8 Weeks to Go Time

We've added a race to the calendar! It's the Golden Horn 1/2 Marathon! The race traces the Golden Horn in Istanbul--the old European bit that has all the old stuff in it. It's an out-and-back, but since it's confined to that one little area of the city, it should be easier to manage, logistically (read: no standing in the rain for an hour beforehand).

I learned about the race through a random email, and I'm glad I did, because there are just not many races here--none that I've heard of in my own city. I thought the next race we would run would again be the intercontinental race that we did earlier in the fall. We kicked off the 8 weeks with a huge trail run the other day. My knee is doing decidedly well. This race will be the longest I've run since my knee injury onset. I think if I get through it without knee pain, then my full recovery is official. I had no pain after the 15k we ran in the fall, so I'm keeping my hopes high. I'm still treating it and still certainly working on hip strength. I can tell when I ski--my left leg is still severely weaker than my right and that's just going to take more time.

In other fun news--we're working on our spring break, the first week of April. The early coming of spring has cut our ski plans for that break. Instead, we are planning to go climbing on the Greek island of Kalymnos--some of the best climbing in Europe. It will be in the middle of training time, so I guess I'll need to do some runs on the beach. I know, it's a rough life.