Biomechanical Nightmare

I don’t have much update in terms of progress but I continue to get more information about my body, and I always say information is power.

Dr Mautner referred me to his colleague, Brian Yee, for physical therapy. I already knew my glutes were weak, and my hamstrings were tight — and that both of these issues were relatively big pieces within the puzzle of problems, but it is becoming clear to me how big they really are. Brian did various exercises and stretches with me, only to shake his head to say bluntly, “You are a biomechanical nightmare, Carole.”
“C’mon. Is it that bad?”, I asked.
“Yes.”

I never thought I would hear that my butt didn’t work, but it doesn’t. My glutes are so dormant, due to years of inactivity (therefore domination of quads...

Awakenings….

6:15am this morning, my phone rings.

???! Other than my swim coach, Tim Storsteen, who has been known to call at 5am to be sure my lame-ass is getting up for swimming , not really anyone calls me this early. I was awake but hibernating under 16lbs of down comforter… I grabbed the phone and pulled it under the covers with me… “hellllo?” I mumbled.

It’s Gollnick. And she’s cheery and LOUD, as usual.
“Hi Sharpie!”
I heard her smiling on the other end and all I could think about was wanting Starbucks.
“You’re nuts, Heather…”
“I just got back from the race in Chile. I’m in the Miami Airport waiting for my 9am flight....

Bitch-slapping

I thought this was pretty funny. I was talking with JZ, telling her about the latest doctor visits, PT, how I was feeling, etc. I told her I was increasing my running in line with doctor approval; she seemed to agree with that decision. I then asked what she thought about me doing a 5k in a couple weeks, “for fun”. I mentioned several of my athletes were doing the Tybee 1/2 and there was a 5k associated with it. I thought it’d be fun to do. “What do you think about me doing it?”, I asked.

Without missing a beat, completely deadpan she answered, “Not a chance in Hell.”

I laughed into the phone, saying ok. There was no discussion about it, just her blunt response. She is always so direct and isn’t swayed in the slightest by my ridiculous notions, even the things I truly want to do. It makes me laugh how she just bitch-slaps me, without hesitation, right back into reality. I wouldn’t...

Snow in Atlanta?

Recently my dear friend, Liz (I’ve affectionately nicknamed ‘Lizard’), blew through Atlanta from DC to defend her dissertation. I was able to spend a couple days with her staying at my house; it was wonderful to have her around. I think she will now have to answer to the moniker, ‘Dr Lizard’.

This week was crazy in Atlanta… “winter storm” for us. Flurries that accumulated maybe an inch but people went nutzo with snowball fights, sledding down any incline they could find, and stocking up on canned goods as if we were headed for a bomb shelter. Southerners!...

This morning was my longest swim since October 3. I swam 3400 at Westminster and felt like an out of shape oaf. Our main set was 5x . I only made 1 of the 200’s. Man. The fitness will come back, I am not as worried about that. But my back certainly was aching by the end. I’m not able to tell if it’s the flipturns or the pushing off the wall that does it, but something sets it off.

Yesterday I did an indoor trainer ride for 1 hour – dismounted to the same pain. With seemingly no improvement whatsoever, my frustration is mounting.

Without being able to train right now, it is difficult to plan my season, short-term included. Dede Griesbauer and I have been trying to plan a training trip in Feb, but without knowing what I’ll be doing (if anything) all of that is at a standstill. She has been so patient, and will likely have to go at it alone someplace warm, escaping the frigid Boston cold. Likewise, Paolina...