… The question is, does that statement end with a ?? or a !!
Sorry guys, I know it’s been quite a while. And while sh¡ts and giggles about eating “tree stars” for breakfast is nice and all, that’s not what Dr.TriRunner is about. Thankfully though, Betsy was nice enough to call me out on it. I have definitely shaken the funk that brought me down in early July when I first found out about my sfx. That’s great – obviously no one enjoys being down. But I still don’t feel like I’ve fallen into any sort of “normal” routine or training schedule yet.
Athletically speaking, a “normal” summer for me (“normal” I guess only in reference to the last 4ish years. I’m not that old…) would look like ~50-80 mpw of running, gearing up for or gearing down from a marathon, plenty of core and XT, but damnit anyways!! I still HATED biking. I’d do it to and from work – it was free transportation, but I got zero enjoyment from the “sport.” A permanent Gomer tan around my arm, with sports bra/shorts lines to match. Racing ~2x per month. And expecting to be fast.
Please let me introduce Sperly Summer 2010:
- On Tuesday, June 15th, I stopped running. I didn’t know what was going on with my tibia, but I knew it was no good.
- On Wednesday, June 30th, I marked in my calendar “Long ride – SOLO!!” Emphasis on solo… not so much long. It was only 40 miles, but the first time I had done anything 30+ on my own. With two exclamation marks to follow, it sounds like I might have been kinda proud of that.
- On Thursday, July 8th, a left tibial stress fracture was confirmed. The MRI also showed evidence of fibrous dysplasia (the genetic b.s. cause of my femoral neck fracture in 2008) in my right tibia. I was there to find out about my possibly-fractured left tibia though… so that was like a free bonus I think.
- On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 9th/10th/11th, I pool ran without a belt for longer than I ever have in a teeny tiny bathtub swimming pool in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- By Wednesday, July 28th, I had pretty much married the words long+ride+Wednesday, because looking back at my calendar I hit 40+ miles, solo, every Wednesday in July. A new normal? Which is a good thing, because…
- On Friday, July 30th, on my way to the swim workout, I realized my clutch was on the floor. We already knew my Honda was essentially dunzo, so the mad dash to find a [used] new car began. From Saturday 07/31 to Wednesday 08/04 I logged 151 bike miles.
- Realizing that trying to research/find/purchase a car in one week was putting me on anxiety-overload, I decided to fix my clutch. In doing to, I RAN, three miles, at turtles-running-through-peanut-butter pace, from the auto shop back to my house. $200 later, I have been reunited with my accord, but I can say YES I am keeping my Wednesday long rides, and YES I am still a runner, and YES I am a triathlete. !!
(And no, I don’t still “hate biking.”) 
I know no one would watch it on TV… not even me. But pool running might just be my only chance at becoming an olympic athlete!!
So here I am. I have run. I have ridden. And I have REALLY [needed to make this alliteration work] loved swimming in Lake Harriet. All my mini-apple triathletes… come join me! The water is crazy clear, and the buoys are set on “long course.” I really am serious though… I’m not waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to do it, but I WILL be continuing my OWSs in my back yard lake. And I’d love the company. Eh? Mr. Speedo? Fit Girl? M.Dot? DRog? BigGreen? All the cool kids are doing it. Two words: Peer. Pressure.
(By “all the cool kids” I think I mean me. And Mr. Wrinkles who was there today, but let me tell you that man was way cool, side strokes like a beast, and super willing to share the lake.)
But just because I feel like I AM still a triathlete - shoot, I don’t even care about the tri part right now – that doesn’t entirely establish a “new normal“… leaving me still without a plan. If you aren’t fortunate enough to know anyone who is “very Type A” or as I like to say, type A+ … I will inform you right now that [I] they don’t function well without a plan. In fact, they might very well implode. And because imploding is generally frowned upon, I turn to coach. Coach Jodi.
If you read Dr.TriRunner via Google Reader, or something of the likes, I encourage you to click through. See that left side bar? See that Model Per4mance logo? That is how I have come to know/love/fear/admire Mrs. Jodi Jones. She knows her stuff. She will be honest and straight forward with you. She will call you out if it is merited. She will push you to push yourself, and she will help you to reach your goals. And then, she’ll help you celebrate them! This is starting to sound like a girl crush diary entry, so I’ll just end in saying that I’m getting new PLANS from coach Jodi this week. My goal is to improve my swim time. And with these plans, I feel confident I’ll settle into some sort of “new normal.” Alleluia.
Reader Questions: What does your normal summer look like? Does your training change seasonally, or does it stay the same year round? What is your current goal?
With THAT my friends, it is time for me to run to Target. With my brand-spankin-new clutch. And my Grandma’s Marathon Finisher tee.
I AM [still] an athlete. !!
-E
gosh i don’t even know what a normal summer looks like! certainly busy that’s for sure! my training should change seasonally. It does with respect to type of workout but not with miles. I need to work on being okay with less miles when not in training
and HECK YES you are still an athlete. you need to take a trip back to the east coast so we can do some amazing athleteness stuff! i miss you!
Karyn´s last [type] ..Still Fast
This resonated with me a lot: I have chronic tendonitis and can’t run (or do much of anything else) and even though it’s only been a week I don’t feel like a ‘runner’ any more. I’m really down about it and pretty much feel utterly useless and pathetic. It’s not the same with you though: you’re still cranking out mileages on your bike which most people would struggle to achieve even at a peak of fitness. You are most definitely still a triathlete.
Normally, my summer would look exactly like the running portion of yours. Now, it looks rather like a long, endless stretch of couch time
I have a half marathon in the middle of September and I just hope to goodness I’ll be able to at least race that.
~Jess~
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~Jessica~´s last [type] ..Blogging Break
Well hello there!
Glad to hear your humming along. Great goal to work on the swim when your run is out of commission!
My normal these days…biking about 150 miles a week, swimming around 7000-8000 and running about 25 miles a week. Training before and after workd and squeezing in a little weekend fun around my training. And since I signed up for another Ironman for June I don’t think it will change all that much going into fall and winter! But it’s good times!
Sorry you were down for awhile about not being able to run. From the tone of this post, it sounds like you’ve tried to live your summer to the fullest anyway. Right now my training is 5 days of week of running- somewhere in the 40′s miles/week- 2 days of strength training, and a couple yoga sessions depending on my schedule. At least in WI, my winter training has been pretty different- mostly treadmill running and no long runs. I really want to continue training outside this winter so I’m planning to check out your winter running posts and do some serious research about non-icy places to outside in Madison in the winter.
Chelsea´s last [type] ..Yay- yay- yay!
Honey you are more than an athlete….you are a STAR athlete!
Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly´s last [type] ..And the wait continues…
You will always be a triathlete to me!
Emily (A Nutritionist Eats)´s last [type] ..edamame pesto pasta
continue to HANG in there!! You sound great, you seem to be doing the right things? I will go swimming with you anytime (including the still standing swim 6am in Chan – haha) Do you swim inside the ropes at Lake Harriet? I cant beleive its clear…I have to see that! I have heard if you get busted OWS outside the ropes at LH its a 200$ fine (per Charles at the OWS who lives near you) you are still a TRIATHLETE! you are on your own recovery plan? which is no plan? Though I shouldnt talk I did the same thing this year. Eat well and continue to Train!
-Derek
DRog´s last [type] ..Em BDay party
girl HANG IN THERE!! seriously- your body is so small and it needs a REST!!! rest those bones girlfrand!!! I say you keep adding the strength training and get some more muscle
Im a little biased tho!
katie´s last [type] ..Almost a full day of eats- and MUSCLE MOVEMENT
I use DVDs because unfortunately our rec center class schedule fits with a student schedule better than a regular working schedule. My favorite is Dave Swenson’s Yoga Short Forms. There’s a 15, 30, and 45 minute routine on the DVD. I usually do the 30 minute sequence, but all of them have both strength and flexibility poses. I can “do” all the poses- there’s no crazy balancing stuff or anything- but they are challenging enough that maybe someday I’ll improve!
Chelsea´s last [type] ..Yay- yay- yay!
glad to hear that your legs are letting you run again! not only are you a triathlete, you are also a daughter, sister, friend, student, spunky red head, lover of seb joes, linden hills resident, veitnamese food fan……. you’ve got so much going for you!!!!!
kate´s last [type] ..See you Sunday!
That photo is soooo cute!!! I am learing to not hate biking too!
Onelittletrigirl´s last [type] ..Swimming 101- Questions Answered
I agree with Kelly!
Well currently all I do is lift and I love it! So it doesn’t really change seasonally. I know some people like to build during the winter, and add in cardio in the spring to cut down but I’d rather just try to look good all year! Ha!
Current goal.. add more muscle and keep body fat the same!
For the first time ever, I changed my training for the season. I just couldn’t stomach another long run in the arizona heat. Focusing on 5Ks has been heaven.
Adam´s last [type] ..Hard CORE Club