Sawyer Camp Trail...

... how I've missed you! Sawyer Camp Trail in Woodside, CA was one of the locations in our run rotation when I trained with PacWest. This trail was always one of my favorites since it has mile-markers. Mind you, when I was doing endurance running 5+ years ago, GPS sport watches were just coming on the scene. I didn't have one so I loved it when I could easily keep track of my mileage accurately.

I also love Sawyer Camp Trail for it's beauty situated by a the Crystal Springs Reservoir. Yesterday, I decided it was time to introduce my new Vibram Five Fingers shoes to the trails. I completed a 4 mile walk and a mile run mixed it. My achilles started to bother me a little bit, but overall it was a great workout. Here are some photos I snapped along the way.

A pretty view of the reservoir

The shady spots were a welcome site

Look, a baby deer!

The Gym

I can't believe it, I didn't think I would ever do this again... I joined a gym! Way before my competitive running days, I always had a gym membership. Sometimes I was a consistent gym rat, sometimes I wasn't. When I moved back to the Bay Area from Salt Lake City, I lived with my parents in Lafayette for over a year before I got an apartment in the city. I used to wake up at 5am to be at Bally's Fitness in Pleasant Hill, CA by 5:30am. I would workout for an hour, drive home, shower, get ready for work and arrive at the BART station by 8am to commute to the city. Wow... I'm impressed with myself that I actually did that! It seems kinda nutty today.

The big reason why I stopped going to the gym once I moved to SF was that I discovered the outdoors! Between bootcamp, running on Crissy Field, cycling, and swimming in the bay, I didn't think I needed the gym anymore. Now that I've gone full circle with my injury, surgeries, and recovery, I've decided it's time to go back to the gym. I joined Crunch, a gym chain in the city and I'm hoping their group classes will inspire me to try something new. More than anything I need to start lifting weights again. I have to gain some muscle back! It's so good for our bones and overall health.

I snapped some photos during a recent trip to Crunch on Polk Street, about 6 blocks from my apartment.

It's an old theater! Walk on the treadmill and watch a movie! Pretty cool, huh?

I love this phrase. "A good workout is whatever gets your heart racing."

The Trail

One of my favorite places to walk/run is the Lafayette-Moraga Trail close to where I grew up. My first days of running were on this trail with my junior high cross country team at Stanley Intermediate School in Lafayette, CA. Was it a competitive cross country team? No, we didn't actually go up against other junior high teams, I think it was just a passion of my 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Boucher. He volunteered to coach the students who wanted to participate during the After School Sports program. We would run up to 5 miles several days a week during the cross country season. Along with this, and other sports I participated in (volleyball which I loved even if I was on the "B" team, and Softball where I sucked, but stuck it out), I earned enough points to get my block "S" before I graduated. : )

Stanley is located just past the 1 mile marker on the Lafayette-Moraga Trail and this was where we ran after school. To be honest, I think I just ran with my friends and gossiped. We certainly weren't trying to make PR's!

The Trail is also one of the places my parents ran and trained for marathons when I was a kid. They have taken advantage of the Trail, whether walking or running, as long as I can remember. When I was training for races 5+ years ago, I would go to the Trail from time to time to do a training run. It's so familiar to me, it's part of home! Recently, I went there for one of my run/walks.

Isn't it pretty?

Stanley Intermediate School. Go Wildcats!

A mile marker.

My Wacky Shoes

Check it out! These are my new "wacky" shoes, as my sister likes to call them. In the spirit of less-is-more for walking and running, I decided to purchase my first pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. They're like gloves for your feet with a rubber sole. I've read about these shoes for years in running books and from running friends and they are all big fans.

It's all about "barefoot" running to strengthen the feet. The Vibram 5 Fingers shoes are a little tough to slip on, but the snugness makes them quite comfortable. The few walks I've taken in them so far, I've noticed people pointing at my feet with funny looks. They are a little strange to see! If they were green, they would look like frog feet, don't you think? As for how they feel while walking, it's taken some time for me to get used to feeling twigs and rocks under my feet, but that's the point. All those little twists and turns are getting my feet and ankle muscles into better shape! This should be better for my knees and hips in the long run (I hope!). While walking on Crissy Field the other day, a couple ran past me, both wearing V5F shoes. I hope I can get to that point some day too!

New Toy

I'm loving my new toy, the Nike+ app for my iPhone. I can be a little "OCD" about keeping track of how far I'm walking or my short stints of running. The Nike+ app is a GPS tracker. I open the app, plug in my headphones, click on START, and begin my workout. A voice tells me when I've reached each 1/4 mile and how fast I'm going. Once I've finished my walk/run, I push END WORKOUT and someone talks to me, like Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe (champion marathoner). They say encouraging things like, "That was your longest run yet!," or "You've recorded a new personal best!" I tell you, it cracks me up, but it's also motivating. I then sync my run to the website and I can get online later to check my route and pace. It's fun! Here's an idea of what it looks like, this is my recent walk from work around the ballpark.

Crissy Field and Sports Basement

Today I visited my long lost friends, Crissy Field and Sports Basement! In my running and boot camp days, I used to visit this area of the city at least twice a week. My running team met at Sports Basement every Tuesday night to run for an hour and the boot camp location rotation included a few areas of Crissy Field. I figured my first walk/run in a loooong time should be in this lovely area with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here it is on this nice day, not too windy, just the right amount of sun. I walked for 1 3/4 miles and ran for a 1/4 of a mile. My running was awkward, it was like I had forgotten how to run! I'm hoping it gets better from here. : )


After my walk/run, I went to Sports Basement to look for some track pants. Track pants are loose, lightweight pants to slip over my running tights or shorts. Ahhh... I love SB. It used to be my home away from home. I wandered the sections of clothing and shoes, just browsing and seeing what's new. I found some comfy track pants and barely pulled myself away from the cute athletic tops and jackets. Don't... need... those... now... but, I'll be back!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was very small this year. My Mom suggested we have Thanksgiving at my apartment in San Francisco. Yikes... I had begged off on the same idea last year and knew it was probably my turn to host. That said, I didn't have to cook much! Not that I cannot cook, but people, my stove is a mini-stove! It can't be more than 18 inches wide. No turkey is going in there! My Mom cooked a majority of the meal in Lafayette, then transported it into the city. I made a salad and provided appetizers and drinks. Some "crudites" too.

We took a long walk down on Crissy Field, much longer than expected. I started us out at the Marina Green when I should have driven to the first Crissy Field parking lot. Oops!

We had a yummy dinner then a fun Skype with everyone in Spokane! It was our first Skype with the girls. They recognized us, but were much more fascinated with the small screen where they could see themselves.

Gram and Grampa watching Morgan and Piper.

Sweet Piper crawling right up to the camera.

Skinny Jeans Hazard

Ugh, I learned a lesson this week. Don't go on a lunchtime 1.5 mile walk wearing "skinny jeans." The extra compression on my kneecap caused some unexpected aches in my knee. Who knew?

Two Miles Baby!

I've worked my way up to walking a couple of miles two or three times a week and my knee seems to be doing OK. As I've mentioned before, my doctor said if I can walk a mile every other day without any aches or pains, I can begin running. Have I done that yet? Nope. I have to admit, I'm kind of scared. Scared that when I start running, my knee will hurt and it will prove that nothing I've done in the past 4 or more years has done anything to help it heal. Funny that I was trying so hard to get back to running a few years ago and now I'm afraid to try. I figure I have to trust myself and I'll know when the time is right.

10,000 Steps

It is recommended that we take 10,000 steps per day. Did you know that? I've been using my pedometer lately to keep track. When I'm able to take a walk at lunchtime during the week or I fit in a weekend walk I can hit the goal, but most days I do not. It goes to show that it really takes an effort to hit that many steps each day! Something to think about...

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

I can't say I've been super consistent about my walking. I do have to mention that my knee seems to be standing up to more activity lately. Stairs are now doable, but I only attempt a flight or two up at one time. I'm not going to run the Lyon Street stairs anytime soon! Where I used to kind of limp up or down stairs, my pace is much more smooth these days going in either direction. The muscles around my left knee are getting a little stronger and more stable.

Rather than trying to keep to a regular "every other day" schedule, I find trying to walk a mile or so 2-3 times a week tends to work for me. Some weeks I travel for work which sometimes throws off this plan. Treading on concrete pressroom floors tend to make my knee ache a bit so during those trips I usually skip my walks.

Overall, my knee is beginning to feel more normal. By "normal" I mean I don't feel very much more discomfort in my left (the bad knee) knee compared to my right knee. I figure this may change once I decide to up my activity level. When will I do so? I'm not sure. I admit there is some fear involved. My fear is beginning the slow increase from walking to running and that my knee won't seem any better than before the synovectomy. I know, there were no guarantees with the second knee scope and, no matter what, I need to get back to some kind of regular exercise. I'm thinking about trying some yoga and now that the weather is getting a little warmer getting back in the pool. One step at a time... literally.

Every Other Day

You may be wondering, how am I doing with my walking? I have to admit, it hasn't been a priority lately. Why? One reason is that just as I'm making progress with increasing my walking, I travel somewhere and my knee is more sensitive than usual. It's really hard to stay consistent with walking when my knee reacts somewhat to sitting on a plane or chasing my niece around the kitchen. Another reason is that I am scared. I figure it's only a matter of time before my knee flares up and I'm back to resting and icing. My mind is in a decent place these days and I don't want to be disappointed and frustrated anytime soon. I suppose this is kind of a negative viewpoint, but if you were in my shoes the last 4 years, you would understand.

That said, I'm trying. Very slowly, mind you. I'm up to 3/4 of a mile every other day and am considering upping it to 1 mile in the next few weeks. It is 1 mile every other day that Dr. Dye says I need to hit before I contact him and he starts me on some "light jogging." Over the last month or so, I've also carefully tried to take some stairs here and there to begin building up the muscles around my knee. My knee seems to be taking the extra weight better and better. While I'm not going to be huffing and puffing up the Lyon Street stairs anytime soon (if ever) I feel as if I'm making some progress. Out of curiosity, I've even tried to jog a few steps at a time. There is no pain and my knee doesn't give way under me as it has in the past. Of course, I always keep in mind that even if I don't feel pain right away, there may be delayed aches the next day. Still, I am grateful I haven't had any significant set backs lately and my knee seems to be making more exponential improvement. I'm sure that is what is hoped for at more than a year out from the synovectomy. As always patience, and more patience.

A Run (with Hills)

Today I ran and walked through my neighborhood. It was a pretty day and I knew there was rain coming soon and my surgery pending. I may as well get in a workout! I chose to take the route all the way down Jackson Street until it dead ends at Arguello near an entrance to The Presidio and back. Yes, there were hills. No, I haven't run hills in some time, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be outside and burn some calories. 

I ended up running about 30 minutes total and walking a little more than that for about a 1.25 hour length of exercise. It was great to be out and about! I didn't even bring my iPod, I just took the time to work things through my mind and enjoy the outdoors. : ) I even brought a few dollars to run a few errands and the end of my workout. It felt good and I iced my knee when I got home. Sure, my knee was a little achy/burning afterwards, but that was to be expected. It was a nice time. 

Walking Tall

I've decided it's time to get back to some serious walking. After I met with Dr. Dye, over a month ago now, I have been somewhat at a loss as what to do for exercise. He didn't give me any restrictions, he simply told me surgery was likely the next step for me. It's up to me decide if and when I undergo surgery and that is still something I am mulling over. In the meantime, I have barely been breaking a sweat at all. Between a crazy work schedule, which has not lent to any lunchtime walks, and being unsure what I should and should not do, my focus has been far away from a workout. 

Last week I kicked off a new regimen of walking. One morning, I chose to walk the first segment of my commute to work rather than my bus-to-underground Muni routine. It took about 35 minutes and, as usual, I underestimated the hills in San Francisco. Going up was a bit of a leg burner, but going down was worse. Next time I do this, I will not choose Clay as my street of choice. A steep downhill is supposed to be worse on my knee than going up, so my route needs to be diverted for a slightly less knee-pounding path. Still, I had a very nice view of the city. Enjoy! 

Wordless Wednesday: Office Park Walkin' in Minnesota

My Knee Hurts

My knee has been bothering me for the last week. I guess I did a little too much on my vacation and need to take one of those "steps back." Ugh. Also, it seems as if the swelling I once had in my knee has minimized slowly over time. While I once thought this was good, I now feel as if it was some needed cushion! Who knows what's really going on in there? I wish I knew. Here is a list of my workouts over the last week or so. For those of you athletes, you won't think this was much, but it resulted in pain and aches in my super-sensitive left knee.

Saturday, July 12: Westin Maui gym workout - 1 hour treadmill (46 min walk/14 min running interspersed) + lunges, push-ups, ab exercises, etc.

Sunday, July 13: Rest day

Monday, July 14: Ka'anapali shore path 1 hour walk/run (44 min walk/16 min running interspersed). In hindsight, I probably needed one more recovery day before I did another walk/run.... the shore path was so inviting.

Tuesday, July 15: Kayak/snorkeling/hiking trip - The hiking was not too strenuous and the kayaking was a great arm workout! I wanted one adventure day... it was vacation!

Wednesday, July 16: Rest day

Thursday, July 17: Ka'anapali shore path 1 hour walk, evening flight home to SF.

Friday, July 18: Rest day

Saturday, July 19: UCSF Mission Bay pool swim, 40 minutes.

Sunday, July 20: Rest day

Monday, July 21: Rest day

While I was lying by the pool on my trip (this is mostly what I did outside of the above listed activities) I was thinking of what I could possibly do next about my knee, if anything. Since I've been home, I've been doing more Internet research on anterior knee pain. You never know when something new could pop up, right? I am also considering making a follow-up appointment with Dr. Anderson. I wonder though, is there any more she can do? My guess is that she'll probably tell me how Pilates is really good for me, not high impact activities. Great. The more research I do, the more I understand that I'm dealing with a syndrome. That means it's a mystery, different from one person to the next. Whether my knee pain is patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS, sometimes called kneecap tracking pain) or Hoffa's Syndrome (fat pad inflammation), my experience is unique. The recovery of every person takes a different path and per Matt Fitzgerald's information in Brain Training, it's up to me to find my own path.

This past weekend I came across an interesting publication online, what I have read so far, there are similarities to Mr. Fitzgerald's findings, and then some. At first, I thought it was a scam. It is titled SaveYourself.ca and it's written by a Registered Massage Therapist in Vancouver, Canada named Paul Ingraham. A Registered Massage Therapist? O... K... I read on. The basic of it is that Mr. Ingraham has done a great deal of study on several common athletic injuries and has provided his findings, for a nominal fee. Hmm. PFPS, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Plantar Faciitis, Lower Back Pain, etc. I wasn't sure of the validity of this information until I read he has included research findings from his work with Dr. Scott F. Dye of the University of California, San Francisco. Interesting, I've heard of him. I read an article in Runner's World last year about knee injuries and the many syndromes involved. Dr. Scott F. Dye was included in this article, among other medical professionals. Alright, I thought maybe Mr. Ingraham's online publication was reputable information. I decided to spend the $14.95. Maybe I would read something I hadn't heard before? Maybe not. At least it could be good to read if theories I have learned in the past are backed up and supported by additional research.

As usual, I will keep you posted on any new information I learn. You must all think I'm a bit off my rocker with all of these new books and articles! Hey, it's all I can do. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with knee pain that has no instruction manual for recovery. Per Paul Ingraham, I need to "Save Myself." I'm doing my best. Hopefully his article will help.

A Hazy Day in the City

I didn't know what to make of the weather today. It was somewhat foggy, but the sky was also hazy due to fires in the area. It wasn't particularly cold, but it wasn't warm either. Basically, it was hard to tell how much of the haze was fog or smoke and how much one would exist if the other didn't. I went for a walk at lunch today and took this photo of the Bay Bridge. By the time I got back to the office my throat felt dry and scratchy, like I had been inhaling a little smoke. Yuck. Still, I was glad to go for a casual walk for a little exercise. My knee had been a bit achy this week, but I noticed something interesting when I was walking. Once I had my running shoes on, my knee felt better. I guess the flip flops I had been wearing a few times this week (nice ones from Banana Republic, not cheap versions from Old Navy) have not been offering me much support. I'll keep that in mind for my knee in the future.

I Love my Run Skirt

What? A run "skirt?" I'll explain. Today was a hot day in San Francisco. It wasn't quite as warm as the last two days. Thursday and Friday were 95 degrees! All way above our average temperature for this time of the year. I've still been fighting my cold, but I have grown tired of being rather sedentary during the last week. This morning was time to get outside. I usually have a fear of being too cold when I head out into the city since sometimes we are deceived here in SF. You look out the window and it seems sunny. Then, a few blocks from home you realize the fog is coming in fast! Well, I had a feeling today was not going to be that day. I felt like it was a run skirt day.

From afar, I'm sure my run skirt looks like a pair of black shorts. Some people may even think I'm running in a tennis outfit. Nope. In the last few years attire for the female runner has gone girly. I think the first run skirt I saw was during a mini fashion show at the expo the day before I ran the Boston Marathon. Part of me thought, "That's silly. Who would want to run in a little skirt? Who would think I'm a serious runner wearing that?" At the same time, I considered the idea kind of fun. Soon after I returned home from Boston, I headed to the local Lululemon store on Union Street and tried on a run skirt. It was SO comfortable! I loved it. Of course, I haven't worn it much since I haven't been doing much running since then. I also wasn't sure if it would fit anymore! This morning I pulled it out of my closet and put it on. Yeah! It fits! OK, maybe I'm not nearly as in shape as I used to be, but it looks just fine. I added a white running tee, my Nike Frees, my iPod, and off I went.

The first 10 minutes of my walk/run was harder than I thought it would be. I planned my typical Jackson Street route out my front door. My breathing was more labored than usual and my heart rate was high. I realized the congestion from my cold was still there and was going to make things a little more difficult. No worries though, I thought, "Maybe I'll get some of this cold out of my system." The weather was great and even a little too hot. I ran 10 minutes total interspersed into my hour long workout. I had gotten up to 16 a few weeks ago before I felt a small ache in my knee, then my cold set in. I figured stepping back to less running and building up again would be a good plan. I took a different route at my turnaround point and went into the Presidio on the way back. This route was parallel to Jackson back towards home. One great thing I noticed is that Lover's Lane has been repaved! This is a hill repeat course within the Presidio I used to do in my early training days 3 or 4 years ago. The only problem with Lover's Lane (besides it is straight uphill) was the horrible, broken, falling apart path. Now, it's paved and even. Very nice! I realized this could have been done a long time ago since I haven't been through that area in some time, but I was still happy to see it. Hopefully, I'll walk or run that hill someday soon. Overall my walk/run was very good. Wearing my skirt was icing on the cake. : )

Long "Run"

Today I woke up to a chilly Saturday morning. My original thoughts of swimming went right out the window! The idea of swimming in a windy rooftop pool sounded terrible. On to plan B.

I decided to go for a long walk/run. Yes, still outside, but I could bundle up and be warm enough. During my past training days, Saturday mornings were our long runs. In non-marathon training weeks I would run an hour and half or an hour and 40 minutes. When training for a marathon a Saturday morning could involve a 3 hour run. Whew... it makes me tired even thinking about it now! Today I decided my walk/run would be one hour walking and 20 minutes run/walk. I headed out the front door, turned on my iPod and set out walking up Jackson Street. I live on the line between the Pacific Heights/Russian Hill areas of Jackson Street. During my walk I travel through Pacific Heights west into Presidio Heights. In Presidio Heights, the apartments go away and the large, single family houses pop up. Some of them are huge and many are simply beautiful. I dream about what it would be like to live in one of these houses. Along my walk, I had to laugh at one sight. I looked up into a tree and wondered, "What is that?" I still don't know the answer, but I call it Tree Art. Three arrows shot into a hanging sphere of stripped wood or bark. Interesting.

I started my run/walk intervals at the 30 minute mark. At 31 minutes Jackson Street dead ended into Arguello. I stopped, looked up the street at the Arguello Gate of The Presidio and for a few seconds tried to decide which way to go. I decided to run into The Presidio. Once I hit the dirt trails, I got so excited! Do you ever have those sudden, unexpected feelings of joy? That is how I felt when I was running up and down the hills and through the trees. I ran more of the 20 minutes than I walked for sure. It just felt good, mind and body. I stopped for a minute to take another picture. I love this area of the trail where it heads into an overgrowth of trees. Once I finished running through the Presidio I had a little run/walk time left. I wondered how far I was going to be off my planned workout time. How far off course did I run? I ran out through the Lombard Gate of The Presidio, then up Lyon Street. My plan was to walk east on Union Street, then up Van Ness to my apt on Jackson. I realized shortly before I reached Fillmore Street that today was the Union Street Fair. Picturing people stumbling out of the beer gardens, I changed my route to zig zag my way back. Up Broderick to Green, up Pierce to Vallejo, finally 3 blocks up Franklin to Jackson Street. Funny thing... right as I made it to my front door my watch read 1:20:00. Good timing. : )

Golden Gate Views

This is a photo I took during my Sunday afternoon walk/run on Crissy Field. I never get tired of this view.