The weekend is here

Today was my last day of training in Newport Beach before we head to San Fran tomorrow. I woke up at 5:30 per my usual routine this week and attempted what I hoped would be a pain-free run. Close enough. It took me a while to get going, but I settled into about a 7:30 mile pace for the first couple miles with minimal discomfort. I wore warm-up pants on the entire run to make sure my legs stayed warm. About three miles in I decided to extend my run and added a couple faster miles in on Back Bay Road, probably around 6:50 pace based on mile markers. The entire run was 6 miles, 42 minutes, and felt good when I got home.

I wanted to test myself a little more, so I did a couple speed drills (high knees, butt kicks, etc.) and four strides at 5k race pace. It was a bit of a risk, but I figured I still had 72 hours to recover if I overdid it. I was pleased to find out that running in full strides caused me no discomfort whatsoever. So basically, if I run hard on Sunday, I should be fine, but if I attempt to job, its a crapshoot. After the strides I drove over to Karen's house for another ice bath, which felt great.

My knee was a little sore during work today, but nothing rest won't cure. After work I headed to the pool for a quick swim. I wanted to do something to sharpen up my stroke, so I warmed up for about 300 meters (which include drills). I went into 8 x 50, averaging about 37 seconds per 50, which is 2-3 seconds faster than a few weeks ago. I did a couple 100's after for about 1000 yards on the day, then went home and iced.

The race is right around the corner, the car is packed up, and Heather and I are driving up at 6 a.m. tomorrow. I'm getting very excited. Perhaps the best part is I really don't know what to expect, especially on the swim. I may blog before the race, but if not, I'll post a detailed report in a few days.