One Down

After much deliberation I decided that it would be in my best interests to avoid the road and take my act to the gym today. Basically it came down to this...I didn't want to be 25 miles from home and have my toe injury flare up. I know that I would probably push through and really set myself back.

This decision meant 170 minutes on a bike trainer...put a big check mark in the mental toughness category. I hammered out 61 miles during this high intensity ride. My average heart rate of 80% was at least 10 percentage points higher then what I plan to do on race day but I had no choice. Riding the bike trainer at a moderate level of intensity for almost 3 hours will make even the most sane person on earth go nuts. The only option is to crank it up, push yourself to the edge and watch the time slowly tick by.

At the conclusion of the ride I gingerly hopped off the bike and made my way over to the treadmill. To my surprise the toe feels good...but the run will be the real test. Turns out it wasn't a test at all. I knocked out a smooth 5 miles in 40 minutes. Looks like the new sneakers are paying dividends.

After the run I hit the showers then its over to the pool for a 1 mile swim. It felt good to get the upper body moving after 3.5 hours of lower body work. After the workout I head home to "pumice" the toe, ice the knees and ankles, eat my usual half dozen eggs and toast and relax with the kids.

Everything feels good so far...what a relief. I hope that there aren't any surprises when I wake up tomorrow...another big day on tap. 2 hour 20 minute run followed by a 50 minute bike ride. One down...one to go.