Several Updates

Okay, I have a lot of updates for my readers, here goes...

Had my first ever Master's swim practice tonight. Karen met me at 5:30pm for a lesson, then talked me into swimming with the Master's group. Pretty intense. I think my brain hurts from all the information I got in those 2 hours. Karen really helped me out with my stroke. I feel like I made huge gains tonight. I'm swimming only catch-up stroke for now, until I get used to all the changes that she made to my stroke. And, I never thought I could do this without drowning, but Karen has me breathing from my right side! I've always breathed from my left, never could from the right, until now. All in all, I'm feeling much more comfortable in the water and swimming smoother, with much less effort.

I saw Dr. Stadler last Thursday about my knee. It's actually my IT band that is acting up. The IT band runs from the hip to the knee. If it's tight, it will rub the bony protrusions of the knee causing swelling and some really bad pain. I'm on an anti-inflammatory to keep the swelling down and have to wear a strap above my knee to keep the IT band from moving around. Lots of stretching and taking my running very slow. It's VERY frustrating as I've really been enjoying my runs. I can get about 20 minutes of running in before it begins to hurt and I have to head back. My second run this week did go better than the first, but it's hard to not be able to really run. I want to run so bad I can't stand it. I want to be on the track. I want to open it up and really get some hard runs in. I do know that the IT band injury can't be rushed. It's not something that you can "run through", so I'm being smart about it. I have to be sure I stop and stretch really good if I feel it hurting.

I've updated my race schedule, removing the Kinetic Half Ironman. Not because of my IT band, but because, quite frankly, couldn't get over the fact of spending $150 on a race to "go through the motions". We were starting to realize how much this Ironman trip is going to cost and looking at things to cut back on! Nikki stated that if I'm gonna save us $150, she'll stand on the side of the road and hand me water bottles and food as I do the Half Iron distance in training one Saturday.

Logan turns 5 on Saturday. He's already started soccer and swimming. Following in my Dad's footsteps, I'm the assistant coach of his soccer team. His first game is April 5th. I can't wait! He's so excited!

My Cousin Aaron got promoted to Executive Chef at Tristan in Charleston, SC. Congrats Aaron! If you are ever visiting Charleston, check it out. Outstanding food and service!

I'll get my training log updated tomorrow.

Stay tuned...