Vertigo

So. I've been experiencing vertigo for the past, oh, week almost. Every time I get up from laying down in bed, and now when I'm laying down in bed, I get dizzy. My balance has been off, and I've run into things more often than usual. It's bad enough with my monovision, but I've managed to hit things pretty hard, including my head!

I didn't pay as much attention to it the first couple of days because I was still sore from the waist down from the 5K. I thought maybe I'd imbibed just a little too much over the holiday (I'm still not ruling this out) but it all seems eerily reminiscent of an inner ear infection I had I think three years ago. It doesn't feel like a hangover. I have actually been thrown back down into bed after sitting up in the middle of the night to go pee. And now that I'm feeling the world spin around me while I'm in bed (only after a couple of glasses of wine, which doesn't do this to me), I'm getting suspicious. Especially since I had sinus pain a couple of weeks ago. My last ear infection was brought on by allergies I didn't even notice!

I'm trying to figure out when the hell I'm going to go see a doctor. I have a basketball game and jazz band after school today, a faculty meeting tomorrow, and flute sectionals on Thursday. I would hate to wait until Thursday, especially if I need antibiotics. I think I'm going to ask to go in the morning either today or tomorrow so I can go to a doc-in-a-box and get checked out. I didn't really like my primary PA that I had for awhile (the one who put me on the antidepressants) and since she moved to Edmond, I don't really have plans to go see her. I need to get a new one. Blah.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't like feeling "off" like this, especially with so much going on! At least it's the last bball game of the semester tonight so I won't have to worry about it anymore until January. Yay!

C25K Week 5, Day 2

Not the best I've ever felt, but expected since I ate nothing but CRAP all holiday break ha. Too much dairy yesterday. No big. I just realized I forgot to stretch. Baaaaah.

Back to work today. I'm not very good at taking breaks at first but once I settle in it's nice. But, usually I don't get settled in until right before my break is over. Baaaaah again. But, it's just a few short weeks, a concert, a basketball game, and 2 yearbook deadlines and then I get two weeks to rest.

I would type more but I'm suddenly ravenously hungry so I need to continue my morning routine before my stomach eats itself.

Sidelined...again

Hopefully it's only temporary. I could probably go run, but I think I'll just take it easy. My neck and shoulders are killing me :( It hurts to look down. It just hurts, all the time. I woke up this way. I mean, it was hurting a bit yesterday, just on one side (left shoulder gives me problems sometimes...pinched nerve) but I asked H for a shoulder rub last night and now I'm like this.

That's probably the last time I ask him for a shoulder rub. Ouch.

Today, we're going to my sister's place for a non-Thanksgiving get-together to have bbq, mac and cheese, spinach salad, and some kind of cheesecake. I'm thrilled. Her new boyfriend (I'm going to call him that for simplicity's sake, I don't know if that's what she's calling him) will be there so we'll finally get to talk to him. He came to my birthday at the chicken place but there were a lot of people and it was so loud! I wish I felt better, but whatever.

I also noticed this morning that my pulse is really slow. I measured 54. I know that's technically too low, but I've always hovered around 60. Maybe all this running is getting me in better shape cardiovascularly. Which evidently isn't a word, according to my spell check. Whatever.

I'm going to have to get in the kitchen soon and start making antipasto, mac and cheese, and salad!

Recovery

Whoo! Things got pretty tight last night in the groin area. I used to think groin pulls were easy to get over, and always foo-fooed those who complained about them, or scoffed when professional or college players would be out with a groin injury.

I was uninformed, evidently. This freaking sucks.

However, things are much better today than yesterday, and I assume the same will be true tomorrow. I don't think it's a pull, necessarily, just aggravated, and wondering what the hell I was doing yesterday. Calves and shins are pretty much a-ok today. I will wait until Sunday to hit the pavement again, however. Just in case.

My actual time yesterday was 45:47, which means I ran a 14:66 mile, which isn't awful. I also realized how little I walked yesterday. 4-5 blocks tops. No wonder I hurt!

Today has been nice. We had a nice morning together, went to El Reno and had a fried onion burger at Sid's Diner (truly excellent), got some music at Pender's, and now there are cupcakes waiting to be frosted and the Christmas tree is up waiting to be decorated. Chili for dinner and Toy Story 3 tonight.

I would like to do the Sandridge Santa Run on the 4th, but if I do it, I might just do the 1 mile fun run and maybe take Callie along. I don't think I want to do another 5K so soon. I think a little training might be in order. Plus, it's only $10 and I can dress up!

She's going the distance

But not going for speed.

I came in around 46:00 which isn't what I had hoped for, but I got through it! I ran much more than I walked, actually. My body is currently protesting and I am eyeballing the aleve next to me. The tendon (I guess it's a tendon) that joins your leg to your body around the crotch region is complaining big-time. It started nagging me around the last 1K but I pushed through it as best I could. My right calf is sore, but I noticed several times that I wasn't running with the same style that I had worked for the last couple of runs. It's going to take some getting used to, I guess.

All in all, I'm pretty g-damn proud of myself for not only signing up and going, but actually finishing, especially considering how freaking cold it was this morning. I was wiping my eyes the entire time up the north-facing stretch. I ran that entire stretch back with the wind at my back. I'm proud of myself for running as much of it as I did, however slow.

I doubt I'll hit the road again until Sunday. I need to ice/heat and stretch and recover. This is by far the most I've ever run in my entire life. I can't believe I waited until I was 30 to do that.

ETA: H and I took Callie with us, figuring it would be a good way for her to be exposed to more people. After a couple of walks around the block before starting, she calmed down. Evidently she made a lot of friends while I was mid-race, but when I got back, I immediately found H (perched on top of some stairs in plain sight, so I could find him easily, no doubt). I climbed up a couple of steps and the next thing I knew, I was being Callie-hugged with full force. She nearly knocked me over! I thought it was really sweet that she was so happy to see me, even though I wasn't gone that long!

Dang!

That wind ain't playing around! It's not as cold as they said it would be but that wind is awful. I might have to dig around for a pair of gloves before I go!

Sweet relaxation

I love breaks. I "heart" them. They always come when you need them the most.

Today I took Callie for about a 2 mile walk over to the lake and back. Turns out that the lake is so low that it has a beach now! I found a clam shell. A big one. Callie ran up and down the beach. She would go after things I threw for her but wouldn't pick them up. I don't think she liked sand in her mouth. It's warm and humid today. The sidewalks are wet even though it hasn't rained. Tomorrow will be a different story.

I'm worried I'm going to totally fail, but I guess you can't really fail at walking/running. I mean, you just put your feet out and go. I do have a history of screwing that up, though! But, nicely paved roads should prove easier than the trail hiking where I last sustained an injury while walking over a year ago. Well, wait...I'm lying. I hurt myself before I even got on the trail. I tripped on a hole on the side of the road that led to the trail. Pretty pathetic, eh?

Today my plans are simple. Lunch with H, get tires checked (that pressure light has been on far too long but nothing's changed on the tires as far as I can tell), drop off wedding ring for repair (I broke a prong...gah), go to Target and try and find one of those Pledge pet hair picker-upper things, go pick up my running packet, make a squash casserole for tomorrow.

I was somewhat upset when I was asked to bring squash casserole. I can do so much more, or something more challenging, than a basic casserole. But, H's mom never lets me bring anything that would show off any kind of culinary aptitude. H thinks she's jealous! So, I'm going to fancy up my casserole. I'm using zucchini (the squash were big, which means big seeds and I hate them), which I will roast instead of steam, I plan on making a cheese sauce instead of just dumping shredded cheddar in, and I'm going to mix in imported parm and panko into the cracker topping. How's that for a fancy casserole? Take that, MIL. I also might stop by the grocery store and get items for some sort of dessert. They only ever have pies and I get sick of them (plus, I just don't really care for her pies) this time of year, so I might do some gingerbread truffles or something.

Tonight for us I'm making P-dub's (Pioneer Woman) chicken scallopine with pasta. It's so yummy. I love having the time to actually put effort into dinner.

Time to dry my hair (I've been having lots of dreams about drying my hair lately, hmm.) and get out the door. Yay for breaks!

Taking the plunge

I registered for the downtown Turkey Trot, in hopes that I wouldn't have to run half of it straight into 15mph north winds! So, it's a done deal. $30 I won't be getting back.

I need to find something to keep my ears warm. Guess I'll have to swing by Academy tonight or tomorrow and see what's available.

Today is Bedlam Day at work, so the kids and teachers will be facing off in their crimson and orange. The prom committee is putting it on to raise money for prom, and the sponsor is originally from Maine (hasn't been here even a year yet!) and she called it "maroon" in an email and was quickly corrected. Pretty funny stuff.

Otherwise, I am so happy that it's Thanksgiving break. Yeah, my journalism class is way behind and isn't going to get a unit on newspaper design. Yeah, my band could be farther along on their holiday music. And yeah, I should be further along in my C25K training. But, all of that goes away when I think about the possibility of just lounging with H, watching movies and putting up holiday decorations after turkey day. I'm no good at lounging by myself; last night I got so bored while he was out I resorted to South Park reruns and going to bed at 9pm. I'm lame.

C25K Week 5, Day 1

Well, that went better than expected! I'm both nervous and excited for the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I just now found the stuff for the one in OKC, so I'm having a hard time deciding if I should do the one in downtown OKC or the one in Edmond. Both are fairly flat, but one runs more north and I know it's going to be cold! I'm just not sure what to do, but I have to make a decision soon! I keep thinking, I can do this, I can do this. And then I think, what the eff is wrong with me? I just started! But I felt like I could run longer this morning than I had to. The 5 minute intervals don't seem that long anymore.

This morning was kind of spooky. The wind was blowing hard and there were low clouds zooming across the sky over the full moon. The wind kept rustling things, making me think there was something around me and the moon made everything all glowy. I didn't like it at all!

I don't really have much else to put in here today. Keep an eye out for my "31 for 31" post as I am working on 31 goals. I could certainly use some ideas!

As the year comes to a close...

I believe I will change this to my 2011 Accountability Blog. I plan to create 31 goals for myself for the year; some small, some big; to help me continue in my progress in being a better person, runner, and teacher. I will gladly take suggestions from my readers for these goals, or for ways to improve this blog, as well.

Last night, H and I were talking about this running program, and an old friend of ours who has been doing it with great success. They were quite obese and have lost quite a bit of weight in the short time they've been running (I believe they started losing weight first, though; regardless, they look great!) and how the scale almost never moves for me. The entire last month has been the same 2 pounds lost, gained, and lost again. I know why it is--diet. But I enjoy food and try to keep it reasonable. I don't usually eat huge portions of food. I try to limit desserts to a few times a week. But, I love food and I don't always love salad! Despite not having lost any weight, H has noticed differences in my body, specifically leg strength and other things during "sexy time," as he put it. I guess I hold differently. I've lost belly fat; I can see that on the tape measure, and that's my biggest goal: lose the belly fat. It's unhealthy, it's why my clothes don't fit, it's why people ask if I'm pregnant (which hasn't happened in a very long time).

He also said my face is way different, and I agree. I was looking back and some old pictures recently and noticed that. I'm happy with that.

Anyway, this post isn't really for anything. I did my W4D3 run yesterday and felt pretty good. I'm still waffling on the Turkey Trot, but I have until Tuesday to decide. I might as well just do it and push myself and get the shirt!

Oh, and I am loving the freeing feeling of having no more credit debt on my major card. My grocery card is up next!

Been feeling run down

So, you haven't heard from me. I took the last couple of days off to just rest in the evenings. It's been really nice to do that. I just couldn't shake a low-grade headache and fatigue. Wednesday I was fighting just to keep my eyes open on the drive home at 3:15, which is scary. I occasionally will push myself too far and end up really sick. I've learned the warning signs, like the headache, so I can avoid full-on illness.

I still, however, need to learn to say no or to not go crazy with obligations.

So, I haven't run since Tuesday but I think I'll be getting out there this evening. I am going to pay off my big credit card today and feel much better about my financial situation. I'm going to wear all purple and be a "Nerd" (several teachers and I are the candy Nerds) for Nerd Day at school. (I figured I already am a nerd and unless I just carried my flute around all day no one would know I was dressed up). And dang if these purple fleece pants aren't incredibly comfortable. I think I'll be lounging in them quite a bit.

For now, I need to work on my graduate project journal that I haven't updated since before our concert last week and get ready for the day. This has been a long week with all of the out of uniform days for spirit week. I love spirit week, but it's really dragged on this week, especially with block schedule. We'll all survive, though.

C25K W4D2

So, I was right. It was my foot strike. I worked hard yesterday morning to keep my feet hitting the ground the way said to in the videos, and I had nearly nonexistant leg pain. Most of what I experienced was just muscle fatigue, like I had done too many calf raises. It was an entirely different feeling and in a different place on my leg. I think I found my stride :) An online person suggested some calf compression sleeves, so I'm going to check those out sometime to see if they work.

In other news, we had another basketball game yesterday, along with our first (and only, really) pep assembly. It's becoming exhausting to take photos, keep up with over 40 band kids, and take video. My yearbook and web design kids need to step it up. I think I got some decent video last night. Don't know about photo yet. Most of my band kids did a good job. The crowd actually responded to them at the assembly which helps. But, I'm happy to put it behind us for a little while and focus on holiday tunes. We have just one more honor band audition on Saturday and we're done with that.

I'm just so tired right now, though. I'm so ready for next week's break; I need it. While I find myself unable to really relax when I have free time (I feel like I should be doing something), I crave it. I'm so tired I don't even really want to eat; I'm forcing a banana and some OJ right now and I'm not digging it. I didn't even want to open the fridge to scoop out some leftovers into a container for lunch. This is not how I normally am. Obviously. I love to eat and even that's getting beaten out of me.

I don't know how long I'll stay at this school. This is my 6th year there, amazingly. I can't believe it's been that long. I've always said I'll stay at a school as long as they need me. I would have stayed a few years at my first job, even though it was crappy, because they needed me. I don't know how long my school now will need me. I'm always doing new stuff and while that's great, the new stuff is starting to take everything over and I don't have the time or energy for my old stuff, like band. I don't know how to make administration see this.

I do have some good news. I'm about to get a very large sum of money so I can pay off my credit cards and be DONE. All I'll have to do is pay tuition but since I'm not taking anything in the spring, I'm going to wait until after Christmas so I can feel free to shop (within reason) for holiday gifts. My graduate adviser thought I was supposed to graduate in December, and had emailed about comprehensive tests. When I said I was just over halfway and had another year, he said, "Well, I guess it just seems like you've been underfoot for so long." Um, okay. Yeah, I'm doing the THREE summer program you designed. It's been two. Deal with my existence, jerk.

Okay, I have to drag my exhausted ass to work now. Holiday tunes and promotional video making ahead.

C25K W4D1 Repeat

Well, I got out there this morning and tried again. My legs were still so very tired. I still feel like my lungs could go for a lot longer, and my heart (though it's kind of scary how fast my heart rate is. It's still in a healthy range, I just don't normally feel it get that high!). It's just my damned legs. So, I'm going to try an experiment.

1. I am going to do everything in my power to hydrate myself at every turn. Even though we have no working fountains on my floor and the fridge water dispenser is a pain in my ass. Even though it'll make me have to constantly pee.

2. I'm going to eat a banana before I go out running in the mornings. Potassium is great for muscle cramps.

3. I am going to keep focusing on my foot strike. Today I could barely feel or hear my feet hitting the ground. I want to keep that up. I'm reading conflicting information on how the foot should hit the ground. Some say between heel and midfoot, some say more on the ball. I find if I try to run more toward the ball of my foot, I kind of "shuffle" along. I'm going to talk to the cross country coach at school and see what they say. Or maybe even a cross country kid!

4. If I don't see improvement, or rather, feel improvement, from the above, then I'm going to take the birthday money my mom gave me and go to a running store and have them analyze my gait. It's a last, and possibly expensive resort, and I kind of wanted that money for "fun," you know?

I really think it's the foot strike coupled with hydration. We'll see, though. I'm always open to suggestions!

Oh, and about the run--it wasn't the best, and about the last 20 seconds of each long run I checked the time (both at 22 seconds left ha, so weird) because it seemed like an eternity. My legs got tired before I even started to jog, really. A friend suggested I get more strength training in, and since I haven't been doing that much lately, I tend to agree with her. Something else to work on, I suppose.

I'm seeing a difference in my face in pictures. God, my face was fat there for awhile. It looks like the weight I've lost since February seems to have all come from my face!

The craziest, most exhausing week of my life

There is a reason you haven't heard from me. After honor band auditions on Monday night (home and dinner at 10:30), a basketball game Tuesday night (home at 9:30), a concert Thursday night (home at 9) I was WIPED. My body just refused to do anything but shut down. I gave the C25K a rest this week because of all the pain I felt Monday morning. I'm hoping that after the rest things will be better. I might see if I can convince H to work on that muscle for me instead of spending $50 at the massage therapist.

The band was well-received at both the basketball game and the concert, especially the jazz band. My principal asked if they could perform at halftime at a basketball game =D I told her sure, if we could find long enough extension cords! I'll probably look through some music today and see if I can find anything they can easily work up for next semester's games. There's just no time between now and our next concert. The concert overall was a huge success. My band parents provided so much food and they decorated the tables and made everything so lovely. Unfortunately, no orchestra or choir parents provided anything, and that burns both myself AND my band parents. They provide so much for the program (dinners for basketball games, dinner/movie night was ALL band parents even though orchestra "helped") and they are starting to notice the one-sided nature of this game. I know what I need to say to fix this problem, but I can't say it in a nice enough way. I'm too close to the situation.

I'm going to try and get out there today and run. It's supposed to be sunny and 54 and I'm adoring that. I might get some yardwork in, too. Tonight I have a girl's night at a local restaurant that I LOVE. I was invited to a girl's night! H said he was "proud" or something like that. I think he's happy to see me have good friends.

So, that's the update. I slept like 9 hours and we're getting our microwave installed today, so I have to go clean the messy kitchen so that can happen. Yay! 90 second bags of Uncle Ben's brown rice!

Exhausted

I have managed to work 30 hours in 2 days. With honor band auditions Monday night (got home and had dinner at 10:30pm) and basketball game last night, I'm flat worn-out. I did not get up and run this morning. In fact, I felt some pain yesterday in my leg where I've been having trouble running so I thought maybe slowing down might not hurt.

It's certainly not going to help my waistline. But this week I will have worked about 60 hours when all is said and done, and I don't really care right now. I think I have earned that right.

There really isn't anything interesting for me to talk about. I had kids make the honor band Monday night, and we had the game last night. Boys won, girls lost, but they played two different teams. The band played and it was okay. Not our best. I got a call from administrators about 9:30, right after I got home, telling me I still had band kids at the school. I was livid. How could their people not be there after the game had been over for 30 minutes? I sent an email to parents and I hope it isn't too ill-received, but I was hot. I'm debating how much time I want to take out of rehearsal to talk about it today, but we have a concert tomorrow night.

So, for now, that's it. My life is work, my work is my life. After this week it won't be so bad. I don't know why I thought planning a Veteran's Day concert was ever a good idea.

It looks like we made it...

Isn't there a song with that line in it?

In other news....I'm 30! Holy freaking crap. I didn't give any kind of run-down on Friday morning's run, so here it is.

It sucked.

Then my husband tried to kill me because he thought I was a burglar. His alarm clock reset itself an hour early a week too soon and he thought I was coming in at 4:45am, not the 5:45am I have been coming in at. I laughed at him. All is well and now we have a (very) funny story to share with friends when I feel the need to poke fun at my sometimes very serious husband.

My right calf is giving me all kinds of hell. I plan to do some light cardio today, maybe a walk, and reeeeeeallllllyyyyyy stretch it after and see if that helps at all. This coming week's running plan is kind of nuts and there's more intervals so we'll see if I'm ready for Week 4.

I can't believe I'm on Week 4.

Now, onto other things. My 30 before 30. I actually accomplished some of them, others I failed miserably, and still others I sort of held up or accomplished, or am now getting around to them.

I never had a girl's night. This one slips by me every year. I used to have them once every now and then but weekends get busy fast for people.

I didn't lose all the weight. I have lost some, though, and I know my doc will be happy to see the number has gone down, though it isn't by much.

I am more active, thanks to C25K. I tried other things this year, like Insanity, which were great, but I think I need to get in a better place physically before really tackling them.

I didn't try a new veggie or fruit every week; however, I did try a lot of new ones. Some I didn't like, others are in regular rotation, i.e. Brussels sprouts. Of all things. I just had to learn how to prepare them properly!

I bought clothes, but honestly, I had to. And I need to buy pants right now because some are too worn out, buttons falling off, and they are fading into new, unpleasant colors. Luckily, I got a 30% of card to Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic from our awesome sub at school for next weekend! I can use the card at all three places as many times as I want those three days. So cool.

I don't eat out less. Life is making it to where we eat out more. Bad.

I did get a hold of my finances, then the flood happened but H is going to help me with that later this month and hopefully, I'll have a grip on them again. It's going to be a lean Christmas for people, though. Sorry about that. I'm sure everyone understands.

Hahahaha practice more hahahahahaha. Yeah, right. I'm the worst band director, ever, because I hardly ever practice.

Things I did well included making new friends (I decided to hell with the "not from work" clause because frankly, it's stupid. I spend quite a bit of time with them. However, I have made some friends from an online forum so I did actually do this for realz.), I saw more movies, I saw my sister more often, I grew some vegetables (I made a WHOLE salad out of them!), I tried a lot of new recipes, I got my garden in the front going (time for the back, it was pretty wrecked post-flood), I have been spontaneous and I'm finding that as time goes by, little things like being a bit late don't bother me...as much, I'm doing better about sharing "war stories" about teaching and instead, share the happy, uplifting stories more, I continued grad classes and am in the middle of a grad project (jazz band), and I have started to find myself a little more outside of being a teacher.

So, I consider the whole project a success. I learned from myself and from others. I learned that failing IS an option and the world doesn't end if you do. I'm learning balance, between my life and my job and with myself. I think I will do this again.

31 before 31? Can I do it again? What do you think?

Oh, and you probably want to know what I did for my birthday. I ate fried chicken, and fried okra, and had a blast in a hole-in-the-wall chicken place in a tiny town with friends from work, H's friends, my sister, and their friends, siblings, and significant others. I laughed, stuffed myself silly, watched men walk around wearing foil hats, and celebrated not getting older, but getting better.

Here's to a healthy, happy, and fantastic upcoming year of being 30.

C25K W3D2, and my scale is a big fat tease

Yesterday morning, I hopped on the scale (I'm keeping track of my weight in my calendar...watching it go between the same 3 pounds. Blah) and it read a number which was 8 pounds lighter than the last number I saw. I knew it was a fluke, but still....seeing that number made me yearn to see the number go down overall.

Damn tease. I stepped back on and got a more realistic number. I have to do that with my scale most of the time. Two tries to get the right number, three if I get two completely different numbers.

I ran yesterday morning, and could see both dippers and the crescent moon rising. Quite peaceful. Damn if I wasn't slow, though...I must have been walking at a glacial pace. I got through it without any fanfare (no fist-pumps this time, just mental celebration for a break) but I was way behind by the time I got to the cool-down. I was fine through the halfway point.

My calf was bothering me quite a bit so I think that's what slowed me down. I checked my heart rate during my first 3 minute run and it kind of scared me, so I started working on breathing, as well. I had no problems slowing it back down but it's been awhile since I got my heart rate up like that! Not since those Insanity days, at least.

So, that's the update. I have an afternoon workout today of HHA Cardio and Ab Sculpt. I've been neglecting Shaun T lately, and the weights. Gotta get on that.

Crap!

I just realized I have basically NO TIME to go and vote today! My voting place is right next to my house, which is about 20 minutes from my school. I have jazz band after school from 3:15 to 4:30, then a parent meeting from 6-7. That hour and a half sounds like enough time, but I'm worried I won't get back in time! I would go on my way to work, but I told a student I'd be in my room by 7:15 because he's doing a podcast and needs everything set up, and I forgot to do that before I left yesterday.

Ay-yai-yai.

There will be no workout today, either. Dinner's going to be in the crockpot because today is just nuts!

C25K Week 3, Day 1

I can't believe I actually did that! I was kind of concerned when I got up that it was going to be too much. I felt like I wasn't rested at all and it was pretty damn cold. I actually went out and turned right around to go get my fleece vest. I was cursing the thin t-shirt until I got warmed-up. My calves got a little tight during the 3 minute runs, and lordy, I am slow. But, I got through.

The cheesiest thing is I actually did a double fist-pump in the air when I finished my first 3 minute run. I'm slightly embarrassed by that fact, but the time went by so quickly! And besides, at 5:30am, as Julia Child would say, "Who's to see?" The 90 second jogs seemed longer for some reason. I felt so good this morning driving to work.

The cardio part of it isn't a problem for me. I feel like my lungs could go much farther than my legs; it's always been that way for me with running. I think part of it is being dehydrated. I also think part of it is a fear of opening up and getting shin splints, that my gait is causing part of the problem. Mostly it's my right calf. I think I'm going to treat myself to a birthday massage on Thursday to work that out.

I didn't lift yesterday as planned. We ended up going to my in-laws for dinner. The ONE time I decide to buy a turkey breast and make a Thanksgiving-ish meal, and that's what my mother-in-law makes! How weird. She actually did a good job. It was juicy, at least. It wasn't a bad meal. Very comforting. My t-day meal this week is going to be an herbed roasted turkey breast, roasted brussels sprouts, and (stove top) stuffing. I don't like dressing and I'm not going to make it on a weeknight! I'm oddly looking forward to it. I don't even like turkey that much!