Body Falling Apart? Must Be Time to Race

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I'm exactly three weeks out from my marathon. This Sunday is the last (thank you, God) 20-mile run and then we're in a taper. 

Having gone through 13 weeks of training at this point, you would think I'd be in top form. Not at all. Instead, my body is falling apart on me, one piece at a time. 

There's a constant twinge behind my left knee and in the front where the thigh joins the pelvis. My glute muscles are one massive block of tightened coils that refuse to release. My right forearm aches and Thursday morning I pulled a muscle in my lower back. 

Far from being disturbing, all of this indicates that I'm ready to run my race. 

This is my pattern. A few weeks out from a marathon, my poor overworked body puts its foot down and says, "Enough." Everything starts hurting. I start to question if I'm in any shape to run 26.2 miles. 

Now it's just a matter of simple negotiation. I start pleading with my body--begging--to hang on just three more weeks. Just three simple little weeks. Then you can go to pot, with my blessings. In the grand scheme of life, what is three little 'ol weeks?

My body will toy with me, feeling better one day, then the pulled muscle (I expect) will come screaming back the week before the race. That's okay. I'm not freaking out. I know that for whatever reason, this is what my body does. It's a bit of revenge for 16 weeks of speed work and tempo runs. 

I'm doing my part with ass peas and heating pads and I've made an appointment on Monday with my chiropractor to take a look at my back, even though it is feeling much better. 

Three weeks. Hold it together, girl. Just three more weeks. 

Marketing Maven? Um, Not Quite...

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It's time to come clean. I can't live with the pressure of having to conceal the truth any longer. You may want to sit down or fix yourself a drink though, 'cause this is a biggee.

I'm not sure all my readers are aware of it, but I've taught workshops to writers for a number of years on how to best/better market their books or themselves. Get out from behind your laptops, I urge. Show your face! Embrace public speaking. Set aside one day a week just for marketing. Or 1 hour a day. Small steps lead to big results. No one is going to do it for you. Being your own PR person is what it takes these days to be a successful author. I could look out at a sea of faces and watch people scribble notes. 

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Small Town Grocery Shopping

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The elusive arugulaI love my little Southern town but living in the sticks does make vegetarian/vegan shopping a challenge. From Walmart cashiers holding up kale or rutabaga, snapping their gum and asking, "What's this?" to produce stock boys telling me they've never heard of this "arugula" I speak of, weekly grocery shopping inevitably turns into a scavenger hunt. Here's a partial list of items from this week's list that I'll be forced to drive into Greensboro to find:

  • Bok choy
  • Thai red paste
  • Veggie beef tips
  • Arugula (Yes Virginia, it is a lettuce)
  • Red lentils
  • Dates (fresh, not boxed and covered in sugar)
  • Tempeh
  • Shredded Cheddar Rice Cheese
  • Veggie Meatballs

On the bright side, Walmart has started carrying Wasa Crackers, Maranantha Almond Butter, and Eden Organic and Muir Glen diced tomatoes. They also have tofu on a regular basis and American sliced fake-cheese. 

While we're on the subject of food, two of my friends have started food blogs. I'm a forever vegetarian and even I'll admit that the Blue Cheese Burger with Red Wine Onion Jam on my friend Andy's blog looks pretty damn good. 

My friend Nathan and his girlfriend Katie are quite the gourmet cooks and have started their own blog, Sustenance & Libation. They're big time carnivores but I feel sure with a bit of pressure from me, they'll add a "Tofu Tuesday" or some such bit sometime soon. Yup. Aaaanny day now. 

Cheers,

Dena