Breast Cancer Vaccine?

Hope your Memorial Day was good.  It was a beautiful day here.

I am sore today.  The yoga kicked my butt, evidently.  I was so sore after sitting through the Shrek 4 movie (the movie was surprisingly good, by the way), that I winced walking down the aisle and even more so going down the stairs.

Since I was hurting, I intended to go out for a 1 mile walk, followed by lots of stretching, followed by a longer walk.  I didn't do that though.  My hamstrings loosened up while walking so I went ahead and walked 3.26 miles.  The last mile or so my IT-bands (iliotibial band) and hip flexors were really, really tight. 

I then spent about an hour stretching; first on the steps in front of my house and then in front of the TV.  After the stretching and a hot shower, I'm not as sore.

I backed off on the really fast walking today.  No, not because Jim said I was approaching my running pace. I gave him an eSock in the shoulder for that jab!  I know he was teasing, but he's not too far off the mark.  I slowed down out of necessity because I was sore.  My miles were 17:47, 17:19, and 17:22.  My 5K was 54:04 (much slower than my 49 minutes yesterday). 

Day 3 of South Beach Diet
Breakfast: Lean turkey lunchmeat, a piece of cheese, and a 5.5oz V8
Lunch: Chicken breast strips on spring mix greens, spinach, cucumbers with roasted red pepper hummus as dressing
Snack: Handful of raw almonds
Dinner: My Memorial Day cookout meal was a blue cheese burger (no bun), raw califlower, a mini cucumber, and black beans (I LOVE plain black beans). 
Drink: water all day (and water is all I had at the movie, too)

Now for some really interesting news.  It seems some researchers are making significant progress toward a breast cancer vaccine.  Now that's news.  I certainly hope it turns out like they think it might.  I learned about this on a new blog I've started following, Julie Olsen's Journey.

I also found a new podcast that I really like, Geek Girl Runner.  At the bottom of my blog page (scroll down to the bottom of the second column), you'll find links to her most recent episodes as well as those of Steverunner.

Yoga, kinda

Today I tried yoga.  Yea, I know, I can't move my arms like that.  So I guess I did modified yoga.  Ken and the kids got me some yoga DVDs for Mother's Day and I just got a chance to try one out.  I couldn't do 90% of it correctly, but I did what I could given my extremely limited flexibility (all over) and my doctor's orders.  I couldn't do anything that required my arms to support my weight since I weigh more than a gallon of milk.  I was able to get a great leg workout and a passable core workout though and was on the mat for about an hour.  I know it was a good workout because I was sweating even though I was in the basement, the coolest part of the house.

Day 2 of South Beach Diet
Breakfast: 1 over medium egg and 1 avocado
Lunch: rollup with ham, cheese, and lettuce, and a handful of nuts
Snack: a couple pieces of turkey lunchmeat
Dinner: lean steak with blue cheese and a lettuce/spinach/cucumber salad with hummus as dressing
Drinks: water and Perrier throughout the day

It seems I've fallen into a habit on these surgery recovery days.  After dinner, I find myself rushing out for my walk to beat nightfall (which I never do).  The same thing happened today.  It was fully dark before I got home.

Tonight I walked 3.45 miles, including the cool down. I didn't have any podcasts downloaded, so I listened to a "relaxed run" playlist. I know I run faster to music than to podcasts, I guess I walk faster to music, too.  My full miles were 16:36, 15:47, and 15:17.  The 5K was about 49:00.  The last third of a mile I stretched some, tried to shake out my legs, and did some high steps to loosen my hips.

Wow, isn't this incredibly different than the recovery involved in my previous surgery?  It was almost a month before I could walk/run 3 miles after the mastectomy.  Now it's 5 days after the implant surgery and I didn't find 3.45 to be difficult at all.  Of course, I can't run yet.  When I had the expanders in, I was cleared to run after 3 weeks.  It's a 6 week running moratorium for the implants.  I put the countdown gadget at the top of my blog last night, hopefully it will work.  I believe the magical date is July 6.

It's ironic that for the previous surgery I was allowed to run after 3 weeks, but I wasn't in any shape to run even a full mile.  And now that I'm itching to go and I know I could run, I'm not allowed.  Oh well.  I know it's for my own good.  The doc and I have the same goal and I'll continue to follow his rules.

South Beach

I slept a lot today.  I slept in this morning and then took a nap again shortly after brunch.  My allergies have been acting up so I broke down and took a Benadryl and then got sleepy.  It never did clear my sinuses/ears though.  The Clariton D didn't solve the problem either.

Luckily, I got some energy later though and did some work around the house.  I also read parts of the South Beach Diet book and decided I might give that a try.  Ken is jumping onboard too.  So I made a veggie-and-lean-meat heavy shopping list and we went to the grocery store.  I had started the day thinking I might try the diet, so I followed the rules all day.  Ken starts tomorrow since I gave him no warning before breakfast.

Day 1 of South Beach Diet:
Breakfast:  1 fried over-medium egg
Lunch: lettuce salad with lean burger and no dressing (leftovers)
Snack: a handful of walnuts and almonds (provided by neighbor Carrie in a post-surgery care package)
Dinner:  salad with lettuce, cucumber, mushroom, tuna (no mayo), and a tablespoon of Hummus for dressing
Water to drink throughout the day

After dinner, I started to make some individual muffin quiches (recipe in the South Beach Diet book) and then realized it was getting dark.  So I left the stirring and baking to Ken and hurried out the door for a walk. 

I walked 2.27 miles (full miles were 17:01 and 16:46).  It was completely dark by the time I got home.  It felt good to get out there though.  Given the hot and humid weather, I got as sweaty as if I was out for a run.  I also noticed that I'm getting a little tight.  Not sore yet, but it's coming.  Tight muscles were everywhere: calves, shins, one of my hamstrings, hips, and lower back.  You'd think I started putting in additional running miles or something. But no, I'm tight from walking.

I should start a countdown until I can run again.  The thing is, I'm not sure when I will start.  The doc says 6 weeks.  I'm wondering if I should be safer and give it 8 weeks.  Maybe I'll assume 6 weeks and then we'll see how it goes.  I'll ask the plastic surgeon again at my post-surgery appointment on Thursday.

 My hand didn't swell while I walked today, but my left index finger is still chronically a little swollen.  My appointment with the breast cancer physical therapy place is Wednesday.

Shape is not great

I took a shower today.  Was nice and didnt hurt, thank goodness.  As for peaking at the surgery results, I'm not thrilled.  I wish the doc had put in high profile implants because I look like I'm always smooshed in a sports bra.  The shape isn't natural.  And I should have listened to the doc and gone another size up.  I swear I look half the size I was with the expanders.  I'm smaller than before I got cancer.  However, I don't think the size would be much of an issue for me if the shape were less pancake-like and more pointy.  Bras won't fit right, that's for sure.  Some of the shirts I had to layoff for the past 6 months are now options to wear again, though.

Today I drove for the first time since surgery.  It made my arms tired.  Weird.  It didn't hurt at all, but it was actually tiring (no car pun intended) to manage the steering wheel.

I did some errands, some work, talked with my boss, finished a book, took a nap, and attempted to watch a "family night" movie.  We tried to watch Old Dogs, but it was so bad, we unanimously decided to turn it off.  The kids then watched Disney channel while Ken and I went out for a walk.

During yesterday's walk, I pulled Val along trying to get her to keep up.  Today, Ken played that role for me.  I had a tough time keeping up with him.  We walked 2.43 miles and the full miles were 17:30 and 17:38. 

I'm looking forward to this long weekend with no sports events or places we have to be.  We have to do yard work (but not me) and get new tires for the van (again, not me).  I'm not sure what else is on the agenda.  I guess we'll wait and see.  I'd like to get to the Library if it's open and to walk everyday if I can keep the motivation going.

A walk with Val

Not much to report today.  I made an appointment for Wed to have my hand swelling checked out by a physical therapist.  Unfortunately, the appointment is at the James Care place where I had to go for my cancer appointments.  It will be depressing to go back there.  I've also just noticed numbness in my upper left tricep area.  I'm pretty nervous about it so I'm looking forward to seeing the PT. Of course, I'm also dreading seeing him/her because I don't want to hear bad things - and I don't want to wear compression sleeves and gloves. 

I also ran some errands, read my book, watched a movie, and kept up with work emails.  I got up before 8:00am and didn't take a nap today, so I'll be ready for bed soon, I'll guess.

Today is Michelle W's birthday.  Happy birthday, Michelle!

Tonight, Val and I went to Jason's game for awhile but it had multiple lightening delays (no rain) so we gave up and came home.  Val was nice enough to walk with me a little when we got home, so I was able to walk 1.55 miles after the heat of the day was done. 

Val said I was going really fast which surprised me (19:36 was the mile pace).  I thought she'd have no issues walking with me.  If she thought I was fast, she'd really have a tough time with Eunice's pace!  We decided she'd leave me in the dust . . . errrr . . . . in the bubbles in the pool, but the road is my domain. 

It was nice walking with Val tonight.  We talked about school and what she should do about some girls who are not getting along.  I didn't tell her what to do but asked questions and reinforced her decisions thus far.  She is a peacemaker who does not want to take sides. It was also nice that she walked with me just to keep me company, she wasn't really interested in the walk.  I'm proud of her.

Tomorrow I get to take a real shower.  Goodbye sponge!

Busy days

I was interested to see how sleeping would be affected by this surgery.  After the mastectomy, sleeping was not fun at all.  Getting in and out of the bed was very difficult, as was finding a comfortable position that allowed me to sleep on my back. 

I'm happy to report that last night - night number 1 - was much better than even a month into the recovery from the mastectomy.  I still had to figure out how to sleep but it wasn't painful.  I was just nervous about being on either side, especially my left.  Since it didn't hurt, I found myself on my side several times and finally I quit fighting it and just slept however I wanted.  Getting out of bed wasn't bad, either.  It's not as easy as 3 days ago, but not impossible.  I do have a twinge of pain when switching from prone to upright, but not near as much pain as I remember in November and December.

Last night I took both a Clariton D and a Vicodin.  I didn't notice the Vicodin knocking me out though. It must not be as strong as Percocet. 

Today I haven't had any pain meds, not even the over-the-counter options.  I'm a little sore, but not too bad.  We went shopping with Ken's parents (looking for couches) for a few hours late morning/early afternoon.  I also did some work email catch-up and walked 2.33 miles (20:20 and 19:56).  Then I took a nap for a few hours.

Before dinner, Ken washed my hair in the basement kitchen sink.  I really love our basement kitchen sink. It's from Ikea and doesn't look like much, but it has a great solid feeling when I stand in front of it. It's like a farmer's sink with the ceramic sticking out about an inch past the cabinets. The faucet is wonderful too.  I don't think it is from Ikea.  It has a pull-out sprayer that worked wonderfully to wash my hair. 

I can't take a real shower until Friday.  I suppose that's when I'll actually see the results of the surgery.  I've been good to not take the bra off yet to take a peek.  Actually, I'm kinda nervous to see them.  I'm not sure I'll like them or that I made the right decisions about size and such.  Oh well, it's done now and time to move on.

This evening, Jan made dinner (meatloaf, broccoli, watermelon, and yams) and then we went to Val's band concert.  Before we left, she prepared us to do the arm motions for O-H-I-O during the Hang On Sloopy number.  Then she realized that might be tough for me so she showed me how to do it with my fingers instead.  She said "that will still count."  I was able to do more than finger motions but my arm motions were in front of me instead of over my head.  Jason noticed and hugged me and said "good job."  What great kids!

Val's band group did a wonderful job tonight.  We came home to celebrate with Graeter's ice cream.  Our neighbors stopped by with goodies and a card for me so we invited them to join us. 

As you can tell, my recovery days have been pretty busy so far.  Jan and Jim leave tomorrow but Ken will stay home and work from here for at least another day.  If all goes well tomorrow, Ken will go to work on Friday so I expect to have some alone time while the kids are at school.

Evidence of healing (or craziness)

Evidence submitted:

• No second nap today, so I just had the 2 hours or so while the kids were at school
• Ate a full can of Campbell's chicken and rice soup over the course of late morning and afternoon
• Drank A LOT of watered down G2 and plain water, even a little milk
• Ate a full dinner (made by Jan - thank you!!!) with my family - grilled cheeseburgers (mine minus a bun), a couple of tablespoons of mac and cheese, and a small side salad
• Also ate several (I lost count) No Bake cookies made by Jan and Val
• Answered several work and support emails
• Called my mother and grandmother
• Met each of my kids outside as they arrived home from the school bus
• Wrote 2 blog entries
• Took my 11am pain medicine but didn't take the second dose at 5pm (the directions say 1 to 2 pills as needed and while I'm bit sore, I might try to do it without meds awhile - or at least without meds during waking hours
• And to top it all off, I walked 1.5 miles (24:22 and the last half was under an 11 minute pace)

To show I'm not totally nuts, I also submit that I'll go to bed early tonight. And Jan and Ken insist that I must take Vicodin tonight.  I'll take a single one and see how it goes. 

The kids and Ken are pretty happy I've been getting along well.  Jason said he was proud of me for "Kicking it" and I'm proud of him for noticing and telling me.  Val made a "Hope" bracelet and wore it to school along with last years' Race for the Cure shirt (all this from a girl who otherwise REFUSES to wear pink).  She has also been helpful and thoughtful tonight.

My followup Plastic Surgeon appointment is June 3 at 9am.  I also plan to call my cancer doc to get an appointment to discuss my issues with swelling. It's probably Lymphedema but I don't have any of the risk factors, so it's a mystery.  I may have to wear a compression glove.

On the mend

I just got up after napping 2 hours or so.  I'm more sore than I expected.  And dehydrated.  But overall doing very well.  Drinking some watered down grape G2 that is wonderfully cold.  I don't have Percocet this time, I have Vicodin, instead.  I've only had one so far, but could take one or two at a time as needed.  I'll be on Keflex (antibiotic) for two weeks, too. 

Despite just getting up, I noticed a few new things right away:

• There are no more hard bump-outs in my armpits.  These implants must not be as round, or at least as outside-mounted. Less like side mirrors and more like headlights, I think.
• They do seem much smaller than the expanders, though I really have no idea of the size because I'm wrapped tight in the compression bra thing that I had for last surgery too. 
• I don't know if it's an illusion because of the size difference, but they seem much lighter than the expanders too.  Beth reported the same thing, so I'm hanging my hat (or shirt) on that assumption. 
• I'm more sore than expected.  Also, I seem to have some feeling in the top clevage area that is outside and just inside the bra.  That's really great.  It's certainly worth the soreness to know I may have some sensation.
• I actually have arm mobility - and on both sides.  Of course I won't be doing the backstroke (or any swimming) anytime soon, but I also don't have my elbows plastered to my sides like post-mastectomy surgery.  I suppose that means I'll have to be more careful with what I do because I don't feel as restricted.  I'd hate to have to go back in for fixes to the cavity because I was too overzellous to get back to normal.

I'm certainly thankful for the post-surgical bra the James has selected.  Honestly, it's pretty neat; zipper up the front and wide straps that velcro from the t-back to the front to ensure it's fully adjustable. Probably not something to wear post-recovery, but hey, not out of the question. We'll see if I'm still loving it 9 days from now.  I don't seem to have anything besides seep pads under it so I'm not wrapped in a tight ace bandage like for the mastectomy. 

I ate chicken rice soup when I got home and it was just what I needed.  I don't know if I've ever had chicken rice soup, but it seemed less heavy than chicken noodle and I really wanted the broth for sure.  I think I'll have a bit more now, too.

Valerie is due home from school in a few minutes.  She'll be so excited that I'm up and around.  Before she went to bed last night, she was resigned to the idea that I'd be sleeping when she got home.  Surprise!  I'll probably go back to sleep at about 4pm shortly after Jason gets home. 

We're Home!

Hi Everyone,

Kelly’s surgery went very well this morning! Her doctor came out about 1 hour after the procedure started to let us know that it went smoothly and she spent the next 1 ½ hours in the recovery room. We’re home now and she’s eating some soup before heading to bed.

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!
Ken

Ode to Expanders

What a whirlwind week!  With all the soccer, baseball, and softball games, the Race for the Cure, and getting my work life in order to be gone for 2 weeks . . . whew!  It's time for a break.  Oh.  Wait.  No time for that.  My surgery is TOMORROW.

I found a new-to-me blogger who posted about getting expanders replaced and she sounded pretty happy about the way surgery went and the result.  Beth was also positive.  And I'm thinking good thoughts. Actually, I'm probably minimizing this surgery because I've really not given it much thought at all.  I'm officially off work for two weeks, but I expect to be working from home the second week.  Hey, I'm usually an optimist, why stop now?

Ode to Expanders

Oh makers of the cavity
You made me squirm and whine
Defiers of all gravity
You've finally served your time

Great service you have given me
To ensure my work and run
Time to bid farewell with glee
Your work with me is done

Replacement is a longer term
Gel that keeps its form
Softer, smaller, not as firm
A replica of past conform

Tho new will be my body art
I promise you enjoy
A special place in my heart
For above I'm not a boy

Ok, so I'm no poet.  And I really got stuck on the last stanza.  But hey, it's late and everyone is scowling at me because I'm not in bed.

Thank you all for your prayers, vibes, and good wishes.  Ken will update the blog tomorrow to let you know how I'm doing.

Surgery on Tuesday

I'm having some challenging times at work - just the typical too much to do, too much for my staff to do, some relationship/trust issues among staff, etc.  But it was getting to me today. 

Luckily I found time to run while Val was at swimming and Jason at baseball.  I ran 2 miles (10:40 and 10:45) and then walked another mile and a quarter.  Afterward, I had a delightful meal with Val at China Dynasty.  She's at a really neat age and I was able to learn much about her recent Outdoor Ed overnight experience with her class.  It sounds like a great program despite the fact that they were outside in the rain for two days.  She had a great time anyway.

After dinner, I came home and mowed the lawn for an hour.  Being outside in the beautiful weather and exercising helped me put things back in perspective and hopefully I'll be able to get it all in some sense of order tomorrow and Monday. 

Tuesday is my second surgery, the reconstruction.  The cancer was gone after the first surgery, so this surgery is at the plastic surgeon's office (not the hospital) and is outpatient.  Incredible.  They will take out the expanders and put in a new type of silicone implant that does not seep even if punctured. The doctor says it keeps it's shape even if cut in half.  So I guess I can focus on more important things than seeping silicone if my chest is inadvertantly cut in half. That's comforting. No doubt there will be more pressing matters in that event.

Seriously, Beth says this surgery isn't nearly as tough as the bilateral mastectomy.  The doctor estimates two weeks out of work, but my research leads me to believe I may be off meds within days, not weeks.  If that is the case, I might be able to work from home the second week. 

Race Day!

What a perfect day for the Race for the Cure!

My 5K race report:  ran a little faster than expected at 34:04 and miles at 10:49; 10:32, and 10:49.  Carried my own water bottle and got a bit warm in compression shorts, shorts, and my survivor tshirt. 

Valerie and Michelle's report:  ran the first mile without walking.  Then they walked much of the second mile.  I doubled back and caught up with them with about 1/4 mile to go, so I ran to the finish line with them.  They finished in 44:46.  Michelle said Val would have run more of the race if she had mile markers along the way.  Once they saw the finish line, they ran probably a 9 minute mile pace the last 1/4 mile, I stuggled to stay on their heals.

Walker race report:  Then I doubled back again and took a short cut to catch up with the walker group when they were almost half done with the 5K.  Ken, his parents, Jennifer, Kayla, Molly, and a couple of their friends walked the race, but I have no idea of their time.  While we were walking with them, I looked at my Garmin and it clocked the walk pace very slow, over 20 minute miles.  Jan said it might have been easier to walk it faster, but it was jam packed in the walker wake. 

Jason's race report:  Jason walked the first half of the 5K with the walkers.  After I joined the group, he and I walked together for awhile holding hands and it was great.  Just after the half way point, I convinced Jason to run/walk with me the rest of the way, so we left the walker group and ran on the grass/sidewalk until the sea of humanity opened up a bit when we turned on High street.  Then we weaved in and out of people while we ran.  I didn't track our pace or progress, but I'd guess we ran as much time as we walked.  And I had to constantly tell Jason to slow down so I didn't lose him because I couldn't run nearly as quickly.  He was probably running a 9 min mile pace weaving in and out of people.  That was quite a challenge for me!

I know Nate ran it solo but I don't know when he crossed the finish line.  He started quite a bit behind me and finished quite a bit earlier.  He's 14 and quite a soccer player.  Jen said he ran 7 miles at one soccer practice for conditioning.  Impressive!

Again, a HUGE thank you to everyone who walked/ran and supported us with donations.  Our total raised by Kelly Kicked it is now up to $1,795. 

If you walked or ran today (or any day), use the comments button below to add your own race report.  I'd love to see them all!!!  You can login with a Google account or just put in your comment anonymously. 

Race for the Cure Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big Race for the Cure day! 

The Kelly Kicked It! team officially has 8 people who made the "cut off" date, but we've added another 6 since then. 

Holly, Valerie, Michelle, and I will be running.  Ken, Jason, Tom, Jan, and Jim will be walking.  I think Anne is walking, though I'm not sure.  I'm not sure what Jeff, Jen, Nate, and Sam will be doing, either (probably running/walking).  My friend Jim will be running the race in absentia while visiting his parents in PA.  He's a marathon runner so he plans to run it twice (10K).  And last weekend my brother, Bryan, and his children, Blake and Carlie ran the race in Salt Lake City.  I got great pictures from them at the race (via blackberry, I think). 

I tried to talk "race strategy" with Val tonight.  I suggested she and her Aunt Michelle run 8 minutes (as Val does frequently in gym) and then walk 2 and then run 8 more, etc.  I told her the running magazines talk about planning walk breaks as a good way to break up a race and ensure you have energy left for the end.  But she was not into that scientific method.  She said her strategy is to run until they get too tired to run anymore and then they will walk awhile.  Sounds like a great plan to me. My plan is to do the turtle method; the slow-and-go; a steady 11 to 11:30 minute mile pace throughout. 

Val, Michelle, and I will line up at the 10 minute mile sign (if they have signs).  This year they are starting runners who paid the extra $5 for timing chips 15 minutes before everyone else, so they may not even bother with pace signs.  Last year I had a timing chip.  This year I didn't get one because I thought I'd be running with the team.  Besides, I'd rather not be the last person in the timed group who is getting run over by the fast no-chip people who started 15 minutes later.  That would be less than motivating.

However we traverse the miles, we will be joined by over 30,000 others who are coming together to raise money to raise money for breast cancer research and support services.  Thank you to all who are running or walking, and to all who supported us with donations or moral support. Our team raised $1,745 for the cause. 

Pre-Op appt and a Pick-me-up

I had my pre-op appointment today.  My second surgery is scheduled for May 25, 2010 and it will be an outpatient surgery during which my expanders get removed (yea) and the actual implants are put in place. 

The appointment was challenging on many levels.  First, I've been able to ignore the whole "I had breast cancer" thing for the past several months.  Now I'm back in it.  Then, we had to deal with the whole size thing again and I made a decision, against the advice of the doc, to go smaller than he suggested.  He said he wouldn't even order the size he wanted to order because he knows he'd put it in.  People never get mad at him for going too large, just too small.  Oh well.  I won't be mad at him.  I'm the decision-maker here.  I probably just blew it, but hey, I only have what information I have.  And I have no idea what these new ones will be like.  It's so hard to compare.

Then I learned that I'm a hard "stick" now.  My left arm is no longer an option for things like taking blood pressure or blood samples because of the lymph node extraction on that side.  I guess doing so makes me more apt to get lymphedema.  Three different nurses tried to get blood from my right arm.  The last guy even checked my foot.  In the end, he had to use my wrist and he hopes they got enough.

And speaking of lymphedema, I told the nurses that my left hand is swelling during/after running.  And that my left index finger didn't completely return to normal after my last run (it is still swollen slightly).  They were concerned and said I need to get back with my surgical oncologist about that.  I may have to wear a compression glove when I run . . . and maybe a sleeve too.

I took all of this well in the office, but not so well when I left the office. Throughout all of this I've felt my "hotness" quotient plummet.  I know.  I'm a 43 year old woman and we don't really have a hotness quotient.  Our husbands just get more hot while we women slide into invisibility.  I guess I wasn't quite ready for that.  Now with no breasts and the threat of a huge arm, I'm realizing what a major change I've had over the past 6 months.  And on top of that I look HUGE in the Mother's Day pics.  Who invented cameras?

So I could have written this off as a terrible day.  Actually, I had.  Then I got an email from one of my colleagues.  He also commented on an older blog post.  In his email, he told me that he's glad I'm "here" at work and why.  He also told me how great I was doing with the cancer fight as well as with life choices related to family and such.  I can't do his note justice here, but suffice it to say that he touched me deeply and a not-so-great day turned into a pretty darn great day.  To top it off, Dan sent me the link to a teaching his church had recently that related to one of my blog posts.  I will download it and learn and reflect.  Thank you, Dan!

MPA for Lee Ann!

I'm in Nebraska for a short trip to celebrate Lee Ann's graduation.  She gets her MPA (Master's of Public Administration).  As a single mom who works full time, it took her 5 years to get the degree and she earned it 100 times over.  How did she have the tenacity to stick with it? 

I'm sitting with Lee Ann's kids (Rachel and Jackson) during the ceremony today while she walks with her class and gets her diploma.  Tomorrow we are hosting a big party here (family friendly) at her house so we'll be getting supplies and making food all day.  The kids are really excited about it.

Between dropping the car off at the mechanic shop and heading out to Omaha for the ceremony, I slipped in a run this morning.  I did a 5K and pushed pretty hard.  There are many more hills here than I am used to, that's for sure.  My miles were 10:49, 11:04, 10:38 and the 5K was 33:36, I think.

The Race for the Cure is next weekend, May 15.  I think we've got 12 people doing the 5K with us, most walking and a few running.  I'm looking forward to it.  Then May 25 is the big day: The day I get rid of the expanders.  Yea! 

Making it up

So I haven't run since Tuesday.  It's Monday now.  That's a long time.  That's unheard of for runners who aren't injured, right?  Not running for a week certainly does nothing for a person's endurance, that's for sure.  Running isn't something that can effectively be done occasionally.  I've read that 3 days without running causes the person to lose what endurance they gained on the last run.  Bummer.

So to make up for it all, I did 7+ miles today.  I know, that's crazy.  It's not like I can really make it up.  And I'll no doubt injure myself doing the weekend warrior thing.  But, in my defense, I had a rare night off.  Ken took the kids to a Magic Mountain event, a fund raiser for the school.  So I took an hour and a half and walked and ran. 

I mixed it up and didn't run much more than a mile at a time without walking a little. And I didn't stick to any formula.  I just walked when I felt I needed to do so.  And I started the run with a 5 minute walk.  I've been feeling overwhelmed at work and have noticed that I'm not breathing deeply and am not taking very good care of myself.  So I took the initial 5 minutes to breathe and expand my lungs and enjoy the great weather.

My miles were 13:17, 12:33, 15:03, 11:25, 11:23, 12:28, 12:13, plus another .38 miles in 7:30.  The Garmin clocked me as out there for 1:35.55 which is close.  I was off the clock for two stops at the library to get water and when I walked up the driveway of a house for sale and peaked at the back yard. 

Since I'm really in no shape to run 7 miles, my legs were pretty wobbly the last couple of miles and I could tell they were tired.  However, the walk breaks helped my "wind" so my heart rate wasn't a problem and my breathing, although labored, wasn't as taxed as it often is when I run.  I stopped a couple of times to stretch my calves which tightened up off and on.  No doubt they'll be sore tomorrow.

Although my run wasn't that great in terms of speed or consistency, it was good to be out there.  And it was really great to have the time when I didn't feel I needed to be somewhere else, doing something else.  Tonight, I just needed to run.

Baseball game birthday

We had Valerie's birthday party last night.  Well, since I'm writing this at 8:30 in the morning, we are actually still having Valerie's birthday party.  The girls are still asleep in the basement.

This year we invited less kids to her party since we took them to the Clippers baseball game.  I think less kids is the key to less madness and more fun.  All the girls got along very well and it really was enjoyable for all, including me.  Val caught me more than once to glow about what a great time she was having.

I'd highly recommend a Clipper's game birthday outing.  We didn't actually do the formal Clippers party event, we just got there at 5:30 for the free band and food specials and after we found our seats, I sent the 4 girls off with money to buy whatever they wanted for dinner.  They also went off together during the 5th or 6th inning when they were getting restless.  It was the perfect combination of 12-year-old freedom and supervision. 

Ken brought Jason and a friend to join us after Jason's soccer practice.  They made it just in time for the first pitch.  It was neat to watch the boys together at the game.  They are both on the same baseball team and were really interested in the game.  We decided we will do a Clipper's game for Jason's birthday next year.  The trick is to plan it at the last minute to ensure the weather will cooperate.  Maybe it's an option to have a rain date for the party so the party occurs only if the weather allows.  Mmmmmm, not a bad idea.  We planned to take Jason's friends to the Crew game (soccer) at his party two weeks ago, but it rained so they went to an Imax movie of How to Train Your Dragon in 3D, instead. 

I picked up a Graeter's ice cream pie that was Val's slightly-less-than-traditional birthday cake. I don't know when we started that, but she has decided that Black Raspberry pie with a cookie crust and heavy hot fudge on top is the perfect birthday cake.  Since it's so untraditional, I also had some vanilla ice cream on hand just in case some of the girls weren't big black raspberry fans.  That turned out to be a good idea as two of them opted for vanilla.  I also picked up little plastic makeup bags and filled them with hair bands, emery boards, ring pops, and candy for the party favors.  Before I went to bed at some crazy hour in the morning, I made nachos for the girls and they ate them while winding down with a movie.  I have no idea what time they went to sleep.

I hear rustling.  The girls are up now.  I think we're having waffles this morning.  Or cereal.  Or toast.  Or whatever they want.  Hey, they're 12.  They can get their own breakfast, right?  I love this "getting some independence" thing.