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.