Sleep less night

Some folks consider a sleep-less night as tossing in turning in their bed. My sleepless night was spent on Sicily Drop Zone at Fort Bragg awaiting for 500 paratroopers to exit an aircraft while in flight. Now, that alone should not have caused my sleep less night.........it was the Soldier who landed in the trees, never turned in his parachute and told no one. We didn't find his parachute until 0730. I came right back to work to save the drive home and back....plus I was starving! Its going to be a long day......I need more coffee.

I can't believe this but I took two full days off last week from working out and ran only once. I am taking this hamstring thing seriously after my set back 11 days ago. This morning it feels terrific but my knees hurt......that may be b/c I was crammed into a vehicle trying to stay warm last night.

I have been going to physical therapy and she had me use a myo release ball which really allowed me to hit the problem area. Everything else I had been trying just wasn't hitting the mark. I ordered one yesterday and should have it at the house by Thursday. It really helped me hit my targeted problem area.

I feel good today but am tempering my enthusiasm. The PT said it could take up to 12 weeks to completely heal. I'm not going to blow it this time. I just keep telling myself that I have a long future in triathlons if I a smart and listen to my body. I am still not signing up for any races in April. I will do nothing that involves speed until Mar. My only goal is to race Vineman in July healthy..... I'll take under trained!

Mentally I don't feel like a triathlete and yearn to push myself. I want to thrash myself on the track so badly. For now though, I am working on my weight and am down 6 pounds. Still focusing on weights, core, flexibility and healing.

My own worst enemy.

That would be my pride! So............. I was feeling great last week, had a pretty full week of training and a bike on Saturday. So this past Monday I decided to run with one of the platoons. I learn they are going 5-6 miles all together.... I am thinking varying abilities present so as a group they won't be going fast.... bad assumption.

All is good for a little over a mile then the platoon sergeant has them spread out for last man up runs. Mind you....I have always hated these types of runs....I am just starting to feel better after a 10 month hamstring problem.....which I originally hurt during track repeats.....

Yes, I could have opted out, I could have parted ways or just dogged it but in my defense.... I am the Commander so I should be setting the example and I should be working out with my Soldiers and pushing them.......what I should not have done though was crush the sprint........... I was smarter on the hill repeats but still, none of this was smart..... I should have moved at my own comfortable pace and not let my pride take over. OK, yes I did destroy that young 18 year old Soldier but what did I actually achieve?

Even dumber........... the next day I felt OK so I went and did heavy leg presses....... not sure which did me in but by that night I felt it and Wednesday I was in pain. Yep that's right........I'm starting to get better and I blew it.... I feel as if I have regressed now in my recovery and I have no one to blame but myself.

So Wednesday I ran nice and easy and it seemed to loosen things up, I took Thursday off, swam Friday and cycled 28 today. I could feel it in my legs so I pulled back and fell to the slower group. Tomorrow I will just swim and stretch.

My hope is that I can pull back all I've lost in those two days in the next couple weeks. Self actualization moment............... I'm an idiot.....stop being a dumb ass!

I think now I have realized that speed is out of the question for the next couple months. I am not signing up for any races in April. The physical therapist said it could take up to four months to heal properly and that will be only if I do not aggravated it (like I did this week). I have a high hammy problem where the hammy connects to the tendon(apparently this is the worst kind).

On a positive note though I swam 1600 without shoulder issues on Friday and plan to do the same tomorrow.

For now though, I will mask my pain with some delicious Red Zinfandel! I feel myself getting better already!

Road to recovery

Here is a summary of activities from last week:

M: Rest
T: Core/ push ups/ sit ups at physical trg followed by 50 minutes on the bike at the gym and then 50 minutes of physical therapy.
W: 50 minutes on elliptical
Th: Swim 1400M followed by 45 minutes of weights and core and then 50 minutes of physical therapy
F: Ran 32 minutes followed by 4 sets of suicides (Rugby practise style) Followed by Yoga
S: Rode 32 miles with the local cycling group.
Sun: Swim 1600M. Weights for an hour. (planned for today)

I found it very hard to get to Yoga last week. I have a ton of things going on at work. My goal has been to hit everything 2X last week. I count the elliptical as a run since I had a jump that morning and had a really hard landing......dragging myself to the gym that afternoon was tough. I only made Yoga once however adding 2 hours of PT I feel compensates for that. I have also been stretching over 30 minutes every day. I will get to Yoga 2X this week though...no excuses!

So, you read it correctly..........my first real road ride since Ironman in Nov! I have been feeling a lot better..........I think PT is helping as well as taking it easy. I am tempering my enthusiasm though and sticking to my 2x a week policy for another week as to not over due it. My hammy is still a bit tight but its so much better..........so the ride.....

Since my goal this year is to get faster..........I need to find some folks that are stronger than me. I have known about the group but had just been doing my own thing. The ride starts at 0900 and there were a ton of folks.....I would say at least 30. I've never ridden with so many folks...... I wasn't sure how the group dynamics were and I knew for my own sake to under estimate my ability and go with a group down from where I thought I should be and I did not want to go over 40 miles.

So I started with the C group. Everyone was in a huge two row pace line for the first couple miles going really slow and then the large group began to split...we hit some tracks and a group just took off..... I knew better and stayed back...chatting with some folks. After about 10 miles my leg felt really warmed up and my pace was increasing and I dropped the C group and bridged the gap to the
B (-) group by the 15 mile mark. We stopped at mile 17 for a while....I don't like stopping for so long but whatever.

..after 10 minutes we had all regrouped and rolled out again. Some how I found myself at the front of the group. I should have waited for the group to move out first but I was anxious to get started. (I felt stupid but still learning the group dynamics). So the pace line passes me after a couple miles and I latch on. We start to drop people and I have no problem staying on. A hill is up a ahead and some guys just take off.......... I do not. My hammy is twinging a bit but nothing bad.... I am playing it safe and jam up the hill and catch them when they slow.......we stop again at a gas station to discuss our direction back...this is a quick stop.

We take off again and I start 8 deep as not to repeat my mistake. A group of seven pull away and I am on their wheels. The lead guy says we are going to do tempo........ I have no clue what he means but OK..... I'm in! As we are going he explains it to me the process but is a grumpy old bastard (but pretty fast). We are moving out and I am working hard to stay with...a guy drops off as we continue to work. We did this for about six miles and the last two we chilled. The grumpy old fat guy pulled from us all the last couple miles......he must have been having a bad day! A younger kid explained to me that when I get to the front I speed up and I shouldn't. The way he did it was cool and now I know for next time.

Overall I was very happy with the ride......met a couple guys and am going to work my way into a group of IM athletes that are training for IM FL. One guy was talking to me about an open water swimming site 15 minutes from my house...his buddy owns a cabin on the lake. Ride: Total distance was 32...overall pace 18MPH.

I plan to go back and ride next week as well. My only concern is working too hard when I get there but I will just have to hold myself back! The group meet a few miles from my house on Sundays for another ride.... I am resisting that temptation as well and am heading out now to take my dogs for a walk!