What is the least I can do?

A friend asked me a simple, but thought provoking question yesterday.

Friend (he just started jogging recently):  "Hey Jim, what is the least amount of exercise that I need to improve my fitness".
My other friend (a high performance runner) standing nearby: "giggle, giggle, giggle"
Me:  "Well that's a good question.  All you really need to do, is do more than you used to do."

So, did I answer him well?  Isn't that really all it takes to get more fit (or in the competitive folks minds...to get faster!).  Sure, we love our books, we love our blogs, we love our gadgets, we love our data, we love our schedules, we love our technology...but really all that is required is progressive sport specific overload.

So what can you do to become more fit (or faster, if that's your cup of tea)?
Options include:

1) more training volume
2) more training intensity
3) more training frequency
4) more technique work
5) improved body composition toward the ideal for your body, health and your sport
6) more of all of the above in various combinations

Finding the right combination for each individual is a process.  It is my goal to help my athletes stay healthy, to train consistently and to help them stay passionate about their sport over the long haul...as we work through each of these above factors.  Finding that unique individual combination is the real trick for those that seek their ultimate full potential.

What is the least I can do...nope that's not my style, but it does get me thinking,  I'm still seeking my full potential...how about you?

I'm pretty confident that the guy in the dark shirt once found his full potential!

Finding Answers

For those that read my "Starting the next Chapter" post you know that this past week Nancy and I went to Rochester, Minnesota for my consult with Dr. Shawn O'Driscoll at the Mayo Clinic.  Here's a recap for those that care.

The Mayo Clinic is an incredible place for sure!  It is seriously a mecca in the world of health care.  It is many things, including: huge, efficient, passionate, clean, on time, professional and best of all, extremely knowledgeable & caring.

  

My CT scan wasn't an easy thing for the technicians based on the extreme lack of range of motion in my left elbow (I can move it only 10-15 degrees total), yet this woman had me laughing and smiling the entire time while showing that her 42 years of experience at this job would find a way to get the job done. And that she did...you will see pictures (from my CT scan) below.  

So what is the problem with my elbow restriction?  It is called a "heterotropic ossification" or HO for short. This new growth of bone tissue occurs outside of the normal skeletal system and in my case is seriously restricting any possibility of moving my elbow. HO's can occur as the result of severe nerve trauma and is a self protective mechanism that the body sometimes uses after serious injury.  Just a few years ago doctors used radiation to try and eliminate these bony growths, but thankfully the answer does not involve that mechanism any longer.  The only way to get rid of an HO is through surgical removal. (by the way, I was told that the red "stuff" around my elbow joint in the scan below shows that I've had trauma to those areas of the bone...hopefully something I can overcome to avoid osteoarthritis type of issues later in life.)

So now we know the problem, and Dr. O'D says he can fix the problem.   Needless to say, I'm pretty ecstatic that I didn't go with the locally suggested "let's put you to sleep and manually manipulate your elbow" routine...who knows what might have happened with that.  Anyway, elbow surgery is tricky in that the joint spaces are restricted with nerve and blood supplies delicate and numerous in the region, yet I will tell you that I'm counting down the days until Sept. 16th when I will be under the scalpel.  Fixes are good, even if there is a bit of "valley" to walk through to get there.  

I will be in the hospital for 3 days and should be able to come home at hospital release.  Immediately after surgery my left arm will be placed in a CPM machine (Continuous Passive Motion) and this friend will be with me for the next month or so.  Morning, noon and night my elbow will be moving from the time surgery is over for the next many days. I will start with a 5 min. break each hour, then slowly progress my time out of the machine as my swelling, motion and pain dictate.  Needless to say, that could present some challenges from mid September till mid October as I work one handed yet again, but I need not fret on that at this point.  I have a plan, I believe in the fix and I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I also EASILY recognize that my issue is small potatoes compared to so many in the world.  I am one of the fortunate ones that can search and seek the best help.  Not by my own doing...but by the will of a Greater Being I suppose?  I am not deserving...but I will take with faith that this is the answer that I've been seeking.  

Peace to you and thanks for your positive thoughts, prayers and expressions of concern.  

Natural Athlete?

Sure, I know there are genetic differences between individuals and yes, it's a fact that some folks have "the gift" (high VO2 max in particular, as well as optimal body composition).  But you know what, that doesn't mean it comes easy to them.  Winning races, podium finishing, setting personal bests (PR's), improving performance...it takes desire, thought, sweat, time, energy, focus, consistency, and plain hard work.  Doesn't matter if you have "the gift" or not, once the pond is big enough, even the big fish have to put in the time/effort in training and on race day.  Congrats to you if you are out there battling no matter the size of your gift...success is in the eye of the beholder honestly...not won or lost based on how the other fish performed that day.

Triathlon race weekends, you've gotta love it!

Well it's another big race weekend for triathlon in my world.  Nope, I won't be donning the tri kit this weekend, but several of my One-on-One Endurance athletes will be racing and that always gets me fired up! On top of that, my 11 year old kiddo's will be racing the Kid's for Kid's Triathlon down in Winston Salem, NC tomorrow!

In my world there isn't a whole lot better in life than watching Grace and Spencer enjoy and challenge themselves in these kid only triathlons.  Their focus during the event is dead serious, but their joy and happiness before and after the race is beautifully child-like.  Oh if we could all go there a bit more with our own racing mentality!

Go be your best whether you are training or racing this weekend!

From this...

To this!  

Endurance Sport = Life

Without a doubt my training life is one of the more important aspects of my world. One of the things I love about my sporting world is that I only get out of it what I put into it. Work harder, work smarter, improve performance. The formula isn't always this easy, but in general I know that if I put more into my training, I typically have more joy and satisfaction in my world!

Just as in life, my goals and priorities are not your goals and priorities.  Please do not compare your training to mine, or to anyone elses. Just as in life we are different creatures with different needs. Training "correctly" is a delicate balance between art and science, this is the line I try to carefully walk as a coach (and endurance athlete).

I'm not interested in waiting any longer...time to get rolling again!

Training & Life: Starting the Next Chapter

Some might say that it wasn't supposed to be this way, but I can't live thinking that way.  Life changes, the script doesn't always go the way you thought it would.  April 6th, 2014 my world changed.  Sure I know it is selfish of me to think this way but it will always be a landmark day in my own little part of this grand world.  I was doing the norm, something I'd done multiple hundreds of times previously.  Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, just the norm. In the middle of a 60 mile ride that day. Prepping for the 140.6 mile journey I was planning to take in Chattanooga this September, in my own personal way.  In the blink of an eye, I'd crashed my bike, going from 25 mph to zero in a fraction of a second.  I slammed hard into the uphill asphalt of Bradshaw Road on the small rolling hill I was just starting to climb. My front wheel wobbling uncontrollably as I rocketed over the aerobars on my well used Cervelo.  Me on the ground repeating words that my mom wouldn't be proud of, yet telling my training buddy John repeatedly, "I'm okay, I'm okay" as he stood with a concerned look over me.

A few minutes pass and we're figuring out a way to get me back on my bike.  Sure I'm painfully battered, bloody and swollen, but we did need to get back home somehow.  For better or worse, I slowly covered five more miles of hilly terrain until John rode ahead and later picked me up in his truck.  At home I contemplated the injuries and chose to allow a few days of quiet, recovery time before sheepishly hobbling with one crutch into Dr. Amy's office on day number three.  After a series of xrays and being told to wait right there for a wheel chair, I recognized the page had turned, life had changed. I felt a thud in the gut when told that I'd fractured not only my heavily swollen elbow, but also my hip (at the neck of my femur). No one need tell me that this was not good for a multiple time marathoner and 25+ year triathlon junkie.

As I told my athletes at the time, it really is a small price to pay for the athletic life I have lived for my entire 51 years.  MANY have far worse problems and I try hard to not feel sorry for myself.  In reality I am a bit embarrassed that I lost control of my bike for some unknown reason.  I am also extremely sorry to have affected my family and my athletes during my extended injury and recovery period. 

Now at 3 months post-wreck I am becoming more and more confident that I will bounce back.  That said, I'm still not sure exactly what that means, but I am patient and totally at ease with seeing what the Good Lord has in mind for this new chapter in my life.  The long term health of my hip joint is my primary concern though my "stuck" (contractured) elbow is the most challenging current issue.  That said, I do live a happy and very blessed life here in Blacksburg and my support system (family and friends) is deep and strong. I will be forever grateful for that!

Again I say this with all sincerity, please do not worry about me. I am in good spirits and I have a strong body and I am wrapped in love here at home.  Also, do know that I would MUCH rather be dealing with this than to be dealing with some form of couch potato disease.  As you may/may not know, until this point, I have kept this story off of Facebook and such, as I've been learning and dealing with the change of life with my family, close friends and immediate community here in Blacksburg.  I am now ready to move forward a bit and share my experiences with others.  Thus my sharing of this blog.

So lets go train, go race, go win, go conquer, go work hard, go have fun, go kick butt and go tell the ones important to you that you love them!  I challenge you to continue to follow your passion and work to become the best you possible!  I will aim to do the same.

With love and passion for an active lifestyle!  

Jim

(below are a few pictures that you may find helpful in understanding this new chapter of mine)

New/permanent hardware for hip

Screw in elbow, NOT permanent

Left arm pre surgery

2 surgeries down...1? to go