Training Under Duress

I'm scheduled for right knee surgery on August 13th.  I'm lucky with that.  Because it was originally scheduled for the first week of October.  My entreaties to the surgery scheduler for an earlier date paid off.  And I'm very, very grateful.

The knee is getting worse every day.  I'm sure that part of the worsening has to do with the fact that I'm doubling down on indoor training.  A bum knee made worse by use/abuse.  

Joe Friel.  The guy is a wonder.  During these dark and depressing days of physical debility I've revisited the dozen or so books he's written and studied his blog.  Frankly, he's an inspiration to me.  

I'm training with two pieces of equipment.  The Concept2 indoor rower and the LeMond Revolution Direct Drive bicycle trainer.  

A few weeks ago I found that my knee started aching beyond bearable when I combined intensity with duration.  So I decided to reduce the intensity (increased cadence, decreased watts) and keep the duration (2 - 4 hours) steady.  That worked for a week or so.  

I want to keep as much of my physical fitness as possible before and after the surgery, even though I have to negotiate reduced capacity.  That's where the indoor rower comes into play.  A full body workout.  And it's `merciful' on the knee.  

So, today.  Since the right knee pain reduces the time I can spend on the bike I've decided to increase the intensity ... for as long as I can.  Like doing Tabata intervals for an hour.  

Warm up with the indoor rower, hit the bike.  Though I'm a slow-twitch man at heart ... when my options are reduced I'll take what I can get.