Odds and ends

Well, I went out and bought my running shoes yesterday. These are what I ended up getting

They are the Asics Gel Cumulus. I was so excited to try them out!  When I got home I threw on my new running skort, sports bra, and bright pink shirt that I got from Target last night and hit the road. It was beautiful out: 70 degrees with scattered clouds and a light breeze to help cool me off. I had some hip hop/reggaeton mix on my trusty iPod nano to help me keep pace. I was concentrating on my breathing and running as comfortably as I could. It was an easy run overall that should have totaled about 3 miles. But about a mile short of getting home I started feeling that persistent aching on my left lateral knee--IT band. I groaned to myself and immediately started to walk (fast). I was hoping worn running shoes were the problem, but not so. To top it off I have matching blisters on both my feet, right below the ball of my foot and today I have some soreness in my right knee, which I've experienced before, but not for a while. Runner's knee maybe? 

I hate how touchy my knees have been these past three years. If I sit down too long when I'm running regularly, they get a little stiff. When I go out to see a movie, it sometimes takes some hobbling around when I first get up to walk that stiffness off....and I'm fidgeting throughout the movie! I'm so stubborn. I can't quit running! I love it too much! I'll take shin splints over these more touchy, persistent injuries any day. That's all I had to worry about when I first started running seriously. Then I started training for the Vancouver Marathon and decided to help alleviate the problem since I would only be increasing mileage. Went to a physical therapist and discovered I had weak joints when a simple exercise had me writhing on the ground in pain after what felt like a tendon slipping in my ankle. I limped the entire day at work. It was over the next day when I stubbornly insisted on running....I only made 6 of the 12 scheduled miles, but I'm sure more damage was done to the poor ankle. 

So the chronic injuries persist today. I'm going to schedule an appointment with a sports medicine doctor because I'm done with self-diagnosing. The last orthopedic doctor I saw had no interest in even figuring out the problem and told me to just quit running. If my joints were OK with running before, I really think that with some guidance from a professional and some rehabilitation I will be able to figure this thing out. I want a doctor to examine my gait, my leg anatomy, and tell me what is wrong and what I can do to fix it. I haven't got a straight answer yet, and that's all I want.

In other news, Jon is probably coming home in a couple weeks. He told me the beginning of last week and is scheduled to fly to Kuwait next week! That's one month early! Maybe, just maybe, I will have my husband home with me on Valentine's Day! I'm still not getting my hopes up too much because we all know how the Army can just pull the rug out from under you in an instant! I'll be asking him every day if plans have changed. :)

Well, I'm off to clean now. I don't do this enough, and I've dedicated my Sundays to cleaning. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everybody!