“There are no secrets to success.

It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

-Colin Powell

 

What’s up peeps?! Today I bring to you yet another sick on the couch post, but fear not! I went to the Minute Clinic today and came home with three separate prescriptions. One of those scripts is for doxycycline, so I am pretty much covered for anything from a sinus infection to pneumonia to Lyme disease. Take that germs! Huzzah!

I figured I’d use my continued down time to update you all about my next step in training (you know how I like to be productive at all times).  As you all know, I have had some serious issues with my IT bands and knee pain recently.  That lead to several costly visits to the chiropractor (anyone else find it ironic that the Affordable Health Act has made health care anything but?… Thanks Obamacare for my insurance super crummy… not sure exactly who is benefitting from this legislation beyond insurance companies who are raking everyone now that insurance is mandatory)

Anyway… given that my copay alone is $50, the multiple visits a week start adding up pretty quickly. As much as I love my new chiropractor, it seemed sort of a waste to be spending over a hundred dollars a week on rehabbing an injury when I could have prevented the weakness and muscle imbalances by working with a personal trainer for significantly less cost. At least, that is how I have justified going back to personal training for myself. Truly though, I would MUCH rather pay money to avoid an injury than to fix one (Sorry Cassie! Maybe we can hang out socially instead of at your office).      

Before I stopped working out with a trainer I had ZERO issues with injury or knee pain. However, between stopping the weight training and not being allowed to do anything for weeks after surgery, I think my muscle groups got imbalanced. All the quad heavy swimming, biking, and running was no bueno for my poor knees. I am just the type of person who NEEDS strength training to keep my knee caps in place and avoid injury. I can’t get by without it. I know and accept that. Now it’s time to address it.

For those of you wondering, I am choosing to work with a trainer rather than on my own because 1) I know myself and I won’t do it consistently or do the parts I hate if left to my own devices; and 2) This is my health. My #1 goal is to state injury free, so I am happy to pay up if it means staying out of the doctor’s office. Plus, I know having someone else to push me will get me better results.

After my last trainer left, I spent a good amount of time feeling lost. It didn’t feel right training with anyone else because (despite our rocky start and differences) we had built a solid relationship. It took a long time for us to work out the kinks in our communication, but when we did we had a real bond. At the end of the day I knew he was going to kick my butt every single workout, and he knew I was going to give it 100% without complaint. Without realizing it, I had come to really rely on him to push me in the gym. I wasn’t really sure what to do with myself after he was gone.  

Then I became obsessed preoccupied with improving my cycling, which meant spending every spare second on my bike. So, basically, I went from lifting/cross training at least twice a week to being completely consumed by triathlon alone.  Enter my surgery and all the activity restrictions and the wheels essentially fell off the cart.  Looking back, it was the perfect recipe for disaster, but I so desperately wanted to get in a HIM (MOST EXPENSIVE RACE EVER!!! once you add up all the travel and medical bills anyway… totally worth it though)…

There was also likely an element of denial.  After all, wouldn’t it be nice to believe that I don’t need regular strength training workouts crammed in between all the swimming, biking, and running?  Oh and wouldn’t it be nice not to pay that extra money to a trainer?  

Well, sadly, that’s just not how life works… Not for me anyway!  I DO need to work with a trainer because I want to stay injury free and be the healthiest version of myself possible.  That is a priority for me.  For as expensive a sport as triathlon is, and as expensive as healthcare is, I’m trying to think of it more as an investment than an expense.

In that same spirit, I have picked a trainer this time around who is as passionate and motivated about fitness as I am.  Together we are going to do great things… and possibly cause our male counterparts to groan at our neon workout clothes and unbridled enthusiasm.. but mostly we will kick a$$.

In an effort to start this relationship on the right foot, I already discussed some of my training goals with my new trainer.  In addition, I also told her I would come up with a more complete list. I figured, what better way to really commit than to share it publicly with all of you, so here it is:

MY TRAINING GOALS

Main/General Goals:

1. Improve overall strength and endurance (General Conditioning)- Translates to improved endurance for races and effective injury prevention
2. Work on balance and coordination- This will help with all areas of triathlon, but especially cycling
3. Strengthen core- 6 weeks of no core post surgery translates to WEAK core muscles. Having a strong core is essential in general- so obviously in all three sports of triathlon as well.
   
4. Strengthen glutes- To help with hill climbing on the bike and keep my hips from dipping with I run
5. Balance muscle groups– Currently my quads are out working their opposing muscle groups and causing knee issues

Specific/Short Term Goals:

1. Get back to doing unassisted chin ups
2. Unassisted pull ups
3. Military push ups, Diamond push ups, One handed push ups… & someday plyo push ups
4. Unassisted dips
5. Learn to Love Plyo (ie get better at it… or at least not dread it…)
6. Dead lift, Squat, and Bench my body weight (Maybe not a true “short” term goal, but I have dead lifted my body weight before… once we do all these we can try my body weight for power cleans)
   

Personal Goals:

1. Become as fit as possible- Beyond just generally improving, I’d like to strive to be as fit as I can.  It’s about always having a goal currently beyond reach to strive for.   
2. Complete an Ironman or Ironman distance race
3. Stay injury free
4. Body building competition (Not figure or fitness… this is a someday/bucket list goal)
5. Improve as a swimmer, cyclist, and runner
6. Write a book on my fitness journey (Not directly relevant to personal training, but a good insight to me as a person… and it is technically a fitness related goal of mine)
7. Learn more about proper nutrition and do a better job at it.

There you have it folks! I think that’s a good start. Now I am 100% accountable.  It should be a fun adventure!  As always, I’ll keep you all posted on my progress.