In Her Shoes

Monday, November 5th


I started the morning with an ART session. For those of you who are not crazy triathletes ART is a therapy where the athlete moves one way.Th clinician presses deeply and pulls the tissue the other way to break up adhesions. I must say it worked very well except now my left glut is a rock and my right is soft. Wait a minute I just paid for a painful therapy to have a soft glut.....What the? I was also shown some exercises to help me "beef up" my gluts to help stabilize me while I run long. After this therapy the Doctor asked me how I was doing with the psychological aspects of not running. I've been advised to undertrain running throughout the winter and not to go long until spring. Although I sort of long for a good long run at Penasquitos Canyon. I'm using this time of forced recovery to allow me to reflect on my life and the choices I make. I'm taking time to identify what goals are and how I'm going to get there. I'm using this time of forced recovery to allow me to reflect on my life and the choices I make. I'm taking time to identify what goals are and how I'm going to get there. I've identified my number #1 goal for 2008 is to finish IM-CDA in the best shape I can. My friend Meredith mentioned the sacrafices she made along the way to IM Florida. She mentioned missing going for walks with her husband and dogs. She also mentioned that IM is such a big commitment she didn't know if she would do another. She decided to go all the way with it. Tim is training for IM CDA I don't think I have to worry about missing him much. However, I will have my own set of sacrifices to make. Yes, yes, I will. I am not sure if sacrifices is really the right term. In Jenny's blog it's called choices.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what caused this injury and eliminating the offending factors. One, I believe was my bike fit. Aero bars on a road bike just pulled at the base of my gluts. I fixed that. I identified a loss of flexibility and resumed yoga a few times a week. I think that is helping. On top of that I think I probably just a lot of my body. The reality is Iron man is going to ask for that much more.

The final offending factor is my shoes. For the most part if you want to imagine life in my shoes it's slightly scuffy running shoes, clip clop cycling shoes, or flip flops. These aren't the offending ones. It's the ones that make me tall ;)

Years ago I read the Bridget Jones Survival Guide to Life. In this book it advised the fastest way to loose five pounds was to wear taller shoes. My friends and I tried this giggling. It does work. At five pounds an inch I could loose 15 pounds by donning 3 inch heels. Unfortunately over the last year I've realized that tall shoes hurt my Achilles as well as inflame my IT Band syndrome. I was vainly wearing Dansko's with scrubs before Superfrog. Everybody at work was complimenting me on how fit I looked.....and then my IT band blew to bits. Note to self....Nike Frees or Croc's are best for work. I also have these really cute sandals with flowers that gave me blisters so bad I could barely ride my bike for three days. Note to self, body glide isn't just for triathletes. It's a requirement before all dress shoes.

I also know if I want to finish IM fast and go sub four hours at my next marathon I need to beef up my gluts. What 30 year old female actively tries to "beef" up her gluts. They say every great Ironman is just a little bit crazy.

So you see my choices. I am sentenced to a life of painful therapy to soften my gluts, followed by exercises to beef up my gluts. My designer jeans sentenced to a life on beefy gluts paired with Puma's, Merrils, and various flats (purchased from Ross to offset the price of Chris King hubs)What 30 year old Southern California female would choose flats and beefy gluts over tall shoes and skinny jeans?

Me :)

It's a tough choice but I think crossing the finish line of an Ironman with beefy gluts in a pair of Newton's would be pretty fab.

So that's life in my shoes.