After a very stressful six days in Tennessee spent mostly in a hospital helping care for a loved one, I returned home yesterday afternoon to my very own copy of The Mother of all Meltdowns that I had won on Work In Sweats Mama’s blog.  Not only had Nicole (one of the authors) signed my copy, but she also enclosed a very sweet note.  That mama is a class act all the way!  Thank you, Nicole, I can’t wait to start reading your book!  Ironically, I was only a few miles from her home and I would have loved to meet her for a run, or at the very least a fountain Coke; but alas, I just couldn’t tear myself away from the hospital.

MotherMeltdowns

I got up super early every morning to run and lift weights.  The gym at the hotel where I stayed was quite nice, so each morning I worked out my frustrations.  I surprised myself by being able to run on the treadmill without any knee pain.  After successfully training most of the winter of 2010 on a treadmill for the Boston Marathon, I tried running on it a few times after the race and my knee hurt pretty badly (it didn’t hurt when I ran outside), so I hadn’t tried running on a treadmill since then.  What a pleasant little treat!

RunningTreadmill

As I mentioned earlier, the hotel gym was quite nice.  For the most part I had the gym to myself which is exactly what I like.  This guy came in to workout after I’d already finished my run.

HotelGymCardio

“Clear your mind.”  Yes, that’s exactly what I was doing…

HotelGymWeights

Saturday instead of attending the game in Blacksburg with my usual gang, I watched it in the hospital room with the person who first introduced me to Hokie football.  The TV was tiny, but the company was grand!

HokieGameHospitalTV

When walking from the parking lot to the hospital, guests walk through a little park with music playing softly.  I often saw patients and family members hanging out in the area, enjoying the healing powers of nature.

HospitalReflectiveArea

In an effort to get away from hospital cafeteria food, I ordered this delicious grilled chicken salad from Ruby Tuesday one night and took it back to my room to eat.  The picture doesn’t do it justice.

HotelSalad

So friends, that’s what I’ve been up to lately…  It’s why I haven’t visited your blogs in over a week, it’s why I’ve only talked about running topics that I’d pre-written and promised I would write about, it’s why I’ve been pretty much MIA.  Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.

  • Questions:
  • Do you use the gym when you stay in a hotel?
  • Do you prefer chicken or steak on your salads?
  • Tell me something happy to brighten my day!