April 25

My second to last day of frisbee... yes, I was counting down the hours during the tournament. Too bad I'm ending my time with the sport like this. No more, though. Well, I guess the sport itself is good. My skills probably aren't enough to take me to a competitive club team, and the financial expenses and time involved in a traveling team are just too much. It's not that practices would be time consuming. It's that travel to the practices would be time consuming.

I do appreciate getting to play more than I did at sectionals. I do love the fact that I could run enough to get tired and sore out in the 88 degree heat. What is unique about today is the food I ate, though.

FUEL:
Breakfast: Lentil and Pureed Veggie Soup; Yogurt w/ Wild Berry Fruit Spread and Granola; Hummus
Snack: 1 Pickle (salt was soooo good after sweating so much. I love the very unblandness of it, too, and that it's a bit refreshing liquid-wise. I usually don't eat pickles because I think it might turn you into a mummy or something drying you out and preserving your insides with all the salt and vinegar... delicious.)
Snack: 1/2 Orange; 3/4 Protein Bread w/ Hummus Sandwich
Snack: 2 Pickles... I was craving moer the whole game; 1/4 Protein Bread w/ Hummus Sandwich
Snack: 1/2 Orange; BBQ Chips... more delicious salt and unbland crunchiness
Snack: Apple; Assorted Gourmet Cheeses (only at Princeton do I eat Brie and other unknown aromatic cheeses on the sideline of a tournament. and only at Princeton do you ride to tournaments in your friend's Porche... those are two things that I thoroughly enjoyed about frisbee. there were other enjoyable things, for sure, but man, that was sweet).
Snack: Pickle
Mini-meal: Starbucks sample coffee w/ Skim Milk and Sugar in the Raw; Lentil and Pureed Veggie Soup

Summary: many pickles, full-fat savory cheese, fruit, soup, dairy, and hummus sandwiches.

Oh yeah, ended up not doing the 5K.

Injury Report: I think I have minor case of Posterior tibial tendonitis. I've had it since about the epic 20 quarters workout. It was bothering me this morning, but I don't feel it now. Also, I did a number on my knees doing the worm last night on concrete for the arch sing. It didn't help having to lay out or catch peoples' too-low throws today. I felt very unsteady in the latter part of the tournament, when the muscles that usually provide control were getting more fatigued and the joints just seemed to be barely holding everything together.

GEAR: At Communiversity, I got $40 Saucony ProGrid Guide XT-900 shoes. Regular price is $95, although RR sports has it for $60+ship. They're a lighter weight (although still 9.6 oz) mild stability shoe. It has breathable mesh. Now that I have 2 Gel Evol3's plus a Brooks Trance 8, this will be my fourth new running shoe. Excessive? Yes. But all the good deals unfortunately came at once. The deals got progressively better, so I felt like I had to keep going. And the new ones were brands or models I've never tried before, so I couldn't pass it up. Well, I'll be set for a while. And considering I'll probably go through 2 pairs a year, this seems okay.

Something I learned recently: One reason that it's good to have two pairs of shoes going at a time: by alternating, you'll give the shoes time to re-puff their cushioning. I didn't know it was that dramatic, but it does seem possible. From personal experience, it may also be a good idea to have sport-specific shoes. I guess I take it more to an extreme with workout-specific shoes. I want something lower to the ground for plyos, where there's a risk of turning an ankle if I'm too top-heavy, making something like the Brooks Trance Good. I want something lightweight for the track, which would mean the 9.4 oz Progrid is better than the 11 oz Gel Evols. Lighter means less durability and less support, though, making the Evols better for when I do my bulk mileage, like my long and tempo runs. I may have one I wear to walk around in, which I guess cheaper, less supportive and more flexible shoes would be good for.

Within the past week, I've paid $70 for Gel Evol 3's (I won my first pair, which were 2's, at a race; I bought 4's for $90 - retails at $120), $37 for Trance 8's (I bought my first pair, 7's whose cushioning/stability support didn't last that long, for $100), and then I got these Progrid's for $40 today. I guess $40's not bad, considering it's $150 for three shoes when sometimes one shoe costs about that much. I do have a lot of shoes now. It's kind of funny. Most girls collect endless amounts of pretty sandals and heels and stuff. I have one pair of nice close-toed heeled shoes I wear to work (and they hurt after a while). I have a pair of Old Navy shower sandals that I wear on a regular basis out in public, as well as an extravagant $10 (although regular price is more) suede Adidas rainbows-like pair of sandals. And then, I have my six pairs of running shoes. How will I explain all the shoes to my parents? The Evol4's look okay but need to be retired from regular running use. The Trance7's I use to walk in when I'm forced to wear something other than sandals (which means it's raining - otherwise, like at Church and class and everything else, I wear sandals). I also use the 7's when I go to the gym, since I don't want to mess up the wear patterns from running that I've established in the Evol's. And now there are three brand new shoes. Woo hoo.

Speaking of spending, I've also bought a $25 tech shirt (which unfortunately I think now may be available for something more like $10 on Ebay), and five running books (Once a Runner - $16ish, A 3-book Sheehan compilation - $5ish, Running with the Buffaloes - $7ish, Lore of Running - $20, and Daniels' Running Formula - $13ish) that total up to about $60 oh my... I'll need something to entertain me when I leave Pton and have all that free time, though. And I've spent much more than that in terms of opportunity costs (from missing work shifts) due to frisbee. It's time running gets something.