Functional Realizations of a Triathlete

I've been participating in the sport of triathlon now long enough to come to a few realizations. When I   train for the longer distances (70.3 and beyond) a few things happen. And with each passing year, these deficiencies become more pronounced. As a orthopedic PT, I thought I would share some of my realizations and helpful tips! Enjoy!

1. I can no longer do a squat. My hip flexors and achilles become so tight and gritty that it's almost impossible to keep them supple with the long hours of swimming, biking, and running. I definitely could do a better job at preventing this. You want to laugh even harder? Watch Heidi try an overhead squat :)

2. I become skinny-fat. My muscle tone diminishes and although I get thinner overall- there is just this odd layer of skinny-fatness. Going along with that, my once perky glutes turn into a flat board which just adds protrusions. 

3. I end up with weird- itis's. Again poor job on my behalf. But once they start, I eventually start mobilizations after it's too late. Bring on the bandaid aka kinesio tape. 

4. I definitely can't do a push-up. Goodbye upper body strength and forget my core to stabilize the push-up. 

5. My core and glute strength are MIA. 

Yah so what? We all know these things. Amidst the heavy-long hours of training, common sense, solid core/glute strength, and general mobility are thrown out the window. As triathletes if it's not scheduled on Training Peaks or if it doesn't get your heart rate up- it doesn't happen.  Right????

So what is there to do about it?

1. Mobilize! Mobilize Mobilize! Take a few minutes before bed or while you are watching TV, and bust out a lacrosse ball, foam roller, or torture stick. Treat it like your own special little massage. (Ok maybe painful massage)-- but alll it takes is 10 quick minutes before bed time. Maybe focus on a different area every day. (Day 1 Shoulders Day 2 Quads/ITB Day 3 Thoracic Spine Mobility Day 4 Ankle Mobility) 

2. Equate mobility with speed. If your aren't achieving full and proper range of motion with your swim stroke, pedal stroke, or you stride-you are missing out on speed! Ready to get over that plateau?

3. Try incorporating an active warm up before your swim, bike, and run to focus on both strength deficiencies and mobility. This will help improve your form for the workouts to follow and again increase both speed and efficiency. 

4. Try doing core and glute work on your lunch break. Take that 1hr break in the day that just never seems long enough for a full blown workout to work on some small muscle groups like your core, glutes, or scapular stabilizers. Hey maybe even try some squats! This is especially crucial for you cubicle monkeys. Other quick and dirty exercises could include clam shells, bridges, planks, or maybe some pushups? Be creative! 

5. Stuck in the car or on a plane? Mobilize! There are lots of evil, evil things you can do with a lacrosse ball in the seated position. Sounds dirty right?



Good Luck! And you can thank me later :) More to come on specific triathlete mobility! 

Afterthoughts IMFL

Unfortunately that 11 hr barrier still stands after IMFL. I go back and ask myself... What could I have done differently? What if I didn't get sick around the taper..... What if I went harder on the bike... What if.....

 I left it all out there on the course on that race day. And I can't complain too much about a whopping 30 minute PR and huge marathon PR.

Will I do another? Do I want to do another? Will my family put up with me doing one more? Knowing my strengths as an athlete, I truly don't think I'm a long course racer. I've given this crazy distance 3 solid tries. And I'm happy to say I'm DONE!

A few weeks out I thought about maybe signing up for IMTX again. After some careful consideration and after experiencing "normal" life without training 20+ hrs a week, I've decided that is a big fat he$$ no!

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm enjoying my training-plan-less off season. But I will say it feels good to re-prioritize things and to shift focus on the more important things in life. And for now 2013 and beyond= 70.3 distance and below! YAY!

FOMT "Fear of Missing Training"

Over the past week and a half I've been having a rough time and have been pretty stressed. My stress?

FOMT
#FOMT
"Fear of Missing Training"

Definition: A common phenomenon experienced when one is training their butt off for a race and they experience illness and therefore are no longer able to train. The worry about missing training causes additional stress and sometimes can worsen or prolong the illness.

This stressor can be worsened if it happens right before a taper and causes one to miss the last big week and weekend of training.

I apologize if this comes across as whiney but I'm starting to freak out a bit.  Last weekend I was pretty stoked as I completed a 115 mile bike, 8 mile T-run, and a subsequent 20-miler the next day with 3 descending timed miles around 7:30 pace. This was by far the most epic training weekend of my life! I felt so ready to tackle IMFL!

Knowing the likelihood of illness while 140.6 training increases exponentially, I have been on top of my nutrition. I've been drinking green smoothies daily, taking my vitamins, taking amino acids, eating clean, and even drinking Emergen-C every time I felt a little worn out. I also have ben pretty consistent with getting to bed early and taking weekend naps.

What happened then? It is that time of year... And really I guess the weekend's training just broke me. So while trying not to freak out, I've tried to shift focus. I traded my weekends training for:

1. A pedi

2. Decorating for Fall

3. Making Fall Wreaths (Don't Laugh)

4. Spending time with those I've been neglecting:

5. And of course lots of rest, healthy eating, fluids, and vitamins

I haven't completely taken time off from the S-B-R. I've squeezed in some short easy workouts here and there. And ultimately I think that is the problem. The cycle has been: 1: off day 2: feel better 3: workout 4: feel worse. To stop the cycle I've taken today off from both work and exercise.  Yesterday was the icing on the cake. I woke up at 5 to "TRY" to do my long run. After a few miles with HR in the 150's while running 9:30's, I threw in the towel and headed home. After the 8 mile sluggish run and a crazy day filled work day with lots of patients, I felt like crap again last night.

Please learn from my lesson my fellow triathletes. When sick, take LOTS of time off with no working out until you feel 110%. Don't do what I did. It only prolongs the funk. Hopefully after today, I will be back on the train. If not I might really start to freak out....