Hi, I'm Runner Girl and I'm an addict.

My drug: ice baths. Ahhhh, ma cherie, mon amour, ma petite chou. Most non-runners I know view the ice bath as a form of self-torture, akin to the flagellant movement of the 13th century. But for me there's nothing that combats inflammation better. Sure the first thirty seconds or so are tough but when you've delivered three kids you can tolerate pretty much anything for that long. The ice bath is my way of nurturing my body and thanking it for enduring what is has to on this running journey. Especially Sir Wonky Knee, who has never been quite the same since surgery eight years ago. Sir Wonky Knee goes into a maddening frenzy when the barometric pressure drops just the slightest hair. And, as we all know, the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone which is connected to the hip bone. God forbid Madam Wonky Hip misses out on the party. It's a painful combination and one that only an ice bath can really cure. I usually save the ice baths for runs longer than eight miles but there must be a heck of a storm on the horizon because I'm not sure I'd be able to walk tomorrow if I didn't have my 10-minute ice bath this afternoon.

Which leads to today's run. Day two of hill training. I made the mistake of letting Runner Boy use my Garmin for his 3-miler while I toted, shepherded, and corraled the runlets around two end-of-year preschool parties. Of course when I came home I had to run the exact same route and smash his time. Failure to do so was not an option. (Competitive much?) Never mind that Runner Boy had a spirit-building, energy-boosting morning while I spent those hours having my life blood sucked by a group of dementors, I mean preschoolers. Never mind that Runner Boy had a nice big glass of water and some carb-filled hard pretzels in the hour prior to his run while I subsisted on the fumes from a Sugar-Free Red Bull chugged in haste between parties. Still, his 3-mile time--27:58. Mine--26:38. But who's counting?? ;)

Today's Miles: 3
Total Miles: 8