So I have been in training mode for quite awhile over the winter months. Ahh, my training has consisted of many bike rides in my basement on the ole trainer (woo hoo?), long rides with great people at Strider's spining group, running on the treadmill, and of course putting the yards in the pool. Training has been going well as I feel much more controlled and stronger than where I was at this time from last year. I like this! Well, I am coming up on first race of the season. A draft legal sprint race in Clermont, FL. I am really looking forward to this experience. This will be my first race I am traveling to without Ross, which will feel quite strange. I know I will prefer to have him there. :)
Anyway, leading up to my first race, I have been learning more and more about the ways my body is vulnerable to injuries and the things I can do to help prevent further injuries. I was pondering my understanding of my body as I ramp up training. I have been working closely with physical therapists, primarily Ryan Tanis, from Shoreline Sport and Spine over the past few years. As I have grown as an athlete, I have learned valuable information about how my body functions as a whole system with the help of my physical therapist. I did not realize the extent of the effects from even subtle off balances in the body. As my physical therapist explained, my body is like a Ferrari meaning I am a fairly fine tuned "machine" due to my level of training. When there is one glitch (e.g., like the hip joint is not performing with as much flexibility as it should be), the whole system can be impacted in some way even if it is a subtle glitch. Many people wouldn't necessarily notice a slight balance difference on their foot plant or that there is a slightly uneven hip tightness occuring. But when you are putting your body to the limits, you tend to notice many slight "discrepencies" that could impede performance. I have had to learn to listen to my body and have learned the hard way in the past as I have suffered from stress fractures and hip bursitis. It has been a process (as I am still learning) for me to understand when I might need to ask my physical therapist for help with new stretches or other avenues of keeping the body functioning in a way that allows for the best performance to prevent injury. I cannot tell you how helpful having a physical therapist to work with has been. What a blessing! I really appreciate the perspective and understanding that if one muscule group, joint, etc. is not functioning properly, that there might be a connection or cause somewhere else in the body preventing another structure to do its job. Therefore, it seems like the "root" of the problem is more likely to be addressed, thus, keep the body performing in the best possible systematic way. I have gained a new understanding of the body as a muscular system, which is important for an athlete who wants to keep pushing their body.
