Donna Phelan's Blog

“When one chapter closes, another one opens”. This week marked 6 weeks since my IT band surgery. I started back biking on the road again this week (although far from breaking any speed records), and I’m slowly abandoning my friend the pull buoy in the pool. For the first time in my life we’ve gotten along pretty well. We were reluctant to get together at first, but after 5 weeks it was a tough break up. I guess forced time together can only make things better.

This time of year in California is one of my favorite times of year. The weather’s still warm, but most of the tourists have gone home, the beaches are empty and there’s less traffic on the road. All the kids have left the playground so to speak, and I don’t want them to come back. I also love the fall because the mornings are cooler and there’s nothing better than the smell of hot coffee after a cold morning swim practice….with a big bowl of cereal of course.:-) And with fall comes the race season just around the corner. Yep, change is sometimes good.

“The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight.
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upwards in the night.”

-Henry W. Longfellow

It’s Halloween tomorrow, and everywhere I look, there’s a pumpkin staring back at me. Everybody and their dog seems to be dressing up for Halloween this year. My swim coach (who will turn into John Travolta tomorrow eve) asked me today what my Halloween costume will be. “Well, what you see is what you get”, I told him. “Oh, so you’re gonna be a swimmer?” “Yeah, something like that”. I think I might just turn some of those pumpkins into pumpkin pie, haha. You know what they say about “when life hands you pumpkins….”.

One of the books I finished not too long ago is called “Born to Run”. It has some great quotes in it, and this is my favorite….

“The most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner’s arsenal : instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you’re not afraid of it anymore….You love the Beast. You actually look forward to the Beast showing up, because everytime he does, you handle him better. You get him more under control. You have a friendly little tussle with the Beast and show it who’s boss. You can’t hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.”

Here’s to loving Pumpkins and Beasts. Happy Halloween.:-)

After a week out of the water, I returned last week to my second home - the pool where I swim, about a mile from where I live. I head there early in the morning to workout in the shallow pool….pool walking and exercises while the senior pool aerobics class is going on. I’ve met many new ‘friends’ over the last week, although a little older than the average age of most of my friends. They’ve been trying to convince me to join their pool party, but I think I’ll hold off for a few years.

In the middle of the day, I do my swim workout - most of it with my pull buoy and paddles since kicking is still on the banned list. I’m also perfecting the 1 legged swivel turn which seems to be a source of constant amusement among my friends. Not that funny if you ask me. Anyway, the Swivel-D is here to stay for at least another few weeks. No more photos please.

When my swim workout is done, I head to the gym for strengthening exercises. It’s also in the same building as the pool, which also offers internet and free coffee on the way in and out. I’m thinking of moving a bed, and a mini fridge over there, and I’ll be all set.:)

Thanks Sugar for taking the photo (not).;-)

Last Monday, I had my IT band surgery in Roanoke, Virginia. It went as good or better than I could have expected. I have an amazing doctor (Dr.TK Miller), and he and his wife took care of me for the few days I was in Roanoke. The surgery went smoothly, and that afternoon I was up and about on crutches (at the coffee shop of course, heehee). The hardest part of the day was fasting from midnight until 1pm…and you think you know what it means to be hungry.;-)

So now I’m back in San Diego, doing some rehab on my knee, and trying as doc says to “hurry slowly”. I’m very proud of all my team mates for their great efforts in Kona yesterday. It was tough watching the race online and wanting so badly to be there, but seeing everyone tough it out, and watching Tereza’s amazing 4th place finish made me very happy and proud of my fellow TBB’ers.

Tomorrow, I get back in the pool for some pool walking and to make best friends with my pull buoy for the next few weeks. I’ve been going through chlorine withdrawal for the last week, and I can’t wait to dive…uh, I mean climb into the pool tomorrow.

“Life is like a box of chocolates”, Forest Gump said. “You never know what you’re gonna get.” My favorite chocolates are the hard, chewy kind or the ones with the crunchy inside. And I’ve been lucky enough to get quite a few of these this year. But recently, I picked one with a soft strawberry filling - you know, the kind you want to put back as soon as you bite into it.

So, this strawberry filled chocolate has taken me to Virginia this week where I’m waiting to have a small surgery on Monday on my IT band (the muscle that attaches on the side of your knee). I had the same surgery on my other knee a few years ago, and I’m lucky to have a great doctor who did a super job the first time around.

So for the last few weeks, while I’ve been unable to train like I normally do, I’ve been living at the pool and working hard on my swim. The green tinged hair, prune fingers and chlorine skin are happy reminders that I’m putting miles in the swim bank, letting them pile up, to be used at a later date. Enjoying the outside of the strawberry filled chocolate, so to speak.

Next week, it’s time to pick another chocolate. Chewy or crunchy please or I’m spitting it out.;-)

My addictions, other than training of course, fall mostly in the ‘C’ category…..cereal, coke, chips (Pringles), coffee, my cats, my computer, and of course my Cervelo! This list, however, does not include cauliflower, cabbage or co-ordination activities. But beware if I go a day or two without any of the above and I hit the ‘Triple C’ level. You’ll find a very cranky, crooked and contrary California Canadian on the loose.

This is my cereal cupboard, stocked up in case of natural disaster. A bomb shelter of sorts. You can never have too much of a good thing….

And this is my 3 year old, holdin’ down the fort as I head out training….”Train hard mom! Don’t come home ‘Triple C’!” heehee

When I’m not in training camp with my favorite training partners (the TBB Ironchicks/chickens), I do most of my bike training with Tyler and Lance in San Diego. Well ok, so those aren’t their real names, but sometimes when I’m gasping for air to stay on a wheel, it feels like I’m riding with Tyler and Lance.

Like any friendship, it’s often a love-hate relationship with training partners too. You love them in the best of times, you hate them in the worst of times. I can’t complain - I have good guys to ride with - but I also have days where I’m given the HTFU speech. Most days I take it, but I’ve also been known to fire back with my own creative displays of language and the group ride turns solo. I haven’t done that in a few months so I think that’s a good sign.;-)

And on almost every ride with Lance and Tyler, I come home with some type of souvenir in my jersey pocket….a rusty nail, a piece of metal, an old penny, a bottle cap, you name it, even a paper toilet seat cover! One time, I rode for who knows how long with toilet paper streaming out of my jersey pocket! All right guys, it’s all fun and games until….I fight back!

But the best part about riding with Lance and Tyler is that I work harder than I could ever work on my own. We might push each other’s buttons but we also push each other to that new level of pain…and truly, misery does love company.

Thanks Jay for taking the photo.:)

There’s been a heat wave in San Diego since I arrived back 10 days ago. And being a lover of hot weather, I’m not complaining. I especially love swimming in the ocean this time of year when I don’t have to wear a wetsuit…I can swim for miles without doing flipturns, and I never hit arms with anyone. Of course, sometimes the occasional piece of seaweed freaks me out and sends me off on a mad 25m sprint (it was shaped like a shark’s fin, honest!)

But as much as I love the ocean, I still need my chlorine fix. It’s all about having balance in your life.;-)

Last Sunday, I was in Ireland for Eireman, a first year Ironman distance race. Well, it was supposed to be a full Ironman distance race, but unfortunately Mother Nature had her own plans.

I awoke at 4am Sunday to the sound of howling wind and pouring rain outside. We were warned at the race meeting the day before that the swim might not go ahead due to the forecasted rough seas. At 6am the call was made to cancel the swim and start the race with a timetrial start for the 185km bike. It was disappointing news, but looking out at the stormy waves I feared that I might end up back in Canada if the swim were to go ahead. Maybe that was how my great great grandfather ended up in Newfoundland.;-)

The bike consisted of 5km through Courtown, then 4 loops of 44km on a closed motorway, followed by 5km back to transition. We were staggered 30 seconds apart, and because I was the last female to start, I was in the position I like best which is chasing people down. It continued raining heavily throughout the bike and I was glad that I had layered up - race kit, bike jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers, rain jacket and long socks!

For 22km in one direction, there was a gradual downhill with a major tailwind. Then for 22km in the other direction, it was a gradual uphill with yup, a major headwind. Biking into a headwind with 60kph winds was pretty challenging, but I knew that everyone out there was suffering and if I could be that much tougher than it would be to my advantage. By the 4th lap, I had calculated that I had an 11min lead on the second place Russian girl, and over 35min on the third place British girl. The final 22km seemed to be the toughest part of the bike. The wind had picked up and at times even on the flat sections I had to stand to keep the wheels turning. Well, this will make my next IM bike seem like a piece of cake!

I came into transition, shedded my rain jacket and headed out onto the run. The first 5km were through a forest on hilly trails, with some stairs and sandy sections. For 2 weeks before the race, my left IT band had been sore, but I had rested it leading up to the race and felt that it was good enough to get through the marathon. However, after 5km on trails, it wasn’t feeling so great anymore. The remainder of the 2 loop course was on rolling hills, and by the time I got to 15km it was screaming at me to stop. I struggled with the decision to keep going, but finally there wasn’t a decision to be made anymore. I knew I had done what I could, and on this day I would have to be content with a good solid bike ride in my legs and a 15k run. The lucky leprechauns I had counted on must have stayed in bed on account of the bad weather. I think they were out the next morning, but it was time to catch my flight back to the US….perhaps I’ll go back another time to reclaim my luck.

So now I’m back in San Diego, letting my knee settle down so I can plan my next race. It’s the middle of a heat wave here and I’m loving it.;-)