Holly, that boss of yours is a piece of work! I'm very thankful I don't work for someone like that! Heck, my boss encourages us to just take a day off here and there if we need a mental break day. The mean side of me says you should bring your daughter to work, expose your boss to her sick germs, have her get sick and not make it in the office so you can dish it right back to her. Thanks for all the comments and views of the video I posted yesterday. Our son is really a very special and precious boy - always has been extremely humble and appreciative for what he gets and lets his true emotions shine through receiving gifts. It's so easy to give to a child like that - who doesn't take it for granted.

5 easy at the park today with the Saint. It's gorgeous here and headed into the 70's. We're off to hit one of the used bookstores to stock up. Tramps, the Saint is much like your wife. She did 3 half marathons this year but has never really focused on speed. I like what you have planned. When I did this with my wife, I just asked her to pick up the pace for about a quarter mile, not all out, but just a tad faster than what she had been doing. We ended up doing 4 quarters like this, with alternating quarters of slow jogging. This kind of exercise will give you a sense of what kind of leg speed is slightly faster for her that she can be relaxed and comfortable in, and not have her say later on that it was too hard to do. I would go real easy this first time out to give her confidence. Mariposai, I always knew you could cook, but that is one awesome menu. You and Franc are my idols! Spareribs

11 on the treadmill in the cardio cinema, whilst watching Ben Affleck save the world from nucular destruction. 2008 was a disaster for me - only completed one marathon. 2009 will be the year of pbj - I read it in a fortune cookie!

Stumpy and Twocats - The wall stretch is very simple. Let's start with the right leg. Lie on the floor at a doorway. Put the heel of your right leg up on the wall and relax. You want to feel a gentle stretch. There should be no pain, no strain. Stay that way for 5 minutes. Read a book, listen to your favorite song, whatever. Switch to the other side of the doorway and do the same with your left leg. Do this once a day every day and after a week or so, and I swear you will be amazed at (1) the difference in your hamstrings and (2) how close you will eventually get your butt to the wall 'cause your hammies are nice and stretched out. The doorway gives your non-stretching leg somewhere to go as you are able to creep your butt closer to the wall. When I started these, my quads were way overdeveloped compared to my hamstrings, which pulled on my hamstrings and lower back. Whenever I'd sit for an extended period of time, especially within an hour or so after running, I couldn't just stand straight up. I'd have to sort of move in a squat for a few seconds until I could get things stretched out. It hurt like heck. It was probably after about a week of doing these every day that I started to see some good results, and after a couple of weeks things were so much better. I now do the stretches 2-3 times a week. Good luck! My planned 5 miles with hill repeats collapsed into 3 miles with a very sore ankle and right knee. It hurt too bad to push off to climb hills. I think I need new shoes since mine have about 460+ miles on them. If I get out of here early today, I'm going straight to the Jogg 'n Shoppe with my gift certificate from my coach. Also dealing with another health issue at the moment that has me feeling, well, crappy. Keeping my fingers crossed that if things are going to get worse, they wait until after the 1st so I can eat into my huge insurance deductible. Have a good one, folks.

Mariposai, unfortunately, Holly's job isn't covered by FMLA... not enough employees at the worksite. Holly, you may be lucky for now to be so indispensable, but given your boss' age and the general working conditions (today's situation being one of them), if I were you I'd be brushing up my resume and looking at some other employers. The best time to find a new job is when you already have one... Just my 2 cents. Twocat, while wishing for Lyme Disease might seem odd, I can certainly appreciate the value of a diagnosis. The vagueness of your condition and symptoms would be very aggravating. I hope you get some answers. And yes, I do the treadmill a LOT. Saves my bacon with winter running... but I do try to strike a balance with getting outside, too. But the outdoor running gives you a much better workout with the natural ups and downs and terrain changes... even on the bike path. My legs are always a bit sore after a good outdoor run even if it's not 8+ miles because they have to do more work than on the TM. So... I'm hoping to get outside for a bit today, even though the temps are in the mid minus-30's in town. It's warmer than that here, only like -16 or so. I can do a few miles in that!

Mariposai if somehow your colleagues are insufficiently appreciative of your cooking feel free to come out to CT! I guarantee I will be happy to gush about that meal you put together! nonoruns watch that back. My dad had a really weak one which I inherited. On the plus side it keeps you motivated to stay in shape as any lack of conditioning is quickly punished! WRFB sounds like it was a lot of fun. How often does this wonderful event have to take place?' tselbs good 8 miler. biketm I followed your latest trials and tribulations, meaning the now broken toes. If there is any cosmic settling up, once this is all over you should go out and buy some lottery tickets! TammyinGP I am not sure that I am quite as nice as your boss. But, I would have told Holly to stay home and not worry about just one day. Geez! I always tell my assistant that if she feels ill or even feels she may be getting ill to stay home and work from there. If there is one thing I can live without is sick people coming into work and then making me and everybody else ill too! jdmom3 great double digit run with some very nice speed there too! Also, thanks for the note about my hoped for diagnosis and you too evanflein. The fact is I have probably something so it may as well be something that is easy to cure. Spareribs the 70's?! I hate you! If only the weather were that nice around here in late December for a nice warm 5 mile run. Sigh . . . perchcreek good luck with your 5K. PBJ wishing you the best in 2009 too! fatozzig thanks for the stretching details I may give it a shot and see how it feels. Sorry to read about your ankle and knee though. I hope the new sneakers do the trick. I have to agree 460+ miles is a lot on one pair. Holly S. yep give your boss the DA Boss of the Year Award from me! What a jerk. I hope she catches whatever your DD has. Sorry, I am a vindictive critter and figure one good bad turn deserves another. Twocat post doctor visit update . . . . rat a dat dat . . . My doctor is pretty much stumped by my condition and is thus now playing Dr. House (for those of you that watch the TV show). Having not a clue, he has ordered up a battery of tests including one for Lyme disease. Around here (SW CT) Lyme is more common than the err . . . the common cold! So while my symptoms would be unusual for Lyme they do not rule it out either. He is also looking for muscle enzymes to see if there is some other infection. His first guess is that my problems are not exercise related. If it were he does not think I could have done 16 miles yesterday followed by 6 today and then walked into his office without any obvious leg, balance, or other obvious problems. So the bottom line is that the tests will likely come back either Monday afternoon or sometime on Tuesday. We will then see what, if anything, they find. I am sure hoping it is something as I would give anything at this point to have it turn out to be some sort of nasty infection.

Twocat, good luck with the tests. Mary, you're a cracker, 1400 miles, brilliant!!!! Spareribs you aren't half getting that mileage up. Holly, it's bosses like your's make union's like mine, very popular and reps like me, very busy. I went for a 5 miler in the woods today with Woody, got to the half way mark, give woody a treat, had a drink, listens to the wood's sounds, birds singing, sun shining through the bare trees and I just had to run on a bit more, it should have been 6.25 but lost the dog's lead/lesh and woody picked it up and decided to carry it himself to the road. Anyway: 6.75m and 4m yesterday Debbie, I'm getting over an ankle injury which is coming and going but I need to run otherwise I would be massive..... Good Runs All Roy

Nice 3 mile walk on the Duke Trail....hills were hard....guess I better start training on them more! Holly -- Sorry your boss is being such an A##. I was blessed with a boss who understood being out with the children when they were sick. He remembered his wife being in the same situation when their daughters were little.