Four is More

Well folks, this is the longest I've gone without posting since starting this blog 128 posts ago. I didn't intend to post daily when I began, but I'm a bit Type A and felt compelled to do so. Then I started to really enjoy it as a way to reflect on what I had done that day and thought about how great it would be to look back months or years later and relive the experience. However, posting takes time, sometimes a lot of time. And I've discovered recently what a luxury time is.

Since coming back from Wisconsin I have been moving non-stop. In some ways this is probably a good thing. It got me to stop obsessing about the Ironman, which is still an entire year away, and forced me to streamline my focus to be more about running and the impending NYC Marathon. But in many ways, it's been a challenge. I haven't slept much collectively in the past month and it's definitely taking a toll. I'm so exhausted some days that I'm not sure how I'll get through it all. I've also had to postpone a lot of training and condense multiple sessions into shorter periods of time, which is having an impact on my body. And some training has just been missed, which is clearly not ideal given the setbacks I've already experienced.

So to catch up on where I left off, here is what has been going on over the past four days:

Swimming

I've been swimming twice this week - 1,800 yards Monday and 2,000 yards this morning. I forgot my sling on Monday so it was up to me to keep my arm stable. But the temptation of having it free was too much to resist. I swam a few laps with my left arm and it wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. My range is severely limited, I can't fully extend and there was some pain, but it still felt amazing to swim like a normal person. Even with all the inefficiency and drag my bum arm was creating, I felt like I was flying through the water compared to one-arming it. But in the spirit of actually following doctor's orders (something I don't do well), I limited it to mostly one-arm and did the same today. Although I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few laps with both arms today as well.

Biking

My biking has suffered the most this month. With so many limitations and the need to get back into running, I chose to cut back significantly. I'm tired of being on the trainer and it was so painful to navigate around my shoulder that it just didn't seem worth it. Now that my shoulder is better, I got started again this week with small baby steps. My legs are definitely not feeling it so it's going to be a long road back and I wasn't that great before. Looks like my biking focus this winter will be well timed.

Running

This has been and up and down week for sure. After Sunday's 15-miler, I took Monday off and ran 6 miles Tuesday that were easily the worst 6 miles I've run this entire year. My pace was off by almost a minute and just about every step was painful. I had a foot cramp in the warm up that never went away, a nagging stomach cramp that no amount of deep breathing resolved and my ITB was causing sharp knee pain. On top of the aches and pains, my legs were just tired and didn't want to move. I chalked it up to the 15-miler and overall fatigue.

I went back out last night and tried again, this time making it 8 miles. It was definitely a better run overall, but the ITB is going to be a problem. It was on my mind the entire time and I just kept thinking, "please, not this, not now." To be honest, I'm not sure I can handle another setback. I'm trying SO hard to keep a positive attitude and keep pushing forward, but given my experiences in the past two months, I don't know how much more HTFU I have left in me (note: to those not familiar, HTFU is a favorite saying in triathlon - harden the f**k up). Since I know hip weakness causes my ITB issues, at least I know what to do to battle it. That's one benefit of having already been through an injury.

I'm taking today off running and will either run tomorrow or get on the elliptical if the pain is still too much. I have an 18-mile race Sunday that I'd like to be less painful.

In overall updates, my shoulder is doing much better. I actually rolled onto my left side for the first time last night. Of course I had to promptly roll back over, but the fact that my body is finally feeling comfortable is a good sign. I start physical therapy tomorrow morning and can't wait to see how that helps.

I still haven't decided which Zipp wheels to buy, even after stirring up a rather heated clincher vs. tubular debate on BT. I just don't know enough about bikes to make a good decision. I'm waiting for my guy at Cadence to be back in so I can get his opinion, then I'm making the purchase. I'm also ready for my fitting, I just need to find the time, which is unfortunately in short supply these days.

Monday - 9/22:

Swimming
Distance - 1800 yards
Time - 40:48

Biking
Distance - 11.14 miles
Time - 45:00

Tuesday - 9/23:

Running
Distance - 6 miles
Time - 55:37

Wednesday - 9/24:

Running
Distance - 8 miles
Time - 1:11:06

Thursday - 9/25:

Swimming
Distance - 2000 yards
Time - 46:21

Biking
Distance - 8.17
Time - 35:00