PhDistance kneads PhDough

May 16, 2020

As y’all may have noticed, I’ve been using the new PhDistance Insta account to post wayyy more about bread than running or getting my PhD… #sorrynotsorry. I can’t help myself!

To keep up with that theme, this post is also about BREAD! In part, I want to throw some punches at that persistent stigma that carbohydrates are “bad.” The Atkins diet is one of many obtuse trends we should have left back in the 90’s. Unfortunately, the restrictive line of thought continues to permeate our culture today, including among runner folk. Admittedly, I too was hesitant to eat bread, convinced that I would balloon up:

How horrifying! (and also unrealistic!)

Fortunately, my outlook has shifted since graduating college. Bread and I are now great friends and do a lot of fun stuff together- mostly baking:

Sourdough, white bread, and biscuit trials!

Bread has also helped keep me entertained during the mandatory stay-at-home orders in NY state due to the COVID19 pandemic. Especially sourdough and documenting my adventures with it:

Checking the dough after 12 hour fermentation

Flouring the table

Kneading the dough- this one is off center- sorry!

Making the ball to place in the Dutch oven

Rise for 3 hours, bake for 1 hour- voila !

This loaf went to my friend, Jacquie, as a “thank you” for being a nurse during the pandemic. NURSES ARE TOUGH AF! 🏥❤️

With all the baking- I’ve gotten the chance to perfect my sourdough recipe, although I have certainly had a lot of failures along the way! And that’s OK- because the process is always fun! 💫🕺🏻

Importantly, I also accept bread as the dietary cornerstone that my body needs for its daily energetic demands. Training for marathons taxes my legs, and being a Ph.D. student taxes my brain. To replenish my mind and body, I maintain a diet that warmly welcomes Bread.

I feel great on my runs, satiated throughout the day, and have seen and felt an innumerable amount of other positive outcomes.

I began this post because I was really excited to share my most recent bread-making adventure with the world (or at least my small band of lovely followers!). Now, I find myself ending it with a somewhat preachy discussion. But then again, why is that so bad? Aren’t there a bunch of old dudes in pastel-colored robes going on and on about “the daily bread?” I’ve had their bread, and was unimpressed.

As it turns out, lots of people are pretty crazy about bread. American distance runner, Shelby Houlihan is known for her killer kick as well as affection for French bread.

The appropriate reward after (out-kicking Jenny Simpson and) winning the 1500m at the USATF Championships🥖

Also- Buzz Aldrin dined on bread and wine on the moon landing. My Ukrainian lab manager confirmed that in Russian, you can literally greet someone by shouting “bread and salt!” Amazing.

Because I haven’t yet made this post obnoxiously long, here are some more random bread facts I found:

1. Sliced bread was only invented in 1928 and was referred to as the best thing since bagged bread.
2. Feeding bread to ducks actually causes many health problems for them. – PLEASE DON’T FEED THE DUCKS BREAD 🦆❤️🙅🏻‍♀️🍞
3. Ben Hawkey, the actor in Game of Thrones who plays Hotpie, opened his own bakery and sells Direwolf shaped bread.
4. 1% of American’s have celiac disease, and approximately 6% that have gluten sensitivities. My heart goes out to them❤️
5. When the buttered bread is right side up and dropped from a table, there’s an ~80% it will fall butter side down. This is because an average slice of buttered bread falling will complete a full turn in approx. 8 feet.

All right, not that we’re sufficiently annoyed, I can end this post!

But for real- thanks for reading this post to the end – I appreciate everyone who follows this blog & I hope it brightens your day! 💜I also hope that all who love bread never stop! 🍞💕

“There is not a thing that is more positive than bread.” -Fyodor Dostoevsky

Myotendinous Junk-tion

Bad news, friends: I’m injured 😦

During long run last Sunday, I was experiencing SUPER tight calves and a bit of pain, but decided to run through it. And so I did, for 18 miles.

Big mistake. In hindsight, maybe stopping a few times to knead out a huge knot in my soleus was as a sign to stop the run. Maybe needing to hail an Uber rather than jog home from the trail that day was another sign.

I need to pay more attention to signs.

So, this week I have not run one step. I’ve scheduled a doctor’s appointment to image my tendon, and seen a PT, Jillian. As a marathon runner herself, Jillian totally gets it. She understands how freaking badly I just want to run.

Plus, she seems knowledgeable. Which is good, considering her profession. She assessed my tendon situation, deciphering the following clues like a regular Sherlock Holmes:

Clue #1: wear-marks on my shoes localized towards the soles & outside edge of my right foot. On the other hand (or should I say foot..?) Left marks spread evenly across the forefoot.

The scuffs on these are subtle because these shoes have about 200 miles on them, most of which was during the winter months of running on snow. Note the asymmetrical marks on the left and right foot:

Clue #2: dorsi-flexion of my right foot is 5 degrees less than my left.

Clue #3: While trying to maintain balance for a single right-leg squat, I shake and my foot rolls to balance on the outside.

Clue #4: I have very tight calves.

Conclusion: she thinks I under-pronate on one foot when I run. Also known as supination.

The way my foot strikes the ground repeatedly after hundreds of miles, takes a toll. It makes my inside leg muscles weak, and puts strain on my muscles and eventually my tendon over time. At the same time, having tight calves alone puts excess strain on my tendon.

She gave me a stretching regimen and suggested that we do a gait analysis on my next appointment on Monday; which will be my first run since last Sunday’s long run.

I’ve been committed to the stationary bike this whole week. It’s not as terrible as one would think. Since I’ve been watching PBS newshour while I pedal, I’m reminded that there are things in the world much worse than the stationary bike.

The bike is also pretty nice because I have free use of my hands! I can multitask. Specifically I can take REAL notes (well, digital notes, but these are better than mental notes in that I will actually remember them). I’ve been noting things to address and prep for my committee meeting.

If you’ve noticed the super cool countdown widget on this page, it is 5 days from now 🙃!

All but one member of committee has seen my seminar, and is familiar with my aims and project. Oh, coincidentally, that seminar was about the myotendinous junction. So HA. Life is weird.

The marathon is 15 days away. Let’s hope my efforts on the stationary bike pay off for both.