I’m in California this week for work. Meetings and retreats for all.
I’ll get some pictures up soon. Oh, and I’m getting a guest on Friday.

Kate and I went to Newton this past weekend to visit the kids.

Leaving Gardner… where all me gold is.

Truckin through the storm.

Kate reading to Maddox

The star of the show is still a little crabby these days.

Kate returns from Kamp today! It’s been way too long.

A little over two weeks ago, I started out on a 10 mile run with Kate… unfortunantly the sharp pain in my knee cut our run short. By the time I hobbled home, I could hardly bend my knee. Walking was a chore for about two days. My siter-in-law, Emily, diagnosed my injury as being IT band friction syndrome. Basically the IT band, or iliotibial band, is a rubber-band like length of tissue that runs from your upper thigh and attaches below your knee to help stabilize things. Every time you bend your knee, this band changes position and rubs against the side of your knee (the lateral epicondyle to be specific).

Last Thursday Kate made another visit into town, this time we went shopping for new shoes. We went to Elite Feet where owner Don knew well of my ITB troubles and had several suggestions. He studied the way I walked and determined slight over pronation… where I tend to roll my foot while walking (and running). He fitted me with some
Sauconys and sent me on my way. Then Sunday I went golfing with Ty, my pastor who ran the New York Marathon last year, and he had similar issues with his IT band and offered some stretches.

Last night I finally got around to returning to my running regiment. Like doc Emily suggested, I took it easy this first time out… lots of pre warmup stretching and started with a walk then eventually into a easy jog. Well, maybe I didn’t ease into things too well, because about a mile into it, the knee pain started coming back. I immediately stopped the maddness and laid down on the sidewalk trying to stretch the pain away. I turned back and walked the whole way home, listening to my knee laughing at me for trying to run again.

Now it isn’t much of a secret that I really don’t like running. You might say that prior to this marathon nonsense, I avoided running like it was a Teletubby. But I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run the autumn streets of New York with Kate, and see the sights amid a cheering crowd of 2 million. After last night I’m beginning to wonder if my body will even let me get close to the 26.2 mile finish line… and it pisses me off. So now it gets personal and I have to run just to spite my own body. And to see if I can keep up with Kate “the machine” Miller.