Running update: I've been getting dry needling on my hamstring, which is really just social hour with the physical therapists since a. I have apparently lost the ability to feel the needles, and b. I met my max on my insurance, so there I am, just being a glut in the healthcare society. I've been running throughout this, except when I stopped when my knee hurt a little (it was a little distal hamstring tendinopathy. The funny thing is, that was my misdiagnosis way back when I had a femoral stress fracture, and now I can't believe I could confuse the two. Totally different!).
My PT and my doctor are not very worried about my hamstring, and it feels pretty good. I'm at a long run of 13 miles and four or five days a week running. I am doing some PT, but not many exercises. Usually hamstring strains require mild stretching and a lot of strengthening, but I already have strong hamstrings. I think the strain was just from handling hills poorly in my race. My PT tested my hamstring to quadricep ratio, and my hamstrings are actually strong for a runner, at about 80% of my quad strength (anecdotally, he sees about 50% on average in distance runners).
Basically, my hamstring will be just fine, but it was a nice excuse while it lasted, ok? I definitely think that if I'd been running faster, I would not have really taken a break. I just get bored with my slow self. Now It's time to get off my butt. I'll be slowly racing the Turkey Day five miler as a rude reawakening.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Wine Tasting Wars
David and I finally held a party we've been planning on for a while: Wine tasting wars!
It goes like this: Each guest brings two bottles of their favorite cheap red wine. One is for the tasting; the other is put in the prize kitty.
The host masks each bottle of wine, and as people mingle and taste, they rank the wines from one to five stars on ballots. At the end of the night, ballots are turned in, and the winning wine takes home the prize - all the extra bottles of wine!
We'd been to a party like this, and it was so fun: it's never awkward, because everyone has something to talk about, and the competition adds excitement. In our version, we had ballots labeled from A to Z and we marked each wine with a letter of the alphabet (we had so many people over that we actually completed the entire alphabet - 26 wines to taste!).
I checked guests in on a spreadsheet, and David and I covered the bottles with paper bags to hide the label. We used a thick Sharpie to mark the letter on the bag. Meanwhile, guests were sipping and mingling and eating (I did some trays with meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, chocolate, and nuts, and throughout the night I served flatbreads that I cooked at intervals so they wouldn't get cold: goat cheese and caramelized onion, ricotta/Mozzarella with spinach, fresh basil and tomato, and ham, apple, sharp cheddar, and mustard greens).
As people began to fill up their ballots, David and I entered their ratings, working on two computers on a shared Google doc. Soon, we had a winner! The excitement was palpable! People were getting REALLY into the rankings! I announced the winners, and first, second, and third took home a bunch of wine (first got 12 bottles: that's quite the prize, right?!).
Want to know the winners?
First place: Nineteen Crimes, a red blend
Second place: Dark Horse Big Red blend
Third place: Fourteen hands, also a red blend.
Apparently red blends win the popular vote!
We had a great time and a bunch of people went home with new favorites or wines to try. And everyone is already asking for a repeat next year. I'd love to do one, but I will need to enlist help: I woke up the next day with my wrist swollen from opening wine bottles!
It goes like this: Each guest brings two bottles of their favorite cheap red wine. One is for the tasting; the other is put in the prize kitty.
The host masks each bottle of wine, and as people mingle and taste, they rank the wines from one to five stars on ballots. At the end of the night, ballots are turned in, and the winning wine takes home the prize - all the extra bottles of wine!
We'd been to a party like this, and it was so fun: it's never awkward, because everyone has something to talk about, and the competition adds excitement. In our version, we had ballots labeled from A to Z and we marked each wine with a letter of the alphabet (we had so many people over that we actually completed the entire alphabet - 26 wines to taste!).
I checked guests in on a spreadsheet, and David and I covered the bottles with paper bags to hide the label. We used a thick Sharpie to mark the letter on the bag. Meanwhile, guests were sipping and mingling and eating (I did some trays with meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, chocolate, and nuts, and throughout the night I served flatbreads that I cooked at intervals so they wouldn't get cold: goat cheese and caramelized onion, ricotta/Mozzarella with spinach, fresh basil and tomato, and ham, apple, sharp cheddar, and mustard greens).
 |
| Announcing the winners: my only picture from the night (and somehow we managed to make it look like there weren't 50 people in my house, which there were! It was a tad crowded! |
As people began to fill up their ballots, David and I entered their ratings, working on two computers on a shared Google doc. Soon, we had a winner! The excitement was palpable! People were getting REALLY into the rankings! I announced the winners, and first, second, and third took home a bunch of wine (first got 12 bottles: that's quite the prize, right?!).
Want to know the winners?
First place: Nineteen Crimes, a red blend
Second place: Dark Horse Big Red blend
Third place: Fourteen hands, also a red blend.
Apparently red blends win the popular vote!
We had a great time and a bunch of people went home with new favorites or wines to try. And everyone is already asking for a repeat next year. I'd love to do one, but I will need to enlist help: I woke up the next day with my wrist swollen from opening wine bottles!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Long sleeves!
Not quite. I was way too hot. But hey, weather in the low 60's with humidity FINALLY below 60% feels like winter to me! Time to break out the sleeves!
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| Those are my Wal-mart shorts. |
Thursday, November 5, 2015
MD and PT
This week I saw my MD and my PT. I went to check in about my tight left hamstring and my loose right hip!
The doctor confirmed that my hip is just my hip - that's how it's going to be post-surgery. He encouraged me to keep up with my hip exercises, which I do religiously.
As for my hamstring, it seemed a little tight to him, but he wasn't worried about it. He recommended reducing distance and speed and getting some dry needling. The tightness is mostly in the belly of the muscle, but some distal tightness, too, right at the junction of the tendon and muscle.
The next day I saw my PT - new one, who works with this doctor - for some dry needling. Same story from him: it didn't seem that bad (but this is hard for me to explain sometimes: I'm really flexible on my left side, usually, so being able to stretch a little beyond 90 degrees with my hamstring doesn't mean I'm "normal" - that's not normal for me. I usually can stretch much further).
The dry needling didn't seem to make a huge impact this time, but I go for two more sessions, and in the meantime I'm not running much as my PT said to take two days off after each session. I guess time will tell.
The doctor confirmed that my hip is just my hip - that's how it's going to be post-surgery. He encouraged me to keep up with my hip exercises, which I do religiously.
As for my hamstring, it seemed a little tight to him, but he wasn't worried about it. He recommended reducing distance and speed and getting some dry needling. The tightness is mostly in the belly of the muscle, but some distal tightness, too, right at the junction of the tendon and muscle.
The next day I saw my PT - new one, who works with this doctor - for some dry needling. Same story from him: it didn't seem that bad (but this is hard for me to explain sometimes: I'm really flexible on my left side, usually, so being able to stretch a little beyond 90 degrees with my hamstring doesn't mean I'm "normal" - that's not normal for me. I usually can stretch much further).
The dry needling didn't seem to make a huge impact this time, but I go for two more sessions, and in the meantime I'm not running much as my PT said to take two days off after each session. I guess time will tell.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Fruit of the Loom cotton jog bra review
For years, I've run in cotton Fruit of the Loom jog bras that came in a pack of 3 for $10. They pulled over the head and had a regular back instead of a racerback. I loved them, but sadly, they stopped making a size 32. The smallest size is now 34, and it's too loose to do the trick.
Luckily, I found a pretty good substitute in another Fruit of the Loom bra. It also starts at size 34, but it doesn't run as large as the other style, so a 34 fits me.
This bra is kind of awesome. It's 95% cotton and 5% spadex, which makes it cool and breathable but with enough stretch. It has this weird front closure going on, but I just ignore that and pull it over my head.
The front is lined and shirred for modesty, and the 34 fits like a typical small. The back is a racerback, with a vent to keep you cool. The bra comes down a little lower onto the abdomen than most, which makes me even more comfortable wearing it shirtless in the summer (I tend to be more modest, but all that goes out the window when it's 99F out).
I'm a big fan of cotton jog bras because I think they keep you a lot cooler than synthetic materials, and you don't have to worry about sweat-soaked clinging because they're already tight. But sometimes, cotton isn't study enough for a jog bra to do its job. These really do, though, and they're a great deal at 2 for $11.
Huge drawback: the bottom of the front closure chafes. I MUST use Body Glide in that spot - but that's not a big deal for me, since I always lube up at my bra band (it's a high-chafe area for me).
This has now moved up to my #2 bra. My number one is still my Coeur Sports bra, which has good coverage and two pockets, but for everyday wear, this cotton bra suits my needs just fine. And at that price, I didn't care that one of the two-pack had an unraveled seam that I had to stitch up. It was still a good deal!
Luckily, I found a pretty good substitute in another Fruit of the Loom bra. It also starts at size 34, but it doesn't run as large as the other style, so a 34 fits me.
This bra is kind of awesome. It's 95% cotton and 5% spadex, which makes it cool and breathable but with enough stretch. It has this weird front closure going on, but I just ignore that and pull it over my head.
The front is lined and shirred for modesty, and the 34 fits like a typical small. The back is a racerback, with a vent to keep you cool. The bra comes down a little lower onto the abdomen than most, which makes me even more comfortable wearing it shirtless in the summer (I tend to be more modest, but all that goes out the window when it's 99F out).
I'm a big fan of cotton jog bras because I think they keep you a lot cooler than synthetic materials, and you don't have to worry about sweat-soaked clinging because they're already tight. But sometimes, cotton isn't study enough for a jog bra to do its job. These really do, though, and they're a great deal at 2 for $11.
Huge drawback: the bottom of the front closure chafes. I MUST use Body Glide in that spot - but that's not a big deal for me, since I always lube up at my bra band (it's a high-chafe area for me).
This has now moved up to my #2 bra. My number one is still my Coeur Sports bra, which has good coverage and two pockets, but for everyday wear, this cotton bra suits my needs just fine. And at that price, I didn't care that one of the two-pack had an unraveled seam that I had to stitch up. It was still a good deal!
Monday, November 2, 2015
Saturday's race
I decided not to run Saturday. I actually took all week off running for several reasons:
1. Why bother if no race?
2. Hamstring still tight, no clue why, time to see MD.
3. I'm not really into running right now. I am into these ballet workouts that make my legs feel like jelly.
I'm going back to Dr. McNulty today, and I'll ask him his opinion on my hamstring (and my MCL, which is 100% better, but I want to know if he thinks I'm putting strain on it because of too-tight hamstrings).
And then, depending on what he says, I'll decide if I'm on a long running (and therefore blogging!) break, or if I'm going to get back into to it. I don't know where my motivation has gone, but I think it's a combination of both being slower and not running with any groups anymore. Track with a group was very motivational, and I miss that. There's no one to push me now...and no one to hold me back from silly speed or mileage decisions.
I'm still into running enough that I rushed home from church to catch the end of the men's race at the NYC marathon, though! I love watching finish lines!
Anyone else watch? I missed most of the broadcast, but I saw the starts for the women and the men and the men's finish.
1. Why bother if no race?
2. Hamstring still tight, no clue why, time to see MD.
3. I'm not really into running right now. I am into these ballet workouts that make my legs feel like jelly.
I'm going back to Dr. McNulty today, and I'll ask him his opinion on my hamstring (and my MCL, which is 100% better, but I want to know if he thinks I'm putting strain on it because of too-tight hamstrings).
And then, depending on what he says, I'll decide if I'm on a long running (and therefore blogging!) break, or if I'm going to get back into to it. I don't know where my motivation has gone, but I think it's a combination of both being slower and not running with any groups anymore. Track with a group was very motivational, and I miss that. There's no one to push me now...and no one to hold me back from silly speed or mileage decisions.
I'm still into running enough that I rushed home from church to catch the end of the men's race at the NYC marathon, though! I love watching finish lines!
Anyone else watch? I missed most of the broadcast, but I saw the starts for the women and the men and the men's finish.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
I have to explain
I hate costumes that require explaining.
If you're from NOLA, you get it: but if you aren't, you probably just think we're wearing bad puns.
Actually, we're dressed as skeletons from the skeleton house on St. Charles, where we took pre-party pictures!
If you're from NOLA, you get it: but if you aren't, you probably just think we're wearing bad puns.
Actually, we're dressed as skeletons from the skeleton house on St. Charles, where we took pre-party pictures!
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