Between Light Pole 4 and 5

Hi there! Yeah, it's me again. I know it's been a while. You may want to get a cup of coffee or some hit tea and get comfortable. I think we will be here for a little while.

Aaaahhhh! Nice and comfy? Good. So let me bring you up to date since last we chatted. It's been some time. Like a WEEK! You know right before my big bir...birth...you know that event when my mother had me all cute and pink and little. No. I did not lose it over turning...26 again. But the rest of my family sure made it challenging.

On my actual birthday, last Thursday, I had to take my littlest to the doctor...again. So after a wonderful a.m. 6.5 loop - which is how every runner should celebrate their birthday!!! I took littlest to the doctor where we are asked to wait outside. Outside. Yep. Oh riddity-then. So we are waiting...and waiting...remember outside,...waiting. Entertaining a sick 15 month-old little guy there. Hurry up, I am thinking. Finally, they call us in.


After weighing and measuring to make sure we are not losing weight again, the doctor gives littlest the once over. Quick. Dr. acts a bit nervous about touching littlest. Dr washes his hands for quite a while even though he had on gloves. Huh??? "So, doc? Do we have the flu?" I ask. "Well, we aren't testing for the flu any more."

BLINK BLINK


"excuse me." I said even though I heard him perfectly clearly the first time.



"well, if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck. As they say, it's a duck." He tells me.



"ummm huh." is about the sound that I made to that.



"All you can really do is manage his temperature, keep him hydrated and wait it out." the dr instructs me.



"Oh. Not trip to the hospital. What about daycare? What about other kids?" I ask



"Well, has he been at the sitter this week?"



"yes." I tell him.



"Then they have already been exposed." so ends the dr.

yeah. You may recall the trips to the hospital on our previous illness with littlest. The overt concern due to his small size. I guess I should have been relieved that there wasn't going to be more to endue....little did I know.

The remainder of the day was fulled with updating the sitter, making sure littlest would be comfortable and tackling work until 5.


I picked up littlest and middle sister then headed home for round 2 of my birthday running courtesy of my oldest idea a the BEST birthday gift EVER!!! I know it may seem bad to double run when littlest just went to the doctor and then to the sitter but in my defense, littlest napped the entire time I was running and didn't even know I was gone. I ran another wonderful round of my favorite 6.5 loop in the dark. It was GREAT!

Friday - November 13th. Gee...and I didn't see this coming, huh??? The night went like most of my nights. Littlest is up and down one or two times. Normal. I get middle daughter off to school and go for a run. Normal.


That's where is got me. Friday the 13th was so normal. I took littlest to the sitter. He is still medicated to keep his fever down and napping a lot but otherwise doing okay. I go to work. Normal. I run again...yeah another double...after work. Normal. And then Saturday.

Hubbs is to be home Saturday. I am so excited. I have planned my 1/2 for Sunday to catch the best weather and have my niece available for bike support. The weekend is looking great! I go out for a run Saturday morning while littlest is napping and my oldest is in charge. I am eager to soak up some of the amazing weather but my legs feel like lead. Odd. I wanted to do my 9+ loop since I haven't been able to run it in a looong while but I realize that I just don't have it in me. I think maybe it's better to save it for the 1/2 on Sunday. "Ok.", I think. I just do old favorite 6.5 loop and go back to the house. I shower. Wow. I think that run really took it out of me.


The day progresses. Hubbs gets home. I make lunch. Play with kids. Tend to littlest. Wipe his nose. Change his diaper. Wipe his nose. Repeat.


Since we were celebrating my birthday, hubbs and I were going out on a date. WITH OUT THE CHILDREN!!! It is nearly unprecedented. We are excited to go to a new restaurant in the area. We go out to eat at 6:45 late enough to allow the eldest to go on an early dinner date myself with a friend.


Our dinner goes great. I over eat. Of course. It is yummy. We have a great time. We even go for a short walk after we eat before heading home and that is where it happened.

Somewhere between the fourth and the fifth pole light the flu found me! I didn't even know it had been looking for me. But there it was.

The rest of my weekend and my "I never take a day off sick until my hubbs forced me to" Monday were spent between the bathroom and my bed. Trying to help take care of littlest while trying to sleep away the flu.

I wish I had something more exciting to explain my absence. A good alien abduction, maybe. Or I had won the lottery and ran off to Dubai!! But all I really have is a big pile of tissues and an empty box a cough drops.

I loved reading all those great race reports while trying to recover. More uplifting tales of running in rural PA coming soon. I'm glad to be back!