Swim, Bike...No Run

I am continuing to make progress with my groin injury. Last week, I decided to hit the pool and swim since I didn't really need to use my legs, although I did minimal kicking. After 1000 yards on Thursday, I went back on Saturday morning and up the yardage to 1650 yds (1 Mile in the water). I actually felt really good about the distance and wasn't all that tired afterwards. The doctor told me that if I could ride my bike pain free, then it would be OK to ride short distances at an easy pace. Sunday morning I headed out for a trial run...I used a relatively flat course through the northern part of the Valley. I found that the first 2 miles, my hip was a bit tight, but it loosened up after that. The good news is that all the miles were "pain free" and I was happy about that. I tried to keep the pace easy, but since it was my first time back on the streets in about a month, I decided to hammer it a bit for a couple of miles. Felt good but I was winded so I scaled back and leisurely rode the rest of the way back home. It was only 13 miles, but it gave me hope that I could possibly keep up my fitness level by biking and still be able to run the LA Marathon in 7 weeks.

Monday is usually a rest day for me but, I decided to hit the pool once again. I swam another 1650 yards and if I had a bit more time, I would have tried for 2000 yards, that is how good I felt. I started swimming back in April of last year and I could barely swim 2 lengths (25 yd) of the pool before I had to stop and rest. Over the summer, I decided to try out the 0-1650(mile) swim program and it didn't go as well as I thought. Actually, I never did finish that program, I started reading "Total Immersion Swimming" and started to use some of those drills which I think really helped my swimming. I am still far from where I want to be for swimming, but I am now more confident in the water.

Last night, I rode 30 minutes on the bike trainer in the garage. I did a few intervals to get the HR up, but I get soooo bored riding on the trainer. Today I am just going to do some stretching, core work and try a couple of yoga positions to see if I can loosen up my tight hip. Thursday is a big day for me...I am going to attempt a short, easy run with my group from A Runner's Circle. Hoping all goes well...I'll keep you posted.