Three Weeks

Three weeks.  That is how long it has been since we got rear-ended on the interstate.  We all walked away, which is a miracle considering that the truck was totalled and north of 22k in damage just to our heap of scrap metal in the four car pile-up.

I’ll admit, I am not doing well with it.

Yes, I am grateful we all got out of it with only minor injuries, shockingly, only a few bumps and bruises. I am proud of the way my girls handled it - not freaking out, taking it in stride and even making jokes as we waited as the fire, police and tow trucks did their jobs to help us and protect others. Of course, I know that many times, this doesn’t turn out so well for all the parties involved.

But, the part I am struggling with is what it has done to my training and my reliance on training as a mental stabilizer. During the wreck, I really only recall watching as my soda can smashed into the floorboard - exploding its contents all over the dash, floorboard and carpet, thinking “aw... fuck, I’m going to have to clean that up”  Just a snapshot or my brain focusing on something mundane as our truck was pushed from behind at a complete stop, into the trunk of the car in front of us. Another concussion to add to the far-too-long list, but otherwise OK.

It wasn’t until a few days later - even I am not crazy enough to do a long brick the day after being in a wreck - did I begin to experience pain.  I’ve never had issues with my ankles, my achilles tendon, my hamstrings.  All in all, I am insane lucky to workout 2-3 hours a day without any significant injuries for years now. A 4x Ironman just a few months shy of #5 at Ironman Boulder, training is not a hobby, it is part of my life, who I am, not just what I do. It helps me focus. It helps me balance. It helps me deal with the stresses of being a parent, work… it is a way of life.

My way of life.

I first noticed my groin and hamstring strained on my normal run-to-work commute. Between 5-6 miles each way, run commuting provides me the ability to have a good hour before and after work of just moving my feet, enjoying good and bad weather, listening to books.  I am not fast. I don’t have to be, this is where I go to relax.  But the hamstring and groin gave way to a piercing pain in my left ankle which, over days, grew into a painful heel, achilles tendon issue.  The impact was sure to have some resultant knocks and pains, and my legs must have gone through a jolt when they jammed into the floorboard. I didn't notice it at the time, but now, weeks later, the joints, strains and impact is surfacing.

I can run, but it hurts. Oddly, it seems to hurt worse to bend, to move in anything other than a walking-on-eggshells manner… forcing me to rest. For the last three weeks, I’ve taken more days off than I care to admit. I am personally responsible for a major spike in KT tape's bottom line. Something that is staring at me every time I open Training Peaks, reminding me that I am only 3 months out from Ironman Boulder. This is a critical period in any training season as the last high volume push leads into tapers. This is where you do your big rides, your lead-up marathon, your bricks… and here I am… in the chair, writing about it instead of doing it.

How did I cope today? Yoga for Triathletes. I twisted and torqued my body in enough ways to cause a headache. Damn, that is harder than it looks and certainly does me good overall, but even that, I couldn’t do without pain or feeling like tearing - and I mean that both in the muscle sense and in the mental sense.

It is driving me fucking crazy.

I know this is part of the ups and downs of Ironman training, and that there are a LOT of people struggling with things worse to prepare for their Ironmans.  I've been here before with other training surprises and I know that I will get through it, but I am in one of those bottom-spots. Frustrated, tired, restless, all at the same time.