Mother Racer

Saturday: Well I went out for a little over 9 miles. Throughout that time I had so many different thoughts going through my head. Here are just a few, “I can totally run Boston; Oh crap, no way for Boston; I don’t know if I would even be able to run 26.2 miles at this point, I’m too tired; Oh, that hurts”… It was like that the entire run.  

 Once again, I was unable to go faster and push off on my calf, so I just stayed at that time range. I still have not decided at this point if I’m going out or not. At home, I hurried and got ready, helped get the kids ready and then I headed off to a track meet while Corom took the girls to a church activity (a little fair). At the track meet the kids ran well! The girls took 1st overall and the boys took 2nd (out of 11 schools).  

 I stayed until the last possible minute and made up my mind to go to Boston. My calf is sore from all the work done to it and sore from the injury, but I hate to be out money and be depressed the entire weekend. 🙂 I went straight to the church to meet up with Corom and the girls (to help round them up)…  

 I hurried and finished packing, then off we went. I was so happy to meet up with others that are going to Boston! (They didn’t know I took their picture)…  

 But people who know me, know that I hate flying and flying alone is even worse. I did tell them that I was going to tag along to our next connecting flight. 🙂 2 flights later and I arrived to my Boston destination.  

 I flew with Southwest and it was great! That flight attendant was amazing. He had us laughing throughout the flight … And of course, you know we are getting on a flight with a bunch of runners when you see a good chunk stretching while waiting to board. I got in around midnight and went straight to bed. (The other 4 in my hotel room were already asleep.) 

Sunday: After a big (free) breakfast at the hotel and hanging out for a little while this morning…  

 Some went to the Red Sox game, some went touring and I went to enjoy the festivities of the expo. I met a lot of people (it’s amazing when you are walking around by yourself, how more aware you are of people around you… I was definitely out of my comfort zone but was able to meet a lot of people because of it).  

 At 1 p.m. I met up with Amber Green (and a few others from Utah… Scott Keete, Fritz and Katie) for a Elite Racers meeting. I am so bummed about my calf because just being there was way exciting!!! I had Men and Shalene Flanagan dying to take a picture with me. 😉  

 (That truly was amazing meeting both of them!!!)  Amber and Katie below were so fun to hang out with. Amber is going to try to OTQ tomorrow! She really is amazing! 

 It was fun to walk around the streets by the finish line and to take in the whole Boston feel. I’m glad I came out but a little nervous to see what tomorrow brings. Many Utah runners met at the finish line at 5 p.m. for a group picture. It was so fun meeting up with many of them!  

 We walked around more, went to go get our free pasta dinner but realized it was an hour to 1 1/2 wait, so we went to a cafe.  

 It was great! We headed back on the T (train)…  

 Back to the hotel and got ready for bed. Some man saw my number and asked if he could take a picture with me. I had to laugh because I am nothing compared to these other runners! 🙂  

 It’s going to be an early morning. Back at home the: my oldest threw up a couple of times. I’m so sad I am not there for her. Corom said things are going well (I guess as they can be… Hopefully no one else gets sick). Other than that, they are having a good time!   

Thursday: I went out for my 1st run since last Tuesday. I was actually really nervous to go out and test out my calf/Achilles. I was able to run 6 miles. It was bitter-sweet!!! It was great being out here again but I felt very sluggish, heavy and I felt like I lost “rhythm”… If that makes sense.  My calf was way sore still… I don’t know why I was expecting anything different. I did stay at a slower pace… A couple of times I did try to pick up pace but my calf would flair up (so I ran flat footed pretty much the entire run- even up hill). But it felt great to run! Now could I hold it for 20 more miles. I still have not decided if I should run or not run Boston!!!  

 All I have to say is that I am so glad my days are so busy!!! I am trying to hold it together with my issues of not running and possibly not running Boston and technically I should be on my 2nd week of my 10 week training plan for Grandmas marathon in June. But with my days being full… I don’t have time to sit and think and to dwell on it. When I did get home from running we all helped my youngest do a boxcar for her preschool class. So cute! (Granted, she brought the car that was least worked on by her parents, but I like it that way because the kids had fun working on it.)  

Corom and his friends (Mike and Jason) have been working on the van Corom bought awhile ago (with our bus). They finally got it up and running. They talked me into taking it for a drive… I could not stop laughing with the awesome driver’s seat!!  

 I will have to admit… It was nice being able to rock back and forth every time I stopped the car. 🙂 I did head off to another doctors appointment (one last appointment) with Dr. Brady (Provo Sports & Family Chiropractic). He did acupuncture, a laser treatment, put heat on it, put some herbal treatment on and wrapped my calf up. 

 We had a good and not so good chat afterwards. I asked him what I should do… Hop on a plane in 2 days or not. I wanted a direct answer. He answered in a round about way… He did say it is very risky running a marathon on Monday. Even if I were to take it “easy”… There is nothing easy about running 26.2 miles. I could (obviously) do more damage and have to spend more days in recovery. But I could be ok come Monday. So he said he would hate to tell me to be cautious and careful and come Monday, I would be feeling ok. That doesn’t help… Except when he said, “if you are focusing now on the race in June, this should be a no brainer and a nothing race.” But it’s Boston!!! And I paid for it and flight tickets… What to do. He did say not run on it at all tomorrow (or any form of exercise), so now I will wait until Saturday morning to decide. Yep… It is cutting it close!!! I did hurry off to track practice… Corom was also going to help coach 2 kids (that made it in the Decathlon meet) with the pole vaulting. Our district does not have pole vaulting, so it was fun watching Corom help these kids out… Using a broken javelin and a high jump bar. 🙂  

 They did well… Now we will see how they do with an actual pole vault and pit. Right after the HS track, the city youth track program started. We have about 50 kids that have signed up. I head up the program and the HS team (and other coaches) help with the practices. It really is a lot of fun!  

 My kids were pretty tired when we got home… By 7:30, they were all sleeping. 

Friday: I didn’t get up early to exercise but I did get up early because that’s what our kids do. So by 6:30 3 out of the 4 girls (and my 3 year old neice who we have until Saturday) were all dressed and ready to go. That’s a good thing and a bad thing! Yes they are ready but there is also a lot of time before school starts to make major messes, eat at least 2 breakfasts, etc. 🙂 I watched my friend’s kids today, along with my neice. We walked with the kindergarten class to the nearby park… There we had a picnic, fed the ducks and played on the playground. The kids had a great time!  

 The rest of the afternoon, I cleaned and packed (just in case I go to Boston) while all the kids played (mine and the ones I’m watching). I had 2 babysitters come after school to watch all the kids while I went to a track meet. The kids ran well… Today was the 1st day of a 2 day meet.  

 Later on, we (my family, the Rudds and the Petersons) took the bus and drove to our local grocery store for icecream.  

 Good times! Now time to get ready for bed and get everything ready for tomorrow! 

Monday: I was able to ride on the bike for 1:30 minutes today. It felt good but still not the same as running! But I am trying to stay positive and keep up the training. Camille and Stephanie came over for a bit to hang out. It’s always nice to have them come over! At track today, the kids went on a easy 6 mile run and finished with 5 strides (we have a meet tomorrow). My kids had a good time at practice…  

 I did take one of our puppies to the vet today… It is not doing to well.  

 Corom stayed up a good chunk of the night trying to help the pup. It ended up not making it. 😦 This whole puppy thing is so hard… But it has been fun to feed them and care for them. 

Tuesday: I rode on the bike for another 1:31 minutes. I then hopped on the elliptical for 15 min. Gosh I sure hope my dang calf will heal by Friday!!! I’m giving myself until Friday to decide if I fly out to Boston. At school today my youngest was in the “spotlight” for her birthday. She was so excited!!!  

 I went to Josie again to go get my calf scraped again. It hurt so bad but felt good when she was done.  

 I just hope it will do the job for this weekend!!! We had a track meet today… The kids did well. It was extremely windy and cold! The other coaches and I tried to stay warm throughout the meet. 🙂  

 And then of course… There’s the puppies. 🙂 so cute!  

 Nicole, Amy and I watched a movie at Nicole’s house, while our husbands were at our house fixing our car. It was nice to sit and veg and just to stay up late! 

Wednesday: I hopped on the bike and rode for 60 min. This is getting old! Tomorrow I will try to go for a run to see how it feels. After getting the 3 older girls off to school, my youngest and I picked up my 2 year old neice. We are watching her for the rest of the week. My girls are excited. The 3 of us (and Barbara and Sarah) went to the Beehive home (old folks center) to visit and to do a little lesson. The girls were really good! 

 I went to my mailbox to grab my mail… All I have to say is poor mail lady because I have 4 Dennis the Menaces!!!  

 The girls found a dead snake before school and apparently put it in the mailbox. Gosh… I will have to wait for the mail lady tomorrow to apologize! I will admit… It is kind of funny! For track it let the distance kids go on a 55-60 min adventure run. A group of the kids came back all muddy but they loved it!  

 I went out with Barbara, Megan and Amber to do RS visits around to the neighbors… We had a good time tonight. It was fun to run into a few neighbor girls walking there pig. 🙂  

 It was a nice night… Corom worked late tonight, the girls went to bed really well and I hung out and watched TV. 🙂 

Saturday: I got up early enough to go to the gym to ride the bike (for 1:16) & use the elliptical (10 min). I would have stayed on it longer than 10 min if it weren’t my youngest daughter’s 5th bday! We got the puppies situated and Corom, the girls, Foriegn exchange student and I headed for a little picnic, playground fun, tractor ride, animal fun, & walk around Wheeler Park.  

 We came home to our neighbors across the street, son, building a swing set in our backyard. All of their kids are older (so it’s an older swing set but it’s awesome) and they were going to get rid of it anyway. He asked us in the fall if we wanted it… Well today he brought it. What perfect timing!!! Happy birthday! 🙂 Of course we totally used it as a gift but we had to say it was for all the girls. We also came home to our puppies looking a little scrawny and weak (a few weaker than the others) :(. We decided to bottle feed a couple of the weakest ones. That seemed to help out. We went to our 92 year old neighbors house (it’s her bday, too)…  

 Later We had brownies and icecream and then the whole presents thing.

 There was a lot of crying today from my youngest but I blame that on Corom! He kept telling her all morning that it was her day and she can do what she wants. Not good with our youngest!! She definitely does not understand Corom’s sarcasm! After the girls went to bed, We (the Fullmers and Corom & I) went to a late movie to see McFarland. It was so good! It was nice getting out. 

Sunday: We woke up to a couple of the puppies dead. 😦 They all seem scrawny. We are making sure that they are latching on to mom (Kitty). So many people say that it’s normal for a big litter like that for a couple to not make it. We headed off to church (Corom came home to make sure the puppies were nursing and he bottle fed 1 of them). Our friends the Halls came over for dinner and to help us with the pups. She looked over Kitty and realized that she is not providing any milk (well a very low supply). Pretty much the pups are starving. I ran to the store (well I wish I could run… Drove to the store) and picked up bottles & puppy milk. We spent the rest of our evening nourishing the puppies back to their normal weight. 😦 These poor little dogs! It was amazing how much 1 bottle made… They immediately changed and acted like normal puppies! So now our adventure begins! The girls didn’t mind because they just played all afternoon (on their new swing set). 🙂 

Wednesday: Well after the work done on my calf and Achilles… I decided not to run. ugh!!! I sent the distance runners off on their run (which was freezing today) and I headed over to the gym to ride 45 minutes on the bike and then to do 10 minutes on the eliptical. I went straight to the chiropractor for more laser treatment, adjustment, scraping and K2 tape.  

 Due to the coldness outside, we decided to make it a craft day. We went to the $1 store and then to Joanns to buy little crafts. We painted, colored, used glitter and glue, etc. It was a nice afternoon.  

   The girls had a story night/slumber party in the Foriegn exchange students room. 🙂 

Thursday: I decided to go for a 2 mile run this morning and then I was going to hop on the bike. Well a mile and a half into my run, I felt something pop in my lower calf, with a pain that shot up my leg. I had to call Corom to pick me up. I felt bad for Corom! He didn’t know what to say to me or do with me when I got in the car… I just started to cry. I had to go to track practice soon after so I pulled myself together and headed over to the HS. I am so grateful for the other coaches and for one of our team captains. She, too, is injured and volunteered to help time for the speed workout today so I could go to the gym and ride the bike. I think that saved me this morning!!! After riding for 1:03 minutes, I felt a lot better! My sister and her 4 kids came over to hang out for the day.  

 The kids played around the pond, caught snakes, tadpoles & little fish. They were loving it. We took them to the discounted movie theatre to see Paddington. Cute movie.  

 I received a text from Tyler Shepard (from Endurance Athletics, the running store) asking if I were ok. I come to find out that he saw me walking home this morning. I explained what had happened… He shows up with this stuff…  

 Tyler and his wife Kelly, are 2 of the most amazing people I know. They are so giving to everyone. I didn’t know what to say but I am so appreciative! I also had the team captain (Amber) stop by with some goodies and a nice, uplifting letter. (The things I have learned from the HS kids… Amazing!) I guess I was a little off today. Right at dinner time, Kitty (our English Mastiff), went into labor. It was exciting, exhausting, long and a neat experience.  

 She had her 1st puppy at 5:15 p.m.ish and the last one at 9:30 a.m.ish the next morning. Our neighbors the Hall’s came over to help. And then Mike (our good friend & pediatrician) came after he got off work. It was nice having help… One was breeched, so Corom had to go “in” and help pull it out. Mike suctioned the stuff out of the mouth and nose to get it to breathe. She had 10 puppies with 1 not making it. So 9 puppies. I was tired, so I can only imagine how Kitty was feeling! They are cute little buggers! 

Friday: I did go to the gym this morning (in between puppy delivering) for a 60 minute ride. Nothing like running but at least it’s something! I took our Foriegn exchange student to the store (with all the girls), and then we went to Costa Vida. I ran into the regional manager, which is a running friend of mine. He hooked us up with our lunch. 🙂 It was a nice visit with him (when I didn’t have to turn and yell at my girls to take a seat :)). It’s also my youngest’s birthday tomorrow so they brought a cake out for her…. It was gone in 20 seconds the way my girls devoured it.  

 I went to a doctor’s appointment today to have my calf/Achilles checked out…  

 They did an ultra sound on my leg to see if there was a tear… No tearing which is a great sign but there are some vessels ruptured and a little bit of a pull. He is putting me on a medication to help it heal. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday I can start running. We shall see! At home, the foreign exchange student wanted to make dinner for us (which was so good)…  

 Corom and the girls were across the street at the neighbor’s house/pond. The girls lost their minow trap so Corom went in looking for it. The girls cleaned the garage for them to show them they were sorry. And they used their Easter egg hunt $ to buy a new one. They gave them a new one and Corom found their old one at the bottom of their pond. 🙂  

 The rest of the night, I held the puppies and then Corom and I watched a movie.