Grr...
Surprise!
All Smiles
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Many Faces of Morgan Ann-Marie
Meg sent me the cutest photos of Morgan yesterday! Check these out...
Grr...
Surprise!
All Smiles
Grr...Surprise!
All Smiles
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Shoes
I'm laughing at myself right now. Ha! I'm sitting in bed, under the covers, typing on my laptop. Isn't technology great? You would think a wireless connection would not be necessary in a 500 square foot studio apartment, but alas... it is. I love it! Sure, I have a new desk that is great, but tonight I feel like being cozy and warm. It's nice to be able to be mobile.
Could my need for warmth be the weeks of ongoing rain in San Francisco? We are getting tired of it. I did manage to fit in a one and a half hour walk with my Dad yesterday which was really good. My Dad drove into the city and we caught a break in the storm. We walked from the Marina Green over Fort Mason, to Fisherman's Wharf and back. We finished our outing by eating lunch at Squat & Gobble on Chestnut Street in the Marina. My Dad calculated we must have walked around 6 miles. Not bad for a girl with a bum knee. ; ) All the while I was wearing my new sneaks, my Nike Free 5.0's. Yes, another new pair of shoes. These are the shoes that the author of Brain Training for Runners, Matt Fitzgerald recommended. He calls them "minimalist" running shoes. You know me, I'm all over it. I'll try anything that can possibly help.
Matt's take is that running shoes can actually cause injuries. Until relatively recently in history, humans ran exclusively barefoot. The high-tech, super supportive shoes we run in these days actually make most of us run unnaturally.
This is specifically by overstriding, a major cause of overuse injuries. The rigidity of shoes also prevents the foot from deforming upon ground contact in the natural wavelike pattern that the unshod foot normally uses to absorb impact. As a result, impact forces are sent shooting up the leg, concentrating in the knee, hip, pelvis, or even the lower spine. The Nike Free brand was the first "barefoot running shoe" that encouraged the wearer to run naturally. Matt suggest if you are runner who is currently injured, to consider buying a pair and wearing them once a week for a short run. If you are comfortable in the shoes, you can increase the numbers of runs one by one. Any amount of time you spend in them will likely reduce your injury risk. Like I said, I'm all over it!
Could my need for warmth be the weeks of ongoing rain in San Francisco? We are getting tired of it. I did manage to fit in a one and a half hour walk with my Dad yesterday which was really good. My Dad drove into the city and we caught a break in the storm. We walked from the Marina Green over Fort Mason, to Fisherman's Wharf and back. We finished our outing by eating lunch at Squat & Gobble on Chestnut Street in the Marina. My Dad calculated we must have walked around 6 miles. Not bad for a girl with a bum knee. ; ) All the while I was wearing my new sneaks, my Nike Free 5.0's. Yes, another new pair of shoes. These are the shoes that the author of Brain Training for Runners, Matt Fitzgerald recommended. He calls them "minimalist" running shoes. You know me, I'm all over it. I'll try anything that can possibly help.
Matt's take is that running shoes can actually cause injuries. Until relatively recently in history, humans ran exclusively barefoot. The high-tech, super supportive shoes we run in these days actually make most of us run unnaturally.
This is specifically by overstriding, a major cause of overuse injuries. The rigidity of shoes also prevents the foot from deforming upon ground contact in the natural wavelike pattern that the unshod foot normally uses to absorb impact. As a result, impact forces are sent shooting up the leg, concentrating in the knee, hip, pelvis, or even the lower spine. The Nike Free brand was the first "barefoot running shoe" that encouraged the wearer to run naturally. Matt suggest if you are runner who is currently injured, to consider buying a pair and wearing them once a week for a short run. If you are comfortable in the shoes, you can increase the numbers of runs one by one. Any amount of time you spend in them will likely reduce your injury risk. Like I said, I'm all over it!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Latest - Part III
So, I read the book, Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald. What I learned... it is exactly the information I have been seeking. Get this. The author, Matt Fitzgerald, had a very similar experience to me with his overuse injury. It was also patellofemoral pain syndrome. Matt was training for the Boston Marathon in late 2002 when it developed in his right knee. After two series of resting then running again, the same pain returned. Matt then decided to see an orthopedist (as I did) and tried taping, anti-inflammatory medication, and physical therapy. "None of these measures helped, so he scheduled me for arthroscopic surgery." His doctor found some fissured cartilage - Chondromalacia (same as me) - so he filed it down to make it smooth. The one difference in our surgeries is that his doctor did not see a problem with his fat pad. Unfortunately, when Matt recovered from his surgery and started running again, his knee degenerated yet again. I can't say the same thing has happened with my knee since I haven't run in over 6 months, but my knee hasn't felt a whole lot better since 3-4 months after the surgery. That is why I haven't tried running yet.
The thing that gave me so much hope in reading Matt's book, is that he pieced together his own "cure puzzle." He found individual measures that helped a little and and accumulated them until he made a complete recovery! It was a long process and from the beginning of his knee pain to the time he was able to complete an entire marathon was 40 months. 3.3 years. Hey, I'm almost 2 years in myself, so if I can find my own "cure puzzle" and recover within a year or so, I will be happy. : ) What is really exciting is that I now have guidance from Matt's book. My Mom asked me several months ago, "Don't you know someone that has gone though the same injury you have?" Up until now, my answer has been no. All of my running friends have experienced injuries, but none have sidelined them for years, the way mine has for me. Now I know of someone with a very similar experience, and what is even better than that? He recovered, and he wrote a book about it!
I won't get into the details in this posting as it would take way too long to write, but here are the basics. Matt's injury prevention findings were a combination of strength exercises, a few small gait modifications, and switching to a pair of minimalist running shoes. He also makes mention of how sitting lends to muscle imbalances and he offers corrective stretches to help alleviate these imbalances. Outside of that, his book goes into great detail on target pace training, cross-training, stress and recovery, nutrition, and more.
Another thing I like about Matt's book is that he includes detailed training plans. I've seen many training plans before, but he even spells out the specific strength exercises and gait cues to do every day and week. Many training plans spell out mileage to run and mention to throw in some strength training, but they rarely state how much and how often. Once I get back to running, I look forward to following one of Matt's plans. Until then, I'll start with the strength exercises, stretches, and shoes. Yes, I bought another pair of shoes. ; ) More details to come!
The thing that gave me so much hope in reading Matt's book, is that he pieced together his own "cure puzzle." He found individual measures that helped a little and and accumulated them until he made a complete recovery! It was a long process and from the beginning of his knee pain to the time he was able to complete an entire marathon was 40 months. 3.3 years. Hey, I'm almost 2 years in myself, so if I can find my own "cure puzzle" and recover within a year or so, I will be happy. : ) What is really exciting is that I now have guidance from Matt's book. My Mom asked me several months ago, "Don't you know someone that has gone though the same injury you have?" Up until now, my answer has been no. All of my running friends have experienced injuries, but none have sidelined them for years, the way mine has for me. Now I know of someone with a very similar experience, and what is even better than that? He recovered, and he wrote a book about it!
I won't get into the details in this posting as it would take way too long to write, but here are the basics. Matt's injury prevention findings were a combination of strength exercises, a few small gait modifications, and switching to a pair of minimalist running shoes. He also makes mention of how sitting lends to muscle imbalances and he offers corrective stretches to help alleviate these imbalances. Outside of that, his book goes into great detail on target pace training, cross-training, stress and recovery, nutrition, and more.
Another thing I like about Matt's book is that he includes detailed training plans. I've seen many training plans before, but he even spells out the specific strength exercises and gait cues to do every day and week. Many training plans spell out mileage to run and mention to throw in some strength training, but they rarely state how much and how often. Once I get back to running, I look forward to following one of Matt's plans. Until then, I'll start with the strength exercises, stretches, and shoes. Yes, I bought another pair of shoes. ; ) More details to come!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Quick Detour
One quick detour from my "The Latest" story. I just got back from a 3-day business trip that took me to Atlanta, GA, then back to the West Coast to Los Angeles, and finally returned to San Francisco yesterday. I stayed at the W Hotel - Perimeter Center in Atlanta then returned to my nice hotel find in Santa Monica, The Ambrose. I had heard great things about W hotels, but had never stayed in one. My sister raved about them when she used to travel to NY
and Chicago for work. I thought the somewhat trendy, eclectic feel of the W hotels may not be my style, but I have to say I enjoyed the W on Tuesday night. Here is a photo of the cute pillow on my bed. BTW, it started snowing in Atlanta 45 minutes after our plane took off for L.A!
On Wednesday night I drove from LAX to The Ambrose. I remembered it as a cozy, quiet place on 20th and Arizona. I checked in and was given my key card with the comment, "We have given you a complimentary upgrade." Nice. My room was on the 4th floor, which is the top floor of this hotel. I noted the vaulted ceilings and fan, but the space wasn't much different than the last room I stayed in. I was hungry and had bought my dinner on the way over, so I sat down to eat it. It had to be maybe an hour later when I decided to look at the view. Then I realized it was a sliding glass door that led out to this wonderful balcony! The Ambrose offers a lovely, organic continental breakfast so I was excited to get my coffee and fruit the next morning to eat it on
my personal balcony. OK, it turns out the morning was a little chilly for sitting outside, but I stuck it out for a little while to enjoy the morning sun. It was a good trip! Oh, and the work part went well too. ; )
and Chicago for work. I thought the somewhat trendy, eclectic feel of the W hotels may not be my style, but I have to say I enjoyed the W on Tuesday night. Here is a photo of the cute pillow on my bed. BTW, it started snowing in Atlanta 45 minutes after our plane took off for L.A! On Wednesday night I drove from LAX to The Ambrose. I remembered it as a cozy, quiet place on 20th and Arizona. I checked in and was given my key card with the comment, "We have given you a complimentary upgrade." Nice. My room was on the 4th floor, which is the top floor of this hotel. I noted the vaulted ceilings and fan, but the space wasn't much different than the last room I stayed in. I was hungry and had bought my dinner on the way over, so I sat down to eat it. It had to be maybe an hour later when I decided to look at the view. Then I realized it was a sliding glass door that led out to this wonderful balcony! The Ambrose offers a lovely, organic continental breakfast so I was excited to get my coffee and fruit the next morning to eat it on
my personal balcony. OK, it turns out the morning was a little chilly for sitting outside, but I stuck it out for a little while to enjoy the morning sun. It was a good trip! Oh, and the work part went well too. ; )
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Latest - Part II
This is where I need to start to tell a story. Not long after I started to experience patellofemoral pain in my left knee, I read a short article in Triathlete Magazine. It was in the August 2006 issue. The author of the article, Matt Fitzgerald wrote about his overuse running injury and how he recovered from it. The thing about the article that horrified me was that Matt's overuse injury hit him in 2002 and he wasn't able to run a marathon again until 2006. At that time I was only 6 months into my injury and was terrified at the thought it could sideline me for years. I was sure I would not have that experience, but tucked the article away for safe keeping anyway.
A few months ago, I came across the article again and read through it. Matt did not state what his overuse injury was, he simply called it a "maddening series of overuse injuries." I can relate to the "maddening" part. I read the information at the end of the article that said Matt is a coach and has written many training books for runners and triathletes. I decided to "Google" him. In my Internet search, I learned in July 2007 Matt started a web blog through Active.com. I read the blog and realized there was a link where I could email him directly. I sent an email, trying to keep my story as short as possible. I said I was dealing with an overuse knee injury and was glad to read he was running marathons again. I asked him was how he got through it mentally. I was having a hard enough time, I couldn't imagine what he went through as a competitive runner, triathlete, and coach.
It took a while, but in mid December I got an reply from him. This is what he said:
Hi Ali,
I apologize for taking so long to respond to your message. I just discovered it. The thing that did the most to get me through the mental anguish of my long battle with injuries was a line that Tim Noakes wrote in Lore of Running. Namely: "Only a small fraction of true running injuries are not entirely curable by simple techniques..." When feeling frustrated by my injuries I reflected on this line and thought, It has to be true, and in believing it had to be true I believed that I could overcome my injuries, despite all of the seeming evidence to the contrary. So I just kept experimenting until I found a recipe that worked for me. It took a long time, but I never gave up completely. Simply not giving up was perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle.
I suggest you read the chapter on injury prevention in my book Brain Training for Runners. This will give you some practical guidelines in conducting your own experimental search for the key to solving your individual injury puzzle. Good luck!
Matt
A few things came to mind after reading his email. First, I took to heart what he said about being able to cure most running injuries by simple techniques. The second thing that came to mind was, is this guy just trying to sell me his book? Humph... Well, after the New Year I got to thinking about it again and I ordered Matt's book from Amazon. Stay tuned for more information in my next post!
A few months ago, I came across the article again and read through it. Matt did not state what his overuse injury was, he simply called it a "maddening series of overuse injuries." I can relate to the "maddening" part. I read the information at the end of the article that said Matt is a coach and has written many training books for runners and triathletes. I decided to "Google" him. In my Internet search, I learned in July 2007 Matt started a web blog through Active.com. I read the blog and realized there was a link where I could email him directly. I sent an email, trying to keep my story as short as possible. I said I was dealing with an overuse knee injury and was glad to read he was running marathons again. I asked him was how he got through it mentally. I was having a hard enough time, I couldn't imagine what he went through as a competitive runner, triathlete, and coach.
It took a while, but in mid December I got an reply from him. This is what he said:
Hi Ali,
I apologize for taking so long to respond to your message. I just discovered it. The thing that did the most to get me through the mental anguish of my long battle with injuries was a line that Tim Noakes wrote in Lore of Running. Namely: "Only a small fraction of true running injuries are not entirely curable by simple techniques..." When feeling frustrated by my injuries I reflected on this line and thought, It has to be true, and in believing it had to be true I believed that I could overcome my injuries, despite all of the seeming evidence to the contrary. So I just kept experimenting until I found a recipe that worked for me. It took a long time, but I never gave up completely. Simply not giving up was perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle.
I suggest you read the chapter on injury prevention in my book Brain Training for Runners. This will give you some practical guidelines in conducting your own experimental search for the key to solving your individual injury puzzle. Good luck!
Matt
A few things came to mind after reading his email. First, I took to heart what he said about being able to cure most running injuries by simple techniques. The second thing that came to mind was, is this guy just trying to sell me his book? Humph... Well, after the New Year I got to thinking about it again and I ordered Matt's book from Amazon. Stay tuned for more information in my next post!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Latest - Part I
Wow, I can't believe I haven't written in my blog for 10 days. There is SO much to tell! I think I better keep this new information to a few parts or this would be a very long posting. I'll start with my physical therapy appointment last week. I went to see Susan possibly for the last time. Not because I'm not going to PT anymore, but since she's decided to change jobs. Susan is interviewing for a position in medical device sales. I wish her the best of luck and hope she does really well. Susan said she will be keeping up her license and may come back to physical therapy one day. She does have a doctorate! Before I left my appointment with her, I finally remembered to ask her a question about shoes I had been meaning to ask for weeks. I have a subscription to Runner's World and read it cover to cover every month. About every 6 months, Runner's World publishes some type of running/track/trail shoe guide. These shoe guides categorize foot arch types as high, normal, and low. Since I was a kid, I've known I have high arches. Sometimes I have to be careful buying shoes with straps over the top of my feet. If those straps are not adjustable, my feet could start hurting after a very short period of time.
To get to my point, in the RW shoe guides, profiles of people with all 3 foot types are included. The person with high arches always wears shoes with neutral cushioning. I find this confusing since I'm constantly being put in stability shoes. I mentioned this to Susan and she told me it would be a good idea for me to try shoes with a little more cushion. She recommended I move from the "stability" category shoes down a step to the "performance" category shoes that have a little more shock absorption.
Susan felt this would be good to cushion the impact on my healing knee and fat pad. So, I headed to Sports Basement last weekend for a new pair of sneaks. I bought the Asics GT-2130 running shoes. See pic. I'm still using my custom orthotic inserts in the shoes, but I can tell there is more cushioning under my feet. I hope they help!
To get to my point, in the RW shoe guides, profiles of people with all 3 foot types are included. The person with high arches always wears shoes with neutral cushioning. I find this confusing since I'm constantly being put in stability shoes. I mentioned this to Susan and she told me it would be a good idea for me to try shoes with a little more cushion. She recommended I move from the "stability" category shoes down a step to the "performance" category shoes that have a little more shock absorption.
Susan felt this would be good to cushion the impact on my healing knee and fat pad. So, I headed to Sports Basement last weekend for a new pair of sneaks. I bought the Asics GT-2130 running shoes. See pic. I'm still using my custom orthotic inserts in the shoes, but I can tell there is more cushioning under my feet. I hope they help!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Good News
Yipee! I have to state that I worked out three times this week (yes three times!). I did my outdoor boot camp on Monday, then I went to the gym on Thursday after work and once again this afternoon. It's been windy and raining, so outdoors is not all that appealing for exercise. So far, my knee feels OK. I don't know if I found the right workout for me, or maybe my knee is finally healing. Who knows... I'm just glad I can get in some decent exercise. I'm not running, but I'm getting in a small amount of cardio with 10 - 15 minutes cycling or walking, then I complete a circuit of strength training exercises. When outside, I've brought along my resistance band and made use of the benches and fences along the way for arm and leg strengthening. At the gym, I make use of the weights and weight machines. What I've really loved is doing traveling lunges again! Crazy, I know I never thought I would love lunges. When you can't do them for a year and a half, you actually realize how great they are for you. It was my last PT appointment back in December that I learned my knee could take them. Yeah! Lunges are good for SO many things. Quads, glutes, and hamstrings. They even ward off cellulite... nice. I've been sore for days, but a good kind of sore of course. I've also added in some "core" training exercises. It's important to have strong abs and back muscles while I'm getting ready to do more cardio someday soon.
I realize I may still have setbacks with my knee in the future. The goal is to move along gradually, building up to finally running. Knowing me, I will probably get a little too excited along the way. Once my knee can take running, it will be a challenge to hold myself back. I'm sure that's been some of my problem all along. Hopefully, my knee will feel fine tomorrow and the next day, so I can continue with my boot camp and weight training. I just feel so much more healthy this week. It's been SO long since I've been able to feel like I'm making progress and getting stronger again. I hope it continues.
I realize I may still have setbacks with my knee in the future. The goal is to move along gradually, building up to finally running. Knowing me, I will probably get a little too excited along the way. Once my knee can take running, it will be a challenge to hold myself back. I'm sure that's been some of my problem all along. Hopefully, my knee will feel fine tomorrow and the next day, so I can continue with my boot camp and weight training. I just feel so much more healthy this week. It's been SO long since I've been able to feel like I'm making progress and getting stronger again. I hope it continues.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Cheers to 2008!
I'm sitting on my couch watching the Rose Bowl game (boo USC...) on this Tuesday evening. Happy New Year! It's a new year a new look for my blog. Time to freshen things up a bit! Today has been a quiet day for me, but that is exactly what I wanted. I've mostly been taking the final days of my vacation easy, running few errands and meeting up with a few friends.
Yesterday was finally a sunny day in San Francisco. I decided I wanted to get outside for some exercise. I've been trying to be positive about getting to the gym to lift weights, but I miss the outdoors more than anything else. Around 1:30 PM I drove down to Crissy Field, a few miles away from my apartment. Crissy Field is a place where I used to run regularly and participate in the PacWest BootCamp program. It's ideal since it is mainly a flat, dirt path that runs from the Marina Green to Fort Point. It's great for people walking, pushing strollers, cute puppies, and fast runners. I woke up yesterday morning yearning for a walk and some sun. I thought it would be fun to do my own " mini boot camp." I got into my old boot camp clothes, grabbed my blue resistance band, my iPod, and I was good to go. There was a little hiccup when I realized my heart rate monitor watch battery was dead. I learned I couldn't replace it myself since it has a water-tight seal and will have to send it in for repair. Bummer, especially since my other stopwatch battery died several months ago! Oh well, I didn't really need the HRM for my walk and mini boot camp so off I went.
The sun felt great! It was still chilly outside, but such a nice day in comparison with the three previous rainy days. I walked the length of Crissy Field, then hoofed it up Long Drive (a short hill) and started with my resistance band wrapping it through a chain link fence for chest press and triceps exercises. Then, I walked through some eucalyptus trees doing lunges and side steps, which are some of my PT exercises. I headed back down towards to Warming Hut stopping on the stairs for calf raises. Then, it was a brisk walk back to my car near the Marina Green. Overall, I was out for over an hour. I went home and iced my knee.
Last night I met some of my old training friends for dinner and drinks and rang in the New Year. Good friends and yummy sushi, what's better than that? : ) Today, I am laughing at how sore I am! I think my knee is OK, as my muscle soreness is overshadowing anything else. Funny thing, is that my workout was not all that tough! Goes to show how out of shape I am. Hey, it's best to start out slow anyway. I would love to be able to get outside two mornings a week. It will probably take another workout or two to see if my knee can take it or not. This will be a test to see if I can actually participate in a PacWest BootCamp, maybe in the Spring session that will start up again 2 - 3 months from now. My biggest concern about it is that I don't think at this time that I could keep up with the amount of running required to get from place to place for exercises. For now, I'll do my own walking boot camp as I'm just happy to get outside. Yay.
Yesterday was finally a sunny day in San Francisco. I decided I wanted to get outside for some exercise. I've been trying to be positive about getting to the gym to lift weights, but I miss the outdoors more than anything else. Around 1:30 PM I drove down to Crissy Field, a few miles away from my apartment. Crissy Field is a place where I used to run regularly and participate in the PacWest BootCamp program. It's ideal since it is mainly a flat, dirt path that runs from the Marina Green to Fort Point. It's great for people walking, pushing strollers, cute puppies, and fast runners. I woke up yesterday morning yearning for a walk and some sun. I thought it would be fun to do my own " mini boot camp." I got into my old boot camp clothes, grabbed my blue resistance band, my iPod, and I was good to go. There was a little hiccup when I realized my heart rate monitor watch battery was dead. I learned I couldn't replace it myself since it has a water-tight seal and will have to send it in for repair. Bummer, especially since my other stopwatch battery died several months ago! Oh well, I didn't really need the HRM for my walk and mini boot camp so off I went.
The sun felt great! It was still chilly outside, but such a nice day in comparison with the three previous rainy days. I walked the length of Crissy Field, then hoofed it up Long Drive (a short hill) and started with my resistance band wrapping it through a chain link fence for chest press and triceps exercises. Then, I walked through some eucalyptus trees doing lunges and side steps, which are some of my PT exercises. I headed back down towards to Warming Hut stopping on the stairs for calf raises. Then, it was a brisk walk back to my car near the Marina Green. Overall, I was out for over an hour. I went home and iced my knee.
Last night I met some of my old training friends for dinner and drinks and rang in the New Year. Good friends and yummy sushi, what's better than that? : ) Today, I am laughing at how sore I am! I think my knee is OK, as my muscle soreness is overshadowing anything else. Funny thing, is that my workout was not all that tough! Goes to show how out of shape I am. Hey, it's best to start out slow anyway. I would love to be able to get outside two mornings a week. It will probably take another workout or two to see if my knee can take it or not. This will be a test to see if I can actually participate in a PacWest BootCamp, maybe in the Spring session that will start up again 2 - 3 months from now. My biggest concern about it is that I don't think at this time that I could keep up with the amount of running required to get from place to place for exercises. For now, I'll do my own walking boot camp as I'm just happy to get outside. Yay.
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