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It’s never enough

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I warned you that there would be times during this journey when things got tough. Now is one of those times. I’m just frustrated.  I have two tales to tell of this week’s training.

Tale the first:
I was supposed to do a long ride on Saturday. It was going to be a full 20 miles riding solo for most of it. That isn’t what happened. Less than two miles into the ride, I popped a tire. I pulled over, hauled myself out onto the curb, and grabbed my repair kit to see what I could do. The answer was nothing: the popped tire was the one with the built-in gears and I didn’t have the tools to remove it from the bike. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t walk it home…

On the kindness of strangers:
Cyclists and runners are a friendly group. Someone did stop and offer a hand*. While we still couldn’t change the tire, she gave me a helpful push back up the bike path to the road. Once at the road I called an Uber. The driver tracked me down via the gps and got me and my bike home safely. I didn’t get to do a ride on Saturday.

Tale the second:
I had my regular check up with my neurologist on Tuesday morning. I was really excited to see him because I truly believe that I am the strongest I’ve been since he’s known me. I told him about my training and the Dopey Challenge. He was supportive and positive about it. Then he asked “how far can you walk now?” It totally took the wind out of my sails because I’ve been focusing on upper body and core. I had to admit that I hadn’t been using the walker at the gym.

So today I did. I got out the walker. I made sure my form was good. I did two laps and then was completely wiped out. I’m just tired, and frustrated because there’s always something more I could/should be doing.

I’ll still keep doing it, I promise. I’ll complain a little. I’ll make bad jokes or quote song lyrics.

Today “Shellshock” by New Order is looping through my brain.
“It’s never enough until your heart stops beating…”
Sounds like a definition of life, doesn’t it?

*A wave to Alexis if she reads this!!!

What’s your status?

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I play all sorts of mind games with myself if I am riding alone. If I plan to go 10 miles and I’ve done 2 miles, I do the math in my head: 20% complete.

I’d love it if we all had a status bar above our heads. It would display progress through a workout. When out riding on West River Drive I could see where everyone is. If I saw someone at 98% complete, I would totally give them a high five or at least a nod.

What made me think of this? I went out with my Achilles team on Saturday morning and did 17.9 miles. That 0.1 is killing me! If I’d only gone a tiny bit further I’d have reached 18. A status bar would have told me, “keep going, you’ll fill the bar completely!”

Sunday brought a different workout. We had a visitor for the weekend and decided to bring him to our favorite restaurant in Philly. Tria Café has great food, great staff and great service. They specialize in cheese paired with wine and/or beer. I decided to justify those calories with a workout. I took my manual wheelchair and wheeled myself all the way. Turns out that it is 2.6 miles from my door to theirs. I did an additional half mile on the way home.

I did the additional half mile after our lunch to qualify as a 5k. If they let me stop half way through each one for a nice lunch, I have it made!

So this weekend I did two of the four Dopey races: a half marathon (plus) and a 5k.

Tom Burke – hand cyclist

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Tom Burke joined Achilles in July of 2015.  He’s shown no sign of looking back since then!    This is his story in his own words:

Tom Burke

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Nine years ago, on August 21st 2006, I was involved in a car accident, which left me with a broken neck. My initial diagnosis was that I would never walk again. I spent six months in hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation at Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia. When I left Magee I was wheelchair bound, and had to figure out how to acclimate myself to daily activities being outside a rehab facility. After months of rigorous outpatient therapy, I slowly worked my way up from walking with a walker, to walking with two forearm loft stands, to now walking with two canes. according to the private rehab facility I have to continue to work out and retrain my body to continue to progress with my health every day. Although I am still working on progressing with my physical goals, I have accomplished my educational goals I set for myself by graduating with honors with Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance.

I was introduced to Achilles through Victoria Baker. After attending my first Achilles meeting, and getting the opportunity to ride a hand cycle I was hooked. I played football all throughout high school, and sports have always been a huge part of my life. Being able to train with Achilles has given me back the sense of being a part of a team. Being able to compete again would help fill a void that I never thought I would be able to get back. Having my own hand cycle would give me the opportunity to train, and fulfill the goal that I now have in competing in marathons. Being able to compete and represent the Philadelphia chapter of Achilles would give me great pride.

Vacation training and why I haven’t posted

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My first blog post dropped almost a month ago. It’s been sitting here, lonely and neglected. I knew I should have waited until I came back from vacation (where there is no wifi) to begin but I was excited. Unfortunately, I didn’t – which means that the people who have signed on to follow my (mis)adventures have been left salivating for more*.

There are certainly challenges to taking a vacation in the midst of training for a big event. Good food, good wine, good friends can all knock you off track, so what’s a determined woman to do? Runners probably have the easiest way of it – all they need is shoes, clothes and a space to run. Hand cycling requires equipment and that equipment doesn’t travel easily. You have to get creative.

So what did I do? I took advantage of what I had: a lake…a beautiful, sand bottom, crystal clear lake. I determined that as long as the weather was clear I would be in that lake every day. It wouldn’t be just a quick dip to cool off, it would be an hour plus of swimming around, doggie paddling and constant movement. People don’t realize that just breathing in a lake takes extra effort to expand your lungs against the pressure of the water. I may not have been perfect, but I did put in significant time almost every day.

One entertaining tale: My friend Zach was driving the boat to bring people out tubing. They helped me get on the tube and away I went. All that upper body strength really pays off. I think he gave me as difficult a ride as anyone else, but I clung like a limpet to a rock and didn’t get dumped**.Totally tubular!

If you would like to support Philly Achilles and me, please go here to make a donation.

*luckily, only one or two people saw it…and thus the rest of humanity was saved from disappointment.
**rumor has it that there is a VHS tape out in the world with me taking an epic flip/dive/dump far back in my youth. If it ever gets transferred to digital, I’ll share .

Previous Entry

Is it terror or exhiliration?

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Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.

.donaldduck

I’ve signed on to do the Dopey Challenge come January 2016. Four races in four days for a total of 48.6 miles. Not to mention the fact that starting time is 5:30 a.m. (also known as the ass crack of dawn*).

I am also using this as an opportunity to raise money for Achilles. theyve done so much for me and I would like to give something back, so someone else can have the opportunities that I’ve had.

if you would like to make a donation, please go to my donation page:  https://phillyachilles.com/Patricia

I have 5 months to get conditioned for this nonsense. It will include riding with Achilles, getting to the gym and upping my wheelchair workouts. What is going to be the priority? Strength, endurance, recovery? I don’t know right now, but I’m going to find out.

I’m also sure that I’ll run into days when my confidence will disappear and all will look dark and hopeless. I’ll try to keep track of the things that get me through. Maybe you will have ideas or inspirations for me.

I’ll try to tell some of the stories that put me on this crazy path.

I’ll see you on the road.

Next post

*blog will contain occasional sweariness.
Normally for comedic effect, but sometimes as a way to keep me in warrior mode

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Philly Achilles meets at 9AM every Saturday at 1601 Chestnut Street.

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