Friday Coffee Date
On the last Friday of every month, I link up with a group of bloggers for the “Ultimate Coffee Date.” I enjoy those posts so much, I’ve decided to make the Friday Coffee Date a weekly thing! So get a delicious hot beverage and join me… I’ll be needing my dumpster fire mug for this one. So, did you know I sprained my ankle? JUST KIDDING. That ankle injury has been, unfortunately, the focal point of my life for the past four weeks. The one thing keeping me sane and motivated is the hope of running a race at the end of April. If I ask myself “WHY am I going to the gym for the sixth day in a row?” Oh right, I’m rehabbing my ankle. Or, “WHY am I getting on the stairclimber again today?” Oh yes- I’m training for a race. I hadn’t actually registered for the race, because I wanted to be a little more confident that I would actually be able to run it. But every day I checked the website to see how many spots were open. It held steady at 25 spots until…. Tuesday night there were 25 spots open, and when I checked Wednesday morning it was… SOLD OUT. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! WHY did I wait? HOW did 25 people sign up overnight? I emailed the race director, and he said he’ll open a wait list next week. Okay, great! Now I’m training for a race that I’m not even sure I’ll physically be able to run, or even get into. This is a tough one. You might be thinking, “Maybe this is a sign from the universe that April 27 is too soon for you to run a 50 mile race.” Yes, you could be right. The problem is, we’re getting to the end of the ultra season in Florida. There are no other races (that I’m aware of right now) that I would want to run until next year. Bummer. But there’s some good news! I ran this week! It was on the treadmill, really slow, and only for 30 second intervals. But I did it! Yes, my ankle was achy, but not any more than it is while I’m walking. I’m encouraged (ironically, this was on Wednesday morning right before I found out “my” race was sold out. Hurumph.) Also on Wednesday- you can see Wednesday was quite a day- I saw my sports chiropractor. He did all sorts of treatments on my ankle, including a laser, and something that looked like this: It sends little pulses through your muscles and causes them to twitch- it’s a really weird feeling. It’s supposed to help get rid of the residual swelling, and I’m going back for another treatment today. If we were having coffee (or in my case, tea) together, I would also be able to talk about something other than my ankle for a change. My son’s trumpet ensemble went to a national competition last week, and they made the finals! This was very exciting because the finals were live-streamed, so we got to watch it. They won second place!!! This involved a cash prize, and they’re going to use the money towards travel expenses for another competition in Anaheim this summer. So exciting. Not to be outdone, my daughter’s band had MPA this week- Music Performance Assessment, which in my day we just called “contest.” Basically they do a performance, which is judged, and they receive a rating. It’s their biggest event of the year, and the band received straight Superiors, which is the highest rating possible. I knew they would! Their band director is incredible. One side note- for this, they wear their formal concert dress. The boys wear tuxes (they look so handsome!) and the girls wear long black dresses (they all look so beautiful!) and pearls. The dresses and pearls are supplied by the band. In addition, they were instructed that hair had to be “straightened or pulled back.” I don’t know why that bothered me. I know that’s part of the dress code in corporate jobs, but it seemed a little extreme for a high school band concert. What’s wrong with curly hair, anyway? My daughter pulled her hair back without too much complaint… …but if you look closely, you can still see her purple head. Ha! I guess they can’t dictate the color. What would you tell me if we were having coffee together? How was your week? Any big plans for the weekend?
Reading, Eating, and… Whining?
I had a post planned for yesterday, all about how I was still “making every day count” in spite of the less-than-ideal circumstances. But somehow it didn’t ring true, and I guess I just have to admit I’m struggling with it. When Sarah had her injury in the fall, and was so unhappy that she couldn’t run and impatient to get back to it, she talked about how she also didn’t want to just wish the days away. She still wanted to experience every day to the fullest, even though it was a tough time for her. It is a dilemma. Life feels kind of flat without running, going to the gym every day is getting old, and I want my ankle healed up NOW. In the weeks leading up to my race, in order to savor the time and not try to rush though it, every day I would tell myself “There will never be another day exactly like this one.” Now when I say that, a sarcastic voice in my head says ‘Well, I would certainly HOPE not.” Be quiet, sarcastic voice! Every day still counts. But let’s not dwell on it- we all have our challenges, and they don’t last forever. Let’s talk about FOOD! Two weeks ago I made these Gochujang Bowls (I used tofu instead of chicken) and they were so good, I decided to try another recipe from the same website. I picked this curry. When I first tasted it, it was a little bland. But what I’ve learned is, if a recipe has all sorts of interesting ingredients- this one had curry paste, peanut butter, coconut milk- but doesn’t taste flavorful enough, it just needs more salt. So I added enough salt to where it was delicious. It was also nice to eat something different- we all love tofu and broccoli, and could eat it every day. I have to push myself to have more variety. On a less healthy note, my daughter has been asking me to make cheesecake. I’m not sure if I’ve ever made a vegan cheesecake, but I checked my trusty source, Nora Cooks, and found a recipe for “The Best Vegan Cheesecake.” Well, okay then! Nora suggests using Tofutti brand cream cheese, but I haven’t seen that anywhere in ages, so I used Kite Hill instead. She also gives the option of making the full recipe in a springform pan, or cutting the filling in half and baking it in a regular pie pan. I chose the second option. Now, I know it won’t win any awards for presentation… … but it was DELICIOUS. My daughter and husband both loved it, and I even took a tiny, tiny taste because I was so curious. (I usually don’t eat desserts because I’m a recovering sugar-holic.) It was incredible. I’m planning to make it when my son is home, and I’ll make the full recipe. I’ll also make the suggested fresh strawberry topping, which my daughter didn’t want this time because she wanted the “full, plain, cheesecake experience.” If you’re looking for a vegan cheesecake recipe (and who isn’t?) this is the one. Moving on to reading. Eh. I made the grave error of reading another one of the books my client gave me, and it was not good. When will I learn? And why did I read the whole thing? To cleanse my palate after that, I’m re-reading an Agatha Christie. You can’t go wrong with her, unless of course you remember the ending halfway through- but so far it’s still a mystery to me (I probably read it originally at least thirty years ago, so re-reading works in this case.) Meanwhile, I’m waiting for some library holds to come in, and I’m especially excited to read Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.. He wrote Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, which I really enjoyed, and this one takes place on a train, a la Murder on the Orient Express. I’m #2 on the hold list- hurry up, library! Have you ever made a cheesecake? Are you a cheesecake fan? – I never ate them much in my pre-gan days, and since I’ve been vegan I’ve probably only had vegan cheesecake at a restaurant… a handful of times? That’s why I had to taste this one! Are you reading anything good right now? Header photo by Nathan Dumlao
Weekly Rundown- I’m TRYING to Spring Ahead…
Oh, hi there! Thanks for stopping by for the latest installment of “How’s That Ankle?’ (aka the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah.) Well, since you asked, the ankle is improving. I still haven’t tried running, but I did have some other milestone workouts this week. Let’s get right into it! Sunday This was a big day, because I said goodbye to the bike forever (or, until the next horrible injury.) Instead, I graduated to this: If I have to be on a machine at the gym, other than the treadmill, I’ll pick the stair climber. I was able to do 40 minutes! My ankle was a little achy, but overall it was fine. Followed it up with the abs machines. Monday Another big day! I WALKED! Outside! For exercise! It… wasn’t amazing. I had to go pretty slow- my mile pace was around 20 minutes- and my ankle was achy. But I felt like I was able to move with a fairly normal gait. I followed this up with squats, Knees Over Toes exercises, and dead bugs. Tuesday Again, stair climber at the gym. This time for 30 minutes, and my ankle was less achy. Then upper body strength- bench press, reverse fly, overhead press with dumbbells. No photo from the gym, but here’s something much more attractive. At night my husband and I went out to celebrate our anniversary, and I got the “Hop Head Sampler”- three IPAs. YUM! Wednesday We woke up to rain and thunder. Yes, summer has arrived in South Florida. I stayed inside and did Knees Over Toes exercises again, and the Caroline Girvan dead bug workout.. I’ve been doing dead bugs, but I’m always too easy on myself unless I have someone pushing me. These twelve minutes of dead bugs hurt, but in the best possible way. Later on… 30 minute walk! For this one, I tried wearing an ankle brace. I’m not sure if it really did anything- my ankle aches either way, but didn’t feel any worse after the walk. Thursday Yet another big day! I started off with 20 minutes on the stair climber, and then did the Cool Blogger’s Treadmill Workout- 3 mph, 12% incline, for 30 minutes. I tried to do this a week ago and it just hurt too much- today I could do it. Friday I figured my ankle had enough excitement for a while, so I opted for an at-home strength day. Squats, Knees Over Toes (which, by the say, is a lot of calf strengthening moves, which I need) and I did the Caroline Girvan dead bug workout again. Again, ouch. At night, my husband and I went to hear the Vienna Philharmonic play Mahler 9 AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. One of the best concerts I’ve ever heard in my life. I know- we went out twice this week- who are we??? Saturday Off. We got home late from the concert, and I had to work at 9 am, so I took the opportunity to sleep in. Of course, the cats had other ideas- but I got enough rest. Sunday On tap- I”ll be off to the gym, and who knows what excitement awaits there??? At some point this week I’m going to try running (feel free to send thoughts and prayers.) I’m still looking at that April 27th race. I requested the day off of work, but I haven’t registered for the race yet. I check the website multiple times a day to make sure there are still spots open (as of right now, 25 spots remain- I think I’m safe for a while.) I want to try running, and then I’ll have more of an idea how feasible this race really is. FINGERS CROSSED!!! Do you like turning the clocks ahead? – SIGH. I’m trying to have a zen-like attitude- accept what you can’t control (but I’m secretly cursing. I don’t like the dark mornings.) Are you a beer drinker? – I love IPAs, but I don’t drink much these days. Going out for beer is a special treat! Header photo by Moritz Kindler on Unsplash
A Setback is a Step Forward
Great news- the Forgotten Florida race photos are in, and there’s a couple of me that are seriously terrible. This one might be the most ridiculous photo I’ve ever had taken: First of all, it kind of looks like they told me to pose as if I were running. Something about it just doesn’t look natural. More importantly, what in the world is going on with my FACE??? What was I doing? Yelling? Smiling? Crying? Having some kind of a fit? This was before I sprained my ankle, so I don’t have that as an excuse. Well- one thing is for sure- you can see I wasn’t lying when I said it was a wet day. Moving right along. Earlier this week at the gym, I was listening to this episode of Trail to 100 Podcast, “A Setback is a Step Forward.” Yes, perfect. The hosts talked about how to deal with setbacks, and gave some great nuggets of advice, such as “honor where you are right now.” If your setback is an injury, don’t try to pretend you’re any better or worse than you are, just accept the situation exactly as it is. Another piece of advice was “get help.” Let’s examine that one more closely. I’m still looking back on my race and analyzing what went wrong. One thing that stands out to me, in retrospect, is that I passed through TWO aid stations- at the first one I was merely cold, but at the second one I had just twisted my ankle, and was shivering. WHY didn’t I ask for help? That’s what the aid station volunteers are there for. I could have told them I needed to warm up. Who knows- maybe someone had an extra pair of gloves, or a rain poncho, or even a trash bag that I could have made into a rain poncho. And why didn’t I at least take a break to assess the ankle situation? I’m not sure there was anything to be done at that moment, but again, you never know. Maybe someone had tape? But for some reason I was in such a hurry to get through the aid station, I didn’t tell anyone I was struggling. Which brings me to the next point. WHY was I in such a hurry? People always warn you not to waste time at aid stations, but I’m pretty sure that’s if everything is going well. If you’re having a serious problem, you should definitely stop and try to fix it. And here’s the thing- when I left that aid station, I walked almost the entire distance to the next one- seven or eight miles- and I was still ahead of the cutoff. Theoretically- had I actually been able to run at all at that point- I could have continued on to finish the race. I could have stopped for help at both aid stations and still had plenty of time. My first lesson from this race was: be prepared for the weather. My other big takeaways are: slow down, and ask for help if you need it. After I listened to the “setback” podcast, I called my sports chiropractor and made an appointment for next week, to see if he can do anything to speed the healing along. I know my ankle will heal regardless, but I have that April 27th race on my radar. I still believe it’s possible, but I have to do everything I can to make it happen. Including… getting some help. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned lately? Favorite podcast right now? – Every episode of Trail to 100 has been a home run for me this month. Header photo by Mette Køstner on Unsplash