I have Runner's Knee. Argh!!! I haven't run since Saturday and I am antsy for a nice, long, sweaty run. I'll attempt some miles on the treadmill tomorrow, though, and run as far as I can without any pain.
Post-run in my pretty purple shoes. I am a big fan of Brooks!
My next race, the Yellowstone Half Marathon, is in 15 days and I'm very excited about it! I ran 13.1 miles Saturday, so even if I'm not able to log any significant long runs between now and my race, I'm not too worried. I'm still riding my bike and doing various strength exercises (planks, push-ups, modified wall-sits, etc.), so I don't think my aerobic base will suffer much, if it all.
One of my very favorite humans, Kate, will be running this race too. I can't wait to experience Yellowstone and this epic run (7000 feet above sea level! Yikes!) with her! As hard as it is for me to admit it, I won't be setting any PRs at this race. The elevation change will make that impossible. And that's okay. I have to keep reasoning with my overly competitive, perfectionist voice. When I ran 13.1 miles on Saturday, I did PR (2:06:45). And I wasn't even trying to! Yay! My plan had been to only run 10 miles, but I just didn't want to stop. My knees were aching, but my soul needed a few more miles. Maybe it wasn't the smartest decision, injury-wise, but it was what I needed to do that day. So, I'm hopeful that if I can conquer my Runner's Knee and train intelligently, I'll be able to snag a sub-2:00 half in July when I race one here in Olympia, the Lakefair Half Marathon.
I got some new running-related toys recently. First, a jogging stroller! Now, if I sleep in, or just feel like running a bit later in the day, I can easily take Miss Tess with me. Plus, it was a $50 craigslist find. Suh-weet!
Tess approves of her new ride.
I also got a new Garmin (my trusty 'ol Garmin Forerunner 305 finally died) and I'm thrilled with all the nifty things it can do. It even tells me my cadence, so I can focus on taking more steps per minute which shortens my stride and puts less pressure on my knees.
I love seeing those stats. It includes the walking I did before and after my 13.1 miles, hence the slower pace, but it still makes me happy just to look at them.
This weekend has a lot of happiness in store for me: my grandpa NelsOn (my dad's dad) will be visiting us from Boise, Maddie will be advancing in Tae Kwon Do to an Advanced Purple belt, and my parents will be arriving here on Saturday night. They bought a house in Olympia and will be joining us here permanently! Hooray! We are all big fans of Grandma and Grandpa NelsOn around here. :)
And now it's time to read outside in my hammock while Tess naps. Bliss.
