Deja Vu

Feeling a little depressed and defeated tonight.  I wrote in my last post briefly about having some foot pain.  Since that time I've had a few more days to heal and recover, as well as ponder on possible causes of the pain.  One night this week, lying in bed unable to sleep, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I've had this type of pain before.  I sat straight up in bed--literally.  November 5th, 1998.  Sophmore year of college, during a fast break drill at basketball practice, I got bumped while shooting a jump shot and came down awkwardly.  Felt like a minor sprain at the time, but quickly became much more.  I won't bore you with all the details--those of you who know me well know the story.  But it wasn't until the season was over, and I'd played and practiced EVERY DAY for six months with debilitating pain, before I finally was diagnosed correctly--and scheduled for surgery that very next week.

For those of you that want to google it, Os Trigonum syndrome, or Posterior Talar Impingement, is what I had then--and I'm pretty certain I've got it in the other foot now. 

I've felt pretty good most of the week pain wise.  As long as I take it easy, walk slow and don't get carried away I'm good.  Hunter wanted to go strolling today, so I loaded him up and pushed him around the neighborhood scouting for puppies, garbage trucks,and anything else he might find interesting.  I spent the rest of the day with an aching foot and a slight hitch in my step.

So off I go to the ortho doc on Wednesday.  My biggest concern is that I won't be able to convince him that this is what he needs to be worried about.  I really just need to get the MRI or bone scan--his preference--so we can get this show on the road.  I'm afraid he's gonna put me in a boot for six weeks, and go the conservative route.

So come Wednesday afternoon, if you happen to remember, say a prayer that my doc isn't a total retard (yes, a fair number of my colleagues are retarded.  IMO its WAAYY too easy to get into medical school these days, but that's a whole different conversation).  Pray that we can skip all the conservative nonsense and get down to business.

Looking forward, I purchased Joy and Hunter's plane tickets to come cheer me on at Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston next April.  Southwest had some ridonculous deals this week, I got both their round-trip tickets for 300 bucks-TOTAL. 

I leave you with another pic of my buddy, who got to see one of his favorite farm animals again today-he loves him some billy goat!  Take care!

Harwood Home Makeover continued

Not a lot of words to this post;  mostly just lots of pics of what we've been doing around the house.  

Something that's been in the works for a while, and still in progress, is the side of our house.  The ugly AC units as well as the garbage cans reside there.  So we decided to put up some lattice to make it a little more appealing.  Here are a few pics:

Daddy's #1 Helper

As you can see we get a lot of water runoff from the lot next to us.  Which washed away our sod prior to moving in. So we are now putting in a stone walkway along the side of the house. And Joy added some climbing plants to the lattice, so it's coming along nicely.

Daddy, this stone is a little loose here

Joy's wonderfully creative mind also came up with a pretty cool idea for a wall-hanging-cubby-sort-of-thing to put next to the door.  She wanted something to put the mail in, have a place to hang keys, glasses, and hats, as well as someplace to put watches, garmins, headphones, etc.  Right now all this stuff takes up countertop space in the kitchen.  She laid out the plans, and then I set to work trying to build it.

We also bought some bookcases from Ikea to make our own "built-ins" for the entertainment/playroom downstairs.  It's all done except for the final painting. 

Next up, a planter made out of the 2x4's we salvaged-and moved 1000 miles-from our house's porch in New Mexico.  Oh, and apparently a porch swing too...

On a training note, after my disappointing Half IM last month, I decided to train for a half-marathon this winter to work on my run a bit.  My first run after my race I did some mile repeats and developed a pain in my right heel.  Didn't think much of it, it seemed pretty minor.  Continued to run, and had some great training runs, over the next two weeks, but it slowly has worsened.  After my track workout last Friday morning, I limped through clinic all day, in some pretty severe pain.  Pretty sure I've got a case of retrocalcaneal bursitis, as there's really nothing else in the area other than my Achilles insertion and my calcaneus, and both those seem fine.  So I've done nothing but eat and get fat for the last 3 days, and it has improved a lot-I actually walked around all day today with no limp or hitch to my step.  But I can still tell that its there.  I'm supposed to be doing a 5K this Saturday, but I don't plan on running before then, and I may likely walk the 5K with the rest of my co-workers from the clinic instead of racing it--we'll just see how the week goes.  I'd much rather just shut it down now and be healthy come January than try to push through and get to January with some nagging injury.  I should be able to start running again in a couple of weeks, so a December half marathon is still doable; probably not PRable though.  Anyway, enough rambling, have a good one friends, and I leave you with a picture of my best bud!

HGTV'd out

As I mentioned in a previous post, my honey-do list for our new house is ever expanding.  Originally, screening in the lower deck was not on this list.  But after three months here, contacting eight different individuals/companies, having two of those eight actually return a call and come out to look at the property, and zero of those two failing to get back with me with ANY response, despite my repeated calls....well you see where this is going.  As my longtime reader(s) will recall, this isn't my first trip to the rodeo as far as screening in porches goes.  When we moved to New Mexico three years ago, one of our first projects was screening in the back porch, as our neighbors did everything in their power to encourage mosquito breeding.  You can find the details from that project here and here.  As that house was a rental, we went with a very bare-bones-how-cheap-can-we-do-this theme--and the ghetto fabulousness shows.

 

This time around, though, as we are now homeowners, and plan on being in this house forever as long as the McMenammy's live down the street, I knew I needed to bring my A game.  After much googling and Internet trolling, I decided to go with the Screen Tight system, which you can get through Home Depot.  After drawing up some plans, I made my first of many trips to Home Depot.  

The first step was just framing out the deck.  While the bare bones were already in place,

 I knew I'd need to add some additional framework to make the screen sections more manageable as well as to support the structure.  This part took pretty much the entire Labor Day weekend, but Monday evening it appeared that all was in place. 

Next came the base plates for the Screen Tight system.  After a couple of late nights and another weekend, these were all in place.  Now, finally, lets put some screen up already!  As I didn't race at Redman, I came back that afternoon and had plenty of energy to try and finish this beast up.

Screens in place, time for for the final step, putting on the exterior strips to make it look pretty.  This was quickly accomplished, and Voila!

  Screened-in porch, check.  Time to sit back, relax, prop my feet up...what's that dear?  Oh, the stone path on the side of the house needs to be finished?  Yes, dear...

Really, though, I can't complain.  I do love getting to use my power tools, and J knows this:-).  Plus I've always been the type who'd rather do something myself, and make sure it's done to my standard, than pay someone else to do it, and possibly do a subpar job.  And H is such a wonderful little helper, he wants to do everything I do and it's so incredibly precious.

Until next time friends!

A Comedy of Errors

As I didn't do much actual racing, this isn't your typical race report.  It's more of a...pre-race report...

We all know how tapering goes.  Exercising less.  Hungry all the time.  Anxious about the upcoming event.  Every little twinge is a possible torn muscle.  Barely able to hold it together until race day.  This time was no different for me.  Hunter and Joy came down with a head cold 7 days before my race, so it was not a question of if, but rather when, I would also contract this nasty little bug.  However, Joy was so stressed about me possibly getting it and it affecting my race, when my symptoms started 48 hrs later I didn't say anything.  And as H definitely took the worst of it I think she was so distracted with him that I managed to make it all week without her noticing.  No since stressing her even more, she's already sick and caring for a sick baby!  After a couple of days of little sleep and feeling like crap I actually felt pretty good race morning, so it was all good.  At least from that stand point.

I had my usual pre-race checklist, went over it multiple times, and had it all packed and ready for the drive over Friday.  I left in plenty of time for a leisurely drive, and made it to OKC and the race site about 4:30.  To see the insanely long line waiting for the mandatory athlete meeting.  Nope.  Not doing the waiting thing, so just turned around and drove to the hotel, only 10 mins away.  Checked in, grabbed dinner at 5:00 like usual, stopped at Panera to grab a bagel for race day breakfast, and then to the grocery for Gatorade and OJ. Quick stop at the hotel to drop off the stuff, then back to race site.  Line much shorter, but still stood there for a while waiting for the current group to leave the briefing tent.  The website said brief meeting, 1-5 mins.  Ours took 23.  Minutes.  The one in front of us took 28.  Yes I counted.  But after the meeting the rest of check-in was a breeze; got my swag bag, checked in my bike, saw Bird, one of several of my wicked fast teammates, and chatted for a few before heading back to the hotel.

  7:30pm.  Finally at hotel and getting stuff together. Tri-suit, check.  Shoes, check.  Sunscreen, ch...well sh*t.  So it's back in the car, and back to the grocery store.  Same girl at the checkout counter.  "Hey you were here earlier, I remember that little kiddie blue band aid on your thumb."  Me, stupidly, "Yup that was me.  Last trip though."  She smiles, "Until you remember something else you forgot, right?"  I laugh, stupidly, "That's right!"

Several minutes later, back at the hotel and trying to calm down.  Decide to go ahead and shower before finishing getting everything together.  

8:45pm.  Back to it.  Hat, check.  Goggles, check.  Body glide.  Wait, I KNOW I packed the stupid body glide!  Where is it??  A frantic search through both bags, under car seats, in the trunk...reveals no body glide.  Son of a nutcracker!(Elf reference)  Expo closes at 9:00, so no way I'm getting any there.  After consulting my wise coach, she sends me BACK to aforementioned grocery store for Aquaphor.  Luckily, my buddy has since clocked out, saving me any further embarrassment.  Unluckily, they do not have Aquaphor.  So another quick drive gets me to CVS and I'm finally set.

9:30pm.  Back in the room and FINALLY ready for the race.  A few minutes of FaceTime with my sweet wife and boy, then lights out.  So much for an easy rest filled night before the race! 

Race morning.  Wake up and hop out of bed.  As I'm taking my shirt off, somehow manage to tweak a muscle in my right shoulder.  Obviously a torn labrum, right?  I just shake my head and imagine myself swimming with one arm...  Uneventful breakfast and drive to the race.  Now, they have us parking about 1/2 mile from transition.  I always, ALWAYS take my own bike pump.  But I have a long walk and a heavy backpack and they have assured us they will have pumps at bike support.  So I leave my trusty bike pump in the car...

So after getting everything set up, I take my bike over to bike support.  One guy hooks up a pump, seems to be having trouble.  I hear air leaking out of my tire as he fumbles with the connector.  After attempting several times he looks at me sheepishly and says, "Let me get someone else."   The next guy seems more nimble-fingered, but alas, he also can not manage to effectively pump any air into my front tire.  He has the same result with the rear.  "I think there's something wrong with your tires, man."  "You're right," I think, "you let the air out of them.  I came over here with about 120psi and now I have about 80.  Thanks!" 

I head back and rack my bike, and grab Bird, who's about 10 bikes down.  He, smartly, brought his own pump.  I have him hold the connector while I pump, and we quickly have the problem rectified.  Because I haven't bugged him enough, I decide to go all in.  "Hey man, you got any body glide?"  I quickly explain its only for my timing chip, and not for any of my nether regions.  Still skeptical, he slowly agrees and hands over the goods.  

The rest of pre-race goes well, and before you know it I'm in the water waiting for the start.

SWIM:  Overall not bad.  Started off a little slower than usual but felt really strong throughout.  I lost the lead pack rather quickly, and as such spent a good portion of the swim by my lonesome.  I finished in 36:09, and I'm not in my best swim shape, but I knew with that time it had to be a bit long.  Think I was 7th in my AG out of the water.  But the main thing was how GREAT I felt coming in to T1.  No lower back or hamstring tightness, breathing and HR nice and steady. Lets get it ON!

T1:  Wetsuit strippers were amazing and set me up for a quick T1.  Got to my bike, wetsuit down, socks on, pick up my left bike shoe...and out falls my body glide.  Not one to pass up comfort or a fortuitous turn of events, I quickly unzip my tri suit, reach down and apply liberally :-).  Get everything else situated, grab my bike and head out of T1.  Get to the mount line, put my hand on my aerobar, and notice it's very bouncy.   I look down and see that my front tire is flat.  Completely. F'ing. Flat.  After a short litany of expletives, I turn around and head back into transition.  At this point I'm thinking, surely it's not a leak?  Maybe I just left the valve open or something.  Bike support quickly pumps it up(no trouble this time, different guy), I pray that's all it is, and head out again.  

BIKE:  Did I mention how good I felt?  I quickly put the hammer DOWN man.  Usually I have to take the first 15 mins to settle in and get the back and hamstrings in line, but today I was just able to lay into it from the get go.  I was able to start picking people off immediately, and had no one pass me.  Then a little after six miles I hit a bump in the road and it felt a little jarring.  Sh*t.  Continued to ride but after two more bumps I could tell it was almost out of air.  I sat up and coasted/cruised to the next intersection where there was a cop directing traffic.  Hopped off, hit my lap button, and started getting down to it.  Took a bit of work to rip the tubular off, but still managed to get all my stuff off the bike, tube off the wheel, and ready to switch the valve extender in under five minutes.  So off comes the valve extender and I go to put it on my spare...wait a minute.  My spare is your standard presta valve.  Apparently my race tubular isn't.  Who uses this crazy-@ss sh*t anyway?  Apparently the guy who I bought the wheels from 3 years ago did.  I've never had a flat before with these wheels, so why would I take a perfectly good race tire off my race wheel to know it wasn't a standard valve extender and presta valve.  I look around in slowly dawning disbelief--my race is over.  My RACE is OVER!  GGAAAAAAHHHHH!!  I want to start flagging racers down, HELP ME!  But help me, how?  Anybody got a spare valve extender lying around?  Idk, maybe people have a valve extender already put on their spare tubulars.  I just always assumed I'd switch it out if I ever flatted.  I have yet to see a SAG car so I just gather my things and start slowly walking back towards transition.  At least I got to cheer on my teammates as they came riding by! 

                                      EPIC. FAIL.  

I eventually make it back to another intersection, and see not one, but two SAG cars.  Sweet!  They are helping a man take his front wheel off.  I start chatting with him while they load his bike up- turns out he took a nasty spill and ended up with a concussion.  At least I didn't have that happen as well!  He asked about me and I told him my sob story--he offered to let me use his front wheel!  How freaking cool is he?!  I looked at my watch-48 minutes since I hit the lap button.  I said thanks, but I was ready to call it a day too.  

Let me just say I'm not complaining about the SAG AT ALL.  Everyone was very helpful once I got to them.  Turns out there were a couple of other nasty crashes in addition to the one I walked back to, and so they were busy with those people, as they should have been.

Upon my arrival back to transition, as I walked by bike support they asked what was going on, so told them my story.  They pulled out a standard valve extender and said, want to change it and get back out there?  Ummm, no thanks...

In hindsight, maybe if I'd stayed in T1 and attempted to change it out then, I could possibly have gotten a valve extender, and gone on to have a great ride and finished the race.  Or I could have flatted again at mile X with no spare.   

Lessons learned:

ALWAYS bring your own pump

KNOW your equipment: don't assume anything

A true friend can be coerced will let you borrow their body glide

Little bit of this, little bit of that

As my wife pointed out in a recent post, I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon.  She's right, I have. I suck at writing.  Joy does not.  I write what I think is a great post, then go and read her last two or three posts and throw my hands up in the air. Her posts are STORIES, man.  They have a point.  They're funny and insightful.  Mine are just word salad.  Not even the edible kind.  It's more like the stale, limp, kinda slimy word salad that's been sitting on the back of the shelf for a few too many days.  But i digress...

We've now been in little rock for two months, and there are so many things to write about that trying to cram it all into one post is ludicrous.  But I've never been one to shy away from a challenge, so get ready for another onslaught of my train of thought :-).(yes that rhymes, and yes I thought I was pretty witty coming up with that, so BACK OFF!)

The first five weeks here I was gratefully not working, which gave us plenty of time to get unpacked and settled in our beautiful new house.  All the boxes have been unpacked put in closets, furniture has been arranged, rugs have been placed, and things are more or less where they belong.  

Home ownership has brought on more honeydo projects than I could have imagined.  An older house needing some updating, i could understand.  But it's a brand new house!  Luckily I never have to tackle anything alone, as I've got a partner who loves working with tools almost as much as I do.

Measure twice, cut once daddy.

I think we need the 3 1/2 inch bolt...

Sweet!  I can use this drill on EVERYTHING!

You missed a spot, here, let me get it.

As far as racing goes, I pretty much took last October through this June off.  I trained for about three weeks and did a sprint in April, but otherwise, nada.  I literally swam once a month--if that.  I probably averaged one bike ride and one run a week through those nine months.  Put on a few pounds and put a lot of time into getting through those last few months in New Mexico with my sanity intact, getting ready for the move here, and just general life stuff.  However, I did start a nine week training plan to get ready for the Redman Half in Oklahoma City on Sept 21st.  There's a great group of triathletes here and I've been able to tag along on some group rides, and it has been SO NICE.

O yeah, the JOB.  Man, I can't express how much I love my new job.  As many of you out there(crickets chirping) know, my three years at Holloman were frustrating to say the least.  Surrounded by incompetence and having people with less education, much less intelligence, little to no common sense and no moral compass telling me how to do MY job and run MY clinic--well, you can imagine how well that went over with me.  But like all things, it did finally, wonderfully, come to an end :-).  On May 31st I drove off that base for the last time, and for the next thirteen hours on the road to Little Rock, I never stopped smiling.  I suddenly felt a thousand pounds lighter.  But back to the new job.  It's so great working with a group of people with similar ideals.  The nurses are amazing, as are all the other staff, from the front desk to phones to billing and lab and research.  They all do their jobs very well.  And not only that, but they all go out of their way to make sure my job is as easy as possible! Novel concept, huh?  Totally different experience compared to my previous place of employment.  And to top it all off, I have a four day work week, with Wednesdays off, which is HUGE for me as it gives me another whole day each week to spend with H and J.  

Of course I can't finish my post without pitting just a few more pics up of my sweet boy, so here are some randoms from the past few weeks.

Nom nom nom

Showing Mammo his art

Chillin with E

Helping Daddy get Mommy's bike ready for Muncie 70.3

Dad, you've GOT to see this!

Beach time!

Until next time my friends!

Hanging On

39 days.  As of today, that's how many working days I have left here at Holloman.  That's not counting my 5 days of outprocessing, that's just days I have left in clinic doing my job.  I found out this week that I won't be getting my two full months of terminal leave that had been promised to me for the last 6 months; instead I'll be getting half that, so we are stuck here until May 31st.  And I should feel lucky that I'm getting that, so I'm told.  And that additional leave that I had saved up-forget about using it, the Air Force will be glad to 'buy it back'; after taxing it first, of course. 

I have much more to say about my time here and the people I've worked with and for, but I'm saving that book post for a little later on. 

I lead with the above just to say please pray for me.  Pray that I make it through the next three months of what has become a very malignant working environment; pray that I keep my spirits up; pray that I can leave work at work and come home each night and enjoy my family; pray that I can keep my cool and just ride the storm out. 

And now, so this post won't be a total bummer, let's take a look at what makes everything I do put up with worthwhile.

Saturday morning naps

 Mommy's Little Helper

Having fun at White Sands National Park

 

Until next time, cheers!