FIGURES, DOESN’T IT. This week had the best weather we’ve had all year, and I spent most of it indoors.

It was intentional, however. With the Martian half marathon on Saturday morning, and adding swimming to my training routine, it was necessary to take a couple of days off from running and cycling. On Wednesday I got in a “brick” of a four-mile run and 16 miles on the bike, but took it easy after that. Fortunately, the weather is supposed to be just as good all weekend – a nice change from the past two years where Martian race day has been wet and cold.

I spent most of today’s gorgeous afternoon at the Expo for the Martian races, working the registration area for the half marathon and 10K. There’s not much too it really – people tell me their bib numbers, I dig them out of the boxes, verify the information is correct, and hand them their race button and T-shirt. The hardest part is standing in one place for a long time, which is not at all friendly to the knees. Fortunately, I got a break about halfway through so I could stretch and walk around for a few minutes.

But I’m not complaining. Running Fit takes good care of its volunteers, and as I’ve written before, the atmosphere remains low-key and laid back even when the rush is on. I’ve signed up to do the same thing two weeks from now for the Trail Marathon weekend, so I must enjoy it.

My work in the water this week was mainly about getting control of my breathing. I’m trying to establish a smooth, even rhythm to breathing while swimming, while also rotating the body to avoid raising my head too much. It’s coming along, but there’s a lot of progress to make before I’m ready for the half-mile lake swim in my first triathlon on June 18.

And yet, even with some extra rest, I can only do so much. With running, cycling, gym work, and Aikido already in the schedule, something, unfortunately, has to give. So I am making a couple of very difficult decisions at the moment. I will keep you posted.