I ran Inside Trail's Reservoir Dogs 35k a couple weekends ago and experienced my first knee injury, thanks to these oversights:

- Tried racing without insoles in new(ish) shoes. Had to put insoles in at the 13 mile mark. Thank you to kind volunteer who let me use the back of his pickup.
- Didn't train my butt enough in those new shoes
- Wore compression pants instead of shorts. I brought the shorts with me, knowing that I've experienced some knee pain before while wearing those pants. I attributed it to a shoe issue, but nope - it came roaring back.

My guess is that the compression pants, coupled with tight shoes, immobilized my Illiotibial band which prevented the knee from moving naturally.

Apologies to the two people who saw my naked butt while I changed pants on the side of the trail. Hey, we're all just animals... it's not like I was pooping.

By mile 17, I was in such immense pain that all I could do was:

a) Try to find ANY running position for my foot that didn't hurt my knee (didn't work)
b) Cry
c) Laugh hysterically at the situation

I reached the last aid station at mile 3 and almost stopped and turned myself in. I didn't think I could handle 30 more minutes of pain. My pace had slowed immensely as I could only walk downhills and run the uphills. Thankfully, this was waiting at the end:


Luckily, the pain was only a warning - it was a minor injury. My face and fatigue say otherwise:


I diagnosed myself with Illiotibial Band Syndrome (a common running injury acronized as ITBS). I stopped running for a few days and iced the injury. Then, I used a elliptical to gauge pain. I attempted a few runs, but reached pain at 15 minutes. I began daily strengthening exercises per Jason Fitzgerald on his site here and they've helped. I ran successfully for 30 minutes the past two days. Apparently, I heal quick fast. 8-9 hours of sleep helps!

Here's to the next race in August - Montana De Oro. This time it's a manageable 25k with 1400 foot mountain to climb up and down. I hope my knee is recovered by then for the hills, so it's time to really take it easy with it. I've been running 40 miles /wk for 6 or so months. As someone who picked this up in their 20's and didn't train in high school, I think I need a short break.

Time: 3:40:35. Not my best, but I did it!

Here's Mile 19 where I exclaimed to the photographer "Oh boy this is going to be my best photo EVER!!!" as I winced in pain. I can't help but smile.

I often wake up with some sort of creative idea that I think is magical and brilliant. I'll I attempt to execute it, fail, then sweep up the pieces of creativity for next time. But not this morning! I think we're onto some neat practical effect here.

I did 13-20 sec exposures at 100 ISO and F13-22. At the half way point in the exposure, I shone a light on a sheath of plastic wrap in front of the subject for 2 seconds, then behind the subject for another 2-3 seconds. I also fired the light on the subject to illuminate certain parts. Subjects included a stuffed bear, a guitar, and a snow globe, with the latter producing the best results.









I definitely will be trying this on a larger scale sometime this week. I'll use a human subject.

The beach next to our place (this particular photo is by Brendan, duh)









Hiking Lahaina Pali Trail

Went off the trail













Molokini from Ahini Kinau

From Lahaina's Mala Harbor

















Makena State Park

Cloudy Hawaii

Cauliflower Coral

Honoapiilani Highway

View from inside the condo



Ahini Kinau Volcanic Area with Molokini in the background

Areas closed for preservation at Ahini Kinau, where the most recent lava flows met the sea.

Brendan



Molokini











Maui Ocean Center Aquarium

I went to Maui to take a break from computers, California winds, worn-out running routes, showering, red wine, concrete, Mexican food, skyscrapers, negative thoughts, and underwear.

I came back feeling like both a wiser woman and a wonder-wander-eyed millennial. The former because I succeeded in squeezing out a modicum of life understanding. The latter because I only went to Maui using PTO for 5 days. As simple as it is, being surrounded by 40 mile an hour speed limits, nonreactive and comforting locals, homestyle food and big families - both natives and visitors - slow beach walks and warm winds can allow the brain to "deflate" - at least, that's how it felt for me. I felt like I exhaled for the first time in a couple years.

I came back feeling slow. I came back to Oakland traffic, immediately cut off by a man who swerved across two lanes and almost into my car. He was on his phone.

I would typically allow Step 1 Brain to get upset. But I realized that his poor driving - and all of the business of the Bay - has nothing to do with me. The pace will continue to be a carcinogen to the beauty of simplicity, but that doesn't have to include me. I can flow within the lanes of this time and place, keeping the vicissitudes of achieving goals and enjoying being human within the lines.

Here's a pic or two from the experience, more to come.

Some reading:This article [Religion for the Nonreligious] on Wait But Why. It served as a mellifluous conclusion to my recent growth, delineating the purpose & place of my own 'Truthism.' It also brings the bombastic parts of our animal brains into clarity, allowing one to recognize their voice and effectively quiet them.

Also read this book: A Renegade History of the United States by Thaddeus Russell. If you don't feel American, it will clarify why you are; if you feel like a renegade to the American way, you'll see you fit right in.