It’s time to get back into the training blog. The last couple of months have been a little busy and my training has been off and on, but I think I’m getting back into a good workout schedule, and I am feeling optimistic about getting ready for these three spring tris.
Training was rolling right along at the beginning of February, and when I went down to Hilton Head near the middle of February with my family, I did some running, cycling (sort of), and swimming in much warmer temperatures. When I got back (Valentine’s Day), we had quite a bit of cold weather and snow, and I was farm sitting at the time. I tend to jump right back in with the horse stuff because it’s so much a part of my nature, and … sometimes I forget about the old back injury and that I’m not used to hoisting 10-gallon buckets of ice and cleaning stalls like I used to do. That and some bowling put me over the edge and I had to rest my strained back again.
I water-jogged and did spinning for a few weeks, stretched as much as I could, and finally took two weeks off when I took a business trip to Florida and Virginia this month. Last week I started back up because the back pain is gone, but the deep hip/sciatic pain hasn’t really changed, and I’m hoping activity will just help me work out of it.
Last week:
- Monday–45 minutes spinning
- Tuesday–swimming, did a quiet workout, around 1600
- Wednesday–was dealing with a veterinary crisis (please pray/think good thoughts for Sabrina, who’s doing better)
- Thursday–rode 23.5 miles (Yarnaltown loop counter-clockwise … never had gone this way before!)
- Friday–off
- Saturday–rode 23.5 miles again (Yarnaltown loop clockwise)
- Sunday–rode 32 miles with Treacy (former TNT mentor and friend) and Susan (coach)
The rides and run were excellent opportunities to enjoy the gorgeous weather, the bright yellow forsythia blooms, and the idyllic scenes of young foals stretched out in the grass next to their grazing dams, all framed by the characteristic stone fences of this area. I am truly fortunate to be learning a new sport in an area that just supports it naturally with its rolling terrain (made easier to swallow by the vistas it affords).
I was “on” during my Saturday ride, but I “bonked,” as my friend Dorothy calls it, on the Sunday ride. I just ran out of steam after being a little bit of an overachiever on some of the first hills out on Delong Road and realized I could’ve eaten a better lunch before going out. My sciatic nerve was bothering me some by the time we got to the school near Athens. (For you non-Central-Kentuckians, that’s pronounced “Ay-thins”). We saw fellow triathlete Philip out there running at the school, and the dear gave me a little of his Gatorade for a boost, and we stretched and then headed back.
Thankfully, Susan and Treacy are patient, and they went at my pace (read: slow) for awhile, while I got back into a comfortable cadence and made it down the road. Treacy seems to enjoy “Horse Facts With Steph,” so at least there was some edutainment for her as we rode.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Saturday and Sunday I helped out for a little while at the Master’s swim meet, which was a lot of fun. It was the first meet I’d attended since I was in third or fourth grade, when I went with my best friend Rachel and watched her sister and brother compete at the Southhampton pool. The whole experience was highly memorable for me, and I’ve never forgotten how impressed and intimidated I was by what they were doing. Horse shows were much more my pace at the time. But now that I’ve done some swimming and I understand how such a meet works, it was a lot of fun to watch and learn and see that even competitive swimmers sometimes drop their arm early in their stroke.
I really enjoyed watching and timing. It was fun and exciting–the only competitive swimming I’ve ever watched besides what I’ve seen at triathlons so far and what I’ve watched on TV during the Olympics. Susan says I should do it next time, but I’m still a little wary of the idea.
Looking Ahead
OK, so what’s going on now, and what’s next? Here’s some great news: My orthopedic guy says this pain/injury is likely what I’ve experienced before–just aggravation of that once-ruptured, now-calcified disc at L5 that presses on that nerve root. He doesn’t think I can do anything more to damage it by continuing to train. For the long term, he says the higher impact activities like running aren’t the best plan, but if it’s something I love, he’s not going to advise against it.
Tonight Christine (roomie) and I jogged/walked for a little over an hour and it felt good to be out. Besides feeling like I just hopped off my bike (feet like bricks), it went well.
I’m going to start some physical therapy tomorrow so I can ease back into this running in the most correct way possible (I’ll likely be told that tonight’s jog was a bad idea). My PT guy used to be a college football trainer and he even coached, I think, so he’s great with the “helping without applying the constant guilt trip about impact exercise.” I get my share of lectures from my massage therapist and my best friend’s mom (another PT, and I appreciate those lectures!), but I think he’ll give me some sage advise to get me through this season and meet my goals. 🙂
I do think that in July, after this triathlon season, I am going to see how I’m feeling and think long and hard about the running for the long term. After two vertebral fractures and a ruptured disc in my pre-running days, I’m amazed I’ve been able to do what I’ve done already. But last fall I felt healthier and more “sound” (horsespeak) than I ever have … I’m hoping this is just a rough spell and I will bounce back and be in a good place to run.
If not, I might have to be just a swimmer and a cyclist come fall. We’ll see. For now, I’m shooting for taking it slow and finishing the Memphis in May and the Philadelphia tris and for helping the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the mentees this season. It’s a cause in which I believe and I’m going to give it my all, provided my body allows it! (Go team!)