Oh, the wisdom of a 7 year-old. 

After listening to me sing the ‘poor me’ song one time too many, my 7 year-old, Hanna, looked at me with some frustration and said, “Mom…you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.”  Amazing how those little ears hear and retain everything…well, everything that is except when I am loudly exclaiming, “It is bedtime, now go to sleep.  No more talking!” 

Even prior to racing in Lubbock this June, I knew something was wrong.  I had been feeling run down for a long time, I could not retain weight and I was losing muscle mass.  Workouts were hit and miss, and regardless of the amount of sleep I got, I was still tired.  When I raced at Lubbock it reminded me of how I felt in my last High School Cross-Country meet when I raced with mono and was subsequently hospitalized.  It was during the run in Lubbock that I made the decision to step back from racing triathlons for the remainder of the season and focus on getting my health back in order.  Of course, implementing this plan was not a simple process for me…my mind was a battlefield of ‘Train More versus Train Less’ and my family was caught in the middle.      

Yes, there is a time to push things, but as I have learned (the hard way) there is also a time to just…REST.  Rest is a difficult thing to do for us self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive types, especially during the racing season, and when it does not come on our terms.  I would be lying if I said this is ‘easy.’  Rather, quite the contrary, it takes [me] more discipline to hold back rather than to continue to push myself.  We all start out the racing season with goals and expectations, anticipated race schedules, and when these plans get derailed, due to illness, injury, stress, work, etc. it can be a hard pill to swallow. 

I have been reading Brad Kearns book, “Breakthrough Triathlon Training.”  It is a good book that has at least provided me with some mental relief, especially with the chapter, “The Myth of Suffering.”  Now, not all will agree with what he has to say, but I believe there is merit when he talks about the emphasis we, as athletes, place on suffering.

  
I have come to the realization that there is a distinct difference between persevering and suffering.  According to Wikipedia, perseverance is “human endurance”, while suffering is “a negative basic feeling or emotion, that involves…harm or threat of harm.”  I do not believe persevering involves the potential for harm or damage.  That is not to say one will not suffer at some point in an Ironman or another race, but I think the key is maintaining balance and knowing when to step back.  Persevering through a race is honorable.  Suffering through a race or workout at the cost of permanent damage to your health or serious injury is questionable decision-making. 

I am not writing this to whine or complain…no, the anger and frustration have since subsided.  When your 7 year-old is telling you to ‘get over it’ one cannot help but to move-on, or as I choose to look at it now…move-forward.  I know everybody has their mountain to climb, and most often we come out stronger on the other side.  Besides, there are many other ‘mountains’ I would not even want to attempt to climb.  Temporary setbacks do not mean ‘forever’ and while I did not get to complete my 200 meter butterfly [yet] or compete at the races I set out to do at the beginning of the season, I have found  immense joy in watching others complete their racing goals and have found new interests and goals outside of triathlon. 

I am constantly reminding my girls that life is not fair, and that we cannot always control what comes our way, but we do control our response and attitude to what life throws at us.  Ironically, it took my 7 year-old to remind me of this.

“You must treat your body with kindness and respect and come to the realization that this is your vehicle to move through life and you should not abuse it.”  
-Tim Sheeper, as quoted in “Breakthrough Triathlon Training” by Brad Kearns.
 

Anniversary dates, for each and every one of us are filled with emotion, regardless of the memory or event celebrated.  Over the course of the last few days, we have witnessed the unfolding sickness and core-shuddering pictures of a student from Virginia Tech that has not only horrified the student body and faculty of that campus, but also sent shock waves through the entire nation and world (the site of this sadistic killer makes me shudder). 

The details of this incident bring back personal memories of shock, horror, and shear terror residual from the Fort Gibson, Oklahoma school shooting which occurred during the time I was a teacher and coach at my Alma matter.  Further, the awful Sunday afternoon that my uncle “flaked off”, exhibited threatening behavior toward himself, immediate family (wife and two children), extended family (my aunt, my parents, and me), and local authorities, resulting in witnessing/hearing gunfire that ring through my memories to this very moment, though this happened over 12 years ago.

Today, April 19, 2007, marks the “anniversary” date of a very life changing moment for my home state of Oklahoma and this nation (9:02 AM marks the 12^th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City – my thoughts are extended to all the victims, their families, and all the firefighters, medical personnel, police, and other countless individuals who were involved with this terrible attack), as well as another more personal “anniversary” date for someone extremely special to me. 
Last year, around 6:45 PM my boyfriend was struck by a van while we were doing a training ride for the Coeur d’Alene IM.  Again, my mind cannot help but to “relive” the entire day leading up to the moment, and the events that followed – through the rest of the evening, the night, and days that followed.  Initially, he was sent home following a diagnosis of a few broken bones in his shoulder However, (following going to work… Yes!…I said WORK! – at 8 AM – remember, the man was hit by a VAN less than 12 hours prior and didn’t make it home from the Emergency Room until after 1 AM),  we went to his personal physician and, following more X-Rays, discovered he had broken his scapula in three places (“shoulder blade” which is one of the most difficult bones in your body to break – the force to break it is equivalent to someone taking a baseball bat directly to it), his clavicle (collar bone), at least 6 ribs (couldn’t really determine exactly how many from the X-ray), and a bone in his right foot.  

Four days following the accident…following two additional trips back and forth to the Emergency Room…a CT Scan was done of his abdomen and the “trauma team” finally diagnosed that sometime within the past few days following the accident his spleen had ruptured and he had lost over half the blood volume in his body!  (Okay…so, now we knew why he was feeling so crappy!  The man nearly died!)  Finally, an emergency surgery was performed to remove his spleen and stop his internal bleeding. 

Fortunately the man is an anomaly…a “freak of nature”…an IRONMAN triathlete…and survived without any residual, major mal-functions!  Every physician, nurse and anybody who knew anything regarding a traumatic experience of this nature could not believe that not only was he alive and had survived, but he was released from the hospital 4 days after having such an invasive surgery – and that he was hacked off that he wasn’t released sooner!!!!! 

He has fully recovered.  Yes, the moments, minutes, hours, days and first few months following the accident were tough.  However, to this day, he will tell you that it was/is his experience of Ironman training and racing that he drew upon to assist in his resilience and ability to recover (he  is also quick to respond anytime and (without fail) EVERY time I ask, “are you alright?” with “NOOOOOOOO, ‘Hon’!!!  I was hit by a van!” 

To date, he is training for this year’s Coeur d’Alene IM and I am confident his reliance will see him through the finish line to once again hear Riley call him “an Ironman”!!!

Peace and IM resilience be with you today and always,

lisa

Happy Friday the 13^th…hope you have a Fabulous, Fabulous Friday!
 

I went to my first Active Release Therapy (ART) on Wednesday.  For those of you who are not familiar with ART, ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART.  (I got that statement off of their website, and you can visit it at http://www.activerelease.com/.)
 

It really worked!  For the first time in over a week, I had no pain and I told Dr. Brian Flournoy, my ART practitioner/physician/therapist (I don’t really know his ”title”), that for the first time in over a week, I felt like I could RUN!  Unlike the expected response, he instructed me to!!  WOW!
 

So, on my way to the car, I tested it out.  Sure enough, I was able to run – to my car – pain free!  (Oh, it’s the little things in life!)  However, by the time I made it home, it had tightened back up and I decided to get on the TPQuadballer (before my first “real” trial run). 
 

That loosened it back up, but by the time I was ready to run, Mother Nature delivered 25+ mph winds and a severe thunderstorm!
 

Fast forward to yesterday…
 

I took my TPQuadballer to school, and used it off and on throughout the day – my students were enamored by the site of it, and many just had to get on the floor and “try it”!  It was quite hilarious!  Anyway, after school, I geared up for my first run in over 9 days.  My goal was to run 5K or a little over 3 miles – easy. 
 

Starting out, I was surprised at my initial feeling of not missing a beat!  My “belly” breathing was good, turnover was normal (96 steps a minute), and my perceived effort was surprisingly right on!  This lasted for about the first half mile, when I seriously thought to myself, “I should turn back”.  I was noticing a decreased range of motion or “tug” in my left hamstring, followed by a dull ache that started to appear below my knee in the outer part of my left calf.  Once again, my ego and stubborn pride refused to stop at just 1 mile!  Man!  How humiliating, to not even be able to run 3 miles!  I ran on…
 

I was approaching a few runners on the trail that stopped to walk right before I reached them.  As I passed, I told them, “great job!”  They laughed, almost as if to respond, “yeah right!”  I looked at them as I passed and said, “No, really…GREAT job!”
 

It made me wonder what was going through their minds…they did not know me, and seemingly couldn’t accept someone running “past them” with a compliment as they were shutting their run down to walk. 
 

Which led me to the next point I pondered…why do you stop running or why do you keep running?
 

Yesterday, though my body was telling me I should’ve turned around at the ½ mile marker, I had a goal.  I would keep running to attain my goal of running 3 miles, and I was determined to get to the 1½ mile marker so my goal could be realized and logged. However, the dull ache had turned into a stabbing pain, and it was all I could do to get to the 1 ½ mile marker…leading to the reason I would stop running.   
 

I was faced with the reality, my ego would take a backseat to my body – it had done all it could do.  So, I began my walk back home. 
 

The two runners from earlier passed me – they were running.  I again tried to run – three steps, and I was back walking.  I walked on. 
 

Then, a larger, male runner passed me.  Again, I just had to try again.  Nope.  I walked on.
 

I then just started soaking in the beauty of the day, and really observing everything around me – the squirrels, the geese, the ducks, the rabbit, the beautiful sky, the spirit of spring, and the other runners and walkers. 
 

Once again, I pondered what makes a person stop running or what is the motivation to keep plodding along? 
 

I witnessed three different runners simply stop – between markers!  What was their goal?  They hadn’t reached the next ½ mile marker, they just stopped!  Were they injured, too?  Had they reached their goal between the markers?!  Was the discomfort they were experiencing too much?  Had they taken more running steps than before?  Regardless, I was glad to see others out exercising.
 

Keep running.
lisa

It wasn’t until team camp that I found out about Trigger Point Performance Therapy…but now that I have, I’m totally addicted. It’s amazing how the use of one or two simple tools can help alleviate muscle soreness and tenderness almost instantly (even though it doesn’t exactly feel so great while you’re doing so). I am pretty sure that most members of the team use the products regularly, but for those who don’t, I highly suggest giving it a shot. I’m the absolute worst when it comes to stretching and taking care of my body after a long day of training, but after spending a few minutes a night with this stuff…I can’t even tell you what a difference it has made! Killer products Cassidy!Check out the site for more info!

Trigger Point Performance Therapy

I was quite honored by Carol’s blog (the first of her many infamous blogs) when she nicknamed me “Cheetah”, as a reference to my running ability.  The morning run of which she was referring was a huge confidence builder for me.  Prior to Team Camp, I had been doing a lot of long slow mileage, keeping my heart rate down to build a huge base, and then top off the last few weeks prior to the Oklahoma City Marathon with a hill-bounding + speed/tempo workouts to “sharpen the saw”…this is the Lydiard Training Method which focuses on building a huge base of target heart rate miles, which has proven to build/increase the amount of mitochondria in the cells – parts of the cells that are key in breaking down enzymes in the blood.  Not to bore you, but theoretically, this will enhance my body’s efficiency of breaking down and eliminating lactic acid – one of the “monsters” inhibiting optimal performance.  So, all this to say, I hadn’t really incorporated much tempo or speedwork, and the thought of “running with the pros” was pretty intimidating…
Well, the first run went well and even the second run was good…but, then my ego and stubborn pride got the best of me, and I haven’t run a step for a week! 
You see, Rachel was running long on Monday morning – roughly 20 miles – which was to be my third consecutive day of “higher intensity running” after doing nothing except lower intensity, target heart rate miles.  Common sense should have taken over, but I just wanted to get in as many workouts with my Teammates as possible, and glean from their experiences and knowledge!
6:00 AM…I arrived in the lobby.  No Rachel.  I abided by the “10-minute” rule (giving a running partner 10 minutes of tardiness before leaving), and then at roughly 6:10 I set out to run a loop, and then meet back with the second group of athletes meeting to run around 7AM.
It was beautiful, peaceful, and spirit rejuvenating for the first 45 minutes. Then, I noticed my left calf was really starting to speak to me.  I finished the first hour of running, and met back with the 7 o’clock group, who were also observing the “10-minute” rule. 
Again, common sense was telling me I had run enough and should have just gone to the swimming clinic (swimming…YIKES!) that Melanie was putting on, but my dern ego and stubborn pride wouldn’t allow me to.  I had told at least one other person I was doing “20”, and that’s what I was going to do!
For the first 15 minutes, I was fine and the pain in my calf was “uncomfortable”.  However, within the next mile, my body was done and I was reduced to a walk.  So, I succumbed to my own body’s chastening of stubborn pride, and turned back.  I ended up “walking” at least a mile, before I was actually able to jog back to the resort.
For a week, I have been forced to spend more time on my swimming – Heaven knows I needed it!  I am going to an ART therapist today…
Train smart!
Lisa “cheetah” Butler