I want to thank everyone who has been reading and enjoying this blog. I had no idea anyone would think stories about shin splints, especially my shin splints, would be entertaining. I have had people (thanks Mom) tell me how much they like reading my blog and give me support in my running. I've almost convinced you all I'm a real athlete.
Even with all the support, I was starting to think you would not want to hear yet another story about my shin splints or penguins. So this is a story about something else, even if it is still mundane. That's my life, folks. You are the ones reading about it.
So here goes:
After the fiasco last week when I pulled my calf muscles, I decided to take a time out and start over fresh on Monday (I'm calling it a "do over"). I've waited a week and now I'm ready to run tomorrow. It will be a short run, and I might try to do it outside if the sun is up early enough.
It was really hard not to run for a few days. On the other hand, I did get a little more sleep. On Saturday morning, I decided to walk the dog (usually my husband's job) to stretch my calves. I was reminded of walking Abby in the mornings before work before the kids were born. It was a chance to get some exercise and enjoy the morning before heading to the office to sit at my desk all day and read emails. About ten minutes into the walk I looked at my watch: 7:15. My training group was starting their Saturday long run. It was a beautiful, cool, crisp morning. I had a vision of all the different pace groups starting out and my fellow penguins lingering, waiting and looking for me before heading out to bring up the rear of the pack. With the Garmin, I became a de facto leader, shouting out "1 mile!" when the Garmin chimed at me. When we first started our Saturday runs, there were cones at all the half mile markers but I would always miss a cone. Now that everyone should be doing longer runs, they have not put out the cones in a while. While we know where most of the miles kind of are, it's hard to follow your pace without knowing where each mile begins and ends. Having the Garmin makes you the popular kid.
My friends would have to get along without me this week, however. I continued on my leisurely walk. Abby's initial burst of pull-my-arm-out-of-my-socket energy subsided into the stop-and-sniff-every-two-minutes pace. We had a very pleasant walk and I was able to appreciate having the time to relax and enjoy the morning without worrying about whether I was going too fast or whether I was sufficiently hydrated. I even brought a cup of coffee in a travel mug with me on the walk.
After my husband's short run (I was NOT going to be jealous) we decided to pack up the kids and go to the zoo. We have a membership at the zoo and visit all the time. The Columbus Zoo is a great place to visit, and not only because of Jack Hanna. They continue to improve the habitats at the zoo and educate people about animals and conservation. Both my boys just love it. We packed a picnic lunch and my five year old had the obligatory Super Pretzel. They played at the playground and we rode the carousel. All in all a great day.
And the perfect end to the day was receiving Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the mail. I have every Harry Potter book and I was not going to miss out on this one. I was up pretty late last night to start to read it but I haven't gotten very far. I'm afraid that once I start running again I will be so tired at night I will either get to read only one page before falling asleep, or I will still not be able to put the book down and will get even less sleep.
Either way I had better add some money to my coffee card this week.
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