Saturday, December 27, 2008

Merry Christmas and why does my knee ache?

...and why haven't I posted anything in the last, almost 2 weeks?!

Well, aside from all the driving around, and a visit with Mom, we are finally back in Mexico at the little beach casita where I always have time. Funny - with all the effort it takes to get here - it is the one place where I have time for things.

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating this very special time of year. I just want to put up a few pics to share some of my Merry Christmas with you...

Here's my Mom! She was so happy to have some of her clan around. I hope I look as good and am as happy as she is when I am 86. My oldest sister Lee, her daughters Kristen and Diana and Diana's young son Trent (almost 2) came up from San Diego. Brother John, myself, Loving Man and the Cha (also the dang dogs) rounded out for a semi-full house at Mom's for Christmas. Sister Jo-Ann and hubby are in Santa Fe NM where they just purchased a new house, their son Jack and his wife are in St Kitts where he is attending Nursing School. Brother Jim and his wife were obligated to visit her mom on Christmas Eve so the full house was in fact, less than half full. But we had great fun.

The canine version of Santa and an elf. The happy creatures had already snooped the presents and pulled one out from under the tree. Somehow they just knew the gift wrap hid a stuffed snake. It was unwrapped and became center to a tug of war for the two loving creatures. The nice pink snake was eviscerated and lots of stuffing had to be gathered and tossed. The good news is these two odd dogs are the best of friends. They would rather share a toy and destroy it then keep it to themselves. Piggry - the big one, typically holds one end of the toy with just one fang and stands there quietly, while Fishy - the tiny one, gets to hold the other end and tug away. Fishy seems to get more fun out of the deal, but Piggry is happy in her place as the enabler. Odd pair, but we love them.

Here is the delightful Cha with a Christmas Smile! She is wearing a Christmas Present Sweater and too bad you can't see the matching green knitted ugg boots Auntie Lee gave her. I find such delight in the warmth of the Cha's authentic smiles. Nothing better than a happy teenager in the house...! And look at those green eyes - she has her father's eyes, that is for sure.

Mom lives in Costa Mesa, CA. I have done some looking and the OC Marathon in May runs right by her house. Funny - weird coincidence, the Lost Dutchman Marathon runs right by my house. I am thinking it might be a fun run to do in May - depending on how the Lost Dutchman goes for me in February. The OC is pretty flat and the weather should be good. Nothing like having Mom around to cheer you on! Just like the old days.

So there has been a little problem since my 20 mile run. I had a little ache in my right knee in the last mile of that 20. After a rest day, I tried a 5 and at mile 4 the ache returned - I had to walk. The next day I tried a 4 and at the beginning of mile 4 - ache again. Had to walk. I rested a day, then attempted my 8 as scheduled. At mile 4 I had to walk and cut it short to a 6. Then I had big concerns that maybe I might have injured something in that dang knee.

Then we made the trek to So Cal. Loving Man, the Cha and I hit the Santa Ana Riverbed Trail for a nice 3 mile Family Run - no pain. The next day we did another 3 - no pain. Then a rest day. Then we had to head to Mexico. (The adventure to Mexico is a separate post just in itself!) Now I am facing my fears - do I try to run more than 3 and see what happens? I am so nervous about all of this. Half me says stop running altogether and let this "thing" heal. Less than 4 weeks to the PFChang 1/2 and less than 8 to the Lost Dutchman Full. If I were on schedule, I would be running another 20 today. But I am too scared. I am stuck in these 3 mile runs because of hurting at 4. I have rested way too much to jump back into a 20. I am now probably a full 2 weeks set back from my training. This isn't quite a crisis yet - I have several extra weeks built in just in case of something like this. But I am nervous and I wish I knew if I should get back on track and try the higher miles or just sit here with 3's and 4's until it doesn't hurt anymore.... Does anyone have any ideas?

2 comments:

Pat said...

a rare pix of a teenager with a phone. LOL.

I'd stick close to home, but try and run further. I would also massage the leg. Knee pain is often a sign that a leg muscle needs attention.

of course, I'm not a doctor. But, I did stay in a Holiday Inn.

Glenn Jones said...

CJ - take it easy on that knee. It could be as simple as ITBS, or it could be something more serious. You might want to check out his website: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/knee_injuries.htm and see what you r symptoms may point to...

Have fun in Mexico!