My Favorite Things Friday

Since it 'tis the season and only twelve day left until Christmas... I thought I'd share twelve of my favorite things right now

1.  The reason for the season... Jesus!  I have several nativity sets and several statues of the Holy Family.  Here is my most recent addition that I picked at a gift exchange!

 

 

2.  The girls... ok, I know that they aren't "things" ... but how can they not be in my list!

3.  Carl... again, not a "thing" but how can he also not be in my list?! But in the interest of humor... how's this for a great picture? Taken this summer at Hoopfest...

4. My "new" jewelry. I had gotten out of the habit of wearing jewelry except my wedding ring. Last year about this time I went to a jewelry party and bought a few pieces. I've added to my collection since then. It is amazing how much better I feel, even if I'm just in jeans and a basic tee if I put on a pair of earrings... I feel like it looks like I made a bit of an effort.

5.  iPhone... love it! Email, Texting, Pictures, Music... all of it.
6.  I got Brooks Adrenaline shoes earlier this fall and have loved every run in them. They don't give me blisters on my arch like my Asics did.

7.  Sole treadmill... ok, I would take running outside over my treadmill any day of the week, but for the schedule I have right now with the three kids that just hasn't been happening and I am so THANKFUL to have this treadmill!

8.  My rosary - nothing brings as much peace as meditating on Jesus' mysteries while praying my rosary.  This is the rosary that Carl & I got while visiting Rome the year before we had Karen.

9.  Running skort - I only have one but wish I had more. I used to make fun of people when I saw them in running skirts, now I realize how comfortable it is!

10.  My new washer and dryer - we got this set for our basement. My first front loaders and I have loved them. I'm sure it will wear off, but I've been keeping up with the laundry better in the last month than I ever have!

11.  Christmas sweets... I made sweet chex mix and chocolate crackle snowflake cookies this week for my book club Christmas party. These aren't my only favorites, but they are the ones I currently have on hand... lol!! (recipes forthcoming!)

 

This chex mix has been the "death" of my healthy eating this week... It is so yummy I find myself snacking on it constantly!  I need to get back on my healthier eating band wagon!

12.  These books... in the last year these three books are hands down the best books I've read!

• Fabiola - Cardinal Wiseman

• Lay Siege to Heaven - Louis de Wohl

•  The Family that overtook Christ - Fr. M. Raymond

A blessed Advent wish from my house to yours!

Training update

So my scheduled half marathon is just under two weeks away, and guess what?  I haven't run for two weeks!!  I was bit by the injury bug.  I had a FABULOUS sprint workout two weeks ago - 6 x 400's that I did outside in the sunshine and they came in incredibly faster than I hoped.  I averaged 1:36 - not something I would have attempted on my treadmill.

When I got done I drove back to my sister's house and could barely walk when I got out of the car.  What?!  The back of my feet, about 1-2cm above my heels were stiff and sore and when I tried to walk up or down stairs, it felt like my achilles were in a vise-grip!

I proceeded to ice them, took ibuprofen every 5 hours for about 5 days, and didn't run... :(  When they weren't really feeling any better late last week, I broke down and got an order to see a physical therapist.  The verdict?  Achilles Tendonitis... resulting from getting new shoes that did not have the support I need.

Grrrr.....

The shoes are my own fault.  I know what kind of feet I have, but I was interested in the new bare-foot running trend and tried to go into a shoe that moved that direction.  It is not a minimalist shoe by any stretch, but has an 8mm drop instead of a 12mm, and a little less stability than my typical shoe.  They felt great because they are lighter on my feet... but feeling great does not equate to being great in my case.

Source: runningquest.net

The bright side, my PT was VERY knowledgeable about barefoot running and she didn't say that I would never be able to do it... the not so bright side... her prediction is that it will take approximately THREE YEARS for me to build up the appropriate foot and leg strength to do my running barefoot or in minimalist shoes.

So back to the present... her recommendation was to ease back in to running and suspend all speed work until I am pain free. She recommended that I go back to my stability shoes with an orthotic and a heel lift.  The heel lift is temporary until I'm pain free and then it can go.  The orthotic will stay.

My half in two weeks??  Still a question mark.  She didn't say that I would not be able to run, just that I might not be pain free when I did.  I do know that I won't be running it as prepared as I had hoped or shooting for the time goal I wanted.  I'm left with looking into the summer at June and July and wondering what races I can find to reset my goals for.

Shoes

I need new running shoes.  I realized the other day that the ones I'm currently running in were purchased two years ago.  That might explain some of the extra aches and pains I'm trying to recover from (it has nothing to do, I'm sure, with the fact that I'm getting older and jumped too fast into my training plan...).  Anyway, back to the shoes... I've been having a hard time deciding what shoes to get.  I have flat feet and overpronate quite a bit.  I have bought stability shoes in the past, and to be honest haven't noticed a huge difference between those and "regular" running shoes.  I have also been doing a lot of reading on the barefoot movement and benefits and have been interested in getting some more minimal shoes.  I usually love my Asics, but have not been able to find if their new series of 33 shoes really is a step in that direction and/or if they are good for a flat-footed runner like myself.

Here are some that have perked my interest ...

Asics Gel-Cirrus33

Asics Gel-Blur33

Asics Gel-Excel33

On-Running CloudRunner

Merrel Barefoot Pace Glove

Anyone have recommendations for me (they don't have to be one of the these)??