Ahas and Breakthroughs

This past week may have marked a breakthrough or two – or if not quite breakthroughs, maybe at least a few “Aha!” moments.

Earlier this year, I had a gait analysis – remember? For the past few months I’ve been feeling all proud of myself for keeping my elbows behind my waist. Well, until I saw pictures of myself from the Monument 10K where I appeared to be doing a great impersonation of Rocky Balboa – except I looked like I was punching myself in the head.

Hmmm.

So, I decided more intervention was required. I read the Chi Running book TRIgirl CD recommended (she found her chi and has become quite a gazelle). Last Monday, I went to a guppy run – and – of all things – Ironwoman Canada brought her video camera to record our running.

It wasn’t pretty. Well, actually it was kind-of pretty. It was like a super slow motion sprinter. Other than the elbows flying all over the place. I’ve got this “stepping in front of me” thing going on. At one point on the video – a bunch of guppies passed by – and it was so noticeable that my cadence was too slow and my stride was too long.

For the rest of that day – and Tuesday’s brick run – I focused on kicking behind me instead of stepping forward. Yes, different, but the motion seemed to require less effort. And whatever was keeping my legs behind me also made it easier to keep my elbows back. Aha!

Flashback to Wednesday morning – what the heck is wrong with my calves? What is this weird cramping, tight feeling that is painful to the touch?

I could hardly stand when trying to get out of bed. I walked around like Quasimodo until – yep, until today. To put it mildly, the 12 mile run on Saturday was pure misery. I had to stop every few miles to stretch my rebelling calves.

And at the suggestion of several coaches – I’ll be making smaller adjustments between now and Eagleman as obviously my running is so pitiful, it is going to be a bit of a haul to get my form corrected for what comes so naturally to nearly every first grader.

A few less painful ahas…

Before the torturous 12 mile run, I practiced drinking on the bike during the 28 mile ride. A bit wobbly, but I was able to splash enough fluid in my body to get by. Coach B even noticed and gave me a few words of encouragement while riding by. Maybe not quite an aha yet - but progress.

Last Wednesday morning, I had a private lesson with Ironwoman Canada (thanks to a super thoughtful birthday gift!). First, I tried my wetsuit out for the first time in the water. Better than the Big Nut experience. I realized there was hope that I just might be able to swim in this ridiculous contraption. Aha!

Then we worked on my form a bit. For months, I’ve heard Coach S and Ironwoman Canada talk about making a paddle with your forearm and hand. But something clicked after some drills with real swim paddles and a few tips. Aha! And while I don’t think I am faster – I am definitely more comfortable at a “pushing it” pace.

And the big breakthrough…

On Sunday, Coach G and TRIgirl LS coordinated an open water swim practice in the James River. What a beautiful location – from the long drive down to the river to the airy field near the dock. We put on our wetsuits and headed out into the water. Coaches G, M, S and B shared a bunch of great information on what to expect during all aspects of an open water swim. Wading through mud that was seriously like eight inches deep at some points, I was grateful that the wetsuit protected me from the slime, in addition to making it easier to enter into the chilly water. Coach M told us to huddle close to simulate an open water blender start. We swam upstream first for five minutes. I was not happy. My breathing was off – visions of the Big Nut clouded my mind. Finally it was over and we could turn around. Thank goodness, I just wanted to get back to the dock.

A few minutes rest, and then Coach M suggested another attempt at a three minute upstream swim. This time, my breathing started to settle down. There were a few moments where the water smelled like sewage and sticks and debris floated by – but I wasn’t panicking anymore. We turned around – and I started to enjoy the swim. By the time we finished, I wanted to go out again.

A handful of swimmers decided to give it one more go. Early on, I started to feel comfortable. I hit a groove and was even able to begin concentrating on my form. I picked up my head at the landmark where I had stopped at the three minute point during the last attempt, but kept going when I saw others behind me still swimming. A little bit later, a few IM folks passed me and were turning around. I almost didn’t want to stop. The final home stretch felt wonderful – a big relief.

A breakthrough.

I think I CAN swim in a wetsuit.