Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.
During the move from California to Oregon, I was provided movers to take care of packing, moving and unloading my stuff. Not only was this a great benefit, but I trusted that my stuff would be handled with care, especially the two items I marked as “high value” and paid extra insurance for.
Ha!
Lesson learned, there is no such thing as “moving with care.” I listed my bike as one of the insured items and believed that with the extra insurance, it would get some semblance of white glove service. I saw them roll it out of my old apartment and then roll it back in to my new apartment, so truth be told, I’m not sure how they packed it (in a bike box? Just thrown in the truck?).
When I FINALLY got my bike back a week ago, I immediately popped it in the trainer, got the pedals back on and hopped on the trainer to reintroduce my legs to cycling. Sadly, that’s when it all started to go downhill. The right shifter wouldn’t budge – at all. Ugh.
I sent a very upset email to the moving company and arranged to take my bike to a local, and highly regarded, triathlon shop in the Portland area. Fast-forward 30 minutes and the service rep came around the corner and told me, “I’ve got bad news…”
You’d think I was sitting in a hospital waiting room and the doctor had come out to describe the diagnosis. “You’re bike has come down with a sever case of frame crack-itis.”
Or what he really told me, “Your frame is cracking because of XYZ (my mind just locked onto the words “FRAME” and if I try to do XYZ it will…DIE.”
No, Dora, no, no! (Purely overdramatizing this for blog-reading purposes, but it’s how I felt at the time). The rep took photos and called a Trek dealer only to find out that they don’t make my frame anymore. So…now I’m waiting on the dealer to tell me next steps and will be in contact with the movers this week. I am NOT a happy camper and would like my BFF on two wheels back asap. More to come soon…
Now on to the CIM week 1 training recap.
In one word I can say it was this: humbling. As I’ve spoken about in the past blog posts, I’m really struggling with recovering from IMCDA. My legs don’t have the gusto they used to and apparently, this is happening to other IMCDA-ers that I’ve talked to.
Coach McMillan reassured me that this phase is all about reintroducing my legs back to running and it’s very much a conservative approach. My mental eagerness would have to take a backseat as my body starts moving again after eight weeks of recovery.
As I made my way out to various runs over the week, I was taken back to the start of IMCDA training. I had just gotten the clear to run with my brace, but it was literally one mile at a time. It was beyond frustrating as I managed the pain and my very evident lack of fitness. However, with patience and persistence, I was able to regain what I had once lost. It will be the same this time around.
Couple this with some real post-Ironman depression (yup, I got it) and a new type of running (holy hell Portland, you can’t run here and NOT run hills), I was struggling.
I’m already questioning whether my goals are too aggressive for this race, but whether I achieve them at CIM or a different, they ARE my goals for this year. Patience, grasshoppa.
Mon., 8/12: Strength Training
45 minutes with the Nike Training Club app. I do the beginner classes and they still kick my ass.
Tues., 8/13: Build Endurance Run
40 minutes of what I will say is a standard Portland run: climbing mother freaking hills. They are everywhere is this city. You can’t escape them
Wed., 8/14: Strength Training
Core and upper. Starting next week, these days will actually be 40-60 min. cross-training cardio sessions with strength training peppered in.
Thurs., 8/15: Trail Run
Cate and Mike were in town, so of course, Jen and I had to run with them and devour vegan pizza like it’s going out of style. Note to self: I need to get trail shoes.
Fri., 8/16: Easy Run
Thursday’s run was so gorgeous, I revisited yesterday’s route, solo this time.
Sat., 8/17: Long Run
8 miles. My Ironman brain is beating myself up over this humbling run. Let’s just say I have some work to do and I need to remember, “WE ARE STARTING CONSERVATIVE FOR A REASON!”
Sun., 8/18: Yoga
Flexibility yoga to get those hips open and the psoas stretched!
So if it’s not evident by now, I’m dealing with the loss of Dora and some mental vs. physical ability issues right now. I’m still in the Ironman frame of mind and I’m missing it dearly. I’ll keep reminding myself to trust in the training, have patience and to put in the hard work because it will all work out…it always does.
Happy Running!
Those dipshits had best be ponying up for a new bike…of your choosing.
While the beginning of CIM training is humbling for you, I have no doubt you will meet or exceed your goals. I’ll be there watching. And looks like despite the hilly running, you’re enjoying Portland. YAY!
That makes me so mad about Dora! I hate when people decide not to do the job they’ve found themselves in. If you can’t muster the dignity to do your job right, why are you there?! I hope it all works out for you.
good luck with training! the first few weeks are always tough but then once you’re fit you wonder how you ever struggled with such easy training. really stinks about your bike
You will be back to feeling normal again really soon. I was wondering – is a half marathon on your schedule prior to CIM? I’ve had some coaches recommend a half about 3-4 weeks prior to the target full marathon. And I was wondering if sub 1:30 would be your goal within the marathon training or if you are strictly focusing on the full marathon target time?
Good luck with your bike. That is sooo frustrating. Especially since you specifically tagged your bike as ‘handle with CARE’! I’m sorry about it and will wish for a speedy recovery for Dora.
Oh man!! Good luck with your bike!! That totally sucks!!
Yes!!! There are hills everywhere!! Love it!!!
Sorry to hear about the bike, that’s awful! I learned about your blog from the “must reads” tab on the Ali on the run blog, and I’m a Portlander. There are a few flat places to run here, so I would recommend checking out the Springwater Corridor trail, the Willamette-Greenway trail, and Willamette Boulevard, and Old River Road (only a couple hills). We also have some really good bike shops in town too.
Ugh. I must admit that after an international move, I’ve been too scared to open my bike bag. But your story has reminded me that I’d better just open the damn thing, and make sure the bike is in one piece. Ugh.
Good luck finding your patience…must be so frustrating! Just remember that your fitness is there, it’s just still hidden under residual fatigue. Once the fatigue has cleared, you’ll probably “find” endurance (if not speed) that you didn’t know you still had. Hang in there!
Oh man, that moving company better be paying for a brand ew bike!
Sorry that training isn’t going as well as you’d like, but remember that your fitness is hiding under all that Ironman fatigue. You’ll get there!
Sorry to hear about the bike. Just a quick FYI in case you ever move again….take your bike to a bike shop that you trust and have them box it up for you. My bike has survived two overseas moves. If I’ve learned one thing from moving every 2-3 years it’s that I don’t trust the movers with ANYTHING that is that important to me. I hope the moving company is easy to work with. Save any receipts or repair estimates just in case they ask for it. Filing a claim can be a hassle sometimes.
I love reading your blog and hope that your next round of training goes well!
GAH so sorry to hear about Dora, what a bummer
The legs will come back to you, just trust your body. Excited to follow your training journey
So sorry to hear about the bike! I would be SO upset with the moving company! Hopefully they can do something for Dora.
Good luck as you find your legs and your speed. It sounds like Portland has some amazing places to run – and think about how those hills will help you!
I hope you get a new bike out of this but also understand that you are attached to Dora and don’t want to replace her! Boo!
I’ve lost some serious fitness lately due to lack of any specific training and lots of personal stuff going on and I have huge goals for next year so I am also finding myself having doubts and getting frustrated. BUT I just keep telling myself that the fitness will come back just like yours will!
I’m flying to Houston for a HIM in November and I’m already having nightmares about flying wit h Merlin….
And I totally hear ya on the running deal. Just remember, speed and endurance will come and you will be stronger than EVER. IM base does amazing things.
I did a back-to-back Oly (Sat) and Sprint (Sun) this past weekend. Going fast hurt. But in a (sorta) good way.
I guess that it is kind of good that you paid the extra insurance though, right? So you should be more fully compensated for the damage? That is so frustrating though!! Keep workin’ back in slowly to your running. I’m sure after a little more time your strength and speed will be back in action!
So sorry about Dora! I hope that there will be a fix for her.
Aw, bummer about the bike. That sucks.
I’m going through the same thing with my hip injury & making some form changes. One mile at a time + loss of fitness = sooooooo frustrating. Definitely all about patience.
That really stinks about your bike! I hope they cover it fully… The trails you ran on look beautiful. I wish the trails around here were so well groomed and not so rooty.