I knew I shouldn't have worn that wetsuit. It has always been tight on me, even when I first bought it to brave the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa 2 years ago for Nationals. My body is significantly different enough (i.e, more swole) now such that it fits so poorly that my lungs can't really function.
After the race officials corralled a runaway buoy, we charged out into the water on a delayed start. I actually had a decent start, and found myself where I wanted to be in the pack of girls, (thank goodness they split the genders this year) for the most part. However, as my effort level increased to race level, my lungs were having difficulty expanding under the pressure of the too-tight neoprene. As I began to hyperventilate, I did little analysis of my situation before tarzan swimming over to a kayaker with the goal of getting the suit off to finish the swim (I probably only swam 200 m or so). The top half slipped off easily, but getting it off of my ankles was a challenge. I tried everything, it seemed. The kayaker even offered to try to pull it off, but to no avail. After a long and somewhat exhausting struggle, I found that I needed both hands to pull it off. I let go of the kayak and held my breath twice, once for each leg, and then it was off. I thanked the kayaker, left my wetsuit with her, and swam off in the direction of the turn buoy. I had difficulty cutting back on course, but after making the turn I felt strong and exactly how I wanted to feel the entire race.
I exited the water quite relieved, as my toes were going numb. I'm not sure how much time had been wasted on the kayak and in aimless swimming, but I knew it was a lot when I ran into an almost empty transition. My spirits were dampened a bit, but I tried my best to put down a decent bike split without killing it too much. I decided at some point in the opening miles that I would save myself for a decent run, since it's really all I have at the moment, fitness-wise. The bike was how I remember: long, hilly, and like a double-edged sword. I love the course, and it's really beautiful. But my legs disagreed with me. I could feel the marathon training fatigue, and my cadence slugged along as if in slow motion at times. I coasted into transition with my hopes set on a strong run split.
As I glanced down at mile one, my watch ticked to 6:45. Oomph. Maybe a little too fast after tackling the Clermont hills. After a rough next couple of miles (Ab cramps...the usual), I finally settled into a nice rhythm and felt like I was floating through the last two. I ran through the finishing shoot to some good cheers from my teammates, stopping my watch as if I had just finished an interval on the track. The race turned into a workout of sorts.
Races like these can be heartbreaking and downright disappointing. I hadn't expected much from the race in the first place, but it's always frustrating when things go wrong that are out of your control. Races rarely are completely smooth, and there's always an element of difficulty when you try to perform well at three sports in succession. I've always accepted that as a fact, but it never hurts less when something goes horribly wrong.
One thing that I have taken away from this race is that although I was by no means okay with how everything happened this morning, I was able to stave off the downward spiraling thoughts until after the race. I pulled off my wetsuit, pulled up my big girl panties, and finished. My mentality was so different than usual; it became a workout in which I paid for. It was admittedly hard to find the desire to put down good splits knowing that I was at least 10 minutes away from all of the competitors that I usually race against. I prepared myself the whole race to see that number on the clock, and my heart sank as it came into view anyway.
At least this race is a step up from 2 weeks ago, when I didn't even start. Maybe next time I can get past the swim. They don't call it multisport for nothing.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Chronic
What if I told you that the reason that many endurance athletes go through more cycles of rehab than training is simply because of their personality? Would you believe me?
There are two different categories of people: people with intrinsically high stress levels and those with more moderate to low stress levels, even in the absence of external loads. High stress individuals tend to worry about things they can't control, exaggerate situations (both those that have already happened and ones that have not yet occurred), and have an endless supply of things to be stressed about. These people can get stressed on a Hawaii cruise, lying in a hammock, or while sipping Mai-tai's on the beach. Okay, that's an exaggeration. My point is, however, that there are just certain personality characteristics that create a person who is chronically stressed, whether they realize it or not.
Stress wreaks more havoc on the body than Big Macs, soda, or birthday cake. Being stressed all the time is equivalent (hormone-wise) to being injured chronically. Your body is constantly dumping those inflammatory hormones into the blood, even though there is no real "injury". During times of stress (life and training alike), Corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) is secreted from the pituitary, causing the release of adrenocorticotropic horomone (ACTH). Levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine follow suit. Even if you've never taken physiology, you should gather that this can have some pretty negative effects on the body.
The issue with having chronically high stress levels is that the body never recovers from the external stressor of training. Training is, after all, controlled injury of the body's musculoskeletal system (and the nervous system hates it that it has to clean up the mess of microtears, whacked thermoregulation, etc.). The way the nervous system copes with stress is typically by down-regulating during sleep--brain waves are slower and more rhythmic, the heart rate slows and parasympathetic tone increases system-wide. This is the reason that one of the hallmark signs of overtraining is an elevated heart rate upon waking. This down-regulation never occurred, because the nervous system is still sending sympathetic signals to the heart, despite the body's resting state. It's also the reason for irritability in athletes who have been working too hard; the nervous system is overloaded and fails to elicit the proper response to certain emotions.
So, as athletes and overachievers, how do we deal with this? Although we may not be able to alter our intrinsic stress levels, we can manipulate our extrinsic stress levels. We all know the things that make us happy, and we have to use them as recovery tool. Just as we will spend 30 minutes on a foam roller, sit in an ice bath, or wear compression socks, we need to read a good book or magazine, watch a comedy, spend valuable time with friends and family, or go someplace beautiful. I know a lot of this is obvious, and many of us do these things already. But it's worth a reminder, especially when you're marathon or half-Ironman training and you think that your every move must be careful and measured. It's also important to remember that the timing of these modes of recovery is just as important as those that deal with the body itself. Be sure to get in that mental recovery shortly after a long training week, a 20 mile run, or those heavy deadlifts. Your body (and nervous system) will thank you.
There are two different categories of people: people with intrinsically high stress levels and those with more moderate to low stress levels, even in the absence of external loads. High stress individuals tend to worry about things they can't control, exaggerate situations (both those that have already happened and ones that have not yet occurred), and have an endless supply of things to be stressed about. These people can get stressed on a Hawaii cruise, lying in a hammock, or while sipping Mai-tai's on the beach. Okay, that's an exaggeration. My point is, however, that there are just certain personality characteristics that create a person who is chronically stressed, whether they realize it or not.
Stress wreaks more havoc on the body than Big Macs, soda, or birthday cake. Being stressed all the time is equivalent (hormone-wise) to being injured chronically. Your body is constantly dumping those inflammatory hormones into the blood, even though there is no real "injury". During times of stress (life and training alike), Corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) is secreted from the pituitary, causing the release of adrenocorticotropic horomone (ACTH). Levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine follow suit. Even if you've never taken physiology, you should gather that this can have some pretty negative effects on the body.
The issue with having chronically high stress levels is that the body never recovers from the external stressor of training. Training is, after all, controlled injury of the body's musculoskeletal system (and the nervous system hates it that it has to clean up the mess of microtears, whacked thermoregulation, etc.). The way the nervous system copes with stress is typically by down-regulating during sleep--brain waves are slower and more rhythmic, the heart rate slows and parasympathetic tone increases system-wide. This is the reason that one of the hallmark signs of overtraining is an elevated heart rate upon waking. This down-regulation never occurred, because the nervous system is still sending sympathetic signals to the heart, despite the body's resting state. It's also the reason for irritability in athletes who have been working too hard; the nervous system is overloaded and fails to elicit the proper response to certain emotions.
So, as athletes and overachievers, how do we deal with this? Although we may not be able to alter our intrinsic stress levels, we can manipulate our extrinsic stress levels. We all know the things that make us happy, and we have to use them as recovery tool. Just as we will spend 30 minutes on a foam roller, sit in an ice bath, or wear compression socks, we need to read a good book or magazine, watch a comedy, spend valuable time with friends and family, or go someplace beautiful. I know a lot of this is obvious, and many of us do these things already. But it's worth a reminder, especially when you're marathon or half-Ironman training and you think that your every move must be careful and measured. It's also important to remember that the timing of these modes of recovery is just as important as those that deal with the body itself. Be sure to get in that mental recovery shortly after a long training week, a 20 mile run, or those heavy deadlifts. Your body (and nervous system) will thank you.
Boston Hopes
I said that I wouldn't have any goals for Boston other than enjoying the race. I wrote the word "goals" in dry erase marker on the board hanging in my room and drew an "x" through it. I did everything I could to eschew any thought that had even a hint of expectation.Then I couldn't do it any longer. With Boston a few sunrises more than a month away, I can't help but wonder (and wish) about what time I will run on April 15th.
My goal going into my first marathon was 3:20. I was fully capable of doing so, with training going extremely well...until a hamstring injury 3 weeks away from the race. But I honestly don't think that it was the injury that made me fall 3 minutes too slow. I didn't realize until I was Facebook creeping myself last week (I had the splits posted to my page that morning) that I went out too hard. It should have been obvious in the aftermath of the race, but I was feeling bulletproof at the time and thought that I could, in fact, hold a 7:30 pace the entire race. How fast did I start, you ask? I was still running sub 7:30 miles around mile 10, and I saw the 3:15 pace group up until mile 12 or so.
So, then, what makes me imagine that I can do it this time, considering training isn't going so well and I'm not near as fit as I was a year and a half ago? I don't think I have to be as fit as I was to run 3:20. In fact,being slightly undertrained may help keep the pace on the slower end in the beginning before I settle into that 7:37 pace.
I'm scaring myself with this belief. I just really wanted to float along the streets of Boston and into running history bliss. Now I'm going to have my best exertion-induced pain face on as I pass the girls of Wellesley on my way to Heartbreak hill.
The elevation changes in Boston are going to be hard for this Florida flat trained girl to handle. The hills are one of the many reasons that I decided not to make a goal for the race. On second thought, though, I've always believed that you can do whatever needs to be done on a given day. One of my favorite sayings is that my heart can carry me over the finish line faster than my legs ever will. If the desire is truly there, I should be able to handle the hills as if I've been training in Colorado since December.
Although I can imagine seeing 3:20:?? on the clock, I also won't be too disappointed if I don't. Just as I'm wildly optimistic, I'm also steadily realistic. I'm going to give it my best shot and cross the finish line with a smile (or a grimace that looks like a smile) on my face.
My goal going into my first marathon was 3:20. I was fully capable of doing so, with training going extremely well...until a hamstring injury 3 weeks away from the race. But I honestly don't think that it was the injury that made me fall 3 minutes too slow. I didn't realize until I was Facebook creeping myself last week (I had the splits posted to my page that morning) that I went out too hard. It should have been obvious in the aftermath of the race, but I was feeling bulletproof at the time and thought that I could, in fact, hold a 7:30 pace the entire race. How fast did I start, you ask? I was still running sub 7:30 miles around mile 10, and I saw the 3:15 pace group up until mile 12 or so.
So, then, what makes me imagine that I can do it this time, considering training isn't going so well and I'm not near as fit as I was a year and a half ago? I don't think I have to be as fit as I was to run 3:20. In fact,being slightly undertrained may help keep the pace on the slower end in the beginning before I settle into that 7:37 pace.
I'm scaring myself with this belief. I just really wanted to float along the streets of Boston and into running history bliss. Now I'm going to have my best exertion-induced pain face on as I pass the girls of Wellesley on my way to Heartbreak hill.
The elevation changes in Boston are going to be hard for this Florida flat trained girl to handle. The hills are one of the many reasons that I decided not to make a goal for the race. On second thought, though, I've always believed that you can do whatever needs to be done on a given day. One of my favorite sayings is that my heart can carry me over the finish line faster than my legs ever will. If the desire is truly there, I should be able to handle the hills as if I've been training in Colorado since December.
Although I can imagine seeing 3:20:?? on the clock, I also won't be too disappointed if I don't. Just as I'm wildly optimistic, I'm also steadily realistic. I'm going to give it my best shot and cross the finish line with a smile (or a grimace that looks like a smile) on my face.
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