Dec 21, 2010

Saddle? What saddle?

Someone asked me the other day how soon I'd be back in the saddle. I of course realize that this is the metaphoric horse saddle, but the reality is that I'm looking forward to getting back on my bike saddle as well. As soon as I can fit my foot in my cycling shoes, then dog-gone-it, I'll be riding on my trainer. If for no other reason than to get my ass back. Where did my ass go you ask? Gone it completely disappeared as soon as I stopped training. Without working any of my lower body I've been reduced to a fraction of my former self. Of course it wasn't long ago that I was bitching about said booty, just goes to show you that you always want what you can't/don't have.

As far as getting back into the swing of things, Sunday was my first swim. It was really wonderful to get in the pool and turn a few laps. I can't say that I did very well, in fact my threshold for cardio activity is pretty damn low, but it felt great.

Lesson #147: Be grateful when someone sees your handicapped sticker and offers to scrape your car. They don't think you're stupid or weak.

Dec 9, 2010

Online Tools for Recording and Measuring Fitness

A few months ago Pete and I began looking at various web-based tools to record and measure our workouts. Apparently my Excel spreadsheets of geekdom weren't good enough. What Pete was looking for was something that allowed him to generate graphical reports, comparing percentages of time spend in each sport, among other things. What I was looking for was system for recording not only all of my workouts but also my sleep, nutrition, weight and other factors that dramatically affect those workouts. I also wanted the ability to upload workouts as well as export data. What we found and are both using now is BeginnerTriathlete.com . This site is about as simple as it gets and its free. There are paid versions of the site that give you more bells and whistles. This tool is packed with user forums, reviews, event calendars and access to a community of triathletes that's far reaching. There is such a wide range of athletes on this site that just about anyone, at any level of the sport could find great use out of this tool. While I like the usability of this tool, I would make recommendations regarding usability.The back and forth that needs to happen to record, review, and analyze sessions is not intuitive, but once you understand how the system works, you'll figure out the best work-arounds for yourself.




Other sites include:

SlowTwitch.com  - While the usability of this site seems superior to others at first glance, it is quite limited to the types of workouts that someone would want to record. As any triathlete knows, we do a heck of a lot more than just run, bike and swim. Another unfortunate side to this tool was the inability to record races along side training. The SlowTwitch.com forums however are excellent and are broken down by various categories including: Women, The Lavender Room, and Classifieds to name a few. While SlowTwitch.com does allow users to import maps from Garmin and record routes, their system does not integrate with other commonly used training tools like MapMyRun for instance. As a site for amateurs, they allow users to set up profiles, like a simplified version of Facebook in order to make friends, compete in online challenges, set goals and post messages. I would give SlowTwitch.com 3 out 5 stars.

Runner's World Training Log -  This is a great tool, again its free! The downside is that it focuses on one sport only and looks at additional sports or activities as secondary. The tool requires that you select a main sport as opposed to lining up all sports and measuring them equally. The technology of this tool is far superior to the others, but with that downside, it lost my vote. As a triathlete I need to measure all activity, and include nutrition, sleep, etc. for an accurate view of my training. This did not cut the mustard. How do you cut mustard anyway?

ActiveTrainer.com - I've tried three times to activiate a free trial of this system and every time I received an error message. Being that I work for a technology company and a pretty confident on the interwebs, this was a huge turn-off. The features and benefits listed on their website are comparable to those of other tools, however without being able to login successfully, my review ends there.

WorkoutLog.com - This is where we start moving away from the free tools and into the paid ones. This tool offers a 15-day free trial, but then runs up to $75/year for more bells and whistles.

Bells and whistles in training logs are nice, but the one thing to remember is that unless you use the data to challenge yourself and make adjustments to your training, its not going to make you a better, faster or stronger athlete. Much like any tool, its their to assist you, not do the work for you. I've always enjoyed tracking my progress, and seeing a visual display of my accomplishments over time is motivating. I've started from nothing and worked my way up to great accomplishments, part of the reason I've kept a blog - this is a longer story, a detailed record of setting goals and reaching them.

I'm open to your thoughts about training logs and other measurement tools and what your experience has been with them. Please feel free to leave your comments with me.

Dec 6, 2010

Its ALIVE!

Its been 39 days (6 weeks) since my foot surgery. Sometimes it feels like yesterday and at other times it feels like I was born with this boot on my foot.

I saw my surgeon, Dr. Wasserman, and today she is the greatest person in the world. I've been on pins and needles to find out when I could start putting weight on my foot. The verdict was a resounding YES! Yes with a big but. Yes but slowly. I still have to wear the boot which is big and clunky, but I can take it off when I sleep, when I'm chilling on the sofa watching reruns of ANTM, and I can start putting weight on it. Of course my from my knee down has completely atrophied. I couldn't point or flex my foot if my life depended on it, so there's no way I could even try to walk like a normal human. 

Pete went in with me, which was a very good idea. He asked great questions and made sure that I understood that the doctor wasn't telling me I could go out and run hurdles. Like I could ever run hurdles, I'm too short! In the next few weeks, as I feel comfortable I can begin swimming (Amen!), biking a little (Hallelujah!) and once I gain a little more stability, I can use the elliptical machine (can I get a Hell Yeah!). I would kill to get a good cardio workout in!

I did have the great pleasure of going to the Y with a friend today. D was quite awesome. Walking slowly next to me, opening doors, shoving small children out of my way. Ok, that part isn't true, but she was a huge help. We did my boring upper body and core routine, which at this point makes me want to slam my head against the mirrors. Its the same damn thing every day. I can't stand monotony in my workouts. I'm looking forward to possibly swimming (that was an Amen!) on Wednesday with Keeler. She's one of the few people that I trust enough to help go from the locker room to the showers to the pool, back to the showers and dressed - all on crutches. If I fall she won't hesitate to grab me, even if I'm naked with a swim cap on. And I mean grab me without trying to cop-a-feel you sickos!

Today's glorious foot... notice how swollen my leg is, behind my shin bone.


Day 39....




So tonight, once I got home, Pete headed out to his union meeting and jumped into the tub to soak off the remaining tape that covered my incisions. NOW it looks like I just had surgery yesterday. My foot is so bloated, black and blue and looks pretty painful. Luckily it really isn't. The pain that I feel at this point is usually at the end of the day when I'm sore and tired. The nerves are all screwed up right now too. Some spots are numb, other spots feel thingly, its weird. From the X Ray is looks like the head of the screw is sticking out of my foot. I tried to feel for it, but my foot is still really numb at this point.

Actually, I could not be happier today. Just hearing that everything looked good and that I'm doing everything right made me feel so relieved. I'm going to keep doing what the doctor tells me and try to be as calm patient as possible. Yes, me - calm and patient. I will say that getting back into a workout routine, as simple and as small as it is, has really made a difference. I don't think that I could have sat here until February and then suddenly jumped back in.

That's right. Hell yeah.