Serenity Now!
Why do you run? Some people run to keep in shape. Running really gives you the most “bang for your buck”- you can walk out your front door and get in a great workout in 45 minutes. You can’t say that about many other activities. People run because they love to be outdoors. Or they have a group of friends to run with and they love the community. Or they love the competitive aspect. Or they love the time alone, or they love the endorphins… so many reasons to run. Since my foot is messed up, I got in the pool (again) for (yet another) pool run this morning. I know! I’m so lucky to have a pool! Right in my own backyard! What a great alternative when you can’t run! But as I ran around and around in little circles, it suddenly seemed…. so frickin’ pointless. All I Really Need To Know, I Learned From my Stress Fracture Years ago, in my twenties when I was running fifty miles a week (ah, the good old days!) I got a stress fracture in my shin. I threw myself onto the machines at the gym, primarily the bike, thinking I would get my cardio fix and stay in shape that way. Interestingly, the stresses of life piled on so high that finally one day I felt like I was about to explode. And that’s when I realized what running gives me. The act of moving my body, while moving forward in space, is symbolic of moving forward in life. When I’m on the stationary bike, or the elliptical, or the stairclimber, I’m moving my body but GOING NOWHERE. There’s a reason “spinning your wheels” is a bad thing. Likewise, “going around and around in circles” is unsatisfying. I believe when we’re moving our body but not moving forward, our subconscious mind is aware of that. We may feel like things are fine for a while, but suddenly one day we realize life is unsatisfying and monotonous. Likewise, when we’re running outside on a regular basis, our subconscious understands that life is an amazing adventure that we’re moving through joyfully. So… what to do? Well, let’s see. I can’t run, or walk briskly without discomfort. I don’t like the bike- I know, you’re thinking “Guess what, Jenny? If you RIDE YOUR BIKE OUTSIDE, you’re moving forward, duh!” I agree there’s some truth there, but for me, there’s still a machine between me and the ground, doing some of the work. The closest thing I’ve found to getting that same satisfaction is swimming… and I’m considering it. It would require joining a gym with a pool, because our pool isn’t big enough for lap swimming. Whether or not I’ll take that leap is dependent on the results of my MRI. But for now… I’m focusing on yoga. I took a power yoga class regularly years ago and loved it. Now I do yoga on the Peloton app, and I’m loving it again. I don’t have enough experience with it yet to have any big, profound theories about why I love it, but for now I can say, it does not feel pointless. It’s something satisfying that will (hopefully) keep me sane until I can run again. How about you- do you feel like running has a deeper meaning in your life? Does anything else give you that same feeling?
Weekly Rundown- A Full Week
Hello and welcome to the Weekly Rundown! This was a tough week in some ways… I only ran once… but instead of whining and complaining (I’ve already done plenty of that), I’ll tell you all about what I did instead. I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this rundown- let’s get started! Monday I did a 30 minute yoga flow class on the Peloton app with my favorite teacher, Denis Morton. I saw a lot of him this week! Tuesday I optimistically decided to run and see how my foot was. First I did a 20 minute Strength for Runners class (again on the Peloton app) and then I did some drills- high knees, butt kicks… the usual. I ran for two miles and everything felt great… except for my foot. My foot hurt so I had to stop. Sadness. Wednesday Back to the pool! I did a 45 minute pool run. Thursday I did a 45 minute power yoga class, with Denis Morton (obviously.) As the week went on, I temporarily transferred my running addiction to power yoga. There’s just something about it that feels SO GOOD. One reason I like it, is you do yoga barefoot. Because of my plantar fasciitis, I haven’t walked barefoot in over a year. So it feels so, so good to have my shoes and off get all that stretching and strengthening in my foot. And speaking of that foot, I saw the doctor. He agreed that an MRI is in order, and he also suggested- pending the MRI results- PRP injections. Sure, I’m all for it- again, pending the MRI results. I tried to schedule it ASAP, but the first appointment I could get was next Wednesday. Sigh! Friday I did a 30 minute pool run, followed by a 20 minute power yoga class. This was my favorite 20 minute class so far- I really felt like it was strength work for my legs! Saturday I thought “I should really do a different type of class” but ended up doing… a 45 minute power yoga class. I told you, I’m addicted. I work on Saturdays, but only until 1 pm. In the afternoon we got to watch the Baylor football game, which was on Fox! My son is a freshman at Baylor this year, and this was Parent’s Weekend. Obviously we weren’t there. We knew we wouldn’t be able to go, distance and schedule-wise, and my son was fine with that. But he went to the game, and we got to watch it on TV! We texted back and forth during the game and it was so fun to watch it that way. Baylor wasn’t favored to win, but they narrowly beat Iowa State- so exciting! We enjoyed it so much we decided to get ESPN2 and ESPN3 so we can watch more games this season. Go Bears! Sunday I was torn between wanting to do power yoga, and needing a cardio fix. So I did both! A 30 minute pool run followed by a 30 minute power yoga class. So that was my week. My life always feels a little less… sparkly… when I can’t run, but I enjoyed the things I did do. Now, off to eat some cinnamon apple pancakes- because as we all know, it’s National Pancake Day! I hope everyone had a great week! What’s your favorite alternative if you can’t run? – I switch around usually because I get sick of things quickly. The pool is getting a little old. Do you like pancakes? Did you know it was National Pancake Day?
Pumpkin-y Updates
So now we’re well into Pumpkin Palooza! How are things going, anyway? WELL. I’m a little bummed that my foot issue has flared up again. I saw the doctor today and he agreed that it’s time for an MRI. I can’t wait to confirm once and for all that my foot is officially mangled. But other than that, I’ve been enjoying some pumpkin-y treats this month. In addition to pumpkin pancakes and waffles, I’ve been making this pumpkin oatmeal, based loosely on a recipe from Minimalist Baker… But I don’t only make pumpkin-y breakfasts! I made this pumpkin chili… You know how people go apple picking in the fall? Well, we go avocado picking. This avocado was from our neighbor’s tree. Then there was this deliciousness: Whoever said “a picture is worth a thousand words” was definitely not talking about this picture. Unfortunately, an absolutely hideous picture of the most delicious meal. Let’s try the words instead: Pumpkin Pasta Bake with Almond Ricotta. Pasta and spinach are baked with a creamy pumpkin sauce and almond ricotta “cheese.” I loved this! I’m a sucker for creamy pasta dishes. I also made the Healthy Pumpkin Oat Cookies from Running on Real Food. These are definitely on the healthy side, but that didn’t stop me from scarfing them down happily. I pretty much love all cookies. And while we’re on the subject of running and food… I want to give a huge shoutout to Bianca from Vegan Crunk! I’ve been reading her blog for years, and she just completed her first 50k!!! This is a woman who is into running, vegan foods and healthy living- but just in case that sounds too serious, I promise you she knows how to have a good time. You can read her fun race recap here. While people up north are enjoying some fall weather, it’s still summer here. But that’s okay! I need it to be warm because I’m back in the pool for some pool running. In another month or so it will be too cold for this- Hope everyone is having an amazing Friday! Are you into baking? Have you made any pumpkin-themed meals yet? It’s almost October- do you put up Halloween decorations? – Oh yes I do!!!
Midweek Mashup
What’s up, Wednesday friends? Happy first day of fall! My week is…. going along. I’ve been faithfully doing the Brad Kearns stretches for plantar fasciitis. I’m an old Brad Kearns fan- I used to listen to his podcast but stopped because he talked too much about his keto diet and intermittent fasting. I know that works for him, but I’m just not into it. I did watch two of his other videos, this one about correct running technique, and this one on running technique drills- both are excellent. Then before my run this morning I did a Strength for Runners class (Matt Wilpers on the Peloton app) and I did Brad’s drills. To be honest, I already do these drills, but I haven’t done them consistently in a while, and it was nice to see them demonstrated again in his video. Then I started my run. I don’t know if it was the glute activation, or the drills, or the combination of both, but this run felt GREAT. I could really feel my glutes working, my cadence was high… everything was perfect except for one tiny, tiny spot on my foot. And that one-inch area was enough to ruin the whole thing. After two miles I could tell that I needed to stop. My foot was really hurting, so I went home and immediately called the doctor. The conversation went something like this: “Alright Buster, listen up. I’ve been dealing with this foot issue for over a year and want it fixed NOW. If you can’t fix it then I want an MRI, pronto.” Okay, that was a slight embellishment. I actually talked to the receptionist and asked for an MRI- she told me I had to see the doctor first. Fine. I made an appointment for Thursday after work, but I’m done putzing around. I want an MRI to see if there’s something other than plantar fasciitis going on, so I can fix it. And if it is just plantar fasciitis, I’ll keep with my current plan, which is cobbling together a treatment using random bits of information from the internet. What else can I do? One thing I’ve learned is that everyone has a different “miracle cure” for PF, and something different works for each person. Okay, I know. You’re thinking, “Jenny, maybe it’s time to find a nice water aerobics class.” I’ll admit I’ve had a pretty crummy year. The foot thing has been ongoing. Then there was the hip issue, and after that the mysterious knee pain. (Interestingly, both my hips and knees feel perfect now- at least only one thing seems to hurt at any one time.) One of my mottos is “Never, ever give up.” I know there’s a solution to all of this. A long time ago I read somewhere: When you’re injured, remember you have a 100% success rate with this. I’ve come back from every single injury in the past, and I’ve had some tough ones. I can do this, too. There was some of this… While I “ran” in little circles around the deep end of my pool, I listened to the great Courtney Dauwalter, who just won the 106 mile UTMB, on Ali’s podcast. I like how she talked about breaking that race up into little sections, and just focusing on completing each section as efficiently as she could. It also came up, in passing, that she DNF’d the first 100 mile race she ever attempted. Good thing she tried again! See? NEVER GIVE UP! Are you excited for the first day of fall, or sad that summer is ending? – If you’re sad, come down to Florida for a while- we’ve got plenty of summer left here!