On the mend again...

So I'm about half way back from Maine (Rev3 Old Orchard Beach), and I know one thing for certain. If you see the following sign, you might want to consider turning around.

Just shoot me now

It's funny how soon you forget just how awful it is to travel north. Between the endless toll roads and mind numbing traffic, it's no wonder why everyone is heavily self medicated these days. But once you get to Maine, it's pretty cool. You just have to negotiate your way through the sea of human detritus in between.

Ok, that brings me to my bitching quota for the month.

In other news, I'm happy to say that after a successful round of treatments on my leg, I am back on track with my training. As mentioned above, I raced the Rev3 triathlon in Old Orchard Beach, ME yesterday. Rev3 puts on a great race, and the location in Old Orchard Beach was perfect. While it was not my best result (14th Pro), it was the first race in a long time that I didn't have any nagging pains before, during, or after. After some navigational errors made by the lead swimmer, the swim broke up a bit coming into the last turn buoy. I came out of the water in 9th place, but lost a couple spots in the long run to T1. Out on the bike, I decided to take a more conservative approach. It was an out and back course that was net uphill until the turnaround. It was a good strategy, as I was able to finish the bike strong and get on the to run with legs that weren't to burned up. The run course was a similar affair, so I took the same approach  and was pleased to negative split the run by a few seconds. While I didn't run super fast, it was a decent time, and I was able to hold my form together from start to finish.

So, I mentioned above that I had some treatment done (Graston) to my leg. If your not aware of this treatment, it basically involves scraping across your muscles and fascia with some specially designed metals tools (picture the handle of an eating utensil) and lubricant. It's about as pleasant as it sounds, but I swear it works. I had it done years ago on an adhesion that was giving me issues, and it worked like a charm. However, I knew that with the problems I was having, it was going to take following up with a strict regimen of exercises and stretching to prevent recurrence. In addition to the usual preventative measures (foam roller, balance exercises, etc...) I decided to incorporate ice baths into my routine. Ice baths a great at flushing all of the crap in your legs after a hard training session as well as prevent delayed muscle soreness. However, ice baths can be a pain in the ass, especially in the summer. You usually need 3 bags of ice to get it remotely cold enough. Thankfully, Jon Duplessis over at Accent Physical Therapy has just installed an ice therapy bath that is kept between 45-48 degrees.

Jus' chillin'

  Being able to have everything ready when you get there is crucial. Get done with a super intense brick or track session, rinse off, and hop in. It's amazing how much better I feel at work having soaked for 15 minutes after a tough morning workout. The ease of which I can get in and out means that I do it more often. It's easy to just say screw it when you have to lug around a bunch of 5 pound ice bags, only to have them half melted by the time you get home.

Ok, so what else is new. I did move into a sick new pad. It's a really old house back on Bradley Creek.

Charming, isn't it

Great front porch to post up on and pick off squirrels and other intruders.

Our dock on the creek

We have a shared dock out on Bradley Creek. Great spot to launch a paddle board or surf ski. And if you don't mind dysentery, we've got all the oysters you can eat. 

Sun room/Dance hall

The sun room is no doubt the coolest part of the house. We will be renting it out for corporate events and school dances.

On a final note, the Mf'ing CEO himself, Kenny Powers, made an appearance at Bike Cycles to film the a scene for the final season of East Bound and Down. Kenny Powers is the reason I keep pushing every day to be the best at working out.

Creepin' a photo op during make-up