About 3 months ago there was one evening which made me begin to question whether I was too committed to triathlon. I had a party to attend on a Thursday night which started around 7:00. Naturally, I wanted to get a workout in before the party began so I hit the pool at my local gym after I got off work. I finished my hour long set, showered and changed ready to head out to the party. The one thing I didn't account for was dinner. I didn't want to be late so I needed to pick something relatively fast and healthy. Decided to stop at the Subway right outside my gym. I picked up the norm, a foot-long turkey sandwich. The bar was only about 4 miles away. I ate the entire thing and a diet coke during my commute. I parked at the bar, looked down at the empty sandwich bag and crumbs on my pants then proceeded to think to myself... This is really sad... yet I had a sense of pride. Am not sure what was worse, that I found a time in which it was necessary to demolish a foot long sandwich in 7 minutes while operating a motor vehicle or that I was proud of doing so.
Last night it got worse... Same premise as before. I had a happy hour that evening and wanted to get a run in before I met my friends. As I was leaving the gym on my way to the bar I decided I needed to pick something up to eat. The problem is that I am now on a gluten free diet (more on this in another post). For those not familiar with gluten free it pretty much rules out all food that can be prepared in less than 10 minutes. Once again, I was in a hurry and didn't have the time to wait for a proper meal so... I stopped at a gas station (pause for look of disgust). My dinner last night consisted of a Muscle Milk (chocolate) and a Gatorade. For some unknown reason this actually sounded like a good idea at the time but, yes... it was just as absolutely disgusting as it sounds. This definitely goes down in my personal record books as one of the most disgusting meals (I really shouldn't call it a meal) I have ever had!
So next time anyone wants to question my dedication to triathlon, I will accompany them to the nearest gas station, help them find the Muscle Milk and Gatorade, and watch as they will undoubtedly enjoy this fabulous gluten free 2 minute "meal".
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
And... I'm Back!
On Tuesday 1/3 I had my post surgery follow up appointment and... drumroll please... I'm cleared for all athletic activities! (Pause for applause).
That being said I've been doing spin classes and running for about a week now... don't tell the doc. So now that I'm back what has changed? Whats going on with training?
What has changed?
Two things have changed. First of all riding a bike is no longer like riding a bike. I rode for the first time since my crash on Sunday and it was more than a little nerve-racking. Every turn I took I could feel my bike sliding out from under me. Very odd compared to how comfortable I was on my bike a month ago. I understand that it is going to take me a few weeks to get comfortable again and I willing to put the time in. I intend to go on short rides for the next 3 weeks or so and by Feb 1 I hope to be doing long group rides again.
Please note: anyone who knows me in no way expects me to wait until February to do another long group ride... they are probably right. This plan looks awesome on paper but my lack of patience and self preservation will without a doubt have me doing another long ride before February.
It was kind of funny that at the beginning of my recovery I wanted nothing to do with triathlon or sports. I knew how long I was going to be out of the game and simply wanted to forget about it all and be a bum for a few weeks. That sounded great until my co-workers dropped off a gift basket with a copy of Triathlete Magazine... Woops. Suddenly that fire to train and learn about triathlon was back. I spent a lot of time on websites researching new ways to train, the 2011 lineup of bikes (I'm buying one in March) and nutrition. Through the research I stumbled upon a few articles on the gluten free diet. This sparked the second major change during my recovery. I decided to give the gluten free diet a try. Since I started running about 14 months ago I had been battling GI issues on a regular basis. The gluten free diet has been shown to totally cure this in some cases. I figure it is worth a try. I've been on the diet for a little over a week now and will continue to provide updates on how its going.
Whats going on with training?
I am actually having an easier time getting back into it that I thought. I can tell I've taken a step back, but not near as far as I thought I would. My muscles are going to take a little time to get used to training everyday but I think I can get there soon. I'm definitely going to have to ease my way into... the Houston Marathon at the end of the month. That's right, I am signed up for a marathon in 3 short weeks. I'm going to see how training goes the next week or so but right now I intend on running it. Its going to be incredibly challenging to go from no athletic activity for 3 weeks to marathon readiness in less than a month.
I promise I am smarter about training than it looks like. I am very good at listening to my body and will not push myself to injury just to run a marathon. On the note of listening to your body, I am currently reading Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald. So far a great book. I'll write more about it later but am really enjoying it so far.
That being said I've been doing spin classes and running for about a week now... don't tell the doc. So now that I'm back what has changed? Whats going on with training?
What has changed?
Two things have changed. First of all riding a bike is no longer like riding a bike. I rode for the first time since my crash on Sunday and it was more than a little nerve-racking. Every turn I took I could feel my bike sliding out from under me. Very odd compared to how comfortable I was on my bike a month ago. I understand that it is going to take me a few weeks to get comfortable again and I willing to put the time in. I intend to go on short rides for the next 3 weeks or so and by Feb 1 I hope to be doing long group rides again.
Please note: anyone who knows me in no way expects me to wait until February to do another long group ride... they are probably right. This plan looks awesome on paper but my lack of patience and self preservation will without a doubt have me doing another long ride before February.
It was kind of funny that at the beginning of my recovery I wanted nothing to do with triathlon or sports. I knew how long I was going to be out of the game and simply wanted to forget about it all and be a bum for a few weeks. That sounded great until my co-workers dropped off a gift basket with a copy of Triathlete Magazine... Woops. Suddenly that fire to train and learn about triathlon was back. I spent a lot of time on websites researching new ways to train, the 2011 lineup of bikes (I'm buying one in March) and nutrition. Through the research I stumbled upon a few articles on the gluten free diet. This sparked the second major change during my recovery. I decided to give the gluten free diet a try. Since I started running about 14 months ago I had been battling GI issues on a regular basis. The gluten free diet has been shown to totally cure this in some cases. I figure it is worth a try. I've been on the diet for a little over a week now and will continue to provide updates on how its going.
Whats going on with training?
I am actually having an easier time getting back into it that I thought. I can tell I've taken a step back, but not near as far as I thought I would. My muscles are going to take a little time to get used to training everyday but I think I can get there soon. I'm definitely going to have to ease my way into... the Houston Marathon at the end of the month. That's right, I am signed up for a marathon in 3 short weeks. I'm going to see how training goes the next week or so but right now I intend on running it. Its going to be incredibly challenging to go from no athletic activity for 3 weeks to marathon readiness in less than a month.
I promise I am smarter about training than it looks like. I am very good at listening to my body and will not push myself to injury just to run a marathon. On the note of listening to your body, I am currently reading Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald. So far a great book. I'll write more about it later but am really enjoying it so far.
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