A caged kitty, do I need new shoes?, and the best meat sauce you’ll ever eat.

Hello, hello!

Another Tuesday, another caged kitty.

This time it’s Molly’s turn. She’s going in for her annual exam and teeth cleaning! She’s really not that excited about it. She pretty much cussed me out the whole way. She’s a potty mouth.

Breakfast this morning was the apple cinnamon version of overnight refrigerator oatmeal.

I add blueberries and some chopped walnuts to give it a little extra oomph. Oh, and fyi – frozen blueberries are still REALLY cold even after they’ve defrosted enough to eat. Just in case you didn’t already know.

So, last night, I noticed that the top of my right foot was a little swollen.  Yes, that’s the same foot with the plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and ankle tendonitis.

I know.  I need a new foot.

You’ll be happy to know that my plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are no longer bothering my and I’m pretty certain my tendonitis flare-up is pretty much a flare-down at this point. But, what is up with the top of my foot?! I didn’t drop anything on it and I don’t remember banging it on anything.

Could it be my shoes?

Could ALL of the problems I’ve had of late be a result of my running shoes?

I used to wear the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 and then I started to go to a more minimal shoe. There was nothing wrong with the Rides, btw. I just wanted to try to get away from a heel strike – seemingly for the benefit of my running! I first bought the Skechers GoRun to alternate with my Rides to slowly work my way into more of a mid-foot strike. That seemed to go well so I decided to get the Skechers Go Run 2 and I changed my Rides to the Saucony Kinvara 3.

I should say that I LOVE both pairs of those shoes. They are SO COMFORTABLE and I don’t have any toe box issues. I apparently spread my piggies a LOT when I run and if there isn’t enough room, I get toe cramps. Not. Fun. Both the Go Run 2s and the Kinvaras have PLENTY of room in the toe box. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they both just look awesome, too.

Hmmm…clearly I prefer to take pictures of the Skechers while they are on my feet

But, was I ready for a drop from 8mm to 4mm? It doesn’t seem like much. I mean, a 4 mm difference is about the width of a CD case. Really? It’s a little mind-boggling to think that something so small could cause problems so huge.

I had various issues before. I’m a marathon runner – I’m DESTINED to have issues. But, they’ve really cropped up since I made the switch. And honestly, I never would have even considered it if my running buddy wasn’t also having issues and she recently bought a pair of slightly minimal shoes and she actually wondered aloud if it was the shoes. Now, the question is, do I press on with the shoes that I have and hope that my body “falls into proper form” or do I go back to the Rides?

Oh, so I made the most AMAZING meat sauce last night. I found the recipe over at PaleOMG. Let me tell you something.

O. M. G.

Stop licking the screen. This is mine. Make your own. (click the photo for the recipe)

This is now my go-to meat sauce. Thank you, Juli!

I put it over sweet potato waffle fries.

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful

I know. Strange. Don’t judge me.

So. Flippin. Good.

You can put it on what you want.

I didn’t change a single thing about the recipe.

Juli wins.

Questions

1. Does your cat like going to the vet?

2. Have you made the switch to a more minimal running shoe? Did you have any issues or injuries as a result?

3. Why are you not already shopping for the ingredients for that meat sauce?

– jennifer