I chose a challenging workout plan so I could do my best at the triathlon. Unfortunately, I think I may have overdone it a little bit starting out. I went from working out every now and then to working out almost every day. This has caused some knee pain.
I think the main problem is spinning/biking. I have been experiencing some pretty intense knee pain after spin class. My knees have been kind of crooked since I can remember. I'm kind of paranoid about it, but it hasn't caused me any physical pain or issues in the past. When I started spinning they immediately started hurting for several days after class. I spoke with the spin instructor and she gave me some advice on setting up the bike correctly. This made a huge difference in my knees. About a week ago I got on a different type of bike that didn't have the same settings and my knees hurt for over a week afterward. I've done more spinning since then, properly aligned, but I think it just keeps re-agitating my knees. I've been really nervous about it because I'll spend the majority of the race on the bike.
I've self diagnosed myself with quadriceps tendonitis. It is the inflammation of the quadriceps tendon. That is the tendon that attaches your kneecap to your quad muscle. I have been experiencing pain above the kneecap and there is some kind of mostly painless popping going on in that area when I bend my knee all the way.
My yoga/spinning instructor was nice enough to spend some time with me to look at my knees. She thinks the problem is that my inner thighs are much weaker and tighter than my outer thighs. The weakness of the inner thighs causes my knees to knock in. That alignment issue then causes the knee pain. She gave me some stretches and exercises to do to help. I am so appreciative of her help and time. I think her advice will help me get to the point where my knees don't hurt after biking.
In the meantime, ice seems to help so I'll be RICE(Rest Ice Compress Elevate)-ing it up!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Amateur Endurance
I research everything to death. It is a flaw. It took me over a year to buy a new TV and I still don't have a coffee table or end tables. Training for the Pineapple Man is no different. I spent forever looking for a good training plan online to help me do my best for the race. If I were smarter I probably could have made my own training plan in that amount of time.
Most plans I found were for people that are just getting started in fitness. The goal of these programs is to cross the finish line with a smile on your face. The daily workouts did not seem very demanding and the focus was on enjoying fitness. There is definitely a market for that kind of training program out there. However, I was looking for something different. I wanted something that was really going to push me to do my very best. Other programs I found were for seasoned triathletes. Obviously, I don't fall into that category either.
Fortunately, my research was not in vain and I finally stumbled upon something pretty close to what I wanted. Amateur Endurance has a 16-week training plan for competing in a sprint triathlon. There is one off day per week and the workouts can be intense. This is almost exactly what I needed. So far I've been rearranging the days of the week to work with my schedule. My only complaint is that there aren't any full brick workouts. You do at most two of the three sports in a day. I may change the schedule toward the end to work in a practice race or two. Some of the workouts are too much for me, so I can tone down time or intensity when I have to.
I would absolutely recommend the Amateur Endurance website to anyone training for swimming, cycling, running, or any combination of the three. They have some great workout and fitness programs available free of charge. I just wish I'd come across the site sooner!
Most plans I found were for people that are just getting started in fitness. The goal of these programs is to cross the finish line with a smile on your face. The daily workouts did not seem very demanding and the focus was on enjoying fitness. There is definitely a market for that kind of training program out there. However, I was looking for something different. I wanted something that was really going to push me to do my very best. Other programs I found were for seasoned triathletes. Obviously, I don't fall into that category either.
Fortunately, my research was not in vain and I finally stumbled upon something pretty close to what I wanted. Amateur Endurance has a 16-week training plan for competing in a sprint triathlon. There is one off day per week and the workouts can be intense. This is almost exactly what I needed. So far I've been rearranging the days of the week to work with my schedule. My only complaint is that there aren't any full brick workouts. You do at most two of the three sports in a day. I may change the schedule toward the end to work in a practice race or two. Some of the workouts are too much for me, so I can tone down time or intensity when I have to.
I would absolutely recommend the Amateur Endurance website to anyone training for swimming, cycling, running, or any combination of the three. They have some great workout and fitness programs available free of charge. I just wish I'd come across the site sooner!
New Year, New Goals
I realized late last year that I was in the best shape of my life in high school. I didn't want to say I reached my athletic peak at age 17 so I made a commitment to myself to get in the best shape of my life this year. Thanks to my health insurance I have access to a great gym that I had not been taking advantage of up to now.
I always work better with a goal in mind and a friend of mine mentioned that I should sign up for the Pineapple Man Triathlon. The race is in June so I would have plenty of time to prepare. The distance is sprint rather than Olympic so it should be a challenging but achievable goal. I went out on a limb and signed up.
The Pineapple Man is also a huge mental block for me. I want to do something that I never thought was possible for me. The Pineapple Man is it. If I can be competitive in the triathlon, it will open more doors for me mentally so I can achieve other things that I once thought were too big for me to take on.
Now I just have to make a plan, stick with it, and compete in the race. I'm excited about the year ahead. I will be healthier, stronger, and more confident in myself.
I always work better with a goal in mind and a friend of mine mentioned that I should sign up for the Pineapple Man Triathlon. The race is in June so I would have plenty of time to prepare. The distance is sprint rather than Olympic so it should be a challenging but achievable goal. I went out on a limb and signed up.
The Pineapple Man is also a huge mental block for me. I want to do something that I never thought was possible for me. The Pineapple Man is it. If I can be competitive in the triathlon, it will open more doors for me mentally so I can achieve other things that I once thought were too big for me to take on.
Now I just have to make a plan, stick with it, and compete in the race. I'm excited about the year ahead. I will be healthier, stronger, and more confident in myself.
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