Changing Perspective

As per usual, over a week has gone by and I have not been on my bike. Excuses as always: did my long run Saturday morning, cheered all day at the NYC tri on Sunday, my hip hurt, it was raining...blah blah blah. I also have the idea in my head that if I'm not on the bike for at least an hour or 20ish miles, it's not worth it to go out. Takes too much effort to get my bike out the door than it's worth.

As of today, that attitude it OUT the door. Riverside Park, and the West Side Bike Path, are less than 1/10 of a mile outside my front door. Yes, this can be an annoying ride and you're not likely to average over 16-17mph because of traffic and oblivous annoying people, but it's better than nothing. And when time is limited, it saves the time it takes me to get over to the park through traffic and traffic lights. So tonight, I figured it was early enough to beat the night time rush on the West Side, and I did 13 lovely miles. And it only took 45 minutes. This is better than nothing and I am going to start thinking of my time on the bike as additive: every little bit counts.

Snapped a great shot when I turned around, loved the softball field and game in the midst of the Financial District high rises:

My doctor appointment went really well this morning. I am glad I had some time to put things in perspective after my Tuesday freak-out, I was feeling well enough to run 5 miles last night and was only a bit achy this morning. We talked about achy vs. nagging vs. pain and the fact that I should only be worried if the ache or pain is limiting my activity (after resting it for a day or tw0)- Dr. M. also recommended a massage therapist for 2 deep tissue massages to loosen up my hips, and a strength training specialist to help me develop a routine, as he was worried my right leg is still significantly weaker than my right.

I will have to look into these options in terms of costs, as I may have to choose between the two, but it was good to hear that Dr. M had confidence in my moving forward with the marathon. I really think the strength training is important and it would be really nice to have someone help me develope a routine to focus on certain areas.

It was also fun to see Dr. M today because he did Lake Placid this weekend and was on top of the world. He had a great day, got a course-PR by more than 20 minutes in the crazy weather, and most importantly beat his brother by 30 minutes :)