Happy Holidays

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE !!

the picture is from the Old Course Grill, overlooking St. Andrews and the 17th and 18th holes, from our trip in June.

Thanks for all your support this year. Looking forward to 2009 and hopefully some running and training in moderation.

This Just In

Guy Who Does A Lot of Hips (also known as Ortho Guy) is completely perplexed. He cannot put a label on it or give me much of a plan.

On to an MRI tomorrow morning. Wish me luck and think very still thoughts. 45 minutes is a long time.

May be some answers soon??!!

No Real News Yet

Here's the latest on me. Thanks, everyone, for checking in on me and for your concern and caring.

I've been to an ortho who thinks I have an inflammed TFL. (that's the muscle that the ITB turns into at the insertion point) All I need is a little ultrasound, some stretching and a 4 week stint on anti-inflammatories. Ah, not so much. I'm not better by any stretch of the imagination. Pt Guy is sending me back and recommending an MRI. My next appt is Dec 4th. It has been a huge challenge trying to figure out if hip and back are related or separate and just what is going on.

Meanwhile, I have been doing very little, only a few swims. I'm afraid to run for fear it could actually get worse. I read an occasional blog but it is a little depressing. I'm wondering if I could still run a mile or two? I put running shorts on the other day for my treatment and they actually felt strange. Oh, that made me sad.

Don't worry, I'm not really sitting around moping. Too much to do, too little time. We celebrated 6 years of the oldest boy and 4 of the youngest. Parties galore, the piece d' resistance was 31 kids at Pump It Up. What chaos and what fun. There was only a small amount of blood shed and luckily everyone signs a waiver. hee hee.

The kids are growing before my eyes so I am making a conscious effort to be with them and enjoy, not always rushing them here and there and drill sargenting them around. We've now made pretzels and cookies in the new Easy Bake oven! (yes, they are both boys and they love it). First conference was interesting, the oldest is doing really well but I never expected the word "womanizer" to be used. What a kid. :D

Work has been really busy and we are awaiting another reorg. I try not to even think about it anymore. Although VIV brought me crashing back to what life behind the counter was like. :D Thanks for that. I love my job so I'm hoping for the best. We are also keeping busy with college basketball, 4 year old soccer, swimming lessons, and a few symphony and musicals. And December brings a bit of travel and whole lot of shopping. I'll try not to stay away so long.

Thanks for checking in on me. I am currently solidly in the nonrunner status but hopeful we will find some answers soon. Send good vibes...

XOXO

Too Funny Not to Share

Tired of the campaign rhetoric, the commercials, the call in shows, the newspapers, the debates, the phone calls, the signs....





So you turn to Dancing With The Stars for a little mindless relaxation and what do you find?

• Back and hip still hurting, sans running
• Appt with ortho in less than a week
• A little nervous there will be no answers but there's no sense in worrying about it
• Really don't want to bore anyone with my whining
• Swimming 3 - 4x per week.
• I hate counting laps but I think 30 minutes is around a mile.
• Last night I did 32 minutes of continuous swimming.
• I get a foot cramp at 25 minutes every single time I swim. What up?
• I attempted a couple flip turns - they quickly reminded me of the decade or two that have passed since being competitive. hee hee
• I bought some flip flops for keeping at the gym. Somehow I thought I bought 8's and got home with 11's :S
• Rough start to the Viv Weight Loss Challenge but I think I've righted the ship.
• I'm thinking of dressing as a scary Cavewoman for Halloween and suprising the kids. I could use a little club right now.
• Took my little one to the ISU game last weekend on a date.
• We lost but I had the time of my life dancing and cheering with a 3 year old.

The Plan in Bullets

hMy doc and I have agreed that I will see an ortho guy who does a lot of hips (here to for referred to as He Who Does Hips, only because I couldn't think of a cool symbol). :D @ this maybe?
+I don't see him until the 30th.
xIn the meantime, I am not running
(I'm sure you don't want to read my daily pain scale reports so I probably will not post very much.
IWe did join a gym with a pool right up the street so I am over the moon about that.
'I did 1250 tonight, kinda PO'd it wasn't 1600 but what do I know? I really haven't swam much in years.
JIt could easily have been 1600, I'm horrible at counting and didn't time it.
sI think it was around 35 minutes of swimming??
"My racing suit is still from another decade. eek
NNo amount of lipstick can really overcome my thighs in a decade old suit ;D

YOne minute they are crying and fighting, the next they are reading books and telling me about the Eiffel Tower.

Speed Round

• I'm here, I'm just swamped
• I'm also hurting and haven't felt like blogging
• I miss you all
• My corneal ulcer is now just a scar, but only after being "debrided". UGH.
• I've worn my contacts for a total of 4 hours. :D
• NYC was fun although I wasn't able to garner a blogger meet-up :(
• I could hole up at the Alex hotel for a month in Manhattan and be happy as a clam
• I'd love to do a "secondment" ( I had to look it up ) and at least be there a little.
• I also went to Chicago for a couple days for meetings
• My colleagues are so dang smart and it's usually a little daunting
• I haven't run in over a week
• I finally faced facts that my hip and back hurt almost all the time
• Apparently limping for the first 4 or 5 steps you take after any sitting isn't normal
• It's worse after sex
• This has been going on for a year
• I know, I know, I don't like to talk about it (one of the few things)
• I am saddened by my loss of mileage and endurance but I think I have to figure out what is wrong
• An MRI is probably next
• The words spina bifida were used about one part of one of my vertebrae in an xray overread- the guy said not remarkable, but STILL!!
• Muscular versus skeletal? Can't seem to make the call.
• It's hard to read marathon reports when I suck, but I still do read them. You guys really rock and I am so proud of you. And Tri people just rock times three :D
• We might join a gym that has a pool. I'm.so.excited.
• My baby finds out if his broken arm is healed tomorrow
• I am starting to realize what life is going to be like with two sports-minded little kids
• I wish the Cubs would win a game
• That's about it for now
• Thanks for friends who inquire if I am okay. :D I'm okay.

I'd Rather Be Running

My running pals had to meet without me as I made a semi-urgent visit to the eye surgeons. Holy crap. Surgeons?



Yep, it's a corneal ulcer. Something I should have never googled. Glasses and looking like a dork until Friday is nothing if this thing will heal. I don't like some of the alternatives.



I will definitely keep you all posted.

That eye doctor took forever to see me.

By the way, totally off the subject but.....

Is anyone using iGoogle yet? OMG. I.LOVE.IT.ALMOST.AS.MUCH.AS.TIVO.