This last weekend Shari Lynne & I went to Pleasant
Prairie, WI, for the Dare2tri Chicago Paratriathlon Club's weekend
training camp. Shari Lynne & I were given scholarships which
covered most of the costs and we were (and are) so thankful and grateful we
were provided the opportunity to participate.
After we arrived on the first day, the first item on the
agenda was the meet & greet, which, as many events go, I did not know and
was very unfamiliar with most of the people at the training camp and knew,
obviously, Shari Lynne and, probably, only a handful of others. In fact, Shari
Lynne and I met one person whom we were on the train ride with to the camp, knew
about a half-dozen acquaintances before our
arrival, and knew a couple of people, whom we count as friends, two people whom
I know from the prosthetists' company I'm a client of. Of these two friends,
both are certified prosthetists, of which, one is a “nondisabled” person who is
my primary prosthetist who teaches and, the other, is an LAK (left above-knee)
amputee who's not only a vet from the war in Iraq but is, also, a national
para-triathlete champion.
On the first day, the first event/training I had to work on
was swimming. The length of the pool was that of an Olympic-size swimming pool,
if I'm not mistaken. That Friday, the first event I worked on was swimming, and
the techniques involved were not that of the average swimmer as we were to
employ the techniques of professional swimmers. Upon going into this practice,
I must say that I had no idea what I was in for. I knew I had to build up
stamina. I knew the different ways one could swim, even with one leg, but I had
no idea how much technique was involved if one were a professional at swimming.
For example, its best one knows which side is best for them to breathe in
between strokes, that its best for one to only breathe out through their nose
while underwater between breathes, and that one should not raise their head up
to high while not only breathing but while swimming.
After lunch, the next event on the first day for me was
ambulatory biking in the cycling studio. I have to say that this was both easy
and difficult. It was easy for me in the sense that there was no set time limit
or distance on the odometer which one has to meet. However, it was difficult
for me since the stationary bike did not have a pedal which was adapted on the
left side which would have made it a lot easier for me to bike. Don't get me
wrong, I did not expect there to be... it just made cycling, for me, that much
more a pain and difficult. The following day we did not use the stationary
bikes which were in the exercise room of the fitness center we used. Instead,
we were outside using the bikes which were provided for us, or our own personal
bikes. Obviously, I brought and, thus, used my own bike not just because I'm
used to it but, also, because the left pedal has been adapted for my
prosthetic, so my 'foot' would not come loose from the pedal. (Note:
For those who may wish to know, Chicago's Rapid Transit Cycle Shop not just
sold me the bike I own but they also provided the adaptive equipment I use to
ride my bike.)
The last activity for me on the first day was running in the
gym. The group which I was a part of was ambulatory and primarily consisted of
different types of leg amps, a visually impaired man, and TAB people. (Note:
A TAB person is someone who is temporarily able-bodied, or someone who is
commonly referred to as “nondisabled”). We did sprints of various types. Some
of these sprints reminded me of some of the types of sprints/exercises football
players do in training camp. The easiest for me were straight-forward sprints
since I have been getting better and faster at them since I acquired my cheetah
leg. The most difficult ones for me were the sprints we did running around
cones moving either backwards or side-to-side.
On the second day, the first two exercises my group did
before lunch was running and biking in the parking lot of the fitness facility
we used. The sprinting we did in pairs. We did a fair amount of these sprints
not just to build up speed but, also, to build up our stamina. The latter of
which I am more in need of. The biking part for me was easy. It was easy since
we were biking outside and not on stationary bikes but, also, because I was
able to use my own bike. Sufficed to say, I was very much in my comfort zone
during this activity.
After lunch, the two activities which we worked on were
swimming in the open water of Lake Andrea, and learning how to transition
between the three events for the triathlon. I did not find the open water swim
to be too much different from swimming in the Aqua arena at the Recplex
(fitness center). In fact, I did not find the transitioning to be greatly
difficult either, with exception of ambulating from the lake over to where my
prosthetic and bike were. Otherwise, I knew the logistics of getting on and off
my bike, putting on my prosthetic, and switching from my c-leg to my cheetah
leg, which I use for running.
The final day was, of course, the triathlon. In our case,
since many of us are beginners, it was a 'mini-triathlon'. The pros had larger
distances to cover in all three areas in the triathlon while the rest of us had
smaller distances in each part of the event. It started at 8:30a and began with
swimming. I was lucky enough to get out of the lake first but what held me up
as far as time after this was trying to put my prosthetic on. I believe the
distance we swam was probably around ¼ of a mile.. After spending close to five
minutes putting on my leg and walking over to where my bike was at, I started
biking, of course. I went around the lake twice and I believe the distance per
lap was 2.3 miles, so the distance I covered was 4.6 miles. Finally, there was
the running. By that point I was pretty tired but I was able to run about a
mile. Looking back, I'm not sure if I could have swam or ran more than I did
but I know I could have biked more. However, I know I could have biked more but
the distances set were not so much chosen by me but, rather, my trainer. I
believe he had picked the distances I did and I believe he did that because I
am a beginner and we both were unsure of my endurance level.
Lastly, even though it was a "mini-triathlon" I am both
proud that I did it and that I finished (in under an hour!). I am so proud of
myself for finishing and even more proud of Shari Lynne for the
same reasons. We both plan on keeping these activities up to better our health.
However, it must be stated that Shari Lynne and I are not doing these
activities to be “super-crips”. We find the idea in itself to be repugnant and
offensive if one were to assume we are doing it for that very reason. Along
with the health benefits, our other reasons are that it’s something we're both
genuinely enjoying doing together and because we've developed an acute interest
in para-triathlons.
No comments:
Post a Comment