January Recap

I was able to slowly ween out of the boot around mid December and start walking on my own two feet. I was shocked at how weak my foot was from having been in the boot for 6-8 weeks.  I spent about a week to a week and a half going on walks before attempting to run.  I was SCARED to run.  I finally gave it a go and ran a mile.  It was exhilarating and nerve racking all at the same time.  I slowly built up mileage over the next few weeks.  I had a few crazy person freakouts because I was convinced my foot was fractured again.  Sometimes it was sore, would crack or pop, and had tenderness on the top of my foot.  I finally went to the doctor one last time because I had to see for myself the fracture was gone.  Control freak much?! He was a good sport and did another ultrasound showing me no fracture.  I felt the weight of the world off my shoulders.  The smile on my face must've been so huge because the next words out of his mouth were, 'Do NOT run a marathon tomorrow.'  :)  Ultimately, the thought of being back in that boot scared me enough to continue on my slow buildup.

Most athletes will confirm that coming back from injury is a rocky road.  To say I felt sluggish is an understatement.  I had worked so hard on my run last year, it was hard to believe I would ever get back there.  However, as we all know putting your head down and plugging away eventually gets results.  Slowly I watched the heart rate go down and the pace speed up.  Towards the end of January life felt like it was returning to normal chaos.  And, there's nothing I love more than organized chaos.

Eric and I spent New Year's with our friends, Brandon and Kristen.  We grilled up an amazing feast and had a nice low key evening ringing in 2013.

Happy New Year! 

Mid month we celebrated my 34th birthday, yikes.  One more year in this crazy 30-34 age group before I have to step up my game even more for the crazy fast 35-39ers.  We celebrated with dinner at Fuego Bistro, which is amazing.  We first tried this place during Restaurant Week last year and liked it so much we went back.  The deal during restaurant week was amazing; give it a shot during the next one.

Happy Birthday to me!

He LOVES taking pictures. 

My monthly birthday group also celebrated January with a new and fun event; curling!  We took a lesson at the Ice Den and the guys teaching us were serious about the action.  I think it's safe to say no curling experts were hatched from this experiment.  Fun on the ice was finished up with celebratory bundt cakes by the fire.

A fun evening of wine and curling.

A real curling professional. I kid.

Candice and I paying very close attention to the lessons. 

We checked out a new restaurant in our hood, Pig & Pickle.  I thought the food was good, but the prices were a little high.  We tried to hit up the happy hour, but at only $1 off, there weren't any amazing deals to be had.  I had a fantastic drink, the Salty Dog, which I highly recommend.  Let's be honest, I'll drink anything draped with salt on the rim.  Eric loves his dessert, so this doughnut covered in chocolate, carmel, and ice cream was necessary.  At least there were four of us to share it. 

A calorie free night, of course.