Houses and Big Red Lodge

My parents flew in from Nebraska last night and it was so good to see them that I stayed up way too late talking. We were trying to narrow down houses to ask our realtor to line up for us to see while they are here. I've seen several perfect houses for them, unfortunately, most of them are not for sale.

The optimal house would be one of the following:  a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch with a 3 car garage in a subdivision in which the houses are far apart OR a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch that is not in a subdivision but has a large separate building for a workshop (at least 1 car garage size, 2 would be better) or room enough for Dad to build one. Dad would prefer the house out of the subdivision so it would be more farm-like, but he is willing to be flexible about that. For Mom, the house needs an updated interior, good room layout/design, first floor laundry (not in basement), a location that includes neighbors, and 1600 sq ft main floor with a basement or 2000 sq ft with no basement. All of this for under $200K.

I know it sounds impossible to find, but there are a few good candidates that are in or near Pickerington.

Today Ken and I went for a tour of Ohio Health's Big Red Lodge and learned about the Healthy Escapes Weekend getaways they offer. It sounds great. I can't believe they have those little cabins in the woods in the middle of the city. Also, the weekend package includes a 2 or 4 hour training session with a certified trainer who works with you on your fitness goals and creates a workout plan for the weekend and beyond. They even follow-up with you after you leave to see how it's going. I think the price is $199 for one night (with the 2 hour training session). There is a different price for the 4 hour session or for 2 nights. For more money, they have an option to do a digital analysis of your run mechanics or golf swing with sensors and a video camera. For me, it would be good to try to figure out why my IT bands are always so tight when I run regularly . . . and why my lower back has been killing me after a mile and a half on the road.  Are my running mechanics to blame?

It was a busy day with my parents and then the lodge tour, so I didn't get out to run until almost 6pm. I didn't have much time before dinner, but I figured I should do a light run anyway after my 10K. I was sore (and still am) from that crazy run on Monday.  So Ken helped me stretch a little and then I went out. I did just 2 miles and was sluggish, sore, and not "feelin' it" at all, despite perfect weather. The miles were 11:03 and 10:45 and then I walked a half mile at a 17 minute mile pace. I thought it might loosen me up, but my back tightened up at the customary 1.5 miles and hurt quite a bit through the last half. The faster I run, the more it hurts and the less I can control the pain and run through it.

Today we got a start on tiling the backsplash for our basement kitchennette and Dad build a box needed to cover one of the poles in the basement. Tomorrow we'll try to make more progress on those projects. I really like being able to do these things. It's so fun to see it take shape.