Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved Valentine’s Day. Growing up, my mom made it special every year by having a little pink and red treat magically waiting for me with my breakfast before I’d go off to school. I was never one of those girls who wore black on February 14 or hated the occasion, even when I was boyfriend-less.

Several years ago, Mr. rUnladylike and I started a tradition that we’ve kept going every year on Valentine’s Day. We cook a meal that his Italian grandmother made and has passed down, eat at home, drink some wine and watch a movie. I love it. And that was the plan for today.

But then this happened …

Sometimes, when life gives you lemons you can make lemonade. Other times, however, you may just be forced to drink lemon juice straight up. In that case, the last 48 hours have been lemon juice on the rocks (vodka NOT included).

Today’s post was originally written as all the things I love about running. A beautiful tribute to the gratitude and appreciation I have for so many things about the sport and what it brings to our lives. Likewise, my grand plans to cook our big Italian meal and have little paper hearts all over the house clearly aren’t happening either.

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and dishes up different plans. This is where my lemon came into the picture …

Mr. rUnladylike and I were in the Bahamas last weekend for a spontaneous getaway (more on our rave run there later this week). On Monday morning when we were leaving to return home, we both found ourselves feeling sick. We picked up some kind of virus (how convenient) just before coming home that has caused some labored breathing, achiness, and headaches. In my ultra-obsessive state to ensure we hadn’t contracted some kind of deadly illness, I’ve been at the doctor 3 times in 2 days. After 3 rounds of blood work, a chest X-Ray and a CT scan (and 4 hours in urgent care last night), you will all be glad to know this blog will live to see another day because I am fine. Just a run-of-the-mill virus that will take a few days to go away. My training this week and today’s Valentine’s Day plans, not so much.

It happens. Sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out. There are going to be weeks we get sick and despite our best intentions, we just have to rest. Our training plans go down the tubes for the week, but it doesn’t derail months of good weeks. We have to muster our patience and accept that our long-term health is way more important than a missed run or a Valentine’s Day that doesn’t go exactly as planned. And in the end, it makes us appreciate the people we love (aka Mr. rUnladylike) and the things we love (aka running) even more.

So here’s to life giving you a lemon, drinking the sour juice straight up and figuring out how to keep smiling despite your puckered lips. Oh yeah, and here’s to take-out instead of a home-cooked Italian meal on Valentine’s Day.

Much love to all of you. Happy Hearts Day!

How are you spending this Valentine’s Day? What do you love most about running?