Bosue.

I probably jinxed myself with my prior post but when I was at the gym today, I was stepping off a bosu and totally sprained my ankle. My friend, KWW, suggested that I bosue them. Just my weak ankles and a poor step. I'm the only one to blame.

It turned blue and swollen almost immediately:

So, I found myself sitting on the floor in the locker room, with my leg up and ice on my ankle. M was nice enough to bring my laptop over so I could go home to continue my R.I.C.E.-ing. I decided to have a bowl of rice chex to be thematic in my eating:

As KWW said, the icing is BRRRutal but helpful. I hope that I am a fast heel-er.

Just Doing It.

As of today, it is 2.5 weeks until the triathlon. I really am not concerned about being able to finish it -- that is not a question, assuming no flat tires. I just really want to be able to do the run leg as a run (jog, trot, anything but an all-walk). I have been trying to run on the treadmill and got to about three miles, which felt pretty good.

But, I had not run outside yet. I told that to a girl I see probably four mornings a week. She offered to run with me. Prior to her, other people have offered but I have always turned them down because I am S-L-O-W and don't want to frustrate them or me by going together. But, this girl is only about 5'1". She is a much better runner than me but her short little legs means that my slow pace is palatable to her. Normally, she doesn't really push herself at the gym. But, when we go outside, she is the one telling me to kick it up for interval, telling me to run hills, etc. It surprised me but M diagnosed her as a chameleon, fitting the workout style of the person around her. And, she is normally around a pretty big personality who only comes to the gym for the coffee and stays to go through the motions in a class.

Thanks to her, every Tuesday and Thursday, for the past couple weeks, I've run outside somewhere between 3 and 4 miles. I am so not a runner. I dread it and kind of hope she has a schedule conflict every time. I hate seeing all these people pass us, looking like they aren't even breaking a sweat. I spend probably half the run thinking that my knee hurts or that I want to quit but my pride won't let me. (Mind you, I have no pride on the treadmill. I will quit that so easily. But not when there is someone else out there with me.) Dumb pride. But, man, do I feel happy when I get back to the gym knowing that I did it. (That and my heart rate is so high when I run that I burn a zillion calories which means I always feel like a deserve a real breakfast afterwards which also makes me happy.)

Who knows, maybe I will even continue running after May 6 is over. Stranger things have happened.

20K.

I bought my car on December 27, 2003. To the endless irritation of my brother, I do not drive very often so my car is pretty much the same as a car owned by a little old lady who only drives to church on Sundays.

But, today, my car went from:

to:

Only eight and a quarter years. They say that once a car hits 100,000 miles you need to start being wary and consider replacing it. At this rate, that will be in
2045.