March

March is finally over (somebody tell the weather that) and I'm excited to move onto April.  I really need the weather to improve, now more than ever.  Days like the ones we've had this week kill me - cold, rain, dreary.  I never feel good and generally don't enjoy getting out to train.  My mechanical issues are still plaguing me, most notably the left foot problem (plantar?) and in turn everything that's affecting.  Running has been limited still, moreso in comfort than in volume.  Here's how I ended up in March:

Swimming - C+.  Finally getting into the pool at least 3 days per week enabled me to swim 38,000 meters.  This should really be a two week number, but it's at least 14,000 more than February.  In the middle of the month I seemed to have some decent workouts, but this last week or so has been a struggle.  I'm just not swimming very fast, and not feeling good doing it.  Still, compared to March 2010 (4000m, one swim before surgery), it's an increase. 

Cycling - B+.  I know I gave myself an A last month, and I've actually done a fair bit of riding given the conditions this month, so this is more related to the weather and my outdoor ride capabilities.  Two trips out to Frederick and a really gangster four day cycling binge helped me feel pretty good about my fitness.  But then it got cold again and rained, so it put me inside for two weeks.  The annoying thing right now is that I feel the best when I'm on my bike, but I haven't had as many opportunities as I'd like to get outside and feel good about it.  This weekend looks to be super frustrating with temps just not quite where they should be still.  I finished with 456 miles on the bike, my highest March total potentially ever but definitely in the last 8 years.  And much more than the one hour trainer ride I did last March before surgery.

Running - B.  Again, looking at the numbers and it's decent at 173 miles for the month.  Consistent with the past two months, and much more than the 0 I put up for March 2010.  4 weeks of track workouts now and I've seen some improvement, but each effort has left my foot pretty wrecked.  I got in two proper long runs and haven't "missed" any runs, so that's been positive.  My race effort on 3/13 was also good. 

April is going to be a fun month, kicking off this Sunday with my annual run from College Park to DC to see the Cherry Blossom race.  Opening Day for the Orioles is Monday, and thanks to Brennan I am 100% ready for the Orioles this year.  Then things get fun with Race Week 2k11 - where Ed and I will be trying to outrace one another.  He has 4 races from Saturday 4/9 to Saturday 4/16, while I have potentially 4 races from Sunday 4/10 to Sunday 4/17.  This includes a 6k, a road mile and the tri season opener.  Then it's back to NJ for Easter weekend.  As long as there is no rain, the temps are in the 70s and it's sunny every day, I don't think I'll have a problem.