Rookie on the Run

Beautiful Lake Hodges Today's run was supposed to be ten miles... it ended up being shorter than that, but more on that later. I couldn't run with my group so I decided to do my run on the trails around Lake Hodges. Lake Hodges is in north San Diego County, about 15 driving minutes from my house. Lake Hodges was just one of the areas hit hard during our last wild fire in the fall of 2007. Several homes burned down and the landscape was blackened by burned trees and brush. The damage caused by the fires is still visible but there is regrowth everywhere. The flowers are abundant, the blackened trees have leaves, and there are little animals scampering around. It's beautiful again! Burned tree Miscalculations Poor me. I don't have a Garmin. It's OK, you may cry on my behalf. Would you like a tissue? I decided where I was going to run today based on a route I found on Mapmyrun.com. I've run at Lake Hodges before but only as far as 8 miles. There are no st...

Today's Stats Snuggles/Cuddles: 60 minutes (while watching Curious George and Oswald with 4 yr. old) Facebooking: 30 minutes in the a.m./ 30 minutes in p.m. Errands: Big 5 Sporting Goods, Target, Gas for Van, Grocery Store Laundry: Rest day Fun: Nature walk with boys, visit kittens at the pet store Run: 39.41 minutes (Trails) Wine: 1 glass Chardonnay... so far. As you might be able to tell, I got a lot done today. Except for laundry (putting away a monumental pile of clean clothes yesterday did me in). In actuality, it was a pretty frustrating day. This was one of those days when I just needed a Mommy Time-Out. As soon as my husband got home from work and I made certain my guys wouldn't starve to death, I gathered up my stuff and rushed out the door. Destination: Kit Carson Park's Trails Today's run was just the Mommy Time-Out I needed. Just me, my tunes, my camera, and half of my brain (the other half got lost somewhere in the dirty clothes pile... I...

I did it! I ran today, after more than a week off. My knee/leg did not feel 100% but I figured I could always stop if I needed to. I started out with a longer-than-usual warm up walk. When I did start running, it felt awkward at first. I felt stiff and hesitant about putting weight on my knee. Once I got into the flow of it, I felt good. Dirt Lover! I decided to give one of our local parks a try. They have lots of walkways and trails. I kept to the trails as much as possible since it feels better on my joints. I felt like a kid in a candy store! There were a few different trails to choose from and it was hard to stick to the shorter trails. The routes I chose were pretty flat, with only a few small hills. Speaking of Hills... I used to dread hills. I avoided them as much as possible. Now for some strange reason I like running up hills. OK, I'm not talking about huge, steep hills... yet... but I do like the way my legs feel when I run up a manageable hill. I don'...

The good news is... My knee/leg is feeling lots better but I'm still giving it a rest. I enjoyed a belated 14 year anniversary dinner with my hubby last night (the kiddos had a Grandma's house sleep-over). I got to sleep in this morning... something I haven't done in a very long time! It's a beautiful, sunny Saturday and the house is quiet... the boys are still at Grandma's. I am catching up on my fellow runners' blogs. The bad new is... I had to miss our 14-mile group run this morning. I feel lazy & fat. My Asics Kayano 15's are gathering dust. The best news is... The good news out-numbers the bad news ! Also... I'm hoping to start running again next week. Maybe give the old knee a try on Monday & see how it goes. It's been very helpful and encouraging to read your comments regarding my knee/leg. It makes me feel good to know that resting it and taking my anti-inflammatories will payoff in the long run (ha ha... pun intended). Have a g...

Alive and Kicking So... I went to the doctor on Monday. After a lot of poking, prodding, twisting, and squeezing (of my knee , that is), my doctor had no real answers for me. He sent me to get X-rays and prescribed an anti-inflammatory. My X-rays were normal so I'm happy about that. The doctor said he would refer me to a specialist if the pain continued after taking the anti-inflammatory and after giving it a rest. True Colors I'm glad he's the type of doctor who can admit that he is not an expert on sports related injuries. I also like that he didn't suggest that I just stop running all together. Other runners that I know have had this said to them by their doctors. Take It Easy I've been resting my leg by not running all this week. I still plan to not run the 14 miler scheduled for Saturday. I've been taking the anti-inflammatories. And my leg & knee feel so much better! I still have pain that shoots up my thigh if I put too much weight on my leg...

Thanks, everyone, for your comments about my knee. I'm taking your advice (and the advice of my husband) and will be calling my doctor in the morning. I don't know how knowledgeable he is about sports injuries, but I'm hoping he will at the least refer me to someone who is. I really appreciate what you all had to say. I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again... the running community is amazingly supportive! I'll let you know how the doctor's visit goes. And Mark, thanks for deciding to not buy that house for me. I'm certain you saved me from certain doom during the next big storm. :)

My Longest Run Ever Today was our 12-mile group run. This is the longest run I've done to date. I was wrong when I said in my last blog that we were going to run past Torrey Pines Golf Course. We actually went the opposite direction and headed north along the 101. In spite of the trouble I had been having with my knee, the run started out great! The tide was low so we were able to run along the beach (the sand was compact) for about a mile. This felt wonderful on my joints! For the whole run, I was able to run:walk 10 miles before I really started to feel the pain in my knee flare up to a whole new level. The eleventh mile was painful but I could still keep up with the running intervals. It's All Downhill From Here At about the twelfth mile, it was downhill for the rest of the run. I'm sure you know that downhill running is really hard on the knees. I was in so much pain by then, I pretty much limped my way back to my car. I stretched, iced, and drank my chocolate...