Hello Spring and Swim/Run/Bike? Nope, Bike/Swim/Run!

Hello Spring!  The sun is shining today, the birds are chirping, and I can see blue sky!!! I hope winter is at its end, especially because this past Saturday I finally got to run outside with the Team along Shepard Rd.
Or should I say skate?  It was 18 degrees and the trail was iced over, lots of walkers and runners slipping on the ice. Our distance was supposed to be 10 miles, but with recovering the last 2.5 weeks from my Achilles tendonitis, I only did 4 miles.  AND IT FELT GOOD!  I did get a little soreness from my right calf above the tendon, however it didn’t send a sharp spike of pain each time my foot hit.  I walked after 2 miles and stretched it, then proceeded to run the grueling hill and remainder of the trail back…in the 25mph wind!  Call me Chillie Willie, because it was freezing with the wind hitting you on the trail as it overlooked the river.  Luckily I had 5 layers on from the waist down, and 4 from the waist up, nothing got frozen thankfully (though all my male teammates discussed ways of keeping the manbits warm, from the simple “put a sock on it” from Mike, to the application of strategically placed hand warmers, Paul. LOL).

Despite the cold, it felt great to finally run and not experience the debilitating pain I was having.  I am slowly going forward from here, I don’t want to screw it up again, so I will decrease the mileage and speed for now until I feel like I can handle it.  I hope to still run the full Minneapolis marathon, but I may have to drop to the half just because of my training has been delayed.  We will see and I will keep you posted.

It’s the middle of the week and what have I done? I have been training for the triathlon, I actually got in some time to Bike, Swim, and Run (not the typical Swim/Bike/Run) the last 3 days.  After getting some nice cycle shorts (see pic below, they are very comfortable, especially for this novice cyclist I was afraid of neutering myself on those plastic blades they call a seat.)  I did get a pair at Penn Cycle, and got a nice discount because I am LTF member.



Comfortable and padded!



Shorts in hand err on...I have been conquering the bike.  I need to step up my game and try a spin class at LTF, which I think I will do next week.  I feel very hesitant/nervous about that, I am picturing some super tan, muscular, spandex clad foaming at the month instructor screaming at me over techno music so loud it rattles my chest…..ok maybe that’s my imagination running wild, I’ll report back to you next week about my Spin Class experience.  I did do 10.3 miles in 35 minutes, and then did some abwork and stretches to round out my workout.

Tuesday of course is…..Masters Beginners Swim!  But, I have a secret weapon:  Tyr short fins! 



These are amazing!!!!! Can I wear them for the triathlon?



At the suggestion of Teresa, the instructor, I went and purchased a pair at Elsmore Aquatic in Apple Vally:  http://www.elsmoreswim.com/.  They were a nice knowledgeable bunch!  Maybe I will go back and invest in a speedo (not the bikini/banana hammock!) jammer, its like compression shorts and have a 9inch inseam so there not too skimpy, however they leave little to the imagination, nothing says hello like wearing skin tight spandex/neoprene among strangers! Back to the short fins, they work amazingly in helping my kicking (I am slowly getting there to kicking more with my hip, I still got the knee kick going, but working on it!)  They help me so much and I can focus on my form and also technique with my arms.  We had to take them off at the end, and I sorely missed them, and my legs were doing that spastic kick at the knee because I was so used to the fins.  It seems like cheating, but the fins also help build your leg muscles and help in training.  I struggled in the first 2 lessons, mainly because I don’t have a good kick, and I can work on that with a kickboard and these fins.  I am feeling more confident in the water, finally!  We have a lot of drills that focus on how we move the arms, how they enter the water, and how we recover on the stroke.  I am trying to practice at least 2X a week, I should do more, because I need it!

Finally this morning I ran on the treadmill, and did 2.6 miles in 30 min, which of course isn’t the fastest, but the key thing I am doing is just easing back in gradually to my run workouts.  I got to the gym late, so I didn’t have time to do some weights, but did manage to stretch at least.  Noah was up from 1:15 til about 3am, so I got up later than I wanted.  Take the time to train, no matter what, even though sleep sounded much better than going to the gym, I will hopefully reap the rewards come race day for my dedication!

So lets see so far this week: 10.3 miles on the bike, 2.6 mile run, and did maybe 14?15? laps in the pool so maybe .2 miles? Felt like 2 miles by the time we were done. 

The rest of the week my training is still unclear, Maria will be in Iowa the rest of the week with Emma, so it will just be Mini-Me and Me :-)  Maybe I will take him to daycare at LTF (Germ alert!) and I can get a workout in or if its warm, go for a nice fast walk/job with him in the stroller. Have a nice mid-week!

Jamie

What has past in the last 2 weeks....Injury.Recovery.Sleep Deprivation.Swimming!!!

OK....whew, where did last week go?  It got sucked down that black hole of sickness, family, work....frankly I finally feel like a normal person!

Last week Noah was sick, he had this horrible cough, and his poor little nose was clogged with snot AND he was teething (with a 100 temp at night!!)...the trifecta!   Poor guy, couldn't sleep at night :-(  Tylenol and Motrin were our friends last week, and they made Noah feel better.  We were worried that he might have a fever and made a trip to the doctor, where he assured us it was just a severe head cold.  Noah, apparently takes after me and has a great memory, because he remembers the doctors office.  As soon as the door opened, he stopped, stared at the nurse that called his name, and these enormous tears welled up and rolled down his fat cheeks......and he ran the other way!!!! I chased him down and took him inside and he screamed and wailed the entire time we waited in the exam room, when the doc came in, and finally stopped as soon as we got into the waiting room.....whew. Maria's turn next time. :-)

Yes this is what Noah looked like for 15 minutes

So for about a week, he didn't sleep because the snot would cause him to choke when he slept.  Maria and I got about 2 hrs of uninterrupted sleep each night...and to be fair Maria less than I because he prefers her to me when he is sick.  She is the best mommy and wife! (next time I think she will just kick me out of the bed and wake me up lol).

I am happy to say he is much better!!! 4 days of sleeping thru the night! Crossing my fingers/hitting my head (knock on wood, right?)

In my training news a big thing has happened!  My Masters Swim!!!!!!
I was really nervous for the first class because I feel like a giant bull trying to swim...

Sadly the Bull looks better in the water than I do!

However, my fears were soon assuaged (a good word isn't it? Thanks word a day calendar!)  Teresa, the instructor, for the Beginners Masters Swim at LTF Eagan, is awesome!!!!  There is only 5 of us in the class and after we did a warm-up swim of 2 laps (I thrashed and kicked 1 lap only) I realized I wasn't that bad (there was one person worse than me, thankfully)  My friend Paul is also taking the class so that helps I know someone too in the class!  Teresa put us through some drills, learning basically balance in the water, how our bodies feel in the water, and trying to be long in the water.  By the end of the first session, I was beat, mostly because I still don't kick correctly (I kick from the knee, not the hip).  But it was a good tired, because I really think this class will help me with technique, form, and most of all the confidence to swim 1/3 mile in open water in July!

Also in the past 2 weeks I have recovered from my Achilles tendonitis...no RUNNING!!!  I did do some cycling on the bike, and of course swam, and practiced that.  It was really depressing that I couldn't run, but I did as the Dr. ordered.  I moped for a week I must say, but now I can start easing back in to running which is nice.  I did a short 5 min out and back last night at our Team workout and the leg felt good!  I will hopefully put up a widget with my mileage soon!

On another note, I am running with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, as you have noticed.  Raising money to help those who have blood cancers is important to me, I work everyday to help patients find a donor for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.  LLS is a great organization, and I love Team in Training.  I also run in honor of those who have survived cancer and those undergoing treatment.  Right now, my honoree is Alie, she is 8 years old and just had a cord blood transplant to hopefully cure her leukemia that has returned for the 3rd time.  She is a strong, courageous girl, and I would like to leave you with her CaringBridge site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aliethanig

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers and she continues to fight for her life.  If you want to help, join the Be the Match Registry and help save a life.  There is a link on my blog, and you can visit www.marrow.org too.   Next update will be this weekend I promise!

OK OK OK...I am not dead!

For the few who follow my blog, I have not died, even though the last 2 weeks I have almost keeled over from exhaustion.  Noah (my 17 month old) was sick all last week and didnt sleep very well at night, meaning I was a zombie all last week.  I will work on an update on what I have been up to; resting my sore Achilles heel, taking my first Masters Swim Class, the funny process of me finding a pair of cycling shorts (is it a shammy or chamois?) and of course some Team in Training stuff!  All right I need to sleep!!!!  Post will be up tomorrow!

Fun. Run. Rest. Swim. Run. Shop. Snow. Shovel. Tendonitis

Ok, so I didnt post my update for the last week like I thought I would on Sunday (and now I have to remember what I did!).  It was a long week, interrupted by SNOW!!! sigh. Good ol' MN winter...

However there was something(s) pretty special: My daughter's 6th Birthday on Valentine's Day, and my 8th wedding anniversary on Feb. 15th! Check out some pics below:

The birthday girl! 6 and Sassy! (You have no idea!)

A house for her Zoobles. Dont ask.

Her little brother likes the cake too!

I did manage to get some gym time in, however despite the pain in my ass (see previous posts) but my leg was still bugging me.  I rested on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we had our TNT group run at Lake Como.  Now, its really dark by 6:30 here in MN and it was chilly!!!! A very brisk 30 with a strong wind that kept blowing (it was 52 and sunny earlier!).  It was a nice moonlit evening and the lake looked ethereal with the moonlight glowing on it.  Unfortunately, no pictures since I forgot my camera.  I managed to do 3 miles, but had some pain in my lower right calf (I ran/walked 3 miles). 


Now on Thursday I had my appointment with the sports chiropractor.  Ok, it was my first time ever at a chiropractor (I wanted to get some help with my hip and leg but the physical therapist I saw last year was booked til March).  A couple of coworkers recommended Accu-practic in Eagan, and off I went.  I was worried about quacks (the first chiropractor I called also did large animals....no joke) but Dr. Jenny Schulz put me at ease.  Despite her dimunitive size she was able to pop my SI joint back into place, and also work on that pain I was having using the Graston Technique, which at first looks like modern torture check it out:




She uses the steel instruments to run along your muscles to find and work out the knots, fibrous/scar tissue and to promote healing...it felt really weird, but I could feel her hit the knots.  Ouch. I am going back next week and hope I get better (fast forward, she thinks I have achilles tendonitis, so no running for me for awhile ):

The weekend was good, we had our TNT group workout at Run N' Fun and had an info session on shoes and gear.  What was really touching was our Mission moment (someone shares a reason/story why we are running and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Soceity)  by my friend Kristine (also co-worker AND TNT Head Walk Coach Extraordinaire!).  She is a 12 year Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) survivor, and what was so poignant was that February 19th was the anniversary of the date when she was diagnosed in 1999.  More importantly, the reason why she was still alive, her sister Michelle, who donated her own bone marrow to save Kristine's life was there training with her.

Krsitine was striking a pose in front of the shoes. 

Kimmi checking in all the runners/walkers

One of the owners talking to us about shoes and running clothes.

One of the many reasons why I love TNT and the mission of LLS!  We then ran 4 miles (well I did some people did 7+ by accidently following the wrong trail along Shephard Rd.)  It was cold. 18 degrees. Yes thats right I ran in 18 degree weather.  However, when done I got to do some shopping!  I got me a new run jacket and some socks (TNT got a 30% discount) wahoo!

Later in the day we had some friends visiting from North Dakota (one of my good friends from back home in NC that lives in ND with his wife Tracy) check our their blog http://ourmomentarylapseofreason.blogspot.com/
They traveled around the world for almost 2 years! They have some amazing stories and beautiful photos.  The took us out to dinner (thank you!) with the kids to Perkins (when you have kids they dictate where you eat lol and no we are not 50! I did drink some coffee there though).  It was nice, because it wasnt too loud and we got to talk and the kids behaved (thank you balloon guy for giving them something to play with while we talked).  They were going to stay, however we had snowmageddon #2 that was on its way so they headed back to Fargo instead.

And the snow cometh and it conquered...we had a grand total of 19 inches from Sunday til Monday night. S U C K S!  I will post some pictures of our 8ft+ snowdrifts at the end of our driveway.

Whew, ok I need to do that blog post daily not weekly!!!!  Stay tuned....

First Team in Training Group Run 2-12-11: Phreezing in Phalen

Well, after my week of having my feet hurt, and literally having a pain in the ass, it was time for the East Marathon Team's first group run!  I had meet at all my Team in Training friends and my mentees (yes that's right, I am mentoring people! To RUN! Amazing (: ) so I was excited despite the aches and pains. 
I was in charge of the water support, so I enlisted the aid of my lovely wife, and since her parents were visiting from Iowa, her dad, Larry, tagged along. 

My very nice and lovely wife signing TNT runners in

Maria's Dad Larry, and Val's husband Scott

The snow covered up the sign to turn on the road to Lake Phalen, so we went a little too far, but turned around and made it to our meeting spot.  It was a chilly 28 maybe 26 degrees ( or balmy they way our weather has been, take your pick) overcast day, but it wasn't snowing at least!  We had about 35 of the mentees show up, which was a great number that showed up!  Val, Run Coach Extraordinaire, gave a mission moment about a 18 yo girl who has been diagnosed 3 times with leukemia since the age of 17.  It underscored the fact that despite my complaining about the cold, we were out there to train for a reason, and this girl was one of those reasons.

We all headed out on our run, and I got a late start, but slowly ran around the lake meeting some TNT runners, shouting encouragement, and even stopped and spoke with a guy and his girlfriend, and told them that you might not think you can do the half-marathon, but you can have fun training for it with the Team.

I continued on, meet Kimmi, LLS Staff Extraordinaire, and was waved on home....kinda. Well, I didnt realize that I ran past the entrance to the trail and kept going til I realized I had passed by this one bridge before.  AND I HAD!  Because I was beyond the turnaround!  So I ran back and was finally finished.  I cant say it was effortless, but I can say that it felt really good to run again, despite my hip pain and in my calf.  I am ready for Wed. group practice, bring it on! 

Here are some pics of the mighty East Side Team:

A lot of happy faces after a 3-4 mile i

I like the dog!

Next post my swimming lessons!

The week in review - Time. Pain. Nerd. Old.

Ok, where to start?  How about some thoughts on this week:

First lets talk about time, or lack thereof.  This week I finally have felt better (no cough, no mucus, no drip!)  and I was determined to get back on schedule for training.  However, life as usual isnt so easy.  There are those other time demands that I need to realize that I have to work around. 

Monday was a Monday as usual, and I was aiming to break in my new shoes for the first TNT East Marathon group run (will be posted later), and what happens?  I get this excruciating pain on the inside of my foot after 5 min of running on the treadmill.  I tried to run through it (maybe its just the new shoes) but the pain continued, so I had to stop.  So I walked and tried to get a feel if the pain was decreasing, and after 5 min tried running again, and bam! Foot pain again.  Damn. So I took my aching feet back home, and thought perhaps its just the shoes (Side note: These were the Asics Gel Evolution 6, the new model for 2011.  I had previously ran wearing the Gel Evolution 4, and 5, which fit like a glove, with no pain). Also I had some pain flare up from my SI joint (an injury that occurred a year ago, apparently my SI (sacro-iliac) joint moves around and pinches my piriformis muscle, causing literally a sharp pain in my left buttock). Not good. I can wear a belt that holds my SI joint in place, so it is stable, guess I will be doing that this week. 

This works wonders, and its made in Minneapolis!

Tuesday I drilled baby drill! Well not looking for oil, but spent 30 min at the pool doing drills in the hopes that one day I will swim. My problem is relaxing in the water, I just tense up, and then instead of smoothly doing the strokes and repeat,  its like thrash, thrash, sink, sink.....but I keep working on it.

Wednesday was a big day (if you are a nerd, that is).  ITS JEOPARDY!  I took the online Jeopardy test, 50 questions, 15 seconds to type your answer online.  I had to wait almost 20 min in the queue (I watched Glee! with Maria while I counted down the minutes).  I thought I did pretty well, of the 50 questions I didnt know the answer to at least 7 of them, one was "this author came up with the characters of Jean Valjean and Javert..." I couldnt think of Victor Hugo to save my life! I was like Les Miserables! but a blank as to the author, until it dinged and I was out of time did I remember.  I'll keep you posted if I get called! (Maria thought I was the biggest nerd ever, but was impressed I knew the answers to the questions (: thanks honey!).

Your Mother Trabeck!

 
Thursday again was the return of the Foot Pain when I did my 3 miles on the treadmill.  I decided that I would go back to Run'n'Fun on Friday and ask about the shoes, and potentially maybe exchage for a different pair.

Hello FRIDAY! I did a workout on the eliptical and felt good, however I did wear my SI belt and it worked wonders for my pain in the ass.  After work I stopped by Run'n'Fun and did exchange my shoes and got last years Gel-Evolution 5's (tried and true, and they felt wonderful on my feet) and since I got money back, I used it to get a pair of Brooks running mittens. 

So challenges to work on:

1. Time, or really Time Management.  I need to learn how to juggle kids, work, training more efficiently.
2.  Doctor, heal thyself: Seriously, I literally have a pain in my ass, and I dont want it to get worse, so hopefully headed to the physical therapist next week (or chiropractor).
3. Getting Old:  no answer to that really, but I am certainly feeling my age!
4. Nerd:  no challenge there, I freely embrace my nerdyness.

Stay Tuned for my post on my first Team in Training Group run at Lake Phalen today.....tonight perhaps some more drills in the pool?

The Calm Before the Storm

The week in review.................I guess could be summed up as recovery. Recovery from a nasty cold (granted to me by my 15 month old son, Noah), then of course after the snot stopped flowing and the sneezes ceased, I get the dry hacking cough (a present from work) which lasted the rest of the week.  Needless to say I felt like this all week:


 Sigh.  The last 2 weeks I have been trying to get a jump start on training, which was a big fail.  Oh well.  However, on the triathlon training front, I did go to my swimming lesson for the week. And I'm a terrible swimmer, imagine that?  After having a near drowning experience when I was 10 (taking swimming lessons believe it or not, nearly drowned when I went in the deep end to tread water).  So, after that I wasn't too keen on swimming, I mean I never even got my Swimming merit badge as a Boy Scout, how sad is that?  So, I am trying to remedy the problem by taking classes til March through community education at our local middle school's pool.  So far, I think my main issue is that I need to relax in the water, and don't over think it.  So, I will keep you updated on the progress, because I am bound and determined to be able to swim my .25 miles in July.

So, why the calm before the storm as my blog post title? Well, starting tomorrow I will begin training for the Minneapolis Marathon (officially) with Team in Training!  Yesterday, February 5th was the Kick Off Party for the Spring Season at the Crown Plaza in Bloomington:

One of our Honorees; a 17yr old with Acute Promyelocytic  Leukemia, currently in remission

 

 

 

 

Paul, a Survivor and Captain of the Merrill Cycle Team

We had over 130 people sign up for our Spring Season!  This includes the Mpls Marathon, the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon, the Anchorage Marathon, Lifetime Fitness Triathlon, and South Maui Triathlon, and America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride.  All of these athletes (common everyday people like you and I) are dedicated to help find a cure for blood cancer.  Some are veterans of endurance sports, many are beginners and to help them there are people like me, mentors.  I have 8 mentees!  I hope to be there for them and aid them as best they can with fundraising and running.  Here are a couple of the great (and a little crazy) Tri mentors:

Ready to Tri!

At the end of the program, Courtney Spiegler, TNT Campaign Director Extraordinaire gave a rousing speech:

I do this for those who have gone before me, for those children, mothers, fathers, friends, loved ones who struggle with cancer. One step, one mile at a time you are my inspiration.  GO TEAM!!!!!!!