Yesterday and Today

I know I got real creative with that title.

Yesterday was uneventful. I wanted to go for a run but I thought that one more day of rest would be good for my ankle. Plus I ended up with a migraine so any remaining need for a run was nixed. Although we did make some killer Flat-Out pizzas again. The hubby's had cheese, pico de gallo, avacado, and bell peppers. Mine had zucchini and bell peppers. They were scrumptious and so much better than any frozen pizzas.

After 2 days of laziness rest, I went for a run. Today's was special though....it was done on a treadmill!! There is a gym in the area that gives a 7 day trial membership. I thought since I need to kill a little over a week and a halves worth of time that I would sign up. Plus it was free...good for our unemployed selves. Good thing too...running outside would have been torture.

Relative humidity as it is right now--way worse earlier today! Ack!

But I was super excited to be back on a treadmill. With my ankle and foot always trying to take center stage, I like knowing that if need be I can get off the treadmill and only have to walk to the car. The most I have ever run on a treadmill is 5 miles and it was torture because I kept looking at the screen. I am not one of those lucky few who can read and run at the same time so I hopped on and plugged away at 3 miles with the NBC nightly news and the radio playing on my iPod.

No judging my time--I walked some

Anyone notice what the treadmill screen is lacking? Let me give you a hint...it was incredibly inconvenient when I went to push any buttons. There is no writing on the majority of the buttons. I was sad I couldn't turn on the fan so I just got super duper drippy and toweled off later.

No labels on the buttons on the right....PITA

After the gym I was supposed to stop at the grocery store for a few staples. I forgot. I walked in to my house and turned around and walked right back out. Fun fun. I even had the added benefit of this. Great huh?

Foggy glasses. Yeah I really missed the humidity.

On the upside, one of the things on my list was Triscuts....and LOOK!!!

BOGO!! We have 4 boxes now.

So I came back home and my wonderful hubby came up with this beautiful concoction.

There are black beans, seasoned chicken, lettuce, pico de gallo, bell peppers, plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and taco sauce. It was as great refueling option.

Now back to our very productive marathon movie night. Happy hump day everyone.

My foot hurts and Pesto

Yesterday after my 3 mile run my left foot hurt (which is the same ankle that I sprained) on the bottom outside of foot. I had this happen back at the end of April.

(Souce)
Note--it's not necessarily the muscle I was showing just the
point on the bottom of  my foot where it hurts

The difference between last time and this time was I stopped running this time. Last time I was in the middle of 6 miles and was at mile 5 or so. I got this sharp pain in my foot. I thought it was cramping so I shook my foot out walked for a bit but it still hurt. I found running or walking on the ball of my foot didn't hurt so bad so I resumed my run on the balls of my feet and finished the 6 miles. However, when I got home I could barely walk. I froze a water bottle and rolled the sore spot over it and took some anti-inflammatories but it really took a lot of rest. By a lot, I mean I had to take like 3 weeks off from running. Last night I got home right when it started to ache. I took some Ibuprofen and iced it. Today the area is still tender so no run for me.

My question is--What the heck is this?! I have run bunches of miles since the beginning of May and yet it just happens at random. Any one have any idea? I will probably hit up a podiatrist eventually but I just wanted other opinions.

Tonight for dinner we had tilapia with walnut pesto on top. I borrowed the recipe from the lovely and talented Julie over at Peanut Butter Fingers. I nixed the sunflower seeds and added extra walnuts instead. I just didn't have the sunflower seeds on hand. I also added lime juice because it was going on fish and I love citrus and fish.

It came out fantastic. Lucky for me, I have a whole other packet of basil to use for another batch of the stuff cause it was amazing! Let me tell you, I have never used fresh basil before (blasphemy? maybe) and it made my entire kitchen smell amazing! Oh and in case you need any delicious baked goods or savory dinner delights with a healthy spin on them or a killer circuit workout, I would definitely head on over to her blog.

As per normal--I overcooked it a tiny bit but it tasted great!

4 mi run? and a smoothie

I seriously slept in until noon today!! I know!! I can't believe it! Gib got out of bed but I was still exhausted so at noon he came back and woke me up. But I felt great! As a general rule I am up by the latest 10am. I know some may say that's late but I stay up late too so it's a trade off. Not one to turn down breakfast any time of the day, I grabbed up this new-to-me cinnamon flavored Kashi cereal. I really liked it. It was crunchy and not sweet and for me, I don't like sweet when I just wake up.

Then tonight I went for what was supposed to be a 3 mile run. It was a new route so I brought my cell so I could have a map with me and I wore my Garmin too. But even with mapmyrun and Garmin I missed my turn and it ended up being longer than 3 miles. Just how much longer you ask. Goooood question.

Mapmyrun and Garmin seem to be at odds tonight. Mapmyrun says 4 miles Garmin says 3.6 miles. Generally I am inclined to go with Garmin over mapmyrun just because I have known it to be more accurate. But my Garmin is set up to auto-stop when I reach slower speeds and tonight I know I walked some at slower speeds. I swear it was like running through soup tonight so I needed the walking breaks. In this instance I think I will go with my mapmyrun data.

Tonight's run was dedicated to: 

Jameson L. Lindskog

KIA March 29, 2011

OEF

Either way I ran/walked 3 miles and then just walked the last mile. And when I got home I was super gross. I mean I was dripping. When I walked through the door and the AC hit me, it was instant relief. But I still wanted a cool down so I headed to make a smoothie for dinner.

So excited for a cool down!

I bought one of those smoothie mixes in the frozen food section instead of berries because it was cheaper. In the bag there were frozen berries and banana and a "smoothie packet" and the directions said just add juice. Well, the first ingredient in the "packet" was sugar and the second was dried milk. Both are just a no go for me.

So I chucked the packet and added some scoops of plain Greek yogurt, soy milk, and an extra banana for good measure.

It was delicious!!

Now I am off to enjoy a movie with the hubby and then bed. If you can believe it, I'm tired again!

Tacos and The Great Skirt Debate

Tonight was chicken taco night. I would say this at least a bi-weekly occurrence in our half Mexican household. Gil is Mexican and I am a lover of Mexican food so it is a match made in Heaven :)

Now onto the great skirt debate. If you haven't noticed from any of my running pictures, I run in a skirt. Always.

Now up until yesterday I had never known that there was a debate about running skirts (or skorts). It is obvious that I am in the pro-skirt camp. But from what I understand there are those that are skirt haters. The 2 main reasons that seem to be cited are:

• Running isn't about fashion
• You can't be a serious runner in a running skirt

For me running isn't about fashion. So why do I wear all of these adorable skirts? 

There are 9 in total. All from www.skirtsports.com

The main reason is comfort. My thighs chafe. I have what my cousin so fondly calls the 'chub rub.' This is when your thighs rub together and shorts become lodged in your womenly area and then you have both skin-skin and skin-cloth chafing. For me, I don't wear shorts. Ever. I wear sun dresses in the summer to avoid the 'chub rub' situation. Next. I jiggle. I am 5'1" and 155 pounds so I am carrying around extra weight. When I was running consistently I weighed 135-140 pounds and even then running skirts were my preference because I still maintained my jigglyness. 

Doesn't everyone wear a sweatshirt over a
sundress?

To avoid all these problems, compression shorts are the best. When I first started running and chafing I talked to a long distance runner friend and she recommended compression shorts which do not ride up and eliminate chafing. I promptly tried on a pair of these wonderfully skin tight shorts and took them off twice as fast. I was not EVER going to wear something that showed that much to the world. So put a skirt over the top of them and voila! No chafing and all jiggle is covered. Not to mention on the skirts I have they have 2 leg pockets and a headphones port on the skirt. This way I can keep a key, ID, a gel, and my iPod in my shorts and still be able to run comfortably. 

(Source)

Now am I worried about fashion when I run? No. I wear them because they suit my needs. Now, if you happen to be of the mindset that shorts satisfy your needs then so be it, wear them. If not, I say at least try a skirt. I am far from a gifted runner. It is not a natural ability. I don't make it look easy because most days it's not. I do it because I love the feeling afterwards, the runner's high if you will. However, a runner's high will not make me forget about my bleeding inner thighs on a 6 mile run so I wear something that is comfortable. I look at it like a sports bra. I have DD's. I don't expect other female (or male runners for that matter) tell me to wear a sports bra that would satisfy a person with a smaller chest simply because that is what works for them. So I say do what works for you and happy running. Sure I may look ridiculous in your eyes...but hey running isn't for fashion ;-)

Thumbs up for z-er-o chaffing.

The next argument is trash. Ever heard of Sally Meyerhoff? She wore a skirt when she won the 2010 XTERRA Trail Run World Championships. How about Nicole Deboom? She won the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin in a skirt. Both women have accomplished so much in the world of women's fitness and far be it from anyone to say they aren't serious. 

Sally Meyerhoff

Nicole Deboom

Am I a serious runner? Eh. I run. I put in the miles so I am dedicated. My goal in the next 5 years is run at the Boston Marathon. I will probably be in the very last corral but I want to run it. So am I serious? You decide I will just keep logging miles. Either way, if I wear shorts or I wear a skirt it is no way indicative of if I am seriously going to get up at 4am to run. Blah. 

Running the 1st leg of a biathalon on Halloween 2011.

Any opinions on skirts? Do you have a preference?

Other opinions on skirts can be found at:
She Runs Strong
Deseret News
Eat, Drink, and Run 

An ode to my family and a surprise!!

I kicked off my Saturday with 2 Van's waffles topped with 2 over easy eggs.

Oh so interesting ;-)

Now on to our surprise!! Moving away from anywhere is difficult, but when you are in the military, your friends become your family members. You take care of each other through everything. Whether it is holidays, sickness, or deployments, they are the ones you spend all your time with.

So when we left WA state for MD it broke my heart to leave behind my 2 best friends and their kiddos. Amanda has 2 boys and to say she has health issues is a gross understatement. Regina has 3 girls and she is the busiest nursing student I have ever met. When their husbands deployed last year, Gil and I spent so much time with them. Sometimes we were helping them and sometimes they were keeping us sane in the dreary weather.

Amanda and I at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord St. Patty's Day 5k

When her husband deployed and Amanda's health declined, we spent many weekends and sometimes weekdays helping take care of the boys so she could rest. I developed a very special relationship with her youngest son, Christian. I would get up at all hours of the night to change him, feed him, rock him back to sleep, and 2 hours later I'd do it again. I would bathe him and feed him. And when he came down with scarlet fever he slept between both me and his momma. Even with her oldest, Alex, we would make homemade mac 'n cheese and decorate cookies together. I love these little boys.

Alex and I making Halloween Cookies 

Christian and I at my graduation party this year. 

Of course, I love Regina's girls just as much. Naveah, Brooklyn, and Scarlet are beautiful. I was so privileged to be around Regina both before and right after Scarlet was born. All 5 of the kiddos played together on a daily basis and Alex and Veah go to the same school so they were all inseparable.

Regina, her girls, and I on a hike

Today we received a box full of goodies that Mandy sent us. Full of cookies and pictures the kids colored specifically for us, and the most special of all, an album full of pictures of Regina, Mandy, and all the kids. I loved it!!! It totally made my day.

Now of course I would give anything for a drooly kiss from Christian or a leaping hug from Brook, Veah, or Alex or some serious girl time with my favorite ladies, but I will eat some cookies and look at my pictures for now. ;-)

And since this post has absolutely nothing to do with running, I will post about my 3 mile run later tonight.

A Black Cat and 80's movies

As per normal, our day was pretty slow again. I'm not sure if Kieran knows it Friday the 13th or if he was just being particularly clingy today, but he was attached to me anytime I sat down.

Don't judge the tie-dye. I swear I don't wear it out.

After breakfast composed of a Van's waffle, topped with ricotta cheese and an apple on the side, Gil and I headed out to refill our fridge.

We went to one of our local base commissaries. For non military folk, that's what the military calls the grocery stores on base. I like them because the selection seems to be a bit larger than what I find at Safeway or Food Lion and they are tax free. When Gil was medically discharged from the Army we retained our base privileges for the next two years so we still make use of the commissary. 

And look what I found!!! I am super excited!! 

Contrary to all prior indications, I am lactose intolerant. From what I understand from others that are lactose intolerant, there seems to be a scale as to how intolerant you are. For me, it means absolutely no milk. Ice cream or custard once every other week or so. Cheese and yogurt don't necessarily bother me to where I notice it, but when I have the option I like to eat lactose free. 

I can't believe how much stuff we were out of. We literally only had a few boxes of cereal, 2 summer squash, 2 zucchinis, and some soy milk. We prefer to go to the farmers' market on Saturdays, but we just felt like getting it all done today, plus I don't eat my weight in watermelon in 2 days this way ;-) 

When we got home we made up a Chicken Fajita Pizza put out by Palermo's. It was very tastey. I don't like to buy or make pre-made pizzas generally but this one sounded delicious and it delivered. 

Way easier to make than regular fajitas

I enjoyed my two slices in front of one of my favorite 80's movies....Lethal Weapon. I love everything about 80's action films. From the fun hair, to the amusing women's clothing, to the tight jeans that Mel Gibson always donned, to the amount of things blowing up from the tinniest touch. I love it all. 

Look at that hair. It's just not the same anymore

So awesome, they get 2 pics. 

After my run last night, my ankle still felt a little tender today. I only had a 30 min walk on the schedule but after 1.5 hours or so of walking around the commissary, I am counting that as my walk. Cause that totally counts, right? But stay tuned tomorrow because I have another 3 mile run and I am going to talk a bit about a controversial piece of clothing that I never run without. 

With that I will leave you on a couple more clingy pictures of Kieran to commemorate Friday the 13th. 

Mom....

Mom, are you listening?.....

Mom look at me....

Aren't I adorable mom?...

Ok, fine I give. I will just sleep on you for an hour. 

The Sandman and Post Run Yoga

I kicked off today with a wonderful mixture of oatmeal with soy milk, topped with a chopped apple and a spoonful of almond butter stirred in. It tasted like October in July :)

On another note, I think the Sandman has officially invaded my house. Seriously. I went to bed 4 hours earlier last night than I did the night before and only got up 1 hour earlier than yesterday. This excessive sleeping is driving me nuts. Even when I set an alarm to try to run in the morning or do something, I just hit snooze. I would love to blame this on my unemployment but I am just lazy lately. With no job to make me go to work and keep me on a schedule and no income to go do anything, I really just sit around and go for a run once a day. My husband is even feeling the Sandman's presence. Anytime he lays on the living room floor he falls asleep. I asked him today if the Sandman accidentally spilled sand on our carpet because he falls asleep on the floor once a day. 

For lunch I made turkey and cheddar sausage which I sauteed up with 4 bell peppers. On the side I had a plain Greek yogurt topped with honey. I must say, after my first time trying plain Greek yogurt, outside of smoothies, I have not had it since. But after putting a dollop of honey on top and stirring it in, it tasted great!

A few hours later, I went for my nightly run. I did 1.5 miles tonight. It went well. It didn't feel quite as good as it did on Monday night. The important part is I did it. I think I can attribute my less than stellar run to a lack of hydration. I know it is important and when I am out doing things during the day like working I always have a water bottle or cup near me. At home on the other hand, I just don't remember. This is something I definitely need to be more aware of and will be making more of an effort to focus on throughout the day. 

(Source)

During my aimless internet searches today I stumbled on a video of post run stretches from Runners World. Following my run tonight I did them. I definitely felt the stretch and I loved the fact that I had something to follow as I did the movements. 

(Source)

I think I will be doing these after my runs from now on. My legs really do feel good.