A Mile or More in My [Running] Shoes

This morning I left my apartment for 12 miles in Central Park. I left my compression socks at home because I had some blister issues with them last weekend during my 14 miler. I figured I would throw them on after an ice bath.

The run was fairly unremarkable. I took my time and walked a few of the hills in an effort to reduce the strain on my sore, irritated tibialis anterior.

The weather was great and I opted to wear my rarely used lululemon tank top. In my excitement to leave my apartment for my run, I neglected to put sunblock on my bare shoulders and after taking a nap this afternoon, I noticed the all-too-familiar tight ache of sunburn. (Note to self: your Norwegian and Scottish composition don’t allow you to run around in the sun without paying dearly for it…)

After my run I picked up the requisite post-run grub:

Mmmm everything bagel with cream cheese and a chocolate milk. 

I hopped into a very cold ice bath (ice? cold? you don’t say…) and sat shivering for 20 long minutes while watching my Tigers perform miserably in game 1 of their double header. After getting out and warming up a bit, I took a shower and got cozy on the couch with a book (the baseball carnage wasn’t worth continuing to watch) and my legs reveled in the comfort of compression socks. 

My ankle is improving but is still pretty tender and a little swollen. Along with the compression socks, I’ve been diligently icing and elevating and there’s plenty of rest on tap for the rest of the weekend. (Wooo, RICE method!) I’m hoping that with continued icing and treatment, a scaled-down weekday training schedule, and taking my long runs at a really easy pace, I’ll be in good shape for the River Bank Run and injury-free by the time marathon training rolls around.

Lately I’ve been making a more concerted effort to cook. And not just cook, but to cook the things sitting in my cupboards. Sometimes it’s hard to cobble things together. Living on my own has resulted in my eating less meat than I used to,* and if I buy a package of chicken breast, I feel like I’m eating chicken for 2 weeks straight. Tonight’s dinner was an example of how a wonderful little meal can come together from a random assortment of things…

Quesadilla on whole grain tortilla (pepper jack cheese and chopped green pepper) with salsa and black beans and rice. It is delicious and there’s a lot left for my lunch tomorrow. Win-win!

*The reduction in my meat consumption is kind of an accident and happened gradually. I still love and occasionally crave a steak or a juicy hamburger, but I’m definitely ok eating meat-free meals more often.