Category Archives: Hiking

Having a blast in AZ!

Posted on April 13, 2013 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

My parents arrived for their visit Friday night, and look at what Ali got before they even walked in the door!! WHAT a spoiled grandchild!

It’s a new Louisville squeaky toy!!! Ali absolutely loved it! See her smile!?

Even Mommy got presents!! Can’t get these anywhere out here!

This is Ali pooped after having Grandmamma and Grandpapa throwing her toy across the room and playing fetch with her all evening Smile .

I got to take them hiking on Telegraph Pass, which was the first trail I ever successfully hiked since I started being active again! They made it to the top and kicked some ass!!

I have texted them this picture from the top of Telegraph SO many times, and today, they got to see it in person! Photos just don’t do this justice!

Sportin’ my Team Chances NYC shirt I had made for NYC Marathon!

On our way down the mountain, this little guy decided to climb out of the flowers he was eating and say hi!

I named him Larry the Lizard. Then, at lunch, we determined that he is, in fact, a Gila Monster! So I have renamed him Javier, the Gila Monster Open-mouthed smile . He really posed for us! He was fearless! Little chunky monkey, too! Too many flowers, buddy!! You better start hiking the trail, too, lol!

We went to lunch with Karen, Susan and Kat today at Pita Jungle. As I’m writing this, I just realized we forgot to take a picture!!!! Dang it!!! It was SO much fun to introduce my parents to some of my amazing friends that I have out here in AZ. They aren’t just friends, they are like family Smile . Thanks so much for having lunch with us you guys!!!

Ok, I just realized that I did get a picture of my Curry Chicken Salad:

Leave it to me to get a picture of my meal and not my friends, lol! It was fantastic, as usual. I love Pita Jungle!

Then, we went shopping at Chandler Mall so I could take Mom to Lululemon for the first time ever!! I also took her to Lush for the first time.

After the mall, we went to have FroYo at Yogurtland-because FroYo is awesome. This is not the last time they will have it in AZ, either, lol!

SO good!! Dad had strawberry cheesecake, Mom had Spiced Chai, Crème Brulee and Red Velvet, and I had Red Velvet and Spiced Chai.

Then, we hung out at my place and watched some TV and called it a night.

More hiking in the morning for us! We’re probably conquering about 6.2 miles on South Mountain. I better finish this up so I can get some sleep!!

Happy Trails!!

Stacey

Posted in Fashion, Hiking

Tagged Ali the Pug, friends, Froyo, hiking, mom and dad, Pita Jungle, South Mountain, Yogurtland

Last Night in The Ville

Posted on April 3, 2013 by pugmamastace| 2 Comments

I’m just sitting here with my parents stuffed off of a veggie pizza from Wick’s. It was excellent!!

Today was a sad, but a good day as well We had Grandpa’s mass this morning, and it was beautiful. I held it together until they placed the American flag over him, then some tears fell. It was great to see my old church and what they have done with it. It is beautiful! The new (to me) pastor is my Grandma’s second cousin, which made things much more personal for her. He was really good and did a great job talking about Grandpa and telling us to “not let out hearts be troubled.”

Here are Mel and Mom and I after the service and lunch:

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Here’s Mel and Johnnie looking nice all dressed up!

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After the service, I went to Walgreens to see my old Wag family. I got to see Joni my pharmacy Mom, Terri, Ann, Jeremy, Ross and Karen.

Then, I went to Tumbleweed to get a little snackypoo that I have to get every time I come home:

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Liquid heaven from Tumbleweed….good thing I don’t live here anymore!

What happens when there’s not a FroYo place down the street?

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I have to tell Mom she’s going to have to buy another box of Skinny Cow!

Sorry Mom!! I have eaten 5, and plan to eat the last one tonight! We’ll go have FroYo when you’re in town and you’ll finally understand…. Winking smile

I had to share this pic I took today on my way home for those of you that are not from this area to illustrate the rivalry between University of Louisville and University of Kentucky:

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It’s a little bit hard to see, but the guy on the left has a U of L shirt on and he’s “pottying” on UK. The rivalry is as big, if not bigger than ASU/U of A for those of you friends that went to either. Thanks random car for the use of your sticker!

I leave tomorrow at about 10:40am and arrive in Phx around 11:40am. It always sucks that it takes an extra hour to fly west against the flow of the weather, but gaining the time is great!! That is, if I end up getting on the flight I picked since I am flying standby. I freed up my entire day just in case my plans don’t work out accordingly. I am so excited to see my Turdlet!!!!

My amazing neighbors Shasta and Jason are watching her for me. All of my friends that I asked to watch her said they would, and I am so grateful for their willingness! Thanks again Karen and Susan for being willing to watch her!!

Although it has been so nice to see family and friends that I haven’t seen in WAY too long, I am already missing the home and life I have made for myself in AZ! Yes, I got divorced, so I technically am alone with regards to family in Phoenix. However, I have truly made a life for myself and have such amazing friends now that I consider my Arizona family. I know my parents probably don’t want to hear this, but I am happy in AZ and don’t plan to move back to Indiana anytime soon. I do want to try to make it back to visit more often, though! I can’t wait to be back and prepare an amazing time for Mom and Dad when they come to visit next week! We are going to hike South Mountain and Camelback, and run/walk Tempe Beach Park and Ahwatukee, and it’s going to be so much fun!!

Next time I’m here in Kentuckiana, I will be running the Derby Festival Half Marathon! Woo hoo!! Keep these broken hammies in your prayers, please, they need it.

Hope ya’ll are having a great week, and I’ll talk atcha soon!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in General, Hiking, Running, Working Out

Tagged Arizona, Family, Grandpa, hiking, Louisville, running, Tumbleweed, Walgreens, Wicks

I Survived The Mud!! Or what mud there was…

Posted on March 30, 2013 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

Ever been to a race in AZ where they run out of water at 2 of the 4 aid stations?? I have! It was called Rogue Runner and it was today! How do you seriously run out of water at aid stations of a 6 mile obstacle race in Arizona and just say “sorry.” Really? At one point, I was parched, and when I got to the first aid station with water at mile 3, I guzzled two large glasses. Best. Water. Ever.

Other than that issue, the race went fine! According to others racing, other similar races (Tough Mudder, Spartan, etc) are way better. I have nothing to compare it to, so I’ll just say it was fun! I would definitely do another mud run now. I am no longer scared of mud or water or climbing walls or anything of the sort. I actually made the last obstacle my bitch! I’ll show a picture of it at the end.

Here are Megan and I before:

Honestly, not my favorite picture of myself, but there were only two taken the entire race-so it is what it is. Posture, Stacey, posture. Work on it.

Here we are afterwards:

We are two badass little ladies, yes we are! We ran almost the entire thing! It was basically a hilly trail run with obstacles about every quarter mile or so. The mud component was actually very minimal. I have seen people much muddier than this at the end of a mud run!

Some of the obstacles they had were climbing a wall with pegs that slipped out if you weren’t careful, going over and under walls, climbing up a rope net to the top of a cliff, a balance beam up and down a wall, going through a huge dumpster full of water and swimming under the wooden dividers, a teeter totter where you ran up and then down the other side, and scooting across muddy wet ground under barbed wire. Oh, and there was the water slide. That was my favorite!!

The last obstacle was a really high wall with diagonal planks that you could run up to get to the top if you were lucky enough to make it up. Here are the pics I promised:

I walked my little self up the diagonal plank and grabbed onto a crack in the wall, grabbed the rope loop and pulled myself up with no help! Woo hoo! Once you were up there at the top, it was cake. Then we ran across the finish line and got these:

We also got really cute shirts!

One more medal to add to my growing collection!

Next medal you ask!?? The Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon!!!!!

Please take my advice and if you ever do one of these runs, wear sunscreen….

Whoopsie!! I kinda forgot about that part….I put some on for the drive home! (Riding topless can get ya burnt realllly fast!) Better late than never I guess….that’s going to hurt tomorrow….

So I would give this race a 6/10. I would’ve given it a 7 or 7.5 had it not been for them RUNNING OUT OF WATER!!!! I’m sure they’ll never hear the end of it from people,and will hopefully come better prepared to AZ next year.

What mud/obstacle course races have you done??

Would you recommend any particular one to do over others??

What’s your next race?

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in Hiking, Running, Working Out

Tagged Mud Run, Rogue Runner Race, running, running hills, running in heat

Happy Trails Again

Posted on March 12, 2013 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

I got back to the trails yesterday after at least a year of not doing them. I remember now why I used to love to hike so much! I ran about 6.5 miles through South Mountain. Of course there were parts that I had to just hike because they were so steep. I probably ran about 80% of it. I gained about 959 feet in elevation, so my quads and calves were really feeling it today! Here’s a picture from my car of the trail I ran. It was a beautiful afternoon!!

Here is a map I doodled on showing the trails I ran. I took Javelina to Mormon Loop to National, back to Mormon Loop and back down Javelina.

Today after PT, I did hot yoga at Sumits Yoga in Chandler. It was way hotter than I was used to, and very intense because of that. I felt my hamstring complain down the back of my leg during one of the poses. I was hoping it was just a little aggravation, but after my run tonight, I’m really not sure. I am going to take the next two work days to rest it and ice/heat it to hopefully rest it enough for my long run this weekend. Hamstring injuries are SO frustrating because any little aggravation could potentially put you back to where you were weeks ago. Back to yoga-it was a great class!! I have 9 more, and can’t wait to do it again! I just have to be conscious of the poses that push my hamstrings the wrong way.

I have a stack of printed recipes that I need to go through so I can continue to broaden my variety of meals I make for myself, and so I can post more recipes on here! The salads I have been making are really good, but they are getting old. My friend Kat put medium rare steak slices, dried cranberries, and quinoa on the salad she made for me, so I might get some flank steak this weekend and try that.

Do any of you do Pinterest? Do you find that you pin all sorts of awesome stuff, and never go back and look through it? I need to go through my Pinterest recipes, as well. You should find me and follow me! I’ll follow you, too.

Anyway, that’s what’s up with me today. Sorry I didn’t take more pics on my trail run! I was working so hard with the hills and trying not to eat dirt and fall on my face that pictures were the last thing on my mind! I promise to take more next time Smile .

I only have 24 hours of work in two days between me and my weekend! I hope you all have a great rest of your week!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Posted in Healthy Eating, Hiking, Running, Working Out

Tagged Healthy Eating, Hot Yoga, running injuries, South Mountain, Sumits Yoga, Trail Running

Twins!!

Posted on April 28, 2012 by pugmamastace| 8 Comments

No, not me! Heidi!!

I went to a wonderful baby shower today for my amazing friend Heidi and her twins! She is absolutely glowing, and beautiful carrying those little ones. (Heidi is responsible for igniting my hiking addiction, which eventually lead to my running addiction. Thank you Heidi!!!)

I am SO happy for her and her husband Bill! They do not know the genders yet, and will be waiting until they are born to find out. Today was full of green, yellow and ducks! “There can never be too many ducks!”

Even I felt the slightest bit maternal, for about 5 seconds. Don’t tell anyone.

Molli brought the ridiculously yummy cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. OMG I was out of control eating them! I had three (kinda little) pieces!!

Wow. That is all.

More ducks! I love onesies! I even have one of my own….again, don’t tell anyone.

You’re doing so well practicing, Heidi!! Smile More ducks!

I am so amazingly blessed to have such a great group of women as friends. What a fun group! It turned out to be a beautiful day, as well!

After the shower, I came home and actually did ~~a few~~ one productive things. Ok, I started a load of laundry, too, so that counts as two, right? I also took a nap! Three!

Since I increased my mileage, especially after yesterday’s 10 miler, my appetite has been out of control! Does anyone else have this problem? Thank God I run!! I had fro-yo again tonight, and the dinner of champions:

Yes, that is a Pretzel Lean Pocket. Lean Pocket, ok? Not processed at all! I also found some yummy flavors of Laughing Cow light at the grocery. Queso Fresco and Chipotle, and Sun-Dried Tomato something. They were good. Oh, and that’s caffeine-free diet Pepsi with cherry behind the food. Like I said, dinner of champions. Don’t take nutrition advice from me. Ever.

Now, Ali and I are having girls night. Watching TV, blogging, reading blogs, and planning some fun stuff for San Francisco next week. Yes Cameron, that is Ali in the bed. That’s what happens when you leave your girls unattended. When the cat’s away, the mice will play. She’s curled up by my legs at the end of the bed on my side, don’t worry. Smile

Do you become a human garbage disposal when you run a lot?

Are you hungry every 2-3 hours?

To what extent do you taper the week before a half-marathon?

Hope ya’ll have a great weekend!

Happy Trails!

Posted in General, Healthy Eating, Hiking, Running

Tagged Ali the Pug, Baby shower, friends, half-marathon, Healthy Eating, hiking, running

365 days, 25 lbs gone!

Posted on April 2, 2012 by pugmamastace| 8 Comments

I started hiking a little over a year ago at a little trail down the road we call Telegraph Pass. I went with my good friend Heidi on a Saturday morning in March 2011. Little did I know that this little hike would begin a new chapter in my life. At this point, even the thought of exercise made me tired! I thought about it a lot. I did TONS of research:

The more I knew, the more prepared I’d be! Right??

I refused to buy new clothes until I started losing weight, because I was determined not to be overweight (for me) forever!

We live in a place where people are very active. Whenever you leave your house on any given morning, there are at least 20 people between our house and the main road through Ahwatukee that are running, biking, walking their dogs, walking their kids, etc. I noticed that there were always tons of people at the trailhead down the road, and wondered why it was so popular. There is even a sign that says “no parking in neighborhoods for trailhead.” So I thought to myself, “This must be a fun place, I should check it out sometime!” I noticed that a lot of my new friends in the area were always either coming from or going to the trail when I saw them. So I mentioned it to Heidi one day, and she agreed to take me there!

I was so out of shape that I couldn’t even make it to the top! I made it about 2/3 of the way up, and told her to go ahead. “I’ll be right here!” I said, lol!

I’m a pretty stubborn girl, so that next Wednesday, I decided that I was going to make it to the top no matter WHAT! No matter HOW many times I had to stop, I was going to make it all the way this time! Well, I probably stopped 4-5 times, but I made it! Something about the way I felt after I got to the top, and got an awesome workout, kept me coming back. Pretty soon, I was hiking 3-4 times per week, going to Piestewa (Squaw) Peak, Camelback, and even exploring the rest of South Mountain.

The pounds just started falling off! It was amazing! All of the time I spent on the couch thinking about ways to lose weight without having to get off of my ass were such a waste of time! Here I was with a new way to be active and have fun at the same time. Not to mention, clear my head from work, and everything else that I had going on in my life.

Eventually, after getting into pretty darn good shape, I started running on some of the trails. I would do a combination of hiking and running almost every time I went.

In October, 2011, I volunteered to give flu shots at the 2011 Phoenix Aids Walk with my company, Walgreens, who was the title sponsor.

My colleague giving shots with me was signed up to run the 5K. As you can see (that’s her on the right) she did great! The atmosphere and excitement was contagious! From that moment, I wanted to sign up for a race. I almost randomly signed up that day, but someone had to run the flu shot table!

I got online and found the Women’s Running Magazine 5K. It was a month away, and it was perfect for me! So I signed up, ran it, and loved it!!

My first race! I even got a finisher’s medal! From then, I was hooked! I did the Mesa Turkey Trot 10K:

And the 12K’s of Christmas, and had planned on doing a half marathon in January. I started having knee pain, and ended up not doing the half because of it.

Since January, I have been in PT for my issue, and am a lot better now.

I can’t believe it has been a year already! I am SO happy with running and hiking now! I am signed up for my first half-marathon in May. I really hope I can do it! I have trained up to 7 miles so far, and plan on getting to 10 miles the week before.

The whole point of this post is to express how amazing I feel since I have started hiking and running. I never thought I would get into this kind of shape again. Ever! It did not happen overnight. It has been a complete lifestyle change. Along with the hiking and running, I also started eating better. I was always a very “bi-polar” eater. I would eat realllllly clean and healthy for like 2 or 3 days, then just absolutely sabotage my diet; and decide to start over “Monday.” I have learned to incorporate moderation into my habits. I let myself have fro-yo without feeling bad about it!

Who has a fro-yo addiction?! I DO!!

So here are some before pictures(don’t get me wrong, I felt beautiful at my wedding, but I was NOT healthy!):

After:

I want to hear your stories! How have you improved your life through exercise and diet? What does exercise do for you? Are you totally addicted to running? Hiking? Biking? Swimming? How much weight have you lost since you started? Tell me ALL about it! Oh, and what’s your favorite fro-yo? Smile

Happy Trails!!

Posted in General, Healthy Eating, Hiking, Running

Tagged half-marathon, Healthy Eating, hiking, lifestyle change, running, weight loss

It’s SO much more fun with a group (+5 dogs!)

Posted on February 5, 2012 by pugmamastace| 4 Comments

I went on a nice long hike with my friends Donna and Bre, and some awesome new friends, (two of them being Gio and April) yesterday. Also along for the hike were their 5 dogs, Blondie, Nala, Lulubelle, Fozzy and Henry. All of the dogs except for Fozzy (he gets a little sensitive when bikers go by ) were let off the leash and were so adorable as they ran ahead of us, and then waited for us until we caught up to them. They would even run ahead, then lay down for a second until we got there. The Christiansen Memorial Trail runs east-west from about 7th Ave to Tatum in central Phoenix. It is a mostly level trail and is very easy to hike. It would be a great trail for running! Here are some pics:

I’m definitely going to go on more hikes with my friends! Next up, Peralta Trail in the Superstition Mountains.

Happy Trails!

Posted in General, Hiking

Tagged dog, hiking

Pugs and Hugs (and awesome hikes!) Make Good Drugs

Posted on January 26, 2012 by pugmamastace| 6 Comments

I went on an awesome hike today right in our own backyard! South Mountain is a great place to hike. It is such a blessing to live so close to such an amazing natural resource. I have been taking it easy with my running after Monday’s experience. (I ran two miles and had to stop three times and walk. My knee was bothering me a lot, too.) So I decided to do a long hike today.

Here I go!

This is the beginning of Telegraph Pass

This is where the trail branches off into two trails

One direction is Desert Classic Trail, which is great for mountain biking and trail running. It is relatively flat in comparison to many other trails in the area, so it is boring to hike; at least to me.

The other side of the fork is Telegraph Pass, which is one of my favorite trails. It is a quick workout, with a lot of elevation gain in just over a mile of trail. Telegraph intersects with the National Trail at the top, which goes all the way across South Mountain, from one end to the other. The National Trail is about 15.5 miles long. I really want to do the National Trail Trek this weekend, which is a huge group that hikes from one side of the National Trail to the other; but it filled up, and I didn’t realize it. If anyone knows anyone who registered, and now doesn’t want to go, please let me know. I still really want to go!

The really nice man in the background of the previous picture was nice enough to offer to take a picture of me!

The sun setting over South Mountain casting a huge shadow over the trail.

View from the top of Telegraph Pass in the evening.

Part of the National Trail

Top of Telegraph Pass from top of South Mountain

The stone ramada at the top of the trail

Between the ridgelines

Beautiful vegetation along the Pyramid Trail

Pyramid Trail-How perfect is this for trail running? Too bad I had to seriously hold back because I really wanted to!

Beautiful Ahwatukee from the top of the mountain

Those were just several other good pics I got while hiking

This is where I took a wrong turn and almost got lost in the wilderness this past summer. Always make sure you know where you are going. Especially in the summer! Even if you bring three liters of water, and a coconut water, (warm coconut water is realllly disgusting!) it may be SO hot that not even THAT is enough. Take it from someone who knows from experience!

How much do you want to run these trails? Aren’t they just screaming “run me! run me! I’m flat and I’m a trail, you know you wanna run me!” I LOVE being injured and having to coddle my body.

I just love this picture! It might actually be a framer!

The beautiful AZ sunset behind South Mountain.

Back in civilization

Some lowfat organic chocolate milk for some refueling and recovery

The best part is my shirt. You know you love it

Happy Trails and Happy Friday everyone!

Posted in Hiking, Running

Having Fun On My Mini-Vacation

Posted on January 19, 2012 by pugmamastace| Leave a comment

So I took the rest of this week off work because I feel like I needed a break. I unfortunately had a funeral to go to Wednesday for a dear friend of my husband that died suddenly, and way too early, of cancer. I was not prepared for the emotions that surfaced in me at her memorial. When something like this happens, it really causes me to take a step back and think about what is most important in life. You never know when today is the last day you’ll be able to tell your loved ones you love them; so take advantage of it! She lived her life to the fullest. She always had a smile on her face, and a hug everytime I saw her. She was an amazing person, and will be greatly missed by everyone whose lives she touched. I dedicated my 6ish mile run/hike/run yesterday morning to her-Rest in peace Sheila .

I follow RunEatRepeat‘s blog regularly, and she is doing a 30 Day Smart Snacking Challenge. I think it’s a great idea, because it is influencing me to be more aware of my mindless snacking. I am good at picking out healthy snacks when I try to. So, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try this 30 day snack challenge. Here are my snacks so far this week:

Monday: One 8oz Kirkland’s organic reduced fat chocolate milk (Click on link for nutrition info)

Tuesday: One bottle of Muscle Milk light-Caffe Latte flavor, a sample of Coconut Cream Pie Lara Bar

Wednesday: One 2.5oz protein shot (116 cal,20gm protein) that Cameron put in my stocking, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, and about 3-4 cups of airpopped popcorn with spray butter and white cheddar and nacho cheese popcorn seasoning.

Today: A few samples at costco (ok, they weren’t all healthy, but they were itty bitty, ok? ) and a whole thing of Greek yogurt they were giving out as a sample (that was a huge sample!)-this ended up being my lunch actually….a Chobani greek yogurt in black cherry, and a 100% whole wheat Thomas bagel thin, toasted with 2-ish tbsp of hummus that I got at Costco today.

So far, I think I am doing pretty well on my healthy snacking. What do you guys think? Leave me your healthy snacking ideas in a comment below!

Monica from RunEatRepeat has posted pics of some of the flavors of Chobani greek yogurt she has tried, so I went to Safeway today and found all of these flavors:

My favorite so far is this one:

I like greek yogurt better than regular, because it has a lot more protein, and is much more filling. It is SO good, too!

A drink that I have been enjoying lately is this:

My wonderful Mommy sent me some for Christmas along with this:

which is from Pampered Chef. The last time I went to visit my parents in August, she had this made in the fridge, and I drank it the entire time I was there. I loved the pitcher, too, because it has a built in stirring rod and is nice and sturdy. My Mom is SO good at making mental notes, and later surprising me with things later after I forgot about liking them. What an awesome gift! The only thing I don’t like about the Crystal Light packets is that they use aspartame as their artificial sweetener. I try to stay away from aspartame, so I do not drink this 24/7 or anything. I make it every once in awhile as a special treat . Each pack has 30 calories, 5g of fiber, and 3g of protein. Not to mention, they are delicious!

Cameron made an amazing and healthy dinner for us tonight! Seared Ahi tuna lettuce boats with cold noodles, asian slaw, and a sweet and spicy dipping sauce:

They were delicious! My belly is full. Off to bed so I can get plenty of rest. I start physical therapy tomorrow. I am super excited!

Happy Trails!

Posted in General, Healthy Eating, Hiking, Running

Tagged greek yogurt, Healthy Eating, healthy snacking, hiking, hummus, running, Smart Snacking Challenge

Knee Pain Diagnosed!

Posted on January 12, 2012 by pugmamastace| 4 Comments

I’m fixable! At least the doctor says so….I had my appointment today with Dr. Sherman of Southwest Spine and Sports to get my knee checked out. It turns out, I have what is called patellofemoral syndrome, or patellofemoral pain syndrome. There are a few causes, but my problem is that my kneecap (patella) does not stay aligned the way it should when I bend my knee. In fact, upon physical examination, when I bend my knee all the way, my patella slides toward the outside of my knee joint! It is more common in women because we tend to have wider hips, causing the angle between the femur and tibia (the Q-angle) to be larger. This predisposes us to greater stress on our patella. Commonly, the quadricep pulls harder on it, causing it to be misaligned. Here is an illustration of the difference in Q-angle between men and women from dynamicchiropractic.com:

Treatment for me is going to be mainly physical therapy. Dr. Sherman wants me to learn ways to strengthen the correct muscles (esp. the inner thigh) to help pull the patella back into place. He also wants me to learn the proper stretches and techniques to prevent injury, and to keep my IT bands in good condition. (I already know some from when Molli showed me.) He said that the pain I have had in my hip (the original problem I had before my knee started acting up) is most likely due to tight IT bands; but everything is related, and can cause the knee problem to be worse. He also prescribed a special knee brace that will help to keep my patella in line when I run and hike.

I am just so happy to finally know what is wrong with my body! Dr. Sherman says it is very common, and that I am definitely not alone.

I definitely recommend Southwest Spine and Sports for anyone who needs a good sports medicine doc. Dr. Sherman was fantastic! (Even though he did his residency at Ohio State….I guess I’ll let that one slide this time.) So off to PT I go! I’ll definitely post about what I learn for you guys. You never know when you might be in the same position as me!

I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Trails!

Posted in General, Hiking, Running

Tagged hiking, knee pain, patellofemoral syndrome, physical therapy, running, Southwest Spine and Sports

Category Archives: Hiking

Having a blast in AZ!

Last Night in The Ville

I Survived The Mud!! Or what mud there was…

Happy Trails Again

Twins!!

365 days, 25 lbs gone!

It’s SO much more fun with a group (+5 dogs!)

Pugs and Hugs (and awesome hikes!) Make Good Drugs

Having Fun On My Mini-Vacation

Knee Pain Diagnosed!

Daily Mile Tracker

My Blog HIstory

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