So I have been fairly busy since May 1st. As for training, I am in serious "aquabike" training mode at the moment. The knees are still healing after I finally went ahead with PRP injections. There was an article in competitor magazine this month about PRP, with a title containing the words "magic bullet". I'm not quite sure I can vouch for that yet but I am optimistic. Because that's the only way to be! I will probably have a second round of injections on July 1st and then start consistent running again *hopefully* at the end of August. The PT has me working on my gait: moving toward a midfoot strike as opposed to heel strike. My running gait is 20+ years in the making so it certainly feels weird to change things up. But no time like the present. The PT also said I could probably get new running shoes if I successfully change my stride. Woohoo, no more bricks! I've worn the same type of motion-control shoes for a long time but since I'm not wearing them much anymore, and wearing Nike frees during the day, my feet feel trapped when I put on those big-ass running shoes.
On a less optimistic note: swimming and the weather. Less running must mean faster swimming, right? Well, not so much. I am still going to masters and enjoying that a lot more than swimming on my own. But I swam the 800 and 2000 at Hagg Lake a couple weeks ago and the results were inconclusive. The 800 because I don't believe I've swam that distance before in open water, and the 2000 because I could not feel my arms by the time I got out of the water. Yes, I have a full wetsuit and yes, it was that cold. I finished the 800, thinking the whole time "not doing the 2k", and got out of the water. The cold water made me delirious enough that I decided I couldn't "wimp out" and so ON I went into the icy waters, again. My right hand became a "claw" shortly after starting and I immediately regretted it. But I lived to recover in my car with the heater on full blast for about 30 minutes. Then hopped on my bike trainer on the parking lot, did a 1 hr spin and ate pizza off a BBQ grill, in the parking lot. Hey, I am not alone in my madness!
The real reason I am writing this blog is because I do not want to study. I have my class final this week and am lacking motivation- luckily I only need 55% to get an A in the class. Will be glad to be done with papers and group projects, next up is biology in the fall/winter. Starting small with Microbiology, then maybe Biochemistry if I can fit it in.
Headed out to the Blue Lake triathlon tomorrow to cheer on the masses, and happy that I don't have to work tomorrow night. That is apparently going to be when I study since it isn't happening tonight. My work schedule is M-F days this week, giving me the opportunity to get my butt kicked twice on the bike if so desired; PIR on Monday night and Mt Tabor on Wednesday night. I just recently recovered from the kicking at training camp in Bend last weekend. First workouts of any intensity on the bike in 6 weeks, not to mention a 3700m swim workout which is a LOT for me. Now if the weather would improve, it might actually feel like race season.