No post last week secondary to Mountain West Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, NM (my home town). It was a lot of fun to watch our girls perform and also very stressful and tiring. I ran while I was there but I didn't even compete and I was pooped. So I rested last sunday and monday and no post.
Things are hectic. Work, home, training, and training. My training and the track team. I had my first brick/transition run today and I felt awesome. Here are two weeks of training:
Monday-Long swim. 30 min of swimming and about 1000 m. Nothing really to report.
Tuesday-Easy run. 45 min of easy running. Sully and I.
Wednesday-Track night. 15 min easy w drills. 8 150's. 4 X 800. 10 min easy. 5 miles total. The 800's at 3:30 pace with 2 min break. Felt strong. Those 150s are rough. KD calls them sneaky speed work. Not only that, I like how they work on mechanics. Overall good workout.
Thursday-Travel day.
Friday-6 mile tempo run on the Bosque. I was so pumped to take a trip over to a new trail for me in ABQ. I have not run that trail and it was nice. It was cold and windy. At elevation I could not hold my tempo. I wanted to stay under 8:50 for all 6 and I only made 4 at tempo then I pooped out. Overall a tough run in harsh conditions.
Saturday-Travel
Sunday-Pushed everything. lol.
Monday-Pushed a swim.
Tuesday-Easy 45 min. Me and sully out for 45 min and it was hard going. Legs felt sluggish.
Wednesday-Track night. 15 min warm up with drills. 8 X 150's. 2X 1 mile. KD and I were talking about the 150's and I was doing them wrong. I cleaned that up and they are even harder. Awesome start. Then KD and I got talking and the wind/cold kicked up. Miserable night and I only completed one mile. 7:48 pace. Then just shut it down. Wasn't feeling it.
Thursday-Hills. Went out and back on the sisters and felt strong. Despite a rear derailer issue it was a good ride. The bike is coming around. I need more time on it.
Friday-Tempo run. I wanted to recover that 6 miles from last week. I did, barely. 6 miles at 8:58 total. There were some issues but got through them. Funny run.
Saturday-Track meet, no training.
Sunday-Ahhhh my first brick. Full olympic bike course/3 mile run. I felt awesome. The bike was moderate, I didn't press. I didn't attack. It was 1:30 slower than last years race pace. I felt so strong. I feel the aerobic capacity so much better. My legs werent that tired. 26 miles in 1:39. I ran the sprint course and it ended up progressing really nice. I have been wondering how my running would feel after a decent bike. I started out with a goal of 9:15 pace and ended up at 9:40 but I didn't stop. Usually I have to walk. No walking today, never even occurred to me. 9:40, 9:29, and 8:52. Total 9:21. I have never had a run this fast after a bike. I am looking forward to this 10K at the race. I feel the fatigue resistance and I recovered during the run. Overall, a great day. Quote:
“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Feels like I am moving forward
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Hello 4th sister...
First I would like to thank those who reached out to Chelsea and I over the last week, it has been awesome. She said make sure everyone knows that she appreciates the encouragement. For those who wanted an update here is the last text message from her, "I just ran 3.5 miles in 31:14!" So she is doing very well.
I have had some tangles with the river mountain loop trail and its "3 Sisters." Now that recent improvements have been finished the 4th sister is now in play. I have been excited now that I am back to cycling to see what my fitness is like. I can tell you for fact that I have not felt this good on a bike before. Although my legs are super sore I have never had this quality of cardio during the climb, recovery during the ride, and after the ride. My legs were hosed but I go through them quite well. So our perception of hard changes. I have lost my intimidation of them and I welcome them. My plan is repeat them once a week and continue to progress this cardiovascular fitness. One phrase that Karl said that sticks out is "fatigue resistance." I feel that for sure. Overall I had a good week, here is how it went.
Monday-Long swim. 30 min. Drills not included in the time. I found some new drill that seem to be a lot more functional so if anyone wants that posted let me know, I can even send it via email. I did keep 250 m splits because I am a dork. 6:28, 7:36, 8:04, and 6:50. 1000 m in 30 min easy. My swim fitness is catching up as my shoulders/core remember this motion. No post swim soreness and looking forward to open swims when it heats up a bit. I also had 4.5 miles of biking at practice.
Tuesday-Run Easy 40 min. Nothing really to report. Sully and I out there feeling good. I am kicking around logistics of biking to work on tue/thurs.
Wednesday-Track night. 400 repeats. 10 min easy, then my first attempt at alternating 50 with 150 of good swing and 150 meters of good speed. I did 4. 2 total laps but good quality work. Tough and I can see how that builds aerobic power and also tunes mechanics. Something of a gem, I think. Then repeat 400s with a minute break. I didn't know where to start so I thought under 2:00 should be good. Here is what I got: 1:51, 1:53, 1:54, 1:52, 1:55, 1:55, 1:51, and 1:46 (with 1 minute in between). Then 10 min easy. I was tired but not bent over or anything. I was able to go faster in the last 2. I think next time I may do under 1:50. Minor soreness. Great workout.
Thursday-Supposed to bike but windy, cold, and sleepy. Pushed it.
Friday-5 mile tempo run all under 9. I was wondering how this workout would compare to the track. Harder or easier? I realized quite early on how the track carried over. I felt very comfortable at faster paces. Here are my splits: 8:19, 8:43, 8:53, 8:48, and 8:29. Ave 8:38 in 44:14. Sully loves going faster. I felt good. I went out too fast but felt super comfortable I am not sure how long I could hold that but felt good nonetheless. Sustained effort was harder. I guess I need to step up that track workout. Minor soreness, overall felt great.
Saturday-Long easy bike. I originally wanted to go longer but had time limits. I cut it down to 90 min. I have been thinking about this RAGE bike course. The hardest part is the turnaround. A mod steep climb, decline, and then long drawn out slow grind. I want to kill that section. With the new RMLT I can get there easier. But I didn't get it there. But I did get some climbing in. 1:33, 20 miles, 14 mph, and 1330 elevation gained. I am moderately sore but happy with my first hard bike effort.
Sunday (today)-Long Run. I wanted somewhere between 6-8 miles. When I woke up I layed there and said, OH boy. Then I remembered that biking and running dont effect each other. You have to run on those legs and they translate to each other. SO off I went. 7 miles at 9:30 pace. I got tired near the end and was happy with the effort. Get out there and go longer. No issues. Just tired after a good week. Quote:
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
Nope, Im gonna go there faster. In fact, I had to look at last years post to see where I am at compared to last year. How funny how things change.
I have had some tangles with the river mountain loop trail and its "3 Sisters." Now that recent improvements have been finished the 4th sister is now in play. I have been excited now that I am back to cycling to see what my fitness is like. I can tell you for fact that I have not felt this good on a bike before. Although my legs are super sore I have never had this quality of cardio during the climb, recovery during the ride, and after the ride. My legs were hosed but I go through them quite well. So our perception of hard changes. I have lost my intimidation of them and I welcome them. My plan is repeat them once a week and continue to progress this cardiovascular fitness. One phrase that Karl said that sticks out is "fatigue resistance." I feel that for sure. Overall I had a good week, here is how it went.
Monday-Long swim. 30 min. Drills not included in the time. I found some new drill that seem to be a lot more functional so if anyone wants that posted let me know, I can even send it via email. I did keep 250 m splits because I am a dork. 6:28, 7:36, 8:04, and 6:50. 1000 m in 30 min easy. My swim fitness is catching up as my shoulders/core remember this motion. No post swim soreness and looking forward to open swims when it heats up a bit. I also had 4.5 miles of biking at practice.
Tuesday-Run Easy 40 min. Nothing really to report. Sully and I out there feeling good. I am kicking around logistics of biking to work on tue/thurs.
Wednesday-Track night. 400 repeats. 10 min easy, then my first attempt at alternating 50 with 150 of good swing and 150 meters of good speed. I did 4. 2 total laps but good quality work. Tough and I can see how that builds aerobic power and also tunes mechanics. Something of a gem, I think. Then repeat 400s with a minute break. I didn't know where to start so I thought under 2:00 should be good. Here is what I got: 1:51, 1:53, 1:54, 1:52, 1:55, 1:55, 1:51, and 1:46 (with 1 minute in between). Then 10 min easy. I was tired but not bent over or anything. I was able to go faster in the last 2. I think next time I may do under 1:50. Minor soreness. Great workout.
Thursday-Supposed to bike but windy, cold, and sleepy. Pushed it.
Friday-5 mile tempo run all under 9. I was wondering how this workout would compare to the track. Harder or easier? I realized quite early on how the track carried over. I felt very comfortable at faster paces. Here are my splits: 8:19, 8:43, 8:53, 8:48, and 8:29. Ave 8:38 in 44:14. Sully loves going faster. I felt good. I went out too fast but felt super comfortable I am not sure how long I could hold that but felt good nonetheless. Sustained effort was harder. I guess I need to step up that track workout. Minor soreness, overall felt great.
Saturday-Long easy bike. I originally wanted to go longer but had time limits. I cut it down to 90 min. I have been thinking about this RAGE bike course. The hardest part is the turnaround. A mod steep climb, decline, and then long drawn out slow grind. I want to kill that section. With the new RMLT I can get there easier. But I didn't get it there. But I did get some climbing in. 1:33, 20 miles, 14 mph, and 1330 elevation gained. I am moderately sore but happy with my first hard bike effort.
Sunday (today)-Long Run. I wanted somewhere between 6-8 miles. When I woke up I layed there and said, OH boy. Then I remembered that biking and running dont effect each other. You have to run on those legs and they translate to each other. SO off I went. 7 miles at 9:30 pace. I got tired near the end and was happy with the effort. Get out there and go longer. No issues. Just tired after a good week. Quote:
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
Nope, Im gonna go there faster. In fact, I had to look at last years post to see where I am at compared to last year. How funny how things change.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Post I have Been Itching to Post (Warning somewhat Graphic Pictures)
One normal day at work I get word that my new patient in the next few days is a triathlete. I already get pumped about that but once I reviewed her chart I knew this case was special. During the initial interview my jaw dropped. The words BIKE VS BUS shook me. I have had close calls personally and can identify with that as a possibility, she lived it.
Chelsea decided she was going to do some cycling hill repeats on a minimally busy road with a long challenging hill. She climbed and came down the same side of the road. She saw the bus, the bus did not see her. In fact, the bus did see recognize her until the driver heard the screaming. She was screaming because the bus WAS STILL ON TOP OF HER. The bus ran her over her, stopped on her, then rolled off.
I am sitting there taking this all in. I keep reviewing the list if injuries in my head. I review it and review it and I am trying hard to keep my composure. CAN I RUN? I stumble and stumble to put these pieces together. Multiple spinal fractures, pelvic fractures, complex open femur fracture, ACL/MCL tear, compound ankle fracture, multiple skin grafts on both ENTIRE quads, non healing superficial wounds with infection, and now I am seeing her 2 days after her ACL and MCL are reconstructed....and she says CAN I RUN.
CAN I RUN.
My first thought is "grrl you are lucky to be alive and you want to RUN?" I LOVE IT. My advice at this point is not an uncommon thing for me to say. I say "Chelsea, you and I are going to be close. I am going to promise you at no time will I sugar coat things for you. No one benefits from that. I will provide you with what the science and literature says and I will provide the facts and you will decide. I will say that you have a lot of work to do in order to run. The way this goes is to get on the progression to run and see what happens." She replies, "If I am OK by next years RAGE can I race?" My first thought was that I would be surprised if she can even run a 5K at that point. I say "If you are ready for RAGE, we will do it together" She says DONE. Straight face and confident.
At this point she is 3-4 months into this recovery already. The multiple skin grafts, various fractures, and infections had to heal. She had to graduate to be a candidate for the ACL/MCL reconstruction. She is not your average triathlete or ACL reconstruction. Her rehabilitation was hard. We held her back and went slow. We applied the latest running science and traditional rehabilitation to her and she put the work in. She did everything the Dr and I asked and she simply put the work in. She is going to go from this:
to this:
to top it off: We are doing the OLYMPIC. Another PT in my office will race with us. Chelsea has been running at or around 9:30 pace and can go for up to about an hour. She is an absolute winner and has never taken no for an answer. She's had and will continue to have set backs and still is struggling. She is overcoming the challenges with a grace hard to find in most people. She was lucky she had tons of fitness at the time of injury, she needed it. She's lucky she had a mental attitude that stayed positive, handled pain, and kept her nose to the grindstone. She's lucky she had experience with triathlon and personal training and knows what real pushing is. You see people like her are reason I go to work everyday. She requires me use every once of knowledge, experience, and personal courage that I have. I am so exponentially proud at the work she has done, at the commitment she has made, and at the job she has done to get herself ready for a healthy and fit life. Chelsea gave me permission to use these pictures and write this post. THANK YOU CHELSEA for showing me how real life challenges can be overcome and allowing me the opportunity race side-by-side with you. This situation is the real reason I love triathlon and I am honored to share this experience with you. I just hope I can beat you.
Chelsea decided she was going to do some cycling hill repeats on a minimally busy road with a long challenging hill. She climbed and came down the same side of the road. She saw the bus, the bus did not see her. In fact, the bus did see recognize her until the driver heard the screaming. She was screaming because the bus WAS STILL ON TOP OF HER. The bus ran her over her, stopped on her, then rolled off.
My first thought is "grrl you are lucky to be alive and you want to RUN?" I LOVE IT. My advice at this point is not an uncommon thing for me to say. I say "Chelsea, you and I are going to be close. I am going to promise you at no time will I sugar coat things for you. No one benefits from that. I will provide you with what the science and literature says and I will provide the facts and you will decide. I will say that you have a lot of work to do in order to run. The way this goes is to get on the progression to run and see what happens." She replies, "If I am OK by next years RAGE can I race?" My first thought was that I would be surprised if she can even run a 5K at that point. I say "If you are ready for RAGE, we will do it together" She says DONE. Straight face and confident.
At this point she is 3-4 months into this recovery already. The multiple skin grafts, various fractures, and infections had to heal. She had to graduate to be a candidate for the ACL/MCL reconstruction. She is not your average triathlete or ACL reconstruction. Her rehabilitation was hard. We held her back and went slow. We applied the latest running science and traditional rehabilitation to her and she put the work in. She did everything the Dr and I asked and she simply put the work in. She is going to go from this:
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