Well, I’ve been meaning to check in…

I’m running and not running. My knee is swollen then not swollen. Aunt I. Hill’s post is also true of my life. Leave it off and strange things happen. Auntie…I hear you. I have had a few runs similar to your last one that are quite the same.

I have fluid on my knee, then I don’t. I run with a brace or a sleeve, then I don’t. I remember to go to chiro or massage, then I don’t. No idea. No gumption. I don’t know where I am and I am not sure where this is going. Stick around; surely there is a story here. Still to come, as promised; the British Runner. Why the HELL do people run on the Wrong Side of The Running Path??????? expletive, expletive, expletive, expletive……expletive. Yeah. I’m talking about YOU!

Here’s a tip….

Next time you want to fuel up for a quick run around something-or-other, don’t eat a handful of M&M-laden Chex Mix and then fall asleep on the couch for an hour. When you get up and head out the door, you’ll either fall off a curb, run into traffic, or find yourself going door-to-door in search of  insulin. All in the same half-mile. It wasn’t pretty.

Nary a cloud.

It’s so pretty out there today! I followed up yesterday’s 11 with Lumpy (thanks for letting me cheat!) with a (what Hal Higdon calls) a recovery 3 mile run. It does feel good after I’m done, but before and getting started are achy.

Things are getting busy around here. I’m getting She Runs stuff ready for the new season and Spanish homework is tedious, though I know it will help. Kind of like training can be at times. :-D

I am trying to consistently do the 30 min. shred and I’m trying level 2. There are a couple of plyometrics moves Jillian does that are insane. All of it hopefully adds up to a lean, kind of mean, faster Sally machine. Maybe I should put that on my t-shirt for race day!

Funny…

I had no idea that Lumpy was posting what he did. I’ve been thinking about The Banana a lot lately, measuring my growth, thinking about where she would be in her life right now, wondering about Salma and Andrew. I keep in touch with them sporadically…

Today I ran a “6 mile pace run,” which became a 5.25 mile bust-ass run. The sun was out, I didn’t need my trail runners, and there were so very many cute doggies. I thought about Banana. I thought about this possibly being my last marathon-my knee was a little click-y-I thought about how fun it is signing up for a series of races, knowing that I’m getting a kick-ass set of medals for completing each. I listened to my iPod. I enjoyed sunshine and 30°F. Man that feels hot when you’ve been running in sub zero!!!!

I would say today was just what I needed. Thanks, Banana, for coming along.

I wish we were this enlightened…

…it also thrust our Banana squarely to the front of my brain. Will the U.S. ever get it????

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8537591.stm

Sometimes I miss her so desperately. We need her here. The world needs her. I still don’t know why she’s gone.

Sluggish.

That’s the most positive adjective I could find for today’s run. I switched today’s 6 with tomorrow’s 3. Neither Guinness or I could get it going today. It was gorgeous outside, however, even though I thought I might die from overheating when I got to the west side of the lake with the wind at my back. No one is supposed to be that sweaty when it’s under 20° outside…

“Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast” – W. Shakespeare

(yeah, right.)

Oh, my knees…

…feel AWWWWWWWesome. No really, they do!

Friday was an off day for me, and by “off” I mean no WERK. I snuck in a Chiropractor appointment and Oh!, how wonderful it was. I know that some of you are diametrically opposed to Chiro treatments. I was there at one point myself. I would prefer to go to an Osteopathic doctor, however they seem to be few and far between here in Minnesota. Given all that, I had a treatment and it was timely. The Chiropractor did my knees and I have to say…touché…that seems to have done the trick. Ached for a few days as the muscles and tendons acclimated to correct alignment.

But my six miler today (yeah, my schedule is off by choice) was the best my knees felt in a while. And I did my six without much more than a 1 minute break at 3, when I stopped for water at the Jeep.

Woo Hoo!

Operation Enduring Hope

is how a friend of mine terms that February/March near-panic. You know, the ‘none of my pants fit’ panic. The ‘I’m so sick of snow and cold and ice but we still have a ways to go’ panic. I’m using OEH to remind myself not to have chocolate mousse for dinner too often, and as motivation to get outside when the afternoon highs are still not above freezing. But oh, it is hard. I love the sound of robin song when I’m trekking around Lake Harriet, but I’m usually too distracted by the wind slapping my knees and chin to pay much attention.

Shin splints update: the slight thaw we have had (yay, pavement!), along with Ace bandages and stepping back to mostly walking, has made things tons better. Of course, it’s disheartening not to be running a lot, but I decided to be lazy over the semester break and now I have to pay the price. Slow, gradual progress isn’t fun for us impatient folk, but it’s either that or give up. No brainer.

10-10-10

The number. The date. It’s official, I am registered to run the Chicago Marathon. Finally!!!

Let the training begin! Ok, maybe not…it’s still too early.

Let the running continue! ;-)

Still running 3 to 4 times a week, really just “maintaining” and keeping it to short, easy, fun runs. I’ve had excellent running weather and my little Punxsk8erdude has been able to join me on my runs more frequently. I enjoy running with him even though he always feels he must race me to the end and of course he always “wins”….

Still hitting the gym twice a week for strength workouts focusing on my upper body and core which up until this past year I had totally neglected. I still have quite a way to go to where I want to be, but I swear it’s making all the difference in the world for my running, in a good way of course! I’ve also recently purchased the Jillian Michaels’ Banish Fat Boost Metabolism DVD. I’ve only done the “routine” twice and even though I survived all 7 circuits, it totally wiped me out both times. I’ve only been able to fit that in to my couch potato time once a week. I’m curious about her the “Shred” workout too, maybe we can trade off DVD’s sometime, Sally?

A relatively normal 3, however…

Guinness had accoutrements…

Yep. Lego child’s headlamp. It was perfect. We had a slow, comfortable, well-lit run tonight. 6 tomorrow.