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Short Track #6 non-race report

By Jessica N - Posted on 19 July 2011

 

So yesterday was likely my last bike race ever.  I hate to say it, but I am fragile.  I often get in unfortunate situations and just have some unfortunate luck, as much as I try to ignore that fact and to have a positive attitude.  

 
It was the start of the Cat 2 women's Short Track at PIR and I was trying to merge into traffic on the gravel straightaway, looked over my shoulder to my right (the direction I was trying to merge into) and got blind sided by a woman on my left.  My left foot somehow got in her front wheel and my whole leg, ankle, knee got torqued between her front wheel and fork.  We were both down on the ground and at least I was able to slow down her motions by saying "wait, my leg is stuck in your wheel".  So she paused, let me untangle my leg from her bike, she got up, checked her bike (a spoke was broken), and rode off.  Me, I was still laying on the ground, hurting.  The start guy (don't know his name), came over and by then, my savior of the day, Zan, was also there.  They helped me stand up, I said I could not really walk.   Zan with her quick thinking, said, let me go get Kronda and my truck.  I said, no, let Kronda race.  (Kronda has not had the chance to have a lot of fun and/or exercise with so much school and work occupying her life and I certainly knew I was not dying or anything).  So Zan took off on my bike to get her truck to bring it to me.  Meanwhile, I stood there hanging onto the fence, hurting.  
 
Finally, the start guy came back and asked if he should call the medic.  I said that might be a good idea.  He radioed, then helped me hop along the fence.  A very nice random guy rode up and asked if we wanted another hand.  Hopping on one leg with just one person is harder than you think.  So I said, that would be great.  And they both picked me up and carried me to the tent.  Being the nurse that I am, I immediately elevated my leg.   The medic finally came along and said she really could not do anything for me (I had no bleeding, just swelling, bruising and pain).  I asked for some ice and she said they did not have any, but she would ask around.  How can you have a bike race and NOT HAVE ICE!!  Seems like basic first aid to me.  But she did locate some ice, then did not really have a proper bag to put it in, but we made do with the back it was in.  As I sat there, several people I knew came up to ask if they could help.  
 
Then the Cat 2 race ended and Kronda and the other Sorellas, Jan, Sarah T, Courtney, and Michelle K, all came over to me at the tent and were concerned.  I decided I would go to the ED to get things checked out because it was pretty painful in general and I did not feel I could walk on it.  Michelle offered crutches, Jan (fake) offered a ride home ;), but Zan already had her truck there waiting for the race to finish.  Thanks everyone!
 
So Kronda and Zan threw our stuff and bikes into the back of Zan's new truck, they helped me into the truck and we headed to our house.  Kronda and I changed out of our kits, grabbed a bit of food, warm clothes (hospitals are usually really cold) and some stuff to occupy our time, thinking it could be a long night in the ED.  Zan kindly waited for us to get ready so she could be my second "crutch" to hop back into the car.  
 
Once we got to the Emanuel ED, I was wheeled right in to the triage nurse, then within 10 minutes right back to my ambulatory care room, a few minutes of waiting there, then to X-ray.  The PA came in within probably 10-15 minutes after that to let me know my ankle was not broken and they sent me home.  Final diagnosis: contusion (lots of bruising).  They are pretty sure I did not tear anything in there, but sometimes only time will tell for sure.  So rest, ice, compression, and elevation have been my friends since yesterday.  I am already walking easier and without quite as much pain.  Swelling seems to be under control, bruising, not as much.  I keep finding sore spots and bruises all over my body.  I of course have a job where I walk a lot, so no work for me for a few days.  
 
Kronda has taken over doing the majority of the daily house chores even though school and work are quite time consuming and I am sure overwhelming for her right now (last term, yippie!!).  Thanks Kronda!  And a huge thanks again to Zan for all you did yesterday! 
 
I think my "racing career" is going to be over, as I just don't feel I can trust others out there on the bike not to knock me off.  I hate to call it quits when I know most of you would be back out on your bike within days from now, but I will admit, I'm a bit of a wimp, get injured easily, and would rather just be out biking, having fun in other ways, and be able to work.  Both my hands and my feet/legs are pretty key to my career.  
Short track was really fun while it lasted and I likely will do what some others have done this year, and just pre-ride, but not race  the courses.  

Getting Off the Couch: Short Track #5

By Kronda - Posted on 11 July 2011

Seems like every week, 90 minutes before race time, I find myself laying on the couch, feeling exhausted and wondering how I will possibly bring myself to get up, much less race.

But I paid for the whole series of racing already, so I always drag myself up, ride the 10 minutes to PIR, spend more time making bathroom trips than warming up, and then toe the line, going on faith that I will somehow make it through the race.

Miraculously, every week, I make it through the race.

This week, I was the first to line up. The second was Shawn, a woman in the single speed category who was very happy to see me, as she has apparently been using me as a 'rabbit' for at least two race seasons!

"Well, I'm not feeling too peppy, but I'll do my best," I told her.

The announcers for this week must be trainees, because after a few minutes, over the lineup of guys in front of us, I heard the cutest little toddler voice say, "Welcome to short track." When it was time for us to be sent off, a girl of about 8 or 9 yelled "Go!" enthusiastically into the microphone. Start 'em young, I say.

I had what was probably my best start ever, racing off the line and taking the first turn behind Mielle Blomberg of Team S&M, who won the last race. She was soon rocketing away, and I shouted to her "Go get that beer!" as she pulled away. (There was a beer or coffee prime for the winner of the first lap).

It was a good day to have a great start, as I heard what sounded like a pretty bad pile up behind me going into the second turn and just hoped Jess wasn't caught up in it.

Before a few more turns had gone by, all the fast girls started passing me, putting the universe back into it's proper order. That included teammate Michelle Kunec, who I *used* to be able to catch last year, until she went all crazy hardcore mountain biker chick on me. She complimented me on my start as she went by. I also survived getting passed by Tuuli The Menace(TM), which I have so nicknamed her after she bulldozed a few teammates last week trying to pass in tight corners.

I settled into a good rythym and somewhere in lap two, I heard Shawn behind me. I knew it was her because she would call out, "Rabbit...." trying to get me to go faster. When that didn't work, she finally passed, and said, "Come on let's go." We went back and forth the rest of the race and it was fun to have her around. As we went through the twisty, hilly section in the trees, a friend of hers who was watching said hello. "Oh you dyed your hair!" said Shawn.

"No, I just cut it."

"Oh well it looks great!"

"No chatting in the race!" I yelled back, just to give her a hard time.

A couple of rivals went in lap two, but they pulled away so fast, that it was clear I would have to hurt myself beyond the bounds of having fun to catch them, so I let them go. Basically my main goal was to not be caught by Loraine, a former team mate now riding for Guiness Cycling. Don't ask me why, my ego just wouldn't allow it. Every twisty section, I could look back and see her sitting about 15 seconds back and it was great motivation to keep pushing.

I never know how many laps I have to go which makes it hard to pace myself. The first race I did the lap counter said 2 to go, but then when I came around again, we were done, and I let a rider nip me at the line.

This week I again saw the 2 to go sign and treated it as such, and was able to hold off Loraine.

After the requisite hacking and desperate lunging for my water bottle, I found Jess to see how her race went. I had seen her early in the race, looking good on the woops section (rolling hills). Unfortunately, she had a random crash in a corner in lap two which took our her derailleur hanger and ended her race. Sweetheart that she is, she watched the rest of my race without cheering, not wanting me to worry that she was hurt. She also let me know that I finished ahead of Jan Moss, one of the strongest riders on our team, but a relatively new mountain biker. So since I will likely never type these words again, let's just note for the record that I FINISHED AHEAD OF JAN MOSS. :- )

Another week, another miracle of getting off the couch and having a fairly successful race, ie. I finished strong and kept the rubber down. Hoping for better luck for Jess next week!

In Expert Hands

By Katy Pranian - Posted on 18 June 2011

I don’t know about any of you, but I have been to a million different massage therapists over the years. From the ones who give you a 10 minute massage at some special event to ones I see over and over again for a period of time. There have been many massage therapists I could consider good or even top notch, but it wasn’t until I had a massage with Colleen that I had the experience of being floored, earning her the reputation of “the best.” Ever. My first massage with her was at Cherry Blossom last year when she set up her table and offered massage at one of the team houses. Recently I started seeing her on somewhat of a regular basis to attempt to get the upper hand on some chronic pain that was affecting my training and just my general well-being. Colleen’s move to The Bohdi Tree makes it even more convenient for me to see her.  

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Considering Colleen to be the best massage therapist I have ever seen, I was still somewhat skeptical of anything more powerful than the pain from my old injury. I had tried a lot of avenues to combat the referred pain from the arthritis in my wrist, including supplements, acupuncture, heat therapy, occupational therapy, etc. The massage treatments for this specific pain were definitely not your “kick back and relax” type of massages (although she does those too), they were focused, active, specific and sometimes very intense, but a few days after just one treatment I was experiencing relief! And since I have been seeing Colleen regularly I have not experienced the degree of pain that I was routinely experiencing before. I decided since she recently became a sponsor of Sorella Forte, moved her second office to a new location and because I think she is The Best, she deserved a bit of a spotlight. Hence the article. I sat down and did an informal interview because I thought we should all know a little bit more about Colleen and her massage practice. 

Q:  What types of massage do you perform?

A: Therapeutic, myofascial, deep tissue, prenatal, relaxation.

Q: What first got you interested in becoming a massage therapist? 

A: I was treated with chiropractic and massage for a chronically tight IT band injury from running marathons and half marathons.  Once I was treated and experienced that kind of work I was curious and decided to go to school. That was about 12 years ago. 

Q: What school did you go to?

A: East West College of The Healing Arts, here in Portland, when it was on SE Belmont. I took classes  in the evening and worked full time during the day. I was licensed in 2000. 

Q: Ten years is along time to work the same position; what has kept you in the field?

A: I have had burn out, but now that I know the symptoms I can prevent it from happening.  It took me a while to figure out how to really take care of myself in my work and I think that’s how I got burned out. Being athletic has helped me with the endurance part of this work, it helps me stay focused and solid, both in a mental and physical frame of mind. I am strong and I keep my core strong so that the work I do doesn’t injure my back.  The maximum number of massages I will give in a day is four. Doing massage takes a lot of energy and as a massage therapist I try to stay level headed.  I have learned a lot about compassion in this work, and at the same time I have learned that I can’t take things personally. I can’t please everyone. 

Q: What percentage of your clients are also athletes? 

A: I would say, 80% are athletic.  

Q: What percentage of your clients come to treat chronic injuries or pain? 

A: I would say that about 10 to 20% come in with chronic pain issues such as migraine issues, upper shoulder and neck discomfort, and some with low back pain and stiffness.  Some of these clients come in frequently for preventative care. 

Q: What do you mean by preventative care? How does massage help with that? 

A: If you are training for a specific event, let’s say, and you’ve had a history of injury or you are training and don’t want to get injured, massage therapy is a great way to prevent an injury from happening or happening again.  It works because massage stretches the muscles, increases flexibility, and decreases muscle tightness.  It increases blood flow and circulation to the area to help heal the muscle tissue after a hard workout.  Everyone’s body is fascially connected.  Fascia is a type of web-connective tissue that is subcutaneous.  Myofascia is fascia that surrounds our muscles.  When someone has a chronic holding pattern (such as the way a person holds her head, how she sits at her computer, how she carries a purse or shoulder bag, etc.) or an acute or chronic injury, there is potential for  pain and decrease in movement because the fascia and myofascia get “stuck” or bound up.  In order to decrease the pain and increase movement that fascia and myofscia needs to be softened (make more pliable and supple). 

Q: You have been a Sorella for a long time; what just recently made you decide to become a sponsor? 

A:  I have been a Sorella since 2002. I think my practice is at a point where it made sense.  Going back to knowing how much massage helps individuals, it is one way I can help my club and teammates. Some people think massage is such a luxury so financially I want to be able to allow them that luxury if that is how they view it.  Personally, I view it as a necessity, but I may be bias.

Colleen on the final corner of Battle At Barlow

Q: How much of it has to do with relationship? 

A: I would say that this sponsorship is a great way for me to individually get to know each member a bit more, as I don’t have the opportunity to ride with all of them.  I am looking forward to meeting a lot of the new women who have recently joined Sorella. 

Q: What are a few things that are really rewarding for you in this type of work? 

A: It is simple, but it means a lot… When a client trusts me.  It’s rewarding when a client comes back to see me or refers a friend, family member or co-worker; when a client leaves with a smile on her face; and, when a client tells me she feels some change from the work I’ve just performed. It’s rewarding when a client’s goal is simply to relax for an hour or 90 minutes, and I help the client reach that goal.

I would like to end this article with a little analogy I made up on a recent team ride, while riding close, right next to Colleen, chatting. You know when you are getting a massage and the therapist is pressing on your muscle with a lot of pressure and holding that pressure as they follow the contour of your muscle up or down? You know sometimes there is that slip that occurs and you can sometimes anticipate it happening, but it catches the therapist by surprise and they say, “Oops!” or “Sorry!” I liken it to “holding your line” in a paceline or in a race. It takes great skill, focus, concentration and practice. I have been amazed over and over again at how Colleen can flawlessly hold her line on my muscles, as if she is crystal clear on where they begin and end. Experiencing this as part of a massage treatment allows me to relax more with 100% trust, as I am in expert hands.

Colleen and her cozy heated table at The Bodhi Tree

For an appointment with Colleen, call 503-816-4179.

Cross Nationals

By Katy Pranian - Posted on 27 February 2011

It was a treat to support the Strong Sisters at the Cross Nationals in Bend in December. Some of us helped to set up, support the warm-up process and see the starts and finishes. Despite the cold weather, difficult course (including ice puddles!) and tough competition, everyone did outstanding. Sorella Forte got top 15 spots with Rhonda Morin taking 8th, Colleen McClenahan 14th, Jan Moss 10th, Sarah Tisdale 13th, Linda Fanning 14th and Kim Reuter 15th!

It was a very cold morning with ice and snow covering the grounds.

Waiting for the race to start was brutally cold.

Colleen running up the stairs.

Into the ice puddles!

Tisdale remounting.

Race-face Reuter.

Tisdale takes two at a time.

Sisters looking out for each other.

Lots of love here.

Happy faces.... It's over!

Congratulations for another amazing cross season!

Ironman,,,check!

By leigh lewis - Posted on 29 November 2010

I know everyone catastrophizes their IM experience, kind of like childbirth and, like the latter, I will say what I hear so many women say after their traumatic event, "Never again!" It wasn't all bad and I do have many things to be thankful for, but like in life, when there is good luck, bad luck is oftentimes close behind. 

 
To back up a bit, I had a goal of doing an IM by the time I was 40, so this was the year. AZ seemed like a great option because I have a house and many family and friends there. When the race was moved from April until November a couple of years ago, it seemed like a good sign since now I'd have the mostly beautiful Portland summer in which to do those long, hard training hours and then be able to extend my stay through Thanksgiving. I arrived in AZ the Wednesday before the race feeling healthy and well-trained. I had luckily been able to hit all of my big training days except one when I was hit with a cold 3w before race day. I recovered quickly and thanks to regular massage (thanks Theresa!) and chiropractic, I was able to arrive injury-free. The summer/fall training in Portland also allowed me to take advantage of the many well-supported century rides and half marathons to augment my training. I hadn't done a tri in a few years so I did 2 Olympics and 1 half IM in preparation. 
 
To avoid any increase in my already high anxiety surrounding this event, I spent as little time as possible at the pre-race event. I went as early as possible to register and pick up my bike (Tribike Transport is an awesome service!) and skipped the pre-race swim and dinner. I know getting in the water before race day is always advised, but for me, a non-swimmer, the swim is basically going to suck and no amount of reconnaissance will change that. I had been struggling with whether or not to sign up for next year the day prior to the race and in the end decided against it, which I now consider to be a very wise decision. The weather was beautiful every day preceding (and following), 70's and sunny, and the forecast for race day which had been similar kept getting worse, 10 to 20 to 40% chance rain and temps in the 60's. But that's OK, I'm from Portland, what's a little rain?
 
Since we are still in the process of renovating our house here, I did what I needed to do to prep for the race and distracted myself with design details and socializing with friends (thanks for a great dinner Lara & Rich!) and family. Sleep was not great, but adequate and I awoke at 415am on race day feeling better than expected. Wes, as always, was a great assistant, reminding me of little details and dropping me off right in front of the venue, peppering me with words of wisdom along the way. I made last minute adjustments to my gear/special needs bag, pumped my tires, slipped on the wetsuit and was off to the swim start. The air temperature felt quite pleasant, probably in the 50's, and the sky showed no signs of rain. I waited with the masses on the sideline allowing the real swimmers to get in position. We had to jump off the dock into the 60 degree water, which was a shock to the system, but only for a couple minutes. The really annoying thing was having to swim to the start which seemed a rather long way away considering the distance we had in front of us once the gun went off. We treaded water for about 10m before starting and even though I had seeded myself where I thought was mid-pack, I was beat about the head and kicked for about 10m until I could get a good rhythm going. My worst fear, that my googles would come off and contacts come out, did not happen and though there were harrowing moments of water aspiration and aggressive swimmers (men basically suck! I mean, really, I know it is a race, but there was no courtesy amongst those in red caps!). For those from AZ you can imagine my amazement that I swam from Mill Avenue all the way past Rural Road and back...there were times in my life where I never would have dreamed of riding a bike that far! The swim was over (I was finally able to pee in my wetsuit, a first) and though it wasn't fun, it wasn't all that bad and certainly didn't seem like it took as long as it did. I finished in 1:21:28, which wasn't too bad since I did a 38m 1/2-IM swim in Aug. I decided to put on compression socks and this seemed to really slow my T1 (8m 30s: tight socks over wet feet/legs with numb fingers is a very difficult task!). I mounted the bike in 1h 30m, which was a goal I had.
 
I felt good as I set out on the bike and was able to get my "bike-legs" pretty easily. I used my rode bike with clip-on aerobars and the set up worked well as I was able to stay in them for basically all of the bike. My sister, Lauren, was volunteering at the first bike aid station and though I passed on supplies the first lap, it was nice to see her out there. There was a tailwind up the gradual hill, noticeable in that with fairly minimal power output I was able to maintain a 20+ mph pace. Why then was I so surprised by the headwind on the way back? Still, I was able to keep my power output under control and feel pretty good, but it is always frustrating to have a the apparent ease of a downhill stolen by a headwind, even when you know you benefit from the tailwind on the uphill, it never seems a fair trade-off to me. It was awesome however to see Chrissy Wellington, Leanda Cave, Jordan Rapp, Chris Lieto, and the other pros whizzing by...amazing! Going out on lap 2, I decided to push the pace and take full advantage of the tail wind. I took a water from Lauren and stopped to pee at that aid station. Since there was a small line, I decided to take my garmin watch off my handlebars and put on my wrist for the run. Bladder emptied, I hopped on my bike and proceeded to push the pace out to the turn around. Once there the rain started, slowly at first and then increasing to a downpour right as I turned back into the headwind which had also noticeably increased. Pelted with cold rain and some hail, I made my way back to start the 3rd and thankfully final lap. Again, I pushed the pace to take advantage of the tail wind even though it seemed that during this lap in particular many people were taking it easy. The rain started again, but lighter and at the turn around it was clear that the wind had picked up even more, not just from the front, but the side as well. In fact at one point there was a wall of dust was coming from the east & I had to actually dismount because I almost got blown over; I looked back to see the guy behind me have his wheels blown right out beneath him, his shoes didn't unclip so he was just lying on his back like a turtle so I helped him steady his bike so he could free his feet. Ugh! I know Chrissy's time make it seem like it was a perfect day but there were downpours and hail too though she was likely off bike by then. Back on the road it was difficult to not get clumped with other riders so to be safe from penalty I stayed on the shoulder which luckily was relatively free from debris.  I also noticed that the garmin that had been on my wrist was no gone...great, that should be helpful during the run! At any rate, I finished the bike (6:24:07) and was through T2 much faster than T1 (3:04, despite having to have volunteers re-attach my race number which had torn off in the wind) and was off on the run, with my remaining garmin from my bike clutched in my palm. 
 
I felt pretty good at first and started at about a 9m/m pace, but after the half-way point, I started to lose steam. I even passed a couple pros (OK, they were on their last lap & I on my 1st, but still), including Lieto, who did not seem to be having a good day. Wes and my family were strategically placed on the bridge for high-5's which helped tremendously, but after I passed them for the last time and headed out towards the lone hill on the 3rd lap with 5 miles to go, I had had enough and my legs just wouldn't go any faster. Unfortunately, at this time I also hit a mental wall and I couldn't care enough to get it going. Even still, I never walked which in the end I think helped me move up significantly in my age group standings. At about a mile to go I was able to pick it up and cruise for the finish (4:19:38). Funny, I thought I must really have looked strong as I heard the announcer yell, "Leigh Lewis from Lake Oswego, Oregon, YOU are an Ironman!", but based on the concern of family who was there and a co-worker watching on-line (thanks, Carrie!), I now realize I must have looked pretty exhausted. My total time was 12 hours, 16 minutes, 47 seconds which was under my first (to finish) and 2nd (to finish < 14h), but not under my 3rd (sub-12h) time goals. This time placed me 768/2500 overall and 24/166(?) in my age group.
 
If I had to do something over, I would have used the compression calf sleeves under the wetsuit to save time in T1. Also, I would have done longer transition runs after long-ish rides in the hope that my legs would have been a bit stronger for the later miles of the run. But overall, I think things went as well as could be expected given the conditions. 
 
Thanks to everyone for the support! And thanks to Anne, for the training plan, endless advice, and patience with my anxiety over being sick. What a great resource!
 
Leigh
 
Addendum: My recovery has been great! My RN sister gave me a post-race IV in the comfort of my own home and, though I was definitely stiff and sore the next day, each subsequent day was better such that I could tolerate a deep tissue massage on Wednesday and by Thursday I really had no complaints. Friday I even hopped on my commuter bike to do some shopping. I am now happily entering into a month-long yoga-intensive phase & looking forward to some snow-shoeing and skate-skiing before ramping up for winter/spring cycling. Although I still have now concrete plans to revisit the IM distance, I am entertaining the idea of a couple 1/2-IM's later this year...we shall see.