But Would They Let Me Come Back to Class Again?

Sometimes I go to a spin class in the mornings. Do you know how uncomfortable those seats are? I have often thought that there must be a way to cushion those seats a little more effectively. Perhaps I would enjoy it more if sitting on those seats wasn't such pure torture. Probably not, but it's possible.

However, pondering the unforgiving nature of the stationary bike's seat is one of the things that I focus on to take my mind off the fact that the instructor just ordered us to turn up the tension another 1/4 turn.

But then as I watched the boys play outside the other day, NT solved this dilemma.

I think that this may be an adequate cushion.

Pretty, Pretty Socks!

Do you ever have pressing questions that keeps you up at night with your inability to find an answer? Fortunately, I will now answer one of those burning questions:

Will I ever know what Lottie's socks look like???

The answer is yes!

How cool are those!?! One of the local manufacturing shops makes socks and has an outlet store. I was able to get these CoolMax running socks for a $1 a piece! I got a pair of these type of socks at a 1/2 marathon I ran a couple of years ago and they are fabulous. I have never bought another pair because they are kind of expensive and I was getting a little sad because they were starting to get a little threadbare. But now I have 10 new pairs that I got for $10! Yay for new socks!

A Word about Arnica Montana

It's a homeopathic medicine and is sold in pill form and gels. The pill form is an extremely small dosage and is typically used before surgery and such to reduce the amount of swelling and bruising that occur with the surgery. It can also be used to treat sore muscles, bruises, sprains and imflammation. The gel is also used to treat sprains, bruises etc.

Anyhoo - my neighbor swears by it. She has a sister who is a doula and she recommended that she take it before she delivered her last baby. She says that her recovery and healing time was much faster than the two previous babies. Recently I also saw an article in Runner's World about it. My ankle has been giving me a little grief when I run since I sprained it playing basketball in February and sometimes my arthritic knee aches a little after running. So I thought I would give it a shot. I have been taking it for about a week (I take about half the recommended dosage) and I'm going to say I notice a difference. I have even been running more and I have had only the slightest twinge in my ankle after one of my longer runs.

So I am just going to throw that out there for what it's worth and if you have an ache or sprain or whatever that you are not comfortable taking more ibuprofen - do a little research, see if it might work for you.

Also - speaking of running, writersblock is going to run the Disney marathon as a fund-raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So if you can, donate a little money and support her as she runs! She'll blog all about her training and you can envy all the miles she has run. She will also send you a very gracious thank-you note!

Update: So I'm reading over this post and I realize that I sound like a spokesperson for arnica montana. I apologize for the length and excess information, but I have been really liking the results that I have seen so far from using it and I wanted to share. But I hate sharing if I don't pass on correct information and I sometimes go overboard! So that's what you get! :-P

Update to the Running Madness

So I promised to keep you all up-to-date on my progress. Yeah. Sorry about that. Anyhoo - the first week was bad. B.A.D. I only ran twice and I was thinking of giving it up. Not sure if I could do it again, wondered if I had bit off more than I could chew, etc. But then, I got all the encouraging notes from you nice kids and I re-considered. As a matter of fact, I ran 5 miles yesterday (Saturday). I may have to scale back on my goal a little - maybe plan on a 10K for November instead of the half-marathon - but I am going to keep at it. Thanks for all your support - it is totally rad!

So if I don't do the half-marathon in November, who wants to run Robie Creek with me in April??? You know you can hear it calling!

I Really Mean It This Time!

I am finally going to get back to running. My foot feels really good. Either the cortisone hasn't worn off yet or the orthotics are doing their job. So what that means is that I really have to start running again because I have been steadily gaining since I quit. It would so totally bogus (that's for you, Sillya!) if it gets to the point where I have to be rolled around because I have gotten so rotund.

With that in mind, I have signed up for the Zeitgeist half-marathon on November 1st. I made myself a super-duper running schedule the other night and I must stick to it! That's where I need your help. I am going to post my running schedule weekly and I need to be nagged if I haven't completed it by the end of the week. Don't forget that there is no "I" in team so if I fail then you have failed!

This week:
Monday - 3 miles (done - gold star for me!)
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - rest day (I think that means I get a nap)
Friday - 4 miles
Saturday - 6 miles

Bad news

I had to buy a swimsuit today. The horror, folks, the HORROR!!! Stupid family reunion at a place with a pool. To all of you who may have to see me in that swimsuit - I apologize in advance. :-(

The upside is that I think my calves are finally starting to look more like calves and less like cows. Unless it's just the ubiquitousness of my thighs that makes it seem that way. Either way, I guess I need to keep running. Or bicyling since the doctor tells me I am developing a bone spur on my heel.