March 31, 2017

March

What's that saying about March weather? "In like a lion, out like a lamb"?

Ha! Usually, it's February weather that makes me wonder why on earth I choose to live in Michigan; but this year, February was gorgeous. Sunny, and even very warm on some days--73 degrees--and pleasant. I was totally in the mood for spring when I was sitting outside without a coat on mid-February ;)

Then March happened. The weather this month has been unbelievable! Yesterday and today, it's been raining all. day. long.

This is how hard it was raining all day!

Yesterday, Eli had an appointment to pick up his orthotics, so we spent the day together playing hooky from school.

The appointment was in Detroit, which is normally about a 35 minute drive. However, there is a huge construction project going on, so we left with plenty of time to spare (well over an hour).

Driving in the rain is never fun, but yesterday it was awful! We had to take an alternate route, so it was going to take longer anyway, but with the rain coming down so hard, I was a little nervous at times. Semi trucks were spraying water all over the place, and there were sheets of water pouring down. At some points, traffic was going about 25 mph on the expressway.

The last three times I've gone to a hospital we've had a storm: 1) When Lucas was born, and I drove to the hospital in Toledo, we had a crazy windstorm that was so bad it caused several semi trucks to literally tip over on their sides; 2) When I took Noah to Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago, we had that huge snow storm and counted about a dozen car accidents on the way up to the ER; and 3) The drive through the rain storm yesterday to Detroit Medical Center Children's Hospital was actually just as bad as the snow storm!

Thankfully, Eli's appointments at DMC are done now (at least until his feet outgrow the orthotics). And Noah's foot is healing well, so we don't need to go back to U of M anytime soon.

Anyway, it took us an hour and fifteen minutes to get to DMC yesterday, but once we got there, everything was fine. Eli's orthotics fit well, and he was (surprisingly) excited about wearing them. He's supposed to wear them for a couple of hours a day to start, and gradually increase the time he wears them until he wears them all the time.

He's been doing really well with physical therapy, too, and his range of motion in his ankles has improved quite a bit. I really like his physical therapist! He really knows his stuff, and Eli is comfortable with him.

After we were done at the hospital, I told Eli he could choose wherever he wanted to go for lunch, and he chose La Pita. Obviously, that sounded good to me! ;) It was fun spending time with just Eli, and he gave me the scoop about what's going on at school and with his friends. I felt the same way when I took Noah to Ann Arbor, and we spent the whole day together just the two of us. Spending time with both kids is great, but one-on-one time is special.

Thankfully, the ride home was a little better than the ride there. I picked up Noah from school, and then we had to go to Eli's physical therapy appointment. On the way home from that, it was pouring again, and there were several traffic lights without power. There was SO much flooding from the rain, too--the ditches that are usually empty are completely filled to the top with rain water.

When we got home, we got cozy in our pajamas and watched an episode of Flashpoint (one of our family favorites). The rain stopped toward the end of the show, and I started thinking about how maybe I should go for a run. I was SO comfy, and really didn't want to move; but, I had been chatting with Colin (who I ran with in San Diego) the day before, and he all-but dared me to train to try to get back in shape enough to run (or even run/walk) the Indy Mini instead of walking the whole thing. There is nothing wrong with walking it, of course, but he was encouraging me to think a little bigger.

I didn't want to think that far ahead (and still don't), but I figured it wouldn't hurt to go do a short run and see how I felt. I put on some water resistant running clothes and a hat, and hoped that the rain would stay at a stop while I ran a mile or two. Once I started running, I felt better than the day before--still out of breath, but the "normal" kind, and not the kind I described in my previous post. My heart rate was high, but I expected that after not having run for a while.

I had only planned to run a mile or two, just to say that I did, but I felt good enough that I did a lollipop route that was about 3.4 miles. I managed a 10:45/mi pace, which was a whole minute faster than Wednesday's 11:45 pace at the same heart rate. Afterward, I was SO glad that I did it! I came inside just as it started down pouring again, and took a hot shower.

I miss feeling good like that after a run! I can't even remember the last time I felt that way after a run--probably when I was 10K training a year ago. I felt very accomplished, even though it was "just an easy three-miler". It boosted my confidence a little.


We had more thunderstorms last night, and it's still raining today (although nothing as hard as yesterday). Driving the kids to school this morning, I saw so many yards that were flooded with rain water. Some people's yards even look like they have huge ponds in them! It's supposed to be in the 50's this week, so I'm glad it will be warming up, but it's still supposed to be very rainy. I'm just hoping that the "April showers bring May flowers" saying holds true ;)

Since today is the last day of March, I have my 1 Second Everyday video ready to share. This was a big month--wind storm, snow storm, and rain storm; my nephew was born!; my parents came home from a two-month trip; Noah had the mother of all splinters in his foot; Eli has been going to physical therapy; and I have probably driven more miles on my car this month than the last six months combined (going to Detroit, Toledo, and Ann Arbor several times over).


I'm hoping for nicer weather and less hospital visits for April ;)  Have a great weekend!


8 comments:

  1. Katie, I can see the joy in your smile again! Have an awesome April :)
    Michelle

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  2. Those 1 second videos are so great. You will really appreciate them looking back years from now. All it takes is a second to jar the memory to remember the good time. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. You look great in that pic! Your smile is beautiful!

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  4. It's April! That means we can eat some Easter candy!

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  5. I agree! I was happy to turn the calendar to April today and say good-bye to this March in Michigan. It is so nice to see the sun out today, even if it is chilly!

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  6. That is great about the 3.4-mi run and that you felt better than the prior run -- no wonder it was a boost in confidence!

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