Goodbye 2010!

Merry Christmas!

2011!!!

 Lots of changes ahead for me and I have my arrow drawn and aimed at 2011. Let's hope I hit the target. The injury free target that is. I have not been injury free with a solid triathlon season since 2007. That feels like a very long time ago and frankly,I've become crispy fried from picking my healed-but doughy-self up, building back my fitness only to face another injury and back through the cycle again. I cannot look back at those injuries and honestly say I learned from how and why they occurred. Freakish bad luck? That is all I can say about that.
I know it's only December, but the thought of signing up for a race, having a daily training schedule with 2 disciplines is so far off my internal radar it's as if I have never done it before.
Quite bizarre considering how anguished and impatient I would be during any one particular dreadful injury that occurred. I swear, I created so much  needless stress on myself I probably prolonged  my healing  far too concerned about all the fitness I was losing while watching my planned season shatter into pieces.
I've lost so much ground in the 3 years not being able to train consistently,  It's fair to say I probably won't ever match the times I did that year of 2007.  I'll consider it the peak of my short lived amateur age group go at it.  2007 was a fantastic year for me after many yearly cycles of training, exposure to different distances, and just the cumulative build up one acquires honing a skill. Of course at the time, I only wanted to get faster and NEVER  was completely satisfied with what I accomplished.  Funny how 3 years can put that all in perspective.

Circa 2007

So what have I learned from all of this?  ENJOY and SAVOR and be CONTENT with what you have and what you can do right here and now whether it just being healthy or finally grasping that brass ring and getting yourself to Kona for what could be one time.  We spend way too much time worrying what others are accomplishing (ok, I do!) and perhaps setting the bar  just a wee bit high for ourselves (ok me..) only to realize what one has already accomplished is far more than most people will ever do. Getting caught up in each morsel we put in our mouth, spending 4 hours perched  on a Computrainer, (nope, never done this)  and  thinking the sheer fact of sacrifice  is the key to success can be convoluted and
ultimately very very disappointing.


I've suddenly  found myself completely disengaged with the notion of training and racing  triathlon this coming year and with that I had to make the very difficult decision to leave Team Trakkers and the most awesome supportive sponsors that make that team what it is.  Even more importantly, Charlie Patten, Carole Sharpless, and Michael Lovato  are the backbone of this team and clearly without them, it would be nothing.  I will miss being part of this great organization and  I am very grateful I was part of it since it's inception.This will REALLY sink in come March when the team is gearing up for a solid season of racing, sponsors are in place, team kits are dispersed and I'm not part of  it.  eeeeks..... I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it but I know it will be hard pill to swallow.

 So what do I have in store? Well you can be certain I'm not going to become a bon bon eating (pink) couch sloth, that is for sure.  I'm still deciding, so you'll just have tune in regularly to:

As Trigirlpink's World Turns


Until then, I wish you a fun filled peaceful holiday and a very happy successful 2011 to each and everyone
of you.
Cheers!

Christmas Nostalgia/ A Few Of My Favorite Things

 Don't laugh, I have a bid on one of these right now. My grandmother  had one proudly displayed in her living room when I was no more than 6-7 and I've NEVER forgotten how cool I thought this was.  Think mini TGP with saucer eyes, mouth agape staring  trance like at the tree

                                                   

And if I win that retro classic aluminum shiny tree, I will need this

Be it Thanksgiving or Christmas, this is always on the table. It goes back to my Great Grandmother

These or clove spicy gum drops remind me of Christmas as a kid

                               
This is a CLASSIC 1971 cartoon version of A Christmas Carol. Do you remember it?
Marly's ghost is creepy even in this Richard Willams cartoon rendition. You cannot find this on DVD or VHS. Bookmark it and watch later!

Some Fun Fotos.

I've substituted a PT therapy table for cyclocross participation at the moment so instead of sitting around eating Cheetos, I've been hauling myself to the races to capture some of the fun on my new camera while learning how the damn thing works.

Soon I will be watermarking my stuff (when I have time to read the Lightroom tutorial. (HA!) People are already SNATCHING up my photos and posting them on public websites without even asking. SHAME. SHAME. Who the heck do I think I am anyway? A professional photographer? By no means. I can barely turn on my camera BUT... I've spent HOURS and HOURS downloading, editing (while trying to
digest and understand Lightroom3, organize them, and finally upload my photos. (phew)

A simple, "Hey, can I upload/use/post your photo on my blog,team website, sponsor page? "Please? Thank You, and I will give you credit for your photo" is a simple,
logical and courteous gesture, I say.

Anyway, enough fluff... here's some of my favorites taken over the last 3 weeks. Go 'head,
steal 'um .  "-)

edebitettoduzinjury

I'm thinking  it's time for  a new blog title.   edebitetto duztri just isn't fitting the bill anymore.

 I know!! Let's have a Blog Title Naming contest and who ever comes up with the BEST title for my new blog, I will PERSONALLY send you  7!  THATS right! Count them!  Seven authentic radiology reports with MATCHING MRI cds dated 2008-2010 !! If you act now, I will include my very intimate arthogram CD's for your very own personal viewing pleasure. But  wait, that's not all!!! You get bilateral arthogram views because 2 labral hip tears are WAY better then one!!  And remember, only YOU will get VIP viewing of my glowing hip socket (s) and cartilage.

Here's my latest diagnosis after months of hobbling on and off again:  Ok, first let me say the good news is (after 3 opinions from top notch Boston orthopedic surgeons and one highly skilled PT person)  I don't have to have hip surgery. Phew...

Symptoms:  Sudden onset sharp intense pain in or around hip area (but not in the front) that makes me stop DEAD in my tracks but minutes later I can walk just fine with no pain

Aggressors:  Standing on the pedals or even seated while pushing hard on a steep grade during a cyclocross

race.  (ZING!) Bending over to pick something up (ZING!)

 Diagnosis: a little nerve entrapment here, a couple of jaw clenching spams there, and Wala! Piriformis syndrome/external rotators inflammation. I'm so glad all the strength and conditioning work I did REALLY paid off.  (not)

I just had to have one more set back for 2010 just to make me appreciate how good (and I'm talking REALLY good) 2011 is gonna be for me.

I swear.... If I get to December 31, 2011 injury free... I will run naked through the streets but not without pre-tanning and a pedicure in pink of course.

 

Boulder Fun!

Sadly my 4 day Colorado trip has come to an end.  The days were jam packed with seeing friends who live there(Sharpie, Kerrie with bonus Lucie, and the Lovatos x2 Yay Yay Yay!) I spectated in Denver for the Rock and Roll Marathon-1/2 Marathon Event, then up to Estes Park on the same day to watch how they do cyclocross in the Rockies:  At  altitude, and way more technical then we do here or so it seemed for this particular course.

In case you missed my album, here's a few of my favorite shots taken at The Aspen Lodge Colorado Cross Cup

Sometimes You Feel like a Clumsy Nut, Sometimes You Don't

Here's an example of me being a Mounds: I can parallel park on a dime. One shot.. and we're in baby....  I can stop on the STEEPEST of hills and never roll back an inch with my 5 speed zippy VW.

Here I am as a nutty Almond Joy: 
I can not, for the life of me, remount my cyclocross bike without doing this lame little stutter step or more often then not, coming to a COMPLETE stop to get back on my bike when I'm becoming very fatigued during a race. Any attempt at proper cyclocross skill execution is pretty much non existent. There is a wire that has come undone, short circuited... something in my head that is preventing me from learning to do that quick little snappy hop that propels me forward.

This has to end and I'm determined to fix it.  Besides looking like a goof, I am losing loads of time to the other women.  I raced in Providence Rhode Island last weekend and the course was somewhat technical and included 4 dismounts on each lap.  This was a HUGE disadvantage for me. Potentially, I am losing 10-15 seconds per RE-MOUNT everytime I screw this up.   4 minutes of
this nonsense is causing me many places on the results sheet.




This is want I want to do.

and this...

all the cool kids can do it...

How hard is it to jump 2 inches onto a saddle? Apparently too difficult for me.


I am off to Boulder for a few days and I've already scouted out The Aspen Lodge Colorado Cross Cup event on Sunday to spectate. Just maybe the Rocky Mountain air will turn me from a non committal  klutzy Almond Joy to a slick and smooth saddle hopping Mounds.
 
Dark Chocolate please.

Two Worlds Apart

Does my ass look big?  :-)

Triathlon is on a burner so far back there right now, I can't even see the round coils of it's outline.   I'm sure that feeling will pass but until then, it's all about what I CAN do than what I CAN'T do. For now, it's the sport of Cyclocross.

It's keeping me fit.

It's keeping me sane.

It's keeping me happy.
And when I'm not trying to stay upright and on a wheel in front of me, I like taking pictures of it all.  Here's a few of my favorites.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun!

I think I'll rename this blog: ** Damage Your Hip And MORE**
My latest hip inspired adventure took me to Coolidge Corner Imaging for my latest MRI . I've been there for imaging  6,(count em') 6 times over the past 3 years.  How crazy it that? This time for an arthogram MRI where they stick a very very very very long needle into the joint space filled with dye to view the labrum and determine if the tear (we already know it's there from 2008's arthogram) is larger and to view other structures to determine my hobbling predicament.

The MRI report suggests that there is a small tear in the posterior part of the labrum with of a smaller tear in the anterior labrum.  


Hummmmm.. I only remember one being there back in 2008.  Nuts......


Next up, a visit with a hip surgeon who probably wants to hone his skill at yanking out my hip from the socket and cleaning up the torn cartilage and whatever else they do. We'll see about that.
For the meantime, I'm maintaining my bike fitness and doing some cyclocross. My hip doesn't really like hobbling over the barriers or running through the sand pits, but it's not enough discomfort to keep me from staying off  my new carbon Ridley cross bike . Charlie, if you are reading this I REALLY REALLY wanted a mean green Trakkers skin suit for cross but I guess I waited too long to wear you down with my TGP whining to actually get one.  

Here I am in the Pain Cave of SuckBrook Cross in Auburn NH.  After the 2rd of 4 loops, I was stepping not hopping and dragging my bike over the barriers . I suspect I'll be come fitter as the races come and not feel like I will implode due to lack of oxygen.  Yikes...

I'm way too chicken and slow to line up in the front

Dirty faced and beginning to uncoil. Someone get the girl a Ponds face cleansing cloth!

I won't lie. I look FRESH and happy while playing in the sand because it's only the first loop of 4!

Photo credits go to Rob Bauer of MinuteMan Road Club

It's always something.

 I haven't felt much like posting over the last 12 days nor have i read a single blog. Call me Trigirl hobbling pink hermit. My 2 race triathlon comeback is OVER. It feels like I didn't even get through the previews and I got firmly escorted out with a half a tub of  popcorn and my Diet Coke barely touched. WAIT A MINUTE!

No fair.

I played by the rules and I am MAD.  
Such is life.
They think a labral tear diagnosed in 2008 is the culprit that I opted out of getting repaired. Is this making me hobble?? We don't know..yet.  One day I was running and the sun was shinning. The next I was hobbling and looking for a gun. Suddenly, no warning. Game over...




Greetings from radiology! A place I'm  becoming all to familiar with. So familiar, my hospital attire feels normal. Sad but it's true. I can give you tips on how to wear your gown so nothing is hanging out from the front or the back!

                                                     
Here I am modeling the latest in hospital attire. Notice the lovely pattern this season. It's all the rage!

  Here's the big ol' needle syringe I got plenty of time to sit and stare at while I waited to be
poked with into my hip joint yesterday.

           Here's my hip  getting an injection under guided fluoroscope with cortisone to determine if the labral tear is my issue.  No pain, no hobbling post injection= labral tear acting up.

      Here's my awesome  team @ Mt. Auburn Hospital in Boston who made it quick and painless. Cheryl, Dr. Marianacci and Dr. Boyce.  :-)


Well, it's only been 24 hours and honestly, the verdict is out.  I still feel something. Time will tell I guess. In the mean time, cycling doesn't seem to bother it and I'm desperately clinging on to my well established bike fitness so perhaps I can go play with the cyclocross people since I keep getting kicked out of the triathlon club.

Hit Me Baby One More Time.....

Ooops, I did it again...

I stealth raced.  Low flying aircraft. Under the radar.  Closet participant. I'm getting to like this!

Round two:
 Show up at intended race. Lay out my little transition towel,  spit shine my sunglasses, put my head down and see what my body has in store for the day.  That's it.

No pressure.
No expectations.
No pre-race chatter days beforehand about what I expect of myself or any specific goals except keep moving FORWARD.

Show up, punch the time clock and and get to that finish timing mat as quickly as possible so I can sit down.   Now we all know this can't go on forever, especially I know this. But for now, it clicks for me. It keeps me from over thinking and more importantly, it keeps it FUN.

Fun doesn't come without a price though and you can be certain, I want my money's worth having fun yet
putting some effort into my journey back. Effort meaning, getting my arms and feet to go FASTER in the water and my pedals to turn faster and my feet to stop doing the old lady shuffle.
But fast= discomfort and I have a confession:

My fairly thick  mental and physical tenacity callouses i call them, have worn off completely. Here's a good example:
.

TGP Before all this injury stuff: " I will mow you down"

   TGP After 3 years of mushy racing and injury  

                                                        
This weekend it was The Kennebunk Fireman Triathlon(s) OLY and Sprint distances In Kennebunk Maine.
Now ya'll know me  enough at this point( I hope)that you can guess easily which distance I chose.
Hint: It's wasn't the Olympic. A 6.2 mile run?  Ummm.. no.

 Yet who thinks of  WALKING during a measly 5k run of a sprint triathlon?  That would be me.
Seriously.
I had no real reason for wanting to do this except for the simple fact of how it hurt my muscles and made me breath really hard. I'm just not used to this suffering even 3 months into consistent training. The mental toughness is right behind the fitness, slow to come but I'm sure it must be there. One can only hope.

As to not bore you with detail. This race was a bit more high profile than last weekend. USAT officials, wrist bands, lots of rules warned of and enforced, well organized. Fun ocean swim and beautiful sea side scenery with  a pancake breakfast post race.

Ok, so like last weekend's first attempt,  I  swam, I biked, I ran (insert more suffering this week than last weekend here)
I ate blueberry pancakes.

and I did score another little tricket for my suffering.Woop Woop!



                                             and I shall leave you with a funnyTrigirlpink Fun Factoid:

I went to High School in Kennebunk.  Now if I could just dig up where I put  this"I will mow you down" look....

Oh... and by the way, Britney was still on Enfimil when I graduated. Oh baby, baby..

One In The Books

Finished,terminé,finito

After almost a full year of sporting a big fat ZERO in my racing log, I finally removed the velcro attaching my feet to the side of the ledge I was firmly secured to and......

jumped!

It felt WEIRD. I'm a spectator.
A picture taker. 
A volunteer.
A participant??.......did I say it felt weird? It did.

I had a stupid little smile on my face as I filled my jet stream bottle and

set up my neat and tidy square of a transition space. Good.. I haven't forgotten that.

Was I nervous? Strangely no.  Not in the least.  I have a good feeling of where my fitness is at this point and this was purely  "testing the water"  just getting out there and moving from the chronic injury sidelines to doing what I love and miss.

Granite Man up in Wofeboro NH was my testing ground this past Saturday.  I like to refer it to THE-WE DIDN'T GET INTO TIMBERMAN- BOO HOO -Race on the other side of Lake Winnipesaukee. The Fray. The old school,non-conformists, the anti M-Dot crowd.  Not me so much as Timberman is one of my favorite races but the rest of the racing field certainly felt that way.  I was HAPPY as a clam to blend in to 200 athletes who I've never met or raced with.  No whining was heard about the non-wetsuit swim, the sandy beach transition, the limited food selection or the non printed swim caps. None of that. Just the simplicity that comes with a non corporate small home town race venue. No wrist bands, no long porta potty lines, no USAT card/ID needed at check in.

Granite Man is in it's 29th year. Just a fun simple, chip timed, no frills  (wicked hilly..gasp)race


I  swam.
I biked.
I ran.


I finished.
I smiled.

I scored  some Granite.
I have much to work on but SO happy and thankful to be out there
again.

Is Anybody Really Reading This?

I guess I should update this thing for the 3 of you faithful lurkers hoping for some really good drama.


I got none.

I'm SUCH a bore these days.  Instead of racing ( I relate this to holding my finger over a hot flame) I've been hanging out on the sidelines too chicken to test the waters.  Soon.  Maybe.. But as I confided in a select few, I'm not telling if, when or how.  I'm a closet trainer and I shall be a closet participant of any event I might jump into.  But no worries!  I'll share the carnage (post race) in full detail if and when I get up the nerve.


My training is churning along.  I LOVE my workouts, my schedule and everything is coming along nicely. It's just that it's coming along nicely at a rapid snails pace.  More than 1/2 the fee I pay for coaching goes for weekly whining I have no problem dumping on my coach because I'm not where I think I should be. I'll share  a typical response I get: Please note, I've added some "response whining" in red below to my coaches comments

Here’s today’s hard lesson:




When on the come-back trail (really anytime, but particularly then), we are frustrated with where we are (slow), and just want to get where we’d like to be (fast). There are 3 choices at this point:



1. Say “screw it” and just jump to the paces you’d like to be at. Just be aware that it is a long commute to Portland for physical therapy should you choose to get injured again (oops, I mean jump to the fast paces)


2. Say “screw it” and give up on sports. I truly hope you just laughed at the ridiculous nature of this option (I know I have many many times)

3. Say “humbug” ....more appropriate " f*ck it...", have a mini breakdown as needed, and be okay with where you are (slow). Training at that point will enable you to get to where you want to be down the road (fast).

Keep the faith, girl. It’s a long road from a lengthy setback or three. You mean my labral hip tear, my foot stress fracture and my hip stress fracture? Three IS a charm!! Consistency is the key. Staying injury free keeps you moving towards where you want to be. Moving there too quickly just sets you back further.

On another subject,I am having fun with my camera. If I chose not to race, I'll take some pictures and this weekend I put my newest SLR camera to good use.. I'm embarrassed to say I know how to turn it on and that is about it. SHAMEFUL, but I'm making the commitment to learn a good part of what it has to offer instead of guessing and using the wimpy auto-mode over the next month.

Here's a few (just got lucky) shots I took this weekend at a race in Gloucester MA. I have a lot to learn but it's really fun experimenting.

I like how this came out by just playing around with the aperture setting

This was a total-right place at the right time- shot. I love this!!! I was using one of my two lens- a 55-200 zoom lens as I sat on the pavement on an uphill.  I had no idea what I captured until I downloaded this image. I don't even recall team mate, Dave Nerrow standing there as Karen started out on the run.  BTW: he is encouraging her to go *chick* one of our team mates who's famous for smack talk and could use a bit of humbling.

A dripping, muscular, display of maleness. Nuff said.

A man in a wetsuit..... It CAN be a good thing. I've found that you can oogle at the 
opposite sex without looking obvious with a camera in your face.  :-)

You see the pattern here, no?

The end