Tales of the Ordinary Days

Not quite sure what the sign means. I will sure miss Ben this fall. A year ago I blew my ACL. On a mountain. In Vail. A year ago I flew home with a brace and crutches and minus the band needed to hold my knee in place. A year ago I took the boys to Chicago on our annual mom/sons trip. A disbanded ACL wasn't going to stop our fun. So I maneuvered airports and stairs at a slower pace, with a braced knee, but with just as much fun. The surgery came two weeks later. And the recovery; that took a solid six months. And now a year has passed. What a difference a year can make. 365 days. Sounds like a a lot of time, but it really flew. An anniversary of any type creates a rehash of what transpired within the year post-noted-event. In my case, a lot has happened. This reflection has also caused me to look into the future. It has created the realization that no matter how well scripted one thinks their life is, there will be surprises. Hopefully pleasant, but unexpected occurrenc...

We thought we would end our road trip with a quiet day in Chicago. We were wrong. 40,000 runners flocked the city to complete the 36th annual marathon. Note that this number doesn't count those who came as onlookers or volunteers. And we hadn't a clue when we booked our trip. The tip came at the airport. As we waited for luggage, Garrett started up a conversation with a luggage attendant. The question posed was whether we were in town to run the marathon. Hmmmm... Obviously that was a bigger deal than the Husker game. After contemplating how to best change our Sunday plans to accommodate this new found news, we chose to take the L into the city and park between the airport and Downtown. Thank-you to the luggage attendant. Our rerouted road trip worked out perfectly. We made the two hour trek from West Layfayette and then after a short subway ride, we found ourselves in the heart of Chicago. And all while in the midst the mobs participating or enjoying the marathon. The...

(me...holding a cowbell for the race) Yesterday was a milestone of sorts and I didn't even know it. Garrett and I were enjoying Day 2 of the Pro Cycling Challenge. Friday's stage was in Vail. Rather than biking up a mountain to a favored spectator spot, we choose to hang in Vail Village at the time trial start. The day was picture perfect and the atmosphere, fun. We took a casual bike ride to our destination and spent the day as cycling groupies. We perused the many vendor tents and found some cool new gear. Lunch consisted of gyros from a tent and Sunshine Wheat beer sold from a bike with a cooler full of brew. We pulled a spot on a wall with our refreshments and rider list in hand. A perfect spot for watching the 100+ riders take off. A good day. A Garrett and Sandy kind of day. As we took in all the fun facts of the pro cyclists flying by us, a realization set in. Me: "Garrett, I don't think I've been in the mountains since I blew my ACL." ...

Finishing a run on Zorinsky Trail I got to run yesterday!! For me this was big. The last time I ran outside was February 21st; two days before my ACL injury. We had a snow storm that day. As I traversed over the fresh powder (picture below), I hadn't a clue that I wouldn't be back on this trail for nearly four months. My run was only two miles and broken with a half mile walk in the middle. It will be a slow road back to my old usual. But such is life. One day at a time. One step at a time. I just feel blessed to be back on the trail again and with two functioning knees. I am growing accustomed to my new hardware that now secures a hamstring tendon replacing my ACL. Genius invention. I will take better care of my new knee this go around. My last run in February. Things look a bit different 4 months later.

Mission accomplished. It was a good day. 62 miles logged in and some milestones met. I like milestones and I love meeting them even more. Milestone 1: I logged in my longest bike ride; ever. My previous high was sixty. Those serious riders are shaking their heads. But to a newly minted rider (not quite three years into owning a road bike), this was a milestone. And it wasn't an easy feat. The first thirty miles were into head-on high winds. Thanks to Garrett for pulling me (bikers lingo for blocking the wind...thanks). Once we made the turn after 30 with the wind behind us, I knew it was all "downhill" from there. Milestone 2: I completed my first official Colorado sanctioned cycling event. For the last three years I have been envying every rider promoting their favorite Colorado ride on their jersey. I have been longing to join the fun. Now I that I have done it, I can chime in "Yea, I did the Elephant Ride last year." Milestone 3: This was my first sa...

My bike and my knee handled my fall quite well This blog is going to read like a school paper. One about "How I spent my Sunday". I kind of felt like a school girl today, so it is fitting. I will preface my school work by disclosing that I did bite it on my ride. Thanks to Dr. Brown for banning me from my clipped biking shoes. My agility with running shoes saved me from further injury no doubt. My adventure started at noon today. After noting no rain in the forecast until late afternoon, I decided on a long bike ride. Pulling up the metro trail map, I felt adventurous; wanting to try something new. Downtown was luring me. Looking East, I saw what appeared to be a trail running down past the zoo. With lots of downtown riverfront trails, I knew I wouldn't be at a loss for where to ride. Destination Downtown. With bike packed and gear stowed, I trekked by car across town. Parking at Heartland of America Park, I was immediately reminded of the many Rotary bike ri...

This picture isn't of me, by the way (weigh? oops...Freudian slip). But it is a picture of the type of anti-gravity treadmill I ran on today. Yes, I ran! And it was delightful. My last run was on February 21 on the Zorinsky trail following a snow storm. The trail wasn't plowed and I chose to rough it and plow through on my own. It was a beautiful afternoon. The only tracks that laid ahead of me were footprints of brave dogs and a few humans. I felt like such an adventurer that I took a picture to memorialize the run. Two hours later I boarded a plane to Denver and the day after that I blew my ACL. You know the rest of the story. I arrived at PT today greeted with the question "Do you want to get on the treadmill?" Sure! It was no ordinary treadmill. This one defied gravity. After putting on the special shorts that felt like a wet suit which zipped on to the large contraption, I was calibrated and ready to go. She set my weight to 75 pounds. So with the assi...

Freedom after a long wait! I was released from my training wheels today. It was such a great feeling to advance out of my garage. If my bike had a motor, I am sure the feel would be identical to Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. I was back on the trails with the wind in my face and not a care in the world. At least not for that hour and half on the trail. After two months and one day post-surgery (eighty-one days post-injury), this was my first "real" work out. Patience is not a strength for me. I was longing for this day to come. But, rest assured, I was a good patient and followed my PT and physician instructions to a tee. Which did not include anything that resulted in breaking a sweat in the last 2+ months. <sigh>. I like to work out. I like to eat. I like to drink. Taking work outs from this equation is a bad mathematical equation  for me. I was chomping at the bit to see the calorie burn on my wrist monitor to exceed the equivalent of a small meal. This was achie...

My ride as of late One day short of one month post-surgery, I added a little resistance. And it felt good. It really is the small things in life, isn't it? After thirty days of exercise equating to calisthenics for geriatrics, I was due to sweat; even if it was a small bit. Today was that day. I was officially cleared to add some resistance to my stationary bike. Instead of a twenty-five mile ride through the rolling hills of West Omaha, I pedaled five; never leaving my garage. A friend lent me a stationary stand for my bike and Stefano kindly set it up for me. I face looking out of my third car garage. Garrett questioned why I didn't have this stationary set up in my house. I wanted none of that. Biking facing the great outdoors with the crispness of the air is the closest thing to a real bike ride for me right now. And I like it. Ben added flavor by shooting hoops and entertaining me with his ever-lively conversation. He even brought me a bottle...