Coming soon...

to a blog near you: Attack of the Apple-Peeler-Corer-Slicer! It's a must-read account of an accident-prone runner and a high quality kitchen gadget. The dangerous APCS is a vicious machine aimed at maiming anyone not paying 100% attention to what she is doing. It can core! It can slice! It can peel fruit skins in one long ribbon! It has sharp prongs that can puncture even the hardest membrane! Read on, if you dare...

I was giddy about my lesson plan this week: apples. So many ideas and activities to do with 3-year-olds and apples. Wednesday I planned to make applesauce. I pulled out my good ol' apple-peeler-corer-slicer from the cabinet and dusted it off. How fun this will be! The kids can take turn peeling and slicing apples. I can teach science and target their gross motor skills in one lesson.

All is going well, and the kids are fascinated with the peeling and slicing. They are eating the peels and lauging at how long some of the peels can be. They are sweet and patient while waiting their turn to crank the handle and peel/slice/core an apple.

I put an apple on the prong, and the apple stops before it's supposed to. My hand keeps going, and all I feel is intense pain. Twenty eyes are watching me, and twenty ears are listening to every breath I take. I want to scream. I want to cuss. Instead, I grab my hand and say rather softly and pathetically, "I think I just broke my finger." It hurt so bad. The kids don't care. They want to have their turn on the apple machine.

Luckily for me, another teacher came in and was able to get me an ice pack. I got to hold it on for a good 20 seconds before the kids starting rioting for more apple peels. No rest for a wounded preschool teacher. We finished up the apples, and all the kids were happy. I was not happy. My hand throbbed. I realized that it wasn't my fingers but my outer palm and back of my hand near my pinky that were hurt. My hand was swollen and starting to bruise.

The applesauce turned out delicious. You should all make some at home. You might never eat store-bought again. Everyone asks how I hurt my hand. Who hurts their hand so badly on an apple-peeler-corer-slicer?

I scheduled a doctor appointment after barely bumping my hand against the car door (intense pain). I canceled the doctor appointment Thursday morning when I realized that even if it somehow was fracture or something was pulled badly, all they would do is tell me to ice it, take ibuprofen, and wear some sort of ace bandage or hand/wrist cast.

I went to Gazelles' class Wednesday night for 700s. I wondered how my hand would feel running - if bouncing would hurt. I warmed up with Barb, and if I held my hand at an odd (but not awkward) angle, then it didn't hurt. I did five 700s in a sort of ladder: fast, less fast, least fast, less fast, fastest. That wasn't the plan, but that's how it came out. I was happy with my times and effort. I was happy to see Kerri and Guy. It feels like I haven't seen them in forever. I was really happy to see Sarah show up after she sat in traffic for an hour. Good job, Holmes, for not turning around and going back home *and* for running so fast on your last 700. :o)

Tomorrow is a 9 mile long run. My hand still hurts something awful, but it's not as bad as Wednesday or yesterday. I haven't run 9 miles since February 2006. It will definitely be interesting to see how I do after being sick, having sick kids, and having a very, very serious hand injury. ;)