After running everyday and following that up with running back to back marathons it was really odd for me to take an extended amount of time off.  I know my body needed it though.  If you read my Marathon #5 blog you know how bad I was hurting.  The soreness, hobbling and pain lasted most of the week.  I think Tuesday may have actually been the toughest, not sure I was just really sore that day.

The place I normally go to get a massage actually called me on Monday, I had not been in for a while.  I asked to schedule an appointment and the earliest they could get me in was the following Thursday, over a week away, I was hoping it would be sooner.  Most of my soreness had subsided now, although this weekend I had what I am calling ‘phantom’ pains in my feet.  It could have been that I was standing for a while or the shoes I was wearing but it they felt like I had just gone for a long run, but no apparent reason why.

Without running what have I been up to?  Hmmmm, work mostly!  It was a pretty busy week last week, I had several early morning and evening appointments.  I also had an overnight stay on the Eastern Shore, near Ocean City.  I didn’t have time to stop by the beach 😦  I had to work on Saturday morning as well, so it was a long week.

Finally Saturday evening arrived and a little time to relax.  My best friend, John, and his brother, Jordan, came and picked my up, we went to a local bar that was closing down the next day.  They had sold the property to a company next store, that another friend actually happens to work for, and they are going to tear it down.  We had two beers and went to my friend’s house to watch the big MMA fight.  Before going to my friend Tir’s house we stopped and bought some food and drinks to take over with us.  The three of us have been best of buds since high school, so more than half our lives.  I grew up in what most Marylander’s would consider a small town, everyone knows everyone, and their business, haha.

My John and Jordan had to leave after about an hour to go to some other events but they said they would be back later, before the main event.  Sure enough about an hour later John came back, but Jordan was still out and about with some other friends.  We will all sitting around watching the fights in the basement enjoying the evening and then that is when it happened.  We heard some noise outside and the lights started flickering.  John, said ‘Is that Jordan coming back?’  Then we heard a loud pop, pop, pop, pop, just like gun shots.  My first thought was Jordan had come back but something happened.  He is a police officer and my initial thought was some sort of ambush.  We all took off running upstairs, someone was pounding on the door.  I went for the door and I heard Tir yell the house next door is on fire.  I quickly opened the door, it wasn’t Jordan it was a lady explaining what Tir had just said.  Tir’s cousin Michael was with us to and we all ran upstairs as quickly as we could to get Tir’s wife and the kids out of the house.  Tir’s wife, Amy, had the newborn, Michael grabbed the middle child, I hopped up onto the top bunk to grab the oldest, woke him up, and handed him to John who took him downstairs and outside.  Smoke was already starting to fill the house.  We all made it out safely and Amy turned around and said we have to get the cat.  I was walking down the outside steps and turned around, just at that time I saw the cat run by the door.  I went back in, that same lady held the door open, when I went in.  I kept thinking in my mind over and over, you’re never suppose to go back for the animals.  I was yelling for the cat and saw her dart behind the sofa.  I grabbed the sofa and pulled it out from the wall and grab the cat.  I don’t think I was in the house more than 40 seconds, but I was coughing quite a bit when I came out.

Fortunately, everyone is okay, and the children were not in the smoke that long.  Tir had called the fire department and they started to arrive.  The kids were cold, we all tried to keep them as warm as possible.  Amy called her aunt who lives about two blocks away and we all went over there to warm up and come up with a game plan.  I didn’t even realize I didn’t have shoes on till I was walking over to Amy’s aunts with the oldest child.  Tir actually pointed it out, once the kids were safe inside we walked back over to the house.  The fire department had contained the fire from spreading.  Tir and Michael went back into the house to get some essentials that Amy, Tir and the children would need for the night.  I stayed by the door and kept it open, the house had quite a bit of smoke still in it.  Tir grabbed my shoes for me!  His fence was damaged, the fire melted about six panels of it.

The important part is everyone got out okay, oh and as for the house next door, it was empty the people had moved out two weeks ago.  So that is the story of the time I went running for a cat.

How was your weekend?

-Veggie Fueled Runner