I don't really put much stock in this stuff but I do believe these types of things give you some perspective and make you really think about life. This one seems perfect for me right now. So here it is...
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when things came easier. It might just feel uphill both ways today. That's about to change, but when it does, don't lose the fortitude you've developed.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Update....
My life has been pretty hectic lately trying to juggle Skinfit, the bike shop job, coaching, rehab, doctor appointments, training, etc. I don't have much free time these days but it is all good and things are moving in the right direction (for the most part). Still a lot of uncertainty with the knee. At this stage we are trying to rule out certain things and fighting to find a diagnosis. Yesterday and today I am trying to aggravate my knee with hard riding and running and at 10:15 this morning I will get an injection to numb the interarticular joint. If the pain goes away instantly then it indicates that I have something wrong deep inside my knee (probably with the cartilage) and I will likely need a scope to see what is really wrong in there and hopefully get it surgically repaired. If the pain remains then it is a soft tissue issue most likely and I will continue on the path I have been on with rehab, ART, and time.
I am a bit torn here b/c part of me just wants a diagnosis and wants to move forward with whatever needs to be done, but part of me is a bit nervous that they are going to find a more serious issue that will likely plague me for the rest of my life and restrict me from doing the sports I love at the level I want. We will see today I guess (or not see since no one can figure out what is wrong). It is all a guessing game at this point.
Yesterday I rode for 2 hrs pretty hard and ran for 40 min at a good clip on a hilly course. My knee certainly felt it but it tolerated the hard training pretty well actually. I thought it would bother me more this morning but right now it doesn't feel too bad. Of course, I need it to hurt before my appointment so I am running again this morning to flare it up. I even stopped taking NSAID's and icing to make sure it is acting up. This has been really hard for me since I have been nursing this thing for 6 months. I basically had to go against everything I believe in regarding injury/illness and push to the point of pain...this all for a diagnosis. If it remains a soft tissue issue then I am sure these two days of hard training will set me back several weeks but, then again, what do I have to lose right now. I can't go on like this if I want to race in 2010 so we are taking all the steps necessary now to come up with something.
On another note, Skinfit had another successful World Championship weekend with Lesley Paterson and Nico Lebrun both placing second and Christine Jeffrey placing 9th. Stoked to see our athletes doing so well and living the Skinfit lifestyle. I am also really excited to see our NEW website...it should be done in the next couple weeks and it is going to be so nice!
--Nice green Speedsuit Nico!
--Lesley rocking the red Speedsuit!
So, that is it form here. I will let you all know how it shakes out today. Wish me luck! Have fun out there.
I am a bit torn here b/c part of me just wants a diagnosis and wants to move forward with whatever needs to be done, but part of me is a bit nervous that they are going to find a more serious issue that will likely plague me for the rest of my life and restrict me from doing the sports I love at the level I want. We will see today I guess (or not see since no one can figure out what is wrong). It is all a guessing game at this point.
Yesterday I rode for 2 hrs pretty hard and ran for 40 min at a good clip on a hilly course. My knee certainly felt it but it tolerated the hard training pretty well actually. I thought it would bother me more this morning but right now it doesn't feel too bad. Of course, I need it to hurt before my appointment so I am running again this morning to flare it up. I even stopped taking NSAID's and icing to make sure it is acting up. This has been really hard for me since I have been nursing this thing for 6 months. I basically had to go against everything I believe in regarding injury/illness and push to the point of pain...this all for a diagnosis. If it remains a soft tissue issue then I am sure these two days of hard training will set me back several weeks but, then again, what do I have to lose right now. I can't go on like this if I want to race in 2010 so we are taking all the steps necessary now to come up with something.
On another note, Skinfit had another successful World Championship weekend with Lesley Paterson and Nico Lebrun both placing second and Christine Jeffrey placing 9th. Stoked to see our athletes doing so well and living the Skinfit lifestyle. I am also really excited to see our NEW website...it should be done in the next couple weeks and it is going to be so nice!
--Nice green Speedsuit Nico!
--Lesley rocking the red Speedsuit!
So, that is it form here. I will let you all know how it shakes out today. Wish me luck! Have fun out there.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
What I have learned this year...
This post is mostly for me...a chance for me to document what I have learned in the past year. It has been the most challenging year of my life but when I look back I have learned more about myself and life in general then ever before. I would have to say in some respects it has been the most rewarding year of my life because Jess and I took a big leap of faith, struggled to make it, and now finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am a big believer that risk is required to achieve your dreams...we took big risks and we are stronger for it. We were forced to be resourceful, creative, and think outside the box. We had been through this type of situation when we first graduated college and moved to Colorado. After CO we moved back to CA and for years never had to worry about money, cars, insurance, etc. We left it all (well, Jess supported me as I chased my dreams and left corporate America)to go back to being financially broke but rich is passion, happiness and love. It has been hard but I have never regretted our decisions and I have never looked back..."Do not look back and ask why, look forward and ask, why not?"
Here is a list of what I have learned...
1. Chase your dreams with all of your heart and never look back
2. Shoot for the moon even when others think your crazy and your way out of your league (always have a lofty goal that seems a bit crazy...you never know)
3. Be true to yourself (even in the face of criticism)
4. Live your life without regret (never look back and wonder "what if?")
5. Always find the positive in situations (b/c there is always something positive)
6. Live in the moment
7. Stay humble
8. Be patient
9. Embrace your health b/c you never know when it can be taken away
10. No amount of money can bring about happiness...happiness is a state of mind
11. Sometimes you have to get knocked down to realize what really matters in life
12. If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything
13. Don't pass judgement on people before you understand their situation and where they are coming from
14. There have been many days when I wake up in fear that I won't succeed but I have learned to turn that fear into motivation and to chase my dreams harder
15. Look well beyond what is practical and always think outside of the box
16. Never settle b/c when you do you stop dreaming and if you stop dreaming you might as well be dead
17. You only have one shot at this life so make it count
18. I would rather die poor and happy then rich and full of regret that I didn't follow my heart and true passions in life
19. Life is never easy but if you fight and you believe in yourself you will land on your feet
20. Treat EVERYONE with respect (until they do something to lose that respect)
21. Inspire others anyway you can
22. Give without expecting anything in return
23. Put a smile on your face and laugh at yourself as often as possible
24. ALWAYS find time for family and friends
25. Balance in life is the key to success and happiness
26. Don't fall victim to other peoples negativity
27. Be spontaneous...it keeps you young and laughing
28. Actions speak louder then words
29. Calm down and let things roll off your back
30. Be honest and genuine
31. A lot of people want to talk to you for the wrong reasons, very few for the right reasons. The very few are your true friends.
32. Dogs always make you happier!
33. Step back, take a deep breath and think about everything before you act/respond
34. Sometimes you just need to scream aloud or cry...do it b/c you will feel much better
35. Everyone has something to teach you whether it be positive or negative
These are all lessons I would like to share with my children, nieces, nephews someday but,on one hand, these are all lessons we probably have to learn on our own....life is a journey and all these ups and Downs in life that trigger these emotional responses carry more weight when your forced to do some soul searching and figure it all out on your own. I am sure when I was a kid (or even 30 years old for that matter) there have been times when my parents kept their mouths shut and just let me make my decisions, knowing full-well that I would fall on my face and not succeed. I wouldn't call this a bad thing b/c it forced me to be resilient, learn from my mistakes, and move on with life.
Here's to a successful 2010...dreams never die!
Here is a list of what I have learned...
1. Chase your dreams with all of your heart and never look back
2. Shoot for the moon even when others think your crazy and your way out of your league (always have a lofty goal that seems a bit crazy...you never know)
3. Be true to yourself (even in the face of criticism)
4. Live your life without regret (never look back and wonder "what if?")
5. Always find the positive in situations (b/c there is always something positive)
6. Live in the moment
7. Stay humble
8. Be patient
9. Embrace your health b/c you never know when it can be taken away
10. No amount of money can bring about happiness...happiness is a state of mind
11. Sometimes you have to get knocked down to realize what really matters in life
12. If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything
13. Don't pass judgement on people before you understand their situation and where they are coming from
14. There have been many days when I wake up in fear that I won't succeed but I have learned to turn that fear into motivation and to chase my dreams harder
15. Look well beyond what is practical and always think outside of the box
16. Never settle b/c when you do you stop dreaming and if you stop dreaming you might as well be dead
17. You only have one shot at this life so make it count
18. I would rather die poor and happy then rich and full of regret that I didn't follow my heart and true passions in life
19. Life is never easy but if you fight and you believe in yourself you will land on your feet
20. Treat EVERYONE with respect (until they do something to lose that respect)
21. Inspire others anyway you can
22. Give without expecting anything in return
23. Put a smile on your face and laugh at yourself as often as possible
24. ALWAYS find time for family and friends
25. Balance in life is the key to success and happiness
26. Don't fall victim to other peoples negativity
27. Be spontaneous...it keeps you young and laughing
28. Actions speak louder then words
29. Calm down and let things roll off your back
30. Be honest and genuine
31. A lot of people want to talk to you for the wrong reasons, very few for the right reasons. The very few are your true friends.
32. Dogs always make you happier!
33. Step back, take a deep breath and think about everything before you act/respond
34. Sometimes you just need to scream aloud or cry...do it b/c you will feel much better
35. Everyone has something to teach you whether it be positive or negative
These are all lessons I would like to share with my children, nieces, nephews someday but,on one hand, these are all lessons we probably have to learn on our own....life is a journey and all these ups and Downs in life that trigger these emotional responses carry more weight when your forced to do some soul searching and figure it all out on your own. I am sure when I was a kid (or even 30 years old for that matter) there have been times when my parents kept their mouths shut and just let me make my decisions, knowing full-well that I would fall on my face and not succeed. I wouldn't call this a bad thing b/c it forced me to be resilient, learn from my mistakes, and move on with life.
Here's to a successful 2010...dreams never die!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
My focus (for now)
I have been hitting the strength sessions pretty hard at Rehab United. The crew there is kicking my butt and I am really enjoying the hard work. I figure since my knee is on the mend I am going to take a small step back from the aerobic conditioning I have been seeking and missing. I love being out riding and running but my knee obviously needs more time to heal (I will certainly ride, run and swim some but just enough to be satisfied and keep the muscles working). My knee holds up really well during these strength sessions, which tells me it is getting better. Plus, since it is October and no racing is in the near future I can just focus entirely on building functional strength that will pay huge dividends in 2010. I am not doing the traditional weight lifting movements. The focus is on dynamic strengthening movements across all axes--forward, backward, sideways, diagonal. I do a lot of really explosive jumping with both legs and single-leg. Seriously, I am doing some really cool, off-the-wall stuff that is making me so much stronger all around. Plus, my stretching routine is money...dynamic stretches in a cage that really increases mobility. I have seen huge gains in the last 2 months with regards to mobility and range of motion.
I have been getting ART twice a week from Patrick O'Shea at Rehab United and it is working wonders. He is really working my adductor, sartorious, quad and it seems as though he is breaking up some major scar tissue. The root of the problem is that we don't have a diagnosis for my knee. Nobody can say for certain what the issue is, which is crazy in my mind. One crash, 5 months later and we still don't know what is causing the knee pain.
I even got another MRI...Bryan and Mike at Rehab United hooked up a free MRI for me. I am incredibly lucky...2 free MRI's. I seriously owe these guys the shirt off my back! I will hopefully get the images looked at early next week. It will be interesting to compare the first MRI to the most recent one. If nothing else, hopefully we can rule out a tear and keep the focus on soft tissue. Whenever I get ART I feel really good so I have to believe it is working. In my mind it makes sense, a ton of scar tissue has formed and it is preventing my muscles from "gliding" over one another, which then tweeks my knee,etc. and leads to pain. Truthfully though, at this point we are just throwing darts and hoping we hit on something that will fix the underlying problem.
I have actually been swimming a little bit (2-3 times per week) at the YMCA. Yesterday Renata and I swam a set...an actual set. Ha, ha I haven't swam in 8 weeks so swimming hard is certainly not easy. I lack the fitness and the strength to pull properly. It will all come back pretty quickly...Even after being out of the water for 8 weeks I was still swimming 1:15 100's. Over the years I have learned that my body adapts very quickly and I take on good fitness after just a little bit of time in all three sports. I guess I am lucky in this sense. I don't doubt that once I get back to training it will all come around after one focused blocked on training.
I am also focusing on Skinfit b/c ever since Kona business has been blowing up. Kona was amazing press for us and we are stoked! Our new website is in the works and it is going to be sweet so I can't wait to see the finished product.
I could probably keep writing for a long time b/c I have a lot on my mind and some cool stuff is in the works with Rehab United, racing equipment, etc. I will share more as it unfolds. The bottom line is that I have learned a lot about myself, training, life, etc. this year and I feel compelled to share what I have learned with others. It has been a hard road this year but I know deep down that chasing dreams requires patience, perseverance and enormous resolve to push through the heartache that ultimately leads to success and satisfaction.
Have a good one out there and thanks for reading!
Monday, October 5, 2009
How's it been going?
I have been getting this question a lot. For a while there I was feeling awesome, getting in some good training, etc. but then the knee acted up again and I have been hitting PT and ART hard the past week to get healthy again.
The knee still bothers me so the little I have done has been on the bike and some strengthening at Rehab United. Mostly, my focus has been on flexibility and having Patrick at Rehab break up all the "junk" in my muscles. The guy is awesome and if you need some help with flexibility, etc.(which most of us do whether you think so or not)go see Patrick at the Sorrento Valley location.
I have been crazy busy with Skinfit since Kona is next week...shipping orders, getting printing done, and the list goes on and on and on....
Plus, coaching interest has gone way up and I already have some new clients for 2010. I am excited to bring more people on, especially some that are new to the sport of triathlon.
So, how's it been going? I am super busy and I am on a constant quest for health. I just want my knee to be healthy so I can give this whole racing thing one last honest go before I shift gears a bit. It has been stressful at times and I am just trying to roll with it but, at the end of the day, we are a lot better off then most people so we have to be thankful for that.
Busy in my mind is good b/c it means things are happening so for the time being we will just keep plugging along doing what we need to do. I actually have a TON of cool things in the works and if half of them work out it will be good for us and a lot of other people as well.
Here is my new ride that I will use for IM St. George...stoked to get it from Reto. Someone had to actually ride it ;) Not a great picture but you get the idea...pretty sweet ride.
I may actually sell my Cannondale Supersix so if anyone is interested let me know...other then telling you it is 54 cm I don't think I need to really explain how light and responsive this thing is. It is an incredible bike but since I don't really do any road races anymore I am going to stick with my custom built elite...it fits like a glove!
Take care and have fun out there.
The knee still bothers me so the little I have done has been on the bike and some strengthening at Rehab United. Mostly, my focus has been on flexibility and having Patrick at Rehab break up all the "junk" in my muscles. The guy is awesome and if you need some help with flexibility, etc.(which most of us do whether you think so or not)go see Patrick at the Sorrento Valley location.
I have been crazy busy with Skinfit since Kona is next week...shipping orders, getting printing done, and the list goes on and on and on....
Plus, coaching interest has gone way up and I already have some new clients for 2010. I am excited to bring more people on, especially some that are new to the sport of triathlon.
So, how's it been going? I am super busy and I am on a constant quest for health. I just want my knee to be healthy so I can give this whole racing thing one last honest go before I shift gears a bit. It has been stressful at times and I am just trying to roll with it but, at the end of the day, we are a lot better off then most people so we have to be thankful for that.
Busy in my mind is good b/c it means things are happening so for the time being we will just keep plugging along doing what we need to do. I actually have a TON of cool things in the works and if half of them work out it will be good for us and a lot of other people as well.
Here is my new ride that I will use for IM St. George...stoked to get it from Reto. Someone had to actually ride it ;) Not a great picture but you get the idea...pretty sweet ride.
I may actually sell my Cannondale Supersix so if anyone is interested let me know...other then telling you it is 54 cm I don't think I need to really explain how light and responsive this thing is. It is an incredible bike but since I don't really do any road races anymore I am going to stick with my custom built elite...it fits like a glove!
Take care and have fun out there.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Coaching...
Hey everyone!
Just want to let people know that I am taking on 3 more clients for the 2010 season so if your interested email me at tglavin1@msn.com
As most of you know, I love coaching and I work very closely with my athletes to make sure a personalized plan is in place.
You might feel like the season is just ending but it takes time to formulate a game plan and, honestly, I have a limited number of slots available so I am throwing this out there now to my loyal readers =)
Take care and enjoy the day!
Just want to let people know that I am taking on 3 more clients for the 2010 season so if your interested email me at tglavin1@msn.com
As most of you know, I love coaching and I work very closely with my athletes to make sure a personalized plan is in place.
You might feel like the season is just ending but it takes time to formulate a game plan and, honestly, I have a limited number of slots available so I am throwing this out there now to my loyal readers =)
Take care and enjoy the day!
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