So, my mom is taking computer classes, and asked me last night for my blog address so she could  look me up.  Her reaction was “Wow, you write a lot, you should write a book.”  Funny, because I’ve always kind of wanted to do that, but can never figure out where to find the time. Plus, they always say the best books are written by people  who write about what they know. And what I know is the law (boring to read about), how to find the law (again, yawn), running (but I’m not super fast at it like those amazing elites, so who’d want to read it?)

Yes, Mom, if you are reading this, you’re famous. You’ve already been mentioned on “the blog.”

Anyway, one can always dream.  But then also, if you never even try, you’ll never know, right?

Today I’m feeling kind of stiff, and here’s the thing, it’s not from running. I did my regular ice bath after the race, and I felt awesome. I am sore from raking about a million leaves with Bill when we got home.  The only bad thing about all of those beautiful leaves in the fall are that they eventually come down onto the ground.  We have a few oak trees on our property, and oak trees are always the last ones to lose their leaves, so you freeze while raking them up. So, I think I am going to take it easy tomorrow, do my freelance work, and then go into work in the afternoon (we take turns working holidays.)  The physical therapist noted that my fascia muscle in my foot was tighter than last week (definitely felt it, believe me) and my knee had hurt a bit during the race, about mile 10, so I think it’ll benefit my body to take a few days off. Right now my plan is to try running again on Thursday.

 By the way, I’ve been taking those Phytomax pills now for the past few weeks, and I am finding I think I feel better overall. They are supposed to act as a diet supplement, not to replace good nutrition. Since I know I never get enough veggies in my diet, I thought they’d be a good thing to try (I also drink a lot of V8 juice every morning.)  I am not sure why, but they also are supposed to help you get better sleep, and I think they are working. Not that I am getting more sleep, but the quality seems to be better. Maybe it’s one of those psychomatic things, I don’t know.  But I am feeling more balanced.

phytomaxnutrition-bars They also make these nutrition bars (and sell them at REI, in case you also frequent that store like I do).  They are not super sweet, and they are organic, which is really good. I’ve used them as recovery bars (also part of my breakfast over the last week after I ran in the a.m.).  They doubled as both protein for recovery and as an energy bar to help me jump start my day.  I’m  not meaning to push their products but just to let you know of my experience with them so far. I know some people may have sensitive stomachs, I think these would be ok for someone like that, but I suppose that’s a decision everyone has to make for him/herself.

If you feel like trying any of their products, for the next 5 weeks, they are doing a customer appreciation sale,  so I think the way it works is that you get free shipping, after the sale goes through (it gets credited back to you?)  In my book, free is good. The first time I ordered from them, I got a lot of free samples, so I’m wondering if I will get any more from them this time around!?  Anyway, if you do decide to order from them, drop me a comment (or email if I’ve commented on your blog) and I’ll give you my name the way it appears in their records. You get 15% off of your first order. And, I think I would get a credit too, so everyone wins! 

Oh, and I think these are the new shoes I want to get for the wintertime – the Brooks ASR – they are supposed to be waterproof and be all-terrain (around here, that means SNOW!) I have a 20% coupon from the Tufts 10K race. Are there any other shoes that any of you recommend if you need stability shoes, and need to deal with ice and snow?

brooks-asr women

I went to Target tonight, and they had tights on sale – they may not be as heavy as the other two I have but they might be good for the interim, I’ll let you know how they work out – they are the G9 brand by Champion, made of spandex and polyester like the others. But they were about 1/2 to 1/3 the price, so you can’t beat that!  

I’m  in a Lifehouse kind of mood tonight, so enjoy the videos below. I’ve loved them for the past several years!

Lifehouse, Broken

Lifehouse, Whatever It Takes (embedding disabled from YouTube, sorry!)

In keeping with my new habit of documenting what I am grateful for, tonight it is that my mom found my blog. I think now she’ll learn more about this love of mine, running, and why I’ve grown so attached to it this past year.