I'm so sorry, ennay. That is a huge bummer.....

What is all this talk about SNOW? It was 70 degrees here yesterday. You are all welcome to come and visit me! Bring your sunscreen!

MBN, impressive!! I am proud of all of us, really! Life keeps coming with snow (!), finals, sick kids, healthy kids, injuries, etc., but we are still trucking along as best as we can.

Oh, 3 miles for me today.....

2.25 miles of sprint intervals, my first speedwork session in ages. Unfortunately, I've lost some fitness. Looking forward to regaining it.

Sorry about Boston ENNAY....mucho hugs...at least you get Kenny back!

102/1000 MILES

I know - I am really looking forward to that. I think it was a smart move for the organization. We are not going to be a contender this year, but we love Jr. He started here and we would love to see him end here and I think he will be a good draw and give us some fun in what is probably going to be a lackluster year.

You got Jr. and we got Manny back...our season might have a bit more promise but...no big hopes here.

104.5/1000 MILES

6 miles. I should be getting a Garmin for my birthday next week so I'm super excited to change up my route:carrot:

3.86 yesterday, 4 today. The weather has been cooperative. SM: I hope you enjoy the Garmin.

Ennay: I'm sorry you have to miss Boston, qualifying is such an achievement. Will they let you run next year?

Ennay - sorry about Boston! I know that is a letdown. :hug:

+4 on Tuesday, forgot to update... no internet at home for the last three days...

4.5 miles today.

5.8 miles. ennay i'm sooo sorry to hear that!

it seems like we're losing a lot of people. whats going on? for those who are injured, do you have any tips to avoid injury? i'm getting paranoid!

*sigh*...been a week, but here I am!

I did 3 miles on the elliptical and 1 on the treadmill today. Broke 9 minutes for a mile for the first time in my life today! (8:57!) I actually did 3 miles in under 30 minutes and I was so excited. :)

Ennay, I can feel your disappointment. That sucks.

This is my first day running since sunday. 2 with handweights and a migraine. (And I do not say migraine as in bad headache. I mean real migraine. the first in years. except now that I think about it, I probably had one last month too. ugh.)

I'm not injured, but I have been in the past. Here are my strategies to avoid injury and running "down time":
- Don't ramp up mileage too quickly, 10% per week is rule of thumb.
- Get high quality, properly-fitting shoes and replace them every 300-500 miles, just like they say. The cushioning goes way before the outside shows wear.
- stretch, and stretch, and stretch. Everything.
- cross train, especially strength training to balance leg muscles, strengthen muscles/ligaments around your joints, and to strengthen core muscles.
- pay attention to the little aches and pains and take action if they worsen. Change your shoes, change your training program, and take days off if you need to. That may keep the little pains from working into a real injury that will require weeks and months to recover from.

The most common cause of injury is trying to do too much, too soon. That's exactly what happened to me when I first started running as a 40plus year old female -- I pushed too many miles, too quickly, and ended up with a mild case of hip bursitis, a several week layoff and physical therapy. Fortunately it resolved quickly and I was able to learn from that and build up more sanely, and I haven't had any real problems since.

But, the unfortunate fact is that, even when you try to do everything right, sometimes you still get injured. That sucks, but everyone is different. For some, the high impact pounding is just a bit much for their body to handle.

Oh, and I'm at 204.6 miles year to date!

107.5/1000 MILES

3 miles with the mutts after a short day at work.

4 miles in just under 40 today.