December 31, 2011

The Last Sunrise of 2011

I saw the last sunrise of 2011.

This is a good omen to me.  I bore witness to the last new day of the year that I am thrilled to say, is over.

I drove to the trailhead to meet the gang for the usual Saturday Morning Run.  I arrived, parked the car, and decided not to run.  Simple as that.  I didn’t have it in me to battle 40 mph winds and brave the cold.  After saying a quick hello and goodbye I headed back home, just in time to see the sunrise.  I pulled over and snapped a few pictures, glad that I was warm in my car and headed into the arms of a hot cup of coffee.

the last sunrise of 2011

Now, it’s 10:00 on New Year’s Eve and all is quiet. Okay I lied. Just heard a cough from my son’s room. And a little moan. But other than that, there is a whole lotta quiet around here.

Both kids are sick with the flu and my dog is having a little holiday over at the Emergency Vet Hospital this weekend. I’m sipping tea to combat the tickle in my throat and the slight pressure in my ears.

Tonight we talked a little about setting goals for the New Year, and we made a few notes as we sat down to watch an episode of Glee and sip chicken soup. One of my goals is to take my kids on some serious, kick-ass vacations. I spent a good part of my day calendaring workshops that I’ll be teaching this year, and figuring out where my breaks would fall. This year, I’m committed to taking my kids on more than 3-day camping trips. This year, we’re going to get out and see something of the world.

This year, I’m also committing to taking care of myself. This means getting a massage when my muscles are screaming, or making time to get to a yoga class when my brain and body have disconnected and I desperately need to reattach myself. It means making time to pop in on friends and have a cup of coffee. It means making my life simpler so I don’t have to move so fast. Mostly, it means slowing down.

Over the year just about everyone that knows me well has commented on how fast I make things happen. Apparently I am a master at changing things up and resetting the track that I’m on.

This year, I don’t want to speed things up. I don’t want to go faster, run harder, or squeeze more activity into my world. My world is really full as it is. What I would really like is to slow things down. I want to be more present for my kids. I think I can do this when I have my work and financial situation more secured. Therefore I’m going to spend the time necessary on those pieces, so that I can get them into place and then focus more fully on the people that I would give my life for.

So that’s it. My New Year’s Resolutions are pretty simple, actually. Keep going forward, slow down, work hard, play hard, and love fiercely.

That’s all I got. I won’t be ringing in the New Year at midnight. With any luck I’ll be asleep and won’t get woken up to the sound of someone coughing or puking.

Sleep tight, ya’ll. Happy New Year. See you on the other side.

Filed Under: Seasons, Sick or Injured, Winter 2011 Tagged: , ,
July 19, 2010

Welcome home, have some flu

The road trip is officially over; I’ve been home since Thursday.  I ran my easy 4.5 mile loop on Friday and met the ladies for our Saturday morning run the next day at Chautauqua, but noticed how pooped I was.  I didn’t even make it to the Radio Tower at the end of the trail on Saturday because of a general sense of fatigue.  I couldn’t figure it out, but chalked it all up to “Road Trip” and decided that a few hours of yoga would put all my aches to right again.

Fast forward to Monday morning, and perspective has changed.  It turns out I had a mild flu bug.  I napped on Saturday and slept most of Sunday, interspersed with guzzling water and Tylenol for the body aches.  My temperature spiked a few times, but returned to normal within a few hours.

It’s times like these that I give thanks for the strength of my body.  I can’t run today, and could barely walk yesterday due to the stiffness.  I slept in spurts last night, moaning when I had to turn my head because of the soreness in my neck.  This wasn’t health in any sense of the word, but I realize that many people live with this sort of pain, and worse, every day of their lives.  I am truly thankful for the relative health of my body and the fact that it can get up most days and put in a solid day of activity according to my whim.

No running for this girl, at least for another day or so.  Since it’s quiet at the moment, the kids are at camp and I’m parked on the couch, here are a few memorable pics from the road trip.

Arrowhead! Found this in the field just below the house. Indians have been in this valley for thousands of years; this one is about 5,000 yrs old.

Saturday morning run on the farm. The woods are dense in West Virgina, and the sun was struggling to penetrate the leaves.

Love the ferns!

The speed limit sign is a piece of humor, as it's parked on a 4-wheel trail on the farm. I thought it was funny to see the outhouse behind the sign; a little "then-and-now" collage.

The massive tree outside Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house). We visited on the hottest day of the year in 98% humidity.

We visited Seneca Caverns, truly worth seeing!

The kids and I rode the Old Greenbriar Trail, a "rails to trail" that follows the Greenbriar River. When we got hot, we just put down the bikes and waded into the water.

Filed Under: Summer 2010 Tagged: ,
October 1, 2009

How soon can I run after the flu?

This has been a very popular post, so I’m adding a little info as well as a link that many people will relate to.  This is from the “Training Payne” blog, posted on November 1, 2009.  He’s come down with the flu and is only 12 days out from the Clearwater Half-Ironman Championship Race.  Frustrating, but true.  Again, the formula is to rest, NOT try to train through the pain, and ride it out. 

That pesky Swine flu is hitting hard in a lot of cities. The big question for runners is “how soon can I run after the flu?” Runners are notoriously impatient when it comes to illness, but this is a good time to listen to the messages your body is sending.

The Swine flue, aka H1N1, is a mild form of the flu for people who are relatively healthy. That being said, only YOU will know if your equilibrium is back to where it’s supposed to be. Is it hard to get out of bed and walk down the stairs? Then you probably shouldn’t try to get that interval workout in today. Are you still dizzy? Then stay home. You’re not doing yourself any favors by running.

Once you’re on the mend, how fast should you try to get back to your physical peak? Do you have a race coming up in a few weeks? Were you on a good training schedule before you got side-tracked? If you’ve been down for a few days and are not dizzy or nauseous, and your muscles are doing what you tell them, then go ahead and experiment with your training schedule. Instead of going long and doing a ten-miler, try a six-miler and see how that feels. If you’re feeling pretty good afterwards, then you can probably resume your training. If you need to take a three-hour nap and skip your kids’ soccer game, then you should to hang out on the sofa for another 36 hours before you try again.

As always, listen to your body. The flu is hitting people in various ways and only YOU will know how bad you got it. Case in point: I got the H1N1 flu (swine flu) about six weeks ago, and then got secondary infections that turned into bronchitis and a sinus infection. The secondary infections hit me harder than the flu did and took a lot longer to kick. It took me two weeks of running before I felt “normal”, and another two weeks before I was back to my usual pace and run intensities. I was glad I didn’t have a race scheduled because it would have been a token performance rather than an enjoyable experience.

Drink lots, sleep lots, and wash your hands, and listen to your body.

Cheers!
Lara

Filed Under: Sick or Injured Tagged: , ,
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