Event

If you chose not to GOYB today, you missed a fun time at the very chilly Sebastian Clam Bake. Shown here are Heather, Kristen and moi:

The only bad part about today was that due to the weather (45 degrees and high winds) the kayak trip was cancelled. Tomorrow's event, a walk thought the fitness trail at Riverside Park in Vero, will hopefully be a tad warmer. Hope to see you there!

We need a new 5k benefit!

So, this morning, I did 2 miles on the treadmill, and my heel was pretty sore when I got home. So I decided to ice it. I took off my shoes and was rolling the ice bottle around on the floor. I got up to get something from my office, and when I did, I noticed that my right heel was kind of numb too. I was like, "oh, no! Don't tell me I have plantar faciitis in that foot now too!" So I was all bummed out.

A few minutes ago, I got up to get lunch. When I came back, I noticed that floor in front of where I'd been sitting was all wet. Suddenly it dawned on me -- I don't have PF in the other foot too, the ice bottle was just leaking on my good foot.

We will file this story in the same folder as when I thought I was having a stroke but it turned out to be my glasses fogging when I went from the airconditioned car to the unairconditioned parking lot. Or the time I thought I was going to die of Lime Disease, except it wasn't a tick, it was a piece of chocolate from the trail mix on my leg. Or the time I thought I had really bad floaters until I realized there was an ant crawling around on my glasses.

You know, they have 5ks to benefit every other disease, I think I should start one to benefit Hypochondria. I will encourage people to wear imaginary ribbons and we can all wear t-shirts that say "Placebos, not drugs!" Who's with me?

A Taste of Tuesday - Smoked Tuna Pate

A long time ago, David and I were down in the keys and we stopped at a little restaraunt. They had a smoke tuna pate appetizer, and it was insanely yummy. I've spent a long time trying to duplicate it, and today's recipe is about as close as I think I'm going to come.

Mix together:

1-2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened or melted
Liquid Smoke*
Old Bay*

* To taste. I think I like it with more spices vs. less.

Slightly drain 1 can of tuna, leaving the tuna moist but not completely dripping. Place cream cheese mixture and tuna into a Magic Bullet or blender. Blend until it's the consistancey of pate. Serve with crackers and some fruit.

Plantar Faciitis Advice

Here is an interesting article about plantar faciitis:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130573337

I do the ice, NSAIDs, night time brace, a strap during the day, and lots and lots of stretching. It's not as bad as it was, I plan to do 3 5ks between now and December. I notice that after a long walk it hurts, but I ice right away (I even brought a bottle of ice to the last 5k I did) and recover much faster now and it doesn't hurt when I first get up anymore. I think the stretching helps the most, with the daytime strap a close second.

The stretches that I do:

• Stand on a stair stepper or the bottom step. Hold onto something for balance. With your ball of your foot on the edge of the step, drop your heels, then stretch back up on your tip-toes. Repeat a bunch of times.
• While sitting, with your heels on the floor, tap your toes. Again, do this a bunch of times I usually do at least 20-30 times before I start walking. This is also a great one for keeping shin splints at bay. It does look kind of silly though. It might look better if you click your fingers and bob your head, so it looks like you are really getting into your music. Alternatively, you can keep looking at your watch and pretend that you are impatiently waiting for someone.
• Lie on the floor on your back with the one knee bent. Raise the other leg, pointing your toes towards you as much as possible. If, like most people, the PF is worst when you first wake up, do this lying in bed before you try to walk. Use a towel or blanket to pull your toes towards you to get a really good stretch in the bottom of your foot.

Let me know if these aren't clear descriptions, I can post some pictures. Good luck!