Gone And Done It

Oh man, I finally gave in.  But I had to.  I just had to…5 days of not being able to run because of freezing temps and wind advisories?

I BOUGHT A GYM PASS.

I know I’ve mentioned it a few times, but I absolutely loathe the dreadmill.  And don’t think I’m mistaken in it’s name, that is what it is.

But I’ve turned desperate.  I have tried to go running the past few days but my body simply can’t tolerate that kind of weather/cold conditions.  First of all, I have Raynaud’s Syndrome which make keeping my fingers and toes warm a serious issue.  It can be quite painful at times so I try to avoid it at all costs. 

Secondly, I’ve developed something in some of my toes that is absolutely excruciating.  I’ve been getting it every winter for the past few years, but this is the most painful it has been since the beginning.  Basically right now the 4th, 3rd (especially) and 2nd toes are tingly, tender to the touch and quite swollen. 

(See the difference?  And please ignore my atrocious tan lines…)

I broke my 3rd toe about 8 years ago so there is some calcium deposits on that bone, but otherwise they are the same as all the others.  Anyhow, it have tried everything from icing, heating, Epsom salts, massaging, you name it and it’s not getting better.  It normally goes away after a few days, but I’m going on day 5 and getting a bit worried. We’ll see what happens tomorrow…Anyone had this problem?  Cause I’m totally stumped and the internet is telling me I have gout.  Hrm…

Anyhow, today was a long and cold one!  But somehow so relaxing and enjoyable.  I did some hard core work though, since I had to shovel my way out of some snow that made my drive a bit more slippery than I would have liked.  Make’n me feel hard core here!

There’s still snow on the ground, just enough to make my old oat combo look pretty:

The day went by as normal as a field day could go, with snacks to keep me motivated: strawberries and chocolate chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Admiring some views while viewing all the beautiful hawks fighting the crazy winds we’re getting (gusting up to 60mph!)

I snacked on two TJ’s Dark Chocolate PB Cups in the car as my caffeine boost because I had no coffee.  Such a tragedy cause I was tired!  But that had me wired for quite a long time so I didn’t even have lunch until after 2pm!

What, you’ve never had kitten with your avocado, tomato, hummus and mustard sandwich?  Well I did when I got home today!  Plus some TJ’s Wheat crackers on the side for crunch…the cheek is slowly getting better!

I did some work and after purchasing my gym membership (I still gasp at the fact) I headed out to get in a very much needed run.   Being stuck inside is already killing and it’s not even officially winter yet!  I ended up pumping out a good 6 miles in 56 minutes, staring at a white wall most of the time.  There are individual tvs on each station, but having to look down disorients me as I’m used to running and looking ahead.  So it was quite the challenge staying entertained during that run.  Should be an interesting winter keeping myself entertained on those babies!

I prepped dinner before I left by letting two mini potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts and a chopped carrot marinate in a 3:1 mixture of Low Sodium TJ’s Vegetable broth and water with added herbs to taste.  Heated up while I was taking a shower and poof, dinner is served.  Oh, 1/2 a cup of chickpeas added in at the last minute for protein of course!

Of course my night never ends without chocolate so I had a handful of Dark Chocolate Covered Edamame and an apple.

Now I just want to sleep.  And stretch.  I’m already sore.