More Elliptical

   Nothing too crazy going on today.  Knee was a little bit sore from the run yesterday but no where near as bad as it has been in the past.  I have been making sure to stay on top of icing it 4-5 times per day, which I think is helping a lot.  T-minus 3 days until I start physical therapy, which will hopefully initiate the road to a full recovery.  I am hoping that after 3-4 weeks of physical therapy I will be back on the road and should be able to participate in the 20-22 mile L Street long run in late March. 
   As for today I rocked out about 52 minutes on the elliptical (see below), which I would basically equate to doing a 5 mile run outside.  I am starting to notice that my legs are getting stronger from the elliptical which is a good thing.  When I first started training on the elliptical I was working out with a baseline resistance of 7 and could go about 12 minutes before I felt tired / sore.  Now, I increased my baseline resistance to 9 and can easily go for 50 minutes without problems.  Hopefully that is a sign that both the strength in the legs and my cardiovascular endurance is improving. 
    Like most of my other workouts, I through in multiple "hills" which basically consisted of 4 minute sections in which I increase the resistance by 1 every minute.  It definitely helps break up the boredom and helps me increase the intensity of the workouts.   My other measure of the intensity of my workout is the heart rate monitor on the machine.  I try to keep my heart rate in the 155-165 range (~80 % of my max) for the majority of the workout.
     After the workout today, the knee was still a little sore.  I think its probably because I have worked out three days in a row, one of which was a run that directly aggravated it.  Tomorrow will be a rest / ice day and then it will be back on the elliptical for a "long run" on Sunday. 

Elliptical overlooking the court at the Wang YMCA