Recently, training has been going well. I am in a "maintenance" phase, just continuing to train without much intensity, getting ready to ramp things up come December 1. I have been in the gym a lot trying to get stronger, especially in my upper body for swimming, and I have already noticed a difference in the water. I have learned a lot about myself through doing strength training and found specific areas that are weak and need serious improvement over the next few months.
Unfortunately on Friday last week, I was riding Flagstaff (a tough climb here in Boulder), and hurt my left knee. I ran off the bike and was completely fine, but while swimming on Saturday, I began to experience some pain on the inside of my knee cap. I didn't think anything of it, iced it, ran long Saturday, rode Sunday, and then realized it was something that needed to be addressed. I got in touch with a very knowledgeable physical therapist here in Boulder (Bob Cranny) and he gave me a plan of action for healing my knee. Apparently while climbing on Friday, and standing up often while climbing, my hip was internally rotating putting pressure on my knee, which caused some inflammation in my patella tendon. Since I decided to address the issue so soon, it shouldn't be much of a problem. I have to take some time off from running, ice regularly, and just take good care of it for now.
At first, I was very frustrated by this situation, but my outlook shifted towards optimism when I realized that I am not racing anytime soon, and that, like my mom said "we are defined by how we deal with obstacles." I am going to start working with Bob when I get back from Thanksgiving break on eliminating imbalances, and taking a holistic approach on strength training. Every athlete deals with injuries at some point in their career, so I plan on kicking this one in the butt and getting ready for a great 2012.
Chris and I visited the OTC in the Springs this past weekend. We went down to visit Ryan Bice, a great friend of ours who transferred from Boulder to UCCS to be a part of the ETA (Elite Triathlon Academy). It was great to spend some time with him and the other athletes that are a part of the team- Kevin McDowell, Kelly Whitley and Johanna Gartman. We did a nice hard swim Saturday am, a longish run, and then we did sauna sessions with ice baths in between. We had so much fun and really enjoyed training with some people who are extremely talented and fun to be around.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season! Stay healthy and be happy.
Jessica
