Which gel should I take?

Ever wonder which gel is best for you? I do. I found out the hard way that I absolutely cannot tolerate Cliff gels (too bad, love their bars). I had to stop stockstill in the middle of a marathon to not throw up. Horrible.
But this little flow chart can help. You can see a larger (readable) image here.

Read up on it at Jonathan Savage's site!

Actually I really like this shoe

Does anyone remember the Mezamashii Run Project from Mizuno? It was a big deal a year ago, Perhaps you might have read that when I received an invitation, I was debating which shoe to choose.
I played a mean trick and let my readers vote on two models, then I went with a third one that I didn't even tell you about.
Msfitrunner recommended the Musha 4. She's sharp. I think she knows me better than I know myself.

I went with her choice and you know what? I love this shoe. But I didn't want to review it until I had actually worn it, and kind of worn it out. I've been injured for so long that it took me awhile to really get some good feel for the shoe. It is hideous (what is the deal with all the bright workout wear all of a sudden? I look like a circus out for a jog), but who cares? It's light as a feather with a little bounce.

I've been afraid to wear Mizuno in the past because I could always feel the wave under my foot - plus they seemed narrow to me. These men's sized Mushas don't feel narrow at all, and they fit my particular foot like a glove. This could be a problem for the average runner, since my feet are very weird. I can feel the wave underfoot - but only when standing still. It somehow disappears when I start running.

So, the gist of the shoe?
- Light, roomy, comfortable
- Mild (very mild) stability
- Not a lot of cushion, but some bounce
- Good for races and excellent on the track
- Not good for long runs unless you don't love cushion; my legs felt fatigue after just 7 miles.

FYI there is now a women's model; it doesn't matter to me because I wear men's anyway. I'm thinking this will be the shoe for the upcoming Azalea Trail Race 10k, but not for the Crescent City Classic: I think I'll need to wear my more-cushioned Kinvaras just to handle the rough surface of Esplanade Avenue.

This is exciting!

When I got this email from the NOTC (New Orleans Track Club):

I immediately texted my friend Celeste that we were now professional runners. Paying for a hotel? Free entry? Yeah, pretty sure that makes me an elite...despite the late email that makes this seem suspiciously like I'm second string. Hey, that's ok, I'll take your leftovers!

I accepted, but Celeste can't make it: this means I'm going on a weekend trip with a bunch of people I don't know and sharing a hotel room with a bunch of them. What an adventure!
Of course, the timing of this race is bad: it's a week before the Crescent City Classic 10k, so I'll be just undertrained, which is a legit fear for me since I'm just coming slowly off injury.

When I first got the email I was worried, since I've never run on trails before, but then I clicked over to the website and it's a road race. It's just has "trail" in the name. They shouldn't do that. Some of us are easily confused. It's actually some kind of super fast course with a real live elite field (darn, I thought that was me) and a pretty nice after-party (with massages!). I'm excited to run it but nervous that I will be slow and let the NOTC down!

Foody Friday: Make your own Greek Yogurt

Well, ok, not quite. Actually I think this is called "yogurt cheese" but it's very simple and pretty close to Greek yogurt. And it's less expensive: a 16 ounce container of Chobani is $3.99, and this recipe yields 16 ounces for less than half that.

All you need is a 32-ounce container of yogurt, some cheese cloth (you can buy it at most grocery stores or craft stores), and a few twist ties.

I bought lowfat plain yogurt for $1.59/32 ounces

Double the cheese cloth and drape it over a container you will use to catch the drainage. Dump the yogurt in and draw up the corners so that you have a pouch of yogurt. Hold it up for a minute and let it drip off the majority of the whey.

Then tie the top with a twist tie and tie the ends of the cheese cloth around your kitchen sink faucet. I put a container under to catch the whey because I use it when I make bread. Of course. I'm so Little House on the Prairie.

You can also use a twist tie to secure to the faucet if you're worried about your knottsmanship.

It's best to do this in winter, because timing works out perfectly if you tie your yogurt up right before bed. When you get up, it's been draining overnight in your cold kitchen for about 6 hours, and you have nice thick yogurt.

Thickened yogurt and a whole lot of whey

Put the yogurt back in its original container - it should be about reduced by half -

Half-full of creamy, thick yogurt.

 - and either discard the whey or use for cooking.

You can drain the watery part off the whey and try to get your stray cats to drink the rest. But it's a great substitute for milk or water when baking, too.

This makes a good substitute for Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Life lately

I have wandered away from blogging quite a bit recently, since all I had to report was how injured I was and what bizarre new treatment I was currently trying. So I think I need to do some back-tracking and catch everyone up on a few areas:

1. Work: This January I took a big, big blow to my little pharmacy. I'm located inside a hospital, which is part of a large chain of for-profit hospitals. The chain decided to go with a cost-saving insurance plan that requires employees to use CVS only. I manage a Walgreens...so I just lost over 50% of my prescription volume, and over 90% of my profits (this company reimburses pharmacies well, whereas I lose money on most Medicare and Medicaid claims, so it turns out that employee rx's accounted for 90% of my profit. Ouch). This is creating a very stressful environment at work, to say the least. I'm trying to snag some new business to make up for this loss, but it's going to be difficult.

2. Play: We've actually been spending a lot of time just doing fun things, since I haven't been running as much and our weekends aren't filled with races. We took a 3-day weekend and visited Carville, Lousiana - I intend to post about that later; we went to Mardi Gras parties, including one at my pastor's house; we had a housewarming sangria party with friends and I won the taste-test with my white wine honey dew-berry version; we attended the Irish Network New Orleans black-tie gala (and this year I didn't make a dress. I ran out of time). I rarely post about these things because I am bad about taking pictures!

3. Running: After last week's half-marathon and the return of my hamstring pain, I had to decide what to do moving forward. I talked to my PT and he thinks I have residual pain from nerve damage. He doesn't feel any damaged muscle areas or weakness in the muscle, so he's ok with continuing my slow return to running. I am very aggravated, though. Every time I run I still feel some discomfort from osteitis pubis, and now I have pain in my hamstring sometimes, too. This is really making running less enjoyable. So next step is to try to get in with my doctor: sort of to get his opinion, and also to get his prescription for PT should I continue to need it.

4. Racing: My next race is the Crescent City Classic, a 10k race I have scoffed at in the past for being too crowded, poorly managed, and not even fun. But it is under new management, and that brought some positive changes, like seeded corrales and streamlined registration. I got a deal at the RnR expo and registered for just $25, which is the lowest price of the year. I'm combining training with my return to running by loosely following an intermediate-level training plan. It only has mild speed work and is low-milage, so it should be easy on my body,

I love these: wing tip loafers

I got these suede flats from Target on clearance for $12.48. I love them so much that I got another pair, even cuter, in gray with bright yellow detail.

They're comfortable and fun, and they don't slip off my feet when I walk (my pet peeve with most flats). And there are still some sizes available if you want your own pair!

And now it hurts :(

Well, this is strange. After several rest days following Sunday's half marathon, my hamstring pain returned. This was after rest. I am baffled. It started while I was sitting in a meeting! And strangely it was better after a run. I just don't know anymore. I had plenty of time to wonder why this pain keeps reoccurring as I sat on Claiborne Ave for 15 minutes this morning, waiting for this trucker to figure out how to get into the Taco Bell parking lot:

Do they serve breakfast there or something?
Despite that, my pondering left me still lost. Chronic tendinopathy? Nerve damage? Who knows.

So, that was pretty frustrating. But I am still doing better than I was before. I just wish the pain had stayed away!