Acupuncture is a miracle!!

This morning I went out to attempt a run and it was wildly more successful that I expected it to be!!! I had minimal pain in my shin and calf areas, the most pain was the top of my foot but it was manageable. I ran 8min and walked 2min for a total of 80min. I didn't wear a HR monitor or my Garmin GPS watch because I didn't want to be upset or discouraged with my pace. The difference in the way my leg feels in unreal. I'm not better, it's not 100%...but its WAY better that a week ago, not to mention 3 weeks ago!
It's now 9pm at night and my leg feels a lot better than it did after that 45min run I did on Thursday. I don't want to get my hopes up but I really hope this isn't a fluke and that the acupuncture really works that well, that fast.
My hope is that I can run through my treatment and be back to normal in 2-3weeks. I think I can squeeze in one 16-18mile run before its taper time if I don't have any other problems and if this one keeps improving. That isn't the most optimal training for an Ironman but it will give me enough confidence to know I can get through the race. That and the amount I've been biking!
Speaking of biking...tomorrow is the Hot 100 at Moore's Creek! My plan is to ride to Moore's Creek (20-25miles), ride the 100, then ride home!! 140-150 miles total!!!!! There will be breaks in there of course, but I'm stoked about this challenge! Hopefully my ride buddy won't bail on me.

ACUPUNCTURE!!

I thought this experience deserved it's own blog. After all my research into peroneal nerve entrapment I decided to try acupuncture. This inevitably sent me straight into an hour and a half of research into acupuncturists in Wilmington. Then I had to call them all and rail them on their sports medicine knowledge and treatment process and so on...FINALLY I got on the phone with Robert Kienitz, Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist. I got a good feeling from this guy right off the bat, then later learned that he is an x-triathlete...Ironman triathlete to be exact and has lots of experience treating athletes...endurance athletes.....I'm SO good at picking doctors!!
The logo to the left is the name of his practice. He shares is with a psychologist and a relaxation and stress management specialist.

I made a 4pm appointment TODAY. (I'm not the most patient person.)

Here is my first ever acupuncture experience:
When I arrived I had to fill out some paper work, the usual, then we talked. I told him about my injury(s) and my race and how important it is that I get better...and he understood! Only another athlete can hear "I absolutely have to run 26miles, I'll be devastated if I can't" and not think the person is just plain crazy! I told him about Dr. McGraw and Dr. Martin and all that they have done and he listened. I felt like he really really listened.
Next he told me a little about acupuncture and said that he was confident it would help me. I hate to be cynical but I've heard that before...
Soon enough there I was lying on a table with needles stuck in my legs and arms, and none of it hurt, not at all. Then he made a little electrical circuit out of me and I chilled out for 20min. It was the oddest feeling to look down and see needles sticking out of me, but I couldn't feel them. Next time I'm going to bring a camera!!
After the treatment he told me that the treatment will continue to work for 72 hrs and told me to try running tomorrow (Saturday). He says that I could be 100% within a couple weeks, AND I can run through the treatment process. I'm trying my best to have faith in his confidence.

6hrs after treatment: My leg is definitely feeling better. I had some pain from my run yesterday and it is now almost gone. I barely feel any inflammation in the area either, earlier there as a bump.

I have a follow up appointment on Tuesday. I'm excited about this new avenue of recovery. It is definitely a last resort, but maybe it shouldn't have been. There is a lot of research showing that acupuncture has helped treat a bunch of "untreatable" conditions. I'm just sorry I waited so long to try it. (And that its SO expensive).

Check out the website: http://www.island-time-institute.com

The past 2 weeks...in a nut shell

A lot has happened since I last sat down to blog. I'll try to start from the beginning.

LAST WEEK
My training went pretty well. I got my act together and completed my runs on the elliptical machine. On Friday (8/22) I did 12-13miles on the elliptical!!! 2 HOURS!!! Pure mind numbing torture...but I felt better when I was done. I also visited Dr. McGraw at Active Care Chiropractic a few times. He diagnosed my leg pain (shin/calf pain) as a "peroneal nerve entrapment". In english that means that my peroneal nerve which runs down my leg from the knee to the foot is being pinched but the muscle around it. So, every time I run the muscle swells, pinches harder and the nerve sends signals to me by causing me lots and lots of pain...nice nerve I have huh? Here is the notorious peroneal nerve: (click to enlarge)
Besides my normal struggle with yet another running injury, things last week were good. On Sunday (8/24) I went on my first long ride with a group! I felt completely special to be riding with the likes of Billy Curry (Ironman and BIG surf hero/legend) and Jim Mincher (Ironman and owner of Two Wheeler Dealer, also amazing surfer). The ride was awesome. I ended up with 95miles and learned some new bike routes in the area (up HW17, 210 and 53 to Burgaw and around back to 421). It was beautiful countryside, and with the exception of one small patch, the roads were super smooth.

Sometime last week I also finally took that Cateye double wireless computer off my bike. I was SO tired of watching it lose signal and tell me I as riding 2mph with a cadence of 0, when I was definitely going at least 18mph with a cadence of 90!!! Argh!!! I replaced it with a simple WIRED computer: Cateye Strada Cadence...
All the wires (as seen above) aren't the best BUT it NEVER loses signal and its dead accurate when I compare it to my Garmin GPS watch. I'll take that!

THIS WEEK
Still having trouble with my leg, Dr McGraw is working on it, I'm stretching and icing and wearing my new compression socks EVERY night! (I sleep in them)...check these bad boys out:

how sexy are they!? haha

Dr. Martin at New Hanover Foot & Ankle (podiatrist) also got in my fancy new orthotics this week so I got those on Tuesday...take a look...

new ones - rigid sole, higher arch, deeper heel cup =
more arch support for my MASSIVE archesold ones - more cushiony, soft orthotic, arch isn't as high = less stable = more pronation

Dr. Martin also gave me a compression sleeve to put on my leg when I'm running to help keep the muscle from rubbing on the bone and help keep blood circulating in the area. You can obviously run in compression socks but you get a lot of wierd looks...the sleeve somehow is more acceptable in public? Don't ask me....here it is...
Also in the news this week I bought a water bottle mount for my saddle so that I no longer have to ride with a camel bak!! I can now get about 50miles in before I have to stop for water! I haven't tried using it yet but it sure looks like I mean business sitting there on my bike! This way no matter how far apart the aid stations in B2B are I'll be all good.
They YMCA is closed for its annual repairs this week so my swimming has been suffering. I swam the docks (1.65mi) on Tuesday but thats been it for the week. Thursday it was thunderstorming outside...I had good intentions, and today (Friday) I had a rough morning and didn't go. I should have. While on that subject....
RUNNING UPDATE
I've been struggling mentally with all these running injuries lately. I took 3weeks off running after that 14mi run, because it was honestly too painful. My leg hurt just walking.
Finally on Tuesday I was cleared to try running, but I was SO scared that I just did 1.5mi on the treadmill and when it hurt just a bit I stopped. Dr. McGraw told me to try outside because your biomechanics are changed on a treadmill, so on Thursday I tried again. I went outside and did 45min. I ran 8min and walked 2. I had some pain, but it wasn't terrible. My thought though is that I have to run 26miles 2 months from now, if 4 hurts, even a little bit, then 26 is out of the question...am I right?
I proceeded to become very depressed about this (so characteristic), skipped my swim on Friday morning, as I mentioned, and sat at the computer from 5:30am to 7:30am researching the peroneal nerve and how to treat nerve entrapment. I got some serious education in those two hours...stretches, nerve flossing, strengthening exercises, ART (Active Release Therapy), surgery etc, etc, and then I found....ACUPUNCTURE!

Nuun vs Endurolytes...what do I need?!

So I decided to do some electrolyte comparisons and try Nuun. Unlike Hammer Nutrition's Endurolytes which you take like pills, Nuun is a big pill that you drop in your water bottle. I thought it might work out well on my long rides, to just drop it into my areo-bottle.....I'm not sure that I'm sold on the idea. Nuun is also flavored (its like drinking Crystal lite) so I thought it would help me to remember to drink a lot.

I liked the way it tasted (I tried the "tri berry" flavor). And I like the idea behind it, but for riding it was more of a hassle than anything. First I had to constantly refill my areo bottle by squirting the water out of my camel-bak (This is on my 115mi ride). Then I had to fumble for the Nuun thing, open it and drop the pill into the aero bottle AND get it under the yellow splash guard thing...Argh! I will admit that it was nice to have a flavor in my mouth that wasn't water or Perpetuem.

I'm thinking in the race using Nuun would be easier because I will be constantly refilling my aero bottle at the aid stations, not with a camel bak. Endurolytes are just so simple. They are big though, if you don't take them with a big gulp of liquid they could be challenging to get down.

Electrolyte comparison:

NUUN
serving size = 1 tablet
recommended dissolution volume: 16 oz water
calories < 5
total fat 0
total carbohydrates 1g
sodium 360mg
potassium 100mg
magnesium 25mg
calcium 12.5mg
vitamin c 37.5mg
riboflavin 500mcg

ENDUROLYTES

Serving Size 1 capsule
Amount Per Serving
Sodium (as Sodium Chloride)	40mg
Chloride (as Sodium Chloride)	60mg
Calcium (as Chelate)	50mg
Magnesium (as Chelate)	25mg
Potassium (as Chelate)	25mg
Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine HCL)	6.6mg
Manganese (as Chelate)	1.6mg
L-Tyrosine	50mg

Hummm, I never looked at that before....judging from this I would say Nuun is better! But....how do you know how much of this stuff you really need anyway? AND I drink a ton of Perpetuem, which has (in a 1hr serving):

Calcium 243mg
Phosphorous (as Sodium Tribasic Phosphate) 344mg
Iodine 0.03mg
Magnesium 11mg
Copper 1mg
Chromium Polynicotinate 100mcg
Sodium 231mg
Potassium 156mg
L-Carnosine 100mg
L-Carnitine Tartrate 50mg
Choline (as Choline Bitartrate) 50mg

SO! Do I NEED more electrolytes than that? Its time to do some research....

Iron bike ride and then some

I left for my first 100mi ride this morning (late as usual) and got about 4-5mi way from the house before realizing that I left BOTH my bottles of Perpetuem (about 1500 very necessary calories) at home!!! I had no choice but to turn around, get them and start over. I wanted to ride the whole race course so I couldn't just cut the rest short because it's a loop. So heres what I ended up with:

Ride time: 6:39:56
Distance: 114.7mi
Avg speed: 17.2mph (crap)
Calories burned: 4670
Calories replaced: 2290 (49%)
Fluids replaced: 200oz
Avg HR: 148
Max HR: 169

Scenery from the North Carolina countryside:Cows and horses saying hi to me!Moore's CreekDuplin Wine farmsCrossing some more county lines....on a bike! A year ago I would have thought that was crazy...actually....I still do!On my way back down 421....totally sad about the numbers on that sign..30! Ugh!

This was a brutal ride for me. I've done lots of 60, 70 and 80mi rides. I didn't expect to feel any different until maybe after the 90mi mark...not so. The WHOLE RIDE sucked. I was tired at mile 60 and 70 and 80 and well pretty much all of it. My average speed dwindled between 16-18, no where near where I need it for the race. I can't understand it because I've slacked off for almost 2 weeks now, between being injured and being depressed about being injured. I also started my girly time during the ride so maybe that was it? I don't know. I'm just glad it is over.

I felt like I had a head wind the whole time but when I looked up the weather it showed calm winds in the morning, then a 1-5mph wind E/N/NE (it shifted a lot) during the second half of my ride. So that is head wind for coming back down 421, but its barely anything...1-5? Seriously? I need to do some serious riding in the next 2months.

I noted these times while riding, for reference later:
100mi - 5:46:06
112mi - 6:29:34 (iron distance)
distance covered at 6hr goal time: 104mi

I ended up drinking 6hr worth of Perpetuem and eating 2 Powerbars and 1 Clif Bar. I think I'm going to focus on eating solid foods only in the first 1/3 of the ride and then liquids after that. And some more fast burning carbs to give me a boost in the last 1/3. I read about this in an article in a tri magazine. I'll write more about that later. It's interesting.

After this ride I have decided that I desperately need new head phones and new sunglasses....
Look at those things...I showed them to Mike and he called me "awesome". How many people can wear out head phones? I'm not sure I'm awesome for that, but they have definitely seen better days. I tried to salvage them with electrical tape, but it didn't hold up over 114miles! As for the glasses....$20 at Walmart...they are scratched all to hell, they are HUGE on me as you can see, and they slip off my face . I hate them! I'm going to suck it up and spend some money pretty soon I think!!

No running...bought compression socks

Well I'm off my plan again. After that last 14mile run I did I thought I felt great. My right calf and shin felt sore, but not terrible, nothing that worried me...that is until it stayed sore for a week and a half, and began to hurt going up and down the stairs.
I haven't run now since last week Tuesday when I did 4mi on the treadmill. Probably a bad idea. Now I have been rolling on a foam roller, icing and resting. It sucks. I am so worried that I don't finish this race. The guys at work who have done an Ironman before aren't worried about me at all but I don't have that confidence. I've been biking and swimming, but you have to run to get to that finish line. I bought compression socks at trisports.com after reading about how they help with calf/shin pain, I'm hoping they arrive today......

The CEP Women’s O2max Compression Socks are the first functional sport socks with a patented pressure flow that provide a scientifically proven increase in blood circulation and a consequent increase in performance. Simultaneously, the high-tech socks provide a more evenly distributed strain on stressed muscles and tendons. This facilitates the entire sequence of motion to become more precise and effective, in turn helping to prevent an overworking of muscles.Increase blood flow, get more oxygen to your muscles, remove lactate quicker, run faster-it’s that simple.

Lets hope these babys work....

Me on a real Tri Bike

Theres me on the Felt B2 tri bike that I borrowed from work. (There are some serious perks to working at a bike shop!!) I still don't look that aero but the problem with the Felt is that as you move the handlebars lower they also have to move away from you. Therefore I had to leave them high to have them as close as possible because the frame was 54 and I really need a 52. See in the picture how the stem rotates over the headset. You can't just lower the stem into the frame like on other bikes.

I had a great time test riding this, I've never been on a tri bike before so I just wanted to feel the difference. I wouldn't get this bike however. That decision is made. The fancy "bayonet" headset is inclined to rub causing friction when steering. I noticed it right away and a mechanic at the shop couldn't even fit it.

I definitely want a tri bike now, my only concern is that I was so squirly on it. It takes a little getting used to, I'm worried about losing my balance especially at a high speed when transitioning from the aerobars to the hoods to brake.

Now I'm going to wait to see what Trek does with the Equinox for 2009. It should be any week now.

14miles to a recovery week

My final workout for the week was a 14mile long run Saturday morning before work. Then I'm heading into a full week of recovery!! This run was tough! I continued to use my 15min run/1min walk strategy, its really working for me...anyone can run for 15mins, you just focus on that time and its a lot easier. This is the first time I really felt the affects of the previous day's ride on my run performance. The last 3miles were hard, I was really tired. It was also very hot! I haven't been stashing nutrition along my run route but I may have to start because the fuel belt thing just isn't enough.

I took 5 gels with me and water in the 4 fuel belt bottles, and 6 Endurolyte pills. My plan was to refill my bottles at the beach (7miles into my run.) Well, I didn't plan my calorie burn very well. I felt like crap drinking only water, basically diluting any electrolytes I was taking in through gel and Endurolytes. I looked like I had jumped into a pool and out again....soaked in sweat. The temperature at 6:30am was 75F, at 9:20am when I finished it was 84F. Humidity: 90%. Ugh!
So, I bought a Gatorade (against my will, I hate high fructose corn syrup) at a gas station at mile 8. I only planned to drink half (125calories), I drank the whole damn thing in a 2mile time span!!
After that things were good again. My legs were still cursing at me, but the rest of me felt better. I continued my gel every 30minutes and water every 15min and finished my 14miles successfully. That is the second time I've ever run that far! Everything after that will be a new record!!

On this run I ate a total of 700 calories in gels and gatorade, I burned 1991 calories!! Therefore, the amount a replaced was 35%. This could be higher. If I was just training for a running race this would be fine, however I will be coming off a 112mile bike ride when I start this marathon so teaching my body to cope with a high calorie intake while I am running is essential. So many athletes bonk in an Ironman, or DNF not because they are not physically capable of finishing but because they didn't have their nutrition dialed in. That is not going to be me.

Longest Ride to date

Friday August 1st - new longest ride record: 91 miles!!

This ride took me 5:02 at an average speed of 18mph. It was awesome!! The morning was beautiful and there was no wind for most of the ride. I had a slight 5mph tailwind coming back down 421 towards home (the last hour) which was a great reward....I cruised home averaging 19-20mph. SO fun!! I only stopped to "use the bathroom." (In reality there was no actual "bathroom" to use.)

I started this ride with my boss, Jim and a friend of his, but they turned around at 1:30, so I continued on alone after that. I couldn't ask for a better ride. The only problem I had all morning was my camera battery dieing, so all the great stuff I wanted to take pictures of didn't happen. I got a few in before it died...

Look at that welcoming open road...long, straight, flat and no cars for miles!! PERFECT!


Only cows and horses and the occasional farmer on a tractor. Its a different world to Wilmington.
Oh, I did have a run in with a crazed pitbull that wasn't so fun at the time, but he couldn't catch me and eventually gave up....Thank God! It's funny now, but at the time I about peed my pants.


There's me getting carried away with the instant gratification involved with the technological advancements of the digital camera.....I'm a little behind the times....

For the record: I burned 3484calories on this ride, I ate 1510calories, meaning I replaced 43% of what I burned....perfect. I also drank 168oz of fluid (water and Perpetuem) The temperature was 73F when I started and 84F when I finished.

This is the best I've felt on a ride so far. Usually I come home tired and I hang around all day and sleep and watch TV. This time I was full of energy and only took a 30min nap because I knew I had to run the next day so my body would appreciate it. I must be getting used to this!