On A Snowy Curb

Snowy run at Flying J

The dreaded debate on junk miles. Yesterday I sat there and contemplated and contemplated, I looked at my shoes, the treadmill, the hill outside my house. Sure I could go get 4.5 miles to say I hit 50 this week, but are those 4.5 miles actually going to help me prepare for my next race? Are they actually going to be of any quality? The answer was no. 4 miles in January was not going to make or break my season. And so I settled for a few less miles than I had planned for the week. But I got in some quality speedwork, a family run pushing the B.O.B., and loads of snowy slog miles almost a foot of snow at times. Those extra hard miles have to count for something right? 

This week I also began to answer the question what next. So I registered for Run Rabbit Run 100 in September. Dan is really focused on the Never Summer 100k and decided he wasn't sure he really wanted to commit to a 100 miler after that. So that left RRR for me. I'm still trying to psyche myself up for Cow Creek...that might take the next 8 months to prepare for, but otherwise I'm excited to go back to Steamboat. Its a great town for the race, easy to manage with James and Fish Creek Falls is worth the cow manure. I still have to figure out my race schedule leading up to that and tweak my training a bit. I was starting to make a big push now for Leadville, but I can probably back off and ramp up again since the race it quite a ways off. But small steps I have a goal race for the year and that's the most important part. 

Family run at Bear Creek

I've been busy getting things updated for the World Down Syndrome Day Virtual Run/Walk as well. That little pet project of mine actually takes more time than I thought it would. I'm determined to make it bigger and better than last year. Hoping for 500 participants which would more than double last years numbers. I've got to get cracking though as we're getting close to race day!

Who needs preschool? I'm going to be a musician!

The highlight of this week was also getting up at 3:00 am on Tuesday morning to go register James for preschool. Seriously it was crazy! Apparently the first 10 people in line had gotten there at 9:00 pm the night before and camped out! There was even a cop there to watch out for crazy mom fights I guess. What we would do without Ipads and Kindles I have no idea. I sat on that curb freezing for a good 3.5 hours reading a book. I mean what else are you going to do in the cold, dark early hours of the morning? I'm usually only up at this time to run...certainly not stand in line for well just about anything. Except for preschool I guess. 

Preschool has been the bane of my existence lately. Public preschool is the only way James will still get therapy once he turns 3...well aside from private therapy. But then I learn that therapy is based on access not necessarily need. So because James can access the classroom and playground he won't qualify for PT. Because he's somewhat independent fora 2.5 year old he won't get much OT and will get limited speech. So that made me wonder if it was even worth it. Mind you public preschools don't seem to be geared towards working parents. Our home preschool's full day program ends at 3:15...how am I supposed to do that? It's 20 min from my office. And half day is 9:15-11:15. I flat out refused to look at the school with the special ed program. My thinking was if he's not registered there they can't put him in the special ed room. We'll see how that plan works. I will fight tooth and nail on this one if I have to. I understand for some kids the special ed room is where they need to be. But I have been fighting for 2.5 years to keep James with his peers because he progresses so much more when he sees other kids doing things. Maybe at some point in the future he will need the special ed room, but for preschool I want him in an integrated classroom. 

This all led us to waiting in line at 3:00 am. The preschool near my office has a full day program that goes until 5:00 which is why it's so popular. I'm not sure James is really ready for that, but since the school is basically next door to his daycare and my office I can shuttle him between daycare and preschool relatively easily. Plus I really like that while this school does not have a special ed classroom they do have a special ed team onsite. And they have several kids who are non-verbal so they felt comfortable handling James' communication needs. For now this is the plan...if he gets in. We should find out in early Feb, but by my calculations I think we got into the half day program. Fingers crossed. If not private preschool and private therapy it will be. Sometimes I just have to find that balance between what works for our family and what James needs. I would never take something James needs away from him, but if I can find another way to make it work so I don't go crazy than that's the compromise we need to find and work out. 

And somehow found time to make a homemade
gluten free deep dish pizza

Now comes the next preschool battle...the dreaded IEP (individualized education plan). I'm prepared to fight and anyone who really knows me knows you do not want to fight me. I will fight for James to be in an integrated room with everything I have. I know that's what he needs right now. It'll be easier to move him to special ed later than it will be to get him out of special ed if it's not working or what he needs. 





Week January 19 - 25

Miles Running: 45.5
Hours Hiking and Running: 8

Monday: 3.5 miles; literally running errands

Tuesday: 5 miles; hill sprints at Flying J

Wednesday: 6 miles; neighborhood laps in the blizzard around 9" of fresh snow

Thursday: 8.5 miles; at Apex with Sandra, front trails somewhat packed down, but Grubestake was pretty bad definitely could have used microspikes

Friday: OFF

Saturday: 11.0; laps around Flying J during naptime

Sunday: am: 4 miles at FJ; late am: 7.5 miles with the boys at Bear Creek so warm it was wonderful!