Rehabbing like a mother*

How’d that asterisk get in there? No, really, I truly meant how, as a mother, I am finding time to rehab my legs, that’s all!

If you are wondering why the blog-a-thon (blogorrhea maybe) over the last few days, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

I’m taking a few days OFF from all structured exercise. Need I say more. The unspent energy gets redirected to the areas of my brain responsible for writing….and sarcasm. For that I apologize.

The time off was strongly suggested by (threatened by?) all those who know and love me and admit I needed it. I’ve been pushing through, digging deep, exercising and working out in every way possible for the last few months and I hit a physical and emotional wall and was starting to come unglued.

Anyway, I recently admitted that I have not taken the time to do PT/rehab at home for my lower legs – balance exercises, theraband, calf raises, that sort of thing – or do my part to work out the kinks in the rest of my battered parts either. So I had a brainstorm! I will cleverly find ways to do it all AS part of my daily life, so here are some of the things I am doing. I hope they might give you ideas to creatively fit stretching or rehab into your life!

• Hair drying: calf raises when drying the top, and hamstring stretches when drying the underneath.
• Tooth brushing: balance on one foot to work stabilizers, then bend a leg, grab and ankle, and do a quad stretch. Advanced: lunges for hip flexibility.
• Waiting in the school car pickup line: cross one leg over the other and lean forward for a piriformis stretch. (Be careful if your steering wheel has a horn.)
• Folding laundry: do this job on the floor. Sit back on your heels to stretch quads, squat down to stretch calves
• Kitchen activities: keep dynadisk (shown in picture) handy for toe or calf raises and balance exercises while making lunches, waiting on the microwave, washing dishes…
• Working at the computer: attach one end of theraband to desk leg and the other to foot to work and strengthen tibialis muscles

The same principles can be applied to the workplace and other public environments depending on individual threshold levels for personal humiliation and embarrassment.  Mine are pretty high.

The road to wellness….has a toll booth

While I am making progress in my return to my former ferocious triathlete and runner self, it is not without speedbumps and a bit of a toll booth.

Eight weeks of gimpiness left me with misalignment in the back and pelvis, knots in my muscles to make any sailor jealous, and a protesting peroneal nerve. Hello, chiropractor! Hello, massage therapist! Right now I’m switching off hot dates with Dr. Greg Tilley, chiropractor, and Mario Travis, massage therapist, both who work with the Virginia Tech sports teams and know athletes. On the plus side, we can take pain and will do anything to resolve an injury. On the negative side, we are less than completely patient.

Here’s what a misaligned pelvis looks like when it runs:

 

(Photos courtesy of Coach Jim, taken Thursday when it was 34 degrees and raining, but who did not take me up on my generous offer to postpone. And yes I shed my long sleeve top in the interest of science. Don't judge me! The hot pink Saucony Kinvaras rock though!!)

Dr. Tilley’s big catch phrase with me is “don’t panic, I’ll tell you when and if it’s time to panic.” That gives you an idea of my personality.

About my dates with Mario, who I’m certain could crush a bowling ball in one hand, well I thank God that I took a childbirth class (any man reading this is probably recoiling now). I tell you it comes in handy way more now than it did having my nine-pound kids. Of course, if I could have an epidural and THEN the massage, that would be a no brainer. It took everything I had to go to my happy place today during the eternity-and-then-some it took to work the knot out of my ailing quad. I’m pretty sure I left fingernail marks in the wood of the massage table.

I’m liking the dates alright, except they always expect ME to pay. Just toll booths on the road to wellness I suppose.

Footnote: My MS Word spellcheck thinks “triathlete” is a typo?!  Dumb spellcheck!

A Return to Running

On Sunday, February 20, my legs took their first real steps of “running” in almost 10 weeks. It was set of jog/walk intervals on the safe confines of the high school track. My first 3 minute “jog” was around a 12:00 pace as I made rapid-fire checks on how all my parts and pieces felt.

Flashback to Wednesday, December 15, 2010 when I logged my final run on a quiet semi-icy trail at Pandapas Pond in the Jefferson National Forest. The semester had wound down and things were relaxed at the office so after dropping the kids off at school I got in a quick 6-miler before starting the workday.

The next day, I sent this to Coach Jim in my workout report on Training Peaks:

"hey I have a little issue I've been ignoring for two weeks, but thought it might be time to share/admit to see what you might think. (I was hoping it would just go away.) About 3" above my left ankle bone (other leg from the one I injured) I have a really tender spot, right on that tendon, sore to the touch. I think it stems from a funny step on a run when my ankle torqued in (opposite the normal ankle twist). I notice it primarily when I am just walking around, and not really at all when I run or bike. Not sure if it warrants any adjustments or not. My plan, now that I am acknowledging this is a possible issue, is ice and ibuprofen for a few days and avoid trails/ice. I'm not all that worried, just need for it to go away. Awful flashbacks to that other leg...you know.” (this is the first I have reread this….kind of eerie in hindsight).

Coach Jim returned with a suggestion to see local physical therapist TJ Sites, who is also a competitive triathlete. (Can I just mention how grateful I am to have a coach who sees through my BS?!!) TJ saw me first thing Monday morning and zeroed in on it being a bone issue. He sent me to my orthopedic doc, Dr. Lebolt, who luckily shoe-horned me into the end of his long day on Tuesday. Things moved quickly and we all know what happened next with the month of cast and crutches and month of the boot.

Here I am on the other side.

The swimming, rowing, lifting, and later biking, was all great but there is no perfect substitute for running. That first 3 minutes on the high school track was like coming home again. I had waves of excitement and watched my heart rate climb with something approaching anxiety attacks (but a good kind!).

It quickly became apparent that my biggest obstacle in this recovery process could be myself. My final “jog” interval that day was down to an 8:30 pace. Today, just 8 days after getting the boot off, I slipped into a 6:40 pace on my final 5 minute “jog” interval. Enough of that bravado. Discipline in training means self-control as often as it means pushing through. I know I can push through. I know I can ignore pain. Maybe this is the time to learn self-control.

I think I should subtitle this post: A Return to Jogging...OK Yes, Running....but I Meant to Jog...No Not Really....But I Know I Should...And Really I Will... I Need To, I Know....

Are all runners this psycho??

I’m missing a favorite local race on Sunday – the Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler and 5K and conditions look to be perfect this year. You know I’ve entertained fantasies of toeing the line. Control, baby, control!! There will be other races.

Next up: running on grass!

Got a 135 lb Monkey Off My Back

Today was the 10th Annual Bench Press Competition at Virginia Tech. It’s my third year competing and I really enjoy training for and competing in something that is pretty different from my usual endurance sports. Although bench is a staple in my year-round strength training, Jake and I ramp it up in the fall with this meet as a goal.

And today I FINALLY got the 135 lb monkey off my back. Woohoo!! This weight has been my nemesis for a long time, both physically and mentally. It was 13 lbs over my weigh-in bodyweight.

Rules of the Game
In a competition, the press is only done after a pause, after the bar comes to rest on the chest and the head judge commands “press”. The pause makes it more challenging because there is no momentum to carry it through. After a full lockout, the command to “rack” is given. Feet must remain stationary, shoulders and buttocks on bench. You have three opportunities for the press and go in order in your flight, which is a group of 10-20 lifters. If a lift is unsuccessful (as determined by the majority of a panel of 3 judges), you can repeat that weight or increase it in remaining attempts, but you cannot decrease the weight. So your “opener” must be chosen wisely as something you can confidently do. I opened at 120, did my second lift at 130, then finished at 135. When I did this meet two years ago, I finished at 120, finished at 130 last year, and improved on that again this year. So I was very pleased. Very pleased ☺

130# lift

Technique
Bench is great fitness challenge for both body and mind because good technique is essential and form must be consistent and unchanging from rep to rep to maximize results. A strong bench press requires involvement from the entire body - legs, core, lats, chest, and arms. Each lifter has his or her own unique pre-lift ritual to get the hands and body precisely placed. You want to achieve a sense of tightness and control as if the bar is lowering against a set of resistance bands.

Jake developed a warmup routine suited to me and it remains largely the same, week after week – weights and reps. I know what to expect and my brain has time to adjust to the increasing weight. At the meet it was nice to have the same warmup and same lift-off I have grown accustomed to from him (as he reads my subtle head nod!).

Jake and I before the start of the meet in War Memorial Hall at Virginia Tech

Mental Prep
Preparing for a three-second max effort, after a considerable wait, with surging adrenalin, and in front of a crowd can be a challenge. You trust in muscle memory and then can only focus on one or two things. On my first and second attempts, I thought only of achieving a feeling of control and tightness and a desire to have strong confident lifts that would carry into the subsequent attempts. On the third attempt, I simply repeated to myself “this is your day….this is your day.” I would never get this attempt back. I have worked on shifting my focus from negative thoughts of the heaviness of the weight to positive thoughts of moving the weight, so I went with that. It feels good to go 3 for 3 and has encouraged me to continue raising the bar (a bit of an unintended pun there, I'll take it!).

And How Does This Relate To Triathlon?
As with triathlon, successful powerlifts rely on consistent and progressive training, good technique, sharp mental focus, and belief!! Belief in the training process, belief in our trained bodies, and belief in our minds!

Sometimes I am frustrated that my bench numbers (swim times/run times/and on and on....) aren’t going up (or down as the case may be) faster, but Friday night I spoke with the men’s 2010 bench winner who put up 430 lbs!!!  He said he was happy to maintain or add 5 lbs from year to year. It reminded me that most legitimate progress is slow and any progress is good progress! We have to keep the faith and believe in consistent training even if the benefits aren’t always readily and dramatically apparent.

Bart Yasso posted on Facebook the other day, “Running isn’t about how far you go but how far you’ve come” and the Training Peaks page said “Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still.”

So I will be satisfied with slow and solid progress and continue to work patiently toward all my goals, enjoying the journey and process.

Prologue
I don’t even know how I finished in the standings and it doesn’t even matter. This is a personal quest and I overcame the 135 pound monkey.  (Addendum: I did win the women's overall - http://www.recsports.vt.edu/special/BenchPress_results.php.  I don't pretend to think I'm some kinda hot stuff and I know there are women outbenching me everywhere, but where were they on Saturday??)

Love the VT on the plates and the fact that it's a GIRL!!!

Triathlon and Endurance Podcasts

I've been a long-time listener to two terrific podcasts -- Endurance Planet and the Simon Gowen Triathlon Show.

The Simon Gowen Triathlon Show, on LA Talk Radio, features top coaches and athletes, race directors, and race reports.  Simon himself is an accomplished yet humorously self-deprecating triathlete/runner host who is respectful but light too. It's a great listen on a run or trainer ride and always inspirational.

Endurance Planet recently changed hands.  While I loved listening to Kevin Patrick, the founder of EP, I'm also enjoying the new group of hosts that includes Ben Greenfield, a coach/trainer and sports nutrition expert, Mark Klion, a sports medicine physician, and Tawnee Prazak, a trainer and triathlete.  They are often soliciting questions and topic ideas on their Facebook page.

When they asked for questions for the sports medicine doc, I couldn't help but put my situation up there and ask for his theories on why two fibular stress fractures when I do all I can to minimize risk.  They addressed it on the show!!  It's kind of freaky to hear folks who don't know you talk about your case but they had some good suggestions and thoughts. Here is the podcast episode with my 5 minutes of indirect fame: Endurance Planet - Ask the Doctor with Dr. Mark Klion .

So if you are looking for a good listen on your next run or workout, I'd definitely recommend Endurance Planet and the Simon Gowen Triathlon Show!

Update: got the thumbs-up from the doc yesterday to slowly resume running and cycling and get back to normal training.  Even though the MRI set me back a week till we got the results, it did give me some peace of mind and it forced me to let go of any residual hope of running Boston this year.  But what crappy timing - I just read that they are changing the registration procedures so that faster runners get in first.  I had a good cushion on my qualifying time so I can make the mark, but can I get a spot in the future?!  We'll see....