Race Season Planning

It's that time of year again. At the end of the year, Melissa and I sit down to plan our race schedule for the upcoming race season. Most of the races have price bumps at the end of the year and we like to take advantage of the lower prices. This year, by registering before the January 1 price increases, we saved a total of $70.

And now we are committed. Our calendars for 2013 have started to fill up. It is nice to be organized so that when other events come up, we know if we are free or not. To stay on top of things, we have a white board for general notes and for a workspace for planning. Then we have 3 months displayed with all of our events listed as well as any other significant things that might pop up. Finally, we have the whole year's calendar printed up that also includes holidays. This is what it all looks like although the middle set of calendars has not been filled in yet. However, the yearly calendar has all our events listed. I must give credit to Melissa for her excellent organizational skills.

 

And now (drum roll). Here is my race schedule so far for the 2013 race season.

Smithfield Sprint 2013 *Melissa also doing this race

TIME: 10:00 AM
DATE: Saturday, April 06, 2013
PLACE: Smithfield, VA
DISTANCE:
300 Meter Swim
10 Mile Bike
5K Run

Richmond Tri Club Sprint Presented by 3Sports 2013

TIME: 8:00 AM
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 2013
PLACE: Greater Richmond Aquatic Partnership - Chesterfield, VA
DISTANCE:
400 Meter Swim
20K Bike
5K Run  

Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon *Melissa also doing this race-her first Olympic
Sunday, May 5, 2013

9:10am - Monticelloman Olympic Triathlon - .9mi Swim, 24mi Bike, 6.2mi Run

PLACE: Lake Monticello, VA 22963

Cap to Cap- SyCom Century (100 Mile Ride-not a race) *Melissa doing the 50 mile option

Saturday, May 11, 2013

IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh *Melissa also doing this race-her first 70.3

June 2nd 2013 --Raleigh, North Carolina




Half Ironman - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run


IRONMAN Lake Placid

July 28th 2013 -- Lake Placid, NY




Ironman - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run.

Self Inflicted Injury

It has been roughly two months since I completed the Beach to Battleship full iron distance triathlon. As you may recall, I struggled through the run with some pretty intense knee pain. Since the race I have been dealing with the repercussions of my knee issue.

A week after the race, I went on an easy bike ride with Melissa. We did about 30 miles. I was fine up until about mile 20 when my knee started bothering me again. I had to take it real easy for the rest of the ride and I did my best to draft off Melissa. I did too much too soon after the race. I spent the next several days icing and taking it easy.

After a few days of healing, I started doing some physical therapy (PT) exercises that I had learned from past injuries. Unfortunately, I was not seeing much progress. I ended up getting an evaluation from a PT friend who pretty much agreed with my diagnosis of IT Band syndrome and told me some good exercises to do.

I continued to do those exercises and started seeing mild improvement. Heading into Thanksgiving, I decided I would see how it felt on Thanksgiving day. For Thanksgiving, we have some traditions that include running a hilly 5K up in the Philadelphia area. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I suited up for the race and did some warmup laps on the track to see how the knee would behave. It was not great but it was not too bad either. I decided I would start the race and if my knee started to become a problem, I would bail out.

Of course, once the race gun went off, I took off with the rest of the pack and never looked back. I ended up running a 21:15 which was not too shabby for me on this course. I did pay the price later though. Not only did I have to ice my knees for the rest of the day but since I ran in my minimalist shoes that I don't usually run in, I put the hurtin on my calves. In fact the next day, I was hobbling around like an old man. I had pretty much wrecked my calves. The knee felt better after a day of icing but my calf pain remained for an entire week.

I probably should not have run the 5K. When I got back home, I decided I better take it easy and really focus on my PT exercises. I also went to see Sara at Hands-On Wellness MT.  I decided I should go to my doctor to get an examination and perhaps a prescription for PT. I was able to get an appointment right away and, as usual, when I got to my appointment I was seen right away and did not have to wait long at all. The doctor examined my knee thoroughly and agreed that I was most likely suffering from typical IT Band Syndrome. He said there could be some meniscus damage but wanted me to do PT for three weeks and see how things went.

When I went to my first PT appointment, the therapist became the third PT to tell me that my IT Band was the worst they have ever seen. I could play "Ballad of Jed Clampett" on that thing.  Ellen got me going with some heat and then an ultrasound. Then I did some stretches that they prescribed followed by some strength exercises. I am highly motivated once I have some direction and a concrete plan and was glad to have some structure.

I have done one full week of structured PT  and I am seeing big improvements. My IT band is not as tight and does not hurt constantly. Not only did I have knee pain associated with the rubbing of the IT band, but my IT band itself ached all the time, especially when sitting. That pain has dissipated. I still have some issues below my knee cap that may or may not respond to the PT. I will continue to do my exercises as religiously as possible. I have continued to swim but I am not running or biking. I figure that I have to be ready to start training again by the end of January at the latest. I would rather get started sooner than that but I will have to see how things go. Wish me luck.