PT Diaries

After my marathon in Vegas in early December I sorta let things slide. First I told myself I was allowed a few weeks recovery, then the Holiday season arrived, which was followed by birthday celebrations and then NFL playoffs. The Super Bowl was my big finale. The culmination of circumstances made it memorable indeed but also brought forth a feeling of unhealthiness that was unshakable.

Therefore, in attempts to cleanse and get back into shape I decided to embark on a 20 day detox & fitness rebuild program.  Day one was horrible; I was sweating out champagne while riding the bike. Day two I saw my trainer for the first time since before the holidays and I seriously thought I was going to meet my maker.  I kept at it and by Sunday while out on my run I felt human again. My lungs were open; my legs were light and fast.  Day eight came and I meet with my trainer again. He pushed me much harder this time and although it was a difficult workout I didn’t feel as though I was going to collapse, I actually felt pretty strong. It’s absolutely incredible what a week sans booze, proper nutrition& hydration, good sleep and exercise can do to a body!

Yesterday was a struggle but I managed to squeeze in a 45 minutes ride on the bike. Today is day nine. I’m almost half way there but the gloom lurking over Vancouver is slowly sucking the life out of me….

PT Girl xo

The weekend after I got back from New Orleans I geared up to run 34 km with IronMike and was hit with a severe dose of reality! My legs were heavy, my breathing was erratic and my knee was killing me. Defeated I grabbed a cab at 20 km and went home.  That week I hydrated and gave my body proper nutrition. I stretched at hot yoga, popped fish oil and bought new sneakers. The following Friday IronMike and I attempted the long run again.  Up until the 27^th kilometer I was feeling great and kept well under six minutes per kilometer. As we ran over Burrard Bridge (around 32 km) my glutes and hamstrings got really tight, my legs slowed and my mind went to a dark place. “Why the f** am I doing this? I want to stop! This is mad!” I thought. Then out of nowhere I pulled it together. “It’s Friday night after a long day at work and I’m running 30+ kilometers… I can finish this!” We rounded the corner and there was my condo. “That’s it!” I said stopping and instantly stiffening up; there was a pain in my legs I’d never felt before. After a difficult stretch and a hot shower I poured myself a strong drink to numb the pain and slept like a baby for eleven hours.

Marathon training was the furthest thing from my mind the following weekend as I sat in the back of a town car with my girlfriends and drove around Sonoma on a wine tasting tour; which was followed by a night of debacles out at the bar in San Francisco.

As this difficult year approaches an end certain events and people I’ve stumbled upon in the past month have unintentionally made me evaluate other aspects of my life. It’s ironic how situations and people who once upon a time were my biggest motivators deliberately or not have become the contrary. I know everyone comes into our lives for a reason; some are meant to be around for a long time and others for a short time.  Although I feel all endings are sad I’m focusing on the positive aspects; such as the knowledge that was passed along and the athletic growth I’ve gained.

With that being said I’ve started a different training program with a new triathlon coach named Al.  We meet at the pool this week because the 3.8 km Iron Man swim is my biggest concern.  Al’s training approach and philosophy is different than what I’ve experienced in the past but let’s be honest, I’m venturing into foreign territory. I think it’s wise to be guided by a professional rather than going at it alone and blinded folded?! “You don’t know me but you have to just trust the program!” Al said after we spent an hour and half doing drills in the pool. Afterward we went for dinner to discussed my previous training. We talked about my reasons for signing up for Iron Man,  how much time I have to train weekly, as well as my intense race schedule for 2011. I left the meeting feeling confident that I’ve made the right choice by hiring him. He’s extremely experienced and will be there to keep me accountable on a weekly basis.

This Saturday I woke up and realized that somewhere between my work schedule and my travels I’d gone two weeks without running (again). Of course I panicked thinking I’ve ‘lost my fitness’ and got out there right away.  My legs wanted to run and they wanted to run fast. I ran nine km in forty-eight minutes and felt fantastic!  So when my friend CC asked me to go along with her on a 18 km run this morning I said “Why not?!”

At this time next week I will hopefully be a marathoner.  I admit I’ve been somewhat unhealthy lately; drinking, not eating as well as I should and messing with my sleeping patterns. But I wouldn’t change a thing, nor is there anything I can do at this point; no amount of running or training will make me faster or stronger by next week. I recognize I could have done more. I stopped hitting the track and running my hill drills; I was inconsistent with my training these past four weeks. But I’m not going to worry about it. I’m mentally preparing myself and I’m excited to run! I’m excited to experience the pain! I’m going to Vegas to run my first marathon. Life is good!!!

PT Girl xo

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

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

After a three day hiatus I was determined to get back at it today. I was itching to get a long run in but the rain just wouldn’t let up. I checked the Steve Nash Sports Facility website to confirm the spinning class schedule. I could make the 4:30 p.m. session but would have to put aside my extreme dislike of the instructor.  His name is Daniel and although I have to admit he works our butts off during the short 45 minute class, he’s also extremely arrogant and condescending. Twenty minutes into class Daniel walks over to me “Engage your core” he yelled pointing at me. “Are you freaking kidding me?? Calling me out?! ARGH!!” I thought, infuriated.  The class went on and I climbed every mountain he told us to climb and sprinted every time he shouted, getting more and more drenched as the minutes went by. Then out of nowhere “Come on people!! STOP slacking! There’s no point of being here if you don’t do this right! You’re wasting my time and your energy by not efficiently pushing & pulling on the pedals. Besides, you burn more calories by doing it right! I don’t need to burn more calories but I’m guessing some of you here want to…right?” I couldn’t believe my ears!

As soon as the classes ended I grabbed a disinfected towel, wiped down my bike and bolted.  I jumped on the nearest treadmill and started running. I’m told if I’m ever going to attempt a half iron man the most challenging transition is going from riding the bike then switching to running. The first few minutes my legs were a little wobbly but there were no aches or pains.  I felt strong and ran the last ten minutes quicker then usually; pushing until I had nothing left in me. Feeling fantastic I jumped off the treadmill.  “I’m back baby!”

PT Girl xo