It's not just about the training

After spending 7 months training for the Ironman, I've come to realize that it's not just about the training. It's also about the hell I'm putting my body through.

At the beginning of training, I had some trouble with my right foot. I saw a podiatrist who diagnosed Morton's Neuroma and gave me a cortizone shot. Then, I had to get orthotics for my running shoes.

The orthotics helped but I'm still not 100%. However, I'll take the 80% I'm at right now.

Luckily, I've had no problems with IT bands or my knees. But a few months ago, I realized that my right shoulder blade was painful. I visited my massage therapist and she was unable to get the knot out of the muscles. So I broke down and visited a chiropractor. For the past 3 weeks, my chiropractor has been trying to get my back adjusted. Each visit, he tries to get my muscles to relax and adjusts my back. I feel like crying each time. I have more range of motion in my neck and back, but now I find another problem.

I've worked very hard on my swimming and now I have bursitis in my shoulder. All I need to do is hold on for 2 more weeks. Now, I'll probably visit another doctor and have a cortizone shot just so I can get through this relatively pain-free.

So, while I've been putting my body through hell, it's been slowly falling apart, too.

Or is it just that I'm 43?