Monday, February 26, 2007

Runner/Walker #21597


I can’t believe I’m only 1 week away from painful chafing, sore muscles, and aching feet! Yeah! I am actually really excited and got my sweet purple shirt yesterday. I am also really excited that so many of you have donated to help out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am only a few hundred dollars short of the required goal. We are doing a fundraiser at my school where students can buy 1 yard of duct tape for $1. They can use the duct tape to tape me and my principal to the wall! I’m sure I’ll make the goal with that.
I am a bit nervous, however. I have had a foot injury for close to a month now. I’ve had x-rays and tried to take it easy, but it is still there. This means that I might have to walk the entire 26.2 miles. That will be fine, but I’m sure I’ll be a bit disappointed. I’m just going to do my best to finish. I’ll post on Saturday my chip number so anyone can follow my progression during the race. In addition, I’ll have my cell phone with me if anyone wants to chat…I don’t know what it’s like to walk for 7 hours, so I might get bored.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Blackouts, Mimicking, and Foot and Butt Cheek Injuries


So, we’ve had a pretty interesting couple of weeks at the Lassiter house. Two weeks ago, I ran 16 miles to prep for my marathon. I can’t believe it’s only a month away! While running (and the crazy thing is that I ran the entire 16 miles!) I injured my foot. I got x-rays and found no breaks, but it has been extremely painful to run. I’m hoping the ligaments or muscles that I strained will heal before the marathon. If anyone has any ideas as to how to cope with the pain, let me know. I am determined to finish the race, so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Okay, now to more important things…the Superbowl. I am really excited to see the Colts and Bears tomorrow. My in-laws live in Indianapolis and we have been inundated with Colts garb. The bummer thing is I missed one of the most exciting football games of all time (or so I’m told) when our power went out when the Colts beat the Pats. The picture is of the boys and me being extremely disappointed in not being able to watch the game. Huge props go to my mother-in-law, Linda, who kept me updated via cell phone as to the happenings of the game. She has really learned a lot about Colts football and told me stuff that even the best color commentators wouldn’t know (“Dallas Clark looks like he’s wearing a different kind of shoe than normal…I’m not sure is they’re working.)
Just in case you were wondering (and I’m sure you’re not), when a marathon runner applies Body Glide or some other anti-chafing material to his/her body, apparently they are supposed to take care of butt cheeks. Yes, I did learn that the hard way! I took care of everything else, but if you don’t lube up your bum, you’ll be bummed.
We have to be real careful now with what we say around Wes. He may not repeat what we’ve said right away, but he definitely stores it for future use. We’ve had two incidents in the past couple of weeks to illustrate this point. The other day we were getting things out of the back of the van. Some stuff fell out and Wes exclaimed, “Holy crap!” Knowing I had to step in and explain to him that was inappropriate, I did what every good father would do…I said, “Wes, we shouldn’t say that. Just because Mommy says that, doesn’t mean it’s okay.” I felt proud knowing that I corrected the situation. (Okay, so we both say that. But I knew that Carrie does say it occasionally so I blamed her.) A couple days later, we were walking in Target. Wes was eating popcorn and spilled a couple on the floor. He responded to this stressful situation by saying, “Frickin’ A!” At this point, Carrie stepped in and said, “Wes, we don’t say that! Nobody in our house (eyes glaring at me) will say that again. Okay?” Although, I knew he heard it from me and I felt guilty about being so loose-lipped, I was a little proud in the fact that he used it in proper context. I mean, come on…he dropped his popcorn, for Pete’s sake!