30. Curveball
Well, you know where this is going…
This week was supposed to be a simple, low-stress lead-up to the celebration of running in Berlin. The plan was clear: sleep a bit longer, run a bit less, avoid stress, and prepare mentally for race day. But, as it often happens, life had other plans.
Monday started out okay. The weather wasn’t great, so I opted for the treadmill and got my legs spinning a little faster with an interval workout. It felt like a smart choice at the time—keep the workout short, take it easy indoors, and avoid unnecessary exposure to the elements. But by Tuesday morning, my left calf had almost completely seized up. It took a lot of massaging and stretching to get it mobile again, but I managed to push through that first hurdle and regain some sense of normalcy.
Then Wednesday came, and everything shifted. Nursery called us—Coach Matthew had a fever. Initially, we weren’t too concerned; it usually passes in 48 hours, and while he can be a bit grumpy, he’s a tough little guy. But this time, we were wrong. His temperature shot up to 39-40°C, he stopped eating, and we’ve barely slept since Wednesday, catching only a few interrupted hours here and there.
By yesterday, we were hopeful that he might recover enough for us to travel to Berlin, or at least for me to go alone. We packed our bags and had everything ready, trying to convince ourselves he was on the mend. Despite another horrible night, wifey, ever the rock, told me she could handle it, so I left for the airport alone around 6am. Coach Matthew seemed calmer, but just as I parked the car, wifey called—his fever had spiked again, and he was in bad shape.
I turned back immediately. We took the little one to the hospital, and luckily, it’s just a virus that’s been going around with the kids. His fever is finally under control this evening, but he’s still cranky and uncomfortable and starts crying his lungs out every now and then.
So, Berlin isn’t happening for me. I don’t feel bad about it. There’s always another race, and while we’ve lost out on the travel plans, what matters most is being there for my family. At the end of the day, we win and lose together as a team. It wouldn’t have felt right to run the race without them there, cheering me on. Right now, all I want is for Coach Matthew to feel better (and maybe for us to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep!).
But if there’s one lesson I want to share from this, it’s this: being a parent to a little one is hard, but it shouldn’t stop us from taking on challenges. Sometimes, like this time, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t show up at the start line, and that’s okay. But I’ll keep signing up for the next event and pushing forward. The worst thing that can happen is giving up, and that’s not the example I want to set for Coach Matthew.
On to the next one!
The Dream Team
