Rosh Hashanah & House Stuff

Our living room is coming along. Matt has been diligently sawing, sanding, and painting shelves...and now they're finally hung!

Sometimes his perfectionism frustrates me, but I was definitely grateful for it when I saw the finished product!

Matt hung the shelves for our baseball collection first.

Then we hung our race bibs and medals!

The view from our couch.

I love that the living room now showcases the hobbies we care about most: SUP, running, and baseball. Clearly there's still more to do, but I know seeing these hanging everyday will make my motivation skyrocket!

We had Thursday off this week for Rosh Hashanah. Matt and I attended temple Wednesday night...it was the first time we'd gone in the nine years we've been together. I didn't realize how much I missed being part of a congregation until we went. The old prayers, the music...just knowing you can look at the strangers around you and feel so connected...it's priceless.

 The rabbi spoke about inscribing ourselves in the Book of Life, but also about making sure others are inscribed as well...in the sense that we need to remind people that we love them and that they're important. That they belong here and deserve to be here. It was actually a pretty heavy message, but also uplifting.

Thursday, we went for ice cream with Elizabeth and Roniel. I wanted to run after, but I knew cross-training was the order of the day. I did a deck-of-cards workout while watching Seinfeld. (My thighs are killing me today...hope they're feeling a bit less sore Saturday morning!)

Vanilla froyo with crushed M&Ms (they just taste better crushed when in ice cream!), hot fudge, and whipped cream. Tummy ache in a cup!

I used a deck from my bat mitzvah - the theme was Casino Night!

I focused on core work.

You know all that rain we've been getting? The other night I looked out our back window and this is what I saw:

Seriously...could that be any more perfect?!

My long run is on the schedule for tomorrow...I'm seriously pumped!

How has your week been?

Does your school district/work give you Jewish holidays off?

Do you attend church or temple or anything similar?

ABK

L'Shana Tova

If you've been reading here for awhile, you know I love to run on holidays. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of my favorite time of year! The Jewish high holy days are a time for reflection, self-correction, and renewal of spirit. What better way to take stock than to run?

For a sweet new year!

Archie got in on goodness, too. (Then threw 3 slices on the floor. Jerk.)

Of course, I have a small hangup. After my podiatrist appointment today, I was reminded of how annoying injuries really are. I already have two more appointments in the next week, and because the good news is that the injury isn't dire, it's hard for me to resist the urge to run tonight.

The good news: There's nothing wrong with my bones. They did x-rays and there are no breaks or fractures at all.

Waiting for x-ray results. Doctor's office selfies are totally normal, right?

The bad news: At best I have an inflamed tendon, and at worst the tendon may be torn.

I was terrified today, because I know if I have to take two or more weeks off, I'll need to call off the marathon. I could still do the half, but my training would be too far behind to get back on track (safely and slowly) for the full.

We're looking at the extensor expansion attached to my big toe, the tendinous sheaths, and the inferior extensor retinaculum.

I'm mentally preparing myself for this possibility. I can still do a full in the future, but I've come so far in my training...it's just such a disappointment. So, fingers crossed, prayers said, etc etc. I'm hoping the tendon is just inflamed and will be fine in a few days.

(My ultrasound is tomorrow, so I'll post an update if there's any news to share.)

In the meantime, I've got some super strong anti-inflammatories I can take...and knowing me, I'll be tempted to run today or tomorrow to celebrate the Jewish New Year if the pain dissipates with the medications.

(Nice sidenote: When I told the doctor I had pain last week but still did my 10 miles Monday because I just couldn't help myself, he chuckled, but didn't chastise me. I think I found a good one!)

I'm still doing low-weights and high-reps...I feel like for me, it's the way to go to avoid injury and support my main goal.

Last night I did some crosstraining, and decided to use the stationary bike for the first time. It felt really weird to be able to use my phone and not pay attention to a workout...Something about sitting while doing cardio just seems lazy to me. (I know I had it set at a really low level, but any workout that you can read during is just foreign to me!)

Post-workout chocolate milk. It's a must to match your cup to your headband, fyi.

It was nice to set time aside to do weights and core work for an hour; if I need to be off my foot for awhile, I'm going to have to face my fear of swimming in public and get in the pool.

How is your week going?
What is your favorite cardio (besides running, of course!)?
Favorite post-workout snack?

ABK