Sunday evening, I was in the middle of W3D1 of the C25K program when I started feeling some discomfort just below the right knee. I tried to go as long as I could but finally stopped during the second 3 minute jog. I really didn’t think much of it as I continued to walk the final part of the workout without any discomfort. Later that evening, the knee swelled up so I applied some R.I.C.E. treatment and went to bed. The next morning, the swelling on the knee had gone down but now it was stiff and was painful to walk on. As I was limping around trying to get ready for work, I decided that I’d better get it checked.

The doctor diagnosed the knee pain/stiffness to overuse and recommended more R.I.C.E and anti inflammatory medication. She also suggested to rest for the next couple of weeks with only low impact exercises during this time period. Also, as a precaution, she had me take some x-rays of the knee. Hopefully, I will get the results of the x-ray tomorrow.

I’m still feeling a little pain in the knee so I decided to take the whole week off from exercising. I’m already starting to feel sluggish from the lack of exercise so I hope to do some light stationary biking this weekend and then start spin class again next week. I hope to get back on the C25K program the following week. At this point, I’ll have to play it by ear and listen to my body.

The premise of the program is to take anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers or 30 minutes in just 9 weeks. The program gently introduces the body to moving by alternating between walking and running small distances, and slowly building up until after 8 weeks, you’re ready to run 5 kilometers or 30 minutes non stop.

To aid in the program, there are several iPhone apps that can be downloaded from the App Store. I use this particular C25K App(opens iTunes). The App is pretty simple to use. You setup your play list and then just start the program. You’ll get vocal notifications to “run” and “walk” and before you know it, you’ve completed the days session.

I finished my first week of the program this evening and I’m feeling pretty good. So far, I’ve used the treadmill for the program which probably explains why my legs aren’t hurting. I think this weekend I’ll hit the pavement. Hopefully the hard concrete won’t cause any soreness and pain.

I’m really looking forward to the next 8 weeks and seeing where this takes me. With Brandice and Drew also doing the program, I know I’ll have a good support system to help motivate me during those difficult days when I don’t feel like running.

Fast foward to about a week ago when I got an unexpected surprise from work. With the small bonus that I got, I pulled the trigger and bought the Canon 24-70mm L lens. I received it last week and have been waiting to take pictures with it. Unfortunately, every time I’ve wanted to go out, the weather hasn’t played nice. Hopefully in the up coming days/weeks, I’ll be out and about shooting with this beauty.

The San Diego area is getting more rain tonight and later on in the week. It’s not nearly the same amount as last week but will probably be the last significant amount we get in this area for the remainder of the year. It was fun while it lasted.

After a week long rain-fest, we finally saw the sun today. I wasn’t about to miss out on this opportunity to soak up some sun, so I grabbed my camera and hung out at the beach. The one thing I love about heavy rain fall is that typically the day after, the light is amazing. Today was no different as the sun was golden during the late afternoon and early evening.

While spending some time with my nephew at Universal Studios, I got the chance to do some indoor skydiving at iFlyHollywood at Universal Studios CityWalk Hollywood. This was the best thing ever. The chance to “fly” without actually jumping out of a plane. If you have something similar around your area, definitely try it.

I was going over the 3000+ pictures that I took this year and I came across this one in Lightroom. I wish I had something meaningful to say about this picture but the fact of the matter is, it’s one of those pictures that just catches my eye. Maybe it was the moment that I snapped the picture or the occasion. Who knows. All I know is that every time I come across this picture, I stop and just look at it.

Yesterday afternoon/evening, I met up with a fellow photographer to do some night photography at Coronado, CA. We are both new to night photography so we really didn’t have too many expectations. We did, however, have an idea as to what we wanted to take pictures of – the Coronado Bridge and the San Diego Skyline. The lighting on the bridge wasn’t really ideal so we ended up focusing on capturing the San Diego Skyline.

With night photography, a tripod is a must but what I wasn’t prepared for was the need for a shutter release cable. This was evident in the later part of the evening when the shutter speed reached over 30 seconds long. I had to make due with making adjustments to the ISO and aperture to get proper exposure.

The picture above was one of the better ones that I captured during the later part of the evening. The picture below was taken about 45 minutes after the sunset. Love the purplish lighting. By the way, this is not a true panoramic. The original photo had to much dead space and broke the rule of thirds, so I decided to make it look like a pano.

ISO200, 35mm, f16, 30sec

Beautiful weather, great scenery, and 25,000+ people showing their support for a great cause – what more can you ask for? Below are some of the images I captured throughout the day. You can check out the full set here. Enjoy!

The start of the walk.

The memorial wall.

There was entertainment throughout the walk.

I love the interesting people I met.

It’s not AIDSWalk without the outrageous people. The guy on the right did the walk in heels!

And since this was at Golden Gate Park, there were alot of unique buildings, plant life and beautiful scenery.

Last Saturday, I participated in Scott Kelby’s 2nd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk in San Jose. It was a historic event as 32,000+ photographers attended 900+ similar walks around the world. In some of the larger cities and locations, there were multiple walks scheduled throughout the day. San Jose was one of those cities.

Our group was led by Frederick Van Johnson – Photographer, Writer, Instructor and Host of This Week in Photography Podcast (TWiP). Based on some of the gear fellow photographers were sporting, I’d say we had a good mixture of professionals and hobbyists.

The walk began and ended at Gordon Biersch, a well known brewery in the heart of downtown San Jose. From there, we were left to explore the wonders of downtown San Jose. There were so many things to shoot from modern buildings, art museums, parks, shops, clubs and even a cathedral. Throughout the walk, I got a chance to observe and speak to other photographers. It was a great opportunity for me to see first hand how other photographers shoot and compose shots. The pictures I’ve seen from the group have been fantastic. You can checkout some of the photos in the San Jose Flickr Group. Also checkout this short highlight video put together by Ni Ki Cruz Photography.

Personally, I had a blast even though I couldn’t attend the meet up afterwards at Gordon Biersch. Below are some of the photos I captured during the walk. You can checkout the full set here. Enjoy!