Vacation Begins

Last night we stayed up late watching the track and field Olympic trials. We ate an obscene amount of homemade banana bread (a vegan recipe of my sister's). For the first time in my life Olympic runners looked like normal people. I used to think they looked so gaunt and muscular.

We ran a nice 17 miles today.

Oh, and SR got a job. The Bois and I actually went to the interview with him. It'll be a great patient population. And now that stress is gone :).



We leave tomorrow for our trip to California and Nevada. I'm ready to just spend time being in love with my boys. And I'm so excited about the running and hiking. Here's our itinerary:

Sunday 6-29: flying in and staying in San Fran
Monday 6-30: run in state park in San Fran, buy camping supplies and head out to Lake Tahoe.
Monday night - Thurs 7-3: stay in cabin near lake Tahoe a mile hike from the road, without running water (just a bed for lots of love and a place to store our running shoes).
Thursday 7-3: Drive to Reno to stay with a wonderful couple
Friday 7-4: Driving to San Fran, stay in a Bed and Breakfast
Saturday 7-5: Racing 50K (SLG) and 25k (SR) on Angel Island.
Sunday 7-6: Eat in and leave B&B, tour San Fran, drive to Sacramento
Monday 7-7: Long bike tour of Sacramento.
Tuesday 7-8: Drive back to Reno
Wednesday 7-9 to Friday 7-10: Head out to the Sierra Buttes
Saturday 7-11: Back towards San Francisco, camp in state park
Sunday 7-12: Fly home


We're bringing my computer, so I'll try to write from the road.

Running Song of the Day: Malene by Sys Mjerre

Charmerende Lille Fyr

Perhaps my training sucks

We are planning to run the Angel Island 50k on July 5th as part of our honeymoon adventure. Actually, SR decided yesterday to change to the 25k (because he doesn't want to beat up his legs for the rest of the summer and he wants to pace me at the end of my race). I am certain I'll be having the time of my life at another ultra.

But something that SR keeps reminding me of, is I don't know how to train. He says I'm robbing myself of speed by running so much (ie. I need to take days off between hard days and have days of tempo runs). Here's the pathetic training plan I've had for the past month:

Mon: run 11-12 miles with babyjogger
Tues: run 5-6 miles with babyjogger, swim 1 mile
Wed: run 11-12 miles with babyjogger
Thur: run 5-6 miles with babyjogger, swim 1 mile
Fri: run 11-12 miles with babyjogger
Sat: run 15-20+ miles alternating with and without babyjogger
Sun: run 5-6 miles with babyjogger, swim 1 mile

So, yes, I run a lot with the babyjogger and I can't run too fast with that thing. And I don't take days off. But who knows, maybe running constantly with a babyjogger is great training for an ultra. We will find out on July 5th, I guess. But, no matter how fast I go that day, SR will just say, "just think of how fast you could have gone if you had trained properly."

Today I will attempt to run fast with the babyjogger and see how it goes. Then we're driving to an Indian Reservation where SR has a job interview.

Running Song of the Day: Freeway by Aimee Mann (a favorite alto voice of mine since I was 16... this is a new song)

29 years old

Today is my birthday. Supposedly 29 marks the beginning of senescence. This is according to a Biology of Aging professor I had in Boston. So I am, of course, excited about senescing.

I am also musing about the fact that in the last year, I became a mother. Not of one, but of three. Here we are this past weekend on a "Team Lorax" expedition.

And I became a wife. We've been down about SR's job situation, but it sounds like he may get hired to do research. And we're going on our honeymoon to California and Nevada starting next weekend. Life is great when you are in love.

I'll leave you with a thought that makes me happy on my birthday...

This is how it works

You peer inside yourself

You take the things you like

And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made

And stick it into some

Someone else's heart

Pumping someone else's blood

And walking arm in arm

You hope it don't get harmed

But even if it does

You'll just do it all again

Running Song of the Day: On the Radio by Regina Spektor

SR's Job

He doesn't deserve this misfortune. Especially not two days before his graduation. SR had a job (a four month position) he was ready to start in the middle of July, but due to an unbelievable turn of events he won't be getting it after all.

In order to tell the story, you need a little background.

I met SR two years ago. At first, I thought of him as this cute blond guy who was strangely good at sports and always talked to me about running. A couple months after I started residency I worked with him on an internal medicine rotation. He was my senior resident (SR). I had never worked with anyone who was so smart and funny and confident and cared so much about his work. Not only that, he made our jobs as clueless interns easy and fun. He loved to teach and when we forgot to do something, he did it, never allowing patients to suffer and never complaining. And all the staff members of the internal medicine department adored him. I often told my now ex-husband what a great doctor SR was and how much I enjoyed working with him. I wondered where this superstar could be from (it sounded like he had a northern Minnesota accent, but that's another story). Had he been from the U.S. he could have been doing neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, if he had wanted, with his credentials.

So how could he end up without a job after graduation? There's a one word answer, and that's jealousy. He asked for a letter of recommendation from a female staff member at our hospital. She happens to be a little older than me, single and a competitive runner. She agreed, but then, without any warning, wrote such a negative letter that he couldn't be hired (despite many staff members coming to his defense). Only now does SR admit she may have had a love interest in him. Who knows? We could only speculate. But I do know that jealousy is possibly the most deleterious of emotions. Worse than greed or even plain hate.

So SR will have to scramble to find a job of some sort. And as it stands right now, our family will be without health and dental insurance (ironic for two doctors, I know). But, this job, apparently, wasn't meant to be.

I guess I am making a big deal about the loss of a mediocre four month position. But it also makes it hard for him to get any job at our hospital. And, it seems impossible that after three years of hard work, long hours and heroic measures to be the wonderful and loving husband and father he is that he would get this slap in the face. I hope he knows how many peoples' lives he has changed for the better. He inspires and encourages everyone around him to learn medicine and to care about it. You meet people like SR so rarely; that type of person who seems more like an angel than a human.

Domestication

No, unfortunately, I'm not talking about a pet.

SR spent 48 weekend hours working at in ER in a small town an hour and a half away and I cleaned, cooked and cared for The Bois. It didn't start out that badly. I actually worked on Friday night, came home to the sitter and The Bois and I fell asleep. Saturday, I worked on a research paper and cleaned almost the entire house. We also went out for 2 1/2 hours with the baby jogger.

Okay, so Saturday was not too bad. And I love being so close to The Bois.

By Sunday, however, I found myself totally lacking inspiration. The only dialogue I had was with a 4 month old. Despite his relentless attempts at making sounds (screeching jabberwocky, docile "i i i's" and of course laughing sheep) I was getting no mental stimulation. I couldn't call SR or anyone else really because he had the cellphone and we don't have long distance from our house. I couldn't write the research article and I couldn't even blog. So I distracted myself with the babyjogger again for 2 1/2 hours. And then I made a grocery list for a Father's Day meal for SR. There is something about being a caretaker that drives one to want to cook. Normally I'm content eating oatmeal out of a box for all meals (as is well-described), but when boredom sneaks into your life, cooking is a remedy, if only temporary. Culinary artists out there will be offended, but this is just my experience. When I'm stimulated and busy at work and have SR to have fun with, I don't really care what I eat as long as it's healthy and easy to make. I also don't normally care if the house is a little messy, but when you're always in the house and have little else going on, you take pride in things like shiny floors. Of course, some people take pride in that when they have a lot going on, which is very cool, it's just not me.

On Sunday afternoon I found myself incapable of even doing the things I normally enjoy. I took The Bois out in the bike trailer and realized on the way to the grocery store (a 5-10 minute ride) that I forgot my helmet. I was so close to the store, it was pointless to go back. After The Bois screeched during our entire time at the store, we rode home. We crossed one of two intersections and something happened. I'm not exactly sure what. But I fell and looked up to see the bike and bike trailer running over me. The light turned green and The Bois was in the middle of the intersection! I had hit my head really hard, but the only feeling I had was the incredible need to move The Bois out of harm's way. As it turned out, everyone got out of their cars to help us. I was somewhat confused, but said I was fine. The Bois was just sitting there in his car seat looking around. I got back on my bike. As I rode, I started shaking and crying. I was bleeding from my face, arms, leg and back. And my head was throbbing. I'm never forgetting my helmet again.

SR returned and we had a good night. A really good recipe did come out of the domestication. As a preface I will say that I was sick of us purchasing expensive clif and power bars and having the waste of the wrappers. Here is my suggested alternative (which is less sweat and probably healthier):

Energy Bars

2 and 2/3 cups rye oats

1/3 cup flax seed meal

2 medium bananas, mashed

1/3 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup chopped pecans & walnuts

some cinnamon

1 tablespoon or so of honey

1 tablespoon or so of sugar free maple syrup

1 tablespoon black strap molasses

1 egg

Instructions: mix the dry stuff together. Then put the wet stuff in. Mix it really well. Grease a cookie sheet. Flatten mix onto cookie sheet so it's about 1/3 inch thick, then cut it into bars with a knife.

Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 deg F.

This makes like 10 bars.

(Obviously lots of room to change things according to your taste)

And they're not for everyone...

Running Song of The Day: Gammel Kongevej by Szhirley

Why is The Bois so short?

I'm afraid of even writing about this because I can just imagine the accusatory responses I will get. But here goes. We had The Bois' 4 month well baby visit and the nurse practitioner was all compliments and The Bois performed like only The Bois can. But (and I can't believe I keep persevering over this!) he is 30th percentile for weight, 30th percentile for head circumference and only 3rd percentile for height! Yikes! Quite Danny Devitoid. SR and I are not short and neither are our parents. I'm the shortest among everyone at 5'6".

Of course I am tempted to blame myself in some way. Is it my weight loss and decreased production of breast milk? SR thought that was preposterous. Is it because I forget to give him his vitamin D drops? I did a little reading about baby growth and it said before 6 months, height is determined by "in utero environment." So immediately I accused myself of running too much during pregnancy and not gaining enough weight.

But am I being ridiculous? I remember a patient in medical school who was hospitalized for loss of proximal muscle control. She probably had polymyositis. Anyway, if you asked her "it all began when my cat jumped on my lap." Wow, how badly she wished that cat wouldn't have jumped on her lap! The point being, humans have a need to blame something when things don't go as planned. Should I blame myself for the Bois' short stature?

I will say that you apparently can't use the 4 month height to predict adult height as it fluctuates between percentiles so often. We'll have to wait until he's 2 to make any predictions apparently.

Running Song of the Day: Tree Bones by Port O'Brien