Baked Apples and a Foot on Ice

Sat on my ass all day with my foot up and an ice pack rotated with an ace bandage for compression. It hurts like the dickens on the top of my foot just below the ankle. The feeling has point tenderness then spreads down my foot. Since we just spend a butt load of money on the same foot for the whole pelvic tilt/hip/leg/foot issue the whole first part of the year I'm a little perturbed that a whole new thing just popped up. :( So if I don't feel better tomorrow another appointment with the podiatrist is in order. Grrrr.... Saturday is supposed to be our first 20 miler.

BUT I made the most yummy baked apples and that makes up for it a little, well at least for today.

• 2 Granny Smith Apples cored about 3/4 of the way
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup TJ pecan cluster cereal
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• a small pad of butter on top of each
• cinnamon to taste

I put both apples in a glass loaf pan with 1/8 cup water. mixed up the brown sugar, cereal and walnut pieces and fill the apples to the top. place a little tab of butter and put into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes covered with foil.Take the foil off and cook 5 more minutes until the apples are soft. When you take your apple out sprinkle with cinnamon if you want. I did have a little stuffing left so I added that on top after I put it in my bowl. Yumm-o. I added a side of TJ's pumpkin ice cream and have to say it was the best pumpkin ice cream I've had so far.  I do love me some pumpkin ice cream so I'm sort of an unofficial expert if I do say so myself.



baked stuffed apples w/ TJ's pumpkin ice cream!



This was the perfect  easy fall dessert! I just tossed it into the oven when I was finished baking the chicken for dinner and set the timer. By the time it came out of the oven and cooled it was perfect timing for a warm treat!

Three Things Thursday

1. My hubby left today with his brother, dad and buddies for a 10 day camping/hunting trip out of state for Elk. I hope he brings something back because my freezer is empty and I haven't bought meat in so long I wouldn't even know where to start! We generally eat elk and venison for red meat and wild pig for our pork. I have been buying chicken from the local farm but its coming into duck season (and turkey season I think) so we'll have some foul in our futures soon.

2. I was dreading 10 days alone with the boys until my sister called and said that she was going to drive down from Washington this weekend with my niece and nephews! That totally made up for it! I miss them all so much (and I have very cool gifts for the kids that I collect but always forget to mail).

3. That race on Sunday was harder on my body than I thought. I ended up with a cold on top of it. I had a really easy run yesterday and have missed KOR all week. I'm feeling like such a flake.

Stick a Fork in Me

I'm done. I sooo need a good soul searching, mind numbing, music blasting, feet turning run. I need to sweat, and almost cry and take too deep of breaths and go go go until I'm spent. Then take a long hot shower and let the salt run off me because that hasn't happened in OMG WAY TOO LONG! I need a freaking break from reality and fall into that amazing blissful runners high I haven't felt since the first weekend in December when I ran faster than I should have because I felt so damn good. Of course then I bonked. Here I am 6 months later walking around like a pile of mush.

I'm going for a run tonight, if only in my head. Because the stupid car is broke down again. in the last week its cost us $1600 or more to fix the computer and the AC. Freak an A! With so many things I want... and a few things I need and I feel guilty buying a new pair of shoes! Shoes would make me feel better right? Since I feel like Crap all the time. I thought maybe I was anemic or dying or had some rare disease to explain how crappy I feel. So I went to the doc and she sent me to the blood suckers and they took an enormous amount of my bodily fluids to tell me whats wrong.

I got my labs back today and after a full panel everything under the sun... I'm perfectly fine other than needing my thyroid meds increased. I have low resting heart rate (something ridiculous like 56 after riding my bike hard to make it to my appt on time then sitting down for an entire 3 minutes before the nurse took my vitals) and low BP, perfect lipid and cholesterol. Damn I should feel a hell of a lot better than I do. So I think I need to run.

I know its stupid to look in the mirror and judge myself. Really... I'm one of those girls that people laugh at when I say I feel fat. Naturally I'm not. I'm small boned, have naturally low body fat, I'm a stupid freak of nature but guess what...? I feel fat. I have mushy parts, especially all this eating like crap then looking at the lovely muffin top bulging over my waist band. Yes I do, it is REALLY HARD TO MISS. Its almost freaking swim suit season. Back to eating veggies and working out. No more slacking. no. more. slacking. nomoreslackingdamnit.

Swimming Around the Edge of Conciousness

It has been way too long. I haven't written about anything although I have ideas buzzing around my head all night. The computer being in the bedroom next to the bed isn't conducive to me writing while FFP sleeps so I stare at the ceiling and dream of working, working out, working in some time for friends, for an adventure with the boys, for a get away with the hubby. I just day dream at night because its not like you dream much when you're wide awake and watching the clock tick the middle of night away.

When I do dream, I dream of running, or biking or gasp swimming. But swimming spends more time in the thoughts of consciousness when I'm alone to think without interruption. I actually would love to learn to swim, well I think that at 3am anyway, not so much during regular daylight hours when the pool or open water seem like the farthest things from my time ideally spent. I would much rather go for a run in the hot, muggy, canopy of Lower Park then take a dip in the shallow end of Sycamore pool than to EVER learn how to swim. Yet 3am rolls around and I think, I need to take lessons before working with a Masters swim program. Of course I do... I can't freakin' swim!  Why do we seem so idealistic, laying in bed under our covers, in a dark room, while everyone else is sleeping but your mind refuses to turn off. Its all or nothing for me. Either I'm making grand plans or I'm having a panic attack over things I have no control over... like dreaming of being in the middle of a deep lake and not knowing how to swim.

Successful People Invest Heavily In Themselves

I saw a quote over at Christine's blog and I felt this is undoubtably how I want to live my life.

"Successful people invest heavily in themselves."

I'm actually looking forward to PT tomorrow. Part of that is because I feel like a total slug and part because I hope she tells me I can to to Katies spinning class with Liz and Vicki on Wednesday night. Wahoo. Then more PT on Thursday.

I've been working hard on not compensating on my left foot to make up for the weakness and soreness on my right. Soooo I totally realized how weak and sore my right side actually is. Doh! Stupid me for not realizing this months  before the whole foot thing happened. Well I'm going to PT to get that fixed right?

I'm working on some ideas for when I get back into running. I really would like to start out slow and easy again. I think I'll do some trail runs since it will let me practice being lighter on my feet and not be thinking about speed since I'll be thinking of not falling on my face. Hows that?

I'll also be doing Kettlebell class again as soon as I get the go ahead. (and the tax $) so that I can increase my core strength and help keep my bone mass up. I miss my KOR girls... and K.C. too I guess. He makes me cry though.

After reading about the moms over at http://www.runlikeamotherbook.com/ I've been re-inspired to start from the ground up. I'll be looking forward to building a strong and solid base and getting back to the funamentals of running.

I can't wait for the book to come out! Just 4 days after my birthday. I asked Dimity and Sarah to change it but that dates pretty set in stone darn it. Look for it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon on March 23rd or preorder it so It will get to your door step ASAP. Thats what I did!

Physical "Therapy"

This is not what I call the kind of therapy that keeps me sane but it will make me better so I can funtion like a human instead of a grumpy mama bear all the time.

I've been a bit of a downer and I feel sorry for my family. My PT (we'll call him K) totally kicked my butt yesterday. They made me sit on the bike for 6 minutes to warm up then he did some stretching with me to see check out my strength and flexibility since E had done my eval last week. He sent me to the torture chamber to do some leg press thingies then some where he hooked the contraption to my ankle from above my head and I had to let it pull my leg up until I felt the stretch but before it hurt then push back down again 12 reps x2. It felt fine on my good leg and very difficult and frustrating on the bad side.

1. Then he moved me over to this crazy contraption that is for balance and it vibrates at different levels to make things harder or easier. I had to do lunges on them, stand on one leg for 30 seconds at a time per leg x2 and do squats. DAMN THOSE SQUATS HURT! Once I finished up all my exercises K hooked my foot up to this thing that looked like a battery then left it on my foot for 20 minutes. I swear with the vibrating machine and the battery thing my hair might as well stand on end. LOL

Not sure what the deal is but still no running.

Therapy. I know I'm doing physical therapy but my old physical therapy so I didn't have to spend $ at the head shrink (sorry to anyone who might be one) and it was fun to run. My anxiety was so much better when I run. My sleep was more consistent and my dreams not nearly as nightmarish or freaky as they are when I don't run. My therapy was the social outlet of my friends too. I really miss running with them. So as soon as I get the go ahead I'll start out slow, increase slowly and do it right. Until then, I might be venting to you all for a while. LOL