Archives for 2009
1000 Miles In 2009
Posted on 12/25/2009 to Health and Fitness
Yes folks, I finally went over 1000 miles for the year. I’m actually quite excited about this, as this is only my 2nd year running, and in case you forgot, I did have knee surgery earlier in the year. For the record, it was a 6 mile tempo run that put me over the top (in 30 mph winds, no less).
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November 2009 Running Recap
Posted on 12/2/2009 to Health and Fitness
Hey, what do you know…it’s only December 2nd, and I’m writing my November recap. Not bad. Speaking of “not bad,” that’s how I’d describe my running in November.
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October 2009 Running Recap
Posted on 11/10/2009 to Health and Fitness
I know, I know…we’re 1/3 of the way through November already, and I’m just now writing my recap for October. Sue me. And yes, I also realize that I haven’t written a running recap in months, so you’re probably wondering “why start now?”
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Running Scared 5K 2009
Posted on 10/25/2009 to Health and Fitness
Yesterday I raced the Running Scared 5K, my second race since knee surgery, and my first race since early June. The Running Scared 5K is put on by the City of Watauga’s Parks and Community Services folks, and is held at the city’s Community Center. This was the 3rd year for the race, and while it is a small race, it is growing at healthy rate. It’s well organized, with mile markers, and times being called out to runners at each mile. Though this year’s race was hand-timed, I hear that they are looking at being chip-timed and having the course certified for next year.
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First Pass At 2010 Race Schedule
Posted on 10/21/2009 to Health and Fitness
Planning out a race schedule for the year isn’t something that I’ve done in my short time running, but it’s something I’m going to do in 2010.
In 2008, my first full year of running, I raced six 5Ks, and one 10K. I also registered for a half marathon, and made it through 9 weeks of a 16 week training plan before a knee injury eventually derailed my training. Through it all I remain motivated, in part because I had something to train for. Since starting my comeback, following knee surgery this past February, my running has been fairly unstructured, and I’ve sometimes found myself lacking motivation. Along the way, I’ve only raced once—a 5K (and a PR, by the way).
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Site Updates
Posted on 10/1/2009 to Site Information
Just a quick note in case you notice anything crazy going on…
I’ve been making some small changes to my site over the last couple of days. You might have noticed the little Twitter-like bird poking its head through the page—it’s new, as is the Twitter feed. Gone is the Facebook feed.
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Third Annual Tequila and Salsa Party Recap
Posted on 9/20/2009 to Eats and Drinks
It’s been just about a month since Julie and I hosted the Third Annual Tequila and Salsa Party. This party, unlike the previous two parties, was the first to involve a broader invite list. As such, it felt much more like a “regular” party, and a lot less like a “special event.” This isn’t to say that it was a bad time, it was—it just left me wanting more. Perhaps that’s a good thing. Maybe it means we need to have a winter and summer version of the party…
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What’s Up?
Posted on 8/11/2009 to Health and Fitness
Hey folks, it’s been another few weeks without a post here. I really am sorry, and no, I haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth. I post a lot of stuff here, and here. I never intended for those two things to take the place of this site, but they have, at least lately. I’ll try to do better—I promise!
Onto more interesting things…running things…swimming things… Yes, I said “swimming things.”
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Where Would You Live?
Posted on 7/8/2009 to In General
On the way to a family gathering in Dallas this past weekend, Jacob made a comment on how it was too bad we couldn’t just think of someplace and be there instantly. I told him that sounded cool, and then asked everyone in the car this:
If you could travel anywhere, at anytime, instantly—where would you live?
The only rules are: you can travel directly to public spaces, your own property, or where you’ve been explicitly invited, and then only during a specific window.
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Just A Little Running Update
Posted on 6/23/2009 to Health and Fitness
Awhile back I promised an update on my running. So far I’ve failed to deliver. (Yes, I know that I also promised some pics from the 5K two weeks ago…) Well, hold your breath no more, because here’s an update on my running!
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Oatmeal Raisin Energy Cookies
Posted on 6/19/2009 to Eats and Drinks
The other day the boys and I got the taste for something sweet, but we didn’t have anything in the house, so I suggested that we make some cookies. Of course they thought that was a great idea, and I went to work finding a recipe and gathering ingredients.
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xSIGHTment Run 5K Race Report
Posted on 6/11/2009 to Health and Fitness
…or…
I Got Chicked
…or…
I Had A Faster Chip Time, So It Doesn’t Matter
As I mentioned in my last post, I finally did my first post knee surgery race—the xSIGHTment Run 5K, put on by the Colleyville Lions Club. I really didn’t know what to expect with this race, and I was even less sure what my goals should be. In fact, as Julie and I were driving to the race, I was still working them out.
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Back To Racing
Posted on 6/6/2009 to Health and Fitness
Just a quick update regarding this morning’s xSIGHTment Run 5K race—first let me say that this is an excellent race, and that the Colleyville Lions Club does a great job putting this on. Thank you very much to everyone involved!
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Signed Up For My First Post-Op Race
Posted on 6/5/2009 to Health and Fitness
Well, it’s official—I’ve signed up for my first post-op race. Tomorrow morning, Julie and I will be running in the xSIGHTment Run 5K, which is put on by the Colleyville Lions Club.
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The Salsa King 2-Peat
Posted on 5/18/2009 to Eats and Drinks
I started this post on Cinco de Mayo, but got distracted, so I hope you all had a happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope you enjoyed mucho tequila, chips y salsa, and whatever else it is you might celebrate with. At work we celebrated with a potluck lunch, and another salsa contest. Just like last year, my salsa reigned supreme!
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Getting Ready To Ramp It Up
Posted on 4/27/2009 to Health and Fitness
It’s been nearly three months since my knee surgery, and two months since my last visit with the doctor. At that appointment, he encouraged to take it easy while I regained muscle strength and endurance. He also said that it would likely be a couple of months until I was able to return to running the same quality and quantity as I was pre-injury.
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Happy Patriots’ Day
Posted on 4/20/2009 to Sports
Good morning, and happy Patriots’ Day to everyone! If you’re a runner, or from New England, you know what happens on Patriots’ Day—The Boston Marathon. The elite women will be starting in a little over 20 minutes (9:32 AM ET), with the men starting at 10 AM ET.
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On The Comeback Trail
Posted on 3/23/2009 to Health and Fitness
Well, it’s been 3 weeks since I finished up PT and had my last follow-up with the doc. So far, so good. I’ve been diligently working on strengthening my lower body, while slowly getting back to running. After the first week, which I’ve already mentioned, I moved up to 2 miles, every other day (and maybe a 5K run on the treadmill thrown in for good measure) for the next two weeks. In the last couple of days I’ve moved up again.
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It Keeps Me Running
Posted on 3/5/2009 to Health and Fitness
As mentioned in my last post, I had the 4-week follow up with the orthopedic surgeon this past Monday. He said the knee looked good, and made sure to point out the disparity in muscle mass between my legs. The doctor emphasized that I will need to still take things slow while I regain both muscle strength and muscle endurance. That said, I was cleared for all activities.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: 26 Days Later
Posted on 3/1/2009 to Health and Fitness
Oops…I guess I forgot to come back here and let y’all know how that physical therapy appointment went… Sorry.
That first appointment, along with the subsequent three appointments went well. At the first appointment, it was the standard procedure of doing the initial evaluation—gathering information on the injury, taking range of motion measurements, strength measurements, etc. Then the fun began—they bent my leg much further than I had previously bent it, and boy did it hurt! However, once they did that, I had all sorts of increased mobility. They also had me work through three exercises that they wanted me to do at home (twice a day). I have a sheet detailing the exercises, if anyone is interested. They made a big difference for me.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: 12 Days Later
Posted on 2/15/2009 to Health and Fitness
Time has really flown by this past week! My knee is looking and feeling a lot better since my last post. I can sit pretty normally in a chair, and under the right circumstances, I can even get up and sit down without using my arms. I am walking much better, though how well depends on how much I’ve been doing already. Since the surgery was on my right knee, I’ve still not driven since the surgery. As you can imagine, I’m very ready for things to get back to normal. To help out with that, I have my first physical therapy appointment in the morning.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Post Op Days 2-4
Posted on 2/7/2009 to Health and Fitness
After finishing up my last post, I took a vicodin and headed to bed. It took a few minutes to get settled into bed, but I was quickly out. I didn't wake up again until 6 AM (normal workday time to get up), even though all alarms were turned off. Fortunately I was able to get right back to sleep, and didn’t get up again until 11 AM.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Post Op Day 1
Posted on 2/4/2009 to Health and Fitness
It seems that I had little to be nervous about. Today’s surgery was fairly uneventful. Here’s what I recall from the day:
We were up promptly at 4 AM, and right on schedule, we were out the door at 5 AM—on our way to the hospital. I think it took us 15 minutes to make what would normally be a 30-40 drive in traffic (just one of the benefits of having such an early surgery). And it was just a couple of more minutes before we were inside and at the registration desk.
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Pre Op
Posted on 2/2/2009 to Health and Fitness
Well, here we are…less than 10 hours until surgery, and 7 hours until we’re on our way to the hospital (surgery is at 7:30 AM, we’ve got to be there at 5:30 AM), and the only thing I’m nervous about is getting to the hospital on time. I am all about getting in there and getting it done—let’s move on already!
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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Scheduled
Posted on 1/29/2009 to Health and Fitness
As I mentioned on Monday, the MRI results are in. A tear of the medial meniscus, and a ganglion cyst on the lateral aspect of the knee. This morning, I finally met with the doctor to go over the results and talk about options.
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MRI Results
Posted on 1/26/2009 to Health and Fitness
I forgot to mention this, but I got into the doctor’s office last week for another follow-up, and he had me schedule an MRI for my right knee. I had the MRI done this past Saturday morning, and I got the results this afternoon. The verdict is in: I have a torn medial meniscus, and a ganglion cyst on the lateral aspect of the knee. I spoke with the nurse, and she was reading the doctor’s notes, which didn’t indicate anything more specific.
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Welcome to 2009!
Posted on 1/7/2009 to Health and Fitness
Hey, I know we’re nearly a week into 2009, but since this is my first post of the new year, Happy New Year!
After a long (3+ weeks) vacation, I am back to work this week, and hating it. How much longer will it be until getting up before 10 AM isn’t so hard?
During my time off, we did a little cabin camping in Rusk, TX. The purpose of the trip was to ride the Polar Express themed Texas State Railroad between Palestine, TX, and Rusk, TX. The kids had a great time with that! The rest of the time off was spent attending many holiday parties, celebrating Hanukah with my Dad’s family, and Christmas with my Mom’s family, ringing in the New Year with good friends, and basically taking it easy.
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