Needle Junkie

Well, not that kind of needle.  I am one of the 80% of runners who gets injured every year.  For me, I've been dealing with Achilles issues for the last month.  In August I hurt my left Achilles and ended up taking almost a whole month to get back to where I was before injury and it cost me a race that I really wanted to do.  After two good weeks back in running I was feeling pretty good.  I'd worked up to 9 and then 12 mile runs on the weekends and my weekly mileage was climbing. In fact, in retribution for not being able to do my 10k I decided to just train for a 1/2 marathon and eventually, running with some girls who were on a full marathon training program, figured I might as well jump in with them where they were in mileage (who knows, maybe I'll do a full marathon after all). THEN came my right Achilles.  I finished a 12 mile run with some friends last weekend and by my mid week medium mileage run I could hardly walk.  I had a 13-15 mile run coming up in 4 days and I was not going to miss it.  NOT AGAIN ACHILLES!  I did some online research and discovered that acupuncture had a good base behind assisting with Achilles issues.  I made up my mind to call a chiropractor (the first ever for me) the next day.  Anyway, two days later I received dry needling treatment, which is actually different from acupuncture, in that the needles go through the muscles to release lactic acid and increase blood flow in areas that are tight.  I had about 20 needles in and through my Achilles and calve muscle and then ran 3 miles the next day and 14.6 two days after that!  Pretty amazing.  I went back for a second session today and had my achy left calve muscle treated too.  One more session after this one and I think I will be set.  While this isn't the most pleasant thing I've ever experienced, I think it's very much worth it to not have to take all the time off that I've had to do before.  I tried to take a picture of my leg with all the pins, but I couldn't twist myself that way, so if you are curious google dry needling on Google images.

Catching Up

If I do one thing well, it is NOT keeping up on this blog.  Summer is over in the Bloom household and we had a really busy, but honestly, wonderful summer.  I can't really do justice to two months of past happenings in one post, but I'm going to do my best, so here are some of our summer memories:

-Lots of family time, complete with sporadic and unplanned sleepovers.  Nothing is sweeter than watching 3-5 kids' faces light up at the suggestion of camping out on the floor under piles of blankets, falling asleep to cartoons.  We got to do this with our kiddos and our oldest niece/nephews several times throughout the summer.  We also had our annual Six Flags trip with our nephews which always makes me have to suck up the "I'm getting to old for this" attitude!

-We got to meet two precious nieces.  Khloe and Alice are as cute as can be!

- We have held true to our "we will take a family vacation out of the country each year" mantra.  We traveled to Atlantis in the Bahamas with the kiddos and Mommom and Papa.  It was so much fun and I really needed that Bahama lack-of-time relaxation.

-I ran three 5ks over the summer and the Color Run was a blast!  Now I am training for a half marathon and while it's tough, I am enjoying the challenge (sort of).

-I had two bouts of poison ivy--lots of fun.  I took so many steroids this summer that I should have no problem training for an ultra-marathon!

School has started and we are back in the swing of things.  That just means everything is crazy again.  That's normal around here.

Who needs a slip and slide?

Keeton and his pal used our front yard as a slip and slide after yesterday's rain.  He is ALL BOY!

5k

We did it!  Yesterday marked my first 5k and I think I may be addicted.  To running.  And maybe that means I need help, because really....who gets addicted to running??

All of us ran.  Jeff and the kids ran 1 mile and I did the 5k.

My sister and me after the race.

Next up, Firecracker 5000 on the 4th and then the Color Run in Indy at the end of July!  Start my 10k training tomorrow.

Found: Hobby (2)

So, I've been running now for 5 months and really only "training" for 10 weeks.  But finally, I feel like a "runner".  I may not be the fastest, but I can do the 5k and not die and not walk and that is huge for me.  I am actually enjoying it too, which is funny because I didn't enjoy running when I ran track for four years!
My first 5k is in a week and I am excited to prove myself.

Ella and I picked up another hobby tonight--horseback riding lessons! This was my little girl dream and I'm really excited to share this hour each week with my daughter.  Ella was quite the natural and loved every minute.  She wasn't afraid to trot her horse, saddle it, groom it, or feed it.  Funny thing is, that I was actually a little intimidated at first.

These two hobbies made me realize something.  I have let a lot of self doubt seep into my life, especially this past year.  When everything seems like a question mark and every decision seems like a mountain I am not sure I can climb, these two hobbies just might keep me sane.  With running, I have to focus very hard on my breathing. If I don't, I can't pace myself.  Also, it was such a huge accomplishment to get to my 5k distance that it made me face myself with the "I can do this" mentality.  I am going to keep setting goals and see how far this can take me.

The horseback riding, while only lesson one, taught me a few things too.  First, I tend to doubt myself before I even begin.  I have never had any reservations around horses but I was worried I'd look too inexperienced or embarass myself when trying to saddle it.  Once I got on, I was good.  I looked at Ella who had no fear at all and was completely okay with being told to loosen by grip, use my knees, etc.

I realized tonight that I've let a lot of myself go these past few years.  When people asked what I liked to do, there wasn't much there.  So, I am feeling a little liberated and a little more confident, which all in all, is pretty good for a couple of hobbies!

While passing the casino...

Keeton says, "That's where Daddy says you steal money and smoke cigarettes."  Too funny.  He meant "spend" money, but it might as well be getting it stolen with the Bloom luck!

Happy Birthday to my Little Man-20 Things

I'm not going to spend any time on here speaking of my sadness that my "little man" is six. I mean, that sounds crazy...why would I be sad? Ah...another post, another day.

Instead, happy birthday to my sweet little boy! I found this post on pinterest and thought it was very true. We are particularly focused on potty-humor at this point in life. Sigh.

 20 Things a Mother Should Tell Her Son

1. You will set the tone for the sexual relationship, so don't take something away from her that you can't give back.

 2. Play a sport. It will teach you how to win honorably, lose gracefully, respect authority, work with others, manage your time, and stay out of trouble. And maybe even throw or catch.

 3. Use careful aim when you pee. Somebody's got to clean that up, you know.

 4. Save money when you're young because you'll need it some day.

 5. Allow me to introduce you to the dishwasher, oven, washing machine, iron, vacuum, mop and broom. Now please go use them.

 6. Pray and be a spiritual leader.

 7. Don't ever be a bully and don't ever start a fight, but if some idiot clocks you, please defend yourself.

 8. Your knowledge and education is something that nobody can take away from you.

 9. Treat women kindly. Forever is a long time to live alone and it's even longer to live with somebody who hates your guts.

 10. Take pride in your appearance.

 11. Be strong and tender at the same time.

 12. A woman can do everything that you can do. This includes her having a successful career and you changing diapers at 3 A.M. Mutual respect is the key to a good relationship.

 13. "Yes ma'am" and "yes sir" still go a long way.

 14. The reason that they're called "private parts" is because they're "private". Please do not scratch them in public.

 15. Peer pressure is a scary thing. Be a good leader and others will follow.

 16. Bringing her flowers for no reason is always a good idea.

 17. Be patriotic.

 18. Potty humor isn't the only thing that's humorous.

 19. Please choose your spouse wisely. My daughter-in-law will be the gatekeeper for me spending time with you and my grandchildren.

 20. Remember to call your mother because I might be missing you.