The last month my training volume was quite a bit lower than before my leg bone decided it no longer wanted to be quite so attached to the hip bone. Now that I’m back on my feet and getting back into the swing of things, it’s becoming obvious that my fun level will have to decrease in order to make time for the life consuming training regimen that I have chosen as a lifestyle.
For instance, tonight after dinner I decided the wind was perfect for an evening sail with Courtenay. The wind was steady and strong enough to blow us around the lake a few times. Now, however, it’s 9:15 and I still need to stretch, self-massage, and do the rest of my pre-bed routine.
The road to health is sort of like a vacation, only with more productivity. I had a birthday party last Saturday (I turned twenty-something), built a bike for my mom out of the frame that I broke in a Thursday night crit last year (which in the meantime I had a friend “repairâ€), cleaned two boats, coached a 6 week long triathlon clinic (put on by Seafair and Raise The Bar) and swam in a swim meet. The real time drain is all the physical therapy appointments. I’m going to this guy, Neal O’Neal, who beats the crap out of me in a good way, but he has very few appointment times at his main office in Redmond (fairly close) which forces me to drive to Kent (not close at all). I’m thinking I need to find a PT that can torture me so methodically in a nearby place. Or maybe I need to hire a personal PT to live here with me (wait, isn’t Aaron a PT? Why did I let him move out?)
All in all, I don’t think I lost that much fitness. It will take a couple long rides to get back some of my endurance, but the water running has kept my leg strength up, and I seem to be adjusting quickly to a regular training routine.