Rest, Ice, Stretch, Repeat

Posted on February 23, 2012

I went to see my primary care doctor on Tuesday. He poked and twisted my legs a bit, asked me some questions, and then was kind enough to give me the satisfaction of being right: he diagnosed me with runner’s knee. He said my kneecaps probably don’t track correctly and gave me some print-outs with generic quad-strengthening exercises and a few stretches, and said to incorporate those with two weeks of resting, icing and a prescription anti-inflammatory. If I’m not better after two weeks, he’ll send me to a physical therapist or orthopedist. He doesn’t recommend cross-training for the first week, but I can try a little bit the second week if I absolutely must.

I guess it could be worse, but two weeks is already three weeks too long. (Keep in mind I spent almost a week resting before I even saw the damn doctor.) I want to run NOW! But I’m going to try to stop complaining about it, because a lot of runners get sidelined by injuries, and runner’s knee is really common, and blah blah blah optimism and shit. But does anyone else think I should be concerned that the doctor only gave me quad-strengthening exercises? What if my tracking issues are caused by weakness in my glutes or hips instead? What if I start running again after it heals and then it just comes back?

At least I have a good spot to stretch out and do my resting and icing.

Ikea Kivik Chaise Lounge - Dansbo Dark Gray

We have this really random, awkward room in between our kitchen and bedroom. Its main purpose seems to be to take up space between other rooms. It only has one wall that isn’t completely made up of doorways. It’s almost like a hallway, but it’s like, rectangular. It’s odd.

We’ve never known what to do with the room, so our dining table used to live in it. We never, ever used the table, so finally, we decided to sell it on Craigslist. We took a trip to Ikea, and henceforth our random awkward room became known as our “sitting room.” This dark grey beauty is the Kivik Chaise in “Dansbo Gray.”

Ikea Kivik Chaise Lounge - Dansbo Gray

The gold pouf is on loan from my office until we can find a small, low, round accent table – for holding mugs of tea and bags of Pop Chips, of course. Any suggestions? We’re leaning toward the Martini Side Table from West Elm – mostly because we have a West Elm gift card – but we’re not 100% convinced.

What kind of accent table would you put in our “sitting room”?

Also, any advice or anecdotes about runner’s knee? I’d love to hear your experiences! Unless it’s something like “I took six months off from running but it never went away and I never ran again.” I don’t want to hear that, if that’s OK.

My Knees Are Assholes

Posted on February 19, 2012

It’s been six full weeks since we started running, and I’m injured and could not be more frustrated.

Last week, we did four miles on Tuesday, and it felt a bit fast. It was only 30 seconds per mile faster than our usual pace, though, so I figured it would be good to push myself. I didn’t have any pain during the run or for the rest of the day, so I figured everything was fine. On Wednesday, Brad set our pace again, and once again, we went 30 seconds per mile faster, just for three miles. This time, my knees were bothering me during the run, but it was just mild discomfort, so I pushed through. As soon as we finished, though, I started walking up our front steps and knew I was in trouble. Something was very, very wrong, and the pain was in both knees. It hasn’t gone away since.

New Balance Women's 880
My poor neglected sneakers – all laced up and nowhere to go.

I’ve been over and over this in my head, and while I think the slight pace change was probably the culprit, I just don’t see why I’m in so much pain. What drives me insane is that I have been the most proactive and cautious runner on the planet since Day One. I did everything I could possibly do to protect my body. I went to a specialty running store and had my feet and gait analyzed so that I could get the right shoes. I planned out a training schedule with plenty of rest days built in, and ensured that we’d never increase our weekly mileage more than 10%. I started a strength training program to build up my muscles and protect my joints. I faithfully did dynamic warm-ups and thorough cool-downs, with tons of stretching. I religiously used my foam roller every single day on every muscle in my legs. I iced at the sign of every twinge. I avoided the side of the road to keep the slant from over-taxing my left side. I tripled my daily water intake and ate carbs after my runs to supply my muscles with recovery fuel. I adjusted my diet to give my body everything it needed to succeed. I spent countless hours reading books and articles about every running-related topic under the sun. I obsessively over-prepared to the point of insanity, and here I am with two busted knees. I know this will sound immature, but it just doesn’t seem fair.

I just can’t sit around and wait for this to get better. It’s driving me insane. Brad and I are signed up for a 10K on March 4th, and I want to run it, damnit. Plus, we’re in the thick of our half-marathon training schedule, and I can’t stop adding mileage now if we’re going to get anywhere near 13 by April 28th. I rested on Thursday, and on Friday, I decided to try an easy jog on the treadmill. I physically could not run through the pain. So again, I rested on Saturday, but today, I just had to get out there. I picked up a patellar strap and some tape from the drugstore, and out we went. I barely made it two miles. The helplessness of the situation is just killing me.

Remember when I first talked about picking up running, and I said that I thought my body was strong enough for this, but my mind might not be? God, I hate being wrong. I never, ever expected to find myself sitting inside, dying to put on my running shoes, but unable to surpass the limitations of my own malfunctioning legs. It’s not a good feeling.

I’m going to call my doctor tomorrow. We just switched to the HMO for 2012 – figures, the entire time I had a PPO plan, I never once needed to see a specialist, and now that I finally need one, I’ve got to wait around for a referral. Not that I would have even been able to afford a specialist with my PPO – not even close – but still. Sweet, sweet irony. Here’s hoping I can get to a physical therapist fast, because I refuse to stop running. I’ve got to get this thing taken care of before I make it worse. (For anyone wondering, my guess is that I’ve got patellofemoral pain syndrome – runner’s knee – probably caused by a tight IT band or weak quads or something like that. I was told that I had patellar tracking issues back in high school. Probably should have dealt with it then instead of ignoring it, but I was a teenager and therefore convinced that I was invincible.)

I know some of you have dealt with this and shared the same frustrations. Any words of wisdom?

Navy + Hot Pink + CAPE

Posted on February 15, 2012

FIRST OF ALL, I am very, very sorry for my extended absence. I don’t know what happened. It’s like a whole week of my life dissolved into a black hole. Hello? Anyone still here?

OK, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way … Remember when I said I wore a fun dress for New Year’s Eve but then my computer deleted my pictures and I was really bummed? Well, I figured that since no photographic evidence existed of the dress, I basically never actually wore it, so I went ahead and wore it again for a wedding last weekend. And I have photos of THAT outfit! YES!

Zara Teal Faux Fur Coat
Coat: Zara | Dress: Forever 21 | Belt: Target | Clutch: Halston Heritage (no longer available online, but you can see more of it here) | Shoes: Joan & David

My aunt bought me my amazing faux fur on Newbury Street in Boston last week and mailed it to me! We called it Rosita all night, because it looks kind of like I skinned a Sesame Street character. I love it so much. I’m wearing it today with cargo pants.

Forever 21 Navy Sleeveless Chiffon Dress

The dress has navy sequins on the shoulders. Always a good thing! I believe Forever 21 meant for it to be a loose, drapey-type thing, but that’s never been a good look for me. I tried belting it in the dressing room, but there was just so much extra fabric – it looked really dopey. Then, I had the genius idea of just belting the FRONT, and looping the belt underneath the back portion. And that’s when the psuedo-cape was born!

Forever 21 Navy Sleeveless Chiffon Dress

So fun, right?

J. Crew Pave Link Bracelet
Bracelets: J. Crew and Best of Everything

I just have to include this next photo, because it cracks me up. My dog looks … special.

Steph and Macy

Please pardon the exhausted look in my eyes. I made Brad take these photos of me AFTER the wedding – after drinking, dancing and lots and lots of driving. We had so much fun, though!

Wedding Photo Booth - Steph and Brad

Wedding Photo Booth - Steph and Jess

YIKES.

By the way, my lip color is Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream and Aqua Lip in Fuchsia, and Lab Shine Lip Gloss in S26.

So, how was everybody’s Valentine’s Day?

On Speed

Posted on February 7, 2012

When I was 12 or 13 years old – I can’t remember which – I won a 100 meter dash. Just one. Just once. It was at a middle school track meet, and my dad was there. He ran the entire race with me, right next to me on the sidelines. For years afterward, whenever it came up, I would scoff and say, “I was in the last heat. I only beat the slowest people there.” My dad would say it was one of the proudest moments of his life.

When I’ve talked about running on this blog, I haven’t mentioned that I was on the track team in middle school. It never seemed terribly relevant. I wasn’t very good. I don’t remember particularly enjoying it, and I didn’t take it particularly seriously. In fact, I don’t really remember anything about my experience on the track team except for that one race. And maybe that’s the main reason I haven’t talked about it.

Since my dad died, thinking about special moments between us has made me sad. I guess even after three years, I’m not at that “may your memories bring you peace and joy” stage yet. (A piece of advice: If someone you know has recently lost a loved one, please don’t say that to them. In my experience, it just doesn’t work that way.)

But now that I’m running again – this time with a lot more effort and with a lot more of my heart in it – that race creeps into my mind from time to time. As a beginner runner, the topic of speed inevitably comes up. It’s always in the context of “don’t go too fast too soon,” or “there’s no such thing as too slow of a run.” That’s always sounded good to me. Since we’re training for a half-marathon, I’m aspiring to be a distance runner, not a speed demon. I’m quite skilled at going very, very slowly – no pace control issues here – and most of the time, I’m OK with the fact that I’ll probably never surpass a 10-minute mile. Most of the time.

I guess maybe deep down I still remember the feeling of running as fast as I could with my father by my side, cheering me on. When I think about that, I don’t want to be a plodding long distance runner. I don’t want to be satisfied with “just finishing.” I want to fly as fast as my feet can carry me, even if I can only beat the slowest people on the road.

I have to accept the limitations of my body, though, and if I’m ever going to be able to increase my speed, that time is a long way off. And it may never come. But until then, I’m sure I’ll keep catching myself obsessively checking my pace at the end of a run. My dad was so, so proud when I ran fast. I can’t help it.

What drives you forward?

PS: Go Giants! My dad was a huge Giants fan – he would have been so thrilled Sunday night.

Bless My Husband’s Hanging Skills

Posted on February 3, 2012

Our mini-gallery wall frames have been hung!

Mini Gallery Wall in Foyer

For now, most of the “art” is temporary. The grey marbled paper will stay, and potentially the other marbled pieces (bottom left and top left). The turquoise ikat paper in the upper-right will eventually be moved to another frame in our bedroom. The two small pieces in the center are the sloppy result of Brad and I messing around with a watercolor palette and some printer paper. And the gorgeous piece in the left-center was painted by my friend Jess. Aren’t the colors amazing?! It’s going to be moved to a smaller frame, once I have one, though I think the white space makes a cool statement.

Mini Gallery Wall - DIY Watercolors

When my order from Society6 comes in, Earl the octopus will replace Jess’s painting, and the Tchmo abstract cloudscape will replace the ikat paper. We’re not sure what’s going to replace our crappy DIY watercolors in the center yet. Maybe it’ll be less crappy DIY watercolors?

I also framed the yellow and gold ikat and hung it in our living room.

Wall Art Living Room

This collection of frames has been a work in progress since we lived in our last apartment. The Ikea photography has got to go, and soon, it’ll be replaced. Bye bye, random fruit and wildflowers!

Do you ever use placeholder art just to get some frames on the wall?

Oh, My Poor Feet

Posted on February 1, 2012

Did I mention that Brad and I ran our first race together on Saturday?

It was just a 5K, but we were still pretty proud of ourselves when we finished.

Brad and Steph After 5k
Ah, Instagram, it’s so kind of you to semi-camouflage my sweatiness. You have not been so kind to my husband’s case of Crazy Eye, however.

It was our farthest distance since we started running, but we didn’t stop for one single walking break and we clocked our best pace yet. Race day adrenaline is real, people! Later that day, we took advantage of our lingering race high and officially signed up for the Nashville Country Music Half-Marathon. Whew! This is really happening! We booked our hotel room on Monday, and we officially start our training next week. Wish us luck!

Running is fantastic and all, but it does have one big downside for me: my knees will no longer tolerate high heels. My wonky left knee was doing OK as of last week – not great, but OK – and I was cavalier enough to wear 4.5″ heels to work. By mid-afternoon, my knee had blown up like a balloon. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I’m sure if I work on healing my knee issue and only wear heels for special occasions from now on, I’ll be OK, but I’m not going to risk wearing them to work anymore during training. Can’t afford to lose any time because of a swollen patella, dude!

I have a lot of shoes, but very few of them have a heel that’s under 3″. I’ve got sandals, of course, and some wintery flat boots, but not really anything that will work for the spring, or with pants that don’t go with boots. Ballets flats are probably out – I love them on other people, but they’re just not my style. I feel like they make my feet look funny. Same with oxfords. And I will never be able to pull off boat shoes. Luckily, there’s another trendy flat shoe out there: smoking loafers! The studded versions I’m seeing everywhere (no doubt inspired by the Louboutin Rollerballs) are just edgy enough to compete with my typical combat and motorcycle boots – even in a feminine spring color.

Studded Smoking Loafers

From top to bottom:

Jeffrey Campbell Martini – $174.95: These come in several springy colors, but I’m partial to the coral. If I were going to buy them, though, I’d probably go with the beige to be sensible. Ew, being sensible is gross.
Steven by Steve Madden Madee – On sale for $104.99: I would call the adornments on these “shiny round things” before I’d call them studs, but close enough.
Jeffrey Campbell Elegant – $170: I’m honestly not 100% sure how I feel about the stars. They kind of remind me of when I used to shop at Hot Topic. But I’ve seen so many bloggers wear the black ones and look amazing!
Sam Edelman Adena – $150: I love me some Sammy E., and I love me some rose gold. But I’m wondering if loafers that are both studded AND metallic are perhaps a bit much.
Topshop VECTRA3 – $56: The most affordable of the bunch, but unfortunately, also the least amazing. Still cute, though.

What do you think? Can a heels-only gal pull off studded loafers? Can ANYBODY pull off studded loafers? Could I wear them with my studded leather jacket? (Kidding. I know that’s too much studded leather, even for me.)

Mini-Gallery Wall Wishlist

Posted on January 31, 2012

I’m throwing a Super Bowl party, and I really want to have my mini-gallery wall hung by then. Unfortunately, that only leaves me five days to find five pieces of “art,” and that might not be possible.

The two I think I’m definitely going to order are:

Untitled (Cloudscape) by Tchmo – from society6. $22 for 13″x16″ print.

earl by Wobins – from society6. $20 for 13″x17″ print.

The prices at society6 are so good. The only problem is that their standard printed sizes don’t fit quite right in the mats that come in the Ikea Ribba frames I’m using. I sent an email to ask if they ever print custom sizes, but if not, I might need to get creative. I have some ideas, though – I think I could make it work.

In a perfect world with unlimited space and unlimited funds, I’d also add these pieces to my wall (warning: if you follow me on Pinterest, you’ve likely already seen them all):

Knowing Glance by Jacqueline Maldonado – from society6. $22 for 17″x13″ print.

Stewart Brand by Theo Altenberg – from but does it float. Not for sale, as far as I know.

Being by Jen Ramos – from Cocoa & Hearts. $425 for 48″x24″ oil painting. (No longer available)

Shower Print #2 by Nicole Cohen – from Nicole Cohen Art. $50 for 8″x10″ print.

Electric Garden (Blue) by Nancy Ramirez – from Cozamia. $36.99 for 14.7″x11″ print from imagekind.

Metallon (alchemical) by Mishel Valenton – from Aeropagita Prints on Etsy. $30 for 11″x11″ print.

Brittle Stars (Baby Blue) by Nancy Ramirez – from Cozamia. $36.99 for 11″x14.7″ print from imagekind.

Untitled (Abstract) by Tchmo – from society6. $22 for 13″x16″ print.

I guess I’m into abstracts (with the exception of the octopus) and bright colors for the foyer. But for our living room, some day, I have to get this one.

fox by Carrie Booth – from society6. $20 for 13″x17″.

It looks just like my Macy!

Macy - Fox

Realistically, I’m not going to have any prints by Sunday, but maybe if Brad will hang up the frames for me, I can just slop some metallic craft paint and glitter onto some paper and stick that in there for the time being. Yay glitter and metallics!

What’s on your gallery wall wishlist?