The Atlanta Marathon is this weekend.

I am supposed to relay it with a team of 4, running a 7.2 mile leg of it.  Wellll… I went for a run on Thursday thinking if I could do 6 then I could certainly do 7.  It was going really well – I felt good, no knee pain.  Was my running mojo back?!

Celebration penalty.  Around mile 5.5 I felt a little pop in my heel/ankle area.  I stopped to stretch it out… and kept going only to have to stop again due to the pain.  More stretching followed by a limp-run back home.  Lots of ice and rest.  Still pain.

 

Friday I had an appointment with my PT to continue therapy on my knee, so I asked him to take a look.  He thinks I may have a pull or small tear in my Achilles area.  Apparently there’s a muscle group back there (he said a bunch of big words I didn’t absorb) that feels jacked up.  He put some electro-thing and ice on it to try to calm the inflammation… but it still hurts like a b*tch.

I’m really concerned that I won’t be able to run at all tomorrow and I need to make that call this morning.  Backing out last minute sucks, but I would rather do that than hurt my relay team (and myself) worse by failing to finish.  So I’m going to try a short jog in a minute to see what I can do.  *sigh*

First I need coffee.

 Peet’s Coffee sent over some delicious roasts for me to sample as part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker’s program (but you know I’ll give my honest, unbiased opinion).  I like to use cinnamon in my coffee, so I selected the Cafe Domingo to try first.  I love adding cinnamon to (almost) anything with Latin flavor!

I prepare the coffee pot to make 4 cups.  Before I hit start I add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to the grounds.  It adds a little extra taste and smells amazing while brewing!

Peet’s Cafe Domingo was delicious – it was more smooth than many I’ve tried without compromising flavor.  This is important to me because I drink my coffee black.

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Speaking of drinking…

…in case you are planning to drink this Halloween weekend, I have a little PSA for you.

Eat a lot of strawberries before and after indulging.

A European study done on rats concluded that strawberries can protect the stomach mucous membrane, which is harmed by drinking.

You’re welcome.

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May I suggest Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal this morning?

What is the most cleaver Halloween costume you’ve seen?

Would you back out of a relay team or try to tough it out and run?