Thank You Rehab United

After the knee injury that occurred on my half marathon, I was quite upset and thought I was done for.
I got advice to go to Physical therapy and Rehab United was suggested.

I've been going for 3 weeks @ 2 times per week and varied my physical therapist from Melissa, Ashley, Brian, Nick, and Andrew. They have all been great!!

I have never done physical therapy before and not really sure what to expect  and thought they'd laugh at me for the claims I have to do an IronMan this year.

But instead, they tell me their stories and encouraged me that it is all possible. Injuries are common and come to everyone in some shape or form.

And the sessions have been great - they start with basic stretching and have built in exercises targeted at my weaker knee to strengthen it. They get more difficult each session to keep it up and to also increase my confidence that my knew is getting better.

I know this because I've been able to get on the bike and do great workouts and even started some basic run/walk exercises to get back into that groove.


So, I'm expressing my thanks to all the great folks at Rehab United. 

Sunshine biking

I wanted a good bike workout and didn't want to have to battle the roads...all those starts and stops with lights and cars etc...

But sitting indoors on a bike trainer when it was so lovely and sunny outside didn't sound appealing either....

So I thought "why not combine the best of both" and set up the bike trainer outside in the sunshine.
So I did!

I forgot the sunblock though and ended up with some nasty burns on my back. Lesson learned!

Torrey Pines Hill Repeats Versus Spinervals

Thought I'd compare the 2 Hill Climb Sessions I did this week


Spinervals DVD
I bought a DVD to do a home spin class as I can;t seem to get to my local ones at the 5pm and 6pm times they are hosted. I wasn't sure what to get, but at the store I saw these Spinerval series DVDs and one was called "climb a hill like a goat"!

Now because I'm doing the 70.3 Wildflower course in April, and there is a Nasty Grade hill to accomplish, I thought that this DVD sounded like a great one for training. And 45 minutes was perfect for a mid-week workout after work.

Definitely a bit cheesy, with dodgy music, and not really as dynamic a teacher as a spin class. But that stuff didn't really matter when I did the workout. It was great! I definitely feel this is great training for the bike and am looking forward to continuing on this one.

Torrey Pines Hill Repeats
Today I did a 40 mile bike ride from my house to Torrey Pines and then did 3 hill repeats. There are 2 hills that you can climb and I did both the steeper but shorter grade hill (0.5 mile steep climb) as well as the more shallow but constant grind hill (1.6 miles).
Definitely great training!

I liked being out in the real world, you can stare at other people, the nature like the beautiful ocean. You can also really feel the hills (versus the DVD practice feels hard but still on a flat surface). It also seems to allow me to practice techniques more easily such as pushing down on my heels to use more calf muscle and also to do pull ups with my legs.

Verdict

Crunched on Time or Dark Outside? Go for Spinervals DVD
Practice Technique and Get Fresh Air and Ocean Views? Go for the Torrey Pines Hills

The 12 week report card

So it's been over 12 weeks since starting the official training this year and I've been writing down the workouts on a little piece of paper. Thought I'd tally these up to see the progress made as well as understand what's been working well and what to adjust...

Hours & Miles

In 12 weeks, there has been 94 hours of actual training, which does not include all that extra time to drive to the swimming pool, get the gear set up, drag myself out of bed in the morning....just the actual exercise time.

The 94 hours is 7.8 hours per week or 1.1 hours per day.
Seems reasonable when I consider it that way. Looking at the distribution each week there seems to be a variation of time...which I'm ok with as it matches a plan that you build-build-build and then have a recovery week. I'm not sure I've been as intentional as I could be on that one, so something to consider in the summer training plan for the full Arizona IronMan.

469 miles over 12 weeks is 39 miles per week. 
I'm not sure how to judge this as a standalone measure. One one hand I think...as I'm training for a 70.3 triathlon, then I am getting good mileage in, but need to ensure I've had a few weeks of higher mileage to ensure I have trained my body to cover this distance.
Looking at the variation alone does not help...so I have broken it down into the number of exercises by key type. Biking is the key sport that drives up mileage, so in those weeks when the mileage is lower, that does not mean there was not quality workouts, there were simply focused towards other key sports.

However, I can see the injury from my knee after the Half Marathon caused my mileage to go down (to the measly 1 mile in week 11) whilst I adjusted for injury.

Sport Discipline Breakdown

Notes or what I included in each bucket:
Swim - Master swim class, personal swim practice
Bike - Road Bike rides, Spin Classes, Home Trainer Sessions
Run - Road Run, Gym Treadmill run, Elliptical, Aqua Jogging
Strength - Pilates, Yoga, Weights, Physical Therapy Sessions

Looking at the 12 weeks my biggest ah-ha moment is the low number of bike sessions. I remember hearing many people at IronMan Arizona talk about the bike being their key training element. They forsake the other sports for the bike rides because it was so great for building strength and endurance in the legs that could carry over to the run. And that the majority of the triathlon race is on the bike, so the need to focus there.


I have not spent enough time or sessions on the bike. I bought a home trainer to build this into my schedule better, meaning I don't have to ride the bike on the road at 8pm at night and can fit in shorter form building sessions during the week and not just do a long weekend endurance ride.

I've spent more time on strength in recent weeks, due to the knee injury, but actually now realize how important it is and how I see my body being stronger because of it. Focusing on core, weights and arm bands for arm strength, pilates for flexibility, and leg/knee strength and stability exercises as improved my fatigue levels in the other sports because I have more muscle to use.

Swimming needs to continue to ensure I can complete the distance in a reasonable time and because it is a good overall fitness builder, but trying to get 10 minutes faster is not going to help my overall time versus time on the bike.

Running, hmm not really sure right now on this one. I'm not a strong runner and the distances are long so need to keep working on endurance and form. But how much can I compensate strength and biking to carry me through a run? I don't want to stress it out and will continue with the aqua jogging for form, but not sure I'll get many long distance runs in before the 2 upcoming races...

Upcoming Races
March 27th   SuperSeal Olympic Triathlon
April 30th     Wildflower Long Course 70.3 miles Triathlon

Report Card Score "B"
I think I give myself a B. It's my first training plan, been focused and have been tracking my progress. But see some good key adjustments that will help me in the next 6 weeks for my early races.

First injury

It had to happen sometime ...my first injury. I'm not talking a scratch or a bruise ...plenty of those from mountain biking last year.
I'm talking level 2, something that pulls, pops, tears....
Level 3 is a broken bone which I'm glad to not have had in my life, and hoping to keep it that way.


So a level 2 injury scare for me. After the half marathon I expected some tiredness and aches and pains, especially with the knee pain that arose in the race. However it was still there 1 week later and while the training group joined up for the Saturday bike ride, I stayed at home and rested it up.

My mental state went through worry, desperation, sadness, fake hope and determination, and of course the restless boredom when you can't be as active.

I improvised quickly and focused on strength - pilots, yoga, weights....and then heard about Aqua Jogging or Deep Water Exercise.

My exposure to this is of seeing blue rinsed ladies in the swimming pool chattering away with the odd movement involved...how was this going to help me???

Coach Julie assured me that it works, and a quick lesson with her and some video clips got me feeling more hopeful.

So it's been over 2 weeks now and have to say I'm not really in a "groove" yet and definitely more lonely as can't be part of the group rides yet, but overall see this as an opportunity to learn about injuries and mental motivation.

Oh. And I'm learning about physical therapy (PT). Done 2 sessions and definitely feel the difference...so very hopeful I'll be good for Wildflower.

Woo hoo


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The day before the Half Marathon....

Well tomorrow is the first major step in my Ironman year. I am running a half marathon for the first time in my life.

It's been a heck of a week at work with little time to think or feel or do anything than just deal with work. The details I leave here for memories are Tax Season, IRS, and Late legislation. I've done likely 100 hours of work in the past 7 days with my mental breaking point being challenged over and over again. But I'd just breathe and keep going. I suppose this is a good mental training point for my half marathon on Sunday.

I took the notion of taper and let it be ok that I did little this week...6 mile run Sunday, 30 mins elliptical and strength on Tuesday, and 3 mile treadmill run with strength on Wed. As I type it out it seems reasonable, but man my weekly focus and excitement of the new workouts I'd do were not there...guess that is the point of tapering.

I thought about the race often and instead of my usual nervousness about it I let myself feel excited about it and confident that I can do it. I've let myself off the hook of some goal time, or doing it faster than others in my training group. I'm simply there to have said....it's possible...and you can have fun too. Also to be ready for challenges that are faced....the unexpected things that always occur from forgetting a piece of equipment or weather or your mind.

So my general plan is to start at a 12 minute pace and keep to that for the first half of the race. Try and keep running the whole time. If I need to slow down, then go ahead and slow down but in a manner that would still be called running. I'll be wearing my fuel belt, of which I drink my Accelerade punch flavor mixed with Robinsons Orange Cordial (a British treat I carry in my life), of which I will take a drink from this every 1 mile. Drink water from the aid stations when I need it, and to take 1 GU at the 1 hour mark and 2 hour mark.

To combat my mindset or the inevitable "you can't do this mindset" I am looking to focus on what will be around me. Take a look at the houses I pass and wonder about the person there. Enjoy the beauty of nature...from the trees and the greenness of the grass...and the lake. Smile at the people next to me and make comments that encourage them on like "you look great 423" or "what a lovely morning".

This is my plan....with my ability to adjust and deal with the unexpected.

So for the rest of the day I'm focusing on just being calm, ignoring work, planning what I'll wear, taking the dog to the beach and enjoying the barks he makes at the waves.

Simple things for a simple calm mind.

50 miles and the Comparison of PCH vs Wildflower

Hooray for me for the first 50 miles on the bike. I have to say it felt easy. Yes, here I am saying it was not hard to do 50 miles on a bike. I'm thinking I might regret saying that in the future, but for now, it's typed and written so out in the open.

So it was our lovely Saturday group ride today; a 4 hour bike ride on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) which is actually a really lovely ride. Seeing the ocean and the waves and surfers is just a wonderful inspiration of nature and it's effects it has on people like me that choose to explore it through means of running, hiking, biking, kayaking etc...

We got a chance to climb one of the famous hills of San Diego....Torrey Pines hill climb. There are 2 ways up, the short and steep road or the less steep but longer way up. Today we chose the less steep route. It looks like this picture below.

It was fun to climb it. I was slow of course at a wonderful average of 7 mph...yes that's right. One of our groupers, Steve, is great at hills. He decided to visit the restroom while we started the hill and then came up to chase us and caught every single one. Nice! Something to look forward to gaining mad skills on in the future.

At the top, our coach and fearless leader says "if you got this hill then Wildflower is no problem". I'm definitely nervous about doing the Half Ironman distance at Wildflower because every time I mention it to someone they go "woah, that is a HARD course".  Even the wildflower website says "The course is 56 miles long and is considered relatively difficult". 
A confidence crushing for a newbie! So I'm looking to get lots of hill experience in until April.

There is a big hill in Wildflower towards the back end of the bike as well. So I pulled the elevation charts from today's ride and from Wildflower for a comparison.

PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) - Torrey Pines Hill at Mile 40

Wildflower Long Bike Course - Big Hill at Mile 40

Hmmm...there is a difference here to what Coach Julie said....the PCH had a 450 ft elevation over 2 miles and Wildflower has a 1000 elevation over 5 miles. There's a little difference there...

More hill training coming up!