Tuesday I joined friends for a 3 mile trail run at 6am. It should have been longer but unfortunately my asthma got the better of me and I decided to rest after a mile and a half and wait for the others to finish their hill repeats and rest of the trail. This gave me a chance to take in the view of the Valley which was pretty clear after last week's rain.
After the run I went over to Body Dynamix to take care of the shin splints I noticed after Saturday's run. I had this problem last year and it got to a point where I couldn't run so I want to take care of it early. Dr. Eddie used ultra-sound, muscle stimulation, and something that looks like a scalpel (a duller version of course!) to whip my shins into shape. Then I met with Gail, Lauren, and Scott to discuss the Center for Assault Treatment Services' Facebook page. Since Lauren and I are fairly technically inclined and Scott is a social media expert, Gail enlisted our help to make the page the best it can be. We had a great time chatting and benefitting from Scott's experience.
Wednesday I ran about 3 miles to the Manhattan Beach Pier for their pier lighting ceremony. It was a lot of fun with Christmas carols, free cupcakes, and tons of people. After I planned to run back, however my shin was hurting again so I decided to walk back for fear of doing any damage. It was disappointing to have to walk and I'm really hoping this isn't a sign of trouble brewing.
Thursday I dropped into Bar Method in Hermosa Beach for a free community class with Marah, a teacher in training. This worked out perfectly because I wanted to work out but didn't think I'd have a chance to go to the West LA location. Marah was really great and friendly and actually made a suggestion I'd never heard before: to use a riser for round/flat back due to tight hips. I don't know that it necessarily helped my hips but I could reach the bar easier which allowed me to press into it and get my leg straighter!
Saturday morning I got up early to join Peachy and Barbara for 11 miles in Pacific Palisades. We had planned to do a trail run in Temescal Canyon but we had to switch to the boardwalk along the beach for fear of slippery trails. Just as we parked we saw a deer cross the street into the mountains! I tried to snap pictures but it was too quick. We kept our pace around 10:30 min/mi which felt great, so great that I picked it up for the last mile and finished really strong. I didn't have any shin pain while I was running but they still have that bruised feeling so I foam rolled and iced when I got home (no ocean today, not supposed to go in after it rains).
I wore the hat I got from CATS for reaching $500 to help protect me from the rain but luckily it held off pretty much the whole time! When I got back home I ran into our neighbors. Turns out Jean walked the LA Marathon 10 years ago and raised money for Leukemia with Team in Training! They were kind enough to make a donation after I told them about CATS!
Later in the day I joined Marah at Bar Method again for another free class. After class on Thursday she had mentioned that her audition to be an instructor was on Sunday so she wanted to have one more class on Saturday with people who are familiar with the class so she could focus on her timing. When I showed up on Saturday it was me and two instructors! I was thrilled for the small class but also knew this meant I would be receiving a lot of corrections (something Marah was also working on). The class was really tough but also fun because I'm familiar enough with the classes that I could make some helpful suggestions after.
I was out kind of late Saturday and didn't get to check my email but when I woke up on Sunday I had a pleasant surprise... two more friends had donated! So now I'm only $50 from my goal of $1,500 by 11/30! Please help me get there, less than two weeks to go. Click HERE or click the Donate Now button in the upper right of this page.
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