the pain as much as I can. I need to be able to function, and a body that hurts doesn't want to train. You wouldn't believe the conversations I have with myself trying to convince me to work past the pain. No, I am not talking about injury pain, just the day to day discomfort that has increased considerably this year.
    That is the current plan of attack. Basically keep doing what I am doing, but do more of it. Remind myself of what I can do and how far I have come, not what my limitations are.

 

Reactive Arthritis

    Although I hate the term, it is so cliche, I had an "Ah ha! Moment" the other day. I listen to the news on the radio on my way to work in the mornings. It is just enough to reassure me that our country didn't go to war over night, we are still a "democracy," and what to expect from the weather. There is also a little medical blip once a week on some illness or syndrome. Last week it was IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I have made no effort to hide the fact that I have a delicate digestive system. Oh, nothing as bad as IBS, or Crohn's, or Leaky Gut. Mostly I just have to be careful of what I eat, and understand the ramifications if I throw caution to the wind (like last Sunday... read my previous post). Anyhoo, enough rambling, IBS radio blip. The woman being interviewed was a specialist on IBS and other gastrointestinal maladies, so I paid attention to what she was saying. Here was my Ah Ha! She said that IBS can be triggered by bacteria such as E-coli or Salmonella. Nearly 5 years ago I had an up close and personal experience with Salmonella. It wasn't severe enough that I sought medial treatment, choosing homeopathic and natural treatment (bland diet, plenty of clear liquids, etc). But it was quite literally gut wrenching. I had nearly two weeks of cramping, diarrhea, and eventually even blood in my stool. I lost 10 pounds, and it made me feel weak as a kitten. But it passed, and I got better.
     After listening to the radio interview I started thinking, and realized that most of my digestive started about 4 months after the Salmonella Incident. True, I had stopped eating wheat more than a year before that, and my 20 year case of heartburn finally cleared up, so that is a whole different story. I started looking into the relationship between Salmonella and chronic digestive issues. Now, here is where it gets a bit weird. Salmonella is also a trigger for what is now called "Reactive Arthritis," previously known as "Reiter's Syndrome." I was familiar with Reiter's Syndrome, a doctor suggested my younger son had it back when he was about 10. The common symptoms are joint pain that is asymmetrical and often in the ankles and feet, conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), and urethritis, as well as gut issues, and ulcerations of the mucous membrane. The doctor said at the time, "You can have a bout once or twice and never again, but if you have a bout more than 3 times it is likely to effect you the rest of your life." Fortunately, my son only had the one bout. In the last few years I have looked at Reiter's as a possible explanation of all the weird shit my body does, but then I also thought maybe I was hearing hooves and thinking Zebra instead of the simple explanation of Horse. Know what I mean?
    So, back to Salmonella and Reactive Arthritis. Reiter's has been renamed, since Dr. Reiter was a Nazi therefore not PC to have a syndrome named after him. It was when I was clicking through links on Salmonella that I found that it is a common trigger for Reactive Arthritis. I hadn't heard this in relation to Reiter's, but then I wasn't thinking along these lines. Now I am beginning to wonder.
    Now, here is another weird little coincidence. A few weeks ago I cut my shin with a scythe. Yeah, I know, pretty stoopid. The cut ended up getting infected with cellulitis, a bacteria that infects the tissue just beneath the skin, and if left untreated can get nasty enough that you can lose a limb. Not cool. As much as I hate taking antibiotics I went on a 10 day course of Oxytetracycline. This is the first antibiotic I've taken in decades. Honestly. Here is the weird part, Oxytetracycline is used to treat Salmonella in pigs, who's physiology closely resembles a human. But wait, there's more. Usually antibiotics screw up the gut flora, so you need to take some probiotics to try and rebalance the whole thing. Getting to the weird part now, since being on the antibiotic I haven't had nearly the weird digestive issues that I normally do. Seriously. Coincidence? I don't know. Have I been suffering the effects of dragging around some residual Salmonella in my system for the last 5 years?
    Now I am wondering if I will have any clearing of arthritis issues? That would be awesome, though not likely. All the research on Reactive Arthritis says that once you have it you have it, it isn't going away. Oddly enough though, I am a little encouraged by all of this. Why? You may well ask. Because Reactive Arthritis isn't nearly as degenerative as Rheumatoid Arthritis. These last few months I have been pretty sure that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and it has been depressing as hell. One way or another, I will be dealing with the chronic pain for the rest of my life, I just need to learn better ways to manage it.
    The thing is, I could go to a rheumatologist, have a slew of tests done, and still likely not have any answers. The recommendation would likely be pharmaceuticals, very expensive pharmaceuticals. Instead I will continue to do what I do: eat healthy, take appropriate supplements, try new things now and then, keep researching, keep working out despite pain, and hope that it is is merely pain and not something degenerative. As painful as things are now, I can deal with it. What I fear is if it is this bad now, what will it be like in 10 years? 20 years? I have been looking into stem cell treatment for joint tissue regrowth, hoping to find some clinical trials that might need a vigorous test subject. I just need to grow some new soft tissue, that's all. That's all.

Lesson Learned

    Wow, if I wasn't too sure about avoiding wheat and sugar the last 24 hours have reinforced my dietary restrictions. Yesterday was Mother's Day. We had a potluck picnic at the local mini-train park where the train rides are free, to the delight of my train freak grandson. I decided to indulge my sweet tooth and made some epic sugar cookies complete with pink frosting. They were amazing, if I do say so myself. Of course that meant snacking on cookie dough, a few spoonfuls of the buttery icing, and then way more cookies than I should have. I felt fine last night. if a trifle guilty for my overindulgence. But hey, I don't do it often. Right?

    Today was a different story. For starters, I had a helluva time waking up, fighting off the fog, and getting out the door on time. At work my brain was so addled that anything remotely resembling multi-tasking was a recipe for abject failure. I made more mistakes today than I normally would in a 6 month period. I was short tempered, and overly sensitive. I had volcanic heartburn that was unaffected by antacids, and radically effected by stress. The arthritis in my ankles and feet flared up so much that a young coworker asked if I had injured myself.
    I was so worn out after work that I almost skipped my swim, but knew if I did I would just come home and park myself at the computer feeling miserable. My energy level was low, and my muscles felt fatigued. But I swam a 50 lap individual medley swim, swimming for about 65 minutes, despite heartburn and acid reflux that made me feel like I was going to ralph during most of my swim. Let me interject here, this particular swim set is my favorite when I am tired and brain dead because I don't have to work too hard to keep track of sets: 2 laps breast stroke, 2 laps backstroke, 4 laps crawl equals one set. Easy-peasy. Today I was having a hard time keeping track, I couldn't remember what my previous lap had been unless I really focused. It was a bit unsettling actually, and made me wonder if early onset Alzheimer's might feel a bit like this. I was so easily distracted I didn't worry so much about the lap count and decided to just aim for an hour swim. I followed with my usual 30 minute leg workout. Sitting in the Jacuzzi I downed a liter of water hoping to help flush the sugar and wheat from my system.
    Dinner started with a gigantic salad from greens cut fresh from my garden and topped with an avocado dressing. Then I had black bean and yam chili tacos with fresh spinach and guacamole. Dessert was a fabulous tree ripened navel orange, and 2 medjool dates. Now I'm sipping a giant mug of herbal tea, listening to Pink Floyd's Animals, and feeling a bit more like my normal self.
    The lesson here is clear: Indulge a bit now and then, but don't over-indulge. I had a helluva a food hangover today. I paid the price for injudicious choices. This has nothing to do with worry about calories, or fat, or "cheat foods." (I don't believe in Cheat foods, or Cheat days... I eat what feels right). It's not about jumping on the Gluten-Free Bandwagon. This is all about listening to my body, understanding that some foods are toxic to me, and paying attention to the signs. The funny thing is that I didn't really make the connection between all of today's weirdness and what I ate 24 hours earlier until mid afternoon. Now, full of fresh greens and herbal tea I am definitely feeling better. My brain is more functional, and my gut doesn't hurt. I am hoping I don't repeat this particular idiocy any time soon.

New Bike Seat. Jury's Still Out.

    Last week I got my new bike seat delivered to my door. The ISM Adamo Century. This is one of the split "noseless" seats that are supposed to help take pressure off the perineum aka my delicate girly bits. I have read in reviews that it is important to keep tweaking the positioning to get it right and then it works like a dream. I must not be tweaking correctly.
    The reason I got this particular seat is that with all the time I have spent in the saddle over the last few years I have been experiencing some nerve damage to the aforementioned delicate girly bits. Not to mention the numbness that occurs when I ride more than an hour or so. I don't want to have my bike seat be the cause of incontinence later in life. No sport is worth having to wear a diaper, just sayin'.
    So as always, when a problem arises I search and research. I find reputable sources for information and product reviews and spend a lot of time and effort to learn all I can before making a decision. Partly because I am poor, and a tightwad, so I don't want to be throwing money at a problem and hope that eventually I will stumble upon the right answer. This is how I found the ISM Adamo series of seats. I had seen them before, and have wanted one, but they are pricey. The Century retails for about $200, but thanks to Amazon and last year's model, I got mine for $82 and free shipping. Cheap for a good bike seat, but still more than I like to spend on anything except my mortgage (which is way more than $82, btw).
    Putting a lot of thought into bike set and position I have been thinking that one problem is that my bike frame may be too big for me. Not the height, I have long legs, but the length since I have a short torso. This makes me have to roll forward through the pelvis more so I can't curl back onto my "sit-bones" like I should. Adding to this is the fact that I have what is called a "tipped pelvis." Meaning my pelvis tips forward causing me to have a deeper curve in the small of my back that makes it physically impossible to really roll back onto my sit-bones like I wish I could. This all means that when I ride the bulk of my weight is resting on my pubis bone and the perineum, and these areas are delicate and easily smashed.
    I am still holding out hope that the new Century saddle will be the answer to numbness and nerve damage. I will keep tweaking. I am trying to not think of what it would cost for me to get another bike. besides, I love Joshua and don't want to give up on him, we have had some excellent adventures together.

Lead Legs, Fatigue, Normal Weirdness

    My legs have felt like lead the last few days. I am not sure WTH is up with them, but it has been a bit disconcerting. Today should have been Leg Day, but I know better than to push muscles that are asking for a bit of rest. Okay, sometimes I am good at knowing better, often I really suck at it. Tonight I decided I needed to listen to my body. I did 45 minutes on the bike, high cadence, easy-ish gear. I started into my leg workout, but got halfway through my first set of high knees and decided it was not going to end well. Instead, I opted for an hour of intense core work. Funny how my legs can feel tired and puny, and yet my abs were ready to be punished and rose to the occasion.
    I have been doing 20-30 minutes of leg work in the pool after every swim, basically physical therapy to try to get my running back on track. So maybe today was a combination of multiple trips up and down stairs and hills on Sunday, leg work at the pool yesterday, and a job that has me on my feet on concrete all day.
    I have been feeling ridiculously fatigued, and voraciously hungry lately. Almost as if I was pregnant. But I can assure you, I am not. Immaculate conception aside, it can't happen. But the feeling is similar. I have been so very tired, my energy level is whacked (manic cleaning one minute, absolute lethargy the next), hungry all the time yet with an undercurrent of unhappy stomach, sleep quality isn't great, and I have been a bit emotional lately. See? Sounds like first trimester.
    Maybe what I really need is to readjust my eating, get more rest (stop writing when I should be in bed), and alter my training program a bit. Not that I am training all that hard right now, but I have increased my strength training since I haven't been able to run. I guess I should stop being at all surprised when my body is acting weird. Weird is the norm for me.

    Now, I will put words to action, stop writing, and get my tired ass to bed.

2-Click Shopping

    I almost hate how easy it is to buy on Amazon and eBay. I am a 2-click shopper: Find a desired item, click "Buy," click "Confirm." Done. Easy-peasy. Almost too easy. It does save me countless hours of bargain hunting at stores or on Craigslist. It also saves me the grief of having to deal with people out in the real world.
    My reason for this particular ramble? It just took me all of 4 minutes to hunt down, research, and buy a new trainer stand for my bike. I had browsed Craigslist a few times over the last year, knowing that my trainer is on its last leg. I have been dismayed that most people are wanting $100 or more. Not that they aren't worth it, but I really don't want to spend that much on a used piece of equipment, as well as having to deal with the person selling it. My total price for a brand new, in the box, decent model from a reputable dealer: $63.99 including shipping, and it will be on my doorstep in a week. I am totally okay with that. No muss, no fuss, and I won't even have to talk to the UPS driver.
    A few weeks ago I decided it was time to buy a new bike seat. I had gotten a little windfall and decided that I wanted to spend it on something I needed, not just paying a bill.. My seat has been been causing a variety of problems over the hours and hours I spend on it. I don't mind discomfort, but I was having issues with numbness and nerve damage to my delicate girly bit. It really had become a health issue. That is not cool. It had reached a point that I had cut back on my bike training. Also, not cool. I researched heavily, via the interwebs. I kept coming back to the split saddle, nose-less style that take pressure off of the perineum. The brand of choice is the ISM Adamo. After much back and forth on my part I decided on the Century model. New, this seat has a msrp of $189. I found it on eBay, in various bidding wars for about half of that. Being too impatient to work my way through various such bidding wars I went on Amazon and found one for $79 including S&H. 2-Click shopping. Done. The seat was on my front porch in 6 days. I will say, although installation is as easy as it comes, adjusting this thing has been a bit of a beast. The style is so different that I am having to tweak and tweak to get my seating position right. And then, it alters my bike position enough that it is making me have to do shorter rides as my muscles adapt. This is where my bike trainer issues are coming to the fore.
    I have torn apart and cleaned my trainer a few times, trying to keep it smooth. Over this last winter that has not been enough. I can feel it binding just a bit, so the spin is uneven. I can deal with that, mostly, I try to think of it as training for the unevenness of road riding. But it is getting worse over time. And then there is the squeal. Yeah, a continuous squeaking that can be hard to ignore sometimes. It has made my indoor training less that optimal at a time when I need to be increasing my hours in the saddle.
    I know that most people prefer to train outdoors. So do I, in most regards. But in my area I can't just hop on the bike and head out. The roads are too narrow, and heavily trafficked by log trucks, dump trucks, farm equipment, big 4x4s, and impatient commuters. There have been a number of cyclists hit on the roads around my house. So to ride, I load my bike and gear up in my car and drive about 15 miles to safer roads. Not possible on most days. And then there is the weather: rain and slick roads... not so much fun. Add in my my previous diagnosis of malignant melanoma (cut away and okay now, by the way), and I try to limit my time out in the sun if possible. All this being said, having a bike trainer that works well is paramount to my cycling success.
    Now comes the clincher: Meredith Kessler, Ironman Champion, cut 50 minutes off of her bike split when she switched to 90% indoor training. Seriously. She only does an outdoor ride "every other week." Yes, it is more fun to ride outside. The fresh air and varying terrain make for a great workout. Yes, outdoor training sessions are vital to success. But indoor training can be the best way to build cycling base, strength, and speed. A controlled environment with no distractions, specific workouts, and no life threatening hazards (you wouldn't believe the stories I have heard of triathletes getting hit by cars on training rides, losing limbs, head injuries, etc.... Not my gig, you know what I mean?).
    So, the new trainer is on the way. It should be here in a week. Until then I will continue with the grinding, squealing, old faithful that has seen me through thousands of hours of training. Yay for eBay and Amazon.

The Key Is Speed

    New game plan. Again *sigh*.  I didn't start the year with as solid of a race schedule as I have the past few years. Last year was tough enough, not selecting an "A Race" at the beginning of the year, and then suffering a season ending knee injury in June. This year, I have toyed with a number of scenarios. Of course, my dream race was to get to do the 250K again, but that event has crossed the rainbow bridge. Then, I eyeballed the Anvil Ironman that is not to far from here, at Hagg Lake. But I haven't been able to get my running to be injury free, so any marathon distance is not in the cards. Besides, the Anvil is multiple laps over a small course. No adventure.
    Since I haven't been able to get my legs to cooperate, I have pushed my swim training to the fore. This had me thinking that a main event for the summer would be the Portland Bridge Swim. 11 miles on the Willamette River, now that would be an adventure. But, the fine print on the application states that you have to have completed a recorded swim of at least 4000 yards in the 18 months before the race. That disqualifies me. The realization was a bit of a hit.
    I have been scrambling to come up with some motivation for my training.
    There is a swim event at Hagg Lake in late June. It has three different distances you can swim: 800m, 2000m, and 4000m. You can swim all three for the same price. I think this will be my mid-summer goal: all three races.
    Then, in September there is the best in The West Tri. I have known for a while that it will be my "A Race" this year. Looking over the race results from the year I did this event I was surprised at how close the time were between all the finishers in my age group. So, this year I am not going just to finish and beat my previous time. This year I am going and pushing myself to place in my age group. It is not impossible. I am already a faster swimmer and biker than I was then. And if I don't do something stupid (like run two half-marathon trail races in the middle of the summer) I know I can better my run time. The alst time my legs were cramping so badly from over-use injuries that I would run 50 paces, cramp horribly, walk 100 paces until the cramp eased up, then run until I cramped. The cramps started at mile 3. It was a long, miserable 13 miles.
    So, that is the current edition of the Game Plan. Hagg Lake Open Water Swim Races, and The Best in The West Half-Ironman. Then there is also the Firefighter Stair Climb the weekend after my half. September will be fun.
    Now that I have a somewhat solid Plan, I can focus my training. The key this year is Speed.

Scythe Accident? What Next?

    This has been a difficult year so far. Struggling against what seems an endless series of injuries as I try to get my running back online. The latest, and weirdest, injury had nothing to do with training. Instead, it was a deep cut to my shin thanks to my large, Grim Reaper-style scythe. Yeah, I managed to trip over the damned thing, giving me a small but deep gash dead center in my shin. Not quite to the bone, but damned near. Now, this would not be that big of a deal, as a matter of fact I didn't let it interfere with either my swim sets or my cycling. Where it got dodgy was about 10 days after the initial incident. First, let me say here, I do not get infections. I heal quickly and easily. This time? Not so much. As I was saying, about 10 days after the injury, when I was expecting things to be on the way to full recovery, the area around the cut started getting painful. Not only painful, but it developed a nice bright pink hue, was getting warm to the touch, and was swelling. At first I shrugged it off, blaming it on being on my feet all day at work. But it was the increasing pain that started to freak me out a bit. I mentioned it to a coworker and she just about lost her mind. Her dramatic reaction made me start taking a slightly different view of the whole thing. Maybe I am not so invincible? Well, guess what? Cellulitis: a bacterial skin infection that causes inflammation of subcutaneous connective tissue. Who knew? I had never heard of it. Apparently, it can get pretty nasty. I mean nasty to the point of amputation nasty. No, mine never got that extreme. But here I am, on antibiotics, finally over the worst of it, but feeling a bit pissed off about the whole thing. It did slow me down a bit, and interfered with my sleep.
    I admit, I didn't let the injury give me an excuse to skip my swims. I did tape it, and wrap it with KT Tape so I wasn't being gross in the pool. I imagine it is quite possible that I picked up the bacteria at the pool.... or, very likely, just that it was a deep cut with an old farm implement. I should probably be glad I am current on my tetanus vaccine.
    So that is the latest in my successive string of leg damage. It does all seem to be affecting my right leg, for whatever reason: arthritis at the cuboid bone in my foot, IT band and Patellofemoral in my knee, hip pain (and that makes me feel geriatric, let me tell you), now the gashing of my shin. All right leg. Left leg gives me a little grief now and then, but is mostly pretty solid. I am continuing my pool legwork. What amounts to 20-30 minutes of physical therapy in the pool after my swim. I am hoping that will get me back to the start line.
    I do realize that I have been whining more than is typical. I try to not be a complainer, but g'damn, this year is not going smoothly. I've already had to put the kabosh on doing an Iron distance this year because I know my knees won't hold out for a marathon. On the plus side, the only Iron distance event in the state is the Anvil at Hagg Lake. Yeah, it goes the distance, but it is lap after lap around a short course. What is the thrill in that? That is not an adventure. The Epic 250K was an adventure. Maybe next year I can travel out of state and find something glorious. For this year, I have to get my legs back under me in time to do the Best in the West half-Iron in September. That is as glorious as it is going to get this year.