Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday nights at church
I had volunteered to be in the boys class, but I was seriously considering asking for a 6-7 week pass on it so I could have one less thing to do prior to the marathon. And if the way I feel now is any indication, the week after the marathon I will feel tired, too. So lo and behold last night someone comes along and wants to help out and has no role assigned to her. I pounced on that! So now I will have Wednesday nights free and thank goodness for that. I can either walk, swim or rest depending on the week goes. Aubree came to church last night and so many people commented to me on how much she has changed since they last saw her. Also, for years she would get shy and need time to blend in. That even happened this summer at VBS, but it didn't happen last night. I hope that's a good sign, but maybe it was simply because she was sitting between me and her grandmother during dinner. :)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Pacing myself
Math was my weakest subject.
I did the math again on my 20-mile walk from the weekend and the results are really encouraging. I did a 15.71 minute mile for the first 14 miles. The last 6 miles averaged at 15.83 minute miles. That is a pace that will get me to the finish line in the 8 hours they allow walkers. I feel really good and the drugs the doctor put me on for my foot seem to be working nicely. It is Wednesday, though, and I am still tired.
Not much else seems to go on in my world except walking and swimming, I know. I hope to be a little more exciting as the year wears on. We'll see what sort of excitement kicks up!
I did the math again on my 20-mile walk from the weekend and the results are really encouraging. I did a 15.71 minute mile for the first 14 miles. The last 6 miles averaged at 15.83 minute miles. That is a pace that will get me to the finish line in the 8 hours they allow walkers. I feel really good and the drugs the doctor put me on for my foot seem to be working nicely. It is Wednesday, though, and I am still tired.
Not much else seems to go on in my world except walking and swimming, I know. I hope to be a little more exciting as the year wears on. We'll see what sort of excitement kicks up!
Monday, September 8, 2008
20-mile day
I finally walked my 20-mile endurance walk prior to the marathon. I'm relieved that I did it and I am not suffering from it, either. I went to the doctor for a follow-up appointment this morning and he seemed really ok with the fact that I did it. He didn't lecture me (he has in the past). He gave me some tips and he answered my questions and he put me on prescription strengtht Naproxen until the marathon is over. The first 7 miles went extremely well. The next 7 went well, the next 2-3 were just ok. The final miles were painful. I tried to imagine myself walking about 6.2 miles. I couldn't imagine it.
The doctor did say it was ok with him if I wanted to try another 20-mile walk to see how things go. The issue as I see it is that my overall pace was 22 minutes/hour. That is awful and it will not get me through the marathon.
The doctor did say it was ok with him if I wanted to try another 20-mile walk to see how things go. The issue as I see it is that my overall pace was 22 minutes/hour. That is awful and it will not get me through the marathon.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Visitors in Northwestern Iowa today
Two members of the family are on the move today as they head up toward Orange City to visit Jack, who is recovering from some ill health earlier this summer. Jack, I'm sorry I didn't go up with them, I will be walking as far as my foot will allow today and going swimming for some real athletic activity! The mileage could be anything from one mile to 20 miles, I suppose. A 20-mile walk would be fantastic. We shall see. I have my foot on ice right now in preparation.
Things are sort of cold in Iowa these days. Today the high will be 71 and wow, it's a heat wave. Today is the birthday of a woman I miss very much. Lois M. Jones died in 2000 a year after she took me to Antarctica. She was an amazing woman. I wish I could introduce each of you to her.
Tuesday would have been my oldest brother's birthday. John died of a brain tumor in 2001.
I went to gymnastics class with Aubree last night. She has a lot of confidence running and jumping and flipping. She has to get on the balance beam and the parallel bars and the uneven bars. Really they just have to get on these things and scoot or hang or take small steps while holding the teacher's hand. They aren't doing anything crazy of course. Aubree's hair is growing long for the first time and she has her first loose tooth.
Maybe it's just me, but when you hear someone say, "With all due respect" they're about to say something disrespectful.
Things are sort of cold in Iowa these days. Today the high will be 71 and wow, it's a heat wave. Today is the birthday of a woman I miss very much. Lois M. Jones died in 2000 a year after she took me to Antarctica. She was an amazing woman. I wish I could introduce each of you to her.
Tuesday would have been my oldest brother's birthday. John died of a brain tumor in 2001.
I went to gymnastics class with Aubree last night. She has a lot of confidence running and jumping and flipping. She has to get on the balance beam and the parallel bars and the uneven bars. Really they just have to get on these things and scoot or hang or take small steps while holding the teacher's hand. They aren't doing anything crazy of course. Aubree's hair is growing long for the first time and she has her first loose tooth.
Maybe it's just me, but when you hear someone say, "With all due respect" they're about to say something disrespectful.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Jack's back!
Jack read my last post and was encouraging! Thanks, Jack. Not only glad to know you're visiting when you can, but I appreciate all the encouragement I can get. I behaved myself this past weekend and only walked once, but it was 12 miles total in one day. Not all at once, but once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It was a fabulous day for a walk! As a matter of fact we had a great weekend here in Des Moines.
I swam every day and Aubree, Bev and Michelle went to the beach at the Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines. They let me tag along on Monday, but they also went on Sunday and enjoyed themselves. Aubree has changed a lot this last year. She's five and a half and has a loose tooth. She has gained weight and gotten taller. She has started gymnastics at Chow's, which is where Shawn Johnson trained. She is now in kindergarten and no longer allowed to take her "baby" to school. It is just a really thin diaper cloth, but she loves to have it with her. She told me yesterday on the way to the beach that she gets a headache at school because she doesn't have her baby with her. She can't nap during nap time and she gets into trouble and has discipline notes sent home. Apparently if that keeps up, she won't get to watch television for a week. Just between you and me, she seemed completely unfazed by this threat.
Wednesday nights at church start up again on September 10 and I have volunteered one more year to be in the 3rd-5th grade boy's class again. Heaven help us!
I swam every day and Aubree, Bev and Michelle went to the beach at the Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines. They let me tag along on Monday, but they also went on Sunday and enjoyed themselves. Aubree has changed a lot this last year. She's five and a half and has a loose tooth. She has gained weight and gotten taller. She has started gymnastics at Chow's, which is where Shawn Johnson trained. She is now in kindergarten and no longer allowed to take her "baby" to school. It is just a really thin diaper cloth, but she loves to have it with her. She told me yesterday on the way to the beach that she gets a headache at school because she doesn't have her baby with her. She can't nap during nap time and she gets into trouble and has discipline notes sent home. Apparently if that keeps up, she won't get to watch television for a week. Just between you and me, she seemed completely unfazed by this threat.
Wednesday nights at church start up again on September 10 and I have volunteered one more year to be in the 3rd-5th grade boy's class again. Heaven help us!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A blog post
Greetings! My Aunt gets a shout out for making a sarcastic remark about how I had a link on the blog I don't update anymore. I thought that was funny. Don't know what my problem is. Let's see, I think maybe you all know I injured myself and so this is the end of the third week of not walking/reduced walking. I am ready to get started again. It was just my foot, but I don't want to mess things up by being stubborn.
It is Labor Day weekend already and here in Des Moines we've only had five days above 90 degrees, so everyone is concerned that we will have a really bad winter...again. Last winter was out of your mind harsh. I refuse to go for this theory and have decided that a mild summer should most logically lead to a mild winter. That makes more sense.
My birthday was a lot of fun, presents and surprises and cards and flowers. Aubree got me the cutest flowers - they were daisies that are cut short and put into a cored Red Delicious apple. Really cute and doing very well on my desk. Can't have flowers at the house because they get eaten and then they end up in a pile on the floor...usually on the carpet, eh? If anyone can figure out how to get a cat to throw up on the kitchen floor, or on tile...well, you get the idea.
I've spent much of this summer on the porch swing out on the covered deck.
At work three of us (one of them an older man) were standing around this morning talking about whether we would wear white after this weekend. I think that rule is stupid. White shoes, no, but white capris or shorts, why not? It is hot in September. Most of the time. We'll have to see what this September brings.
The marathon is October 19. I have a short amount of time to get back into the groove.
It is Labor Day weekend already and here in Des Moines we've only had five days above 90 degrees, so everyone is concerned that we will have a really bad winter...again. Last winter was out of your mind harsh. I refuse to go for this theory and have decided that a mild summer should most logically lead to a mild winter. That makes more sense.
My birthday was a lot of fun, presents and surprises and cards and flowers. Aubree got me the cutest flowers - they were daisies that are cut short and put into a cored Red Delicious apple. Really cute and doing very well on my desk. Can't have flowers at the house because they get eaten and then they end up in a pile on the floor...usually on the carpet, eh? If anyone can figure out how to get a cat to throw up on the kitchen floor, or on tile...well, you get the idea.
I've spent much of this summer on the porch swing out on the covered deck.
At work three of us (one of them an older man) were standing around this morning talking about whether we would wear white after this weekend. I think that rule is stupid. White shoes, no, but white capris or shorts, why not? It is hot in September. Most of the time. We'll have to see what this September brings.
The marathon is October 19. I have a short amount of time to get back into the groove.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
What is my problem?
Several of you have commented that I haven't been blogging. I'd like to say it was just a test to see if anyone was checking in here, but really it was just laziness. I have decided to walk the IMT Des Moines Marathon on October 19 and I have been sort of self-absorbed with that.
I have been walking a lot of miles although the more miles I walk, the less impressive it seems to me. I have done a 13.5 mile; 9.4 mile; and a 15.71 mile walk until pain in my foot slowed me down. I went to a sports medicine doctor on Monday and he said I am grinding down the sesamoid bone in my right foot. The best news is that it is not at all a permanent sort of problem. Once the bone is ground down, it dissappears forever. The only possible problem is if it is actually a stress fracture. But this week I am not walking, I'm in a post-surgical shoe that prevents my toes from moving around and I am using ice and taking ibuprofen. I go back on Monday to convince the doctor that the pain has subsided and I don't have a stress fracture! If I do, he will want me off the training for 3-4 weeks and that will put me behind by a lot.
In the meantime I am trying to do push-ups. Grrr.
We've had lovely weather here in Des Moines lately. It really has been a beautiful summer. I watched Shawn Johnson do her incredible, gravity defying balance beam routine last night. That was amazing. It was exciting to see the U.S. men's swimming relay team beat the world record by A LOT getting that relay done in less than 7 minutes. I stayed up to listen to our national anthem. I couldn't not listen when they were all getting their medals and it was a matter of only a few more minutes. Seemed disrespectful to turn the television off!
I have been walking a lot of miles although the more miles I walk, the less impressive it seems to me. I have done a 13.5 mile; 9.4 mile; and a 15.71 mile walk until pain in my foot slowed me down. I went to a sports medicine doctor on Monday and he said I am grinding down the sesamoid bone in my right foot. The best news is that it is not at all a permanent sort of problem. Once the bone is ground down, it dissappears forever. The only possible problem is if it is actually a stress fracture. But this week I am not walking, I'm in a post-surgical shoe that prevents my toes from moving around and I am using ice and taking ibuprofen. I go back on Monday to convince the doctor that the pain has subsided and I don't have a stress fracture! If I do, he will want me off the training for 3-4 weeks and that will put me behind by a lot.
In the meantime I am trying to do push-ups. Grrr.
We've had lovely weather here in Des Moines lately. It really has been a beautiful summer. I watched Shawn Johnson do her incredible, gravity defying balance beam routine last night. That was amazing. It was exciting to see the U.S. men's swimming relay team beat the world record by A LOT getting that relay done in less than 7 minutes. I stayed up to listen to our national anthem. I couldn't not listen when they were all getting their medals and it was a matter of only a few more minutes. Seemed disrespectful to turn the television off!
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