Digging a New Groove

Forcing myself to find a run-free regimen. Hope to get into a long term routine of swim, easy bike and prehab/rehab of broadening my core and minor muscle group work. Work the stuff that is neglected or is a secondary supporting muscle group as related to those that get all the work when engaging in the primary three.

Will blend running back into the mix when it's prudent. The ultimate 2 words of runner desperation - water running - have popped up and bounced around my big noggin. For a nanosec. I just know running in a pool would suck. It will be a last resort.

This evening, walked down the metro escalator with a normal gait and no discomfort for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. Knee not bothering me swimming or biking, tho not testing it with any heavy loads, intensity or long duration. Still stiffens up over night, and probably when sitting at work.

The last few days:

Wed. 1-16-08
Right knee status quo.
Core 30+mins

Thur. 1-17-08 Swim, Bike
Right knee quite tight out of bed, after swim. Sore spot is area and above below outer corners. Sigh.

Swim
6-7a coached session at G'town Prep, ~56mins in water
200 free warm-up
2x50 side (w/zoomers)
2x50 1 arm "
2x50 stroke and glide "
2x50 catch-up "
500 free "
5x100 w/:40 RI - swam 1:49-50 for all.
100 cool
1700 total yards

Bike
Bike QR trainer, gradual warm up and stay in small ring 39x14/13, into big ring 53x15-16. A few 20-30sec easy standing. No knee bother at all while riding.
Entire workout (158 watts):
Duration: 1:03:50

Fri. 1-18-08 Bike-Swim-Core/Lift
Bike QR trainer, easy like yesterday
Entire workout (159 watts):
Duration: 1:02:17 (1:03:54)

Swim 40mins - Free, side, stroke and glide, fist, free, kick bd, free
Core/Lift 30mins - (back/abs/sides/tris/delts)

Bilateral = Hypoxic

Humor up front. Bikesnobnyc gem re wooden handlebars. Yep. Wooden handle bars. The prime line:

Together with a brakeless bike, wooden bars will transport you to that next level of sublime uncertainty, and simply arriving at your destination with all your teeth will feel like a Tour de France stage win.

Tue. 1-15-08
Swim-Bike-Core
Right knee better out of bed not too stiff (only 5hrs of broken sleep, less time to stiffen up?), can walk 95% normal ROM out of bed but still funky, full and tuggy feel in spots around knee.
6-7a Swim, solid 60mins wet.
Pretty worked by the time I crawled out of the pool.
Def felt whipped at times mid session, esp for the 2nd half of each bilateral breathing 100. Hello hypoxia. Lats begging for O2. Slight nausea as blood diverted from gut to extremities.

• 200 easy free warm-up
• 6x50 kick bd (25 at 90% effort, 25 at 70%)
• 10x50 w/zoomers (25 hard free, 25 moderate stroke and glide looking for 10 or fewer strokes)
• 7x100 free bilateral/3rd stroke breathing (:30 RI)
• 2x50 hard "bucket" effort (if you aren't wishing for a bucket at the end of the 50 you didn’t go hard enough) (:49 & :52 for the 50s)
• 100 easy free cool down
  

1900yds total

Bike - 40mins easy QR trainer half 39x14, then 53x15, cool in 39x14

Core – 15mins

Swimfest. 1-11 thru 1-14-08

Doing what I can do. Swimming and lifting and stretching and self deep massage. No run or bike since 1/5. Hitting the quadballer, roller and tpball hard every eve after dinner. Hip to heel.

After 2 weeks of The Wire, I'm liking it. I was a little shaky on it after episode one of this final season. Here's an interview of the man behind the show, creator, writer and producer David Simon. Spoiler free. Talk of Dickens and the classic Greek structure, casting decisions, mixed in with Simon's Baltimore experience, including some his dealings with B-more folks from the street to the city gov't to Mayor O'Malley.

Fri. 1-11
Swim 43mins,
lift at MAC 30mins - 3 x (pull downs, cable lean, cable 1-arm raise across body, seated row, tri push down, plank, crunches)

Sat. 1-12-08
Swim 45mins (side, stroke & glide, fist, free)
Core 30+mins (front fwd steps-ups,pushups, crunches, planks, Fonda lying leg raises, curls).
Dinner at Devereaux. Good Indian dishes!

Sun. 1-13-08
Swim 57mins (side, stroke & glide, fist, free)
Knee tight when wake, better over course of day. Felt very close to normal after swim, no bother during, pushing off but not aggressively on turns. Going down steps normally in eve. Getting some feel for the water back, felt like was catching decently today.
Lift 35mins at MAC after swim. Lat pull down, rows, cable arm raise, cable side leans, tri pushdowns, crunches, planks, Fonda lying leg raises.

Mon. 1-14-08
Swim 45mins in eve, not bad, nothing hard, decent grip on the water, stroke and glidfe and fist drills in between steady free. No knee trouble in the water.
Bike QR trainer 20mins very easy, knee okay, a tad funky just below knee cap on outer side.
Knee stil stiffens overnight, loosens earlier in day now, going down stairs is not bad by eve. Loosest of all after swim.