Dry Needling

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Running On Waffles

Today I went to physical therapy to get some dry needling done.  Let me just tell you, it’s really weird!

Dry needling uses acupuncture needles to work on trigger spots in the muscles where knots and tightness have built up.  After poking the trigger spots with the needles to find the center of it, a stimulating electrode, similar to what’s used in stimulation therapy, is attached to the needles.  This causes all kinds of crazy muscle contractions!

At the end of a session, you’ll want to work out the muscle to prevent it from tightening up.  Instead of what’s often referred to as the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after physical activity, dry needling caused immediate muscle soreness (at least for me; everyone responds differently).

After treatment today, my calf was incredibly sore and would tighten up really quickly.  I tried to get on the upright bike in the gym in our apartment once I got home, but it kept losing the resistance (it was being very weird) so I finally gave up and instead used carrying a lot of items to the big trash bins in our building’s basement as my exercise.

We’ll see if the dry needling helps.  I had 4 done in the back of my calf and 2 along the side.  (I also learned today I should never get a tattoo because I’m a total wuss.)  I also don’t think I’ll be getting much running in between now and when we get to California.  I’m only in town for 2.5 more days before I head to Detroit for a bachelorette party/bridal shower-filled weekend, and when I get back early Monday morning it will be time to pick up the moving van and load it up.  (Which, yes, means the last 36 hours since we made it home from California have been filled with all kinds of packing.)  My hope is that between this dry needling treatment and a couple of weeks off from running, things will start to get better.

However, there is a lot of tightness in the fascia and muscles around the ankle joint.  The therapist I saw today thinks the pronation the therapists identified in my gait analysis could be coming as a compensatory mechanism to the joint being too tight.  Because my ankle and calf muscles/fascia are so tight (they’ve been horrible my entire life – my ballet teacher would yell at my legs when I was younger because she was so frustrated that my demi-plies were so pathetic), he was thinking that I may not be able to come over the top of my ankle the way I should, and that in turn is causing my body to find a way around the joint – hence, the pronation.

Obviously that’s a big hypothesis to just throw out and not be able to follow up on.  Which means that once I get settled in California and start getting insurance through my new job (yes, the offer became official after my final interview over the weekend!) my PT here is going to help me find someone in the area to continue my treatment with.  In the meantime though, I’m hoping to get some good miles in at some point!

Your Turn:  Have you ever had dry needling?  Want to come finish packing my apartment?  You could also help me finish off the food and alcohol in my cabinets! ;)

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Stewed Dates & Goat Cheese Dip

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Running On Waffles

So you may have noticed I’ve been going Crock Pot crazy lately, and that’s a fair assessment.  I have loved being able to throw things together to make various dishes as we work our way through our pantry.  This latest creation we put together last Saturday to munch on while watching The Princess Bride with Claire, Kristin, and Ngoc-Han.  And I have to say, I personally loved it!

Stewed Dates & Goat Cheese Dip

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
1 cup sweet red wine (we used the Yellow Tail sweet red)
12 oz dates, chopped (make sure to pit them if they aren’t already removed)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, 7-8 minutes.  Stir in the wine and bring to a boil; cook 1 minute.  Transfer to a crock pot and stir in dates and orange juice.
2. Cover and cook on high until the dates are plump and tender, about 1 hour (add 30 minutes if you are using dried dates).  Stir in goat cheese (you can also save 1/4 cup of the goat cheese to sprinkle on top for a nicer presentation, if you prefer) and serve.

stewed dates and goat cheese dip

I know it isn’t the prettiest looking dip, but it is delicious!  We served it with multi-grain pita chips, but I’ve also been nibbling on it with regular whole-grain crackers.  Either way, there is incredible flavor in the dip.  It was really easy to put together, and would be great game day food if you were looking for something a little different.

stewed date and goat cheese dip

You could easily make this with blue cheese and figs, as well, but we had dates we wanted to use up and figured the goat cheese would go better (plus, while I love blue cheese, I know Ngoc-Han doesn’t).  It’s a fun dish that you can play around with a bit to make work for your taste buds.  Let me know if you give it a try!

Your Turn:  Are you a blue cheese lover or hater?  Do you have a favorite crock pot meal?  What’s your favorite game day food?

Posted in Food, Recipes | Leave a comment

June Book: The Sixes

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Running On Waffles

If May’s book was hard to get through, June’s book was the complete opposite!

While digging through Emily’s bookshelf, she recommended I take The Sixes and said I would fly through it.  She wasn’t kidding!

the sixes

Source

The Sixes, by Kate White, follows Phoebe Hall, a celebrity gossip writer who has ended up in a tough situation.  Being accused of plagiarizing part of her recent book, she leaves Manhattan and takes a job teaching two writing classes at a small college in Pennsylvania where her best friend, Glenda, is the President.

Shortly after Phoebe arrives, a student goes missing and is soon found dead.  At the same time, Glenda asks Phoebe to use her investigative skills to look into a rumored secret society on campus called The Sixes.  Phoebe’s investigation into the group puts her in the middle of multiple murder investigations, digs up harrowing secrets from her past, and leaves her fearing for her life more than once.

The plot takes several twists and turns throughout the story, and while you may have suspicions about some of the final ones, they’ll still leave you feeling breathless.  This is the kind of book that sucks you in instantly…to the point that I basically did nothing else but read this book after I got home from physical therapy on Monday.  (Which is outrageous since we’re in the middle of packing and trying to find an apartment.)  This is the perfect summer read!  And if you’re worried that it might be too intense or too much of a thriller, don’t be.  The high intensity sections resolve quickly and it’s nothing too scary.  I can’t watch scary movies or read anything too thrilling at night or I won’t be able to sleep, and I had no problems with this one.

Your Turn:  Are you a fan of scary books/movies?  Have you read any of Kate White’s books?  What is the fastest you’ve read a book?

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May Book: Lolita

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Running On Waffles

When I was in Boston in April, I spent some time scouring Emily’s bookshelves for some books to read.  (Which is crazy because I have countless books of my own that I have yet to read.)  When my eyes fell on Lolita I mentioned I had never read it, but always wanted to.  Maybe I should preface this with I didn’t actually know what the story line was but some of the Russian literature I had managed to get through in high school and college was interesting, and I thought this could be a good book, as well.

Emily focused on Russian literature in college, and was always raving about one author or book or another when we lived together, and she immediately told me I needed to read it.  So I grabbed Lolita, along with another book that became my June reading, and said I’d start reading it soon.

lolita cover art

Source

Lolita was written in English by the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov in the 1950s.  As I mentioned, I was unfamiliar with the plot, so when Matt and I left for Florida at the beginning of May, I brought the book with me to read by the pool.  Any of you familiar with the story are probably now laughing.  And if you aren’t, well, the plot can basically be boiled down to this: the main character, Humbert Humbert, falls in love with a 12 year old girl, marries her mother so he can get closer to her, and after the mother dies, he kidnaps Lolita and spends years driving across the country having sex with her until she runs away a few years later.  So, no, maybe not the most appropriate book to take to the pool at Disney World!

Like any Russian novel, this one was a challenge to get into.  And when you did start reading, you needed to really work to stay in the story mentally.  I normally read when I’m on the bus or metro, but sometimes I wouldn’t pull this out because I didn’t want people to see me reading it.  Between these two factors, it actually took me a few days into June to finish the book.

What I found to be most interesting, though, was the way Nabokov wrote the story so you almost start to feel bad for Humbert Humbert.  You want him to be happy at some places.  And when I realized that I was thinking that way, it was a little disturbing.  Not exactly typical, right?  Like many Russian novels, this one will make you think as well as question the way you think.  Would I read it again?  Probably not.  But I am glad I read it.

In discussing the book with Emily after I finished it, she mentioned to me that Nabokov wrote the book partially based on personal experience (in Lolita’s position), which was interesting to learn.  I kind of wish I had read the book after knowing that, because I think it may have altered my perception of the story.

That all being said, it’s a very intriguing and thought-provoking book.  I recommend it, but keep in mind that it is definitely not light reading and it could take some work to get through.

Your Turn:  Have you read Lolita?  Are you a fan of Russian literature?  What are you currently reading?

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Mykonos Grill

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Running On Waffles

Workout

This morning I decided to test out my foot/ankle/calf (basically, entire right leg below the knee) and see how it felt.  I decided I’d go out for 2 miles since I didn’t want to push it and leave everything ridiculously tight right before we head off to California to go apartment hunting for the weekend.  But when I got out there, everything was tighter than I expected!  The fascia in my feet was incredibly tight and I could feel it begin to pull in my knee.  I waited a bit to see if things would loosen up like usual, and after about half of a mile, it was a little better.  But then I had a few steps that just didn’t feel right, so at 0.75 miles, I turned around and ran back home.  I’m trying to be smart and not push beyond what I’m capable of.  In focusing on my foot, I didn’t pay attention to my pace at all, and realized when I finished that I’d held a 9:30 pace, which was crazy given how hot and humid it was this morning (this was pre-storm).  My overall time was 14:16.  This obviously isn’t where I want to be, but it’s where I am and I am learning to be ok with that and continue pushing towards recovery.

Last Sunday in DC

Yesterday I mentioned that this past weekend was my last in DC, and Matt and I continued to make the most of it on Sunday.  The day started off with our final run with our weekend running group.  We did 4 miles on my last run through Rock Creek Park, which is my favorite place to run in DC.  Since moving to the city, Rock Creek Park has been a big part of my life: I trained for my first half marathon and marathon (well, all of my half marathons and marathons) along Beach Drive and the trails, I gained the confidence to ride my bike on the city streets after riding through Rock Creek Park several times, we took some photos for our wedding there, and it might as well be our backyard.  I know there will be new trails and routes to explore when we get to the East Bay, but it will be hard to leave behind the routes that taught me how to become a runner in the first place.  Not to mention all of the amazing people I’ve been able to meet through running!

Following our run, I had a couple of errands to take care of: printing my dissertation and picking up more small boxes.  Apparently we have accumulated more books than we realized in the last 4 years because we bought 8 more boxes to pack books in and they’re already full!  We spent a good chunk of time getting more packing done (ok, so maybe the weekend wasn’t ALL fun) before calling it quits for the day.

For dinner, we headed up to Twinbrook Metro station, where Ashley and Neal picked us up for dinner at Mykonos Grill in Rockville.

mykonos grill mykonos grill

I loved this place!  It had such a great atmosphere, feeling fresh and very Greek inside.  I felt like I could look out of the window and see the Mediterranean right there.

To start, we shared an order of the Saganaki, which is a pan-fried Greek cheese (the flaming is done table side!) and one of my favorite Greek apps.  We enjoyed the cheese along with the bread service, which came with a yummy olive oil.

saganaki at mykonos grill bread at mykonos grill

For our entrees, Neal ordered the Bakaliaros Skordalia (fried fresh cod served with garlic mashed potatoes) and Ashely went with the Chicken Kebabs.

fried cod at mykonos grill chicken kabob at mykonos grill

Matt picked the Roasted Leg of Lamb and I went for the Garides Mykonos, upon recommendation from our server (this was shrimp with feta, pine nuts, onions, raisins, tomato and wine).

roasted leg of lab at mykonos grill shrimp at mykonos grill

I have to say that I absolutely loved my shrimp!  (And if anyone has a good trick for de-tailing a shrimp at a restaurant without using your fingers, please let me know!)  The sauce was wonderful and full of flavor and the shrimp were really well cooked!  I didn’t eat much of the green beans since they had a bit of a canned taste to me, which may have just been a result of how they were cooked, but I prefer mine to taste a little fresher.  But really, I was just saving room for dessert ;) .

When Ashley asked if we wanted to get some froyo, we began talking about locations in the area.  As soon as she said 16 Handles, I jumped!  I have ALWAYS wanted to try 16 Handles, having heard so many good things about it, so we headed up to Washingtonian Center for dessert.

Washingtonian Center was a fun outdoor shopping area I had never even heard of!  Ashley snagged a parking spot right by the front door, which was lucky because the place was PACKED!  I had a tough time making my selection but eventually I decided half vanilla bean/half pomegranate and raspberry, topped with Cap’n Crunch (seriously, one of my favorite froyo toppings!) and a drizzle of white chocolate sauce.  The verdict?  Delish!

16 handles

We had such a great time with Ashley and Neal!  Even though I met Ashley just a few months ago at a blogger dinner, we quickly bonded over our love for Westie’s and Mexican food.  Ashley and Neal have become great friends and I know we are going to miss them like crazy.  Having to say all of our good-byes is just getting tougher and tougher.

Your Turn: What’s your favorite froyo spot?  When was the last time you moved?  Where is your favorite running spot?

Posted in DC, Food, Frozen Yogurt, Restaurant Reviews, Running | Leave a comment