Post-Marathon Curry

These past couple of days after the marathon have left me with some sore legs.  Those of you who actually read this blog know that I had made an appointment with the sports medicine doctor, Jordan Metzl, for the week before NYC to have my butt issue checked out.  The morning of my scheduled appointment, I felt like there wasn't an issue anymore (it was, after all, about ten days since I had made the appointment).  There was also a part of me that was feeling just too lazy to go to the doctor's office, which is super inconveniently located on 72nd Street east of York (I didn't even know there was anything east of York!).  So I canceled the appointment.

That was a dumb move.  I spent the next week wondering if I had a stress fracture, and dreaming of all sorts of worst-case-scenario possibilities (e.g., having my hip snap in half around my 18 or ending up like this girl).  I was a bit of a nervous wreck the morning of the marathon, not knowing if my butt would, at any moment, seize up or be in utter debilitating pain.  Fortunately, although it did act up a bit around the last eight miles, I was able to finish the race without it affecting my stride.  However, in the days after the race, the dull pain in my butt has been persistent.  And, despite my best efforts, I can't seem to massage it out, or even identify where it's coming from.

So I called to make another appointment the day after the marathon.  The earliest they can fit me in is next Monday.  Until then, I wait, and take it easy.  I'm planning on going to tonight's fun run, but will probably just do four really slow, easy miles.

Last night, I invited some runners over to watch the broadcast of the marathon, which I had DVR'd.  I had heard of some dramatic events, such as the fall in the women's elite race, Paula Radcliffe's sudden stop after her disappointing 4th place finish, winner Deratu Tulu's unsuccessful attempt encourage Paula to stay with the front pack, and Meb Keflezighi's emotional finish; and I was really excited to see it all.

I had originally thought about ordering pizza, but at the last minute, decided to make a Japanese chicken curry instead.  I hope the guests weren't too disappointed.  Japanese style curry is one of the easiest things in the world to make, and it's also quite tasty.

Interestingly, the Japanese have historically viewed curry as a Western dish, as curry was introduced to Japan by the British in the late 1800s, when India was under British colonial rule.  It's characterized by its sweetness, and often grated apples are added for this purpose.  In addition to a protein (I usually use chicken thighs, but a fried pork cutlet curry [katsu kare] is also a popular choice), the basic vegetables are potatoes, carrots and onions.  This is not traditional, but sometimes I put in some dried cranberries for a little tarty surprise.

To make it, I just throw everything in a big pot and boil it, adding curry power and a roux at the end (with some seasonings like salt and sriracha).  You can also buy pre-made blocks of curry that have the thickener mixed in, but that's kind of cheating (though I do it sometimes too).  Yesterday's curry was a big success, although I may have put in a little too much sriracha, haha.  I paired it with a quick pickled napa cabbage.  Yum.