Thursday, May 31, 2007

Lotta stuff

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 11 miles
Time: 44:47 -- 14.7 mph
Location: Forest Cove

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Run
Mileage: 1.55 miles
Time: 19:50 -- 12:51 pace
12:32, 7:18 (0.55 mile)
Location: Trailwood Subdivision

Weight Fluctuations are driving me crazy. After eight straight days of loss, I've had three days in a roll of gain. Not the result of my effort level. Here are the three-day stats:

Total Calories: +4678
Total RMR: -5907
Total Output: -2443
-run: 4.5 miles -771
-weights: 1-hour -160
-walk: 5.4 miles -619
-bike: 12.5 miles -893

Grand total after all the math: -3672 or about one-pound. URGH!

Its been said by a many blogging Striders, "The Houston Striders make you faster". And today, it deserves to be repeated. Local Kingwood runner, Lynn is now an official Houston Strider. To celebrate her membership.... we ran. Never in her life has she run a solid mile, nor has she run a sub-13:00 pace, until today. Lynn ran one-mile, without stopping in 12:32.

Way to go Lynn!

Those damn shin splints are coming back! Each day they progress a little more.

Baby News: Doc said the baby is pushing on the cervix and no longer has room to slosh around. Doctor also stated he hopes Erin can make it one more week. They started steroid shots to promote lung development. Whoa, its getting even closer!

Cool facts about May:

May running mileage: 32.38 miles
-More than March and April mileage COMBINED

May biking mileage: 65.57 miles
-Most mileage EVER logged in a single month

May weight loss: -6.75
-Net weight gain between January - April: 21.0 lbs

Did I tell you, I had surgery this month!?!?!?

Eight weeks to build up my base in preparation of SMARTie training. Hope I have enough time. Either way, May has been gooooood.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Trail run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 32:30 -- 10:50 pace
11:07, 10:49, 10:34
Location: Kingwood East end park

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still being nice to my legs, although I'm working awful hard for a high ten pace. Today was the first time I've actually run the East end park. Its so great, I wish all my running buddies could experience it. It's three inter-meshed loops. This enables you to design all kinds of funky distances. I ran the outside perimeter. That measures 2.79 miles. The surface is crushed granite, just like Memorial. The scenery is as good or nicer than Huntsville State park. There is probably 3/4 mile of wood bridges and at times you are running along side of the river... very serene. You'll find benches every quarter mile or so. Its really, really nice. Only downfall; no water, no distance makers. BUT at the gate there is a large map and a weather-proof box. In the box you will find color copies of the map.

Dr. Muscat released me back to work, starting Monday. Back to the grind.

Baby news: I'm getting anxious. Its almost showtime. I seldom buy new items. One, cause I'm frugal. Two, cause I don't make a hell of a lot of money. So, most of the baby stuff was purchased "here and there"... most of it second hand. It feels weird getting everything cleaned and ready for his arrival. I suspect less than 2-weeks.

Sports news: What the heck? Nine straight games! C'mon already!

Diet news: Nothing to report. No loss, no gain.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Beautiful words

Activity: Run
Mileage: 1.5 miles
Time: 19:36 -- 13:06 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

If you could see me, you would see one happy dad. Short story: Picked up Alison from school. We have a daily routine once we get in the car. Its a list of questions such as;
What did you do today?
Did you learn anything new?
Was everyone nice to you?
How was lunch?


Today, Alison was quite until my final question, which was: "What do you want to do when we get home?". Her reply was, "I think I want to go running when we get home". Wow! Can you believe her? The minute we walked in the house she excitedly put on her "running outfit".

Speaking of her running outfit.... Have you ever noticed the DeFeet socks that some runners wear? Well, I have a few pair and wear them from time to time. When Alison got dressed, I noticed she had on a pair of Halloween socks with little pumpkins on them. We I asked her why she was wearing them she replied, "Oh, these? These are my racing socks.. I feel like running fast today".

Playing the role of over-protective dad, I made sure to wait till the sun was down. Plus, I called Lynn and invited her on the run. Our run cycle was, run half a mile followed by a two minute walk. Alison stayed ahead of us the entire time. I kept a super close eye on her. Never caught her breathing hard or sweating much until the end, although Lynn and I were drenched in sweat. Alison never made a single complaint. She just ran.

If you told me I could never run another marathon, it would be okay with me.... as long as I have Alison and a couple miles of trails.

What a day to be a father! So proud of her that I can't put it in words.

Bike ride

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 12.5 miles
Time: 48:50 -- 15.3 mph
Location: Duessin Park

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Last Thursday I made a post titled, "Rookie Mistake". Yesterdays post SHOULD have been labeled,"Stupid Mistake". As you may recall, I walked 5-miles in the rain. Around the 3 mile mark I felt a wicked blister on my left heel. Since I was walking on the greenbelts I decided to take my shoes off and finish my walk home barefooted. That was the stupid part. This morning my feet are tender to the touch and for some unknown reason I have a couple small cuts, plus the small blister that started all this shit. Gees, they don't make men like they use to, huh? I can't even walk 2-miles on a sidewalk without shoes!

The bike ride was uneventful. At one point I thought about trying a 30 mile ride, but that passed rather quickly. I need to invest in some biking shorts. My ass has had all the bike riding it can take for one week. Feel free to make jokes, I don't care.

Diet news: As of yesterday morning, Vic and I are at the exact same weight loss number. Sounds like he did good for the holiday weekend, but he's still going to be wearing a dress in a little more than 2-months. If I beat him by more than 5 pounds I think he should also have to shave his legs. What do you think? I better not get too cocky. I posted a gain this morning, which I've been expecting for a few days. Its normal weight fluctuation stuff. No loss of hope over one or two days of gains.

Staying the course!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Rain

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5.35 miles
Time: 1:33:37 -- 17:30 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Tried to out wait the rain. Rain 1, Bill 0. Turned submissive and ended up walking five soggy miles in the wet stuff.

Rambling

Nothing much to report, so this will be short.

My legs are sore from yesterdays run. Odd, because it was an easy run. Not long ago, I read a blog post that talked about constant aches and pains associated with running. The post was followed with an insightful comment, which stated, your body will always ache at the weakest link. If and when you strengthen that area, then another area assumes the responsibility of weakest link. Its a vicious cycle that will always be. Our job is to work on weakness without stepping over the line and developing an injury. Sorry I don't have a link to the original discussion... I'm too lazy to go find it.

My LEFT knee is my weakest link. Maybe I should have had both knees scoped, just for good measure!

Diet News: Seven full days without ANY weight gain. My normal cycle is four days loss followed by two days of slight gain. I mentioned before, this time has been harder than usual. Fortunately, this week has improved from last weeks massive gains. I've lost 8 pounds in 7 days, yet only 4.5 lbs since I started my diet. Down 3.75 on the competition. I'm worried, cause "Vicky" is keeping everything hush-hush.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Humid Bayou run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 5.6 miles
Time: 1:05:57 -- 11:29 first half -14:27 second half
Location: Along grass bayou in Kingwood


Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-Body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

I need to drink more, beer that is. Yesterday I had two pints of Shiner Bock and a pitcher of Bud Light (beer-flavored water) and this morning the scale showed a huge weight loss! Yes Vic, I know its dehydration and the weight will come back... I'm bored and don't have much else to talk about!

Nice easy pace on the run. Lynn called and asked if I planned to run today. Of course I said yes, but I told her I wanted to log a couple miles before her. The dirt was actually more like mud from all the rain, which slowed both of us down.


Soon I need to try a serious long run and see what kind of shape my body is in. Any suggestions for long run mileage (for me)?

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Road bike for sale

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 20.15 miles
Time: 1:27:02 -- 13.9 avg mph
Location: Duessin Park

Traveling about 17 mph. Turned to the right. Bike went to the left. I continued my right hand turn, but without the bike.... via skidding across the road. See, I've owned "real bikes" before.... you know the one with a motor under you? When you turn, you lean into the curve. Example; If you were making a right hand turn you would simply lean to the right, push down on the right side of the handlebar and pull up on the left side of the handlebar. That's how you steer a motorcycle. You never turn the handlebars into the curve. Naturally, I thought the same would apply with my road bike. Found out the hard way I was wrong.

Lots of road rash on my right side. Primarily my right elbow, both hands, and forearm. Ripped some nice clothes and a new pair of cycling gloves. Nice contusion on my right palm, where I tried to catch myself. And the mystery injury is a contusion/abrasions on my left knuckle, which has a fair amount of swelling. All in all, I think I faired okay in the wreck.

The wreck happened at two-miles, but I continued with my 20 mile ride. After my personal accident investigation, the accident was clearly avoidable for three reasons:

1: Front wheel is way low on air. Cause the tires are itty-bitty, the tire tends to roll on sharp turns without the right amount of air. (my observation)
2: Operator Error of mass proportions
3: I should have went running, then there would have never been a wreck!

Yesterday

Youtube is addictive.

I really enjoy this kids music

Friday, May 25, 2007

Sore

WHOA! Where's my ibuprofen and ice? My legs are completely dead. Maybe I'm coming on too strong, too fast. At least its a non-injury type of discomfort.

Ahhhh, the kind of pain that lets me know I'm ALIVE!

Baby news: For the last couple months I've been saying the baby will arrive the first or second week of June. At the last appointment, the doctor confirmed what I assumed all along... he stated it will most likely be mid-June, not July 9th.

Diet news: The diet started off really bad. The first four days all showed weight gain. Delighted to report today is the fourth consecutive day of loss. I don't expect it to last forever, but it is nice to see a downward trend. I'm down three pounds since I started and -2.25 since the start of the Vic challenge. Admittedly, it seems much harder this time around.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Rookie Mistake

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4 + (1) miles
Time: 46:11 -- 11:33 pace
11:15, 11:54, 11:51, 11:11, (13:13)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts
Average HR: 160 bpm

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower body
Time: 30 Minutes
Location: Home Gym

I knew better than to run at high-noon. The heat beat me up pretty bad. With the nagging injury and resulting surgery, I've been sheltered from the Texas summer thus far. There is no avoiding it any more, it's here and it is HOT!

Later today I plan to run with Lynn. She's only running one-mile, which is why I made the stupid mistake to run early. I'll update the post with the additional run

Update: I added the one-mile run with Lynn to the earlier run, but I left the pace the same. It felt nice to run on a dirt surface. Lynn did well and her energy for running is contagious!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Easy run with a new friend

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.57 miles
Time: 33:05 -- 12:53 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Last week Alison and I were feeding the turtles and I met a girl running around the bayou. I ended up talking to her. Come to find out, she just moved back to Texas from St. Paul and was hoping to find a "running club". I instantly turned into the official Houston Strider Recruiting Officer. I offered to run with her and she was excited about the possibility of a running partner. Long story short.... Lynn and I met today for a neighborhood run. Lynn is a new runner who has a large interest in running as a means of weight loss. Sound familiar? Before the move Lynn was up to 5/1's and had a long run of 2 miles. We changed things up a bit today by running 1/2 mile and walking a couple minutes. It was a nice easy pace. It felt good to give her a couple pointers... simple stuff like: get ride of the cotton shirts and such.

Before running with Lynn, Alison and I did a modified SILLY WALKS session in the front yard. Anyone know any books regarding very young children and running? Alison and I went for a half mile warm up and it was everything I could do to keep up with her. She was holding a low 9:00 minute pace the entire time.... and that's because I was telling her to slow down. At the end she wasn't breathing hard or in any distress. I always let her pick the pace and allow her to walk whenever she wants to, but she's like the energizer bunny. I just want to make sure we keep running fun and ensure I "do no damage".

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Bike

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 10.6 miles
Time: 45:25 -- 14 mph
Location: Duessin Park

Activity: Weight training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

For a change of scenery I decided to ride my road bike around Duessin Park. I never knew the role wind plays in cycling. The breeze was fierce off the lake, which is evident in my pace. Scheduled 20 miles, but I faded quickly after the first 5 miles. The ride was at ~3pm and I had only consumed about 600 calories until that point. Essentially, I was not properly fueled for the ride. Oh well, I enjoyed myself.

It doesn't matter what I do, the scale never budges

Rationally, I know the scale is just an inanimate object. A thing. But it has the power to make or break me some days. Depending on where that little red needle ends up, I can be either elated or full of despair. I know, I know -- it's stupid, to put all the importance on a number. But I can't help it. When I'm on a diet, when I'm doing my part, I want proof that my hard work is worthwhile. That I'm worthwhile. So first thing every morning, I climb on. Well, almost first thing. I make sure I go to the bathroom right before, and I take off my rings. I hold my breath. I look down.

I go from hopeful to angry and depressed in a microsecond. How can I weigh half a pound more than yesterday? Maybe the scale is broken. Maybe I stepped on it too hard. I climb off and hop on again. Hold my breath. Look down. The same. This is so unfair. I give up. I've tried so hard. I feel like I could cry.

Found these two paragraphs in a book I picked up last week. Its called "Are you Losing it?". It expresses where I'm at perfectly.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Should I wear solids or print patterns?

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5 miles
Time: 1:25:11 -- 16:50 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Lulu, the dog has a lot of energy, so I took her for a 5-mile walk through the greenbelts. We both enjoyed the exercise and quite time. Look closely, we maintained a sub-17:00 mile pace, which is a brisk walk for my short legs.

If I gauged the eating habits of last weekend by this morning's weight, then it was a complete disaster. Usually the first ten days of a diet is awesome and I lose weight with little effort. My weight is up 1.5 pounds from last Monday. More importantly, I'm up 3.25 since the competition.

I'm optimistic, because my pants fit better. Either way, it's very frustrating to see the number get bigger.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Home-Sweet-Home

Activity: Run
Mileage: 5 miles
Time: 59:04 -- 11:49 pace
12:11, 11:33, 11:18, 12:02, 12:00
Location: Corpus Christi Shore line

A long time ago someone told me, "the test of a real vacation" is: If you return home more tired than when you left. If this is true.... then I had a REAL vacation.

Most of what I did in Corpus Christi was non-eventful. It was a revolving series of; eat, beach, pool, wash sand out of crevices, eat, sleep. Can't think of much to say, other than: The weather was really nice all four days. And of course the Houston Strider's ROCKED the relay, duh.

The diet wasn't as good as I would have have liked, but it stayed out of binging territory. Walked a bunch this weekend, which hopefully off-set some of the extra calories. The highlight of my weekend happened just before departing. The Houston Striders have a Sunday morning group long run tradition. I joined the 20+ runners with no exact idea of what I planned to do. I'm excited to report, I ran FIVE miles. Ran the same concrete/asphalt sidewalk as everyone else. Of course my pace was much slower than I like, but at this point (13 days post surgery) I couldn't be happier. The cardio system felt a tiny bit better too. Wasn't having any difficulty breathing and barely broke a sweat.

Another good day indeed.

All weekend I couldn't help but wonder how many miles Vic ran and how many calories he consumed. Is this healthy? When June passed me on the run I was chanting, "no dress, no dress, no dress!"

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Southbound

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Recumbent Bike
Level: 4 of 16
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still have the aches in my calf and hamstring.... BUT it seems a lil' better today.

Family and I are on our way to Corpus Christi after this post.

The "weight thing" is already starting its usual tug-o-war. Two days in a role I've consumed less than 2000 calories and still managed to gain one-pound each day. Patience Bill, patience!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Familiar Format?

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3.0 miles
Time: 34:07 -- 11:21 pace
11:12, 11:27, 11:25
Location: Memorial Park

Activity: Recumbent Bike
Level: 4 of 16
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still can't believe I ran three miles, a mere 9 days after knee surgery. This is something to get excited about. Although, I'm afraid I might regret it. After leaving the B2B pre-race logistic meeting I felt multiple aches and pains from my hips down. Glad to report, nothing new. For whatever that's worth!

First time in a very long time since I met up with the Striders for a Wednesday run. A couple new faces and one with baby on board, but otherwise it was like I never slacked off. I ran alone on the Memorial Park loop, while the others did a counter clockwise Shepard Hill run. I stopped at all the water fountains, yet managed to keep the walking to less than a quarter mile total.

Good day on the exercise front. That is probably good, cause I'm starting to worry about the "dress" part of the wager. I gotta win!

A scare and a little fun

First the scare:
The calf and hamstring aching is not going away. In fact, I think its getting worst. The bruise looks weird with "streaks" through it. Couldn't wait any longer, so I called the doctor a day early. Dr. Muscat thought it might be a blood clot, so he ordered a doppler test of my right leg. From the doc and staff actions, I got a little nervous. They wanted the test done immediately and preferably at a hospital, so I could be admitted if it was positive for a venous occlusion. The long of it, negative test.... thank God. For an hour or so, I was worried. The nurse was asking me to select a family doctor (I don't have one), which hospital I would like to stay at for 3-5 days, and to make arrangements to cancel my upcoming vacation in Corpus Christi. No good reason for the ache or bruises. Dr. Muscat suggested an aggressive pattern of ibuprofen and ice each and every night.

Now the fun:
Vic and I have met terms on a friendly weight loss competition. The parameters are simple but the stakes are much higher. Today is the official start day. Competition will end with the start of SMART training. We are going simply pound for pound. The person who loses the least amount will have to pay for the others entry into the Houston Marathon. As additional incentive to stay on track we added one more element. The person who loses the least will also have to attended the first session of SMART training in a dress! That's right! Vic will be wearing a dress come the end of July.

This is exactly what I need. Special thanks to Vic for being a fun sport and allowing us to "feed" off each others energy. Let the fun begin!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Woo-Hoo!

I rode my mountain bike for a little more than six miles. I was moving slow and easy! It felt good to "push" the knee on the small inclines (8.9 mph average). Forty-two minutes from door to door. The successful bike ride was followed up with a lower body workout. Reduced a few of the weights, otherwise it was a normal session.

Still a lot of aching in the calf area. Can't wait till Thursday morning and report the aches and pains to Dr. Muscat.

TENTATIVE: I might, maybe, possibly consider a test jog tomorrow. Slow pace, soft surface, and short distance are in order as a MINIMUM.

Cycle, pain, weight loss

Yesterday I completed 30 minutes on a recumbent bike. Glad to report no issues.

Surgery was a week ago Monday. The first four days were perfect, no pain, no aches.... nothing. Then late Thursday something odd happened. I started having pain behind my knee, which radiating up into my hamstring and down into my calf. It was bearable, yet very uncomfortable (it was a constant ache). Over the weekend we noticed a bruise over the body of my calve. Most of the muscle aching has disappeared, only to be replaced by the old knee pain at night. When I sleep on my side the knee feels like it is "side loaded" and causes me a lot of pain. Over the last three nights, it has waken me up 10+ times per night. This was one of the reasons I had surgery. So, I don't know what to think. I'm able to sleep on my back with my leg propped up. Unfortunately, being a big-guy, it is hard for me to sleep on my back..... its uncomfortable. Hopefully things will improve soon.

I started a "light" diet the day of surgery. Lost a few pounds this week. I gained some motivation from Catherine Kruppa, Erin, and others, which has lead to more serious dieting. I want to blog it all, but I hate eating crow. I get all excited and motivated then BAM, its all over. Maybe its better if I keep the information to myself. Hell, most of you would fall out of your chair if I told you what my weight is..... its that bad!

At some point I hope to learn from my mistakes. Also need to realize the middle road of all my extremes will lead to a happier life.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Post-op appointment

Its only 8:30am and I've already been to my doctor and returned home. Today was my first post-operation appointment. Dr. Muscat showed me before and after pictures of my knee. He was talking rather fast, so excuse me if I didn't catch everything. He showed me two areas that he worked on. He labeled one as; significant damage under the knee cap. Muscat stated this area was the result of all my pain.

On the picture, the bad area looked like a miniature crater with a bunch of debris around it. He also insured me this would NOT have gone away on its own. He said, "Left untreated, you'd have good days and bad days. Big mileage would be a thing of the past and you would become submissive to the pain and quit running all together." Boy, does that sound familiar or what!

Both doc and I are extremely happy with the progress thus far. Again, he assured me... nothing I do will damage his work, its just a matter of pain. Muscat said, "You can run ten miles right now if you want, but understand you'll be uncomfortable and regret it tonight".

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Best of the best

Attended the May Houston Strider meeting last night. I've only been a member a little more than a year, but this was by far the BEST. Not a simple thing needed improvement... perfection!

Speaker:
Local Houston celebrity, Cathrine Kruppa spoke to us about Peak Nutritional Performance. Tons of useful information delivered in 30 minutes. Catherine was also nice enough to arrive early and stay a little later to talk one-on-one with a few of us.

Venue:
Chatters fit our club like a glove. The weather was nice under the covered patio, which had more than enough room to seat our ever growing membership. The buffet style serving line was very efficient and the food was awesome! Plus, the menu met the seal of approval by Catherine!

Surprise #1: We were presented a plaque from the Al Lawrence Running club. They graciously recognized our 25 relay teams at the Bayou City Bash! Gooooo Striders!

Surprise #2: Most of us are aware (via Steeve) of the unofficial HARRA Fall and Spring series results. This year the Houston Striders had a three-peat for the Fall series and for the first time in club history the Houston Striders won the Spring series. In celebration of our accomplishment, club members were awarded Asics technical shirts with our new and improved logo. It doesn't get much better than the Houston Striders! Free food, free speaker, free shirt... and all we do is run and have fun. What a DEAL!

As always, special thanks to the Houston Strider board members for all the hard work they do behind the scenes. Kudos to Ted for another great club meeting. And Finally, thanks to Coach Steeve and Baarb. Their passion for running and absolute devotion to the Houston Strider Running Club never ceases to impress me.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Back to a normal schedule

We're both home and resting. Do you think certain events happen for a reason? Well, I do. The ordeal(s) that transpired yesterday kept my knee on the move. Minus a little swelling and a tight ace bandage, I frequently forget I had knee surgery. Still haven't taken a single pain med. Frankly, I don't need it today (last night was a different story).

Here's the super wild event of the day..... I got to the hospital around 8am and had two large bags, full of Erin's essentials. Once I reached the front door I realized I forgot to lock the car. So, I set the bags at the hospital entrance and went back to my car. By natural instinct, I started "jogging", cause at one end I had left a couple bags unintended and at the other end my car was unlocked. It took me ten or more seconds to realize what I was doing. I finished my jaunt to the car and returned to the bags with a light jog (60-70 yards?). Nothing. No pain, no aches... nothing.

This freakin' rocks! I'm very, very excited.

Erin is at my place resting. Some nausea and light contractions (Braxton Hicks contractions), but otherwise, A-okay. Thanks for all the kind words and prayers. I means a lot to us and is greatly appreciated.

Monday, May 07, 2007

WHAT A DAY!

Literally two minutes after my last post EVERYTHING changed.
Let me start from the beginning:
Erin agreed to stay with me a couple days after the surgery to help out. This morning she was having a lot of abdominal discomfort, but nothing serious. Once we got home from my surgery I immediately posted on blogger. During that time she commented that she was "having contractions". Next thing I knew she was bent over in the hallway crying. I had been home from knee surgery a whooping ten minutes when this went down. We called Erin's OB/GYN who told us to get to the hospital immediately. Who would have thought that I would be driving my wife to the hospital less than an hour after being released from surgery?

Thank GOD my knee is strong and healthy. I've had to do lots to help her out, which has really tested the knee. Its strong, but starting to ache. Plus my sore throat and headache is back.

Back to Erin. Come to find out the discomfort she had been experiencing since 7am was pre-term labor. She had three unbearable contractions once we arrived home. Had it not been for those, she might not have sought medical attention. I knew something was wrong when she was crying, cause she has a decent pain-threshold. At the hospital they did all the usual stuff to check her and Garret out. Shorty after the examinations they administered 1500ml of ringers lactate to keep her well hydrated (apparently dehydration will cause contractions). Then she received three injections of turbutaline to help stop the contractions, which will be followed by oral breathine every 6 hours. Garret it 31 weeks, which is entirely too early. He need him to cook a little longer. At 5:30pm most of the contractions have stopped. A couple minutes ago (7:30pm) she said she's had a couple more, but nothing serious. Due to the regularity of the contractions and time sensitive medications, she was admitted for the night.

MHNE Hospital has weird rules. I was with Erin all day, but at one point I had to get Alison. The hospital does not allow children under 12 years old into the L&D patient rooms.... not even siblings. This sucks. I am forced to stay at home, away from Erin. I understand Alison needs me too, but I can't understand why she is not welcome in a private room. And since I have Alison... I refuse to take any pain medications. I'm trying my best to deal with the progressively increasing pain. This is hard, cause I've done a considerable amount of walking and driving since the surgery. I no longer feel as I did in the prior post..

As you can see... this is a day to be remembered!

Zero day, +5 hours

Just walked in the house from surgery. The morning started a little shaky. I woke up with a sore throat, productive cough, severe headache, and a low grade fever. There was thoughts of rescheduling the procedure by the nurses and anaesthesiologist. After a detailed assessment, Dr Muscat gave the go ahead for the procedure.

I felt horrible before the surgery, but now I feel wonderful. Probably a result of the pain medications. I've been walking since post-op. Walked around Kroger's while waiting for my prescription to be filled. Very little discomfort, plus my throat and headache is gone. YAY!

Mr. Muscat spoke with Erin after the procedure and stated he found and repaired torn cartilage under my patella. It appears the surgery was definitely needed. My legs are sore from yesterdays run, but other than that... its all good.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Zero day till surgery

What do the following dates have in common?
February 20, 2007
March 25, 2007
May 6, 2007

Answer: Last three times I logged five miles or more in one day. YIKES!!!

That's right, today I ran 5 miles.... kind of. I can't believe it either!

Small gathering in Kingwood for a leisure five-miler. Attendees included: Steeve and Barb Shepard, Jeff Sharp, Ruben Coryat, and me.

Barb did a fine job of displaying her impressive endurance abilities. For me, the pain and exhaustion was in full-effect after hitting the 1.75 mile mark. I did a lot of walk-run segments. Probably walked anywhere from 0.50-1.0 mile. Legs and knees felt A-okay, but my cardio is in the gutters. Oh well. Five miles, is five miles.... I'll take it any way I can get it!

Breakfast at Skeeters was a huge hit. With the touch of the phone we grew by 2.5 people (Erin with child aboard and Jeff's wife). It was a fun time!

Maybe.... just maybe another run, "post-surgery" could make it on the Houston Strider schedule.

A good day indeed.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

RUN Kingwood!

Reminder, tomorrow morning I'm hosting a leisure run in my subdivision. Starting at 7am with breakfast to follow.

I just finished putting markers on the course. The route is a dead even 5.25 miles. The rain left the trails a bit messier than I like, but it will still be a lot of fun.

Come one, come all!!!

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Begging for a BJ

This is freakin' hilarious! Caution viewing video at work. No nudity or foul languge, but its on that 'grey-line' for sexual content.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Depressed

Where do I start?
Humble Runner blog debuted on this day, one year ago. Since Christmas, my weight has spiraled out of control. Wish I could say its only a few extra pounds, but a "few extra pounds" would be comical. Its an endless list of empty promises to "start tomorrow". Have I learned nothing? The most depressing part is the difference in weight between now and May 2, 2006. I'd do anything to be at the old 2006 weight again.

Maybe the knee surgery will kick-start a rebirth of Bill. Fuck, I don't know anymore.

Long sigh.

Milkshake - Family Guy

Gotta love this stuff! Its better if you are familiar with the song, Milkshake.