Rest, relax, refresh

View from our condo!

What better place to begin summer training than Hawaii? Last week, I did just that - I spent 8 wonderful days on vacation in beautiful Kauai with my boyfriend, Avi, and his family. A week of relaxation in paradise was just what I needed as I finished up my 2 week post-season break from running and began my summer training. 

Arriving in Hawaii at the end of 2 full weeks of no running, I had high hopes that the time off had given my ailing knee time to heal and recover. On the first morning in Kauai, I got up early and headed out to test the knee on a run. Although it wasn't 100% pain-free, I was able to reacquaint my body with running and slowly ease back into things. Throughout the week I was cautious not to jump back in too fast, but thankfully I've been able to run without too much pain. It helps that running along the beautiful ocean is a proven pain-reliever :)

To maintain fitness during my time off, I'd been cross-training in the pool. I find swimming to be incredibly relaxing - there's something meditative about it. When I'm lap swimming, I get in the pool and just zone out. But when I swim in open water, that's another story... for me, swimming in oceans, lakes, and rivers is absolutely terrifying! This fear poses a problem when on a swimming- and snorkeling-filled trip to Hawaii... I know it's irrational, but I have a terrible fear of deep, dark water and the creepy creatures that live in the ocean's depths. Thankfully, I was able to brave the open water and overcome my fears... and surprise surprise, I fell in love with snorkeling!

Once I got over my fear of fish, giant waves, and deep water, I had a great time. Avi and I spent countless hours in the water: boogie-boarding at Brenneke's Beach, snorkeling at Poipu, swimming with sea turtles along the reef at Tunnels Beach, and jumping off rocks at the Queen's Bath lava pools.

In between all the fun in the water, we did a lot of hiking (to counteract the copious amount of macadamia nut ice cream I ate during the trip!). Avi, his sister, her husband, and I hiked through beautiful Waimea Canyon, accurately dubbed "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." We also did an 8-mile trek on the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast, out to Hanakapi'ai Beach and then up to a waterfall. I was really excited about this trail, as Runner's World recently touted it as one of the 25 best trail runs in America: 

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511--13959-2-1X2X3X4X5-6,00.html

. However, after hiking it I beg to differ. Very few parts of the trail would have been safe to run on. In fact, during our hike a woman fell, rolled an ankle, and had to be rescued by a helicopter (the trail is only accessible on foot or by boat or helicopter). The trail is strenuous but great for hiking; but runners, take caution.

Rocking the knee brace while hiking the Kalalau Trail, overlooking Ke'e Beach

The week in Kauai was the perfect way to rest and relax. Although I'm bummed to be back in stormy, cold California, I'm feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and excited for what the summer holds! I'm excited to be back training and chasing my Olympic Trials dream, which is just 13 short months away... 

Until next time, run joyfully!

Kaitlin

A big scare... but a false alarm

I'm currently taking my 2 weeks off from running, as is typical of most runners at the end of the season. After a long past few months of training and racing, my body needed some downtime. Also, after Bay to Breakers my knee was bothering me, so it seemed like a logical time to take a break. Out of the blue, my knee had become swollen and painful. I was concerned but didn't worry about it too much, thinking that by taking some time off of running, the knee pain would dissipate and anything lingering injury would heal itself.


However, after a few days off of running my knee was still bugging me, even while walking around and especially when going up and down stairs. After consulting with the trainers at USF and a doctor at St. Mary's, I was suddenly faced with the possibility that I'd torn my meniscus. I went from thinking I had some fluke knee pain that would go away on its own to hearing that I might need surgery and would be out for 4-6 weeks. News like that sure does knock the wind out of you, in a kick-you-in-the-stomach, turn-your-world-upside-down kind of way. My vision of a perfect summer of training quickly vanished, replaced by nightmarish memories of last summer, which I spent recovering from gallbladder surgery. The thought of going through another surgery (and the subsequent long recovery, break from running, and lost fitness) was almost more than I could bear. I got an MRI on Saturday and then spent the rest of the weekend waiting for Monday to arrive, when I'd hear the test results.


Thankfully, on Monday morning I got the phone call saying that the MRI showed no sign of a tear - THANK GOD! False alarm - phew!! Of course, I was tremendously relieved. The MRI did show some inflammation and fluid in the knee, so I do need to do some rehab to take care of this mini-injury, but the prognosis is MUCH better than it could have been. The wonderful trainers at USF are taking good care of me and with ice, stim, and anti-inflammatories, I should be clear to start running again very soon.


There's nothing quite like a scare and the threat of having running taken away from you to make you realize how much you value and love the sport. At times this year I've questioned whether pursuing a running career is the best choice for me. Should I be going to grad school? Should I have moved to Cleveland to be with my boyfriend? Or what about fulfilling another dream of mine - to live and work in Washington DC - is that the life path I should be on? 


When faced with the possibility of losing my ability to run (albeit only for 4-6 weeks, but for a runner that's a lifetime), I realized that while there are many opportunities available to me, right now I'm right where I'm supposed to be. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than living in San Francisco chasing this Olympic Trials dream. Grad programs will still be accepting applicants after the Olympic Trials, planes continue to fly to Cleveland, and Washington DC isn't going anywhere. For right now, I'm a runner.


While this injury scare made for a stressful weekend, it's also reinvigorated my passion for the sport, heightened the intensity with which I pursue my goals, and reminded me to always, always run joyfully, because you never know when things can change in the blink of an eye.