PT Diaries

There was a clearing in the weather system and the sun came out on Saturday morning.  Mike and I jumped at the chance at getting my first ride done in dry weather. “Let go to the parking lot for quick clip in & clip out lesson” he suggested. My god, what a gong show!  Round and round the parking lot I went trying to clip out. “I got…I got…ohhhhh shit” I laughed as I tumbled over, my feet still clipped in, my bike over top on me as I lay on the pavement. “It happens to everyone; especially when it’s your first day out.  Now that you’ve gone down it probably won’t happen again.” Mike tried to re-assure me. I got back up and rode around some more… and I fell again and again and yup… AGAIN. It was actually quite comical. “Ok I think I got it, let go for a real ride now.” I said.

We headed towards the seawall, which was crowded with people strolling with their morning coffees, walking their dogs and jogging.  We were going slowly, which gave me the opportunity to get comfortable on the bike and  practice clipping in and out some more.

As we approached Stanley Park Mike said “You can ride as fast as you want now, we’re staying on the road!” I spent the first lap of the park trying to get used to being on the bike, figuring out which position was most comfortable.  As we approached the park’s hill (my BMO half marathon nemesis) Mike suggested I change gears. “Nah… maybe later” I answered pushing through as is.  As we reached the top my legs were burning and I had visions of the Richter Pass; the never ending climb on the IronMan Canada course; I shook the thoughts away “Months and months away …” I reminded myself.

When we got at the bottom of the hill Mike looked at me.  “That was 10 km, are you good to go around again?” I looked at him “Yup, we’re doing 50 km today.”

By the fourth lap of the park I’d figured out my gears and the bike was feeling like an extension of my body.  I went flying down the hill taking the turn at 52 km/hr. “I love it! I love it! I love it!!”

The last time up the hill my legs were tired, it was definitely my slowest climb. As we finished the fifth lap we decided to head back to the seawall towards Yaletown; everything was going perfectly. I had managed to clip out in two emergency situations in the park, I’d mastered my gears and rode well over 50 km my first time out. I must have been day dreaming or maybe I just got cocky as I flew down the path and took the turn way too wide. All of a sudden I found myself staring right into the eyes of another cyclist. I froze “Oh shit!!! I can’t clip out!” I yelled and threw my bike into the bushes to avoid a head on collision.

The guy was nice and helped me up. “New rider?” he smiled. “Yes…” I blushed.

Mike came back for me. “I saw you take that turn,  looked back and all of a sudden you were gone!” he said laughing.  What  an awesome finish to a great first ride

The next day I woke up with a few scrapes and bruises but besides that absolutely no pain! I can’t wait to for my next ride.

PT Girl xo

This week wasn’t any better than last. Work is hectic because both of my clients are moving at the end of the month. On top of that I still have unresolved business that is weighing heavy on my shoulders; with lots on my plate already why did I sign up for my first marathon?  I had a moment  at the office where I boasted about an 18 km run; a bit smug I got carried away and before I knew it was typing in my credit card number online and registered for the Las Vegas Rock & Roll marathon on Dec 5, 2010. I’m an impulse buyer and never second guess a purchase. Shoes, purses, running gear, dresses and suits for the office I’ll bring up to the till with little regret. But this was different; pressing the ‘purchase’ button evoked instant buyer’s remorse!! “What the hell was I think…?”

A few days (and short runs later) I started to process and deal. I started rationalizing my decision, training for something more challenging might be exactly what I require right now; a grander goal to keep me focused and positive.

I’m bound to have uncontrollable interruptions during my training so alleviating any setbacks I do have control over is very important. I must remain injury free; for that reason I have made the following promises to myself.

“I, PT Girl swear to stretch after each run. I swear to attend one yoga class a week. I swear to see my RMT once a month (at minimum). I swear to take my fish oil pills daily and I swear to nourish and rest my body as required”

My friend Julie invited me to join CC and herself to a yoga class on Sunday afternoon. If you’ve been following my blog or tweets you know that yoga is not my forte and I’d usually decline the invitation. “Yes! Yes! I will come.  What’s the address?” I said. To my surprise this was no typical yoga class.

This was Infrared Yoga. I’ve been in infrared saunas before, I like the way the heat gets distributed and know of its many health benefits.

• Promotes weight loss
• Improves your immune system
• Improves your strength and vitality
• Helps cure several skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis,  and acne
• Strengthens the cardio-vascular system
• Helps control your blood pressure
• Detoxifies your body
• Gives you more energy and relieves stress
• Relieves pain (joint pain, sore muscles, arthritis)
• Helps control your cholesterol level
• Helps treat bronchitis
• and many more….

The small private studio (holds up to 6) was immaculately clean and beautifully lit with little red candles along the mirrored wall. It’s located in the heart of Vancouver and in last Sunday’s class it was just us three girls and the awesome yoga teacher. Upbeat, positive and full of confidence this yoga class is a more then a hot stretch session, it’s a self esteem booster!  The close personal attention from Sarah the teacher was fantastic.  She knows how to mold her class to her students’ personalities. I’m frightfully inflexible; it’s hard to believe that once upon a time I was able to do the split! These days I’d be happy to see any kind of elasticity. Like most yoga classes the vibe was mellow and relaxing but Sarah was quick to read that cracking jokes and making fun comments would be more then welcomed by us gals. At the end of the 60 minutes I felt fully relaxed! “… yes I will be back next Sunday!” I said thanking Sarah.

My body was feeling great on Monday and was ready for a long run.  The weather was overcast and 19 degrees, which is perfect!  I set out with no specific goal; I just wanted to let my mind go blank… so I ran and ran and ran some more, clocking 19 km. I kept a steady and easily sustainable pace of 5:52 per km.

Tuesday morning I had to face Toby my RMT. O.M.G. that was the most torturous 45 minutes of my life! How can my body feel so good yet be so stiff, tight and knotted?? “I’m barely applying any pressure; you are so tight. You have to stretch!” Toby told me again.  “To hell with this! I can’t take another excruciating massage like this” I thought to myself as she rubbed out the knots in my lower back, I vowed to religiously to stretch and attend yoga.

I’m excited about my marathon training. I’m starting this weekend by attempting a 24-25 km run (my longest run ever).  But as a marathon NOVICE I would like to ask my followers for some tips and advice. Dos & don’ts. Recommended books or training programs. HELP!!

PT Girl xo

Next time I say “I’m tired” “I’m not motivated” or “I don’t feel like it” I promise myself to remember the last 7 days. I was not allowed or able to run/workout for the last week because of a stupid self inflicted injury.  The lack of activity was extremely difficult; I had way too much pent up energy. Anxiety that my race was quickly approaching and the exaggerated thoughts that I was losing precious training time made me absolutely insane; after only two days on hiatus I was going mental.  My boredom and restlessness turned into a girl’s night out which lead to a massive hangover! The hangover was followed by ingesting crap food for 24 hours, which made me feel guilty because I couldn’t go burn off the greasy poutine calories with a long run… SELF SABOTAGE.

Yesterday I had the second visit to my chiropractor since my injury happened. (I refer to my chiro as the “Witch Doctor” because he does wonders. Unlike any other chiropractor he has never cracked a single bone in my body yet strangely with no more than a few prods and pokes he heals me.) I explained that as recommended I took four days off since I last saw him and went for a short run on Sunday. “The pain in the back of my left leg is still there and made my run uncomfortable.” I told him “Of course,  why do you think I told you to come back today?” he asked.

Laying on my back he poked at my leg and butt. “Turn around” he said and dug into the left side of my stomach. Then he asked me to push my left leg with as much force as possible against his hand and said “There you go crazy runner, you’re all fixed!” I smiled,  jumped off the table and slid back into my beige stilettos.  As promised, the constant pulling pain in the back of my leg was GONE! “Come back a few days before your race and I’ll make sure you’re fine tuned” he suggested. “Abso-fucking-lutely!” I thought waving goodbye.

I was excited for today’s personal training session; it may not have been my best performance but my leg didn’t bother me during the workout. After I ran five kilometers (actually 4.2 km) back to my truck. It may not have been my quickest but the pain in my left leg and butt cheek was definitely less prominent than on Sunday. A great sweat after a week off felt fabulous! “Damn right… the bitch is back!” I thought smirking  as I drove away.

PT Girl xo

Most people buy shoes to go with their clothes but I will seek out an entire outfit base around a fabulous pair of shoes. Last week I decided to do a massive purge in my shoe closet because so many don’t fit, are out dated or are just plain ugly and are taking up precious space. During my cleanse I found an old pair of black patent Calvin Klein stilettos. “Ahhhhhh” I sighed. “My good friends! You carried me painlessly through many nights of drunk dancing….” I reminisced.  The good memories made me feel all warm in fuzzy and I knew I had to wear them one more time before they hit the trash can. So, last Thursday before leaving for work I slipped them on. “Still as comfortable as ever.” I thought to myself. “So what if the left heel is worn down about an eighth of an inch….right?!”

I arrived at my personal training session at six p.m. and could feel a slight twinge in my lower back. “Probably nothing…” I thought to myself. The session went fast as de Wolf worked me hard. During stretch I felt tighter than normal but didn’t think much of it. By the time I got home there was definitely a pain in my back. I popped a Robaxacet^® and went to bed. On Friday morning I could still feel the ache which seemed to worsen as the day went on.   But like with many other things in life, I ignored it and  swallowed two more Robaxacet^®. Tunnel vision “Nothing is going to stop me from doing my 25 km run.”

I woke after a great sleep “Yeah! This is going to be a great run” bouncing out of bed! “Ouch ouch…wtf my back!” I limped out of the bedroom. “Lala lala” ignoring that there was anything wrong I went into the kitchen and prepared my ritual pre-run meal; oatmeal and green tea. I turned the tunes up loud and started to put my running gear on. “Runner’s water belt or no?” I contemplated testing the belt around my waist. “Nah! Screw that! It’s so uncomfortable” I tossed the belt aside, put a pack of Cliff Bloks in the back of my Lululemon shirt pocket and crossed my fingers that the water fountains along Kits beach would be turned on.

Every single time my left foot hit the ground a sharp pain ran up my leg into my lower back which put me behind pace by about three minutes at 5 kilometers. “Suck it up!” I told myself pushing to pick up the pace. I zoned out ignoring everything around me and managed to get back on track at 10 kilometers at the foot of my nemesis: UBC Hill. The two kilometer, 75 meters of elevation was painful. Relieved to have made it to the top I realize I was behind pace again. I turned around and headed down the hill picking up as much speed as possible. I actually felt great from twelve to sixteen kilometers and the pain in my leg and back seemed to disappear only to return furiously. I was panting and needed to hydrate. The water fountain was insight; I washed two Cliff Bloks down with some cold water and off I went. I wanted to get this done. I was behind again but managed to hit 21.1 kilometers in 2:01. (5:44 per km) I was tuckered out and my legs were strained. I walked for a half block and then decided to run the last two kilometers to home. I felt great… for the time being.

A few hours later… agony and immobility!! The pain moved from my lower back deep into my left butt cheek making it difficult for me to maneuver in any direction. I figured I needed a good stretch, so I went to West Coast Yoga in Yaletown where my friend Leo teaches a hot yoga class. He was quick to point out that my friend Julie and I were newbie’s and gave us tons of “special’ attention. I enjoyed the class, but it did nothing for my injury. I hurt even when I sat on soft furniture, so I thought it wise to take Monday off completely. Not knowing what to do with myself I went to my personal training session yesterday. “How am I supposed to fill and entire hour with just arms?” deWolf asked me. He spent a great deal of the session stretching me out and using that odd stick to roll out some knots. When I stood up I was actually felt pain free; for about 45 seconds.

This morning I went and saw my chiropractor. He performs miracles and has never failed me before. I’m usually in and out and fixed under five minutes!  “WOW! You are really messed up!” he said lightly feeling my back. With my face down “Don’t say that! This is not what I want to hear!” I exclaimed. He laughed “Well you did quite the number on yourself!” He continued, poking, pulling and prodding at my back and legs; with my face still down on the table I said:  “Can I go to hot yoga tonight?”

Chiro: “No.” he laughed

PT Girl:  “F**K! Can I see my personal trainer tomorrow?”

Chiro: Still laughing and still working on me he said “NO!”

PT Girl: “F**K!!” as I visualized the shoes that had betrayed me!

Chiro: “You need to rest and heal if you want to run your half marathon. You can walk, that’s it! Try a light run on Sunday and come back to see me on Monday.” he said now laughing out loud.

I couldn’t believe my ears! One week left of training before my tapering starts and I’m being told to completely STOP all physical activities for  four full days!  Sheer panic!! For two reasons:

1. What if I don’t heel in time for the race?
2. What will I do for four days with no workouts scheduled?

PT Girl xo