Its been just over 2 and 1/2 months since I tore cartilage in three places in my knee. At that time, I visited with a host of doctors all of which gave me conflicting prognosis. Some expressed serious doubt as to whether I would ever be able to run again. Others thought with time that I might be able to run again but again they seriously doubted that my knee would withstand the volume that I enjoy. And finally, Nate Koch, Endurance Rehab, and Dr Michael Lee believed that with some serious work that I would possibly be running on my own by April.
Well guess which Dr. and which P.T. I chose. Here it is early March and I ran four times last week on my own. In total, I ran 14 miles on my own and when I include the Alter-G I ran a total of 44 miles last week all with excess of 90% of my body weight in tow. Last Monday I ran without the Alter-G for the first time. We are talking pathetic. You would have thought I never ran before. (As a note to my humorous friends like Stocker you need not provide editorial here.) On Sunday, I ran 5 miles one of which was at a sub 7:30 pace on a 4 percent incline. Thus, I am definitely getting stronger each and every day. None of this would be possible without the help and unwavering assistance from Endurance Rehab and my therapist Nate Snell!!!! My hat is off to these folks. They are remarkable.
Maybe some of the success which I enjoyed last year came too easy. There is an American proverb that states:
A dose of adversity is often as needful as a dose of medicine.
Well, I certainly have had a healthy dose of adversity. You know in light of the devastation in Haiti and Chile, one cannot help but notive how nature deals with adversity, continually renewing itself. In some respects, I feel like I have endured the eye of he storm and now I am in the process of healing of renewing. If everything goes ok this week, I am thinking I might hit my favorite little trail next weekend.
A little week in review is somewhat necessary. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to challenge myself a bit. For lack of a name, I called it what it is a 130 day 3K swim challenge. Simple deal - swim at least 3k everyday for 130 days. Why you ask? Well, it is key to get out of the water under an hour in Ironman competitions and I have only done that once. And I never want that to be an issue again. Another reason is that I just enjoy swimming. I enjoy the folks and I get a kick out of the deck coaches. Speaking of the folks - I have really enjoyed watching the push that Brian and Jeff have made. We have definitely pushed each other to a new level. The highlight of my week was a 5600 yard effort on Saturday all on the 1:30 and a 5000 yd effort on the same interval. I am fairly walloped as a result.
Cycling has always been a relative strength. I am however putting that to the test right now as my volume is likely at a historical low. Due to the time required for rehab and the fact that the therapists do not want my legs destroyed before run efforts, I have backed way off the bike volume. This week, I logged a massive 160 miles. Folks, I have done that several times in one day. I am not that worried, as I am going to start picking up the volume this week. The highlight of last week was an 80 mile ride with Brian and Jeff during which we held just short of Ironman wattage. Below is a shot of the three of us at the Ranger Station. We ran into Abby and Matt Butcher while we were there. It was good to see them. They are both getting fit.
One fun thing about having your own blog is that you get to determine the content. Well, I have decided to add a recurring theme. It is going to be called: Things that I like.
Fittingly, the first subject of things that I like is Justin's Nut Butter: (http://www.justinsnutbutter.com).
Here are some facts about Justins:
We at Justin's Nut Butter hereby decree that all of our nut butters will be made in small batches to preserve premium quality standards and our fresh taste. We will only use the highest quality natural and organic ingredients that are sustainably harvested and found as locally as possible. We will be mindful with all of our business practices by working toward reducing our environmental footprint on the natural environment. We will remain excellent community and global citizens and will only do business with those who pledge to do the same. We will continue to produce and promote fresh nut butters that will always be simple, delicious and nutritious
These guys have he most amazing organic Almond and Peanut Butters. They also make honey and maple assortments. These products are available online and at Whole Foods. I also need to note that Trader Joes makes an Almond Butter with Flax Seeds that is awesome as well.
Finally, I want to take a second and give props to my girl Elizabeth Rich. She decided less than 10 weeks ago to give Ironman China a go and she has put forth some solid training and I look for her to place very well. I would not be shocked if she knocked out a Kona slot this week. Here is a shot of Elizabeth and me. Go get em 'E'
 I am looking forward to the coming weeks. I am going to continue with the insane swimming, I am going to start buliding the bike fitness and hopefully just maybe my knee will hold up and it will be a great year.
Thanks for checking in. I hope to see you on the road or trail very soon.
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