Day 31 - Feb 26th - Testimonial for Physio One

On the Physio One business card there is a subtitle that reads “A revolution in rehab & multisport performance”.  I wish to write a testimonial as to my experience that verifies this claim.

I will be 62 this month and have long since passed the age when I can ignore my body and do anything that I want. About a month ago, on January 26^th, 2013 I was skiing the speed of my age and took a rare fall coming completely out of my bindings and tearing muscle and ligaments in my  left calf.  I could hardly walk after that. 

On Monday January 28^th at 10am, Katherine Coppock, of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce invited me in to the chamber offices to receive the 2013 Triathlete of the Year Sponsorship. As I hobbled in I am sure they thought they had made a mistake.  I assured her that I was once a runner and had just had a ski fall. 

I immediately wanted to start running and start training, but even a week later could still barely walk with my left foot straight forward. 

Part of the CDA Chamber sponsorship was involvement with Tyler Blackwelder and Physio One. I didn’t get to meet them until Friday Feb 15^th of 2013. 

Tyler said that although his bread and butter is physical therapy he is taking a progressive approach and envisions a one place shop where you can be directed to other businesses or facilities for specialized needs as you become a better endurance athlete, or a faster athlete, or move from standard fitness to performance fitness.  For example he is creating a team approach to work with me. One of the things is to consider my range of movement and injuries. He said one thing that would be helpful was running on the AlterG treadmill while I was injured.  I didn’t know at the time how special that was.  Here is a blurb about AlterG. 

AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill usage http://www.alterg.com/.  You have to watch the opening video on this site. This machine isn’t just for Ironman contenders but ordinary people wanting to improve. I am excited to try it. The AlterG uses NASA patented Differential Air Pressure technology which comfortably supports you and 'unweights' your body by as much as 80% (adjustable in 1% increments). This helps the athlete by significantly and precisely reducing ground reaction forces, minimizing discomfort and encouraging movement, allows for an increase in training volume with less impact.  Elite athletes, professional sports teams, and top facilities across the world utilize the AlterG as an essential component of their training and recovery programs and, here at Physio One, we want the same for our patients and clients.

Ten days later on February 25^th I ran outside in the snow for the first time. You can read about it in my blog on “Day 30… Snow Run”.  I commented how “my left leg on the back side of the knee still hurts from the ski fall a month ago now.” Well it really hurt. I didn’t tell all that blog how I felt that I shouldn’t run for sometime and in counseling with others they told me to listen to my body.  However one day later I went to Physio One again and wanted to try running. 

Here is what I did:

10 minutes at a 10:00 min per mile pace warmup

10 minutes at a 6:40 min per mile pace

2 minutes at a 6.0 min per mile pace

10 minutes at a 8.0 min per mile pace

3 minutes at a 13 min per mile pace warmdown

Using the AlterG I set my body weight at 75% then later during the workout to 70%. Now tell me that I could have done that outside. The pain at that speed would have further injured my calf and set me back another week or two. 

The comparison wasn’t that evident the first or second time I ran on the AlterG, but now one day after an outside run that hurt me, it felt dramatic.

This morning, my left calf didn’t hurt or feel any worse from wear or tear. My quads did from the speed workout that I haven’t been able to do for the last month but that was a good feeling.

Furthermore, today, the very minute I finish this testimonial I am going back for another workout on the Alter G. I can’t recommend Physio One with anymore clarity than two days side by side with vastly different results. 

If for any reason you’d like an increase in training volume with less impact I recommend going to Physio One and signed up for a block of AlterG runs. It is well worth it.

Day 30-Feb 25th-Snow Run

I have walked and run a mile in the snow but never a real training run. Today I ran from Honeysuckle up Maple to Lacey to Strahorn to Lancaster to Rimrock. About 4.3 miles. I could tell it was a tough run, because I wanted to quit at the Strahorn hill but ran up and past it. I wanted to quit at the turn onto Lancaster, but ran on through it. And I wanted to stop at Deer Park but ran to our mailbox. There I stopped running and starting warming down the final 1/2 mile home.  My left leg on the back side of the knee still hurts from the ski fall a month ago now. I was pretty tough on it today slipping and sliding somewhat. I still need to be careful.  It felt good skiing on Sat and I was careful not to re- injure it in anyway but it is still not healed. One of my goals of preparation is to remain as injury free as I can to make solid progress.

Day 29 - Feb 24th - Weigh In

On Sundays I weigh in and here is where I'm at. It seems like it is almost identical to two weeks ago. I thought there would have been more progress by now. Well, we will see what next week brings.

Weight	Body Fat Weight	Body Fat Percentage	Body Water	Bone Mass
172.8	43.3	25.1%	54.5	6.5

Day 28 - Feb 23rd - Skiing Schweitzer

Derek Garcia  told me yesterday that although an indoor workout was more precise and measureable, if you weren't competing as a professional you might enjoy working out more outdoors. So I did. Julienne and I went skiing at Schweitzer today.  Nice snow fall last night and the prospect of a sunny day brought a long stream of cars to the ski hill. More snow during the day made it nice and then the sunset made it beautiful.

I figure skiing in the soft snow worked my quads as well as any exercising could and the tuck I held all the way from the top of Stella down the cat track to the village was as good as a great conditioning run. It was a fun day.

Day 27 - Feb 22nd - Derek Garcia

Today I had the opportunity to learn from Derek Garcia, my pro-athlete mentor for the CDA Triathlon.

We had an animated conversation for an hour or so talking about where I was physically and mentally as a 61 year old. What goals I had, and tips that Derek shared with me. I wanted to learn all that I could from someone who races all the time. He is leaving near the beginning of March to go to California and train for his season opening 1/2 Ironman race there. He will run four more races before the CDA Triathlon August 10th, 2013. 

Be sure to check out his website at www.derekgarcia.com.If you haven't heard of him before here is a statement from his website. " Derek Garcia is a Father of 3, professional triathlete, coach, and cancer survivor.  He is a threat to podium at any race that he himself enters. He has coached over 150 athletes to successful Ironman finishes and works with all levels of athletes competing in triathlons of every distance. His main focus is to help athletes meet their goals while balancing their every day lives. Derek understands the challenge to compete and train while maintaining healthy relationships with family and friends. Through communication, hard work, and dedication to excellence, Derek feels athletes can reach their own personal success."  Now you can see why I am so attentively listening and taking notes as we talk.

Some of the things we discussed were:

• The need for intensity at my age to build muscle mass
• Allowing your body time to rest
• How to talk to him about how I am feeling
• Find out what works for me
• Long-term goals
• Exercising outside vs. inside

As a novice I can learn from about every statement he makes including why he shaves his legs now. I am probably not going to do that.

 I left the meeting very pleased that Derek would be my mentor and that I could bounce ideas off him from time to time. I am looking forward to my next meeting.

While at the meeting Diane Higdem CDA Chamber Commodores and Event Coordinator not only took the photographs above, but contributed to my understanding by asking questions that were on her mind too. She was very helpful and a welcome member of the team to support me.

Katherine Coppock, CDA Chamber CVB Manager was also there. I haven't seen here since 27 days ago when I met in her offices to accept the award for the CDA Chamber of Commerce triathlete sponsorship. They just posted a few items on their website also. See www.facebook.com/cdatriathlon

Katherine has been very communicative the past 27 days and often checked to see how I was doing, who else I should be meeting with and what next step of sponsorship was occurring.  She has been doing a lot of coordinating to get me set up with all the individuals and organizations. And she has been doing a great job.

Spin Test During the past month I have been trying to find out where I am. Today at the Kroc Center I found out for biking inside about what my current limit is. I spun for 45 laps at level 10. I knew I was at my limit because I wanted to quit half way through. I wanted to quite 3/4ths through. I wanted to quit at the 12 mile 42 lap mark that I meant to do, but continued on dripping sweat until the end of the 45th lap. My initial cadence of 90-94 dropped during the last 40% to more like 85-90.  So here is my current limit ---> 13.5 miles in 39:38 minutes at an average speed of 19.8mph with 150 watts  of effort and an average heart rate of 144. I don't think I could have done more today.

I am especially pleased with my average heart rate. It peaked at 159, but near the last few laps which I pushed harder than any was down to 145. It was a good workout. I then went up to the track and ran four laps to see how transition felt on my legs. Heavy the first 3 laps but in the 4th I picked up considerably. Overall a good day, but I froze in the car on the way home stopping to make business calls.

Day 26 - Feb 21st - Physio One 2nd Apptmt

I met with Tyler Blackwelder of Physio One for the second time today. He did range of motion work to determine how flexible I was. By showing me various exercises and then re-testing me at the end I believe that I made an inch of flexibility progress which doesn't sound like much, but it is probably the only inch of additional flexibility I have got since the 7th grade when I first took such tests. 

He then helped me into the AlterG treadmill where I warmed up then ran 10 minutes at 85% weight at 6 miles per hour, then 10 minutes at 82% weight at 7 miles per hour, then 10 minutes at 80% weight at 8 minutes per hour and finally 2 minutes at 80% weight at 9 minutes per mile. 

The corresponding mile times were:

10:00 minute miles
8:34 minute miles
7:30 minute miles
6:40 minute miles

During my warm down for 3 minutes I was at 100% weight and boy did I feel heavy.
 
Weight & Body Fat. Today I weighed in at 172 pounds and only 25% body fat. The pounds aren't down that much for a week, but the body fat is. I am pleased with that. It means I am turning some weight into muscle.  I also measured weight in the afternoon when I am generally heavier than in the morning. I will weigh in again on Sunday. 

Katrina then helped me put on the inflatable leg squeezers for 10 minutes which pumps up and down to squeeze the latic acid out. So far I don't feel tight from my workout earlier today. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.   

Day 25 - Feb 20th - Kroc Center Swimming

Today I took my 3rd swimming lesson. First time I've had a cap and goggles on. It is actually nice. Lauren taught Julienne (spouse), Jane Graybill (another CDA triathlete), and I a semi-private lesson. I need lots of practice. I can swim on my back, but the front crawl in a relaxed manner getting enough air is not in the cards yet.

Day 24 - Feb 19 - Kroc Center Spinning

Today Julienne met me for the first time at the Kroc Center and Bella Scott helped her finalize her Gold Membership. We gave Bella the last part of her Valentine's gift which was a Pomodoro timer to help her study for her fitness exams. If you have never looked into the Pomodoro Technique for focusing your time and effort you should. It is a simple technique for making the most of your time. See the Facebook page I added to talk more about it.

I wanted to see what it felt like to bike the distance of a Triathlon Sprint which is 45 laps or 12 miles. I did it with an average heart rate of 139, average Watts of 141, with a cadence of 92 at level 8. I was sweating when I finished, but immediately ran up the stairs and did 4x around the indoor track to experience a bit of transition. Then I showered and jumped in the pool to practice breathing out my nose and turning on my side while swimming in preparation for tomorrow's swim lesson.

Day 23 - Feb 18th - Trail Run

Julienne (my spouse) and I ran 3.5 miles on the Snoqualmie Ridge trails today before seeing my aging parents one last time and heading home for Hayden, ID. It felt good to be out in the morning on some spongy northwest trails. There are 20 miles of trails out there. Next time I will run more of them. We ran across bear activity with residential garbage but didn't see any bears.

Day 22 - Feb 17th - Sunday Green Drink

On Sunday's I don't train. I was at my 3rd son Jeff Dance's home in Snoqualmie Ridge.  He used his NutriBullet blender to make me a delicious green drink composed of Kale, Spinach, Mandarin oranges, Almonds, Ice and water. It tasted downright healthy.

 He said that the NutriBullet obtainable from Target for under $100 was better than the Magic Bullet from Costco which only lasted a few years and wasn't as strong.

Day 21 - Feb 16th - Morning Run Outside

Bob Cummins met me today near the Samena Club and I was able to run with his 8 week fitness challenge group. We ran around Phatom Lake which is close to where the Cascade Striders ran when my boys were young and where Newport High school hosted some of their home XC meets. I did well up the hills, but had to stop and rest my left calf at the 2 mile mark. Total distance 3.38. I wanted to run more, but don't believe that I should cause any other injury to my left calf and slow progress even more. This was the first time I ran outside after my ski fall.

Day 20 - Feb 16th - Cummins Chiropractice & Wellness

While visiting my aging parents in Bellevue, WA I had the opportunity to stop by and see my dear friends Bob & Anna Cummins at their Gold Medal Health Center on 4122 Factoria Blvd SE Suite 202. They run a chiropractic and wellness center.

Our sons grew up running with Anna and her brother Eric Mickelson with both the Cascade Striders track and XC club and with Newport High School. Eric went on to be the WA State 800M champion both his junior and senior year. Anna went on to receive a Gold Medal in the Beijing Olympics on the USA Eight Women rowing team.

Doctor and Anna Cummins worked on my calf with Cold Laser Therapy to help reduce the inflammation and promote healing. They also worked on my neck to optimize alignment, balance my structure and increase my potential to express health. I recommend them if you live anywhere near south Bellevue, WA.

Day 19 - Feb 15th - Physio One

Today I had the opportunity to meet for the first time with Tyler Blackwelder of Physio One. Talk about a guy that has vision and wants to give back to the community. He and his firm are an asset to the community. Tyler graduated with his doctorate from Loma Linda University and has set up a multi-discipline physical therapy business in Hayden on 8382 North Wayne Drive.

Although his bread and butter is physical therapy he is taking a progressive approach and envisions a one place shop where you can be directed to other businesses or facilities for specialized needs as you become a better endurance athlete, or a faster athlete, or move from standard fitness to performance fitness.  For example he is creating a team approach to work with me that includes coaches, trainers and other practitioners rather than cut off the other relationships and try to solely get my business.

What are Tyler's goals for me after doing a physical evaluation and movement study?  He wants me to be more efficient and improve my output.  Within a short period of time he already discovered my tight calves and said that after biking hard, while in transition to running, they would likely seize up and be the weak link. He is right. 

Next he had me run on the Alter-G treadmill where he dialed back 15% of my weight and had me running as though I weighed 26 pounds less at 147.  I had no experience on that machine before today. I can see it will be my friend. I am looking forward to many more visits with Tyler and to learn from him and improve my efficiency and output.

Day 18 - Feb 14th - Twin Girls

Occasionally I have to blog about the joys of being a grandpa and not a triathlete. Today I got to see our second son Dave Dance and his family who will be moving to Hayden in July and joining the North Idaho Eye Clinic as an ophthalmologist. He just had two twin girls born to his wife Channing on Jan 10, 2013. I saw them briefly in the hospital then, so now a month later I got to hold them again today. Aren't they the cutest two little girls?  They were used to being close to each other for nine months so they still enjoy snuggling together.  They represent our 13th and 14th grandchildren and my parent's 100th and 101st posterity or in-laws. I came from a large family, my wife Julienne came from a large family and our first married children seem to be having large families. Five of our eight children are married, and three to go. Their valentine's card arrived in the mail as I was going down to the Kroc Center to meet with Melissa van Wyngaardt and begin Core Training. I also got to meet Tyler Blackwelder of Physio One for the first time today. I will blog about both of them tomorrow. There is too much good stuff they taught me too skip over it lightly. But it is 10:45pm and I need to hit the sack.

Day 17 - Wed Feb 13 - 2nd Swim Lesson

Today I met with Lauren again as a swim coach. She is a great supporter of my triathlon training. I see here everywhere in the KROC Center. She told me to go to Big 5 to get swim goggles. I said Big 5? Will they have what I need? I thought that I needed to go to someplace special to get something like that. Lauren simply said - you will find what you need there.

So I went. Amazing. They had all sorts and kinds, an entire rack of swim goggles. I looked for the size that Gloria told me she liked - a little bigger size, not quite so small. So I picked out the speedo BAJA that was an over-sized comfort goggle, that had anti-fog, latex free, UV protection, and speed fit. I have never owned any goggles before. Once or twice I have tried someone else's on but they always seemed too tight and uncomfortable. Of the three classifications of speedo goggles these were "active" not the higher up "performance" or "competition". I just wanted to try some out so I bought a reasonable pair for $19.99.

As I met Lauren at the pool I tried them on swam with them and they worked very well. I was surprised how well I could see underwater compared to using a mask. They felt natural like I had used them before and there was no discomfort or water leakage. Of course when I got home I read the inside flap of the package that said: Rinse after each use, air dry, avoid touching inside of lens, store in the package or a soft case. Well, as a novice, I had already violated all of those precautionary measures in the first day of use. There is always tomorrow. Theresa took the picture of us above. What I like about KROC employees is that they all seem to have stretch goals and Theresa was no exception.  She wants to become a __________________ (I will have to ask her again as I forgot.)

Lauren had me start again where we did the first time. (1) Head straight down, fins on (2) Body on the side, one arm straight out, fins on. (3) Then on the other side, (4) Then switching sides, (5) Then without fins. Jane Graybill wasn't feeling good so I was the only object of Lauren's attention. She said I was not looking comfortable in the water, trying to get my head up too far, not turning enough side to side. Lots to work on, but I had goggles this time. I felt what I was doing in the water and sometimes 1/2 of the length was good, but I never had a complete length that was consistent. Lauren called it like it is. I like her as a coach and can see I will learn much from her.

I can't imagine racing a triathlon of any length without a swimming coach. I probably would finish the swim but with no style and probably completely drained. This is my weakest area so I need to concentrate on it.

What is interesting is that Lauren said I need to strengthen my core, that swimming is not so much with just your arms, but your whole body. My core started disappearing 30 years ago so that is an area of need. Whenever she gives me advice I listen.

As I went out to try the spin bikes again, Lauren pointed out Melissa who was right next to me and said she would be a great core muscle instructor so I talked to her while we were spinning. She was booking it on the bike and today was a rest day for her. Her cadence seemed to always be above 110.  She doesn't swim much but in the bike/run duathlon she is a competitor. She has won a few races. Her half marathon time is 1:20 and she wants 1:19 this summer. I am going to encourage her on.

My results were much improved on the spin bike. I rode 9 miles at an average speed of 22.6 mph in 23.56 minutes at level 6 with an average heart rate of 135. I feel that biking might be my strength.  After biking I went to get signed up for a core fitness class with Melissa.  Jessica Riley was the KROC employee that asked me if I had done my 3 free Gold Member classes yet. No one else had asked that. So thank you Jessica. Her she is signing me up for a core class.

While running on the treadmill I tried seeing if my leg was healed up enough from my ski fall that I could run a bit faster. I started at 12 minute miles, went to 10, then 9:50, 9:30, 9:00, then 8:34 for the last two minutes. I quit early as my heart rate was too high. I noticed on the wall chart that my rate should be 112-136 for exercising and peak at 160.

So far the most dedicated KROC member that I have seen, almost every time I have been at the Center is Katie Doty. She has been on a treadmill or bike every time I have been in there and for a good long time. Way to go Katie.

Day 16 - Tues Feb 12 - Sore Sore Sore

After feeling good about being in the pool, spinning, and running I am sore sore sore today. Unfortunately it is not my muscles it is my below the waist parts. Bicycling in wet swim trunks is not a good idea. I am glad I found out now rather than in a triathlon. Looking online I found some advice about compression shorts, tri-shorts and glide. I 'll report later what I decided and how it worked out.

Tonight I ran for 30 minutes which is the longest since my ski fall 3 weeks ago. It felt good to run for more than a few minutes, but I didn't want to push things, just plain run and see how I felt. Average pace was 10 min miles so nothing special but the last 5 min were tougher than I thought at that pace.

The plan was to bike for 30 and then swim a little. The reverse of tri events. I didn't want to be cycling in wet shorts again today. But after 5 min on the spinner I started hurting again below the belt so I quit and went to the elliptical for 20 minutes which was okay.

On my way out I saw Lauren, my swim coach, and met her husband Eric. He seems nice. While on the treadmill I saw Zach and Katie Doty. She is very dedicated. I think she had already been on the treadmill for an hour and must have done another 30-60 minutes while I was there. 

Day 15 - Mon Feb 11 - First Swim Lesson

Today I had my first swim lesson in 45 years. I figure my last one was in the Sondhiem's pool in Magnolia on 44th Ave in Seattle WA probably when I was 16 years old. I took it with Jane Graybill, who also is preparing for the triathlon. She had a lesson before me and had already learned a lot. I had to start at ground zero. Here is what Lauren had me do:

Swimming
1) Swim with a board and fins breathing out through my nostrils and in through my mouth.  I don't think I have ever breathed out through my nostrils that I remember.
2) Swim with a board on my side doing the same. I found out I have a weak left side.
3) Do the crawl stroke with fins breathing properly. I was thrusting my head way too far out of the water.
4) Do the crawl stroke without fins breathing properly. The real thing.
5) Switch from the crawl to backstroke.

That was it. I learned much in that short 1/2 hour lesson.  I talked to Lauren about her triathlon experiences. It is so valuable to do so. Because it is all so new I have so many questions that I have not considered before such as my question today - At what cadence do you attempt to ride a bike in a triathlon if you are a novice?  The answer was over 90 but less than 100.

Biking
So I went to spin a bike for 30 laps against Greg LaMond again. I did 9 miles in 26.31 minutes at a level 5 with an average heart rate of 133 and an average speed of 20.2. My cadence was generally between 90 and 100. I found that my upper left inside thigh hurt again between the 6-9 minute mark and then went away.  I also noticed that the back of my thighs had been exercising when I got off.

Running
I immediately ran up the stairs and then ran for 10 minutes around the track. I feel that the muscle I pulled falling while skiing at Schweitzer two weeks ago is finally starting to mend and I can begin to run again.

KROC Center Mini Tri
Swimming, biking, running make up a triathlon. My first KROC center mini tri was today.

I also saw Susan, Conner, Kip, and Gloria that all work at the KROC center. They are all so supportive of my first attempts.

Day 14 - Sun Feb 10 - Second Blog - Roger Thompson

I just ran across Roger Thompson's blogs about his two wins of the CDA Triathlon. The first in 2009 and the second in the 40 and over class a few years later.  You can read about his 2011 race here. I enjoyed the details of the race, the sign in, the last minute prep, the swimming feelings, the biking strategy, his energy in running and feelings of accomplishment. For a novice I read every detail and learned from it. Thanks for your blog Roger.

Day 14 - Sun Feb 10 - Weight Report

I am glad it is Sunday, the Sabbath Day, a time to rest from weekly work and turn our attention to worship and serving others. I don't plan on working out on Sundays, but do believe it is a good time to reflect on the past week and plan for the following week. And a good time to weigh in.

On Day 3 blog I reported the following starting data from my Omni BodyFat Analyzer

Weight	Fat Percentage	Body Mass Index
180	27.4%	27.8%

 
Now on Day 14 I am reporting the following improvements:

Weight	Fat Percentage	Body Mass Index
173	27.0%	27.7%

I figure that some of the weight gain from the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays has started to recede. The next 15 pounds will be much harder and once we get down past 8 more pounds we will be dipping into uncharted territory. It has been a long time since I was less than 165 pounds and I like to get under 160.

To make sure that I am using somewhat accurate measurements I looked into the scale that I've had for 10 years. Lo and behold it does more than just measure weight. It is a Conair Model WW87 Scale that has something to do with Weight Watchers although I didn't buy it from them.  I set it up for user 1 at 5 foot 7 inches and age 62 as I didn't want to see any undeserved improvement at the end of next month when I change from age 61 to 62.

Here are the first time measurements that it reported.

Weight	Body Fat Weight	Body Fat Percentage	Body Water	Bone Mass
173	43.5	25.3%	54.5	6.5

Can anyone comment on these numbers and tell me what it all means for someone 61 and 11/12ths? What is low, normal, and high numbers for someone my age?  Thank you.

I will report the measurements again next Sunday.