Two days ago was my first day back to some semblance of exercise after the accident. I went to the gym to ride a stationary recumbent bike. Since that morning was the first time that I was able to put on a t-shirt, I figured that I might as well get some exercise. After nearly stopping and going home after trying to get changed in the locker room (learned the right and wrong way to put on a pullover shirt), I headed to the cycling room. Next door, there was a spin or exercise class that was pumping out hip-hop at a earth shattering volume. And directly in front of me was a monitor tuned to Fox News. Great. I was going to be visually and aurally assaulted for the duration of my ride. 30 minutes later, I was moderately sweaty and had enough. Not bad for a first ride, but I definitely will be bringing my own entertainment to the next session.
I have set up my 'cross bike on the Computrainer at home, but have not tried it out yet. My back is still spasm-ing up by the end of the day, so I'm not sure how it will tolerate being on a road bike. At least it's there ready for me. Of bigger concern is my tri bike. The crankset appears to now be rubbing on the chainstay. It may simply need a spacer, but I'm concerned that my power meter got bent during the fall... which would definitely ruin my day. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Still sleeping in a recliner...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It was a short season
Well, my first race of the season was also likely my last (race of the season). A split second bad decision, and I'm on the disabled list. Here are the gory details:
It was lightly raining when I woke up on Saturday morning. I am not a great bad weather racer, but I figured it was time to get things going for the season, so I loaded everything up and headed to Fort Lewis for a sprint triathlon. As I was setting up, it started raining heavier and heavier. I figured it was not a PR kind of day, so I would take it easy on the bike turns. There were numerous friends at the race, and I think we all had the same "misery loves company" mentality.
For the first time in a very long time, I didn't get into the water at the swim finish and swim over to the start. Instead, I walked over to the start, and got a few quick strokes in before I lined up to wait. My swim was not very good, as I was having a hard time swimming a straight line. As I made the first turn, I nearly swam into the person in front of me, who came to a complete stop at the buoy to sight the next buoy. I swam around that person and pressed onwards, zigzagging my way (going to have to work on swimming straight, I thought). As I made the turn for home, I looked up and saw that there was nothing to sight off. For some reason, the usual inflatable archway was not up. After spending some time figuring out where to go, I headed back to shore.
Running into transition (which had been moved for the first time in over 15 years), I noticed a couple of friends getting ready to head out on bikes. I couldn't get my wetsuit off (my new Xterra suit has some snug arm and leg holes), so my transition was slow. I also made the decision before the race to put on my cycling shoes in transition rather than on the bike. Since it was early in the season, my transition skills were a bit rusty, so I figured that it would be faster and less problematic to put on my shoes first. The bike was hard, as it was raining steadily; I was happy that I decided to put on arm warmers (that decision was one of the few good ones I made on Saturday as you will later see). I started reeling in people and headed for the turnaround, feeling that I was working pretty hard for the speed that I was going; obviously, the lack of training was showing. As I approached the underpass, the leaders passed by going the opposite direction. I counted myself to be in 8th, and very cautiously went around the roundabout (turnaround). I then picked it up to try to catch as many people as I could. After passing a couple more people, I got passed; this was a bit surprising, as it has been a long time since I've been passed on the bike.
Heading into one of the last turns, I was approaching the 5th place cyclist. I went into the turn with too much speed for the conditions of the day, and my bike slid out from under me. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to put my arm down and landed on my right shoulder. As I was lying there, I realized that my right shoulder was really sore. I spent a few minutes on my back, and a fellow competitor stopped to try to help me. I assured him that I was fine, and that he should get back into the race, since there was a road guard there to help me anyway. I sat up in a bit of a daze, with my right shoulder hurting and my right hip and foot a bit sore. Finally, I stood up... at which point I became pretty nauseated and started shivering pretty bad. That's when I knew that I was hurt more than just some bumps and bruises. I started feeling my shoulder and could feel that there was something not quite right. I decided that I needed to get back to the transition area somehow, and since it was only a couple of miles, I'd ride back. As I mounted my bike, I could grip the handlebars with both hands, so I was hopeful that, maybe I was just banged up since a broken clavicle would make it really hard to hold on (a bit prescient as you will see later). I rode slowly back to transition. As I shifted to an easier gear, I noticed some blood on the aerobar tape; I looked down and saw that my right hand was cut and bleeding a bit. Oh well. I rolled towards the dismount line, and people started yelling, "Dismount." I thought, "Not a chance." I figured that if I stopped and tried to get off my bike, I'd fall over and block other people's way. So, I ignored them and rolled to a stop in transition. Bruce came over to check on me (he was working at the race), and I told him that I thought I had broken my clavicle. At this point, I was shivering nearly uncontrollably, so he took me into the lifeguard shack where several people gave me towels to stay warm and turned on the heat. Dave Robbins and Dave Chipchase came in to see how I was doing, and I told them I thought I had broken my clavicle or separated my shoulder. After Dave R. looked at my shoulder, he agreed that he thought my clavicle was broken.
After Dave R. and Bruce helped me bring my stuff back to the car (after watching me unsuccessfully gather my stuff), I headed home to get cleaned up and figure out how to reassess the damage. I headed off to the Auburn ED to see my best friend, who was working there. The x-rays told the story: displaced right clavicle fracture.
It was lightly raining when I woke up on Saturday morning. I am not a great bad weather racer, but I figured it was time to get things going for the season, so I loaded everything up and headed to Fort Lewis for a sprint triathlon. As I was setting up, it started raining heavier and heavier. I figured it was not a PR kind of day, so I would take it easy on the bike turns. There were numerous friends at the race, and I think we all had the same "misery loves company" mentality.
For the first time in a very long time, I didn't get into the water at the swim finish and swim over to the start. Instead, I walked over to the start, and got a few quick strokes in before I lined up to wait. My swim was not very good, as I was having a hard time swimming a straight line. As I made the first turn, I nearly swam into the person in front of me, who came to a complete stop at the buoy to sight the next buoy. I swam around that person and pressed onwards, zigzagging my way (going to have to work on swimming straight, I thought). As I made the turn for home, I looked up and saw that there was nothing to sight off. For some reason, the usual inflatable archway was not up. After spending some time figuring out where to go, I headed back to shore.
Running into transition (which had been moved for the first time in over 15 years), I noticed a couple of friends getting ready to head out on bikes. I couldn't get my wetsuit off (my new Xterra suit has some snug arm and leg holes), so my transition was slow. I also made the decision before the race to put on my cycling shoes in transition rather than on the bike. Since it was early in the season, my transition skills were a bit rusty, so I figured that it would be faster and less problematic to put on my shoes first. The bike was hard, as it was raining steadily; I was happy that I decided to put on arm warmers (that decision was one of the few good ones I made on Saturday as you will later see). I started reeling in people and headed for the turnaround, feeling that I was working pretty hard for the speed that I was going; obviously, the lack of training was showing. As I approached the underpass, the leaders passed by going the opposite direction. I counted myself to be in 8th, and very cautiously went around the roundabout (turnaround). I then picked it up to try to catch as many people as I could. After passing a couple more people, I got passed; this was a bit surprising, as it has been a long time since I've been passed on the bike.
Heading into one of the last turns, I was approaching the 5th place cyclist. I went into the turn with too much speed for the conditions of the day, and my bike slid out from under me. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to put my arm down and landed on my right shoulder. As I was lying there, I realized that my right shoulder was really sore. I spent a few minutes on my back, and a fellow competitor stopped to try to help me. I assured him that I was fine, and that he should get back into the race, since there was a road guard there to help me anyway. I sat up in a bit of a daze, with my right shoulder hurting and my right hip and foot a bit sore. Finally, I stood up... at which point I became pretty nauseated and started shivering pretty bad. That's when I knew that I was hurt more than just some bumps and bruises. I started feeling my shoulder and could feel that there was something not quite right. I decided that I needed to get back to the transition area somehow, and since it was only a couple of miles, I'd ride back. As I mounted my bike, I could grip the handlebars with both hands, so I was hopeful that, maybe I was just banged up since a broken clavicle would make it really hard to hold on (a bit prescient as you will see later). I rode slowly back to transition. As I shifted to an easier gear, I noticed some blood on the aerobar tape; I looked down and saw that my right hand was cut and bleeding a bit. Oh well. I rolled towards the dismount line, and people started yelling, "Dismount." I thought, "Not a chance." I figured that if I stopped and tried to get off my bike, I'd fall over and block other people's way. So, I ignored them and rolled to a stop in transition. Bruce came over to check on me (he was working at the race), and I told him that I thought I had broken my clavicle. At this point, I was shivering nearly uncontrollably, so he took me into the lifeguard shack where several people gave me towels to stay warm and turned on the heat. Dave Robbins and Dave Chipchase came in to see how I was doing, and I told them I thought I had broken my clavicle or separated my shoulder. After Dave R. looked at my shoulder, he agreed that he thought my clavicle was broken.
After Dave R. and Bruce helped me bring my stuff back to the car (after watching me unsuccessfully gather my stuff), I headed home to get cleaned up and figure out how to reassess the damage. I headed off to the Auburn ED to see my best friend, who was working there. The x-rays told the story: displaced right clavicle fracture.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
First open water swim of the season
Last Sunday, I went and jumped in a lake. Actually, it was more of a dip the toes in to see how cold it was, and then gradually ease my way in. But nonetheless, I swam. It was a nice sunny morning, which definitely helped my attitude. And I took David along for his first swim in a wetsuit. Since it was also my first swim in my new wetsuit (thanks, Bruce!), it was a morning of firsts. The water in Lake Louise was not too cold, probably low-mid 60's, certainly not cold enough for a neoprene cap, and, although we double-capped, not even bad enough to warrant double-capping.
I had forgotten how nice it was to swim in open water. After making sure we didn't see any toxic algae or signs warning about toxic algae, we did a loop around the lake. I was expecting David to be motoring along, but he was (in his words) "creeped out by not being able to see the bottom or see in front very far." And I don't think he's used to swimming continuously like that. The sunshine on black neoprene was a good thing, as I never felt cold, and neither my hands nor my feet went numb.
I have no idea whether I was swimming fast or not, but it felt good to be all stretched out like that. And I definitely like the feel of my new Xterra Vendetta. This weekend, we'll see how it translates in a race.
I had forgotten how nice it was to swim in open water. After making sure we didn't see any toxic algae or signs warning about toxic algae, we did a loop around the lake. I was expecting David to be motoring along, but he was (in his words) "creeped out by not being able to see the bottom or see in front very far." And I don't think he's used to swimming continuously like that. The sunshine on black neoprene was a good thing, as I never felt cold, and neither my hands nor my feet went numb.
I have no idea whether I was swimming fast or not, but it felt good to be all stretched out like that. And I definitely like the feel of my new Xterra Vendetta. This weekend, we'll see how it translates in a race.
Friday, June 10, 2011
The season is here...
I just signed up for my first triathlon of the year. The season has started and I'M NOT READY! Already, several friends have raced, and the unofficial start of the season in the Pacific Northwest, the Blue Lake triathlon, is this weekend.
I don't think I've ever been this unprepared for a season. Of course, the terrible weather may have had something to do with it. So far this year I've: a) ridden my tri-bike outside once; b) not yet swam in a lake; c) not done any bricks. "b" is not a major issue, I don't think. I remember doing my first Ironman without having swam in open water prior to the race. But at least I was well-trained for it. This year, my swimming has been spotty, but I should be fine with it. After all, I'm never going to win a swim Prime, so my goal is to get out with not too terrible a deficit. "a" is a little bit more of a concern. Not only have I not ridden my tri-bike outside, but I haven't done too much riding in general. I wonder what the first attempt at time trialing is going to feel like; my guess is that it won't be pretty.
I received an e-mail from a friend the other day mentioning that his training has also been less than usual, and that he suspected that motivation (or lack thereof) is playing a role. Sounds like he has been inside my mind, too. Hard to believe that I did my first triathlon 15 years ago. But my lack of motivation also tells me that I've been on the merry-go-round a long time. I'm hoping that the first race will re-energize me. Otherwise, it's going to be a long (or very short) season.
I don't think I've ever been this unprepared for a season. Of course, the terrible weather may have had something to do with it. So far this year I've: a) ridden my tri-bike outside once; b) not yet swam in a lake; c) not done any bricks. "b" is not a major issue, I don't think. I remember doing my first Ironman without having swam in open water prior to the race. But at least I was well-trained for it. This year, my swimming has been spotty, but I should be fine with it. After all, I'm never going to win a swim Prime, so my goal is to get out with not too terrible a deficit. "a" is a little bit more of a concern. Not only have I not ridden my tri-bike outside, but I haven't done too much riding in general. I wonder what the first attempt at time trialing is going to feel like; my guess is that it won't be pretty.
I received an e-mail from a friend the other day mentioning that his training has also been less than usual, and that he suspected that motivation (or lack thereof) is playing a role. Sounds like he has been inside my mind, too. Hard to believe that I did my first triathlon 15 years ago. But my lack of motivation also tells me that I've been on the merry-go-round a long time. I'm hoping that the first race will re-energize me. Otherwise, it's going to be a long (or very short) season.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Youth is wasted on the young
Last Thursday, I swam with David's team. Technically, it's also my team, since I'm one of the two Masters. However, since everyone else is between 8-15 years old, I refer to them as David's team. Anyway, the main set was 8 x 100 kick. I can't kick. That is a well-known fact. Everyone who has swam with me knows this.
After 18 x 50 back/breast, we were supposed to do a hard kick set on 4:00. My times were all around 2:10-2:15. Most of the kids were in the 1:40-1:50 range. It's a good thing I check my ego at the door when I swim with the kids, since Sabrina, a 12 year-old girl, had 30 seconds on me per 100.
Over the weekend, the weather was awesome. We had a nice Saturday ride. I took David along, and he rode 30 miles. Since he rode about 35 miles all winter, it was a pretty big day for him. I realized after we had returned that his saddle was too low, since he's grown quite a bit since I first set up his bike. When I measured him, it turned out his saddle was about 1" low; maybe that's why it almost looked like he was riding a circus bike. After I dropped him off, I went off to go hard by myself for about 30 minutes. It was great being out on my Cervelo and just hammering along. Did I mention that I'm trying out a new saddle? Well, I think I found the sweet spot on the saddle about halfway through, and, for a saddle, it was pretty comfortable.
I woke up to swim this AM. Surprisingly, after feeling really tired yesterday, I felt wide awake at 4:30 AM. My swim was not too bad, just a shade under 3000 in 1 hour. But I definitely feel like a fish out of water right now. I guess I need to swim more... probably a lot more.
After 18 x 50 back/breast, we were supposed to do a hard kick set on 4:00. My times were all around 2:10-2:15. Most of the kids were in the 1:40-1:50 range. It's a good thing I check my ego at the door when I swim with the kids, since Sabrina, a 12 year-old girl, had 30 seconds on me per 100.
Over the weekend, the weather was awesome. We had a nice Saturday ride. I took David along, and he rode 30 miles. Since he rode about 35 miles all winter, it was a pretty big day for him. I realized after we had returned that his saddle was too low, since he's grown quite a bit since I first set up his bike. When I measured him, it turned out his saddle was about 1" low; maybe that's why it almost looked like he was riding a circus bike. After I dropped him off, I went off to go hard by myself for about 30 minutes. It was great being out on my Cervelo and just hammering along. Did I mention that I'm trying out a new saddle? Well, I think I found the sweet spot on the saddle about halfway through, and, for a saddle, it was pretty comfortable.
I woke up to swim this AM. Surprisingly, after feeling really tired yesterday, I felt wide awake at 4:30 AM. My swim was not too bad, just a shade under 3000 in 1 hour. But I definitely feel like a fish out of water right now. I guess I need to swim more... probably a lot more.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
What I love about Arizona
We returned from Arizona yesterday. After 5 days of fun in the sun, it was back to reality. Surprisingly, it wasn't raining when we got home. And also surprisingly, it wasn't freezing, although going from the high 90's to the high 50's is still a bit of a shock to the system. I had planned on getting in some good training while in Arizona. I did manage some nice runs and swims; an outdoor swim workout under warm sunshine is always nice. However, I didn't do as much as I had planned. Why not? Clearly, I haven't felt particularly motivated to do a lot. So, I only ran 5 miles each time, and never swam more than 2500 yards. I did manage to play three rounds of golf, which was great, considering we were there for less than 5 days total. It was pretty awesome to wake up to brilliant warm sunshine each morning; I could get used to that.
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