Like this:

So (and I love to start my posts like that….), my knee is not so good. I had run 6 miles on it in Boston Sunday, May 23rd, and felt pain around mile 5. I ran 7.5 miles on it Saturday, May 29th, and felt pain on it around mile 6.5. I ran 3.5 miles on it yesterday and felt pain on mile 3. Swimming and cycling, though, is fine.

Um, yeah, it is time to get it checked out. I made the appointment today to see Dr. Yenni, an orthopedic specialist who I saw about my hip/pelvis pain. I am expecting “don’t run for 4-8 weeks, here is some anti-inflammatory, schedule a follow-up.” But we will see. As well as pain in the joint, I am getting consistent pain at the top of the tibia, just below the knee cap. I am thinking it is some kind of inflammation of the tendon/ligament, but have speculated in the darkest recesses of my brain that it could be a stress fracture.

And this puts me in this sort of limbo period now. My training schedule for B2B Ironman starts this week, and as of now I am still going to train for it, just not do the running. I will try and fill in with more cycling. I have an Olympic distance triathlon this weekend at Kerr Lake, and just like Battle at Buckhorn, I am am really wondering how I am going to perform. I think I will definitely wear the knee brace on the 10K run this time. But, I am already paid up and I’m doing it.

Overall, I am doing OK. I feel resolved and at peace in my heart about it. Kerr Lake is just a race. Even B2B…just a race. If not now, then I can go for it in the future. I mean, what can I really do about it, right? I shouldn’t run on my knee. I have been kind of ignoring it, hoping it will just resolve itself. Nope.

Part of me is wondering if I am relieved that I don’t have to fully train for this Ironman. Maybe it is relief from the subconscious worry about my knee, or maybe because this is A LOT of training. Below is the toughest week for the training, week 21, of the 24 week schedule. It would be a total of 10,850 yards swimming, 202.5 miles cycling and 34.1 miles running for a total of 21 hours of training. Granted, I work up to this week, but it is very intimidating.

So, am I relieved?

I was thinking on the drive to work this morning about cycling to work more in lieu of running. It is 32 miles one way, and I was thinking I could bump it up from once to twice a week. Then I was wondering if I could ride it three times a week…then an ultimate goal came to me: ride to work everyday for five days. That’s 320 miles!

I think I just like challenges. Or I’m an idiot. Or both. Ironman is just something I want to do. Riding to work everyday in a week – can I do it?!? And I’ve wondered what it would be like to run home some Friday night (32 miles). And to do an ultra-marathon (i.e. 100 miles). I don’t know if I can do it…I just wonder if I can. And it is a very full and pregnant wonder, a consuming wonder, an attractive wonder that calls to me: “I’m here….come get me!”

Why? I’m not sure. Maybe because I am turning 41 this year and if I don’t do it now, or work toward it now, I won’t have that much longer to do it. I’ll look back with regret. Not that I am about to die, though (well, who really knows). It’s just, if I want to do it…well, I better get on to doing it.

.

WEEK 21, TOUGHEST WEEK:

Day

Code

Time

Est Dist

Type

Description

Tue	SWU4		350	Swim Warm-Up	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	SDS4		250	Swim Drill Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of mixed form drills w/ 10 sec RI]
	SBI6		700	Swim Base Intervals	7 x 100 [100 yd intervals swum @ mod aerobic intensity w/ 5 sec RI]
	STI6		1400	Swim Threshold Intervals	7 x 200 [inverals swum @ threshold intensity w/ 45 sec RI]
	SKS4		250	Swim Kick Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of kicking only w/ 15 sec RI]
	SCD4		350	Swim Cool-Down	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	total	1.4	3300
	CTRA16	2.0	36.0	Tempo Bike Ride	2 x 20 min (2 hr) [1-2 blocks of riding @ threshold intensity (10 min act.recov when 2 blocks)
Wed	RTRA12	0.9	5.8	Tempo Run	32 min (52 min) [Steady run @ threshold intensity]
Thu	SWU4		350	Swim Warm-Up	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	SDS4		250	Swim Drill Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of mixed form drills w/ 10 sec RI]
	SBI3		400	Swim Base Intervals	4 x 100 [100 yd intervals swum @ mod aerobic intensity w/ 5 sec RI]
	SLIA18		1200	Swim Lactate Intervals	8 x 150 [intervals swum @ VO2 max intensity, 1 min 15 sec RI]
	SSIA15		450	Swim Sprint Intervals	9 x 50 [intervals swum @ speed intensity w/ 20 sec RI]
	SKS4		250	Swim Kick Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of kicking only w/ 15 sec RI]
	SCD4		350	Swim Cool-Down	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	total	1.4	3250
	BRW9A	1.5	27.0	Bike	1 hr 30 min/30 min (bike/run @ high aerobic)
		0.5	3.3	Run
Fri	CSS5	1.8	31.5	Steady-State Ride	1 hr 45 min [Steady ride @ high aerobic intensity]
Sat	SWU2		250	Swim Warm-Up	250 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	SBIC35		3800	Swim Base Intervals	3800 [swum @ mod aerobic intensity]
	SCD2		250	Swim Cool-Down	250 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
	total	1.8	4300
	CLRA17	6.0	108.0	Long Bike Ride	6 hr [Long steady ride @ moderate aerobic intensity]
	RRR6	0.8	5.0	Recovery Run	45 min [short run @ recovery intensity]
Sun	RLRA13	3.0	20.0	Long Run	3 hr [long, steady-pace run @ moderate aerobic intensity]

21	10/19	Tue	SWU4		350	Swim Warm-Up	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			SDS4		250	Swim Drill Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of mixed form drills w/ 10 sec RI]
			SBI6		700	Swim Base Intervals	7 x 100 [100 yd intervals swum @ mod aerobic intensity w/ 5 sec RI]
			STI6		1400	Swim Threshold Intervals	7 x 200 [inverals swum @ threshold intensity w/ 45 sec RI]
			SKS4		250	Swim Kick Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of kicking only w/ 15 sec RI]
			SCD4		350	Swim Cool-Down	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			total	1.4	3300
			CTRA16	2.0	36.0	Tempo Bike Ride	2 x 20 min (2 hr) [1-2 blocks of riding @ threshold intensity (10 min act.recov when 2 blocks)
	10/20	Wed	RTRA12	0.9	5.8	Tempo Run	32 min (52 min) [Steady run @ threshold intensity]
	10/21	Thu	SWU4		350	Swim Warm-Up	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			SDS4		250	Swim Drill Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of mixed form drills w/ 10 sec RI]
			SBI3		400	Swim Base Intervals	4 x 100 [100 yd intervals swum @ mod aerobic intensity w/ 5 sec RI]
			SLIA18		1200	Swim Lactate Intervals	8 x 150 [intervals swum @ VO2 max intensity, 1 min 15 sec RI]
			SSIA15		450	Swim Sprint Intervals	9 x 50 [intervals swum @ speed intensity w/ 20 sec RI]
			SKS4		250	Swim Kick Set	10 x 25 [25 yd intervals of kicking only w/ 15 sec RI]
			SCD4		350	Swim Cool-Down	350 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			total	1.4	3250
			BRW9A	1.5	27.0	Bike	1 hr 30 min/30 min (bike/run @ high aerobic)
				0.5	3.3	Run
	10/22	Fri	CSS5	1.8	31.5	Steady-State Ride	1 hr 45 min [Steady ride @ high aerobic intensity]
	10/23	Sat	SWU2		250	Swim Warm-Up	250 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			SBIC35		3800	Swim Base Intervals	3800 [swum @ mod aerobic intensity]
			SCD2		250	Swim Cool-Down	250 [Easy swim @ recovery intensity]
			total	1.8	4300
			CLRA17	6.0	108.0	Long Bike Ride	6 hr [Long steady ride @ moderate aerobic intensity]
			RRR6	0.8	5.0	Recovery Run	45 min [short run @ recovery intensity]
	10/24	Sun	RLRA13	3.0	20.0	Long Run	3 hr [long, steady-pace run @ moderate aerobic intensity]
TOTAL			Swim	4.5	10850	yards
Hr	20.9		Cycle	11.3	202.5	miles
Dist	242.8		Run	5.1	34.1	miles

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