A New Plan for 2013

At the start of the New Year, my tri friends and I started emailing about races.  I couldn’t help myself – I was extremely excited to get back into it after giving my knee a rest for the last 6 months.  So, I signed up for a sprint race in May and an Olympic Aquabike in June.   There’s just one problem – I haven’t run since July.  I could walk the 5K sprint run course if I had to, I reasoned.  But, of course, the athlete in me now says that just won’t do.  And, I still really want to do a full Olympic distance race.

So, I need a plan.  Going back to the “sports medicine” orthopedist I had seen wasn’t the right path since he lacked an understanding of running mechanics.  I liked the physical therapist, a triathlete himself, whom I had consulted.  He took a more holistic view of my running form and balance while the orthopedist had just zeroed in on the knee.  But, I would need a prescription and there was the issue that I was paying out-of-pocket since he wasn’t in my insurance network.

I consulted with friends for recommendations and searched for sports medicine physicians.  I was delighted to find that Dr. Jordan Metzl, a NYC based physician, is in my insurance network.  I already knew of him from the annual multi-sport conference he puts on at Columbia University.  Of the many emails that now clog my inbox, his newsletter was one that I occasionally clicked on for useful information, and I’ve come across his articles in Triathlete magazine.

“That’s crazy!” proclaimed Dr. Metzl when I told him my tale and woes of the advice I had been given.  He said I’ve probably had the articular cartilage defect all along (as I suspected).  “We’re going to completely make you over,” he declared.  He went on to say something about a good “Connecticut System”  -- I misheard that – a “Kinectic System” is the key to preventing injury.  Essentially, your whole body is connected head to toe so if it’s not all moving and supporting the movement properly, you will be prone to injury.  So his six week prescription includes:

1)      A pair of orthotics that I’ve put in my shoes - no need to buy new sneakers.

2)      The GRID -- http://tptherapy.com/shop/smrt-core-products/the-grid.html

My muscles are very tight and so I need to self massage them with The GRID daily – I thought after my first use that I would name this foam roller the BEAST but it got easier.  The IT Band exercise in his book, The Athlete’s Guide to Home Remedies, was particularly painful at first!

3)      His Ironstrength Workout twice a week, which you can find at http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/ironstrength-workout

Stay tuned, and I’ll let you know how I’m doing!

Swim Easy

For a person who has done 2 triathlons, I can honestly say I do not love swimming.  I hadn't been in the pool for a good 4 weeks, the side effect of a busy work schedule and some new PT we're trying.  After a swim with my friend at the local college where we used fins, I had a lot of knee pain - more than usual.  I was actually limping, which hasn't happened since my knee injury last May.  So I took a break, and my husband the PT came up with some new ideas and a personalized program on the Kin Com.  I kept thinking, "I don't miss smelling like chlorine all the time"...  and "I really don't like swimming anyway".  However one afternoon a few weeks ago I ventured to the "warm pool" at the local VA which has YMCA affiliations so I can go there as well.  In the warm (and short) pool I easily did 26 laps which had to be at least 1/4 mile.  Swimming is so easy in the warm water, I reminded myself to relax all of my muscles and "swim easy" next time I was back at the cold college pool.  So Cathy says to me, "looks like you could do the swim portion of the Gretna Tri" which she had just signed up for...  Feeling brave, I googled the event and decided that if I had more layers of swim gear or a full wetsuit that I might jump in a frigid lake in May.  This is a week or two prior to the Independence Tri where it was very very cold in early June.  I ordered a full wetsuit on clearance from Amazon - following the 5mm rule - for less than $120 delivered.  I casually mentioned to my husband (the cyclist) that he could easily do the bike portion, and a friend of ours who does marathons could do the run.  This all seemed to go over well - until it came time to actually commit.  David, my husband, does the most insane bike rides known to man kind.  He climbs all of the worst hills in the county, and easily puts in 30-50 miles a day in peak training mode.  He has done several 100+ mile rides - so a measly 16 mile ride should be no problem.  However, he is not sure he wants to commit to the event, so I've stopped pressuring for the moment.  We've never done a sporting event together.  He has watched me do 2 triathlons and I have watched him do several bike races.  One bike race resulted in a trip to the ER with a broken sternum and elbow, when a guy in front of him caused a crash and took out half of the racers on the first lap.  I think it would be fun to do one event "together".  After all - I have to swim in a frozen God-forsaken lake in May - how bad can a bike ride be?   This is one of the important lessons of being married where each spouse "picks his or her battles".  My son Derrick has recently said to me that he has learned this skill at his first post-college job of less than a year.  I told him that he is way ahead of the game if he has figured out how to master this idea so early in life!
I went swimming at the cold pool in a new TYR "race suit" with leggins to keep me warmer on Sunday.  I did 14 lengths in just over a minute per length, so I could probably work myself up to a respectable time for Gretna.  My friend and I were laughing at the notion the I couldn't swim a full length just 2 years ago.  So after all I guess I do like swimming - and occasionally smelling like chlorine!  I haven't returned the full wetsuit yet - maybe I'll use my "feminine wiles" to persuade David to do the Gretna Tri as a team.  This follows one of my other favorite life lessons (right after pick your battles) which would be "you get more bees with honey".  If the Tri doesn't happen in May, we'll find a biking event to do together.  I can focus my attention to hosting Mike and Cathy for the weekend which will be fun also!  Meanwhile our special PT program must be doing something because I hear less cracking from my tib/fib joint, but we'll see what Dr. Hanks has to say in February.  It's still possible that I could get my knee "scoped" to find out what is really wrong, so it is hard to commit to any events just yet.  If things are 'good enough to get by' with my knee I may put off arthroscopic surgery until I do enough damage that I'm "non functional" at which point I won't have a choice!  In my next post we'll find out if I have committed to the Gretna Tri.. and what the Orthopedic doc says about my poor old knee.           

A Look Back At 2012

Besides becoming wiser as my last blog examined, I did become faster.  Looking back at my workout history (my gym has a kiosk and online portal through FitLinxx that allows me to record my activity), I think there was a direct correlation in the effort I put into training.  But it’s not just the quantity of workouts  – in fact, I actually had fewer number of workout sessions in 2012 versus 2011.  It’s also about what you put into each workout, and on that account, my records show I burned over 15,000 more calories and put in 29 more hours.

In my first season in 2011, it made sense to have more workouts.  I was trying to build both strength and endurance and to learn new technical skills.  On a given day, I often did a 30 minute cardio / strength workout in the morning and a swimming session in the evening.  In those early days, a swimming workout was totaling a quarter mile, or 450 yards.  I had to laugh as I re-read a blog about my second swimming lesson when I couldn’t do a 4 x 50 yard set without breaking into breast stroke and gasping for air.  A recent swim session with my coach Matt was a 3 x 400 yard set followed by a 4 x 100 yard set.  (Actually, we set out to do 8 x 100 yards but we cut it short after my shoulder began hurting.  I had plenty of endurance left, but my body was probably telling me enough after my last swim workout 48 hours prior had been 1800 yards).  So, as the graph shows, in 2012 I got a lot – actually twice as much - more swimming miles in versus 2011.

With the yardage came speed.  Early in 2012, I was able to get my fastest times on short distances – 47 seconds on a 50 yard in-pool start sprint; 1:47 on a 100 yard in-pool start sprint.  I had trouble meeting those times later in the season likely due to slower wall turns with my knee situation.  But, I have been able to continue building speed over long distances.  I can consistently swim ¼ mile in under 10 minutes.  And, I cut a full 10 seconds on my pace per 100 yards on my mile swims.  On Jan. 7, 2011, I recorded a one mile (1800 yard) swim at 46:19, or a pace of 2:34 per one hundred yards.  On Dec.  3, 2012, I recorded a one mile swim at 42:51, or a pace of 2:24 per one hundred yards.

On the cycling front, I did put in 31 more miles despite having to cut back on my cycling for a couple months after my July injury.  I was happy cutting 1:36 off of my cycling time in the Independence Triathlon, and coming in with an 18mph pace for the Montauk race which included a pretty long uphill at the end.

On the running front, it’s not surprising I did log fewer miles but when you consider my 2012 miles only represent one half of the year, I was running more (and perhaps that is what contributed to my injury).  I worked more on my speed this year and that had as significant impact on my 2 mile run in the Independence Triathlon, which was 3:27 faster.  I logged a 5K personal best in the Memorial Day run in Oak Bluffs at 26:28 with a pace of 8:31 per mile, which improved over the same route I did in the 2011 Columbus day run when I came it at 27:52 with a pace of 8:58.

So, what’s my total mileage?  I logged a total of 1036 miles across the 3 sports in 2012, 36 more than in 2011 (which as crazy as it seems was serendipitously a flat 1,000 miles).  Here’s to going farther and faster in 2013!

Getting Older and Wiser In My Second Season

2012:  My first one mile open water swim!

When I sought to fulfill my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions, I didn’t know if it would be a one time deal or something bigger.  With a second season under my belt, it’s safe to say I’m hooked!  But after my second season, I’m more aware than ever of the fact that you can’t take your physical abilities for granted.  While I was very happy with my early race performances and began to have visions of half ironmans dancing in my head, I was abruptly reminded of one’s body limitations in mid-July with my knee injury.

The season started out great returning to the Independence Triathlon which had been my very first race in my first season.  Cutting 16 minutes off of my time with dramatic improvements in my swim and run pace felt really great!  On to the Stamford KIT Triathlon, I felt good being part of a relay team and doing my first 10K run.  Then, all went very smooth with Montauk and my first ½ mile open water swim.  I felt like Superwoman accomplishing all of this in the first half of the season and didn’t doubt by ability to then take on an Olympic distance race in September.

But a week after Montauk, my body had a different message for me.  The MRI revealed a very small “articular cartilage defect” (a small piece of cartilage had fallen out), but it’s likely I’ve had that for some time since it's typically a result of an acute injury (thinking back I did fall on that knee about 20 years ago).  Perhaps I was doing too much running?  It wasn’t a lot compared to athlete standards.  Perhaps my running form was not correct?  Or, perhaps I’m just aging?

I did at least accomplish two firsts in the fall – my first 1 mile open water swim as part of a relay team at the Martha’s Vineyard Warrior Triathlon in September and my longest bike ride to date in the Martha’s Vineyard Bicycle Tour in October at 55 miles.

As I look forward to my third triathlon season, I’m adjusting my expectations.  Fortunately, there are still things I can do – relays and aquabikes (many races offer a category of swim and bike only which many middle aged athletes are starting to do) are looking more attractive.  I will still attempt a Sprint triathlon, and I would really like to still do an Olympic distance race but I’ll take my events one at a time and first see how a 5K run (or walk as the case may be) feels.

Last year I was thinking how turning 45 in 2013 would have its benefits in being at the bottom of the totem pole in the next age group.  Now I see our physical condition can change as we age.  At least with age comes wisdom.

Bike Touring: Washington D.C.’s Bikeshare

Recently Mike and I spent a beautiful fall weekend in Washington D.C., a city that I had long since checked off my bucket list having had multiple visits in my youth.  I figured I had “been there, done that”.  But time has a way of erasing details and age has a way finding new interests.  Our visit was mostly serendipitous – Mike had a business meeting on the Monday after the weekend.

After walking around the Mall on Saturday morning, we realized the vastness of the territory we wanted to cover to see the monuments, and also that the metro system did not go to Georgetown where we planned to visit our godson.   As we took a break for lunch, I started reading about the City’s Bikeshare program, run by Capital Bikeshare.  The Bikeshare provides members – including a $7 24 hour membership option – with the ability to take a bike from a station and drop it off at any number of other stations throughout the city and its surrounding towns.  The option is best used for quick jaunts – less than 30 minutes is free – as anything over 90 minutes quickly adds up.  But, there is nothing stopping you from docking your bike within the 30 minute window and checking it out again for another 30 minutes.

We decided to try the Bikeshare rather than taking a taxi to Georgetown.  We made our way over the nearest Bikeshare station near Union Station where there was fortunately also a regular bike rental outlet that kindly rented me a helmet for $5 for 2 days.  It was very easy to use the kiosk and pay for our 24 hour membership.  Feeling the effects of the morning’s walk on my knee, the bike gave me new mobility as we rode past the Capitol and into the Mall.

Having only made it to the Washington Monument in the morning, we now had increased velocity and peddled alongside the reflection pond to pay a visit to Abraham Lincoln.  Four score and 7 minutes into our travels, we were following the bike path along the Potomac to Georgetown.  I will say that “bike paths” in D.C. aren’t always what I’ve come to know bike paths to be elsewhere – in D.C. they are often wide, bumpy sidewalks or, as we came upon the Canal Towpath, a small dirt path along the Canal’s borders. 

Finally, 2 hours and 5 miles later, we arrived at the gates of Georgetown University where, conveniently, there was a Bikeshare station for our final drop off.  Aside from the break to visit with Lincoln and the bike paths that were more like cow paths, we were a little surprised at our much slower than average pace but of course they are heavy duty touring bikes with 3 speeds – not our typical 20 speed carbon fiber road bike!

On Sunday, we awoke to a sunny, blue sky day and couldn’t wait to get back on the bikes.  It also happened to be the Army 10 mile run so the runners’ energy was contagious as we made our way back down to the Potomac.  Our first visit was with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wisely advises us, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – great advice for all triathletes!  Rounding the Tidal Basin, we then made our way to visit Thomas Jefferson -- you could practically hear him saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness… “  While we should have learned our lesson about our pace, we made it back to our hotel and had just 5 minutes to shower before our brunch date was picking us up.

Bikeshares are a great example how to modify human behavior in favor of healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives.  Had it not been for the Bikeshare, we would have taken a taxi to Georgetown and likely some of the monuments.   I will say that D.C. needs to add more bike lanes on its roads.  On one hand they don’t want you riding on the sidewalks in the downtown area but there very few bike lanes and most people therefore just took to the sidewalks.

After our D.C. experience, I’ve been researching Bikeshares, and I’m excited to see they will be coming to NYC and Chicago next Spring.  These initiatives typically require private – public partnerships to be successful.  They usually cannot be successful on bike rental revenue along and so advertising and sponsorship with the private sector are key.  In addition, bike stations need to be plentiful on public property and planned in accordance with the City’s overall bicycle transportation plans.  In the spirit of FDR, it requires a “New Deal”.

I now have added trying Bikeshares out in various cities to my Bucket List so, like D.C., I can see old favorites in a whole new light.

The Long and Winding Road.. to Nowhere

Think of the title as an unlikely merger between the Beatles and Talking Heads.  This is how I'm feeling right about now in that it's been a long road, but my knee is neither much better nor much worse.  The good news is that it is slightly better and we have isolated the problem to my tib/fib joint and a troublesome fibular head.  The bad news is that there isn't much that can be done about it.  In the words of my orthopedic doctor, "why don't you just break something so I can fix it."  This is my new plan:  to keep using it until I break something fixable.  My husband the PT, my orthopedic doctor and myself are all rather frustrated by the unusual nature of my pain - it has isolated but there aren't any procedures for repairing what seems to be wrong.  When my husband tapes the knee - doing a fibular head glide and anchoring it forward - it feels perfectly normal.  However after weeks of taping with what he calls "medical duct tape" my skin was raw so we had to give that a rest.  I've been doing 30 minutes on the elliptical with no problems.  Stretching very well before and after seems to help also.
  Dr. Hanks, my fearless orthopedic doc, decided to try a Synvisc injection to lubricate the joint, hoping to make everything within the joint move around better.  He also recommended a type of knee brace which is supposed to replicate taping, however I am skeptical that it will have the same effect because it won't bring the fibular head forward.  He feels by stabilizing the joint in general it may help, so I'll give it a try.  My knee feels weird after the injection, but I'll get back on the elliptical next week and see if it feels any different.

In 20 minutes I can do 2 miles on the elliptical, and I've been toying with the idea that I could do all my "run" training on the elliptical and just do 'actual running' in a short tri next year with my knee taped.  I realize that this idea is closer to fantasy than reality, however not out of the question.  Meanwhile, I've been extremely busy so time (not spent on training) hasn't exactly been "free time".  Derrick totaled his car in a freak accident, so there were 2 weeks helping him research purchasing a car, new car vs used car, car loans, car insurance etc.  He was very lucky not to be injured.  However when jumping out of his car in the woods, he managed to land in a patch of poison which consumed his legs two days later and plagued him for a couple weeks.  In my opinion the poison was God's way of saying "be more careful in the future".  Bella the Morkie was limping again and so her orthopedic doctor removed the metal pin from her previous knee repair.  Bella seems to be fine, I can empathize with her so I'm glad she's no  longer limping.  Meanwhile at work in the PT office, medical management by insurance companies has been the bane of my existence.  However, I'm having fun submitting complaints to the Attorney General on behalf of our patients who have been "medically managed" out of their benefits.  We finally got away for a long weekend at the end of September for a short vacation at Dewey Beach.  David got up at daybreak to take pictures, Bella and I slept in!  Later Bella and I went to the bar where we ordered a couple of Dogfish Head Ales.

A Great Day for 100K (or 90K)

October 14 didn’t start out great.  We took shelter in the Portugese American Club and watched the rain fly sideways and pelt the window at 9am as we registered for MV Cycle’s ride around the Island of Martha’s Vineyard.  As weather does around Vineyard waters, the storm passed as quickly as it came.  It was cloudy but not wet as we set out around 9:50am.

We had selected the 100K ride thinking that 50K was too short.  We were in the mood for a long ride and my knee injury had prevented us from making our annual bicycle treks across the twenty something mile Island.  Since I’m still recovering and my longest ride since the injury has been a flat 25 miles, I didn’t think I could go the full 100K and figured I would just play it by ear and so I had alternative routes in mind.

About 15 miles into the ride, we came to our first rest stop at the Chilmark Community Center.  From here, I had to decide if I would continue out to the western and most hilly part of the Island.  I decided to go for it as I really would have hated to forgo my last opportunity of the season to make our annual trek.  The route via Lobstervile took us a slightly different way than our normal route so I found myself remarking how I still discover new sights on this large Island.

I favored my right leg on the hills and while I was as slow as 3mph at times, I made it up all of the hills until the Gay Head light house came into view.  The world class kite surfers skimmed, danced and leapt in the distance in their natural playground on this very windy day.  It was, in fact, the wind, that caused me to have to abandon my first hill which wasn’t even much of a hill.  I lost momentum and for the first time in about a decade I had to walk my bike about 200 yards to the peak.

Heading back for the return, I realized I was at the back of the pack.  I arrived back at the Chilmark Community Center and found a fellow bike mate, Lu, with whom I had been riding at points.  She had left the last break station before me to try and catch her up to her party – her fiancé and his friend.  I told Mike to go ahead without me, and Lu and I became new best friends for the rest of the ride.  As we rode, the sun gradually appeared and it became wonderful riding weather.  About 50 miles into our ride, we had a decision to make whether or not we should do the 7 mile loop around Katama.  Figuring I didn’t want to overdo it, the wind would be fierce, and Lu had never ridden more than 25 miles before, I suggested a short cut and she was happy to have a local guide at her disposal.

About five hours, fifty-five miles, and 3,000 burned calories later – and a new bicycle distance record for me even despite the bad knee -- we arrived back at the Portuguese American Club and were greeted with a wonderful hot meal buffet including a roasted pig.  I was never so hungry!