Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.....

Sometimes things happen in my training that make me stop and wonder whats going on, what happened, and how can I make sure it does or doesn't happen again.  Today was one of those days.

My work schedule today was such I could sleep in till 6 and then head into work by 7.  I worked till 9am and then had 2.5 hours off.  I had all my clothes laid out in my hotel room so a quick change later I was headed for a swim/bike/run brick.  It is tri tuesday where I try and swim in the AM and do a bike/run brick in the PM.  But since I'm away...   I tried to do it all in one go.  Here's how it went...

As I was riding down the elevator the pool I wondered how my swim was going to go.  Would it suck as much as last time?  Would I be able to do the workout I wanted to do but failed to do the other day?  Would my arms hurt, would the heated pool be too annoying?  would I crash into the stupid walls you can't see coming?  I'm pretty good at worrying and psyching myself out before a pool workout.  Something that I think will only get better with time.

So I got in the pool, put my goggles on and said...  ok...   were starting with a 500.  No stopping, no screwing around, no getting all out of breath.  RELAX and just swim 500 yards.  And with that I started to swim.  First 50 felt ok.  Actually it felt worlds better than Sunday's swim.  (amazing what a day off does isn't it?)  So I kept going... finished the first 100 and kept going.  I FINALLY managed to get into a rhythm I felt like I could sustain for a 500 yard set.  I just kept thinking, kick from the hip, relax, small small small flutter kick at a slow pace!  Pretend my feet are in a bucket!  This may be my new mantra.  I read it somewhere the other day and it makes sense.  My kick is out of control and it costs me the energy I need to swim.  So it screws me all up and makes me super tired really quickly.  So getting it under control seems to help me do better.  So I just tried to focus on that for the 500.  That and making sure I could feel the top of the water on the tops of my feet so I knew my legs weren't dragging.  Before I knew it I had the first 500 done in 11 minutes.  Which is just confirmation for me that this pool is longer than 25 yards.  A 500 should take me ten minutes...  not 11.  I swim 2 minute 100s pretty damn consistently.  Faster with flip turns or in a real pool where I can see the wall coming and turn faster.  Anyway...  it was a great start to the workout and gave me confidence to get through the rest of it. 

My workout today was:

1 x 500 WU
20x50 on 15 seconds rest
1 x 200 Cool Down

1700 Yards total.

So I knocked that out in 45 minutes (Actual yardage is probably 1800 or more based on the pool being longer) and then I moved on to the hotel gym and got on a spin bike.

Here's a picture of my "private" (I always seem to have it to myself) lap pool at the hotel.

Based on the time I had left before having to go back to work I biked for 40 mintues at moderate effort and then jumped on over to the treadmill.  I know I said I wasn't going to run till April but I wanted to test it out.  My PT had me run the other day so I have been cleared to run again.  Anyway...  it felt fine and I was able to get my pace up to 7:30/mile but my glute area on my right side was still sore and tender.  So still no more running for a while.  I'll keep focusing on strengthening that area. 

What was hysterical was that I haven't done a brick in forever.  My calves were in absolute shock when I started running!  They didn't know what hit em!  I totally started to cramp up and spasm and I had to slow my pace to get them under control.  Which is fine...   certainly to be expected from the first brick of the season.

What was still troubling is how weird and tight my right leg still feels coming off the bike.  It loosens up on the run but it just feels wrong and not the way I want it to feel.  I'm still not sure what to do about it.  PT doesn't seem to be doing anything for me and the stretches they give me and only about 50% effective.  Some of them I just find really difficult to execute under anything but ideal conditions such as having access to the tables like they have at PT.  Doing them on hotel beds as they suggest just doesn't work very well.  I'll keep up with the PT and hope I see some results.  But I just feel like neither the orthopedist nor the physical therapist have figured out whats going on.  I think its either just tight muscles that need to be loosened and strengthened or theres something going on in the knee or hamstring or glute thats causing this.  I may head for second opinion if things don't improve soon.  But since I the docs say I can swim/bike/run I'm going to keep doing just that.  However I seriously think doing more yoga and getting rid of the PT may be the real answer here.  That and massage from a specialist.  Time will tell...   I just hope by the time the Patriot comes along my right leg is feeling much better.

Oh and to go back to the post title for second...   what made me go "Hmmmmm" today?

Why does one pool workout end up being so much better than another?  what was different?  why don't they all feel the same?

Why is my right leg feel wonky and tight off the bike and during the run?  is this cause for concern?  whats the real way to address it?  is PT working?

I wish I had the answers to those!