The Half Marathon In Which At Some Point I Should Stop Posing And Do Some Running...

This is a little late race report for The Texas Half Marathon, my first race of 2010. At some point in December when I ran my first half marathon, a fellow ninja runner was ramping up to accomplish her own awesome marathon goal and we thought it would be a good idea to enter the Texas Half. So we got to training. And training was tons of fun!

During a particularly chilly (18 degree) run, we both showed up in pink shirts and black pants and the Pink Ninja Running Club was born. (Even the boys want to join because of the very sheik pink ninja shirts.) We even stumbled into a race and photo-bombed the official race pics:

And then...I injured myself. A recurring theme in my life. Left knee (my good knee!) pain and instability during a 9 mile run. Hobbled the last three miles back to the car.

After a week I tried again, kept it slow and felt good. So on to race day I went!



Now, I don't consider myself a 'runner'. I'm a solid BOP'er. Sometimes I even border on average. So for me...one of the best things about races is photos. I am always on the lookout for the camera!!

Hello camera guy!

This race was solely about a fun run with a friend. So we kept things pretty easy. Or I should say my PNRC partner kept things easy for me! Maybe we took it a little too easy. Around mile 6 we saw another photo op and I guess we had a little energy.

Isn't this supposed to be a race?

Apparently I decided to do the chicken dance.

Now I am about to just lose it.

My Dad braved the cold and came out to support me (thanks!) so it was nice to see a familiar face waiting for me! A little after mile 10, my left knee injury had returned with a mini-revolt. The last 3.1 miles took forever. Thankfully, I was pulled through by stories of hurling at Disney. Nice. No really, a big super thanks goes out to the PNRC for a very fun race.

Finishing...and I have decided I will run for President...in Nixon style.

Time: 2:33:00.

Not a PR, but better than walking. And really it's all about the photos. Someday I shall learn the 'running' part.

One more medal for the trophy case. Ha!

Afterwards we enjoyed a de-li-cious breakfast and savored the taste of victory. But not for too long as an ice bath was calling my name!

Overall I think this is a fun little race. The course is very flat so it's a great little training run or nice first-timers course. The small field makes it easy to do your own thing and the volunteers were all great. I give it a thumbs up and hope to be back next year with a healthier joint. Although you better believe I will still be on the lookout for the photographers...

A Country Thanksgiving

This weekend we celebrated an early Thanksgiving with my maternal Grandmother and family. Everyone is so busy during the actual Holiday that it becomes easier This side of my family is decidedly 'country'. Built a house on the prairie, down to earth, good country food, wear cowboy hats, keep horses and chickens kind of people. So it was only appropriate that the event be held at the community center in Blue Ridge, TX....population 970.

Directions went something like...travel down this major highway, turn right on this tiny road and when you get into Blue Ridge turn right at THE stop sign. Yeah, the one stop sign. Driving down this tiny road into the middle of nowhere, Jeff and I kept looking at each other like 'where are we going?' We finally found the place and they had a surprisingly cute playground and a community center with a little kitchen to heat up the food.

First order of business was eat! We had all the traditional Thanksgiving foods plus Grandmas giblets gravy. Since I don't think about what is in it, I think it's pretty good.

Then we played games and the kids were able to have fun running around outside and playing on the playground. It was a bright and sunny day - perfect for being outside.

Jeff spent the day on crutches. He sprained his ankle pretty badly in a game Friday night. Silly Jeff. If there is a family gathering I can almost guarantee that he will be hurt. We've spent many holiday mornings in an ER or with him hobbling around unable to help. Hey wait... hmmm...maybe that is a clue! ;)

We had a great time seeing the family and celebrating together! Happy early T-day!

Knees and Me

I've had a couple questions about my knee, so here's the low-down. On July 12th during a 6 mile run I had a recurrent meniscus tear (cartilege) in my right knee. This all stems from an original tear in 1996 that happened playing soccer. I had surgery in 96 and again in 2000 for recurring issues. As a result I am missing about 80% of the cartilege that is supposed to cushion your joint. I get aches from exercise but generally no pain, except during recurrent tears. I've been really happy that I've had 8 years of use and various activities (including my triathlon last year) without any significant issues. I get a little soreness and swelling after running (due to the impact and lack of cushioning) but that's usually it. And then I was injured doing nothing more than exercising. I've been unable to do any impact activities since. I had an MRI after the pain wouldn't go away and the results (and subsequent symptoms) point to a recurrent tear.

So instead of another surgery which may or may not help, I've been in physical therapy for about a month and I do more biking or swimming. I go back to my ortho in early September to reassess. It's been very frustrating. I can't believe I have so many issues - I don't feel that old!

Last week

It's been quite the busy week. I'll try and update a little and hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things here soon.

First, last week my grandfather fell and hit his head. Care-flight took him to a trauma center in Utah where he remained mostly in a moderate coma and had about a 20% chance for survival. The doctor called it a 'devastating brain injury' and we all hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. A few of his kids (inlcuding my Dad) flew out to be with him and my Grandmother. After a lot of ups and downs and tests and praying he woke up on the third day. Though he is a little fuzzy on some memory details, he has since been moved from the ICU to acute care and will soon be transferred back to St. George to work on recovery. While the extent of his injury remains to be seen, we are all grateful for his recovery and survival.

Mom also came over to be my slave driver, I mean, 'help' me work on my home office/craft room. It was quite the mess. We sorted and got rid of old paperwork, added shelves, organized, and even hung curtains. Now I want to leave the door open instead of closing it off to hide the mess! (Except last time I left that door open I found that my kids had helpfully decorated paper, doors, my desk, and even my windowsills with pink highlighter.) It looks great!

I've also been losing sleep because of the Olympics! Can't. stop. watching...must stay awake...for finals. I'm loving every minute of it. Although they didn't show the triathlons in prime time, I did catch them recorded on TV earlier. My DH is obsessed with gymnastics and swimming and was complaining about the scoring of course. He said 'I can't help if I'm patriotic and want the US to win.' I couldn't contain my laughter on that one.

Rehab has been going well. My knee and leg feel consistently stronger. I still pop it out of place if I lean the wrong way on it (usually if I try a hurdler stretch on the floor bending the lower leg to the inside). So I just don't do that...ever. I like the new exercises I'm learning there and I think it will provide me some long term relief.

Well that's what's going on in my neck of the woods. How about you?

We're getting old

Either that or I need to pray for less injuries. Last week DH sprained his ankle pretty badly. Doing what? Playing basketball of course. I don't think I can even count the number of basketball injuries this hobby has produced. And it's supposed to be for fun! Luckily, they're mostly a little pain and a little annoying (like when you're sitting in the ER on Christmas Eve instead of joining your family) rather than requiring any major surgery or worse issues. He still couldn't walk on it as of yesterday. This past Saturday I did my 6 mile run and ended up with a painful knee (from past injury). So this weekend consisted of both of us trying our best not to limp around too much. What a pair!

I asked DH to take 3 weeks of from basketball to allow this injury to heal and you would have thought I asked him to amputate an arm. lol I'll be taking a couple days off from my run schedule and just seeing how this goes. Hope all is well at your house!