Injury Frustration

I was feeling invincible.  I hadn't had a knee problem in seven years.  Then, in an ever so subtle way, my knee began to hurt.  Then, I noticed it was swollen.  What caused this?  I didn't know.  I looked over my training logs and tried to pinpoint the cause.  Was it the week that I went from teaching two bike classes to four bike classes?  Was it the slippery 15km train run?  Was it the impact from falling directly on that knee in the trail run?  Was it the 31 mile hilly American Birkebeiner race with no training that riled up my knee? 

I stopped running.  I rested.  I massaged.  I got electronic stim.  I got ultrasound.  I tried a warm, moist poultice of cabbage leaves.  I tried essential oils.  I tried EPAT sound shock treatment.  I tried Aleve for 10 days.  I iced.  I only used the bike that didn't cause knee pain.  I gradually brought back running but only on the Alter G treadmill under the advice of my doctor.  I ate an anti-inflammatory diet.  I tried a brace.  I tried K-T Tape.

Where did all that get me two months later?  Nowhere!  And now, my other knee hurts in the same spot almost as much!

At this point, my season is in jeopardy.  In fact yesterday, I had to race the New Orleans 70.3 just to the second transition and then turn in my chip.  There was no way that I was going to limp through a half marathon. 

So, tomorrow, I will get an MRI.  Hopefully it will tell me what is wrong and what I need to to.  Ugh!

Injuries are frustrating, painful, expensive and time consuming.  Don't mess around with a tight or sore spot.  Rest, ice and head it off before spending weeks or months recovering.

Motivation

Very few athletes “execute” on race day (race up to their potential).  It takes strong mental skills to remain undaunted throught the ups and downs of the required training and the challenges of each race.

Racing/coaching is as much about the mental game as the physical game!  In the end, the athlete must execute - in training and on race day.  I have to help them find the motivation to do this.

I have had many athletes from analytical backgrounds, but the best are motivated by a wide range of "rewards."  These rewards include objective numbers, but also include many other things.  I find that the most mature, "role model" athletes are those who do track their numbers but do not rely on them for all of their motivation.  I find that the athlete who is number focused is usually the newer athlete.  So, part of my job is to get a new athlete to see the bigger picture - to redefine a "win." 

A big part of this comes from experience.  A seasoned athlete trusts the journey and tolerates the ups and downs.  A new athlete is often only as happy as his/her performance in the last training session or race. 

What motivates you?

What Trees and Young Athletes have in Common

Excerpt from today's MMTT Youth Team letter:

Here is one of the guiding principles for coaching youths to reach their maximum potential in a sport:

"Young athletes are like young trees.  Bend them too far and they will break." - Coach Romas, coach and stepfather of Lukas Verzbicus. 

Remember that if a parent or a coach pushes a young athlete too far too soon, they will quit.  This is one of the basic youth coaching "laws" that guides the best coaches (and parents).  If the youth loves what they are doing, they will pursue it with age-appropriate passion and therefore eventually achieve their potential.  It's all about the JOY. 

And beyond the "joy," young kids are physiologically different from us adults in so many ways.  Their training must not be like ours.  They are growing and changing.  They are in their prime window for developing speed (not endurance).  They process heat differently, sweat less, cannot tolerate much effort at their anaerobic threshold and must endure some performance set backs while their bones and bodies grow rapidly and their hormones change.  Good youth triathlon training will focus on developing raw speed, sport specific skills, race experience and a love for the sport.

So, sit back and enjoy this ride.  We are pursuing excellence.  And we aim to achieve it by making sure that your kids have fun participating in age-appropriate skill and speed building and that they feel a vital part of their team, feel like they are progressing and feel like they are "winning" often (and winning does not have to mean 1st place in our world).  Along this journey we will also attempt to build good citizens - confident, polite, assertive, humble, proud and happy. 

Birkie Magic

I had at least 20 good reasons to not ski the Birkie this year.  The history-making mild winter meant no skiable snow within 5.5 hours of our house for most of January and February.  My kids were swimming in meets every weekend - all weekend long.  I threw my back out, my feet hurt and my knee was oddly swollen in the two weeks before the race.  Jeff was diagnosed with serious arthritis in his hip.  Both of my kids qualified for the Regional Swimming Championships - held during Birkie weekend.  As a mom, my overwhelming instinct was to stay at home and watch them swim.
But I also had the gut feeling that it was important to ski the race.  It is a race that has had a huge influence on my life.  Without the Birkie, I wouldn't have met Jeff.  Without the Birkie, I wouldn't have started canoe racing, which led to canoe triathlon, which led to bike racing, which led to triathlon, which led to coaching and all that I do today.  Without the Birkie, I wouldn't know some of my most treasured friends.
My gut also tells me that continuing to ski the Birkie will keep me fit for a lifetime.  Skiing the Birkie is one of the most important gifts that Jeff and I give ourselves as a couple.  And sometimes, being a mom means that you must maintain your own strength and your own happiness and your own marriage - so that when the kids are grown up - you still have an identity.
So, I found a swim family to take my daughter for the weekend.  My amazing in-laws took my son to his swim meet and activities.  And in the midst of an ironic snow storm, we drove the long road up to Hayward, WI. 
The magic didn't hit me immediately.  Friday was cold and gray.  As Jeff and I did our practice ski, I broke down in tears and just wanted to drive straight back home to the swim meet. 
After that release, I began to soak in the familiar rhythm and landmarks of Birkie weekend.  The festivities on Main Street.  Seeing good, good friends.  "Birkie Fever" ski art stamped in Rosie's Field by our friend from Canada, Ken.  Blackberry pie at the Norske Nook with lunch.  The beauty of the trail and the region.  The drive along the Namekagon River.  The Birkie songs and wax reports on WOJB.  The combined energy and lust for life of 9,400 people who are strong and so happy to ski.  It is Birkie Fever and it is contagious.  Thank God for that!
Saturday morning dawned crisp and sunny.  The canon went off, and I enjoyed every second of my 19th Birkie.  Every hill and every turn were like old friends.  The toughest parts of the 50 km trail were made easier by drumming, singing, musical, cheering, cowbell swinging spectators.  The sun was warming.  I felt strong and whole - a mom and a wife and an individual. 
The finish line was a party and we celebrated.  We both skied better than we had hoped.  One more Birkie in the books - our momentum was not lost. 
Dinner with friends.  Computer access that showed me that our kids were doing well and having fun.  Sunday Birchleggings breakfast with some of the most inspirational, determined athletes I'll ever meet.  A song about how important it is to treasure every experience.  Lessons to guide us for another year once again.
Then, the long road back home - to my busy, wonderful life - with a glow that will remain far into the warm months of the year.

Don't get caught up in the madness

My husband has always been an excellent runner.  He has been struggling this year with pain while running as he tried to train for the Boston Marathon.  Last Friday, x-rays revealed significant arthritis and bone malformation in his left hip.  He has cancelled his Boston plans and we now need to find him some new activities.  We were blindsided by this!  He had never had a hip injury.  No-one expected this. 

So...as I've always said, treasure every race and workout like it might be your last.  This snaps your priorities right back into place!  And remember that it is very important to train smartly.

A couple of interesting blogs/podcasts on training mistakes:
http://wpblogs.runningtimes.com/blogs/performancepodcasts/2012/01/podcast-smart-masters-training-with-pete-magill/?cm_mmc=RT-_-811468-_-02152012-_-MagillPodcast
Here - Pete Magill talks about the mistakes that he made that resulted in injuries and missing his goal race.  A good lesson for everyone.  He knew what was right and he still ended up making mistakes.

http://www.teamtbb.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=1352  Here, Coach Brett Sutton blogs frankly about the fallout from the hard training and epic racing in the women's Kona Ironman Championships last fall.

The bottom line here is that it is far too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a key workout (like the 20 miler, or the mile repeat session, or the course simulation ride or last weekend's race) is too important to miss.  I can't count how many times a friend or an athlete has gotten injured in pursuit of finishing that mythical 20 mile training run - because they believed that they could not run a marathon without it.  I even did this to myself - then had to skip the 2006 Chicago Marathon with an injury that took 6 months to heal.  Pete Magill says it best - there is no one workout that is worth jeopardizing your health and training.  If you feel a twinge or a cramp, time to stop and live to run again soon (or canoe or bike or swim). 

And Brett Sutton reveals that he has questioned Chrissie Wellington's hard training every day approach for the last 2 years.  He talks about the toll that too-hard training takes on an athlete.  Chrissie is the best - but could she have been better with less training?  She is now taking a break from training and racing - Brett seems to think that she is now done forever. 

It is too easy to question your training when you have friends who are doing twice as many hours as you are.  It is easy to get hung up on getting in that last 20 miler no matter what.  It is easy to think that if you don't train to exhaustion every single day - that you are not training enough.  DO NOT FALL INTO THESE TRAPS!!!! 

My goal is to keep my athlees in the game for a long, strong, healthy journey where they achieve their potential for many years to come.  I also want them to remain important to their family and friends and employers. It is all about training when you are ready to conquer a training stimulus and resting when you need to rest.  It is all about doing the minimum amount of training that will accomplish your goals.

Be smart.  Don't get caught up in the madness.  Treasure every run, bike, swim, paddle, ski, etc.!

Back Where I Belong

Our MMTT Youth Development Team began practices this week.  My fabulous friend, Jan agreed to coach the team with me this year.  We are just meeting our young 2011 charges, but we are impressed.  There is nothing quite like seeing a group of kids attempting to become strong triathletes.  It is not an easy sport.  You've got the grueling nature of any endurance sport combined with the skills required to swim, bike and run proficiently.  You would think that they'd pick something easier.  A lot of parents wouldn't believe what I have witnessed in young triathletes for the last several years.  Kids LOVE the sport.  It never gets dull.  And kids like that.  IT is never easy.  And kids embrace that.  They crash.  They get up.  They get side cramps.  They learn to run through cramps.  They have a tough race?  Their team-mates cheer for them.  It is an individual sport.  It is a team sport.  They are part of something different.  They begin to define themselves as "triathletes."  This makes them feel strong and ready to take on the rest of their lives. 
It is good.  It is more than good. 

But for me, it may even be better.  I loved coaching kids and teaching kids in the 90s.  I have missed it terribly.  I am back where I belong.  Tonight's practice was the best part of my day.

Birkie Brrrrrrrr!

Have you ever set a long term goal?  I've been working on one specific goal since 1989.  I am slowly working towards the notable achievement of being a Birch Leggings member of the American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon.  To become a member of this inspiring group of fit skiers, one must complete 20 full Birkebeiner ski races.  The race is held once a year.  Therefore, it takes a minimum of 20 years of hard training, dedicated racing, a lot of equipment and plenty of traveling.  Then, you must have some good luck to not be ill or have sick children on race day.  Finally, there is the weather.  Occasionally, Mother Nature wins the Birkie by melting the snow or freezing the faces, toes and fingers of the participants.

My first Birkie was in 1989.  My room-mate, Tracy and I bought skis on the Wednesday before the race and took an American Youth Hostel bus up to the race.  We didn't know how to ski, and although I gave it a good effort, I missed the cut-off time at the half-way point by 90 seconds and they took my chip and pulled me off the course.  Birkie 1, Chris 0. 

Birkie 1990.  After a winter of working to learn to skate ski, I completed my first Birkie.  This was one of the "cold" Birkies - with sub-zero temperatures and even lower wind chills.  I was ecstatic to finish the race after my 1989 DNF.  But when I got my boots off, my right foot was swollen and black and my left was halfway black.  Frostbite.  My right foot was numb for almost ten years as the nerves slowly repaired.  But this year, I earned my first Birkie finish and the sweet medal that goes with it.

Birkies 1991 and 1992 went by without incident.  I got faster and broke the 4 hour mark.  No more frostbite.  Just a glitch in the busing that got me and most skiers to the race start at Rosie's Field twenty minutes after my wave had taken off.  And in 1992, the race switched directions, now starting at Telemark Resort and finishing on Hayward's Main Street, an improvement.  I earned my 2nd and 3rd Birkies.

Birkie 1993.  I was skiing and racing in January while attempting to work, go to Northwestern for graduate school and student teach.  Not surprisingly, I got mono.  It just about killed me to be a spectator for Jeff at the race that year - as I was too tired to even think about skiing.

Birkie 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.  I earned my 4th-7th Birkie pins in all kinds of weather including the 1996 tropical race that finished in 50 degree weather with an ungroomed trail.

Birkie 1998 - the weather took its toll and melted the second half of the trail.  The race was cut in half, but those of us who had signed up for the Birkie were given credit for the full race.  The half race ended up being a quick sprint to OO with my skiing buddy Shelley in record time.  Birkie 8 was pinned to my medal.

1999 - My first pregnancy was only weeks old.  My doctor said that it might be OK to ski, but how would I feel if it wasn't OK?  I didn't ski and found myself spectating for Jeff once again.

2000.  After working incredibly hard to get back into shape after my daughter was born AND bringing my in-laws and baby up with us to the race, Mother Nature intervened with high temperatures all week and heavy flooding thunderstorms on the day before the race.  We literally watched the snowy trail melt before our eyes and the race was cancelled by the evening newscast.  No Birkie once again for me or anyone else.

2001.  After three years without racing the full distance, I was anxious to complete the journey to Hayward once again.  Mother Nature said, "Ha!" and sent about a foot of snow on race day.   This made the trail the slowest and hardest skiing possible.  Times were 45 minutes slower than usual and I cried tears of relief when I made it to the finish line.  Birkie 9 was in the books.

2002.  Baby number two was born a month early in January with an emergency C-section.  We were moving the next week.  Jeff and I both skipped the Birkie that year out of absolute necessity.

2003.  There was no snow in Chicago that winter.  We made due with exactly four trips to the local downhill ski area to do hill repeats and dodge snow boarders.  Fortunately, the weather and conditions were fast that year and Jeff and I both had good races.  I got my 10 year Birkie pin and plaque. 

2004, 2005, 2006.  These were good years with strong races and good times.  Birkie 11, 12 and 13 for me.

2007 - Mother Nature stepped in again and melted the southern half of the course.  The northern half of the course was coated with two inches of ice.  The race director declared the course unsafe for racing and eliminated timing for all but the elite racers.  We were allowed to start whenever we wished and finished at OO.  Jeff and Bob and I skied together and had a great time!  Birkie 14 pin on my lapel.

2008, 2009, 2010.  Birkies 15, 16 and 17 came and went without too much struggle.  The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm in the 20s.  The course was firm and fast.  Life was good for the skiers especially in 2009 and 2010.

So, Saturday was Birkie 2011.  At race start, the temperatures were -12 F.  90 minutes into the race, temperatures were still at -8 F.  Despite wearing my warmest gear, hand warmers and my trusty balaclava, at kilometer 17, I was frozen and hypothermic.  My face was frosty with ice, my eyelashes were clumped with ice, my hands and feet were numb and I was shivering in my core.  With the decade that I couldn't feel my right foot still fresh in my memory, I was very, very tempted to pull out at an aid station and get in a warming tent.  But the drive to become a Birchlegger was stronger.  I am planning to get that beautiful purple bib in 2013 if at all possible.  So, I skied on.  I welcomed every hill and charged up them at full speed in an attempt to warm up.  My mantra was, "I can do this.  I will do this."  I was focused on purple and I kept skiing.

Although my race was slow and uncomfortable, I won my battle with the Brrrrr Birkie.  I crossed that finish line and got my 18th Birkie pin.  All for that darn goal - a goal that I started working towards 23 Birkies ago.  A goal that I started when I was 23 years old and if lucky, will finish at age 47 - more than half of my lifetime.  It's hard to explain how I will feel when I earn that honor.  But I am sure that I will be looking to become an Uberlegger - a skier who has completed 30 Birkies and gets a beautiful golden race bib!