Laid Out

There's been an interruption in our running program. And no, it's not the rain.

On Sunday evening, J went out to play pick-up soccer nearby and within 15 minutes had pulled his calf muscle so badly that he left the field and (having previously decided to leave his cell phone at home) had to hobble all the way home. He immediately laid himself out on the couch and hasn't really walked since.

After some internet research and debating whether it was worth taking him to the doctor, we decided to give him the ol' pulled muscle treatment: a non-steriodal anti-inflammatory, ice, and elevation.

On Monday I stayed home with him to help him around, bring him ice for his leg, and to consider whether we wanted to take him to the doctor and/or that I would head out to the CVS in Center City to buy him some crutches. In the end, we decided that the cost of crutches would be close to the cost of the co-pay for the doctor's visit plus the cost of the deductible on the crutches and so out I went. It was a hot and muggy day, so carrying the crutches home in their shrink wrap was kind of a pain. Worse, when I got home I discovered that J is taller than I realized and the crutches were too short. So he hasn't used them at all.

But today he stayed home while I went to work, and he seems to be doing better. He can't bend or flex his leg without pain, but he can make it to the bathroom without hopping on one leg. So we're hoping that this is a fairly mild sprain or pull and that within the next couple of weeks he'll be back up and running in the mornings. He is disappointed though. As much as he loves to sit in his big arm chair with his legs up and watch his big (projector) screen t.v., I think he also enjoys leaving the house and interacting with people other than me.

(As for the running, on Monday morning, when it was time to run and it was obvious there was no way J was coming with me, I had to decide whether to stay home with him in solidarity, or go out by myself. Since he isn't exactly dying and didn't mind that I go out on my own, I did decide to go. I highly doubt I'm going to make such progress in the next couple of weeks that I will be sprinting on ahead of him when he's ready to get back to it. And I have to say, I'm actually kind of proud of myself for going on my own. However, it really is much more fun to have him with me (yes, morning singing and all) so I hope his leg heals quickly and I get my running partner back.)