Hello, friends. Sorry for the radio silence last Friday.
After getting home from a business trip late Thursday evening, there wasn’t enough caffeine in Northeast Tennessee to get me through a blog post.
I think the emotions and fatigue from the marathon finally caught up with me. I was passed out from exhaustion about three seconds after the girls were in bed.
A Whirlwind Week
After getting home from Richmond on Sunday afternoon, I lounged on the couch and watched football.
Right…
No, I watched helplessly as my beautiful daughters – who’d spent the last five hours in the car and had a megaton of energy – pulled out every toy, book, and puzzle and turned our living room into a disaster area.
I also started the first of 17 loads of laundry and tried to get things ready for my trip, all while navigating the stairs in the spectactular side-stepping fashion required after running 26.2 miles.
Monday was a total blur as I desperately tried to dig out from an avalanche of work email, while simultaneously getting ready to leave town.
Preparing for Potential Pandemonium
Before children, getting ready for a trip was easy. Pull out the suitcase, carefully select my favorite business attire, and, voila, ready to go.
With two kiddos under five, this is infinitely harder. Before I even think about myself, I have to get everything ready the girls might need while I’m gone.
Do they need anything for preschool? Is there enough clean laundry to survive potential accidents of the potty, craft, or meal variety? Are there yummy snacks to keep them occupied without launching them on an epic sugar high?
At least I don’t have to worry about prepping breastmilk anymore. That’s enough to launch the Mother of All Meltdowns!
Dressing for Success
And selecting my business attire is no longer a matter of style. It’s a matter of finding clean, work-appropriate clothes that don’t have telltale stains around the collar or chest from my teething, drooling, dripping, vomiting, or crying (sometimes all at once) offspring.
Somehow I managed to pull together a few semi-decent outfits. And shoes. Of the non-running variety. Which I avoided wearing unless absolutely necessary.
More on that in a minute.
Re-joining the Human Race
Tuesday morning I dropped the girls off and hit the road for Charlotte, NC to take a professional development class and visit customers.
I hadn’t been on a business trip since February. I was going a little stir crazy in my home office and was pumped to interact with someone other than the FedEx man.
I might have surprised the course instructor when I tackled him for a bear hug.
Kidding.
The thought only crossed my mind a dozen times. I’m a professional after all.
But I practically launched myself into Ashley and Lisa’s arms (AKA The Dose Girls!!) when I met them for lunch on Wednesday. They were sweet enough to drive into town and meet me during my course break.
This was my first blogger meet-up, and it did not disappoint. Ashley and Lisa are even more awesome in person! I just wish we’d had more time to hang out.
Rockin’ the Reverse Taper
I was so busy last week I barely had time to dwell on the fact I hadn’t run a single step since crossing the finish line at Richmond.
I was going to take it easy anyway, but the business trip was a convenient excuse to stay off my feet.
Plus, I’m still nursing a major marathon-inflicted boo-boo.
I didn’t include the details in last week’s recap, but I tore my heel up something fierce.
A few minutes into the race, I felt my right heel rubbing. I figured it was just because my socks were wet, and I didn’t give it a second thought because the pain quickly subsided. Or maybe I just ignored it in my panic at being at the back of the race.
Fast forward three and half hours. After crossing the finish line, I looked down to see my right heel and the back of my shoe covered in blood.
Apparently my wet sock and shoe had extracted a sizable chunk of my heel.
Last week, I had to cover it with Bean’s princess band-aids so I could wear my work shoes. The rest of the time I wore flip flops, which became increasingly problematic as the temps plummeted!
The cut is already much better, but I’m hesitant to run until it’s fully healed. It hurts when I go up and down stairs, and I don’t want to re-open it.
So, over the last week, I’ve been to the pool twice to swim laps. Otherwise, pretty much nothing. Nada.
With Age Comes Wisdom, or At Least Denial
A few years ago, this lack of activity would have driven me absolutely insane. I would have worried about loss of fitness. I would have been itching to lace up my shoes.
But, you know what? I’m totally ok with it.
My legs aren’t sore anymore, but my muscles are still tired. And so is the rest of this mama.
When my girls actually slept past 7:00 on Saturday, I rolled over and snuggled deeper under the covers. It was heavenly!
I hope my chill demeanor is not only a sign of maturity but also proof I gave the marathon everything I had.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m looking forward to setting new running goals after the holidays.
And fingers crossed my heel is better later this week so I can offset the copious amounts of turkey and dessert with some quality trail runs.
But, for now, I’m enjoying the extra cuddle & giggle time with my girls. Besides, I hear laughter burns a boatload of calories.
Pass the pecan pie!
Coca-Cola Photo By: DeusXFlorida
Do you indulge in downtime after a big race or event? What are your holiday plans? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving treat, savory or sweet?
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