After more than five months of training for one specific race, I'm fairly disappointed I won't be racing Kansas 70.3. My knee issues just aren't getting any better. In fact, it's gotten worse. It has been really tough to train over the past week or so, mainly because I kinda knew I had to make this decision. I worked extremely hard to get to where I am and now it feels like I failed myself a bit.
I know injuries are part of life, especially running, but it sucks to have to deal with a different injury each year. I only started running 15 months ago and I've already been sidelined for nearly half of that. Sure I can run/walk a 5k here and there, but I could do that within my first month of running.
My new goal is the Harvest Moon long course triathlon in Aurora. It's the same distance as a half-ironman, just without the corporate sponsorship. It's also not until September, which means I have another four months of training. Yes, I'll be in ridiculous shape and assuming I get over this injury, I'll be faster than I would be in a couple weeks. I just really wish I could do Kansas.
Three of my friends are doing Kansas 70.3 and at least two of them started training for the race because I was doing it too. It's pretty disappointing knowing they'll be out there suffering through 6+ hours of a race, while I'm not. I still haven't decided if I'm going to go with to support them. I want to, but I know I'll just wish I was racing.
Either way, I'm heading to a doctor soon and I'm going to get my knee scanned to find out what really is the issue. It's apparently not my IT Band, so at this point, it's not as easy fix. Last time I hit up the doctor, it cost me $500 and he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I'm hoping this isn't the same case.
May 17, 2010
May 8, 2010
the start of physical therapy
Turns out, it is all about who you know. My knee problems haven't gotten much better, so my friend Paula offered to give me some physical therapy to see if she could fix it. She signed up for the Kansas 70.3 with me and she says she will do her best to make sure I can race with her. We're fairly even in abilities (I'm swim a little faster and she runs a little faster) so it would be nice to have someone to directly compete with.
We started by checking out exactly where I am injured. Turns out, it's not actually my IT band. That's good and bad. It's good, because it means I don't have IT band issues. It's bad, because she doesn't really know what the issue is. She gave me a steroid patch that over time is supposed to help strengthen my knee.
Also, my running gait is a little weird because I don't heel strike with my left foot. That is probably a pretty big reason I had stress fracture and now knee issues. I practiced focusing on heel striking, but I use a different set of muscles in my leg, so it's like re-teaching myself to run. I managed to get through 3 miles today with no pain in my knee... however my muscles in my shin were definitely feeling it. It shouldn't take too much time to get my muscles adjusted to working a different way, so I'm hoping this is a nice fix it.
I have decided my decision will happen on Sunday, May 16th. I'm planning on doing a sprint tri in Morrison that day and if I can make it through the run with zero, or at least minimal, pain... then I'll sign up for Kansas. If it's painful, then I can't do Kansas because I'm not going to walk 10 of the 13 miles.
We started by checking out exactly where I am injured. Turns out, it's not actually my IT band. That's good and bad. It's good, because it means I don't have IT band issues. It's bad, because she doesn't really know what the issue is. She gave me a steroid patch that over time is supposed to help strengthen my knee.
Also, my running gait is a little weird because I don't heel strike with my left foot. That is probably a pretty big reason I had stress fracture and now knee issues. I practiced focusing on heel striking, but I use a different set of muscles in my leg, so it's like re-teaching myself to run. I managed to get through 3 miles today with no pain in my knee... however my muscles in my shin were definitely feeling it. It shouldn't take too much time to get my muscles adjusted to working a different way, so I'm hoping this is a nice fix it.
I have decided my decision will happen on Sunday, May 16th. I'm planning on doing a sprint tri in Morrison that day and if I can make it through the run with zero, or at least minimal, pain... then I'll sign up for Kansas. If it's painful, then I can't do Kansas because I'm not going to walk 10 of the 13 miles.
May 5, 2010
website finished
The website I have been working on for 2 weeks is finally done. I think it looks pretty good and while there can and will be plenty of upgrades and changes, you should check it out in it's original form: www.neoendurancesports.com
A big thank you to Nicole for providing the pictures, text and constructive criticism. Also, Rob for designing the logo.
The launch came pretty quick, but I was surprised how easy it became to design and custom edit the pages. I'm not about to turn this into a job, but it's nice to know I can design a couple websites and perhaps do that as a side job.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on the site.
A big thank you to Nicole for providing the pictures, text and constructive criticism. Also, Rob for designing the logo.
The launch came pretty quick, but I was surprised how easy it became to design and custom edit the pages. I'm not about to turn this into a job, but it's nice to know I can design a couple websites and perhaps do that as a side job.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on the site.
May 2, 2010
From October 3rd to May 1st
Apparently, I've come a long way since October 3rd, 2009. I've decided to break down my results from the Falcon Groundspeed triathlons and see exactly how I improved 17:59 over 7 months.
Overall Time: October: 2:10:10, May: 1:52:11
I finished 121st out of 207 yesterday, which put me in the 58th percentile. In October, I finished 102 out of 132, so in the 77th percentile.
Swim: October: 17:39, May: 14:51
While it wasn't the biggest gain in time, I feel it was the biggest change in my abilities since October. Mainly, because I've worked the hardest on becoming a much better swimmer (One day, I'll out-swim my sister at a race.) In a race that last nearly two hours, three minutes isn't that much. However, I exerted significantly less energy in the spring swim, which I feel helped me do much better on the bike. I did the math and counted up the results and I finished in the top 20% of the swim. In October, I finished in the bottom half of the field.
Transition 1: October: 3:12, May 3:35
I blame the extra time on my bike helmet. It managed to fall off my aero bars in the wind and the snaps on the back got jammed. This made it too tight, so I had to break the snaps and rip apart the adjustment. It took about 30 seconds to get it fixed, so I would love to redo my transition from yesterday.
Bike: October: 1:17:19, May: 1:01:39
A big part of the cut in time is due to the bike I was using. In the fall, I had a mountain bike with commuting tires. This spring, I had my road bike with aero bars. However, I also contribute the 15:40 drop to having biked up that route several times in the past couple weeks. I knew what to expect on the hill and I knew when I could push and when to hold back. It's a lot easier to ride when I know what's coming up. I finished at the 66% percentile mark for the bike yesterday. In October, I was in the 81st percentile.
Transition 2: October: 1:56, May 2:24
I don't really know why I spent an extra 28 seconds this time around. I had to take my coat off, but that doesn't take nearly half a minute. I used to be really pleased with my transition times, but now I know I definitely need to practice them a little more.
Run: October: 30:07, May: 29:45
This was the one that really confused me. I was a pretty good runner in October and I was pretty injured this spring. I'm guessing because I still had a decent amount of energy left after the bike yesterday, I was able to run my pace without being extremely tired. However, I specifically remember being completely exhausted during the run last fall. I really would have liked to see how I could do if I hadn't been injured, but it's all part of the triathlon life. I finished in the 68th percentile. In October, I was in the 71st percentile
Overall, I felt a lot better throughout the race. Some of it had to do with being in much better shape; some of it was because I was more mentally prepared; and some of it was because of the weather. I feel really good about my results this time around, because I know just a few small changes here and there and I could have dropped a little more time. However, I feel best about knowing I went out there and gave it my all and for the first time, I beat my goal in a triathlon.
Overall Time: October: 2:10:10, May: 1:52:11
I finished 121st out of 207 yesterday, which put me in the 58th percentile. In October, I finished 102 out of 132, so in the 77th percentile.
Swim: October: 17:39, May: 14:51
While it wasn't the biggest gain in time, I feel it was the biggest change in my abilities since October. Mainly, because I've worked the hardest on becoming a much better swimmer (One day, I'll out-swim my sister at a race.) In a race that last nearly two hours, three minutes isn't that much. However, I exerted significantly less energy in the spring swim, which I feel helped me do much better on the bike. I did the math and counted up the results and I finished in the top 20% of the swim. In October, I finished in the bottom half of the field.
Transition 1: October: 3:12, May 3:35
I blame the extra time on my bike helmet. It managed to fall off my aero bars in the wind and the snaps on the back got jammed. This made it too tight, so I had to break the snaps and rip apart the adjustment. It took about 30 seconds to get it fixed, so I would love to redo my transition from yesterday.
Bike: October: 1:17:19, May: 1:01:39
A big part of the cut in time is due to the bike I was using. In the fall, I had a mountain bike with commuting tires. This spring, I had my road bike with aero bars. However, I also contribute the 15:40 drop to having biked up that route several times in the past couple weeks. I knew what to expect on the hill and I knew when I could push and when to hold back. It's a lot easier to ride when I know what's coming up. I finished at the 66% percentile mark for the bike yesterday. In October, I was in the 81st percentile.
Transition 2: October: 1:56, May 2:24
I don't really know why I spent an extra 28 seconds this time around. I had to take my coat off, but that doesn't take nearly half a minute. I used to be really pleased with my transition times, but now I know I definitely need to practice them a little more.
Run: October: 30:07, May: 29:45
This was the one that really confused me. I was a pretty good runner in October and I was pretty injured this spring. I'm guessing because I still had a decent amount of energy left after the bike yesterday, I was able to run my pace without being extremely tired. However, I specifically remember being completely exhausted during the run last fall. I really would have liked to see how I could do if I hadn't been injured, but it's all part of the triathlon life. I finished in the 68th percentile. In October, I was in the 71st percentile
Overall, I felt a lot better throughout the race. Some of it had to do with being in much better shape; some of it was because I was more mentally prepared; and some of it was because of the weather. I feel really good about my results this time around, because I know just a few small changes here and there and I could have dropped a little more time. However, I feel best about knowing I went out there and gave it my all and for the first time, I beat my goal in a triathlon.
May 1, 2010
AFA Groundspeed Post-Race
Having done this triathlon last October, I pretty much knew what to expect coming into this morning. I ran through my race plan the night before and was pretty sure I had everything ready. I went to bed early and wasn't nervous at all, so I slept amazing. Apparently, I didn't set my alarm, but still managed to wake up around 6:10, so I still had plenty of time. I made a strawberry shake and brought an orange with for pre-race fuel.
I got to the Academy and setup my transition spot. Right away, I spotted three other friends who were doing the race, too. Fortunately, most of us were all set to start the swim at the same time, so we had a nice little competition. After chatting with them for a bit, I finished up my transition spot and made sure I was ready for a quick get-away on my bike.
I went inside to get relax, stretch and watch the start of the other swimmers. We ended up sitting for more than a hour before finally going down to warm-up a bit and hop in line to get our timing chips and ready for the swim. Around 9:50 I finally jumped into the pool and was off for my swim. I was a little surprised how easy it was. I couldn't really gauge my speed, but I could tell I was swimming faster than anyone else in my lane or the one next to me. I quickly finished up the 800 yards (32 lengths) and wasn't short of breath at all. I checked my watch and finished in 13:30, which was only 10 seconds off my goal pace.
In a pretty good mood, I made the long walk/run up some stairs and outside to my transition area. It wasn't nearly as cold as I expected, so I left the cold-weather gear in my bag and just put on a windbreaker over my tri shirt. I tried to put on my helmet, which had fallen off my aero bars because of the wind. During the fall, the clips on the back that loosened it up got jammed, so it was way too small. I ended up snapping the clips off the back and doing a little surgery just to get my helmet to fit.
I grabbed my bike and ran out to the beautiful, and very hilly, bike course. It was the first time I had used my aero bars, so I tested those out fairly quickly and found that they were pretty comfortable. I made the climb on the first hill and then tucked into aero position for a long downhill. I kept that position through Stadium Boulevard and to the base of Pine drive. Once at Pine Drive, it was all uphill from there. I have ridden that course several times recently, so I knew what to expect. It turned out to be about what I was used to, so I didn't struggle horribly, but it certainly wasn't fun.
I completed the final downhill and rode back to the transition area where I got ready for the run. I quickly threw on my running shoes, took off my windbreaker and grabbed one last drink of water. With my IT Band issues, I knew I was going to have to take it slow, so I started out on what felt like a 10:00 mile pace. I passed a few people here and there and got passed by a couple as well. At the first mile marker, I crossed at exactly 10:00 and that's when the pain kicked in. I said a short prayer that it wouldn't hurt anymore than it did at that point and for much of the rest of the run, it was just a lingering pain. However, I got to the last half-mile and my knee was killing me. I didn't want to walk, so I managed to do a running/gimp thing to the track. Once I got there, I was able to speed up a little more for the lap around the track and across the finish line.
I forgot to check my watch right away and my results weren't posted, but I finished around 1:52, which was 8 minutes under my goal and about 18 minutes faster than when I did the race last fall. It was a pretty good race, but every time I race this year with IT Band issues, I continue to wonder how I would do if I didn't have to run so slow and with so much pain.
I got to the Academy and setup my transition spot. Right away, I spotted three other friends who were doing the race, too. Fortunately, most of us were all set to start the swim at the same time, so we had a nice little competition. After chatting with them for a bit, I finished up my transition spot and made sure I was ready for a quick get-away on my bike.
I went inside to get relax, stretch and watch the start of the other swimmers. We ended up sitting for more than a hour before finally going down to warm-up a bit and hop in line to get our timing chips and ready for the swim. Around 9:50 I finally jumped into the pool and was off for my swim. I was a little surprised how easy it was. I couldn't really gauge my speed, but I could tell I was swimming faster than anyone else in my lane or the one next to me. I quickly finished up the 800 yards (32 lengths) and wasn't short of breath at all. I checked my watch and finished in 13:30, which was only 10 seconds off my goal pace.
In a pretty good mood, I made the long walk/run up some stairs and outside to my transition area. It wasn't nearly as cold as I expected, so I left the cold-weather gear in my bag and just put on a windbreaker over my tri shirt. I tried to put on my helmet, which had fallen off my aero bars because of the wind. During the fall, the clips on the back that loosened it up got jammed, so it was way too small. I ended up snapping the clips off the back and doing a little surgery just to get my helmet to fit.
I grabbed my bike and ran out to the beautiful, and very hilly, bike course. It was the first time I had used my aero bars, so I tested those out fairly quickly and found that they were pretty comfortable. I made the climb on the first hill and then tucked into aero position for a long downhill. I kept that position through Stadium Boulevard and to the base of Pine drive. Once at Pine Drive, it was all uphill from there. I have ridden that course several times recently, so I knew what to expect. It turned out to be about what I was used to, so I didn't struggle horribly, but it certainly wasn't fun.
I completed the final downhill and rode back to the transition area where I got ready for the run. I quickly threw on my running shoes, took off my windbreaker and grabbed one last drink of water. With my IT Band issues, I knew I was going to have to take it slow, so I started out on what felt like a 10:00 mile pace. I passed a few people here and there and got passed by a couple as well. At the first mile marker, I crossed at exactly 10:00 and that's when the pain kicked in. I said a short prayer that it wouldn't hurt anymore than it did at that point and for much of the rest of the run, it was just a lingering pain. However, I got to the last half-mile and my knee was killing me. I didn't want to walk, so I managed to do a running/gimp thing to the track. Once I got there, I was able to speed up a little more for the lap around the track and across the finish line.
I forgot to check my watch right away and my results weren't posted, but I finished around 1:52, which was 8 minutes under my goal and about 18 minutes faster than when I did the race last fall. It was a pretty good race, but every time I race this year with IT Band issues, I continue to wonder how I would do if I didn't have to run so slow and with so much pain.
April 27, 2010
back to running
I've slowly been making progress on my running lately. I've been pretty intense with my stretching before and after running. I been like a nice little hamster, running on the treadmill several times a week. A month and a half ago, I could run 6+ miles without being very tired. Now? I look pretty awesome at the gym running 6.5 miles an hour for five minutes, then walking for one minute. Fortunately, I have been able to increase that a bit each day, so I look a little less pathetic.
Tonight was a different story though. With my first tri of the season on Saturday (Air Force Academy sprint), I was pretty nervous about being able to do the entire run pain-free. Tonight at Jack Quinn's, I managed to do the 5k without even a hint of ITB soreness. Sure, I only jogged at a 10:00 mile pace, but it felt good to not have to walk after six minutes. After the first time through, I did it again, but went back to my timed runs. I didn't want to push it too hard and get hurt just a couple days before the race.
Running is slowly becoming one of my stronger sports again. I was never super fast by any means, but if I could just get a full year of injury-free running it, I know I would be running at a pretty good pace. Heck, I'll take a full year of injury free anything. I've already seen some nice gains in my swimming, biking and running... so this coach thing is paying off, even if it's just a mental boost.
Tonight was a different story though. With my first tri of the season on Saturday (Air Force Academy sprint), I was pretty nervous about being able to do the entire run pain-free. Tonight at Jack Quinn's, I managed to do the 5k without even a hint of ITB soreness. Sure, I only jogged at a 10:00 mile pace, but it felt good to not have to walk after six minutes. After the first time through, I did it again, but went back to my timed runs. I didn't want to push it too hard and get hurt just a couple days before the race.
Running is slowly becoming one of my stronger sports again. I was never super fast by any means, but if I could just get a full year of injury-free running it, I know I would be running at a pretty good pace. Heck, I'll take a full year of injury free anything. I've already seen some nice gains in my swimming, biking and running... so this coach thing is paying off, even if it's just a mental boost.
April 23, 2010
breakthrough workouts
I'm not really used to participating in sports where the only thing I'm racing is the clock. In softball, racquetball, hockey and every other sport I've played, the goal is to beat the other team. In triathlon, my goal is to beat my previous best time. During the winter months, that got pretty tedious, because it's tough to measure goals when all I'm doing is looking at my watch every time I'm done with a set in the pool.
However, when you hit your goal times, it feels absolutely amazing. I happened to have hit my 800 yd pool goal time tonight; 13:20. Sure it's not blazing fast, but it's more than four minutes faster than my swim time at the Air Force tri last October. That's just shy of 25% of my time I managed to cut basically since January. It felt great and I've been on a bit of a high since I finished up my swim.
In a effort to make myself feel even better, I checked out the times of the Colorado high school state swim meet. They had times for 500 yards, so I compared that to my pace. I felt pretty humbled after that. I wouldn't have managed to even make the top 50... against the girls swimmers. In fact, the lowest place they showed was 34th, and she still managed to be on pace to swim an 800 in about 10 minutes. That made me realize I have a lot of work to do to improve, but based on my gains so far, I know it's definitely possible.
This mini-milestone has helped re-energize my swimming a bit and now I have a new goal... to cut my 800 time down to 12 minutes by the end of the summer. I just need to work on my stroke a bit, rely on my kick a little more and remember that if I make it, I'll only have to drop 2 more minutes to be close to the top 50 of the girl's state swimming championships.
However, when you hit your goal times, it feels absolutely amazing. I happened to have hit my 800 yd pool goal time tonight; 13:20. Sure it's not blazing fast, but it's more than four minutes faster than my swim time at the Air Force tri last October. That's just shy of 25% of my time I managed to cut basically since January. It felt great and I've been on a bit of a high since I finished up my swim.
In a effort to make myself feel even better, I checked out the times of the Colorado high school state swim meet. They had times for 500 yards, so I compared that to my pace. I felt pretty humbled after that. I wouldn't have managed to even make the top 50... against the girls swimmers. In fact, the lowest place they showed was 34th, and she still managed to be on pace to swim an 800 in about 10 minutes. That made me realize I have a lot of work to do to improve, but based on my gains so far, I know it's definitely possible.
This mini-milestone has helped re-energize my swimming a bit and now I have a new goal... to cut my 800 time down to 12 minutes by the end of the summer. I just need to work on my stroke a bit, rely on my kick a little more and remember that if I make it, I'll only have to drop 2 more minutes to be close to the top 50 of the girl's state swimming championships.
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