Thursday, April 24

Lethargy

I’ve been had, hoodwinked, lulled into a false sense of security. It started innocently enough; it always does with these stories doesn’t it? It’s the subsequent events that hold the details, where theory is tested and subsequently all bets are off.

After almost a week in the NICU, we were ecstatic to bring Isla home with us yesterday. Leaving the hospital parking lot, I remember feeling confident. With a grin on my face and both girls secure in the car, I turned right onto Watkiss Way and couldn’t have been happier.

The beginning was easy, a change of diaper, breastfeeding; this wasn’t so bad. That evening we took advantage of a quiet house and watched a video, even shared a pint. It’s here that they have you, you believe that you know what you’re doing and that your child is different. It’s here that the first snowflake turns into an avalanche of late night exhaustion (and I was the fortunate one).

Wednesday morning I was fit, smooth and positive, that afternoon couldn’t have been more different. I was running late on time (and energy) and after a short warm-up launched into a series of 1-k repeats on a marked section of the Lochside Trail. I was aiming to run 3:20-3:23, the results speak for themselves (downhill, uphill):

3:18, 3:20,
3:18, 3:26,
3:22, 3:32

I’m proud of myself for finishing the workout given that I contemplated stopping after three and recall having convinced myself not to continue after five. Still, crawling back to the house that evening I felt slow, uninspired and ruined. To make matters worse, this weekend I’m supposed to participate in a race, the Times Colonist 10-k (the second largest 10-k in Canada). From my perspective, the event has TRAIN WRECK written all over it. A few months ago I would’ve settled for nothing less than 34:18, today though, I’m looking to run sub 36:00 which supposedly translates into a sub 2h50 marathon (assuming you can squeeze in a few longer runs).

Thanks for all the comments, photos soon.

Training:
Tuesday: hilly 1:09:06
Wednesday: A.M. easy 40:09, P.M. 55:51 with 6x1-k (2’)
Thursday: easy 40:28

3 comments:

Thomas said...

Welcome to a whole new world. Don't worry, after 4 or maybe 6 months you'll be able to sleep again. You'll soon forget the sleepless time when you were zombified from exhaustion.

And anyway, looking after just one baby must be SOOOOOO easy!

Actually, enjoy and treasure every moment. They grow up so quickly!

Eric said...

Ah, don't let Thomas scare you! If it was as bad as he says, he surely wouldn't have had so many!

It all depends on the kid. Our daughter was as easy a baby as they come as far as sleeping through the night, and then our son was way more difficult (still not nearly as bad as some).

The thing is, whether it's good, bad, or ugly, you forget quickly. Make lots of memories while it's happening! Cheers.

Michael said...

Thomas I don't know how you do it. I have three siblings and the thought of dealing with another child now is just frightening. Thanks for the comments, everything has been great the last couple of days and I’m loving every minute of it. Cheers.