A week of cycling and a bit of inspiration....

Sitting down….. one of the worst things humans can do in terms of compromising their body placement, being forced into a position by aesthetically pleasing pieces of furniture that provide not enough/no postural support……but this afternoon it feels sooo good! With a few extra spin classes to cover, for the past week I have been mostly been parking myself on a small piece of padded leather and calling it my ‘office’. So, to relax (even if it is relaxing - ‘Sarah Style’) and not worry about having to try and 'remove' a saddle from my derriere at the end of writing this blog is quite a relief!

The end of the week normally sees me going into the weekend training sessions with some fatigue in my legs and ready to unwind. In other words, on a Saturday morning when all I want to do is drink coffee and chat with my husband, eat a relaxed breakfast and play ‘mega-blocks’ with Toby, I’m hitting the tarmac for a 4 hour ride at 6am. Sunday: repeat (but complete as a bike-run brick session). So this Sunday I was trundling on the bike (yes, ‘trundling’, a word I use when I’m just trying to keep my normal pace but rather unsuccessfully). I was cursing the wisp of wind that was in my face and two excuses for legs that felt like lead. Then, on the podcast I was listening to (IM Talk), came an interview with two people who completed Ironman Cairns in Australia. No biggie eh? People complete Ironman races all.the.time. It’s a bucket list tick for many. This story struck me though. 

The lady being interviewed, Sharn McNeil, up until a few years ago was a happy, healthy Nurse who participated in triathlon quite successfully. Then, in 2013, at the age of 30 she was given the life-shattering news that she was suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS, (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or Charcot's disease, and motor neuron disease (MND)) attacks certain cells in the brain and spinal cord needed to keep our muscles moving. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed and ultimately suffer respiratory failure. The diagnosis bought Sharn’s life to a screeching halt, and became the beginning of an incredible and inspiring journey.

She, and a team of family & friends formed Shining4Sharn, a team who decided that the fast-acting disease would not deter her from achieving her Ironman dream. Luckily, many event organizers allow assisted athletes (another subject that I’m passionate about, after helping launch the Para-triathlete movement between the three UK Armed Forces Triathlon Associations) during their races; allowing people with all limitations to compete. Sharn’s friend and race partner, Craig, wore a harness that pulled her on a kayak on the 2.4 mile swim leg; her recumbent bicycle was attached to his bike during the 112 mile ride and he assisted her with a wheelchair, when needed, on the marathon.  Not content with being a passenger, Sharn’s bike, with the help of Specialized & Shimano, was also modified to allow her to actually pedal throughout the race. The pair met every race cut-off and, after 16 gruelling hours, 24 minutes and 21 seconds, Sharn was able to see all of her supporters cheering as she was assisted in walking to the finish line to hear those 4 special words: YOU. ARE. AN. IRONMAN.

The tragedy of this disease is that there is no known cause or cure. Furthermore, the patterns of weakness and rate of progression vary from person to person, making any research effort extremely challenging. Sharn’s particular type of MND is the most aggressive form and life expectancy is 2-5 years. So, not content with just completing an Ironman, Sharn has continued to fight for more attention and funding for research into the disease and inspired others to do the same.

“I accept it because somehow I must be the best person to deal with it – or else it wouldn’t be my journey. Fighting it won’t help. That will only make me weaker – and waste my energy on futile effort. My daily symptoms tell me I’ve got what I’ve got, I know that. I need to embrace it and work with it.”

Now, as my family and ever-devoted husband will attest to, when sympathy was being handed out, I kind of missed that line. I’m hard and critical on myself and extend similar to those around me  However, this podcast caught me off guard and for the rest of the ride made me consider things in life which I take for granted or curse myself for not being able to do. It wasn’t a ‘the world looks brighter now’ moment but just a realization that this body is moving me from A to B (and all the way to Z most of the time), day in-day out, without much complaint or grief. Those heavy legs, instead of being mocked for not being strong on this particular ride, should perhaps be given a bit of credit for a week of heavy training. It just made me think. A LOT.

Now, I’m sure that I will continue to have moments of self-criticism of my performance during training and racing but this story has served as a take away a lesson, inspiration if you will, that even when faced with threat and uncertainty, the human body can do amazing things. The story of this inspirational woman and the cruel debilitating disease she is dealing with each day, is just one example of someone pushing themselves to show that a disease, although limiting them physically, does not define them. We all battle our own demons, but direction in the form of sport or any other challenge can expose our real mettle beneath.

You are stronger than you think.

Happy Training friends. 

TF

x

If you would like to learn more about Sharn and her battle, please visit: 

http://www.shining4sharn.com.au/howyoucanhelp/

Don't squat with yer spurs on.....

Its been a busy week in the Wilcox House and the world of Turbo Fit. We have expanded the business to the ‘Online’ world of training and this week saw the initial assessments with my first Online clients, via FaceTime! Yay! I’m very excited to see where this leads and I have so many different ideas of how to keep people on track, remotely and bring an injection of motivation and variety into their training! Elsewhere, other Turbo Fit athletes were completing their taper for triathlon races this weekend; so as a coach I love to keep on top of what they are doing in their countdown to race day. It’s also been a busy client week at Anytime Fitness, the gym where I am also a Personal Trainer, here in Fallon. We are a relatively new gym (read 2 months old) in town and there are a lot of people starting out on their own fitness journey. It's great to meet so many different people; all with their own stories & experiences to tell too!  

When I'm out training, I often see Fallon's 'real life' cowboys - 
I saw this and thought it completely appropriate for our little town!

For me, this week was a recovery week with regards to training. I currently train on a 3 weeks 'on' / 1 week 'recover' periodized training schedule. This means that the three weeks of ‘normal’ training sees a gradual build up of distance and intensity, pushing limits and generally working hard. Saying that, workouts are scheduled so I can optimize recovery in between sessions so I go into each one raring to go. By the end of week 3 however, I’m feeling the training effects, am a little fatigued; physiologically & psychologically. As with any plan, it never survives first contact with the enemy….every day life. As much as my coach Stef plans for the perfect week, alas it never normally goes to plan. Who can plan for the perfect week when you have a tiny person who is susceptible to coughs/colds/broken sleep and just loves to share any ‘bug’ he comes into contact with, with his mum?! So I find my self swapping sessions about a little to make sure I can complete them all; I also have to recognize when a session or two just needs to drop off (as much as I hate doing that!). Historically I have been known to try and complete a couple of swims, a run and a bike all in one day! However, after a few years of educating myself, I know that if I feel fatigued, sore, or injured, then I need take a step back and allow myself to heal/recover. If I feel strong, then I know I keep pushing the workouts. I hate missing training , however with less than 2 months to go I have to ensure I stay on top of good nutrition, recovery and of course spot those tell-tale signs! Although sometimes it takes an outside influence to make me realize it! (thank you Chris, Stefan & Judith). 

During the final hour of my long 2-2.5 hour runs, my boys sometimes join me.
That always helps me pick up my pace! 

So, after 3 weeks of hard work comes a recovery week. Despite the vision that the word ‘recovery’ brings, unfortunately its not quite lazy summer days filled with leisurely breakfasts followed by coffee & cake, supping Piña Coladas whilst watching the sun go down each evening! Recovery week is the week in which generally training volume and intensity is lowered; a chance to ease off and focus on things like technique or form. Although it sometimes sees me taking on a test set in the pool or on the track, I might complete some speed work or perhaps I might be working on one discipline harder than another for a session or so. Either way, by the end of it I’m still looking forward to that all important rest day.

Rest day for the Wilcoxes is always a misnomer. If we are not tied to a schedule due to childcare, work or training then we like to escape our small town. Even just for a few hours. We live in the middle of the desert, and despite all the basics we need being here, it doesn’t have the amount of facilities you would find in a big city. Sure, we can entertain ourselves quite happily over a weekend as Fallon is host to a number of events: the Cantaloupe Festival (yep, a festival about melons!), the Rodeo, local Raceway events and much more. However, our favorite getaway is Lake Tahoe. A 90 minutes trundle up the road and you are eyewitness to one of the most spectacular lakes in the world. At just over 6000ft at lake level, it’s roads, waters and trails make it a triathlete’s picture perfect playground. With me on a rest day, it was Chris’ turn to take his bike for a spin along the shores of the ‘Lake of Crystal Clear Waters’. The road that snakes it’s way around the Lake takes riders on some impressive climbs; some short and sharp, others  force you up a 1000ft within a relatively short distance. Compared to the flat riding of Fallon (and Lincolnshire, where we lived in the UK), the breath-taking Alpine Lake view on one side of you, versus the craggy mountainside on the other is something that reverts you to a child-like state; making you want to go ‘wwwhhhheeeeee’ as you zoom down the back side of a climb! (I always get a few odd looks when doing that…!) Awesome stuff!

Squeal and giggles in Lake Tahoe!

So come the afternoon it was time to settle down for some family fun at the dog friendly beach near South Lake. Toby loves swimming, so Chris wasted no time on getting him into the lake whilst our Border Collie spent a few frantic hours chasing a stick in and out of the water.  Sand everywhere, water everywhere and one tired dog and baby. Home for a quick BBQ and the rest day is complete!

So we are on a 7 week countdown to race day now. Training will become a little more intense and race focussed over the next few weeks and will settle down leading when I start to taper. Onwards and upwards (or should that be forwards?)!

Until next week friends, Happy Training! 

TF xx