No more Spring Breaks.

Today marks the last day of spring break. No more sleeping in till 10 am. I'm also nearing the end of week five of my marathon training. Just thirteen short weeks to go until race day!!

This last week has been a tough one for me. Since school is out, and I can't justify buying a gym membership just for one week of use, I haven't had access to a treadmill this week. This is bothersome since the impact of the roads is too tough for my sore knees and the trails are still either covered in ice and snow, or immersed in puddles of muddy water. I tried running down a trail near my house today and it had the anti-traction trifecta, mud, ice and snowy slush. Although the weather has been fantastic, I have not been able to accomplish the daily mileage on my training schedule this week. My knee was giving me trouble so I decided to give my legs a little rest from the impact. I was worried that one step out of my training routine would just mess it all up but I can't afford an injury right now either. I took out my bike for the first time in 2011 a week ago and boy was that just what I needed. It's still a workout but avoids putting any undue stress on my joints.

I have been going more for time than distance on my rides, paying attention to how my body feels. Most days this week have been sunny and nowhere near freezing, ideal weather for the bike. I almost forgot how awesome it feels to ride my bike around Madison. You get to see so much more of the city on a bicycle and usually you're going slowly enough to take it all in. My goal was to stay limber and maybe try a run later in the week. My first run was yesterday, 3.6 miles down Wisconsin backroads.

I went to visit a friend of mine for her birthday in the Lone Rock area yesterday. Her house is out in the middle of nowhere in a hilly area deep in farm country. Perfect place for a mid-afternoon run down a deserted country road. The sun came out just in time to shine on me during my first outdoor run in over a week. I ran 3.7 miles in about forty minutes (I'll not claim to be a fast runner). It felt pretty good, my joints were a little stiff at first but the knee gave me no problems! All the treadmill, elliptical and bicycle work this week has paid off.

I've got 7 miles planned on Sunday and I really want to be able to run the full distance so tomorrow's five mile run will become a ten mile bike ride. Wish me luck...