Jack's been sick for most of the month. He missed two straight weeks of school because of a stomach ache, and a lot of other days aside from that. The pain began on Oct. 2 and has stayed with him most of the time, with occasional respites here and there. But the doctors don't know what is causing this yet. We keep doing tests and hope to get an answer soon.
This has thrown off my schedule for running because when he is home sick I don't like the idea of leaving him alone. Sure, he could always call me on the cell phone, but if I'm half an hour into the run and he needs me suddenly, I wouldn't be able to get home any sooner than half an hour.
So, I've missed a couple of weeks of running so far.
Except today I finally got myself out for a half-hour run. Amy was home anyway, so it was OK. The run felt good. I felt strong and I feel that I could get back to running an hour every other day if I can schedule it.
Jack was back at school for four days this week, and I'm hoping he'll be able to got back on Monday. If he can keep going to school -- and it really seems to be a good idea because it helps him manage his pain -- I think I can get back to my running routine.
But the concern is that this could be a chronic problem, which will permanently change the rhythm of our lives. Even so, with a new reality, I still should be able to keep running. And I need to keep running so that I can stay healthy and help everyone else cope with whatever lies ahead.
The good news?
The good news is that even though I had not run for a couple of weeks -- and I swear I felt like I was putting on pounds -- I found out today that I had not gained any weight. I am still at 235.
That's very good news because it means my calorie intake is probably even with my energy output even when I am not running. So there is nothing in the way of the running taking off the pounds.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Operation Butterfly
The other day, I outran a mail truck. It was not a superhuman feat. It's just that mail trucks have to stop at every mailbox to make their deliveries. It was a day that I noticed a lot of public service and delivery activity on my run.
I was running strong on Wygant when a state trooper pulled over two women in a van in front of me. I wondered what they could have done to get pulled over, but I'd have no way of knowing. A few minutes later, I was on Oriole Drive in Birdland when I came across a UPS, FedEx and U.S. mail truck one after the other.
I was aiming to run 45 minutes, so I turned around at 22:30 on Redwing Drive. My primary goal was to get home before Liam got off his bus.
As I came back on Oriole, I could see the mail truck was way down on the other end. It disappeared around the corner. As I turned the corner onto Wygant, I saw it in front of me. I realized that with a little burst of speed I could get ahead of it.
I ran on the grass to get by him. I nodded to the carrier as put the mail in the box, then I kept going. When I got more than two stops beyond him I started running in the road again.
I got back home at exactly 45 minutes.
The new every-other-day schedule seems to work better for me than trying to run five days in a row. The runs seem more productive and enjoyable. I can achieve more with them if I have that rest in between the runs. But I need to make sure I use the exercise bike on the off days. The good thing about the bike is that it allows you to multi-task. You can read or watch TV during the workout. Anyway, I am hopeful that I will be able to maintain this through the winter.
Winter running will require some adjustments, figuring out what kind of gear to wear and how to manage the conditions. I may be forced to stop altogether when major snowstorms hit. That's when I need to make sure I keep using the bike.
My hope is that as I bundle up for the winter runs, I will continue to drop pounds. So, by the springtime I will be a whole new person, emerging like a butterfly from a cocoon.
I checked my weight recently. I am down to 235! Woo-hoo!
Amy and I have decided that when I get to 230 I can reward myself with a trip to Aniello's Pizza in Corning for one of their meatball subs.
I was running strong on Wygant when a state trooper pulled over two women in a van in front of me. I wondered what they could have done to get pulled over, but I'd have no way of knowing. A few minutes later, I was on Oriole Drive in Birdland when I came across a UPS, FedEx and U.S. mail truck one after the other.
I was aiming to run 45 minutes, so I turned around at 22:30 on Redwing Drive. My primary goal was to get home before Liam got off his bus.
As I came back on Oriole, I could see the mail truck was way down on the other end. It disappeared around the corner. As I turned the corner onto Wygant, I saw it in front of me. I realized that with a little burst of speed I could get ahead of it.
I ran on the grass to get by him. I nodded to the carrier as put the mail in the box, then I kept going. When I got more than two stops beyond him I started running in the road again.
I got back home at exactly 45 minutes.
The new every-other-day schedule seems to work better for me than trying to run five days in a row. The runs seem more productive and enjoyable. I can achieve more with them if I have that rest in between the runs. But I need to make sure I use the exercise bike on the off days. The good thing about the bike is that it allows you to multi-task. You can read or watch TV during the workout. Anyway, I am hopeful that I will be able to maintain this through the winter.
Winter running will require some adjustments, figuring out what kind of gear to wear and how to manage the conditions. I may be forced to stop altogether when major snowstorms hit. That's when I need to make sure I keep using the bike.
My hope is that as I bundle up for the winter runs, I will continue to drop pounds. So, by the springtime I will be a whole new person, emerging like a butterfly from a cocoon.
I checked my weight recently. I am down to 235! Woo-hoo!
Amy and I have decided that when I get to 230 I can reward myself with a trip to Aniello's Pizza in Corning for one of their meatball subs.
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