just because i can

We're all moved into our new place and putting the finishing touches on a few things, like hanging pictures, etc. Plans are in the works for an awesome island for the kitchen, ala Erich. I'll have to post a picture of the table he built (once Andrew gets all his computer stuff off of it) and the rest of the place. 

I really wish Sam would act happier and more pleased with our new place.

 

No appreciation for what he's got. Except for a very, very dirty tennis ball and a stick. He had a stick in the sun and a stick in the shade, and would move between the two to chew on them.

Also, this is Sam trying to play Andrew's harmonica:

I went to my physical therapist yesterday. He did a deep tissue massage (so good!) and put some kinesthetic tape on my leg from below my knee up to my hip. I went out for 4 miles today (longest run since March 4), and it seemed to help somewhat. The first half felt great; the second half I could feel irritation in my knee. I did some stretches and iced it, and I don't feel any pain or soreness right now. So we'll see how it goes. I'm optimistic for my prospects - I'm on the fence about trying the Cellcom, but I think I'll be in good shape for the Bellin. Either way, I was so excited to be running today. I was running and felt tired and thought about turning around early, but then reasoned that being tired means shit. I can keep going if I'm tired. If it was painful, that's a different story. But tired? Keep going, just because I can.

Anyway, time for a nap. Bacher out.

holding pattern

Soooo, my IT band is still on-again, off-again irritated. The IT band wrap didn't help so I'm just resting, not running and doing strength training. I don't know where that puts me for the Cellcom, but I'm hoping I can do a run/walk thing and still participate. Any thoughts of improving on last year's time are out the window... now it's mostly a hope that I can do it at all.

We are moving to a new apartment in less than a month! I'm quite excited. Of the list of things I wanted in a new place, it meets 90% of them - two bedroom, fenced in backyard, non-coined operated washer and dryer, plenty of counter space... just no dishwasher. But I can live with that. I'm anxious to move and get out of this current place... a backyard! Room to invite people over! A dining room!

In preparation for the move, I've been sorting through my stuff and decluttering. I found my old high school journal yesterday, which was sort of fascinating. I'm slightly amused at the things I found important enough to write down and how different my interests were then compared to now (for example, I was talking with an old high school friend a few weeks back and she thought it was amusing how I would do anything to avoid gym class in high school but now I'm a runner). It also seemed like each day was either THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE or omg, life is SOOO terrible. I never felt like I was particularly moody and I felt like I was pretty even-keeled emotionally, but that could be my current outlook projecting back on how I imagine I should have been. But I suppose at that point, I was invested in my friends or the shit I did at school, and investing yourself in something can lead to being hurt. Maybe I've made better choices now (and had better options) about the people I surround myself with and the activities I choose to do, but I haven't really felt emotionally distraught now the way I seemed to feel frequently back then. Or maybe I deal with them better. Either way, it's certainly interesting to have my feelings stored and preserved in that fashion compared to just regular hindsight.

I've been feeling like I waste too much time online (specifically on Facebook), so I went through and deleted pretty much anyone who wasn't family or a past roommate (with some exceptions). I really don't care about random people I used to know and what they're doing... if I did, I would know about it, right? So already I can tell I'm spending less time on there. It took me like 3 hours to delete nearly 400 people... my hand felt like I was getting carpal tunnel.

I think these pictures of my dog are funny:


Bacher out!

life updates

A few updates for you:

1. My IT band is still slightly irritated. It feels fine when I'm doing my regular things, work, etc. I've tried running a bit (since I thought it was more completely healed than it seems to be), and after about a mile, it gets a bit painful. Not as bad as before, but not at the point where I'd like to be. I'm going to try a more active recovery, where I run but not as far or fast as I was going. Which is a bummer.

2. We are moving! To somewhere TBD. Still looking, which is a pain in the ass. But both Andrew and I agree - we are ready to be out of our apartment. Our perfect place has a good set of criteria... whether we meet all of them or not is another story. My guess is we'll have to compromise on something - number of bedrooms, state of appliances, price - but it really depends on the place. If anyone knows of a 2 bedroom duplex/apartment with a backyard (preferably fenced in), dishwasher, non-coin operated washer and dryer, within 4-5 blocks of a bus line that goes to DT St. Paul (preferably in St. Paul), let me know.

3. Sam peed on Andrew's leg this morning. My dog is kind of dumb.

That's it. Bacher out.

i hate my IT band.

I'm so pissed.

My IT band started acting up on Sunday. I wasn't sure that's what it was, but a little internet sluething today pretty much confirmed it. I ran my 7 miles on Sunday, then iced it Sunday and Monday nights when it started feeling sore. Then today it felt pretty good for most of the morning, so I decided to head out for my 3 mile lunchtime run. Stupid IT band got irritated on the run and I had to take an easy pace. It felt sore but not super painful on my way back to work, however, after I sat down for an hour (and I'm guessing my muscles tightened up), standing and walking around was pretty painful. Limping may or may not have been involved.

So I've pretty much benched myself until this gets itself worked out. Planning on ice and rest, mostly. I'm just mad because I was really rocking the training up until this point. I hit 98% of the training runs, am getting much faster than I used to be, and generally feel solid about Cellcom training up until this point. So it's just frustrating to get some solid training in and then have to rest due to injury.

So let's hope it heals quickly and I can get back on my training plan.

maaason!

Look at who I met last weekend!

My new nephew, Mason! He's the cutest thing ever, even with his old smushed Irish hitman face. I'm looking forward to seeing him next month when we go back to Green Bay and probably giving him a present, since I have no other children to smother with love.



Indy did his best Mason impression.

Sam chewed on both of Indy's toys in retaliation.

Sam will cuddle with pretty much anyone.

I did my six miles this morning and it went pretty good. I don't have any timed proof yet, but I'm certain I'm faster than before and absolute better at finishing strongly. It felt awesome to bang out six good miles and feel like I could do another few. I've been running during my lunch hour, which is fantastic. I feel like I concentrate much better in the afternoons after I've run and the day goes by so much faster. Now the mileage on weekday runs are getting to the point where I can't run the miles during my lunch break, so I'll be back to running in the morning again. It's a bit of a bummer, but I joined a gym across the street from my work, so on non-running days I'll head over for strength and cross training.

Ok. I'm going to go. Bacher out.

twenty-seven

Today is my birthday! I'm 27 today, which puts me squarely in the "late 20's" category.

I went running over my lunch break and thought about how grateful and lucky I am for many things:

• The physical ability to run three miles. To run three miles and feel awesome. The ability to do so on my lunchtime, in the sunshine, without a coat, in February, on my birthday.
• My gentleman and my dog.
• My other family members who really enjoy celebrating birthdays.
• The company of good, old friends.
• To be able to celebrate future birthdays with my new nephew.
• That I am an awesome guacamole maker.
• The delicious birthday meal I'm looking forward to tonight.

January is definitely over.

Birthday Bacher out.

sam the reflective

Sam and I go running together and we have a pretty good time. Sometimes we'll go in the morning before work and it's usually still dark out. I worry about my own visibility, wearing black pants and a purple jacket (even with all the reflective features they boast). I've been wanting a reflective vest for a few months now, but just haven't found the right one at the right price. Sam, being much shorter and blacker than I am, is even more of a visibility nightmare. Cars may not be looking for him and he may just blend in with the background. I usually head downtown since the sidewalks are clearer in the winter than anywhere else; downside is that people don't usually expect or look for runners and their black Labs.

Guess who is now more visible at night?

He's my school crossing guard.

Some more Sam:

Having a pretty rough day.

A goofball in the car on the way home from Wisconsin over New Years.

Opening his Christmas present. Hint: It was an antler and what seems to be the most promising non-destructible toy yet.

turn that frown upside down

Last week was shitty. Our car died and had expensive repairs, which meant I wasn't able to go to Green Bay for Erich and KT's baby shower. Boo.

This week was extra shitty. The car didn't get done until Monday, so we actually paid for it on Monday and that drained our bank account early in the week. A frozen bagel got the best of me, aka, I sunk a dull knife deep into my left ring finger in an attempt to cut in half a frozen bagel (a pre-cut bagel at that). It may have caused more damage than I originally thought. Huzzah!

I remember the end of 2009, thinking I was glad for it to be over because that year sucked. I feel the same way about this January. Let's just skip ahead to February, which is clearly a superior month as I was born during it.

January: Go blow yourself.
February: Don't suck like January.

Bacher out.

food and boots

Andrew and I went over to a friend's house to make sushi on Friday and I realized two things:

1. The Asian grocery store by my apartment is AWESOME. Great prices on veggies, a thing of tofu for .99 cents, plus a huge tank of catfish. I am doing as much grocery store shopping there as possible. I don't think they sell peanut butter, though.
2. I want to move to a bigger apartment (preferably a house/apartment where it's the entire floor of a house) and have a big table to have dinner parties.
   

I made this dal palak recipe last night, which was so good. A decent amount of spiciness for both Andrew and I; since I usually like this spicier than him, it hit a good middle ground for both of us. As I'm trying to eat less meat overall, Indian food is a good source for recipes. They have so much delicious vegetarian food.

After trying them on in November, I finally bought these boots:

Way to go, christmas money! I've realized I'm less likely to make larger purchases for myself regularly (as opposed to little things frequently that often add up to the price of one of these larger purchases) and instead use gift money/present opportunities to make a larger purchase - boots, running shoes, iPod, etc. When I graduated from college, Erich and KT said their present was either going to be an iPod or all the Scrubs dvds. I chose the iPod because I figured I'd be less likely to buy that on my own as opposed to all the Scrubs dvds (which I have been buying randomly over the past few years or so - usually whenever I see one for sale at a used store). I figure it's good to recognize that about yourself. Plus those boots are hot. I'm excited to wear them.

Ok. Time to go. Bacher out.