Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Fires in the Dark

Reading about different cultures and lifestyles in various time periods is fascinating. This book will take you into the lives, customs and traditions of the Romani gypsies, before and during the Second World War. There are tons of books on the holocaust and life and death in labor camps, but this one portrays the terror, despair and the hope that sustained people through those terrible years with such empathy, it almost brings them back to life. It will take you through the world of a proud Romani family and on the journey of its only survivor, who manages to escape from a prison camp, live out the war and scrape together a new life after the war. Very moving!

Last night's dinner: Roast (tandoori) chicken. Mmm...DH has a way with meat!

This week's workouts:

Monday: 7 miles.

Tuesday: 5 miles (3 tempo-ish miles; Average: 9:24 per mile) + BodyWorks + spinning - Whew! A 5-mile run and 2 hours at the gym on the same day can be brutal. As my legs were spinning mechanically, my mind was spinning out glorious visions of the leftover roast chicken in my refrigerator.

Since the long run on Saturday, the sole of my right foot has been bothering me. Not enough to stop me from running, just a nagging ache. I tried icing it and repeated the Monopoly Game several times during the day, using ear plugs and paper clips instead of monopoly pieces (I keep a pair of ear plugs on hand, to protect my ear drums against DH's drumming, and they get reused for foot exercises! I know...I'm disgusting!) I just hope it works.

19 comments:

Beth said...

That sounds like a great book! I'm going to request it from the library. I hope the foot gets better soon. Sounds like you are taking good care of it.

Amy said...

Ahh, ear plugs! haha

And I would so be thinking about food during a workout, too!!! ;)

Have you tried rolling your foot over a tennis ball? I did that in rehab, but it was for pain on top of my foot. Not sure if that would irritate your sole, though....

Anonymous said...

I definitely need to put this book on my to read list. I love when a book takes you to a different place and time.

Lindsay said...

i'm sure you aren't picking up the headphones with post-run feet, right :)

hope the 'exercises' help your foot? i was thinking of the tennis/golf ball idea like amy as well.

Pearl said...

delicious :)

Heather said...

Those are some great runs. Hope the exercises help your foot feel better.

Irene said...

The chicken looks delicious! Is the recipe a secret??? :)

Marlene said...

Sounds like some good workouts. I hope the foot starts to get better soon!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

hope the foot gets better soon!! sounds like an interesting book

Aileen said...

I'm kind of obsessed with Tandoori chicken...hook me up!!!

Mica said...

AHHH TANDOORI CHICKEN AT HOME! I AM SO JEALOUS!

Okay, too many caps, but I seriously looove tandoori chicken!

IzzyBubbles said...

That tandoori chicken looks amazing - I really wish I was talented enough to cook something like that at home!!

The book looks really good, I'll add it to my reading list for the summer.

Anonymous said...

I was in need of good book ideas. I'm struggling through my current read and may give up soon.

Aron said...

haha - hope your foot feels better soon!!

Scheri said...

Thanks for sharing the book. It looks very interesting.

I hope your foot feels better soon. Have you tried a footsie roller? It helped me get through tendinitis and other foot related problems, so now I swear by it.

X-Country2 said...

OMG, that dinner looks amazing! I love a guy who can cook.

Abby said...

Thanks for the review - will definitely have to check that one out.

I don't eat chicken, but that does look good :)

Emily said...

Tuesday sounds like a hard workout! I would totally be thinking about my dinner during my workout, too!

Hope that your foot feels better. Sounds like you are doing the right thing with icing and foot exercises.

Felice Devine said...

Thanks for the book review! I'm sorry about your foot. I hope the ice and exercises work.