Dirk's Junkie group - CLOSED (Page 38)

In the words of Jonathan - Holy crap!  All that on 1000 calories!  That's insane.  145 HR for you for 90 minutes sounds like a substantial effort.  So still nothing to sneeze at.  I do find that the day after a really low eating day is tough.  If I drink plenty of water I'm usually at least good enough to get through it though.

I know it's a TOTALLY different circumstance, but I also think looking at "different" ways can work.  Hell, Jeff's method is certainly not taught at med school but you can't deny the results.

My wife had a groin problem which prevented her from running.  She spent forever (well, a few years) doing the normal rehab stuff - seeing orthos, PT, strengthening, etc. to no avail.  Absolutely couldn't run.  By a twist of fate, we got her an appt. with a super specialist who handles groin injuries for the Boston pro sports teams.  The result after all the MRIs and exams was that he wanted to operate and do some repair, though he wasn't sure it would be totally successful.

About this same time, I was starting to see my ART guy (who Jonathan also sees) and he was performing miracles on my overuse and other issues.  I finally convinced my wife on a flyer to see him, at least for an eval.  Long story short, after just a few visits, she was back to running and hasn't had a groin issue since.  That was about 2 years ago.  Again, I know it's TOTALLY different than a back issue, but I'm just pointing out that sometimes the normal medical wisdom isn't definitive, at least in this N=1 example.

Most definintely!!  I thought the group was getting too big so I thought of killing off a couple of people.  Dina just happen to be the first one to ask a question today.

I actually agree with the suggestion to do alternative treatments.  Despite my wife being a nurse I think that there are far to many surgeries than we should be seeing.  The only thing is I really ave no idea what ART is, what acupuncture is supposed to do or what in the world Chi is.  If I were searching for alternative methods of treatment now I would be coming to you guys for advice because I have had absolutely no exposure to these types of things.

Stan, I would say do some checking into these.  I suppose they may also be fairly expensive if not covered by your insurance though so just be on the look out.

As Jonathon and Jeff said about the fatigue on your legs...............Get used to it because that will be part of your lifestyle now.  Training is fun and the pain is somewhat of a reminder/trophy of the work load your body can handle in ever increasing loads if you want to do it.

Also, I didn't think about it until later on today but since we live in the same town we could get together for a few swims of you like sometime.  I swim at South Side's natatorium for all of my swims if you would like to join me there on a scheduled night or if your Y allows visitors I might be able to get up there sometime too.  I do have one requirement though, your husband needs to be there with us.  Not necessarily in the water but at least in the building with us.  (It's an accountability thing that I think is a great idea for a healthy marriage.)

Let me know what you think.

Dirk, and all, ART is Active Release Techniques.  If you find a good ART practitioner, it is magic for soft tissue injuries.  I found out about it through an Ironman event, where there are always ART people on site.  I happened to have found a guy nearby who is amazing.  I've sent literally twenty people to him, some in serious conditions which had festered for years.  His track record is nothing short of miraculous, and if he knows there is a problem he can't improve he is quick to let you know.  He attributes the successes to the technique, but I do know he has an ability to study your injury and find the true root cause and then address that.

I have utmost respect for doctors and the medical field.  I just think like all people, they see life through their own lens.  Like they say, "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".  We know our bodies better than anyone, so absorb the knowledge of specialists and doctors but temper it all with your own experience.

I'll always remember something the infant cardiologist at Boston Children's Hospital told me when we were going through serious heart issues with Jeremiah when he was born.  As an engineer, I wanted to know everything about everything and he was open to explaining it in excruciating detail to me.  At one point, he told me that when this is over I'll know more about the specific infant cardiac issue Jeremiah had than almost every doctor and even more than many general cardiologists, and to never let them tell me things or suggest treatments if I know they are not entirely accurate for Jeremiah's particular issues.

Whew, that was a long one.  Back to tri training. 

I have had two pretty tough "medium" runs this week.  My legs are just not as strong as they normally feel, even given the fatigue we've all talked about.  I understand that, and am used to it, but this is more than normal.  I've decided to cut down to two bikes per Jorge's instructions in his biking thread for people on a run focus.  I think my mileage is getting to the point where I can't keep up three intense bikes and all this running, at least right now.  Of course, eventually I know I'll adapt, but I don't want to compromise the running.  I'm capping the running in a few weeks so hopefully it won't take long after that to get the bike back.

Thanks for the explanation.  I know you and Jonathon have talked about this stuff a lot but I never asked what it was.  It sounds like a pretty good type of alternative treatment.  Is this type of treatment something that would be recommended for achilles tendonitis?  And is it something that is normally covered by health insurances?  (I know I would have to check with our insurance but I'm wondering about what you think the norm is.)

Look what I have!  It's Christmas in February!!!!

I saw it was delivered today while I was at work and I couldn't wait to get home and start using it.  tomorrow I'll get to try i in the pool and see just how good this thing really is.  I am really anxious to see what kind of stroke count it gives me.  I think I will love the 20 hour battery life.  And it feels so much more comfortable on my wrist than the 305 that was dying.

I have a huge smile on my face!

Now that is some good motivation to train! Nice!

Pure awesomeness! 

Our ART guy is licensed as a chiro, so that's a possibility.  And otherwise I think it would be similar to PT.  As far as tendonitis, that's exactly the type of thing it's perfect for.  Though depending how chronic the injury is, and how well you stick the treatment plan (guilty as charged), Achilles can be a tough to recover from.

Fair warning though - the treatment can be pretty brutal sometimes.  Working out knots and kinks and bound up muscles/joints can be quite unpleasant!

Dirk, I have also had several ART treatments for various training related issues. I suffered with patella tendonitis 2 summers ago. I couldn't get it to go away with rest and meds. I found a local chiropractor who is trained in ART. 4 treatments and the problem disappeared. After I got my tri bike I started getting numbness in a few of my fingers. I had him check it out, he found a sore spot in my arm and another problem gone. I also went for some IT band soreness when I was training for the HIM. The only problem I've had that it didn't help was the tendonitis in my foot. ART actually made it a little worse. My chiro charged $25.00 for an ART treatment.

On my quest to find a solution for my foot problem I came accross a treatment called MAT (muscle activation therapy). I drove all the way to Indy for this (2.5 hour drive). 2 visits and the pain was gone. It was heaven, until I fell off my bike and limped around on that foot for a month. I have another appointment for February 20th though! The MAT guy charges like a massage therapist - I think it is $80.00 for an hour. His name is Chad Graham and the business is Corrective Biomechanics if you want to look him up.

I have nothing against doctors either. I just like to exhaust all possible non-invasive, non-pill popping options. If that stuff does not work then I'll go the doctor and say I've tried all of this already, now what?!

How is your achilles doing?

It's truly a thing of beauty.  I looooove my 305, but I'm jealous of the new toys.  Someday...

Thanks Dina for the input.  I may explore the area if my achilles continues to act up after a week off.  It sounds like it could be a viable option because I don't want to go to a doc only to hear take some anti-inflammatories and rest it.  I know thast the drugs definitely help at times but as a rule I think drugs are over used and over prescribed as the docs get tired of hearing people ask for things to "help" them.

As far as my new Garmin 910XT, I have used only once so far but there are several features that I am certain I will like.  The biggest of which is the vibration feature for lap info or other interactions.  I was hoping to get to the pool today to try the swim features out but I am not sure the schedule today will allow that.  From what I understand the swim metrics are supposed to be killer.  It measures stroke count, swolf score and knows the different strokes and how to count them (not that I use any other stroke).

I also have a 3 hour ride coming up this morning.  But since that's on the trainer I won't get any real mind blowing use of anything out of it. 

The larger other features that I think will be hugely beneficial are the 20 hour battery life and the Ant+ data transfer.  It will keep me from plugging my watch into the computer and leaving it on the charger until the next WO.  I think this is one of the reasons my 305 has died.  But then there is the fact that the 305 is 3 years old and had 4000-6500 miles a year of activity during that time frame.

Dirk - I found this article extremely helpful for my Achilles.  I didn't want to waste time with a doctor or PT either.  After doing these exercises, stretching, and icing for five days, I'm ready to try a run today.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19443

Curtis

Sooooo, if I train with you, does my fiance Kate have to be there?  Because she has already made comments about the previous running picture you had up and that's just awkward. haha!

I can't believe you got a 910xt.  I'm sickly jealous.  That thing is so sweet!  It's going in place of the towels on our wedding registry.  I don't care what Kate says.

In reference to A.R.T, yeah, I would say your smart to look it up in reference to insurance.  I personally just pay the $25 copay and I think I get like 20 visits a year.

My achilles issue was helped a lot by him, but it didn't solve the issue.  I had/have to do a lot of stretching to get better dorsiflexion.  That's what really helped it.  My issue is almost gone now.  I'm sure if I keep streching 4 times a day it will be good to go soon.  The best thing about this guy is that he keeps me going.  I never have to reduce my frequency.

Also...you're riding 3 hrs on the TRAINER!?  Wow, let me know how your butt feels after that one!  I'm going for 2:15 tomorrow morning.  Jorge's longer rides are just not in the books for me quite yet.

Dirk – your new toy looks cool!  Enjoy!

Well, yesterday’s attempt to solve the “air swallowing” problem didn’t seem to have any effect. I was going at what I felt was an easy pace (though compared to last summer it is fast) of about 2:00 per 100 then rest 20-30 seconds.

I tried keeping my mouth open slightly and exhaling partly through the mouth. My mouth fills with water while I exhale through the nose so I’m sure I’m not swallowing any air and yet there were the same symptoms. I started experiencing the need to belch air after just my 3rd 100 yards and 1/2 hour post workout the “gas” pain was pretty severe.  I took a chewable gas relief pill about an hour after the workout and it took another hour until I was comfortable again.

I’m thinking now that it may be a combination of the swim plus food I’ve eaten during the day. I’ll try and get over to the pool in the morning next Monday and try a workout on a completely empty stomach and see if I get the same results.

On the sore/tired legs topic, here's an excerpt from a swim email I just got.  Even though it's for swimming, I think it applies to all three.  They are talking about the point at which a workout gets really hard and your brain is telling you to quit:

"This 'discomfort time' is the critical period where your body's systems are challenged so that after the session they adapt and you gain fitness. Without reaching this point you won't gain the fitness improvements you are looking for. So this 'discomfort time' is not just unavoidable when fitness training, it should be something you are actively seeking out.

The psychology here is very important, don't think: "God, this is really tough."

Instead, replace that thought with: "OK, this is what it is all about. Swim it out, one stroke and one lap at a time."

Embrace the discomfort as a place you want to be and you will have fundamentally changed your thinking. From there on training sets start to feel much easier."

Sorry to hear that Vero.  I definitely have felt more gassy during swims just from the motion and the position I think.  Definitely work on some trial and error to see what works for you so that when race day comes you'll have it sorted out.

Sure, that would be great.  I know that the Y allows visitors- I will have to check what the hours are for that.  I think the Y might work better because we can put the kids in childcare (I'm not sure if they are allowed at the natatorium that you swim at).  I could meet you at any of the Y's in town though.  Maybe we can figure out a time at the race tomorrow.

For all you racing, good luck.

It looks like we're gonna get some snow finally!  I can't wait to run in it tomorrow - my long run is up to about 10 miles and that should be a blast as long as it's snow and not rain.  Have a good weekend everyone.