Things I Never Thought I’d Buy and the 18-Miler That Didn’t Happen

Last night, after coming back from a friend’s new-job happy hour–where I had exactly ONE glass of bubbly–I got into preparing-for-an-18-mile-run mode.

I searched for my Garmin (and found it in the “clever” spot I had put it in the other day.)

Cute, but not functional if I forget.

I made sure my running clothes were clean.

I carb-loaded.

(Whole wheat fusilli with chicken sausage and spinach, based off of this recipe.)

I went to sleep early-ish and set my alarm for 5:30. At 5:30, I snoozed. At 6:30, I finally woke up, with a stomachache and a bit of a headache–from one glass of bubbly?

So much of long distance running is mental, but I just didn’t have the mental game in me today to go out and run the bulk of 18 miles alone. (I was going to try to meet up with Ashley for a few miles.) I wasn’t really feeling the run, so I really couldn’t motivate to do it alone.

My new plan is to try for tomorrow morning in NJ (any Bergen County readers doing a long run tomorrow??? I have to go home for a baby shower) or just do it when I’m back here Sunday morning.

I did have four miles for today on my training schedule before I mixed things up a bit, so I got those four miles in and was actually happy I hadn’t done the 18–I still couldn’t get my head into it for just four.

Lame, Theodora, lame.

So let’s talk about more fun stuff then, eh?

There’s two things I’ve purchased this week that I never thought I would.

1. Compression Socks

Yes, you’re reading that price tag correctly. $60 for socks.

You’re probably wondering what the hell $60 socks do. I was, too. I saw them all over running blogs forever but was able to convince myself they were a ridiculous expense. According to Runner’s World, they help improve circulation to get the toxins and lactic acid out of your muscles. My shins started feeling a little splint-y the other night, so I decided to finally go for these socks.

I bought the CEP ones because that’s what the guy at the running store recommended. He measured my calf first, and gave me the equivalent of a medium. So far, I wore them around the house for a bit yesterday and slept in them last night and those beginnings of shin splints seem to be gone.

I used some of the gift cards I won from Janetha. I said I was going to use them for a package to Physique, but right now I need these more.

2. BlenderBottle

After the Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference, I was sent samples of Big Train‘s Fit Frappes to review. (More on that another time.) While you can make them in a blender, that can get a little messy…if you’re me. One of the other options was just to drink it as a shake.

I’d seen these BlenderBottle cups before but sort of wrote them off as only for meathead dudes and their protein shakes. (Even though I, too, am a fan of protein powder.) I realized that these cups would make preparing these and other drinks/smoothies much easier. And they’re only $8-9, even in NYC. I’ve so far had a Fit Frappe a day since buying the cup.

Do you think that things like compression socks and blender cups are completely useless, too, or are you a convert? What have you bought that you never thought you would?