This is how we roll!

This is one of those posts that won't offer too much in from a coach or physcial therapist perspective, its just about some fun training.

I LOVE to get out of here in the winter as much as the next person and passed on a few early winter trips leaving me dying for some sun and warm weather training. Gasp. I've never waited until the end of Feb. to escape Chicago in the winter! Our ritual trip to Tuscon in February wasn't initially scheduled as Adam and I were planning a low key trip to San Diego instead to be just train and hang out. We found out 2 days before we were supposed to leave that rain was in the forecast for the entire weekend. I can handle rain, but I didn't pass on other trips, take time off, or want to spend $$ to be stuck indoors, cold and wet. We almost canceled the trip and tried to re-schedule for another time, but when?.......we are booked out until next Oct practically! :)(thats how we roll !) So last minute tickets were booked for Tuscon. Thank you Southwest! and Pappa Joel for making room for us at the house and my "Jerry McGuire" husband for pulling off a last minute ticket switch. This is how we roll!

No glitz no glam just get up train, roll from workout to workout, hang, and crash pretty much sums up the weekend...and thats how I wanted it. Just put my head down, train, suck it up when it hurt, then chillax with AZ.

Some highlights:

I literally stepped off the plane and headed to the track. A track workout outdoors and running in shorts and a tank on a regular track vs. the 200m indoor track with mtns in the background!!! What a way to start the weekend!

Riding to and climbing Kits Peak. Ouch this is a TOUGH climb. I didn't climb well and that is usually my thing. It seemed way harder than Mt. Lemmon. But I thought it was just that I had been riding behind Adam for the 2nd day in a row and my legs were starting to go. Apparently though it is a steeper grade. Same elevation gain but shorter distace. Whatever the "excuse" it was still hard, but awesome to see different Mtn. We also got to see tons of Border Patrol out keeping us safe. Is it good or bad if you see tons Border Patrol vehicles all a long the way?


Sun mtns, climbing...just try to wipe the smile off my face.


We usually found ourself swimming at 7 or 8 at night at an outdoor pool. I loved this pool. Who can beat swimming outside with the sun setting in the background. Even tired, I felt like a good swimmer again.

We watched MMA Sat. night. LOL. Weird, I was actually looking forward to it. I can't even believe I'm saying that. I don't care for the repeated head bashings, but it is amazing what kind of physical shape they are in and what they can do, and...their hamstring flexibility blows mine away! And we both said that no matter how bad our killer brick workout the next day would be it wouldn't hurt like that. And, it makes our little pathetic boxing workouts with the trainer seem like nothing.

I did my Sunday long run at the end of a lot of good efforts. I was suprised how good I felt running on our hard hilly loop at the end of all the training. Tuscon had snow Sunday morning so I had my Skinfit layers on and was attacked by this:




This porky prickly thing must have wanted to try some skinfit too and came with me for the remainder of my run because I couldn't pull it out of my arm!

Next up, another trip to Tuscon! This time with some other Trainingbible and fun Chicago athletes!

Training Camp, Local Style!

Heading into a long weekend home with a forecast of warmer weather on the horizon, Jack gone on a long weekend to Florida, and Adam off working in Costa Rica (I was so close to going on this trip, but passed so I could save some days off for some upcoming training trips!!! ), I informed my awesome coach, Scott that I had some extra time and he could load me up with some good training. This is one very cool thing about having a local coach ! We looked at the weather re-arranged some things and voila….my own little local training camp. The only interruption in this would be 6 hrs of work on Friday rehabbing the injured.

While adventuresome travel off to train in warm sunny places is always fun and usually very beneficial especially during the winter months, there ARE some benefits of a training camp from home.(well at least thats what I was telling myself) Luxuries such as of your own king size bed to crash in at night when walking up the stairs becomes a challenge, stress free travel, larger supply of clean workout clothes to select from, familiar training routes, a little extra cash in your pocket and a lot of motivation, because after all if you can train in flat, cold grey, windy climates, it makes warm and sunny seem easy.

So here are some highlights of a training camp from home!

Thurs: this is my day off from work, and with 55 deg temps on the way, we made this my big brick. It was my first ride outside on my TT bike since Aug. I was anxious to see how the power intervals would feel outside vs. the trainer. This time of year we are always provided wind that can blow you to Canada and I was psyched to hit my threshold and it seem easy compared to the trainer.1 minor mis-hap= flying through Maple Park and crossing the slick tracks a little too fast, caused my rear skewer to come loose and my rear wheel drop out!!! Good thing I love cyclocross because I had good bike control and didn’t crash! Make sure your screws are tight! Off the bike with T-run and a goal to hit. I’ve been doing a lot of short hard bricks but this was the first run off a long ride. I felt great and hit the target. At the end of this I headed out with girlfriends to Bien Trucha, locally the BEST for quality mexican food and margaritas. No need to go South of the Border for food like this.

Friday: a little trickier to fit in workouts but it was sunny and warm. A swim in the morning before work. Here’s proof I’ve been swimming some:


6 hrs of treating some really cool clients and seeing them walk, run, raise their arm overhead again made working a little more tolerable. Then I took the cross bike out for a recovery spin. The wind was crazy but the sun was out and it sure beats the trainer. Friday evening was spent celebrating D. Delgado’s 40th. Probably not the best for recovery to dance walk and dance around in these:




But I couldn’t miss the chance to dress like a girl, and be out with friends, and hear a U2 cover band.




Sat: I was up early enough to make coffee before masters, only to find my coffee pot had died, oh the nerve! So I sucked down a caffeinated Gel to get a jolt, and headed out. I was lucky enough to see this on my way in to swimming:



My typical lane seemed a little crowded and the fast lane a little sparse, so I sucked it up and moved over. I felt good and didn’t mind very short amount of rest until about 2000 m when calves reminded me I had been dancing in heels and were cramping. I managed my way through the full 4000 though. The day warmed up and stayed sunny and I didn’t have to dress like a snowman to do my long run. When it hits 45 deg this time of year people are driving with windows down, sun roof open and music blasting like its summer. All kinds were coming out from the cracks and depths of hibernation making my usual route more entertaining. I did have to stop ½ through to strip down a little. I chilled Sat night and tried to do a better job recovering. Next up Sunday…..my Goal Mile track workout. I love this.

Sun: Track workout. Finally the tracks are clear of snow but it is freezing rain, slushy and cold again. I kept debating in or out/ but wimped a little and headed to the VAC (Vaughn Athletic Center) where there is an awesome 200 m. indoor track. I had recently been watching an indoor track meet watching the UBER fast women run circles indoors. If they can do this, then so can I. I usually do this workout of the week rested, so I didn’t know what to expect trying to hit these times at the end of some solid training days. Can I just say I hit the times and ran as fast as I nearly ever have, ever? Hmmm. was it dancing to U2 music in heels? Bien Trucha? running tired? Fitness coming around? Who know I’m not questioning it. I had an easy spin to recover which I had planned to do outside but our typical Feb. weather returned found my way to the trainer again.

Final item on the training agenda was a massage right here at the house!

CABIN FEVER

Winter training has been taken to an all new level this year.

Old man winter has provided us with everything winter has to offer, snow, arctic temps, ice, more snow, wind, blizzard complete with 20 inches of snow and gale force winds enough to shut down school and….everything else (including Cosport where I work which in the history of 16 yrs of working there, has never closed) and then more arctic cold.

To those training for Boston. I commend you long runs outside in this…or, on the TM…ick. I’m not sure which is worse. Which is why as long as I live in Chicago, Boston is never a big dream of mine.

To those training for an early season IM or even ½ IM……..I commend you. Long rides indoors, long runs out in frigid temps or on the TM, jumping into a pool when you are already frostbitten from just walking into the health club…. I commend you. Oh, wait. I am 1 of those people training for an early season ½. April as it turns out. When I signed up I was hoping for a mild winter. 

Below are some tips I have found to ease the pain with that comes with hard core winter training:

 wear Skinfit, even just during ADLs (in PT world that means activities of daily living) and during outdoor workouts
 put your coat, running gear, etc in the dryer for 10 min before putting it on
 use the blow drier at the health club to heat up your swimsuit and cap
 put the Garmin in cadence mode when running over black ice or glazed over snow to avoid seeing the slow pace, focus on form
 create an awesome, lengthy, and killer playlist for you Ipod with all your favorite rockers push you through those long indoor workout sessions
 go to Carla’s Sunday morning bike class to help pass the time with “gossip topic” of the week, 3 hrs is nothing!
 drink LOTS of very HOT coffee in the early morning and laugh at the thought of giving it up
 Mtn bike through deep snow because you are sick of the trainer, ouch.
 wear your coat for 20 mininuites when you come indoors
 plaster Aquaphor all over your face before running outside in arctic temps, then re-apply all the best moisturizers repeatedly on the hour afterwards to avoid the cracked, scaly, summit of MT. Everest look
 FOCUS and BELIEVE………. that this will only make you stronger and faster and APPRECIATE the warmer temps …..when they finally come…. even more.

And yes, I actually do all of the above.

Maintaining Balance

This isn’t one of those blog posts, where I ramble on as I often do about how I carefully try not to fall over the edge cliff, or cross the tipping point, and maintain balance in all the areas of my life. Work, take care of kids, and an Ironman, coach and train can sometimes unravel you at the seams and leaving you running in crazy directions. But I’ve been conquering and managing that balance and have made it through 1 month of 2011 feeling under control.

This is about maintaining balance of your musculoskeletal system. The body that allows you to swim bike run, and cross the finish line is pieced together like a puzzle and when all the pieces line up right it works efficiently and move you to do amazing things. When balance is lost and the pieces start to not line up right and joints, tendons, muscles and more start to get irritated, inflamed, weak, tight and then those amazing things you can do start to not feel so good wonderful.

Triathletes spend many hours moving forward, flexed, and using the anterior (front) of their body. Reaching forward to swim, flexing forward into aero bars, or slouching over the bars and lifting / driving legs forward while running. Follow that up with commuting in the car, and sitting hunched over a computer (more seated and flexed postures) and the anterior muscles become tight, flexed, contracted. Sometimes so much so that it becomes difficult to even stand up straight. The muscles on the back side (posterior) are nearly forgotten! They become weak, atrophied, and saggy. (Ok a little exaggeration). But this imbalance can lead to any number of overuse injuries that creep up and suddenly seem to appear from nowhere.

Here are some examples:

Shin Splints (which can ultimately turn into stress fractures): the calves and deep leg musculature obviously get tight from running and even cycling. They can become overdeveloped and tight, while the anterior leg muscles which are small and almost seem non existent in comparison. The tight posterior force and with weak anterior leg can lead to a shearing force causing the pain.

Low Back Pain: Hours in the saddle flexed forward and pedaling the bike can significantly tighten the hip flexors of the anterior hip. As they become tighter they can pull the pelvis forward, placing strain on the low back. If the small trunk musculature and core is weak and can overcome the anterior pull, then back pain can develop.

Knee Pain: When the quads and ITB become tight from miles of pedaling and running without an equal amount of strength from behind (literally), extra force and strain can be loaded to the knees. Restrictions, knots and tightness can easily build up in the quad, and all those hours spent moving forward doesn’t allow much chance for the glutes to work and active which have an important role in stabilization of the trunk. Weakness here can also contribute to extra pounding to the knees.

Shoulder Impingement: leaning for hours on those aero bars following repetitive reaching and forward with a swim stroke can significantly tighten the pec, neck and chest muscles. Without addressing the rhomboids, middle trap, lower trap and posterior shoulder muscles, extra strain can be placed on the front the the shoulder causing irritation and inflammation and a sore shoulder making even simple daily activities like combing hair painful.

All of these together can leave a triathlete with the gorilla posture I’ve talked about before.





When the miles start to add up, maintain some balance in your body.

Spirit of a Champion

What goes into the making of a Champion? Having the right genetic profile certainly helps if you want to win Gold at the Olympics, or win the Boston marathon, or race in the Tour De France. But we can all become a Champion of our own dreams. Champion of the local Sprint race, age group champion of a 5k, champion at cyclocross race, or champion of the group ride sprint to the stop sign, or top of Town Hall hill. It certainly takes a championship attitude just to finish an Ironman or your first 1/2 Iroman.

Some characteristics of Champions are:

Attitude
vision
perseverance
character
courage
self motivation
positive
purpose
disciplined
confident
enthuiam

I coach many athletes in pursuit of their dreams... like, qualifying for Boston, or championship events, or finishing a marathon or Ironman. It certainly takes many of the above traits and more to achieve a big dream. After racing and coaching for years, I would also add several characteristics to the list.



Direction:Having a plan, believing in it and sticking it to it will get you to your dream. Bouncing from 1 thing to the next without direction won't get you there. Realize, "your" dream may take a few years to get there, and if you fall short 1 or 2 times...you can't just give up and change focus. Stay on course, stay focused and follow the direction.

Taking Risks:Sometimes you have to do what seems impossible like...swim in the fast lane once a week , sign up for the race that seems like a long shot, invest in a "techie" piece of equipment that may offer some crucial data, or hire a coach who can do the "thinking" for you. Break out of the comfort zone, and take it to the next level, if you want to get to the next level.

Do what you hate:
Usually our weaknesses or limiters are what we aren't superbly great at. It is what is uncomfortable. These are the dreaded workouts, but the ones likely needed the most. Those limiters might just be what are keeping you from your dream. And this is what certainly separates a champion from the average....doing the ugly and dreaded, most uncomfortable pieces of the puzzles. For some, not working out or resting might be what is most awkward. Or, are you leading the race because you swim like a rock star only to be passed early on the run, and does it happen every time? Well its apparent some hard, hurting run sessions that a swimmer might no enjoy is what might hold the ticket. If the only way to get your workouts in during the week, is to get up at the crack of dawn before work and kid obligations when its dark and cold, do you do it? Its not fun, because it is so warm and comfy under the covers, but getting those workouts in during the week might be the key. I personally don't love to swim unless its a masters practice, but that isn't always an option so, I have to do what I hate and that is swim alone sometimes.

Set Demanding Goals:A champion will set goals that are a stretch and then put everything they can into reaching that goal. They might have shorter more attainable goals along the way, but the real goal is the one they are ultimately after. It is specific, and not vague. They understand the process and discipline it takes to get there.

Never Quits:Champions don't quit or give up. If it all falls apart in one practice or race it isn't the end of the dream. A champion will learn from what went wrong, make the necessary changes then move on and go for it again.

Believes:A champion never stops believing in their dream.

Do you have the spirit of a champion?

One word.....

The New Year 2011 is in full swing and how have those new year's resolutions gone? 2.5 weeks in have you kept to your resolution?

I myself did not make any resolutions. However, I did hear on a morning talk show about a different way to think about approaching the new year. Pick 1 word to describe you in 2011. Instead of focusing on cutting out the negative such as I want to lose 20 lb. or 5, or cut out, meat or, sugar , or gluten, or dairy, or all of the above, or coffee, or caffeine, or swear words, or ...._____/ insert your choice of things to "cut out".

Or the opposite: I'm going to exercise more, do yoga more, stretch more, balance check book more, save more ....or ____/insert "something more"

Most of the times it is hard to stick to these changes because it requires action on our part, and, wow, I don't know about you, but I am already maxed with plenty to try and "do", fit in, and schedule. So instead, try to pick 1 word to describe yourself and try to "be" that word and the rest will follow.

I'm all about change and improvements, becoming newer and better, but haven't made a new year's resolution in .......years. (secretly for a brief few moment I considered forgoing coffee. Gasp. A failed resolution for sure) But I have tried the one word approach. And 2 days prior to 1/1/11 came up with my word. I am not sharing it right now, but so far so good. One word is easy to focus on and easy to self correct if you find yourself derailed. The idea is to be that word and the rest will fall into place easily.

I have had to lean on my word a lot lately as I have decided to undertake more than usual this year. With the kids a bit older, and several years of laying pretty low in triathlon, I have the bug to get serious again. Yes...that bug bit me in the bum. So I need my one word to keep me "real" as I try to become a closer version of my former triathlon self from years prior as well as manage all that I currently do, ...plus some. Yea, I also decided to increase my hours at Cosport to help fix more of the injured. So as you can see, eliminating coffee is not really an option.

Come August we will see if I still like my one word as much as I do now, or you might find me sprawled out with my bike on the side of the road next to a tall cornfield, screaming at that word. Stay tuned.....

If you had to pick one word, what would it be?

In search of my arms

I've been trying to find my arms and shoulders. After months of cyclocross with lots of biking, some running and NO swimming...I misplaced my arms. Sure I had to hoist my bike up and over barriers during races and sometimes practice but that what about the extent of my upper body training all fall and the late stages of 2010. So my arms disappeared and seem scrawny.

Once cyclcross ended, and I enjoyed a short break, but I have been staring at a 1/2 Ironman in April motivating me to find some arms again so I can swim and not drown. I dug out my goggles and returned to the pool, and yes more than 1 x a week like last year. I also resumed my killer sessions with my awesome trainer Mark Nilles in search of finding some upper body strength again. And in these sessions we sometimes Box. Yes punch the heavy bag, gloves etc. Talk about arm fatigue and a great way to punch out the stress all in one. A few times I even had a training session then went straight to masters afterwards. Not so pretty early on when my arms were MIA.

There are signs of life in my arms though as I was able to reach an all time PR on pull ups doing 21 full body, unassisted pull ups (yes broken in sets, but superset with another upper body workout without rest). I also managed a good chunk of MSM's annual 100 x 100s New Years swim.

So I'll keep after it so my arms don't stay like scrawny sticks poking out of my body like a snowman, so I can swim, not drown and pull myself through the water, so I can stand and climb on my bike and stay steady in aero, and run with power.