How can you possibly wake up whiny when you look outside and see this beautiful sunrise. I haven’t run since last Saturday, so maybe I could whine a little…

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After three days of back spasms, piriformis and hip flexor pain, my foam roller is once again my best friend. I’m starting to feel better, and I’m giving credit to my foam roller, ice, and rest.

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Foam rollers are an excellent way to work out the knots and sore spots in your muscles through self massage, with the goal to get those knots to release.  You gently roll the foam roller under your body slowly across your muscles until you come across a tender spot.  Once you find a tender spot, you stop rolling and hold pressure on that area until it releases  (up to a minute).  Once that  spot releases and feels better, you move on to the next tender spot.  This is a very gentle activity, although when you find and stop on those tender spots, it doesn’t feel like you’re being gentle!

Icing with my ACE cold pack is almost always the first line of treatment I think of when I have an injury. Injured areas often swell as a result of blood pooling, and ice helps keep the excess blood from rushing to the injured area, allowing the injury to start healing. You’ll want to ice the injured area for about 20 minutes, while elevating it.* Try to do this several times a day for maximum benefits, and allow about an hour between each icing session.

 This afternoon I went for a fast hour-long walk with my friend Vel.  I felt really good and hope to run a little tomorrow morning and then walk the last four miles like I did last Saturday. Today we walked through my neighborhood and past one of our creeks.  I took this picture of the really cool algae, flowing like long hair in the creek.

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I deem Dark Chocolate Pomegranate one of the world’s most perfect foods!  I saw this smaller bag at the local grocery store, and I might buy it sometime.  Sometime!   I can no longer buy the big bags at Costco, because they just aren’t safe in my house!

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I saw this lady and her dog crossing the street in front of me this morning on my way to Costco. Unfortunately, you can’t tell it in this picture, but that was one happy dog.  He really, really made me smile!

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*HaHaHa! I did not elevate my butt while applying ice. I lay down on my bed with the ice pack under it.

  • Questions:
  • What is a food that you can’t keep in your house, or you’d eat it all the first day?
  • What is your favorite injury remedy?
  • Who’s racing this weekend?  What race and where?