Hi there.

Happy March! 3 weeks until Spring! So much to tell you guys…

First, I get my MRI results on my shoulder tomorrow. Then on Tuesday morning I have my appointment made to see the sports injury chiro about the knee. Now let’s backtrack…

Last Wednesday, I hit the gym during my lunch break and tested out the stationary bike to see if my knee would be bothered by it or not. I’m happy to report that it went well.

bike ride at gym

pedaling

boring stationary bike ride

boring stationary bike ride

Covert locker room gym selfie so people don't think I'm weird

Covert locker room gym selfie so people don’t think I’m weird

Honestly though, for me, biking and not going anywhere is very boring. More boring than running on a treadmill. So I needed to occupy my mind. Before you knew it I had my iPhone in hand and was Googling a bunch of stuff that I wanted to know.

I wanted to see what the finish time limits are for the 2 half marathons I have this month. The NYC Half on March 15th is a 3 hour limit (or a 13:45 pace) and the Love Run on March 29th is a 3 1/2 hour limit (or a 15 minute pace). So basically I can walk/run both of these with an emphasis on the walk and probably complete them without my knee going crazy. Of course I’ll wait for professional advisement when I see doc on Tuesday before I say this will definitely be my plan. But honestly the knee isn’t phased at all by walking.

Thursday I made a delicious dinner.

Chicken and Steak Shish Kabob

Chicken and Steak Shish Kabob

I hardly ever cook so this is very blog-post-worthy. I also made some amazing discoveries. Party cake Peeps…

party cake peeps

party cake peeps….for keeps!

And, the best discovery of my life…

Nutella and Girl Scout Shortbread cookie combo

Nutella and Girl Scout Shortbread cookie combo

Nutella sandwiched between two Girl Scout Shortbread cookies. Oh my it was so good.

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I’m thankful for the invention of the heating pad which I took to work with me yesterday to help keep the Piriformis muscle loose. It’s been helping a lot!

butt-warmer

butt-warmer!

I’m thankful that my friend Lisa wanted to catch up over a sushi dinner last night.

I’m also thankful for the fried green tea ice cream we had for dessert.

fried green tea ice cream

fried green tea ice cream

I’m thankful for the invention of the selfie….especially ones that I can share with this pup.

doodle and me

doodle and me

I’m thankful that that today is my day off!

I’m thankful that I completed my last training run today!

photo 3-1

Really thankful!photo 4

 

So thankful that i even made a short video.

I’m thankful that I get to donate my used running sneakers on Saturday at the Expo to a cool organization called the More Foundation Group.

old sneakers

gonna miss you guys

I’m thankful that I’ll be heading out soon Trader Joes and Stop and Shop to get groceries including a nice stash of my favorite pre-race fuel

Super Pretzel

Super Pretzels! What I eat before every marathon! 

What are you thankful for today?

While I’m in between marathon training cycles I need to revisit the running sneaker situation.

To make a long story short I’ve worn Asics Cumulus 13s for ALL 4 of my marathons even though they are now already up to the 15s.

Asics Cumulus 13s 2011-2013

Asics Cumulus 13s 2011-2013

I gave the 14s a whirl when they came out:

No good!

No good!

They were stiffer and didn’t feel as cushy. So I continued to find random places online selling the 13s. Then earlier this year the 15s came out. I flocked to the store to try them. BOO! They didn’t feel right either. And so I opted to go to the more expensive Nimbus.

1044498_10201422495026004_1933238461_n

I don’t mind the Nimbus (these are the 15s) but after I get to 10k they give me blisters and they feel a bit narrow.

My starting point will obviously be to stick to the Nimbus but explore either a wide width or a half size up to see if that helps. Otherwise I’ll just be Good Sally Hunting.

I’ll be heading to Jackrabbit Sports since I have a gift card. Plus, they helped me discover the Cumulus back in 2011 when I went to have my gait analyzed. So I trust them. Let’s see what happens.

Question: What type of running kicks do you run in? Do you find that as the revise the models that you lose the love?

It’s Thursday already?!!! Sheesh! This week has flown by. I won’t get into the gory details but it was quite a stressful week. The straw that broke the (stuffed) camel’s back (I never harm animals even in adages) was my most disastrous commute home. I only live 25 miles from my office. It shouldn’t have to take 2 1/2 hours to get home…

OK so it’s pouring rain here in NYC. I had a 5 mile tempo run on my schedule for today. I ALMOST opted to go to the gym but the thought of an hour on the “dreadmill” made me ill. Then I came to my senses.

see the raindrops on the watch?

see the raindrops on the watch?

I ran without music since i figured the rain would short out my earphones. I really didn’t need music. I was feeling great and smiling like a nerd.

OK now to the Information Nation part:

1. When you make a choice and follow through, you won’t regret it and you will always feel good. This is not just with running but in all aspects of your life. It’s empowering.

2. When you run in the rain and have squishy, water-slogged sneakers, stuff them with newspaper to draw out the moisture. (It works for sweaty sneakers too, to take the odors out)

sneaks3. When you eat breakfast with dogs, be prepared for the “pathetic stare”. If you make the choice to share, see #1. (These kids had some of my hard boiled egg. I made the choice to share and I feel empowered. =)

give us some of that!

give us some of that!

Question: Do you like running in the rain? Any tips for drying out afterwards?