Can't Quit

I was on vacation for a week -- not from exercising but from work. The bad news is my knees were killing me after my run. This time it was more in one knee than the other. I pressed against the bone on the inside aspect of my tibia just below the knee and it felt bruised. I only ran 3/4 of a mile. What am I some kind of invalid.

The airplane rides and two hour bus trip may not have helped, but I shouldn't be limping around. I am worried I have a stress fracture.

At night I dance at the disco with my girlfriend and tht does not help. It feeel better when I ice it and take some motrin. Maybe its not broken.

Still I hobble for a week, and have trouble getting down into the pool unless I use the stairs.

They have a nice gym and I use it twice for strength training and 30 minute bike rides. The biking doesn't seem to bother my legs.

I also do three distance swims in the bay. The trouble is the roped off swiming area is not very deep. I am barely above the seaweed. I am guessing the area is 100 yards. I swim down and back. It is a lot harder swimming in open water. No rest at the end of 25 yards with the easy pushoff. At first I swim too fast and need to slow my breathing, which almost seems panicky. I see a baby sting ray in the water. The third time I step on something -- it feels like maybe a sea urchin, but it doesn't kill me although later I find a cut under my middle toe -- maybe it was glass I stepped on.

This triathlon is not going to be easy. I think I need to see a doctor before I run anymore.

Here's where I stand now. While I can run three miles -- I have the wind and my legs are strong -- I can't even seem to run 3/4 of a mile without being a cripple the next day. Do I take a whole month off, and then start very very slow?

Swimming -- I can do a mile in the pool, but open water appears to be harder. Still I ought to be able to do 1/4 mile fine. But my experience with cramping leads me to believe the bike transition may be more difficult than I thought.

Biking -- While I do the stationary bike fine, I still haven't gotten up on a bike yet.

Not good. I guess I can say everything so far has been merely exploratory. The training begins for real next month. Or I can say, I have till I am fifty so take it slow.

Don't give up.

Can't quit. Can't quit.

OOOOOOwww! James Brown soul turn.