Getting Excited.

Fri - Off
Sat - 4 miles at Mission Bay

Big day today. Got to raise it up to 4 miles. This means I'm only one mile away from a "legitimate run". I also had the added bonus of running with Lyndsey (It's been so long since I've run with anyone. Kinda pointless to meet up for a 3 mile run). Once I hit the 5 mile mark it may be worth it to hit up some group runs.

I was at Mission Bay to watch the 15K at the bright and early time of 7am (mandating a 5:30 am wake up call. There's something about the difference between getting up when there is a 5 as the first digit as opposed to a 6 that just makes it so much harder.) It was great to see some of my friends have good races, and also just good to be in that runners environment. I've mentioned in blogs before how happy I am to finally be back in a running environment again. Having friends that run and can relate to my gripes and joys in running related topics is something I have been missing since college. Running took a back seat during my three years in law school, and as I slowly make the return to health and fitness I'm enjoying that running is becoming such a big factor in my life again. I also enjoy that being a runner is the norm again. In law school when I'd go for an 8 mile run people would be shocked! Awed! Amazed! Running as VERY solitary for me in law school. Every run was by myself. I didn't really talk about running to anyone and It wasn't until I got injured and lost it that I realized how important it was. So now to be talking about it on a daily basis, I feel a little more me again. I'll be honest, I often felt a little lost in law school. Wasn't really sure what I was doing, my confidence level was all over the place, and I never got too comfortable in my own skin. I really enjoyed my law school/San Francisco experience, but I think I was missing something. I had almost joined a running team up there and decided I "didn't have the time." I regret that decision now.

The point of all that rambling above is that being at that race surrounded by people that share my passion energized me. I still feel on the outskirts of it all and can hardly wait for my first race where I can step up to a starting line with confidence. I can hardly wait to hammer through those miles, pushing myself to the edge of my mental and physical strength. And I can hardly wait to finish the race and go out with my fellow runners to analyze every little neurotic detail of the course, conditions, and other runners.

I maintain my mantra of being patient, but I can't help smiling in anticipation.

Staying at 20 minutes

Mon – Yoga
Tues – Gym + 2.5 mi

Sometimes I feel like I am a juggler and my life consists of the spheres I precariously attempt to keep from falling to the ground. Some are bigger than others, and when they fly effortlessly, the others seem easier to manage. Sometimes everything goes smoothly, and I feel I can juggle it all effortlessly and endlessly. Sometimes I feel I'm lucky if I can just keep one ball in the air. They change sizes and shape as my priorities in life shift. Some even disappear entirely for periods of my life. Inevitably, running is always one of the biggest, as I feel if I have that going well I can handle almost anything else. Besides my family, Running has been the one constant passion in my life, and I sometimes wonder how a career or any of my other spheres ever has a chance to compete with that. Its difficult to be patient and hold myself back when I know that just a few more miles upon a few more miles will make the circus act of life a little more easy.

Run felt pretty good today. I'm actually more impressed with how things are feeling now as I make my periodic trips to the coffee machine. Things are definitely improving, I just have to remember that small improvements do not equal immediately being able to jack up the mileage. When I did PT work last spring in SF, I was doing strength work for months before I even was able to get through a decent length run. I believe I have more base strength to work with right now, but I can't get overzealous and risk having to start this build-up all over again. Patience Patience Patience.

Stay patient, positive, and focused.

Gym

I've decided to stop misleading folks and to call my injury what it really is "Pes Anserinus Bursitis" ("Pes anserinus is the anatomic term used to identify the insertion of the conjoined tendons into the anteromedial proximal tibia. From anterior to posterior, the pes anserinus is made up of the tendons of the sartorius, gracilis, and semitendinosus muscles. The tendon's name, which literally means "goose's foot," was inspired by the pes anserinus's webbed, footlike structure. The conjoined tendon lies superficial to the tibial insertion of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee") considering it really isn't the knee. So the pes was feeling pretty much the same as the other night, so I decided last night not to run in the morning. It was a smart thing to decide in the evening, because the pes usually feels pretty good after my whole gym routine, which isn't really surprising since part of the cause is tightness of the hamstrings, which obviously loosens up a bit when I'm in the gym. It was really hard not to just go for a jog with things feeling good and the sun out and shining, but I have to be careful not to let the illusion that things are feeling okay allow me to keep screwing things up. I chanted a little mantra to myself as I left the gym: "The run will still be there in the evening." So if the pes really is feeling better today, I'll take a short jog this evening. But if it follows its usual pattern of getting progressively worse throughout the day, then I obviously won't run and I saved myself some further aggravation by not running this morning. I may have to wait till Saturday and will definitely bring the mileage back to around 2.

Patience, patience, patience. The strength work needs time to kick in. Stretch more. Stay Positive. Stay Focused.