March 11, 2009

I am happy to announce that although the past few months I have been struggling with left over Ironman pain, I am happy to finally say all systems are go. For a while I was a bit nervous because every time I worked out I was getting this groin pain that I was not able to knock. After a MRI and bone scan it looks like everything is clear and what my issue comes down to is function. During both my pregnancies I was put in the category of AMA (Advanced Maternal Age). It really would piss me off because with my first pregnancy I was only 35 and I turned 36 a month after she was born. With baby number 2, I was 38-clearly putting me in the category. Well, now that I am approaching the big 40 in September and after seeing I was one of the “oldest” on the professional start list at Ironman in 08, I have put myself in the AAA category of sports (Advanced Athletic Age). I have come to accept this phase of my life and actually I am really enjoying it. See, I did all the long, overtraining type of training years ago, so now I am learning that I need to focus on strength. That is what the results of all my test came to; “you need to hit the gym”, is what I was told by my ortho. I started triathlon in 1995 and have never done a strength program, who has the time right? For 13 years I just did the same stuff, I would get aches and pains, I would get a massage and it would go away. In the off season I would do nothing physically, literally nothing. Then I would go from being sedentary for 8-10 weeks to swimming, biking and running, no weights. I know, I know, I know, I look super strong. It is a facade unfortunately. The more lean I would get my muscles just showed more but they didn’t really do much. So, now at the age of 39.5, I am hitting the gym. That is my focus workout 3-4 times a week. And you know what, it is working. I still have the groin pain here and there but it has improved a TON and all my other work outs seem to be better. I can’t help but now understand what Dara Torres was doing with her training as she prepared for trials and the games last summer; focusing on strength. If I had the pocket book that she did I would do the same thing, really take the gym to another level and lay a bit lower on the other training. For now, I will just keep doing what I am doing, hitting the gym and then getting to the swim, bike and run part of my program. As I said a little bit ago, I love the AAA part of my life; makes training more fun and interesting.

let it go,
Gina