JoJo's Journey from Miami Marathon to Ironman USA (Lake Placid) 2010 by sjlinley

Real training for IM Lake Placid is underway, and I'm suffering from all kinds of annoying problems.  First the achilles tendonitis has appeared in my right foot and I can't run.  So I'm on fast walks, biking, swimming, and now aqua jogging to give it a rest so it can heal.  Then the fingertips on the right hand are acting up badly - they're numb and I get pins and needles all up my arm from my wrist to my shoulder.  I went to the hand Dr. and he did a nerve conduction study.  Turns out there's no damage to the hand, yet.  But between the study and the results, my left arm from above the elbow to below the elbow has gone numb.  No tingling, just dull sensation rather than sharp when I touch it.  So now the doctor wants me to see a neurologist to rule out MS.  But really, other than that, I'm fine!

Training consists of 3 gym sessions/week, 3 swims/week, 2 runs(walks or whatever)/week, and 2 bikes/week.  This is Base 1 phase.  The gym sessions are a combination of weights, core, plyometrics (jumping, balance etc.) and stretching.  They're intense.  The swims are 2 sessions the coach sends, one with a long steady set and one with more intervals, and then 1 session with coach at the pool with lots of drills etc.  The runs are one short and one long per week.  And the bike is one short (1 hour or so) with drills/intervals, and one long (2 hours or so).  I'm managing 2 of the swims, 2 of the gym sessions, and most of the rest of the runs and bikes.

I'll post more now that I'm getting a bit more organized with it all.

Cheers!