things that make you go hmmm...

I'm starting to wonder if this sit bone pain is not muscle related or something. I have converted my desk to a standing desk (I work at a computer all day so I've changed from sitting at my desk to standing) and while sitting tonight the side of my thigh got numb. If cycling is giving me injuries I might need to go bionic. I started cycling to give my chronically injured calf muscle a rest (a year of tearing the calf muscle every 3 months) but the sit bone pain seems to be radiating outwards but I can't reproduce it on palpation so that says likely not muscle. Sigh. Tomorrow is another ride day so we'll see how it goes. It is always worse when I ride two days in a row and this starts my 4th week of cycling (since 1994 or so) and I'm hoping it gets less painful sooner rather than later.

I futzed around enough today that it was just about feeding time by the time Pike and I headed out for a swim. I was shocked to see that the tourist boat (we usually see at midday) was still there when we got to the beach. The tourists were still in the restaurant eating so either they were running as late as we were or they run twice a day. The water was SUPER rough - in the trough of the wave you could see neither the waves crashing on the reef nor the shore and murky. I really hate murky water. I had thought of doing 6 laps but I really hate being out there at feeding time also so we did 4 (probably took as long as 6 as the water was So Rough) and called it a day.

I then celebrated with a 10 min run. I'm back on the wagon trying to run again and had planned on a week of 10 min runs but wouldn't you know it, half way through I was already planning on skipping this week and just going straight to 10/20/10/20/10/0/30. I wonder WHY I keep getting injured? Geez! So slapped myself around a bit and will hold firm to 10/10/10/10/10/10/10. But after 3 weeks of cycling and 2-3 weeks of NO running, the legs felt Very Very Weird on the run - stiff and not really working well. It took almost the entire 10 minutes to feel "right". I'm hopeful that this plan will keep me injury free but I REALLY have to rein myself in and stop pushing and learn to hold back. You'd think by my age I'd have learned and if not you'd think I'd want to avoid injury but there is no logic when I have a number (goal) in my head.

I've been buying jerseys and shorts (well just one pair) on Ebay for a couple weeks and can't wait to get to the US to get them. Right now Jamie holds all my stuff as I have no pockets and usually just wear a t-shirt or running top. Luckily I was able to get some De Soto Tri shorts to him just before he came back from WI so I do have those and I'm sloshing around an old pair of his shoes (after he got sick of me wearing my running shoes on the bike). I also have my eye on a pretty local jersey. When we get back from our US trip I should be styling on that bike, assuming my sit bone finally adjusts.

Sunday was Cozumel. I really wanted to go over and had planned to volunteer but I just couldn't. Jesse was sick with a ton of homework and taking the whole famdamily over there would have run upwards of $720 MN.

It seems like all the cool tri kids sum up their week in numbers, so as I'm always one to join the latest fads (my family members, if they even know of this blog are vomiting now) here is the last week in numbers:

Swim 5440 yd (only 2 workouts, I was just Not Into Swimming last week) prolly 1.5 hours.
Bike 112.91 m (4 bikes) and 6 hours 4 min.
Run: Injured.

This week I have 4 swims planned, 4 bikes and 6 runs.

the difference between 25 and 50

Back in my 20s and early 30s I wouldn't think twice about a 40 mile bike ride or any athletic event whether I was training or not. I could abuse my body and not worry. I did a half Ironman and I'm not sure I even trained for the run. I remember biking (mainly because I liked to bike) but I never had a plan and I'm not sure I spent much time even thinking about the run.

I did 40 miles yesterday with Jamie after 2 weeks of cycling which had followed some 15+ years of sedentary lifestyle. Today shows me that I'm 50. My quads are STIFF. My ass HURTS. I'm not able to just throw down mileage like those young pups. But I can still kick my 14yo's ass swimming. Well, for now anyway.

My first *long* ride

When I realized that today would fall perfectly in the *training* schedule (MWF are swim and TThSS are ride and SMTWThS are run) AND the US had a holiday on Thursday I figured we could make a long ride and I thought I might add in a swim afterwards. Jamie took Jesse to school (and then to their overnight field trip, camping at X'calcel) and I worked, getting in half a day by the time he got back. I also managed to wake up at 3:30 am thinking it was 5:00 as the full moon bouncing off the jungle made the sky look lighter than it really was. Yawn.

So we headed off and I held the pace back for the first 8 miles or so but then the cross and headwinds started so it wasn't all that hard to hold back at all. Our pace was miserable for the first half. We knew that it was 12 miles to our normal turnaround so I checked the highway markings and counted down 13 more km and we made today's turnaround there - a little over 20 miles. I was feeling pretty good. We made it to the retorno just after Hidden Worlds and I think it was around 1:11.

Coming back towards Akumal we got our promised tailwind (sometimes we can get headwind both ways) and the road was much flatter between Akumal and Xeh-Ha. I got to look forward to our little rises to get out of the seat but after Akumal (about 12 miles from home) I was looking for any excuse to get out of the saddle! I wasn't dead when I got home but I was sure glad to stop. This is my 3rd week of riding and I just don't think my ass is ready yet. But a good ride all in all. We're thinking it was around 41 miles and maybe an 18+mph average. My one index finger is still numb and Jamie says they make gel gloves now so I'm DEFINTELY going to look for those. I'll also get some cycling shoes and clip in pedals (or whatever).

Cozumel is on this weekend and I'm hoping to get over there but ferry tickets will be $120 each (about $10USD each) so that would be an outlay just to watch. We'll have to see how the workload is also.

After I came home, scarfed down pasta and meatballs I had a nice nap. (after a bit of work). Jamie is in town now with Pike at the orthodontist and promised to bring tamales from our favorite vendedora.

It's coming along

I had a great ride today. I just started my 3rd week of riding and my ass (really, just under my sit bones) seems to be getting worse instead of better. As a matter of fact, when i sit anywhere it feels like a bump there. I'm thinking something like bursitis. I'm hoping another week or two will calm it down.

It was finally warm - 28C to start and it was LOVELY to be warm once again. We've had such an unnecessarily EARLY winter that it was lovely to feel warm air and hot sun again. Jamie hated it of course but he's almost always hot. I pushed the out and was disappointed to be at 32:30 at the turnaround (as I think my record is 31:30) but very pleased to find I had not, in fact, been riding in a tailwind but a crosswind and hammered home. I'm only tracking time so when we were approaching Pto Adventuras at 1:03 I knew I was going to hammer the PR. I took another 4:20 off my previous week's PR and we averaged 19.4 mph (I think) and I'm pretty happy with that. My legs felt much better today also - last week they were shaking.

I'm trying to get Jamie to go for a longer ride on Thursday as work for me will probably be light due to the US holiday and I can most likely afford the time.

Denial

I think I might be training for Ironman Cozumel. I know I can do the swim and the bike, but I'm not sure, with my constant calf injuries, if I can do the marathon. But hey, I really like the Iron La'ak uniformes so maybe that is reason enough?

I've checked out the Mexican circuito nacional and it looks like we've got a few in the southern part of the country - Veracruz and Mazatlan and there is a HIM in Guate (Guatemala) I might consider also.

I'm in my 2nd week of Do Not Run after trying a 10-min and 20-min run last week. I knew about 10 minutes into the 20-min run it wasn't going to end prettily but could I just STOP and avoid injury? I think we all know I'm too hardheaded for that. So another week off the leg. Next week I'll only do 10 min runs. I PROMISE. And I'll stop if it gets wonky. No, BEFORE I injure it again. Sheesh.

I have having a great time on the bike though and have PR'd pretty regularly. Even today's ride (I have not been updating DM lately) even though we were going slow PR'd all of last week's rides. So there's that.

and I'm very seriously thinking of doing Cozumel next year. I did an HIM way back in the VERY early 80s (like 81 or 82?) when I was in my early 20s and remember hating the run and really walking most of it and I think it was a 7:30 time or so. I'm thinking that even if I walk the entire marathon (and I've run up to 10 miles when not injured) I could still finish. And hell, it is right across the channel. It couldn't be any closer unless I lived on the island. Ten miles by sea. If I register by the end of the year it will be cheaper than registering next year. I think I'm already decided,I just like living in denial. :)

So this week was 8K of swimming and 160K of riding. Pretty happy as I'm not really training for anything right now. I missed all the runs I wanted to to this year (the marathon or 1/2 in DF for the Bicentennial was tops on my list) due to injury so I'm just exercising to keep the muscles alive right now.

Oh, and did I mention my training (bike) partner and coach? None other than the esteemed Jamie (DH). Sweet.

Oh and lastly, I'm planning on dragging the boys over to the island next Sunday to work the Ironman. Looking forward to that!