NEGLECTING THE LITTLE THINGS

Chiropodist Jim Marando giving me a gait analysis. Someone has
a weak Glute Medius.

Most people that cross my path think that I am a very positive and happy person; they would be right for the most part.  I'm upbeat and happy until, I'm just not.  This winter has been a bit of a tough go for me.  Why? It's not like we've had a brutal winter, heck, it was 18 degrees Celsius one day this week! It was February, in Canada?!  The reason it's been so tough is because I hurt myself.

Yes, I hurt myself.  My coach didn't do it, my training didn't do it, I did it.

How you may wonder? Neglect. 

I neglected to listen to my body.  It was telling me to take care, not to miss the stretching routine, to go get maintenance from my awesome RMT, Derek Spry, and Chiropractor, Tom Skrinjaric (they truly are awesome). Instead, I ignored my body and let my brain keep pushing me forward into a world of pain.  This PAIN that brought me from a happy, positive, chatty, Sheila, to a quiet, easy to bring to tears, sad, and fighting to stay positive, Sheila.

It started after the Christmas Break with my lower right back tightening up all around the SI joint.  So I stretched it, a little, and kept going as usual; after all, it was only a tight muscle. As the weeks continued, and training intensified, my back continued to get tighter and now the muscles up the right side of my spine were just as tight as the ones around my SI joint.  I went for my usual massage treatment and it helped temporarily.  I was still able to handle the workouts even with the pain starting to build in my back.  

Work became very busy, the kids schedules were picking up, and training for an Ironman is not for the faint of heart; needless to say  time was getting harder and harder to find and I let my usual morning stretch routine slide.  The next thing I knew, that nagging back pain became incredibly painful.  Rolling over in my bed felt like I was trying to move 200 pounds of lower limbs each time.  Tears would stream down my face and it took over 20 minutes every morning to get out of bed.  However, I'm training for an Ironman.  So once I got out of bed and standing, I would make it to workout and suffer horribly through it.  Go home and cry and start the daily routine of making lunches, going to work and making sure the kids got to and from their activities on time.  

Two weeks ago I forced myself out of the bed, got to the gym, started the treadmill, and walked.  I couldn't bring myself to run, or jog, or anything.  If you know me, you will know that I will almost kill myself to not miss workout when I have a goal on the horizon. This was my breaking point. I no longer could will myself through the pain. I am not one for taking medication. Usually I can make it through, as I have a fairly high pain tolerance, without the use of pain meds.  Not this time.  I was taking lots of Aleve, and muscle relaxers so I could get a little bit of  sleep. I would have liked something stronger, but not willing to make that jump.  My coach took me off the treadmill.  My bike was virtually non-existent, oh I tried, I thought I could muster up the mental strength, I was wrong.   My usual crazy week of training went to mostly making it to the pool, the Chiropractor and the Massage therapist.  

I've learnt over the years that to keep certain injuries from getting out of control I need to maintain my stretching and core routine faithfully.  However sometimes, usually because I'm feeling just fine, or I'm exceptionally busy, I start to let portions of this routine go.  It starts with me saying "I don't have time for the whole thing this morning, I'll just leave out this exercise."  Then as the days progress a few more exercises get neglected and then eventually all of them.

With a lot of treatments, intensive stretching and core work, and a couple of really low volume weeks, I'm making my way back to having a strong back.  It is not even close to good yet.  The SI joint is still tight, but not nearly what it was 5 weeks ago, and the sciatic nerve is pinched on my right side.   I'm now explaining the pain, to others, as a bad toothache.  I can move, I can do the workouts, but the pain is constant and nagging, however no longer debilitating.  In comparison to what I was feeling a few weeks ago, I feel like a super star! I'm also making sure I make time for my stretch, core, and stability routine everyday, to maintain strength around the areas that need it...my back. 

This was a painful lesson to learn.  The little things are important to maintain.  Because neglecting the little things can lead to bigger issues down the road.  

Fire your Coach? I Think NOT!!!

It's been almost two months since I've posted.  Between the Christmas season, work meetings, training and the kids commitments I unfortunately put a few things on hold.  However, I recently saw something in an article through Facebook that pushed me to get back on track.  It was an article about  the 10 Truths of No-Bullshit Triathlon Training. Here is the link.

http://tomdemerly.com/2016/01/14/10-truths-of-no-bullshit-triathlon-training/

There are 9 of the 10 Truths that I pretty much agree with.    Let me address a few.  As a swimmer, watching those trying to be swimmers, I agree you need to learn to swim.  You don't need to be Katy Ledecky, however being comfortable and confident in an open body of water, navigating within 1500 other swimmers, certainly helps.  It also makes transition between the swim and bike a lot easier when you aren't gasping for air and crawling from the water.  Many swimmers will also agree, lose the gadgets.  Yes, know your speed, learn cadence, but learn feel, not just in the water, on the bike and run too.  Know your body, learn what it feels like to hold 35km/hr vs 30km/hr on the bike, or what a 4:30km vs a 5:30km on the run feels like.  Don't rely on all your gadgets to tell you what your body should be doing.  They are nice to have, however they can also fail when you feel you need them the most.....then what do you do?

Same goes with the bike.  There are many riders on the course, some great, some not so much.  Learn how to clip in and out easily, be competent at riding in the aero position, make sure you can control your bike, and be aware of where you are and others are, on the road.   Although it is extremely uncomfortable riding in the city, I get nervous, it teaches you bike handling skills and general awareness of what's around you, both really good things to know.

So what is the 1 Truth I had trouble with?  The very first one.  The one that says Fire your Coach.  

The very first statement was "you don't need them, and they probably aren't qualified." 

I agree that there are many coaches, that say they are coaches, that most likely have no qualifications in any way, shape or form.  Perhaps they completed a couple triathlons and now call themselves an expert, make sure you check out the coach, the team, and results of their athletes before writing out the cheques. The part I vehemently disagree with is the first part of that statement; You do need a coach!!!



The United Kingdom Coaching Strategy is he/she “enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to his/her own endeavours. 

According to Forbes.com, coaches help you to identify and focus on what's important, which will accelerate your success.  Coaches also provide the following:

• Create a safe environment in which people see themselves more clearly;
• Identify gaps between where you are  and where you wants to be
• Ask for more intentional thought, action and behaviour changes than what you  would have asked of yourself
• Provide  the structure, accountability, and support necessary to ensure sustained commitment

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2014/12/09/why-you-need-to-hire-a-coach-in-2015/#5bcae4324de3

Certainly you can finish a triathlon, training on your own; I'm not denying that. However there are many aspects that you will be missing that are important if you forgo the opportunity to work with a coach.  

1.  Riding a bike.  Although we are not supposed to ride draft legal, it is a good skill to learn.  Those who have completed a triathlon have all seen how closely riders can group together on the course.  Bike handling skills are very important, although we will all crash at some point, learning how to handle the bike confidently will lower the number of times you end up scraping your skin off along the pavement.  A good coach will teach you how to ride safely in a pack, although you may never need this in a race, you certainly will benefit during training when you are out with a group, especially if there are new riders that are out with you who are not as comfortable. 

2. Swim instruction.  There are more triathletes that are mediocre to poor swimmers than there are those that are good swimmers.  Proper technique in the water can help you hold on to your much needed energy stores for the bike and run instead of leaving them at the bottom of the lake.  Having a watchful eye, and swim instruction that is more than " swim 2000m", will make a noticeable difference in the outcome of your event.

3.  Learn to Run.  After a challenging swim and a long bike, running  10 km to 42.2 km is not an easy undertaking.  When I would  run on my own, getting myself ready for the local 5km race, I'd just go out and run, I thought that was enough.  All my running was done at the same speed and I had no one to tell me what was wrong with my technique.  Yes, as with swimming, there is a fair bit of technique involved in running.  With the aide of my coach I've been able to take my run from a 5:15 per km pace down to a 4 minute per km pace.  He has changed my running style and continues to tweak and improve it, pushes me outside my comfort zone,  and helps me to achieve beyond what I originally thought I could do. 

Coach Lee Hart, Tri-Hart Triathlon,
www.tri-hart.com and me.

4. Training Plan.  How busy are you?  I am incredibly busy.  Three children, a full time job, a household to run, and now training for triathlon.  Yes, I am learning about this sport, I read on line, and ask questions of other triathletes, however my time is limited.  I don't want to make up a training plan for myself and try to stick to it.  I'm not an expert, at swimming, maybe, triathlon not quite yet.  My coach, Lee Hart at Tri-Hart Triathlon, www.tri-hart.com,  has been doing this for 12 years.  He has produced National ITU champions, put athletes on the National Team and  has had athletes compete on the ITU World Championships stage.  He has had athletes make it to Kona, and he himself has raced, and still races, competing at many Ironman 70.3 World Championships.  I trust his judgement as it pertains to my training, and how far he can push me.  Without my coach I know for sure I would not have performed as well as I did this previous season.  

Getting a coach is worth the investment.  You may think that you are good on your own, however regardless of your skill level, you are limiting your potential by excluding the resource of a "good" coach. 

TRAINING, RACING, AND EATING ENOUGH CALORIES

Long Run to Burlington, ON Pier 

It's been a busy couple of months since the Niagara Barrelman 70.3. I've been juggling new job responsibilities with family and kids' commitments, taking care of the home and training for my first Ironman Triathlon.  

This Triathlon season we are working on my weaknesses (bike and run), and maintaining my strength, swimming.  It's been a struggle for me running 75-95km per week with the kilometres continuing to climb.  We are working on building power in my legs; to help with this I've added a strength training routine into the schedule 3X per week, provided to me by my husband, to be triathlon specific.  It's difficult for me to really see where I sit with training and if I'm improving when I feel tired from this new training schedule and keeping up with life commitments.  I'm one of those athletes that likes to race all year long.  I believe it's important for confidence, seeing if  bench marks are being hit, and most importantly, learning how to race. So I asked for some early races. 

Road To Hope: Last 6 km of the
21.1km was side by side with
this awesome girl.

My coach  listened to me, just as I listen to him, and we have done two races so far this fall training block.  Not triathlons, it's way to cold for this fair weather girl to swim in some Ontario lake after September. A running race and a swimming time trial are what has kept this girl happy and motivated.  Let me tell you why with two quick race recaps.

The Road to Hope Half Marathon is a fairly flat and good run course.  I haven't run an official Half-marathon, outside a triathlon, since I was 27 years old, and even then I only ran one and it wasn't fast.  My teammates from Tri-Hart were with me so that helped keep my nerves to a minimum.  We hadn't rested for the race, we had only taken one day off training, and we were going to do a long ride after the race!  The event started, I looked at my watch, and was running a little quick 3:45/km pace.  I wasn't so sure I'd be able to keep that up for more than 10km so I dropped it down a little.  For the entire race there was a young woman running with me.  Either she was in front or I was.  It was great!  We pushed each other through the entire race, ending up holding an average of 4:01/km pace, both beating our original goal times.  The race was also not 21.1km.  The consensus on all the Garmins coming over the line was 21.43km, that made our times seem that much better!  I ran a 1:24 half-marathon, placing 1st in my age category and 4th overall woman, in a running race!!!! There wasn't even a swim involved.  All those kilometres are really starting to pay off.

First 100m of the 1500m free time trial.
 I ended up winning the heat.

The second race was a swim race.  A 1500m swim time trial at the club I train with, The Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club in Hamilton, ON.  It was at the end of the week, with a 23km run on the Friday and a 10km run and a bike workout on the Saturday before the Sunday race.  I averaged 1:14 per 100m pace, as my coach had said I would, and finished with 18:21.  Not bad for November and the increase in running and cycling I've been doing.  It  also feels as though I'm re-learning how to swim due to the new muscle mass I've been adding to my legs.  It's not so easy to keep the legs near the surface of the water anymore.  

First Dive off the block in 8 months!

Overall I'm super excited that all the work and juggling that I do each day is starting to really show up in my races! Now to deal with the other side effect of the Ironman training, weight loss. My current struggle is trying to eat enough calories to keep the weight on.  After the Road to Hope I dropped 4 pounds, after sitting in the same weight range for the last 2 years, that was a bit of a shocker.  I thought it was water loss, however it seems to be permanent.  So for now I'm working on filling my face with enough food to maintain this new number.  The Holiday Season should help with that.

Every day, in this sport, I'm provided with a new learning   about what I'm capable of handling,  and at the age of 41 I'm still figuring out where my athletic ceiling is.