Alex McDonald Pro Triathlete

I have had a frustrating 2009 to say the least. After my hip started bothering me at the end of May and I pulled out of some races in June I finally learned that I had a stress fracture in my femoral neck at the beginning of July.
Although it was frustrating I at least had a diagnosis and could now make a plan for returning to racing. However, my body and my mind apparently need to work on their communication skills. After some set backs while returning to running I have finally realized that I was putting a little too much stress on my self too soon. Not only was this stress physical, but mental as well. I was so focused on getting healthy and getting back on the race course that I was ignoring many of the indications that my mind and body were sending. They were telling me to slow down and not force myself to try to return too soon. After some good conversations with my coach as well as friends and family I decided that I needed to take the pressure off and really give myself time to recover, mentally and physically. As a result it looks as if I will take my “off season” now and focus on rest and recuperation along with my diet and body composition. Let the running return gradually and spend some time with my wife and dog. As a result I will focus on an early season Ironman in 2010 and know that I will return to racing stronger, faster, leaner and more determined than ever! Now pass me that beer and Burger… just kidding coach! ☺

As many of you know I have been dealing with a hip injury for well over a month now. Initially my doctor and I thought this was due to a tendon strain and taking a few weeks to try to let it heal would do the job. However, after 3 weeks without any running success and continuing pain, I knew something was wrong. An MRI revealed that I had a stress fracture in the neck of my femur. Although I was frustrated to learn this information and wish I had known it 3 weeks earlier, at least I had a diagnosis and knew what I had to do to be able to run again.The disappointment of having to skip Ironman Coeur d’Alene as well as Ironman Lake Placid has passed and I have focused on the things I can control. Right now I am swimming quite a bit and really working on my form and technique in the water. Additionally, I am working with Jesse Kropelniki at QT2 Systems to tweak my body composition to avoid the repeated stress of additional body weight while pounding out the miles. Lastly, I am working with some amazing physical therapists at Duke University. They have identified some major flaws in my running biomechanics that may have contributed to my injury and we are working to correct them.Lastly, I am going to travel to Lake Placid to watch my first Ironman. It is going to be painful to watch and not participate but I know it will also help to motivate me to get back to training and racing once my body is ready. I will be helping out at the expo in Placid as well. I will be hanging out at the Timex truck, Trigger Point, TYR, and Globus booths at different times over the weekend, so stop by and say hello.

II have had my sights on racing Ironman Coeur d’Alene (CDA) since November. I know that the average Ironman athlete signs up and prepares for an Ironman for over a year. However, about 3 weeks prior to the race I had been training very hard and my left hip flexor began acting up on me. Initially it simply felt tight, then painful, then VERY painful. I was pretty pro active, immediately skipping a run when symptoms began to see if I could let it heal before it became more of a problem, however, it did not help. I took 2 days off…still painful.

I had diagnosed myself, however, that is a big “no no,” so it was time to see a sports med doctor. The good news is that my self-diagnosis was correct, and it was tendonitis, simply a soft tissue injury. However, the bad news is that it would simply take time and rest to heal.

After a week of rest, I tried running at Rev3 and again the hip was not happy. Ok another week of no running. I saw Jeff Wells, my massage therapist, several times over these weeks and finally this week he sent me to an acupuncturist and with some trepidation I had acupuncture. It was incredibly helpful and I was feeling much better and very optimistic about healing in time for Ironman CDA.

It had been 6 days without running (keep in mind I was swimming and biking throughout this injury with minimal discomfort) and 2 days of almost no pain. So I decided it was time to try running and I was feeling very optimistic. I did a extensive warm up, with some self massage and stretching and 5min walk warm up and with my first few run strides I knew this was not good. The pain immediately came back and my stride noticeably had a limp.

At this point I some deep thinking to do. In the back of my mind I knew that I should not race IM CDA, however, I was yet to admit it to myself. That afternoon I had an appointment with Jeff Wells and the first 15min of my massage was simply talking about my hip and the race. After that I had a good conversation with Ashley and then with my coach who both lead me to the conclusion that Ironman CDA would have to wait.

The best case scenario would be a sub par performance at IM CDA and then at least 2-3 more weeks of dealing with my re-inflamed hip. It certainly is a frustrating situation and really the first time that I have ever had to deal with an injury that has limited me so much. I have decided that I am going to take a week entirely off from training and set my sights on Ironman Lake Placid where I certainly have thrived before.

This week will involve no swimming, no biking and certainly no running. The goal is to focus all my energies on physically and mentally refreshing myself and healing. Psychologically it has been a struggle the last few weeks and this week may be the biggest test yet, however, I know this is the best decision so that my hip does not turn into a chronic problem and I am not dealing with it for the rest of the season.

Of note I had run out of Base Amino and Recover Activator a week or two before this problem developed and I cannot help but wonder how much of a role that played. This injury was caused by multiple different factors and I cannot blame one aspect of my training or recovery.

I am certainly very disappointed, but I am feeling better and better about this decision knowing it will give me the best chance to rebound faster and stronger than ever.

I arrived in San Diego last night after a rough 5hr flight. The flight was pretty bumpy and I didn’t actually get sick but my stomach and head certainly ached pretty much the whole flight. San Diego airport is pretty easy to navigate and I was in my rental car cruising up to Carlsbad where my home stay hosts were more than generous to wait up for me. Now I am in So Cal, where it is not so sunny this morning but I am getting pumped to race on Saturday.

As for the “it” that made it as well, I am referring to my race bracelet from Ironman Arizona this past November. As many of you know at races they give every athlete a bracelet with the name of the race and your bib number on it to keep track of everyone and allow athletes access to certain areas. I normally take this bracelet off right after the race, however, after IMAZ and the less than ideal results I let it on as a reminder of why I get up everyday and why I push myself to the breaking point at times and struggle to be the best athlete I can be. After a few days I just left it on and it eventually began a little game of how long with it last without breaking. Well, it has made it 4 months! That’s 294,000 yards of swimming, 2600 miles of biking, 665 miles of runner, 3 holidays, my birthday and who knows what else. It is hardly even recognizable any longer, the silver backing has long since wore away along with the writing and the several layers of plastic are breaking apart and disintegrating…but it is still around my writs. It has served as a reminded of why I am working so hard and pushing myself. Now that the 2009 season is virtually here I will take it off and see what the results are from leaving this bracelet on thru 4 months of steady, consistent and at times hard training.

I spent last week in Santa Fe, NM to enjoy a mid winter altitude training camp.  It was really my wife’s vacation and we wanted to get a little change of scenery as well as see her parents new house.  So it was a last minute trip, for just a week, but it was great! 

For those of you who don’t know Santa Fe is located 7,000 feet above sea level…let me tell you that is high…in fact 2,000-1,500 feet higher than Denver and Boulder, CO.  I could barely do a flip turn without gasping for breath! J  Although I did feel flat for most of my workouts there was one great ride I have to share.

The Santa Fe ski basin is at 10,000 feet and there is a single 15 mile winding access road that snakes it’s way from downtown to the summit.  I decided that I needed to make this trip on my bike, just to say that I did.  I began in the late afternoon when the sun was strongest and the temperatures were warmest.  However, as I began the ascent the clouds quickly hide my heat sources.  I had prepared for the descent, so I put on a few extra layers sooner than anticipated. 

About 30minutes into my climb I began a 30min tempo work set up the hill holding about 80% of my FTP, this helped me warm up quite a bit, even though I was barely going 8mph! J  As I got closer to the top the sun began to rapidly sink in the sky, the snow banks began to increase in size and the water on the roads soon turned to slush.  I considered turning around, but I had made it this far I had to continue. 

I reach the summit at about 5pm, significantly later than I had hoped, but just as the sun was setting and it was beautiful.  I snapped a few photos on my phone and prepared for a cold ride back down to town.  It took me 1:35min to climb the hill and less than 45min to get back down!  It would have been a lot more fun if I didn’t have to slow down for the ice and I didn’t need to stop a few times and breath on my hands and into my gloves to keep my fingers from going numb! By the time I got home it was pitch dark and I was FREEZING!! When I got home I took a steaming hot shower and a huge vat of my new favorite 53×11 coffee!  It was not the best planned adventure, but it was great fun!  

I always like to look back at the end of the calendar year at all the training I have done. There is certainly a sense of accomplishment when I see these numbers all nicely lined up and broken down into various categories. These numbers have special meaning to me, because they not only represent what I have done, then represent a commitment to my athletic career and help to reinvigorate my desire to reach my goals. These numbers can become somewhat of a contest between people, as in “I trained more than _____” or I ran farther than ____.” The point is not to brag or show off the point is it make the most of the time we have to train and have a purpose and a goal for every working leading toward our larger objective(s) regardless of what they may be. So I added up my numbers and I encourage you to do the same.

Time (hrs):
Swim 210
Bike 460
Run 201
Race 26

Total Time: 897 hrs

Distance (mi):
Swim 430
Bike 9640
Run 1783
Race 693

Total Distance 12546 mi

Can I top this 2009? Yes!
Thanks for reading.

It has been a long season!  I began racing at Ironman California 70.3 at the end of March and for some reason I thought that Ironman Arizona in November would be a good way to end the season.  Well I must admit it has been a very long season, although my body is holding up pretty well.  Training 20-30hrs a week for almost 8 months certainly takes it toll on the body, however, I have been taking the time and energy to focus on the little details of recovery to make sure that I stay healthy to get out their day after day.  Ice baths, Trigger Point Technology Massage Balls, CherryPharm, MAP, yoga, regular massage with Jeff Wells, a well balanced diet (with some help from Pam - At Nutrition for the Long Run) and sleep, at least 8hrs a night are all an important part of my routine.

However, the physical abuse is not the toughest part of racing as a pro triathlete, I really think the hardest part is staying mentally focused.  I do 90% of my training solo, due to the nature of my training schedule and the fact I am still new to the Durham, NC community so I am not really plugged in with many training partners….although I’m working on it.  As a result the beginning of yet another 5+ hr ride or 2+ hr run can be a little daunting, however, I approach training days a lot like race days, just break it up into small bite size segments, even if all you can stomach that day is running to the end of the street.  I find that starting is the hardest part, once you’re out there the time seems to go by pretty quickly. All that being said I am feeling great after Kona.  I took a week off after the race and did nothing (incase you are interested Rachel) that’s right I didn’t look at my bike, touch my running shoes and showing was the closest I got to swimming.  Although I did stay on top of my recovery routine.  After that week I got right back into the swing with 3 weeks of pretty solid training which ends this Sunday and then it’s taper time…again.

I am feeling very good physically and mentally, despite the late calendar date, and I am very focused on Ironman Arizona.  There are a lot of great athletes signed up at this point, but I know that I am going to go race hard and push my limits to end the 2008 season on a high note.  Just like Palani Hill in Kona, the end of the season is down hill to the finish so go hard and empty the tank! :) 

Whenever I have a conversation with a non-cyclist/triathlete about the issues of leg shaving, the main reason I quote for doing so is the ability clean up the road rash after an accident. I always tell people, “it’s not an issue of IF you crash, but WHEN you crash,” because everyone at some point or another will crash, or worse yet get hit by someone or something. Well, this past Thursday, after 5 years of competing and training for triathlon the inevitable hit…literally. I was at 4:50 of a 5 hour ride in 95 degree heat after some hard Ironman pace sets, I was exhausted and glad to be almost home. I was climbing a hill and going straight thru a green light and before I knew what was happen there was a car turning left across my lane…into me!! Had I not been so tired I may have been able to avoid the car, but I was only able to let out a yell, and before I knew it I was sprawled out across the pavement in the middle of the intersection. I immediately sat up and had a few choice words for the driver, so I knew I couldn’t have been that badly hurt.

I had landed on my right side, helmet and hip taking the brunt of the impact with some road rash on my shoulder, elbow and ankle. Aside from the terrified driver stopping to make sure I was ok and apologizing profusely, there were 2 or 3 other people who stopped as well, all willing to help out in anyway they could, which was very kind of them. My personal favorite was an older gentleman who ran up to me saying “That was totally her fault, you had a green light, I’ll be your witness if you want to sue!” I thanked him, but I thought I was ok. I asked the small crowd if my pupils were the same size, if I was slurring my speech at all and went through several other symptoms of a concussion and after realizing that I was, for the moment, ok I turned my attention to my baby…I mean bike.

Amazingly it seemed in relatively good shape. It appeared that she had hit me on my left rear wheel skewer and basically just pushed the rear of my bike to the right and out from under me. I was going slowly enough over the hill and she was turning slowly enough that there was only some cosmetic damage to my trusty Trek, although I still inspected the carbon fiber frame carefully for cracks.

After taking a few minutes to collect myself, I stood up, brushed off, collected insurance and contact information, and rode home for my transition run. That evening and even a few days later I am realizing the full extent of the bruising and general soreness that comes with hitting the pavement. However, with IMLP very near there is no rest for the weary. So, please be safe out there and no matter how safely you ride, you cannot control others. Lastly, at the risk of standing on a soap box, always, always, always wear a helmet it most likely saved my life, thanks Rudy Project! No excuses now go train!

I have never been hunting, but last year I bagged a Moose…Mooseman that is. Training in the spring can be tough, but knowing that this race is coming up gives a little extra motivation. Tucked away in quiet Bristol, NH is pristine New Found Lake where in early June the triathlon season officially begins inNew England. Moving toDurham, NC almost threw a kink in my plans to defend my title, but Ashley and I managed to arrange our travel/moving plans to accommodate this awesome race! Keith Jordan and the whole staff at Endorfun Sports do a great job with this race, as well as Mooseman’s big and more popular brother, Timberman 70.3. So if you get the opportunity make your way toNewFoundLake this June, I’ll see you there.

The weather in Vermont is always hit or miss, particularly in the spring. Well I have gotten outside on my bike 3 times in the last 4 days!! That’s incredible for this time of year! Granted I had to bundle up, but hey there was even some sunshine out there. On a side note, when did they add a traffic light to Heinsburg!? I got very confused when I came riding through this intersection, the same way that I had a million times before, only to discover a traffic light. I thought I taken a wrong turn at first. On a 2:30 ride I discovered 2 new traffic lights within a few miles, which for Vermont is A LOT considering on many of my usual loops I hit maybe 3 traffic lights. It made me realize that I had not ridden outside in VT since last August! I was in Durham, NC (my soon to be new home) last September and then Hawaii in October and then this nasty little winter thing interrupted my training!