New Age Group Category

I still haven't decided what my goals are for racing this year. One day I think I'm all in, and other days I decide to take the season off and just do a few races to keep from regressing too much. Usually the latter is my predominate thought during weeks I can't fit in my workouts due to work and family obligations.

Joe Friel had a good story about a guy who focused so much on training and winning that his job performance suffered until eventually he didn't have a job, his wife divorced him and took the kids with her, and his friendships suffered as well. After all that, he crossed the finish line in first place, and when receiving his award said, "It was worth it..." What?!?!?!

Last week I had my younger child at home (so no morning run possible), worked through lunch hours (Consultants on site), and had Mackenzie's soccer stuff in the evening (and still with my younger one in tow). I missed my workouts on multiple days (in a row!), and it made me feel like crap. I really had to check myself and remember what is important in life... better to miss a workout than time with my kids. Mackenzie made me laugh when she jokingly said to Raymond, "Mommy sacrifices." Funny! But there's a lot of fruit in those sacrifices.

I also laughed the other day when I found myself daydreaming that USAT had announced a new Age Group category... Single Mother - Works 40 or more hours a week. I wish! :)

Greek Proverb

Whoever feeds the wolf in the winter will be eaten by him in the spring.

(And it's not the wolf I identified with...)

Moments Like This

I received an email from one of Mackenzie's teachers today. When I saw the subject, "Mackenzie", my first thought was... oh, I hope everything's ok. Here is what the email said:

"Just a note to let you know how much I have enjoyed Mackenzie as a student. She is polite and helpful to her classmates. She has shown a lot of creativity on recent projects. She is obviously very motivated and shows maturity beyond normal ninth graders. You may be well aware of this already, but I wanted to make sure you know it has not gone unnoticed."

Wow, parents cherish moments like this. Moreover, they cherish kids like Mackenzie. This isn't the first compliment I have received about her. Within the last couple months I received two other notes from teachers, as well as a phone call from one of her friends' moms.

In this mixed up world, where even the best kids can get off track, I feel so blessed and lucky. Moreover, I am happy for her!

Raynaud's Phenomenon?

On Thursday night after work I had to squeeze in a run before Mackenzie's soccer game. It was four degrees (yes, four!), but I was time constrained and didn't have time to go to the gym. I raced home from work, threw on all my gear, got stuff ready to change into at the soccer game, and ran out the door.

I was cold for the first quarter to half mile, and then my body began to heat up, and pretty quickly I was comfortable. I ran what I now refer to as my "cracked skull route" (http://comojanine.blogspot.com/2008/12/ice-ice-baby.html), which is about 5.5 miles. By the end, my legs were moving a little slow because of the cold, but I was warm. As planned, Mackenzie had my Jeep started, and we jumped in and headed to the soccer game.

After a few minutes in the car, I got cold... shivery, "OMG I'm freezing cold" cold. As I've mentioned here before, I am a sweater. During the run, even my outer layers became damp, which did not take long to make me cold.

By the time I got to the soccer complex (20 minutes or so), my fingers were turning the anticipated white. This is what happens to me whenever I get cold after exercising. It happens even when it's not near zero outside. It's a very odd thing, my fingers turn extremely white; there is no blood flow to them whatsoever. The same thing happens to my toes. Once my body temperature recovers, normal blood flow returns, but it can take quite a while. The weird thing that happened Thursday night is, after Mackenzie's game, we went to Applebee's for dinner. It was nice and warm in there, but I hadn't completely warmed up during her game (even though I had changed into dry clothes when we got there). We were sitting at the table and I was looking at the menu, and a blood vessel in my left middle finger popped! It hurt like a son of a gun and my finger turned purple on the underside from the first knuckle to the base of my hand. Ouch!!! At the time I didn't related it to the lack of circulation.

So... I logged on to blog about my circulation issue and white fingers. I did not know there was a name for it, and it's not really normal! I thought this probably happened to everyone if their body temperature began to decline. I googled it just prior to starting this post, and up came Raynaud's Phenomenon. This is definitely what I am experiencing (I'll mention it to my doctor the next time I visit him). It sounds like it can be a minor condition in and of itself (my case), or it can be linked to something more serious. One thing is for sure, from now on I'll be keeping warm after I work out!

Midfoot Strike

I first starting running about three years ago, when I was 40 years old. Prior to then I would run a couple miles, a few times a week, and even then it was rather sporadic. After my mom's lobectomy for cancer, I learned the importance of being fit. That lit my fire, and I've been working out since.

It's easier for me to exercise when I have a specific goal. Triathlon has provided that for me. I am finally to the point where I am seeing sustainment in my aerobic base. I'm not as seasoned as someone who's been at this for many years, but my progress has been very encouraging. Given that, I am now focusing on some more specific techniques to improve my form, and hopefully, speed.

I was reading one of Joe Friel's blogs (his blog today on training is *excellent*, BTW, especially if you have a job and family), and he was demonstrating foot strike with photos. In discussing the different styles and benefits, for an endurance athlete a midfoot (or flat foot) strike is generally thought to yield the best results.

The other thing I have not paid much attention to is arm swing. I can't remember if this came from Joe or someone else, but try holding your arms at a 90 degree angle, and swinging them like they are holding a hammer and striking a nail sticking straight out, parallel to your hip. This will result in less turn of your torso, with that energy being used for more forward momentum.

I went for a 7.5 mile run on the trail yesterday, and tried these techniques. It's probably not such a good idea to do this the first time on a run that's over an hour long, but many times I would forget and be cruising along in my natural stride. After trying it, I do believe these techniques, when developed over time and allowing your body to adjust, would yield positive results. A couple things that surprised me about the arm swing is, one, there was a marked increase in my forward thrust. Two, my upper body fatigued rather quickly. But I can see where you could go faster, longer, if you were able to maintain this position. For me that would mean really increasing my upper body and core strength.

I woke up this morning with sore quads, and a stiff upper. At least I know I did something! :)

MRSA

Realizing this could help someone else, I am going to share some rather personal information in this post. If you are not up for that, or if you have no interest in the title topic, please spare me some dignity and stop reading! But now that I've piqued your interest... :)

Last winter I didn't get much road riding in, but I would spin at the gym 2-3 times a week. In January I developed a fairly large cyst on my rear end, and by March I had had several more occurrences. They got worse each time, and I was getting very frustrated as well as alarmed. These cysts were very tender, deep, and painful, a real nuisance.

The only thing I could think of was that they were saddle sores. I was friends with a local bike shop owner, an excellent cyclist himself, and he always said not to be shy or embarassed when it came to cycling issues. So I called him, and based on my description, he agreed I could be dealing with saddle sores. The only thing I was doing differently was spinning at the gym, so he thought maybe bike fit was the issue. There's not a lot of leeway for adjusting a spin bike; I really couldn't optimize that fit any more.

While I was frustrated and concerned (and a little embarassed), what happened next made me realize how serious this was. I developed a cyst that progressively grew to a mass larger than the size of my fist; I could barely walk, and sitting was impossible due to the pain. I also developed a hellacious headache and fever (unfortunately over a weekend), and by Monday morning my temperature was over 103 degrees. My family physician (the awesome Dr. Vahabzadeh, or Dr. V, as he's affectionately known), got me in right away. After my exam and listening to my history and symptoms, he said it was classic MRSA (something I was aware of, but had not contemplated). So not saddle sores related to incorrect fit, but definitely linked to spinning at the gym.

After a one week regimen of stout antibiotics and epsome salt soaks, the worst was over. Suffice it to say, it was incredibly painful and unpleasant. My instructions were to take the antibiotics, and on the 5th day clean all kitchen and bathroom surfaces with a clorox\water mix. I indiscriminately washed all my exercise gear, undergarments, and bedding with clorox (only ruining two pairs of shorts). Because this bacteria lives and breeds in the nose, there was also a nasal swab of antibacterial ointment once a day for three days for everyone in the family. After the initial treatment of one week, I remained feeling fatigued and lethargic for a few weeks. It took me a month to completely recover.

Gyms are notorious for being contaminated with MRSA. The bacteria is transmitted from person to person via surface contamination of the equipment. MRSA thrives in moist warm conditions, so growth in the groin, buttocks, and underarm area is stimulated by exercise. Spinning can be a particular culprit in an infection because the workout is usually vigorous. Hot spots and micro-tears can occur on the surface of the skin (not something you would be aware of), and these provide an invasion point for the bacteria. Also, close or smooth shaving in the groin and pubic area (as many females and cyclists do) open and abrase the hair follicle, allowing the bacteria to enter.

This is not an issue of hygiene; normal soap and water does not kill MRSA on the skin, and it could be in your nose. I have not had an outbreak since last spring, but I have been hypervigilant about the gym. I found success with the following: 1) Clean all equipment thoroughly before using. I spray down the bikes (handlebars, dial, and seat), and leave the cleaner on as long as possible before wiping down. The cleaning bottle actually says to leave on for 10 minutes to kill MRSA. 2) If you shave any of the susceptible areas, do not close shave or use triple blades. Use a single blade, and take one or two swipes, or use a good electric razor if you have issues with razor rash. 3) Do not shower at the gym. The gym I go to has antibacterial soap in the hand dispensers, but not in the showers. Needless to say, showers also provide the warm moist conditions conducive to the spread of bacteria. 4) I wash my hands thoroughly on my way out of the gym, and shower immediately at home. First I use Dial Complete antibacterial foam soap (which has the highest concentration of Triclosan) on all vulnerable areas, and then wash with bar soap as I normally would.

The last time I saw Dr. V, he jokingly asked, "You don't have another bump on your ass do you?!?!" How funny... NO!!! I have been spinning and lifting at the gym quite a bit the last few months; I hope I haven't jinxed myself with this post! (I'd cry.)