You're hot and you're cold...

Houston weather is so strange in the winter. One day it is warm and sunny and in the mid 70's and then the next day it is in the 40's or 50's. It seems that for the past few weeks it has been warm during the week and cold on the weekends. This week was no different. On Thursday I was ready to go out and run again after taking a few days off after running 26.32 miles on Sunday. I went out on a warm afternoon and got in a good hour long run. I stayed as hydrated as I could but at the end of my run I was still covered in salt since the humidity was low. Friday was 76 and my day to lift weights. I could tell that I had not lifted the Friday before the marathon and my legs were in a slightly jell-o stage when I finished but if felt great.

After weights, I was on a mission. I had to figure out what to get El Esposo as a useful and practical gift for our 16th wedding anniversary.Here we are 16 years ago...here we are just a few weeks ago. El Esposo can be a very hard person to get a gift for and somehow I seem to hit the nail on the head most of the time while feeling like I am flying by the seat of my pants. Of course there has been the pair of Sperry Top Siders that he did not tell me were too big until after he had thrown the box away and tried to wear them in Key west with a pair of socks. And then there was the great pair of pants and shirt I got him for his birthday last year and he has yet to wear them even after I went back to the store and got the correct pant size. I have learned to not get him any clothes and to double check shoe sizes. So this time I had the light bulb moment as I was getting off the 610-Loop near the Galleria. I had mentioned to El Esposo that his running/bumming shoes were almost 2 years old and needed to be replaced. Since El Esposo does not run in his running shoes, he does not go through running shoes like I do. (more on that later in the post) However, getting to part with his Pearl Izumi shoes was proving to be as hard as separating Linus from his blanket. I dodged into the New Balance store and had the store manager help me get a good pair of supportive shoes. They were more expensive than any of my running shoes so they better last him another 2 years. I ran into Barnes and Noble and picked up a book on the iPhone since El Esposo liked the one he got me for Christmas so much that he got himself one last week. Both gifts were a hit and I got a great surprise as well...
This is the most awesome thing. A fruit arrangement! I have been snacking on it all weekend and I used some of the fruit to make a smoothie. After swim practice, we went to a neighborhood Italian restaurant for a family diner.

On Saturday morning I was up at 5:30 am and when I stepped outside it was still warm and in the 60's but it was windy. Normally the wind does not pick up until after the sun comes up so I knew that a cold front was coming through. I put on a pair of capri tights and threw my Sugoi cycling jacked that I bought at the Clearwater 70.3 race last year. It was only the second time to wear it since it has been warm here and I found out to my delight that it was warm and wind proof! Sugoi gear is the BOMB!!! I love every piece of clothing that I have from this awesome company.

When I got to the park to ride the temperature had fallen ten degrees and the wind picked up. So after some chilly miles on the bike and a short run, Coach Luke fired up the grill and we tossed some burgers on the grill. Those were yummy. After a TNT recruiting meeting, I headed home to hit the shower and clean up. El Esposo, Buddy, and I went out to dinner with Greyhound, Mrs. Greyhound, and Superpounce. I could not help myself and dug into the bowl of chips and queso and I paid for it later. I hate my food allergies. I ended the evening at a birthday party for my TNT buddies Mari and Terry. I ended up leaving sooner than I wanted to, but my stomach was going south.

I spent most of the day in my sweats on the couch as my stomach settled out and the headache took over. Note to self...STOP EATING STUFF THAT YOU KNOW IS GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE HORSE DUNG!!! I felt a little better in the afternoon and I went through my closet and pulled out moving box full of race t-shirts and other shirts, a huge box of worn running shoes and other shoes that I no longer wear because they are too small and uncomfortable (my feet just keep getting wider!),
and a bag of nice skirts, pants, dresses, and tops that I have not worn in over a year. El Esposo will take these to work to give to one of his co-workers who goes down to Mexico to visit relatives and takes donated clothing, home goods, and furniture for people in the town where his family lives. I was getting hungry and not feeling like cooking so we went out yet again and went to a new pizza place by us on a tip that they had gluten free crusts. They did have the gluten free crusts! Whoo Hoo! We had a tasty pizza and even a gluten free brownie for dessert.

Tomorrow it is a new day. Back to training. Back to no gluten and no corn. It is really hard but I am tired of having my arms, shoulders, and neck covered in hives and scaly patches of itchy skin. I have even been getting this itchy scaly patches on my scalp on my eyelids of late and that is awful. The congestion is bad. The upset stomach and indigestion is not fun. The headaches suck. The swollen puffy ankles are not attractive. If you want to know how tough it is to eat gluten and corn free, imagine only being able to shop for stuff at the grocery store along the walls. Nothing from the bakery, Only fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing from the deli counter, and only fresh meats and fish. Pass on by most of the dairy other than milk and certain solid blocks of certain typed of cheese. Stay away from the grated cheese because corn starch is used in the processing to keep the cheese from clumping together. Don't dare put anything in your basket from any of the aisles. Unless the condiments or salad dressings are from the gluten free section where the health food is, it will contain high fructose corn syrup and malt. I am constantly reading labels and going organic. The only thing you can pick up in the frozen food section is frozen fruit and veggies. If you have been looking at your labels over the past week to see if your bars and snacks contain peanut butter and peanut paste due to the salmonella scare, then you have an idea of what the gluten free diet is like. Gluten is in everything and if it is not in the product, the product may be processed in a plant where wheat, rye, barley, oats, and malt is also processed and there could be cross contamination.

Alright, enough of my complaining. At least the temps will be in the high 60's and low 70's for the next few days.

Later Gators,

Liz