Runners knee for the loss

Bleh, my left leg has been giving me trouble for a month. First it was posterior shin splints (fixed that with proper stretching and running on dirt instead of concrete). Now, my left knee has been hurting. After doing some research there are three reasons this could be happening.

1. I run like a dork (very possible, Sterling says I kinda swing my left leg out weird when I run and walk.)
2. I have worn-out shoes (no help for that for a while, we are saving for a house)
3. My quadriceps are wimpy. (ah hah! Something fixable)

If the quads aren't doing their job, your kneecap can get thrown out of its magical groove where it could slide indefinitely in its cozy bed of cartilage. If it gets knocked around and starts rubbing the cartilage wrong, then major pain and swelling happen.

So Tuesday and Wednesday I just went on short walks and did lots of lunges and squats. This morning, instead of limping down the stairs as I have been for the last 3 days, I walked down pain-free!

Word Counting

One! One word! Two! Two words!

Yeah, that's how it felt today. I have been skipping around the action and plot as I write, and now I'm stuck with holes in the action, places that need backstory and boring stuff like getting off airplanes etc. Hitchcock said that a good film is "life, without the boring parts." So I am trying to spice up the boring parts with pithy lines.

Novice Supreme

Novice Supreme

How prepared am I to start the Higdon training?

I figure I am running an 11-minute mile. So on my long runs, I'll need to slow it down to a 12 minute mile. Running with a stop-watch really satisfies the obsessive side of my personality. Yesterday I ran 3.75 miles in 40 minutes. I don't know if I could run 6 miles like the Higdon schedule wants me to do on the first week. I don't want to injure myself, and I still have time till the January marathon. It's an 18-week program, so the latest I would start is the end of August. What's nice about running the Disneworld marathon is that I'll be used to the humidity, and it's a flat course. And come on, running through Sleeping Beauty's Castle and seeing all the characters cheering you on as you run seems like it would be more of a party than a race.

Marathon training!

Wow today's workout was awesome. I ran for 40 minutes with a 2minute break at 20min, and a 1 min break at 30 min. Break = walking. I did a good 5-min walk warmup and 4 different stretches, then a 10-minute cooldown. I stuck to the dirt path next to the paved path for about 70% of the time. At the end of it, I was tired but not EXHAUSTed. I'm proud of myself for sticking to it and only my left knee hurts a little, but that's what the quad exercises are for. No sign of shinsplints today.

Marathon training

I'm running a marathon at Disneyworld in January. I started training for it during the last week of January. I walked 1.5 miles every day. Then the next week I started running. I didn't try to kill myself, I just ran a little farther every day. Now, I can run 3 miles in 30 minutes. However, this last week I had to rest a bit because I have been getting a persistent cramp in my calf, and for the first time felt a bit of a shinsplint on my other leg. And I've got a weird knee twinge. So I've been doing situps, pushups, stepups, and other calisthenics in place of running.

I love running. This week of rest has been hard on me. I get a serious high after about 3/4 of a mile into a run. I am sure I look goofy running in the park with a huge grin on my face and my braid swinging wildly behind me. I listen to music on my ipod while I run, which really helps me keep pace. I downloaded Sterling's Rocky soundtrack, and I actually watched Rocky III with him last week. What a great movie! Now I need to see the rest of them.

Anyway, since I've been running, I have lost almost ten pounds, and my clothes fit much better. I still can't wear my wedding ring, so that's a bummer. But maybe in another six weeks...who knows?

Goal this week:

• Monday: Run 40 minutes (longest ever in my ENTIRE life)
• Tuesday: rest, do quad strengthening and wall pushups
• Wednesday: 3 mile run (quad and wall work)
• Thursday: Basketball and 1.5 mile run
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 3 mile run
• Sunday: 30 min walk

Writing a novel

Some critics are saying that the novel is dead. Still other critics are saying the novel is dying. I say that sounds like the kind of cause I like. So I'm writing a novel. My goal is 100 words a day written, and one hour a day to read fiction. Visit my goodreads list to see what I've read and what I'm reading here. http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/861865. You may need to be a member of goodreads to see it.

Anyway, I wrote 415 words and fine-tuned two chapters. Caught some inconsistencies in the process.