Tuesday Tangents + My New Favorite Running Tool.

First, I can’t thank you guys enough for your awesome comments about my brother and his first half-marathon/weight loss story.  It means a lot to both of us:)

Oh how I love how much earlier the sun comes up in the mornings now.  It makes running before the kids wake up much easier.  Then in exactly one month from today, Skye and I will be taking out the BOB together for a run.  Well, actually in one month from now we will be in Kentucky so it might happen a few days after that but I’m pretty excited about it.

5 miles @ 8:15 average.  I have a mini workout today and I can’t wait to get my legs moving again.   I love how seriously my coach takes recovery after races because that is going to keep me healthy.

Brooke has the best stories to tell me on our way to school in the mornings.  Her natural little highlights in her hair makes me covet a 5 year old;)

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I took Skye on a walk right after taking Brooke to school and talked to my sister on the phone which is almost as good as us actually walking together.  Skye fell asleep about 20 steps away from our house.

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Skye had a bath and I went down to give her a kiss and she grabbed my hair so fast, I was impressed.  I then grabbed my phone to take a picture of the strong grasp she had on my hair and as I was taking the picture she kicked me in the face.  Turns out she was mad at me or something based on her actions.

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Brooke got home and about 5 minutes after this picture she was asleep.  She partied hard this last weekend so she needed to catch up on sleep (plus she said her stomach was hurting so hopefully today she feels better) and Skye joined her and took a 3 hour nap.  Skye is currently taking one long nap and she’ll fall asleep for a few minutes here and there if we are in the car or something.

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For my lunch I had Costco’s Sweet Kale Salad w/poppyseed dressing, chicken and strawberries.  After this I had a chocolate covered frozen banana because I wanted to celebrate the fact that it was 80 degrees outside yesterday.

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There were a bunch of random snacks throughout the day… Thank goodness for my huge diaper bag that is always fully stocked with things so I don’t have to go upstairs to grab a snack ha.

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And for dinner I had the rest of my kale salad and Kodiakcakes.  Quite the random combination but it worked.  Andrew and I also did our weekly planners meeting (this meeting started last week) to attempt to get everything written down.

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If Beretta is in Skye’s view, she can’t take her eyes off of her.

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After dinner Brooke started feeling lame again so we all just relaxed and watched a movie together.

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Andrew’s calf makes a fabulous pillow.  Mine does not because my calf has not learned how to have a muscle there;)

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Once the girls went to bed, Andrew went to his softball game and I caught up on New Girl.  That show just makes me happy.

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*I have been texting my good friend Rachelle for as many tips as possible for running (she is so fast and the best cheerleader for all of her friends).   She told me about Firmus Running and it is my new favorite running tool.  I feel like I could spend hours on it (maybe I have) because I LOVE the numbers side of running.  So this site has a ton of the half-marathons and marathons (especially the Utah ones if you are a Utah reader) listed on it and it gives you so much information about each race.  It comes up with pace bands specific for each course and each mile with the elevation changes for your goal race time.  It’s amazing.  You can also see on average how much faster or slower a course is compared to all of the others.  You can choose three races at a time to compare with each other (I LOVE ALL OF THE GRAPHS).  I might be the only person that didn’t know all of this info was offered for free but I am now one of their biggest fans.

Who knows what paces I’ll be ready for this fall in St. George but I’m really hoping that this is my pace band sometime soon:)

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*CHIP RAN HIS FIRST MARATHON in 5:21:54!  He raised $250,000 for rare cancer research and ran the entire 26.2 miles with his tool belt.  I can’t even imagine the chafing that occurred from wearing that thing for a marathon.

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*Another part from Deena’s book that I loved.  When you start being negative, ‘Find a thought that serves you better.’

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*The sun is brighter and out earlier which means I’m extra dilligent about sun screen before my runs—>  don’t forget to load up before you head out the door.

Also, pro-tip—>  Take the top sharp/hard plastic piece off the deodorant before you start rubbing it on your chest (I use it to prevent chafing)… that did not feel great;)  Mornings are hard.

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*I have four pictures from our Sunday:

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I dressed up like Andrew after church to attempt to make him laugh.  It worked and his shoes were actually pretty comfortable… we are almost the same size.

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*My niece and I went on a walk.  I’m sure grateful for this relationship that I have with her.

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We had a salad bar for dinner on Sunday and it was amazing.  We all brought toppings and boom.. an awesome salad bar.  My sister gets dough from Sam’s Club (you can buy it up at their food court in bulk) and made us rolls from that dough.  They were so good.  I had a few more after I ate the first one.   I bring my hospital water bottle with me everywhere.  That thing is gold to me.

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*Have you ever seen these underwater treadmills?  I just saw this for the first time the other day and after spending 100s of hours pool running in the past, I kind of want to try this out.  My feet never hit the ground of the pool when I would pool run so I wonder if this treadmill is anything like the pool running I’ve done in the past.

*Marisa asked me about sprained ankle advice and I have never had one so if you could help her out with this in the comments that would be awesome!–IMG 8252

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Sprained ankle tips?  Help Marisa out!

Ever used a pace band for a race?  How did that go for you?  

Share a Tuesday Tangent with me please!  

What is your Tuesday run?

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49 comments

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Sprained ankles really depend on severity; if it was just a simple twist with no ligament damage, take like a week off running, ice it, wrap it with an elastic wrap, and make sure to check in with your GP to make sure nothing got torn.
If (like me) your foot turns in a direction it’s so not supposed to and you hear popping and tearing noises…it’s a longer road to recovery. Severing a ligament is no joke. I wasn’t allowed to run for 6 weeks and once I did run I had to (and still have to after 2 years) wrap my ankle. I did 4 months of physical therapy. LOTS of icing and advil. I worked closely with an orthopedist and was VERY patient.
No run for me today but lots of strength exercises!

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Thank you so much Kerri for all of the tips. I am SO sorry about what you have been through with your ankle, that is awful! I hope your strength exercises today feel great and you are such a good example for patience when dealing with such a frustrating injury! Have a beautiful day!

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Thanks Kerri! So I did partially sever or totally sever two ligaments. I’ve been thinking I’ll need to wrap post recovery too. I hope you are better and I wish you a lifetime of injury free running. You’ve laid your dues!!

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*paid

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I am just recovering from a sprained ankle.. my advice is to stop the running… and go and see a physiotherapist. It was the toughest thing having to stop running when I had hit a stride and was running 5-7 miles consistently. But seeing my physiotherapist for exercises to strengthen my ankle and my hip has helped huge. Also being an A+ physio student and doing the exercises every night and only doing the approved running miles will make things go faster. Just finished my 6th week and my physiotherapist is gone to Thailand for 2 weeks and the goal is to be able to run 4 miles pain free by the time he is back so when he is back that is my last visit. Good luck.. and be patient!!

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Melissa! Thank you so much for your comment and I am glad you are almost there with getting your ankle back to normal. Great advice. I hope that those 4 miles pain free come and feel amazing. Have a wonderful day and keep me updated with how you are doing!

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I’ve seen a podiatrist but physiotherapist is an excellent idea. Many thanks!

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I am also loving how early the sun is up now! It makes everything on the morning easier. I’ll be starting my outside morning runs soon. My run will the tonight though cause we went to a movie and got back really late.

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Right?! I wake up before my alarm because of the sun… hallelujah. What movie did you see? Enjoy your run tonight!

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We went to the new Avengers. It is as good but it was kind of a frustrating movie haha. My husband wants to see the quiet place but I’m a scaredy cat with that haha

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Sprained ankles are frequent in my running/ walking life. Most recent one was last October while running with my husband and dog at 5:30am I was in the lead and I stepped wrong on a black walnut in the sidewalk and there it went. Mine always have been rolled inward so the outer part of my ankle stretches. Usually it bruises just below my ankle then and swells. I agree with the previous comments, rest your ankle. And I mean rest, like limit walking on it keep it elevated, ice for 20 min then take off the ice and use a compression sleeve (mine is from Walgreens) then repeate the ice compression until all the swelling is gone and the bruise has faded. Then start back with walking a short distance. Listen to your body and if your ankle is soar, take a day off before walking any distance again. Eventually try running a short distance to see how the pressure and pounding feels. From there assess and continue.

Tuesday’s are my off day but yesterday’s run was a beautiful morning 3.1 miles with my husband and dog. We are working on speed so distance is a wprk in progress. I am participating in the Great River Ragnar Relay this August so working up to a 10 mile distance at a 8:30 pace is my goal.

Have a wonderful day!!

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Hey Meghan! I am so sorry that you have had to deal with sprained ankles so much. That is awful. Thank you so much for the tips for Marisa, she will really appreciate it. Thank you. I am so glad you had an amazing run yesterday… so excited for your Ragnar in a few months. You will hit that goal and I can’t wait to hear all about it. Thank you!

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Sprained ankles can be tricky, since it depends on the severity of the sprain. But honestly, rest is key. Once you sprain/strain a ligament, it can get stretched out and not return to how it was before. I have sprained/rolled my right ankle more than once, unfortunately, and I would say compression also helps. Either get an ankle brace/sleeve or wrap it tightly with an ace bandage. But seriously, REST. It gives your body time to repair itself. You can also go to a PT and see about exercises/stretches to help.
Tuesday Tangent – my best friend got married this weekend and I was MOH, and it was SO MUCH fun! But I’m still tired! We were busy all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then even some on Sunday, and it wore me out. But aren’t weddings some of the best experiences? They just make me so happy!
Tuesday run – probably 4 easy miles… maybe more, maybe less. I don’t have any plan right now, I’m just running when I want to. It’s kind of nice!

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Rhiannon, thank you so much for your advice… perfect for Marisa!

I am so glad that you had such a great weekend… I agree, weddings really are the best. I bet it was beautiful. I hope your run today goes really well and feels great. I enjoy running without a plan and just according to how my body is feeling sometimes too!

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I have loved using that race pace website. I am also slightly obsessed with numbers and graphs.For the AF half 2 years ago I wrote all of the paces on my hand and my friends thought I was so crazy. But it totally kept me from going out too fast and I ended with a huge PR. I may or may not have been playing around with it yesterday for the AF half this year. I run Zions Ragnar this weekend and if my legs are still feeling good I am going to sign up.

Also loving the morning weather. Went out at 6 yesterday and loved being in shorts and a tank top. Although I wish it would stay coolish and not increase until all running is completed each day.

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Have the best time ever at Ragnar… I want to hear all about it! Haha how amazing would it be if the temps didn’t rise until you and I are finished running each morning. Love that you wrote the splits on your arm… I might copy you! Have a beautiful day Alyse!

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I LOVED your brother’s post yesterday so much!!
RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation!! That’s pretty much the only way I know to help a sprained ankle ;)
Tuesday tangent – holy pollen!! My allergies are out of control today!
No run for me today! But I did my 110 squats as part of the May Squat Challenge!!

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Thank you Erinn! He is pretty much the best:) AHHHH MY allergies are nuts today too, I couldn’t believe it! 110 squats = you are my hero. Way to go girl!

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If you love the numbers side of running, you need to check out Smashrun. It is by far the most interesting running tool I’ve ever used. It shows you awesome graphs and maps about each run and gives you notable things that happened on that run (Fastest mile in a month, hottest run in a year, latest run in 3 months, etc…). It is really cool and I think you would like it. Also, it has great training aids to show you how you are improving.

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You. Are. The. Best. Thank you so much Bradley and I know what I’ll be looking at during any free time today… THANK YOU!

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Okay, seriously… this website is so cool.

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:) I knew you would like it! Every day when I go for a run, it gets uploaded through Garmin and I login so I can see if anything interesting happened on that run. I usually do it before even making it back in the house.

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YES!!! Well, you have now created an addict in me too:) Thanks!

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No tangents today but just wanted to wish you a very happy and blessed day! There’s been a lot going on lately so sometimes I do extra bible reading to relieve anxiety and don’t have the chance to catch every post but when I do, it makes me so happy! You’re a beacon of positivity! :)

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Thank you so much Marie! I really appreciate your comment:) I hope you are doing okay and that you have a wonderful day!

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I sprained my ankle 5 weeks ago today and am still not 100%. I haven’t run at all – my doctor said 6 weeks and I didn’t believe him, turns out he knows what he’s talking about ;) This is my first sprain and the longest injury I’ve ever had. Looks like from the comments above that I’m on the normal track.

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GRRRRR I am so sorry Kathy. You are ALMOST there and I hope your first run back feels amazing.

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I feel your pain.. literally. Sending good vibes your way for faster healing!

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Hey there~
I’m reading Deena’s book right now and LOVING it! I just read the other part that you had mentioned yesterday about no such thing as overtraining, just under-resting. I go to bed WAY too late b/c my body clock likes to go to bed at 11:30 and wake up at 8:00. The bad thing is that I can’t sleep til 8:00–I get up at 5:30 for work, and it’s just not enough sleep. I make efforts to do better and then let it slide again. I NEED TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY!!!!! Love the part you shared today, too.

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YES, I loved that so much Jen… under-resting! Keep making those little efforts and you are amazing for getting up early every morning for work. At night just tell yourself that Janae is already in bed (I have the opposite problem and like to go to bed too early) so you can do it haha! Have a beautiful day Jen! Seriously, the best book.

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reading it too. i thought that was a very good point – no such thing as overtraining just underresting (as prescribed by Coach Vigil, right?) that will stay with me for a long time i think!

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I sprained my ankle running a few years ago. I actually had to have a boot and I still have major scar tissue from it :( My best advice is to stop running and let it heal!

I have never used a pace band, but I am so excited to try for St. George!

I will probably hit the treadmill after work. My kids have a rubik’s cube competition tonight so I am off duty for the evening ;)

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A BOOT… oh that is awful! Thanks for the advice. Oh awesome that you will be using one for St. George. What time are you shooting for. Have an awesome treadmill run tonight!

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Sprained ankles are so hard especially when someone–without exercise even in the picture–tends to be active in their day to day lives. Rest, elevation, icing is KEY, as is forcing oneself to take big breaks from running, walking, etc. I would recommend however spin class if the desire for exercise is way too strong, but in a class when it’s time to go out of the saddle 9(like for hill climbs or intervals with jumps in them), stay in the saddle–pressure OFF the ankle!!!–and “do the work” by adjusting the resistance on the bike. Don’t be an idiot like me who tries to work her way through a sprain and winds up feeling it for 2-3 months afterwards! OUCH!!!

What sunscreen do you use for running? This morning, on my run, it occurred to me that 6 or 6:30 AM runs in Atlanta will VERY SOON mean that the sun is really UP and I need to protect myself. I’d love a great tried-and-true recommendation, especially something that’s good for a person like me–who, within even 1 mile, is a HUMAN NIAGARA FALLS from head to toe (what can I say…I’m Greek. My job is to feed people and sweat like a fiend…)

My tangent: All 110 of my students’ final grades are due on Thursday. I submitted one class this morning, and I am submitting Class #2 within an hour or so. I have what feels like a lot left to grade, but I also know that if I push through reasonably well enough I should be able to have my last 2 classes’ grades submitted by tomorrow evening…which means that I can totally give myself Thursday as a great “me day” kind of a day. And I have a bath fizzy that smells like geraniums and jasmine that i Have literally been saving from the weekend of January 20–about 3 weeks into the semester and the weekend I went to KNoxville for initial training for Les Mills RPM Instructor Certification–until final exams were graded!!! I am going to blast music I love (and my husband doesn’t like! ha!!!) on the stereo, make myself a fruit salad with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, and lime (and maybe some super finely chopped basil because that sounds like it will balance well), and have the world’s most amazingly long, indulgent bath on Thursday smack-dab in the middle of the afternoon.

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Stephanie, thank you for your comment! You are so right, that is super tricky about sprained ankles–> how do you keep it protected during all of the other activities each day. I use the dermalogica stuff for my face/neck and then the target spray for my shoulders etc. I can’t even imagine the heat that you deal with in Atlanta!YOU CAN DO IT… you are almost to Thursday! You better relax like crazy. That is so exciting that you are getting certified, I want to come to your class! Good luck today!

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if you need to run with your sunscreen and reapply, i just tried honest co’s sunscreen stick. https://www.amazon.com/Honest-Purely-Simple-Sunscreen-Fragrance/dp/B01EMSJSYO/ i got the idea from my daughter’s california baby sunscreen stick which works great for kids. it cakes on a bit (looks like a deodorant stick) but it doesn’t get runny which is great. i used this on my long run in warm to hot weather this past weekend – and it worked great as i didn’t burn. i’ll be using it for running and cycling while on the go (not at home).

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Totally going to get this. THANK YOU!!!

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ankle stuff: i messed up my ankle a few weeks ago, right after the NYC half. i had fallen off my bike after one of our nor’easters (snow) and i tried running. it was fine, but then i tried again and it was not fine. i took a week off immediately and saw a podiatrist and a physical therapist. no fracture, but i got voltaren to reduce the swelling. it worked, the swelling reduced and the ankle felt better. they suspected it was a sprain. i agree you have to RICE it (rest ice compress elevate) – i did that a lot. i didn’t use the voltaren for very long. the physical therapy helped by stabilizing the ankle and the whole leg. the swelling reduced on its own after the week off and i went back to easy running. it held up. i have only had a handful of workouts starting 2 weeks after that week off to mainly test the ankle and see how it feels the next day with easy running. hopefully as i get more confidence i don’t have to worry about it, but as of now i’m still consistently taking inventory and doing all the little things to stay healthy and running.

i typically take a look at the elevation profile and make plans. at the NYC half expo the coaches were super helpful and walked thru the course with us. i would not have known what to do otherwise.

Tue tangent: recovery baths – what do people prefer & why? ice bath or hot epsom salt bath? my friend who is a tri athlete swears by ice baths, but coach says hot epsom salt bath. i have already been doing lots of epsom salt baths in addition to rolling/stretching/yoga but i wonder about ice baths. yay or nay? i guess that’s more of a question and not a tangent. i am reading the deena kastor memoir as well since borrowing from the library and i agree that it’s great! i can’t put it down. i am starting out getting into mindfulness and meditation so everything she is saying really speaks to me. there are lots of changes i need to make.

Tue run was a run to work – about 5 miles, i should have made it 6 though but on the bridge i thought this is hard, i’m going to cut this short. but as i was going down the bridge of course i felt strong with that momentum – but by then i was already taking the shorter route. one thing i will say. running in a park is so much better. i had to yell at a driver today. ugh. (exactly why i need mindfulness and meditation!)

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I am SO sorry about all of the ankle stuff you have been through lately. Keep me updated on how it is doing and good luck getting back to normal. Great tangent… I might have to do a blog post about this. I have only tried ice baths (and always saw great results from doing them) but I would be interested to see how a hot epsom salt bath would do too! I love that you ran to work… so cool! Have a beautiful day!

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thank you! i will. it is doing really really well considering i felt like i couldn’t put weight on it while walking not too long ago! it’s amazing what some self care can help your body do. i’m glad i had a bit of fitness going into it as i think that helped altho i can’t say for sure. i’d like to believe it :)

i found two blog posts that say to do both. i am wondering now about ice baths! but i can’t do them after hard workouts unfortunately so i guess i have to go without them –
minneapolisrunning.com/battle-of-the-baths-epsom-salt-vs-ice/
runnersconnect.net/recovery-from-running-hard-workouts/

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I forgot how fast babies learn to naturally suck, and also grab things with their little hands! Soon you’ll be able to place peek a boo with them and have her laughing ^^

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YES, she loves to laugh already too and it is so fun! Enjoy your day Linda!

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I would recommend getting an x-ray for the ankle! I had what was diagnosed as a sprain, but after months of physical therapy it just wasn’t getting better. I finally was able to get an x-ray and it turned out it was broken :( No wonder it wasn’t healing! After surgery and a lot of physical therapy, it’s finally getting better. Ankles are no joke! Definitely require a lot of rest and getting creative with exercise (hello, pull-ups and pilates!).

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Oh that is a really good point Kate. I am SO sorry you went through all of this… and SURGERY! Keep me updated with how you are recovering and I hope you are running soon. Thanks for sharing your experience and way to go getting out there and working hard doing things that won’t hurt your ankle more!

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I did PT/ injury rehab on an underwater treadmill that had a camera feed on it so the PT could watch my gait. I thought it was a great tool and I felt like I got to “run” a lot faster than traditional rehab (my injuries were…not good).

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Sprained ankle = ice bath if you can. Fill a sink up with cold water and dump a bag of ice in it. 5 mins in, more if you want, but best to cycle in and out if you do much more. It hurts but will work better than just an ice pack (because we all know those are not shaped for ankles, ha!) After an ice bath take it easy, elevate it and chill until it warms back up. If it is really painful to walk, aka limping, etc, then go see a doctor. Ankle exercises also help, spell the alphabet with you foot, walk on your toes and heels, inside of feet and outside to strengthen the muscles and gain flexibility. Hope it helps!
My run today was 4 miles after work. It has been hot so I brought my water bottle. Any advice on types of water bottles for summer runs? I’ve been considering getting a vest but not sure.

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We have an aqua-tred that we use to exercise and rehab horses on. My daughter and I have run on it (when it’s clean of course) and I love it! Your feet stay on the ground and there are jets in it. I don’t ever get sore but your legs get tired.

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I’m reading Deena’s book just now too and LOVING it! So good.

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Thank you to all of you road warriors who have share your experiences with sprained ankles. I deeply appreciate it! And a HUGE thank you to Janae for posting my question. Wishing all of you an injury free run today and every day!

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