6 more days

Can you tell I am excited? I am doing a little count down to my first running attempt.
Sure, it will not be real running because real running is doing 50+ miles/week with two days of speedwork per week:)
I will keep it very low-key for December. Probably max 10-12miles/week. Although I have not decided yet how I am going to do it. It is long slow runs that bother ITB the most thus logically I should keep those to minimum, but I do not think that doing speedwork will actually do me any good at this point.
Maybe if it was not cold/dark/rain in the mornings I would try to do doubles (like 2miles in the morning and 1MILE in the afternoon) so I do not run more than 30min at the time. But I cannot really do it now because call me a slacker but I am just not dedicated enough to ride my bike 3miles in cold/dark and rain to training fields so I can run on grass and then ride home, take shower and ride to work and repeat that process again in the afternoon. That does not sound reasonable even to me. I do not know, I need to think about it. Maybe I can do a morning run on a grass by the road where I live (I used to do that in spring when I was coming back to running after another episode of ITB flare up) but it will still be dark and I know that people driving by will think that I am crazy and I do not like when people think that. Although on the second thought, this idea does not sound too bad. Unless I sprain an ankle or, and I do not know why I have this fear in my head because it is little
"out there", but I do not live in the nicest neighbourhood and I am somehow scared that when running on that strip of grass I will step on a needle that some addicts use and get some nasty disease and eventually die for no good reason.

And of course I will religiously continue with my PT exercises.

Swimming and biking is going great. Swimming continues to improve, I did 3x500yards with bands and paddles/bands only today! Couple months ago I was not able to do 50yards without my feet dragging at the bottom of the pool. And now I can do 500s no problem!

Biking is not going as good as I would love to but I have decided to be patient and consistent. I am not the most patient person ever but I do not have any huge goals for next year EXCEPT to get to the starting line of that IM (and then to the finish line as fast at possible of course) and being able to run consistently. But it is not like that I MUST win my age group in Mt Tremblant or run 36min 10k next year:) Well, I would love to but the former it is not really my top goal and the later is not feasible for next year. So I can chill out and take my time.
I am doing another FTP test on Saturday so we shuld see whether I have improved.
However, I am getting my at ease with the smoother pedal stroke. No more downward push only. Plus I am able to do 3h in aero on Sat and then another hour on Sun without too much discomfort. Still not like sitting on a coach but better than before.
I watched a movie on Sat during my 3h ride. I usually do not do that because I get annoyed very easily by distractions when I am supposed to focus. I also listen to music very rarely. For example I start listening to music but then when I start working hard I need to get rid of it. So I watched the movie because it was an easy ride and although time went by faster I do not think that I would do that again. I do not like not listening to my breathing, being focused, not being aware what I am doing and generally listening to the response of my body on a bike because there are so many things I need to work on and thus focus on (e.g. cadence, smooth full pedal strokes).
I can listen to movie when doing easy runs (because I do not need to focus on anything there) but I cannot do it for speedwork (ok, I have never tried it but I know that I would not be able to do it without throwing the mp3 into the nearest ditch).

Thanksgiving was fun. I had my fist ever American TG dinner. My friend invited me to her house. It was very low key, nothing fancy, bunch of her other friends. Her husband made turkey, green beans casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and all that regular TG food. It was yummy and we all stufed out faces and I went to sleep at 2am (and had to get up at 4am to take some car-less friends (Math PhD students at a local university from Albania) to Best Buy since I had a car from work). And I also ate pecan pie as breakfast, lunch and dinner on Wednesday and cherry pie on Friday. Good times.

LSAT is on Saturday and I do not feel prepared or confident at all. I will need all the luck I can get. And one of my law school applictions is due on Wednesday, but I am almost doe with the one.
I do not really need to worry about this as much now since my job prospects are pretty good but still, I should do my very best because one never knows.