Stronger, Faster Riding and a ... run!

OK, I've been a wee bit lazy for the last few days. Here is the last few days:

Friday 3/12

I got all excited: today was the big day - first run. I got out early and did an enjoyable 12K on the bike on my trusty 10K run course (I have a warm up walk to the start of the course and at the end). I felt OK after the run and I rang the sports doctor as instructed.

I left my number and was told he would ring back. I called back twice with the receptionist telling me that "You will have to be patient, he will call you back" on both occasions. He didn't. I got the shits at about four o'clock and decided to go for a run. 400m and my knee was in agony. The pain is a little different to what happened last time I went for a run. Instead of the pain all around the bottom part of the knee, I felt a pain I was having earlier in my layoff - a stabbing pain in the left side of the left knee.

So the knee is not right and I will have to wait until Monday to speak to the doc.

Saturday 4/12

Rest day involving atrocious nutrition. My knee seems to be good as long as I don't sit on a chair, which I did far too much of today.

Sunday 5/12

Started the day with a 32K bike ride after walking the dogs. I felt great on the bike - I'm really starting to notice improvement in speed and strength. The ride took about 86 minutes and was mainly in harder gears compared to previous rides.

I'm hopeful that I may be able to get onto a road bike cheaply by borrowing one from ex-coach Craig. He mentioned this several weeks ago, and since I am riding around on my brothers dodgy old mountain bike a move to a road bike will help things along. My concern is that my balance is generally less than good, so a road bike may make me more likely to stack. I came off a bike in the Adelaide Hills once at speed, and I don't like grazes like that.

After the ride I got stuck into painting the shed, studiously avoiding sitting down. When the clouds came over at four o'clock I went inside and thought to myself "this knee feels OK, I might try running again."

So knowing that completely flat was in order I went to the treadmill and knocked out 2K with only slight discomfort. Woo Hoo! Never did I think I could get a kick like that from running on a treamill. Ben is back!