I am guilty of not running for the last 8 days. Honestly, without excuse, I don't think there was any way possible that I could have run this past week. And, in some ways I was planning a few days of rest for my shins which have been nagging me for about two months now. I wasn't planning 8 days of rest but here's how it went down and what I learned from it. If nothing else, this blog will hold me accountable.

Thursday, 22 May 2008

8 am. Phone call from my boyfriend. For 99% of Americans this wouldn't even be worth noting. However, my boyfriend has been in Iraq since January. This phone call meant he was home.... safe... in the United States. The poor man must have wished and hoped he could be sent back because the only thing I could think to do was scream I was so excited. The rest of the day was characterized by so many hugs and kisses and love showered on him by friends and family, it was the most wonderful thing to be part of. So no, I didn't run on Thursday. I went to Ohio to be with him and his family and all I did was hug and laugh and smile. And as much as I love running, there wasn't any way that anything would have kept me away from Chris for another 5 seconds. Especially since he somehow managed to gain about 30 pounds of muscle while he was away. Ladies, I do not suggest war, but if there is any way you can send your significant others to a place where there is lots of testosterone and nothing to do but lift weights, I highly (I cannot emphasize this enough) recommend you do so.

Welcome home, Chris. 

Friday, 23 May 2008

4 am. Wake up in Ohio and drive back to Pittsburgh to catch a flight to Baltimore so I can celebrate my brother's graduation from my alma mater, the University of Maryland (GO TERPS!). I think graduations are always worth celebrating, but just a few years ago I wasn't sure how much longer my brother would live, so seeing him walk across the stage... there aren't words for how proud I was. And how thankful I was that I could be a part of it.

As for running, I was back at the airport at 7:30 pm to catch a 9:50 flight back to Pittsburgh and I didn't get home until about 11:30. Couldn't have run before my trip (too early), couldn't have run after my trip (too late) and like my day with Chris, I wouldn't have dare spent a second away from my brother on such a big day for him.

Congratulations, Andy. I am so proud of you.

Saturday, 24 May 2008

Up at 5 am to go back to the Pittsburgh airport (for those of you keeping track, this is the third time in as many days) to head to Pinehurst, North Carolina for my friend Adrienne's wedding. Adrienne and I worked together at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and we shared an office for a year. Adrienne is a freak of nature in the most wonderful ways. She is 6 feet tall and looks like she stepped off a runway, the girl is beautiful (see below). She is also incredibly intelligent (Ph.D. candidate) and one of the kindest people I've had the honor of calling my friend. She is fun, has lots of energy and was about to make Barrett a very lucky man. Running? I could have woken up earlier, but I've learned over the years that I really need my sleep. I'm a 10 hour a night kinda girl. So 10 hours in two nights was already cutting it much too short. And then there was just no time during the day between traveling, the ceremony and the reception. But, if you notice a theme, if I can't run, there's nothing I'd rather do than celebrate with friends.

Congratulations, Adrienne and Barrett!

Sunday, 25 May 2008

6 am back to Pittsburgh. For those of you keeping track that is four states and four flights in four days. I have gotten about 15 hours of sleep when I need about 30. I am not exaggerating when I say that I am exhausted. My throat is burning like I have strep. My nose will not stop running. I make the executive decision to try to rest because I cannot afford to get sick. I have running to do, I've already missed three days and I need to take care of myself so I don't miss more. Nice thought.

Tuesday, 27 May 2008

I "skip" to Tuesday because I fell asleep around 9 pm on Sunday night and woke up at 9 am on Tuesday. I've never in my life done slept through an entire day before. The brief periods of time I was conscious on Monday I didn't have enough energy to get from the couch to the kitchen in my 900 square foot condo to get myself some water. I literally had to call my neighbor (who, ladies, is single, handsome, the kindest man I know, and a Jewish doctor). I was sick in a bad way.

So now, here I am, 8 days later. An anomalous weekend where I was fortunate enough  to celebrate all over the East Coast with people I love. Those celebrations made me crash harder than I've ever crashed before and it took me the better part of a week to recover. In the future I need to be better at managing my sleep and my hydration. One thing I am proud of is that I was able to take it easy this week. I'm a go-getter. Rest is not in my vocabulary. In the past, this has lead me to be sick for weeks on end because I'm too stubborn to let my body recover. So, the bad news is I missed more time than I would have liked. The good news is that I've only missed a few days to illness. And, when I hit the road tomorrow morning I know well enough that I need to ease back into my mileage.

Congratulations, Kat, for finally learning to rest when you need it.