Injured!

I am afraid I have some bad news....I think I may have injured myself, again. Just when everything was going well, I knew it couldn't last forever...But let's not jinx the situation too early!!!

Ok, so here's the story: Today was a beautiful day in Boston. Weather was around 50 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a run around the Charles River. So I headed out around noon and did just that.

My first mile wasn't too good because I was a little tired (and hungover), but I quickly got out of it and my next three miles were 8:20 minutes/mile and lower!!! Things were just great; I started feeling great, my body felt good and my headache went away. I was admiring the beautiful scenery that is Boston and cursing myself for, again, not bringing a camera. And that is when it hit!

Around 4.5 miles I felt a sharp pain in the back of my knee (the knee that was injured a year and half ago). I immediately stopped to check out what was going on and noticed that it might be my knee brace just rubbing funny on the back of my knee. So, I removed it and did a few stretches and was on my way.

Not 2 seconds later the sharp pain came back again and again. Ahh....I stopped again and did some more stretches, messaged the area and shook out my legs. I tried running for about .3-.4 miles (just over the Mass Ave. bridge), but there was no luck, the pain just would not go away.

I knew (from previous experience) that if I continued to run on the knee it would result in a worse injury. So, I made a decision to walk the last mile home. It wasn't all bad, I still got to enjoy the nice weather outside. But I was REALLY angry and upset inside thinking a) my nice workout was ruined and b) I have to deal with another injury and so close to a race (next Sunday).

Once home I iced all areas of my knee and stretched. I took a shower and ate lunch and then iced just the back of my knee again for 10 minutes. I did a few more stretches and then just let my legs rest.

I can report now, 4 hours later, that I am still experiencing a sharp pain in the back of my knee; however it doesn't feel as severe. My plan is to "rest" my legs the 2 next days and reassess Tuesday. If I feel no pain on Tuesday while walking, I might try the treadmill at the gym; however if I feel ANY pain I will immediately get off and do the stairs or elliptical.

I am not sure what is up for next Sunday's race, but I will see how the week goes and how my legs are feeling. I am certainly not ruining my running season with a 5 mile race, even though I was really looking forward to it. But I am hopeful and think I might have just pulled something small and with rest and time it will heal...

What are your thoughts and/or suggestions in dealing with an unwanted leg pain/injury?


On a good note, I had a really fun night out with the girls last night. We went to a bar in Faneuil Hall to help raise money for three girls running the Boston marathon for the Boston Public Schools debate teams. It was a lot of fun, too much fun that I forgot to take pictures (sorry!!).

I will make sure to make it up to you by snapping some photos of Evan's and my meal in the North End tonight.... Be back with details (and pictures)!!!

How is your weekend going?

From Pops to Tots

Hello Everyone! I am sorry I have been a little MIA, but work/Christmas shopping has been taking over my life.


Has anyone finished their holiday shopping??

One of the fun holiday events I enjoyed was attending the Boston Pops (Boston's symphony orchestra) with my family on Tuesday afternoon.

We sat at a cute little table in the "orchestra" section of Symphony Hall.

The four of us (Evan, unfortunately, had to work) enjoyed a bottle of Savignon Blanc during the performance. The performance was wonderful, the Pops and Tangelwood choir were wonderful! I loved singing fun holiday songs and listening to beautiful classical tunes. And not to mention Symphony Hall was incredible!

After the show, the four of us dined at The Paramount Boston on Beacon Hill (the restaurant won "Best of Boston" in 2010).

I started off with a smooth glass of Cabernet Savignon and then split "Peking shrimp dumplings" as an appetizer. 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! For dinner I ordered the Tereyaki Salmon stir fry.

The salmon was HUGE and SO fresh tasting (not fishy at ALL)! The stir fry had lots and lots of fresh veggies, which I was surprised to see because I was expecting only a few frozen ones. I was VERY impressed by this meal! It was SO big I could not finish the whole plate. This restaurant was also affordable; my whole plate was only $18 and it was shareable. I will DEFINITELY be going back here soon!!

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As for running, I trained with the DreamFar team yesterday (Thursday). We went for a chilly 4.5 mile run around a reservoir. We finished in 40 minutes and actually ran a few of the miles in 8 minutes. I ran with the "fast" runners, so we really tried to push ourselves. I also think the cold really pushed us to run fast to stay warm! The team is running a 6 mile run tomorrow at 8 am. I am not sure I will make it that early (I would have to leave my house at 7am) and this week has been a little crazy/stressful, so I might need a morning to sleep in. However, I WILL run the miles on my own and train with the team on Tuesday. I am hoping to run a Saturday "long run" in the future!

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So, from a fun exciting night at the Pops on Tuesday, I had a quiet/relaxing night today babysitting the little boy I babysat over the summer. We had a lot of fun playing trucks, trains and "exercising/dancing" in his room. After we worked up an appetite we indulged in some delicious North End (Italian section of Boston) pizza and salad.

plus a second slice of veggie pizza

After an eventful first half of the night, we spent the second half watching TV, eating candy and reading Christmas books. FUN Friday night!

I plan to finish up my Christmas shopping tomorrow and attend another holiday party. Hope you have a GREAT weekend!

How was your Friday night? Any plans for the weekend?