September summary

So my goal at the beginning of the month was to run 60 miles. By today, my goal was just to run without falling and hurting myself again! It wasn't the best month ever from a health or injury perspective, but I feel like I rehabbed wisely. Well, until I fell again on Sunday.

Next month we have the Run Like Hell half marathon, and the miles really start to build up. My knees felt pretty good on the run today -- a little painful at the skin/scab level, but not bad in the joints. Also my feet feel good -- I'm wearing the new kicks now. That said, I think I haven't put the SuperFeet in yet. Must try that on Thursday.

I'm going to set my October goal at 65 miles. If I do all the weekend runs, and most of the weekday runs, I'll hit that with no problem. All I need to do is stay healthy. Easier said than done, perhaps!

clumsy me

So Wil posted the pic from yesterday's run... all I know was, we were running down a hill, preparing to turn a corner, and then I was sliding across the sharpest pavement in the world. Must have just barely caught my toe on a tiny ridge in the pavement. A less clumsy person wouldn't have done it. Perhaps I wouldn't have done it except that my shoes were brand new and a little too grippy. Oh well.

Apparently a man in a nearby yard kept an eye on us -- to make sure Wil wasn't attacking me or something like that. But Wil got me off my knees, had me sit for a bit, kept me from crying, and then got us moving again. We agreed that there was no point in trying to clean the scrapes there and then -- "Might as well let the blood push the grit out."

Tried to avoid seeing too many people (except for that block along 15th...). Passed a handful of horrified pedestrians who "Oooooh!"ed at me; I just said "I'm okay, I'm okay" back at them. Then home, where I discovered that my knees had gone numb. This made scrubbing the pebbles out pretty easy because I couldn't feel a thing. Then a big dollop of neosporin and two big Band-Aids and I was good as new.

A day later and I've finally let the wounds "breathe" a bit. They're prickly and itchy but not giving me too much pain. I'm hoping I'll actually be able to go out for a little run later.

I'll try to be more careful!

Who's my brave princess..?

Four miles in on a lovely sunshine filled Sunday morning run.  New grippy shoes, combined with a gritty path, a corner and a point where two paving stones were starting a new battle with young tree...

I heard a cry and saw a fall and a brave lady not crying but bleeding... 

new kicks!

UPS man just delivered my new Saucony Hurricane 10s...in black. Hooray for black shoes!!!!

keys for success

So this morning I had a meeting in downtown Seattle at 9:30, so it didn't make sense for me to trek across the bridge for 7:30, then trek back for 9:30. So I decided to get my little run in in the morning.

Went out along my usual way to Sunset Hill Park, then back, feeling no real twinges in my knee (but finding the neoprene brace a little weird on my leg). Discovered that they've done something wonderful at 75th that I won't spoil by telling you about, but will post a photo when I get a chance. Then home, where I was in a bit of a hurry (because it was 8:45) so I decided I'd stretch inside.

Except that I couldn't.

Because I had grabbed the wrong keys.

And had locked myself out of the house.

Now, if I had needed to show my Fred Meyer Club Card I would have been set. If I had needed to get into my (always unlocked) desk drawer, I would have been fine. If I had needed to get into the bike locker at work, sorted.

But I had no keys to the house... no phone... no wallet.

Because it wasn't yet 9am, I thought I might be able to hurry up to Reba's house to borrow her set of keys. So back I hurried, hoping that she would be home. A mile later, success! A set of keys, some hurried pleasantries with Peter, and then home. Got into the house, jumped in the newly unblocked shower, and was out the door in minutes.

Not the best morning, but I *did* get a run in. And I felt pretty good during the run, and still feel good. Still behind on mileage for the month, but a girl does what she can, eh?

110 days

Put in another tiny run on the treadmill at work this morning -- in part because I knew I wouldn't get on in after work, and in part because the drain in the shower got bunged up so I took one for the team and was going to shower at work anyway.

Did some brisk walking for 5 minutes, then ran for 3 minutes, walked for 2, repeat. After 3 cycles of this, I ran for 10 minutes and then decided that the slightly funny feeling in my knee was a sign I should stop. Of course, I'm probably now just being a baby. Who knows. I do know that my knee sometimes hurts after walking too much on a treadmill -- I think I overstride or something -- so I am going to try not to do too much more treadmill work for a while.

Oh, and, yes, we're 110 days from the marathon. But who's counting? Oh. I am....

the tiniest of runs

Wil and I went out to Green Lake this morning for a tiny little run. We decided to flip our usual intervals around and walk 5, run 1 -- just to see how my knee felt. We went around twice and it was only at the very end that I started to feel any pain at all. I did feel sluggish and winded easily, but I chalk that up to not exercising for a week. I did, however, have moments when I felt good and smooth and like I wanted to run farther and faster. But I'm trying to take it easy and not hurt myself again.

Also went to Road Runner and tried on a pair of Hurricane Xs -- nice! Light and comfy. They didn't have the black/silver ones in stock, but they will ship them to my home for no extra charge. Yay! New kicks! Also bought some new SuperFeet and another sensor pouch so that I won't have to swap the bits back and forth when I start breaking the shoes in.

Finally, I also remembered to get Dixie Cups so I can freeze little ice massagers... I put three little cups of water in the downstairs freezer for tomorrow...

refresh, renew, revitalise

Rather than having a bridal shower for Rebecca, we decided on a trip to the Olympus Spa for a soak, a scrub, and (in my case) a massage. I've been trying to cheer myself up -- to stop worrying about work and running -- with little success. So while I lay on the table being scrubbed pink by an enthusiastic young Korean lady ("Tina"), I tried to picture my sadness being scrubbed away. Scrub scrub scrub, rinse; scrub scrub scrub, rinse...

Later, during the massage, I tried to picture warm happy thoughts being rubbed into my muscles, to imagine happy energy.

Barbara (who had a scrub and a moisturizing treatment) told me that she was recommitting to a fitness plan that starts tomorrow -- to be able to look back upon today's spa day as a new start. Amen, sister.

feeling blue

I haven't posted for days because I haven't exercised for days -- which has me feeling out of sorts, jangly nerved, tired, pudgy... Finally went to see a doctor today because the pain really wasn't getting any better.

My internist tells me that I have sustained trauma to my rotator cuff, but no major tear. Just ice it and rest it and I'll be fine.

When I landed on my knee, the impact pushed my kneecap up and out of the way, which pulled the patellar tendon and strained it. So I've got patellar tendonitis. Again, no tear, no long-lasting damage, so it's just a course of rest, ice, ibuprofen, and being conscious of the injury. It's a clear case of "if it hurts, stop".

She recommended that I limit my exercise to walking and maybe some light water running for another week... boo. She also said to avoid hills and stairs, as the flexing of the quad muscle pulls on the tendon and causes pain. So I actually took the elevator several times at work. Weird.

Fretting about the training program. Worried about getting too far behind. It's not as if I enjoy running -- but I do enjoy the sense of achievement, of completion, when I finish a run. I've missed that and it's making me feel blue.

short, careful run

Today we were scheduled to run 8 miles, but given my poorly knee, we decided to take it very easy. Set off running slow, 5:1 interval sets, west on 65th, then down to and across the Locks, then south towards Fishermen's Terminal. After about 2 miles I decided we should cut the loop short and run back towards Ballard at Nickerson rather than at Dravus. Once we finished the 7th set of running, or about 3.5 miles, we decided to walk from there as my knee had given me a few warning twinges. Got home, stretched for a long time -- even taught Wil the partner stretching I'd learned at the LunaChix running clinic last week. I feel pretty good now, a couple of hours later. I don't feel tired (then again, we didn't run very long or very far), and my knee doesn't feel too dodgy. I take it as a good sign that I'll be able to run for real next weekend -- as long as I am careful this week.

120 days and counting

Oh, and, um, as of today, we are 120 days away from the Walt Disney World Marathon. Yikes! And, yes, we're actually registered.

Wil's verification:

Kudos to Disney for letting me put "SUNNY" on my registration (and therefore my custom bib for the race):

HoopGirl

I've always been clumsy. Never in my life have I successfully completed a cartwheel. Never have I managed to juggle. And never have I kept a hula hoop spinning more than once before clattering to the floor.

Until today.

Attended a HoopDelite "playshop" and, within minutes, was able to hula hoop. Okay, sure, I can't keep the hoop spinning for more than a minute or so at a time, but I can hoop! And, yes, I still look like a spastic giraffe when I hoop, but I can hoop! Had to be careful because when the hoop falls, it had a tendency to smack my knee -- OUCH! I think my knee made me a bit too tentative today. But I learned some cool "off-body hooping" and I think, with practice, I'll actually "get it" and be able to reduce my motion while still keeping the hoop spinning. I even bought a beautiful swirly hoop and hoop tote (so portable!), so I can practice at home. Maybe after I get more skilled at basic hooping, I'll go back for another playshop.

BTW, my knee is feeling much better (except when it's smacked with a hoop). My left shoulder, however, feels stiff and sore.

4 months and a sore knee

So the marathon is exactly 4 months away. Yikes! Feeling nervous and worried because my knee is swollen like a grapefruit and taking on a purplish hue, which means probably no running for a bit. Then again, when I really focus on the pain, how it hurts, it doesn't really seem like "mechanical" pain, if that makes sense -- it feels very bruised, and like the skin is extra tight and angry. But it doesn't hurt more when it's bent, when I walk on it, even when I test a tiny bit of jogging on it. So maybe I will be able to get back on track with my training.

Four months. Yikes.

bike crash

Rode in to work today -- nothing remarkable, other than that I was 5 minutes late for my bus across the bridge -- which just meant that I was 25 minutes early for the next one. (ha!)

On the way home, however, because I was at work so late, I decided that I would just catch the bus in front of T-Mobile rather than ride over to Bellevue. I also decided that I would just wear my street clothes home. On my way down the hill a car turned in front of me into a driveway. I braked hard, locked them up immediately, and went over the handlebars.

Wow.

There was this moment when I realized that, yes, I was going to go over. Don't remember much after that; I quickly got up and picked up my bike and tried to get out of the way (since the car was now blocking traffic). I limped off down the sidewalk, trying not to cry, muttering curses. The driver mouthed "Sorry!" and I just kept walking, not knowing what else to do. It wasn't until I was at the crosswalk that I realized that my chain was off. Decided I could wait to fix it until I was across the lake -- more room there; more privacy.

Got the bus, rode to the end of the tunnel, and then flipped the bike over to reset the chain. Except that it was trapped, somehow, and I couldn't get it back on the cog. Much fiddling, a bit of metal bending, and I got it back on the crank -- but it wouldn't turn very well. Also discovered that the rear wheel is bent -- not sure if the spokes are okay, but the wheel is definitely out of true.

The bike couldn't be ridden, so I pushed it a few blocks to where I could pick up the 28. Then the 28 home to Ballard. Now here with my knee iced and elevated, my elbow cleaned and bandaged, and my head pounding a little. I'll be taking Silver over to Eric's for a visit to the vet. A tiny bit worried about my knee, as it's very swollen and sore.

LunaChix Run Clinic

I've been feeling a bit uninspired by my training lately -- all too happy to skip the long run at the weekend, and to avoid doing a make-up run yesterday. So I decided to go to the LunaChix running form clinic -- hoping to learn, in some small way, how to improve the way I run.

We started with a quick warm-up, then paired up to practice stretches. It was a lot to remember! Then we started practicing run drills. We also had our running analyzed, one by one. Let me tell you, it's pretty awkward running in front of a group of 20 people. I move my arms in different directions -- the left arm moves up and down, but the right arm flaps in a circle. Also I land on my heels and lift my feet up before I have a chance to push off, which limits my power. So the drills were designed to get us to land more evenly, push more forcefully, and, finally, to learn to use our arms. Pretty cool stuff. We then finished off with some core strengtheners.

I'm sure that my stride is still wonky, and that I have a lot to learn. But I did find running a bit easier, and it gives me something to work on, something different to think about during the runs.

nature girl

Went across the bridge early on Friday so that I could get a treadmill run in before starting my day. Ran 4.47 miles in 45 minutes, but felt stiff and creaky the whole time. Especially worrying that I felt creaky in my LEFT hip. Booo. But got it done and tried to get some decent stretching in, given that I'd pretty much skipped my stretching on Thursday afternoon.

Then quickly through the workday so that I could leave a little early to pick up Wil and head down to Mount Rainier, where we spent the weekend camping with our friends Megan and Leslie (and their 13-month old, Finn) -- along with their friends Chip and Leah (and their 3-month old Simona). Wil and I haven't camped in years, but really enjoyed the chance to be away from the city for a couple of days, go for walks in the forest, see wildflowers, breathe fresh air... Not the most strenuous of trips, but it was really nice to spend some time with "Meglie" and to have quiet time with each other.

We skipped our long run today -- I *still* feel a little gimpy from last week, unfortunately -- but we'll run 7 miles tomorrow.

afternoon treadmill

Wanted to cram a run in today but couldn't manage it before work -- so I ran after work but before grabbing the 4:00 bus back across the bridge. Left my desk later than I had hoped (of course...) hurried to the gym, and got on the treadmill. Walked 5, ran 38 (was really watching the clock) and walked 3 to cool down. Stretched in the shower. I know, I know... not ideal. I have a very tight right calf and a sore right arch. Really ready for some new shoes.

A woman came in next to me and did what I can only describe as an upper-body workout on the neighboring treadmill -- hanging on to the front and basically pulling herself along. Weird. It also meant that with EVERY STEP she kicked the front panel. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Very, very bizarre. Luckily she only spent 15 minutes banging alongside me.

Hoping to get up early enough to run tomorrow morning... we'll see.

plod plod plod

Neither of us were in particularly good moods today... but I'm proud to say we got home, laced up our shoes, and went out for our 40-minute run. The usual -- 5-minute warmup, 40-minute run, 50-minute cooldown. Nothing spectacular to report, other than we were both pretty slow. Not sure what caused it -- a bit of lingering fatigue after the weekend? Lingering work stress? I just don't know. I managed to pause my workout about 8 minutes in on my Nike+, and Wil's Garmin acted up. Wil's Nike+, however, reported something like 4.19 miles. Not our best time...

Right foot still feeling sore... luckily the new Saucony Hurricane 10 is out... and did I mention it's available in BLACK!!! Hello Road Runner!