Maintenance day

I woke up this morning with a sore shoulder. I don't know why it is that I seem to get injured more than any other triathlete I know but I do know that I am determined to reach the start line of Ironman without any reason to keep me from finishing. They say that the three components of training are: exercise, rest/recovery and nutrition. I've traditionally neglected point #2 if it meant missing a workout. I don't want to do that this year. I skipped the swim and went to yoga instead.

When I was training for the NB 1/2 last year, I started the season doing hot yoga 2-3 times a week as pre-hab. I guess it was working because I didn't start to get injured until I decided I didn't have time for it because those time slots needed to be used for workouts.

Bad mistake.

And one I don't intend to repeat. The owner of the studio that I go to is an MD and she says that yoga is both therapeutic and diagnostic. This morning, my body was telling me that my whole chest and upper back was tight. Hmmm. No wonder my shoulder got hurt. I've been told that with all ankle/shin/foot injuries, tight calves is always a factor. Keep the calves limber and avoid the injury. Why should it be different for any other part of our body? Lots of muscles get tight but perhaps the key to injury prevention is making sure they get loose again.


Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.

~Kurt Vonnegut

We might be vampires

After the swim this morning, I was greeted by an old acquaintance in the locker room. He said it'd been so long since he'd seen me at the pool that they'd held a memorial service for me.

Hardy har har, funny man. Did I mention that I don't get up at 5:30am in the off season?

Leaving the pool, I recognize a few other faces that I've seen around. They were commenting on how it was hard to see each other outside because they were wearing black and it was so dark out. So I'm pondering the fact that it's still so dark **AFTER THE WORKOUT** when I bump into my coach who's looking chipper as she heads into the gym. I can't help but wonder,

why aren't we all still sleeping?


Come see the vampires of New York
Come lose your mind in Central Park
But don't leave your soul behind

~ Marcy Playground