Flowing in the Zone

January 27th, 2012 by Maria Simone 4 comments »

I felt as if I was floating.

My steps were smooth, as if the bottoms of my feet were hovering above the asphalt. My arms were light, guiding each movement, propeling my body forward. I felt the warm glow of enjoyment, as a smile crossed my face and I settled in for my run.

My focus zeroed in on the rhythmic motion of running and breathing, breathing and running.

In…out…in…out.

As my feet pushed against the ground, I was aware of each muscle–legs, core, back, arms–as it shortened and lengthened to move me forward.

I envisioned the perfect footfall, my spine directly over my hips, knees bent, my foot landing under my center of gravity. I could feel the recoiling of energy as I pushed off for my next stride.

This is running. I thought, as my eyes welled with tears of joy from the absolute beauty and purity of the motion.

In what seemed like only moments, I was back at my house, yet 90 minutes had passed. I felt almost as if I had just started.

Where had the time gone? » Read more: Flowing in the Zone

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The *other* 4 letter word: ITBS

January 13th, 2012 by Maria Simone 3 comments »

Okay, okay: technically ITBS is not a word. But, I can use a four letter word to describe how completely frustrating this condition is.

In the past several weeks, I’ve talked with quite a few people on Twitter, Facebook and in the flesh about their trials with ITBS – otherwise known as iliotibial band syndrome. The sad fact is that if you are a runner, you are very likely to get at least a minor bout of ITBS at some point in your running career. In fact, ITBS is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain among runners.

I had my first experience with ITBS two years ago, after running my first 50k ultramarathon. For weeks, I had stinging pain on the outside of my right knee, which came a result of an inflamed ITB as it rubbed over the lateral epicondyle (see picture at right). Since then, I’ve battled off and on with recurring bouts of this issue. (For a list of various symptoms and causes, click here or here.)

In the past several months, I took more serious measures beyond the wait-and-see approach, and it’s made a world of difference for my health. I’ve learned several valuable lessons that I would like to share with those of you who also suffer from ITBS.

These tips are also useful to anyone with all types of tendonitis and soft tissue injuries (or “issues” as I like to call them). And, if you are into prevention – these tips are also good for you. » Read more: The *other* 4 letter word: ITBS

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Posted in Running, Tips and Tricks

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Wait, how many feet is that? Previewing IM Mont Tremblant on the CompuTrainer

January 11th, 2012 by Maria Simone 12 comments »
Elevation profile for the Ironman Mont Tremblant bike course.

I opened my Training Peaks schedule on Christmas Eve to find a 3-hour hilly ride that my coach, Vince Matteo, had scheduled. This would be my first 3-hour ride since September. For me, the three-hour ride is a sure sign of beginning base training for an Ironman. With Ironman Mont Tremblant 7 months away that’s exactly right where I need to be.

Usually, I would opt to do my long ride outdoors. But, a few factors drove me to the CompuTrainer for this ride.

Most importantly, it was only 35-degrees. The hardy among you may scoff and say this is a balmy temp. But thanks to Raynauds, my extremities will freeze to extreme numbness if I ride for any prolonged period in sub-45 degree temps.

Second, “hilly” does not naturally occur within an hour-plus driving radius of my house, which is squarely located in the flattest county in all of New Jersey.

Third, I was lucky enough to get a CompuTrainer file of the Mont Tremblant course, thanks to my Twitter friend Ryan. I’d had the file for a few weeks, and in that time, I had only had the opportunity to try out the first 18 miles or so. I really wanted to give the course an extended whirl.

Somewhere I had read that one 56-mile loop of the two-loop course was 1900 feet of climbing, and 3800 overall. Big deal, I thought at the time. Lake Placid is 2600 for one loop, and 5200 overall.

I walked to the pain cave with a little swagger in my step. I pumped myself up for the ride: I’m going to crush this course!

And then I started riding. » Read more: Wait, how many feet is that? Previewing IM Mont Tremblant on the CompuTrainer

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Becoming the athlete I have to be

January 5th, 2012 by Maria Simone 8 comments »

(Photo Credit: RacerMate/CompuTrainer.) I know ya'll are probably Chrissie fans, but Rinny is the kind of athlete I want to be.

"Be the kind of person who does the types of things to have the results you want."

Ever since I heard triathlon & running coach Bobby McGee say these words, they've stuck with me. I've repeated them in my mind, turning over the meaning, and finding much value for the place I find myself in my endurance sport life.

I realize how much I have already changed to become the kind of person I want to be. (For a great post on the progression of limiters in triathlon, see this blog post from Endurance Corner.) I've changed my diet, my sleeping habits, my training volume and intensity, my willingness to suffer, my social life (or what remains of it). Most importantly, I've changed my mindset. I no longer think of myself as someone who works out, or as someone who runs marathons, or as someone who does triathlons. I think of myself as an athlete, a runner, a triathlete.

An athlete is the person I want to be.

But, more changes are coming if I want to have the results I'm looking for. I've set a big goal for myself--to qualify for Kona in 2013--and I will need to be the kind of athlete that does what it takes to be an elite age group athlete. Watching my husband do it this year has both inspired and intimidated me. But, mentally, I'm ready to go all in, and with the help of my coach, the physical part will come along just fine.

I am a firm believer than any major goal must be broken down into a series of smaller goals or milestones that can be met along the way. Without these mini-goals, it becomes too easy to lose motivation or to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.

So in order to be the kind of athlete who will qualify in 2013, I have to do some things in 2012 to make it happen. In the spirit of the various blog posts I've been reading about our goals for 2012, I'll share some of mine for this year. » Read more: Becoming the athlete I have to be

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Test day: Going ALL OUT

December 27th, 2011 by Maria Simone 2 comments »

I logged in to my Training Peaks account, looked at my training schedule for the day. The title read: “Swim, Field Test.”

I felt the nerves almost immediately, as my (too many) years of schooling produce a almost automatic response to the word TEST.

Will I pass?!

Since I started training with Vince in October, I’ve noticed improvements with my swim. But, now we were going to make it official with a formal test.

Oh, the pressure!

The workout included a warmup, followed by two time trial efforts of differing lengths. In the description for the workout, Vince had written, “If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not going hard enough. Go as fast as you can! Be strong, it will be over soon!”

I giggled nervously. I was getting the sense that I should prepare for some pain.

Yeah, I had NO IDEA how much as I squiggled into the pool that morning.

With the warmup complete it was time to start the 400 yard time trial, which is 8 laps in my gym’s 25-yard pool. I collected my thoughts and visualized smooth, fluid strokes. At this point, I was nervous. I wanted to do well. I wanted to pace it correctly. I wanted to go fast–or at least fast for me. » Read more: Test day: Going ALL OUT

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Posted in Swimming

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Facing my fears and setting my (real) goals

December 22nd, 2011 by Maria Simone 12 comments »

Having earned his slot to the Ironman World Championships for 2012, John’s obsession with qualifying for Kona has been satisfied. Apparently, obsessions can transfer over. I seem to have caught it, just as I prepare to set specific goals for the 2012 racing season.

This is an odd situation for me. I’ve told myself a variety of lies over the past three years about Kona. Here’s a sampling:

  • “Ironman isn’t about Kona for me. I just want to do the best I can.”
  • “I don’t race ironman to be competitive.”
  • “I race Ironman to find out something about myself.”

Well, do you know what I found out?

Ironman is about Kona for me. I want to do my best and I want that best to be competitive. I want to find out if I can place in the top 10 of my age group.

I want to qualify for Kona someday.

Just writing that sentence sends an electric shock through my body, inducing waves of fear and excitement, while making me feel like I should be on my bike RIGHT NOW instead of writing this post.

I suppose if I had been honest with myself from the beginning, I would have recognized that this triathlon thing has always  been about how fast can I go. » Read more: Facing my fears and setting my (real) goals

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Ironman Cozumel: “Go get your dream.”

December 15th, 2011 by Maria Simone 6 comments »

Dear Readers – this piece is a guest post from my husband, John Jenkins, who recently earned a slot to the 2012 Ironman World Championships following his excellent showing at Ironman Cozumel, held on November 27, 2011.

“Go get your dream,” my mother said just minutes before Maria and I stepped into the waters of Mirror Lake in Lake Placid to begin our first Ironman back in 2010.

It was probably the most nervous, scared shitless, and unsure moment I have ever had and I think it was the same for Maria. Please people: embrace the starting moments of your first Ironman. It is truly one of the coolest times ever. Today, those words of advice still bounce around in my head, and I pull from that when I need to. Ironman Cozumel was one of those times.

0700: The swim start

Like just about every ironman swim start, you have way too many people in too small of an area trying to get in the best position before the gun goes off. Even so, compared to Lake Placid, Cozumel has a much more open area for the in-water start. Most people chose to go to the end of the dock, along the buoy line.

» Read more: Ironman Cozumel: “Go get your dream.”

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Is this really happening?

December 2nd, 2011 by Maria Simone 14 comments »

Monday, November 28th. It was the day after Ironman Cozumel. John crossed the finish line in 9 hours and 35 minutes, a whopping 33 minutes faster than his Ironman Lake Placid time (which was only 5 months ago), and good enough for a 10th place in his age group (of over 300 athletes) and 49th place overall.

Athletes nervously await to see if there will be a roll down slot for them.

This impressive showing was not enough for automatic entry into the 2012 Ironman World Championships, held each year in Kona, Hawaii. There were only 7 slots available in his age group, so we had to hope for a roll down slot.  Yet, this was a long shot, as we needed the slot to roll down to 10th place.

Unlikely.

Earlier in the day, John had tweeted, “Roll down is at 4 pm I don’t expect anything but ya never know. Will keep ya posted.”

Roll down slots are notoriously hard to come by. After all, not many people are willing to turn down a Kona spot after months and months of hard work. I know I wouldn’t!

In case this is new to you, let me explain a bit. A “roll down” slot comes when a qualifying finisher decides to decline his slot for whatever reason. For example, if the 7th place person doesn’t claim his slot for Hawaii, then that space rolls down to 8th place, and so on. If a slot is not taken by anyone in an age group, then it rolls over to the most popular age group in that gender. John’s age group was the most popular at IM Cozumel. (See the bottom of this post for additional explanation of the process.)

Despite the long odds, we had to show up and see what happened. After all, it would suck to find out that 11th place got a slot. So, at 4 p.m., we dutifully arrived at the designated area, and watched, filled with nervous excitement, as the qualifyers from each age group signed up for their slot.

After 45 minutes of agonizing waiting, during which time I squirmed and squished like a 5 year old in desperate need of a bathroom, the the announcer finally called, “We have 3 roll down slots in the male divisions. One for 30-34, one for 35-39 and one for 60-65.”

» Read more: Is this really happening?

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Posted in Community & Lifestyle, Race Reviews

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Balance your body to prevent (and recover from) injuries

November 17th, 2011 by Maria Simone 5 comments »

Most of us have some type of muscular imbalance–even if we don’t know it yet. Unfortunately, these imbalances usually make themselves known in the form of an injury.

But, we can assess and address muscular imbalance before we find ourselves on the DL. If you are already dealing with an injury from a tough season, well, this post can help you too.

During the USAT Level 1 coaching clinic that John and I attended in October, we heard quite a bit about muscular imbalances that are typical for runners and triathletes. And, a year of battling with ITBS has taught me much about my lazy butt and lopsided hips.

Suffice to say, I’ve been schooled on muscular imbalance, and I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you.

Off-season (i.e., NOW!) is the perfect time to build functional strength and to work on muscular imbalances, while preventing new ones from cropping up. In this post, I’ll talk about how you can assess your unique muscular imbalances, and offer an exercise routine that addresses some of the most common muscular imbalances for runners and triathletes.

» Read more: Balance your body to prevent (and recover from) injuries

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Posted in Functional & Strength Training, Tips and Tricks, Training--General

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CompuTrainer Ride of the Week: Felog’s False Flats

November 10th, 2011 by Maria Simone No comments »

Every race has got ‘em. Those infuriating patches where we stare in wonder at our bike computers as they report decreasing speed despite maintaining power and effort.

False Flats.

Just the phrase is enough to conjure another F-word.

False flats remind us that not all elevation change comes in big leaps. Sometimes, we climb a hill 1-2% at a time.

After two years competing in Ironman Lake Placid, I’ve learned quite a bit about how false flats will try to get the best of you.

But–and this is a really important “but”– false flats represent an opportunity if we train for them. While the competition succumbs to the demoralizing defeat that these sections of barely perceptible elevation change can deliver, those of us who are physically and mentally prepared can cheerfully proclaim as we zing by: “On your left!”

Since the beginning of October, I’ve been working with coach Vince Matteo (a.k.a. @Felog ), and he has introduced a variety of different cycling sessions. Within the past month, I’ve twice completed a false flat-specific workout,  and I think it’s worth sharing here.

» Read more: CompuTrainer Ride of the Week: Felog’s False Flats

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