An update on a recent Physical Therapy appointment I had:
ROM: Excellent. Full range of motion.
Pylometrics: Poor.
Pylometrics: a type of exercise using explosive movements to develop muscular power, esp. bounding, hopping, and jumping.
My hopping and jumping on the operative leg is only 30 to 50% of my good leg. I really haven't been working on pylometrics. Instead I've been so eager to get back to marathons and triathlons that I've pretty much ignored it. I thought that running would be good enough. WRONG!!!
I will need to incorporate this into my workouts. Without adequate muscular strength in the hamstrings and buttocks, I will be putting more stress on the knee joint. Although I have enough strength for "slow" marathon running and biking, I definitely do not have the strength for high impact sports such as basketball, football, soccer, skiing, etc... I will have to put aside any plans of skiing or pick-up basketball until late 2010 or 2011.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Rose Bowl Bike and Run
A great Ironteam workout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena yesterday. We had a bike flat tire changing session followed by numerous loops around the Rose Bowl. We probably biked for about 90 minutes. Afterwards I ran one loop around the Rose Bowl about 3 miles. My legs felt heavy and lethargic initially. It got a little better as I continued on with my run.
After the workout, our Team met at a pizza shop for a teammate's fundraiser. Donations were collected at the door and 15% of our bill was donated to the LLS as well. There was even a raffle held as well. I won a couple water bottles. We gathered around the big screen TVs and watched the 2009 Vineman Tri that many of my teammates and mentors participated in. Then we watched the 2009 Kona Ironman World Championships. It was quite emotional to see our honored Teammate Kyle miss the swim cutoff by 7 seconds. His 2009 Ironman dreams ended there. But he will be back next year!
By the time I got home later that afternoon, I was tired. I watched some college football bowl games, had dinner, and went to bed. Now is another 24 at the hospital.
After the workout, our Team met at a pizza shop for a teammate's fundraiser. Donations were collected at the door and 15% of our bill was donated to the LLS as well. There was even a raffle held as well. I won a couple water bottles. We gathered around the big screen TVs and watched the 2009 Vineman Tri that many of my teammates and mentors participated in. Then we watched the 2009 Kona Ironman World Championships. It was quite emotional to see our honored Teammate Kyle miss the swim cutoff by 7 seconds. His 2009 Ironman dreams ended there. But he will be back next year!
By the time I got home later that afternoon, I was tired. I watched some college football bowl games, had dinner, and went to bed. Now is another 24 at the hospital.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
5 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Las Vegas Half and Big Bear Trekking in the Snow
I caught a cold over Thanksgiving. This put a major damper on my Ironman training. I even considered withdrawing from last weekend's Las Vegas Marathon. Since I had committed to go to Vegas with a friend and I had volunteered for the Kids Run, I decided to go to Vegas. I started feeling a little better by Friday, so I decided to run just the Half marathon. The Kids Run on Saturday was COLD!!! Standing around with Temp in 30's and 40's was no fun. But I'm glad the Kids had fun with their run. The joy and sense of accomplishment on their faces match those that I see among my fellow runners at the end of their Half and Full Marathons. Unfortunately, standing in the cold, passing out goody bags and medals to the kids for 3 hours made me feel worse. I was coughing more afterwards.
The next day the Half Marathon started at 6:15 from Mandalay Bay Hotel/ Casino. I was in wave 18 or 19 with the 2:30 pace group, so we didn't cross the start line until about 6:40 Race morning was cold, temp in high 30's. I wore a cashmere sweater for the first 3 miles. I finally started warming up, and ran the remainder of the race in a long sleeve tech shirt and my new pair of 2XU compression tights that I bought at the Expo. I had only brought my regular running shorts to Vegas, but the cold weather convinced me to splurge over 100 bucks on these 2XU tights. I really enjoyed running in them. I felt that extra support for my knee ( I wore my knee brace as well). And I ran faster than I had planned. I finished in just under 2:15 Highlights of the race include running down LV Blvd/ the Strip with the lights and seeing the race on many of the big screens in front of the casinos, having a full cup of beer as we past a bar near downtown, joining the Half Marathoners instead of continuing with the Full Marathoners at the split around mile 10, the last mile lined with supporters, taking a photo with a Showgirl at the finish, and the PF Chang brunch at the finish.
Then it was a drive back to LA with my friend and when I arrived home I had to pack for a snowy week in Big Bear for my son's Outdoor Science School. I was a cabin leader for a group of 8 boys. We drove up on Monday in a snowstorm. By the time we arrived, it was Blizzard conditions. The snow came sideways into the face and eyes. I wished I brought my ski goggles, snow pants, and snow boots. Instead I had a ski jacket, jeans, and waterproof hiking boots. Fortunately the rest of the week we had clear conditions. During the day I went along with the kids trekking in the snow, as they learned about plant and animal life, ecology, and geology. At night I especially enjoyed the night hike and star-gazing. One night the kids had a dance and that was fun as well. I even cross-dressed and wore a dress; the kids loved my outfit. Managing a group of boys was pretty stressful because they were on the verge of getting into major trouble and it was a challenge to keep the boys from going at each other. Maintaining discipline is tough. I allowed a little horseplay as long as it didn't get out of hand. The best news was that an incoming storm system forced us to leave a day early. Otherwise we might have been stuck on the mountain through the weekend. That allowed me a day of rest prior to my 24 hour shift today at the hospital.
My knee is doing fine. I even ran in the snow during the week without my knee brace. My LV pace of about 10 min-miles is good. If I can run the full marathon at that pace in Arizona next month, I will be very happy.
The next day the Half Marathon started at 6:15 from Mandalay Bay Hotel/ Casino. I was in wave 18 or 19 with the 2:30 pace group, so we didn't cross the start line until about 6:40 Race morning was cold, temp in high 30's. I wore a cashmere sweater for the first 3 miles. I finally started warming up, and ran the remainder of the race in a long sleeve tech shirt and my new pair of 2XU compression tights that I bought at the Expo. I had only brought my regular running shorts to Vegas, but the cold weather convinced me to splurge over 100 bucks on these 2XU tights. I really enjoyed running in them. I felt that extra support for my knee ( I wore my knee brace as well). And I ran faster than I had planned. I finished in just under 2:15 Highlights of the race include running down LV Blvd/ the Strip with the lights and seeing the race on many of the big screens in front of the casinos, having a full cup of beer as we past a bar near downtown, joining the Half Marathoners instead of continuing with the Full Marathoners at the split around mile 10, the last mile lined with supporters, taking a photo with a Showgirl at the finish, and the PF Chang brunch at the finish.
Then it was a drive back to LA with my friend and when I arrived home I had to pack for a snowy week in Big Bear for my son's Outdoor Science School. I was a cabin leader for a group of 8 boys. We drove up on Monday in a snowstorm. By the time we arrived, it was Blizzard conditions. The snow came sideways into the face and eyes. I wished I brought my ski goggles, snow pants, and snow boots. Instead I had a ski jacket, jeans, and waterproof hiking boots. Fortunately the rest of the week we had clear conditions. During the day I went along with the kids trekking in the snow, as they learned about plant and animal life, ecology, and geology. At night I especially enjoyed the night hike and star-gazing. One night the kids had a dance and that was fun as well. I even cross-dressed and wore a dress; the kids loved my outfit. Managing a group of boys was pretty stressful because they were on the verge of getting into major trouble and it was a challenge to keep the boys from going at each other. Maintaining discipline is tough. I allowed a little horseplay as long as it didn't get out of hand. The best news was that an incoming storm system forced us to leave a day early. Otherwise we might have been stuck on the mountain through the weekend. That allowed me a day of rest prior to my 24 hour shift today at the hospital.
My knee is doing fine. I even ran in the snow during the week without my knee brace. My LV pace of about 10 min-miles is good. If I can run the full marathon at that pace in Arizona next month, I will be very happy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)