The big push...

It took a couple of days but I'm feeling a good bit better about how I did in the Season Opener. Back when i was racewalking, my first ever race was a 10k. I finished it in 1:45. The next year I did it in 1:28. I've had a couple of 3 miler's and 5k's where I've not improved, year over year, but finished in about the same time. When I put it in context and think about the fact that it's nearly a 7.6% improvement over last year, I'm pretty happy about that. I performed better, even with weighing a little more than I did during last years race (which won't be the case for very long).

Monday, I commuted to work on my mountain bike, which was a nice way to get the legs moving again. Later in the evening when we were headed to the pool I was surprised by some sharp pain in my right knee. I was so surprised by the pain that Rach thought I was joking because of the look on my face. It literally felt like I was being stabbed in the middle of my knee. It hurt for a while, and then was done, but seemed a bit loose and I didn't trust it. As we swam I put as little stress on it as possible, and I felt ok getting out of the pool. Maybe I broke loose some scar tissue or just tweaked something, because after taking yesterday off entirely to rest my knee, I feel fine now.

Being that I'm comfortable getting back to work, it's now time for the big push. 37 days left until Patriot Half, and we still have some work to do. We've done two 30+ mile bikes and with just under 6 weeks until the race, we really only have 4 more weekends to get in longer rides. Last year we had a lot more road mileage in before Timberman, so I'm really going to push to get at least three rides of 40 or more miles in. Last year we never did a 50 mile ride before the race, and while we finished, we certainly could have done better with more preparation.

As a reward for her two years of hard effort in grad school, Rach is headed to Florida for the next 5 days, and was kind enough to put together a training plan for me to keep me on course while she's gone. While she's at a spa or running a flat 5k race with her mom in perfect racing weather or lounging by the pool; I'll be working away on race fitness. I'm glad she's keeping me on track, because I've heard a lot lately from friends who don't have strong support systems that haven't been training the way they should. It's just another way in which I'm so lucky to have her.

Finally, and this is a small favor I'm asking. I've entered a contest for a trip to watch the Amgen Tour of California. If you're a Facebook user, and have a second to do me a favor by voting for my entry, I'd really appreciate it. If not, thanks anyways.