Running Chick

Hellooooholycow it’s been a long time since I’ve updated.  Jeesh, I’m a slacker. Well, let’s get on with the update to bring you up to speed.

You probably remember that I had some weird ankle issue in August that sidelined me for a month. Well, I made it through that fine, started running again and then a month later I noticed that the top of my right foot was bothering me. It started as a slight ache, then turned into a more pronounced ache, then turned into a bona fied pain. I was seriously starting to worry that I had a stress fracture, so I went to my doctor and got me some x-rays.

But they didn’t show anything (typical of stress fractures, they said), so my doctor figured it was some ligament thing and told me to limit my runs to 2-3 miles and ice before & after.  I did that for a few runs but it was clear that what I really needed to do was stop running because my foot was not feeling any better. So, I’ve been laying low since Thanksgiving day, which was my last run. In the meantime, I’ve been riding my trainer three times/week and doing weights/yoga for the rest of the week. My plan is to keep with the trainer rides for the rest of December than start running again in January. If my foot cooperates, half marathon training will also start in January.

Last month, we welcomed a new addition to the household. A kitten!

Pippen was four months and four pounds when we adopted him. Today, he’s five months and six pounds.

After having adult cats for such a long time, I was seriously doubting the sanity in adopting a rambunctious, curious little kitten. Holy cow my house is not kitten-proof.

He races around the house like mad, knocks over everything that isn’t nailed down then crashes hard.

He’s quite the handful, but he’s such a cutie that it’s hard to stay mad at him for long. Plus, he’s super snuggly so he’s extra hard to stay mad at.

Well, until next time which hopefully will be counted in days and not months.

Thank freaking freak my ankle is better and I’m running again.  I was starting to get twitchy after four weeks off.

Josh has been working his way through the c25k program and has one more run left before he’s done.  I was starting to get pretty bummed out that I wasn’t going to be able to do his final runs with him, but I’m good to go now. 

Between Sunday & today, I’ve logged a little under six miles. Sunday was a very cautious 2.50. I was convinced that every step I took would end up with an ankle roll or fall so I was very, very aware of each foot placement and every little twinge and niggle.  Today I was feeling a more confident and but was still pretty cautious.  We ended up running three miles in the pouring rain. I was dreading it at first, running in the rain, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Darnit. Yet another excuse eradicated from my excuse bag.

Josh decided to keep on working on his running with the Bridge to 10k program, so barring no stupid mistakes on my part, we’ll be running the entire thing together. This could be a good thing, or very bad. Stay tuned.

Miss Priss says hi.

Actually, Miss Priss says Gimme some of that ground turkey you’re browning up or I’ll pop a cap in your ass.

Don’t let her cute face fool you. Scout’s all sweet and lovey to a degree.

Then she turns on you and tries to eat your feet.

How long can it be before she tries to eat our face while we sleep? Scary.

I can’t believe it’s already September. Wasn’t it June like two weeks ago? Guess it’s time to recap the running for last month. I managed to log 58 miles in August before I jacked up my ankle. The last time I was able to run was August 24th, so that’s makes about 3 weeks that I’ve been on the injured list. I’ve been riding my bike and doing yoga in the interim so I don’t feel like I’m wasting away or anything, but holy cow I feel like running. Things are moving in that direction, though. Last week I managed to run about two steps before I stopped due to pain. Sunday, I managed two minutes and tonight I think I ended up with about seven.  It. Was Awesome. My ankle was a little sore afterward, but I stuck the ice pack on it for about 20 minutes and it feels just fine now. Slow and steady.

Pictures! We took a ride to Marquette to do some shopping and general bumming around last Saturday. Spotted this old Model T driving around, and then it showed up at a garage sale we stopped at.

Our main visit was to the Farmer’s Market in downtown Marquette. We’ve been there earlier in the summer when it didn’t have much, but it sure is in full swing now.

We bought all sorts of fruit & veggies and a couple of ribeye steaks from grass-fed beef and a free range chicken. We had the ribeye, it was delish and I’m hoping to make the chicken this weekend.

Check out the Puli.  I’ve only seen them in dog shows on tv, never in real life.

Check out the balloon guy. I’ve only seen them in real life, never on tv.

Shorts Brewing Company was at the UP Beer Fest which was held in the lower harbor. We almost went, but decided that since we had to drive home that night, it probably wasn’t the best choice.

In keeping up with the interesting car theme of the day, we saw this peaceful van in the parking lot.

And then this hybrid monstrosity in another parking lot.

It’s a dump truck (or something big) turned into a camper van. That’s a real 21’ camper with the axles removed on the bed. Fully plumbed and everything. Both cool and weird.

And then there was this 4x4 factory van that Josh said I had to take a picture of. I thought my car was way more impressive with it’s TWO ham antennas.

The Portside has been replaced by the Blackrocks Brewery as our new favorite place to go. Good beer, good atmosphere.

But, the KBC is still my favorite and probably the graffiti artist’s as well.

Unless this is some gang-related graffiti. Who knows these days.

Anyway, some other stuff I did was lean how to can cucumbers. A friend of mine gave me a lesson and now I have six jars of pickles percolating in my larder.

Did you know that MTU now has a first responder team? Check out their bad ride. We saw them up @ Fat Tire in Copper Harbor over Labor Day weekend.

Time for a beer.