Caution: Runner NOT Running

As the support crew for a runner, you know the inherent hazards of the sport. The chafing, the dehydration, and the ~ahem~ bathroom issues that many runners experience on occasion are all things that the support crew experiences second hand. Never is a situation more perilous, however, than when one is the support crew for the injured runner. Here are some important rules adopted from Chez Moi with the intention of promoting safety.

Be as Prepared as a Scout preparing for an Academy Award.  The first thing to realize when talking with the injured runner is that they are dying to tell you about their badassery. They cannot wait to explain how they injured their (xyz) running (xyz) distance on (xyz) date. Furthermore, be prepared to provide an appropriate response or wince when they go into great detail about how they ran 4 miles on a broken foot, or had fluid drained via a 6' needle, or my personal favorite - share how the bones crunched against each other for a few days. We've discussed this before, runners are weird. And gross. And weird.

The Importance of Math.  The injured runner is a delicate creature, vulnerable and prone to wild mood swings rivaling that of a 15 year old girl. The injured runner frequently believes at any given time that he or she is speaking in a sane rational voice about his or her return to running, when in fact, they are talking like a drunk frat boy on a Saturday night. Like a marathoner at the end of a race, the non-running runner cannot perform simple math. Gibberish about Couch to 5K plans and how well Physical Therapy is going can quickly dissolve into Fall Marathon plans. Oh the non-running runner is laughable with their plans to add miles in increments of 10% when the current base mileage rests solidly on a big fat ZERO.  Last I checked, 10% of 0 is 0.

the family holiday photo of 2015

The Approach.  When approaching an injured runner, it’s important to move in slow non-threatening steps, preferably while wearing sensible flats. Running shoes are a no go, as are heels or dress shoes. The injured runner needs no reminding that they are injured, and assuredly, they know exactly what kind of Brooks you have laced onto your feet. If they, like me, have a broken foot and are relegated to a boot, the dress shoes are just a further reminder of how “non-cute” their Christmas wardrobe has been thus far this year.

On Staying Grounded.  The Non-Running Runner who has been sentenced to a month or more of “Spinning Easy on a Spin Bike” is particularly prone to illusions of grandeur regarding their bike fitness. Suddenly they are planning Century rides and contemplating two-day charity events. This is typically experienced by the budding cyclist before their workout du jour, as at the conclusion of a 30 minute spin, they are usually more grounded in reality. In this case, “reality” is comparable to a deep dark hole in the ground where running doesn’t live.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell. One of the trickiest questions posed by the non-running runner is in regards to someone else's running plans. If asked what your race plans are for 2016, it's imperative to change the subject quickly and subtly. Equally dangerous is asking the injured runner when their MD says they can run again. Remember, dates are numbers, numbers are like math, and the non runner has limited math ability at this time.

Finally, Beware the Cookie. Never ever take the last cookie from a non-running runner, unless you have a death wish or are pregnant.

~ savor the boot ~

Fear Less

For every second of a mountain bike video where there is a cyclist perched on the edge of a cliff, there is a MTB chic like me.

A babe on a bike who’s scared and sweaty; gripping the handlebars with white knuckles under purple gloves even as she gears down so she can chase her badass Fear-less friend through the forest trails. 

That girl?  You know the one? 

That girl, who is so totally focused on not crashing that she sometimes she forgets she is having fun?  The one who is concentrating on every single root, bump, rock, dust mote and mole hole as she negotiates her way through the trails? 

That girl is me.

And you know what?

I don’t even mind being that girl.

I’m not particularly good at the sport, but every time I go out and do it, I love it.  I find it to be invigorating and so unlike anything I’ve ever done before in my life.  

Even though it’s just like riding a bike, and I used to race BMX as a kid, this is not like riding a bike.

It’s dangerous feeling, but it’s empowering too.  It’s dirty and sweaty and all the things that we are taught that girls shouldn’t be.  There are cuss words and giggles, at the same time.

My tires pop and crunch on the roots and rocks.  They slip on loose gravel when I don’t expect it, and when that happens on a hill, it feels like the back end of the bike is vanishing from under me.  At least two or three times today I caught a root and it caused my front wheel to turn in a direction I wasn’t expecting.  That was a little frightening.

I could hit a tree.

I could wreck.

I could trust myself.

I could fear less.

And that’s what I did today. 

I hate being scared as much as the next girl, but I must love it too because I had to try to do everything I came upon today.  Every obstacle vanished behind a giggle or a muttered curse word.  Even better, I successfully “didn’t die” while trying to put it together into something that looked and felt an awful lot like FUN.

I’m sure that there was a wrinkle in my brow for a lot of today’s ride.  I know I was so focused on what was in front of my tire that I likely missed much of the beauty of today’s adventure. 

I am just as certain that I was smiling throughout the ride, even when I had to put my foot down so I could just keep going.

~savor~

wanting the run

This fall I rode 106 miles on my bike, in 92+ degree heat, with negative splits.

Never EVER in my life have I so badly wanted to train for a marathon. I want to run using the philosophy I used on that bike ride.

I went in on that Saturday with the idea that a positive attitude goes a long way....

and

A mantra that has nothing to do with success and everything to do with humor is more powerful than a canned impersonal mantra that has no emotional connection.  "Tom's Tire... Beer."  I know people who run with the mantra "Try Not to Suck", and other's who focus on "Damn you Miriam!" And I want to run again, with a Mantra of the Day, as I did in 2010.

I want to bring myself to the edge of death, and remember how on that bike ride, I pushed through and just kept going... even when it hurt, I wanted to stop, etc and so forth.

I am craving the aching muscles, the pride, the exhaustion, the doubt, the success, and the self confidence that go with marathon training... just as I experienced doubt, fear, success and galactically badass bike ride in October.

I went in undertrained exactly trained enough to finish strong on that fateful Saturday. If that event had been the 102 miles it was supposed to be, instead of the 106 it was, I might have even finished stronger... but there's no second guessing, because it's what it was in the moment.

I want to RUN.

Life at 100

I read somewhere once that cyclists take sadistic pride in the agony of riding.

After this week's workout, I am going to go a step further.

Cycling is one of the most painfully miserable things I have ever done... and I've birthed 3 children, run 4 marathons, completed a Half Ironman Distance Triathlon in 90+ degree heat, and run the SF Half Marathon, which is a bit hilly.

I know my own pain experience is pretty diverse, and yet, cycling is fixed firmly in the top of that list.

That's partly because I have found a new form of torture. 30 second intervals. Holy Misery, they were awful. Thankfully I had a companion.

He's significantly faster than I am.

We warmed up together, chit-chatting. I tried not to get intimidated. I knew that once our intervals started we wouldn't be cycling together any more because this guy is probably the fastest guy I know on two wheels, and I am a mom of 3 kids who's run a few marathons, half iron, yada yada and oh by the way I do have a bike.

We did work out a system to ride together, uh, sort of... but if we're looking for an analogy of what the acceleration was like...

It was like chasing a Nascar (Car) on a Pinto (pony)...

Nothing in my memory is as painful as those 30 second sprint intervals in full sun chasing a Galacticly Bada** Egyptian Gentleman. 

And here's the catch that our ride really drove home. He was an amazing cyclist. And he was suffering and spent by the end of the ride.... 

Intervals are always going to be painful. No matter how many years I ride, no matter who I ride with on any given Tuesday... riding at 100% is always going to be hard.

It doesn't get easier - you just get faster.

Bet that applies to running...

In fact, I could apply that theory to life... parenting, nursing school, and relationships. They don't get easier. If you are working at 100% effort, it's going to hurt.

Of course, you can only maintain that level of intensity for 30 seconds. It's an excruciatingly painful but minuscule percentage of time in your workout. 

So the next time you consider giving 100% to your life, just remember, it's going to hurt... and that you can't maintain that hurt for more than a few minutes. It takes a team to get 100% out of life. The theory of pace-line is that you work 20% less when you have a cyclist in front of you blocking the wind/cutting a 'hole' in the air for you to draft in... I call it riding in the pocket, though I'm not sure that's technical.

Basically, even if you are a world champion, you can't expect to do it all on your own.

rephrase - 

I can't expect to do it all on my own.

My plan these days is to get my kids to pitch in 10% each, I'll push myself and put out a solid 60%, Desi (our #bestdogever) will put in her standard 2%, and the rest comes from the love and support of the people in my life who give me the help I need to pull it together, both on the bike and off.

Together my team is tip-top, riding at 100%.

Prioritize Post Workout

The most important thing to do after an endurance activity is to drink.

The most important thing to do after an endurance activity is to consume protein.

The most important thing to do is take an ice bath..

s'ok. I'm gonna jus' lay down on my floor and take a little nap now. Wake me up after there's a consensus on what to do "first" after a 57+ mile bike ride in 2000% humidity.

Less is More

Have you ever wondered if you’re the person reading Runner’s World or Triathlete Magazine or The Internet who is missing ALL the important details, and picking up only the wisdom that doesn’t apply to you at all?

I don’t wonder any more.

I know.

“It says here that Almonds are a health food.”

“I don’t think they mean for you to eat a pound of almonds a week.”

And

“I don’t worry about over training because I don’t work out that much.”

“How much do you work out?”

“5-6 days a week at 50- 60 minutes a day on the week days and 2-3 hours on the weekend days.”

“That is a lot.... Who works out more than you? I mean, what are you basing this on?”

“My friends are all IronmenWomen & Marathoners... so....”

“Omg, you are so weird."

And

“Well, I thought if I dropped some weight I might be less injury prone,” I said to a medical professional who happens to be a Triathlete of epic proportion.

“Uh, WHAT? Where did you get that idea?”

“um... Runners World?”

“That applies to people who are obese and take up running. So... no. You ...” exasperated sigh, “YOU need to eat better to be less injury prone.”

And so, as though a light bulb went on at the exact right moment, I realized recently that I have a history of working out a lot more than I need to be even when I’m not training. Not going to say, “too much”, because there’s definitely a threshold for every athlete that is higher for some and lower for others. Constantly pushing myself at that level wasn't helping me build a base, it was breaking me down so that I was coming into my "actual training" with muscle tears and injury.

Lately, because of my summer schedule and vacationing, I have missed a few workouts.

A lot of workouts. 

I’ve been hiking, playing with kids, painting bedrooms, building sand castles, sleeping in, reading a novel... or five.

And let me tell you, my body LOVES having an extra day off every week. Fo’ Shizzle. In some respects, I look better and feel better than I ever did when I was working out 6 or 7 days a week in the name of fitness. That’s not to say I’m as strong as I was... no way. I’m not buff and rippling and able to scale a 40 foot rock wall.

I’m just lighter. And less stressed. Maybe those two things are the same thing.

I love having that pressure to "Get It Done" removed.

And so does my body.

Of course, yeah... I’m jonesing for a 26.2 fix even as I type this...  but until I’m ready to commit to the training, and accept the stress and responsibility that comes with it, I need to just keep my eye on the long-term picture. 

And right now, that means an extra day or two of rest every week.

'Cos sometimes less is more.

Proper Hydration Should Start the Day Before

Today's lesson is a cautionary tale about a cyclist, a 50 miler, and a few important details that should never be overlooked.

"Proper hydration starts the day before, not the morning of..."
"When in doubt, drink a little more early in your activity."
"Don't change all your nutrition in one day."
"Masters swim at 6:30 p.m. followed by a 50 miler the next morning is probably not a brilliant plan unless you are going to meticulously hydrate in between." < ~ and I so didn't...
"Even if you are feeling perfect and fierce for the first 25, you probably should take it easy if the humidity is typical for a Central VA 4th of July and you're not adapted to it."

On one hand, I had the best 25 miler yesterday. I felt strong and amazing. I noticed I was sweating a freaking LOT, but the wind created on the bike is pleasant when one is sweating and it whisks the moisture away before it becomes a nuisance.

In theory.

I noticed early in my ride that my jersey was completely soaked through. This is my favorite jersey, and I don't normally notice that sort of thing. Still, I had 2 full bottles on board, and was doing well. Wait, why were they full still at mile 5?

Also, Because of the size of my bike frame, I was packing a 24 oz and a 20 oz bottle. Both were filled with the NUUN/Coconut water mixture I'm fond of drinking. However, 44 oz is probably not enough, when considering that by mile 10 I was probably already down 2 pounds (32 oz) of sweat.

Driving to the ride I realized I was missing a handful of equipment.
Typically before I leave my house I bring a 16 oz bottle of water to drink on the way over, my sunglasses, a clif bar cut in half to eat as I'm mounting the bike, and the route.
I had none of these things. I found a spare random "sampler" bar in my bag, and ate half. It was about 95 calories.
Fortunately, I have friends who had a spare pair of glasses & a handful of Bonk Breakers to bring on the bike.

Starting the ride I was down 16 oz, 35 calories.

Since my breakfast consists of 1 small banana (90ish calories), those 35 calories are fairly critical...

I felt really great though, as I said, for the first 25.
And then we turned and had a fierce climb. Followed by a long slow climb that goes a while. Followed by a few pesky climbs. And by the time we turned off the last of the climbing roads, I was dry heaving on the bike, and down to a few swigs of water.

and I wasn't sweaty.
At all.
But I clearly wasn't hot, because I was covered in gooshflesh....

At mile 42ish I had a wave of dizziness wash over me that almost took me off my bike. I could barely keep it upright. My legs, back, arms, and chest were cramping.

At mile 45 the route passes a gas station, and I pulled into the lot heaving like I'd just done a hard sprint. I'd barely been rolling at 10 mph. The Good Dr & British Gentleman were with me at the time, and I said, "I don't have 20 minutes left in me" and shocked myself when I said, "Dr, can you go get the car?"

He handed me a $5 and sent me to buy a drink while he pounded at 22mph back to the start.

I drank 32 oz before he arrived to get me.
And another 10 oz with him before I could even get in the car.

Oddly enough, or perhaps, not odd at all, I felt pretty good after rehydrating myself with about 64 oz of fluids, and my mind started wandering. I questioned whether or not I could have finished the ride.

And then I came to my senses.

No, I could not have finished the ride. I might have fallen off the bike, or worse, caused an accident in the pace line. What I needed was air conditioning, liquids, electrolytes and more liquids. More miles would have been a fail.

This just proves that even the most thoughtful athlete, educated and practiced in the ways of hydration, can have a day that reminds of them of their mortality. Happy 4th of July weekend, and be safe out there in summer heat.

The Deep Blue

As usual, riding trumps running for another week. I'm relegated to PT exercises and strengthening the weakened area. I can't be sad though. One of the weak areas has been my brain, and today I had the most perfect ride. ~mojo~

50 miles. Perfect Weather. Exquisite Company. Beautiful Route. It all came together.

As I was sitting at coffee afterwards, sipping on the deep nutty roast that I enjoy for my post ride drink, I realized that pneumonia is a fading memory.

When I first crawled out of bed in April, my workouts were like pair of crisp new jeans. They were uncomfortable, but I still made them work. I had to, they were all I had. They didn't fit quite right, they weren't the correct length. They hadn't molded to my shape. The blue was too deep.

And each ride or swim I finish washes a little of the blue out of them.

The crispness fades, and they become softer and more comfortable. I slide into my ride like a girl shimmying into her favorite jeans. With a quick snap and a zip, I can enjoy the way they fit across my tightening muscles. The length is about right. The break-lines are where they belong.

I do not have to fight with my workout anymore. I can stretch out and enjoy it. I can say yes when I'm invited to go for a ride.

It is a glorious feeling.

~enjoy the ride~

PlanZ with a Z

"So, what are your plans for 2013?"

Plans?

Oh, I had plans.

They were amazing.

Big plans. PlanZ with a Z. Cos a Z gives everything street cred...

Pretty sure the epic planz were the shiz... something about using my bada** mtb to make my legs uber strong so I could get out and destroy a Half Distance Triathlon... after I destroyed my Half Marathon PR in March and accomplished a solid sub 4 marathon in May... At least, I think that's what they were...

I'm not 100% sure I remember anymore, and even though I have them written down, I'm not going back to look at them.

I can tell you what my plans weren't.

I wasn't planning on missing the entire month of March because I had some kind of weird illness on the last Wednesday of February. And what's crazy is that even though I lost my fitness, there is no point in feeling badly about not working out. I don't have guilt. I was sick enough to be hospitalized and have nursing students move into my apartment to take care of me...

Part of viewing health from a holistic stand point is the idea that health encompasses physical, mental and social well being. So, health has to involve resilience.

In my case, part of being resilient is making a new plan that makes the "illness" & "injury" of the past year just another part of a learning experience.

And I did learn some things from being sick.. mostly I learned is that unexpected things happen and that I'm lucky... and I learned I need to work with what I have.

So, what are my plans for 2013?  "To accomplish personal success, as defined in the moment, by me".

My "List" of 2013 FUN includes a bunch of events throughout the year, including a 100 mile bike ride in August.

However, I should really point out that the priorities are more like..

Keep it all in perspective
ride my new bike
savor the run
be happy

Ground Force IT Power Sprint Tri 2013

"No worries, the first rule of Triathlon is to NOT DROWN. I've so got this."  ~ spoken with far more confidence than I felt about 8 minutes before I jumped into the Shady Grove YMCA pool.

me, IronBill, DeNiece

On a starless Sunday morning in May, I got up well before any sane person in the world, and went with varying levels of dread and excitement to meet my TriWife DeNiece so we could head to our first TRI of the season. Lot's of folks we know raced Ground Force IT Power Sprint, including Potter, King, and Catalyst J. Everyone had an amazing day in one way or another.

I'm the fool who seeded myself on my best 300m time of the season. I admit, a week before the race, I was pretty nervous about my swim seed position. I mean, if everything went PERFECTLY I would be fine and could make the 5:29 goal. <~ when does everything go perfectly on race day?
right.

Still, an hour after sunrise I found myself standing in gooey mud waiting to swim with only 86 people swimming ahead of me. I chatted with the guy behind me and wondered whether he would catch me. Always my fear in the pool. So my strategy on this length TRI swim is to go all out for the first 100M, settle in for the 2nd 100M, and don't drown in the 3rd 100M.

I lined up in the doorway with T-15 seconds till start and listened to the hollow sound of churning water. The volunteers rinsed the mud off my feet, and "GO". I jumped into the dark chop, pushed off, and went for it.

At about 200M I caught and passed the swimmer ahead of me.

By 250M I wondered if life wouldn't just be easier if I sucked in a lungful of water and died rather than maintain the brutal pace.

The swimmer behind me never caught me (or the guy I passed).

I flopped my nearly dead body onto the cement deck, gasping for oxygen and staggered to my feet... oh... freaking yea. I'm running to transition now. At that point I had NO clue how fast the swim was... you lose time when you catch the swimmer ahead of you, because you have to pass them at the wall and there's a loss in "fluidity". And I never timed myself jumping in and swimming and then climbing out of the pool with dead limbs. But still, it didn't feel like the swim of my life. bah. WTFC? I was glad it was over.

05:53 Swim Split very slow compared to every pre-race time trial.

Transition felt fast. Didn't look at my watch - that woulda taken time. Shoes, helmet, bike, go. I decided to take a lesson from my son & race without socks.

Swim to Bike 02:09

Also, I was still muddled when I went to mount, but I got on and got moving. The bike was great. I freaking love my new bike. Did I mention that? 

"Keep pedaling, Beautiful!" I heard as Catalyst J passed me going about 9087 mph on his yellow bike.

Catalyst J - 1st in A.G! So proud of you friend!

I passed a few people, got passed by a few people, passed a few more. It wasn't the sufferfest from my last TRI ride. It was great. Did I mention...? 

I paralleled the run course, and there was Catalyst J again! He looked strong and fast!
"GO Catalyst J!"
"GO Beautiful!"

38:11 Bike Split holy freaking bike ride batman! It's a 4 minute bike PR on this course! 19.2mph!!!

Before I knew it, I was back in transition pulling on my shoes, visor and race belt so I could go for a run.

Bike to Run 01:25

As I ran out, I heard my name, looked up, and there was The Good Dr taking my photo. Right in front of him were my 3 awesome cheerleader kids. It was sweet.

Remember when running was my favorite sport?

It's so not my favorite sport any more.
That was wicked hard. My achilles started to whine about 1 mile into the run. Every step felt in slow motion. I watched the time click away on my watch. I knew it would be like this, because I haven't been running in weeks... but still...

Thankfully it was a 5k, so despite my pace, the finish came quickly.

27:43 Run Split so incase you wondered, that was 1:43 slower than I'd hoped to pull off.

And the MC felt like interviewing me for some reason as I was having my chip removed. It went like this:

"VIRGINIA FLYNNnnnnnn, FROM HENRICOoooooooh, JUST FINISHED. VIRGINIAaaaaaa, HOW WAS THAT RACE FOR YOU TODAY?"
~gasp~ "it was" ~gasp~ "a great day" ~gasp~ "out there" ~gasp~ "today".

The Good Dr & T were at the finish to greet me. And I got a few sweaty hugs before covering my injured achilles with ice. I watched DeNiece finish and walked up to her to wipe black... mascara? off her face...?

And she laughed and showed me her hands. "I threw my chain. This is bike grease!"

Anyway, with Catalyst J's EPIC results (first place AG finish!!!), hot showers inside the Y, bike grease, Bouncy Houses, Potter (AG place as well), and all kinds of food stuff flying around, I never really even looked at my time or rank or anything.

I couldn't be bothered. For some reason, I wasn't pleased with my race. I think it was because I was shooting for an A, and I got a B.

And then I remembered something right as I fell into bed for a mid morning nap:  Oh yeah. On March 17 I was standing at a post race "party" coughing so hard I pulled a muscle. I couldn't take a full breath. I was using an inhaler 4X a day and sleeping 18 out of every 24 hours ... It's only May 19. I maybe need to cut my sorry self a little slack on this, and be happy with my race today.

So I realized that a lot of variables went into the race... but the ones that matter are that I have an amazing support crew. I am lucky. I am able to get off the couch and race.


I finished:

8 of 27 A.G.

35 of 143 Female

140 of 325 Overall

01:15:21

That happens to be a PR for me.

Also, as a side note, Richmond Multisports put on a great race this year. It was the smoothest I ever recall and the Rev3 timing was great. Thanks RMS.