So, I have been extremely lax in the workout dept.

This week I made a pact to do *something* 5 days this week.

Monday, I did a tiny triathlon trial. I went to the Aquatic Fitness Center and swam 800 yards in 17:30. That is fast for me!

I was planning to do a swim/bike brick, and go for a ride around the lake. But I forgot my shoes! DOH! So I drove back home and got my shoes on and went for a ride up Mesa Road. I rode for 4 miles. My splits were 8/7/4/4. I got off my bike and went for a short 2 mi run. Man, were my calves tight!

During this trial I ran into some logistical issues. Like, hmmm, I can’t run wearing a swim suit. No support up top.

For that day, I changed into a jog bra and top, but that doesn’t seem practical for the race.

So I posed the question to the local trichics and ended up ordering a tri tank and tri shorts from SkirtSportsOutlet.com.

The pieces arrived on Thursday, but I haven’t had a chance to try them on yet.

On Tuesday night I went to the climbing gym with Tiffany. Totally burned out my forearms.

Wednesday morning I went for a 5k run in Monument Valley Park. It felt pretty good to just run again. I think I need to recalibrate my Nike+ iPod though – it clocked me as doing 3.21 mi in 30:53 – which is pretty much me at my fastest. I’m pretty sure my gait has shortened since the injury, which would certainly throw the calibration off to make me seem faster.

On Thursday, I went for a more leisurely 750 swim which took me about 20 minutes

Friday was the boys’ last day of school where they spent the day at Thorndale Park, so I did a lot of walking and a bit of box hauling. I figured that was enough for the day.

So I did *something* physical each day this week. It’s a start.

thehealthymom is a wreck. For dad, the ERCP tomorrow is a no go. Possible cancer. Options went from surgery to hospice care. I’m not handling this well.10:38 PM
May 20th from TweetDeck

Late Wednesday night they said they wouldn’t be able to do the procedure because he had a fever and he was so very weak.

We spent most of the day on Thursday thinking he would be gone soon. I visited him around lunch time on Thursday and brought some get well cards that the boys had made for him. I read them to him, and gave him some ice chips, and then let him rest. He was very, very weak and looked so unhealthy.

After I left, I met Doug at Buena Vista for Zander’s kindergarten transition/graduation ceremony.

thehealthymom’s father in law needs to have a procedure he may not survive, but he most certainly won’t without it. Heading back to the hospital now.
2:21 PM May 21st from TweetDeck

Then suddenly on Thursday afternoon, Georgiana called and said that the doctors wanted to go ahead with the ERCP procedure. They said that he may not survive the procedure, but that he could not live longer without doing it.

So I called my dad, he came over to watch the boys, and Doug and I picked up his mom and took her to the hospital. We met with Georgiana there and Greg and his daughter Jessica were on their way down from Ft Collins. Normally, he is only allowed 2 visitors in the ICU. But since this was a “special occasion” (ie, he might die) they let us all come in to his room to be with him before the procedure.

THANKFULLY, it was a very short procedure. 20 minutes for the actual ERCP and then another 30 minutes in recovery before we could see him. They cleared out the blockage in his bile duct and it’s kept open with a stent. OMG – he must have been suffering for a long time. They said his duct was COMPLETELY blocked. They released 300 cc of bile that had been built up due to the blockage. They intubated him for the procedure, and decided to keep him intubated afterwards while his lungs cleared. They took tissue from several places for a biopsy. A likely diagnosis would be that the blockage was caused by a malignant tumor.

thehealthymom is relieved that dad’s procedure went well. We’ll get biopsy results in the morning
6:46 PM May 21st from vlingo

We spoke with both the anesthesiologist and the surgeon who performed the procedure. They both said that dad did well. And although he is still very, very, very sick, he will be more comfortable now.

We all went out to dinner together at Appleby’s. Even mom had a margarita.

Friday morning, we got an update from Georgiana. She said that Dad was still intubated, but his color was good and he was more alert.

thehealthymomgot to talk with dad in the ICU – he’s off the ventilator + looks more like himself. No biopsy results today.
5:05 PM May 21st from vlingo

On Friday afternoon, Doug and I visited dad together. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the breathing tube was removed. And even happier to hear dad talking with us, seeming much more like himself. What a relief.

I’m so relieved that he might actually get the chance to go home (with hospice care) and the boys might be able to see him more normally and get a chance to say some form of good-bye to him.

I’m still really struggling with what losing him will affect the boys. No matter what, it’s going to be hard on them, but I just don’t want it to be any more difficult than it has to be.

At this point, our best hope is that he will be well enough to come home with hospice care, so he doesn’t have to be in the hospital.

Please continue to keep him – and the family – in your thoughts/prayers.

:snicker:

So, you know that Facebook phenomenon where one posts a picture of cartoon characters with different stereotypical traits (clown, jock, princess), and then tags that photo with names of friends who possess those traits?

My last two friends tagged me as the “jock.”

Huh? Me?

For me, the word initially conjures images of brutish boys with low IQs and letterman jackets. But then, I think. Oh – like an athlete. Someone who participates in sports.

After the Ascent, Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon, I still never considered myself an “athlete.”

Yet here I am training for my first triathlon. Along with weekly trips to the climbing gym.

So I’ll take the “jock” label for the first time in my life.

And with it came my first strained muscle.

I went for a ride on Monday morning, and the weather was cool, but clear. So I planned to do a 16 mile ride. 2 miles into the ride, it started to snow. I went another mile and it was really coming down. The wind was biting and the snow was accumulating on the chest of my fleece. By mile 4, my toes were numb. I was heading back to my car, and I was miserable.

Right after the ride, my legs felt stiff and cramped. I got home, warmed up and worked for a good part of the day. The whole time my left calf ached, and I was thinking it was a cramp that I needed to work out. I was walking on my toes because I was unable to put my heel to the ground without a very sharp strong pain shooting up my leg. That evening, as we watched tv, I tried massaging it and it was incredibly tender to the touch.

The next day, I got an appt at Great Moves PT. Jessica wasn’t available so I saw Emily. Her diagnosis was quick – a torn gastrocnemius – strained calf muscle. She was very apologetic about my injury. When I asked how long it would take, she hesitated and said it was hard to say.

The thought of not being able to do the triathlon was deeply disappointing. She worked on my calf with light massage and Biofreeze. She suggested that I see an orthopedic doctor to determine the severity. While I iced my calf, I made an appt. She asked me to stay off of it for another day or two.

I asked if I could swim that day. She looked dubious. So I promised to completely rest it for a couple of days.

Today I saw Dr. Mahony, who is orthopedic doctor/surgeon for the CC Tigers. He was recommended to me by a friend. His offices are filled with sports paraphernalia signed by his patients.

He is a super nice doc, and when he checked me out, he did a couple of squeezes and pokes. He then looked concerned. When he pressed on my inner thigh, I winced in surprise. The other side did not elicit the same response. He called the tech in and asked that I immediately have an ultrasound to determine if I had a blood clot in my leg. All of a sudden, I felt nervous. She called to the lab and they said they would fit me in, but it could take a while..

So I went down, returned some client calls, got registered, and went out to the lobby and got some lunch. Just as I finished, they called me back for my u/s. It was pretty interesting watching her view and listen to the blood flowing through the veins/arteries in my leg.

And it turned out that I don’t have a blood clot. Whew! I went back up to Dr. Mahony.

He said it would take about 6 weeks to heal. I balked. I have a race in 5 weeks. He said that it wouldn’t be dangerous, but it would probably be painful. And if the race was important to me, I could do it. But I would have to suck it up about the pain. He said to keep working on swimming and biking. And I could start stretching my calf again next week and ease back into running with a shorter stride.

So, now I’m trying to figure out what to do.

…my best friend May got a full time job! My running, climbing, work-out partner and fellow geekspeak coder best friend got a full time job!

It’s been weeks in the making, and the whole time I secretly wished she somehow couldn’t work out the child care situation or something – anything – so that she couldn’t take the job. I had no doubts that she would get it if she wanted it.

And then today she dealt the final blow. We met for lunch at Pikes Perk after her interview and told me, “They want me to start on Thursday.”

I mock-swooned, clutching my chest. It somehow felt like a break-up – a few days earlier than anticipated.

Then we had lunch and went shopping so she could have clothes to wear to work.

I’m happy for her, actually. I know she wanted to do this, and I’m glad she got the job (for me, there was no doubt). I’m bummed for me. It’s so selfish.

She’s been my consistent, reliable, well matched work-out partner for the past four years. Sure, I wish she was a tad bit slower runner (at the same time I wish to be a tad bit faster runner…), but otherwise, we worked well together in motivating each other to go that extra mile, sprint to the next mile marker, dyno to that not so great hold, swim just one more lap…

Sigh.

Of course, I’m in the process of applying for a full time job myself – something I thought I would never even consider – but the position is just too good to not try. So far, I sent a resume this weekend, and haven’t even gotten the obligatory “we received your resume” response. Not that I *need* a job. This is something I actually want to do. We’ll see.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Rum Cakes by Kelli – launched!
Legend Antiques onsite inventory and buying trip catalogs – launched!
Scitec, Inc – launched!
MA! motherhood with attitude redesign – launched!

4 sites launches… well, 2 full site launches, one catalog launch and one re-design, but still – it’s been a lot of work.

As I was making the final changes for the MA! redesign launch just a half an hour ago, Zander came in (way past his bed time).

“Mom, ” he began. “I think that you have been working enough today, ” he continued earnestly.

He wanted me to lay down with him for a few minutes – as the boys often do. I do often indulge them, for 5-10 minutes, and then promise to return when I’m done working/surfing/watching tv with dad. And my promise is always fulfilled, although sometimes not until 2 AM when I crawl into bed.

We still, somehow, have a family bed. Although there was a year or more that they slept in their own room, we all sleep together now. And, unlike many parents, I enjoy it. There’s nothing I like better than getting into bed and snuggling one boy under each arm.

But tonight, I had to say no. I did acknowledge how sweet he was, but told him I was in the middle of launching the site, and couldn’t lay down just yet. He looked appropriately disappointed, but didn’t go into full slump mode, so I knew we were okay.

Truth be told, I’m afraid there will be a snow day tomorrow, so I need to get as much done as I can tonight.

Hmmm… I wonder how the daycare works at Bally’s gym?

Yes, that’s right. The gym.

Thanks to the Discovery Health Challenge, May and I both have 30 day passes for Bally’s Fitness. I have been there 4 times a week since we started. I have been running on the dreadmill, lifting weights and swimming.

Yes, that’s right. Swimming.

I am regsitered for the Falcon Ground Speed sprint triathlon on May 9, 2009

Yes, that’s right. A triathlon!

Because the Pikes Peak Ascent, Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half-Marathon weren’t enough of a milestone, at age 40, I will do my first triathlon. 825 yard (754.38m) length swim, 14.69 mile (23.64km) bike ride and 3.1 mile 5k run. I know I can do the run. I found out in the last two weeks that I can certainly do the swim. The bike part – well, I guess I’ll just have to start training now.

And to top it all off, tomorrow May and I start a two week diet regime to lose weight. Even with all this exercise, neither of us have managed to lose any weight or fit into any smaller sized clothing. So… tomorrow it begins. I need to work on my food choices and late day eating. She needs to work on her portion control. So two weeks of fully aware portions and healthier choices. Sigh.

Did I mention that I still have a lot of work projects as well? I’ve got Strangers In Paradise, CSG|Digital, Integrated Building Solutions and Telematrix on the horizon.

In these times, I’m not going to complain about having work to do, but it is a bit overwhelming.

I haven’t yet blogged about Race 3 of the Fall Series at Ute Valley. Because it sucked. I injured myself during Race 2 because I was competing with an 8 year old. That last long downhill, I pounded too hard, and that was that. I still haven’t recovered.

Photo by Dee Budden

The week before Race 3, I saw Karen at Great Moves PT (Jessica was out of town) and got the diagnosis that I am hypermobile on my right side and immobile on my left side. Not good. My balance is off. My left leg is longer. My right ankle is weak. The imbalance goes all the way to my shoulders.

She said she could get me through the race injury-free, but probably not pain-free. I’ll take it.

Race day was cold. I ran into Leslie at the bib pick up table. Then I found May at the starting line, with no sign of Candy. Tiffany was out of town.

May and I started the race together, but by the time we got to the sidewalk, I was already falling behind. 2.5 miles into the race, I twisted my ankle on a loose rock. Hard. I never fully recovered. I tried to walk it off. Then run. Then I had to walk again. I tripped on my long left leg 4 times and twisted my same left ankle twice again throughout the race. It was brutal. I walked a good portion of the race. And it was HOT. Sun beating down, no shade hot.

When my nemesis passed me, I was sure it was over for me. Here’s the think about these races – even if you are injured, you don’t have much choice except to finish the race. So I walked a bunch, ran as much as I could (which didn’t feel like much). I was running downhill for the finish and saw Doug and the ZBoys at the finish line. And, May, too I was just glad to be done.

My time is 2006 was 1:12:35. In 2007 it was 1:11:41. This year, it was 1:15:48. 4:07 slower than last year. Not too bad for all that walking.

But now I feel worse. My ankle hurt for several days after the race. Wednesday I tried to run with May and ended up walking. I tried to make up for the aerobic activity by swimming laps while the boys were in swim lessons. Swimming is hard work!

I had to get help. This time I saw Jessica. Twisting my ankle (multiple times) did a number on my right side. I was sent home with exercises and icing instructions. And told to rest on the running. So I did. I rested until this morning.

Today I ran with May – a short 4 miler – well, I ran 1.75 miles, then rested and stretched, then ran another 1.25 miles, then walked the last mile. When I started running, I could feel a strain in my ankle, which then moved to my calf, then hamstring, and finally the lower back. After my rest/stretch break, I went through the same progression. I am definitely changing to my new shoes for my next run.

I also swam today. 2 laps free, 2 laps breast, 2 laps free, 2 laps breast, 2 laps free, then basically an IM with the kickboard. My breaststroke kick is terrible.

I think I might go back to the P90X DVDs this week. I need to work on my strength and balance and flexibility. And maybe get under 130 lbs before I turn 40 next month.

We’ll see. Right now I’m wrecked. Totally tired and frustrated with my injuries.

Forgive me readers, for I have lapsed. It’s been 12 days since my last post…

Sounds like I’m in the confessional. In a way, I guess I am. (That’s a Catholic reference, people).

I’m slowly working my way out of my funk.

I have been spending too much time on Facebook. But I’ve tracked down some friends – from when I was stationed in Grand Forks, from my first two years at Rutgers, from high school. It’s been kind of fun. And a total time suck.

I’ve been crazy busy with work projects. I have a new system with post it notes on a white board. It’s helping me stay slightly more organized.

I’ve been re-watching The OC on SoapNet and answering The OC trivia questions on Facebook. I know it’s crazy, but I just loved that show. Total escapism, lots of humor and I just think Ryan Atwood (portrayed by Ben McKenzie) is totally hot.

Plus the new tv season started! We’ve been watching Fringe, Supernatural, Eureka and My Name Is Earl. I also just watched the premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. Project Runway is finishing up. And I’m waiting for Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Lipstick Jungle to start again. And of course, The Daily Show. It’s the only way I can get tolerable news of the presidential campaign. Is it over yet???

The boys are great. Zander’s loud and Zevan’s been having tantrums over nothing, but otherwise things are going well. Zander’s eye is better, Zevan’s chin is healing. Zander reads so much now. And Zevan is totally into drawing pictures – particularly of Jedi. They like school. We’re in a good routine with the grandparents. We’ve been to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science twice since we got our membership. We just got back from the last class of this month’s preschool zoo class. The boys made porcupines out of play doh and pasta.

I’ve got my routine down for my running workouts with May. Mondays are long runs on the Santa Fe Trail. Wednesdays are a 5 mi run in Ute Valley (super technical). Fridays are a 5 mi run in the Garden of the Gods (hilly) and Tiffany started with us this week. Tuesday nights are climbing. I really want to fit in one more climbing workout, but I’m not sure when I can do that.

The fall series starts Oct 5 – I’m looking forward to those races!

We’ve got a birthday party to leave for in half an hour. I need to wrap up the gift – okay, bag up the gift. And Mapquest directions.

So that’s it for now… Kind of boring, but it is what it is.