Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Decision.

To run or not to run....
That is the question these days.
I made a pact with myself that by today (two days before the race) I would either be running with no pain, or fore go the race.
Well, I went out for a 5 miler this morning. By mile 1.5, my knees were hurting so bad, that I was forced to powerwalk the rest of my "run."
After weeks of taking it easy (no runs), foam rolling, stretching and ultrasound treatments, my it band has healed itself enough for walking, but not for running.
My powerwalking pace isn't much slower than my run/walk pace. But, I've been training to run this marathon, not walk it. Totally different leg muscles would be used/needed that I haven't prepared them for. But, I do have lots and lots of miles logged in my training book.
So, could I complete the marathon at this point? Yes.
Would I be risking several other running/walking related injuries and a longer recovery time for my it bands? Definitely.
Is it worth being injured for several weeks (or months) and have to hobble around while chasing a very active toddler? No.
Is my running partner, Veronica, a wonderful friend who fully supports my decision not to race and is looking out for my best interest/health? YES!
Silver Lining: I haven't registered yet. So instead of spending the $100+ on the race registration, I'll use it to go shopping at the Race Expo.
Since I won't be inflicting more injury to my legs, I'll be able to participate in some upcoming, shorter races.
Thanks for every one's support and ideas/suggestions for injured it bands. But, in the end, it's like everyone said, they are painful when injured and take a LONG time to heal.
Oh well, there's always next year.....

Friday, February 20, 2009

Babes and Balloons

Today, we threw a Baby Shower for two moms in our Mom's Group. This is the second child for both moms, so not only are they OVER being preggers, but they have to constantly chase around a toddler, too. I'm thinking that waiting a little bit longer before starting on Hayman #2 isn't such a bad idea after all.....
The cake and presents were a bit hit, as always, but everyone loved the balloons! They were a bit hit with the three-and-younger crowd!




Real men ride zebras..... with pink and yellow balloons!

James, hard at work, wearing his newly crafted sun visor.


Monday, February 16, 2009

Weekend Highs and Lows

High: Going out Friday night with our friends Amy and Mark to celebrate her birthday.We went to these really trendy restaurant/bars along Howard Ave in SoHo and just enjoyed being a part of adult society for a while.
Low: The hangover that followed.

High: Getting two very cute, romantic cards and flowers from my hubby on VD.
Low: Telling him that I didn't get him anything.
High: Running the Sarasota 1/2 marathon sunday morning.
The sky was overcast and the weather was mild. The view running across the bridge and by the water was just breathtaking (either the view or running 13 miles!)
Low: Having MORE knee pain (it band issues) and having to walk after mile 9.
The reality hit me that I might not be able to complete the Gasparilla marathon in two weeks. My IT band issues are not getting better. I have two weeks of taper (runs with less mileage). But, after discussing my problems with a trainer at the gym and my Primary Care Physician (his background is in Sports Medicine), I'm going to refrain from anymore running and focus on healing/stretching/strengthening/icing my it band.
Cross your fingers that it works!

Here is a classical James moment from earlier today. I gave him a cookie after dinner and instead of drinking from his sippy cup, he decided to follow Abby's lead for a sip of water. Yes, I'm so proud....

"Slurp, slurp. Boy, this is some good water."
"So, come here often?"

Monday, February 9, 2009

19 Months Old Today!!!

Sorry for the late-day post, but I'm sharing a computer with my husband, Will, and he's taking more online courses to finish his degree. So, I guess his schoolwork has to come before blogging....

Anyway, our little sunshine turned 19 months old today! Even though he's entered into the "terrible two's" early it seems, he still lights up our life in a way that only he could!
I love being his mommy and sharing our life with him. I would say that he is learning a lot of new things, but mostly, it seems that I am learning more and more about him.
He doesn't have very many words yet, but he can communicate whenever, however he needs to. He can point to most of the major body parts (head, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, toes) and he can say the words, or a version of "outside, oatmeal, juice, shoes, bye-bye, Abby, Yes, No, Please, and Thank You". When he gets really excited about something he exclaims, "Oh Coooooollllllll!" When his favorite show comes on, Little Einsteins, he can do all of the motions to the intro song and gets very excited whenever I mention "a mission" or "rocket."
His new favorite songs, complete with motions are Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Row Row Row your Boat.

Classical music is still his favorite music to listen to, although he dances whenever I turn on "our" music on the radio. But, he dances whenever I run the vacuum cleaner, so go figure. We've started listening to NPR in the car during their Everything Classical series and he claps after pieces that he knows. Most recently, it was Barber of Seville by Rossini. I'm so proud of my little Renaissance Man.

And, he can still be quite the trouble-maker. This happened exactly 5 minutes before we had to walk out the door for school this morning. He got into the extra trash bags and decided to spread them out across his bedroom. He found it very delightful to toss the bags around in the air!

He still has his love of all things with wheels- trains, trucks, tractors, etc. His little legs are finally long enough to push himself around on this Thomas the Train toy that I bought him over a year ago. It's good to know that some things last!
Two good things that still last are his healthy appetite and his good sleeping habits. He doesn't sleep as long as he should while at preschool, but he still gets a solid 12 hours at night and at least 2 hours of napping a day on the weekends. Good boy!

I could keep writing about all the cute, new things he is doing around the house and how much we see him growing and learning each day. But, it's getting late and I don't want to bore you too much more!
Hope all is well out there in Bloggy Land!









Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A Day Off for Diarrhea

Sorry for the crudeness of the title, but that pretty much explains my day off today!
Yesterday, I got a call from James' preschool around noon telling me that he's had two blowouts that morning and that I should come get him. No fever, he's eating fine, playing fine, acting fine, but since they can't explain the explosive poo, I had to come get him. I left work (school) immediately and by the time I arrived at his school, he had had another blowout. Poor kid.
Never mind the fact that I had an interview for a new teaching position at 2:00 that afternoon and that Will is out of town! What great timing my little boy has!
Luckily, my friend Rebecca graciously offered to watch James for me. I dropped James off in time to make it to my interview (which went very well!) and James had a great time playing with Rebecca's son, Donovan. No more blowouts for the rest of the day.
So...
I'm thinking that sharing my grownup cereal (Total) with James wasn't such a good idea yesterday morning. I guess there is a reason you shouldn't let kids eat bran!
And, his school said that since he was sent home with diarrhea, he had to stay home for 24 hours. Hence, our day off today!
Here's my agenda:
-Drop the girls (our dogs, Abby and Misha) off at the groomers.
-Go by the bank to deposit check.
-Go to Publix for some odds and ends.
-Go to the gym for some cross-training.
-Bring James home for lunch and naptime.
-Vacuum and mop floors while James is napping.
-After naptime, drive out to Brandon to visit with a friend.
- Pick up the girls from the groomers!
-Get the guest room ready for my mom's arrival tomorrow!

Don't you just love days off?

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Post Run Fun

Saturday morning, I completed my 20-mile run. It was cold (low 40's) and windy, but sunny. What's worse than having IT band issues in one knee? Having IT band issues in BOTH knees. I don't know why or where this is coming from. I'm running in new shoes and we are running using the Galloway method, which gives your muscles recovery time during these long runs. But, I guess if you put enough mileage on your legs, they will start to yell at you eventually.
Part of my post-run ritual is laying on the floor and extending my legs up along a wall for about 15 minutes. This allows the lactic acid to drain out from your legs. It gets uncomfortable after about 10 minutes, but really works.
James has started joining me in my post-run leg lifts. He lays near me on the carpet and lifts his legs up like, "Okay mom. I guess this is what we do now." It was too cute to not grab the camera!

After my recovery drink and nice long shower, it was time for some outdoor play before naptime. I usually get home just as James is eating lunch on Saturday. Then, when he goes down for naptime, so do I. So do I. Uh-oh. Here comes trouble!