Knees and Toes

Not long to go now! May 10 is zooming up fast. I'm up to 16 Km on my Sunday run. So far, I've had very few muscle or joint problems, aside from my pedestrian accident in my driveway. That injury is gone, but the lingering after effect is that I can't fully pull my right foot up to my ass. This is a very important running stretch. So I do it slow and careful, and pull it as far as it feels comfortable. It doesn't hurt any other time, so it's all good.

I typed much more than this, and then it disappeared. I have no time to write it again. :-) All is going well. My pace is improving. My endurance rocks. I feel great. Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty. That be all ye need to know. (Yeats)

Lincoln 5 KM

It was a great day for a run! Our team, Hot S-Tough, came in third place in the all-girl team category. It was my first time standing on a podium! Thank heavens for Pam, because without her time of 26 minutes, we wouldn't have placed. I did 31 minutes (with a bad knee!! :-)) and Dianne did 32 minutes, which was her personal best. My personal best is 29 minutes, which occured about 6 years ago, I think! The course was VERY hilly. The field was big for a winter race. I think there were over 100 people. There were only 9 teams though. Sage ran too. She placed third place overall in the 800 metre event. Her friend Sophie placed fourth. Here are a handful of race photos. Enjoy!!

Good news, bad news, good news, bad news

Good news: Lincoln 5 KM road race is this weekend.
Bad news: I tore my PCL ligament on Tuesday, when I fell in my driveway.
Good news: It feels much better, may be able to run with a knee brace and Advil.
Bad news: I can get through the 5 KM, but I may have to avoid next week's long run.
Good news: My long run is up to 13 km.
Bad news: My dog has been diagnosed with food allergies (not related to training, but the vet bill and the special food costs have totally bummed my day)
Good news: My speed (before the injury) has improved greatly.
Good news: It's Friday.
Good news: Spring is coming and I might see my driveway and lawn soon. It may take another month of melting, but I KNOW Spring must come soon.

Ouch, My Toe

So, I have been steadily building up my running base and today, went for my first over 10 km run. I did 12 km, adding that to the 8 km I did yesterday and the short runs I took on my lunch hours, I've clocked 25 km in one week. And I did a Yogo-Pilates class on top of that! So...um....yow-cha. I hurt. My upper abs hurts. My glutes hurt. My right big toe hurts. I have a yucky looking blister on it. I put Vitamin E and a band-aid on it. I remember now that when I trained for a half-m back in 2003, my toes bled near the end of my training. Its a sock issue, so I'm going out to buy some Nike socks this week. They are the best in my humble opinion (IMHO). I also have a headache because I didn't drink enough water. Typically I don't hydrate at 10 km or less, mostly because I hate carrying a water bottle. I have a MEC water system, but I hate the feeling of water slooshing around in a bottle on my back. I'll have to suck it up though.

I've been doing about 15 - 20 km a week for the last month, appr. My legs are slimming down, my abs have re-appeared. My muffin top disappeared. And my booty back in shape again. First time since Jackson was born! So the weight-loss side effect of training is very very welcome.

Now, I just have to keep my week-day routine (hills and speed) and starting two weeks from now, I'll add a kilometre onto each Sunday's run. And invest in some bandaids and Advil.

Life is good.