Wednesday, June 27, 2012

This was the 5 days that was.....

Last week, a five day schedule began that was both physically and emotionally taxing.  I had planned on it being a physically challenging stretch, but as an old saying goes “Man makes plans…and God laughs”.
Wednesday, I had planned to swim my first open water event, a 2K swim at the local Boy Scout camp known as “Roto Kiwan”.  Logistics had us juggling several things that day including a tryout for Sammy for a travel Soccer team.
I rushed home got changed and was ready to go when I heard our cat, Linus, meowing very loudly…and strangely.  I went to check on him.  He had gotten sick and was sitting on a chair looking not to happy.  I cleaned up the mess and checked on him.  His eyes were bright and he purred when I pet him.  He looked to me like he had a tummy ache and wanted to be left alone.
I headed off to my race.  Max came with me for moral support and being that it was 94 degrees, to play in the water during the race.  There were about 30 of us and most were swimming open water for the first time.  We got started along a triangular course that looped around the middle leg of the course once.  The total distance is 1.2 miles.  I had swam this is a pool and knew I could make the distance.  I wanted to practice swimming in a crowd and sighting in the water.  I found the first two legs to be non-eventful.  The crowd thinned out pretty quick and I was able to take 50 strokes, look around, make course corrections and continue.  The third leg proved to be a challenge.  The slight wind we were swimming with on the second was now blowing in our faces.  Even though the lake was set down below a pretty good tree line, the wind created just enough chop to make breathing something you needed to concentrate on.  I also found sighting into the sun to be more challenging as well.  I zig-zagged my way through this leg probably adding another 100 yards of distance.  The fourth leg was with the wind again and I was able to catch up and pass to the pack I had originally found myself with.  The final leg was crossing the wind and sun worse than the third.  Fortunately it was not as long.  I felt strong coming in.  I finished in just under 61 minutes.  I had estimated it would take a bit longer, so I was happy. 
I got dressed and Max and I headed to the car.  I planned to go right to Sammy’s tryouts to cheer him on.  Remember that saying about plans?  God laughed.  I called Kimm to let her know we were on our way.  Apparently, when she had gotten home, Linus was still feeling ill.  In fact, he was a lot worse.  His eyes were no longer bright and he could barely lie in his chair.  She had rushed him to the vet and he was in really bad shape.  No one was sure if he would even make it through the night.
I went from really feeling good about my accomplishment to being very concerned and sad about our furry little buddy.  I began rethinking how he looked to me.  Should I have seen something more?
Thursday, Linus had to be put down.  His little body was simply not able to process glucose.  He was not getting better.  He looked sad.  Kimm and I had to pull ourselves together and be strong for the kids who were going to be devastated.  It sucked.  Linus was a silly animal who slept on his back in the most awkward places.  He hid much of the time but would wake me up by standing on my chest while I slept.
I miss him a lot.
We have a 14 year old dog, Bailey, who has dodged the Grimm Reaper a couple of times.  I never thought she would outlive Linus.  I guess you never can tell….
The swim drained a lot out of me physically.  Losing Linus had me emotionally drained as well.  Friday I had my Trizelle training first thing.  We were going to be swimming at Woods Lake, outside for the first time.  We swam about 600 yards in the open water.  Normally we have a bicycle workout and run after the swim.  I had to leave early to get to Grand Rapids for work. 
My arms were still pretty sore from Wednesday as we started swimming.  The distance was nothing compared to the 2K, but my arms felt like Jell-O.  It was nice being in the water while the sun came up over the trees.  The camaraderie of the trizelle group made it easier as well.
I took Friday night off of any training as the State of Michigan Games were to be held Saturday and Sunday.  The State of Michigan Games are an Olympic-like event that takes place in and around Grand Rapids.  It is a tourist attraction that had over 5800 athletes to the areas competing in a wide array of events.  I didn’t sleep well without having Linus on my chest and climbing onto the windowsill to look out at the neighborhood while it slept.
Saturday morning, Kimm took Max off to the site where the bowling was to take place.  Max has medaled the previous two years.  She would then run him over to where Sam and I were competing in Track and Field. 
We were in a variety of events.  Sam had done long jump last year and wanted to do it again.  On a whim I decided that I would as well.  I never had before but I figured…give it a shot.  What’s the worst thing that can happen?
“Don’t break your ankle, Dad” Sam offers, right before I run down the ramp. All the other folks in line start laughing.  “You can’t do that Sam!” I said.  “Now the only thing I can think of is breaking my ankle!”
I run down the ramp and realize that trying to time a jump off the board is not as easy as it looked.  I pretty much ran through the pit.
“That’s not very good” Sammy observed, again to the delight of the fellow competitors around us.  “If you can get six feet I’ll buy you a Dilly Bar” he offered.  “Never underestimate what the Old Man can do when food is on the line” I growled like a bear.   
The pit officially opened.  It was my turn to go.  Running down the ramp, all I could think about was breaking my ankle.  I awkwardly jumped about two feet behind the board, made it into the pit and fell forward.  I could feel my left ankle “tweak” a bit on the landing.   Not too bad but “NostraSamus’s” prediction rang in my head.  I was covered in sand.  “Seven Feet Eight Inches” the judge called out.  “Done” I said.  I got a legal jump in, beat the goal Sam had set for me, and despite my best efforts, had done so without breaking my ankle.  It was time to concentrate on the events I really came to compete in.  There were so many jumpers and such a small window for them to get their 3 jumps in I didn’t want to get in the way of any of the kids really trying to do something in the Long Jump.
I headed to where the shot put and discus field were leaving Sammy to get his three jumps in.  Discus would be next.  At 47 I still have to throw the college-weight 2K disc.  Compared to the 1.6K high-school disc I threw growing up this feels like a manhole cover.  I have not practiced enough to control a spin, so I stood at the front of the ring and heaved.  I managed to get one out over 90 feet which was a 2 foot improvement over last year.  This was good enough for second in my age bracket, so I was pleased.  Max arrived from bowling with the gold medal he won around his neck.  He was pretty pumped up.  Kimm and my Mom were there to cheer us on.   Max also got to throw discus.  He beat last years’ mark of 33 feet (1K disc) on his first throw.  His next throws increased gradually to 38 feet.  The only other boy in his age group had thrown 45 feet 2 inches, so I did not expect Max to catch him.  On his last throw, however, it all came together.  The judge marking the spot had to back up a couple steps!  44 feet and 7 inches!  What a great effort!  I was so proud of my boy!  He took second but he really gave it his all. 
I missed out running the 50meter dash as it overlapped with my time throwing.  No worries.  I was not too upset that I did not finish 5th in an event while I was placing in one that actually meant something to me.  I did manage to muddle my way through the 100 meters.  No photo finish here…sketch artist.  The pounding on my ankle wasn’t really needed.  Going back for the Shot Put, it was really sore.
Meanwhile Sammy had taken silver in the long jump and 200 meters again improving on his 2011performances.  Again…Dad was as proud as could be!  The last event for us was the Shot Put.  All three of us were competing in it and we were in the very last flight of the day.  I knew that I was not going to catch the first place thrower at 35+ feet (16 pound shot) but remembered the only other thrower threw around 25 last year.  My ankle had swollen and I had a noticeable limp.  I thought I had to only get a decent throw off to take second.  It turns out I was going to have to beat a 27 foot 4 inch throw.    I coached Sam and Max through their throws and then had to focus on mine.  Sammy took another second place.  Max, while improving form last year did not medal.  I had six chances to get over 27-4…  My first two throws were pretty feeble.  I was not shifting weight over onto my left at all.  I pretty much was all upper body and in the high 25’s and low 26’s.  I did plant off my left softly and got out to a high 26 on my third throw.  I went for it on my fourth and got a big shift in the ring.  My ankle stung pretty good and I knew I had gotten off my best so far.  27-3….just an inch behind.  I had a couple of minutes before my last throws so I tried “walking it off” knowing it would not work but hoping to loosen it up for one good throw.  I know that these games are meant to be fun, but I never met a competitor that given the choice, didn’t want to win, if possible.  The ankle was loosening up and I knew I’d get one decent push.  I started thinking about fourth and goals in football, push over scrums in ruby, anything to get me pumped up and get some adrenaline going.  I could do this…I would just have to dig deeper than I had planned.  When called, I got my shot and headed into the ring with purpose.  I knew that getting that 16 pounds moving as quickly as possible would be key.  I did not take long.  I bent and exploded as fast as I could.  Maria Sharapova would have been proud of my scream.  I quickly exited the back of the ring.  I knew it was the throw I needed.  I wanted to show some excitement but to do so would have been showing up the other thrower.    The call came “Twenty Nine feet, three inches!”  I allowed myself a small fist pump and I prepped for my final throw.  Knowing I had done what I set out I could not overcome the sting of my ankle.  My last throw was nowhere near the previous. 
As a family we took seven medals.  Sunburned, exhausted, and sore we headed home. 
All I could do was hydrate and l rest that night.  My arms were still sore from the swim and competing in four events had beaten me up pretty good.  I went to bed early.  My weekend was not done yet.
Sunday I crawled out of bed.  My treatments on my ankle had helped a lot.  I could walk with only a slight gimp.  I kitted up because I still had three more events to compete in…swimming.  I never had participated in a swim meet before and noticed that the State Games had the kids swim Saturday, during the track and field, and the adults to swim on Sunday.  I registered for the 50, 100, and 500 Freestyle. 
Sammy came along for the show and my Mom met us at the pool.  The event only had a couple dozen participants.  This turned out to be the best thing for me as everyone was very friendly and it felt more like a “get-together” as opposed to an “event”. 
My first race was the 50 Meter.  Once down and back.  I hoped to complete in 42 seconds.  Despite an awkward start and turn, I still managed to post a time of :39.33.  I got to rest for a short while and prepped for the 100 Meter race.  My goal was 1:30 and I snuck in under that at 1:28.  Finally, I had the 500 meters of 20 lengths of a 25 meter pool.  I hoped to beat 10 minutes.  I completely overestimated the time needed for that as I was able to finish in 9:09.
Over 5 days I swam 2K, and additional 600 yards, competed in 4 track and field events, and swam in 3 more races.   I experienced the highs of personal achievement and the lows of losing a beloved family pet.  I high-fived my boys and had them crying on my shoulder.

I’m gonna take a couple days off.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Breakdown...then breakthrough

In reviewing the year I have been posting my trek from tortoise to hare, one theme keeps recurring like a broken record.  I’m really having trouble running!  At first I wrote it off to simply being way out of shape and that I had not really run for a while.  When I tried to run the pain in my feet, ankles, knees was terrible.  I thought this was something I had to train through.  Eventually, I avoided running and focused on swimming or bicycling.  My running was just not improving.
As part of the Trizelle triathlon program put on through Gazelle Sports that Kimm participated in last winter, and I am working though right now, is an association with a locally based sports related physical therapist.  Kimm had a “gait analysis” done and determined she needed to do some specific exercises to strengthen parts of her body and she needed different shoes.  Her running woes have disappeared.
I muddled on.
My swimming and bicycling have gone very well.  I am feeling confident in both skills.  My running has not improved…period.  Finally, one Sunday my body actually felt pretty good.  No pain.  I decided that if I’m going to get a decent run in, it would be that day.  I kitted up and stepped outside.  We had learned some basic good form running skills that revolve around posture, arm swing, where your foot should strike, and taking “quick” steps.  I stretched a bit and began jogging down the road.   Almost immediately the pain returned.  It was different this time, however, because I realized that I was running on the outside of my feet.  My foot was not rolling back onto the ball of my foot!  Try walking that way…you’ll see how much it hurts!
Coming home, I knew what I needed to do.  I needed to have a gait analysis done, just like Kimm had.  I was able to get an appointment set for a few days later.  The therapist I saw, Scott, was awesome.  He has been associated with the Trizelle program and has completed an Ironman Triathlon.  He knows first-hand what I am trying to do.  He listened to my story, did an examination of my feet, ankles, knees and hips.  Turns out…I’m “pretty tight” and need to do some exercises and stretches.  The “highlight” though, was getting on a treadmill and running while being videotaped from behind.  If you are self-conscious about how you look, I recommend you NEVER be videotaped running.    Top down, I started off well.  Head and shoulders positioned well.  My arms were moving evenly and in good motion.  My hips even are in good alignment.  We then jumped down to my feet and worked back up.  My sense of running on the outside of my feet was confirmed…but I then was able to witness the effect on my ankles.  Seeing how my knee were compensating for things made me hurt just watching.  In the world of physical therapy, they have a medical term for my gait…”a hot mess”.
As it turns out, I was wearing quite possibly the worst shoes for me.   Scott wrote a recommendation for a specific shoe best designed for my needs and reviewed the exercises I need to do to loosed up and strengthen my legs.   I purchased the shoes that night.
Last Friday morning was my first attempt running in my shoes.  The “Trizellians” swim, bike, run, and wrap up with a session on a training related topic.  The swim and bike went great.  When the run started I focused on using the good form we had been taught.  There was a lot of traffic that day and getting a “herd” of runners across a busy street is not as easy as one would think.  I finally got into a groove.  “Posture…arms….quick feet” I kept repeating in my head.  I made maybe a half mile when I began feeling pain in my quadriceps and my lungs were crying for a break.  I began to walk.  One of the other participants asked if I was okay.  I was embarrassed that I was not able to go further.  “Yeah…just out of shape” I muttered. 
It was then it hit me…it was not my feet holding me back, it was just “out of shape”!  THAT is something you can train through.  THAT is something you can improve on.  THAT is what you expect to feel when you go running!  I can’t tell you how great it felt to be out of shape!  Okay…that’s an overstatement, but I knew that without having to combat the pain of my feet, I can improve the rest.
Having been involved in sports all my life, not being able to run has really been hard.  It has messed with my psyche.  Not seeing the problem for what it was and moving towards a resolution left me a bit upset with myself.  I know that beating myself up does no good so I’ll just channel that energy into getting into better shape.
My goal for this program remains the same.  Finish the sprint distance triathlon.  I’m not sure if I will be able to get to where I can run the entire distance.  I’m told some people walk the entire race.  As one of the instructors pointed out to me:  “If you finish last…you beat the people that did not finish…and they beat out the ones without the courage to try.”  He very insistently added…”and YOU will finish!