Peas on Knees

Dinner last night was a repeat of a favorite: Spaghetti Squash with ragu sauce.

I cut the squash in half, scooped out the seeds and then baked face down in a casserole with 1/2 inch of water.  This is different than my previous spaghetti squash cooking attempt.  Two things: if you are going to bake in water, you should let it sit a few minutes before scraping out the "spaghetti" and serving.  The water content is so much that it makes it a little watery on the plate. 

You can really see it in this photo above.

Or you could just bake with olive oil like I did in the past.  I say you could let it sit a bit first, because when I went back after dinner to scrape out the other half of the squash, it wasn't near as watery.

We served dinner with a glass of Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's.  Cheap and Good.  I enjoyed the evening with Holmes on Homes, laying in bed with frozen peas on my knees.  That's right...Peas on my Knees!

About the knees...I have been struggling with several leg/foot issues throughout my marathon training.  I am now in the highest mileage of my life, and should be pulling 17 and 18 mile long runs.  But this weekend changed all that.  I went out on Friday with hopes to complete 17 miles.  Knowing that my knees had been flaring up, my foot was still an issue, and my IT band was completely out of whack...I just couldn't complete the mileage.  I made it 6 miles with tightness and soreness, but right around the 6 mile mark I experienced sharp pains and really bad tightness.  I have been chatting with a few runners over the week trying to gauge when I should stop running, or when I should run through the pain.  I decided I should stop running.

I turned around and headed to the car and immediately was flooded with tears.  I don't like to quit.  I don't like to give up.  I am not competitive with others, only against myself.  I can count on one hand how many times I have cried in the last 5 years.  And Friday was one of those times.  I am certain I cried longer than I actually ran.  Mr. Kummerow must have thought I was dying.

I instantly decided I was done with marathons.  This was not for me and I could not even remember why I was doing this!  I am still questioning my intentions but am acting a little less melodramatic.  I am going to focus this week on healing and resting.  I have decided to give it one last go this coming weekend.  If after lots of rest my knees are still painful, I will downgrade my marathon.  Perhaps do the half-marathon, focus on strength and health and not distance.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.  I must make it to this weekend first.  To rest and heal my aching legs I have several plans:

The foam roller!

It hurts so good!

Peas on the knees.

And today I have an appointment at the Holistic Wellness Center of Charlotte for acupuncture.  I have never tried acupuncture, but I have been wanting to for a long time.  I have TMJ issues and for some reason I really believe acupuncture could help that.  I decided to ask them about my legs as well while I am there and some other problems.  I can't wait to share my experience with you.  But if you are interested, the practice is new and they are offering reduced rates to encourage new patients. 

Well, I am already running late!  Have a great Monday! It's already Thursday for me!