My run was quite chilly this morning. When I got back, the boyfriend got a kick out of my hat, which apparently had streaks of condensed water from the heat radiating off of my hot head. (I'm a hot-head, get it?) It must have been all that grad student thinking that I was doing on my run...
Good thing tomorrow is a day off. It is going to be quite chilly in the morning, but more importantly, I need to rest my foot. Today, I started getting pain in my left arch (back towards the heel). Because I am a hypochondriac, I immediately envisioned the worst possible situation: plantar fasciitis. Fortunately, I was able to reel in my thoughts of sinews collapsing in my arch and logically hypothesize that my feet have been doing extra work this week to compensate for slippery surfaces and ice patches all over the sidewalk. I think the slipping changes my step and pulls things in directions they don't want to go. I guess I could ice my foot like I did the last time this happened a few years ago. But why go buy a bag of ice and a bucket when I can just go stand barefoot in the ice bucket that is now my life?
Any advice for arch pain? I'm sure one of you marathoners has had arch pain. Please let your infinite wisdom rain down upon me and my inexperienced arches!
Tonight, we had our kick-off meeting for the Half Marathon training program. It was pretty fun to see all the locals who are coming out to run either the half or the full. The running community seems really excited to host the innaugural marathon, and I'm really excited to be a part of it. The online information made the program sound really hardcore; it said you had to be able to run at least 6 miles by Dec. 13 and have participated in a few 10K's and 5K's. Apparently, that's not true, and the program has lots of beginning runners. I'm excited to be a little "ahead of the curve" so I won't be intimidated as we venture into longer distances.
I also met a really nice fellow university student who asked if we could carpool. She's training for the full, which will be her first marathon. It made me wish that I were running the full, but I think I'll see how the winter is before I commit to 20-milers in sub-0 weather.
We had a few speakers tonight about dressing for winter running. Apparently, some kind of spikes in your shoes is essential for running on the icy roads here in the winter. They also suggested a face-guard (like a ski mask), which I can't quite imagine myself in. I might get a gaiter for my neck and just keep layering. (Note to self: buy more technical long-sleeved shirts.) This winter will be quite an adventure, but as Jack Black said in School of Rock:
You're not hardcore unless you live hardcore.
...and that is what I intend to do...sort of.
Runner's World posted today on body fat as an index of overall health. I have one of those impedence scales, which I use to generally monitor my range, but I'm considering taking advantage of the university's health center and getting a real test done. (I think it's the one where you get pinched!) Anyway, RW suggests measuring waist circumference instead of body fat percentage as an indicator of health. There are directions for measuring around your iliac crest, which I determined to be my hip bones. Well, according to the test, I am above the healthy range and should be experiencing health risks associated with high stores of abdominal fat. Aw, hellz no! I don't think so. So, Shakira, your hips may not lie, but mine certainly do.
[Good news! I worked on my Old French paper today by going to the Modern Languages and Literatures library and doing more research for my translation. I plan on going back to the library for the next three days and cranking out that paper. Ahhhh, and then I will probably celebrate by buying myself a pre-Christmas present and going to see "Twilight".]
Oh! While I was home over Thanksgiving break, Mom was nice enough to order me some snow boots to keep my footies warm during a central IL winter. They came in the mail today! I tried them on and promptly clomped all over the apartment, pretending to be a Victoria's Secret model. (I watched the Fashion Show last night, I won't lie.)
(My resemblance to VS Angel Miranda Kerr is uncanny.)
So, Mom, if you're reading this, thanks for my boots. They're very nice, and I think they look cool! (Okay, not with boxers...) Sorry I didn't call to tell you, but it was late by the time I got home.
Alright, bye! Stay warm, everyone!
Runner's World posted today on body fat as an index of overall health. I have one of those impedence scales, which I use to generally monitor my range, but I'm considering taking advantage of the university's health center and getting a real test done. (I think it's the one where you get pinched!) Anyway, RW suggests measuring waist circumference instead of body fat percentage as an indicator of health. There are directions for measuring around your iliac crest, which I determined to be my hip bones. Well, according to the test, I am above the healthy range and should be experiencing health risks associated with high stores of abdominal fat. Aw, hellz no! I don't think so. So, Shakira, your hips may not lie, but mine certainly do.
[Good news! I worked on my Old French paper today by going to the Modern Languages and Literatures library and doing more research for my translation. I plan on going back to the library for the next three days and cranking out that paper. Ahhhh, and then I will probably celebrate by buying myself a pre-Christmas present and going to see "Twilight".]
Oh! While I was home over Thanksgiving break, Mom was nice enough to order me some snow boots to keep my footies warm during a central IL winter. They came in the mail today! I tried them on and promptly clomped all over the apartment, pretending to be a Victoria's Secret model. (I watched the Fashion Show last night, I won't lie.)
(My resemblance to VS Angel Miranda Kerr is uncanny.)
So, Mom, if you're reading this, thanks for my boots. They're very nice, and I think they look cool! (Okay, not with boxers...) Sorry I didn't call to tell you, but it was late by the time I got home.
Alright, bye! Stay warm, everyone!
10 comments:
I went to school in Buffalo and I can tell you that having a warm pair of boots is necessary! Glad you had a great time at the kick-off meeting. Sounds like you will be having some cold runs.
so cute! LOL i'm in san diego and i complain about the cold weather... and then i see your post! no more complaining :)
i hope my hips are lying too LOL. i haven't had my body fat measured in a while (using old skool calipers), it's taken some time for my self esteem to recover from the last time. it's fun to watch the trainer's eyes get wide and say "that can't be right..."
mica your so cute in your boots and boxers!!!!
LOL you are so funny :)
whenever my feet hurt i just stick them in my ice bucket :) i have had them hurt before too when it was time for new shoes... just pay attention to them, ice and if you need to take a rest day then do it. sometimes an extra day off makes all the pain go away :)
why didnt you tell me you had a blog!? i linked you and will now proceed to stalk you. huzzah!
RE: Cold- I completely hear you on the weather. (I posted a whiney post about it today!)
RE: Arches- my arch bothered me toward the end of my training. I would ice 3x a day with frozen peas. Twice while laying on stomach and once standing on the bag in the morning while getting ready. It never got perfect, but I think it helped.
RE: Body fat- I got my underwater tested at my local university recently, and it was quite the experience. (Hey, I blogged about that too. Great minds must think alike!)
Way cute pics too.
Definitely get someone professional to test your BF, it's wwwway more accurate than the scale.. then again not as accurate as the Hydroweigh.
You look like twins, how amazing :)
Mica, I totally had horrible arch pain back when I was a runner. I didn't even care about it until one of the sprinters was like, "That is the feeling of your arch wanting to collapse, and your arch actually collapsing will redefine your concept of pain." The only thing that helped me was doing arch-strengthening exercises--they are as straightforward as can be. I liked them because you can do them sitting down. I still do them all the time 1) because I am obsessive about things that don't matter, like my arches, and cavalier about things that matter, like my liver and 2) I refuse to wear shoes with arch support. And there's a comment for ya!
Dang, you went running in that weather???????? When I lived in Boston, I was all about the treadmill from about November to April =).
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