Ray Zahab, my hero!

I am aware that this post will sound like a giddy school girl at a New Kids in the Block concert. I mentioned Ray Zahab before on this blog but he is up to wonderful things so I thought I would dedicate a whole entry to him.

For those of you who don't know Ray, he's an ultra-marathoner. That means that he runs and runs and runs over totally crazy and unbelievable distances. What is most amazing, is that he wasn't always like that. In his book, Running for my life, he details his transformation from a cigarette smoker with a beer hangover to the inspiring ultra athlete he has now become. He won the first race he entered in the coldest of climates in northern Canada and ran many successful races in deserts and even in a jungle. He then hatched a plan to run the Sahara on foot with 2 of his running buddies. All 7,000km of it in 111 days. This story is told in Running the Sahara, available on DVD and I believe on iTunes. You can also see it at a special fundraising showing in Gatineau in two weeks (June 9th, 6:30pm).

After running in the extremely hot desert, he designed an expedition in the extreme cold where he crossed the south pole with 2 other people, without outside support. Not only was he succesfull but his team actually broke a speed record!

On top of being an exceptional athlete, Ray is a wonderful motivational speaker. He recounts his journey with ease and reaches into his audiences to inspire them to set their own goals and do what is necessary to achieve them. No challenge is too great. I have been fortunate enough to see him speak twice and I would go again, given another opportunity.

What I admire Ray the most for is his dedication to making life the best that it can be for everyone. He is using his notoriety to shine the spotlight on important causes around the world. He was involved in Spread the Net to protect children against Malaria, Ryan's Well to provide clean & safe drinking water to communities in Africa and most recently has started his own project, Impossible2Possible to educate and engage youths from around the world. He is even inviting youths to join him on his next expedition.

I have never met Ray but hope that he will be available after the showing for Running the Sahara so I can shake his hand.

Ray just started a twitter feed, making me very excited about being able to follow him. Join me in wishing him good luck on his newest project, crossing Baffin island.

In other local running news, it seems MDS Nordion has decided not to sponsor the Saturday events for the Ottawa Race weekend. I hope someone jumps on board with a new sponsorship. I know I would love to run the Rogers marathon (that's a challenge to Rogers, I *will* run a full marathon if you sponsor the race!). They could even get a package deal and have their sister brand Fido sponsor the 10k.

Ottawa Half-Marathon 2009

I love the Ottawa race weekend. There are always so many racers and people to cheer us on. This year was no different with the half marathon selling out again at over 10,000 racers.

We got to downtown at about 8:30am, about half an hour before the start. There weren't too many parkings available so Alex dropped me off near the start line so I could get a move on the pre-race rituals of lining up for the washroom and do my stretching. He was able to find parking in time to meet me again before the start of the race, where he took this picture where I look very confident:
I then tried to find a way to enter the Orange corral. The fences had to be moved a bit to make room for all the extra runners. You would have thought we were some kind of livestock getting herded towards the slaughter house. Once in there with everyone close to one another, it got hot real quick, why did I have to wear a black shirt?? People were packed so tight, I couldn't even turn around to reach my water bottle. I waited about 5 to 10 minutes until finally the race started. It took me a little less than 2 minutes to reach the start line where Alex had taken a position somewhere to get a good picture of me warming up. I didn't even see him, but here is what he got:
The start felt pretty slow but the Garmin was telling me I was doing pretty good so I didn't push it. I'm used to starting way back in the corral and having to make my way up to the front, so that probably explains it. While I didn't feel like the superstar runner passing everyone, like I usually do, I still felt pretty strong. I was a bit thirsty early on so bringing my own water was definitively a saving point. My bottle was already almost empty by the time I reached the second water station.

Everyone went by parliament hill, the national archives and then the war museum. Ottawa has so many great landmarks you don't ever get bored while running this course. When we got into Gatineau, a huge banner welcomed us. They really have started to get involved in the race weekend, that is great! I skipped the first water station since I was carrying my own water. I took advantage of the slowdown created by the runners stopping for water to get myself in a space where there was a bit more room to move around.

Don't get me wrong here, I love Hull and it has tons of character and charm. But the next leg of the race was not my favorite last year and again this year it felt odd. The course takes a short detour through downtown Hull where you can see some unique sights such as dilapidated houses and be cheered on by patrons from a local drinking hole that stepped outside for a bit of fresh air. Definitively a unique experience. And hilly too. This is probably the hilliest part of the course which caused the Garmin to annoy me a bit about being slow and it brought me back into gear. Once we emerged from the historical portion of the Hull leg, we are greeted by the Museum of Civilization. From this point on, it is a course I run often at lunchtime, so I knew every little detail. I grabbed a powergel pack from the friendly race volunteers and kept chugging along. I don't really use the powergel during races but I can always use it later.

Coming back into Ottawa, we crossed the Alexandra bridge which is undergoing renovations. I was glad to be back into Ottawa as there are always more, much more, cheerers and supporters. Thank you guys for giving me a second wind with you hurrays and whistles. I must have been pretty deep into the zone since I don't really remember how hard it was. I remember thinking I was going pretty hard and needed to keep going hard in order to meet my goal. I settled into a routine at the water stations where I would gulp the sports drink cup (splashing myself all over in the process), then proceed to splash a cup of water over my head, arms and face and take another cup of water that I would store in my bottle for sipping in between the water stations. That's a pretty good rhythm that I will probably use again the future. The water stations weren't that sparse in between, despite the joking of a volunteer that his water station (fairly early in the race) was the last one for 16km. I find it more efficient to drink out of a bottle and also to drink smaller amounts, more often, so the bottle was a great idea. My only issue with the water station is that some of the sports drinks were mixed a bit too thin for my taste and that they never had the blue flavor ;) At one station, I almost drowned myself when I splashed the water into my nose by accident, hehehe. It was refreshing that's for sure.

Continuing on, my next focus point would be Pretoria bridge, where I knew Alex would be waiting for me if everything went according to plans. Never mind my pre-race calculations that I would be there at 10:30 (how did I ever calculate that, I'm not sure even now), even if it was only about 10 he was already there. Seeing him gave me such a power boost. It was so good to see his beautiful smiling face and his arm waiving at me. I knew he'd be upset for me doing so in such a public place, but I had no choice but to yell out how much I loved him. He took this great action picture of me:
Going alongside the Rideau Canal and seeing the finishers on the other side on their way to victory in weather that I thought was pretty hot made me want to jump in and swim across :) I kept going past Landsdown park and under the beautiful Bank Street bridge, knowing the turnaround point was coming up shortly.

I remember thinking how well it was going. In every race, there is a point where you know you will meet your goal or not. This point was between Bank Street and Bronson for me. I realized that unless something major happened, I would beat my PB. The only question then was by how much and whether or not I could come in under 1:40. So I kept pushing and pushing, knowing that whatever happened, I would have done my best and left nothing on the course. The usual lull that I experience in a half marathon at about km 16 didn't really bother me this time around. I enjoyed the sights at Dow's lake (briefly) and then I was on the final stretch to the finish. My marathon experience of last year probably prepared me for longer distances, making a half more enjoyable...

As I closed in on the finish line, kilometer by kilometer, the spectators got even denser and the shouts of encouragement even louder. By the time I made it to Pretoria bridge, the roar of the crowd was no longer distinct shouts for individual athletes but an overwhelming energy surge meant to propel us runners faster. I literally drank those encouragements in as I steadily increased my speed towards the finish line. When I saw that 1km marker, I knew I was in for a treat. I could taste the finish already, goosebumps everywhere on my hot sweaty body. I didn't feel my legs anymore, the surge of adrenalin was so intense, the focus so sharp. This was life in full detail, high definition and surround sound. If I needed a reason to run, this would be it. At the 500m marker, I knew it was time to let it all out. All I could focus on was the space between runners where I could pass them. The crowds on both sides and even overhead on the platform were now a peripheral part of my experience. The Garmin tells me I went 19.4km/h. I believe it.

Then, this happened:
Again, Alex found a way to position himself just right to get that perfect shot. I don't know how he does it but I'm really thankful. Here is the official stat:

Place	Time	Chip	Pace	Cat. Place	Gender Place	9km Split
666	1:41:52.2	1:40:24.9	4:50	77/419	563/3915	0:42:50

Interesting fact that I came in 666 :) In a deep field of 10,000 athletes I feel pretty good. 77 out of 419 for my age group feels pretty awesome as well. I have my work cut out for me next year if I want to improve my time further. My ranking may get a boost as I will move on to the next category. We shall see then. My focus for now is a week of recovery and a look at my game plan for the summer to switch into triathlon mode.

For the stats oriented folks, here are all the numbers:
You can see my speed was mostly even in the zone that I programmed the Garmin to keep me in. My slowest kilometers were the first and 19th, with everything else under 4:50. The last "lap" is 1.39km, bringing my pace at 4:22min/km.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (km)	M Spd (kph)	Energy (Cal)
1	4:55	1.00	14.8	80
2	4:32	1.00	14.8	83
3	4:46	1.00	14.0	84
4	4:44	1.00	13.7	83
5	4:46	1.00	14.0	83
6	4:34	1.00	15.1	82
7	4:39	1.00	14.0	84
8	4:48	1.00	13.7	82
9	4:41	1.00	14.4	83
10	4:49	1.00	15.5	84
11	4:46	1.00	14.0	83
12	4:35	1.00	14.0	82
13	4:32	1.00	16.9	82
14	4:41	1.00	14.0	84
15	4:39	1.00	14.0	83
16	4:48	1.00	14.0	83
17	4:42	1.00	16.9	82
18	4:35	1.00	15.5	84
19	4:56	1.00	13.7	83
20	4:46	1.00	18.4	81
21	6:05	1.39	19.4	114

Here is the medal this year. It's one of those rotating things:
back:
I called my mom after the race to tell her I was safe and that I had reached my objective. Her first question was how much weight I had lost. Lol. I run for fun and to push the limit, if there is weight loss it's purely side effects. With the pasta dinner the night before, the sports drinks during the race and the after race bagel, yogurt and banana, I don't think there's a calorie deficiency in this runner.

We met up with a friend after the race and went to Harvey's for our free burgers. We got really lucky at the Elgin street location at around 11:30 there was no lineup. By the time we left there was at least 30 minutes of waiting. We enjoyed our snack in the sunshine and then headed home for a much deserved shower followed by a nap.

I'm feeling pretty good today. My runner's high is dissipating and I do have some pain in my legs when I go down the stairs ;)

I'd like to thank Alex for all his support throughout the year, putting up with my training and providing some spectacular photography on top of his moral support and post-race leg massages. Also a big thank you to all the race volunteers, cheerers, family, friends and anonymous people who made this race the best one ever for me. Oh, yeah, organizers and sponsors also: thank you!

CRUSHED!

CRUSHED! My previous PB that is, not me! I finished the race with a chip time of 1h40m24s, almost 3 minutes better than my previous PB. Woohoo! Detailed race report coming when I have more time. The endorphin buzzer is buzzing tonight!!!

T-minus 1 hour

I am now on my way to the start line for the Ottawa Half-Marathon. I know I'm scheduling it pretty close but I'm so excited, I wouldn't know what to do once I get there.

The weather looks a bit on the hot side today so I am using my planned outfit and most likely will wear my water belt... I feel good even if I'm still a bit sleepy and stiff. I understand races are early to take advantage of cooler weather and minimize traffic, but I could have slept an extra hour (or maybe not, I woke up before the alarm too excited to get more sleep),

Off to stretch and warmup at the start line once we get to the city.

Ready, Set, Wait!

Less than 48 hours to go before the race. I'm starting to get really excited. I have to trust that my training and preparations can guide me through the race and perseverance and determination can carry me through if my training is not enough.

I cancelled my swim last night in order to pick up my race kit. Not a lot of swag this year, I'm not sure if the recession or lack of title sponsor is to blame. As you can see from the picture, the shirt is pretty nice. Almost exactly the same as 2008 but in a different color scheme.
I'm really glad I got this shirt. The 10k shirt are dark black and the women's half shirts are white with baby pink highlights. I haven't seen the marathoner shirts yet, they usually get the best ones.

Also included is a bag of "new" french onion flavored tortillas, 25g serving. Don't get me wrong, free stuff is nice, but what am I expected to do with 25 grams of tortillas. These look essentially like multigrain nachos, a source of fiber they say. The roll of werther's original is very appreciated, I love those caramel candies. The bag itself is nice, I can always use an extra shoe bag, thanks Mizuno!

Also at the fair were a number of exhibits selling all kinds of running and athletic merchandise. The Mizuno booth was really nice with an electronic running strip where they could analyze your gait and recommend the best footwear. It seemed very busy so I decided to skip the lineup since I was getting hungry and Alex was waiting for me at home to fire up the grill for some delicious burgers (red meat = iron!).

Since this is likely my last post before the race, except maybe for a short entry on race day where I may pop in to let you all know how I feel before the race, I will let you in on my race strategy. I intend to beat my previous PB. It feels good to say it. I hope I can deliver. I set my trusty Garmin to annoy the heck out of me (I usually want to throw it in the river by the time I make the halfway mark, sorry for runners beside me hearing it constantly beep me back into pace). The goal is to run the first kilometer in under 5:30, and then keep it under 4:50 until the last kilometer where all hell will break loose and I will sprint to the end. Does that sound reasonable? Probably not. But if I can be lucky enough to get in the zone like I did for my perfect run, then all will be good. Competition and adrenaline should help me turn out an outstanding performance.

This is what I am up against:
I'm still not sure what I will do for hydration. There are water and sports drink stations peppered around the course. I usually bring a water belt with me in case I want to drink in between or if the stations are too busy. I will make this a last minute decision based on the weather and my feel for the day. This is what I plan to wear:
I may go with a shirt that is not so skin tight, again, depending on the weather. I am really excited to wear my aussieBum short shorts. I don't usually have permission to wear them for training since they are considered a bit too revealing by Alex. He does recognize that they make me faster (mostly psychological, I have to admit) so I get special permission to wear them at races.

If you are there on race day and see me, come by and say hi!

My plans for after the race? Head over to the nearest Harvey's and indulge in a free Harvey's burger. I'm not sure if they plan this on purpose but for the last few years, the free burger day has coincided with the Ottawa Marathon. So head on over from 10:30 to 15:00 for a free burger. Be prepared to wait in line, last year we waited about 45 minutes. At $3 for a burger, you are essentially valuing your time at $4 and hour, but who cares, it's free burgers!!!

Good luck to everyone participating in the weekend's various races!!

Slow & Easy

Okay, I have to admit I'm not quite sure of what I am doing. I've never run a slow run to loosen myself up prior to a race before so I had lots of questions as I was running yesterday. Am I going too fast? Too slow? Am I doing this too early or should I wait until the day right before the race?

The training run itself was nice and slow. I aimed at a pace of 6min/km which I mostly kept. I'm used to trying to run under a pace, not over, so sometimes I would forget how slow I needed to be and pick up a bit of speed. I did an easy 5km around the bridges, which is a very popular route among cube dwellers.
After the run, I got validation that even if I didn't really know what I was doing, I was probably doing the right thing. While stretching, I could feel looseness compared to my usual routine and in the afternoon, my legs felt very relaxed. I think I got the speed aspect right at least. Let's hope I got the timing of how soon before the race I needed to go out right as well.

No mix today, just the pounding of my feet against the wet pavement.

Short Swim

Went for a short swim after work just to loosen up a bit. I did my usual 750m in about 20 minutes then a dozen breast stroke to cool down before catching the bus home...

It looks like gorgeous weather for Sunday if the weather gypsies are right, Yay!

Tapering Strategy

A lot of people ask me how I prepare for a race. They are often curious to see what I need to eat and how I adjust my training close to an event. The professional term for this is tapering. Tapering can be defined as reducing exercise prior to an important performance.

My tapering strategy usually consists of turning into a lazy bum for a week or two. This year will be a bit different. I will be keeping my swimming routine and avoiding all cycling and running except for a run to loosen me up some time midweek depending on weather and schedule. I do not think the swimming can really affect my running performance and I like the outlet it gives me for spending some energy and getting my muscles relaxed. Cycling will be avoided because I think it played a major part in my knee problems and I want to make sure I am in optimal shape for the race. I will also pay extra attention to my stretching.

As far as nutrition goes, I have to take care not to eat too much cause I do not want to enter the race overweight :) While there is not really a risk of that, my daily appetite is for 3000-4000 calories will see a surplus at the end of the day when I am not running or biking to burn all that energy. At the same time, I also have to make sure that I stock up on essential nutriments such as iron and potassium. So my diet will be aimed at lots of vegetables and red meat. Yeah, bring on the burgers and spinach salads! I also need to hydrate myself well. I am not talking drinking beer and wine here, but rather lots of water and fruit juices. A friend recommended coconut water as a natural sports drink, I will give that a shot :)

So I want to enter the race fully hydrated and with my glycogen stores fully replenished. The last 36 hours are especially important for this. My usual way of telling is to drink until my pee is clear... My "last meal" consists of a big spaghetti dinner with lots and lots of special sauce. I usually also have some delicious chocolate éclairs for desserts. The morning of, I usually like a small snack. A single toast with peanut butter and honey accompanied by a glass of chocolate soy milk usually does the trick.

I can't wait until the race. I hope the weather will be good.

Return to the source

It was such a nice day Friday that I decided to extend my workday a bit so I could squeeze more running into my lunch time. With a goal of doing 12k, I decided that the perfect way to end my training for the half marathon coming up next week would be to return to where it all started.

My passion for running started when a colleague of mine wanted to get into running at lunch time and run a small loop around Leamy Lake which was right next to my workplace back then. I was biking to work (a short haul compared to now at only 7km) and decided that the running could diversify my training. Little did I know that going out once or twice a week with my work buddies would turn into a hobby and then a passion.

On our slow runs around the lake, we would often see a much faster colleague zoom by us effortlessly while we would stop every now and then for a walking break. We would often ask him for tips about how to train and what to expect under certain conditions. I remember when he came back from running a marathon one year (I think this was before we even started running), he couldn't come in to work for a day or two, his feet were so painful. He was my running hero. One day, this colleague told us about what was then called the ING Ottawa Marathon (now simply Ottawa Marathon since they do not have a sponsor this year). My colleague and I decided to jump in and sign up for the Half Marathon, a 21.1km distance (yes, the .1 matters, especially then!). Not really knowing what to expect for my first road race, I was blown away. So many fit people. So much camaraderie and high spirits. Such a runner's high after crossing the finish line even if I did horrible at 2h14. I later found out my real "chip" time was 2h08. Not bad for a first time but for some reason I was shooting for a finish under 2 hours. Even if you don't meet your goal, your first time is always a guaranteed Personal Best (PB in runner talk).

Later that year, I signed up for a fall half marathon and you can clearly see that my summer in training was not misspent with a finish of 1h47 (gun: 1h46). I knew better what to expect and I knew better how to train. I had even started running to work instead of cycling to get more miles in. Since then, I have participated in the Ottawa half-marathon every year, even last year when I was recovering from a nasty plantar fasciitis.

So yesterday, when I went for my last training run before tapering, I thought of all those lunch time training runs I did around Leamy Lake. I thought how our group of two grew in size to involve up to 5 or 6 individuals, depending on the days. I thought how much of a positive change running brought to my life and how, just like a drop of water in a calm pond, it spreads infectiously to those around me. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that my colleague was down with an injury and would not be able to run for quite a while. So I think about him and hope for a speedy recovery so he can at least return to a regular life, if not a running routine.

So my run around Leamy Lake was pretty peaceful and uneventful. I never believe how much forest and greenspace is available to us in the National Capital Region. I didn't have to use the streets once except to cross them twice on my way back.
The speed profile is a bit dissapointing with a slower split, but I was trying to pace myself not to go too fast in anticipation for the pacing I would need to do for the race. Turns out I overpaced myself letting it slip too low. With the energy I had in the tank, I think that I can safely pace myself at 4:45/km for the race and still have some left over for a final sprint, giving me a chance at a sub 1h40 finish (Am I setting myself up for too much??)
So there we go. Now the tapering starts. I will post my tapering strategy in the next few days because a lot of people have been asking me how I transition from training to racing and I'm not even sure myself if my strategy is the best, so you will be able to comment on it.

Ariane Moffatt's Aquanaute and Chopin Experience Disk 1 in the mix.

Short Swim

I stopped quickly by the pool on my way home tonight. I left work a bit late so I didn't have time for a double set. I did my usual 750m in about 20 minutes followed by a few intense breast strokes. It could be much quicker since I lost count 3 times and my counting policy is to go to the last known count when that happens. I guess I have lots on my mind right now with work, the long weekend fast approaching and tapering in anticipation of my race in 10 days.

I wore the swim cap again. I'm not sure its making me faster or more fashionable but it makes me feel like Alex is swimming with me so I like that. Tomorrow I will try a relaxed/loose 10km run at lunch if I can make the time for it.

Swimming Thoughts

Another great swim today. I had a new piece of equipment thanks to Alex. I wore a swim cap for the first time and it felt a bit weird but okay. The sounds were a bit muffled and the water in my ears got really hot. I'm not sure if it affected my speed much with a 750m time of a bit over 18 minutes but I will keep on wearing it, my hair doesn't feel as sticky with chlorine as it usually does. I lounged around the pool for a few breast strokes and then another 750m before calling it a day.

I'm becoming a much better swimmer than I ever expected I would be. When I was originally undecided about the triathlon, I thought that the swimming portion would be my achilles heel so to speak. I am now more and more worried about the bike part. I've yet to find the right balance of training with the bike to keep my strength and ward off injuries. We'll see about bike training strategies after the race in about 2 weeks.

I'm back!!!

Wow. What a gorgeous day out there today. I couldn't resist to go for a run today at lunch time. I could have tried as much as I wanted to hold back but it was too nice not to go full tilt. Throwing caution to the wind may not necessarily the best way to come back from an injury but it felt great!!! This run gave me plenty of confidence that I can shatter my personal half marathon record in 2 weeks. I did my "winter" run where I do two loops at the bridges:
Everything felt really good. The weather was sunny with a bit of a wind at about 12 degrees (Celsius). My knee wasn't complaining at all and I feel only a bit of soreness tonight so I'm using the injury tag on this post for the last time in hopefully a long while! My speed profile was a bit all over the place with a speedy first and last km with another speedier length at around km 5.
It feels great to be back, pounding the pavement and getting a good workout. I missed it. I craved it even. Now I'm feeling really good.

Green Nuns of the Revolution's Rock Bitch Mafia in the mix.

Smoke Test v2

Last Friday, I had a bit of time at lunch to go for another short run. I'm still not 100% confident that I am fully restored from my injury so I took it easy. There was some sensitivity in my knee but I'm not sure if it is the post injury running or just because I'm rusty after not having trained much for almost 2 weeks. I went around the most popular bridge loop:
I did a pretty decent time considering I took it easy. There were no significant soreness in the knee after the race either so I'm building up my comfort level about the race in 2 weeks. I will try to do at least 2, and if possible 3, 10km run next week to iron out all the kinks.

TIP Singles 2 in the mix.

Double swim again

I went to the pool today and did two 750m sets again. I'm starting to like this routine. Alex would be proud that I am maximizing my investment by swimming more. The first set was done in under 19m but I must have miscounted cause it didn't eel that quick. I didn't time the second set. I did a dozen breast strokes in between and another half dozen at the end to cool down.

No sensitivity at all in my knee today. I hope to go for a short run tomorrow, time and weather permitting, With the race in two weeks and the break in my training, I feel like a kid in high school that is facing a test un-prepared. We'll see how much cramming I can do before tapering starts the week before the race.

Swim A-OK

I went for a quick swim today after work. My knee felt great, almost all of the sensitivity is gone, even when I did breast strokes. My usual 750m took only 19m so that's pretty impressive. I lingered in the pool for another 15-20 minutes doing breast strokes and some more freestyle before I decided it was time to go home.

Smoke Test

Back when I was in college, my electronics professor had a funny story about microchips and magic smoke. He claimed that elves worked at the chip factories and what that made the chip behave as they do is the magic smoke that they locked inside the chip. Once the magic smoke escapes from the chip, the chip is rendered useless and can not longer be relied on to perform... So all the students took to running smoke tests when we created new circuits. We would plug everything in with no load or program and look for smoke or signs of overheating, to ensure the magical element did not escape.

I felt a bit like this today, on my first run after a week of resting to allow my knee to recover from the (ab)use I put on it earlier in the season. I was pleasantly surprised. While the knee was a bit sensitive during the early part of the run, it didn't feel overly wrong or painful. I even felt great after. I kept the run really short just in case the feelings would show up after the run.
I met up with my friend Will that was doing some speedwork. That explains the funny speed profile that you see here.

I wrestled a bit about what music I wanted to accompany my [hopefully] triumphant return, even if I knew I'd be running only for all of 10 minutes. I settled for the powerful Astral Projection's Trust in Trance to show I trusted that my body was recovered.

I guess the real test is tomorrow morning when I get out of bed, but even as I did my stretches tonight, I actually felt better than before so I think that the run helped and loosened me up a bit. Tomorrow is swimming and I'll try to slot a 5km on Wednesday to slowly ramp up.

Recovery Update

It's Sunday morning, I've been resting from training for a few days now and I'm coming up with a game plan to get back into training. My knee seems to be doing much better. It doesn't feel sensitive at all today, even if I spent most of the afternoon yesterday walking around the museum and the tulip festival.

So my plan is to go for a short run tomorrow and see how it feels. I will probably ramp up the runs until I get to my regular running schedule while taking it easy on the bike, until at least my race in 3 weeks. Then we'll see how I transition the training into full time triathlon.