Liz, Gina, and I did a 35 mile cycle yesterday through the hill towns. When I'm driving in the hill towns, I don't really think about why they have that name. But the ride yesterday drove it firmly into my mind. We headed on the back roads to Williamsburg and then took Ashfield Road into Ashfield center, went to Conway center, and took Conway road back to Mountain Street and North Farms Road to our house.
I know some sections of the route. We used to rollerblade the first 6 miles of Ashfield Road. Miles 5 and 6 are continuously up hill. We've never gone past there because after that there is a really, really steep section down to a set of waterfalls. You should know that if it's too steep for me to rollerblade down, it's seriously steep, because I love speed. In fact, going back down miles 5 and 6 are the fastest I've ever gone on blades. I've regularly gone 30+ mph on blades, and estimate that I must have hit somewhere between 35-40 miles per hour on that stretch. Usually I enjoy it, but one time, my wheels started shattering back and forth. I was going way too fast to try to brake, so I just tried to relax to wait it out until I hit the next uphill. I don't even want to contemplate how many bones I would have broken if I'd allen. That was the last time I bladed that section of road.
I was really surprised to discover that those 2 miles were simple compared to a number of the other hills we had to climb on this trip. By the time we hit Ashfield, we had only gone 15 miles, but it felt like we'd done 30. We found a great pizza place and stopped for lunch. By the time we'd eaten, I'd forgotten the pain of getting there, and for the first time in my life, could see the appeal of going on a day-long bike trip, stopping off at interesting places to eat along the way. We were somewhat tempted to take a dip in the local pond, but the combination of reports of extremely cold water and the idea of biking in wet shorts discouraged us.
Then came the fun. The 7 miles from Ashfield center to Conway center were all downhill, ranging from really steep to moderately steep, to a gentle downhill. Just what my tired legs needed. There were a few uphills between Conway and Florence, but it's mainly downhill.
Here are the elevations. Northampton has an elevation of 140 feet above sea level. From there, we climbed to Ashfield, elevation of 1,240 feet. And we didn't go straight uphill to get there either, so it wasn't just a matter of climbing 1,120 feet. Then we went downhill to Conway at 763 feet, and back to Northampton at 140. Of course I don't know where they take those elevations, but it does a hood job of representing the trip. And that's why they call them the hill towns.
I did something really stupid on the way to Ashfield. We biked by a field that had a couple of ancient, rusty plows in it--just the thing Liz loves for making sculptures. As we were starting by the next house, I saw some women outside and impulsively stopped to ask who owned the land with the plows. I hadn't thought about how close Liz and Gina were behind me, and Liz plowed into me and Gina plowed into Liz. I heard Liz yell and in my rear view mirror, saw Gina hit the pavement. Gina was ok (and remarkably calm, given that I just caused her to hit the ground. Gina's front wheel was out of true and the rear carrier thing on the back of Liz's trike was bent. Fortunately, all the bikes were rideable, and we went on our way.
Well, I'm in Bloomington, Illinois, and they just started loading my flight back home. Gina, by the way, was taking video on our ride, so I'll be able to download some of the footage.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Inspiration
I went to the graduation ceremony at Holyoke Community College today. It was really inspiring. One of the speakers was a woman who is probably in her 30s. She was in a wheelchair and was deaf. A few years ago, she was an RN and was married with two kids. When her third baby was born, the baby was having health problems and the woman knew there was something seriously wrong with her. When the baby was 3, they diagnosed her with a genetic disease and the woman had it too. The baby died and the woman nearly died. She lost her ability to walk and her hearing. She was discharged from the hospital and sent home with hospice to die.
As she was waiting to die, she realized that she had a choice. She could sit there until she died, or she could continue living her life. So she enrolled at Holyoke Community College. Her doctor was pretty shocked--she was the first hospice patient he had had that started going to college. And today she got her degree. Her disease is incurable and will continue to progress, but while she is alive, she is going to live her life.
Wow! Puts a few broken bones into perspective, doesn't it. There were two other speakers who were also really inspiring. I started wondering why I haven't gone to graduation before--I am a trustee for the college. Oh yeah, last year I was in Nicaragua breaking my leg on the day of graduation--it was exactly a year ago today.
Yesterday I went to Fitness Together in the morning and cycling in he afternoon. I couldn't do anther thing. Maybe a double workout the day after being sick wasn't the best idea. I took today off and will do my long ride for the week on Monday to get another day of recovery in.
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As she was waiting to die, she realized that she had a choice. She could sit there until she died, or she could continue living her life. So she enrolled at Holyoke Community College. Her doctor was pretty shocked--she was the first hospice patient he had had that started going to college. And today she got her degree. Her disease is incurable and will continue to progress, but while she is alive, she is going to live her life.
Wow! Puts a few broken bones into perspective, doesn't it. There were two other speakers who were also really inspiring. I started wondering why I haven't gone to graduation before--I am a trustee for the college. Oh yeah, last year I was in Nicaragua breaking my leg on the day of graduation--it was exactly a year ago today.
Yesterday I went to Fitness Together in the morning and cycling in he afternoon. I couldn't do anther thing. Maybe a double workout the day after being sick wasn't the best idea. I took today off and will do my long ride for the week on Monday to get another day of recovery in.
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Thursday, May 26, 2011
Feeling Groovy
I felt like crap for the first half of the day. I pulled it together to present the results of a study to a bank, and the second it was done, was ready for a nap. But during the 2 hour drive back to the office, I started feeling better. I was able to get a lot of work done, and when I got home, when for an 11 mile bike ride.
Now I'm feeling nearly back to normal. My conclusion is that because I'm physically fit and eating well, I'm able to fight off infections quickly. Of course, I'd much rather not have gotten sick to begin with, but it feels great to be feeling so much better after everything I did in the past two days. Yay!!
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Now I'm feeling nearly back to normal. My conclusion is that because I'm physically fit and eating well, I'm able to fight off infections quickly. Of course, I'd much rather not have gotten sick to begin with, but it feels great to be feeling so much better after everything I did in the past two days. Yay!!
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sick, Sick, Sick
The cold has got me down. I made it into NYC and did my presentation, but went to bed for a couple of hours as soon as I got home. It was another perfect day--82 degrees and sunny--but I have to make it through another long day tomorrow. I hope this is a fast cold.
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Tuesday, May 24, 2011
To Cycle or Not to Cycle
The weather was great after work today. The first day in a long time that actually felt like there's a possibility of summer. If anything, it was a little hot--80 degrees and sunny after work.
I'd planned on cycling after work, but in the middle of the afternoon, I started feeling like I was getting a cold. Actually, I started with a slight sore throat last night that I refused to acknowledge. Then I had a conference call this afternoon with a woman with a horrible cold and by the time I got off the phone, I felt like she had sent it straight through the phone to me. All of a sudden, my throat was really sore, my head started feeling clogged up, and I felt a little feverish.
So, should I cycle or not after work? On the one hand, it was beautiful out. And it's supposed to rain for the next week. Who knows when we'll have another day like this. On the other hand, I have to get up early tomorrow, take a train into New York City, present the results of a study to a hospital, meet with some people about another study, and take the train home. Then I have to get up Thursday morning, and go present the results of a study to a bank in Connecticut. And next Tuesday, I have to get up really, really early, fly to Illinois, present the results of a study to a health insurance company, and fly back, getting home really, really late.
If I can prevent doing all those things was a horrible cold, my life will be much better. I didn't cycle and I'm off to bed now.
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I'd planned on cycling after work, but in the middle of the afternoon, I started feeling like I was getting a cold. Actually, I started with a slight sore throat last night that I refused to acknowledge. Then I had a conference call this afternoon with a woman with a horrible cold and by the time I got off the phone, I felt like she had sent it straight through the phone to me. All of a sudden, my throat was really sore, my head started feeling clogged up, and I felt a little feverish.
So, should I cycle or not after work? On the one hand, it was beautiful out. And it's supposed to rain for the next week. Who knows when we'll have another day like this. On the other hand, I have to get up early tomorrow, take a train into New York City, present the results of a study to a hospital, meet with some people about another study, and take the train home. Then I have to get up Thursday morning, and go present the results of a study to a bank in Connecticut. And next Tuesday, I have to get up really, really early, fly to Illinois, present the results of a study to a health insurance company, and fly back, getting home really, really late.
If I can prevent doing all those things was a horrible cold, my life will be much better. I didn't cycle and I'm off to bed now.
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Sunday, May 22, 2011
Left Behind
So I wasn't among the select to make it to heaven, so I'm still here to cycle, work out, and blog.
I had a great ride with Gina Nortonsmith yesterday. We cycled nearly 30 miles, heading up to the center of Conway, over to Deerfield, and back home. There were only 2 bad parts to the ride. The first was that it really poured for a few miles. I was wearing shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt and I was freezing. I felt like quitting, but how do you actually do that when you're about half-way out. We were doing a circle by going through Deerfield and I was feeling happy about missing some of the big uphills on our return when the thought hit me--the Haydenville Bridge was out, which meant that we had to take the detour. Not only did that mean having to go up the hills I thought we were going to avoid, but the detour itself was mainly uphill, and part of it was unpaved and my rear wheel would periodically spin out from under me. Not fun when you're exhausted. But all that went away when we started on the downhill section of the ride home.
I was really cold and tired when I got home, so I took a shower, a hot tub, and a nap. That was all I needed to be ready to celebrate being left behind. If Bob and Diana had had any vodka, I would have had a martini. I rationalized that I had just burned 800 calories cycling, and a martini doesn't have that many calories. I'm actually glad they didn't have any vodka and I stuck to my commitment.
I decided to take today off. The morning was really chilly and I had a bunch of Market Street Research work to do. I got Bennett all to myself this afternoon because Liz is in San Francisco, which I was psyched about because Liz is currently Bennett's favorite. Here's a picture of her climbing a spider's web made of rope at the playground at Jackson Street School. What a cutie pie:
After the climb she was getting on a swing and fell onto the ground. After I comforted her, I was trying to carry her to my car, but that's just not good for my back. I can pick her up and play with her, but walking while carrying her hurts. I was explaining to her that I couldn't carry her, but she's at the why stage. Why can't I carry her? Because of my back. Why because of my back? Because it hurts. Why does it hurt? Because I'm old. She put it all together, "You used to be able to pick me up and carry me all the time, but now you're old and can't carry me." Wow, did she have to be that blunt? I immediately picked her up and carried her. But only for about 10 feet. It's hard to deny the truth. Out of the mouths of babes.
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I had a great ride with Gina Nortonsmith yesterday. We cycled nearly 30 miles, heading up to the center of Conway, over to Deerfield, and back home. There were only 2 bad parts to the ride. The first was that it really poured for a few miles. I was wearing shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt and I was freezing. I felt like quitting, but how do you actually do that when you're about half-way out. We were doing a circle by going through Deerfield and I was feeling happy about missing some of the big uphills on our return when the thought hit me--the Haydenville Bridge was out, which meant that we had to take the detour. Not only did that mean having to go up the hills I thought we were going to avoid, but the detour itself was mainly uphill, and part of it was unpaved and my rear wheel would periodically spin out from under me. Not fun when you're exhausted. But all that went away when we started on the downhill section of the ride home.
I was really cold and tired when I got home, so I took a shower, a hot tub, and a nap. That was all I needed to be ready to celebrate being left behind. If Bob and Diana had had any vodka, I would have had a martini. I rationalized that I had just burned 800 calories cycling, and a martini doesn't have that many calories. I'm actually glad they didn't have any vodka and I stuck to my commitment.
I decided to take today off. The morning was really chilly and I had a bunch of Market Street Research work to do. I got Bennett all to myself this afternoon because Liz is in San Francisco, which I was psyched about because Liz is currently Bennett's favorite. Here's a picture of her climbing a spider's web made of rope at the playground at Jackson Street School. What a cutie pie:
After the climb she was getting on a swing and fell onto the ground. After I comforted her, I was trying to carry her to my car, but that's just not good for my back. I can pick her up and play with her, but walking while carrying her hurts. I was explaining to her that I couldn't carry her, but she's at the why stage. Why can't I carry her? Because of my back. Why because of my back? Because it hurts. Why does it hurt? Because I'm old. She put it all together, "You used to be able to pick me up and carry me all the time, but now you're old and can't carry me." Wow, did she have to be that blunt? I immediately picked her up and carried her. But only for about 10 feet. It's hard to deny the truth. Out of the mouths of babes.
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Friday, May 20, 2011
Thank God It's Friday
I'm loving my Fridays. About a year ago, I started working 4 days a week at Market Street Research, and taking Fridays off, but it's taken a while to make Friday the fabulous day it is. From 7:30-8:15, I work out with Savanah at Fitness Together. From 8:30-9:30, I take Spanish lessons from my friend Julie. I then meet with Georganne for a few hours to work on Entiende EcoService Adventures. The last 2 Fridays, I've then gone cycling. Then Liz and I do whatever on Friday night. Liz is out of town today, so I'm going to have dinner and the movies with the Nortonsmiths. Doesn't that sound like a great day!
Today was particularly nice, because it actually stopped raining. I took the dogs out for a half-hour walk in the woods behind our house. It's the first time I've walked the dogs since I broke my leg, and was pleased that the walk didn't hurt either my leg nor my back.
I then went cycling for 12 miles. On the way back, the sun actually came out. Wow--I immediately felt really happy. I think human beings are really tuned into the weather in terms of our emotions. Having the sun out made a big difference. When I got home, I took a book out on the deck and read in the sun for an hour.
Like I said, I love Fridays. What a day!
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Today was particularly nice, because it actually stopped raining. I took the dogs out for a half-hour walk in the woods behind our house. It's the first time I've walked the dogs since I broke my leg, and was pleased that the walk didn't hurt either my leg nor my back.
I then went cycling for 12 miles. On the way back, the sun actually came out. Wow--I immediately felt really happy. I think human beings are really tuned into the weather in terms of our emotions. Having the sun out made a big difference. When I got home, I took a book out on the deck and read in the sun for an hour.
Like I said, I love Fridays. What a day!
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on My Head
I woke up at 6 this morning to a strange sound--no rain on the deck. I quick checked the hour by hour weather to see how long this was going to last. According to the forecast, there was no time today that we weren't supposed to have rain. So I knew I needed to get out fast.
Liz had left at 4:30 this morning to catch a plane, so getting out fast this morning was a relative term. I had to let the dogs out, clean the litter box, feed and medicate the cats, and feed and water the chickens. I'm starting to feel a bit like a farmer with my morning chores, although cleaning a litter box is a very tiny version of mucking out a barn.
I finally got out by 7 and it was a little drizzly and my back tire was kicking water up onto my neck, but that's not bad. It didn't start all-out raining until the last mile on my way home. It was well-worth it. The is the second ride this week that I haven't seen a single other cyclist or runner. I guess they didn't have to spend last summer in a wheelchair. I'm going to be outside as often as I can.
Unfortunately, this is bike commute week in Northampton. I don't think it could have happened on a worse week. Unless this is what this summer is going to be like. I sure hope not.
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Liz had left at 4:30 this morning to catch a plane, so getting out fast this morning was a relative term. I had to let the dogs out, clean the litter box, feed and medicate the cats, and feed and water the chickens. I'm starting to feel a bit like a farmer with my morning chores, although cleaning a litter box is a very tiny version of mucking out a barn.
I finally got out by 7 and it was a little drizzly and my back tire was kicking water up onto my neck, but that's not bad. It didn't start all-out raining until the last mile on my way home. It was well-worth it. The is the second ride this week that I haven't seen a single other cyclist or runner. I guess they didn't have to spend last summer in a wheelchair. I'm going to be outside as often as I can.
Unfortunately, this is bike commute week in Northampton. I don't think it could have happened on a worse week. Unless this is what this summer is going to be like. I sure hope not.
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Now They're Talking Floods
I looked at the forecast to see if there might be a break in the rain tomorrow, and what popped up was that we're in a flood watch. These are all signs of the coming rapture--floods, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes. My brother thinks I should drink on Saturday. Last chance.
There is a predicted break in the rain though--between 1 and 2 in the morning. I think I'll miss it.
This morning was fun. I got up at 5:15 to go with Liz to Fitness Together. I did 45 minutes on the bike while Mark trained with Liz--wow, he gave her a killer workout--every exercise she had to do 10 times, then 9, then 8, etc. down to 1. One example was 1 legged squats onto and off a weight bench. Liz is concerned about her ability to walk tomorrow.
After working out, we went out to breakfast, but were done by 7:30. Liz and I had a meeting with Mariah at work at 9, so we thought about what what wanted to do to celebrate our 27th anniversary. We ended up driving around to the 5 different places we've lived together. It was a great way to spend the morning. The drive triggered a lot of great memories over the years.
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There is a predicted break in the rain though--between 1 and 2 in the morning. I think I'll miss it.
This morning was fun. I got up at 5:15 to go with Liz to Fitness Together. I did 45 minutes on the bike while Mark trained with Liz--wow, he gave her a killer workout--every exercise she had to do 10 times, then 9, then 8, etc. down to 1. One example was 1 legged squats onto and off a weight bench. Liz is concerned about her ability to walk tomorrow.
After working out, we went out to breakfast, but were done by 7:30. Liz and I had a meeting with Mariah at work at 9, so we thought about what what wanted to do to celebrate our 27th anniversary. We ended up driving around to the 5 different places we've lived together. It was a great way to spend the morning. The drive triggered a lot of great memories over the years.
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Just Another Rainy Tuesday
I got up at 6, contemplated the weather, contemplated going to the Y, and went to work. I had a huge project that I thought was going to take at least 2 days that I finished by 3 today--my first day on it. What a great feeling!
I just looked at the forecast and guess what--no rain from now until 9 pm--a whole 2.5 hours--and then nothing but rain again until next Sunday. I am going to have to go to the Y, it's clear. Actually, Liz made an appointment at 6 am tomorrow at Fitness Together, because she's heading off to San Francisco from Thursday to Monday. Tomorrow is our 27th anniversary, and I just had the brilliant idea of going with her if it's raining in the morning and doing either the elliptical or bike there. We're going out to breakfast to celebrate, because Liz teaches her stained glass class on Wednesday evenings.
I'm really sore today from yesterday's Fitness Together workout. It's a feeling I really like--it says to me that my muscles are growing.
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I just looked at the forecast and guess what--no rain from now until 9 pm--a whole 2.5 hours--and then nothing but rain again until next Sunday. I am going to have to go to the Y, it's clear. Actually, Liz made an appointment at 6 am tomorrow at Fitness Together, because she's heading off to San Francisco from Thursday to Monday. Tomorrow is our 27th anniversary, and I just had the brilliant idea of going with her if it's raining in the morning and doing either the elliptical or bike there. We're going out to breakfast to celebrate, because Liz teaches her stained glass class on Wednesday evenings.
I'm really sore today from yesterday's Fitness Together workout. It's a feeling I really like--it says to me that my muscles are growing.
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Monday, May 16, 2011
Rain, Rain, Go Away
It's the middle of May and the only thing keeping me from turning the furnace on is that I can close all the windows and turn on the gas fireplace. Much less depressing than turning on the heat. I looked at the hour by hour forecast, and the only time that it's not supposed to rain in the next 24 hours is from now until 1 in the morning. I had a brief irrational urge to go cycling now.
I know I can go to the Y in the morning, but I'd so much prefer to go cycling outside. I just went to the Y schedule to see if there is a fun class I can take, and the first class isn't until 8, so that's not an option. I'll wait and see what it looks like in the morning. If it's just raining lightly, I'll take my chances?
It's periodically hard to stick to my no alcohol-no desserts commitment. I decided I was going to break it next weekend. There's a group who has predicted that next Saturday is Rapture Day, when God's chosen are taken into heaven. Have you seen the bumper stickers--"In the event of Rapture, this car will have no driver" or something equivalent? Well, what better day could there be to have a party with those of us who are Left Behind? And how can you really celebrate being left behind without having some alcohol. I decided I would and started to contemplate how much. Maybe 2 beers. Hmmmm. Maybe 1 martini. My friend Bob makes a powerful martini.
When I got on the scale this morning, I realized I didn't want to drink on Saturday. If I drank, I would probably overeat. And once I was drinking I could probably rationalize having some dessert, too. I mean, really, we were left behind!
But I really want to not be overweight on my birthday. And these last few pounds are coming off really slowly. I only have about a month left. So I'll have a great time, celebrate life here on earth, and keep my commitment.
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I know I can go to the Y in the morning, but I'd so much prefer to go cycling outside. I just went to the Y schedule to see if there is a fun class I can take, and the first class isn't until 8, so that's not an option. I'll wait and see what it looks like in the morning. If it's just raining lightly, I'll take my chances?
It's periodically hard to stick to my no alcohol-no desserts commitment. I decided I was going to break it next weekend. There's a group who has predicted that next Saturday is Rapture Day, when God's chosen are taken into heaven. Have you seen the bumper stickers--"In the event of Rapture, this car will have no driver" or something equivalent? Well, what better day could there be to have a party with those of us who are Left Behind? And how can you really celebrate being left behind without having some alcohol. I decided I would and started to contemplate how much. Maybe 2 beers. Hmmmm. Maybe 1 martini. My friend Bob makes a powerful martini.
When I got on the scale this morning, I realized I didn't want to drink on Saturday. If I drank, I would probably overeat. And once I was drinking I could probably rationalize having some dessert, too. I mean, really, we were left behind!
But I really want to not be overweight on my birthday. And these last few pounds are coming off really slowly. I only have about a month left. So I'll have a great time, celebrate life here on earth, and keep my commitment.
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Sunday, May 15, 2011
I'm Cycling in the Rain
I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the deck outside our bedroom. I started thinking that we should have gone cycling yesterday when the weather was beautiful. I got up to feed the cats--a more time-consuming job than normal because Captain Jack is not feeling up to snuff and I have to feed him wet food by hand, carefully warmed in the microwave to enhance the smell. I never thought I would miss him trying to get into any food I'm trying to prepare or eat (we have to keep a squirt gun close at hand to protect our food when we ate and even Bennett is adept at using it), but I do. If I knew he was going to be ok, I would enjoy the respite.
Then I went to hang out with our new chicks and change their water. We got 6 baby chicks who should start laying eggs in September if the fox, coyotes, owls, hawks, bears, and other local wildlife don't get them first. Here's a picture of them at 2 days old:
By that point, it had stopped raining, but looked pretty gloomy, so I checked the hour by hour forecast--it predicted light rain from 8-10, and then thunderstorms for the rest of the day--actually for the rest of the week. The first day thunderstorms doesn't show up in the forecast is next Sunday. Lovely. I guess it's going to be back to the Y this week. I had wanted to do a 20 miler today, but that wasn't enough time. Then I thought, well, it's unlikely that the thunderstorms will start exactly at 10, I'm going to check the forecast in 15 minute intervals. That was even worse, saying the thunderstorms were starting at 9:30.
I quick woke Liz and up we had a protein shake. By the time we got out it was close to 9, but I figured, how accurate are those forecasts anyway. And we had our phone so we could call Grace and Melinda to come pick us up if it started lightening.
When we started out, it wasn't raining at all, but our back tires were kicking water up onto our necks, so we had to put our hoods up over our helmets. I was relieved when we got to the half-way point and it hadn't started raining. It started with about 4 miles to go. It felt like it was pouring with the rain pelting in my face, but that was just because we were going down a big hill. It wasn't so bad on the rolling terrain we had most of the rest of the way, except for the mile long hill up to our house. We made in back with no lightening, in fact, it's 10:30 now, and while it's raining steadily, we've had no thunder, not even off in the distance.
My biggest fear riding a trike is dogs. I've been chased by a lot of dogs in the many years I've run, biked, and rollerbladed, but my fear with those sports is getting bitten on the legs. On the trike, I'm below the height of a German shepherd or similar sized dog, so now my fear is getting bitten in the face. About a week ago a dog started chasing after us. I booked (oh--the thunder just started) out of there, feeling more than a little guilty at leaving Liz behind me, but prepared to turn around to rescue her if needed. Liz stopped and petted the dog. I felt like a fool. We had a big dog come out into the road ahead of us today, but it was clear he was a friendly guy, so we greeted him and went on our way. On the way back, though, we came across two people on the side of the road with two very mean looking Rottweilers on leashes that barked and lunged at us. I really hoped the owners had good grips on the leashes. I told Liz I wanted some kind of weapon to protect myself from dogs, like a pipe. She thought I said like a knife. Can you see me wielding a big old kitchen knife on my trike. I can't imagine stabbing an animal (or a person for that matter), even if I was being attacked.
Liz said that the pet store sells a product in an aerosol can that dogs find very noxious. That's what we're going to get. Hopefully, the spray is strong enough that it affects a dog a few feet away, so we can deter them before they get within biting distance.
I was able to garden for a few hours yesterday! I'm very psyched about that. I tried gardening a couple of weeks ago, and my back hurt so much I had to stop after a few minutes. I thought my gardening days were done. I haven't enjoyed our gardens for over a year because all I can see is all the weeds that need to be pulled. We didn't pull a single weed last year because I couldn't do anything and Liz was spending all her time taking care of me. In normal times, Liz and I take tours of our garden once or twice a day, but for the past year, Liz has had to beg me to do a garden tour, and when I've gone, I've made it as fast a tour as possible.
But I found out yesterday that I can weed, I just can't rake. I have to say, I'm willing to sacrifice raking for my health. I enjoy weeding. Weeding has immediate gratification. A flower bed can look like a mess, and 30 minutes later, it looks beautiful. We got enough done yesterday that I'm back to enjoying garden tours. Too bad the weather is going to keep us out of the garden for a week. Here's our rock garden:
I hear Grace and Melinda waking up--they were out very late last night with Grace's friends from college--so I should go make them breakfast. Brunch actually. Here they are:
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Then I went to hang out with our new chicks and change their water. We got 6 baby chicks who should start laying eggs in September if the fox, coyotes, owls, hawks, bears, and other local wildlife don't get them first. Here's a picture of them at 2 days old:
By that point, it had stopped raining, but looked pretty gloomy, so I checked the hour by hour forecast--it predicted light rain from 8-10, and then thunderstorms for the rest of the day--actually for the rest of the week. The first day thunderstorms doesn't show up in the forecast is next Sunday. Lovely. I guess it's going to be back to the Y this week. I had wanted to do a 20 miler today, but that wasn't enough time. Then I thought, well, it's unlikely that the thunderstorms will start exactly at 10, I'm going to check the forecast in 15 minute intervals. That was even worse, saying the thunderstorms were starting at 9:30.
I quick woke Liz and up we had a protein shake. By the time we got out it was close to 9, but I figured, how accurate are those forecasts anyway. And we had our phone so we could call Grace and Melinda to come pick us up if it started lightening.
When we started out, it wasn't raining at all, but our back tires were kicking water up onto our necks, so we had to put our hoods up over our helmets. I was relieved when we got to the half-way point and it hadn't started raining. It started with about 4 miles to go. It felt like it was pouring with the rain pelting in my face, but that was just because we were going down a big hill. It wasn't so bad on the rolling terrain we had most of the rest of the way, except for the mile long hill up to our house. We made in back with no lightening, in fact, it's 10:30 now, and while it's raining steadily, we've had no thunder, not even off in the distance.
My biggest fear riding a trike is dogs. I've been chased by a lot of dogs in the many years I've run, biked, and rollerbladed, but my fear with those sports is getting bitten on the legs. On the trike, I'm below the height of a German shepherd or similar sized dog, so now my fear is getting bitten in the face. About a week ago a dog started chasing after us. I booked (oh--the thunder just started) out of there, feeling more than a little guilty at leaving Liz behind me, but prepared to turn around to rescue her if needed. Liz stopped and petted the dog. I felt like a fool. We had a big dog come out into the road ahead of us today, but it was clear he was a friendly guy, so we greeted him and went on our way. On the way back, though, we came across two people on the side of the road with two very mean looking Rottweilers on leashes that barked and lunged at us. I really hoped the owners had good grips on the leashes. I told Liz I wanted some kind of weapon to protect myself from dogs, like a pipe. She thought I said like a knife. Can you see me wielding a big old kitchen knife on my trike. I can't imagine stabbing an animal (or a person for that matter), even if I was being attacked.
Liz said that the pet store sells a product in an aerosol can that dogs find very noxious. That's what we're going to get. Hopefully, the spray is strong enough that it affects a dog a few feet away, so we can deter them before they get within biting distance.
I was able to garden for a few hours yesterday! I'm very psyched about that. I tried gardening a couple of weeks ago, and my back hurt so much I had to stop after a few minutes. I thought my gardening days were done. I haven't enjoyed our gardens for over a year because all I can see is all the weeds that need to be pulled. We didn't pull a single weed last year because I couldn't do anything and Liz was spending all her time taking care of me. In normal times, Liz and I take tours of our garden once or twice a day, but for the past year, Liz has had to beg me to do a garden tour, and when I've gone, I've made it as fast a tour as possible.
But I found out yesterday that I can weed, I just can't rake. I have to say, I'm willing to sacrifice raking for my health. I enjoy weeding. Weeding has immediate gratification. A flower bed can look like a mess, and 30 minutes later, it looks beautiful. We got enough done yesterday that I'm back to enjoying garden tours. Too bad the weather is going to keep us out of the garden for a week. Here's our rock garden:
I hear Grace and Melinda waking up--they were out very late last night with Grace's friends from college--so I should go make them breakfast. Brunch actually. Here they are:
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Saturday, May 14, 2011
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go
I cycled to work today. As predicted, it was a perfect day. It was the first time I cycled to work since 4/21--the day after we got our trikes. It took me 30 minutes and 23 seconds to get to work that day, and 22 minutes and 49 seconds today. That's a 25% improvement!
Liz met me at the office and we cycled home together. It took me 52 minutes and 33 seconds to cycle home from work on 4/21, and 39 minutes and 21 seconds today. That's nearly a 40% improvement! All that hill work is paying off.
I went onto the mapmyride website and saw that I have cycled 136 miles in the past 21 days. That feels good.
For some reason, I couldn't post this--probably something wrong with the website. I had a great ride yesterday. I took 4 minutes off my 11 mile ride. I hadn't made much progress in decreasing my time for that ride, but realized that cycling in the afternoon, in shorts and a t-shirt, In 70 degree heat in much more conducive to speed than early in the morning, in sweats and a sweatshirt, at 40-50 degrees. It was a fabulous day to cycle.
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Liz met me at the office and we cycled home together. It took me 52 minutes and 33 seconds to cycle home from work on 4/21, and 39 minutes and 21 seconds today. That's nearly a 40% improvement! All that hill work is paying off.
I went onto the mapmyride website and saw that I have cycled 136 miles in the past 21 days. That feels good.
For some reason, I couldn't post this--probably something wrong with the website. I had a great ride yesterday. I took 4 minutes off my 11 mile ride. I hadn't made much progress in decreasing my time for that ride, but realized that cycling in the afternoon, in shorts and a t-shirt, In 70 degree heat in much more conducive to speed than early in the morning, in sweats and a sweatshirt, at 40-50 degrees. It was a fabulous day to cycle.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
On the Road Again
I woke up this morning raring to go. I think it really helped both to cycle yesterday when I didn't want to and to blog about feeling depressed. It also helped that Liz was cycling with me. I was still aware of my spine sticking out virtually every second of the ride. That and my back pain both seem worse now that I know the cause. My goal is to return to how I felt before I knew the cause.
I moved my iPhone to my forearm--I'd had it in a case wrapped around my water bottle, but I really couldn't see it without having to lean forward. Now I can easily see how fast we're going and I see why Liz and I are having an easier time going up the long hill to our house. We are climbing some big hills on our daily route. I judge that by how fast we go down those hills--there are a bunch of hills where we're going nearly or over 30 miles per hour, which is impressive because our trikes are geared really low, so once we get going down a steep hill, there's no point in pedaling. Also, once we hit about 18 miles an hour, the trikes start swaying side to side, so we can't build up a lot of speed prior to a hill. Liz figured out that if we really pedal from our butts, it minimizes the swaying, but I can't eliminate it.
I finally have a day I can bike to work and back tomorrow. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so I'm looking forward to it.
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I moved my iPhone to my forearm--I'd had it in a case wrapped around my water bottle, but I really couldn't see it without having to lean forward. Now I can easily see how fast we're going and I see why Liz and I are having an easier time going up the long hill to our house. We are climbing some big hills on our daily route. I judge that by how fast we go down those hills--there are a bunch of hills where we're going nearly or over 30 miles per hour, which is impressive because our trikes are geared really low, so once we get going down a steep hill, there's no point in pedaling. Also, once we hit about 18 miles an hour, the trikes start swaying side to side, so we can't build up a lot of speed prior to a hill. Liz figured out that if we really pedal from our butts, it minimizes the swaying, but I can't eliminate it.
I finally have a day I can bike to work and back tomorrow. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so I'm looking forward to it.
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Tuesday, May 10, 2011
And I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
I've been fighting depression last night and this morning. I have a slight tendency toward depression--I don't know if I have it any more or less than anyone else, but I know the symptoms well. I don't want the emotions surrounding something, so I try to shut down--drugs and alcohol are great for that, so I know to stay away from them. I don't want to do anything but zone out, and while trying to do that, I start a list of things that I should be doing and use the fact that I'm not doing them as evidence of my worthlessness. And if I give into it, I just build on that cycle--don't do what I think I should do, feel bad about that, shut down about feeling bad, get more withdrawn, do even less, etc., etc.
I have had 2 spells of real depression. One my sophomore year of college when I got dumped badly by a boyfriend--I found out the the entire 9 months we were together, he was engaged to marry someone else. Jerk. My memory is that I spent an entire month sleeping. That can't be true, because I must have gone to work and classes, but all I remember was sleeping. Then I apparently slept my way through whatever I needed to and went on with my life.
The second time was the first year I had cancer. I had a check-up every 3 months, and every 3 months, it came back. That meant having outpatient surgery to remove the tumor. Anesthesia really does a number on me, so even though I'd have surgery on a Friday and go back to work on Monday or Tuesday, my brain didn't really start functioning until Thursday or Friday. It felt like I was going to have surgery and miss a week of work every 3 months for the rest of my life. I really didn't function well that year. I almost killed myself a few times driving my car because of my inattention. The worst time was exiting off an interstate way too fast and doing a 180 on the exit ramp. Then I had to quick turn myself around before someone else exited and hit me.
Anyway, I know what to do. Force myself to do all those things I think I should do and don't want to do. Last night, I finally forced myself to make a phone call and send an email I was supposed to make. This morning, I didn't want to get out of bed to cycle. I was rationalizing that I should take a day off or do it after work, but I knew that was not a good path to go down. I forced myself out of bed and onto my trike.
Then I had to try to force myself to be present, to engage my senses--listen to the birds, look at the trees and flowers, smell what was on the breeze, feel--well mostly what I could feel was that damn vertebrae sticking out against the back of the trike. I have been aware of it before and adjusted my position so it didn't hurt, but this morning I was hyper-aware of it.
As I have discovered many times in the past, the best way to head off depression is exercise and an hour on the bike this morning really did the trick. I can feel myself starting to sink down again this evening, so I need to force myself out again tomorrow--though tomorrow will be easier both because I made it today and because Liz will be with me.
I'm grateful that I don't have to give up the ways I'm currently exercising. Also, all the cycling seems to be really helping my left leg. I spent much of Saturday on my feet, helping to shear alpacas in the morning and taking Bennett to the zoo in the afternoon. Normally, my left leg would be hurting after either of those events. It was really swollen in the evening, but didn't hurt.Yay!
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I have had 2 spells of real depression. One my sophomore year of college when I got dumped badly by a boyfriend--I found out the the entire 9 months we were together, he was engaged to marry someone else. Jerk. My memory is that I spent an entire month sleeping. That can't be true, because I must have gone to work and classes, but all I remember was sleeping. Then I apparently slept my way through whatever I needed to and went on with my life.
The second time was the first year I had cancer. I had a check-up every 3 months, and every 3 months, it came back. That meant having outpatient surgery to remove the tumor. Anesthesia really does a number on me, so even though I'd have surgery on a Friday and go back to work on Monday or Tuesday, my brain didn't really start functioning until Thursday or Friday. It felt like I was going to have surgery and miss a week of work every 3 months for the rest of my life. I really didn't function well that year. I almost killed myself a few times driving my car because of my inattention. The worst time was exiting off an interstate way too fast and doing a 180 on the exit ramp. Then I had to quick turn myself around before someone else exited and hit me.
Anyway, I know what to do. Force myself to do all those things I think I should do and don't want to do. Last night, I finally forced myself to make a phone call and send an email I was supposed to make. This morning, I didn't want to get out of bed to cycle. I was rationalizing that I should take a day off or do it after work, but I knew that was not a good path to go down. I forced myself out of bed and onto my trike.
Then I had to try to force myself to be present, to engage my senses--listen to the birds, look at the trees and flowers, smell what was on the breeze, feel--well mostly what I could feel was that damn vertebrae sticking out against the back of the trike. I have been aware of it before and adjusted my position so it didn't hurt, but this morning I was hyper-aware of it.
As I have discovered many times in the past, the best way to head off depression is exercise and an hour on the bike this morning really did the trick. I can feel myself starting to sink down again this evening, so I need to force myself out again tomorrow--though tomorrow will be easier both because I made it today and because Liz will be with me.
I'm grateful that I don't have to give up the ways I'm currently exercising. Also, all the cycling seems to be really helping my left leg. I spent much of Saturday on my feet, helping to shear alpacas in the morning and taking Bennett to the zoo in the afternoon. Normally, my left leg would be hurting after either of those events. It was really swollen in the evening, but didn't hurt.Yay!
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Monday, May 9, 2011
Going to Pieces
So I went to the doctor today. She had my spine X-rayed and confirmed what I had suspected. I had suffered a compression fracture in one of my vertabrae. She thought it was likely that it happened when I was horseback riding in Tuscon a year and a half ago.
I was bummed to hear it, but was expecting it. What I wasn't expecting was that she told me my spine was pretty crappy as a whole. Shockingly, she didn't say crappy, she said something like osteoporated. I could see on the X-ray that the lower section of my spine was much fainter than the upper section. She said that was from the demineralization of the bone. She said that my back pain was caused by the loss of support in my spine.
I'm really identifying with my mother and her back pain. Her doctor thought that her back pain was in her head--Mom wouldn't exhibit any pain moving around the doctor's office. But my back pain isn't always there either. I did a full workout at Fitness Together this morning and had no back pain until Savanah asked me to lay down on a mat to do crunches. Then my back hurt and it was a real struggle to get back up. But I did some other exercises and was fine. My back hurts when I'm standing still, when I sit in hard chairs, and when I lay down on a hard surface. The standing hurts because of the lack of support. The hard chairs and surfaces hurt because that vertebrae is sticking out and it hurts to have pressure on it. I think it hurts when I walk, because it does in airports, where I do the most walking, but that could be because travel exacerbates it. I haven't done a lot of walking because that hurts my broken leg. In general, I'm a !?$&!#%! mess.
The good news today is that I can do everything I have been doing. Skiing and rollerblading are out, but I pretty much knew that anyway.
I felt pretty depressed after the appointment and came home instead of going back to work. But I know the depression comes from thinking about the future. Given the state of my spine, how many more breaks will I have, what will my future be like, am I going to be a bent over old woman. But who knows what the future holds. I broke one vertebrae, and it wasn't the end of the world. Hell, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. I need to keep living in the present, and in the present, the Celtics are playing the Heat. They need my support.
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I was bummed to hear it, but was expecting it. What I wasn't expecting was that she told me my spine was pretty crappy as a whole. Shockingly, she didn't say crappy, she said something like osteoporated. I could see on the X-ray that the lower section of my spine was much fainter than the upper section. She said that was from the demineralization of the bone. She said that my back pain was caused by the loss of support in my spine.
I'm really identifying with my mother and her back pain. Her doctor thought that her back pain was in her head--Mom wouldn't exhibit any pain moving around the doctor's office. But my back pain isn't always there either. I did a full workout at Fitness Together this morning and had no back pain until Savanah asked me to lay down on a mat to do crunches. Then my back hurt and it was a real struggle to get back up. But I did some other exercises and was fine. My back hurts when I'm standing still, when I sit in hard chairs, and when I lay down on a hard surface. The standing hurts because of the lack of support. The hard chairs and surfaces hurt because that vertebrae is sticking out and it hurts to have pressure on it. I think it hurts when I walk, because it does in airports, where I do the most walking, but that could be because travel exacerbates it. I haven't done a lot of walking because that hurts my broken leg. In general, I'm a !?$&!#%! mess.
The good news today is that I can do everything I have been doing. Skiing and rollerblading are out, but I pretty much knew that anyway.
I felt pretty depressed after the appointment and came home instead of going back to work. But I know the depression comes from thinking about the future. Given the state of my spine, how many more breaks will I have, what will my future be like, am I going to be a bent over old woman. But who knows what the future holds. I broke one vertebrae, and it wasn't the end of the world. Hell, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. I need to keep living in the present, and in the present, the Celtics are playing the Heat. They need my support.
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Sunday, May 8, 2011
We're Off on a Big Adventure!
That was the song that was going through my mind as Liz and I got ready to go off on our 30 mile bike ride. My Dad used to sing that whenever we were headed out for fun--whether we were headed off on vacation to the lake, going skiing, heading off to Wisconsin or Michigan to visit the relatives, or in his later years, heading off to go to dinner or to Dairy Queen. My Dad saw life as an adventure, and I'm really happy I learned that from him. Whenever I feel excited about something I'm about to do, "we're off on a big adventure" comes to mind.
Liz and I explored the new connections between the local bike paths today. It was great--we were able to cycle 32 miles and the only sections we did on the road were the 2.5 miles between our house and the start of the bike path in downtown Florence. There is one funky section where we had to take a short section of unpaved path and carry our trikes over the railroad tracks. I'm not sure what the city was thinking of with that little part of the path.
The bike path is a great place to cycle a long distance because it's relatively flat, except for the road to and from our house, and it's a really safe place to cycle in terms of not sharing the space with cars. It was also fun because we got to interact with all the people on the path. We got some great comments about our trikes. We got some wows, an impressed whoa, someone who said our trikes looked like formula 1 race cars, and my favorite, the person who said we were on the Lazy Boys of bikes. What an accurate description--our bodies are exactly in the position we would be in if we were leaning back on Lazy Boys.
The bike path is also a great place for scenery--taking the long bridge over the Connecticut River, riding along in the woods. The major change that has happened on the path between Northampton and Belchertown since we used to blade on it regularly is that the beavers have really taken over about a 4 mile stretch. What used to be a small beaver pond that was surrounded by trees is now a wide open area that's become a pretty giant swamp. The beavers really clearcut and flooded the entire area. While I miss the trees, there are some great views of the Seven Sisters mountain chain that we couldn't see before.
Despite all the good things about the route, I doubt we'll take it again until they repave it (something that's been talked about for years). There are potholes, big cracks where tree roots are pushing up the pavement, and long sections that are so lumpy (for Pokelas, think of the road to Crow Wing Crest at its worst), that it's extremely unpleasant to bike on.
I'm discovering that cycling really makes me have to pee. By the time we got to the end of the bike path, after about an hour and a half of cycling, I was desperate. I incorrectly remembered portable toilets at that end--I had to use the mosquito-infested woods. Drat those beavers for creating the swamp. And I was desperate again by the time we got home. That has never happened to me blading. Weird.
Anyway, we had fun and want to take a long ride every weekend. Mapmyride estimated that we burned 1,600 calories. Not bad. I just wish we had a personal chef to make us dinner upon our return-- I only had enough energy to make some popcorn and sit in front of the tv. I'm going to ask Mark to take it easy on my legs tomorrow--I have some very sore knees.
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Liz and I explored the new connections between the local bike paths today. It was great--we were able to cycle 32 miles and the only sections we did on the road were the 2.5 miles between our house and the start of the bike path in downtown Florence. There is one funky section where we had to take a short section of unpaved path and carry our trikes over the railroad tracks. I'm not sure what the city was thinking of with that little part of the path.
The bike path is a great place to cycle a long distance because it's relatively flat, except for the road to and from our house, and it's a really safe place to cycle in terms of not sharing the space with cars. It was also fun because we got to interact with all the people on the path. We got some great comments about our trikes. We got some wows, an impressed whoa, someone who said our trikes looked like formula 1 race cars, and my favorite, the person who said we were on the Lazy Boys of bikes. What an accurate description--our bodies are exactly in the position we would be in if we were leaning back on Lazy Boys.
The bike path is also a great place for scenery--taking the long bridge over the Connecticut River, riding along in the woods. The major change that has happened on the path between Northampton and Belchertown since we used to blade on it regularly is that the beavers have really taken over about a 4 mile stretch. What used to be a small beaver pond that was surrounded by trees is now a wide open area that's become a pretty giant swamp. The beavers really clearcut and flooded the entire area. While I miss the trees, there are some great views of the Seven Sisters mountain chain that we couldn't see before.
Despite all the good things about the route, I doubt we'll take it again until they repave it (something that's been talked about for years). There are potholes, big cracks where tree roots are pushing up the pavement, and long sections that are so lumpy (for Pokelas, think of the road to Crow Wing Crest at its worst), that it's extremely unpleasant to bike on.
I'm discovering that cycling really makes me have to pee. By the time we got to the end of the bike path, after about an hour and a half of cycling, I was desperate. I incorrectly remembered portable toilets at that end--I had to use the mosquito-infested woods. Drat those beavers for creating the swamp. And I was desperate again by the time we got home. That has never happened to me blading. Weird.
Anyway, we had fun and want to take a long ride every weekend. Mapmyride estimated that we burned 1,600 calories. Not bad. I just wish we had a personal chef to make us dinner upon our return-- I only had enough energy to make some popcorn and sit in front of the tv. I'm going to ask Mark to take it easy on my legs tomorrow--I have some very sore knees.
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Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday Night
Liz and I went cycling at 5 tonight. I would have to say that it's the first time in our nearly 27 years together we've worked out on a Friday after work. We both love cycling so much, it didn't matter that we were tired and hungry.
I keep finding myself comparing cycling to blading. I really don't want to try to convince myself that I don't love blading, but it's also nice to see that I'm not doing a second-best sport because I can't do the best one.
What I was noticing today was the freedom of cycling. We explored some roads that I've never been on in my 39 years of living in western Mass. We discovered how to get on one of the bike paths near our home. A section of it hadn't been paved yet--I assume it's going to be paved, which made no difference for cycling. Also, some of the roads were too crappy to blade on.
I'm using mapmyride on my iPhone to track my time, distance, and speed, and noticed today that I go exactly the same speed down the hill from our house that I did on blades--30 mph.
We cycled up the 2 mile hill back to our house for the first time since the first time we went out on our trikes, and I was really pleased at how much easier it was. We don't cycle on any other hill that's that long, but cycling around here means cycling on hills so we've clearly been getting stronger. We're thinking about doing a 30 mile ride on Sunday. Seeing how that goes will give us an initial indication of whether we can do 100 miles in September.
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I keep finding myself comparing cycling to blading. I really don't want to try to convince myself that I don't love blading, but it's also nice to see that I'm not doing a second-best sport because I can't do the best one.
What I was noticing today was the freedom of cycling. We explored some roads that I've never been on in my 39 years of living in western Mass. We discovered how to get on one of the bike paths near our home. A section of it hadn't been paved yet--I assume it's going to be paved, which made no difference for cycling. Also, some of the roads were too crappy to blade on.
I'm using mapmyride on my iPhone to track my time, distance, and speed, and noticed today that I go exactly the same speed down the hill from our house that I did on blades--30 mph.
We cycled up the 2 mile hill back to our house for the first time since the first time we went out on our trikes, and I was really pleased at how much easier it was. We don't cycle on any other hill that's that long, but cycling around here means cycling on hills so we've clearly been getting stronger. We're thinking about doing a 30 mile ride on Sunday. Seeing how that goes will give us an initial indication of whether we can do 100 miles in September.
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
Step on a Crack
I don't know which of my mother's 7 children stepped on the crack, but my mother has 2 broken vertebrae. And I'm nervous that I'm joining her. Hey, I don't even have kids to step on cracks.
I noticed that one of my vertebrae was really sticking out a number of weeks ago. My first thought was that it had broken and healed in a weird way. I've been having pain in my mid-back area on either side of that lump off and on ever since I hurt my back riding horses at the dude ranch a year and a half ago.
And when I saw my endricronologist around that same time, she said that if I had lost another quarter inch in height, she would have had my back x-rayed to see if I broke a vertebrae.
The other thing that makes me paranoid about it is that I was looking up on the Mayo Clinic website what exercises people with osteoporosis should do. I was expecting examples of bone strengthening exercises, but what I got was warnings not to bend over or do anything to put strain on my spine so I wouldn't break a vertebrae. I got out of that site fast. If I followed those directions, it would basically rule out most of my Fitness Together routine.
So when I found the lump, I of course made Liz feel it to confirm that I wasn't crazy (at least about that). Then I sat around and worried about it for a few weeks until Liz made me promise to call the doctor. Then when I called the doctor, she couldn't see me for 2 weeks (what a relief). Now I'm nearing the moment of truth. I see the doctor on Monday and get a back x-ray. I really really hope it's nothing--is it possible to have a bony lump on your spine that's nothing?
I have 2 worries--that I broke a vertebrae and the doctor is going to tell me what my mother's doctor told her--no bending over, no lifting anything over 10 pounds. Not only would that eliminate all weight lifting, even worse, it would eliminate all Bennett lifting.
My second worry is that I'll keep breaking vertebrae. I'm too damn young for this, so many years (I think) for them to keep breaking. My dad had a lot of broken vertebrae. At one point he was in a lot of pain and his doctor discovered it was because his spine had deteriorated enough that his ribs were grinding into his hip bones. He had to wear this terrible back brace that didn't seem like it was much better than having his ribs grind into his hips.
Actually, I have a third worry. If I have a broken vertebrae, will it prevent me from doing the volunteer work I want to do in Nicaragua. Oh, and then there's the worry that it's not a broken vertebrae, it's some kind of cancer on my spine.
I guess I'm getting way ahead of myself. I need to wait to see what Monday brings.
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I noticed that one of my vertebrae was really sticking out a number of weeks ago. My first thought was that it had broken and healed in a weird way. I've been having pain in my mid-back area on either side of that lump off and on ever since I hurt my back riding horses at the dude ranch a year and a half ago.
And when I saw my endricronologist around that same time, she said that if I had lost another quarter inch in height, she would have had my back x-rayed to see if I broke a vertebrae.
The other thing that makes me paranoid about it is that I was looking up on the Mayo Clinic website what exercises people with osteoporosis should do. I was expecting examples of bone strengthening exercises, but what I got was warnings not to bend over or do anything to put strain on my spine so I wouldn't break a vertebrae. I got out of that site fast. If I followed those directions, it would basically rule out most of my Fitness Together routine.
So when I found the lump, I of course made Liz feel it to confirm that I wasn't crazy (at least about that). Then I sat around and worried about it for a few weeks until Liz made me promise to call the doctor. Then when I called the doctor, she couldn't see me for 2 weeks (what a relief). Now I'm nearing the moment of truth. I see the doctor on Monday and get a back x-ray. I really really hope it's nothing--is it possible to have a bony lump on your spine that's nothing?
I have 2 worries--that I broke a vertebrae and the doctor is going to tell me what my mother's doctor told her--no bending over, no lifting anything over 10 pounds. Not only would that eliminate all weight lifting, even worse, it would eliminate all Bennett lifting.
My second worry is that I'll keep breaking vertebrae. I'm too damn young for this, so many years (I think) for them to keep breaking. My dad had a lot of broken vertebrae. At one point he was in a lot of pain and his doctor discovered it was because his spine had deteriorated enough that his ribs were grinding into his hip bones. He had to wear this terrible back brace that didn't seem like it was much better than having his ribs grind into his hips.
Actually, I have a third worry. If I have a broken vertebrae, will it prevent me from doing the volunteer work I want to do in Nicaragua. Oh, and then there's the worry that it's not a broken vertebrae, it's some kind of cancer on my spine.
I guess I'm getting way ahead of myself. I need to wait to see what Monday brings.
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I Like to Work It Work It
I had a great workout with Toby today. We did every exercise once, which was unusual, and many of the exercises I hadn't done before. Here are some of my favorites.
First, I put a short band of elastic around both my ankles, and shuffled sideways across the room and back, keeping pressure on the band and my knees bent. That works the he'll out of the glutes. By the second time back and forth, they were really burning.
Then I did the exercise below.
Hmm--slightly blurry. In this exercise I had one foot on the weight bench, the other on the floor, and stood up on the weight bench without my other foot touching it, lifted the non-weight-bearing leg up, and held it for a couple of seconds, and then stepped back down. I did 15 reps on each leg. It's a great balance exercise.
Another fun exercise involved this 14 pound ball.
First I lifted it overhead, then I lowered it between my legs, and tossed it as far as I couId--which was maybe 6-8 feet, like this:
The big blob in the middle is the ball being thrown at great speed toward the camera. It was shocking how much this exercise used my abs. It's a great whole body exercise.
I also did some squats on the Bosu, with a weighted ball I held out in front of me while I squatted, squats with a Swiss ball between my back and the wall with dumbbells that I curled and pressed at the top of the lunge.
Another great exercise involved two elastic cables that were anchored at about shoulder height to a machine. I backed up until I could lean backward holding the cables and then did a punching motion back and forth, alternating my arms. It worked my back muscles and biceps. Another exercise involved stepping up with one foot and then the other onto and back off of a low platform, doing a biceps curl with fairly light wright with each step. I was going to ask Toby for heavier weights, but I'm glad I didn't. My biceps were screaming by the end (he had me do each of the last 2 exercises for a minute, which is a lot of reps).
There were more exercises, but you get the idea. I was covered in sweat by the end and now I'm ready to go to bed at 8:17 pm.
I've lost 3 pounds in the past 2 weeks, and am feeling great about it. Cycling really makes a difference. Five more pounds and I'm no longer officially over-weight, although I'll still be 19 pounds over what the WII calls my ideal weight. It would be fun to be there. A mere 4 years ago I was only 6 pounds away from my ideal weight, so it seems possible. This weekend, I was in LA, and when I started getting dressed in the morning, realized I had accidentally brought a pair of pants from 4 years ago--size 8. I pulled them on, thinking they were the pants I meant to bring, and there was only about a 1 foot gap between the two sides of the pants. It was astounding to me that I ever wore them. I hope to wear them again--they're made of silk and are really nice pants! I'll post a picture in my blog if I'm ever able to fit in them.
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First, I put a short band of elastic around both my ankles, and shuffled sideways across the room and back, keeping pressure on the band and my knees bent. That works the he'll out of the glutes. By the second time back and forth, they were really burning.
Then I did the exercise below.
Hmm--slightly blurry. In this exercise I had one foot on the weight bench, the other on the floor, and stood up on the weight bench without my other foot touching it, lifted the non-weight-bearing leg up, and held it for a couple of seconds, and then stepped back down. I did 15 reps on each leg. It's a great balance exercise.
Another fun exercise involved this 14 pound ball.
First I lifted it overhead, then I lowered it between my legs, and tossed it as far as I couId--which was maybe 6-8 feet, like this:
The big blob in the middle is the ball being thrown at great speed toward the camera. It was shocking how much this exercise used my abs. It's a great whole body exercise.
I also did some squats on the Bosu, with a weighted ball I held out in front of me while I squatted, squats with a Swiss ball between my back and the wall with dumbbells that I curled and pressed at the top of the lunge.
Another great exercise involved two elastic cables that were anchored at about shoulder height to a machine. I backed up until I could lean backward holding the cables and then did a punching motion back and forth, alternating my arms. It worked my back muscles and biceps. Another exercise involved stepping up with one foot and then the other onto and back off of a low platform, doing a biceps curl with fairly light wright with each step. I was going to ask Toby for heavier weights, but I'm glad I didn't. My biceps were screaming by the end (he had me do each of the last 2 exercises for a minute, which is a lot of reps).
There were more exercises, but you get the idea. I was covered in sweat by the end and now I'm ready to go to bed at 8:17 pm.
I've lost 3 pounds in the past 2 weeks, and am feeling great about it. Cycling really makes a difference. Five more pounds and I'm no longer officially over-weight, although I'll still be 19 pounds over what the WII calls my ideal weight. It would be fun to be there. A mere 4 years ago I was only 6 pounds away from my ideal weight, so it seems possible. This weekend, I was in LA, and when I started getting dressed in the morning, realized I had accidentally brought a pair of pants from 4 years ago--size 8. I pulled them on, thinking they were the pants I meant to bring, and there was only about a 1 foot gap between the two sides of the pants. It was astounding to me that I ever wore them. I hope to wear them again--they're made of silk and are really nice pants! I'll post a picture in my blog if I'm ever able to fit in them.
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
So Happy Together
One of the many things I like about our new trikes is that Liz and I are having fun cycling together. For many years in our relationship, Liz and I trained and worked out together. When we were both much younger, we lifted weights and ran together. We even did one or two triathlons (I can't remember which). Then when we both started having injuries from running, we shifted to rollerblading, which really accelerated when we started doing the Northshore Inline Marathon together.
We also took a lot of classes together at the various health clubs we belonged to--spinning, step, and aerobic classes, along with lifting weight. I really enjoyed working out together.
When Liz stopped working full time at MSR, we stopped going to the health club together. We were living in Belchertown and the health club was in Northampton, and Liz had no reason to get up early to drive there. We still did a lot of rollerblading together on the bike path that was close to our house. But then when we moved to Northampton, the closest bike path wasn't that great--only about 3 miles long, so I started rollerblading during the week on the road in front of our house. There's a big downhill stretch either way you take that road, and Liz didn't feel comfortable on it. Then I started getting crazy about my training, really working on my speed, so the few times we'd try blading together weren't really that fun, because I'd want to go much faster.
So, given our history in recent years, I've been a bit suspicious about whether we were really going to be cycling together. This morning for example, when I woke Liz to see if she wanted to cycle with me, I was expecting her to say that she wanted to sleep in and go by herself later. She was in Brattleboro last night and didn't get to bed until late. But she hopped right up and went out with me. Also, our pace is the same, so we're cycling together. We're interested in doing the ride for The Food Bank in September but haven't decided on 50 or 100 miles yet.
My fear when I broke my arm and my leg was that I would never be able to train again. Who knew that it would result in Liz and me being able to start training together again--something we really enjoyed for many years and I hope can do for a long time in the future.
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We also took a lot of classes together at the various health clubs we belonged to--spinning, step, and aerobic classes, along with lifting weight. I really enjoyed working out together.
When Liz stopped working full time at MSR, we stopped going to the health club together. We were living in Belchertown and the health club was in Northampton, and Liz had no reason to get up early to drive there. We still did a lot of rollerblading together on the bike path that was close to our house. But then when we moved to Northampton, the closest bike path wasn't that great--only about 3 miles long, so I started rollerblading during the week on the road in front of our house. There's a big downhill stretch either way you take that road, and Liz didn't feel comfortable on it. Then I started getting crazy about my training, really working on my speed, so the few times we'd try blading together weren't really that fun, because I'd want to go much faster.
So, given our history in recent years, I've been a bit suspicious about whether we were really going to be cycling together. This morning for example, when I woke Liz to see if she wanted to cycle with me, I was expecting her to say that she wanted to sleep in and go by herself later. She was in Brattleboro last night and didn't get to bed until late. But she hopped right up and went out with me. Also, our pace is the same, so we're cycling together. We're interested in doing the ride for The Food Bank in September but haven't decided on 50 or 100 miles yet.
My fear when I broke my arm and my leg was that I would never be able to train again. Who knew that it would result in Liz and me being able to start training together again--something we really enjoyed for many years and I hope can do for a long time in the future.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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