August 2005
Monthly Archive
Devastation
Posted by Administrator on 31 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Random Noise
You may or may not know that I used to live in Gulfport, MS. While I lived in Gulfport and Hattiesburg I also made many trips to New Orleans. I know those places very well, and it is horrible to try to pick out landmarks and memories from amidst the rubble we view on the television set this week. I will try to post a few more special pictures this week, but I had this one easily accessible. This picture is from our last trip to New Orleans in October 2004 for the Financial Management Association’s conference. This is outside the Doubletree, which I am sure looks nothing like this. The conference was at the Hyatt, which we heard had all the windows blow out on the upper floors. Both hotels are on Canal Street not far from the Mississippi River and are likely very flooded now.
Falling Apart
Posted by Administrator on 21 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Finance and Economics, Running
The qualifying exams are less than a week away now. I am really starting to stress over it. Bad. Very bad.
I got fitted for new running shoes yesterday. I am the proud new owner of some Mizuno Wave Rider 8 sneakers. They feel great, but since my ankle is still bothering me from Thursday’s run and I am so much in need of study time this week I decided to cut out my weekend workout. I’ll get back on track when this horrible week is finished.
Maybe Someday I’ll Get it Right
Posted by Administrator on 18 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Finance and Economics, Running
So, today I ran in my old sneakers to see if my knee felt any better in shoes not trying to correct for overpronation. Bingo! I didn’t have any of the same knee pain I had been experiencing since the start of my training. The bad news is that I was not running in the old shoes for a reason. They are over a year old and have no cushion left. So, now the back of my heel hurts from striking down for 4 miles with no padding. As we were getting ready to leave the gym today, Trainer Brad asked how the running was going. I told him I thought it would be fine if I could ever get my shoe problems resolved. Physically I feel fine with the mileage, but the pain in my joints from the lack of correct sneaker has been causing me far more grief than muscle pain (I have barely had any of that).
With qualifying exams just a week away, I planned a good study session during Brooke’s nap today. The neighbor’s father, however, had other plans. He decided to cut the grass next door, and he is notorious in our house for taking 3-4 hours to care for a very small yeard. The yard is right next to Brooke’s window. This meant Brooke was not napping. She finally ended up falling asleep in my arms (rocking in the glider) almost two hours past her normal nap time. Over thirty minutes later I could finally put her to bed. Then I had a bunch of work emails to answer. And that is the story about how my big afternoon study plans got thwarted.
A Revelation
Posted by Administrator on 17 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Running
I have known that I have a gait problem for as long as I have known I had knee problems. The problem most discussed is called overpronation. This means that your foot strikes on the outside and then rolls inward too much. Some rolling inward is natural. Too much causes pain and injury when you run a substantial number of miles. Something like 40-50% of people overpronate to some extent and need some kind of stability or motion control show. Since this is so common, it is the subject of most discussions regarding pronation. There is a mention of something called supination or underpronation, but the discussion ends there. So, I assumed I was an overpronator for about 15 years now.
So, what would I say if I told you today I learned that I was wrong and had been wrong for 15 years? Thanks to the prosperity of the Internet, you can get much more information on these conditions. You can actually view what wear patterns on your shoes look like when you are an overpronator, neutral runner, and underpronator. Today I looked at my shoes, compared with the photo on the Internet, and realized that I am an underpronator!! And to make matters worse, I am wearing the wrong kind of shoe!
This actually makes a lot of sense and makes me feel a whole lot better. I got new running shoes a couple of weeks ago. I have been experiencing pain in my “good knee”. Running in my shoes today was downright uncomfortable. I felt like I didn’t have enough room in the midsole area and that my foot was being pinched there due to the tight fit. As a result pain was going up into my ankle and then up to my knee and on to my hip. Well, these are stability shoes that are made for people with overpronation problems. Essentially the shoe is aggrevating my gait problem. Underpronators run on the outer part of the foot (which happens to make us great trail runners and thus is actually a genetic strength from our less civilized days) and don’t roll inward enough. Overpronators roll in too much and thus need a shoe to keep the foot from rolling in. So, my foot needs to be able to roll in and needs extra cushioning to absorb the energy from the outside of the foot. My shoe is keeping my foot from rolling in, which is the last thing in the world I need in a sneaker! Ack! The only thing worse would be an actual motion control shoe!
It is amazing how one small piece of information can cause so much enlightenment. Luckily I spent very little on these sneakers and have found 4 or 5 appropriate shoes that I will try to try on and procure in Birmingham before my next long run this weekend.
Race Against the Clock
Posted by Administrator on 13 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Finance and Economics
Not only am I racing against the clock as far as running, but I am also in a race against the clock with schoolwork. This morning I washed my hands of Finance 301 teaching duties when I entered the final grades into the school computer system. Everyone passed the class, and I feel like for the most part the grades people received are representative of their knowledge and the work that they put into the class. I only hope that I was able to impart them with some knowledge that they will find useful and take with them throughout their lives. This class is notorious for being a tad boring, but my goal was at least to make it relative. I guess I will find out in about 6-8 weeks when I get my teaching evaluations returned.
So, now that the summer session is complete, I can devote all of my energy to studying for the preliminary qualifying exams in 2 weeks. Panic runs cold through my veins when I think about how far behind schedule I am with the studying. So, I should probably leave this post at that and get on with my day so I can pack as much studying in as possible.
New Additions
Posted by Administrator on 09 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Random Noise, Running
I have a new nephew named Dylan!! Here is his web site!
I have also added a new link on the sidebar to my new training log. I have run more than 17 miles this year, but I just started the log last week. Now you can check on my progress and cheer me on!
Sign Me Up!
Posted by Administrator on 05 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Running
I am now officially registered for the 2006 Disney Marathon, and Scott is registered for the half marathon. Let there be no doubt that over-achievement is a mental disorder and that I am one very sick girl.
On My Way?
Posted by Administrator on 02 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Running
This week I am starting to pick up my mileage on the treadmill in preparation for a possible go at the Disney Marathon. Today I ran a little over 4 miles. I ran at a comfortable and easy pace of 10 minutes/mile, which is a slow pace but far faster than the 16 minute/mile you need to do to stay in the marathon (as in not get sweeped for being too slow). I have not run 4 miles at one time since I was 21 years old. That makes this the longest distance I have run in 8 years. And honestly, it didn’t feel bad and I could have kept going. This is a good sign that I would be able to start the training program in 4 weeks. I have not decided, but I will decide very soon. I think you can tell I am leaning towards running it. And Scott is talking about running the half marathon. I hope to post a decision by the end of the week.
The Wiggles
Posted by Administrator on 02 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: Toddler Tales
Sunday evening we took Brooke to her first concert…The Wiggles. The show was really good, and Brooke definitely enjoyed herself. She was a little perplexed at first. To her, The Wiggles are friends who appear on the tv for a short time each day. I think she was like “Hey, what are they doing outside the tv?” Being as she barely speaks, however, we have no idea what she was actually thinking. Brooke was dancing in the aisle and having a blast, and I probably would have been dancing in the aisle too if I didn’t think the people behind me would have been extremely perturbed. The Wiggles are very talented and are a marketing machine. Obviously, we give them money to see their concert. At the concert we are suckered into purchasing a tour T-shirt and a Dorothy the Dinsoaur bucket hat. We buy their DVDs. We have Captain Feathersword and Dorothy the Dinosaur plush toys. We have a Wiggles drum. No wonder they made something like $45 million last year. They wiggle and giggle all the way to the bank.
