Well, well… we made it. You know how, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, bursts into flames and is then reborn from the ashes? Well, I feel like I kind of burst into flames at the end of 2021, but now I’m ready to rise again!
How’s that for a dramatic start to the weekly rundown? I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah (thanks for hosting, ladies!) The week was a bit unusual, but ended strong! Let’s get started.
Monday
So tired. Rewind to Christmas Eve- I had a horrendous sore throat (which turned out to be Covid) but didn’t experience any unusual fatigue for the first couple days. It all caught up with me though, and Monday looked a lot like this:
Tuesday
My cat was hilarious- every time she saw me lie down on the couch she would run over to snuggle with me.
Wednesday
Weird thing- I was feeling better except my legs were so achy. Like one lower leg would ache, then that would go away and the other hip would ache, then both hip flexors would ache… I wasn’t too worried about it, but it was annoying. I decided it was time to start moving a little more, so I did a yoga class with Denis Morton on the Peloton app. That felt good, but didn’t relieve the achiness. Advil helped though (once again, a big thanks to Advil for making this holiday possible.)
Thursday
Enough is enough! I had fulfilled my seven days of quarantine and it was time to get outside. I had a lovely walk, using my new orthotics. As a matter of fact, I wear them all the time now. When I’m in the house I have them in an old pair of running shoes that I can slip on and off like slippers- so they go on as soon as I get up in the morning.
Walked 2.5 miles and it felt amazing to be out in the sunshine. After this, the leg aches never came back. I don’t know if it was the walk that did it, or if it was time for that to end anyway.
Although I felt much better, energy-wise, I was still coughing and sniffling. I was scheduled to go back to work on Friday, so I took a Covid test just to be sure, and it came out… positive. Noooooooooooooo! I work in such close contact with people, giving massages, and a lot of my clients are elderly, so my boss and I decided to give it a couple more days. Sigh.
In other news, my daughter turned thirteen! It was another in a long line of unexciting birthdays for her. Poor girl- December 30th is not a good birthday, and this year was especially blah. I did make a cake:
Friday
I realized we have a trampoline in our backyard! Bouncing on a trampoline is supposed to be really good for your immune system- I should have been doing that all along! I jumped for 20 minutes and then did some rehab-type hip exercises, which left me sore, but in a good way. Not achy sore, but getting-stronger-sore.
New Year’s Eve was uneventful. My husband was supposed to be playing a show, but it was canceled because the drummer had Covid. It was nice having everyone home. We ate pizza, watched a movie, saw the ball drop in Times Square, and went to bed. Woohoo!
Saturday
Happy New Year! Or, as the saying goes, “New Year, New Foot.” There was absolutely no way I was NOT running on the first day of 2022. Given all the recent developments, I decided to behave as if I were starting fresh as a beginner. I walked a mile and then ran a mile. When I first started to run, my breathing was so labored I wondered if I really was starting as a beginner- but by the end of that mile I felt amazing!
It was only a mile, but it was the perfect start to the year.
At night we watched Baylor win the Sugar Bowl!!! All our holidays were so low-key this year, I tried to make it as festive as possible.
Sunday
Moving forward, I’m planning to run every other day in January while I build back up. On tap for today is yoga, and taking down the outdoor Christmas lights (boo hoo! Taking them down is so much less fun than putting them up.) And… getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. Back to real life!
Do you like the week between Christmas and New Year’s? I feel like it’s so distinctive, it should have a special name. The only thing I’ve been able to come up with so far is “In- Betweek.” Still working on it.
Are you sorry to see the holidays end, or ready to get back to real life! – A little bit of both, for me.
38 Responses
I’m sorry you had a covid Christmas, but glad you took that second covid test. I think if you’re symptomatic you’re supposed to stay home for 10 days from your last symptoms or until you test negative. I was exposed last week to someone who later tested positive and I had mild symptoms but I also got my booster the day before my symptoms (headache) started. I’ve scheduled a PCR test, but first available around here was Thursday (unless I paid $$$). Hopefully by then it will be negative and I’ll never know if I was infected or not. 😉
Happy birthday to your daughter!
I never cared about Baylor until I met you but I was rooting for them last night! .
That sounds complicated… I guess you’re feeling better now? Yes, it’s impossible to get an appointment for a test here as well. i ended up going to urgent care but had to wait 3 and 1/2 hours. I think the solution would be for us all to have test kits at home, so we could test ourselves when we need to. Anyway, I hope you’re well! Thanks for cheering on Baylor 🙂
Sorry you were sick but happy that you are now better.
Of course we runners run on Jan 1. You are smart to take it slow.
I used to love the week between the holidays because I had it off.
Now I work. But I do try to be festive and celebrate with friends as much as the pandemic allows.
Happy new year. Hope it’s a healthy one.
Yes, Happy New Year to you as well! I plan to be as healthy as possible from here on out.
This in between week has been my Out-Of-Sorts Week, for many reasons. I took PTO the entire week, so that further complicated things…I’m still not sure what day of the week it is. I think tomorrow is Monday (?), and I’ll have to set up my work computer tonight to get things ready for 8:00 tomorrow morning 😉 I’m glad the inserts are working some magic for your feet!!!
Yes, I would imagine this week was very odd for you! Hopefully it’ll help to get back into a work routine. At least you’ll be warm!
I’m sorry it was such a blah week for you, but glad you are on the mend.
I swear I think the way I feel right now is a combination of exhaustion + residual booster. Achy, tired, low grade temp, but no sniffles or labored breathing, thankfully. But no sun here & I know for myself personally, if I push now I’ll just be sicker longer.
So here’s to a much more healthy & normal 2022 for the both of us!
Ugh, I hope you feel better soon! It does sound like booster-itis. Maybe you just need a little rest after all the craziness of the holidays.
Yes, the last week of the year is always a blur, but I love it. All that I know is that tomorrow is the “back to work/back to school” day that ends the season.
Hoo-ray for New Foot! I’m so happy for you.
Thank you! Yes, tomorrow is back to work. It’s hard to go back after all this time off, but it will be good to get back to a normal routine.
I am glad that you are finally feeling better. Nothing wrong with starting back slow and taking time to build back up. That can never be a bad idea. I have done it myself many times. Glad to see those orthotics are working well hopefully that is behind you!
Yes- sometimes it’s frustrating to start so slowly, but I know from experience that it really doesn’t take long to get back to normal.
I’m glad that you are turning the corner. Covid is no joke–my cousin’s wife, who is my age, has Covid, is on a ventilator, and most likely will need a lung transplant. It’s horrible. It feels like everyone has Covid right now. I’m trying to avoid it, but when you work in healthcare, it’s hard to do. I just wear my N95 all the time now. Be patient with yourself!
Congrats to Baylor on winning the Sugar Bowl. How exciting!
WHAT? That’s terrible about your cousin’s wife. Crazy how some people are so sick, some people have no symptoms, and then everything in between. We’re getting N95s to wear at work (now that I’ve already had it, ha.) I think this wave will pass by soon. I hope your cousins wife is okay.
Glad you took the test and decided to hold off on being around clients, especially the elderly. The guidance is confusing to everyone…I am so happy that you are on the mend and are being smart about building back to running.
I love having pets- cats or dogs- to cuddle/nap with 🙂 It’s the best!
Yes, and I think my cat will be very sad when I go back to work- she’s so used to cuddling on the couch with me!
I hope you are better soon! These are still tough times.
My husband’s birthday is January 1 and it’s just the worst time. He had a nice day, and I hope your daughter did as well! Her cake was cute!
Oh yes, January 1st would be a hard birthday to have as well. i’m glad he had a nice day. My daughter did too- I guess they’re just used to having their birthdays overshadowed by Christmas.
Oh man, sorry you have been sick. We’ve got that going around at my house too! I couldn’t even get out for a run on Jan 1st, despite my best intentions. Whomp whomp. But things are looking up as we muddle through unpacking from our vacation. Our Christmas decorations will definitely be out until at least mid January. I’m not very motivated to take them down ever! At least we have a good excuse because it’s usually cold around here 🙂 Happy birthday to your new teen! My son just got his drivers license and took the car to pick up his girlfriend. Eeek!
I’m struggling with reentering the work force tomorrow… it still feels like Friday or Saturday to me!
I have a friend who leaves her Christmas tree up well into January! As much as I hate to take it down, it does start to make me sad after a while. If i get it over with I’ll feel better.
EEK is right! And the thought that my daughter could be driving in two years… double eek. Having teenagers is hard!
I’m glad you’re starting to feel better. Your plan to ease back into running sounds like a good one. Also good to hear that you’re liking the new orthotics – I hope they do the trick for you!
Thank you Michelle- I have high hopes!
I am glad you are feeling better. Take it easy and soon you will be able to come back to the normal (running) life.
The cats are always a good and relaxing company.
Thank you! Yes, I’m easing into it slowly but you’re right- soon enough I’ll be back to normal.
I usually feel pretty “blue” in the week between Christmas and New Years, but this year I think I enjoyed it better than the actual Christmas event. I was so tired leading up to Christmas and so the last few days (especially after our company left) have felt amazing. I’m slowly dismantling the Christmas decor, but our tree is still up and I’m loving the cheery glow. I usually don’t even really want to look at it after Christmas, but this year I’m trying to enjoy it as long as possible (and get further and further away from the winter solstice)!
That said, I’m really, really dreading work tomorrow. It just feels hard to summon the energy to get back in to that routine because though schools were supposed to re-open tomorrow, they’ve been shut down for at least another week because of spiking COVID cases. So…the kids are home (thankfully without online learning, because that was just the worst for us). We have another news conference today for our province and I’m wondering if there will be an announcement that schools will be closed for an extended period? I also had a nice break from the house renovations and know I have to start thinking about that again and I can already feel some of the pre-Christmas anxiety creeping in. Oh well. Onward and upward.
So sorry about the unusual Christmas you all experienced with COVID, but sounds like with a little help from Advil, you made the most out of the situation. So glad the orthotics are really helping. That’s fabulous news!
Yes- it’s really hard to go back to work. I’m guessing that you have the option to work from home, so having the kids home isn’t too much of a hardship? January is just hard, no matter how you look at it. I think we both need to get over this post-Christmas hump. But in the meantime I’m glad you’re still enjoying your tree! We take ours down tomorrow 🙁
Good job taking that test, you’re right, working with the elderly you don’t want to take any chances. Glad you’re feeling better. It’s such a good feeling to be able to move after being sidelined, isn’t it! Here we are, January, a fresh new start.
Yes, it’s a fresh start! It’s hard to get moving forward again after Christmas, but it feels good once we get going.
Sorry you were poorly, hope you’re properly on the mend by now. Your cat is so sweet. The first time I took to my bed in the day (first vaccination), our one cat was very confused and kept coming and licking/biting me to see if I was dead, or something. But when I had the Terrible Cold a month or so ago, both of them embraced it fully and kept me company, especially when I moved into the spare room and put the bed up! Wow, heaven for kitties!
Yes, it’s so funny how they respond when you’re sick! It really did make everything better, having a cat to snuggle with.
So sorry that Covid put a damper on your holidays plans, but glad that you are finally starting to feel better.
Happy birthday to your daughter! I am so impressed that you were able to make her such a delicious looking cake even though you weren’t feeling well.
Thank you Kim! Luckily her birthday fell on a day where I was starting to feel good again.
It sounds like your orthotics are working well so far, correct? I, too, enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I worked it this year, but with several of my clients out of town I had a really light week.
Here’s hoping that you continue to feel better and stronger each day!
So far the orthotics feel good! There wasn’t a huge adjustment period- they really felt good almost right away. We’ll see what happens when I start to increase my mileage.
In Germany, we call the week before Christmas and New Year’s ‘between the years”…. but I love that you came up with In Betweek 🙂 I always enjoy that week very much and try to have time off whenever possible.
I also always run on the first day of the new year – even if it’s just a couple of miles. Gotta start that year off right!
So awesome that you have a trampoline and use it (we think of it as something for kids, but jumping – on a moving surface, mind you – can be so good at any age. I should get one of these mini trampolines for the living room. Gives you a good workout, I am sure.
I love “between the years!” I’m going to use it next year… in addition to “in Betweek.”
In Betweek is a great name for that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s! For the last two years, I’ve taken that week off work and it has been DELIGHTFUL. I am trying to finagle my PTO schedule to always take that week off. It just sets the right tone for starting the new year, I think.
While I don’t love the REASON you were napping on the couch, I do love the photos of your cat snuggling with you. Isn’t it so nice when they do that? THE BEST.
Good luck getting back into your running routine!
Thank you Stephany! I actually have a second cat who doesn’t usually make an appearance on the blog. She’s not as affectionate, but lovalbe in her own way. It’s funny, I usually don’t have the option to take “in betweek” off, but due to Covid, it happened this year! So… being sick wasn’t all bad. It really is nice to have that week off.