After a LONG 6 days of racing last week I have a new perspective and respect for cycling and the pros that spend the entire summer (and longer) traveling, racing and not much else.  It was an amazing experience and every day I learned so much about technique, racing, strategy, and my own athletic limitations.  I did not finish in the top 10 or even in the top group for any stage, but I did FINISH and that says a lot for how hard the course was and being my cycling first race.

Day 1, Monday- 2,5 km – Prologue
  When we arrived on Day 1, September 3rd, there was the Prologue that evening with a 2,5km time trial.  I was shaking just going up to the launch podium and almost pedaled right out of the starters hands before they gave me the count down to go.  However short, it was exhilarating to race through the streets with a car honking behind you and people shouting along the course.  I gave it an all out effort and felt my muscles and lungs had also once I crossed the line.  The rest of the evening I had a cough that I had not felt since running indoor track at the armory (armory cough) where the stale dry air and deep breathing under such an effort causes something shake around down in the lungs.

Day 2, Tuesday- 125,6 km
  I was nervous from the start, and not knowing that there were 2 “neutral” loops around the town made things worse considering the tight turns, cars on the side, sidewalks, oh, and can’t forget bikes EVERYWHERE.  I was just trying not to fall, knock someone down or freak out with all the chaos.  Then once we headed out of the small french town I felt like Simba in the stampede scene of The Lion King.  I was overtaken in all directions by cyclists and then left in the dust of solitude.  I tried as hard and fought like crazy to stay on anybody passing so that I would stay with the group and not have such a hard time later over the 125km course.  But it was no use.  The group I was able to stay on broke up quickly as they jumped behind passing cars to get a “ride” to the front group.  I found out later that this initial sprint wasn’t normal and happened partly because of the wind, and partly because of a 10km bonus prize of 500 euro that everyone was going for.
  So after the first 25km of all out struggle and pushing my muscles straight down lactic acid alley I settled my mind into the unbelievable thought of 100km alone.  Well, not completely alone, there was a USA girl attached on that I asked if she wanted to work together.  We traded off a bit, but after another 30km she was obviously spent and couldn’t lead anymore.  I found out she was a junior rider using this race as a prep for world championships.
  We rode on, up small hills and down long open roads through the french country side.  No assistant car or water/feeding stations, just one Swiss team car that stopped and gave us a Fanta that was much needed, and a water.  I don’t think I had ever enjoyed orange soda more in my life.  At about 80km the US girl couldn’t hold on any more and I was alone behind an assistant motorcycle that stopped at the round-a bouts to block traffic.  I held a constant push of the pedals and kept telling my body to try and go faster for the simple thought of being over the max time and out of the race.
  125km alone, at all out effort was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and when I saw the 5km to go I couldn’t believe it.  But that last 15km wasn’t a stroll to the finish, it was along the main river against the wind, that made it last just that much longer.  I finally crossed the line, exhausted and dehydrated beyond belief but relieved to have finished.  Oh, but that wasn’t the finish… just day 1!!  That evening I was just afraid thinking that it had only begun.

Tomorrow I leave for my first cycling race.
Tour de L’Ardeche.
http://www.tcfia.com/

From 3 September to 8 September

Monday- 2,5 km time trial
Tuesday- 125,6 km
Wednesday- morning- 2,5 km time trial, afternoon- 91,7 km
Thursday- 129,8 km
Friday- 105,3 km
Saturday- 98 km

  Even though the cycling season is coming to a close with the end of summer, for me it is only the beginning.
  After about 4 months of cycling, and 3 months of harder training I am racing in my first cycling race that will give me my first experience and taste of what the sport is really about.  After seeing the opportunity of cycling and transitioning from the running world, I never thought things would come together so fast and I would actually be able to race before next year.  Many people and coaches said that coming from a long distance running background I wouldn’t have a hard time getting the feel and endurance for cycling.  This week I will see how in shape I am and how hard it is to stick on the group and work up the mountains of France.

The team bike … a step up from old tank.  Super fast and so much fun to ride!

   After 13 years of running competitively, from elementary school, through high school, college and then about 2 and half years of running in New Mexico and then in Italy, it looks like that chapter is coming to a close.  I am one to never say never, so running in my life is definitely not over.  I still see myself as an 80 year old lady hobbling through to finish a marathon or local fun run.  This is not the end… no quiting, giving up, throwing in the towel… I am the stoic and unyielding Irena… but simply a transition.
   Many trains pass by in our lives and the successes and failures we have are all about the trains we choose to jump on or let go.  This summer, one of those trains for me has been cycling.  I have always loved bike riding, and since I arrived in Italy last May I have been using biking as cross training for running and also as a chance to see the landscape of my area.  That’s probably one of the reasons why this transition has not been so hard, scary or difficult to decide on.
   The places I’ve been able to see, the views from the tops of the mountains, and the rush of climbing and racing down the hills has made me fall in love with cycling.  This has made gradually riding more kilometers and running less a bit easier to bear.  I have always been told that the only way cyclists get injured is by falling or getting sick from the cold air (which in the past 2 months I’ve learned first hand from 2 falls where one landed me in the hospital for the night after getting hit by a car and planting my face to the ground).
   But this past year has been a constant battle of running injuries and a rollercoaster of training where I was able to build mileage and speed to a great level, and then BAM … injury!  I’ve always know that running is a balance of mileage and subduing any oncoming injuries, but it’s frustrating when you work so hard and all your focus is on something that consistently throws you with disappointment.
   Don’t get me wrong, I love and will always love running, but for now I have take another opportunity and jump on another train… or bike.

I wrote this post a LONG time ago and never posted it… so figured why waste and just throw it out there…

So it’s already the beginning of November and I am just now updating my blog.  Oops.  I’ve come a long way since July and it’s a shame I haven’t written or kept up with this thing.  After the Jackpot run I started a series of races near Bergamo (about 2 hours away from my town).  These races were part of a 6 race circuit where the runners accumulated points from each race and after 5 races were placed as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on.  I used these road races as training to get over my calf injury and have some fun competing and getting back into running hard.  I finished 3rd which I was pretty happy about considering I wasn’t in very good shape and also wasn’t at the last race.
  And…the reason I wasn’t at the last race was because I was in St. Moritz, Switzerland, training for two weeks at altitude.  I had just started training with this new coach here in Italy (Silvano) and these two weeks were great to get to know each other better and to finally get over my calf problems.  Since my injury was just passing and communication with Lenny back in Santa Fe wasn’t so great for running and figuring out the Italian racing program, Silvano was a great person to turn to for help.  Leaving St. Moritz I had a new drive for running again and I felt like I was finally in the clear for real training again.
   With Silvano we set up a plan and goals to work on my running technique, mechanics to run more efficiently, and overall economy to use track races as training to get ready for cross country season in the winter.  After racing a couple 3ks that went alright and then a 5k, I raced in Sulmona for the Gold team level national championships.  At the end of September I spent the weekend with my team in central Italy in this small town near L’Aquila (where the large earthquake happened a few years ago), where I raced the 5k, placing 12th and our team placed 2nd which was expected since the 1st place team is super charged with pro runners.  This was the last official track meet and while people took time off and rested after the long track season I was just getting started.
Training since September has been fun and interesting.  With the new technique and training style of Silvano I am always on my toes and there are often sudden changes in day-to-day training.  I’m so used to Lenny’s and Coach Wood’s planning and long layed out schedules that were relatively straightforward and seldom changed without notice.  Silvano sends me a schedule for the week or a couple weeks, but I have learned that it is only a rough guide and he may either have me do a race one day or a workout another day that changes everything.  And things are very dependent on feel and adjusted based on how a certain workout or run went.  These are definitely positives, where it is important to not get stuck in routine and to maintain good communication and adaptation with training and a coach.  But I am so used to have pretty strict schedules to follow that these changes catch me off guard most of the time.
  Since my running form is so stiff and inefficient, we are also working on my stride, turnover and foot placement.  By doing exercises with the jump rope, small hurdles, and large hurdles I have become and am becoming lighter on my turnover and using my calves to push off more rather then the force and strength of my quads.  It is a work in progress and Silvano says things are getting better, I can feel it too and definitely notice that I’m in good shape and running fast.
  This next Sunday is the first cross country meet of the season.  And in Silvano’s words, he’s curious to see me race.  I am really excited also to get out there and race and see how I do.  Since my injuries are pretty much cleared up and I am just dealing with on and off calf pains and the occasional rolled ankle I am able to train 100% and get some good tempo and repeat workouts in.

   To step back and give a quick run down of what happened since this post:  In this race I finished 10th, among the top cross country runner in Italy.  It was a good start to the cross country/winter season, but at the end of December I was hit with an injury in my calf and forced to spend the rest of the season building up again.  Spring went well for training after spending a couple months back in the states, but summer racing wasn’t as encouraging and results not coming through as I had hoped.

All last week I spent my days frustrated with injury and uncertainty with my training of how to go forward with biking and running.  Things were made worse by a cold that kept me suffering from Wednesday of two weeks ago to last Thursday.  Just over a week where I tried in the beginning to run and ride through it, and then finally gave in and spent Monday and Tuesday resting at home with very little activity.  Finally Wednesday I went on an afternoon bike ride that was probably one of the best rides I’ve gone on since I arrived, just from the fact that I could breath and didn’t feel like my head was going to explode.  I don’t know how I caught this cold, whether it was from my friend’s baby who has been sick for a couple weeks or from “getting cold from wind” which is what Italians really like to pinpoint illness to.  It is possible that when I went to a friends house and jumped in the pool and got out just when a storm was arriving and the air was cooling off where my body was caught off-guard and some virus that was already brewing got a hold on my immune system.
 Either way, in the midst of fighting this cold I debated whether to do a road race on Friday (8th) that at the time I thought was not in the best interest of my training and body overall, but still wanted to do it.

I decided to do this road race, The Jackpot Run which was about 45 min away, instead of doing a local community race that would have been more of just relaxing and having fun then actually running.  I’m glad I chose the other race because it turned out to be raining in my town all evening and made the run pretty miserable.  The Jackpot Run on the other hand was about 200 people (50 women) all registered by local teams running 2 loops on street, dirt road and track.  It was a 5.7 km race where if the first man could break the record from the previous year (16:13) would win 500euro, and the women to do the same (record 19:17) would win 400euro.  The first man won in 16:09 and the first woman was 19:25.  Sucks for that lady since she was so close… I know if I were in shape, trying, and hadn’t been sick all the previous week I could have broke the record…. oh well.
My race went pretty well though despite..

Final Results:
1° Marzena Michalska (Fiamme Oro) 19’25″
2° Claudia Gelsomino (Atl. Palzola) 20’33″

4° Maria Cecilia D’Andrea (ARC Busto) 22’14″
5° Lorena Strozzi (Atl. Casorate) 22’26″
6° Paola Gobbo (Atl. Casorate) 22’31″

Its amazing how much energy you can waist just by swerving around people in the first couple kms to move up in the group.  After this period of people passing I settled in behind an older man in a red uniform that ended up pulling me through to the end.  Since 2km into the race I got an AWFUL stomach ache where I wanted to stop and throw-up every step of the way.  But this guy was encouraged me to catch the 2nd woman since she was only about 20 seconds ahead.  But considering, I was happy enough that I didn’t slow down even more and just hung on to his pace till the end.
After not racing for more then a month and only twice in the past year of training it was great to reignite my excitement and passion for running and racing.  Doing this road race released so much tension and frustration that had been building up and breaking me down over the past few weeks of injury and illness.  It got me excited to do more road races and not worry so much about track races and speed workouts that were the reason for my aggravated calf muscles and shin pain.  Even though I didn’t win, I tested my fitness and ability to be competitive that I know will be better next time and I will push myself more to be at the front.  I was attentive during this race and uncertain as how my right shin/calf would feel with this faster pace and effort, so I resisted any surges or extra strain on my legs (which I guess in some way the stomach ache was a good thing, because that way I wasn’t even able to pick it up and push the pace).

This week I will be focusing on getting some solid training in on the bike and running.  Doing some long easy rides in the morning and then heading to the track (but running on the grass) in the evening.  It’s getting pretty hot out here with temperatures reaching 31 degrees C (88 degrees F) and supposed to keep getting warmer, and humid during the day, but I’m able to get my work done in the morning and evening so it’s not too bad.
As of now I’m planning on doing another road race this Friday near Bergamo which is pretty far away but it’s part of a circuit of 6 races that the coach of my team suggested to do, so it could be good.

It’s incredible how much the dry winter and little rain this spring has affected New Mexico.  Being nearly 6,000 miles (9,500km) away from the situation I feel pretty removed, and yet hearing from family, friends, internet and the tidbits that the news here shows I am astounded by the magnitude of the fires and concerned for all those that had to evacuate Los Alamos and other places around the state and southwest.
As I spent this winter training on the roads and trails that are now either ablaze or ash-covered I was quite content with the lack of snow and my fortune to have a winter away from snowy roads and treadmills.  But during this time I knew that fire distress and the dry forests were a threatening risks that would certainly bring a summer inferno without rain and moisture.
As I “lucked out” to have a dry winter, I also happened to leave the desert of the U.S. and arrive in Italy just as the air was about to be replaced by smokey haze and dry wind.
I hear a lot from anyone in New Mexico about the fires and the lack of rain, and when my family or friends here ask me how things are back there the first thing that comes to mind is FIRES…  It is just recently that the news on TV has mentioned (for about 15 seconds) the fires that are consuming the southwest forests and threatening towns and homes.  No one here knows the danger that so many people are facing and because of this I feel detached from the anxiety of no rain.  Even in such a connected and globalized world, there is news, culture, lifestyles, and so much more that does not get transmitted across borders and distances.
In the past two month that I have been here everyone has been worried about too much rain.  As the month of May and June has been unusually wet and had more rainy days than most would like, the discomfort is simply a matter not being able to go outside or ruining a vacation at the beach.  But now as it seems summer has arrived, and with only one rainy day in the past week, everyone’s complaints have now turned to the heat and humidity…. its always something isn’t it???
I try to stay positive and embrace every situation, whether rain or shine… but can dry, wind and fires really be embraced, or is it possible to find a positive outlook on that situation too??

After such a long break of not writing, my new blog resolution is to be more committed to posting and also to start adding a translated segment in Italian…. eventually.
The following is my time-line of running and life events since November in New Mexico to Today in Italia:

COLD COLD WINTER:  Gradually increased training through the dry cold winter of New Mexico.  Temperatures reached record lows of -20 degrees F in Los Alamos and around -17 in Santa Fe in January,  and of course on one of these not so normal winter days I forgot to take my ear warmer to work and also decided it was a good idea to run outside where I got a nice dose of frostbite on my right ear.  The next day I ran on the treadmill at the gym, which ended up being one of the two days of treadmill running this winter.

Once the tights got pushed to the back of my closet and the shorts and tank-tops got promoted to their rightful place the real running started happening.  As spring arrived I reached my peak mileage in April with 80 and then 82 miles run in consecutive weeks.  I felt great and was happy to be hitting high mileage and feeling super fit.

THE CALF:  Only shortly after reaching my high mileage weeks for training I felt some muscles in my lower right calf feeling a bit strange.  When it first started, it just a sensation as though I had rolled my ankle (which I hadn’t) and the muscles were a bit tweeked and needed stretching.  I thought this feeling would go away, but it didn’t and ended up getting worse, where my calf and certain muscles became uncomfortably tight and running was do-able but only with a certain amount of discomfort in the first couple minutes of running till muscles got warmed up.

ITALIA:  As I had planned my arrival in Italy (of May 6th) around a race on May 15th in order to take advantage of the altitude training (which only lasts about 2 weeks), running became a matter of getting in the work and staying fit without making the injury worse. 

THE RACE:  Went alright, no spectacular time or even what I had wanted to hit (17:36), but finished knowing I could go faster.  In the first couple laps I stayed relaxed and didn’t go with the first group which ended up only being about 20m ahead of me for the rest of the race, while I was stuck in no-mans-land with a lone battle against the wind.  Furthermore, it didn’t help that with 3-4 laps to go my shoe came untied and I couldn’t really kick in without risking more damage to my right calf which was already in shambles.

RECOVERY:  The couple weeks following the race I tried various things to make my leg better, including rolling, icing, couple days of rest, biking, with no success.  Finally I was able to go to a physical therapist/trainer (last week of May) that the team I registered with shortly after arriving suggested.  She said my shin bone was quite weak (from too much running of course) and the muscles were trying to compensate for the pounding force of running and thus becoming strained.  She had me take 8 days off, with only biking (which I was not so sad about since I have found new passion in biking here in Italy).  On the 9th day I did a trial jog/run and had no pain.  After that she had me do every other day of light running and biking on the off days. 

THE FALL: Since the month of May in northern Italy ended up being a rainy monsoon (which unfortunately was not the case in New Mexico… fires), I was either stuck inside on the stationary bike, or being soaked by some down pore on my ride.  As a result of one of these wet rainy rides (Wed, June 8th to be exact) I was going too fast on a downhill turn and my bike lost traction and I ended up sliding about 10m before stopping in some grass.  The fall didn’t hurt, but I got a nice large spot of roadburn on my left hip and a cut on my calf.  In the following days treating the “burn” with the limited medical supplies I have here and odd creams and gells family members told me to use became the most annoying/painful part of the incident. 

THE QUAD: On the Saturday following the fall I had a trial easy “workout” of 4 x 10min med-hard pace to test my fitness and get some work in.  In the second repeat I felt my left quad muscles twitching and wanting to tighten up, then at 3 min. into the third the muscle actually started tightening and I stopped the workout then and there.  After some ice and stretching it didn’t feel so bad and biking on Sunday felt pretty good.  Monday however was brutal.  I went to the track and attempted to do an easy 35 min only to stop after 13 min with a completely tightened up quad.  I stretched as much as I could without making it worse, and then got home and iced every hour or so for the rest of the day.  The next couple days were spent with no running, or biking or activity at all, just rest, ice and little stretching.  By Thursday (June 16th) I was able to bike lightly with no pain or tightness.  From there I gradually built back into light jogging and biking to where I am today… on the track (haha, YES) to getting back into activity and running normally again.

It has been some time since my last post, but I think it’s probably just because I have been nervous to ruin my good streak of progress by jinxing myself.  At the beginning of October I began round two of recovery/starting to run, this time I made some changes and as I successfully completed 35 min. of jogging/running today I believe it is working.  The first time I started building up I had Lenny make me a schedule which I followed with little post run exercises or treatment (mostly because I wasn’t sure what to do, and I was scared that anything I might try could set me back).  This time around I:
1- only made a schedule as long as 1 week and made changes if I felt good or possible pain
2- I started rope stretching (from Jackie’s advise), (by the way Jackie is my athletic trainer friend from high school)… rope stretching really helps the hamstrings
3- I ice after every run or exercise, so I have no aching or pain in the evening at all
4- I do hamstring and strengthening exercises that she gave me – things like leg pull ins on an aeroball, or front-back-side-side band pulls with my injured leg.

After going to see Jackie for the first time in October she concluded that my returning pain was probably hamstring tendinitis and by coming back too fast caused the stress fracture spot to inflame.  I started out with 2min jog, 2min walk for 10 min the first week of October and and now am at just over 30 min. and hitting 8min. mile pace.  Which I would say is pretty good progress.  I am still taking everything one day at a time and not jumping into any new activity that might disturb the sleeping demon of my injured hamstring/pelvis.  I am quite optimistic of the future and am already day dreaming of an amazing 10 mile run, when I am actually just doing 20-30 min. slow on the track.  This whole process has been a test of patience and really listening to my body.

3- it’s all in my head and I am clinically insane to the point that I am imagining pain when it is not actually there….. yes, that is probably the most logical of the three