When I first moved to California, I lived a brief stint with an amazing family in Thousand Oaks who I affectionately refer to as my California family. They are a great group of people and I got to be real close with them as well as do a lot of activities with them. One of my favorite activities was Master’s swimming with the Dad of the family, Steve. He was swimming to stay in shape but also for a more serious (and somewhat comical) reason. He was practicing his swimming so that if he ever was stranded in the ocean and needed to swim to shore to survive, he would be able to do so. Not a bad reason if you think about it.

This past week, I stumbled across an article on ESPN titled something along the lines of “Ex-Dolphins Fullback Swims for Life”. This obviously piqued my interest, so I clicked on it. The focal point of the story, Rob Konrad, recently found himself in a “boaters nightmare” off the coast of Florida. He was fishing when his boat was hit by a wave and threw him overboard. His boat was on autopilot and sailed itself off into the distance as he was stranded without a life jacket.

Konrad realized very quickly that his only option was to swim for it. He had a wife and two kids waiting for him at home and there was not another boat in sight. So, he set off to swim back to shore. During his trek, a boat came within 50 yards and the coast guard unknowingly had a spotlight on him, but neither of them saw him. He was on his own. He washed up on shore at 4:30am after a 16 hour, 27 mile swim filled with chilly waters, bites from sea life, and circling sharks.

The biggest takeaway I got from the story is that we are training not only for our events, but also for our lives. You never know when extreme endurance and athletic ability will come in handy on a day to day basis. Letting yourself go isn’t an option.

Link to Story: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12155533/rob-konrad-recounts-16-hour-swim-survival

Questions? email jack@rauschpt.net
Jack McPheron, Performance Lab Director

If you haven’t noticed a trend in the Rausch Office, it seems as though there is something in the water. Every time you turn around someone else is PREGNANT! Being the last female in the office that is pregnant and embracing my last week of work, here are a few things I have learned.

Growing a human is hard work. So give yourself some credit. Your number one priority is taking care of yourself and your child; and in my opinion, a healthy diet and appropriate sleep take precedent. So you may need to adjust your exercise expectations. I originally set a goal of running 3 miles 3 times a week and swimming 2 times a week. Reality: I have been nowhere close. Between juggling work, household duties, a new puppy (I know…crazy!) and day to day tasks; I am exhausted. What has been more realistic for me: frequent walks, occasional swims, taking the stairs and a few simple home exercises.  I am not setting any records, but I feel good!

Your body is changing; expect some aches and pains. But you should not be suffering.  So when you do find the time and energy to exercise, follow these general guidelines for a safe and healthy exercise program:

• After your first trimester avoid doing any exercises on your back.
• If you have not exercised recently, start slowly!
• Avoid exercise in hot, humid weather or when you have a fever.
• Drink lots of water to optimize hydration and avoid overheating.
• Modify the intensity, so you can maintain a conversation during exercise.

So what are some of the changes that happen to the body during pregnancy? The most obvious is weight gain. And this extra weight makes your body work harder for everyday tasks. The extra weight in the front of your body, our amazing baby bump, not only shifts your center of gravity, affecting balance, but it also puts extra stress on your pelvis and low back. On top of the extra weight, the hormones released by the body also cause ligament laxity. This is great news come delivery day; but in the meantime you lose the support and stability around your joints, making them susceptible to injury.

Name:
Robin Littrell

Number of Ironmans completed:
2, IMAZ 2012 & IMAZ 2014.

What was your reason for IMAZ 2014?
IMAZ 2014 Training was a little different from my first experience, but I was very committed to make it to the race. You see I was racing with my daughter Briana.  How many mothers out there can say,“I did an Ironman with my daughter”! Bragging rights forever!!!

How did your training go?

My training started at a nice and steady pace. I didn’t have any real issues, but started to feel a little bit of pressure in my right foot.   My coach advised me to see my doctor ASAP. I did, long story short is I was diagnosed with a stress fracture. I saw a podiatrist was told to tape my foot and run.

Did you do anything outside of what the Podiatrist suggested?

I was looking into other ways to train. I have been to Rausch for various reasons and knew about the Anti-gravity treadmill. I started to use the Altra-G Treadmill to keep my endurance and mileage up. It was a great way to get my training in without further injuring my foot. I also had weekly physical therapy sessions with Dustin, the combination was just perfect.

And how did you feel come race day?

When race day came I was so thrilled that once again I was at the starting line ready to go!!

Arizona Ironman 2014 was very challenging to say the least! But I finished☺I am again thrilled to say I am an ironman!

This time around it took the whole village to get me there, without the encouragement from my wonderful coach Martha,  Rausch PT and my husband “Bob” my journey would have  a very different ending.

How long has competing at Kona been a dream of yours for?

Competing at the Ironman World Championship in Kona has been a dream I pursued for more years than I can count. I started competing in triathlons in 1994 a couple years after graduating from college where I had cycled competitively for five years. Early on, I saw the Ironman World Championship on TV and was captivated by the goal and dream of someday finishing this race.

How did you finally gain a position at Kona?

Absent the speed to qualify with an age group win at a qualifying race, my only option to race in Kona has been a lottery spot. I have entered the lottery every consecutive year for longer than I can remember without luck. This year’s lottery winners were announced on April 15th at 9:00AM PST. With no email from the WTC by 9:03AM, I resigned myself to another year without an entry. As I glanced over the list of lottery winners on the Ironman website to see if recognized any names, I suddenly encountered my name on the list. What?! I had a sense of disbelief since I hadn’t received an email. Was I reading this right or were my eyes deceiving me? I reached for my phone and checked my email again. The email confirming my lottery spot had arrived at 9:24AM. I was stunned and elated. I finally had my chance to make this dream a reality.

Once in, where did you training take you?

In the months leading up to the race, my training progressed well. In training for other IM distance races previously, I knew to temper my enthusiasm in the early months, stay healthy, keep it interesting and have fun. Over the summer, I raced at Escape from Alcatraz, Vineman 70.3, Coveathlon and Big Kahuna Aquabike. Plans for racing IMLT 70.3 as a final big training day fell through with the race cancellation, but the long rides and runs were in the bank so I took this in stride. I was fortunate to stay healthy as my training volume increased. A bit of discomfort in my heel area was quickly addressed with a few visits to Jessica Snyder at Rausch Physical Therapy. I was able to keep moving forward in my training without any downtime which was important both physically and mentally.

What were a few highlights of race week in Kona?

We arrived in Kona on Tuesday before race day. Leading up to race day, I enjoyed practice swims in the ocean, the coffee boat and the Underpants Run along with some relaxation time and a drive to Hawi to check out the bike course. Another highlight was a chance encounter along Alii Drive with Chrissie Wellington who wished me a good race as I rode my bike to check-in on Friday.

The big day has arrived, how did it go?

A big part of competing in an Ironman is taking the conditions of the day and making the best of the circumstances. When the cannon went off on race morning, my first goal was to finish and enjoy the experience. And if I’m honest, I had a finish time in mind I thought I could achieve if circumstances allowed.

The swim felt good and I was out of the water in 1:24. A little slower than I expected, but no reason to fall apart over 9-10 minutes. The first 30 miles of the bike were comfortable and on target. Out on the Queen K, conditions abruptly changed at Mile 30 with an incredible headwind that left me riding 7.7mph on flat terrain. I watched my average speed plummet and later learned my support crew thought I’d crashed or flatted with the sharp decrease in speed. By Mile 40, I was reassessing my time goals. As the strong winds continued to gut both my speed and ability stay aero, I knew my time goal was slipping away. The ride on to Hawi was hard. And slow. And uphill. And windy. Probably the toughest riding conditions I’ve experienced in 27 years as a cyclist. I was grateful for the turnaround in Hawi and anticipated tailwinds, but with gusting crosswinds, even the downhill was slow in order to maintain bike control. 112 miles later, I came off the bike absolutely fried. My legs rebelled at my attempt to run in to T2 and I slowed to a brisk walk. Coming out of T2, I again tried to run. I was able to jog easily and gradually loosened up to maintain a decent pace through the first 16 miles. The pace slowed a bit until Mile 25 but I kept a moderate jog while walking the aid stations. As I came back into town, my pace picked up heading downhill to Alii Drive. Making the final turn on Alii Drive was magical. My legs no longer hurt. My pace accelerated all the way across the finish line. I finished in 14:42.

It’s been a few weeks since Kona, have you been able to reflect much?

Recently a friend asked me if I ever asked myself “Why am I doing this?” when I was out on the course that day. My answer came easily, “no”. On race day, I was able to embrace every minute of the day, from the pre-race nerves to a beautiful swim, the incredibly challenging winds on bike course and the run along Alii Drive at sunset. And the finish….An incredible feeling of accomplishment beyond words. I feel privileged to have had to the opportunity to race in Kona along with incredible support from a wonderful group of friends and husband who supported me through my training and traveled to Kona to cheer me on.