[To the Coach]
Weekly Update 10 days before race.
I think your suggestion about a compression knee “brace” had some merit, but of course I didn’t want to try it out during the race without testing it in training. Ideally, that would have been on the long run a week ago. So I tried it today on a 5 mile run. Background: I have a neoprene brace which I’ve used on and off for decades – when my knee would feel sore, I would put it on intermittantly for a day or three, my theory being keeping it warm would increase local blood flow and maybe enhance healing/fluid absorption. But in this year, I have taken to wearing a strap (common brand name “Cho-Pat”, though that’s not what I use) around my leg just below the joint at the level of the patellar tendon. The theory is, it helps to keep the patella aligned as it slides along the femur, making up for weakened quad/hip muscles. While I don;t think I have that weakness, I did find that wearing it seemed to retard the sharp pain I would get on rare occasion if the kneecap deviated from its proper course even slightly.
So I did wear the neoprene brace instead today. While I was running, I did not notice any issues. But when I got home, the first time I walked downstairs, I had sharp pains under the patella, something I have not had for months now. My MD brain tried to create an explanation, which was: without the strap, even though the brace has a hole in it for the patella, there had been enough movement of the patella outside of it’s ideal groove with the femur that it had gotten more abrasion than usual. That pain did eventually go away after a session with Norma Tec.
I think I’ll take a brace with me to Tempe, and consider putting it into Run SN, to possibly put on for the second loop. But I kinbda think I’ll just go with the strap.
Last week’s work:
Mon – Swim 60′: 1000, 10 x 50, 15 x 75; Weights + Sauna session
Tue – Long Run: 3 hours, 16.55 mi
Wed – Weights + Sauna
Thurs – FTP intervals 14′, 10′, 10′ (4′) up ALpe d Zwift, followed by “easy spinning” to the top, where I FINALLY got the Meilenstein Wheels. Total of 2 hours
Fri – RR swim in the pool, 2.4 miles/1:24; Run 4.4 mi.
Sat – Though I was gonna ride for six hours, “only” did 4:18. I was feeling both quite tired, and ach-y in my knee. I felt a lot better when I looked at last year’s ride on the same day two weeks before IM AZ: I had the same time/distance/kilojoules, etc and ended up doing sub-6 hr bike split on the race. So I gave myself a pass.
Sun – Progressive run of 5.5 miles/53′, finishing with a sub 9 min mile. Confidence building.
Mon – Weights/Sauna
Tue (Today) – Swim 10 x 300 (30″). Run 5 mi/48′, again feeling strong.
Plan for the remainder of the week:
Wed – Week 19 FTP intervals 3 x 6′ (4′), Run 20′
Thurs – Run 1:20-1:30/9 mi, weights/Sauna
Fri – Swim – 600/500/400/300/200/100; Bike 1 hour recovery spin
Sat – Bike 3 hours on Zwift, try to run 3.1 miles
Sun – Swim 2.4 miles
Race week:
Mon – Swim45′, run 30′, Sauna/Weights
Tues – Bike Taper Work, Run 20-30′
Wed – Swim 30’/Weights
Thurs – Travel, maybe run down by the lake in the early evening
Friday – Register, Beeline, Team Dinner.
Saturday – Admin, Movie, Jamba Juice
I am going in with the attitude I want to win this race…