Thursday, February 21, 2013

Shoot The Moon

Workout: 4 miles, 11:17 average

My friend sent me a couple of pictures from our exciting trek on Saturday, so I figured I'd share them because I've got nothing else.

I'm kind of shocked this was taken with a phone.


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Wait, I do have something else: I got into another school! This one was EVEN MORE exciting than the last because it's one of my top choices AND because I didn't think I had a chance in hell of getting in. Honestly. Not in an "I'm being modest" kind of way, but in an "I don't considered myself remotely qualified" kind of way. Early on, I contemplated applying to their MA program but nixed that idea because I thought my odds were so low. A few weeks later, though, I decided on a whim to apply to the PhD program and see what happened. Shoot for the moon and all that, right? Oh, I shot, and I landed among the stars or whatever (or did I actually make it to the moon? Sayings are not my forte).

So that turned what had been a pretty ho-hum day into a pretty awesome day. I haven't really been "sleeping" or "functioning as a normal human being" since I found out about my exciting and terrifying work trip in April (leave me alone, I'm dramatic), so this morning's run was done with my eyes shut far more than one might consider safe. It was also a neighborhood run so it's not as though there was anything to look at anyway. Here's the one pretty picture I found that was taken in my neighborhood.

From when that weird mist took over that one time.

I was supposed to run an 11:38 but my garmin was being an asshole so it made me run too fast. Oops.


I've got this disturbing pain in my right heel when I walk. This makes no sense because my heel barely touches the ground when I run. I'll show you the tread on old pairs of shoes if you don't believe me. Forefoot-er all the way, baby. Also, the pain actually started before I even ran (and I took yesterday off), and it only hurts when I walk. I'm not too worried because this happened to me a few months ago and I wasted 24 hours worrying about plantar fasciitis before it disappeared. Something to watch out for, though.

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In this week's "questionable music suggestions from a girl who's embarrassed about her music tastes but working on being more open about it," (a pithy working title I just came up with), I'm obsessed with this Beyonce song. Can't stop, won't stop. I was trying to belt it out while driving to school, but apparently it's hard to belt a song sung by a much better singer in a key twenty octaves higher than anything I'll ever be able to sing. Regardless, you should listen to it and have crazy solo dance parties like I do.

That's all I've got. To you, my friends!
  • Ever shoot for the moon? Or shoot the moon? That's fun too. How terrible is that saying, by the way?
  • What's up with my heel? Should I tennis ball it?
  • Forefoot striker? Midfoot? Heel? Knee?
  • Let's have a Beyonce dance party. This is an order, not a question.

10 comments:

  1. Congrats on the good news! Are we allowed to ask what your field of study is, or is that also classified? ;-)

    Sometimes I shoot for the moon. But I think I've been playing it safe lately. Too safe, probably. Might be time to shake things up a bit...

    I'm a light heel striker, but am experimenting with some forefoot strikes sneakers as of...well, yesterday.

    Where does your heel hurt? Front (near your PF) or back (near your Achilles)? Either way, I'd roll it gently (but duh, I'm biased). I'd also spend a little time stretching your Achilles & calves - tightness in those areas can contribute to tightness & PF in the foot. Hopefully, you'll wake up tomorrow and it will magically be gone, though. :)

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    1. I'll be interested to hear how the forefoot experiment goes! I remember the first time I tried to do it. I was running on a treadmill and my calfs got so tired I had to stop after like 10 minutes... it's funny to think that essentially the same movement (running) can work such different muscles.

      I'm actually not sure where it hurts (I'm so awful with describing pain!). I THINK near my PF, but maybe not? There's no pain when I stand directly on the foot, but there is some achiness when I'm walking (not running) and my foot transitions from the heel onto the rest of the foot...

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  2. Woo Hoo! Congrats on the school. Details, please, if you want to share!

    Tennis ball that shoe, but even better is a lacrosse ball. It is hard, but so worth it!

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    1. Ahaha, not sure if there's a lacrosse ball to be found in Anchorage! I'd be willing to bet that a shockingly large portion of the population here doesn't even know that's a sport... I admit I was unfamiliar with it until I went to college on the East Coast. I might try a golf ball, though, since the tennis ball doesn't seem to hurt at all (perhaps I'm doing it wrong?).

      (Cryptic) details in the next post! Think Oregon and economics...

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  3. Congrats on getting admitted to an awesome PhD program! It's a good thing you decided to apply to a school you thought was out of reach. Gorgeous photos from your hike. I hope your heel starts to feel better soon!

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  4. A) Those pictures are insanely awesome! B) Congrats on getting into another school! I'm curious about your program because I'm a big school nerd. and finally, C) I'M OBSESSED WITH THAT BEYONCE SONG TOO LATELY! (I found the caps necessary btw), but seriously...I've had it on repeat when I'm in the shower the past few days and some epic dance moves have occurred.

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    1. YES. SOMEONE ELSE WHO LOVES IT!!!! A friend of mine tried to force it on me months ago and it kind of pissed me off so I refused to listen to it... until a few days ago. On the one hand, I'm pissed I didn't discover it sooner, but on the other, not listening to it then means I'm not sick of it yet!

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  5. Congrats!! Such exciting news for you!

    About your heel... try working on your calves, foam rolling or even some self massage/trigger point. Sometimes if your calves are super tight you can get pain in your heel because everything starts getting pulled up toward the calf. Just a thought! ;)

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    1. Thanks! I'm excited! I despise stretching but I'll try to get some of that in if I can muster the courage (did I mentioned I really hate stretching?)...

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