How To Not Kill Someone and Other Important Social Skills

Yesterday, I turned into a bitch.

Well I've always been one. But the level of bitchiness that rears its ghastly, sleep-deprived and under-caffeinated head is usually kept under some amount of control.

Essentially, I've only run 6 miles since the half marathon, and my foot hurt like a mofo afterwards, leading me to decide to stay off the pavement and commit to a week or two of bike and elliptical only. Well 2 days ago it hit 62 degrees. Yesterday, 68. My foot has still been acting up from work so I was really sour about the weather beckoning me to venture outdoors when running still seemed like a bad idea.

But when the thermostat hit 72 today, enough was enough and I set out with the daughter in tow; my foot taped up tight and a 1.5X dose of ibuprofen in my system. I am happy to report that not only was the short 3.5-mile jaunt around Piedmont Park relatively pain-free, but Alexis got her wiggles out on the playground afterward and napped like a champ. So I guess I can say that Mission: Post- Undiagnosed but Probable Injury Run was a success. And I feel a million times better.

Pre-run Jen: Angry, spitting fire, wanting to chuck drinks and half-eaten food at rude customers.

Post-run Jen: Happy, refreshed, able to face the world without doing anything that might lead to an arrest.

I'm thinking I might try another 3-4 miles tomorrow to preemptively improve my attitude before work has a chance to ruin it. More on that another time... all I'll say is that holiday cheer does not seem to spead to that little line where people are supposed to leave a tip. In fact, I'm seeing worse tips than I've seen all year. I want to wear a button that says, "Excuse me, but I'm trying to afford gifts for everyone on my list, too."

Switching gears.

Food. It's a common talking point this time of year. We all eat it. We tend to eat more of it between the last Thursday of November and the first of January. Combine the increased caloric intake with the lower mileage many of us face thanks to either winding down from marathon season or commitments take us away from our usual routines, and you're quickly in a surplus of consumed energy that can lead to added pounds. Since we all want extra pounds as much as a kid wants to find coal in his stocking, it's important to keep our eating habits in check. No need to go on an extreme diet; just make sure you've got apples within closer reach than the sugar cookies.

Since I've been laying off the miles (still spinning away furiously, but it's just not the same) and spending a lot more time in Target than the gym, I want to try to get back to fulfilling my daily fruit and veggie requirement. Not an easy feat, but I've found ways to make it a bit more bearable:

yes, those are Goldfish

Normally, after a workout I only want to eat salt and carbs in one combination or another. Today, I decided to make a salad. But I don't just eat greens, so I added grape tomatoes, granny smith apples, golden raisins, pistachios and Goldfish (yummier than a plain old croutons). It's dressed with Trader Joe's Low Fat Parmesan Ranch. Haven't put Goldfish on a salad before? Try it. You're welcome :)