After an embarrassing two weeks off from running, I was on the road again Saturday morning.  My last run was 10 miles and there seemed to be a rainstorm each afternoon that I planned to run after work.  I did get on my treadmill each evening just to keep my legs moving.  Before I knew it, the week-end had arrived and I knew I wouldn’t have time to get my long run in because we volunteered to work at the Rocketchix Triathlon as a family.  Now, when I said I wanted us to volunteer as a family, I thought we would get to stand at an aid table and hand exhausted women a refreshing drink along the run course.  That was not the case.  Instead we were given the stressful assignment of standing at intersections along River Road to hold up traffic on the cycling course.  I’m not a fan of riding my bike with traffic, I especially don’t like riding on River Road and I now I know that I don’t like STANDING on River Road asking cars to wait while the bikes pass…and there were a lot of bikes.  We stood there and waved, cheered for and spoke to every Rocket Chick that rode by on the way out and then again when they passed on the way back. If you are not familiar with the RocketChix Triathlon, that amounts to about 400 participants.  Our hands were sore, our backs were tired and it was hot.  I didn’t mind this because for several years, I was one of those Rocket Chick ladies racing by on River Road and I’m sure that I’ll do it again one day.  So, after an exhausting day of volunteering for RocketChix, I rushed home to pack for a quick trip to the beach and to get Blake and Cam prepared for the Rocket Kids Triathlon on Sunday morning.  Still, no time for running….

Sunday morning, we were up and at the LSU Natatorium for 6:10 a.m. for the kid’s triathlon.  I did not volunteer for this event because I needed to be able to focus on my two athletes but Paul had been there a while helping out.  I was ready to get this day started because I knew that once we left the triathlon, we were headed to Destin for a few days.  I asked the boys if they would consider just taking their time during this event and not worry about placing in age groups for a medal so we could just leave after they crossed the finish line (I really needed to get to the beach).  NOT!  This was another great day for us as a family and our boys are amazing.  They participate and compete with a lot of heart, class and good sportsmanship.  As it turns out, we had to stick around for the award presentations and we didn’t head out for vacation until much later than I planned.  It was OK, my thoughts turned to the many parents of St Jude.  When their child completes treatment and the doctor tells them their child is in remission, it must feel like crossing the finish line of a triathlon and it must be such an awesome feeling!

I did take my running gear to Destin just in case I felt like running one morning…if you’re wondering, I never felt like running.  I felt like walking in the hot sand carrying beach gear was PLENTY of exercise.  And three hours of climbing stairs at Big Kahunas Water Park was quite the work out (and worth every penny of the admission price).  Paul ran one morning and he confirmed what I knew to be true…it was hot and the wind was blowing from all directions.

Those two weeks off gave me the little break I needed and Saturday morning we were up and on the road again with our mileage goals in mind.  I knew I needed to get 11 miles in and Paul would go for more because he always has to “one up” me.  My first 5 miles were pleasant, the temperature was mild and even though I hadn’t run in a while, I felt good.  The second half was a little different.  I picked up my frozen Gatorade and headed back out and passed the garbage truck for a 2^nd time.  Somewhere around 7 miles, my left knee decided it couldn’t take anymore, it locked up and my whole body stopped.  This was bad but I only walked for about 5 steps, decided to deal with the discomfort and keep going.  I finished my 11 miles with a noticeable limp (my left knee was throbbing; I had two toes bleeding on my right foot and a painful chafe developing in the saddle region).  Doesn’t running sound like fun?  On an interesting note, I did stumble upon two tiny DEAD snakes and I thought about my buddy Christine.  She loves snakes!  And later in the day came that dreaded question from Paul….wanna ride tomorrow?  AAGGHH!!

Sunday morning, we’re on the road again for 7:30.  I still had the pain in the knee, the toes were still hurting and the chafe in the saddle region felt just lovely.  We got a good 20 mile ride in without incident.  But wait there’s more…..all the aches and pains were feeling so great; I decided to swim 400 meters later that afternoon.  Now that was NOT FUN!  This is Flash and I am running on faith that as summer fades and my mileage increases the pain in my knees and toes will go away and at least I’ll learn not to run with a limp!

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