people be talkin' shit

So the news reports that the Casino owners and Atlantic City in general want to re-open. Of course they do...duh!

Just by publishing this article there are all kinds of people thinking that this is about to happen. It just may happen in the not too distant future but things certainly won't be anything like before.

The casinos have to somehow accommodate the social distancing problem. The way I envision things would result in an uncomfortable and unfriendly atmosphere. I guess they would have to only open every third slot machine and have only two, maybe three seats open at a gaming table.

In addition to the casinos there are all kinds of happenings that have huge crowds of people gathering in tight spaces. Concert and shows for one. Just walking the boards on a nice day is a contact sport.

I participate in several triathlons that take place in the AC area. The swim start is packed, the transition area is packed, the finish line is packed. I love the sport but I can not think of any solution to spread things out. Stretching out the start to distance people would stretch out the total time for the event which would stretch out the time that the events shut down AC. Stretching out transition would not only take up a massive amount of space but in doing so make the distance covered in transition much longer. The only way to distance people at the finish is to not allow spectators and have all finishers disperse immediately after finishing.

There's no way I'm running with a mask on!

Even if the casinos find a way to open I don't think events involving large groups of people will be allowed.

That is, unless they lift all social distancing requirements.

doesn't look good

There is so much speculation concerning the upcoming 2020 triathlon season.  Every time the question is raised there are soooo many opinions as to what will happen. One thing for sure....

No One Knows For Sure What Is Going To Happen!!!

I'm so sick and tired of not just the speculation but the opinions and comments.

We race primarily DelMo Sports events.  There is no argument that this organization is a top of the pile class act. Steve keeps everyone informed to the best of anyone's ability with the most accurate and precise information available. There is no speculation, no opinion, just straight facts.

I'm on the fence as far as this year goes. Right before the gyms closed I was already throttling back due to problems with my knees. Since we've been on 'lockdown' I've pretty much been a slug. I have no excuse for not getting on my bike on the trainer.

I have a long, long hill to climb. First the rotator cuff tear, surgery and recovery...then the weight gain...then when I finally get back to the gym I experience damage to the head of my tibia and what appears to be some tearing of the meniscus in both knees...then we go into lockdown. I was already having motivation issues but this just plain sucks.

So here's what I want to do, need to do.........

First I need to get the bike set up on the trainer and start riding again. There's no excuse for not putting in lots of hours a week on that.

Next I need to get out and run. I can run in the forest where I won't run into anyone. I have to watch David almost all of the time but with the daylight starting earlier and earlier I could get out at first light.

Then I should start exercising, especially the 'dry land' exercises for swimming that have been posted on  line.

Finally, I need to stop eating like a pig and start eating correctly. That's the easiest thing on the list.

I just need to take that step off of the ledge...again.

new 2020 timeline...for now

OK...the triathlon season has been thrown for a loop due to the C-virus. For the moment, following is the new schedule of events:

TRI AC - August 1st.
TRI Wildwoods - August 22nd.
Escape The Cape - August 30th.
IronMan AC 70.3 - September 13th.

Four triathlons in six weeks. At least there won't be the need for a wetsuit! I hate swimming in a wetsuit.

Of course nothing is guaranteed.

Here we go again...then wham!

So I went to the ortho to have him look at the problems with my knees. They took x-rays and we looked them over.

In general, both knees are in pretty good shape...not a lot of wear. There is a little bit of arthritis starting to show up but nothing extreme.

The left knee is a continuation of the trouble with the meniscus. We're going to keep an eye on that.
The right knee is a different story. Apparently the issue is with the bone on the top of the tibia. There is evidence of micro stress fractures and stress tenderness in the bone.

So here's the plan. First, two weeks of no running. I can bike and swim but no running. Next I can start using the elliptical, but no more than a mile. This goes on for the next two weeks.

At this point I go back to the ortho. If everything looks good I may be able to start light running again.

screech.........CoronoVirus hits the streets

The plan sounded good. I had a path to re-recovery then advancement. Then the virus hit. The gym was closed so I lost use of the pool and non-impact trainers. I still have my bike but still haven't found the time to get it going again on the trainer.

Again my balloon is deflated and I lost my drive. So now the challenge is to get back on the horse and start training again.The first triathlon on the calendar is Escape The Cape in June. Right now there is a chance it will be cancelled and possibly re-scheduled. The big event on the calendar is the 70.3 IronMan in September. That one should still take place.

So the plan and goals...
    Swim - find 'dry land' exercises and come up with a workout. When the weather (and isolation)              breaks find an open water venue to swim in a wetsuit.

    Bike - get the bike going on the trainer and get to it. Once I'm broken in get back out on the road.

    Run - start light running and ramp it up.

I will get that IronMan 70.3 tattoo!

pain

I have lots of experience with pain...in the past and now.

I'm in alot of pain, alot of the time.

There are also times when I am pain free.

   My right shoulder hurt so bad when I tore the rotator cuff. At first I didn't know what I had done, thinking it was just the arthritis and bursitis that advancing age brings. I was also in denial, thinking I could keep going with my triathlon pursuits. Even after I was diagnosed with the rotator cuff tear I kept the degree of pain a secret so that I could keep active and get in my backpacking trip. 

   I hadn't been pain free for a long time. Before the surgery I felt like there was a hot knife stabbing me in the shoulder. No position brought me relief, no medications helped, no ice, no heat. A few weeks after the surgery I was suddenly aware that I was pain free. What a feeling that was!

   My right shoulder sometimes still hurts at the site where my rotator cuff is still healing. Usually after sleeping in some weird position of after certain activities. Luckily when it does hurt it usually doesn't last long. I always have the fear that I'll tear it again. I really need to keep up with my strength training.

   My left shoulder sometimes hurts from the arthritis and bursitis. It comes and goes whenever. Physical activity doesn't seem to effect when it comes and goes. I almost feels like there's something catching in there, and then it just goes away. This is just something I have to live with unless I get my Ortho to go in and clean it up. 

   My hands can hurt from arthritis. Mostly it's in the base of the thumb but sometimes it gets into the finger joints, especially in the places where I've broken bones. The thumbs can be very sharp and severe but the fingers are mostly just a stiff, achy pain.

   My left heel is weird. It's another come and go situation. The pain is deep in the heel, not really in any joint. How much I run or walk on it has no effect. The pain usually comes after I haven't really used the foot...after sleeping or driving for awhile. But when it's there I have trouble walking on it until it passes.

   My left knee has issues with the 'miniscus'. It had been repaired years ago. I had an old injury that eventually turned into a little tear with a 'flap'. The flap would position itself causing great pain so that I couldn't straighten the knee...unless I did a crazy rotation with the leg. This was another injury I endured until it was convenient to have repaired as it would have effect my SCUBA diving activities. The repair worked great but now it's causing me great pain again with certain activities. I avoid pain by being very cautious with my workouts. This definitely needs to be watched.

   My right knee has been hurting since I did a hard running workout followed by a swim back in the beginning of February. Sometimes it hurts so bad that I can't walk. Fortunately I found that if I do some lunges and push downs on the stairs that the pain will subside. I haven't tried running on it like this but I did do a swim workout. By the end it was hurting quite a bit again. This one may warrant a trip back to the Ortho. 

   My right toe has a weird recurring cyst on top of the joint. The fluid from the joint seeps to the surface causing a small bubble. For a small thing it can really hurt. There's not really anything that can be done about it so I just keep draining it on a regular basis and wrap it in a band-aid.

   My neck can really ache some days. This is pretty much due to bad posture or sleeping in an odd position. I can usually work it out with some flexing and movement.

   It's a broad 'laundry list' of issues. I'm so thankful it's not a chronic pain condition that some people suffer with. Mostly it's just wear and tear from years of various activities and the ravages of growing old.

It may slow me down 

but it's not going to stop me.

 

Swimming

OMG I suck at swimming. I had my first coaching session in the pool with Coach Madi this week.

Turns out that my technique isn't that horrible. It's not great but it's not horrible. Unfortunately I have many, many years of swimming with SCUBA gear to undo. It differs greatly from swimming lengths in a pool. With a few adjustments I was able to improve in a few lengths but I will really need to concentrate and visualize constantly to get it right.

The main problem is endurance. I am sooooo out of shape in the water. I feel like I just can't catch my breath. I'm hoping with lots and lots of swimming and running and biking that my wind will come back.

The one thing I have going for me is that I have absolutely no anxiety or stress when it comes to being in the water. Apparently this is an issue with alot of triathletes...especially in the ocean. The ocean was my office...I'm at home there.

First rule of triathlon swimming...DON'T DROWN!

Coach Madi

We joined a new gym with the New Year. With our membership we each received a personal coaching session and a group coaching session. I was fortunate enough to be able to trade my group coaching session for two more personal coaching sessions. I took my three personal coaching sessions and scheduled time with the triathlon coach. So far I've had two 'strength' training sessions. These have consisted of being coached on exercises which target muscles used in triathlon racing.

My coach is Madi Ruether. When I met her I was taken back by the fact that she's a beautiful, young, fit blonde. Make no mistake, she's all business. We got right into it. She asked questions about my history and goals and from that we moved forward. Everything we covered was demonstrated and how it applied to triathlon was fully explained. Whether it was to stabilize the hips during the bike and swim or holding proper position in 'aero'...it was all explained.

The first coaching session started with proper warm up and activation. From there we went from exercise to exercise. I worked my core, my balance. my shoulders and back. I was pushed to my limits without overdoing it...until the end. Stability Ball Squats showed my weaknesses. You lean against a large exercise ball then squat and squeeze a smaller ball between your knees...then you walk your feet forward. This exercise lit up my quads and really tweaked the ACL in my left knee. By the time I was finished I was a little worn out...and just a little concerned about the pain I had been feeling in my ACL.

For the four days following this workout I couldn't walk properly. My quads were screaming and I was really guarding the pain in the ACL. BUT...after the fourth day everything quieted down.

My next visit to the gym, before my next coaching session, consisted of a run on the treadmill. I did three miles...run about 3/16th (5.2 mph). walk 1/16th (3.2 mph). The last 1/8 I kicked it up to 6 mph. I was ready to quit after about two miles but stuck it out. This was important. I allowed myself to think that stopping was an option. No, no, no! Stopping is not an option. I overcame that and completed the target. That's a big deal in triathlon.

My second coaching session was also strength training. I arrived early so I jumped on the treadmill for a warmup. Madi came by and told me to finish my warmup then meet her by the weight machines. We went through more floor exercises. During these I was a little shaky, guarding that ACL...but no real pain. We then moved onto the machines. Madi showed me a few strength training exercises using three of the machines. These were all for the shoulders and back.

So far the shoulder is holding up. Sometimes I feel a little pain that has me 'concerned' but it goes away. I definitely need to do my shoulder exercises.

As for Madi...I think at this point she doubts I'll see this through. I'm having a slow start and I have a long way to go. It's discouraging because I'm not seeing or feeling any progress yet.