Slipped a little, but back on track...

I hate to admit that I had a little set-back on my training over the weekend. I was supposed to do a 75 minute bike ride on Saturday and a 55 minute run on Sunday. Monday was to be my day of rest. Well, on Saturday, I chose not to go to the group bike ride in the morning, thinking I would do it in the afternoon instead. But the rain came in the afternoon, and with my kinked neck, I thought it would be better to just skip the ride and do it on Sunday instead. Heck, that means I could just shift my schedule to Sunday / Monday and use Saturday for a day of rest. Good plan. Except that Sunday I was simply not motivated to work out. It was fourth of July weekend, and I really just wanted to enjoy it. So I did. On both Sunday and Monday, I 'played hooky' and had a lot of fun doing it.

Tuesday I got back on track with a double header. Fitness training first, then a 55 minute bike ride afterwards. Unfortunately, my neck wasn't at 100% yet (much much better, but not 100%), and during my strength training I could tell I was stressing it - although I thought that might be a good thing as it seemed like it was loosening up as I worked out. When I finished my strength training, it quickly became apparent that the pressure was not a good thing. As I descended the stairs, my neck kinked really badly, and I could barely turn my head. But... being very stubborn and firmly planted in a state of denial, I chose to continue with the bike ride anyway. The ride actually helped, although I learned that it is not very safe to ride on city streets when you can't turn your head to the left. It makes it very difficult to cross into left-turn lanes. I made it... and I'm glad to report that I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the bike in general. I still need to conquer the tri-handles (the antelope horns), but I'm sure that will come with time.

Today, I woke up and could barely move my head. My neck was worse than it has been in quite some time. Unfortunately, I have a long history of neck issues, and this type of thing can last hours, days, weeks, or even months. I spent much of the day resting and icing it - only to find that it was getting worse. The more I rested it, the stiffer it got. So... stubborn as ever and determined to not let this get in my way... I went ahead and did my swim tonight. I figured I would know pretty quickly if swimming was even possible, and the exercise could actually help loosen it up. It was a 1200 meter straight swim (no drills) and I was able to complete it more easily than I expected. The swim helped loosen me up quite a bit, and afterwards, I spent a significant amount of time stretching out in the sauna and steam rooms, which also helped. Unfortunately, as soon as I cooled off, my neck stiffened up just as bad as it was before.

UGH! I truly hope this subsides soon!

I don't have any more strength training scheduled until next Thursday, so we'll see if I can fully recover by then. Meanwhile, I will continue my tri training as long as I am physically able. Wish me luck!