2/18/14 Biking for Training?

I am currently at 85% of my fundraising goal for Melanoma Research Foundation! My goal is to raise $40 for every mile of my 26.2 trek through L.A. I have less then 4 miles to cover at this point! So exciting. And now I have less than 18 days left of training to do.

Saturday I rode a bike 33 miles for training. Since I have been avoiding any more long miles in hopes that my right knee won't get worse. I don't have much pain. And I walk normally on it throughout my day. Sometimes I feel like I'm being overly paranoid or cautious, but then I run a little on the treadmill and I feel that same spot aching a bit more. I would get an MRI or a bone scan, but I feel like its pointless. The doctor said even if it is a stress fracture it may not even show up since its probably very small right now. I will have to rest it if I have one, and I am already resting my knee. And the doctor said I can still run the marathon, but afterwards it could be worse. I think I will wait until after the L.A. marathon to check it out. I will then need to know how bad it is and if walking for exercise is not allowed, or even biking or the elliptical. I have been doing mostly elliptical cardio at the gym for my run training, and then the bike I used this past weekend to simulate a long run. I will probably do that again this weekend. I was suppose to run 22 miles this last weekend and then run 12 miles this weekend. I just think if I do all that mileage I won't be able to run/ walk the marathon at all afterwards. I would rather spend my last run doing the real deal. And then just rest it for a couple months.

I think I will keep running once my knee feels back to normal. But I won't be doing any marathons anytime again in the near future. I think a few 5ks this year and a half marathon next year sounds like a good plan. I even would like to start training for triathlons eventually. But I have to figure out how to fit all the training needed into my schedule, as well as getting the equipment I need for biking and finding a way to swim, since I don't belong to a gym with a pool. (Minor details.) I borrowed my neighbor's bike this past weekend. And my friend that I rode with suggested finding a used road bike on Craig's list. We'll see. I have this marathon to get through first, and some recovery time afterwards for my knee... then I will start thinking about more marathons, or half marathons, or triathlons.

That's all the training news I have for today.