Hey Lois: I did it.

I did it. I survived my annual two-week break. And I didn't slap anybody, have a nervous breakdown, or complain about it (much).

Every November, I take 10 to 14 days off from training. No running at all. This time, no biking either. I do it to let my body and mind rest and recover from the previous 11 months of training, and to prepare for the next training session.

After the Augusta Half Ironman, I had planned to take it easy for 10 days (done), kill it at the Ray Tanner Home Run 12k (done), then do a couple of long runs in preparation for the Governor's Cup Half Marathon on November 3rd. But after an 11 mile progression run, my knees, which had been talking to me for a month or two, started talking loudly and more often. I made the difficult decision to skip the half marathon and begin my November break early.

So, today was my first day back. I rode the trainer before work for 30 easy minutes. I knew my body would feel a bit rusty, but I wasn't expecting the left knee pain to come back so quickly and decisively. I am glad that I had already made an appointment with the best ART practitioner in the world for later this week. I plan to knock this crap out. I will also get re-fit on my bike to make sure my position isn't causing stress to the knee.

I've planned a very light week of easy workouts  - short run here, easy spin there - to start getting my body back into a routine and used to sweating again.

For those of you following along at home, NO I have NOT yet selected my training plan for Ironman Texas. I have, however, narrowed it down from 2 plans to 6 plans.

Yup.