Trails!

Providence Canyon trail on the bike - 

Made it to the "rock filled campsite" before running out of time. 60 mins up 29 mins down.

1350' vert

Bike 30 mins  - Run on Deer Fence trail 3 miles - bike 15 mins

Things felt great today during the run until the last half mile when the kneecap became sore.  When I got home, the hammy was again tight and sore.  I don't think things are quite ready for running yet.  I had to try though...

My leg was pretty sore after only 3 miles of running yesterday so here we go - 

Cold Turkey Day 1 (no bike, no run)

I will see if the symptoms improve...

- Tenderness on kneecap and around the kneecap (waterskiing caused this)

- Hamstring tightness (definite strained muscle - sharp pain at times)

- ITB tightness and inflammation (caused by the above 2) minor compared to other 2 items.

At this point I give myself a 25% chance of starting the Bear100 and then only a 25% chance of finishing (those numbers are totally pulled randomly from the air).  Why start if you know that within 10 miles you will have major issues?  I need to test it out by the 19th.  If I think I have a chance of finishing I wont cancel my entry.

Update: Thurs - Friday

Pain around kneecap has improved greatly.  Only hurts if you press hard.  Inflammation must be decreasing.  Hamstring is still tight, but the sharp pain is gone.  No pain or tightness around ITB. 

I have been doing some stretching, massage, Arnica cream around knee, 800mg IB 2x day, even did yoga for 30 mins on tues and thurs.

Spent the morning watching the Top Of Utah Marathon unfold - 

Biked up to mile 12ish of the course, battling the serious wind coming out of the canyon and the cool air (perfect conditions for the race).  That was about an hour of easy riding.  I was then given a front row seat to the race.  Jake K and John K were side by side looking good.  The next 2 guys were a few mins back.  Another gap and then Sasha and Glen.  Better said, Sasha sitting on Glen's shoulder.  Bunch of other guys, then Joe.  Yep, my training buddy joe was looking good and smiling like he was having a great time.  Not long after Joe was Adam W. (who stayed at my house).  He was sitting in a group enjoying life as well.  I kept going up the canyon and saw a few other bloggers and friends I recognized.  Ben Vanbeekum (training run), Allie and James Morre, Albert Wint, Steve Anderson, Drew Michener, even James Barnes (pacing).  I eventually worked my way back down the canyon and caught up to Joe.  It took me until mile 17 to catch up.  He was still looking great, not flying, but still relaxed and smooth.  I spent the next 7 miles with him trying to encourage him while shooing away cars.  When you ride a bike next to a runner what side of the road do you go on?  Answer.  Anywhere you want!  It was fun dodging cars and aid station helpers.  Joe started to slow down the final 10K, but held his own.  He was never passed (since mile 12 at least)?   I left him at mile 24 and hung out near the finish line watching the action.  

In the end, he broke 2:40, B goal accomplished and now he can forget the silly marathon thing and run a real race.  The Bear100!!

Spent 2.5 hours biking around, but most was pretty easy so counting it as only 6 miles since I biked 60 mins at a reasonable pace before the coasting began.