• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Staff
    • My Running Story
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • What We Treat
    • Running Injuries
    • Sciatica, Back, & Neck Pain
    • Chronic Pain
    • Shoulder/Elbow Pain
    • Hip/Knee Pain
    • Ankle/Foot Pain
    • Balance/Vestibular
  • Specialities
    • Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Non-Traditional Manual Therapy
    • Running Services
    • Correct Toes
    • Kinesio Taping
    • OOV Services
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Free Guides
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Running Portal
  • Patient Info
    • Forms
    • FAQs
    • For Your Doctor
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
    • Read Reviews
    • Rate Us!
  • COVID-19

The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
  • The Manual Touch Linkedin
  • The Manual Touch YouTube
  • The Manual Touch Twitter
  • The Manual Touch Facebook

Transitions

August 14, 2015 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

drewcrop

Summer in Chicago is a time to celebrate warm weather with numerous outdoor activities filled with festivals and concerts to help us forget the long winters. But, in our house, summer means its Triathlon season for our son, Drew. Drew has been doing triathlons since he was 13, when he fell in love with the sport at his first kid’s triathlon at the Leaning Tower Y in Niles,IL, and he won. After a couple of years, he began placing in his age group at almost every local race he has competed in. Now at the age of 18, Drew has moved into the world of junior elite racing, where drafting on the bike is legal (drafting allows bikers to ride very close together in order to use the lead bikers speed to move you along). The race is limited to 65-75 very fast and nationally ranked boys in his age group of 16-19 years old.

Drew competed in 2 junior elite races this summer, in Pleasant Prairie, Wi and in Des Moines, IA, where he moved up from 60th place coming out of the swim to 35th overall in a blistering hot and fast race.   Obviously, the swim is his slowest event of the race.  His most recent local race was at The Glenview Park Center, where he placed 3rd overall out of 400 and 1st in his age group.

The triathlon consists of 3 sports, always done in the same order, swim, bike, run. Often when people hear the word triathlon they think of an Ironman, the longest of all the triathlon distances. But, there are actually 4 distances, sprint, Olympic, half ironman, and ironman. Drew’s races have all been sprint distances except for 1 Olympic distance. The sprint distance can vary, but typically are as follows: the swim is 300-750 meters in a pool or body of water, the bike is 10-15 miles long, and the run is always a 5k. Between each event the athlete moves through a transition area, where they have set up their gear for biking and running, in order to begin the bike or the run portion of the race.

drew_tri_stuff_small

The night before the race, Drew lays out everything he needs for the race on his bed and meticulously packs it all in a backpack. He is extremely organized, detail oriented and prepared for any possibility that might arise on race day, such as weather changes and equipment and nutritional needs such as extra swim caps and goggles, food, gummies, and water bottles. He has a routine workout he always does the day before the race, focusing on transition from bike to run.

We often have to wake up before 4:00 am in order to get to the race so Drew can set up his transition area. I pack a “sack of PB&J sandwiches” for us to eat through the morning of the race and make Drew a scrambled egg, and then go off on our way before the sun has risen. I always thank him for choosing triathlons instead of baseball (no offense to dedicated baseball parents) as I would gladly wake up at an ungodly hour 4-5x a summer for his triathlons instead of going to numerous baseball games. Drew tackles triathlons the same way he tackles life, with great joy, self awareness, both mental and physical, the desire and motivation to always do his best, and attention to detail.

In the early morning light, Drew sets up his transition area with his Cervelo bike, bike and run gear in an organized, purposeful fashion so during the race he can move through transition as quickly as possible. In a highly competitive race, time spent or lost in transition can make the difference between a successful race or not.

ontobike2

Drew flying onto the bike at Glenview triathlon.

Athletes enter the water in waves usually by estimated swim time or by age group. When Drew finishes the swim, he runs from the swim into the transition area, puts his sunglasses and helmet on, runs his bike out of transition, until he is allowed to fly onto his bike in his bare feet, begins to pedal, and then puts his feet into his bike shoes which are already attached to his bike pedals. Ten to 15 miles later we watch him pull his feet out of the shoes, put one leg over the bike bar, and leap off the bike in his bare feet, as he enters the transition area. He will hang his bike on a rack, take his helmet off, put on his running shoes and his race belt and runs out of transition in under 25 seconds. Watching him handle transitions with skill and grace is a thing of beauty. We then see him blazing through the finish line, often with the top 10 fastest runs of all the athletes.

drew_off_bikecrop

Drew flying off the bike at Des Moines triathlon.

Next week Drew heads off to The University of Illinois for the next transition in his life as independent college student and collegiate triathlon racer. This of course forces the next transition in my husband and my life, to empty nesters, as our oldest daughter is already away at college. I have no doubt Drew will move through the transition of high school student to independent college student with the same grace and ease as he does triathlons. However, I’m not so sure the transition to empty nesters for my husband and I will go as smoothly and as quickly as for Drew. For, just like in triathlon or any physical activity, the older one gets, the slower one becomes and the less graceful and easy transitions become. I hope my husband and I can tap into the same joy we receive watching Drew compete in triathlons to watching him transition into independent adulthood, so we don’t get stuck in the transition to empty nesters but become empty nesters with joy and purpose and embrace a newfound roles in our children’s lives.

transition_crop

As I tell my patients, healing journeys can take time, so do transitions to new phases of life. Time for the healer to listen to my own advice and be patient as I move through this new transition to empty nester.

 

Filed Under: Real Stories, Triathlon Tagged With: biking, exercise, Health, physical therapy, running, transition, triathlon

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Health Tips

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
I'm also interested in receiving:

Search Other Blogs

Recent Blog Posts

  • What Does Your Big Toe Have To Do With Painting?
  • Frogs: A Symbol of Transformation
  • Meet Our Social Media Manager, Rachel

Blog Post Topics

Testimonials

Denise Schwartz at The Manual Touch is A GREAT Physical Therapist!  I came to her with a torn ligament and tendonitis in my foot AFTER going to 2 other well know PT chains who actually made my injuries worse. Not only did she help me heal from those injuries but actually worked on other parts of my Body to help heal those areas too. I really appreciate that she works on the whole body – after all everything is connected. She is very knowledgeable in what she does.
Read More
Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these sessions end.  My initial symptom was my painful knees but immediately Denise saw that the origin of my problem was in my hips. The recommendation to Manual Touch was solid, but when it turned out that Denise had trained with my wonderful Physical… Read more
Read More
On the occasion of my 69th birthday, I celebrated with a special, extended workout that included a set of 10 pull-ups and several other body-weight exercises. But the most important and most appreciated dimension of my body on that day and all others was the pain-free freedom of movement I enjoyed, the product of an exercise focus on flexibility, stretching, balance and core strength. The great change in my workouts came when I approached Denise Schwartz at The Manual Touch in Wheeling to reh… Read more
Read More
I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I was having back pain.  He recommended that I start seeing Denise at The Manual Touch.  Due to my past experiences, I was skeptical regarding the success that I could have with another therapist.  From my first visit I could tell that Denise had a ve… Read more
Read More
I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situation. I had 6 weeks of PT at another location but still was unable to turn my head fully or work at a desk without terrible pain.  After seeing Denise and following her exercise program, I was almost back to normal within a few short months.  I… Read more
Read More
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
Read More
Denise is such a talented PT. She is able to evaluate my movements and how I use my body in such detail. Her integrative manual therapy skills are unique and get to the root of my physical problems. Along with her functional movement exercises, her manual skills resolved my pain and made my body move so much more freely. I would highly recommend The Manual Touch therapy clinic if you have alignment issues or orthopedic problems. Included in her services are informative emails with advice for dai… Read more
Read More
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found your suggestions “to shorten my stride” and “being conscious of not overlapping my steps” to be helpful. Thanks Denise  
Read More
I am a primary care internist and find the therapy at Manual Touch to be professional and targeted to the individual. I have been sending my patients to Denise from The Manual Touch for several years. Most physical therapy services these days have a mass produced feel. Hospital based departments and commercially owned chains of physical therapy centers aim to see as many patients as they can. Therapists typically have two or more patients they are working with at the same time. Denise works one … Read more
Read More
Having been to “regular” physical therapists over the past few years where nothing helped my pain, I was introduced to Denise by a mutual friend.  Although I have issues that will never leave me totally pain free, Denise has alleviated it with her gentle soft touch.  The exercises she has given me help tremendously!  I’m very thankful to Denise and recommend her highly!
Read More

Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
Top 10 physical therapists in Wheeling

A winner of the
2015 Patients' Choice Awards
for
Wheeling Physical Therapist

Verified by Opencare.com

Testimonials

Denise Schwartz at The Manual Touch is A GREAT Physical Therapist!  I came to her with a torn ligament and tendonitis in my foot AFTER going to 2 other well know PT chains who actually made my injuries worse. Not only did she help me heal from tho… Read more
Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these … Read more
On the occasion of my 69th birthday, I celebrated with a special, extended workout that included a set of 10 pull-ups and several other body-weight exercises. But the most important and most appreciated dimension of my body on that day and all others… Read more
I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I wa… Read more
I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situ… Read more
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
Denise is such a talented PT. She is able to evaluate my movements and how I use my body in such detail. Her integrative manual therapy skills are unique and get to the root of my physical problems. Along with her functional movement exercises, her m… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I am a primary care internist and find the therapy at Manual Touch to be professional and targeted to the individual. I have been sending my patients to Denise from The Manual Touch for several years. Most physical therapy services these days have a … Read more
Having been to “regular” physical therapists over the past few years where nothing helped my pain, I was introduced to Denise by a mutual friend.  Although I have issues that will never leave me totally pain free, Denise has alleviated it with h… Read more
Read More

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

Copyright © 2021 The Manual Touch, LLC. · 325 n. milwaukee ave. · Ste D. · Wheeling, IL. 60090 · 847-541-7600

The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.