ONE sock for $35?????????

Okay, I ordered the Strassburg sock for help with plantar fasciitis because Fleet Feet did not have the regular size. The package came today and I brought it into the room to put on to go to bed. Opened the package, read the directions, and turned around to put the other one. There ain't no other one!!!!! I'm not thinking I would have bought this had I known I only got ONE sock!!!! But, on the good side, I only have plantar fasciitis in the right foot so it should work. If I can stand it. I'm not sure I can sleep with it on. I am aware that it has my foot cocked back a little and I do feel a tiny pull on my plantar fascia. In the front part closer to my toes where it was NOT hurting until I put the sock on. I'm not thinking I'll make it too long in this tonight. Maybe I'll work into it--30 minutes tonight, an hour tomorrow night, etc.

My brother begged out of the hospital this morning. His back still hurts but he wanted to make it to his endocrinologist appointment here in Jackson this morning. Little did he know that my oldest brother had cancelled his appointment thinking he'd never make it. So, he's coming tomorrow morning and I'm gonna meet him there at 10 am. So much for my pre-wedding manicure and pedicure but that can wait. I did manage to get the hair all done up today--haircut, etc. so I'm on the way to trying to look better than I do when you guys see me at 5 in the morning.

Wog on, my friends. And here's to the healing of Jana's leg and foot and Scotty's leg, too. And anybody else's aches and pains as well.

New mode of dehydration

Deb and I wogged at the Rez at 6 am this morning--was wonderful to go a little later and have some daylight but, boy, was there traffic on the way home! Then, I started on the weekly Mowing of the Yard, knowing I was only going to do half due to time and heat constraints. Had my usual cantankerous mower problems and the weedeater is still on the blink. Then I got a phone call that they put my brother in the hospital today. So, while I was pouring sweat mowing, I was sobbing also. Was a good way to help deal with frustration though. He is so weak that every little action of daily life that we take for granted like getting up out of a chair and down into a chair and in and out of a car is an ordeal. His back was hurting him yesterday and he called for some medication but this morning when my nephew went to get him/help him, he must have been really bad because my nephew took him straight to the hospital. I would take this a lot better other than the fact that I am leaving next Wednesday for the wedding, and my brother is supposed to go with me so I can take care of him. Since he has no kids of his own, all of his nieces and nephews have been his kids, and he has spoiled them rotten. So they all love him to death, and we all are going to be so sad if he can't come. And, he has a trip to England planned at the end of the month with two of his good friends that I really wanted him to be able to make as I don't think he is going to be able to travel much more. Again, I say, let us all say thanks to God for the ability and privilege to be able to train for this marathon.

Change to my blog template

I just found a picture from 2005 and posted it so you guys can compare the clothing I had on for teh 2005 and 2006 marathon. Take clothes for any kind of weather although you will be able to watch the forecast the week before you leave and have a pretty good idea as to what temperature and conditions you should expect!!! I was down to my sleeveless shirt only before the end in 2005. By choice! Pin your number on your shorts leg so you can wear as many shirts as you want and take them off!

Back from the Delta

Spent about 24 hours back in my hometown in Cleveland. My bro and I did a grocery store run and then took some food over to my mother's and cooked supper. But, just for us as she got my message confused and had already eaten. Her two blades of grass as I describe it. Now, most everyone in my family LOVES to eat. My mother and I included. I have vivid memories standing over a carton of vanilla ice cream as a child/teenager with my mother and polishing it off in one sitting/standing!!! But now, she eats less than a bird. So little that I do not know how she can subsist. But, I think she may get up during the night and bust into the junk food. And maybe she eats cookies and cake. But, I figure, at 97 years old, you ought to be able to eat whatever you want, huh? This morning, I took my brother to his PT session, then went by the car dealership to have my left blinker light fixed--having a family dealership in a small town is an awesome way to quickly deal with a car problem. And to trust what they say about a tire rod being loose or something. Then we went to drop pants to be altered, then to Neysa's shop, then back to dealership to fax blood sugars, than back to Merigold to fix and eat lunch. I finally got on the road about 2 pm--only four hours later than planned!!!! But I do enjoy the ride up there and back sometimes--I like looking at the open land, and the crops, and all the farm equipment. There was a LONG line of tractors pulling loads of cotton waiting to be waited on at the gym--I wished Deb was there to get a picture of that. Enough rambling. Although I did carry my bike up there, I decided sleeping in this morning was much more therapeutic than any exercise would be! I love sleeping in a Murphy bed.

Bruised feet syndrome

Okay, I've been trying to ignore it, but I'm getting the old generalized bone bruised feeling feet again but I'm trying to tell them to shut up. I did wear new shoes today but I still feel some pain but it isn't unbearable but I, of course, am medicated with my Relafen. Thank goodness for heavy duty anti-inflammatories!!!! And, speaking of heavy duty, I went to Sal Liz to try out some new heavy duty undergarments--don't want to embarrass you guys, but, if you can mentions bleeding nipples, who could be embarrassed???? So, I now have two new suits of armor to run in and they saw the damage that the bra I bought last year did to some of my lovely parts so they know I wasn't lying!!!!

I'm very happy to have now found a partner to do the 20 miler with--Paula! She can't do it on the 25th either so we are going to do it on the next Saturday when you guys get to do 10. We'll just do your 10 mile route twice from Fleet Feet. Ugggh. I have a mental block against repeating but this is better than doing 20 all alone with no water stops and no one to look at for five or more hours!!!! We probably will start at 4 am so that there may still be water out for most of our run--maybe we'll take some steroids so we can be REAL fast and make sure we have water! Maybe it will be good for my poor pitiful feet to get an extra week without the long mileage. We'll see whether I manage to do a ten miler in NY the morning of the wedding. I'm seriously doubting it but I think God will forgive for missing this day of my training. And, I had to miss many of the Saturday runs last year, and I don't think I've had to miss one yet this year.

You guys looked great out there today and I thank all of you who let me run with you today. Christa, Shelllie, and Christy--did I get your names right? I especially thank you for letting me tag along with you guys so that I would not be alone in the big bad woods in the dark. And I loved my yummy breakfast at Beagle Bagel. I got to get the cheese melt today which looked good the last time I was there when I had the peanut butter on the cinnamon raisin bagel which was awesome, huh Deb? I think I am a food addict because I love it so much!

I have sinned yet again

Okay, somehow I got in a little funk today at work. So, after having a nice grilled chicken salad with diet dressing for lunch, I hit the junk food machines about 5 pm. A large pack of sugar wafers followed by a big bag of peanuts. This was after an earlier bag of microwave popcorn which I called carbo loading. Then, I got an ice cream craving. I had text messaged my daughter to see if she was going to temple knowing we'd go out for dinner afterwards and she never answered. So, after the cookies and peanuts (and the popcorn), I left work briefly to go to Cold Stone Creamery and got the largest size cup of something sinful with coffee ice cream, peanut butter, pecans, and some other good stuff. But, I felt a bit gross afterwards, maybe needing a shot of insulin???? And, I'm not diabetic. Yet. So, we shall see what sort of running experience, in the dark, in the heat, that I have tomorrow.

I'm thinking I may have to start going to Cleveland, Mississippi that is, each weekend to check on things, so yoga may be out of the picture, and also Monday morning lawn mowing, but we shall see. I have enjoyed all the me time I've had these past 2 or 3 years but it may be time to think about others first for a little while. I may even have to move up there but I'm going to postpone that until after the Jewish holidays in September and after the marathon in October if at all possible. I'm afraid I won't be too accountable just to myself to exercise and train for marathons but maybe I will if I can blog with you guys and join a gym up there. Who knows???

Nice change of scenery, don't lift full coolers

Jody and I had a nice walk through Belhaven and walked up to Fondren to see his potential new house. We walked a little ways and ran a little and even got told hello by a fellow Marathon Makeover person--Merrill McKewen--I think I mispelled both of her names. Then I came home to gather up all the stuff I made for snacks/dinner for the board meeting at the temple tonight. This included a loaded cooler with ice and drinks which I had no choice but to lift by myself up into my van. Actually, one of my neighbors was out across the street and I should have asked her but I didn't. Thank goodness our custodian was available when I got to temple to help me get it out!

I think I might order some Strassburg socks today to see if that helps with my plantar fasciitis. They only have the large ones at Fleet Feet and they are too big for my darling, petite little legs and feet--hah, my feet are bigger than some men that I know! I also encourage the ones of you whose feet are hurting to consider new shoes. If they hurt from blisters, that's one thing, but if you just have generalized pain, your shoes might be worn out again! I have bought some new ones that I am holding as long as I can before I wear them, but I got them out of the box and looked at the bottom of them and at the bottom of the old ones, and I could see a LOT of wear on the old ones. And my feet are beginning to be sore in various places, sort of like bone bruises, sort of like they began to feel last year before the marathon where I ended up with a stress fracture. So, BE KIND TO YOUR FEET as we have three more really long runs--20, 22, and 26.2!!!!