Week # 6 and Week # 7

SICK!!! SICK!!! SICK!!!

I’ve been miserably sick for two weeks now. I can’t believe it took so long for me to get over this cold/flu illness. I woke up last Tuesday with horribly swollen lymph nodes, a sore throat and a fever. I was terrified that this illness would ruin my holidays and screw up my marathon training, so I immediately made a doctor’s appointment for Thursday and hoped I could rest up and “cure” myself before then. No such luck. Work (as usual) had horrible timing and things got busier as I got sicker. My blood-work and tests at the doctor’s all came out negative (no strep, no mono), but with an elevated white blood count, they put me on antibiotics and told me NOT to run for at least a week.

And so it went for the next two weeks. The holidays made it pretty hard to get a lot of rest. I still had to finish my Christmas shopping, clean and decorate the house, plan, cook and host the gift exchange, travel back home for Christmas Eve, cook for 3 families on Christmas day, and throw another dinner party a few days after Christmas. Through all of that, I was feeling terrible, tired and just completely worn slick. Even though I wasn’t running, I was wearing myself out. Ryan finally ordered 4 full days of bed rest for me and forbid me to leave the house. We rented about a hundred movies and ate so incredibly unhealthy it was disgusting (and great!). The animals were so happy to have us there every single day. Turned out that was exactly what I needed. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and healthy for the first time in weeks. That boy should have been a doctor. :)

But despite the illness, my holidays were fantastic!! And busy!! The week before Christmas I hosted a gift exchange with the girls, which was so much fun! I loved having everyone over together. We had lasagna and everyone brought great gifts! And Tracy, it was great seeing you again! A few days later Ryan and I had a great time at dinner with his brother Justin and his girlfriend Christine. We had an amazing Italian meal at Lorusso’s on the Hill. It was an eventful night (to say the least) and I just want to say that I had a great time bonding with you guys! Thanks for everything! I can’t wait to come to Chicago and visit soon.

Christmas Eve dinner at the grandparents’ was great. I loved going home, visiting my grandparents, seeing all the cousins, and bowling, of course. We got home late and exchanged our gifts to each other. Ryan got me diamond earrings!! They are so beautiful. And I got him a survival pack for his upcoming Alaska trip. Ryan and I then hosted our first-ever family Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. We had my entire family and his family over for a late lunch and gifts. I was SO nervous that it would be disastrous. I was terrified that the food would be bad or the company wouldn’t get along or I’d be too sick to enjoy myself. But, I think everything turned out perfectly! The food was great and I think everyone had a good time and liked their gifts. And, of course, New Year’s Eve was a blast! Thank you to the newlyweds John & Brooke for hosting and throwing such a fun and crazy dance party. It was great hanging out with everyone.

So, now that I’m feeling better and made it through the holidays, I have to jump back into my training schedule with full force. I’ve missed a few weeks, but I hope to be back on track soon and pounding out the miles. 2008 is going to be a great running year for me! I can feel it. My running goals for the year are as follows:

• Run my first marathon
• Run a 5k consistently under 30 minutes
• Run 1000 miles this year
• Run a sub 3:00 half marathon

I'd like to wish a big happy 21st birthday tomorrow to my little brother Timmy. Keep up the good work in school – I’m so proud of you!

And I hope you all had fantastic holidays as well. Please keep in touch! I’d love to hear from everyone. Let me know what you’re up to!