Still Buzzing........No Batteries Required!

Its been an unexpectedly surprisingly great tri season for me.
As it draws to a close (and the real work is just beginning!) I am left looking back over my shoulder and shaking my head in disbelief. Wow, what a ride.

I remember saying to Coach in about October last year...'Coach, I have lost my happy thought.' He gave me a month off to go tour around Hawaii and Canada. I returned to the Crew still well below par and ready to pull the pin. A series of rough itb flare ups and a tantrum from hell and I even started to seriously doubt whether I could pull myself back up outta the buh that had engulfed me.

In a desperate last ditch effort to crawl back, I announced to Coach that I wouldn't be racing this season. I wanted to go right back to basics and start building up the Onion core and hopefully even lay down a few thin layers of resilience. I hoped this was a sensible, no pressure, approach.

The plan worked and shortly after Christmas I found a little oomph and started looking at racing again.

Now with 4 races under my belt (1 dropped due to illness) I am left at the end of the season with a good taste in my mouth and the want to do it all again.

Last weekend was the last triathlon race of the season for me at Port Stephens. It was a pretty stressful time at work prior, but once I drove to Port Stephens and met up with my buddies, the weekend began and I enjoyed the company and laughs.

The usual nerves kicked in pre-race with the 'I don't want to do this, I'll roll over and stay in bed' thoughts. But I managed to keep these at bay and once my bike was racked I started to get excited. I am discovering that I need to hover 'helicopter style' outside my body slightly on race mornings, it helps.

The water was incredibly warm for so late in the season and I could have quite easily have stayed and played in the small breakers. But it was race day. I checked the water and decided against using the rip to get out behind the breakers this time. It was running hard, but away from the buoy. I went the shorter option and I think it paid off with a 3rd position out of the water. I kept the power at moderate, hoping this would pay off in the run.

One Mile Beach, Anna Bay, Port Stephens

Out on the bike I was very happy and pushed some big gears. With no speedo on board it was hard to know what speed I was doing, but going by feel I think I was cranking along pretty good. The rolling hills at the turn around point proved tricky with my bike gearing mucking up yet again. My race wheels are not happy with the arrangement. I am going to have to work on this. Bike is in for a tune up this week. On the way back to the start though, I ran out of gears and could have powered more. At the end I had the fastest ride in my age group. Boom! Happy days.

I hit the run a little concerned about the off road section of the course. A single track with exposed tree roots, surely the itbs would not be happy at all. BUT! They hung on and I ran the two laps without stopping except for a quick drink through the aid stations. Overall 2nd!

Later that night was the presentation and no way. 2nd on the point score! Life doesn't get any better. What a way to finish the year!

Fair chuffed with my efforts, a pleasant surprise!

 

Not sure how I ended up centre, but me and the ITC and KTC
members cleaning up at the presentation night.

Time to relax.......

I headed home via Richmond to pick up Gazza, who had just finished his 100kmm ultra through the blue mountains. In under 18hours. A very tired pair as we drove home in convoy.

Looking forward now, it's time to pick it up a notch and head for the future and what's next.

Olympic distance.

Garmin Vectra pedals are here and ready to go on. I'm taking Lil Red in for a service and get the power metre put on. woohooo. I'm very excited. I've also decided to spend a little time down south this winter and ride with Rob and Al.

Lil Red, pondering the future and enjoying the end of a great season

Feeling fine, on laughs and good times.......

Trials and Tribulations.............

As she sweats and turns circles to nowhere her mind wonders to the thought of the day..... To Power Meter or not to Power Meter? That is the question.

After my windtrainer decided to pack it in finally, but not til we were right in the middle of a trainer session with the Crew did it decide that enough was enough and give up the game. I was left to ride with one hand on the brake to try and get some resistance happening. I am left with a decision to make now about replacing it. 

Option 1, use Big Gazza's windtrainer and never do a session together - I guess with him running now most of the time and only doing a 20min spin occasionally, it is definitely the cheapest option.

Option 2, buy a decent windtrainer replacement for around $350 - a lot of the Crew are using this little green machine and recommend it

Option 3, buy a bloody good windtrainer replacement, including iphone ant+ sync up and power meter incorporated in to it - Coach uses this one. Expensive, but the Ducks Nuts!

Option 4, buy a Power Meter and use Gazza's windtrainer - that way I can have the Power Meter out on the road and during races also.

These little guys cost around the same as the Wahoo wind trainer. Pretty pricey, but possibly the next step in my training. This leads me to my next question.......is this way over the top? After all, a self proclaimed, average 'Raggy Doll' age grouper like me, does she really need this level of equipment.

After a ride with my 2 Compadres, The Onion Man and Slippery, round the lake yesterday and doing some pretty good time trial efforts and working some hills, I think I am ready to go to the next level. Certainly Coach said he would be able to use it in my training. 

Also, another consideration. One of the girls that I only just manage to keep off my tail during racing (at my current status) has just bought herself a brand new Specialized time trial bike. She has been pushing an entry level bike at speed round the race course for a few years. In order to stay a step ahead now she has a lighter, faster bike, is to push the training to the next level. Especially now that we are competing same age group, same distance. Problem is I am at the older end of the age group and she is at the other end. 

I need everything at my disposal to reach my goals. Ha, I can justify anything.

I Am The Walrus......................

I spent all day working on preparations. Not the party kind, but the life altering, earth shaking kind. Number one of the checklist of 'Get Sammi to Her Happy Place' was to go out and buy Tupperware. WTF? I hear you say. Yep, Tupperware! Kids, you can never have enough plastic containers and a variety of lids that invariably end up in a dozen different cupboards and you spend 20 minutes playing a 3 year old's game of match the lid with the right container. But yes, I bought Tupperware containers. I then went and bought my food for the week. Chicken, steak, broccoli, brown rice, oats, quinoa, egg whites the list goes on. 

Now, if you have read previous blogs, you would know that Big Gazza is the cook in our family. I have 6 left thumbs when it comes to cooking and still have no idea how to work our oven. It's rocket science to me, and I am no astronaut. I started prepping my meals and when Gaz couldn't take it any longer, listening to me spit and rant on, he came and gave me a hand. By the end of the cookout, I had 21 (yep 21!) little plastic containers filled with meals. Enough to outfit me for the week. I also had a pile of dishes in the sink that would take me another hour to clean up.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing. Zenning out in our little spot of paradise in the back yard. We finally finished the pond area and added a few more plants. Cause you can never have enough foliage. And with the sound of water trickling from the fountain, it wasn't hard to unwind and dream about the week to come.

There is no place like home, there is no place like home!

The week launched with a bang, sleep in, stretch and core! I love Monday mornings. The week progressed and I committed to the program and diet 100%. An interesting observation for me is that I am a cold turkey kind a girl. It's 100% in or give it a miss. Once I am locked in, there is no sugar or chocolate passing these lips, no session goes missed. It's being able to sustain this lock down for as long as possible that is the concern. If I waiver from the goal, just an inch, I'm finished. So I was in!

This forest and its trails have been a part of my life for over 40 years of my life

A trail run through the forest near my house. Wet, but a little touch of solitude and trail running, great for the soul. I hate running with an ipod outdoors, there is so much to hear when you are in the bush. Love it!

     

Open the flood gates

Tried for an outdoor ride on the bike one afternoon. Took myself down to Swamp Road, aptly named. The huge rains we have had over the past week made it impossible for a bike to pass. I headed home and thought of taking another route til I was caught in a huge deluge and wound up calling Gazza for a rescue pick up. I was a drowned rat by the time he found me and the little Cervi tucked up under a tree trying to stay dry. Not going to happen. Luckily it wasnt to cold yet and I was fine.

 

No the camera isn't blurry, this is what I actually see at 6am 

An early morning swim set at the local 25m pool. The Onion Man is the lifesaver at the pool and part of my Tri family. Good thing too. He has saved me so much money by letting me sneak in 2 times a week for the last year. No Roberto this morning, so it was an extra strong Sammi that jumped in the pool and stuck to the program and got it done. I do feel so much more comfortable in the water these days. The consistency may not be paying off in speed, but it sure helps for keeping the feel of the water.

Me, after 20mins.....Coach at 41kms (Melbourne I.M) FORM!!!!!!!

Another wet day found me pounding the treadmill. Always a fun session. At least you can control the intervals. I feel like I am ripping along at a great pace. But reality is so different. I would like to eventually get back to about 5 minute kms. But that is a long way away. I have to build up the fitness and endurance before speed even gets a look in. Not to mention the form. I'm getting there, but can only hold good form for a very short time. More strength and core work required.

Stopping for repairs as the sun comes up

And Saturday, what a huge day! I finally got to catch up with Coach to congratulate him in person for qualifying for Kona. Hugs for Coach and then it was hugs for Megzy too. There is a little glitch in the system. So exciting!

After a few words from Coach about his thoughts of the weekend in Melbourne and a couple of words from Skip and we were off. 6 girls in the group. A few mechanical issues for E.T and Katie. Both have brand new P3s. No, I don't want one. I love my little ride.

We headed.......yep, you guessed it. North! Into the Natio. I was dreading the ride and again started bargaining with myself. At one point I was pulling out at the end of the bridge, then it was Stanwell Park, then it was the bottom of Bald Hill climb. I was fighting the demons in my head and the tiredness in my legs validated the devil on my shoulder's argument. I fought him all the way up Bald Hill. I even pulled out of the climb halfway up onto a small verge so I could let the girls go pass me. Now on the back of the bunch I set the legs to my own cadence and not try to keep the lead and the pressure that goes with having the rest of the group behind me. I made it to the top and just about died. It never gets any easier! Well it does, but it has been a long time since that climb was anything but pain.

I thought of turning back for home. I knew I needed to get the kms up, so I even thought of riding home from the top of the hill. It would be a flat ride and would give me 100kms by the time I got home. But I limped on and followed the girls into the park. Of course, the obligatory piddle and photo at the top of the hill with 4 of the girls had to happen before we went on. Conrats Ironman Katie!

Ironman Katie, E.T, Hoolly Doolly and Me

We rode down into the park and I chatted happily with Katie and all was good. The boys went past us heading home and a little later, the other 2 girls. I took the gap and turned for home. Short of the Waterfall turn off, but a steady ride home with Bec and Deb kept me working hard. 

We rode pass the boys who had stopped for a flat and by the time they caught us we were all but home. 70kms would do fine. Coach rode up beside me, turned and looked at me, and said flatly, 

"I am the Walrus!"      Yes, yes you are.

I've Got Sand Between My Toes.............

So, the Crew, I'd say 90% of them, are in Melbourne for Ironman this weekend. Toeing the line are Coach, Skip, Elvy and Katie. The rest are supporters who will man the megaphone and bring them all home. I'll be checking in on the action from back here. 

Gazza has a huge race on this weekend too. A 21km run, out and back. Its at the Blue Mountains and forms part of the Northface 100km race that he will do later in May. Its a great training day for him. Check out the elevation of this crazy ass run. A friend said she saw people crawling back up this last year.

I'm staying home for this race too. Not that I don't want to support Big Gazza and wait for him at the finish line. But I have stuff to do!

No longer finding excuses to skip out on some hard work, I took a hard look at a few things and also a couple of photos. Here it is in all its undignified, unedited, wish it weren't true but it is, harsh reality. <Insert Parental Guidance required> warning. 

April 7, 2013

21 March, 2014

One year on.......Ok, I'm not going to beat myself up too badly here. Shit happens. It's about getting the reality check, by way of self inflicted Makatush (for definition of Makatush, check an earlier blog) and recognising that I need to do something about it.

Reality is....I let it go! I lost my drive, mojo, motivation, what ever you want to call it, I call it losing my happy thought, that place where doing exercise and working towards, life, fitness and health goals and racing to use as a barr for judging progression and staying motivated, is fun. And Wham! (Not the George Michael kind) you get sat on your backside with a humongous Makatush of my own making.

So there it is, the reality check. Now join me here as we...........

draw a line in the sand; and step over it.

So, this weekend, while the world is off doing their thing. I am focusing on doing mine. 

A few things here:

• 3 month initial goal
• see myself beyond 60kilos - scales don't measure sexy!
• Stay focused on me
• Build up my own inspiration
• Don't be afraid to be alone - and succeed
• Be optimistic
• Be better than I was yesterday
• Make wise choices
• and, Go do what it is I live for!

Missed Races........

It's like this, take 5 x $20 notes, screw each one up into a small ball, make a little pile of them. Now take a lighter, roll the flint til the flame catches and now hold the lighter to the crumpled up pieces of paper and watch the flames splutter and catch hold. See the black smoke rise and within seconds it's all over and all that remains is a smoldering little heap of blackness.

That's pretty much what I did on the weekend. My entry fee to the Wollongong Triathlon went poof, up in smoke and I sat on the lounge feeling like a small smoldering heap of blackness. Ooooooooow the Sammi was not a happy little bear. Cranky at myself for not toeing the start line with the rest of the Crew. Yeah, I had been sick since the Wednesday before and I know I am not supposed to be hard on myself. Could I have dragged myself to the start line and done the race, probably. But the smart lab rat knows that I wasn't there, in my heart, head and body, this race wasn't going to happen. 

On an upside, I am on the road to recovery, still feeling flat and drained, but getting there. Did a walk last night, slept in this morning and an easy 30min spin planned for this afternoon should see me moving forward once more. Next race....Port Stephens, 8 weeks away. Something to keep my focus.

Anatomy 101..........

Husky Sprint looms. It's a few days away and I am on the windtrainer spinning away. Visualising the race. I've done this race a few times now and can visualise details, even bumps in the road.

Jump off the trainer and hit the treadmill for a 10min easy run done as 2min run/1min walk. Why? Because the nerve is aggravated and so the burn is happening (both knees) right on the bony part on the side of my knee.

After 2 rounds of the 2min/1min it really is cranky and the pain increases. I get off the windtrainer totally deflated. The Gazman is out for a 2hour run. How come he can run! Earlier this week my girlfriend announces all over F.B that she has just run 16kms. Nuts! I head inside and sit with head in hands trying to make sense of it all. The naysayers and my own evil twin (you know the one that would rather have you sit on the lounge all day) starts her taunts in my head. 'What are you doing? just give up'. 

The Gazman arrives home drowned in his own sweat. He says one thing wrong, it doesn't matter, it wasn't him. But I picked up my running shoes and walked down the hall. I see red. Screaming a broken 'I QUIT!' The shoes become black and fluro orange missiles hurling down the hallway landing innocently against a cupboard. I hit the showers. The Gazman finds a drowned rat, curled up letting the water dilute tears of frustration and anguish. 'No, I don't want to talk.' I want to stay here feeling miserable and woe is me-ing for the rest of my life!

A text from Coach, how's the legs? in a word.....FARKED!

He reminds me in his sensible voice, that the nerve will settle by race day. And it did. I am a true believer, and I am sorry I doubted him. When the Oracle speaks.....listen and believe also.

Race day. I travel down South to beautiful Huskisson. 

Huskisson, wet the day we were there

First time travelling on my own to a race, and quite eerie. I register and meet up with my buddies. Bike looking pretty sweet swinging on the rail. I was unusually social and chatted with a few women in my age group. 55 of us gals having a crack today. Huge.

Swim, deep water start, on my belly, hooter, away. Rounded the first buoy without much fuss, aimed for the second. Linked arms with another girl in a red cap while dodging the slower girls from the wave ahead of us. Aiming for the last buoy, I look ahead and don't see any other red caps. Just two beside me. Hey, I'm doing ok. Hit the beach, hit the steep carpeted stairs that are iconic to Husky and enter transition to the calls of 'Go Sammi!' (6th place) T2 over quickly and out on the ride, shoes-on mount and away. Dial in the legs to big gear churn and hit the out section of the 10kms. 

Its a steady grind as it is not steep, but it is a long gradual grade. I play, 'overtake, no you overtake,' with another girl. There aren't that many bikes in front of me, keep it up. Downhill and the legs worked the circles, Up onto the pegs for a few rolling hills before diving back into the bars for the descent. I was overtaken by a couple of girls younger than me. But at the last 3kms, spied a girl my age over take me. I let her go, opting to spin the legs prepping for the run. (7th place). 

Run Sammi, and bang! itb both sides give off loud warning shots that they are not happy. Ok, back off the accelerator and just put one foot in front of the other. Worse case scenario, a 5km walk. Low and behold, the feet kept ticking along. tap, tap, tap, shorten the stride, cadence up, itb's ease, ok, let's go. I ran consistently and without stopping except for a quick drink of water and a splash. The legs kept going and so did I. Blister coming grrrr in a spot I hadn't taped. Mental note of its location for next time. Turnaround cone dead ahead Sammi, keep it up. A quick stock of the body gave a green, all clear signal just as I spied Sonya coming towards me. Ok, there she is approx 2mins behind me. She saw me too. Time to lift. I found energy in the legs, lengthened the stride a fraction and put a little pressure them. They groaned but kept at it. A tightening mid way down the left itb, but nothing scary. Finish line dead ahead Captain. Lifted the pace and with the feet lifting, knees coming through, head up, zipped up suit, and cranky face on, I finished. (11th place) yep, I had watched lots of girls pass me by.

Me behind.

I was very happy with my race, and later spoke with Coach who was equally as happy.

Fast forward to Monday and treatment with Coach. Nothing really to work on as both legs weren't burning and the itbs were relaxed, we chatted instead. 

Ok, this is how I interpret what's going on with my body and these pesky itbs.

Tight illiotibial band is my thing. Much the same as Coach has a pesky achilles heel, Baby Bear has his neck issue, The Onion Man has his tight calves and Slippery has his groin, and Scott has his shin splints. ITBs are my 'thing' accepted. Deal with it.

• My tib/fibs are very curvy, but my feet track true so the podiatrist has given me orthotics to help address the tracking.
• My form has been addressed by Coach and run form analyse and constant mental adjustment from me and cues from Coach when he sees something ensures good run technique.
• Fascia adheres to muscle, so I need to maintain, so I stretch, roll, yoga, self massage and regularly see Coach for physio as he says it gets so tight even self maintenance is not enough.
• Core and frame alignment are crucial and so I do my clams, core work, 1/4 squats, strengthening work to keep strong in the core and keep the frame in line.
• The bursa gets inflamed with too much rubbing of the itb over the bone and so occasionally I need an anti inflammation cream or ice to keep it from getting to angry. I have needed cortisone shots 3 times now before Ironman as the work load was too much to maintain.
• Load on the body, program load and how much training I can manage before the itbs flare up is all important and I need to communicate this to Coach more often. The fine line between working too hard and time to recover is always a constant tweak for Coach as I get fitter.
• Racing and training combination. As we do not take a lot of time for rest post race, this can put a load on the itbs. Rest is important, I need to communicate and rest when it says rest.
• Neural load, when training and racing the load on the nervous system becomes greater and sometimes the load is too much and so the burning comes from the nerve being irritated rather than the itb being tight. Again something to communicate with Coach is the amount of residual fatigue I am carrying over a period of time.
• Scar tissue, over time and constant rubbing and sawing of the itb over the bone has built up some scar tissue, this adheres to the muscle and bone and thickens the itb at the burn site. Maintenance and treatment can ease this. But surgery is really the only way to cut away the scar tissue and by punching holes in the itb the band can stretch again. I am not there yet. Maybe in winter I will consider this again with Coach and see what he says. For now, I am trying cupping and suctioning the fascia off the muscle.

Have I missed anything? So that's my anatomy 101 understanding of what's going on with me. Time to start planning my next race and enjoy my 3rd Happy Thought in a row. Woohoo.

Fighting the Enemy Within................

Pretty apt title and video for this post and my latest thoughts.

Went to see Coach again for treatment yesterday. Treatment consists of me laying on the physio bench aka The Slab! and Coach (who is a world class physio) working his magic. The Slab, affectionately called this, as I am simply the keyboard and Coach's fingers tap, push, prod and hammer my troublesome itb into submission. It's 45 mins to an hour of hard manual labour for Coach, I'd like to think of it is a labour of love, but perhaps it's more a rescue mission in reality. On auto pilot he gets to work, and the conversation freely flows with topics that range from racing, training, adjustments to training, life, the Crew and members and what they are up to, to the big ticket items such as how we managed to slip the latest Big Lebowski quote into a situation or how we slammed some fat fuck out on a run. Good times.

Without ever divulging too much of what goes on in my head, for no other reason than, it just doesn't seem as critical when I get on The Slab, I listen, laugh and consider the conversations and advice he imparts and measure this against my own thoughts and ideas. 9 times outta 10 I come away with renewed vigor, motivation and a released itb. It's a win all round.

My latest thoughts again come full circle back to getting the iliotibial band release surgery and how I never get anywhere in my training. With two Sprint races now under my belt, I was slowly feeling like I was getting somewhere. But dashed when the itb tightened again after running group with the Crew the following Wednesday. A hiccup in the matrix, but still it was enough to dash me against the rocks and start the storm of self doubt and 'why bother!' thoughts charging through my head again. Que video........

Right now, the enemy is within! Within my own head. Can I do this? Am I fooling myself? Just get the damn surgery! Give up! It's like someone has tipped up a cement mixer and as the grey sludge rolls into my brain, it fills every cavity in my head and pushes the positive thoughts into the darkest places of my mind. The grey sludge rolls like lava and conceals rationale thoughts and visions. I can't even see the medals that hang from the wall any longer, the grey is all-enveloping and suffocating like a pillow wrapped about my face. It's dark and has no place in an athlete's mind. But am I an athlete? or just some chump weekend warrior who has an over inflated expectation of herself? I should just give up! But that's the easy way out!

Once on The Slab it's like he pulls the plug and the sickly wave of sludge releases and dissipates. I don't even feel it go. Perhaps my itb is directly linked to my brain!

I strike out on a new week, with renewed commitment. WELCOME TO THE GRIND! This is the battle Roy-ale between body and mind. Now let's pick our shit up and get our hands dirty!!!!!!