The Big Olympic Distance Tri Debate

Guess what:
1) I can now do flip turns in the pool!
2) I'm now running twice a week, albeit briefly (up to a mile and a half after a swim).
3) If I want to shave about $40 off the price of the Chicago Triathlon, I have until Dec. 31 to do so -- and thus decide on Olympic distance racing versus another sprint.

The flip turns just came to me one day. I'd technially learned how to do them in college but could never get my breathing down well enough that I felt comfortable turning my body entirely upside down and breathing out. Then this weekend  -- a good 8 years after I'd been taught flip turns -- I said to myself, Sara, you're going to do a flip turn. And I practiced, and it came easily, and I kept practicing. And then I got into a rhytym where I kept 'em up. If I botched one, I'd swim back and try it again. I'm still not as efficient as my pseudo turn I'd adapted over the years, but I'll get there.

The running thing is a big step for me. I figure if I ran twice a week and added a half mile every two weeks I can def. work my way up to six miles. And if I don't have time for all that in the morning -- it would eat into my core training time -- I could do a short run during the week and a longer run on a weekend. This is all a big hope, but we'll see.

And as for the Olympic distance event, I'm nearly there and ready to commit. It's scary. There's a big jump from sprints to Olympic, and I could be finishing the race in a lot of pain. But I just keep the Bangs Lake Aquabike in my head: I did the Olympic distance swim followed by a hilly-and-windy-as-fuck 25-mile bike and felt I could still run. So throw in some training and BOOM, I'm there.

The plan: a sprint in June or July; the Aquabike in July or August (whenver it is); and the Olympic distance at Chicago.

Now I just have to hit register and we're all good.

Running in the Right Step

Sports life got 1,000 times better for me this week. I had my last consulting appointment with Coach Bill Leach to collect my gait analysis and go over steps for improvement. He gave me a 15-page report, went over steps for improvement and even had me running again with a corrected stride.

I already went for one short run -- my goal is to start short, frequent runs to get my body used to running regularly -- and it was pain-free. Pain free. I don't remember the last time I ran pain free -- if ever. And this is all from a couple simple exercises. Best $150 I spent (or rather, best gift ever: Brian's treat).

What my running video showed is that I generally have good running posture and excellent heel kicks, head position and arm rotation. The bad part was my gait: my feet begin to cross over when I run, my stride is too long and my hips were collapsing with each step. Actually, they weren't the only thing collapsing: each time I hit the ground, my entire posture would crash down, so I was effectively running up and down instead of straight. Each strike meant I was absorbing my entire body weight on one leg; in slow motion, it literally looks like I'm being clubbed over the neck at each step. It was actually painful to watch.

His analysis of exercises I did barefoot to check rotations and posture and such showed that I have a weaker lower back and abdomen; I've been working on core strength but apparently have not been doing so evenly. He also suspected my calves are tight -- and they definitely have been bothering me -- because my ankles aren't properly rotating either.

It sounds like it's easy to run, but it's not. This analysis has reiterated to me that some people's bodies can take running without proper technique, and others like mine can't. How many people really have proper technique, right?

Going forward, I'm doing exercises to build up my glutes, and I have backward running and pawing drills to do to keep my gait correct. This one backward running exercise he gives you is amazing; for some reason, running backward for about 20 meters and then taking off forward resets your gait and gets you running as you should be. Instant correction -- I love it. I feel like a pansy -- running "correctly" for distances does not look match the virilous postures of die-hard athletes in commercials or even running on the lakefront -- but I'll take that over feeling pain.

Tuck my abs in. Don't overreach. Swing the arms. Go. That's my mantra going forward.

It's exciting to want to run again.

So, this whole gait change stuff...

I finally started the homework that Coach Leach gave me in my first steps to a new foot strike. I had to do them at work during my lunch break, part at my desk, part in a hidden corner of the parking lot.

I probably look like a moron in either exercise: in one, I'm standing straight, putting all my weight on one foot, and reaching back to touch the ground with my toe with my other foot. The other exercise -- the one I made sure to remain hidden -- involves walking backward.

10 sets of 10 repetition up to10 times a day, for both. That's a shit-load of exercises, and I'm coming nowhere near what I should be doing. How in the world will this every improve? They're not particuarly comfortable, either; both require a lot of core strength, which I have, but they work different muscles than I'm used to. My lower back kills. So these aren't a piece of cake, either.

I had to reschedule the appointment, so at least that buys me a little time for improvement before my first check-in with him.

Gait Analysis with Bill Leach: Visit 1

Yesterday afternoon I had my first appointment with running coach Bill Leach for my gait analysis, and I'm eager to find out the results.

When you go see Coach Leach, he videotapes your running on a treadmill from the side; your running directly from and to the camera; your running to and from the camera at an angle; and all sorts of posture positions, which can include standing normally with your shoes off and balancing on one leg while touching the other foot with your opposite hand. All on video. I wobbled a little on the balancing stuff, and I'm bummed about it because I have better core strength than that -- and core strength is what he preaches. Oh well, we shall see what his detailed report says. (He actually hands you a small binder.)

Couple things:

1) To best view your body as it runs, he needs you to wear contrasting colored tops and bottoms, and they have to be situated on your body so he can see your hips. That means I had to tuck a loose -- not baggy, but loose enough -- shirt into stretch running pants. It all looks atrocious, because a) the baggy shirt bulges from underneath the stretch pants, and b) I have a very high waist. Nice visual, huh? And it's all on camera! Thankfully, only he and I see the video.

2) We watched the video, and the initial assessment of my running is that my foot strikes far in front of my body, which is bad. I was expecting that, b/c it seems that most runners have this problem. The other thing is my feet somewhat cross over each other when I'm running. I'd never have known without that video!

We'll see how he treats the latter. As for the former, I already have homework of exercises to do to get my body comfortable with my feet landing further back.

More homework. I'm balancing so much right now -- freelance projects, ad class homework, working out, another side project, quality time with my man, and more -- that the last thing I wanted was more homework. But here we are. And I'll get it done.

My next appt. is Tuesday. To be continued!

A 5k Should Be Easier Without the Swim and Bike, Right?

Before the heat of the moment passes, I wanted to tell you about this Sunday's Run for Chocolate, which is by far one of the best races I've done in a while because of the location, organization, route, and perfect amount of chocolate. It was my first 5k since October 2006 because of the strain running has put on my knees and having to essentially ditch running. I stopped signing up for 5ks to instead "conserve" my knees for the 5ks in triathlons.

So I wasn't sure what to expect from Sunday's run. I went in realizing I didn't care about time. As we lined up, I loved not having the pressure to gut it out. I was calm and relaxed.

Of course, I spoke too soon. Brian and I took off, and I felt my adrenaline and the energy from the crowd of 12,000 people all moving down the same path propel me. I decided to push myself and not hold back -- I always have to hold back b/c of my knees, and did I really know how far I could take it? Besides, I figured, wouldn't it be a helluva lot easier to push the limits not having swam and biked first?

The good news is that I have a new personal best time for myself, 3.1 miles in 27:27, which is I think an 8:51 pace. I really pushed it toward the end, too! And it felt great. Bonus: amazing hot chocolate and the perfect portion of chocolate fondue (pictured) post-race. [Update: Not everyone had it so lucky -- especially if you ran the 15k. Read Flour Girl's account here.]

The bad news is my right knee is killing me. It's two days later, and in the pool this morning -- the three laps I did -- my knee hurt while I was swimming. It's as if all I built up -- being able to run sporadically -- has crumbled and my workout routines now affected, all because of my stupid knees. I think I do better at triathlon 5ks because my joints and muscles are completely warmed up by the time I get to the run and, at that point, I don't have it in me to go all-out, which is bad for me knees. I do the light jogs my joints will allow, and it seems to work well.

I need to rest and lay off the workout for another day, which does NOT make me happy but at least allows me the opportunity to work on all the other stuff (resume, homework, my own Web site, getting enough sleep, etc.) I need to accomplish. But it sucks to do so well and then get taken right back to injury.

I did schedule that appointment with Coach Leach I mentioned earlier, btw, and meet with him in two weeks. I wonder where I'll be then?

Marathon Spirit

The Chicago Marathon's a beautiful thing, especially when it's not 85 degrees a la 2007. I watched my first one in 2006 near the finish line and was blown away at how uplifting it was. This year, Brian and I trekked nearby to try to get a glimpse of our neighbor Marty en route to complete his first. We never saw him, but when you're watching thousands of runners fly by -- they were still flying at mile 7.5 -- spanning a wide street (Addison), it's difficult. We didn't plan as we should have either; telling him where we'd be and finding out what he'd wear would've helped.

That said, I got psyched. I'm gonna sign up for an Olympic distance triathlon for end of season -- likely the Chicago Triathlon instead of an earlier race to give me plenty of time to get my milelage up. Congrats to the marathoners out there. I have no desire to run that far, but that doesn't mean I have the ultimate respect for the accomplishment.

90% Decided on the Olympic Distance Tri

It's been a week since I resumed my workout routine, and I'm already sore. I'm also almost done convincing myself to commit to an Olympic-distance triathlon, which is double the distance I usually race.  Considering my bad knees, it would be a huge accomplishment for me.

Here's my reasoning: I've already done an aquabike (Olympic distance swim and bike) and just need to nail down the 6-mile run. That's it! I can do a 5k (3.1 miles) now, but here's the catch: I have great days and really sucky days. Some days I'm flying and feel great afterward; other days, I have to stop 10 min. into it b/c of the pain. And if I do get solid run in, the recovery is iffy, too: sometimes I'm totally fine and can do a heavy lower-body workout again after a day of rest without problems. Other times, I might be able to continue to work out but will have significant knee pain for several days -- or a week -- after.

That's where I'm at after this past weekend. Because of my Olympic distance dreams, I jumped back into working out by incorporating a run into my week, so I can see how it feels to regularly jog (the past two seasons I basically winged it on race days). I've figured out that I'm much more successful and pain-free if I run when my legs are well-warmed up, either after biking or swimming or at the end of the day, so that's what I did on Sunday. (Icing, taking Aleve and massaging/stretching my muscles well is a given.) But lo and behold, pain. I squeaked out 3.2 miles in 32 min., which I'm really appreciative of being able to do, but I was in pain and basically kept going until the adrenaline covered up the pain. That's how I got to where I'm at now, so it's not a practice I want to keep up. (For the concerned friends out there, just know that if the pain doesn't go away, I do stop. It ain't worth ruining my knees entirely).

So that's where I'm at: the test-phase. Perhaps I should see a running or tri coach...

***

By the way, being back at the gym is great. I really like seeing the people I've come to look forward to in the mornings, and it feels good to slowly build up to where I was at the end of August. That said, I'm not breaking any records. I swam much more slowly today, barely getting up to 70 percent of my heart rate, and really tried to focus on my stroke. I did a few laps of the breast stroke and backstroke -- I stick to freestyle normally -- to shake things up and didn't worry about my calories (300 burned during the same time I'd normally do 400). I'll kick it into higher gear in November or maybe the coming weeks, but for now, this is good.

Pilates a Go Go

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually like pilates.

I'm surprised because I do not do well in yoga -- two totally opposite yet equally terrible yoga experiences and I swore never to go back to a class -- and pilates certainly has elements of it. But although you get the stretching and some of the poses as in yoga, there's no Sanskrit 'n' shit in pilates. There's no kum bah yah, and no talking in a soft voice, and no bowing. And thus, I'll likely be back.

My month off of working out is almost over, so I did the pilates thing and I signed up for my first run-only race -- a mere 5k -- since 2006 (it was actually three years ago this weekend at the Bucktown 5k that I met my boyfriend, Brian, and the last run-only race I've done because of my knees. But I digress!). The run also involves hot chocolate, which may or may not have anything to do with it, but basically, I'm pumped and ready to get moving again. One month off -- save for a couple runs and one 30-mile bike ride --and I feel "squishy." I'm stiff! I'm not toned! And I don't want to lose any more of my base.

This month has taught me that you can take a month off and should take a month for your body to heal and without fear of losing everything. But it's also a reminder of how quickly stiff joints and a lazy attitude can set in -- it took me about two weeks.

I'm ready to go!

***
Speaking of being ready to go, I'm toying around with the idea of doing an Olympic distance triathlon this coming season -- that's double what I'm used to. It's terrifying considering I can't train well on the run. But, I've got the stamina to do the bike and the swim (what I did in the aquabike this year), and I figure I can suck up the run. We shall see.

Another Season Down, Almost Injury-Free

I found out today that I have ulnar neuritis. The name sounds a lot worse than it is, but basically the nerve that runs on the outside of my arm from my elbow to wrist has been aggravated, and I need to rest it. It's a common sport injury from tennis, cycling and swimming. I do two of the three.

The good news is that it isn't painful, per se, but it does make the top of my wrist, fingers and forearm tingle and ache. When you're a writer like me or finishing up a triathlon season, like I was when the problem started, it's hard to rest it.

The timing is good, b/c I go easy in September, but it's bad b/c I'd really like to be able to get outside more for fun rather than just quit altogether. I don't have to go cold turkey, but if I want to jump back into a routine in October, I need to lay off. I need exercise to keep me happy, so this'll be a challenge.

Most athletes get injuries of some sort much worse than mine, and I'm amazed that they're able to push as hard as they do until something does pop up. I don't consider myself a die-hard athelete. I do work out regularly and push myself, but I'm not going hard-core distances. I'm above the casual athelete but not much more serious.

I feel like as soon as I get into something and push myself, my body reminds me that it's just not cut out for going hard. When I got into running faster and farther -- up to 5 miles regularly -- that's when my knees freaked out. Even physical therapy and strengthening my muscles didn't cure me enough. I basically can run 3 miles with minimal pain.

When I cycle, I'm cardiovascularly able to go farther than I do. But then my knees kick in and remind it's time to take it easy.

If I swim too much, no matter how much or what variety of stretching I do, I start to get muscle damage.

So I feel stuck in this range, with improvement in going harder but for shorter periods, or going longer but not as hard. Can't do both. I'd love to be able to train for an Olympic Distance triathlon, but considering the small increments I'm able to push myself, it seems like it would be more painful than fun. And it's always supposed to be fun, right?

But I'll try! I'll keep at it. And in the meantime, I'll rest up. Gotta listen to my body to stay injury-free.