Turkey Trotting

Its that time of year again!  Madison 5 mile Turkey trot.  I have been doing it for y.e.a.r.s and sadly have lost count! This year I decided to run it with my good friend Stacie.  She is much better at pacing herself and I could enjoy a nice leisurely run on a sunny day instead of racing the clock.

Running the turkey trot every year:
a) allows me to eat guilt free that day (sort of)
b) motivates me to run throughout November
c) motivates me to keep running because hey I just ran 5 miles !
d) a nice way to catch up with friends from town and watch all of my old teachers twice my age beat me.

The turkey trot is a great race-  five miles of flat road surface along the water- and because of that, has turned into a very popular event.  What this means is large crowds of people on the race course and sitting in your car for an hour plus trying to leave post race.  The good thing is that this year, the weather was P E R F E C T almost too warm, and the beer was tasty and ice cold.

I chose to wear bright and obnoxious neon socks to go with my bright and obnoxious new Newtons.  Some guy told me I got the "best socks award"  Thanks bud?

Yep they were that bright and that obnoxious :)

The race went smoothly and quickly.  Running at a nice 10+ minute mile pace during a race was unexpectedly awesome.  I crossed the finish line feeling like I could run another five instead of being winded and hating running.  I should try this slow and steady thing more often.


Instead of getting dressed up and going to Massachusetts to visit family, I decided to run the turkey trot, have a riding lesson in Lyme, and make my own turkey, sides, and thanksgiving this year.

I spent the day relaxing with Thatcher and my dog Olive, eating good food and napping on the couch.  I recommend being a rebel and blowing off your family JUST ONCE to relax and catch up on some sleep :)

Time to find some more races in the area to stay motivated.  Thinking about doing the Savin Rock Half Marathon again in March.  We Will See!

Time to get into some sort of a running schedule! 

Goodbye French Fries... We are breaking up... for now.....

After a long hard week, I decided to go do some good ol fashioned retail therapy at JCREW outlets (need some mileage on that new JCREW Credit Card - what a mistake this will be).  While standing in the poorly lit dressing room trying on clothes I could barely afford, I had a mini meltdown.  

I felt about this fat. Inflated blow up Halloween toucan sam fat.

 I was mortified by what I was seeing and decided it was time to ditch the fries and commit to healthier eating habits to help maintain a healthier body weight, image, and a better foundation for running and working out.  

Monday is a fresh start to the week so I decided today was the day.  I woke up at 6:45, put Olive on a leash, put on my new Neon Newtons (if you don't know me, I love anything bright and obnoxiously colored- AKA neon)  and  heading for a long walk downtown to break in my new sneakers.  

( I was very excited about my new shoes and coffee, Olive was less than thrilled about wearing her coat)

I met my friend Chelsea at her apartment and we walked down town.  I knew it was going to be a WONDERFUL day when I saw that my favorite little Coffee Shop, The Captains Cup in Essex ( I know, so cute )  had my favorite flavor: Geneva Chocolate.

I threw some milk and splenda in this wonderful Cup of Joe and contemplating getting another cup to double fist on my way home, but then I remembered my dogs less than ideal leash manners and my white pants that suffered the last time I double fisted coffee. Even Geneva Chocolate isn't worth it.... 

When I returned home I decided it was time for breakfast.  Thanks to Pinterest, I found an AWESOME site that detailed how to make little egg mcmuffin sandwiches you can make ahead of time and freeze. In the morning you can just pop them in the toaster oven and VOILA! easy healthy breakfast. 

 I make mine with whole wheat english muffins, low fat cheddar cheese, turkey, one egg, and lots of siracha.  You can even bake the eggs in muffin tins in the oven. So much easier.....
  Instructions Here!

I also decided lunch was going to have to be healthy and opened the fridge and got to work.  I really need to hit the grocery store but I figured I could make do what what we had left.  

\

I settled on carrots with low fat blue cheese, vanilla yogurt with cinnamon apples, a banana, and oatmeal.  

Dinner is a whole different struggle. 

 One meal at a time!!!

Need some dieting humor?  Get into Thought Catalog
things-i-miss-most-when-on-a-diet
I dont miss a lot of these things.. because I still eat them. I will NEVER GIVE UP COFFEE.

If you dont feel like dieting, or running, then just stay out of JCREW dressing rooms and use PICMONKEY for editing all your photos.  They have an option to SKINIFY yourself, and yes it works.     (you can also make yourself look fatter but I don't know what idiot made up that feature...)

Meeting Chelsea for a run tonight to take the new Newtons for a spin.  

Wish me luck and Happy Running !

N N N NEWTONS!

Its about that time of year again, when the stitching comes undone on my sneakers, and I waltz into the local running store, SOUNDRUNNER, with my credit card and worn out sneakers in hand.  

I have been interested in the Newtons for some time but was always a little hesitant on the price ($160 is a little steep for sneakers).  The bright colors drew me in and the comfort, style, and extra padding at the ball of my foot kept me intrigued.  When Newton and Soundrunner teamed up to host a Newton Demo run...... I decided this was a good time to see if Newtons and I were a match.  

7:30 am on a Saturday morning I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed a water and a banana and headed to the running store.  (I dont understand the breed of person that can run this early, especially on a weekend).  A lovely Newtons rep fitted me in a pair of sneakers and we headed about for a 3(ish) mile run down to Saybrook Point.  

                                      During the group run I tried on a rockin Hot Pink pair.

  While I really liked the shoe, the Newton rep suggested I try the gravity (equally as hot in neon blue and green!) ---they have a little more support in the heel ( I do some serious heel striking toward the end of a long run when I am very tired and very sloppy)  so this shoe would give me the support when I needed it.  

When I saw and felt the Newtons added support in this area, I was really excited to give these sneakers a try.

(Note that Orange cushy goodness at the bottom/middle of the shoe).  

They were a little weird to get used to but all in all I really liked them.  I felt springy, light, and excited about running again :) 

I have been trying to get into this more "natural" form of running and stay away from heel striking.  The makers of the Newton sneaker claim "Newton running is different.  We call it an active running experience that supports and strengthens your natural running motion".  

My ADIDAS Adizero's were a good transition shoe into this more "barefoot style" of running.  I focused on running on the balls of my feet instead of heel striking.  While I felt a large difference in my shins and knees, the balls of my feet were swelling up, most likely due to this new running motion.   I am hoping that these Newtons with that extra support "bump" solves this issue.  Only way to see is to lace them up and hit the roads!

Will Report Back!

Happy Running!

Fall 5k s

There is so much to love about the month of October.  

Pumpkin flavored anything, foliage, cider, slutty costumes, cool nights, bonfires, and 5ks.  

Key to running (for me) is committing to races and running with a group.  To get back on track, I decided to do both on Saturday.  One of my good friends Stacie organized a group costume for the Ivoryton Read Local Run Local 5k.  

High School Track Team was the theme this year so out came the sweat bands and tube socks.   

Yes, those are side ponies you see? Maybe we were 80s track stars?

Olive came to cheer on the track team- And I had a good number- 60 !

  I was amazed at how hard the race felt.  I had run a half marathon just a month ago so I figured this 5k would be a breeze.  WRONG-  2 miles of the race were in the woods on trails which were hilly, steep, and rooty (is that even a word?). 

 By the time I hit that 3.1 mark I felt like I had been running for days- Thank god for those sweat bands-   Looks like I need to get in better shape...

The running may have felt a little tough and it wasn't my best 5k time, BUT we won the best group costume- third year in a row for Stacie! Thanks for a great race girls!

After receiving our lovely prize (books titled "Houses of Essex") I raced home threw Bradley on the horse trailer, and headed to Lyme for a lesson. 

 Per usual he was absolutely amazing.  My legs were a little tired from the 5k but we had a wonderful lesson regardless!!  Because I think im superwomen I continued to ride 3 more horses, and then drove home like a crazy women to change for the afternoons festivities. No rest for the wicked....

Chelsea, Christine, Thatcher, Chris, Bobby and I headed to Lyman Orchards for some ol' fashioned apple and pumpkin picking. It was a gorgeous day, 70 and sunny for October.

I was very excited and very posey-  Dont hate. 

We had such a good time and it was a good idea to keep on moving after putting my poor stems through a hilly 5k and riding four horses.  


The girls and I decided to schedule in some group night runs to keep us motivated and running.  Chelsea and I hit the pavement for an easy 4 miles on Monday night donned in our loserville reflective vests and headlamps.  Hoping I can keep motivated and commit a few more days to the run this week! Time to find an upcoming race to sign up for.

Happy Running 
&
Happy Fall! 

Sneakers, Tall boots, and Fins

I always find myself a little burnt out after a race.  This race was no exception.  Between horseback riding, scuba diving, and running that half, I had a pair of tired legs.  I got two dives in this week, rode 4 days this week and ran once.   Can you see where my dedication is lacking?  I decided to not worry about running this week and enjoy some of my other hobbies, diving and riding.

(I love love love lobsters :)

Thankfully riding and diving have proven themselves as a good workout and a nice alternative to running.  This weekend I found myself in Gloucester Massachusetts for a diving and drinking adventure.

Saturday morning I met my dive buddy Tom in East Lyme and we made the 3 hour (ish) drive to Gloucester MA.  The "big kids" were doing a boat dive for scallops while Tom and I did two shore dives.  The visibility was breathtaking, the sea life was abundant, and the water was FREEZING.

After the dive I headed back to the hotel room, took a hot shower, and got dressed for a night on the town.  A few beers and a lot of Jack Daniels later I was bouncing around the bar in denial of my early wake up call to make it back to CT for a horse show.  Such an amazing night with some amazing new friends led to a less amazing morning racing home to get back in time for my horse show, hang over in tow.

Now that fall is approaching and the temperature is dropping, horse showing and diving are slowing down.  That means it is time to boost my running schedule.  Winter is my favorite time of the year to run.  Anyone else love running when the thermometer drops below 50?

Another 13.1

I am the kind of gal who needs some serious motivation to run....sometimes its an upcoming race and sometimes its the piece of pie waiting for me on the kitchen counter.  

When I hit my summer running rut in June I decided to find a local race to help get me back in the grove of running.  I found the Niantic Bay Half Marathon and 5k in September and decided to set my standards high and signed up for the Half marathon.  

Training was basically non existent.  I forced myself to get out there for a 2 miler here, a 3 miler there,  I even hit 6 miles one day out of the blue.  When August rolled around and I had not run in a few weeks, I talked to my friend Stacie who had been training regularly and also signed up for the Niantic Bay half as well.   She had just come back from her 8 mile run.  Welll.... if you did so should I- so I laced up my sneakers for an excruciatingly slow (11 minute miles) 8 mile run the following morning. 

The next weekend Stacie and I had another conversation about our training habits.  She had just conquered a hilly TEN mile run.  Once again I started to feel guilty, so I laced up my sneakers and hit the road.   

I didn't even get out there until 8, and I had not eaten since lunch.  I was amazed at how easy this run felt.  10 miles came faster than I thought.  Once I hit that beautiful double digit I knew I was back in the game.  This was my first double digit run since my Half Marathon in April :)

Finally it was Half Marathon Weekend.  Instead of staying in and resting, I went scuba diving with my dive buddy Tom in Rhode Island.  While we had a great dive, this made for some very tired legs on Sunday morning.  

I went to bed at about 8:30 Saturday night after eating my bowl of boxed pasta and cold sauce right out of the jar.  Sunday morning I had some toast and peanut butter, took the dog for a walk, and managed to get a lovely swelling bee sting on my right ankle.  Just what an under-trained runner needs to start off her race.  I  loaded up on antihistamines and met Stacie and Tracey at the start line.  

Stacie and I ran the first few miles together and kept a pretty good pace under 9 minute miles.  After a few miles we went out separate ways so we could spend the race running at our own comfortable paces.  The first 6 miles I kept under 9 minute miles and I was feeling good.  Miles 7, 8, 9, and 10 ranged from sub 9 to 9:30, even after attempting to stomach a chocolate mint flavored gu.  11, 12 and 13 reminded me that I would never be able to run a full marathon as this was the half way point and I felt like I was crawling.  I truly felt like I had nothing left and my lack of training was rearing its ugly head.  I originally went into the race with the goal of just finishing, but the day before I decided I wanted to run a sub 2 hour half marathon....

Which I missed by 54 seconds. 

Photo credit to Island Photography 

I was super bummed about missing my goal by 46 seconds (going by watch time), but I then remembered that my last half marathon time was 2:07 and I managed a PR without really training.  Imagine what I can do if I actually train. 

Next 13.1..... Ill get you!  I guess I am hooked......

Anyone else PR when you lease expected it? Or run their best race after being VERY under-trained?

National Parks

Hiking is one of my favorite cross training activities and visiting all of the national parks has always been a dream of mine.   But boy is the list long......

  See how many you have been to!

When a boyfriend at the time (now married like the rest of them, yes you can call me the female version of good luck chuck..) invited me to go spend the week with him and his parents in Jackson Hole WY, I packed my bean boots and headed to the mid west.

Packing for a ski vacation is quite tedious... especially when it requires four planes and traveling up and down the country because your plane is broken.....

The week was a blast and I only endured one threat of being sent home.  I learned to ski moguls, cried on a black diamond off the gondola, snowmobiled in yellowstone, talked with some cowboys, had a great time with some great people, and even hit a tree skiing.  One of the highlights was checking off National park number 1 - Yellowstone Park.

When one of my good friends Courtney brought up the idea of hiking Acadia, I couldn't say no.

We picked a date in September, invited our boyfriends, and took the time off work.  When September rolled around..... the boyfriends bailed.  At 24 and 25 we decided we were independent enough to try and endure the 7 hour car ride and challenges of hiking and camping with just us girls (and our two annoying pooches).  It was a great experience to be banished to a world of no cell phone service, far away from family and friends, enjoying the beautiful scenery and learning to be self sufficient.

We packed up Thatcher's Subaru and at 5am Friday morning we were headed North.  A few stops and a lot of scanning on the radio (and 8 hours later) we finally made it to our campground (Acadia is still 3.5 hours past Portland, Maine.... its far).   We managed to set up camp and proceeded to head into Bar Harbor to spend some cash and walk the dogs

Beautiful Bar Harbor, ME

 After buying countless souvenirs and taking 200 pictures, we returned to camp to start a fire and cook up some dinner.  Now let me stop to say yes, we set up camp (tent!), started a fire, and made dinner all on our own.  No one got food poisoning or lit themselves on fire.

Night 1: Bubba Burgers and Garlic Potatoes

                                    

Night 2:  Chicken and Veggie skewers with a salad

We sat in the dark, writing out postcards by headlamps, and called it a night at 8:30.... when did camping get so boring?  I guess when its just two girls a tent and two dogs you have to make your own fun.

We even found these nifty plastic wine glasses

 We woke up early and spent the day hiking and navigating the AMAZINGNESS that is Acadia National Park and we only got lost once- it was a miracle.  Our navigational skills leave a lot to be desired and we ended up coming down the wrong trail.  We climbed two different peaks (1,000ft and 500ft) and took in the views.  The hiking was quite rough, not the nice dirt trails we are used to here.... we spent a lot of time scaling rocks and walking along an occasional ledge or two... not much fun when you are terrified of cliffs/heights.

Top of one of the peaks 

Top of Cadillac Mountain

We decided to go to bed even earlier this night ( I think it was like 7:30 we crawled into our tent after a failed attempt to find boys to drink with us- when did camping become an old persons hobby?) 

so we could wake up early to watch the sunrise over Cadillac Mountain.  5am we grabbed the dogs,  champagne, OJ, cameras, and sleeping bag and watched the sun pop over the skyline at 6:15, enjoying our last hours in Maine and catching a buzz before 7am.

The drive home was slightly torturous, and holy cow does Maine like their bible thumping music (never set your radio on scan in Maine, just buy an Ipod connector thing).   On our way to Mt Desert we drove up Rte 1 and avoided the highway.  DEFINITELY the way to go.  Taking the highway back was a mistake that no amount of redbull could mend.  We made a pit stop in Portland ME because I was not leaving Maine without a lobster roll in my belly.  After some intensive research on the best lobster roll in Portland we settled for Portland Lobster CO where I had the most disappointing lobster roll of my life after a 40 minute wait.  Oh well bad lobster rolls are better than on lobster rolls.....and Dogfish Pumpkin beer can wash down just about anything.

We made it home around 5 and I immediately showered off the 3 days of grime.  I refused to unpack and sat on the couch for 2 minutes before my ADD kicked in and I decided to bake an apple pie and soak in the last bits of my weekend. 

 Why am I so weird ?  Who starts dicing apples after a long weekend and spending 7 hours in the car?

All in all....Acadia was breathtaking, the hiking was a challenge, I have a pie, and I am so excited to cross another national park off my list  (and I really need to go for a run...) 

Where is next?  

Suggestions? 

 I am thinking Badlands National Park ...

 Thoughts?

A Lesson in Losing

My blogging is always as sporadic as my running efforts.... Almost...

A lot has happened since I last posted in this blog and is partially the reason I have been neglecting it.  In the middle of July I lost the best thing that had ever happened to me.  I lost a little 15'3 hand pinto someone called John bought for his two daughters (ages 12 and 13).  This little black and white nameless horse soon adopted the name Cow and at age 4 knew even less than his owners.  After 12 amazing years and many victories, those little girls, not so little anymore at 24 and 25, had to say goodbye.  After 2 intestinal twists, and two colic surgeries, our only choice was to say goodbye when his third twist came along a year after the second.  The first surgery was hard, the second surgery was a week of struggle, heartache and hope, and the third just wasn't an option.

The love for a horse is just as complicated as the love for another human being...if you never love a horse, you will never understand.

It's amazing what losing him taught me.  It put any breakup I ever had into perspective.  I thought I was upset then but this was a whole new lesson on heartache, losing, and putting yourself back together.  Seeing something you love in so much pain rips your heart out of your chest and leaves it in a million tiny pieces on the floor.   Making the decision to put him down was the hardest decision I have ever made yet it was the only decision I could have made that night.

Horses change lives. They give our young people confidence and self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls. They give us hope!   Toni Robinson

I spent the next day in bed, wallowing and mourning,  with my puffy eyes basically swollen shut, accepting condolences from friends, family, riders, and trainers all over the East Coast.  To say Cow was a legend would be an understatement.  We had become very well known in the Children/Adult Jumper Circuit for his character and his speed.  His death affected so many different people and it makes me smile to know how loved he truly was.  I was appalled at all of the nice comments from different folks in the horse world my favorite being that "You and Cow made everyone fall in love with you too..."  And that we did.

All horses deserve, at least once in their lives,
                                                                  to be loved by a little girl.

I miss him more than I can put into words, but time has helped.  I start to break down less and less and I am learning that life has to go on with or without my spotted companion.  Now that I am horseless I have been riding more than ever (ironic?).  I have even adopted my sisters 17'3 warmblood ( for those of you not horse educated that is a huge horse ) and I have started showing him and learning to ride all over again.

When I got Cow he was four, and I was 12.  I didn't know how to ride, and he didn't know a whole lot about being ridden.  He was what we call "green" (very inexperienced) and so was I.. and as many horse people joke.. Green and Green does not make blue.   But Cow was an amazing exception, and we taught each other everything we knew with the help of our trainer.  While I fell off many many times, he was always trusting, loving, and loyal.  I knew when I was on his back sailing over 4 foot fences, he was going to do everything in his power to take care of us.

We achieved so much in our 12 years together, making it to the Marshall and Sterling National Finals, winning countless classsics and even a brief debut in a mini prix.  Cow is an inspiration to many and proves that you don't need a $100,000 warmblood to be successful.  A $2,000 black and white pinto with a big heart will do just fine.  Our success stemmed from the trust between horse and rider, and our companionship and need to take care of each other.  I trusted that horse more than I trust most people.  I don't know if I will ever find a teammate like Cow, but I am lucky to have found something so perfect.  How lucky I am to have something that makes saying good bye so hard.

You and your horse. His strength and beauty. Your knowledge and patience and determination and understanding and love. That's what fuses the two of you onto this marvelous partnership that makes you wonder, "What can heaven offer any better then what I have here on earth?".  Monica Dickens

 Whether it be running or riding, when you fall off, you learn to get back in the saddle.  And that is exactly what I am trying to do now. Rest In Peace Cow and know you will always be missed by this little girl <3 

When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine...you know you are loved.

John Lyons 

Want to hear more about Cow?  Check out our article published in the Chronicle of the Horse.  http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/cows-long-way-ranch

Scuba Diving

Cross training...... my way of saying "I don't feel like running today"

Numerous studies will tell you how cross training is essential for runners.... so I don't feel so bad when I go sailing and substitute that for running.  It is important to work different muscle groups while giving others a break. Lucky for me I have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy when my shins call it quits or when my dog chews my running sneakers.

If you know me you know I can't sit still and I am always up to something new.... My newest adventure is scuba diving. Being a marine science major and a lover of lobsters, scuba diving was something I ALWAYS wanted to do.. Problem?  I was scared shit-less.   I am a little claustrophobic (I once freaked out in a bouncy house maze), I tend to get pretty anxious, and I am a control freak.   Because of my extreme anxiety about scuba diving I dragged Thatcher with me to scuba class (willingly suprisingly).  

This is what I thought I would ook like 

But I probably look a little more like this

The class was offered at Divers Cove, Check them out here- an awesome dive shop right down the road in Essex (+1).  Classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9:30 ish (-1 this is my dinner time).  Thursdays were in a class room down the road (+1) and Tuesdays in the highly chlorinated pool full of band-aids and overweight women in one peices at the Westbrook YMCA (-1).  

Picture looking up at this underwater...

First classroom session brought on a little bit of homework, more anxiety, and lots of excitement.  The first pool session went a little like this:
* Dont show up late in fear of being humiliated and owing a man poland spring water bottles (Dont ask)

* Swim test- lots of laps and treading water- harder than it sounds

* Try to distinguish all this foreign gear and attempt to put it together.

* Jump in the pool wearing all this weight 

*Spend two minutes underwater and decide I want to run out of the pool rip all my gear off......maybe I can return it all....?

* 2 minute later we are onto skills.. SKILLS??!! are you kidding- I am still working on breathing never mind flooding my mask- Skill right now is living......

* Complete the skills any way and tell the instructors I am freaking out a little. or a lot 

* My dive buddy was also my boyfriend who was virtually blind and had very little patience with me (need a new dive buddy one with somewhat decent vision.. any takers?)

* Finish the class and go home and do a lot of thinking...and eating wings, and drinking margs (45 cent wings and 2.50 margaritas can cure any bad day)

Weeks 2, 3, and 4 improved drastically, (except for having to run out of the pool every hour to pee- awkward) not only was I starting to enjoy it but I was doing really well.  Until week 5..... I decided to ignore the instructors advice on wearing a hood and gloves (mistake #1- why are they always right....) from the very beginning-  the pool was already warm and I figured it wouldn't make that much of a difference right? 

Wrong...

and they look terrible- yikes....

The hood was uncomfortable and made me claustrophobic, the gloves took away any dexterity I had.  It was a disaster.  After a lot of struggle, a few tears, and a few kind words with instructors, it was too late to back down.  Our open water dive was this weekend and I didn't spend all this time and money to fail now...

Our first open water dive was in a lake in Union CT.  I was terrified and nervous but comforted by the idea of a lake and not a turbid ocean.  I mastered all of the skills and kicked some butt. 

Here is the lake we dove in, at Bigelow Hollow State Park- gorgeous

 Our next dive was the following day in Jamestown RI, a beautiful little spot in Fort Wetherill.  While my ear pain wasn't as bad, it was still present on the descents.  We made it to a max of 25' and spent the morning searching for lobsters with no luck :(

This is where we dove in RI- another great spot.

We packed up our gear, went home, and passed out due to exhaustion.  All of the swimming and all of the weight from the gear is quite the work out.  The next day I woke up with a obnoxious pain and what felt like water in my right ear.  Being the brat that I am I didn't get it looked at and proceeded with my normal schedule of working, riding, eating, etc.  The next day was a double shift for me, 8 hours at the environmental firm and 8 hours at the bar.  It happened to be 5$ frozen drink night and karaoke- the worst night to bartend- The pain in my ear was increasing by the minute.. was it the scuba diving? or was it the amateur karaoke... only a doctor could tell. 

Tuesday night karaoke brings this type of crowd

Most of them don't drink and have no business behind a mic.  Bartenders nightmare

7:30 am I parked myself outside the clinic with hopes of being the first in line at their 8am start.  At this point the pain was unbearable and I considered removing said ear.  The 45 minute wait on the curb with my truck driver friend turned into a 2 minute appointment with a doctor who told me it was indeed a scuba injury.  An ear squeeze and most likely a ruptured ear drum.
Awesome, Thanks DOC! 

60 dollars of prescriptions later I am still in pain and calling a bag of potato chips dinner. 

Guess I will start running again tomorrow...