One _____ at a Time: Training Update-- The Glass is Half Empty and Half Full

Making a comeback!

I prematurely took my spring lettuce seedlings outside this week and they took a cold-beating. You should have seen how dried, flat and brown they got. O man, I thought I killed them. You can see that I'm slowly nursing them back to health. It felt like a good metaphor for my week. This week my "team" moral sunk to a new low. It was a combination of re-injuring my ankle, a long week of commuting to depressing rust-belt towns in Ohio, a relapse of winter cold, and also not drinking enough water.

My inner macho man tells me, "Quit whining. Step 1) Get hydrated and sit in the sun daily. Step 2) Rest ankle. Step 3) Re-purpose ailing communities." But then my inner super-macho says, "Psst! You don't have an inner 'macho man'. Don't stop for water-- bananas are 78% water. Run through the pain--it's weakness leaving the body. Hurry up and fix Detroit and Cincinnati."

Cooped-up, man!

So, that's when I realize my ego has adopted a super-duper-super-ego, and I just need to calm the heck down and get some Buddhist perspective on shit. I've been cooped up too long in the cold and it's time to get outside!!!!!

HOW IT HAPPENED
Tuesday was gorgeous! I was feeling somewhat tight and sore after running mile one. Mile two felt really good and I thought "Hey, I think I could pick up the pace." Mile three was where it went south-- I pivoted on a left turn and re-twisted my ligaments just enough to electrify my whole left leg with pain.

My man, Eric Oliver, the handsome-haired physical therapist, examined it and hasn't ruled out fracture...which means I have to decide if I want to visit an orthopedist and submit to their program and/or afford their x-rays. So far, both answers point to hell-to-the-no.

THE GLASS IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN HALF FULL
The good news is that I feel like it's the exact time of year to really become a cyclist. A lot of experts say you should devout a fraction of the year to mastering one of the disciplines of triathlon. Spending lots more time on the bike will allow my ankle to actively heal. I also believe cycling endurance is the key to a good Ironman. The largest fraction of the race (~50%) is spent pedaling. If you pedal well you can eat and digest well. Furthermore, without cycling endurance (and without smooth digestion), there is zero chance of running well.

On Saturday, I met up with some friends for a nice 30 mile ride of coldness, climbs, and conversation. It felt really nice and relaxing getting back into it. So after we parted ways, I decided to go for another 30. It felt easy too, especially considering I haven't done any long distance stuff since last year. All the high-intensity work must be paying off. Sunday's workout was spent just doing strength stuff and Pilates Reformer stuff in the Studio. Then, On Monday, since I got wait-listed for the ever-popular Monday night Spinning, I had extra time to ride 15 hill repeats outside on Alpine Terrace before Pilates. That monster hill has always been a good go-to route to simulate some mountain climbs. It's almost exactly a one mile loop with ~13% grade up and mostly traffic free. Not bad for a Monday evening. (Last year, with no events on my calendar, my proudest moment was the day I huffed up that hill 25 times in August smelt. So, that's become a useful benchmark for gauging how I should feel when I have good cycling legs).