The Power of H2O

     Last weekend my family and I took a ski trip to the mountains of North Carolina. A mountain called Beech provided us with plenty of east coast skiing, even with all the warm weather. Sunday we ventured to another mountain, just six miles from Beech, called Sugar Mountain, where we skied comfortably in the high 30 degree sunny weather. December and January are months where I tend to spend more family time and take a little break from my usual triathlon training. Soon, I will be gearing up for my first race in April, but it is fun to switch the focus every now and then, and while downhill skiing is not the same as swimming, biking, and running, it is still an activity I love.
     Sunday turned out to be our best day skiing; bright sun and cooperative temperatures provided an enjoyable day; that is until I slid down some cement steps in my ski boots and bruised my tailbone. Ouch!
     I was able to rehab a bit Sunday night in the cabin's hot tub, but my mind was on the HydroWorx pool. I was miles away from being able to use it and I realized at that moment how much it really works. The hot tub was an okay alternative, but what I was missing was the attachment that the HydroWorx pool has that enables the user to blast water at an intense rate onto sore areas of the body. I kept trying to position myself on the hot tub jet, only to find myself frustrated, as I couldn't get the right angle.
     Last year, I had a sore knee and was able to run on the HydroWorx underwater treadmill and recover rapidly. I would recommend that land athletes try more water workouts. At one point or another we all have some type of injury or ailment and the power of exercising in water is amazing because you are virtually getting no impact on your joints and muscles.

    The HydroWorx pools are mainly found in physical therapy offices. Professional and college sports teams have access to the pools too, but even a YMCA in Randolph, NJ now has three of the portable X80 underwater treadmills in their facility. Featured recently in the news, the YMCA provided a boot camp class using the underwater treadmills as part of the workout, where participants rotated to different stations in a warm therapy pool. The workout was killer as they incorporated running, biking, and the use of exercise balls in a non-impact environment. This YMCA recognized that the HydorWorx equipment provides an excellent workout. Soon, I 'm sure we'll see more of the treadmills in gyms around the country. The fact that you can rehab and get a great workout without the stress is a key selling point of their products . Look for more of these classes and equipment at your local gym. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jCQGNdnpBI

Check out this cool video of the Randolph Bootcamp with the underwater treadmills.

Tri- On,
Kelly

Teacher Rehabs Using Land and HydroWorx Pool

     Lisa G.is a third grade teacher and soccer coach in the Mechanicsburg/Dillsburg area of Pennsylvania (she wanted to remain somewhat anonymous because she is a teacher, so I left out her last name). She is an active runner and sports enthusiast. Last summer, Lisa was playing two on two basketball and injured her knee running after the ball. After the basketball injury she wasn't able to put any pressure on her knee. She waited a week or so and went to the doctor insisting on an MRI because she didn't want to wait another month before something could be done. The MRI showed a grade two MCL Sprain (Medical Collateral Ligament Sprain). The MCL is one of the four ligaments that stabilize the knee joint. She was able to start physical therapy right away. After a few weeks of that Lisa made the decision to have surgery because she didn't want to risk,"blowing out," her knee and having,"more complications."
     She is a very active person who also enjoys going to Gold's Gym 4-5 days per week where she participates in classes called Body Attack and Body Pump. Her job as a teacher demands that she is on her feet and she is also currently taking graduate classes in education. "I did the surgery because I wanted to get back to my active lifestyle."
     Lisa had ACL Reconstruction using the patellar tendon this past October at Grandview Surgery Center in Camp Hill, PA.  There was also a procedure done to clean up her fragmented meniscus.When I asked her if she was happy with her results her response was," I was satisfied with the results, but I experienced more pain than expected. I'll be happy when my knee is back to normal. I was never really given a definite time line and I was told I would need to wear a brace for three weeks but it ended up being five. I've been told every knee is different."
     I asked her what she is doing for rehab and how it is going. "I have a two hour program I do at OIP(Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania) and home exercises. I have been doing the bike, heel slides, wall slides, treadmill backwards, balancing on one leg, hurdles, and shuttles. I also use some weights and do manual stretching. I also did some therapy using the HydroWorx pool in Lemoyne, PA. I used the pool for about a month and a half. The pool was something I looked forward to, I enjoyed the exercises and really liked walking on the treadmill both forward and backwards. I found some of the exercises were easier in the water such as squats, butt kicks, lunges, stairs, and holding lunges. I was also able to do plyo jumps in the pool. I did notice a difference within the first few visits; simple things like walking backwards in the pool and step ups were less painful."
     Lisa still has another few months to go with her Physical Therapy. Her Physical Therapist has pushed for her to continue with land work. Her goal is to be at zero degrees for extension and 145 degrees of flexion with her knee and to return to "normal" exercise. Lisa has done a half marathon and doesn't have any specific races in mind yet, but she wants to get back to running 5-6 miles with her friends on a regular basis."I think I'll be in PT for about another two months. I need to work on my quad, hip and glute strength as my knee still internally rotates."
     I asked her if she would do the surgery again or if she would hesitate and she responded by saying,"This has been the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. It has been an up and down roller coaster but I am thankful to have supportive people in my life. I couldn't drive for two months and friends and colleagues helped me. My knee is always on my mind; mainly because I have to go to PT and do my exercises all the time. I am happy to get back to the gym, but I can't do the elliptical yet. Still, I would do it all over again. I just never realized how it would affect my life."
     Lisa is still working with her doctor and doing her PT. Things are getting better each day but she still feels she has a little way to go. Her doctors are helping her set new goals and she is seeing results each week. She even mentioned doing a sprint triathlon as one of her goals! She is a girl after my own heart. I say go girl and I'll be there to cheer you to the finish.

Tri-on Friends,
Kelly

Tri- New Year

     With the new year approaching, like many of you, I am reflecting on 2010. This blog is about what I'm thankful for and goals for the new year. Last year I started a personal blog, called Kelly Mac, where I write editorial pieces and share short stories. I haven't posted too much in there lately, but I am thankful I started it because it has led to My Tri Life. I am thankful that some of you reading have enjoyed the posts and I am grateful that it has led to other writing opportunities.
     I am also thankful to my sponsor, HydroWorx, as they have helped me financially and have believed in me as an athlete and as a writer; without them I would not have the support for success. Their commitment to helping me is amazing.
     I am grateful that I have been given God given ability as an athlete, but more importantly I am thankful to God for being stubborn. I think that perseverance is what has kept me at triathlon for the last nine years. Perseverance is what has kept me writing as well. Any writer will tell you that they write to write; which is true. But the other part of writing is sharing and hoping that others will find enjoyment in what you have to say. My Tri Life is a great outlet for me to write about triathlon, but more importantly life, and my hope is that someone is reading and that someone is enjoying the pieces.
     One of my big goals for the new year is to continue with my triathlon training and racing. I hope to be" tri-ing" for years to come. I also want to use the HydroWorx pool as a regular( once a week) part of my training. I have said it before, the benefits of their pool surpass many of the other tools I have for training.Continuing my partnership with HydroWorx is an important goal for 2011.
     Another big goal is to continue blogging and writing with the hopes to land more recognition as a professional. Writing and Triathloning aside, I really want to give back to my community, as corny as that sounds. Triathlon has empowered me in so many ways and now I feel it is time for me to give something to help make the world a little better.
     So this year I am starting something to help empower women who are in shelters. Maybe these women just need a little something to know that they can do whatever they put their minds to, to get out of bad situations. I would like to start a foundation called Empower-tees. The idea is really simple; I need all of you reading to donate tee-shirts to my p.o. box. From there I will take the tees to a local women's shelter and donate to the women there. I have a drawer full of race tee-shirts from triathlons and running events. What do I need all these tee-shirts for? Usually as part of my race fee a tee-shirt is included. Why not donate these to someone who might need a new shirt, but also how many times have you been inspired by something on a shirt? I love the Nike shirts that say,"Just do it," and I'm inspired each time I see one.
     I told my husband about the idea and he said,"As a kid, I was inspired by wearing a tee-shirt with a sports team on it." That is exactly what I thought my race and your race tee-shirts could do for someone suffering. Maybe it will inspire them to get out of the shelter, maybe it could inspire them to get out of a bad relationship, maybe it will just be something new and clean to wear which makes everyone feel better. Maybe the triathlon tee-shirts will inspire these women to "tri." I don't know what will come of it, but I'd like to give it a shot. I'll soon have an address available so you can start sending tees.
      The shirts can be gently used. I just ask that they are clean and preferably  race tee-shirts of some type. I will also accept shirts that have inspirational sayings on them; I would like to keep the theme to sports related shirts.
     Sports have empowered me all of my life. I ran track as a middle school student and I was a competitive swimmer in high school. As an adult I found masters swimming and later running events and triathlon, and I know how these activities have kept me mentally and physically strong; with those skills you can tackle the difficulties in life. My hope is that with starting this charity lives of others could be inspired and improved.
     There are several women's shelters in my area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A tee shirt is an easy thing to give so I hope you will consider and  pass this along to friends and family that could donate.

Happy New Year and Happy "Tri-ing,"

Kelly

One more thing...I am truly thankful for a wonderful husband, and two great, healthy kids. I am blessed with the gift of health. I am thankful for the people in my life who really love me because without love nothing positive can happen in the world.

 Please feel free to post comments on my blog anytime; I love feedback:)

Post Recovery Workout in the HydroWorx Pool

     Much has been written about how much time you need to recover after an endurance event. Whether you are a triathlete, marathoner, 5 or 10k runner, recovery is as important as your training, without a good recovery program you risk injury. I have read articles in Runner's World that said to take a week off after a marathon.After my Half Ironman, I decided to follow this plan, after all I covered 70.3 miles, the equivalent of two marathons.
     After a week off I was ready to get back into my training. I wanted to do two post recovery workouts and compare them to see which felt better. The first workout back was on a regular treadmill at the Y. I did an hour run at moderate speed with no inclines. I felt pretty good until about mile three and the soreness in my quads and IT bands returned from my Half Ironman. I got through it and felt a bit fatigued after, but I expected some soreness because it was my first workout back.
     The very next day, I decided to run again, but on the underwater treadmill in the Hydroworx pool to see if I felt any difference. I did an hour of running on the HydroWorx pool and almost immediately felt a difference.The warmth of the water helped ease my muscle soreness upon entering the pool. I ran for the first half hour without the resistance jets on and felt great; no soreness in my quads or IT bands, like I had the previous day on the regular treadmill. I decided to add the resistance jets for the second half hour.Again, I felt no fatigue on those areas that had bothered me. I did feel a bit tired ,as the resistance jets do make the workout more challenging, but no pain. I alternated speed and the resistance jets for the rest of the session and felt great.
      When I was finished running I turned the resistance jets on the highest setting and let the water blast my quads and instantly felt those muscles loosen. Once again the HydroWorx pool really came through for me. I covered the same distance as I had the day before on the regular treadmill, but without any pain or soreness.
     The power of working out in water is so significant, and as I've said before, the HydroWorx pool will now become a regular part of my training.
     No matter what your time off is after an event, the most important thing to do is listen to your body and start back small with your training. Sleep is key as well. I make sure I get to bed earlier and get at least nine hours each night after an event. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water and recovery drinks. I'm a fan of just some watered down Gatorade. Have some balanced meals that include some protein;the protein will build muscle recovery. Take time to reflect on your accomplishment during recovery time, after all you've earned it!

Tri On Friends,

Kelly

Hydro-Benefits

     As a forty something age group triathlete my priorities regarding racing have changed. I used to obsess over times and statistics of other racers as compared to my own stats, but now I’m more concerned with staying injury free and healthy so I can continue to participate for many more years in my sport.

     I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to stay low impact with my running portion of triathlon. I’ve found some nice mulch trails near my home and soccer fields that keep me off the pavement. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to use the HydroWorx therapy pool as part of my low impact workout.

     The HydroWorx pool is unique because it has an underwater treadmill. I can get a run workout in 80% impact free. I was skeptical at first but within one use of the pool I was hooked.

     I’ve tried regular pool running before with a weight belt in the deep end of the pool. I found this way of running very awkward, but the HydroWorx pool wasn’t because it is set up like a regular treadmill where your feet hit the ground; the difference is that you are in water and it doesn’t hurt.

      The workout in the HydroWorx pool is also challenging, which as an endurance athlete I welcome. There are swim jets that create resistance while you are running; it is a one two punch as I’m getting my run done and I’m off the pavement. The jets can also be used to simulate an open water swim which I will touch on in a later blog; but that is another reason why the pool is so versatile.

     I get bored easily with my training and workouts, which is one of the reasons why I love triathlon so much; I get to mix up three sports. Use of the therapy pool helps me keep my workouts fresh; I look forward to going and using the pool and I know I’m getting great results. The pool is fun too because I can watch myself while I’m running. There are underwater cameras that show what my feet look like when they hit the treadmill so I have instant feedback on my gait and I can instantly correct if I’m over or under pronating.

     One of the things I’ve noticed is after my training session in the HydroWorx pool I’m energized. I feel like I could go back for more and I rarely feel that way after pounding the pavement for an hour or more. After my last session in the pool I noticed a significant change in my running the very next day. I was refreshed and not sore and was able to run longer as a result of using the underwater treadmill. I was only scheduled to run five miles that day but ran seven because I felt so good. The realization; I need to incorporate the pool into my weekly routine to maximize my running.

     I can’t imagine life without triathlon; to me it is like eating or sleeping or taking a shower; it is necessity. I have wondered lately how I will keep my body going and now I have an answer; the HydroWorx pool.

Tri- on Friends,

Kelly

Tri- Crunch

     How many times have you walked into your office and looked at the mounds of work on your desk and wanted to turn around and walk right out the door? Maybe you have over one hundred emails to return. Maybe you are working on a  project that is never ending and you wonder if you will make your deadline. Maybe you are a busy parent and dread the morning alarm clock going off because you know as soon as your day begins it will be many hours until you can relax. Training for an endurance event is not much different than any of  those things we face in life. Some mornings I can't imagine training, and if I think of what is in store, I immediately want to retreat to my bed.
     I am one month out from my half iron man and I'm feeling burned out, tired, overwhelmed, and just plain sick of training. This entry is about how I manage all those overwhelming feelings and move forward in what I call,"crunch-time."
     My first tip for anyone doing any kind of endurance event is to not think of the whole distance you are facing. I have a total of 70.25  miles to cover the day of the event, but if I thought of the race in that number I would overwhelm  myself. I think about all of my triathlons in pieces, but I also take it down to one event at a time; the swim, then the bike, then the run. It's no different than when you are at work tackling a project; you work on pieces of the project, or if you are cleaning out your garage- you take one thing out at a time, sweep, then put things back where they belong.
     The other morning I set out to run. The weather was perfect for running, the sun was shining, and my kids were off to school and I didn't have to go into work. Nothing was standing in my way, except for myself. I didn't feel like running that morning. What did I do? 1.Call a friend. I primarily run alone but I needed some distracting that day, conversation with a friend makes you forget that you are running 2. Change up the route or location of your run or bike to add variety: that particular morning I changed my route. 3. Give yourself permission to run, bike, or swim a little less and give yourself permission to have a break or two incorporated into your workout. The cool thing that happened was that by doing these small tweaks, once I got started, I was able to enjoy my run.  I had incorporated a strategy prior to going out. I always feel that some work-out is better than no work-out. 4. "Do," don't think. How many times have we procrastinated because we listened to the negative voice in our heads? I turn that voice off and put into action my training plan by doing- I pretend I'm a robot. I go and "do" whatever is on my training log before I have time to think about it.
     Another strategy I use to ease anxiety as I am approaching an event is to organize what I'll  need. Triathlon is complicated as there are three sports to deal with ; you need more than just a good pair of running shoes. I make lists and think about what kinds of fuel I am going to incorporate into event day; you don't want to experiment with that the day of an event. If you are doing a shorter distance race this still is helpful. Here is an example of the list of items I will  need for the half iron man:
Swim: wetsuit, swimsuit, goggles, cap, throw-away flip-flops( to leave on the beach), old sweatshirt that can be left on the beach that am if it is cold.
Bike: bike shorts, running  bra-top, HydroWorx bike jersey( for Sprint and Olympic distance I would wear a tri-suit for the whole race, but for this distance I will change in the transition tents between each event for comfort-I don't want to run in thick bike shorts that I'll need for the 56 mile bike).
Run: running shorts, dry socks, running shoes(I"ll strip off the bike jersey and wear the running bra-top that I already have on).
Fuel: Water bottle full of water on my bike, Power bar gel chews(3 packs- one per hour of the ride, lasting 3 hours) that I will carry in my bike jersey or bike holder.Water bottle left in transition for the run portion( they will have water at each mile, but I like to carry my own as well just in case). Some extra gel packs for the run( in transition with my water).I prefer strawberry- banana and tangerine gels made by Power bar. I also like to use jelly beans for fuel.
After race clothes- I usually bring some comfy shorts or pants, clean socks, and a shirt to change into after an event. It feels great to somewhat "clean-up" after you've worn the same or some of the same sweaty clothes for hours.
      These are some small distractions that help me as I get closer to the" big" day. I also remind myself how many hours I have put into training and if I skip a few work-outs I'm going to be fine come race day. Sometimes it is simply your body saying,"hey enough already." Listen to your body because if you are overtired or if you over train you may be susceptible to injury which would be worse than missing a day or two. I once over trained myself into a stress fracture that took a year to heal; that was before I discovered the HydroWorx pool where now I could easily mend an injury.
     Triathlon, like life, is better and less overwhelming when you can piece it together. Building a business or building a career doesn't happen overnight; becoming a triathlete doesn't happen quickly either. Patience and working steady, following a plan;these are the things that build performance and there is nothing like the feeling you have when you cross the finish line.

Happy tri-ing!
Kelly