Especially when you have three kids, it is spring break and you are planning a road trip and the night before you leave one of your kids comes down with a 103 degree fever and feels absolutely miserable.
That is what happened to us yesterday.
My buddy Will is so sick. He has the flu. And yes, we were all vaccinated back in the fall … so much for that. And I just want to vent a little about that. My son has a LOT of life threatening food allergies, one of them is to eggs. His egg allergy is so bad that he should not be in a room where eggs are being fried – he could potentially go into anaphylactic shock from that. Since we have already had two ambulance trips due to anaphylaxis in his short little life (he is only 5 1/2), we are extremely careful about this. The flu vaccine is grown in eggs, so we have to have him tested for it every year before he gets the shot, to make sure that it won’t cause an allergic reaction. It would just be nice if the shot would work! I know that this is nobody’s fault, I just need to vent and get that off my chest! (Oh, and for those of you wondering why we don’t give him the nasal mist vaccination, it’s because he has asthma and therefor he cannot have that. Grrr).
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| actually, not so much |
We were supposed to drive to Charlotte, NC to visit my oldest sister and her family for the week, but there’s just no question about it. We can’t go.
Needless to say, our spring break isn’t exactly going as planned. It wasn’t easy for any of us to accept at first. But Abby and Robert made a list of some fun things we can do at home over our break (paint your own pottery, go to the playground, head to the zoo, etc), once Will is feeling better. I really hope he feels better. Poor guy.
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| in the doctor’s office, asleep |
I’m trying to keep everyone’s spirits up, including my own. I’m trying to find the bright side. At least now I do not have to drive 7+ hours alone in the car with three kids (each way). At least we will not be spending gazillions of dollars on the gas it would take to make that trip. At least now, when my buddy is not feeling well, he is cuddly and sweet and he slows down to spend time with his mommy. At least now I can maybe catch up on some of the work I am behind on, and that will feel good. And I will be able to get my runs done early in the mornings with my buddies, rather than alone in Charlotte. Gotta find the bright side. There are lots of reasons not to let this get me down. I have to focus on those!
This morning I did my first tempo run since the marathon two weeks ago. Chris came with me and we ran with our head lamps on along the misty trail. The wind was quite strong – not what either of us were expecting. But we rolled with it and did our best. It’s so nice to have someone to share those miles with. I am so grateful.
We ran the first mile easy and then ran our next three at tempo pace. I’m trying to target somewhere between 7:00-7:15 pace for my tempos this spring. I want to get faster at shorter distances – the 5k, 10 mile and half marathon. Our tempo miles were clocked in at 7:00, 7:11 and 7:16. Not bad, especially considering the wind we were fighting for the second half. But I’m telling you, it was HARD work. I don’t love the feeling of my lungs burning, my muscles tensing, my throat drying up as I push myself like that. But I do know that it will make me stronger, that it will pay off if I keep at it and train smart. If I don’t give up. If I hang in there. If I remember to look at the bright side, and to keep the right perspective.
Here’s to a Spring Break, and a Spring, of overcoming obstacles, toughing it out and finding the bright side.
