Iliotibial Band Syndrome

I had aches in my knee after running. But it's not the knee, it's the ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin. When the band comes near the knee, it becomes narrow, and rubbing can occur between the band and the bone. This causes inflammation and pain. ITB syndrome can result from any activity that causes the leg to turn inward repeatedly. This can include wearing worn-out shoes, running downhill or on banked surfaces, running too many track workouts in the same direction, or simply running too many miles. Unlike many overuse injuries, however, ITB pain afflicts seasoned runners almost as much as beginners.

So, the treatment is ice, a patella strap,... and NO RUNNING!
What a bummer!

January 12th - Progress Map

I'm bummed. I really am! I expected to be past Palm Springs this week. I still have a way to go yet.

Aliso South Wilderness Park

I'd like to share another of our favorite running spots. This is the Aliso South Wilderness park. The high school cross country team trains here. When we bring our son to run with the team, we stay and run here too. It's 10 miles round trip to the end and back. It's a beautiful day for running. I wore a tank top and shorts. The temperature is in the high 70's. I hope you like this 60 second video I made. I give you a little history of the area as I show you where we run. Oh, and for those who don't know my daugther, she's kidding about the shirt. LOL!

Happy Birthday!

My little girl turned 18 yrs!

No more braces....

I took my son to the ortho to have his braces tightened. The nurse took him in the back, then the dentist came out and said that they made mistake! I'm thinking, "Oh, no! They're going to make me make another appointment and come back next week." The dentist said, "He's done! Can you bring him back to have his braces taken off tomorrow morning?" Whoa! No anticipation! That's it! DONE! Does he look happy? LOL!

Compact Camera/Phone Printer

Look at this! I thought this was a fun gadget!



Polaroid's new printer is a little bigger than a deck of cards and connects to phones by USB or Bluetooth.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Once celebrated for cameras that made their own prints, Polaroid Corp. plans to update the concept this year by selling a portable printer for images on cell phones and digital cameras.

And like those old Polaroid instant-film cameras, the new printers should have a wow factor: they require no ink, because they employ a thermal printing technology from startup Zink Imaging Inc.

The 8-ounce printers, a bit bigger than a deck of cards, are due to go on sale around back-to-school time for about $150, Polaroid and Zink announced Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Once connected to a phone or camera by Bluetooth wireless or the USB port, the printers need less than a minute to churn out 2-inch-by-3-inch pictures, which can be peeled off a backing and used as stickers. Sheets of paper for the device will cost about 40 cents each, less if bought in bulk.

The Zink technology, which uses heat to activate minuscule dye crystals embedded in the photo paper, won raves at the influential Demo conference a year ago. But until the CES announcement, Zink had not lined up any partners who would bring its technology to market.

Polaroid is a natural fit, and not just because of its photo-printing history. Zink was founded in 2005 by private investors who bought many technologies from Polaroid as it was coming out of bankruptcy.

Prices and availability dates were not disclosed.

Progress Map

On my way to Woodsfield! I'm off to a good start!
My current mileage puts me past the Cleveland National Forest and over Sun City... waving "Hello" to all the snow birds there!

My Running Log

Here is the journal that I made for myself to keep track of my miles.



The first page has tallys for the year.


Each month page has a tally for each week and month.There are also pages for race times and scores.


I'm also going to keep track of when I bought my shoes, so I know when to change them out.

Here is Chris' running log... His has an acrylic cover over it.

Running: San Clemente Route - 4 miles

We take the San Clemente Beach route when we want to run, but don't have a lot of time. We still have a lot of shopping to do for my daughter's birthday. I took these photos during our run today:


It's a short run from the parking lot through the sandstone cliffs to the beach.



That's San Clemente pier... two miles away.



The tradtional, have to take, under the pier photo.

Welcome to San Clemente pier.

No seagulls today... only pigeons... that means we are in for a weather change. Our beautiful sunny days are about to end!

See the high whispy clouds (I know they have a scientific name, but I don't remember what it is)... it's another indication of a weather change. I'd expect rain by the weekend. But, for now, it's a beautiful day for running at the beach!

14,000 Miles

Some friends of mine over at Tally Scrapper had this bright idea:

Since there are some of you who have decided to work out would you like to join me on something? ... It is just over 7,000 miles to get to Iraq from where I am and I want to bike to Iraq and back, since the hubby is heading over in June. That would be 14,000 miles and I could use some help!

They setup a blog to help keep track of all the miles. Here's the address:
http://tallyiraqandback.blogspot.com/

I'm part of the Tally Team! So, as I make my way to Woodsfield this year, I'm also on my way to Iraq and Back! Be routing for us!

Happy New Year!

Time to make some personal goals for 2008. Here is my list:
1) Have my kitchen cabinets and counter redone
2) Learn how to use Photoshop Elements as well as I use Photoshop 7.0
3) Post one photo a week to my blog to document my family's everyday life
4) Run from Mission Viejo, CA to Woodsfield, OH

Hahaha! For #4 I don't really mean actually run it, but I want to log enough miles this year running/walking for fitness to reach my best friend in Woodsfield by New Year's Eve. I'm going to keep track of my miles with the ticker at the top of my page.

My son Chris (the cross country runner) is starting his trip around the world. His stop at the end of this year is going to be Potter's Hill, NC. Then he'll start his trek across the Atlantic Ocean in 2009.