Kate, Amber, and I sparkle in our Tiaras!

A Funny Thing Happened During Triathlon Season…

It’s been a long busy six months with lots of ups and down, aches and pains, and good news and bad. But the most unexpected outcome of all was after competing in a five week long series of triathlons my troublesome knees is actually feeling better than it has in months.

Flash back to the end of January when I did the GroundHog run with my daughter and granddaughters. My knee was in agony at that time and showed no sign of getting better. At my next rheumatology appointment in February I begged for a steroid shot to get me through. I couldn’t bend or straighten my knee and when I stood on my right leg it felt like the joint was filled with razor wire. The shot relieved the pain and I slowly tried to strengthen my muscles. All was well for about six weeks, then the pain returned. I finally was able to see my orthopedist in May and received another steroid shot. Blessed relief! I was able to ride Kandango in June and was looking forward to ramping up my triathlon practice in preparation for the intense five week long season through the month of August, a full year after my initial surgery for a torn meniscus.

Racing for a Cure - Always! (Love my
blinged out equipment bucket!)

That’s were my plans went off the tracks. The steroid shot wore off after only 4 weeks, a sure sign that this method of coping would not last much longer. By the first of July the pain was back and all the ice baths in the world were not going to help. I couldn’t sleep because of the pain, I couldn’t stand for very long, and getting up from the floor was out of the question. I resorted to using a cane to get around the house at night. My physical therapist and I started working on pain management techniques and range of motion exercises. Our goal was to help me get to the next steroid shot that I couldn’t get before the end of August. I was riding and swimming almost every day but walking only sparingly.

Starting the last weekend in July and continuing each weekend until Labor Day was my triathlon season consisting of four out of five races in the Triple Threat Tri Series and finishi

ng with the Tiara Tri in El Dorado. After missing all of last year I didn’t want to miss this year as well. But the therapy wasn’t working and the pain was starting to wear me down. No sleep made me grumpy and hurting all the time was sucking the life out of me. I had no idea how I was going to get through the next month. I was counting down the days until my next shot like a steroid junky.

The first race was the Arkansas Trails Triathlon. It features a perimeter swim around the Big Pool and a four mile trail run along the river. I finished surprisingly well. That translates to “I didn’t pass out along the way.” The morning was cool with a light rain but we managed. The most dramatic thing to happen was my goggles cracking in two at the bridge of my nose at the beginning of the swim so I had to back stroke most of the way. I managed to finish 2nd in my age group - only 2 of us! - but was still happy with my pace. I felt pretty good after the race and was surprised that I wasn’t sore or walking with a limp. Seems my knees handled the stress pretty well.

Finishing with a smile.

I started back to work the next day and with the hectic pace of getting the school year off and running I wasn’t able to ride and swim but once that week. The next race was the Lagoonathon in Dodge City at the Longbranch Lagoon water park. It was another cold dreary morning but we swam, rode, and ran anyway. The other lady in my age group, Traci W. took first overall so I was bumped up to 1st in the old lady division. Woo Hoo! Again, I felt pretty good after the race and noticed that my knee didn’t hurt as bad even a few days later. Hmmmmm. Maybe I was on to something.

The third race was the Holcomb Triathlon. This one will be remembered as the race where Traci crashed going around a corner and ended up in the hospital. She is an expert cyclist but just happened to catch some gravel as she was leaning into the turn. That’s all it took to send her to the hospital with a few fractures and lots of scrapes and bruises. I hurriedly packed up after the race and went to the hospital to sit with her until her husband could get there. He was at his own race 200 miles away. But again, I noticed that I didn’t hurt as much, not even at night. I could bend my knee more and could stand without pain.

With the hectic pace of my job and grandkids I didn’t even manage a short ride the next week. I would have to count on my previous training to get me through.The fourth race was the Cimarron Reverse Triathlon, where you do the disciplines in reverse order: run-bike-swim. I actually like this format and bettered my pace in both the run (walk for me) and the swim. And again, I didn’t hurt. The range of motion in my knee was getting much better and although it wasn’t 100% it was considerably better. So much better in fact that I didn’t think I’d need the steroid injection at all! Even by the middle to end of the week I was still feeling OK.

That brings me to the Tiara Tri. This was the 4th year I had done this race and love the “women only” aspect and the crown they put on your head at the end is a neat plus for me. Amber M., who is recovering from her own foot surgery, and Kate H. were doing the race with me. We had so much fun talking and laughing. Amber has never swam in a lake before so I know what anxiety she was feeling. Plus, her orthopedist told her she was not supposed to run. We were going to walk this thing together and finish with a tiara and a smile.

Kate was amazing as always and smashed the bike ride. Amber has been really practicing her swim and cruised through the water with ease. I struggled in the water but had a pretty good ride, passing lots of slower riders. I knew I had to really push the ride since I was walking the rest of the event. I saw Kate near the front of the pack on the out and back run. She looked strong and smooth. Then I saw Amber. She was running! I called out to her and said, “Hey, no running!” Her response? “I’m not running, I’m jogging!” Somehow that made sense to her. I just shook my head and kept walking.

3rd place in my age group!

When all was said and done, Kate finished 16th over all but with more entries in her age division than any other she was 6th in her group. Amber, who turned in a blazing time for someone who hasn’t run a step in over 8 months, finished 4th in her age group. Her long transitions made the difference between placing and not.  I finished with a better pace than expected but ended up 61st out of 69 overall. Not too impressive. BUT, because there were only 4 in my age division and the fastest placed 3rd overall, I was bumped up to 3rd. Woo Hoo! Truth be told, of the 4 in my division the top two placed 3rd and 5th overall! Not too shabby for older gals. The bottom two finished within 2 minutes so I wasn’t so far behind 2nd place. That makes me feel a lot better.

And again, my knee feels pretty darn good. I have an appointment with my ortho later in the week but I don’t feel I need a steroid shot at all. Am I feeling better because I’m only working out once, sometimes twice a week? Is it the combination of swim-bike-run that is working to make my knee better? Have I just been pushing too hard? That’s what we’ll be discussing at my appointment. I’m going with a combination of all three. I’m just thankful the pain is manageable and my mobility is returning. I still can’t run, but day to day activities are much more enjoyable.

My triathlon season is over and I’m so glad we have so many opportunities to compete in our area. The Triple Threat Series brings all the SW Kansas triathletes closer together. The Tiara Tri will always be my favorite, not just for the crown, but for the fun and joy of sharing the event with my good friends. That’s what puts the sparkle in the tiara.