I ran the neighborhood 5K course (in the reverse direction) with Larry and his wife Jolene this morning. The temperature was in the low 30's with a bit of a cold wind and light snow falling. It was my first time running with Larry since he and Wayne ran the Death Valley Marathon on Dec. 2 so we just enjoyed an easy social run. I then let my dog out to play with Larry's dog and we walked around the block and talked some more back to their house. It was an enjoyable morning. I didn't run after Wednesday last week. On Thursday I found out my father had a stroke. I spent most of the day with him and my mother on Friday. Luckily the effects of the stroke were limited to the area of his brain that control balance and coordination. He now falls to the left when he tries to walk, and throws up when he stands up. The nausea should only last a few days. He can walk with a walker and the doctors say that within several months his brain should be able to rewire itself and he should be able to walk without the walker. My father has already had two heart attacks, and his older siblings seem to have all had heart trouble. My dad has always been very fit and eats a healthy diet. Even in his 70's he's been doing 100 pushups and jumping jacks every morning. He was still breaking horses up until a few years ago. His cholestorol has never been a problem. It looks like it's simply genetics. I'm hoping that if I stay fit through running it may delay what seems to be the inevitable, but I'm not going to waste much time worrying about it. I could be abducted by aliens this afternoon. | 