Thursday, January 28, 2010

10 things happy

So I got tagged by the Redhead a few days ago to write about 10 things that make me happy and I have to confess this has been one of the funnest blogs I've written. So here goes...

The Boyfriend


One of the reasons why I’ve mellowed out over the years. He’s an amazing person who is always by my side and encourages me to go the extra mile (running included).

Running Blogs
Ever since I discovered the world of running blogs, I have been a happier person. It‘s my daily dose of inspiration, encouragement, discovery, and support. I am so happy to be able to share the joy and pain of running (and life) with everyone out there. Thank you!

Strength Training

I love love love weight training! I was a gym nerd before transforming into a running nerd and I still love the “after feeling” of a heavy duty strength training session. Not to mention the sheer joy of seeing your body shape up beautifully!

Random Verses
Words have always had a way with me and I confess there have been times when I let hope hang on to a few. It’s amazing what the power of beautifully fashioned words can do to your emotions…


To the Moon - PB Shelley
Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth, --
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

Home-style Indian Food

Dal (lentil), roti (Indian bread), sabzi (vegetables), and tandoori chicken…I miss it all and I get cranky if I live without it for too long.

My Home
I love the home that the boyfriend and I share. Although, we still have boxes to unpack and fixtures to fix, it’s ours, it’s warm, and it’s full of love.

My Friends
Over the years, they have come and gone, some stayed in touch, and some exist just in memories. But to all I’m thankful, because without them, I’d never have had the life I did.

Shopping
Yes, I’ve always been a girlie girl, shopping is my release, and I’m attracted to all things pink or gray or pink and gray. The only thing my female shopping buddies find odd about me is that I find running tights sexier than minis. Obviously, they are not runners.

Generosity of Strangers
It makes me happy to think that there are good people in this world. I don’t know what I would have done without the girls who accompanied me halfway home one night when I was being followed by a drunk man; or the college student who offered me his standby fuel when I ran out of mine and didn’t even let me pay for it!

Running


We all run for different reasons and yet we’re often unable to rationalize why we do. I’m not going to explain this one, but I will say that it’s the one thing without which I feel totally miserable.

Run strong everyone!


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The warmest white Christmas ever!

All said and done, I've ended 2009 fabulously. Not only did I train for and run my first half marathon, I wrapped it up with an awesome family vacation to Chicago and beyond.

Here are some pictures from then...


A limo pick-up at Chicago! I wish I was half awake to enjoy it though. The 30+ hours journey was a killer.



Someday I'll be pounding the streets of Chicago



The Bean



With my parents in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum



One of the numerous pretty brooks in Waupaca. Seriously, snow makes everything look so lovely!



Even saw some solitary joggers! And I'd get overly excited everytime I spotted one. Should have gotten a picture :(



A fireplace to warm my back and a fabulous brandy slushie to get into the Christmas spirit :)



My first traditional Christmas lunch ever...everything was so yummy!



Opening gifts with the family was so much fun...first time again



At the Packers game (I swear I was the only colored person there) with the boyfriend and his dad. Now, how many Indians can claim to have done this, at Lambeau no less? Ooh check out those mighty mittens!



Boyfriend's dad helps my dad walk onto the frozen lake. My mom needed no help though, she literally ran out (this trip was her first exposure to snow)!



The boyfriend packing in enough for a brutal facewash. Check out the wicked grin. And yes, it was brutal.



The NYE party. The hostess is a marathoner and needless to say, we discussed IT bands and foam rollers. Perfect party conversation.

Monday, January 18, 2010

The nerve

Wow something to write about. Finally! Here's an update on the relentless search for the cause of my mysterious leg/hip injury, a source of much pain and despair over the past several months.

Scene 1
After much delay, brooding, and hours of pouring over running injury sites (during work hours), I have my lumbar spine X-rays examined by the chain-smoking ortho (he looks like a wreck but is ironically one of the best in town…hmm). No stress fractures, no disc abnormalities. Nada.

I say, “So the next step would be an MRI, right?”

Chain-smoking ortho says, “Yes, and I bet nothing will come out of it.”

I say, “Hmmm.”

Scene 2
I’m laying in the scan room, with nothing but a green robe on. They plug cotton balls into my ears, “because the noise is deafening.” Not cool. Then they proceed to strap my head, arms, and legs. Not cool again. Into the scanner I go. The next 30 (yes, 30) minutes are pure agony. MRI scans are serious torture.

Scene 3
Ortho looks at the MRI scans.

“Like I told you, nothing.”

I nod and burst out, “It’s getting worse! I’m worried the ibuprofens won’t work anymore…I’ve taken so many!”

To which he replies (I think I see him getting serious now), “I suggest you see this neurosurgeon…”

Scene 4
This neurosurgeon is fancy. The waiting area is designed like a new-age meditation resort. I’m certain he’s going to charge by the alphabet. I go in, he asks questions, I answer, he bends and flexes my legs, I cooperate.

Finally he speaks, “I’m pretty sure your S1 nerve is pinched.”

“How might that have occurred?” I ask.

“Any sudden movement, although this usually occurs when you bend forward and pick something heavy. And you made it worse by not resting it.”

This is when I ask the dreaded question. “Will I be able to go back to running?”

“Of course, but first you must give it 3-4 weeks of complete rest. No strenuous exercise and no running.”

Is this it? Did he nail it? I'll take it if he did!

Right now, as I sit here with an ugly, uncomfortable lumbo-sacral binder around my waist, my thoughts drift to the anguish of going back to the ‘starting line’. Yes, the leg still hurts. Yes, I’m going to have to start by shedding the weight. Yes, training for a marathon seems far-fetched. Yes, I can’t even begin to map out this year’s races.

Nevermind all that, for now, I'm pinning my hope on the S1 nerve.