I am beginning to wonder if my body remembers how to run. It’s been 4 weeks now, and aside from the few times I’ve had to jet across the street to avoid being hit by cabs, I haven’t run a step. I haven’t even been tempted to try (so unlike me!) because I can tell the ankle/foot/leg is not quite ready. But, progress is happening. I decided to take a break from all of the medical BS that was going on before and just let the LE (lower extremity) do it’s thing and heal. And it just might be working.
The LE doesn’t hurt at all during spinning and elliptical, but still gets pretty sore from walking and if I make a random quick move. I’ve set a secret-but-not-anymore goal of being able to run by the time my marathon happens, even if it’s just a few miles. This just so happens to be pretty close to my birthday too, and I can’t imagine starting a birthday without a run, even if I have no interest in celebrating whatsoever (#old). Aside from the occasional yearning for the bridle path, I’ve been dealing with the injury pretty well. I think it helps that I’ve been super busy finishing school stuff and working, and that I really, really love my job. Every day and every patient is different, and I feel constantly busy, challenged and fulfilled. It’s awesome 
the air cast totally matches the lab coat, yeah?
I’ve also been trying to keep things interesting at the gym, because I pretty much hate the gym and it pales in comparison to running in the park. I downloaded the Nike Training Club App to find some things to supplement the usual spin/elliptical routine and it’s awesome. I may not be a fan of their shoes, but I like Nike for developing this app and making it free. There are tons of workouts to target specific body parts, and they are HARD. Or maybe I just think they’re hard because I’ve been primarily running for God knows how long and not exercising other muscles. I’ve made it a goal to do at least one of the targeted workouts every day, so hopefully when I do get back to running I will also be beastly strong (heh).
Last weekend I also spent a little time in the kitchen. After seeing this delicious-looking recipe in the most recent issue Runner’s World I had to make it (also almost made up for the multiple pages devoted to “color runs”).
Quinoa Kale Salad with Fresh Apricots (via Runner’s World)
Makes 3 large servings or 4 normal servings
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons course-grain Dijon mustard
1/3 cup plain low-fat kefir
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups finely chopped, washed kale
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups pitted and diced fresh apricots (about 4 medium) or 1 cup dried apricots, diced
1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add quinoa and toast until fragrant and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Add the water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes. Cool quinoa to lukewarm. Make the dressing by whisking the garlic, cumin, mustard, kefir, pepper, and salt. Slowly whisk in the oil. Place remaining ingredients—kale, kidney beans, apricots, onion, and cilantro—in a large bowl. Add quinoa and the dressing. Toss to coat and serve.
I followed the directions pretty closely for the most part, but reduced the amount of olive oil and probably included more kale (obvi). This made three big servings for me, but you could also get four smaller servings and have something else with the dish like a piece of fish or chicken. The good thing about the recipe is that it has a good amount of carbs and protein via the quinoa and beans, so it makes a decent entree for vegetarians/vegans or side dish for meat eaters.
This weekend is the last one I will ever spend doing schoolwork EVER IN LIFE. I’m pretty sure that a week from now, I won’t know what to do with myself.
Tell me: What do people do when they have free time? Also, do you do core or targeted exercises in addition to running? What kind of stuff? Ever tried the Nike app?
