NO, you can't have my SEAT!!

My training continues to tick along.  Elmar posted a work out for Wed - hill repeats at Edworthy that he would also try to attend.  Hmmm, this could be good or not so good, but I thought I'd better take advantage of the individual attention!!

Got to Edworthy at agreed upon time and there he was at the top of the hill on my first of 8 repeats.  I'm really bad for getting the details of a work out correct.  I knew I had 8 repeats, but didn't look too closely at the details.  I know the last time I did hill repeats I killed the first 3 and fell apart on the last 3. I think he may have taken that into account and thought some supervision was in order??

Off I go - up and down, up and down.... I'm supposed to stay in an easy gear and stand for the whole hill. Now this isn't a long hill (1km), but it's steep, by my definition.  What the?  stand for the whole thing? And he's beside me the whole time.  Crap that's hard and I don't really do that well. He may have been speaking forcefully at me (I tell him he's not allowed to yell at me!) telling me to stand up as I was sitting, gasping for air, but still moving and fumbling with gears.

Then it got interesting - he threatened to take my seat, so I'd have to stand up and add 2 more repeats!! (I may have boasted that I am capable of 10 repeats).  Crap, it's not like I can out ride him to get away - would he really take my seat?  Up and down, he may have yelled at me - still threatening to take my seat.  Then he got sidetracked by his cycling teammates that were getting ready for their Wed group ride.  This was my chance to escape -  he left me on my own for the downhill.  He caught up to me and I chose to stick it out and did the last of 3 "standing" repeats.  Wasn't 100%, but he agreed it was the best of the 3.  I kept my seat.....

So there's the new measure - can I get to the top of Edworthy without sitting?

Had a great time volunteering at 70.3 Calgary this weekend.  So many great performances - it was a pleasure offering support to all the athletes at our Talisman Tri Club aid station.  Congratulations to everyone!!

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Tally for the week....

- 1 clean house - I actually can't take credit for it, but I really appreciate my house cleaning lady!
- 1 clean car (inside and out!)
- 3 clean bikes
- A visit to a very yummy bakery in Black Diamond
- 1 good week of work outs / 1 so-so week of workouts (16/18 hours completed one week) and not so good this past week...

- Couldn't hold it together for 2 big weeks of training.  Did well with long ride on Sat both weeks, but couldn't follow through with second long ride on Sunday both weeks.

When I stop to think about how things went it becomes pretty obvious - not much sleep and poor recovery food that was ill timed post ride on Sat. This then carries over to the next day, blah, blah, blah....

What is the  moral? Finding balance.  For my nephews birthday in May - I compromised and rode my bike to the party (in Drumheller). Last weekend - I compromised the workouts to spend time with family. 

On a more positive note - my running is progressing forward!! (slooowly).  I have given the Hoka's a fair trial, but can't tolerate the ankle situation - the shoe is not cut low enough around the ankle for me. The Altra's, on the other hand, seem to be agreeing with me.  Since I'm increasing my run very conservatively, I haven't had any significant soreness (calves/achilles) post runs - sore quads for 3 days post stairs - YES.  I start a new session with Llew this week, so we'll see how I do in the Altra's.  

That is all....

Happy training, Ciao Cindy

Runners, Runners Everywhere

Had my knee injected a couple of weeks ago with "Durolane" (stabilized hyaluronic acid) to relieve the painful arthritis that I've been dealing with for a few months.  The injection takes 3-4 weeks to reach it's peak effect and can be expected to be last for +/- 6 months.   Lots of water running; the introduction of the Alter G (anti-gravity treadmill); and walking has kept me moving.  I'm approaching the 3 week mark and have been running very conservatively for 30 min (2 min run; 3 min walk intervals) without issue. Lots of standing and hills on my bike will aggravate my knee, but it settles by the next day.  So far so good...

The other thing I considered was a change in running shoes.  This gets a bit more complicated - lots of reading and talking to people.  So I've basically got 3 pair of runners on the go....

Asics - Gel Nimbus

I've been using these for a number of years and chose them for the amount of cushioning they have. Not convinced they are the wrong shoe for me, but thought I'd explore some other options.  They have ~8 mm heel elevation, which I have only recently become aware of in comparing them to the Hoka's and Altra's.

Hoka One One - Bondi 3

These shoes have a huge sole of spongyness - 4 mm heel elevation.  It feels like the sole splays out as you strike the ground to absorb the shock of foot contact.  I'm still trying to be a mid-foot striker, but I find it hard to tell if I'm successful or not.  Not a fan of the laces, but easily changed. The lateral side digs into the bottom of my malleolus (feels "bruised" after a run of an hour.) I find my heel slips in them, which is another reason to change the laces out. Unsure about these ones, although I'm running on the anti-gravity treadmill for 1 - 1.5 hours at 50% of my body weight.   I know marathon/ultra distance runners who have switched to them and find them very tolerable.

Altra - Olympus

I'm trying these shoes with caution as they are a "zero drop" shoe (flat foot, similar to barefoot running or minimalist runners), but have a very roomy and wide toe box.  I've had several knowledgeable sources say to work up to wearing these shoes because the Asics are 8mm, Hokas are 4 mm heel elevation, so I may have an increased risk of calf/achilles strain with the sudden change in heel elevation.  I think this is reasonable and common sense advice to follow.  I do like the fit - especially the heel cup in the women's size and the lower lateral side doesn't bump my malleoli).  The Olympus is the trail running model, but of the 3 Altra models, it has the most cushioning.

I haven't come to a final conclusion yet on which one is most suitable for me, but as I progress my running to longer duration with less walking (and injury free - fingers crossed xx) I hope to have a conclusion.  

Dang, runners are expensive.....

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Patience....

AND.... not only did I get a promotion in the pool, I had a PB by 46 sec on my 500m time trial!!  Good thing, or Elmar may have demoted me.  I haven't had a big improvement like that in a long time. Very happy to have my coach and see improvements when I'm consistent with work outs.  Now to keep up with my lane mates, please be patient with me :) .... 

Reviewing my last blog post - my ride to Drum was pretty good.  I rode highway 9 instead of the secondary highway through Acme and the wind was not bad at all - I got in 102 km and there were even some corners along with a wide shoulder.  I started just off highway 1/9 intersection and stopped for a quick break at the gas station in Beiseker.  As I'm pulling in - a couple of guys on Harley's wave me in to park beside them.  We had a little chat - where you heading, nice ride, the usual banter between bikers and cyclists - it made my day!  

Can you be patient when you're going stir crazy? 

I have been very patient with my stupid arthritic knee and it's making me crazy.  I got in to see a sports med Doc at Winsport - and after a couple of visits to discuss options, I decided to try a visco-supplementation injection in my left knee.  Should do for 6 months of pain relief, and takes about 3-4 weeks to be fully effective.   I had the injection on Thurs and 72 hours of no activity.  Three days is a long time when it includes a weekend.  My knee was sore on Friday and Sat, but today felt back to normal. I'll get back to my workouts this week, take it easy with walk/run and see how it feels.  If it's still sore I'll continue on the elliptical.  The Alter G treadmill is currently under repair, so that's aggravating and trying my patience. 

Happy training, Ciao Cindy

FYI - if you need a referral to sports med, get your family Dr. to refer you to Winsport - they opened April, 2014 and they don't have a huge wait list, yet.  

I got a "PROMOTION"!!

Well, bike camp was very successful for me b/c Elmar promoted me in the pool!!  (Obviously the swim sessions coached by Paul paid off....)  I have graduated from the 2nd --> 3rd lane (lane #1 = slow, lane #8 = fast).  I'll take that.

Bike camp was hard work, but I really enjoyed it.  6 solid days of riding around Vernon was so nice - country roads with minimal traffic - not quite the same as Spain, but still beautiful. Third time I've been on this Vernon camp with Jack.  First time with Paul coaching too and it was fun.   Focused purpose with each ride, with steady build from day to day and great coaching.

I made it up most of the climbs - occasionally switch-backed up the switch-backs!  Did have 2 climbs where I walked my bike - one just too steep for me.  The other just too fatigued - in the rain, in a headwind, getting cold, on a climb that seemed to go on forever.  My original plan was to climb until I met the rest of the group heading back.  Then I was like - where the #!*k is everyone?   This was on the Friday and we had another long day on Sat, so I pulled the plug and when I saw the truck before the group - I gave the "thumb's down" sign and called it a day.  I think I still had 4'ish km to go, but also wanted to do well on Sat, so I made the right call for me.  The weather overall was warm for the most part - I think we had some sprinkles on Wed and Friday was miserable and wet.

Sat was the ride in and around Penticton. I have good memories of Penticton as we vacationed there a lot when I was a kid.  I visited with my mom (we spread her ashes their after she passed away), so I had a chat with her at Skaha Lake.  The campground we always stayed at is still there - the trees are so BIG - 40 years is a long time ago!!

The other highlight was Jack's brother-in-law, Kelly!!  He's a registered massage therapist and not only did he drive the support truck all week - he did massages in the evening for us.  What a great bonus after a long day in the saddle.

Had a bit of a taper going into camp and a recovery week after camp, so things are ramping up again. Nephew's b'day in Drumheller on Sat, so that's where I'll be riding to.  My previous 2 rides to Drum have been in a headwind for 90 km, so I'm not expecting anything different tomorrow.

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Desperate times lead to desperate measures....

So after dealing with many "broken" things an update....

• New haircut (meh - it will grow)
• New Garmin (I can even make it work)
• New knee (not yet)
• New & improved, faster run - let's not get carried away

Physio has led to progress; time to heal while minimizing irritation to my knee has been accomplished through water running; ice, as always, is my friend.  Water running more than 45 min is mind numbing, however, I've survived up to 1.5 hours --> really mind numbing!

Plan B - endorsed by the physio and the coach - try an anti-gravity treadmill for running. Enter Footjax and AlterG setup at Winsport Medical Clinic. I've had one trial session and the first of some scheduled sessions.  After the trial session, my quads and hams were a bit sore - like I'd been running! No knee pain!! I've decided to give it a try. Very interesting feeling - you put on a pair of neoprene shorts with a "skirt" attached, similar to a skirt that you'd wear while kayaking. Then you zip yourself into the air bladder of the treadmill, turn it on, it calibrates to your body weight. The air pressure can take up to 80% of your body weight - you can adjust speed, incline, % body weight and walk forward or reverse on the treadmill. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.....

I ran/walked for an hour on the antigravity treadmill and no pain in my knee the next day! I was able to maintain my heart rate in my prescribed zones by adjusting the incline and speed. I kept my body weight at 50% for the hour. I ran as fast as 9 mph (14 kph) - for about 30 seconds....  

I feel the advantage for me over water running (which I will continue) is that you're actually running with foot strike and toe off vs. water running where you can alter your technique quite a bit without realizing it. I do try to pay attention to technique with water running - knee drive and relaxed heel to butt with toe off, foot dorsiflexed as you approach mid-foot stance. The plan with the anti-gravity treadmill is to use it as a rehab tool to gradually increase my volume and the weight I take through my body. Relieving the impact on my knee joint is the key so we'll see how I go.  And.... it continues to be yet another example of how reducing my body weight will do only good things for me. Another challenge for me on the road to Ironman Arizona!

Off to bike camp in Vernon for a week with the Talisman Tri Club and the expert coaching of Jack and Paul.

Happy training - Ciao, Cindy

Is this a sign?

Some days are better than others.  We all have those crazy days when we wonder what was the point?

• Monday PM - bag ready to go as I'm going to have a long workout and Physio on Tues.  Plan to w/o in am, then Physio after work.  Even have my breakfast ready to go in the fridge.
• Tues morning - get up, feeling relatively rested, ready to go out the door --> glance at clock 3:22 AM! WTF?  Not so proficient at managing alarm clock - set alarm correctly, but changed the time in doing so.
• Back to bed - reset time and still aim to get in w/o before work.
• Wake up - 8AM! WTF? Forgot to turn alarm on after fixing time.
• Whatever, hour late for work, long evening ahead --> physio, then workout....
• Physio uneventful, but always helpful.
• Back to gym - ready for 30 min swim, 1:20 min water run.
• NO BATHING SUIT IN BAG!!
• Go home, have dinner, in bed by 9:00 PM.
• .... and so it goes.

Happy training

Ciao, Cindy