say hello to my leetle friend

This is the best achy muscle tool ever. It's called a Muscle Glide, and I bought it at the expo before the Des Moines marathon, and was worth the $$$ I spent. (It's $59 on the website, but I got a deal for the Special Expo Pricing - just can't remember what it was.) I know it looks like five rollerblade wheels on a stick, and that's probably just what it is. You use it to roll the parts of you that hurt, which for me are my quads and my calves after long runs. I keep it in our master bath so when I wake up in the middle of the night going, "owowow",  I can just get up and fix what hurts. You can even put it between you and the wall to roll your upper back. This for me also hurts after long runs, most likely because the longer I go, the more I hunch up my shoulders. I know lots of people buy foam rollers - which may be my next step, but for me, this is 18 inches of happiness (twss).

I went on an 8.4 mile run (walk) at Lake Zorinsky yesterday. It was 58 degrees, sunny, and WINDY. At the last minute, I threw a jacket in the car, and am I ever glad I did. By the last couple miles, I had pulled my Bondi Band sweatband down over my ears because it was so cold. I was walking along the limestone path on the east dam (not the high one that is exposed to all the elements) and I kept hearing this noise, even through my headphones. I took out an earbud and it was the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. This lake is barely big enough for waves, but we had whitecaps yesterday!

It was a tough workout, so my head started playing fantasies: in the woods, I pretended I was Katniss in the Hunger Games, but then I remembered this:

Not only was the weather less than optimal, but I am still having naggy remnants of this cold that I have had for four weeks. I have a cough that just won't leave; most likely the black lung.

Dwight called when I had one mile left and said some friends wanted to meet us at Jam's for dinner and did I want to go. I factored in the time for my last mile, sitting in the car and recovering, driving home, showering including hair, fixing said hair, makeup, and putting on cute clothes versus whining on the couch in sweatpants, and said "Of course!" While I had the shrimp tostada appetizer that I have pretty much every time we go, I had a wonderful new martini: the Pussy Galore. (Like the Bond Girl, people, get your minds out of the gutter!) It was so good! I know it involved XXX Liqueur and Ruby Red vodka, and was served with a blood orange slice hanging over the rim. I may have to try to perfect this concoction at home.

I have stopped taking pictures of my breakfasts since they're either one of three things: 

1) either toast or a Bagel Thin, topped with peanut butter, with fruit (berries or a banana) on the side

2) protein waffle topped with fruit

3) oatmeal maybe with fruit

If you look back on any of my blog posts, you're most likely to run into them.

Lunches have always been a problem, but here are some that I had this week:

chicken and avocado sandwich on whole wheat with chimichuri spread, and apple slices. and lemon water

half an asian-chicken salad from paradise bakery (with half the dressing)

this one at home: 2-egg omelet with mushroom and 2 slices of bacon inside, leftover veggies from the other night (asparagus and shredded brussels sprouts)

And a dinner:

cod (from the freezer that I had to use up), sauteed shredded brussels sprouts and asparagus with some sriracha

We're going to some friends' tonight for an Indian dinner. Karla and Sam had one several years ago, and we sat on the floor around a low table that they have. I warned them that they may have to hoist me up tonight. I'm bring a cauliflower dish that our family loves. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

TTFN!