I have always been active, throughout my whole life, playing soccer with the guys, picked for a swim team but couldn't join (my parents didn't want me to), climbing trees, riding my bike, swimming throughout the summer, horse back riding, training basketball twice a week for seven years, even dancing, and of course, jogging in the 80's and the weekly 1000m in the pool.
When I started studying, my activities switched to university sports, indoor climbing twice a week and kayaking, which I loved.
When I moved to Norway I started hiking, and worked on farms which fully satisfied my need for physical activity. Oh yes, I tried and run for two km but found out that that wasn't for. Too exhausting.
In 2006 I was suffering a lot with depressive eposides so I had to find an outlet for all those dark thoughts, and needed to get in shape so I could tackle my busy student life again. I started running in the fall, with a first workout that I still remember, switching between walking for two minutes and jogging for one minute, for a total of 20 minutes or so.
Since running had such a benefitial impact on me, I continued working on my endurance, and after an initial euphoric 5k one dark fall evening the same year, I ran myself up to a half marathon distance which I completed alone, in the dark, in the second day of Christmas.
After consulting someone at my university about how to continue, I followed the suggestion to further build my endurance rather than speed, which I did, I signed up for a marathon six months later and completed it! What joy!
Merely running turned out to be a bit too taxing on my legs, so I added some bike rides into my schedule, while also starting swimming again. That finally led to my first particpation in the local triathlon (sprint distance with indoor swimming) organized by sport students of our university.
I guess this first triathlon got me hooked a bit!
In 2008 I had signed up for a marathon again, the same as my first, just to see if I could do it again (I could!), and I also participated in my first outdoor triathlon. That showed btw that it is apparently possible to run fast only three weeks after having completed a marathon! I placed second, which was unbelievable, so I wanted more.
In august 2008 I did my first olympic distance triathlon, and when I got home it turned out that the girl on third place had skipped a bike loop and got disqualified, so I got a third place!
One important thing was that I got to know other triathletes, and I soon made myself a accomplice, Helene, and we jokingly said that yes, maybe we too should be doing a full distance Ironman some day (that was the start of many exciting triathlon plans).
In 2009, I did my first half ironman distance triathlon, in Tjörn, Sweden. I had lots of fun despite my car having a total breakdown the night before, and me having to stay some extra days after the competition to get it fixed. But it was a beautiful place to stay at, and I even felt like moving there!
That same year, in july, Helene and I signed up for the BIG EVENT. The Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, 2010.
Long story short: I did it!
Everything felt right, the non-wetsuit swim (poor Helene got her biggest fears becoming reality: a non-wetsuit swim, and I think she wasn't alone about that, while I enjoyed the non-restrictive swimming in only a bathing suit).
After the Ironman I wanted one more, and immediately signed up for another one, for 2011.
To "warm up", I did a half-ironman distance in Mallorca, which was a great event, and being there with a good friend and Helene made it like a mini-vacation.
So far so good, but my health was deteriorating that year, and I couldn't just do the training. Everything felt like I was slowly killing myself, no matter how "easy" I ran or biked.
That was my first DNS.
After that year, I stayed with half ironman distances, which were much less taxing. The first IM 70.3 Norway was arranged in 2012, and Helene and I were there, and fully agreed that there couldn't possibly be a better halfironman triathlon anywhere in the world.
In 2013, I was so lucky to have The Man, as my coach. Yep, Dave Scott, six-times Ironman World Champion. The deal was that I had won the coaching through a christmas competition the year before. That was definitely exciting! To get to know some of the training "secrets" of an Ironman World Champion felt like an honor (although of course you can buy his training plans, too).
Once again at IM 70.3 Norway, I slightly improved my time, but that year, health issues didn't make the training easy. It was a struggle. Life was a struggle.
I had signed up for an olympic triathlon again that fall, but had to stay home. I really wanted to do the IM 70.3 Norway again in 2014, and signed up for it, but again, my health issues made it impossible even though I still did some training. But I was just done with life's struggles.
After a week of hiking with a heavy backpack, and some taxing mountain top hikes, plantar fasciitis was a fact. The heel pain didn't go away. That was september 2014.
I had to cut out all running and hiking, and the struggle and frustration to "cure" or "treat" my foot had begun. For all those who have or have had PF, they know: it's frustrating.
I took some months off.
Started rehabilitation training for my feet: indoor strength training and stretching. Some mobility work. Hours in front of the computer on the internet finding new ways of training, treating and heeling PF. I started so slightly running again, one loop around the block, that is 400m, at a time.
When spring came, I signed up for a summer training at our local gym, and continued my training combination of mobility and strength work, while I also got more familiar with the weights and machines over there.
More importantly though, I got familiar with some of the "big guys" over there. I knew one of them, and asked if I could try and pick up the bar he had loaded.
The lift was way more heavy than I had anticipated, but when I recounted the plates on the bar, it was obvious that I merely had counted ONE side of the bar or so. Instead of 40kg, I had just deadlifted 70kg!
For me at that time, it seemed fantastic and totally unbelievable, and I happily told all of the "guys" what I just had done. I think they found it charming.
But that's when I really got into lifting heavy weights. I got inspired by the guys who worked out at then gym, steady and consistently, four days a week, after work, and lifted those amazing masses of weights! And some of them were BIG!
I started with the stronglift program, focused on the big lifts, and trained three times a week while still continuing my rehabilitation training for PF. Also, I had a shoulder that needed treatment and extra exercises. All while I also did some swimming and bike riding for fun.
Since I had such a tremendous progress and fun in deadlifting, I set myself that "big hairy goal" of lifting 100kg that year before Christmas. I was so inspired by the guys. And, I did lift the 100kg before Christmas.
After that, in 2015, my goals got even more "hairy". At the same time though, I discovered that my body still was somehow not recovering as easily as it had done. I guess the stress throughout all the recent years had taken its soll. The bench quickly turned out to be my weakest lift, and when I focused on building strength for the bench, like the guys did, I ended up with such tight chest muscles (pectoralis minor) my physical therapist diagnosed it as "thoracic outlet syndrome" - I lost half of my strength in my right arm, but managed to change my upper body training in favor of more back work.
As for squatting, I soon found out that I loved front squats, and "hated" back squats. Well, that is bad news if you want to compete in a powerlifting meet some day (which I wanted to). Throughout 2015, I usually trained front squats and did a few back squats, but those felt never right, and due to that painful shoulder I was actually not able to properly rest the bar on my back (I was high bar squatting).
My progress continued throughout 2016, I also managed to increase my deadlift to 130kg (bodyweight being 60kg), my bench got better (if not so much stronger, but better and most of all, injury- and painfree!) - but my squats were still an issue - they just didn't feel right.
But I guess I was already hooked on that powerlifting thing, my "favoritegymbuddy" as I call him taught me that it's "all in your head" (although he is BIG, so it's not ONLY in the head), kept inspiring me to lift, and so did the other guys.
As it happens for many beginner lifters, after the first steep progress, there can come a plateau (I guess some gifted people don't get that?). I definitely had reached that plateau on the bench, and I just couldn't "fix" my back squat.
Early 2017, favoritegymbuddy moved to another gym due to work, and I think I lost a bit of motivation for deadlifting. I focused on the bench, and tried a focused eight week bench program, and actually DID improve my 1RM by 10% (as promised), but even though I did only a 75% of the program, I managed to get an overuse injury in the other shoulder, and cut the program short.
But I suddenly found out the my former shoulder issues were gone, and back squatting was possible again - I even could switch to low bar squatting, which was such a big improvement for me!
I kind of started from zero again, almost. Focused on good form, good depth. Everything with powerlifting standards in mind. Switched to proper form on the bench, that is, cutting out the bar bouncing on my quite elastic rib cage, and training bench with a pause. I only maintained my deadlift strength and focused really on powerlifter squatting.
I really enjoy everything about powerlifting - lifting heavy weights is such a confidence booster. And I love my muscles (I gained four kg lean mass the first year), I love that I am able to lift heavy stuff with good form, it just feels right, and in dark times, lifting heavy is a good way of getting rid of anxiety.
Although I focus most of my time on poowerlifting (I have a seemingly endless motivation to read about powerlifting, study videos about squatting techniques, bench accessory work and deadlift stances) I started to miss the fun and social part of triathlon.
Some of my best friends are still competing in triathlons, and I miss having those long-term goals, the international races, watching the inspirational youtube videos and the secret dream of one day being able to compete on Hawaii...
When I compare triathlon training to powerlifting, the two sem like the exact opposites: low impact endurance over time with extreme forceful strength in powerlifting happening in seconds!
Also, for me, endurance sports give me time to think, to unwire, to reset my brain, to really retract into myself while getting up the heartrate or letting my feet do the work - listening to music while enjoying the surroundings, feeling the endorphins building up, the good feeling when the workout is done and you can relax, for me, endurance training is a genuine anti-depressant, while heavy strength training is an anxiolytic, The one make me happy, the other makes me confident.
And now I am thinking that I want and need both of them in my life.
It seems hard to achieve. But I certainly will try.
Saying that, I have such a solid background in triathlon training that I just try to go back to what I have been doing, and focuse more on the powerlifting part. I have never competed in a powerlifing meet, so that is definitely a long-term goal.
As long as I can train for both without getting injured, I will try just that.
Update may 2018: shoulder issues are always there, and I am taking a break from lowbar squatting, switching to front squats (again). I'll just prioritize strength maintenance and give my left shoulder time to sort itself out.
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