The Green Girl's Athens Marathon Training Schedule

The Green Girl is ready to start ramping up the mileage in preparation for the Athens Classic Marathon.

After struggling with posterior tibial tendonitis for so long, I had a hard time even looking at a training plan because I wasn't sure if my foot would hold up.

After doing San Francisco and Rockin' The Coto Trail, I am finally feeling confident enough to start seriously thinking about Athens.

Wk	Date	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	08/16- 08/22	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	3 mi	Pilates	17 mi	Walk
2	08/23- 08/29	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	3 mi	Pilates	10 mi	Walk
3	08/30- 09/05	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	3 mi	Pilates	15 mi	Walk
4	09/06- 09/12	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	4 mi	Pilates	17 mi	Walk
5	09/13- 09/19	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	4 mi	Pilates	13 mi	Walk
6	09/20- 09/26	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	4 mi	Pilates	19 mi	Walk
7	09/27- 10/03	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	5 mi	Pilates	12 mi	Walk
8	10/04- 10/10	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	5 mi	Pilates	20 mi	Walk
9	10/11- 10/17	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	5 mi	Pilates	12 mi	Walk
10	10/18- 10/24	Kickbox	Track Workout	Kickbox	3 mi	Pilates	8 mi	Walk
11	10/25- 10/31	Kickbox	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	Athens Marathon

Sole Runners Post San Francisco Marathon Social

The Green Girl attended the Sole Runners post San Francisco Marathon social at McKenna's On The Bay last night.

Coach Steve invited Dr. Michael Day from the Advanced Wellness Center to be our guest speaker.

Coach Steve started off the evening by describing and demonstrating the three planes of motion in which we move:

• Sagittal - forward or backward
• Frontal - side to side
• Transverse - rotational

He explained when we run, we are moving in the sagittal plane because we are moving forward.

Dr. Day emphasized the importance of range of motion in the planes in terms of preventing and treating muscular imbalances. Range of motion refers to the normal range of movement of a joint from full flexion to full extension.

According to Dr. Day's 'The Balanced Runner is a Thriving Runner':

A runner must be balanced front to back, side to side, and rotationally (no excess rotation on one side of a joint). Any deviation changes the nerve firing pattern and causes a faulty nervous system to fire improper messages for running.

Everything Dr. Day talked about coincided with what Dr. Gonzales had mentioned during my visit last month.

Dr. Day showed us some functional exercises we could use in our warm-up routine.

A couple of the exercises were of particular interest to me since Dr. Gonzales had mentioned I had issues with my left gluteus medeus.
One of them was the 'plank primer'. For this exercise, you start off in plank position. Then you lift one of your legs and rotate your toes outwards until your foot is parallel to the floor. You hold this for three seconds and then repeat on the other side.

The other exercise was 'balance and swing'. For this one, you stand with one leg at 90° and then you swing that leg back and forth in a running motion while alternating arm swings before repeating on the other side.

Each time Dr. Day reiterated the importance of the core and the glutes, I was reminded how crucial it is for me to learn how to start using my glutes when I run.

Dr. Day ended his talk with a question and answer session. Between the Sole Runners, we may well have covered the spectrum of common runner injuries.

Following Dr. Day, Coach Steve went around and congratulated the San Francisco Half and full Marathon finishers.

The sun set created a fiery glow over the marina as we chatted about running and caught up with one another.

San Francisco Half Marathon Race Report

The Green Girl represented Team Jamba Juice as she ran over the Golden Gate Bridge at the San Francisco Half Marathon this weekend.

Rad Runner Girl and I flew up to San Francisco first thing Saturday morning. My sister, Patti, picked us up at the airport and we headed straight to the Expo. The goodie bags were reusable drawstring backpacks with spaces for us to fill in our bib numbers on the back. The Half Marathon shirts were an aqua blue with a drawing of the bridge with either 13.1 or 26.2 printed on the deck.

We browsed the booths and collected free samples. I picked up some replacement bottles for my Nathan Speed 4 hydration belt. I also ended up purchasing a Neoprene Double Pouch from iFitness to use on shorter runs.

As we walked around, I handed out Jamba Juice coupons to the Expo participants and even to some of the exhibitors.

After the Expo, we checked into the Hotel Vitale. I had stayed there last year and felt the convenience and ambiance were worth the price.

Next, we crossed the street to the Ferry Marketplace for some lunch where we got to meet up with another blogger, Jill.

After lunch, we walked around the Mission District. For dinner, our friends, Jackie and Janey, joined us for some burritos Papalote. For dessert, we stopped by Bi-Rite Creamery for some unusual ice cream flavors. I had a scoop of Balsamic Strawberry. My sister had her favorite, Ricanelas, which tasted exactly like a snickerdoodle.

When we returned to the hotel, we went through the usual pre-race preparations before we settled in for the night.

Rad Runner Girl and I were dressed and ready when my friend, Leah, from SparkPeople and her friend, Maria, knocked on our hotel door early the next morning. Downstairs in the lobby, we met up with Jackie and Janey before we headed across the street to the Starting Line.

I was in Corral 8 so my start time was an hour later. I hung out with Jackie, Janey, Leah, and Maria, for a bit and then I headed down to my Corral to meet up with the Sole Runners so I could cross the Starting Line with Babak, Betty, and Jim.

The race course started out northbound along the Embarcadero towards Fisherman's Wharf and then veered west towards Ghirardelli Square before passing Crissy Park and leading us to the Golden Gate Bridge.

I felt really good. My body was free of aches and pains - my hamstring soreness was completely gone.

Instead of using a set run/walk interval, I just ran until I felt tired and then walked until I felt satisfied. Since I'm a strong hill runner, I ran up every hill and walked down a lot of them. This strategy worked well for me.

I loved running across the bridge with the fog. The weather was absolutely perfect.

Before I reached the end of the bridge, the deck was re-opened and the runners were routed back up on the sidewalk. I was forced to maneuver myself between the oncoming runners and the walkers going in my direction.

By the time I looped back onto the bridge, the crowd had grown sparse. When I got to the streets, I discovered they were no longer blocked off and we were forced to obey the traffic rules. I may be a true back of the packer, but I never had to wait for the crosswalk signal to change before. Some intersections didn't even have signal lights or stop signs so we had to creep out cautiously and then sprint across.

Not easily discouraged, I maintained my pace and kept going. Despite the fact that it didn't even really look like I was still participating in a race, I knew I was making good timing.

As I was running through the Presidio, I spotted what appeared to be a large branch covered in pine cones.

Jackie, Janey, and Rad Runner Girl were waiting for me at the Finish Line. My official time was 03:10:02.

The post-race area was still well stocked with food and beverages for the runners. The blueberry scones in individual paper sleeves were amazing.

We took the shuttle back to the Embarcadero for the post-race party so I could stop by the Jamba Juice booth before heading back to the hotel for a nice, hot shower.

I was pleased that my second race representing Team Jamba Juice also went really well.

The Green Girl's San Francisco Half Marathon Playlist ♪

The Green Girl is too tired to download any more songs. For better or worse, this will be my playlist.

The Green Girl Is Ready For The San Francisco Half Marathon

The Green Girl is all packed for San Francisco Half Marathon.

There are only a couple of things I still need to do when I get off work today. I am going to see if I can find some black running pants to wear with my Team Jamba Juice shirt at the Expo tomorrow.

I also want to download more songs for my new mp3 player.

The Green Girl's Packing List

Luggage

• Slippers
• Pajamas
• Pillow case
• Socks
• Underwear
• Sports bras
• Swimsuit
• Spare hair elastics
• Flashlight
• Clorox wipes
• Belt
• Toiletry kit
• Vitamins
• Peaceful Mountain Anti-Chafe
• Peaceful Mountain Muscle Ice
• Phiten discs
• Sunscreen
• Sports tape
• Ice pack
• Team Jamba Juice baseball cap
• Team Jamba Juice shorts
• Grey throwaway fleece
• Sole Runners shirt
• Long-sleeved white shirt
• White t-shirt
• Blue REI capris
• Grey REI capris

Backpack

• Nathan Speed 4 hydration belt
• Bottle for hydration belt
• Bottle with Gatorade powder for hydration belt
• Chocolate PowerBar
• Honey Stinger Cherry Blossom chews
• Black Cherry Clif Shot Bloks
• Mr. Green Garmin
• Mr. Green Garmin charger
• Mr. Green Garmin heart rate monitor
• Mobile phone charger
• Digital camera charger
• MP3 player
• Jacket
• Team Jamba Juice shirt
• Jamba Juice bag
• Jamba Juice coupons
• Exercise journal
• Eagle Creek Comfort Travel Pillow

I've discovered after trial and error that the easiest way to travel with my hydration belt is to simply attach it to my backpack.

I always compare my list against Coach Steve & Gary's Race Day Checklist for a sanity check.

The Green Girl's New Creative Zen Nano Plus

The Green Girl isn't exactly sure how to say this but she had to say goodbye to her iRiver iFP-795T today.

I purchased my first mp3 player, an iRiver iFP-390T back in 2005. My faithful iFP-390T got me from the CoolRunning.com Couch-To-5k program to my very first marathon.

When my iFP-390T died, I was devastated, but my friend, Chris, managed to locate an iFP-795T collecting dust in the back of his closet for me. The iFP-795T was manufactured in the same year as the iFP-390T but instead of 256 MB, now I had 512. I was finally able to expand my musical library.

Sadly, I had to bid farewell to the iFP-795T tonight.

Some things don't change, though, and I'm still a cheap Green Girl so I begged my boyfriend to give me his spare Creative Zen Nano Plus and he agreed. It's going to take some getting used to because I've grown so accustomed to the iRiver players but it will be nice to be able to update the playlist because I haven't been able to add any new songs to my old player for over a year.

I'm currently in the process of putting together a running mix for San Francisco Half Marathon.

The Green Girl's Track Walk and Stretch

Last night, the Green Girl attended her second Sole Runners track workout at Long Beach State.

After my positive experience last week, I was looking forward to another productive session.

My only concern was a nagging pain in the middle my left hamstring that I woke up with on Sunday. I had applied a couple Phiten Discs and the pain had gone away so I was hopeful I'd be able to run.

I got stuck in traffic and missed the ChiRunning body looseners. I arrived just as they were starting to do the three easy laps around the track.

Once we warmed up, Coach Steve had us start the 100 meter drills. He had us do skipping, high knees, heel kicks, and crossovers. The heel kicks aggravated my hamstring. I opted out of the crossovers again for fear of re-spraining my ankle.

After the drills, we walked a lap before we moved to the fast running. I ran a single lap at a medium pace but the pain in my hamstring became constant so I stopped. I talked to one of the mentors, Matt, and he recommended I walk, do some stretching and ice when I get home. I slowly walked a couple more laps and then laid out my yoga mat and sat down. George, aka 'Hillbilly Yoga', showed me some stretches for the hamstring.

After I felt I had sufficiently stretched my sore hamstring, I got back up to walk a few more laps.

A loud rumble in the sky caught our attention and we all looked up at some sort of large military plane flying overhead.

We followed our track workout with our usual post-run yoga.

When I got home, I iced my hamstring and then did some light stretching and foam rolling before I went to bed. I will book a massage today and take off the remainder of the week to allow my hamstring to heal before San Francisco on Sunday.

The Green Girl's Run Down Memory Lane

The Green Girl spent her Fourth of July holiday weekend up in Northern California visiting her family. I don't usually do long runs when I'm up here because it takes time away from my early bird niece but with the San Francisco Half Marathon less than a month away so I thought I'd make an exception.

There is something intensely liberating about runs where I have no route or destination in mind. This was going to be one of them. It was pitch dark out when I headed out with my trusty headlamp.

I ran past the Saratoga Parent Nursery School where my youngest sister attended preschool.

As I continued down Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd., I decided to run up and down the halls of my former high school, Saratoga High.

I finally got to see the mural on the outside wall of the school's Little Theater. The mural depicts the Little Theater's first-ever production, 'Our Town'. The image was created by students, Doug Leverich and Jim VanOver. Before the sketch for the mural was complete, Leverich was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He finished the sketch knowing he would probably not live to see the completion of the mural. He was a freshman when he participated in the play, and in the mural, he is displayed as a graying figure.

From there, I decided to head downtown Saratoga. I followed Big Basin Way through The Village but had to turn around at Hakone Gardens when the road became too narrow for me to run safely on the shoulder.

As I was running back through downtown, I started scanning for possible bathroom options - a squat behind some bushes was not a option. I sprinted to Wildwood Park to find locked public restrooms. Luckily, I found relief at the The Inn at Saratoga.

Feeling like a new Green Girl, I decided to go along my old high school P.E. class running route. I laughed at the memory of me hitching rides with friends to avoid having to run the full distance. Feeling nostalgic, I decided to head over to my former junior high, Redwood Middle School.

I went south on Fruitvale Ave. until I reached a good halfway mileage point. I decided to cross over and ended up winding around the De Anza College campus. I followed the path my dad used to teach me to drive a car back when I was a freshman in high school. The empty parking spaces reminded me of the hours I spent learning to park in between the painted lines.

The run was emotionally satisfying for me. I was able to mentally work through some unresolved issues from my past that I had managed to avoid for well over a decade.

I was also pleased to see I was still feeling the positive effects from my ART session. My calves felt really good throughout the entire run. My only caveat would be to avoid ball pits after ART. Ha.

When I got back to my parent's house, I quickly showered and threw on my swimsuit to take my niece to the Aqua Adventure Waterpark. The cold water felt really refreshing after my long run.

The Green Girl Is Struggling To Find A Balance

The Green Girl is struggling to find a balance between increasing her mileage in preparation for the San Francisco Half Marathon and staying healthy and injury-free.

Since I switched over to the 1012's, I haven't felt any posterior tibial tendonitis pain. My plantar fasciitis has improved as well.

I've been very conservative on my mileage up to this point. I finally feel the confidence to get some longer runs in but I also need to keep a close eye on my acidity levels. I'm finding The Ultimate Workout Log really helpful because it enables me to track exactly how I'm feeling each day. In addition to energy and pH levels, I'm tracking things like stress levels and swollen lymph nodes.

June has become an exceptionally busy month so I need to be careful not to push myself too hard.

Phiten's Magical Micro-Titanium Spheres

Phiten is named after "phi Φ," which symbolizes a perfect balance in the natural world.

The Phiten company was founded in Japan in 1982 by Yoshihiro Hirata, an alternative medicine practitioner.

According to Phiten, their scientists discovered a method of dissolving titanium in water to create micro-titanium spheres. They refer to this as the Phild Process. Phiten's 'Aqua-Titanium' is composed of these micro-titanium spheres and supposedly can be absorbed into fabric like dye.

This Aqua-Titanium is used in the Phiten necklaces and apparel. They claim their products can improve your circulation and reduce muscle stress based on the theory that stiff muscles and fatigue may be caused by distruptions in the flow of your body's bio-electric current. Phiten says the entire fabric is permeated with the Aqua-Titanium and is capable of emitting energy to effectively control the body's bio-electric current to improve the alignment of the body's positive and negative ions.

I was first exposed to Phiten when I noticed Paula Radcliffe was always wearing a sporty-looking necklace around her neck when she ran. I discovered she had her very own Paula Radcliffe Rakuwa Necklace.

I was intrigued by the whole theory behind the titanium infused products.

In Little Tokyo, shopping with my Mum, I ran across a vendor selling Phiten products. My Mum picked up on my curiousity combined with my Paula Radcliffe adoration and she purchased a Phiten Star Bracelet for me.

Truth be told, while sporty and cool looking, the bracelet didn't change my life. It didn't cure the tendonitis in my right wrist even though I wore it religiously. Regardless, my afinity for Phiten remained because of the association with Paula Radcliffe. I even purchased a Phiten Titanium Tribal x30 Necklace just in case it could promote my overall body health.

Following a bad ankle sprain at the beginning of last year, I was diagnosed with posterior tibial tendonitis. Not being able to run any significant distance without intense arch pain was devastating.

Undertrained and not fully healed, I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to complete the San Francisco Half Marathon. During my brief training, I had been using the Phiten Titanium discs on my arch and it seemed to offer some pain relief so I could only hope that my faith in Phiten would help me get to the Finish Line. I also noticed the days I ran without the discs, my foot hurt a little more.

Like I mentioned in race report, the Friday before the race, I got my arch taped up with the Phiten Titanium discs and tape at the Phiten store in Torrance. When I was able to run the entire San Francisco Half Marathon completely pain-free, I became a true Phiten believer.

The California Dreamin' Green Girl

The Green Girl did cross the finish line of the San Francisco Half Marathon and she completed the California Dreamin' Racing Series! Whoo hoo!

Friday before the race, I got my arch taped up with Phiten Titanium discs and tape at the Phiten store in Torrance. I'm a true believer in the power of Phiten's titanium. I have a Phiten necklace and an anklet, too. For the race, I gave my foot extra arch support with regular sports tape.

I flew up to San Jose Saturday morning. My sister, Patti, picked me up at the airport and we drove up to San Francisco.

We met up with some fellow California Dreamin' Sparkers at the Ferry Marketplace. We were all anxious to check out the The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. We walked around and looked at all the fresh produce. We even got to do a berry tasting. For lunch, my sister and I shared a mediocre muffaletta and some French macaroons.

After we finished eating, we headed over to the Expo. At the Expo, I ran into Penny. My favorite part of the expo was the foam roller section where I got to roll to my heart's (and IT band's) delight.

For dinner, I met up with some former Team In Training teammates and friends at Capps Corner for some Italian food. During dinner, one of my friends mentioned he had gone to this ice cream place, Humphrey Slocombe, that served really unusual flavors like Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, and Thai Chili Lime. As soon as dinner was over, my sister and I headed over there to try these unique flavors out for ourselves. I sampled the Hibiscus Beet and the Peanut Butter Curry. My sister, the alcoholic, ordered the Secret Breakfast which is a mix of cornflakes and bourbon. I ended up getting the Peanut Butter Curry.

I was exhausted by the time we got back to our Hotel Vitale. My sister picked out the accommodations and she could not have done a better job - we were literally across the street from the Starting Line. The shuttle that would take me to the Starting Line for the Second Half was also right in front of our hotel. It could not have been more perfect. It was comforting to go to sleep knowing I wouldn't have to be rushed in the morning because I was already right there.

In the morning, I met up with the California Dreamin' Sparkers before they started the First Half Marathon and then I hopped on the shuttle to the Starting Line for the Second Half. The morning was chilly so I was glad I had my bright yellow 'throw-away' sweatshirt to keep my warm.

The race start was uneventful - I wasn't even sure when we started but the crowd started moving so I followed them. I started off a little faster that I would have liked to but it felt good to be running. My arch felt good so I was happy.

The first half of the Second Half was mostly uphill so I ran up the hills and alternated between running and walking on the flat parts. I was determined to stick to my plan of running uphill, walking downhill, and just listening to my body. Along the way, I heard someone call out my name and it was L.A. Runner! I was so excited to finally meet him in person.

I made really good timing on the uphill portion. I couldn't believe it when I passed the 3:00 pace group and then the 2:45 pace group!

The second half was almost all downhill so I walked a lot. I tried jogging down a slight incline and my arch got a little sore so I immediately stopped. Besides, I had made such good timing in the first half so I knew I was in good shape. Both the 3:00 and 2:45 pace groups flew by me on one of the downhills.

Around mile 12, it really began to sink in that I was going to cross the Finish Line and complete the California Dreamin' Series. I suddenly became really emotional. I was amazed by the amount of progress I was able to make in just seven weeks. I thought about all my family and friends who helped me raise $3,065.00 for Angelman Syndrome research. I thought about my niece and how I was looking forward to finishing the race, getting my medal, getting my California Dreamin' Jacket and medal, and then heading back to San Jose to spend time with her.

The Green Girl Is Ready For San Francisco

The Green Girl is ready for the San Francisco Half Marathon. No, the Green Girl is not planning on setting any personal records, but she will cross that Finish Line before the marathon cut-off at 12:42.

My right arch is finally doing much better after getting the magical* orthotics. It's amazing to me that those inserts can make such a noticeable difference in how I feel when I can't even tell I'm wearing them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - just making an observation.

I'm so relieved I won't have to tell everyone who donated that I won't be able to run the race due to an injury.

No, I have not done any hill training. And, no, I don't plan on running any hills before the race. I don't want to risk injuring myself at this point. My longest run has been 10 miles. My plan is to listen to my body. I'm not going to follow any specific run:walk intervals. I'm going to jog up hills and walk down every single one of them. This will be about self-preservation, crossing the Finish Line, and completing the California Dreamin' Racing Series.

* Even my podiatrist agreed they were "magical" when I was able to run 10 pain-free miles in them.

The Green Girl Squeaks Along

The Green Girl got her spiffy new orthotics yesterday. The podiatrist said it will take 2-4 weeks for me to break them in. The Green Girl doesn't have that kind of time so to help speed things up, she is wearing them in her running shoes with her work clothes today. The funny thing is that the left orthotic is squeaking really loudly. I think it's really obvious when I'm walking around the office but we all know a squeaky shoe is a small price to pay when we have more important things we need to be focusing on!

The podiatrist had specifically ordered full length orthotics because I had mentioned how I had gotten a pair years ago for plantar fasciitis that only extended from the heel to the ball of my foot and I could feel the edge of the orthotic under my foot and it drive me crazy. Those orthotics ended up in the trash in no time.

I even got to keep the plaster of paris molds of my faithful short, wide feet which can be re-used for future orthotics.

One thing that made me feel really good was the podiatrist - who is also a runner! - studied my running shoes for a really long time. He stared at them from the back and then put them on the floor. And then he finally said, 'These shoes are really good for you.'

Hopefully, if I walk around in them today and tomorrow, I'll be able to get a good run in them on Saturday.

The Green Girl Does Marathon Math

Thank you so much for all your advice. After reading all your replies, I'm feeling a lot better.

I should be getting my orthotics this week. The podiatrist taped up my foot again last week when I got fitted for the orthotics and I was able to run 4.5 miles Friday night. I didn't run as fast as I did at the Wrigley River Run but I was able to maintain a steady pace and ended up averaging about a 15 minute mile.

Now that my running confidence is slowly increasing, I'm cautiously optimistic about San Francisco.

Which brings me to my next point. I'm trying to do marathon math. More specifically, San Francisco Marathon and Half Marathon math.

Now, my math is based on the fact that the slowest people always start last, right? And they are the slowest so they will take the longest.



The last Wave Start for the full marathon is 06:42. Almost 07:00, right? Assuming the slowest runners take 6 hours (this is coming from a girl who finished her marathon in just over 7.5), that means they will be finishing just before 13:00.



The Green Girl is doing the second half of the marathon and will also be in the last Wave Start which is 08:35. The website says The 6-hour time limit will begin after the last runner in the last wave has cleared the Start Line. Doesn't that mean the Green Girl has until 12:42 to cross the Finish Line?

The Green Girl Needs Some Running Advice

The Green Girl needs some running advice. I have seven weeks until the San Francisco Half Marathon.

I haven't run in months. I somehow managed to do the Wrigley River Run 5k yesterday in 00:37:59 but when I woke up this morning, my legs felt like I had done a 15 miler.

My foot is feeling a lot better but it's not 100%. I have the follow-up visit with the podiatrist tomorrow to discuss orthotics.

What do you guys think I should focus on in these seven weeks? My only goal for San Francisco is to cross the finish line in one piece. I am not trying to PR and I don't care if I walk more than I run - I just want to finish. I'm terrified to push my foot too much so I don't want to do too much running but I'm also concerned I'm going to have a rough time with the hills in San Francisco. I was pretty tired yesterday at mile 1.3 and after that, I walked quite a bit.

To try and heal my foot, I hardly worked out at all the past two weeks. I did some crunches and push-ups but I lost motivation and slacked big-time. When I kickboxed today, I realized how much fitness I lost in just two weeks.

I was thinking if the orthotics give my foot enough support, perhaps I could start training on the elliptical again and essentially do the bulk on my training on the elliptical. What do you guys think? That way I could regain my cardiovascular fitness but - assuming my foot isn't bothered by the elliptical with the orthotics like it is right now - not put too much strain on my foot.

The Green Girl Officially Has Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

The Green Girl finally broke down after three months and went to see a licensed professional - a podiatrist today. He confirmed my Internet self-diagnosis of posterior tibial tendonitis. The good news - the silver lining, if you will - is that he was impressed I was still capable of doing on my tiptoes without any pain. He said that means the tendon is still working to a certain extent.

He taped up my foot with an arch pad and he wants me to leave it on for a week and see if it helps. If it does help, he recommends I get some custom orthotics.

I miss running so much. At first, I was watching movies about running and listening to running podcasts while I commuted to my new job. Now I'm at the point that I can't even read an issue of Runner's World because it makes me so depressed. I haven't been posting because I can't bring myself to write about my lack of running. I also feel like there's nothing I can do for a prolonged period of time. The elliptical and the stationary bike make my foot hurt, too. I keep saying I'll go swimming but for some reason, I can't get myself to get my stuff together and go.

When I asked him about the San Francisco Half Marathon, he refused to give me a straight response but commented that 'wasn't much time'.

And The Winner Is...Option 2

The Green Girl wants to thank everyone who participated in her running shirt poll. I ordered the shirt today using the Option 2 design.

The Green Girl's Running Shirt Poll

Since the Green Girl is going to be running the San Francisco Half Marathon in July to raise money for Angelman Syndrome, the Green Girl needs an Angelman Syndrome running shirt.

I will be ordering the shirt from Running Banana because they offer a size XXL for women and that made me one happy Green Girl.

Which Option do you think is the best for the Green Girl?

Option 1:


Option 2:


Option 3:


Poll is closed now.

Here are the results: