At least one of you (thanks, Tom) is wondering if I'm okay so I thought I'd drop a quick note in here. I'm okay, just old and getting older, and too busy/lazy to blog. I've been running more than I've been blogging, but that's still not been much. The last two weeks have been no running during the week then a 10 miler on Saturday. I broke the pattern by getting a normal Monday run in this morning. The first week of no running was to let a huge blister heal on my left instep. It first appeared on a normal Tuesday morning easy run. I was wearing my normal shoes and socks. I have no idea what caused the blister. It got worse on Wednesday's run (about the size of an elongated silver dollar) so I didn't run again until Saturday. It felt good for about 6 miles then resurfaced. I decided to let it heal completely, which took a week. It was fine on the next Saturday's 10 miler. The second week (this past week) was our family's Staycation. We played tennis on Monday (among other activities), and I visited my parents early on Tuesday morning during which time my 80 year old father tutored me on his daily exercise program including deep knee bends. I'm not sure if it was the tennis or the knee bends, but all week long after that my left knee felt sore and a little swollen. I decided to skip running during the week so I could remain mobile for the remainder of the week's activities. I was nervous about Saturday morning's run, but I wore my knee support and got in 10 miles at about 9 minute pace without aggravating my knee or getting a blister. That doesn't mean I was pain free. I have had some pain in my right foot, my right calf, and my right hip, but so far they are still manageable. I've been blaming all these aches and pains on my age, but while I was visiting my 80 year old father he noted that despite his heart, sight, and blood pressure issues, he doesn't really have any pain anywhere. He worked construction and was always stronger than me, and still is. He does 100 mini pushups, 100 overhead pulls, and 100 modified jumping jacks every day, along with his deep knee bends and various other exercises. He said he recently added 20 regular pushups everyday. I have a feeling I could benefit from following his exercise regimen. A little anecdote my dad shared with me. He said his blood pressure jumped really high recently (my parents rarely tell us of their health issues in a timely manner) while he was eating. He began to feel like this was the end. I guess he doesn't tell my mom about his health issues either because about this time she offered him an ice cream cone. He figured if he was going to die he might as well go out eating an ice cream cone. Fortunately, he lived to tell me the story and was doing great when I visited him. He told me he's not concerned at all about death. I think his words were, "There's not 5 minutes difference between here and there." Since it's unlikely my parents will let us know there is something wrong until it's too late to say goodbye, as I left I said, "If I don't see you again, thanks for being a great dad." We don't say stuff like that much. I guess it wouldn't hurt to express love and gratitude a little more often to him, and my mom, and my wife Karen, and my children, and... Well, I'd better go. If I don't see you again, thanks to all of my running buddies out there for your encouragement and friendship. "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." (Any "Wicked" fans out there?) That wasn't so hard. It felt pretty good...
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