Weekend Update
It’s Sunday night and I’ve got to make up for not writing yesterday. It’s among the first training days that I haven’t posted an entry since starting this thing. I did train my scheduled training yesterday, but didn’t write because I ran out of time and wasn’t really feeling that inspired anyway. I think I may even be boring myself by writing everyday, so I can’t imagine what I’m doing to anyone who might be reading this!
We had a pretty good weekend that just flew right by. Part of that was the nearly three hours of training I did each day and part was the fact that we had plans each day that started early in the evening, which shortened the days even more. At least the plans we had were fun – yesterday we went out to Brooklyn to visit some friends and their brand new baby. Then we went to dinner with Ze and Emily. After dinner, because we’re so crazy, we came home and were in bed by 10:30. Today, we went to the first year birthday party for some friends’ baby. After the training and then getting those things in plus a few errands and some time with the dog, our days were long gone.
My hip is feeling much better. Neither the cycling nor the swimming seem to bother it and I haven’t run in a week. Today, for the first time since my little crash, I don’t really have any pain when I’m walking. I still get a little twinge when I move my leg in certain ways, but at least I can definitely say it’s getting better. I’m supposed to run on Thursday when we get to LA, so hopefully by then I’ll be able to run. Speaking of LA and running, Elizabeth’s knee is a mess. She tried running yesterday and evidently didn’t make it more than a mile, then she rode an exercise bike for a while. Later in the evening, she was in so much pain she could barely walk. It’s no better today. She can’t bend it or put any pressure on her leg without pain. As can be expected, she’s pretty despondent. After all that time training, the chances of her even walking just a bit of it are pretty low. It sucks. I keep telling her that she can do one in the Fall and has the rest of her life to run marathons. But that’s little consolation right now.
Both yesterday and today I rode on the trainer first thing in the morning and then went for a swim. I had thought about riding outside, but yesterday it was really, really cold and windy (below zero with the windchill) and while today it was somewhat warmer, I just didn’t feel like dealing with putting on all the clothes. Also, I know that I can get in a good ride on the trainer, so I’m not really sacrificing fitness by riding inside. I rode harder on the trainer than I usually do and included a bunch of simulated climbs in each ride. The swims felt good and I ended up with with 14,800 yards on the week – that’s 8.4 miles. I don’t even need to mention that it was my biggest swim week ever, by far. Because I’m laying off the running and I won’t have my bike in LA, this is going to be another big swim week, including a 1,000 yard time trial on Tuesday.
On a separate note, I signed up today for the Ironman Hawaii lottery. It’s a huge long-shot (150 slots given to something like 20,000 who register), but all I need is one slot. It’s a daunting prospect and at first I wasn’t going to do it, but I figure this is the year and it seemed crazy not to at least throw my hat into the ring. I’ll find out on April 15.
Bike – February 24
Time: 2:03
Average heart rate: 123
Indoor ride
Swim – February 24
Distance: 1,900 yards
Time: 45 minutes
Bike – February 25
Time: 1:32
Average heart rate: 119
Indoor ride
Swim – February 25
Distance: 2,600 yards
Time: 57 minutes