I survived

Oceanside 70.3 is over and I survived the weekend..... I know, stop b*&tching Julie but this was the 1st time in 6 years, since I started in Triathlon that I did not race O'side.   It was my 1st 70.3, my 3rd triathlon ever, it is in my home town....the list goes on!  


But I did go and cheer and that was a lot of fun!  Amy and I joined forces and cheered on so many friends...It was great to see so many familiar faces out there laying it on the line.  With the course change we had a great spot where we saw so many people 2 or 3 times.   Nytro girls rocked it!  Loved seeing our kits out there and am eager to get mine out racing as well!


I got up early Saturday AM and was on my bike by 6am alone with my iPod and did some damage..I took on Highland Valley Road and went hard- I needed to hurt and be humbled before heading up to the race.  It was humbling as the power is still low in regards to the effort...but that will come.   


My sis and family were in town so that was a great distraction....lots of food and wine and fun! 


Hoping to be running this week....10 min every other day, starting over with baby steps and not overdoing it.  Rehab United is continuing to kick my arse but adding flexibility each time and the ankle is stable. Had a particularly hard session last night and ankle and fracture was really sore...Bryan was not worried, ice, sleep and all should be okay.  I was not believing it - but I woke up today and while the stabilizing muscles and my glutes are on fire- the ankle and fracture are not sore.  Good news!


Spring break for the kids....no big plans around here -after going to AU for winter break we are sticking close to home and both kids are busy with lacrosse, golf and JD is working.  More relaxing around here without the stress of homework for a week!  

I have been really busy with swimming lessons....after O'side seems many are eager to step up their swim for the next big race or they have time to focus between races.  I think the #1 feedback I heard from my athletes who raced is they need more OW swimming!  Good news is that the water is getting warmer.  OW is very different than the pool...not only due to swells, currents and all the people but the continuous swimming is MUCH tougher than having a wall every 25 or 50M.  I am going to challenge my clients to get in the OW and do OW races... a 1 mile OW race is great prep for a 70.3.  Swim with others, race hard, practice sighting....There is a 1 mile OW swim on May 20- Encinitas - if you are racing in June- sign up and do it!.   Make it a good training weekend.... Saturday Encinitas Century Ride and Sunday 1 mile swim - add a long run in there and that is a solid weekend!  Who wants to play??? 

Well....what can I say

I started this last week...never finished it!  Going to finish now and get back at it.....

My dad recently asked me if my blog was still active....yes and no. I find I blog a lot when all is going great!  I like to share all the good happenings and they are fun to write about, but when life is not all peachy I notice I stop blogging and stop posting on FB.   Okay I do write when things are really crappy too...(sometimes)  Despite what some have said, my entire life is NOT on FB or in my blog.  Sort of funny....how simply my life would be. 
Nothing tragic, life threatening or devastating...just ho hum.  Really just life.... I thought I had a major breakthrough last week- as I was chasing Mako I noticed no pain during my little jog.  So I did a 10 minute run as authorized but the Ortho- a little stiff but no pain.  Sweet!  Next day another 10 and then 15 and then 15 and then whamo....swollen, painful and back to square 1.  More pain than when the boot came off.... really? Panic sets in, I re broke my leg?  No, really don't think so but fear those sprained tendons and ligaments that are locked up were not too happy about being unlocked with pounding force...now force is a strong word when I was running 10+ minute miles.   Arrgh...... more rehab, more elliptical and now a recovery week. 

Recovery from what you say....riding, riding and elliptical.  Coach pointed out I took 3 weeks off, yeah vacation that it was with my spiffy boot, 1 week real vacation in Australia and then started riding....1 hour a day followed by a 12+ hour week on the bike, along with swim and elliptical.  The hours added up but I felt good.....ez miles with low effort. So we rolled that into the next week and the next....and now well I am tired, legs are sore and I am "resting"  I  know necessary evil- good ol recovery.  

This week is historically (for the last 5 years) one of anxiety, anticipation and bundled energy.   Why.....I  am racing O'side or historically have raced O'side.  5 years ago it was sheer anxiety of finishing the race and then it was goal of a PR and then hunting a Kona Slot....This year there are no Kona slots but there are Vegas slots.  (for those who have no idea what I mean- Kona slot is a qualification for Ironman World Championships in October in Kona and Vegas is a slot to the 70.3- 1/2 Ironman World Championships in Vegas) And it is the 1st big race of the year.   I am usually paranoid about getting sick, questioning my training and analyzing who is racing in my age group.

Not this year.....but I have decided to participate (not race) the swim/bike portion.  Why? I paid $285 and there are no refunds, I have 2 athletes that I coach who are racing and I want to support them and ALL of my friends (except 1) will be racing..so I want to be out there cheering them on.   I was going to ride up and cheer but coach suggested I recover this week and then go and swim/bike.  It's not like I am tempted to run because I CAN'T.  So I will go and "play for the day"   After my killer session at Rehab United today...not sure how fresh I will be- something about 60+ squats and lunges- but I digress. Update....I DID not do the swim.bike...why?  Slammed on Friday working and it was 6:00 and I had to walk the dogs, pick up Riley, get to my moms for dinner, eat dinner and I had done zero for the "race" I was totally stressed about my getting my race gear together etc and the idea of waking up at 3:45 to "race"  So I bailed out... had a nice long walk with the dogs, relaxing night with my family and got up early and did a killer bike ride and headed up to O'side to cheer!

DONE! 

Where to begin.....

This has been a long week and one with many ups and downs....some of which I will share and some I choose not to.. Last Saturday was my first group ride since getting my cast off and I was giddy like a little kid on the 1st day of school....I woke up before my alarm and was sitting at my computer ready to ride 20 minutes early....after walking the dogs, eating breakfast, pumping my tires etc... So I took off early and took the long way to our meeting spot.

It was s glorious day with the sun shining and I as thrilled to see the girls.... off we went and the chatter was non stop. About 45 minutes into the ride we rolled through a lot of glass and L's sidewall was torn... 3 tubes later, a GU packet for protection and a few CO2's we were rolling.  35+ minute stop- no land speed record for changing the tire but I was not remotely stressed....just happy to be riding. 

As we headed out through San Pasqual and it was beautiful.... ideal Ironman riding, all aero and rolling hills. At the base of a long climb A went down....and down hard with N on top of her. It was all a blur but I can tell you I saw my dear friend turning white going into shock and when she said her shoulder hurt we unzipped her jersey to see her collar bone poking up- not thought the skin but not remotely normal. So I went into automation mode and called 911....before the designated paramedics came the Ramona Paramedics came along and were amazing... with a lot of pain she was on the board and off to the hospital with her husband.  Thankfully JD was home and in bed and he was soon on his way to the rescue.... 1:20 minutes later- police reports, traffic reports, CHP etc....at one point there was an ambulance and 5 cop cars to deal with us.  L and I decided that we wanted to/needed to keep riding - eventually we resumed the ride and just as L said "J I am nervous, bad things happened in 3's, her tire blew and we knew that was it- not enough GU wrappers could save us. But lucky for us McGiver John was riding to meet us and he carries an extra tire....another 20 minutes and we have a new tire and we are off.  After a bike shop stop (we used all our tubes and CO2 collectively) and more fuel we were off.....7.5 hours later we finished our 4 hour ride.   But I was happy to be riding and am still aching for A's broken collar bone (which required surgery) + 4 fractured ribs.... Speed recovery my friend!

Sunday was a total blast.... my adoring teenagers got up at 5am (really 4am due to Daylight Savings) and came with me to volunteer at the aid station for the SD 1/2 Marathon-  I was suppose to be running but well that is not feasible so I volunteered. It was a day..... gallons of spilled Ultima, laughing until we were crying, good will shopping, Starbucks and more.... a simple day with treasured memories created. 

And from there it was one thing after another....sometimes life throws a lot at you and you just have to cope and roll on.  Injury, tragedy and just plan drama is a lot to take in one week!

3  good friends are moving....huge bummer!   M leaves next week and C and J in the summer- wow.... big changes for them all....but so sad to have them leaving SD.

John's last day at his old job was Friday....big move for him and to a small start up- so we celebrated with a get together at the house.... nice to hear so many funny Braman stories.  He will be missed,

As for the leg..... well I am NOT running YET...hopefully soon.   Doing some great rehab at Rehab United - they really get it.  This not your 30 min of ankle rotation and ice and stim. This is working hard at building the strength back, adding strength to the supporting muscles, dynamic stretching and working the joint that is locked up - my first session I seriously bonked - did not prepare for a full hour + workout.  Getting stronger each time and really hope to be be running in the next 2 weeks.  

So for the time being...I am riding , swimming and doing a lot on the elliptical!   It will not be long....patience, patience :)

Thanks to the support from my family and close friends.....Love you guys!

Good news from the Dr!

Last weekend was better than the previous 3.....well not really as I would rather be back in AU- but it was better than my last San Diego weekends...why? I get to ride my bike. After 4 days of trainer/spin classes I took a test ride on the road and learned quickly that the challenge is not unclipping with my opposite foot, it was balancing the bike on the road once I unclipped.  So that went okay and I soon learned that twisting my leg in vs out did not bother my injury so I was good to go. 

Friday was a test with 1 hour, Saturday 2 hours and Sunday 3 hours!! Yippee...no gadgets as I don't want to see my unreasonably high HR or my really low  Power, I just wanted to ride.   I figured if I was riding outside and walking about okay it was time to loss the Cam Boot- self diagnosis indeed.  So I began walking about and the leg felt okay it was the ankle- locked up and sore.

I went Rehab United  on Monday for an injury assessment and to get a jump start on my PT. These guys seriously rock.  The screen was nearly an hour and measured my right leg, foot, ankle, hip vs my left in flexibility, strength, balance etc.  It was pathetic...my left leg is always weaker but to see the numbers and especially now- holy cow!   My hip is totally locked up, surely from the 2inch heels cam boot I have been wearing and the flexibility is not good.   Now I have some serious stretches and exercises to begin the road to recovery.   While I am riding (yeah- did I mention how excited I am) and swimming, I was hoping to start running sooner than later.  RU says NO- even if the bone can stand it ( and I had not seen the Ortho yet) the ankle is too weak and I am just asking for trouble.

While I did not expect to run just 4 weeks after...I was hopeful, see if I could run, then Oceanside would be a possibility- a slow one but possible.  RU says not likely to run for 2 more weeks.  And I did see the Ortho and they did an xray- good news is there is a big callous on the bone so the Cam Boot is gone (which by the way is really good- 4 weeks and that thing reeks).  But the Ortho says 3-4 weeks before I will run, again due to the ankle. When I fell I also sprained my ankle and immobilizing the sprain in the boot does not promote healing, the tendons locked up and are still swollen and sore.

So...onward we go and I will figure out my racing season later.   For now, stretching + exercises, PT 2x a week and lots and lots of cycling (every day in fact) so at least my bike fitness will be back soon and my swim is just fine,  When it's time to run, I will be ready!!!

Spin Class

 I was so excited to get return from AU so I could exercise....okay that sounds horrible- wonderful family vacation or smelly spin class?   That came out poorly....I am going nuts not being able to train- swimming just does not do it for me, especially when I nearly freeze to death.  And in the charming town of Avalon, AU there is NO gym with cardio equipment- one coming in March (does me a lot of good)  So....since our vacation had to end, kids had to return to school, I had to return to my pretend job....I have access to exercise (that is approved for my broken leg)

 So Monday AM....I am off to the gym to try the Elliptical!  At the gym there are 3 different brands and I had to try them all to find out which one was most stable with my boot!  Found one- yeah 30 minute sweat fest and it felt sooo good!  Note to self - need to wear some sort of absorbent sock as the inside of the boot was soaked....yeah it is already quite nasty- sand, powder, dirt, grass...

Off the Elliptical and onto Spin Class.   I have new shoes with SPD cleats for the spin bikes.  Getting the shoes on posed a challenge as I had to wiggle my leg (ouch) to get the foot in.  But off I went with my 2 bottles and 3 towels ( I hear you sweat a lot)  The room was nearly full and I went to the back.  Loud, really loud music (I feel old)  And off we go.....I am dying within 10 minutes- out of breath and sweating buckets.  I look at the clock, really 10 minutes?   On we go....I did it all- there was a lot of up and down, standing climbs etc which I cannot do - but managed to get a killer workout.  I felt uncoordinated, out of shape and frankly the class was miserable...but I am riding a bike!  Really some chick blasting music and yelling at me the whole time....ok- slight exaggeration but that is how I felt, really.    I have 2 good friends that teach spin and I am sure they do a great job....I may have to scout out their classes.

From there I went to Masters....almost feel like a real athlete again.

I loved it so much I went back for round 2 today....different teacher, better music, still did  not enjoy the class. But I got a workout in....better than last few weeks. 

On the swimming front- how is it that some guys put on a pull buoy
 and go faster? Me, I am so slow with a buoy (and my compromised flip turns)....really amazes me.  And its harder....I am shocked how sore I am -  even though I really don't kick, I do kick.... And when the set is on base interval I have to put the paddles on- simply not feasible to go on 1:20 with a buoy.

Tonight I am setting up the trainer - see I don't own one, borrowed one, (thank you C)...never really ridden on one-  I just LOVE to ride outside so this is all new....but I'm not sure I can go to a spin class every day without killing someone, so I will give this a go,  I have some really fast friends who do most rides on the trainer...so time to suck it up and give it a go!  

I know....everything is so negative.  I'm working on it!

Banana Sprite Challenge.....

3 huge bananas + 2 sprites downed by Riley and no puking....so much for the "challenge" Sure there was a lot of winging and threatening to puke but she kept it all in. She did it out on the jetty, just in case...but she did it. Felt really sick, had to take a nap...but the mastered it all!

For more on this fun....Banana and Sprite Challenge

Big Adventure Swim

So today was projected to be warm and clear! Kids plan was to head to Sydney for the day after a bit of water skiing and breakfast at The Boat House in Palm Beach. My plan was a big swim, 4000+ meters from the house to the Boat House for breakfast and a ride back in the boat.  

The sun was out as planned.... the water felt chilly, much cooler than 2 days ago. But off I went and John and Nancy were to follow soon thereafter in Kayaks. Within 10 minutes I was chilled, but was not too worried. I figured I would keep a solid pace and be cold when I finished but it would be so gratifying to swim up on the beach get warm and have a huge breakfast.

By 30 minutes I was cramping, and I never cramp....not a good sign. I could no longer hold the pull buoy so I tossed it to John. Actually moving my foot a bit felt good- my ankle has gotten so stiff in the boot and I have started doing flexibility exercises. At first it was quite painful but loosened up and was feeling fine. I soon lost interest and realized I was shivering and swimming. 

I glanced at my watch and was at 45 minutes... I still had to round another point and was not sure I would make it in 15 minutes. And this is when it all gets sketchy....I started cramping from feet to hands and was shivering and my teeth were chattering while swimming. I picked up the pace to try and get really warm but it simply did not work.  

Suddenly I was having trouble breathing and cramping badly....I grabbed onto John's kayak and was scared. Luckily we were close to shore and we got to shore and I huddled in a ball shivering and teeth chattering. Scott and kids soon came and I swam to the boat and begin the thawing out process. It was bizarre....I was so cold and really the water cannot be that cold. No clue what happened.....but it I felt like I was in the artic sea.