On the last Friday of every month, I link up with a group of bloggers for the “Ultimate Coffee Date.” I enjoy those posts so much, I’ve decided to make the Friday Coffee Date a weekly thing! So get a delicious hot beverage and join me… I’ll be needing my dumpster fire mug for this one.
So, did you know I sprained my ankle? JUST KIDDING. That ankle injury has been, unfortunately, the focal point of my life for the past four weeks. The one thing keeping me sane and motivated is the hope of running a race at the end of April. If I ask myself “WHY am I going to the gym for the sixth day in a row?” Oh right, I’m rehabbing my ankle. Or, “WHY am I getting on the stairclimber again today?” Oh yes- I’m training for a race.
I hadn’t actually registered for the race, because I wanted to be a little more confident that I would actually be able to run it. But every day I checked the website to see how many spots were open. It held steady at 25 spots until…. Tuesday night there were 25 spots open, and when I checked Wednesday morning it was… SOLD OUT.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
WHY did I wait? HOW did 25 people sign up overnight? I emailed the race director, and he said he’ll open a wait list next week. Okay, great! Now I’m training for a race that I’m not even sure I’ll physically be able to run, or even get into. This is a tough one.
You might be thinking, “Maybe this is a sign from the universe that April 27 is too soon for you to run a 50 mile race.” Yes, you could be right. The problem is, we’re getting to the end of the ultra season in Florida. There are no other races (that I’m aware of right now) that I would want to run until next year. Bummer.
But there’s some good news! I ran this week! It was on the treadmill, really slow, and only for 30 second intervals. But I did it! Yes, my ankle was achy, but not any more than it is while I’m walking. I’m encouraged (ironically, this was on Wednesday morning right before I found out “my” race was sold out. Hurumph.)
Also on Wednesday- you can see Wednesday was quite a day- I saw my sports chiropractor. He did all sorts of treatments on my ankle, including a laser, and something that looked like this:
It sends little pulses through your muscles and causes them to twitch- it’s a really weird feeling. It’s supposed to help get rid of the residual swelling, and I’m going back for another treatment today.
If we were having coffee (or in my case, tea) together, I would also be able to talk about something other than my ankle for a change. My son’s trumpet ensemble went to a national competition last week, and they made the finals! This was very exciting because the finals were live-streamed, so we got to watch it.
They won second place!!! This involved a cash prize, and they’re going to use the money towards travel expenses for another competition in Anaheim this summer. So exciting.
Not to be outdone, my daughter’s band had MPA this week- Music Performance Assessment, which in my day we just called “contest.” Basically they do a performance, which is judged, and they receive a rating. It’s their biggest event of the year, and the band received straight Superiors, which is the highest rating possible. I knew they would! Their band director is incredible.
One side note- for this, they wear their formal concert dress. The boys wear tuxes (they look so handsome!) and the girls wear long black dresses (they all look so beautiful!) and pearls. The dresses and pearls are supplied by the band. In addition, they were instructed that hair had to be “straightened or pulled back.”
I don’t know why that bothered me. I know that’s part of the dress code in corporate jobs, but it seemed a little extreme for a high school band concert. What’s wrong with curly hair, anyway? My daughter pulled her hair back without too much complaint…
…but if you look closely, you can still see her purple head. Ha! I guess they can’t dictate the color.
What would you tell me if we were having coffee together? How was your week? Any big plans for the weekend?
34 Responses
I’m glad you ankle is feeling better but that’s a bummer about your race. Our local marathon sold out within two days of opening entries which was almost a year before the race. Grrr. Big congratulations to both your kiddos, a very talented family.
Thanks Melissa! Wow, that’s a bummer about your local marathon- who would think these things would sell out so quickly???
Love the purple so much!! And you can instantly pick her out. I really need that mug– so perfect. My acupuncturist uses that same tool between needles to stimulate points, and it is wonderful– but does feel weird, I agree.
Yes, I can always find my daughter in a crowd.
i had the weird tool again today- it feels like it’s doing something??? I hope so.
OH NO!! How frustrating! How is it possible that 25 people suddenly decided to sign up for an ultra?!
That’s bad luck indeed. However, there will be people dropping out before the day so you very likely will get a spot.
Just thinking out of the box: are there any ultras where your sister lives? You could combine a race with a visit.
Congrats to your kids! You can be so proud!
Thank you Catrina! Yes, I did think a little about ultras in other convenient places, i.e. near my sister. i haven’t actually looked into it yet. And, I know- i still can’t understand how it sold out overnight like that. Sigh.
Yay for the weekly coffee date!
I always say that I don’t like to tell other people what to do…but I can see Catrina’s comment as I type and there is an excellent idea in there – follow the weather and go north! If you do it in the spring, you might even get one of those freak warm days that will flatten all of the locals while your Florida conditioning will take you through it without breaking a sweat. Or better yet come up in the fall so that you can get your race AND the fall colors.
Congrats to your kiddos!!!
My weekend plans are alternating hikes with puppy duty. We got an epic amount of rain last night, which means epic amounts of mud in the trails and in our backyard followed by epic muddy puppy paw prints everywhere in the house. I tell you, it’s going to be so boring when she grows up and will sit still so that we can wipe off her feet.
Okay, i’ll get on ultrasignup tonight and see what I can find! That will be a fun project.
Good luck with the mud situation… it sounds… not fun, ha!
That’s so unfortunate about the race selling out! Hopefully you can get in through the waitlist. Here in AZ we’re lucky to have ultras nearly year round, since when it gets too hot in the desert part of the state, we still have the cooler parts in the north to have races, and we even have a race company that does nighttime races in the desert all summer. I don’t think I’d like to do those, but some people really love them!
Congrats to both your kids, they’re very musically talented!
My week was ok. It was our spring break but the central district employees still have to work. I took off Monday and was able to work from home Tuesday since I had an appointment midday, but they’ve been cracking down on WFH lately and even though we’ve been able to in the past during spring break, they said no this time. Boo! But then when I went into the office on Wednesday, I was annoyed that a lot of the other departments weren’t in at all! So that’s been kinda frustrating, but at least it was a quieter week.
You’re still trying to convince me to move to AZ, aren’t you??? You may succeed.
That does sound like a frustrating situation. It’s 2024! Everyone works from home! Get with the program! Of course I have no idea what your job entails, but if you think you can WFH then I’m sure it’s feasible. Oh well.
Glad to hear your ankle is healing as I knew it would… Boo on the race being sold out…You will run it if it’s meant to be…
Congrats on the good news for your son and daughter. It’s in the genes!!!
Work was very busy this week and I did not run as much as I hoped but I guess I’ll be rested for 13.1 on Sunday. (first post ankle injury big race.)
Well, you were tapering for your race! Good luck with it- I hope it goes well and that you have a great time. Enjoy!!!
Oh, that is both wild and a bummer about the race! I’m glad there will be a waiting list, but it’s a weird motivational thing to train for something you may not get to do. The Mr. and I have been watching random ultrarunning documentaries here and there and we are always blown away at the people on like the Hardrock or Western States waiting list who don’t know if they’ll run until the weeks (or even days!!) before but are so ready to just “jump in” if their name is called….
Yes! And those are HARD races- harder than a 50 mile flat race in central Florida. But yes- those people jump in at the last minute so I could do it too- hopefully, if it works out that way.
I have so many issues with people telling girls and women how to dress (why can’t they wear tuxes? why can’t the guys wear skirts?) and what to do with their hair (which can be a fraught issue for non-white people who have hair that is a different texture or style). ARGH. I understand the need to look formal and professional, but…there are problems with this particular approach.
I can’t believe the race sold out! I’m dumbfounded that there are that many people who WANT to run super long races. LOL.
Ha ha… I’m dumbfounded that 25 people all decided in one night that they wanted to run it.
WELL, since you mentioned it, there has been an issue with the dress/tux dress code. I’ll talk about it in a future post!
I am sorry your race is sold out (you still may get in though!) but glad your ankle is almost better! It looks great in the picture! That is also awesome about your son and daughter, but strange on the hair requirement for the girls?! I love the purple!
Thanks Melodie! The ankle is definitely way better- running still feels weird though. I’m not quite ready for a 50 mile race, but I could be by April 27th… maybe… and if a spot opens up (???)
That is WEIRD that suddenly 25 spots filled up overnight! Makes me think, was it maybe like a running group or club or other group of some sort? Otherwise seems odd. But, and I’ll say this quietly and then quickly exit before you slap me, but running a 50 mile race next month after such a significant injury (AND obvious sudden non-existent “real” training via running…) seems like maybe a questionable idea anyway?? I mean. I 1000% get your desire to do it. But from an outsider’s perspective (and I’ll put my nurse hat on here too for a sec 😉 ), it seems like maybe asking for more trouble. Another injury, reaggravating the current injury, etc. What if you looked outside of FL for an ultra somewhere north? Could you do a little road trip later this spring or summer? Surely there are ultras in other places as the weather gets nicer across the U.S.
Ha ha, Kae, I would never slap you! You definitely have a valid point. I wish this race were a month later- but then it would be way too hot. oh, I don’t know!
And yes… there has to be an explanation for the sudden selling out of the race- I’m thinking it must have been a group. Grr! Or, maybe it’s for the best? Sigh.
I second Kae on being a bit relieved that you won’t be running the 50 miler a month later when your ankle is not fully healed. I’m navigating niggle myself 3 weeks out of my race and I’m mentally prepared not to PB because I am running for fun and health, and for the long run. Destination races are very fun so once you’re healed, you can find a race in another place and you’ll enjoy the scenery and pain/worry free run.
The race sold out?!?!?! Oh no! What a disappointment! I hope you get right on the top of the wait list.
Congrats to your talented, dedicated kids! The hair advice is quite cringey though — maybe if the directive was “everyone with a certain length hair needs to pull it back,” it would feel less problematic?
Glad your ankle is doing better! I hope your treatments kick the healing into high gear.
Thanks Suzanne! I’m hoping the treatments accelerate the healing as well.
Yeah, I don’t know about the hair thing- maybe there is a better way of saying it. Hmm.
I really like how you make the coffee date a weekly thing! I always enjoy this kind of post. I used to join a weekly coffee share link-up. It was very nice and I’d like to get back to it but I haven’t been able to squeeze out other posts than my rundown posts yet, I’ve been so busy and my head is too full right now but I hope to manage better eventually.
Anyway, what a bummer about the race being sold out!!!!!!!!!! But well done to keep training for it. And I’m so happy you’ve been running! That means you’re definitely much better. And regarding the “elefantiasis”.. don’t underestimate how wide angle phone camera lenses are! The distortions are quite extreme.
I also sort of cringed reading about (especially) straightening the hair!! What’s wrong with curly hair? That’s kind of ridiculous. Pulling back the hair is fine but… as if naturally curly hair didn’t exist?
if we were having coffee, I would obviously talk about Bulgarian squats. What else?! 😀
HA! We could talk about Bulgarian squats over coffee! I’ve been doing them- but without any weights, and it’s still hard on my left side. But I figure it’s good for that leg and foot to work at it.
Yes, there was definitely distortion in that camera angle! I’ve never noticed that before, but I guess it was a weird angle too.
Weekly coffee dates are good if your head is full! You can spew some of those thoughts into a blog post. Anything you don’t feel like putting in the Weekly Rundown can go right into a Coffee Date.
Sounds like your ankle is progressing nicely. What a bummer about the race selling out – maybe a racecation to get that ultra in?
Congrats to both your son and daughter. I love her purple hair 🙂
Sorry to hear the race sold out unexpectedly- how frustrating.. But yes maybe you can travel somewhere fun for a race, and the timing will work out better for your ankle. Well done to both your kids! My daughter is 6 and she had a Grade 1 group singing performance at assembly this week, it was very cute but she was so enthusiastic for the first half, but then peetered out for the second half, and just stopped singing haha. So not quite ready for competitions yet!
That is very odd that the race sold out so suddenly. The only way I can see that happening is that another 50 mile race was canceled or something so all the people who trained for it signed up for this one. I do share Kae’s concerns, though… I know you want to squeeze something in while you are trained and before the weather gets hot. But it might cause more trouble in the long run than it is worth? Ultras and marathons are hard on a body when it’s in peak condition. I hate for you to do further damage that would sideline you for even longer! But this is the practical mom part of me talking so take it with a grain of salt.
My week was fine? Just very busy and hectic and I came back from my work trip very tired and worn out. And I do it again next week. Bleh. But then I get a little break from travel – before my spring break trip which will be followed by 3 straight weeks of travel… so yah. I am looking forward to a quieter travel schedule in the summer!!
Oh no about the race! I hope you are able to get a spot!
And yay for running and feeling ok!
Congratulations on their Superiors! Amazing!
I would be pissed about the hair, too! We wear concert blacks, so the guys can wear black tuxes or suits, with white shirts, and black accessories, and the girls can choose a black concert dress. No required pearls. And no one has any hair requirements. We have all colors and styles. Even though I have a son, I raise holy heck over dress codes and arbitrary rules like this.
I know there is an ultra in Chicago at the end of October. It is along the lakefront in case you want to come to Illinois.
I’m with Engie on the hair thing, it rubs me the wrong way. What if you have short curly hair? Like an afro or something? I’ll look forward to your post about the drama when you write it.
Congrats to your kids for their amazing hard work and talent!
I’m sorry about your race, weird that 25 spots went away all at once. It made me think of comments on blog posts, where sometimes they are waiting to be approved…so maybe there were several pending applications, and they all got approved on Wednesday morning, so they finally went through. I like the idea of you traveling to a race further away more than I like the idea of you pushing it too hard to be ready by the end of April, but I know you will listen to your body and if you’re not ready, you won’t do it. Hang in there!
I am always in awe how seriously you train even though recovering from an injury. I am both in awe and a bit scared.
Congrats on both of your kids doing so well. Wha a musical family you are. Amazing.
I think the hair code is very questionable. Why would you need to change curly hair? I find that discriminating.
Noooo… I can’t believe the race sold out OVERNIGHT. That’s so frustrating for you. Fingers crossed you can grab one of the waitlisted spots. And I hope rehabbing the ankle goes well – it feels like an ankle sprain can linger far longer than you would think! I have very weak ankles so they don’t do well when it comes to running, lol.
I don’t like this hair code, either! Like Engie pointed out, this can be a major issue for non-white people. Not cool… but also kinda expected for a Florida public school, argh.