Quickie post

Back at work today. Who else hates coming back to work after a 3-day weekend. ugghhh.. Anyway at least the work seems shorter. Ya know always looking for the silver lining!

Got the usual x-training today. Not much else to say so I'm out!

Warm 7miler

Don't ya love 3-day weekends? Well for those fortunate enough to have them. Did my 7 miles this morning w/ the R.B. in a balmy 64 degrees. Thank goodness for the wind because it would have felt a lot warmer. My friend couldn't find her Garmin so we did the mileage w/o knowing what our pace was during the run. Which is something that I am used to since I don't have one but it drove her crazy. We managed to finish the run w/ a time of 1:01:35/avg. pace of 8:47. We were definitely pleased w/ that! She also let me know that my footfalls sounded heavy in the beginning but gradually lightened up.

Speaking of footfalls,Red mentioned that it sounded like I was using the Pose method(landing mid-foot instead of the heel) when running. I believe that I have read about it somewhere(probably from her blog). I have to admit that I didn't think too much of it until my PT told me that I needed to change the way how I run to become more efficient & avoid future injury. So hopefully like Red says,that practice will make perfect!

I hope everyone has a good holiday(for those that are off) & a good work day(for those who had go in). *Hugs*

Mother/daughter bonding

You read the title right. I spoke briefly over the Christmas holiday how my relationship w/ Mom has been strained over the years. But I have trying to be more open to spending time w/ her. I spent some time w/ her a few weeks ago on my birthday & she told me how she was looking for a new hairdresser. I recommended my hairdresser who I have been going to for 5 years now(yes once I find a good one,I stick w/ it).

Well she made an appointment for yesterday(same day as mine) & we spent time together at the hair salon. Her hair turned out really good & she'll be going back to my hairdresser. Afterwards we had an early lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. My mom got a Santa Fe Pizza while I got the Hawaiian. Both were good & we were certainly stuffed!

I'm having lunch w/ friend from church today & hopefully later I will get around to doing my taxes. I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend. *Kisses*

Run softly & carry a big.....

Ok so I couldn't think of a clever way to end that phrase. But the point is today during my tempo run I am to run less like horse & more like a gazelle. Should be interesting. I can imagine the look I am going to get from drivers & such as I am skipping the light fantastic down the road. My pt told a few days ago that it takes as much as 10 weeks for a runner to completely change the way they run. Of course I'm thinking that my 10k is in 7 weeks I don't have that long! But then I realize it's not like I'm going to stop running after the 10k & this will benefit me in the long term.

So w/ that said wish me luck as I channel my inner gazelle on today's run. Happy T.G.I.F. everybody!

*Update*

So did channeling my inner gazelle work? Well my calf muscles feel a little sore(probably placed a litte too much emphasis on running on my toes). It felt awkward at first & there were times that I let my heel hit the ground first. But I tried to keep steps as soft & light as I could. My finish time was 42:53 w/ a pace of 8:32. About 1:30 slower than my previous runs but my legs feel better & I just overall think I didn't waste as much energy. So the gazelle running is a keeper!

Being watched

Is kind of creepy but in a good way. Got my 15 mins of fame yesterday w/ the pt videotaping my 2 mile treadmill run. He started towards the end of my run cause you're really into your groove by then. He got back(ummm..HELLO my butt looked HUGE!) & side shots.

What he found is that I pro-nate although not a lot but enough to possibly cause the tendinitis. So the exercises that he gave me is supposed to help w/ strengthening my hips,calves & ankles(it's all connected,baby). He also said that I tend to do the heel strike method. Apparently about 80% of people run like this. Good thing I'm not alone. Anyway he wants me to land more mid-foot to toe. That helps the muscles absorb more of the shock(& react accordingly) than the bones. In addition to the pro-nating & the heel striking I also sound like a Klydesdale(sp?) when running. I need to have a lighter footfall to be a more efficient runner. Think more gazelle & less horse.

Oh & to top things off the next time I need new running kicks I need some w/ more motion control. So the Nikes I have now are out because they are more neutral.

All in all good feedback from the pt about my gait(also got even more pt exercises to do at home).

April asked about what stretching I do for my shins. I got this stretch from Runner's World. You stand facing either chair or wall(for balance) take either right or left foot behind the leg that standing. Make sure your the foot that's behind the other is on it's toes. Then you start squating(as if you are about to take a seat) but lean forward slightly. You should feel a slight pull in your shins of the leg that you're balanced on. Hold for a count of 10-15secs. then repeat for the other side. Generally that does help but my bad case of shin splints on Tuesday may been caused from me landing so heavily on my feet.

Got the usual 2x/week x-training tonight. Sorry for the long post(if you're still w/ me) & thanks for hangin'.

X-training & Walmart

Did my x-training yesterday. Felt a whisper of shin splint in my right leg but it went away. I had already decided that if I felt a lot of pain,I was only going to 16 mins on the ellip & the rest of my cardio on the bike. But I was basically pain free throughout.

After they gym I stopped by Walmart last night to do some grocery shopping. The one in my area has decided to go "green" by selling canvas shopping bags. Theirs are black. I bought several a while back & they are definitely better than the plastic ones. Unfortunately it's hard to use them at the self-checkouts. The computer that runs the area is already preprogrammed w/ plastic bags so they know when you set something on the sensor & whether or not you've scanned it. Well when you try to put their canvas bags down,it thinks that you trying to checkout something that you have not scanned(like you're stealing) & the clerk has to bypass the option to make it continue. Yet one more thing to make shopping there even more of a chore!

I've got 2 miles tonight but it's going to be done on a treadmill videotaped by my pt. He's going to study my gait & offer some suggestions in regards to my injury. Never been analyzed while running so I feel a little self-conscious like I need to hold perfect posture the whole time. But I realize that I need to run like I normally do so he can help me. Thanks for listening.

Shin splints

Did 6miles yesterday w/ the R.B. in 52:16/pace 8:50. Had some ankle twinges in the beginning but that went away. Howeva I did have some shin splints afterwards. It was just a light pain right after my run but I stretched,did my pt thang,& iced my left ankle. Went to bed,got up(operative words being got up) & had severe pain. I was hobbling around like an old lady! We had one good size hill yesterday(but nothing that I have not ran before). My R.B. noticed that my footfalls were really heavy. That may have something to do w/ the pain. Did some icing this a.m. & will be taking some Advil.

I have had fairly tame shin splints before but nothing this bad. Good thing I've got x-training today. Later..