Catching up

So, I was sick, and then I went to N.J. last week to help my mom after she went through some surgery. She had her eye removed, and it is actually a good thing. It had given her trouble for a long time, and now she is finally free of the pain and can see better with the one remaining eye than she could with the two eyes.

Anyway, I ended up taking almost a week off from exercise, but I brought my bike with me down to N.J., and it really came in handy.

Mom had her surgery on Tuesday, and she sent me home. She said it was easier for her if I was not hanging around the hospital. I stayed until she was settled in with the surgery nurses, and I left with "Here's mud in your eye."

So, Tuesday night, I had an hour bike ride along Ocean Avenue in Avon, Belmar and Spring Lake. I made it to the southern pavilion in Spring Lake before I turned around. I really needed that bike ride because my knees were really bothering me.

Wednesday morning was the beginning of the heat wave in N.J. I ran for only a half hour on the boardwalk because of the heat, because it was my first run in a week, and also because I didn't want to be too late getting back and miss any phone calls from the hospital.

Mom's surgery had  gone well, and she was doing much better when I picked her up from the hospital. She was dressed and waiting for me. As soon as I got there, she said "I'm ready to go" and we walked right out of the hospital. She moved so fast, she didn't even officially check out. I had to go back to sign her discharge papers later that day.

Wednesday evening I tried to ride the bike again, but it was so humid it was misting, and even more so along the beach. It didn't seem like ideal conditions, so I cut the ride short.

Thursday morning I got up and ran a full hour between 7 and 8 a.m. The heat and humidity were already so high that it felt like I was trying to run through a hot, wet blanket. I made it as far as Monroe Avenue in Spring Lake before turning around, and the total run was only about 4.4 miles. I was still a couple blocks short of my mom's house when I hit the 1 hour mark, and I stopped right there. Given the heat and humidity, I did not want to push myself beyond an hour.

I opted not to ride my bike on Thursday, and on Friday the heat was so bad I couldn't imagine running in it. So, I gave myself a good long ride on the bike Friday morning, going through Avon, Belmar and to the south end of Spring Lake and then followed a route along what I think is called Wreck Pond, if I am reading Google maps properly.

I drove home Friday afternoon after it seemed mom was well enough recovered from surgery. While driving I-287 in N.J., the thermometer in my car read 109 degrees.

Saturday morning I got up at 6:30 and ran about 3.8 miles in 48:59. I enjoyed the run much better because of the lack of stifling humidity at the shore. I didn't cover as much distance as in the past, but that's expected because of the time I took off. Every run that I finish is still a victory to me.

Today, I am taking as a day off, and I plan to start running again on Monday. My weight was at 240.5 as of Saturday morning.