Sun and Snow in San Diego

I love returning home from vacation only to find that Caltrans has plowed a huge snow berm in front of our driveway. We were able to bust through the berm only to get stuck about 50 feet up the road in about 18 inches of wet, heavy snow. Ahhh, home sweet home. The thought of 70 degrees in San Diego came flitting through my mind. Is it too late to head back there? :)

San Diego was fun. My folks took care of the kids while Pat and I attended firefighting classes and stuffed our brains full of new information. This was a rest week for me and it was much needed. My lower legs are really killing me. Not sure if it's muscular or bone. It hurts anytime I run and even walking or going up/down stairs hurts. I took a couple days completely off hoping it would help but it didn't. Running or resting doesn't seem to make it better or worse but it's getting frustrating. I will probably call the doctor on Monday. I feel like I'm in the same boat as Sarah and Addy, we're all dealing with injuries that are hampering our training and I know we're all very frustrated by it.

I was able to run the majority of the days, mostly on sidewalks and bike trails which are concrete which didn't help. I was actually seeking out asphalt! One day we headed about 1 1/2 hours NE of San Diego to our family ranch. I'm running the Big Sur Marathon in April with my 2 cousins so we were able to get out for a trail run around the ranch property. The pace was very slow and we ran through burn areas from the Witch Fire. It was great to see parts of the ranch I'd never seen before. The fire opened up roads that had been severely overgrown with chaparral. As it is everytime we get together, more time was spent jabbering than running. Thanks to all the rain both lakes are full and overflowing. Unfortunately, it was cold and overcast. At one point it was even snowing a little bit and then the rain came (not during the run but later). Welcome to sunny Southern California! One of the reasons for the visit was to affix my grandma's plaque on a rock in our family cemetery. She died last year on my birthday and I miss her very much.

My family at the cemetery

I've been paying a lot of attention to my heart rate during my easy runs and it's amazing how easy the runs are when you work on keeping your heart rate really low. :) I think I fall into the category where I spend too much time running a "medium" effort. Then my hard isn't hard enough and my easy isn't easy enough. I know some people don't like to be a "slave" to watches, monitors, beeps, bells, and whistles but I'm a numbers freak. If I do a run I have to know how far or how long or it just doesn't count.

Caitlyn with her cousins PJ and Bailey at the back lake

I'm trying not to get discouraged about my legs but it's hard. I don't know if it's something I can run through and it will heal or if I'm doing more damage by running. I have Rucky Chucky 50K in 6 weeks but if I have to cancel I'll volunteer. The season is very young. Good luck to Addy and Sarah with your PT. Knowing that you guys (and others) are battling injuries helps me stay positive. And Sarah, I'm glad your hiatus was short! I'd miss your entries.

Running through part of the burn from the Witch fire

The girls enjoyed living in a hotel for 5 days and we even got to take advantage of the heated pool. My folks and girls visited The Midway which is something Pat and I hope to do next time. We explored parks and even a lighthouse. All in all, a good week.

Pat and Sara getting some pool time

Past and present