Midsummer Triathlon Race Report

First Place medal, Athena 30-39 Division

I got my first medal! What an amazing, fun, crazy thing that was!

Amica Insurance Midsummer Triathlon, July 31, 2011, Blue Lake Park, Fairview, Oregon - 1:49:15
Yes, another triathlon at Blue Lake Park! However, the bike was 16 miles, 4 miles longer than my previous tri there. My times now include difference from previous triathlon personal best. Negative (-) time is faster and positive time (+) reflects longer time.

The Swim - 00:19:24 - 0.5 miles (-00:01:56)

This is the exact swim course as my previous tri at Blue Lake other than starting a little further in the water so no dolphining of the start. Like before, about 200 feet in a bunch of people who started super fast stopped and I had to go around them. After the first turn buoy I noticed the bulk of the swimmers were about 50 feet south of me for some reason, way off the buoy line. Think they were following someone, I continued to do my own sighting. It meant no one to draft off of, but continuing south toward them just to draft didn't make sense. I did pick up someone to draft right after the last turn, so spent the last 250 yards in draft, which was a great way to conserve energy for the bike ahead.

 
T1 - 00:04:11 (+00:00:12)
Due to my recent bout with ulnar neuropathy, I opted to don cycling gloves this time. My increased time reflects my struggle to put gloves on my damp hands! I don't think I will do that ever again on a sprint tri, just seemed unnecessary.






The Bike - 00:52:45 - 16 miles (n/a due to difference distance, 0.6 mph faster than previous)

I didn't realize until about 10 minutes prior to starting the event that the bike was 16 miles instead of 12! Glad I listened to the pre-race briefing! I was anxious for the ride so I could compare with my new HED Jet 4 wheels. I did increase my speed by 0.6 mph from previous.

I rode the majority of the time in my lower drops, keeping my torso low and my hands out of the hoods as not to crush my ulnar nerves. This seemed to work. I did have some brief tingling in my left pointer finger and realized I was mashing my radial nerve and adjusted my hand. Paying more attention to my hands now!

One thing that happened this time was an inefficient turnaround for me. During the race briefing they announced that the turnaround was at the SeaScout base on Marine Drive, just opposite the Port of Portland Fire Station. I am VERY familiar with this area and planned my gearing accordingly. However, I came upon the turn just after a rise about 0.25 miles BEFORE the fire station, totally unprepared for the turn, in high gear. There was no warning sign that the turn was coming up. So my speed suffered after the turn for a while.

T2 - 00:02:52 (+00:00:10)
Those silly gloves again! Probably just should have worn them on the run...

The Run - 00:30:02 (-00:00:19)

I ran more consistently this time, and no shin splint feeling (checked the tongue of my shoe more carefully). I did watch a runner in front of me take a scary tumble about 2 miles in and briefly stopped to check to make sure he was ok, and then watched my feet carefully realizing that the shaded patch was full of areas pushed up by tree roots, which tripped the other runner.









Getting There Early

We arrived at the gate for the park just slightly before they opened at 6 AM and were the third car in (Portland Tri Club friend Darcie Facebooked me that my car was very obviously the third car in due to it's location in the parking area!). But I got some prime real estate! It's really nice to get there early and not feel rushed before the event.

Medaling

My first event medal placement ever! Really quite an amazing feeling. It's not what I do these events for, but it is a very nice extra.

Sherri and me with our First Place medals

Friendly Competition!

Fellow Portland Triathlon Club member Sherrie Austin and I have been "chasing each other" in these two tri's. This year we are in separate divisions, but next year I move into Athena 40-49 and the real fun begins! We had met each other via the PTC Google Group after sharing race reports for the Blue Lake Triathlon, and we met at Midsummer waiting for the medal presentations to start. We both placed first in our respective divisions. I think it's going to be great to have the friendly competition to push me into improving next year!


A special shout out and thanks to my personal support crew, Mother Superior and Trimazing Christine! You make the day even better! Couldn't do it without you!

Check out the new awesome orange and black sleeves from Mother Superior!

Ulnar Neuropathy

Tools used in Graston® Technique for Ulnar Neuropathy Treatment

If you follow me on Facebook you already know that I lost the use of my ring and pinkie fingers on both hands after the completion of the STP last week. During the last 50 miles of the 200 mile ride, I started having significant problems shifting my front gear, especially into the biggest ring and, in fact, had to reach across with my right hand to shift up much of that time. I had been having problems with my front derailleur prior to the STP, had it repaired, and assumed that my derailleur was once again out of adjustment and therefore difficult to shift. Later in the ride, I also found that I could no longer squeeze my water bottles to drink and had to suck the water from them, and even later, found I could not even grasp the bottles and dropped them at every rest stop when trying to drink. I stopped drinking water while riding due to fear of losing my bottles on the ride. When I got home, my friend who drove me asked if I would play something on the piano and to my shock--I couldn't play, my hands would not work! Shock and dismay! I tried to do an Internet search on the computer to find out what was wrong with my hands but could only type with my thumb and index fingers.

Function was still impaired the next morning and after slowly typing and searching the Internet, I discovered that I had probably developed Ulnar Neuropathy or "Cyclist's Palsy." I contacted Russell Cree of Upper Echelon Fitness who immediately scheduled me to come in the next day for a complete sport's medicine assessment with him and his team to figure out what was going on, wanting to ensure that I did not have a spinal issue as the cause of my neuropathy. He also wanted to do a medical bike fit to see if something had changed from my initial fit he had done in February. I also had a physical exam with my physician who concurred I had a peripheral nerve palsy without any cervical involvement.

Ulnar nerve and its branches, courtesy of http://www.netterimages.com

Russell and his team concurred that I indeed had Ulnar Neuropathy caused by entrapment of the ulnar nerve at Guyon's canal, caused by pressure and vibrations from my grasp and hand position during the STP. Ulnar neuropathy is just like Carpal Tunnel syndrome except that it involves the ulnar nerve on the pinkie side rather than the radial nerve on the thumb side of the hand. The ulnar nerve passes through a tunnel between the pisiform and hamate bones and the pisohamate ligament that join them together. Your hand position on your handlebars can put pressure on the ulnar nerve within Guyon's canal; combined with road vibration, this can cause enough damage to inhibit nerve impulses to travel through this area, thus causing weakness and loss of function to the pinkie and ring fingers.

The good thing about this injury is that it is generally well self-healing with rest. I had chiropractic treatment on my neck, back, shoulders, arms, and hands to eliminate any sources of pressure or entrapment along the entire ulnar nerve, as well as deep tissue sports massage to loosen muscle and other tissue adhesions. The muscles of my forearms were very tight, probably contributing as well to ulnar nerve entrapment. They also suggested ice and stretching. Recovery is expected to be about a couple weeks.

The pad on the pinkie side of my palm (hypothenar eminance) was particularly tender. During my medical bike fit, we determined that during my ride, probably due to fatigue, I had shifted my hands in the hoods of my integrated shift/brake levers so that the hypothenar eminance (shown on the left in red) rested solidly on my handlebars rather than riding in the area between the hypothenar and thenar eminances (should ride in the area delineated in blue). This position most definately contributed to my condition.

To prevent this, I will have to be vigilant about hand position. I also purchased new riding gloves with more padding over Guyon's canal, and will add gel padding under the bar tape on my handlebars to reduce vibration transfer to my hands. It is also important to change hand positions during long rides, taking hands out of the hoods to the top bar during parts of the ride you don't need to be concerned with shifting, braking, or low body position. And furthermore, the dreaded core strengthening....I will need to work on continued core strength so I can hold my torso in the forward riding position without putting so much weight on my hands. Russell raised my handlebars 1cm to relieve hand pressure during my recovery. I will decrease this when fully recovered but remember to raise my handlebar height in the future during long distance rides.

This week I was also seen by an Occupational Therapist who specializes in hands for further assessment and treatment. She went over a whole host of stretches and "nerve glides" to increase my flexibility and free up any catches or constriction on my ulnar nerves. In addition, she referred me for Graston® treatment. Graston® Technique is a procedure used to detect and treat adhesions in muscles and other structures. We all develop adhesions, or scar tissue, as our bodies work to repair themselves. Training causes micro tears in tissue, which leads to more scar tissue. This scar tissue is not flexible nor as strong and actually shrinks and shortens muscle fibers, which can decrease strength and even entrap nerves. Scar tissue also blocks blood flow to tissue, further decreasing strength. During Graston® treatment, the practitioner runs metal instruments along the muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can feel areas of scar tissue, which they can then "break up" with the tools. It is similar to deep tissue massage, but the tools do not yield to scar tissue as a masseuse's hands would, thus Graston® can break up more areas of adhesion. Like deep tissue massage, this procedure can be painful and lead to soreness and even bruising as scar tissue is broken up and blood supply rushes back into the tissues. My session had the same sensation as a deep tissue massage and the skin of my arms got very red and flushed like you'd get from an "Indian rub burn," but when it was done, they felt extremely energized, probably from the increased blood flow. I had some soreness the next couple of days, but no visible bruising. I will have this done once a week for the next few weeks.

Here is a video with more information on Graston® Technique. It shows a treatment for carpal tunnel  syndrome, which, again, is similar to my condition but involves the radial nerve rather than the ulnar nerve.

So my prognosis is great! By Sunday, a week after the condition started, I was significantly improved. I was even able to play the piano, not perfectly, in fact I still had some problem with spatial awareness with my pinkies and decreased stretch, but I did go for a bike ride at the Oregon Coast without any hand issues. I will be continuing weekly deep tissue massage and Graston® treatment, sports chiropractic treatments every other week, stretching, and acupuncture.

Fort Steven's State Park

Due to my hand issues, I opted out of the Girlfriends and Dudes Triathlon so I could rest and and heal before the Midsummer Triathlon July 31st. Girlfriends and Dudes is a charity event, not USAT sanctioned....Midsummer is a USAT event and held at Blue Lake where my last tri with my 2nd place finish time, so I really want to be healed up for it and do well in comparison. So, instead of the tri, I went to the Oregon Coast with my friend Kevin and we rode from Warrenton to Ft. Steven's State Park. 

It was misty and rainy, but a great ride. No hand problems. I did have tire and tube problems, though. During the STP I realized my tires were pretty much shot and prayed and hoped that my tires would hold together for my ride--they did, but that was the end of them. At mile 12.5 of this ride I developed a rear flat (which caused a low-speed crash, but I was fine). I changed the tube, found no sharp objects in my tire, proceeded on and developed another rear flat at mile 12.75. This time I could hear air pouring out of my tire, not just my tube, and found several large holes in the tire. Long story short, we got a ride back to the start by some very nice people and I will be purchasing new tires for OJ this week.

So, I should be back up and training this week. Hope everyone is doing well and talk to you soon!

Seattle to Portland Ride 2011

Fun with refrigerator magnets at the halfway point

I've crossed something off my Bucket List! As a little girl growing up in Longview, Washington, I would watch for the bicyclists in the Seattle to Portland bike ride to come through town every summer. I remember being at the intersection of Fisher Lane and Westside Highway, waiting for cyclists to pass and telling Mother Superior, "I'm going to do that some day." Well I did, finally! Bucket List pic to the right, taken on West Side Highway, one mile north of that intersection!

The Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP) is a 204-mile supported ride organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club. It started in 1979 as a race but is now a noncompetitive ride capped at 10,000 participants.

Team Awesome, AKA Dan and the smyelin' babes!

I participated in this event with high school friend, Theresa Heim-Stohler and riding friend, Dan Kalowsky. None of us had done the STP before.

Theresa and I loaded our bikes on my car and headed up to Seattle the night before with Mother Superior. Thanks, Theresa, for the wonderful suggestion on staying in the Seattle area the night before rather than driving up at 2AM! We met Dan at 5AM at the start in the parking lot of the University of Washington. Mom then drove my car back home to my house. Thanks, Mother Superior! We couldn't have done it without you and all your driving!!!

I volunteered as part of the medical support team on this ride. To accommodate the first aid supplies I wanted to carry, I added a rear rack and bag filled with various dressings and bandages, ice packs, Benadryl, Chamois Butter, glucometer and glucose gel, etc. I also wore a special red jersey with a star of life on it to designate I was part of the medical response team. I have to admit, I was so surprised by all the thank you's from other cyclists during the ride when they recognized my jersey--I didn't expect that at all. I would have carried all the first aid supplies anyway, I always do, so it made sense for me to participate officially in that capacity.

Kent REI Rest Stop

We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. There were broken clouds, cool but not cold, at our 6AM start. They started us off in waves as riders accumulated at the starting line. The route took us past Lake Washington, to the first major stop at the Kent REI. This was the best stop of the whole event, with 70s disco music, a costumed emcee at the entrance, girls carrying trays of food for the riders, etc. We were energized...I danced the whole time we were there!

STP Day 1

 We headed back out on the road toward "The Hill" in Puyallup, a 7% grade one mile climb. At mile 53 we hit Spanaway and pulled into the High School for the midway food stop. Volunteers had free food for us, wraps, fruit, bars, cookies, water, juice, Nuun electrolyte drink, Jamba Juice, etc. We just kept filling the pouches on the back of our riding jerseys then had a little picnic on the football field. The sun was out but it wasn't too warm.

The next half of the trip skirted behind Fort Lewis Army Base, a road with a narrow bike lane and fast traffic. We stayed on this path until Yelm where we hit the Yelm-Tenino Trail for 14.5 miles. It was nice to have a dedicated bicycle trail after miles of fast traffic roadway.

Theresa and Dan enjoying beers!

After a quick stop in Tenino for water and a snack, we finished the last 15 miles into Centralia. We enjoyed a free orangesicle, stashed our bikes in the secure bike corrall for the night (Centralia PD provided security), and headed to the beer garden for a couple cool ones (and pizza). The midpoint stop is held on the Centralia College campus. A lot of folks packed tents (you are allowed to check two bags each that STP transfers from Seattle to Centralia and from Centralia to Portland) and camped on the grass, others threw sleeping bags on the gym floor for the night. We were lucky enough to have one of my high school BFFs, Seriny, who lives in Chehalis, come pick us up and host all three of us for the night. Seriny and Jason, you are both awesome! Thank you for the hospitality, food, drink, comfy beds, and ride from and back to Centralia!

We dropped off our bags, picked up our bikes and hit the road at 6AM for day two with similar weather, perhaps just a shade cooler. We started out ahead of the bulk of the riders so it was nice and sparse, but after stopping to do a medical assist at mile 4.5, we were taken over by a huge crowd of riders. (I'll do a medical assist summary in a bit.) This was a beautiful section of riding, rural, little traffic. We pulled into Lexington, just north of Longview, at mile 144 for the midpoint lunch break. Just as the day before, volunteers had free lunch for us.

Mother Superior noticed prior to the ride that the route was going to pass right in front of the Canterbury Inn where Grandma Janet lives. So we gave a heads-up text to Mom when we left Lexington and stopped to visit Mom Sup and Grandma four miles later. It was so great to stop and visit Grandma and be greeted with cold washcloths for our faces and fresh fruit from Mom! Mom and Grandma had been sitting out front for an hour enjoying watching all the riders pass...they were cheering and clapping for them and the riders waved and hollered back and rang their bicycle bells as they went past.

From there we hit the Rainier Bridge to take us over the Columbia River into Oregon. The Goldwing Touring Association escorted us over the bridge in big groups, shutting southbound traffic occasionally to let us have the roadway to ourselves. The bridge wasn't nearly as difficult as I had psyched myself into...in fact, pretty easy (but hey, thanks to Dan's Skyline Blvd. tour the week before, EVERY hill was easy!)

Waiting at Rainier Bridge

So we followed Highway 30 all the way into Portland from here. Notably, the worst part of the ride, trafficwise. Highway 30 is horrible in a car, let alone on a bike, as it's narrow, curvy, and fast traffic. We fortunately missed a patch of tacks in the bicycle lane (http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/post_121.html) between Scappose and Cornelius Pass. Right at Sauvie's Island, at a crest in the road, we got our first glimpse of Portland in the form of the spires of the St. John's Bridge spanning the Willamette River! Woooooo Hooooo! We exited Highway 30 to the NW Bridge Avenue hill approach to the St. John's Bridge, wound through North Portland and along the bluff, and finally crossed the finish line at mile 204 at Holladay Park by Lloyd Center Mall!

That's us...Dan, Theresa, and me, approaching the Finish Line!

A terrific event! So well organized! I would do it again in a heartbeat and encourage all my riding friends to do the same!

I had seven total medical assist stops on the route; two the first day and five the second. Most were sore knees, scrapes from minor falls. I did treat two bee stings to the lips, fortunately no allergic reaction component to either. The most significant injury was a broken clavicle sustained during a low-speed collision and crash at the Winlock food stop. Will definitely do medical support in the future and have a list of things to include next time...like waaaaaay more ace bandages!

Elevation Profiles

Day 1

Day 2

 So until next time...Ride Safe!

Have a Great Day...Don't Forget to Hydrate!

View of Mt. Rainier, St. Helen's, and Mt. Adams on Skyline Ride

We have finally gotten into some beautiful weather here in the Pacific Northwest! Blue skies and sunshine...and sun block!

Being just a week before the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride, my friend Dan suggested we go for a last hurrah ride of 50-60 miles. He picked a route I've heard of but never ridden before, Skyline Boulevard in Portland, to Hillsboro. Beautiful ride...very picturesque...very hilly.

My friend, Kevin, and I met Dan at Overlook Park in Portland (across the street from Interstate Kaiser for my Portlandia readers) and headed over the Broadway Bridge, through NW Portland to Cornell. I had driven on Cornell as far as the Audubon Society when I took an injured bird to them years ago and knew that section was uphill...

We skirted along Forest Park, the scene of my recent slide-into-home-plate trail running maneuver. Just a beautiful scenic area.

The ride profile tells the tale! First hill is Cornell Road, next Skyline Blvd., flatter section is 185/West Union in Hillsboro, then up Highway 26 bike path to the Oregon Zoo at the top of the last hill. Total elevation gain for this ride: 4,180 feet!

This ride WORE ME OUT! First ride I've ever bonked on--thanks Dan! By the time we hit the bike path along Highway 26 I was riding about 7 mph and when I slowed to 5 mph I got off and walked my bike...WALKED MY BIKE! Holy cow! Great training ride though. Dan offered taking Max in from Cedar Hills, Beaverton, but I figured I could make it. At the Zoo, about ten miles later, I was ready for Max, but Dan convinced me that the best part of the ride was just a few short meters away...

And he was right! The absolute BEST part of this whole ride was the final descent from the Zoo into NW Portland. This section goes down through Washington Park and the International Rose Test Garden, which was in full bloom and gorgeous. This route is known as ZooBombing and is so fantastic and fun it even has its own website! Seriously, it was so fun that when we reached the Goose Hollow Max station I considered taking Max back up to the zoo and going down again, even as tired as I was! AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!

Dan split off at Goose Hollow since it was near his home and Kevin and I gladly took Max the last little bit back to my car. We just couldn't fathom riding the last little section back up Interstate! Well, I'm sure Kevin the Hillslayer could have...I was spent!

As we were getting off Max with our bikes, an old man sitting on the train hollered out to us..."Have a great day...Don't forget to Hydrate!" Cracked me up. Perhaps the best line ever shouted out of a Max train!

Vancouver Half Marathon, Running with Manager John, and Zumba!

 
Inaugural Vancouver Marathon

Sunday, July 19 was the first ever Vancouver (Washington) Marathon, and I would say, a complete success, both as a community event and personally. I participated in the Half Marathon as it fit perfectly into my training plan for the October 9 Portland Marathon.

It really was a nice route, weaving through downtown, through the historic Fort Vancouver area to Evergreen Highlands, and back along the Columbia River. We shared this course with the last half of the Marathon course. The full marathon headed first out Mill Plain and Lower River Road to Frenchman's Bar and back, a route Christine and I ran two weekends ago and is really not that pretty of a run, so I was glad the half marathon took the last half of the event.

The course was mostly flat, other than a hill at the halfway mark.

 

The weather was great, misty rain at the start, overcast and cool throughout, a bit humid, and a touch of sunshine on our backs for the last couple of miles. 

I was really pleased with my run. I decided to go sans headphones again, as I seem to be running quite a bit faster without them, setting my own pace. I started out great with sub 9:30 minute miles for the first half, but slowed after the hill at the halfway point. No shin splint twang like I had at the Blue Lake tri (I made sure my shoe tongue was properly positioned) but I did have a right side ache the entire run! Another new something, argh! I don't think I hydrated enough the day before. But, I ran though it and ended up with a new Personal Record of 2:13:14 for a 9:58 pace overall! Very excited about that!

Running with Manager John!

Manager John and GAG of the Gag the Manager podcast spent a few days with me this week while they visited the other Vancouver! He was beginning his taper for the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon June 25th and wanted to know if we could run together while he was here--Absolutely!! He needed to do a 9 mile run, so I took him through Fort Vancouver and along the Columbia River trail. Great weather, high clouds, perfect temperature. We did a 9:58 minute mile pace, chatting up the sights on the way. I'm not used to running with someone, so that was a new experience for me! Thanks John!

Zumba!

Manager John, GAG, Mother Superior, and I went to the most energized Zumba class I've ever attended! The class was led by Steven "MrXinu" Klassen of the GeekFit podcast at the Open House Ministries shelter here in Vancouver,  Washington. This whole event blew my mind! I seem to remember hearing about the GeekFit podcast in passing as another podcaster in the area but had never had a chance to listen to his show or meet MrXinu. Steven has been on a fitness journey, losing an amazing 150 pounds, and is now a licensed Zumba instructor. He has an infectious smile, great energy, and his class was fantastic! Check out his podcast and blog links above.

I am so impressed with Open House Ministries (OHM)! I have lived in Vancouver for 15 years and was shocked to just learn about this shelter and amazing resource. OHM is a shelter for families, providing residential apartments, daycare facilities, and on-site educational programs to transition parents and families from homelessness to independent, functional living. Volunteers with OHM gave us a tour of the facility and their program. Very inspiring and I am very proud of this organization working in my community. OHM has found that exercise programs, such as Zumba, are an important part of growth, confidence, and overall wellness for their residents. The class was full of women and girls of all ages, with amazing energy and spirit. I recommend that you check out their program to learn more. I went back a couple days later to make a donation to the program and would like to see how I can assist them more in the future. Kudos to you, Steven, for your work in our community!

That's it for this week's report. Wishing everyone a super week ahead!

Is that poop or pudding?

So I'm sure you're wondering about the title of this blog! All to be revealed...!

Open Water Swim Clinic

photo by Athlete's Lounge

Athlete's Lounge put on another great clinic last week. Their triathlon pros took us through a two-hour open water training session at Blue Lake Park in Fairview, Oregon, location of several triathlons this summer. We started with warmup laps, and proceeded through the same drills we did in the pool: drafting, contact, sighting, mass start, buoy turning, etc. They also included two new skills that we couldn't do in the pool, "dolphining" at entry and exiting the water.

Dolphining the water entry is an efficient way to give yourself momentum at the start of the swim. Unlike the pool, there is no wall to push off of to get you going. With this technique you run into the water until you are about knee deep, at that point the water around your knees basically trips you while you try to keep running, so you let it and do a very shallow dive with your arms extended like you would with any other dive. You will glide under the water, grab the sand with your hands, tuck your feet at your hands by bending your knees and then push up out of the water into another shallow dive. You can do this as few or as many times as you want until you are ready to start swimming. Note, you need to make sure you keep your head down and arms outstretched during the dive or you'll risk dislodging your goggles...and that doesn't help you be speedy at all! Here is a link about dolphining from HowStuffWorks.

To best exit the water, make sure you increase your kicking the last couple hundred yards so you get the blood circulating in your legs. Most triathletes do minimal kicking during the open water swim to conserve them for the bike and run. Swim until you feel your fingers hitting the bottom but don't get up until you can grab the sand in your hands, this ensures the water is shallow enough not to impede your ability to run in the water (below knee height).

cue music.....
Hahahahahaha Wipeout!

I had two spectacular wipeouts this week, prompting a paramedic from another agency who saw my posts on Facebook to ask if he needed to get me a safety helmet for my swim and run workouts! Normally I wouldn't blog about my wipeouts, for if you know me, I am a supreme klutz and trip, fall, tumble, etc. often, but both of these have teaching points!

The final drill of the Open Water Clinic was exiting the water and running to the transition area while pulling down your wetsuit. The unfortunate thing was that the safety fence was still in place at the swimming area as this was not a closed event like a triathlon, so we were forced to exit up concrete stairs. I don't suggest running up concrete stairs after a long swim while doffing your wetsuit...I caught my right big toe and fell, my arms stuck behind me trying to remove my hands from my inside-out sleeves, landing on my left knee and catching myself on the metal railing with my left upper arm. Ouch! Fortunately I did not break anything, immediately iced and elevated, and kept a compression stocking on my knee for as long as I could tolerate it while sleeping. I still cannot kneel on that kneecap and I have a horrendous black bruise on my arm the diameter of a large grapefruit. But feel very fortunate to not have sustained a season-ending injury.

Later in the week I had the opportunity to go on a trail run on the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. It is a beautiful park and the Wildwood Trail weaves 30 miles through evergreens and lush forest. I have never done a trail run like this before; I would have considered it a hiking path, bare dirt, roots, rocks, narrow, and switchbacks. We headed out for a 5 mile run. At mile 2, at a bend at the top of a climb (you can see it on the map), I caught my right foot and fell forward. I put my arms out to catch myself but the trail descended at that point, so I ended up sliding down on my belly with my arms stretched out in front of me as if sliding in to home base! No real injuries that time other than some scraped elbows, and it was actually fairly entertaining to me, but unwitnessed by my running partner who was ahead of me.

Despite my tumble, I do think that there is a lot of merit in trail running. This was so different than my normal runs, even what I considered trail runs which are graded gravel. This required more attention to my task, focus on footfall, variation in terrain. And, while there is the risk of ankle injury in just doing it, I do think that it would help build ankle strength. I hope to add more of this to my training plan...now to find a protective safety bubble to surround myself in!


Vegan Fitness Nutrition

All the clinics I have been attending recently have been talking a lot about nutrition, however, the information they are sharing are based on animal protein diets and include commercial energy drinks and gels, none of which I use. There are several vegan drinks and gels, but as I have been trying to eat as "clean" as possible (whole foods, largely raw, minimal processed food), and my previous experience of getting sick from Gu Energy Gel during a half-marathon, I really wanted to do some research and find what I could do for my fitness nutrition.

I learned about Brendan Brazier when I first researched triathlon last fall. As a lark, I entered "vegan triathlon" into an internet search and his website came up. Brendan is a professional Ironman triathlete who discovered, through trial and error, that a vegan diet worked best for his performance. His smoothie formula is now produced commercial through the Vega brand and he has written three books about vegan diet and fitness: Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performnace in Sports and Life, Thrive: The Vegan-Based Training Program for Maximum Strength, Health, and Fitness, and The Thrive Diet: Whole Foods to Thrive.


I purchased the first book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, because it included many recipes for raw vegan, whole food electrolyte replacement drinks and gels. The book is fascinating, and I will probably devote a whole blog post, at least, to what I've learned from it. I've made several different recipes and am very impressed by them. I particularly like the pudding recipes he has for pre-workout/event Energy and post-workout/event Recovery. They seem to work for me. I also learned that one of the best electrolyte drinks out there is simply Young Coconut Water, which the Brazilian soccer team has used for decades. I am trying several different brands and will let you know which is my preference.

I know this is a quick overview and not a lot of meat to it. I will soon devote a posting to just this topic because there is a wealth of information to share. I will add this helpful little chart from his book on nutritional content for optimal performance based on the level of intensity (thanks, Christine, for the cool Excel chart!) which can be used for both animal or vegan diets.

For more information, you can check out these websites:

Brendan Brazier

Vega

Thrive Fitness

Also, Brendan has created a free 30-day online learning program Thrive in 30. The program consists of a daily email with a link for that day's lesson. I am currently on Day 5 and the information has been great, follows the information in the book. I highly recommend it--it pertains to non-vegans as well as vegans. Nutrition is so important, has such an impact on performance, that I think all athletes should spend some time researching and finding what works best for them.

Portland IronGirl Triathlon Canceled!

Much to our shock, Christine and I received notice that Athleta IronGirl Triathlon to be held at Hagg Lake June 26th has been canceled. They are very vague about why other than being faced with putting on an event that did not meet their or the participants' expectations. They are refunding our registration fee and giving us one complimentary event registration for any of their 2011 events anywhere in the nation. So, we are going to do the Athleta IronGirl South Lake Tahoe, California September 18, 2011....which happens to be the day before my 40th birthday!

New Schwag!

The new tri kits (triathlon outfit worn under the wetsuit for the bike and run portion) for the Portland Triathlon came in. I think they look really cool! I haven't done any training in a two-piece kit before, so I will have to do some running and cycling in it before I use it in an event. I really wish they had one-piece kits, because I prefer them.

And, one of my Seattle-to-Portland Bike Ride jerseys arrived, very bright and very cool! I will be getting a special red jersey as I am riding as Medical Support during the event, but that has not arrived yet.

Ok, I think that about does it for today....Oh! Wait, is that poop or pudding?

So after my triathlon, as I've learned from multiple clinics and readings on the importance of eating really good nutrition within 25-45 minutes of finishing your workout, I was enjoying some Recovery Pudding that I had made from Brendan Brazier's book when I saw Trimazing Christine running toward the finish line. I set my pudding down and cheered Christine, and knocked my pudding over onto the ground...no biggie. Later, as we were loading the car to go, Mother Superior said, "Oh gosh, I think I stepped in dog poop and I got it all over your floor mat...or maybe that's pudding, I don't know! Smell it!" I did...it was pudding...

So the answer to the question....Pudding!

 

Blue Lake Sprint Triathlon Report

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