Crunch Time!

Crunch Time!

Since the race is next Sunday, this is my last week to do some serious training. My normal routine is to cut back drastically on my training  the week of a race.  You want to stand on the start line rested, not tired from a hard workout a couple days beforehand.

This year is different, because I want to make sure my back is rested also. So I have to be extra careful. So that means I have to train this week holding back a bit and not do anything to aggravate my injury.

Thankfully, I've been feeling better every day. I have a little stiffness when I wake up in the morning, but it goes away after maybe 20 minutes. Same when I sit at my desk for an extended period of time, but it goes away when I stretch and walk.

So far I've had some good workouts this week.

Saturday I rode for 42 miles in 2:33.

Sunday I ran/walked on treadmill for 2 hours, stretching every 20 minutes or so.

Monday I took the day off.

Tuesday I rode my indoor trainer for 50 minutes, averaging 90 rpm's, stretching for 10 minutes, totaling 1 hour.

Wednesday I swam for an hour. 

 My swim was ok, but I just didn't have "it."  My energy level just wasn't there. It felt like I was holding bricks in my hands as I was swimming! Lol

I don't know why I was off yesterday. Maybe cuz I'm tired of swimming? Don't like that gym?  Would rather go to Burger King and get a Double Whopper with Cheese, large fry and chocolate shake instead of smelling chlorine? It really doesn't matter, cuz I'm too close to the end to give up!

One thing I've learned about swimming is form is the key! Even though I was tired and didn't feel like swimming, I made an effort to stay calm keep my form in check.  The goal is to glide thru the water, not to fight the water.  When a person fights the water, they tend to splash too much with their arms and rush their stroke by turning their arms over much faster than need be. 

It has taken me years to learn how to swim "with" the water, not "against" it. Last night's swim made me focus on my form more than ever and as a result it was 1 of my better swims. Even though I was more tired than normal, I stayed relaxed and was able to finish my swim session.

This is important because if I get tired on race day, I can simply remind myself that I was tired in training and was able to get thru it then, so I'll be able to do it now!

I was really focused on my form, but I still would daydream as I always do, because looking at the blue line at the bottom of the pool is boring! All I could think about was what I found in the fridge last night:



My wife tried to sneak some pie in the house, but I'm like a drug sniffing dog at the airport: if you got it, I'm gonna find it! Lol 

But it's not hard to find it if it's labeled! 

 

Anyway, I shoulda resisted it, but I'll have to work on that! Lol. That joint was good too! lol. Eating that delicious pie crust gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "crunch time!" lol

Tomorrow I'll ride my indoor trainer for an hour, and Saturday I'll run outside for the 1st time since I got hurt. This will be an important run, because I really don't know how I'll feel.  I'll just do a low intensity run-walk and take it from there.

My training hasn't gone as planned unfortunately. I didn't do any speed work, no swims at the beach, not enough running, and no brick workouts. Getting mad about that won't change anything. It's not that I didn't want to do those workouts, I simply couldn't. 

But on a positive note, my shoulder feels great, no pain in my knees, my bike and swim feel pretty solid, and my conditioning is still good. 

I won't think of any race strategies  until late next week. The only thing I know is I will finish! 

This race will be a helluva challenge, but I like a challenge. That's why my name is TriMaster:  TRI and You Can MASTER Anything in Life! :)

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!  

Butterflies at Flatwoods

Butterflies at Flatwoods

My race is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I'm in serious need of some quality training time. The problem is my back is still stiff and sore. It's much better than it was this time last week thanks to the meds, the yoga, and the swimming.

I started riding my indoor trainer this past week and so far so good. I'd ride at an ez pace just to see how my back would respond, then finish it off with some stretches.

The week before a race I like to cut back drastically on my training. I want to make sure I'm well rested physically and mentally.  This isn't like college where you have an all night cram session the day before. Usually, you're ready to race at least 2 weeks before. 

The problem is this time I'm not really ready, and I'm not going to do any major training after this week. 

I only have so many days left to get ready for this race so I need to train a bit outside and see what I can do.  So today I decided to try my luck and ride at Flatwoods. 

Hence the butterflies.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I'm feeling better, but riding an indoor trainer for an hour is nothing compared to riding outside for 3. I wasn't sure how far I'd ride today. Just wanted to see what I could do.

I started my ride feeling pretty good. I could feel the stiffness in my back, but it was tolerable because I'm not bending and twisting.  

My plan was to ride at an ez tempo today, but that "on your left" syndrome started to kick in, and the next thing I know, I'm down on my aerobars hammering! Lol

When I rode the indoor trainer this week, I didn't get in the aero position. I was strictly riding to rehab and stretch my back. I wasn't sure if I could ride in that position for any period if time.

I rode the first 7 miles in 23 minutes and felt pretty good. My back was stiff, but I could keep riding at a high intensity.  Every couple miles or so I'd stand up and pedal to loosen up my back.

I felt pretty good, but decided to slow it down a bit and ride at a good tempo after 21 miles. I stayed in the aero position, but didn't try catch anyone. 

As time went on, my back felt stiffer and stiffer, but not necessarily in pain. My legs felt stronger than I anticipated but  I'd still stand and ride every few minutes to loosen my back. 

All in all, I rode 42 miles in 2 hours, 33 minutes, which aint bad, all things considered. When I got off the bike my back was pretty stiff and I couldn't run at all. I was able to walk no prob, so I walked for 30 minutes to loosen it up, 



followed up with another 30 minutes of yoga on my Chicago Bulls "yoga mat:"

 

By the time I got home today I felt fine. My back wasn't as stiff and I honestly felt pretty good. With that said, I'm still not ready to run yet. If the race were today I wouldve had to walk at least 12 of the 13.1 miles. That's a 4 hour walk!!!!  Luckily I have 2 weeks to get better and I think I will. 

So my swim is fine. My bike is ok, but riding for an extended period of time causes it to stiffen up. If my back is still stiff on the run there's nothing I can do but just walk it out.  Hopefully in 2 weeks the stiffness will be about gone.

So now, (like in most triathlons,) it all comes down to the run. I'm not ready to run yet, but maybe sometime this week I'll be able to get a small run in. In the meantime, I will start a walking program tomorrow  on the treadmill. This week is pretty much the last week I can get any quality training in, so I hope this Saturday I'll be able to run outside. Time will tell!

It's slowly coming together for me. Very slowly! Lol Normally I have a gameplan all figured out by now and have a good feel for my training, but this time it's going to come down to the wire.

I WILL cross the finish line, but will I do it running or walking? Who knows? Lol

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!   

   

It's Official!

It's official!

I'm sick of the pool! Yep. I'm officially sick of it!  There's a tremendous difference between WANTING to do something and HAVING to do something. Right now, I don't have much choice BUT to swim, thanks to my crusty back! Lol

What I like about triathlon is the variety. I get bored quick. As much as I like riding my bike, I wouldn't want to do it everyday. Same goes for running and even lifting weights. With this sport, I can do something different everyday and never get bored. 

But now, all I can really do (training wise)  is swim swim swim, and I'm tired of it. I don't want to hear the word "pool" or any word that sounds like it: drool, stool, cool, duel, tool, old fool, etc etc etc! Lol

And no matter how much I shower, I smell like chlorine! It's like ingrained in my DNA now or something. Chlorine and cologne is NOT a good mix! WTF! 

So here I am. Sick of the pool, but I will keep swimming cuz that's the 1 thing I can do right now to keep ny conditioning up to par.

I think another part of my problem is I really don't like this gym. I don't even consider it a gym. It's more of a social club. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not for me. Here's a pic of me after my swim tonight, getting ready to stretch to loosen up my back:



In life, sometimes you have to do things you really don't want to do, (like go to work everyday) and this is no different. I really don't want to swim (or work) anymore, but I will because it's great exercise for my back, and it's still helping me get ready for this race.

(And I will keep working until I win powerball! Lol)

A positive out of all this is my swimming's getting better. My stroke feels really good and I feel a tad faster. And most importantly, my back feels better every day. I have more stiffness than pain now, buy even that's improving. Last week the only way I could touch my toes was with somebody elses fingers, but now, I can touch my toes no problem. I'm at about 90% flexibility.

At this point, the swim will be my best performance of the 3 come race day. But that's not saying too much, seeing how my nickname is  The Black Turtle!  

But it's ok, cuz I'm going with the flow. Getting upset or stressing won't do me any good. If anything that may cause a lapse in concentration and cause another injury.

So I will keep swimming and stay focused on my goal, which #1 is to rehab my back, and a  distant 2nd is to get ready for my race. Even though I think I'll be at the start line, if I'm not up to it, I'll sit this race out. I refuse to do any permanent damage to myself. Besides, there's another half ironman in October that I have my eye on anyway, so it's all good.

So for the time being, this gym aka      SEAWORLD will be my 2nd home until I can ride outside and/or run;





Tomorrow I will come home and ride my indoor trainer. Saturday I will walk outside and maybe do a light jog for a couple minutes to see how I feel. If I feel any pain I'll just walk. Nothing wrong with walking.

I've never been in this situation before and the unknown of it all is quite interesting.  I have no idea what will happen come 5-16, but I know if I do make the starting line, I'm determined to have fun. I'm sure I'll be closer to last place than 1st place, but I don't even care. Crossing this finishing line will be reward enough!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!