I just found some more images from Ironman Australia and wanted to share…

Public service announcement: Rudy Project Wingspan aerohelmet= most comfortable ever! I have a hot pink one that I am going to have to bust out one of these days for a special occasion.

Photo by Delly Carr/ Sportshoot

I think that is my “Oh dear god I can barely stand up!” face.

Photo by Delly Carr/ Sportshoot

I kind of love the suffer-face behind me in the one above . . . But this will be the end of Ironman OZ flashbacks for awhile because I need to conveniently erase the memory of the pain in time for next Sunday–gotta do it all again! This is how women convince themselves to have another after baby #1, right?!

The podium! I love my Michele Landry Designs kit, and looking at these pics does make me excited to have a chance to wear that again!

More race discussion tomorrow, though, to answer your additional Ironman St. George questions with the GCM—so if there is anything you would like to add to it, do it now!

Back by popular demand: the GCM post-race interview. On Sunday afternoon, we sat down at our favorite coffee shop and I grilled him about his Ironman St. George experience. Last year he finished second in this race and although he missed the win by less than two minutes, he was very pleased with his performance; however, this year his second-place performance was a disappointment to him. Below we discuss. Photos with many thanks to the great Sue Hutter!

If there is anything I didn’t cover here, add your questions to the comments and we can do a Part Two!

Let’s start with the swim. It sounded like the chaos began while the pros were in the water; was the water choppy before the start or did you notice a drastic change during your swim?

The water was okay in the beginning. I was in the water really early (for once) and it seemed fine! We had to swim way out and then make a left-hand turn for a U-shaped course and it was once we made that left-hand turn that it got choppy.

What was it like?

It was like a really rough ocean—not like a lake. We couldn’t see anything because every time we picked our heads up, there would be a wave. I was swimming with Ben (Hoffman) and Meredith (BFF), and we kept stopping and looking at each other, like, “Where to go?!”

Were you scared?

No. But I was glad that I had company.

And then what was it like when you got on the bike?

I came with the Hoff out of the water but I put the arm warmers on, so I was a little bit behind. The 4-mile climb out of the lake was not too bad—it was just a side wind. Ben and I passed the two guys in the lead on this climb and once we made the turn after the climb it was nuts. Ben and I kept changing positions for the first hour; at one point he told me, “Let’s be smart.” We both knew it was crazy out there.

After awhile I think our motivation took a hit. It was no fun. I enjoy the speed on the bike and there was no speed!

Have you ever had an ironman bike split over five hours? (Ben and Maik had the fastest rides of the day with 5:10 bike splits!)

No, I really don’t think so. I think even my first ironman, which I did on a road bike, was still under a five-hour bike split!

So did you have to eat more to fuel this additional time on the bike? How many calories did you take in during the ride?

I was thinking ahead and packed a special needs bottle, but unfortunately it did not show up there—not on the first or second loop. Somehow it was there after the race when I picked up my bike though?! So actually I ate less than usual. I am usually eating 16 gels (8 in each bottle) and sometimes the sports drink from the aid stations when I get it. I was able to grab a banana and 2 gels from the aid stations when I didn’t get my special needs but I definitely took in less calories than normal.

Tell me about watching Benny H get blown off the bike.

On this section he was in front of me. He was riding a disc wheel in his aerobars and I had my Xentis wheels—no disc—and at this time we were hit by a strong side wind from the left and next thing I knew, he was off the road in the dirt. Somehow he recovered and got back onto the road quickly. I was twice blown the other way over the center line, too.

How did these conditions compare to what we faced at Leadman in Vegas this year? Was the wind as much of a factor on the run in St. George as it was for us in Vegas, or was it mainly just an issue on the bike?

In Leadman the wind got worse as the ride went on; in St. George the wind was worse in the first loop. But it was still bad on the second loop and we were out there longer (than in Leadman). There were a lot of similarities, though: the courses are very much the same in that they are both hard bike courses already, and then with the wind on top . . .

But the run in St. George was way better. We were running in the middle of the town so we were protected from the wind, and I think the wind was getting less as the day went on anyways. The wind was not an issue on the run.

So what the heck happened on the run? I know you have been crushing your runs in training, so what was that about?

I felt good on the first loop of the run . . .

Ummm then why was Benny H putting boatloads of time into you immediately?!

Well I came out of transition about 1:30 down because I had to pee . . . I didn’t want to start the run already with pressure there . . .

We don’t have time for “pee breaks”!!!! Why wouldn’t you just pee in your “trouser”?

I have never done this. Well maybe one time in the past, before triathlon, when I was really drunk . . . (ed. note: Wife learns something new every day . . . and is not sad that she missed this phase.)

And then?

I was feeling pretty good and then the gap was increasing anyways, and then I started to feel really smashed, and my quads started to feel really smashed, and then . . .

And then you started to walk and have some of your famous “parties”?

The second loop I had a lot of “up and downs.” Then the third loop I realized I was still in second and started to get organized.

Ben was really strong, though. I think this was a “head race,” and I think he was better prepared for that.

Are you disappointed that you won’t have another chance at a full ironman distance race in St. George?

Yeah, I am disappointed. It was a really nice race. It is a great community and a beautiful place, plus an honest bike course. I am glad there will still be a 70.3, but disappointed that there won’t be an ironman because those are my focus– we will see if the half fits into my my schedule.

What is coming up for you for the rest of the season?

Honu 70.3, then a road trip to LA for summer training, then I would like to go to Vineman, then probably either Lake Placid or New York Ironman. After that, I am not sure.

This weekend was a spectathlon extravaganza here in Tucson. That’s me, Cat, and Aunt Sammy camped out watching the men’s ITU WTS race in San Diego being broadcast live over the internet. We got it hooked up to our TV and it was awesome! Of course proper virtual spectating for these deals requires multiple computers: one for video viewing, another for checking out live splits—and sometimes a third for discussing the action with other superfans via the internet. Love it.

The races were so flippin’ exciting; I mean, we could not possibly have asked for more action, especially in the competition for the US Olympic spots. That drama was amazing to watch and the tears at the finish by Laura and Manny—incredible.

Coach’s guys did great too; that’s him after the race with two of them, Tim Don and Kyle Jones, who just got themselves one step closer to qualifying for London (one more race to go in Madrid in a couple of weeks). Thanks to Coach Paulo for letting me steal this pic!

It wasn’t all cheerleading this weekend, though. Coach has a fairly ambitious training plan in place at the moment even though I leave a week from today for another ironman. On Saturday, we had a lovely group ride with all the pro chicks in town + token eye candy, GCM, and then yesterday Aunt Sammy introduced Leanda and I to a gnarly dirt road in Saguaro Park West for our long run. Oooh it hurt bad; we are now officially into the second-week post ironman and it is bound to be an ugly few days. Like clockwork. All part of the process. On that note, it is time to hit the pool!

After my post-race blog last week, I received a lot of questions about my injury and how I got it sorted from athletes who are experiencing similar issues. I am posting one of them below and will try my best to share what I found helpful. I am no doctor, though—this is just my personal experience.

Question from reader Rich:

I just read your recent blog post and noticed that you’ve been having back and hip issues. I’ve been sidelined for the past two months with lower back problems which result in leg numbness and lack of power. Are these any of your symptoms, and if so, what have you been doing to correct the issue?

My Answer:

Yep, those symptoms sound pretty familiar. My back/ hip issues started when I was at camp with my Coach in Florida at the end of February. I had just raced my best half marathon and, hindsight being 20/20, I think that effort took more out of me than I gave it credit for; I traveled to Florida overnight just two days after that race and started trying to train hard straightaway. I knew I was not right but I didn’t want to be a wimpy excuse-maker, so I kept pushing through the training there even though I think I knew I was smashed. By the last day of my trip, I felt like my back was going out; it wasn’t all the way there but almost. I remember hardly being able to flip turn in that last swim.

My back has gone out on a few occasions before and it usually resolves itself in a day or two, so I didn’t even bother mentioning this to Coach. This was Monday, and by Thursday of that week I couldn’t really even step out to take a proper running step. Long story from there cut short, this tightness from my lower back through my glutes to my hamstring attachments varied in severity over the next month, and by the second week, had turned into a numbness down the backs of my legs which I felt in all three sports. It was even affecting my swimming, but the lack of power was the worst on the run—like I couldn’t really push off.

My solution: I just did my hard runs on the treadmill, where I didn’t really have to push off! That “solution” just fed my denial, however . . . Things pretty much went downhill ‘til I attempted to race Leadman in the end of March and barely made it to the finish line, since it required running uphill and that is hard when you can’t push with the backs of your legs. It was only around that time that I finally accepted that I had a problem that wasn’t going to go away on its own.

I did a number of different things to try to sort out my “situation”:

massage as normal, bodywork with my awesome chiropractor, and acupuncture.

However, I would say that it was these two things that most noticeably effected a change in my situation:

ART & shockwave therapy with Dr. John Ball: Some of the folks who wrote to me had already tried ART (Active Release Therapy), and while it may not be a cure-all, I think it is pretty darn close! So if your ART practitioner hasn’t done it for you, try another one! I have had a lot in my day, and I can say without a doubt that not all ART is created equal. There is a reason that the Olympic runners fly in to see Dr. Ball: he has seen probably everything that could be wrong with a runner and seems to know how to diagnose and fix most everything. And oftentimes the cause is probably something a whole lot different than what one would assume. I went in with an MRI of my lower back, thinking I had a “back problem,” and he said that in fact I had a “hip problem” less specific than most he had seen; in summary, he said, “this whole area is totally screwed up.” Sweet.

However, with each very-painful ART treatment (which I did 2-3x week in April) by Dr. Ball, my mobility in the problem area increased noticeably. He dug into areas that I didn’t even know were related to my running, but apparently they were! Basically he said that I had years of crappy tissue built up in my hip area that needed to be worked out; we are just now in May getting into my back.

Dr. Ball also used shockwave therapy on the problem area. This was the most painful bit of all; I was sweating profusely and truly thought I might vomit while it was happening. The idea with shockwave therapy is that the shockwaves create a trauma in the area and that stimulates blood flow/ healing where the body had long since given up trying.

Medrol Dose Pack:

Even after 3 or so weeks of treatment with Dr. Ball and increased mobility through my hips and low back, the numbness/ lack of power situation was still there. My doctor in Tucson suggested that I try a Medrol Dose Pack to get me over the hump, as the area was clearly still so inflamed that one tight thing pulling on another was creating a bad chain reaction in which he wanted to try to intervene.

Medrol is methylprednisolone, a really strong anti-inflammatory. From what I understand, it works similar to a cortisone shot, but is the best option for cases like mine in which we can’t identify a specific place to inject. Another factor I had to be wary of is that Medrol is only allowed out of competition, so I had to take my 6 days of pills finishing two weeks before my race.

I hate even taking Advil, so you know I had to be in a pretty bad way to put something in my body that has “water retention and insomnia” as side-effects. Yuck. However, I have to say that this anti-inflam did indeed get me over the hump. While it did mask a number of the symptoms while I was on it, even after I was done, things had changed for the better. It must have calmed down whatever was tweaking the nerve and making my legs numb because the numbness pretty much disappeared from this point on.

Things I didn’t try but might next time: dry needling. I know a lot of athletes who have had issues in these areas and have had success with dry needling (acupuncture-type needle pushed all the way in to create a trauma and stimulate blood flow/ healing to the problem area).

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I’ve got to say that I can’t call my situation 100% perfect just yet. As I reported, it did give me a bit of trouble on the run in Ironman Australia, but it was nothing compared to where it had been a month earlier. I think we are nearly out of the woods!

Hope this helps at least a bit. Again, this is just what worked for me and I am no doctor!

I am finally home sweet home and reunited with my pup and my GCM!! Although I made it back to our house about 11:30PM last night , the bike still had to be unpacked and assembled so that I could hit the road for a three-hour ride at 6:30 AM this morning before heading over to Phoenix to see Dr. Ball—no rest for the weary.

I had a productive 1.5-day visit to LA on my way home. I managed to get to the Brasilian Consulate to apply for my visa for my trip which is just 11 days away and  secure this little cabin for the GCM and I to hole up in the mountains this summer and get. the. work. done! So excited about this.

A visit home is never complete without a trip to the Red Onion, the Mexican establishment where we had our rehearsal dinner. That’s me and our next-door neighbor, my godmother, Mary.

And that’s us and my mom in 1979. Mary passed this little gem along to me just yesterday—had to share.

Tomorrow when I recover some brain cells, I hope to post a blog about my injury and treatment, as I have received a bunch of messages from folks having similar issues and looking for suggestions. So I will try to get this information written up in the next day or two!