Archive for the ‘Asides’ Category
I graduated from physical therapy today. No gifts, please.
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Early leader in the clubhouse…
Friday, July 3rd, 2009…for “This Year’s Adventure I Envy Most”: Nabesna to McCarthy bikepackraft
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Wow, this research shows big gains in just a week. I wonder if trained athletes would see such dramatic results? Qercetin Increases Endurance Without Regular Exercise Training
Foot Loose and Boot Free
Friday, June 19th, 2009I am out of my walking cast, finally, after three months. The only time I need to wear it now is when I go orienteering, which I have done a couple of times. Being out of the boot really helps me mentally. I don’t have to drag the anchor around all day, being constantly reminded of all the stuff I can’t do. But I’ve still got a long way to go, and without the cast I need to be extra careful as I ramp up my activities. Its been an up and down journey so far, and the last thing I need is another set-back.
The new normal
Friday, May 29th, 2009Normal. Throughout my achilles tendon healing process, the goal has alway been to get back to normal. But it been so long (10 weeks), I’ve forgotten what normal used to be. Hobbling around on one leg is now normal. A short walk around the neighborhood has become my normal workout.
But I am making progress, and every few days I get a new taste of the old normal. I’m finally doing some easy bike rides again, after holding off for a few weeks because of a minor set-back. On Wednesday, I did orienteering for the first time this year. I walked the Red course. Even though I was slow, it felt great to be back out there. And I didn’t even finish last!
These small bits of my normal life are like rays of sunshine through the clouds. The trick is going to be avoiding another set-back as I increase my activity level. That is a tougher balancing act than I anticipated.
Step Forward, Step Back, Repeat
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Last time I wrote about my Achilles tear, thing were going well. I was being a model patient. I was very careful not to over-do it.
And yet, I still over-did it. On a bike ride a week ago, I aggravated my calf muscle while climbing a hill, and it swelled up big-time. After a week of self-therapy, it wasn’t getting better, so today I went back to the doctor. I was scared to death that I had re-torn the tendon, and that I would have to start over. Six weeks of healing down the drain.
The good news is that I didn’t re-injure the tendon. The bad news is that I did “anger”, as the Doc called it, the calf muscle because it wasn’t used to the amount of stress I put on it. ( Really? My calf muscle couldn’t handle that one small hill? Man, I’ve lost a lot of strength in six weeks.) The tendon can’t continue to heal with lots of swelling around it. So I got a steroid shot to make the swelling go down and I have to take it very easy for a couple of weeks.
Its a frustrating set-back considering I thought I was doing everything right. But fortunately, it is only a minor set-back and it will serve as a strong reminder to be very cautious in the future.
A few ashholes can ruin the crust skiing for everyone
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009Check out crust.outlookalaska.com and scroll down a little.
My True Calling
Monday, April 13th, 2009I’ve finally found the race I was born to run. The Krispy Kreme Challenge: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=garber/090326
Run two miles, eat 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, run two more miles. Or as I call it, “breakfast.”
Looking at this year’s results, I’m pretty sure I’d be unstoppable. Five minutes for the winner to eat 12 light, fluffy doughnuts? That’s pedestrian. Running two six-minute miles after eating said doughnuts? Okay, that’s more impressive. But still, I want a shot at the title.
Summer Races
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009Its always a bummer when I miss out on a fun race because I didn’t know (or forgot) that it was happening. And these days, it is harder than ever for me to keep track. So at the beginning of the season, I import all the local clubs’ event calendars into my Google schedule, so I can stay on top of things. I recently updated the calendar with all of this summer’s events.
Once these calendars are set up in Google, they are really easy to share, so I figure why not post them on my website in case someone else finds it useful. You can find a link to my Alaska Endurance Event Calendar in the sidebar of my homepage (or just click the previous link).
2009 ITI Is Done
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009Let’s say that you’ve just completed the ”hardest race in the world.” You’ve spent the past month inching towards the burled arch in Nome, facing down Alaska’s harsh winter weather the entire way, and now you finally made it. It’d probably be one of your greatest accomplishments. What do you do next? Well, you go to sleep. On the floor of a bank ATM lobby. Then you get picked up by the police. That just doesn’t seem right. Thank god for Phil, who went above and beyond as a host and cheerleader for both Nome finishers, Tim and Marco.
