Last Ironteam Workout

Last Saturday was my final Ironteam workout for this season. My ACL surgery is July 2nd. I will miss the camaraderie. I have serious fitness issues due to missing over 6 weeks of team workouts. I have attended a few select workouts that were less demanding. Last Saturday was one such workout. It consisted of a 4 hr + bike ride followed by a 2 hr run in Griffith Park. I spent more time on the bike 4.5 hrs to ride about 72 miles and then ran about 8 miles in an hour and 20 minutes.

I had trouble keeping pace with my faster teammates, but overall I had a pretty good ride. The run was slower than I would have liked. About 30 min into the run my knee started to ache a little, and by the end I was walking the last 15 minutes or so.

Coach Paul suggested that I postpone the surgery until after Vineman, given my progress with the recovery from my knee injury. I thought about it during my bike ride. I was by myself for most of the ride, so plenty of time to think.

Competing in Vineman would mean cramming the last 2 months worth of training that I missed, into the next month and still taper before race day. It would also mean most likely walking the entire marathon. Instead of shooting for a 13 or 14 hr Ironman, I would be looking at a 16 to 17 hr Ironman. Painful. I'm accustomed to finishing marathons in under 4 hours. It would turn a potential highlight of my life, into possibly the worst experience of my life.

No way. I'll have the surgery and come back a stronger swimmer and cyclist next year. My intial rehab the next 4 months would consist of swimming, cycling, and ellipitical machine. I also plan on working with weights to develop a stronger core which will help me become a stronger runner and triathlete. So even though my knee may never be 100% of my pre- ski accident condition, I'm going to do everything I can in rehab to become stronger all-around.