SPONSORSHIP!

Posted on 7:20 AM by Tweedle Beetle Tri-Athletle | 0 comments

North Lake Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation has agreed to provide me sponsorship for the 2010 Triathlon season!  

Setting the Stage - The timeline:

Last December, 2009 - I made the decision that I was going to begin my training for the Pacific Crest 1/2 Iron Man in Sunriver Oregon.


December 19th, 2009 - Beautiful December day - 20 mile light ride. Tingling in my left hand.

December 21st, 2009 - Woke up to the most intense pain ever radiating down my left arm. (http://tweedlebeetletriatheletle.blogspot.com/2009/12/locked-up.html)

January 21st, 2010 - Complete Artificial Disk Replacement surgery, to replace the badly herniated Disk between C6/7.

Febuary, 2010 - Cheryl Kosta agrees to ignore my ridiculous insurance and provide to me the very best in physical therapy.  Thank you!!!!



The Badly Herniated Disk between C-6 and C-7.
The Group:

The North Lake Group, lead by Physical Therapist and North Lake founder Cheryl Kosta, took me under their healing wing back in February 2010 - after my C6/7 artificial disk replacement surgery.  This surgery corrected my badly herniated disk which resulted in excruciating pain, muscle waisting on my left shoulder, pectoral, bicep and triceps, numbness in my left hand and paralysis in my left triceps.

What They Did:

Rather than just rehabbing my cervical spine and shoulder area, the group took on a holistic approach - viewing the body and a system of interconnected subsystems.  I completed my rehab with two sets of ortohotics (one for daily use - the other for running/cycling), a professional and complete bike fit, and I am ecstatic to report that I have made a complete recovery.  The orthotics are designed to not only align my bone structure preventing some of my most chronic injuries (Achilles Tendinitis and IT Band Tendinitis) but also increasing performance!  By aligning my structure I increase efficiency and power transfer.
Post Surgery - Notice the artificial disk between C-6
and C-7.

The Result:


On May 15t,h 2010 (less than 4 months after my spine surgery), I returned to competing at the Pole Pedal Paddle. (http://tweedlebeetletriatheletle.blogspot.com
/2010/06/first-race-of-year-2010-us-bank-pole.html)

On June 6th, 2010 I competing in my first Olympic Distance Triathlon at Blue Lake, finishing 125th out of 405 finishers.
(http://tweedlebeetletriatheletle.blogspot.com/
2010/06/2010-blue-lake-olympic-distance.html)

My Sincerest Thank You!

There is no question that North Lake's direction during my recovery not only helped my physical recovery from my spinal injury but also returned me to a stronger, more limber and faster place.

To Cheryl and everyone at North Lake, thank you for your guidance, your support and your financial assistance!

Happy Fathers Day!

Posted on 9:33 AM by Tweedle Beetle Tri-Athletle | 0 comments

My Wife Shannon, gave me the two greatest gifts a man could ever receive, my two boys - Aidan and Brodie.

To my wife - Thank you.  To my two boys, I love you more than anything in the world.

To All of you Dads out there, Happy Fathers Day.

To my Dad, Happy Fathers Day.

To my other Dad, Happy Fathers Day.

I love you both - Thanks for everything.

Jensen

2010 BLUE LAKE OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON

Posted on 10:26 AM by Tweedle Beetle Tri-Athletle | 0 comments

2010 BLUE LAKE OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON
PLACE:                          125 
NAME:            H, Jensen      
AGE:             33   
SEX:             M
TIME:            2:35:03    
BRACKET PLACE:   25
SWIM TIME:       0:32:13
SWIM 100YD:      1:58
PLACE AFTER SWIM:318  
TRANSITION 1:    3:58
BIKE:            1:09:22
AVE MPH:         21.11 MPH
BIKE RANK:       162
TRANSITION 2:    2:57
PLACE AFTER BIKE:224
RUN TIME:        0:46:33
AVE MILE SPLIT:  7:29
PLACE AFTER RUN: 124  

I wake up - 5:30 AM, and look outside to the utterly disgusting weather.   Rolling my eyes, I wander downstairs to get my oatmeal cooking and shiver as I look out the window.  This was one of those mornings where you can't quite see out the window, its a layer of glass and a layer of rippling water. Its obviously raining and raining hard.  


On the way over to pick up James, my Tri Coach and friend - I groan at the classic February Oregon downpour and feel a twinge of annoyance as I realize its June.  Even worse, the day before we enjoyed 76 and sunny!  COME ON OREGON!!! WHAT THE HELL???  I have been in this weather enough to know very well that I am going to feel very cold, very wet and very uncomfortable by the end of the day.


Showing up at Blue Lake park, the weather seamed to only get worse...  Here is a photo of a couple of kids who tried to run from one tent to another.


A couple of spectators when they mistakingly stepped
out of the shelter of the vendor's booth.
I elect to get the wet-suit on before doing anything else, like a switch - my body wakes up from the solid shot of adrenaline and nerves (finally realizing why I drove out here), creating a malicious grin which spreads across my face as I realize how much I miss competing - especially in such conditions.


I look out across the transition area and laugh at myself and my fellow athletes as we slip, slide and sink into what should be a grass field...  It now looks something akin to a bog.


Transition area - Blue Lake... OK, OK, so its not but it looked like it!
I really couldn't believe the fact that in a blink of an eye, I found myself neck deep in Blue Lake surrounded by a rainbow of different colored swim caps.  I had no idea what to expect, except for the fact that I would finish... well, I would finish as long as I got though the swim...  I don't even remember a gun... or an announcer or any indication that we should all start swimming but soon enough, I realized that I was avoiding feet and hands as we all attempted to swim towards a great big floating green buoy.  I remember, after settling into a rhythm, thinking of my boys and Finding Nemo, as I sang... over and over and over... "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming... just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." 


Dorie and Nemo keeping me company through the swim.


Well, guess what happens when you follow Dorie's advice... eventually, fast or slow - you get there.  After 33 minutes, I got there - slipping and sliding into the transition area, stripping off my wet-suit, plopping down in the mud, donning my soaked bike shoes, helmet and "sun" glasses.  I grabbed my bike and trudged through to the first sign of pavement and mounted up.


Me coming out of the transition area...


I felt really strong on the bike and actually enjoyed the rain for the first 16 miles or so.  At about mile 17, it became quite a pain in the ass... no really, my butt hurt! You will be glad to know this was a first for me on the bike - somewhere deep between my right glute and right hamstring a muscle was screaming at me and really cramping up.  I finished the leg strong but overall average speed suffered during the last few miles or so.  Hind sight being 20/20 I should have realized that I was failing at hydrating properly.  Who needs to drink when you are surrounded and covered in sheets of water???  I guess I did :).  The transition area - as mucky, sloppy and slippery as it was, looked like an oasis.


Parking the bike, I took a quick look at my race flats and socks that were already getting soaked.  What would be worse???  Soggy Socks or no socks at all?  My split second decision was to go without socks, my first footfall out of the tradition area would make me regret that decision for the next 6.24 miles.  That footfall landed directly in a 6" deep puddle - the gravel immediately infiltrated my shoe and I knew I was in for bloody feet by the end of the day. I turned my brain off and after a quick pee of the side of the road (causing me to have a 8:30 first mile), I was able to crank out 7:15s for the rest of the 10K.  That felt great and boosted my overall standing to 124.


OK so these are not my feet, and really my blisters were
no where near this bad...  But this is how they felt!!!
Overall, after taking in everything - the rain, the blisters, the metacarpal hamstring pull, the really slow swim, the incessant shivering after the race, the 4" deep muck in the transition area - I LOVED IT!!!!


I am so motivated to better my times, as there is so much room for more fun... for more improvement.


Stay tuned for the rest of the 2010 Season!


Special thanks to James Williams at Zing 3 Coaching / Club Sport for coming out and guiding me through my first Tri Experience.


Special thanks to Cheryl at North Lake Physical Therapy for helping me recover and get back to racing condition.


Especially, Super Dooooper Special thanks to my wife Shannon for supporting my passion and forgiving me for disappearing (phone got lost in the back of the car - she thought I died...) after the race... I love you Hon!



Location: Blue Lake Regional Park, Fairview, OR 97024, USA

First Race of the Year! 2010 US Bank Pole Peddle Paddle

Posted on 3:38 PM by Tweedle Beetle Tri-Athletle | 0 comments

2010 US BANK PPP
SNOWBOARD
XC SKI
BIKE
RUN
PADDLE
SPRINT

The 2010 US Bank Pole Peddle Paddle was a banner year!  Did we win? Nope.  Were we top 3 in our bracket? Not even close... Well OK, from a competitive side, we are not looking to go pro any time soon but each of us on the team tacked a PR up on the wall at the end of the day!  
Near the inception of our disheveled and bedraggled team of misfits, a question was asked... Who knows how to cross country ski?  I answered with a very confident (Confident that I would not be chosen as the one...), "I haven't cross country skied since I was 8!".  Their unanimous response was, "Great! You're our guy!".  Two months and a few days later - just one hour before our race start, I found myself asking anyone who would answer me, "How do I clip these on my feet?"  Fifteen minutes after that, I found myself asking anyone who even smiled in my direction, "Can you teach me how to do this?"  Forty Five minutes later, I found myself struggling through 50 min and 10K of cornmeal. I have included some footage below of my final climb into the finish shoot and a visual description of what happens when you ask lots of the right questions but fail to ask them all.... "How do I get these skis off when I am done?"






My second leg was the 20 mile bike from Bachelor to Bend.  For this, I felt fantastic - regardless of my 50 min energy burn on skis just before.  Given it was mostly downhill (there were two short climbs) I felt I posted a solid time.

Dis:                 19.8 mi
Time:               41.5 min
Ave Speed:     28.9 mph 
Ave HR:          178 bpm

Overall, a total blast!

Then it was our magic marathoner, Adam's turn at the wheel.  Once we found each other at the transition (what a few minutes in a race?) - he set off at top speed!    Adam, what was it?  6 minute miles????  Anyway, Adam rocked the course tagging Eric our pro kayak expert.

On a lighter note, our professional paddler forgot... didn't know... or maybe just wanted to look supper macho by leaving the plug out of the kayak and having to dump the water 3 times during the paddle portion of the race.  Needless to say, he still posted the best time of the day - for him :).  He also managed to say, "To hell with the man, and purposely drowned his Blackberry in the process.  Way to go Eric - you are an inspiration to all of us chained to our cells.

Adam, Eric... Great job gentlemen... Can't wait to kill it again next year!  

Although next year, I will try to get out there before 1:00 AM in the morning...

P.S.  Favorite Quote of the day...

"I am pretty sure I was still buzzed when I woke up this morning..." - Adam

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