Day 23

Just keep swimming...

I need to figure out some way to keep track of laps...like a bead counter thing they used a hundred years ago in math..haha.. but no joke, I need something because I can't keep track.

Anyways, I swam laps...quite a few. If I got out of breath, I changed to a kick-board to recover for a lap or two, then went back to freestyle. I also combined an additional upper body work out in with the swim. I was in a side lane on the pool so, every couple laps, I would stop and use the corner of the pool to do the equivalent of pushups on the side of the pool(2 sets of 15), then I would hold a pike position for 10 or so seconds, and repeat. A little abs, a lot of arms and shoulders. I was happy at the end of the workout. My arms were dead, everything else felt good. My knee did loosen up in the pool, but by the end of the evening(just walking to and from my car) it had gone back to the normal pains of the last couple weeks. I'm over this knee. Of course it took a $1700 plane ticket for it to finally go. I'm a little angry about it.

Day 22

I'm a slacker. We had a 3 hour open house at the school I work at. I got to school at 8 and didn't get home until after nine and had no energy to go swim. Lame excuse, I know, but owell. Workouts continue on day 23.

Day 21

Pretty sure the 1/2 on Dec 31st is not going to happen, but I guess I can still hope, right?

Yesterday was bitterly cold...okay, maybe not that cold compared to other places in the world, but for here, it was cold. I wish we would actually have a "Fall" season so we could get acclimated to the changing weather - but, no, Texas like to go:
100, 100, 100, 95, 65, 32, sleet and ice....really, Texas?

Anyways, long story short, I couldn't convince chilled self to go and get in a pool yesterday. My knee was pretty painful all day at school, so I just went home and iced and heat it.

Appt w/the Orthopedic is scheduled for Monday. Fingers crossed for better news.

Day 20

Had my appoitment with the sports rehab guy. I wish I could say the prognosis was better, but it's not. He referred me to an orthopedic surgeon to get an MRI done. Everyone else has been saying IT band, he thinks it is actually a meniscus issue. Either way, I'll get the MRI done and hope for good news. Until then, I'll swim, which I did not do today, but I will continue with it tomorrow.

Day 18 and Day 19

Last night I swam again. Did about 500m of freestyle. I'm so out of shape. haha. I tried the treadmill for just for kicks and giggles. I took about 3 running steps and said, no thanks. This is starting to get really depressing.


Used the foam roller to help stretch/massage my IT band. That thing is the devil, but from what I've heard, it's the best way to get it to loosed up. Almost put me in tears.


I took today off. Mind and body needed a break.


Appointment with the rehab guy tomorrow at 1. I'm looking forward to it.

Day 17

Yesterday brought more IT stretches. Talked to Wade(the tri-athlete/marathoner) and he said to just continue with what I'm doing.

I got in the pool again. Swam for about 20 minutes before getting kicked out of the pool by the LT kids swim team. Lame. I have a hard time keeping track of laps in the pool, but I think I did 600 or so meters. Not to much, but by the end of it I could feel my knee start to hurt and I didn't want to push it to much. I was trying to get a 1000 in, but owell. I'll go again tonight and see how it goes. I think the breast stroke puts more strain on my knee than freestyle, so despite my out of shapeness, I guess I'll just have to deal with my pathetic performance freestyle wise in order to reduce the strain on my knee.

I got in touch with my friend, Sunshine, again last night. He's a big time runner as well and has had this same issue except his was a true injury. He's going to try to help when he can with the recovery and rehab outside of the gym. It was good to talk to him again. We worked out together for almost a year back in college. It was a good time.

Music...Joshua Radin. I may have already mentioned him. I don't remember