It's all about balance, part 2

I consider myself a pretty independent person. I enjoy figuring things out on my own: tinkering, learning, and experimenting. Combine that with my sense of body awareness, which has been a strength during my athletic career, and you have a recipe for self-taught physical therapy.

After my pelvis-breaking accident, I armed myself with everything I knew about how the body should move while walking, swimming, biking, and running, and adapted strength training and mobility exercises to teach my left leg to function again.

My biggest initial hurdle was flexibility. I've always felt a bit like Gumby, with limbs that could be twisted and positioned in almost any direction. During my senior year in high school I started training myself to do the splits. While doing homework on the bed, I would stretch to open up my hips and hamstrings in pursuit of this goal and within a month I could sit comfortably in the splits on the bench at a swim meet.

But it turns out that being on crutches for 7 weeks really tightened up all of the connective tissue leading from the base of my pelvis to my glutes and hamstrings on the left side. My leg was used to hanging vertically and any activation of my hip flexors to raise my left quad were slow and tense. To combat this, I started using the Captain's chair at the gym less for combined abs strength and also as a semi-supported mechanism for raising that left knee to my chest.

Another helpful tool was my yellow therapy band. With it wrapped around my lower calves, I could sit or stand, move my legs in any number of directions, and add resistance to a suite of tiny movements, each one designed to teach muscles and connective tissue to fire again.

Magical therapy band

But none of my efforts were a substitute for professional physical therapy. Sure, I was able to walk, then run, then race again, and I didn't have any visual limp or imbalance, but the imbalance was there nonetheless.

The imbalance was there in the size of my quads - my right quad is noticeably larger than my left. 

The imbalance was there in my pedal stroke - my left hamstring rarely engages to pull my leg up and around on the back half of the pedal stroke, and as a result my left toe points daintily downward.

The imbalance was there in my kick - my left hip flexor would tire before my right, and yet my right hip flexor was the one always getting injured.

The imbalance was there in my running - on flat ground it was less noticeable but on trails I would adjust my stride to get the maximum propulsion from my right leg as I bounded along.

After almost three years of training and racing in this lopsided way, I decided that enough was enough. I wanted to assess the full extent of the problem and find a way to correct it. After all, if I could be this successful as an athlete with one fully functional leg, imagine what I could do with two!

To fully diagnose my leg imbalance, I turned to physical therapist and triathlete superstar Holli Finneren (check out her Tri Dreaming blog!). Holli practices at Rose Physical Therapy group near Dupont Circle, my old stomping grounds. Rose PT regularly offers running groups, tri clubs, and other athletes complementary strength training and injury prevention clinics.

Strength training for triathletes at Rose PT

I attended my first one in December and was immediately impressed by not only Rose PT's knowledge of the human body in sport but the myriad tools available for diagnosis and rehab. What particularly caught my eye was a biofeedback device that measures muscle output upon firing. During the clinic, Holli had fellow triathlete Katie Tobin hooked up to the machine to assess shoulder muscle firing during the exercises. Being the nerd that I am, I was immediately intrigued to see what we would learn about my legs!

Holli was generous with her time and invited me to come in on a Sunday afternoon for a bio-assessment. The data was immediate! We attached sensors to my quads (along with an extra lead as a ground) and started recording muscle firings during double leg squats. My right leg produced perfect, strong peaks while those produced by my left leg were shaky and short. Even when Holli told me to concentrate on pushing through my left heel, I could barely get the activity from my left leg to match that of my right leg.

Yet another strength session at Rose PT - this time with the biofeedback machine attached to my quads!

The data gathering had to be put on hold when the biofeedback battery died, but we already had a good sense of the severe imbalance I was working with. While holding a wall sit, I could easily raise my left foot off the ground and support all of my weight on my right. But when I tried to switch legs, I almost fell over! Oh boy ... I was going to have my work cut out for me.

During the rest of the session we worked on single leg squats, my pedal stroke, glute firing, resistance bands, and lots more. I now have a repertoire of exercises to be completed on alternating days to try to bring my left leg back up to speed so it can work in harmony with my right!

Stay tuned for how the exercises are going!

It's all about balance: part 1

On February 23, 2012, just three days before the opening race of my final collegiate triathlon season (the Stanford Treeathlon), I embarked on an afternoon ride with my good friend and coach John Dahlz. It was a route we knew well, and had just come off the high of a grandiose noon swim session, followed by some core work in the gym. Although February in the Bay Area can be fickle, the weather that day was glorious and I reveled in my decision to play hooky from lab. After summiting Tunnel Rd, we started riding the flattish stretch of Skyline Blvd. Since I normally ride alone and early in the morning, I usually have no qualms about riding in the center of the lane to increase my visibility to cars.

On this afternoon, however, I became aware that by riding two-abreast, John and I were taking up valuable road space and potentially annoying the cars behind. I scooted over to the right of the lane, and on rounding a gentle left turn, caught my wheel in a deep crack in the road. I rocked my body left and right to maintain control of the bike, and for a split-second thought I had managed to save the fall, but ended up landing hip-first on the hard pavement. There was no skidding, just a brutal, painful thud.

After the accident, I knew immediately that something was wrong as I couldn't put weight on my left leg, but I hoped that it was just a terrible contusion and perhaps some tendon damage. It wasn't until I heard the words from the doctor: "Your pelvis is broken" that I started to sob. There went my race, my season, my life as far as I was concerned.

I'm so sorry, pelvis!

I was so incredibly lucky, though, not to have sustained any other injuries or head trauma. And also I was lucky that, although my injury resulted in a pelvis fractured in two places, it was stable enough not to warrant surgery (at least initially). My doctor warned that residual pain could accompany my injury for years after the healing process but said "we'd cross that bridge when we came to it."

My first week was primarily spent in bed. Every baby step was a hard fought battle - rolling over in bed and taking a shower without my mom’s help. I couldn’t use the stairs and so was essentially trapped in my room, separated even from the kitchen. I slept a lot those days, partly because of the medication, and partly because I felt sorry for myself.

But there comes a point where you make a conscious decision to fight, set goals, and work towards them. I started slowly - doing laps around the garage on my crutches. I argued with my parents to take me out to dinner, so I could see more than just my room and practice being more mobile with my new metal appendages. Three days after the accident, I convinced them to take me to the Stanford Treeathlon race, which turned out to be the most emotionally exhausting day of all.

Cheerleader in action! (And seriously contemplating poking my crutch through one of 'Furd's wheels)

I was thrilled to see my teammates again and racing so well, but it broke my heart not to be on the course with them. I was more determined than ever, though, to get back to the sport that I loved.

Christie-Shannie hug it out. There were tears.

Coming back from a serious injury is a humbling process. I had to relearn how to stand and walk on crutches. I had to learn how to navigate stairs, dress myself, and get in and out of the shower on my own. When I began swimming again, even the pressure of the water on my pelvis was sometimes overwhelming and made me cry into my goggles. But that never lasted long, as the joy of doing something (anything) active overturned all of the bad I felt. You have to accept limitations though and work within them. For me, this meant using the pull buoy all the time, and making giant sweeping circles with my body at every turn, because I could barely push off the wall, much less execute a flip turn. It was excruciatingly frustrating, and yet these challenges forced me to focus on other elements of my racing. That includes technique, and for me, upper body strength. Because I couldn’t rely on my legs at all, my shoulders, back, and core had to take up the slack. I learned mental fortitude and to find the joy in little improvements.

I also took the opportunity to master new things. I returned to weight lifting twice a week, something I’d always loved but found it hard to incorporate into a previously hectic training program. I started doing all of my upper body work while perched on a bench, and would painfully, awkwardly lower myself down onto a Bosu ball for ab work (the hard floor was too painful on my pelvis for crunches, and I was terrified of rolling off of a true stability ball and reinjuring myself).

Gradually, I came to almost love my huge sweeping turns and became pretty damn quick at executing them. My arms were getting incredibly strong from the weight training and all of my swimming work. I began to dream of getting on my bike again, although my dreams centered mainly on the idea of trainer workouts.

One thing you learn after a devastating injury is that the mind can be a powerful tool both for the good and the bad. My mind was determined to get back to race-ready fitness (at least as far as swimming was concerned) but it was also screaming at me that danger lurked around every pothole and every crack in the road. Every journey down a flight of stairs tormented me as I constantly had visions of falling and refracturing my pelvis. Triathletes are very often type-A personalities and enjoy being in control, and this was never more true than during my recovery period. I had to be in perfect control of my body at all times, I felt, in order to make sure I stayed upright and healthy.

After seven weeks of permanent attachment to my crutches, I was finally cleared by my orthopedist to begin actual training again. In his words “I could do anything I wanted” - to which I replied, “Can I race collegiate nationals in a 10 days?”. To many, this query would seem absurd. My poor body had been through so much. Was it worth risking future injury for this last chance at coming down the finishing chute proudly sporting Cal colors?  Reassured by my doctor that no swimming, biking, or walking would injure my pelvis, I was ready for battle.

I had 10 days before the race to get myself ready to tackle a 1500m river swim, a 40k bike ride, and a 10k run/walk.  The swim would be a no-brainer. In the prior week I’d progressed to flip turns and felt extremely confident in the water. My goal was to demolish every other girl in my swim wave.

The bike was to be a little trickier. That very evening I loaded up my bike into my car and drove it to “The Farm”.  In the midst of a house full of triathletes eating a monstrous dinner, I set up my bike on the stationary trainer and straddled her for the first time in almost two months. She is a thing of carbon beauty and it felt like being home, perched on her saddle.  Ladybug (my bike) was also the perfect way to be reintroduced to cycling.  Being an aerodynamic time trial bike, riding her means that my body is tilted forward over the aerobars extending from the cockpit, so that the pressure on my ladyparts is focused on my pubic bone rather than my tender sit bones. I was able to push the pedals for a solid 40 minutes before satisfying myself that biking on an actual road would be a reality. Before embarking on the open roads, I treated myself to one more 45 minute trainer session (both to strengthen my legs and increase my hip flexibility - which had greatly deteriorated).

First time on Ladybug in two months.

Finally the big day arrived. I arranged to meet John at the Burlingame Aquatic Center, one of our usual haunts for a noon swim. I felt solid in the water, but panic started to creep into my psyche at the thought of riding afterwards. Because our normal loop involved a semi-significant climb, I elected to drive out to the flat and wide section of Canada Rd and wait for John to join me there. Canada Rd was the perfect place to regain my confidence as a cyclist. For about 7 miles, Canada rolls along the Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir with wide, smooth bike lanes.  There were no panic-inducing ruts in the road and very few cars. John accompanied me on my out and back excursion before heading off for his own journey up into the hills. I made it! Conquered 14 miles without dying! This ride took place on Wednesday, leaving me just 24 hours before packing up my road bike for the journey to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for collegiate nationals.

The “race” proceeded almost according to plan. Because I’d registered so late, I was relegated to the last of the women’s wave - the open wave. My goal was to be the first woman out of the water for my wave, capitalizing on my increased upper body strength. Luckily for me, the swim start was an in-water start, so I didn’t have to worry about running into the water (which there was no way I could do) or diving off of a platform (which I probably could have done but wasn’t looking forward to).  From the beginning, my pelvis felt tight as I kicked my legs into high gear. However, once I developed a significant gap between myself and the next girl in my wave, I was able to “turn my legs off” and let them float behind me.  Indeed, I was able to keep ahead of the rest of the ladies in my group of pale blue caps, and caught many women who had started 4 or even 8 minutes ahead of me. This advantage was quickly degraded as I struggled to drag my body out of the water and up the river bank. Of course, I had no choice but to walk, much to the chagrin of all of the spectators. In a way, I felt as though I was letting them down by strolling towards the transition area and my bike, but I knew that to attempt a jog now would be disastrous for the rest of my race. So I continued to saunter up the long path to transition, keeping, still my goggles on my head. (I realize that I looked ridiculous, but I also stood little to no chance of finding my bike in the sea of transition without the assistance of my prescription goggles).

If the swim had gone according to plan, transition definitely did not. I was eager to embark on my 40k bike ride, but to my chagrin, someone had knocked my helmet and sunglasses off of my handlebars and onto the ground! Not only that, but my prescription sunnies were now missing a lens, which I found a foot or so to the right of my bike. In the crash, dear Gravity had seen fit to fracture my frame and allow my right lens to hop out. Nope, Gravity and I were not friends this spring. I wanted to cry, knowing that there was simply no way I could get through the race without my glasses, and even wearing my goggles throughout the rest of the event did not sound appealing. I was able to pop the lens back into the broken frame, and vowed to go as long as I could, and if the lens fell back out, I’d call it a day.

To my very great surprise, the lens stayed put for the rest of the race! I walked (not ran) my bike out of transition, again, to the chagrin of the volunteers and spectators. Somewhat irritated by the sunglasses incident, I quipped “Hey there, I have a broken pelvis, give a gal a break!”

I gingerly swung my right leg over the saddle and began pedaling off onto the second leg of my triathlon journey. Luckily, the bike segment of the race was relatively uneventful. I rode just hard enough to feel some effort, but not fast enough to worry about crashing or injuring myself. All in all, I paced about 17-18 mph for the 40k bike ride, which was significantly slower than I’d ever raced before, but I satisfied my personal goal of cheering for as many Cal teammates as possible during each of the two loops of the bike course.  The blessing in disguise of starting in the last of the women’s waves, and cycling so slow, meant that on my way back in towards transition I had the great pleasure of watching my teammate and close friend Christie Farson run her way to a 4th place finish. She emerged from the woods around mile 4 of the run course as I passed by on the bike, and for a few meters I slowed to bike beside her on her way to the arena. However I didn’t want to saddle her with a “pacing penalty” so I yelled a few more encouragements and continued on my own way towards transition. As I neared the area, I saw some of my Cal teammates cheering me on, and I started to get choked up - but refused to allow myself to cry since crying = no breathing = no racing.

Because of my hip flexibility, or significant lack thereof, there was no question of attempting my traditional flying dismount.  Instead, I removed myself from my bike as gingerly as I’d hopped on, and began the long walk back to my transition spot.  Because time wasn’t an issue, I could afford to take my time in transition.  I grabbed a gel (because I knew I’d be walking for a long time) and a spare water bottle and sauntered off in pursuit of a 10k “stroll”.

For my first week sans crutches, I had to focus intensely on minimizing my tendency to limp along.  While the bones of my pelvic ring had healed, I’d been chained to my metal appendages for almost two months and had thus altered my gait to suit them.  However, limping was neither productive towards healing nor comfortable on my pelvis, so I used all of my mental capacity to walk as normally as possible. The first mile of my 6.2 mile walk was a good way to lock in my “stride”, as it includes a short, steep hill - and luckily walking uphill was much easier to control than walking on flat roads or downhill.

While climbing, I could focus my effort on solid foot placement and engaging my glutes and quads. I tried to use this heightened awareness of my body-mechanics through the rest of the “run”. To the benefit of my sanity, I came across another athlete who was also walking, and we decided to team up and walk together! She was also recovering from an injury and had only been free of her walking boot for a week, so we were perfect partners to finish the race together. We spent the next 5 miles talking about anything and everything - from triathlon, to cycling, to country music - and decided that once we passed the 6 mile marker (0.2 miles from the finish), we’d jog or prance our way to the finish line.

The elusive 6 mile marker finally appeared after I’d been on the course for almost three and a half hours, over an hour longer than I should normally have been racing such a distance, but I was thrilled. I picked up the pace a bit and started “prancing” on my toes for that last 400 meters. I’d glance to my right and see my partner in crime, and now competitor, also picking up her pace! The battle of the cripples was now on, and we kept increasing our turnover as the finishing chute drew closer and closer. Finally we were on the blue carpet in the Tuscaloosa amphitheatre and the end was in sight! I lunged across the line and managed to beat her by a fraction of a second, but immediately turned to her and gave her a huge hug for supporting and pushing me through the end of the race.

I subsequently burst into tears, which alarmed the finish line volunteers. Through my sobs, I had to reassure them all that I was fine and not near death - but that I was just so happy to have taken part in the last USAT collegiate nationals triathlon of my Berkeley career. From a hospital bed to triathlon finish line in less than two months - even three years later I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that accomplishment. My poor broken body exceeded all of my expectations and for that, I have to acknowledge the support of my family, my friends, my doctor, my coach - everyone who sent baskets of Edible Arrangements and books and sprinkles - everyone who encouraged me while I swam awkwardly for weeks - my landlords who graciously cared for me and my sweet rabbit during my convalescence - John, for taking me grocery shopping every week when I couldn’t carry bags on my own - Christie, for girly sleepovers to make me feel like a real person again - and so many more.

Never been prouder of my Cal Bears. We're sexy and we know it!

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As an afterward, after Collegiate Nationals, I upgraded my “running” from non-existent in early May to 30 seconds, to 1 minute, to 2 minutes … and up to 5 minutes straight in Hawaii in mid-May.  This ballooned to an epic 4 miles along the beaches of Tel Aviv, four days out from the Silicon Valley International Triathlon at the end of June, in which I had to extend my long-run capabilities by another 2.2 miles.

Hiking in Israel.

Then in one month, I increased my run volume further to reach 8.75 miles a little over a week out from Barb’s Race, my annual half-Ironman. I was nervous about having to complete a full 13.1 miles at the end of that race, but I did it and PR’d from last year by almost 5 minutes.

Hanging with the Vineman champ, El Jefe, and wonderwoman Amy Latourette post-Barb's Race.

One week after from Barb’s Race, I started my life over in Washington DC where I dove into training for my final race of 2012 - Austin 70.3. The whole time I was thinking: “Come on pelvis, we can do this together!” And we did! I came ever-so-close to the magical 5 hour barrier (5:04), won my age group, and qualified for the 2013 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, my home away from home.

Did I really just qualify for 70.3 Worlds??

Me and Ladybug at the Alamo.

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So where does that leave me now? Well, despite “healing” and racing for almost three years since the accident, I never saw a physical therapist and never properly retrained my left leg to integrate back into the beautiful machine that is my human body.

I know that in order to progress as an athlete, all aspects of my body need to work together seamlessly. With that in mind, I enlisted the help of my new friend Holli Finneren, DC Tri triathlete and DPT, to diagnose and correct my hip/leg imbalances. In Part 2 of this post, I’ll talk about what we found and what we’re doing to fix it!

My experiment

For most of my athletic career, I've been all about distance. How much farther can I go? How long can I hang on to this pace? I've never been very comfortable with the anaerobic sensation of burning, screaming muscles and instead have preferred to back off the intensity just a smidge in favor of going ever longer, ever farther.

But now, I'm trying something new. An experiment. How fast can I go? Can I make myself push through the lactic acid buildup, not just physically but mentally? Can I learn to race?

This fall I raced two 5ks and both were eye-openers for me. For one thing, I'd never run under 7:00 per mile pace in a 5k before, and twice in one month I averaged 6:35s. This was a huge step for me, but in both races things went wrong. I went out way too fast, assuming that my competitors in the 6:30-7:00 corral would be going the same pace as me. False. My first miles were 6:25 and 6:15 respectively, and then I proceeded to gradually slow as the race went on. I also chickened out and walked for 10 sec in each of the races with about 0.5 miles left to go. Seriously? Who does that??

In each of these races, I'd gotten closer than I'd ever thought possible to the elusive 20:00 barrier and that is my new goal.

• Break 20:00 in my 5k
• No walking
• Keep a consistent pace
• Finish strong

To accomplish these goals, I've enlisted the help of a fellow triathlete/runner Adam. Our training is so far very different from anything I've done before. For the first time I'm running consistently 6 days a week, but many of these runs have a distinct recovery focus.

The biggest change, however, is the incorporation of heart rate metrics into our training plan. I've used an HRM in training before, a long time ago, but I never used the data intelligently. My HRM was a means to gauge intensity and record total calories burned during a bootcamp or personal training session but never to dictate particular training zones.

Based on a threshold test, Adam determined 5 heart rate-based training zones, with which I'm gradually becoming more familiar:

• Zone 1 - below 149. Easy breezy, almost stubbornly so. hills require teensy tiny steps, or almost walking pace. On flat ground, I can go up to 8:30ish pace if I concentrate on keeping my breathing slow and steady.
• Zone 2 - 149-158. I get to pick it up a bit, but can still carry on full conversations. On flat ground, this is about 8:20ish pace.
• Zone 3 - 159-166. I can still talk but the sentences are shorter, choppier. This is approaching 70.3 to 13.1 effort.
• Zone 4 - 167-174. If I stayed towards the lower end, this would probably be 10 mile pace, and the upper end is closer to 10k pace. If I'm feeling fresh and on flat ground, upper zone 4 can be 7:15 pace.
• Zone 5 - 175 and above. 5k pace and above! Not really talking here, haha.

The really hard part about this type of training for me is keeping an eye on the HR values during a run and matching my effort to varying terrain. Any bit of an incline will send my HR up a notch and while I would normally try to maintain pace up a hill, now I'm forced to back off to keep the HR in a given sweet spot. It makes sense that I should back off to reserve that energy for the flats or downhills later in the race, but it's still hard to do.

I'm also learning that outside factors can influence my heart rate, from being sick (big time!), to seeing someone running about my speed on the other side of the road, to the music I hear, to the terrain I'm running on (not just in terms of incline or decline, but running over icy patches will also send my HR up a notch).

Right now I'm 6 weeks out from my goal race: the Bright Beginnings 5k on Saturday, March 7. I'll check in again after my next threshold test in two weeks!

Why hello there, 2015! Let's start things off on the right foot.

2014 marked a lot of changes in my life. New power meter. New coach. New race distance. New training approach. New responsibilities in my fellowship. New boss. New job. New routine. With that much change, I spent a lot of time this fall being introspective and assessing what I want for 2015.

Who am I now, and who do I want to be? How do I want to grow? What leaps of faith do I want to take?

While this blog is mainly focused on my life as a triathlete, these questions transcend sport and touch all aspects of my life.

At the end of the day, I want to be happy, healthy, and fast. I want to be surrounded by friends and family in a place that is special and exciting to me. I want to be challenged in my career and continually learning. I want to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

To achieve these goals, here are my 2015 Resolutions (adapted from http://swimswam.com/17-new-years-resolutions-swimmers/):

1. No pulling on the lane rope - I’m guilty of this more than I should be, but then I complain about how my backstroke isn’t as developed as I’d like. I know I’ll never get where I want to be by using the lane rope as a crutch, so that needs to stop. In life, I need to look beyond the easy way out and challenge myself.

2. Be less of a grouch during practice - I may not be in a perfect mood everyday, but that doesn’t have to carry over into my workouts. I will be happy for the opportunity to escape from whatever is bothering me and enjoy the suffering solo or with friends.

3. Make this the year I go injury-free - I know what types of overuse injuries I tend to fall victim to (shoulder tendinitis, shin splints, IT band flare ups) so why not be proactive and make time each week for pre-hab so the little things don’t become big things? Activities like foam rolling, bosu ball ankle strengthening exercises, stretch cords, core work should be assembled into a 30-40 min weekly routine.

4. Get in the habit of being more grateful - I will make use of my training log, and blog, to remind myself of what I’ve accomplished so far. I will write weekly gratitude lists (thanks Shelley!).

5. Sleep more - Now this is a resolution I can always get behind! I adore my 8 hours of sleep every night and already make this a priority, but sprinkling in weekend naps after hard sessions will only aid in recovery.

6. Straighten out my stroke (body) imbalance - I’ve known for years that the right side of my body is much more developed than my left, both in terms of overall strength and coordination. Instead of just knowing about it, why not do something about it? A PT assessment will put me on the right track for 2015.

7. Stop peeing in the pool - Who am I kidding … this will never happen!

8. Start and/or end every workout with a perfect dive (or flying mount/dismount) - Perfect practice makes perfect. I’ve lacked confidence in the last couple of years over doing a proper flying mount, mainly because I’ve convinced myself that my pelvis still isn’t flexible enough to fling my leg up and over the saddle. But I’ll never know unless I try!

9. Keep journaling my workouts - Workout log, Strava, Garmin connect. All of these sites compile the raw data of my workouts, but they don’t tell me where my head was at or how I felt. I will make sure to include a couple of tidbits at the end of each session while it’s still fresh in my mind.

10. Make all of my morning practices - This one I already do pretty well since I’m more of a morning person anyways, but even I am tempted to sleep in on occasion. Certainly some of those times, I need to listen to what my body is telling me, but other times I just need to HTFU and get out the door. I will very rarely regret it!

11. Each day encourage other athletes - Triathletes come in all shapes and sizes and come from all backgrounds. Even when I don’t have the time for formal coaching, I must never forget that I was once new to the sport and should give back to the community as much as I can.

12. Finish the warm-down - The warm-down is the one part of a workout that becomes so easy to skimp on when pressed for time, but that active recovery is crucial. Make the time! My body will thank me later. :)

13. Work on the thing I keep telling myself I suck at - I’m looking at you, racing in the heat. I had a lot of difficulties with heat and humidity this year and it really got to me mentally. At the start line of my races, I was already defeated and that’s no way to race! If I’m having trouble with something, I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to fix it.

14. Do ten minutes of extra vertical kicking once a week - Like with starts or mounts, every little bit adds up. Vertical kicking is great for kick strength as well as core development - and practical for deep water triathlon starts. Just do it!

15. Lead the lane more often. Don’t be afraid to rise to the occasion - I always jump to lead the lane on distance freestyle sets, but chicken out when it comes to sprinting or stroke. If I want to get faster, maybe I ought to try swimming scared. Not letting Peter or Scott catch me will be good motivation!

16. Align my lifestyle with my goals - I’ve made triathlon a priority, and my life reflects that to a big extent. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t enjoy myself outside of the sport, but I need to constantly keep reaffirming my goals to get where I want to go.

17. Reward myself - I work hard and deserve treats of the food, friends, and vacations variety. I won’t forget to enjoy myself in the new year!

#offseason and 2014 recap

Well, I've been meaning to start a blog of my triathlon journey for quite a while now, and as my official race season is winding down and winter is coming, now seems like a perfect opportunity to take stock of 2014 and look ahead to the new year.

Any story of 2014 would really have to begin in the fall of 2013 when I made a big change. After four years of racing sprint, Olympic, and half-ironman distance races, I decided to take a leap and tackle my first ironman distance race. Which race to target was a complete no-brainer. After racing in Sonoma County's Barb's Race three consecutive years and racing Vineman 70.3 in 2013, there was no way I was going to let my first ironman be any race other than the Full Vineman. The Russian River swim, the rolling SoCo hills through miles of vineyards and the spectator friendly looped run feels like home to me. I was confident in my ability to prepare myself for shorter races, but wanted some expert advice for making the jump to 140.6 miles. Choosing the perfect coach for this race was also a no-brainer: Dave Latourette of Train To Endure coaching. Dave has a wealth of experience as both a competitor and coach of endurance sports, and knows the Vineman course like the back of his hand, living in Santa Rosa itself. Dave also announces all of the Vineman family of races and I was tickled at the idea of having my personal coach shout out encouragement all day long from an announcer booth.

Dave and I began our journey together in December 2013 and the primary focus of the winter months was to establish a solid schedule, get some base miles under my belt, focus on my run mileage, and learn to trust one another. The coach-athlete relationship is a delicate and personal one, and having been self-coached for so long, it was nerve-wracking in the beginning to let go of the reigns and allow someone else to drive. But I could see progress right away. Dave immediately got me running 5 times a week which was completely new for me. But the majority of those runs were short so I never had to worry about the miles building up too quickly and getting injured. I learned that I like running in the snow! (Although below freezing Arctic vortex winds were a bit too much to handle).

I also began training with a power meter and let me tell you, I don't know how I would have made it through the 2013-2014 winter without it. I was riding indoors on my trainer three days a week and if I hadn't had power and cadence numbers of focus on during my workouts, I would have been a wreck. Thankfully, as a scientist, I'm a bit of a numbers junky and loved the constant feedback from my Quarq Riken.

The winter months flew by and before I knew it, my first test of 2014 was upon me: the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. My dear friend Kristin was racing the 13.1 miles with me, and her husband Chris and friend Anthony were gunning for a Boston Marathon qualifying time later that morning. Running 13.1 miles had never felt so light and effortless and I surprised myself with a 1:37.33 mega PR. This was a huge confidence boost as I approached the "meat and potatoes" of my triathlon season.

But as high flying as I felt after the Shamrock race, I was quickly brought back down to Earth by a cluster of inflamed nerves in my right foot - a neuroma. After an initial mis-diagnosis as a stress fracture, I figured out that the way to keeping my pesky foot happy was to wear a purple squishy pad just behind the ball of my foot. With the pad in place, I was able to run pain free for the first time in a month and went to work playing a game of catch up in search of ironman run miles.

As spring started to give way to summer, I raced my first half ironman of the year. Initially my race plan had called for an Olympic distance race or two before Eagleman in early June, but keeping my foot happy was a priority. Luckily for me, on race morning the swim was announced to be wetsuit illegal and I got to test drive my Roka Viper swimskin for the first time. The swim felt a little slow to me but I managed to PR the 56 mile bike. Unfortunately the heat and humidity took a toll on my body during the run course. Cramping in my feet and calves early on forced a lot of walk breaks, but luckily those subsided by about the halfway point and I was able to salvage the race by negative splitting the run in a pretty major way.

Ok - now for the big one. Full Vineman. My first ironman distance race. I spent the rest of June and July logging huge miles on the bike and run. I kept my weekday rides on the trainer for efficiency but had fun exploring western Maryland and Virginia on Ladybug, my trusty steed of four seasons, on Saturdays. We even got to roll up and down the scenic climbs and descents of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, and cross the Potomac River on a ferry boat.

Vineman was soon upon me and I took the Ironman plunge. I crushed the swim, with the fastest female split by 7 minutes. The Vineman bike course is rolling and gorgeous, taking athletes on a tour of the best Sonoma County vineyards. The first loop felt smooth and easy, but on the second loop the heat began to rise. The heat (as in Eagleman) would eventually prove my undoing. Cramps, dizziness, and what I suspect was a mild case of heat stroke led to walking and then eventually sitting. Not wanting to let my parents or Dave think that I had died, I convinced my body to hobble to the far turnaround so that my timing chip would ping. After another round of sitting (with ice, salt pills, coke, and chips all shoved into my stomach), I decided to try walking again. Two miles later, I tried jogging and kept walk/jogging for the rest of the marathon. While my ironman distance debut left me hungry for redemption, I am still so proud that I made it to the finish line.

Feeling somewhat fresh after Vineman (since the marathon wasn't running so much as run/walk/sit/walk/run), I decided to tack on some extra races to the calendar. About three weeks later I jumped into the Luray Sprint triathlon, falling in love with Lake Arrowhead and the surrounding area. A month later, I tested myself at the Giant Acorn Olympic triathlon in Lake Anna State Park. I PR'd the Olympic distance bike and set a new overall Olympic distance PR. In both of those races I also had the fastest female swim splits (5th overall at LS and 3rd overall at GA). Yeehaw!

The final race of 2014 was the Austin 70.3 in ... you guessed it ... Austin, Texas. I love love love this race.

1. It's in my hometown.
2. I get to stay with my sister and brother-in-law.
3. I get to play with their puppies.
4. I get to eat all of my favorite Austin foods.
5. I get to reconnect with old friends.
6. I get to crush the swim. ;)

Ok, the last one is true for most of the races I do anyways, but this year I had the extra bonus of having the overall fastest female swim split, including the professional women. Stoked! The bike was also powerful and strong, and my run ... eh ... stupid heat. I clearly need to work on racing in the heat. But I hung in there and finished strong, and had a wonderful weekend with family and friends (and food).

Now that my 2014 race season has wrapped up, it's time to take stock of what I accomplished and what I want for the future.

First, even though my marathon wasn't what I know I'm capable of, I'm proud to have finished my first ironman.

Second, cutting back a bit on the swim training this year didn't seem to detract much from my race results.

Third, it's crazy hard trying to keep training consistent when switching jobs mid-summer but that's what great coaches are there for!

Fourth, injuries don't have to mean game over. I learned that big time in 2012 with my broken pelvis, but I'd been pretty lucky since then. My neuroma was another set back but careful management let me race all year long and I think the darn thing has finally healed!

Thoughts for next year? A lot of things are up in the air for me right now. As an avid goal setter and planner, this sense of unbalance is irritating but until I can set more concrete goals, here are a few things I want for myself in 2015:

I want to feel alive.
I want to take a risk.
I want to give more of myself than I ever have before.
I want to live each day happy and grateful and with a purpose.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my #offseason with amazing friends and family and think only positive thoughts about what the next year has to offer!

It's always sunny in Philadelphia

The triathlete/graduate student lifestyle doesn't lend itself to copious amounts of free time, and entire weekends are difficult to come by. But when an opportunity arose to visit the lovely and fun Miss Alex Wolfe in Philadelphia in November, I pounced!

I wished a fond farewell to my bunny and my bikes, and boarded a plane for the East Coast. A lay-over in Denver quickly turned into a panicked sprint for my next gate, when my flight from Oakland was delayed in landing, having been forced into the airplane equivalent of a grid-lock for half an hour. Many thanks to the fabulous folks on Southwest for holding up the next leg of the journey to accommodate the delayed passengers!

Once again, we were up up and away and I was back doing what I love best - burying my nose in a good book. An hour later I had completed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and was

occupying my mind with the pleasures and curiosities of Sky Mall magazine, proving for the millionth time that if you conceive it, they will try to sell it. An uneventful flight later, and I was in a taxi cab bound for University City. Who knew there were so many sub-cities in Philadelphia? I met up with Miss Wolfe with hugs and happiness at her friend's apartment near campus, where the two had been busy preparing libations for Sunday's festivities (more to come later).

Alex introduced me to her house one block behind the charming and unique Rittenhouse Square. The house is a 3-story carriage house, with original hardwood floors (over 200 years old!), a terrifyingly narrow and steep stair case, and a classic Philadelphia red brick facade. Luckily, she and her housemate were in between roommates at the time, so I had my own room at the front of the house on the second floor. My windows opened onto Manning St, more of a wide alley than street, which meant little car traffic and allowed nothing but the sweet sounds of music playing in the Square to filter into my bed chamber on Sunday morning.

Rittenhouse Square is more than just a meeting of four streets. It is a park, a sculpture garden, a playground, a meeting place, a lunch spot, and so much more. Homes, hotels, shops, and restaurants with fabulous outdoor seating all flank the Square. Every morning, joggers nimbly pick their path across the cobblestone walkways. Every afternoon the lunch crowd occupies each available bench. Every evening, parents bring their children to climb on the statues. And at all hours of the day, dogs and their owners greet one another with wagging tails and smiles. It is a perfect and charming place, and the arrival of fall decorated the green lawns with blankets of yellow leaves.

On Sunday, we discovered quite possibly my favorite piece of Philadelphia - a fabulous little Jewish delicatessen just off Rittenhouse Square. Upon walking in and seeing the mountainous plates of food, and smelling the pickled cabbage and cucumbers, I knew I'd found home. My omelette with potato pancakes was delicious, as was the rugelach I treated myself to afterwards. Also, who can resist a place that gives homemade chocolate chip cookies with the check? If only I lived in Philadelphia, this little deli would be my home away from home. My matzoh ball soup the net day perfectly complemented the challah stuffing (baked with carrots, onions, celery, and raisins). And the smell of the fried kreplach with onions was intoxicating - I could barely hold off eating my treasure until the plane trip home on Tuesday.

However, the deli had to compete with the beauty of running alongside the Schylkill River in the morning. During my stay, Philadelphia was blessed with uncommonly gorgeous weather - sunny skies and day time temperatures around 60 degrees. This was not the frigid Northeast weather I'd anticipated for November! Other joggers on the trail seemed immune to the warm, sunny mornings, and still proceeded to shuffle along in sweatshirts and gloves, whereas I bounded with unbridled joy in my shorts and t-shirt. I fairly flitted along the path, stopping every 1/4 mile or so to read the inscriptions that flanked the many landmarks and statues along the way.

About two miles north from Rittenhouse, one encounters a row of boat houses and the Waterworks. Rushing water spills over the top of a dam, which is truly better appreciated from a view above the river on Lemon Hill. Paths and overlooks were constructed in the early 1800s to allow citizens to enjoy the fresh air and views. I ran further north, past the boat houses before turning around to explore the primary goal of my run - the Philadelphia Art Museum, and home to the "Rocky Steps". From the top of the steps, the entire Ben Franklin Parkway opened up beneath me. It was like an artery, leading directly from the heart to the core of the city. Cars rushed and swirled around a central statue, depicting George Washington standing among natives and wild animals.

Later that day, I explored the historical sights of Independence Hall, Franklin House, and the Second Bank of the United States. This treasure trove of American history lay only two miles from Rittenhouse Square, and was a delightful walk through shops and restaurants. I made a second trip on my last day to visit the National Museum of Jewish American History, of which the exhibits on immigration and Ellis Island were my favorites. On my way home from Old City, I stopped in at the Terminal Reading Market, a cornucopia of farmer's stalls, food stands, and craftsmen's wares. I grabbed a few jars of fruit butters - pumpkin for myself, and apple and strawberry/rhubarb for Brandt. I also treated myself to an ice cream cone from local Philly company, which had been around since 1861 - celebrating 150 years this year! I was tasting a scoop of history right?

All in all, my visit to Philadelphia was wonderful. What more could I ask for than a weekend of"phood", "phriends", and "phun". Thank you to my dear friend Alex for introducing me to this wonderful place, and sharing a piece of her new life with me! I will treasure these memories always.