Remember in 40-Year-Old Virgin when they go speed dating and he meets that lesbian woman named Gina, and she tells him how she’s looking to get back on the pogo stick? I have no idea why, but that’s the reference I’ve come up with to describe my return to running because it’s not a certainty. I’m just looking to get back into running …

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I love that movie so we’re going with it. I’m running again! Just not very well, far or fast.

Before my run yesterday I had a tremendous craving for fried okra. Holy crap. I almost just wrote, “It’s like I was born to be a Southerner,” but then I realized, I am from the South! Growing up in the military I sometimes forget I was born and raised for a solid seven years in the Sunshine state. I don’t remember a ton of stuff from my Florida days, but I do remember eating hot oatmeal on my porch one day, sweating, and thinking, “This sucks. It’s too hot outside to eat oatmeal, and I don’t even like oatmeal very much anyway.”

What the F kind of memory is that? I always wonder why that is one of my most prominent Floridian memories. Anyway, so I had some okra in the fridge.

I chopped it and mixed it up with polenta, a tiny bit of whole wheat flour, salt, pepper and a dash of garlic powder. Fried it in a little olive oil for about  five minutes, and there you have it. Pre-run fuel. Although I’m not sure this really counts as fuel. Whatever.

Why is okra so good?

This is one of the shirts I got from my failed 10K race through London.

I took it easy on my run. This is the second one this week, and my physical therapist told me to stop running if I felt any irritation at all in my knee. So I ran slowly, took walking breaks and made sure to stretch. I never have a tough time stopping when I’m around my favorite lake.

I also made sure to do most of my running on dirt paths or grass, rather than concrete. At about the 2 mile mark I started feeling a bit sore in my knee so I walked home for a total of 3 miles.

Back at home I iced my knee and stretched, and then it was totally fine that evening and today no pain at all, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to run at least part of my race next month.

Only three weeks until I’m back in the US!