A former colleague of mine became famous around the office for using the phrase "I love my routine" on a fairly routine basis. I always found the humor in how it would get under some people's skin, but also appreciated the thought. Because truth be told, I do love my routine. I know that when I wake early in the day I have a workout on the agenda before heading into the office. Sometimes a bike ... sometimes a run ... on a rare occasion a swim ... but always something. For the past month there has not necessarily been the case.
See, I haven't been able to run since that transition run. I tried last weekend and failed.This posed a much larger problem as I am scheduled to do the Rev3 Quassy 70.3 this weekend in Middlebury, CT. Being that I can't run, I had a change of plans. Still racing, but a change of plans. Here's how I'm dealing with this injury:
1. Aggressive Rehab - I am very fortunate in having a great massage therapist in Joe as well as an incredibly knowledgeable chiropractor in Greg Huron who understands and works with athletes on a regular basis. As soon as I had the issue I scheduled to meet with both Joe and Greg asap to get a game plan together for fixing me.
2. Change in Training Focus - The great thing about doing triathlons is if you an injury keeps you from one form of exercise you can change focus and work on other areas. I had the same exact injury two years ago and put in a big block of swim training. And a funny thing happened - my swim noticeably improved.
3. Remain Positive - This can be a challenge, especially when race season comes around. But bigger picture, I get that I'm healthy and fit, which is really what matters, not a few weeks away from the run.
4. Change in Race Plans - One must be realistic about what can and cannot be done. As this injury occurred right in the middle of by buildup for Quassy, I immediately understood that my best-case would be to go into the race able to make the distance, but not with the run fitness to make my original time goal. Once I decided that I couldn't run at all, I changed my registration to the AquaVelo division so I could still compete. I am scheduled to do the Philly Olympic Triathlon on June 23. Unlikely that my goal of winning the 40-44 Age Group title is going to happen.
And such is life.
So come Sunday I will be able to toe the line in an event that I have never raced before. Because of the bum calf I will compete in a totally different way than I had originally planned and it's kinda exciting. If you are familiar with the Quassy course - or Middlebury, CT in general - you know that it is challenging. To say there are a lot of hills is a vast understatement. That, of course, makes me happy. As we like to say : "we train for hills, we love hills!!!"
Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon
