niggles and jiggles

What is a niggle? A niggle is the unexplicable stab of pain/discomfort I get on random steps while running or walking. I’m just going along, minding my business, getting in my morning tempo run, or walking here in the office, and randomly, with no warning, and no trigger (like a step up or down, or a turn to either side), and my stupid hamstring seizes with a sharp pain. Sometimes it lasts for just one step, sometimes 2. Then its gone. And it might be gone for a minute, or an hour, or many hours. Its most annoying.

What is a jiggle? Well, that’s easy, that’s the little bounce in the soft spot around my midsection as I bound up the stairs. Caused by too many hohos, ice cream, birthday cake, and other sensational sweets! I better get myself back on track.

In the fight against jiggles, I’ve noticed the 3 of my male coworkers started riding their bikes to work this summer! Yeah for them! I think they have all lost a few pounds, and are actually enjoying it, and adding a few minutes onto the life of planet earth. I’ve been thinking I will try once again to ride my bike to work through winter, instead of wimping out and driving in when the weather turns angry. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe a new commuter bike will help!

Which is more green? Tossing rotting bananas in the composter or making banana bread. Last night I was ready to toss them, and went for the bread instead. I think the bread is less green, since I use the energy to run the oven for 45 minutes. Oh well. My oven doesn’t get much use since I’m a craptastic cook(thanks to Randi for the new word in my vocabulary – craptastic. I like that).

On my run this morning I was thinking about my upcoming trip to Tahoe (10/3), and was feeling guilty that I am flying on an airplane. The money, the fuel burned up by planes, the noise pollution. I hate planes. I hate flying. I get nervous, and I think they are so NOT green. I was googling ‘passenger miles per gallon’, and planes generally rank well below buses, and slightly below automobiles. If a car has more than one person, it doubles a planes passenger miles per gallon. So, carpool everyone (when you have to drive)! I keep thinking next year I will go back to Maui for Xterra Worlds (assuming I qualify), but oh the flying really gets to me! And then I look at other races I want to do, and a few others could require flying! Ack! I’ll be scaling it back.

I wonder if solar panels for residential homes in Indiana are even feasible – its not like we get 300+ days of sun each year. I’ll have to look into it.