Firing on All Cylinders

My back is getting better and better, and it's not stopping me from doing anything. I discontinued the NSAID's yesterday afternoon, never did take muscle relaxants, continue to stretch, and feel about 95% of my normal. No real pain--just minor tightness/discomfort when sitting for long stretches. I can tell there are a bunch of trigger points in various muscles that attach to my spine from L1-L5, and I've been working on them myself, and will instruct my massage therapist to give me some TLC in that area tonight.

Tuesday I did a nasty, nasty brick workout, but I held back slightly during the run, not to mention I rode indoors and then went outdoors for a 35-degree temperature change.

Yesterday I swam, and I was hitting 100's, 75's and 50's faster than I have swum in maybe a year, so I guess all that extra mindfulness and drilling is starting to pay off in the pool. I did my tempo run and felt like I could have jacked the treadmill speed higher, but as I've read in Daniels' Running Formula and have heard repeated by my coach, the time to prove you are a lot faster is in a race. So I'm going to hold the training paces I've kept up since the "official" start of this new training season, and see how that translates into 1/2 IM speed.

On the biking front, I am settling back in to trainer riding, and this weekend will test out the new trainer to see whether that makes it easier for me to hit the higher wattages that I am now capable of producing. I am just so tickled that my good old trainer, which I've had for 6 years, is not heavy-duty enough for me anymore. I've decided that at Miami Man that I will shoot for the same wattages as I used back in July at Racine, but with my new measurements being the upper end of a range, and Racine's wattage at the low end. I'd rather bike a bit more conservatively than I *think* I could ride in an effort to have a good run. Then again, it might be hot in Miami, so I'm not making any predictions (Racine was perfect weather for me).

Other than my minor back annoyances, boy do I feel strong and fit. Not Ironman fit, but certainly strong 1/2 Ironman fit, which is exactly what I need to be right now. REALLY running fit. My usual whatever-it-will-be swimming fit, and my biking should be solid for a 1/2 Ironman. This should lead nicely into marathon training, even though my coach insists that it is going to put a damper on my "I want to get faster" goals. We shall see. It sure feels good to feel really strong on only 14 hours a week!

I will continue to monitor my back situation (which I should really now call my iliopsoas situation, because that's where the root of all evil seems to be) so that things don't begin to fall apart, and I will be all over an actual taper for Miami Man!