Falling apart

I know it isn't true, but I do feel like I'm falling apart. Maybe, it is just typical stuff for a 35-year-old, but I doubt it.

My IT band hasn't been getting any better, so I went to a physical therapist yesterday. Dr. Ockler came highly recommended by my coach and by the Snicker's girl. He told me that the reason my ART isn't working is because the doc is treating the symptoms and not the cause. My right leg is having issues, because my left leg is totally screwed up. My pelvis is so off that one leg is longer than the other. The shorter leg has to reach farther to the ground, which is irritating my IT band.

Doc Ockler thinks he can get me back in shape, but I have to avoid running for the next two weeks. I'm allowed to swim, bike (spin only, no gear mashing) and elliptical, but no running, stretching or weight lifting. Oh, and no missionary position sex. Standing and kneeling are the only two options for now. I have to admit to that conversation being a little weird. It started with "you have a depressed pelvis". I giggled. "Does it need Prozac?", I asked. He laughed.

Anyway, he gave me two exercise to do 30 times a day for the next two weeks. I then go back on December 19. He would have liked to have seen me sooner, but he's heading out to Colorado for a vacation next week. Hope I can hold it together until then.

So, I had a 2.5 hour trainer ride (supposed to do the Lake Placid course on the CT) followed by a 30-minute run scheduled this morning. Instead, I set up the Fluid II in front of the TV, turned on the movie "Mean Girls" that I had DVR'd last night and set to spinning. I thought I'd try for at least 2 hours, but it just wasn't happening. After 90 minutes, I called it quits.

Now, you may say "Hey, you have time to work on your swim?" Well, I'm not so sure about that either. Yesterday, I had 3000 yards planned at CSU. About halfway through, a painful twinge ran through my left bicep during a 50-yard lap of backstroke. I thought, "No more backstroke for me today", which worked fine until around 2650 yards when my bicep started twanging during the front crawl. D'oh! I finished up at 2700 yards and called it a day. Hope it was just a random twinge and not a premonition of what is to come.

Okay, enough griping from me. I'm sure I'll look back at this post in a few months and barely remember not being able to run, having pain on the bike and twanging during the swim. Of course, I know I'll be tired and in pain from the Ironman training, but I can handle that. Injuries are much tougher for me than just plain emotional and physical exhaustion from hard training.

Wish me luck. I promise to continue to appreciate how good I really have it and not wallow in self pity!