Seven miles from Mexico

Sound hot? It was. I ran near our friend's house in Chula Vista, which is seven miles (as the crow flies*) from the Mexican border,** which was the distance of my run***. I ran at 1:30 in the afternoon. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it wasn't.

I was thrilled to get out and run. My chest is not hurting nearly as much and I discovered that chasing around a three- and a five-year-old bothers it as much as running does. I have found that running is my "me" time; my solace. It is time alone when I don't feel guilty for not doing something. If I take some time for myself at home by reading a book or watching a movie, I end up feeling like I should be doing something more productive. When I am running, I don't feel that way. If I tell my kids or my husband that I am going out for a run, they say, "have a nice run." If I were to say I was going to go shopping or go for a walk or hang by myself for a while, someone would want something or want to come along. Three-year-olds don't really understand the concept of "mommy time," but they do understand "going for a run."

I was prepared for a warm run. I brought my hydration belt (or "tool" belt as marathonman calls it). I think I am definitely going to get the twenty ounce handheld bottle because I went through two ten ounce bottles on my run today. Not only did I have plenty of fluids, but there was a little bit of a breeze that helped cool me off. I think I am acclimating to the heat pretty well. I sweat way more than I used to. By the end of the summer, I should be able to give Terri a run for her money. I had a bit of my own puddle in my wake today.

I didn't feel super speedy or strong, but I felt fine. I did a couple short fartleks just to see if my feet could move faster. They can. I am looking forward to my sharpening phase of this training coming up in a few weeks, when I can do a few miles at race pace or faster. I think for a seven mile run after taking an entire week off, I didn't do half bad.

After my run, I joined my family at our friend's house to swim. I feel a little bad for not showering before getting in the pool. Sweat isn't bad for pools is it? I figure that my husband and his buddies use that hot tub every week after basketball, so one little runner girl isn't going to make a difference.

Happy Running, everyone!

*according to Google Earth.
** actually, I write this for dramatic effect. Where I live is right around eleven miles from the border and I can see Mexico from my house. However, even those few miles further south seem to make a difference of a few degrees.
***no, I didn't run to Mexico. I ran around a nice little lake and some neighborhoods.

Diagnosis

After a brief visit with my doctor who did an EKG to rule out any cardiac issues, I have been cleared for running. **insert happy dancing Lisa here** That is the good news. I have what the doctor referred to as chondrochondritis. It is not an easy thing to find on Google, but it is basically the inflammation of the tissue between the ribs. The bad news is that it takes four to six weeks to heal.

Running won't exacerbate the injury*, but if the movement hurts, I should just slow down or walk. The only treatment for this is rest, anti-inflammatories, heating pad etc. It hurts as much as a broken rib and is treated nearly the same way-- with time. She did tell me to hug myself before coughing or sneezing to minimize pain.

I'm glad I went in and ruled out anything serious. I was pretty sure what it was, but I am happy with myself that I played it smart. So I am back to running tomorrow. I think I'll wait a week or two before I start adding in my hill repeats and speed work. Nice and easy is the motto of the week.

Thanks for all your support and well-wishes.

*For those of you who missed it, I went water skiing last week and through either a fall or twisting or overexerting, I injured my chest.