Splitting Up

Thatboy and I usually spend the weekend in one location, San Diego, Orange County, Rio de Janeiro....but last week we each had an important event, requiring us to divide and conquer.

First, we headed to Orange County for the Winter Craft Fair. Thatmom has been participating in this for years, and after Thatdad died she asked Thatboy if he would join her. The fair is held the first weekend in November, a weekend we usually spend with Thatboy's family to make up for not being there later in the month for Thanksgiving. But I've ducked out of that for a number of years, and last year Thatboy decided to skip it and help out Thatmom instead. And this year she convinced him to join her again.

Thatmom sells her knitwear while Thatboy showcases his photography. This year Thatmom's fingerless gloves were an undeniable hit- she had more buyers than inventory, and even got some special orders. Thatboy's new addition - notecards, were his top seller. Following the winter fair, we packed everything up and headed back home, because:

Sunday I had my first real "race" since the half. See, after the half I decided to get my leg/back/hip looked at. I had promised Dr. Boyfriend I'd have a physical therapist check me out after the half. And he understood, because, Dr. Boyfriend is a runner and has been postponing a knee surgery because of it. So once the half was under my belt, I found out that I was one messed up puppy. My sacrum was all torqued and rotated, my SI joints were uneven and misaligned, and the physical therapist was just sure that shooting pain down my leg was probably caused by a combination of the two bothering my sciatic nerve. She made me promise to take a break from running. And so I did. A 2 1/2 month break. And everytime I told my physical therapist about a "race" I was competing in, I had to assure her I'd be taking it easy. And since both the Disney 5k and the Zoo Walk were with Thatmom, I didn't really have to worry about injuring myself.

But at the end of October I couldn't take it anymore. And so (without telling my physical therapist) I started running again. And after a week, I let her in on my little secret. And she laughed when I told her that I was afraid to tell her, and didn't discourage me when I told her the runs were pain free. So the day after the Winter Fair I went racing.

I participate in the Elizabeth Komen Race for the Cure every year, and I didn't want to miss out this year! I really wasn't expecting much, since I hadn't run in a long while. There wasn't a mile marker for mile 1, but at mile 2 I glanced down to see that I was pretty much EXACTLY where I had left off in terms of time. And then we hit the freeway (one of the reasons I love this race). Once on the freeway it got REALLY hot. That black asphalt sure does reflect heat! And after mile 1 there was no water on the course, which is unusual. And then came the big hill. So I slowed down, because really, I was already doing better than I had expected. And my finish time? Definitely not a PR for me, but also pretty on par with what I used to run 5ks at before I got all speedy last year, which was a lot faster than I was expecting to run.

But after all that running around between counties and craft fairs and races and I was tired. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm not above cheater dinners when I'm tired. Cheater dinners where everything is made for me and I just have to combine them and put them in the oven. Like these sausage snack wraps by Pillsbury.

Because the recipe was on the package and when you're tired and hungry, sometimes it's nice to have someone else come up with dinner ideas. And goodness knows Thatboy isn't going to help out in that department.