Don't be fooled by the "...More!" in the title of this post. It's not that exciting. It's been a decent 3 weeks, though. We spent nearly a week in Texas with my family for Thanksgiving that was good at times but mostly pretty boring. Happy we went, though, since I don't see my family often, and everyone was there for once! This never happens. So totally worth it. Plus, we got to bring Phoenix which made things better. I raced a 10K on Thanksgiving in Fort Worth, which I mentioned in the last post. It sucked badly with the hip bursitis I've been dealing with, but things are looking up with that since I stopped running; it seems to be healing quickly. Other than the trip to Texas, everything else has been fairly low-key.
John and I have had to deal with some Bryan phone calls/texts lately, but John handles him like a champ. It's almost like John is the parent talking to the child (Bryan). I'm assuming Bryan is feeling anxious over his upcoming psychiatric evaluation next week so he's acting out. He spent over 30 minutes trying to pull his interrogation techniques on John over the phone. Asking the same question over and over and over....until he hopefully beats you down to the point of giving up and giving him the answer he wants. He's never looking to understand anything; it's only about getting what he wants. It was frustrating listening to it because I can now spot it instantly, and, luckily, John can, too. Together, we finally shut him down when we came up with a trap that worked. Bryan didn't like the answer John gave him 5+ times so he pretended like he didn't understand. (John told him that if Bryan got counseling for his issues and a doctor signed him off then John would see him.) John told him to write it down (good thinking, John!). Bryan repeated it back as if he was writing it down. I was calling bullshit on him writing it down, so when he was done, I told John, "Tell him to show it to you." He did. There was a pause, then an, "Oh oops. I was trying to get out of the counseling part." Pretty much just tried to lie to his kid. He had nothing at that point and hung up until he could come up with some new round of questions and called back. John was over it at this point and blocked him for awhile.
Bryan was apparently a great interrogator in Iraq. The job meant getting an answer you wanted out of someone no matter how long it takes. It would mean hours in a cell mentally beating this person down until they couldn't take it anymore and relented with the answer he wanted to hear, just to make it stop. He did this to me for YEARS until I figured it out. Literally, 3 hours sitting in the kitchen being talked AT until I gave in to his demands because I just wanted it to stop. But oh boy, once I figured out what he was doing, I learned to spot it. But dammit, if he doesn't get me caught up in it sometimes STILL. But it was such a thing of beauty to watch the two people he was never supposed to be using his techniques on totally stop him dead in his tracks in his game. In training at Ft Huachuca, they literally told them not to use this on their family and friends. But I can only assume that 6 months straight (often 7 days a week, 12 hours a day) of talking to people like this became automatic for him. Being interrogated in this manner by him for so long created my world of misery. I honestly felt imprisoned myself. And sadly, this is what he was also doing to John. Couple that with his uncontrollable rage and downright meanness at times, and you'd feel like you were in a nightmare. Absolute misery. On the brightside, I feel so amazed that John has the comprehension to see the situation for what it really is. His responses to Bryan are so intelligent. So some good has really come out of this if you can separate it from the bad. I had a semi-decent text conversation with Bryan last night. He actually communicated like a normal person, and I completely understand his frustration with not being able to see John unsupervised. It's almost heartbreaking because I can feel his devastation in what he's writing. I would feel the same way, but he refuses to accept that there is a way to fix it. John told him what he needed to do if he wanted to continue their relationship, and he just doesn't want to do it. Maybe fear of learning something about himself he doesn't want to know? I have no idea, but he really doesn't want to get counseling. So anyway. The saga continues. It's a sad situation. I honestly hope that in the end their relationship is repaired.
Other news! We finally met with the people from Brewster Ambulance yesterday to get some answers to our questions and find out the scoop. It's amazing how much better this is going to be...especially the pay! I'm floored. It's a 72% increase in my current pay!!! What?! Like someone pinch me because I must be dreaming. I'm really excited about working for this company. And it's kind of cool since they'll pay for our Massachusetts licenses so we can work out of all of their bases by picking up open shifts. I'll admit that I have a desire to spend a shift working Brockton 911. The experience would be great. They'll even pay for a Rhode Island license to pick up shifts out of the Pawtucket base. More great experience. I'd love a taste of rough city 911. My main base would stay up here, though, but they are looking to expand in the area so that opens up more opportunities. We'll definitely be back doing interfacility transers, but for that pay, I will gladly do transfers. So far, things are definitely looking up.
I also found out yesterday that I got voted in for Conway Ambulance so that was exciting. They just have to get my driving record back from the State, and then I can start, but that will probably take weeks, knowing NH. Having good things happening makes me really nervous that something bad is going to happen. Good things don't happen for me without some sort negative tossed in there so I'm paranoid this is all too good to be true. Haha. (Edited on 12/16 to add that I'm also being awarded the scholarship I applied for to take the Advanced EMT class! Wayyyyy too many good things happening so I'm expecting the Brewster thing to fall through now. Something bad is going to happen.)
Onto the recap of the 3 weeks...
November 18-24, 2019- 34.1 miles. 3,573ft elevation gain. This week would have been more miles, but I took two zeros and a nearo. After feeling so terrible at Lil' Rhody Runaround, I needed a recovery day the next day. The other zero, I actually brought my crappy spin bike to work and did a 30 minute ride. The nearo was after traveling to Texas and feeling so bloated and tired that I struggled through 3 miles. This is also the week my hip bursitis came on suddenly so I was a mess all week, despite have a few good runs.
Monday, 11/18- Zero miles. 20 minute walk in the ambulance bay. I cut it short because I was so over doing this. Made the decision to finally bring my extra bike to work on Wednesday. Got next to no sleep Monday night because we went out in the middle of the night. Add that to getting no sleep Saturday night and only about 5 hours on Sunday, and I was junk.
Tuesday, 11/19- 8 miles. Indoor running today due to the weather outside. I actually "fixed" the incline on my treadmill! Ok, so I really just placed a board under the front to elevate it, but it did the trick. Somewhere between 1.5-2% grade which made a world of difference for the run. I actually felt like I had to put in an effort today as opposed to the flat run from last week. I was so happy! 8 miles in 1:00:12. 7:31 avg pace. If my treadmill fails me, I do have access to one at the Community Center now. Only $5/month. Happy to have the option even if I don't use it.
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| Found this photo in my photos from John's phone. What a cute photo. It was taken at school. |
Wednesday, 11/20- Zero miles. I succeeded at bringing my cheap spin bike in to work and got in a good 30 minute spin workout that afternoon. I'm loving having the bike there right now even if it's too small.
Thought I would gross you out with what Jeff found when he pulled the bed out in his room. Yes, that is a Skoal can. So disgusting.
Thursday, 11/21- 6 miles. I didn't have time for a long run since I had to do training at work followed by John's trip presentation and lunch at his school that morning. It was a gorgeous day today so I enjoyed my 6-mile run (even if a lot of it was on black ice) through boring Cranmore Shores. I ran really easy and felt good. 46:15. 7:39 avg pace.
I got home, showered then left for our Tamworth base to do a brief training on the new Brewster software. Stepped out of the car when I got there to a sudden onset of left hip pain. At the time I just assumed it was a bruise from knocking the O2 bottle again so didn't think anything of it. The training was simple and took less than 10 minutes. While I was there, my manager returned a form I'd asked him to fill out for my scholarship application.
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I laughed when I saw the "2" because it isn't wrong. Although, it was definitely justified. If you ask me to do a second State checklist on another truck after we just spent 2 hours on the first one when the next day's crew should do it (since they NEVER do monthly truck checks), then I'm going to tell you I'm not doing it. We're the only crew who ever does these checks to begin with so it was time to make another crew step up to the plate. I earned that 2 and am proud of it. Haha. Just hope it didn't ruin my scholarship chance.
Once at John's school, parents and anyone else from the community who wanted to join were given tours by the kids of different projects they had worked on. John and his friend, Sandy, took us around.
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| He had food in his mouth. |
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| This bull was watching us the whole time. |
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| He finally came over to see us when the geese moved out of the way. He was so cute. |
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| The school got a new sign! |
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| An experiment with different types of recycled plastic bottles around the compost bin to see which ones were warmer. |
After the tour, the school provided an awesome lunch by donation. It was so good! Then it was time for all of the kids to give their presentations from their trips. John's group went first, and it was great. John cracked everyone up a few times. I loved seeing him up there so confident. He's changed so much in the last two years and very much in a positive way! It was so fun listening to all of the kids, even from the other trips. Such different experiences for all of them.
He still had 1.5 hours left of school after this so I stayed and took Phoenix on a walk on the Jackman Pond Trail behind the school before going home for the night. I was so tired.
Friday, 11/22- 10.4 miles. After waking up to the hip pain being worse, I should not have run today. Not only did it feel worse, but it was visible when looking in mirror. Way larger left hip. And it felt like edema. I was still in denial, though, and thought it still just had to be a bruise. So off I went for a 10.4 mile trail run at the Moat Mineral Site. Because of the pain, I chose to run in the easier direction with less long climbs since uphill made my hip worse. The trail was still covered in perfectly runnable snow, but that and the hip still made the run a little slower than usual. Despite running the easier direction, I still got in 1.513ft of elevation gain. Not only did my achy tendons and plantar fasciitis feel worse, I now had this bum hip...and lets not forget that all of those aches were now holding up an extra 5lbs. I was a MESS. Oh and one more thing. Ran the last 45 minutes in freezing cold rain. Haha. BUT, despite all of that, the run was beautiful in the snow and Thompson Falls was half frozen. So there were positives. 1:55:34 of moving time out there.
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| Hunting season dork |
That afternoon, I took Phoenix on a short walk at East Bear Paw for 1.5 miles before going to Saco River Brewery to try their limited release of the raspberry chocolate porter. So good. Had the sour, too. Took no cans home since we were just about to leave for Texas for a week.
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| Cool sign hanging on the wall at the brewery |
Saturday, 11/23- 6.64 miles. Beautiful morning. I almost left for my run with no dogs, but Chill was staring at me from the window as I started to leave so I put it in park and took him with me. I was running where we'd hardly see anyone so he wouldn't be a problem. I was so glad I brought him along even though he's slowed down now that he's 9. I had to wait on him quite a bit, but the trail conditions weren't as easily runnable as they had been so I was moving slowly anyway. We ran up and down the Red Tail trail to Black Cap. 1:27:28. 1,633ft of elevation gain. Hip hurt, but I was STILL in denial.
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| Chill on Black Cap |
I ended up spending the rest of the day cleaning the house. I had a friend who possibly needed a place to stay while we were gone so I wanted it clean just in case. She didn't stay, but it was so nice coming home to clean, tidy house. Packed up that night. Attempted to get 3 hours of sleep and failed.
Sunday, 11/24- 3 miles. Left at 3am so that we could catch the 5:15am Logan Express bus. We were flying American Airlines today which I've only flown one other time in my life so Terminal B was new to us. Check in was easy although Phoenix was not liking the bag she had to go in. This was her first time flying so she didn't know what the hell was going on. We were super early for our flight so got our Starbucks then headed to the gate. While sitting there, I let Phoenix out a few times to stretch her legs, but every time she barked it was right back in her bag. I noticed a woman at the gate who looked familiar then realized it was Diane Senecal! She was headed to a much better destination so she was only there briefly before they left, but I talked to her for a bit. Diane was my buddy at the Vermont City Marathon in 2015, back when I knew no one there and felt like an outsider. Little did I know that day would change my life in the NE running community. I was so thankful for Diane's company that day. I've seen her at Hartford and Nooseneck since then, but that's it.
The flight was direct to Dallas thankfully since that meant a short travel day in the bag for Phoenix. And she was awesome. Not a single bark or anything from her the entire flight. Yay. Dallas was perfectly warm and sunny when we arrived. A shuttle driver picked us up to take us to my parents' house in Granbury, TX.
The drive wasn't bad, and we were loving the warmth and sun once we got to the house. This neighborhood and town are not my cup of tea, but if felt good to sit out in the sun. We had lunch then my mom and I took Phoenix on a walk around the neighborhood. Definitely not Phoenix's cup of tea since she had to be leashed. She didn't like Texas much and refused to go poo and eat her dog food the last 4 days we were there. I sat out back with my parents and had a Texas stout. Once my food settled (even though it didn't), I attempted a 3 mile run through the neighborhood. My stomach was so bloated with jet belly and lunch that I struggled hard through this. Plus, my hip was KILLING me. 3 miles in 22:57. Haha.
Week of November 25- December 1, 2019- 27.7 miles. 856ft of elevation gain. This was the last week of running for me. And looking back, I was really dumb. I should have laid off running the first 4 days I was there and then attempted the Thanksgiving Day race. But I just couldn't. Life there is so sedentary. There's NOTHING to do. I don't know why anyone would voluntarily choose to live in Granbury, TX. Running every day was all I had. I mean the 6 days weren't bad, but it was way too long to be there. I loved seeing my family. That was the point of being there, but in between, I was bored out of my mind. I was at least entertained by a lot of this every day...
Fox News was always on. And wow. To be honest, I wanted to hear what they were saying, even though so much of it irritated me to no end. So much propaganda and dishonesty, but it's good to see what people who are completely on the opposite spectrum of you politically are watching. It's terrible. It really is. Especially now after reading Trump supporters' comments and responses to questions. Their words are nearly verbatim what they're hearing on Fox News. What an interesting thing to study if you can get over the fact that people support this disgusting human being. I had definitely had enough of it after the week, but I wasn't bothered by it being on since it makes you understand why people who only follow Fox News as a source believe the things they do. I honestly don't get it, though.
Monday, 11/25- 7 miles. I woke up with a really achy back which I've never had before. I assumed it was from flying the day before. Advil took care of it. Didn't think much else about it.
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| My parents liked having Phoenix there. |
I drove over to the bike path in the center of Granbury where I ran when we visited in June 2018. It was crazy hot then, but I was still able to do my runs at a sub-7 minute pace because it was so flat. Today was not the case. The weather was absolutely perfect, but my hip was not. This would be the first run when I was really hurting. I think it was the pavement. My other runs (besides the slow 3 mile run the night before) were on trail at a much slower speed. Attempting to pick up the pace on the pavement made the hip pain increase. Most injuries that you can run with tend to "warm up" after running a bit so that you barely feel it. This pain was not the case. The more I ran, the more pain. I struggled through these 7 miles. 54:38. 7:47 avg pace. You don't have to tell me. I know I should have stopped running then, but I had seen what my body had become when I got to Texas in a really good mirror. I was horrified. I can't NOT run while we're here. I have to. Pain or no pain, I was running.
After a quick shower, John, my parents and I drove over to see my grandmother and aunt and uncle. They're the reason my parents moved here from Hawaii 2 years ago. My mom wanted to be with her family. Unfortunately, though, my parents hate it here. Seeing their life there now puts everything into perspective from when they visited me and didn't want to do anything. They don't do anything here in Texas. So unlike them. I'm happy it all makes sense now. And luckily, they have made the decision to get the hell out of there and go back to Florida where they lived before and loved it (except the hurricanes). They already bought a condo and will put this Texas house up for sale in the summer. Sadly, though, this means leaving her 91 year old mom and her sister, but they will wither away in this place. They need to leave and do what's best for them.
I'm really happy we got to see my Aunt Karen, Uncle Dick and Nannie, though, so this brief stint in Texas will have been worth it. We drove out to their condo which was right on the lake. It was actually very nice and definitely the place to be if you had to live here. My grandmother is the cutest and the sweetest person ever. She wanted to show us her room so we all sat in there for our whole visit. It was so comfortable just my grandmother's many homes always were. Phoenix loved Nannie.
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| The photo behind us is of Nannie and Ken, my grandmother's late husband. I always considered him my grandfather. She loved and misses Ken so much still. |
After our visit, John and I drove down to Dinosaur Valley State Park. I just missed the ultra they put on here by one day. I almost registered for it, but I'm glad I didn't. There's no way I could have raced it. I visited this park for a run last time I was here, but I wanted John to see the legit dinosaur tracks that were preserved in the river.
The park is really pretty so we took a walk along the river and back with Phoenix. It wasn't long visit, but it was nice.
My mom texted me just before we left that she bought me a beer at H-E-B and sent a pic. Deschutes Brewery's Black Butte Porter. I had had this during our travels in Oregon years ago, but the last time I had it was interestingly enough given to me by Beth. I was a little taken aback that my mom chose that particular beer that had a Beth connection. Gave me a lump in my throat.
As we drove away from Dinosaur Valley we passed something that you would definitely find in Texas: The Creation Evidence Museum of Texas. Strategically placed right outside of Dinosaur Valley with its exhibits to display Biblical creation. Haha. There's even a Noah's Arc Replica. I definitely busted out laughing and did one of these...
When we got back to the house, I had a beer out in the sun with my dad. I had to soak up some rays while I could.
Tuesday, 11/26- 8.3 miles. I woke up again in absolutely excruciating back pain. My entire back. OMG. I've never experienced that before. The only explanation was the bed. I felt bad, but I had to tell my mom I couldn't sleep on it. I was agony until the Advil kicked in. My mom didn't really want to believe it because everyone else says it's comfortable, but I don't ever sleep on a mattress that firm, and it killed my back. I would end up sleeping on a twin mattress from under John's bed and sharing his room so my niece could take the room I had been in. Even that was firm enough to hurt my back but not nearly as a bad as the other mattress. My plans to catch up on lost sleep didn't happen at all. I didn't sleep well at all with both the hip bursitis and the back ache. Ugh.
I had planned to drive back to Dinosaur Valley to run, but it was 30 minutes away and $7 to get in so I searched for trails in Granbury. I only got back the paved path I'd run on the day before and the Acton Nature Center. I asked my parents if they had been there, but they had never heard of it. It turned out to be directly across the entrance to my aunt and uncle's neighborhood. Haha. I looked at map and the trails looked short, but I figured I could make it work. I did, but it would end up being 4.5 loops. So worth it, though, to be able to run on trails which didn't hurt the hip as much. 8.3 miles in 1:08:51. 8:17 avg pace. Enough little hills to end up with 383ft of elevation gain.
I took John and Phoenix back there for a walk in the afternoon. We just did one of the big loops for 1.4 miles. John actually liked it since he was getting tired of sitting around the house. The weather was perfect out.
For dinner, my parents took us to a really nice restaurant in the town square called Farina's. The atmosphere was great and reminded me of the old buildings in downtown Athens (Georgia, where I grew up). It was definitely a wine type of dinner so I had a Pinot from Monterey, CA (since that was home once). John and I both ordered shrimp dishes which were so good. I don't get many good meals like that. John loved his, too.
Since my brothers were arriving at some point today, we didn't go anywhere. I took Phoenix on a neighborhood walk through what I labeled on Strava as "Walk through 'Stepford'". It wasn't so bad at sunrise that morning because the houses looked like mountains.
But this is what it really looks like...
My brothers finally arrived that evening along with Brandon's girlfriend, Jessica, and daughter, Madison. Jason came with his son, Charles. This FB memory popped up of John, Charles and Madison from Thanksgiving in 2009.
Now they're all so grown up, but it was great. They had so much fun hanging out with each other. It was great seeing my brothers again. Sadly, Jason and his wife, Claudia, are getting a divorce. Jason was the last hold out of all of us kids to stay married. But, alas, Jason has joined us in the Sibling Marriage Failure Club. So far, though, I'm the only in the Sibling Dating Failure Club, though. Haha.
We went out to the Mesquite Pit for dinner. It was fun. Brandon spent a lot of time talking to John about his situation with Bryan which was nice since John doesn't get that from anyone else but me. Nice to have an uncle there to help. Dinner was fun, but I stuffed my face with food and more beer. My stomach was about to pop all night.
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| John, Charles and my dad |
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| Madison, Charles and John with Phoenix |
Thursday, 11/28- 8.2 miles. I woke up super early to drive to the CRC Thanksgiving Day Race in Fort Worth. I knew this was so stupid, but I paid $58 dammit. The drive over was cool since I could see thunderstorms and lightning bolts for miles across the flat lands. I wished the race would get cancelled to force me not to run it, but that didn't happen. As I got closer, I did end up hitting an absolute downpour which made it hard to see where I was going on the unfamiliar roads of Fort Worth. I was one of about 7 cars that had arrived since I was super early. I stayed in the car until the rain let up a bit. As I sat there, I thought about how much pain I was in just sitting. Then I thought about running 13.1 miles with this pain that would only get worse as I ran. I couldn't do it. So I made the decision to drop down to the 10K. This turned out not to be much better. I should have dropped to the 5K. Seriously. But I picked up my bib which was a cool paper material I'd never seen used as a bib before. It was pretty cool.
I got my bib then walked over to the end of the table where we changed distances. It took 10 seconds, and I was switched. The only downside to this meant my start was 30 minutes after the HM so I had awhile to wait. It was still drizzling and chilly out so I just waited in the car until it was time to warm up. I decided to run along the bike path for a warm up for 1.7 miles. It was super slow so the hip didn't feel so bad, but I was really glad I wasn't doing the half. When I got back, the half start had been delayed by about 10 minutes for some reason so I went back to my car for a bit. I would end up doing a few more mini warm ups before it was time for us to line up.
I was definitely cold at the start, but all I need once the race starts is the gloves. I lined up near the front. There was a fast looking woman up there who would turn out to be very fast. I stupidly went out ahead of her. I was thinking I could bank some time early on before the hip started to hurt, but at that speed, the hip was killing me instantly. The course was very odd, and I didn't really care for it at all. It was an out and back that would have 9 very tight turns. Just an odd course overall. Mostly flat, but not all of it. It was also wet with a lot of puddles. Just not a fan. The 5K and Half Marathon went in the opposite direction for a completely different course.
I hung on in the lead through mile 1 for a 6:12, but my hip was KILLING me already. I couldn't hang. The first woman passed me easily. It wasn't just the hip, but also the 6-8lbs I had put on in the last month also slowing me down. I felt so heavy and out of control. And the pain just got worse and worse. I started getting passed by a lot of men. The first woman got out of sight. I was hurting so badly. I felt like I was working harder and harder with every step as my pace slowed. It was truly a HORRIBLE race. I hit the 5K in 19:58. Haha. I knew this was going to be SO bad. I was at least relieved to see the 3rd woman way too far back to catch me at this point, but it didn't really matter. I couldn't wait for the pain to end. Finally, I crossed the 6 mile mark and then made my way to the turn for the finish to find Brandon and Jessica there cheering me on. I wish I had a smile in me, but I was in too much pain and suffering. I saw the clock after I turned and wanted to die. I wasn't going to break 41:00. As I'm staring at the clock, some moron who was finishing the 5K next to me starts darting across the course right in front of me with her phone in the air. I yelled at her, "Watch out!" I was just pissed all around at this point. Crossed the line in 41:00 hanging my head. 2nd female, but I didn't care. The worst 10K in probably 5 or 6 years. 1.5 minutes slower than Lone Gull only 2 months prior. What a disappointment. I don't normally steal photos from race photographers, but I wanted to post at least one photo as proof I was there. Haha.
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| I can't believe I almost ran a 7-min mile for mile 6. |
I was pretty depressed after that. I was glad I had Brandon and Jessica to cheer me up since I didn't know anyone there. We stayed until the awards, but when I saw the awards were medals almost identical to the finisher's medal, I decided to pass. I had no desire to get another stupid medal. Useless objects, if you ask me...well, they do make good weapons. Had I stayed, I would have learned that I wasn't on the list for an award, but having left, I didn't learn until later that I was missing from the results. Grr. Many people were missing from the results, but once I brought mine to their attention, they fixed it quickly. Full Results
I drove Brandon and Jessica back to their hotel down the street in downtown and joined them for the hotel breakfast. I really didn't need the food since today was Thanksgiving, but I ate a little anyway and enjoyed their company. They were going to the Cowboys game that afternoon, along with Jason and Charles so our sibling Thanksgiving was going to happen on Friday. Today would be my parents, aunt, uncle, grandmother, Madison and John.
I drove back to Granbury with my head hanging low. I could barely walk at this point. I never would have finished the half marathon so I was at least glad I didn't attempt it. I would not be running again, indefinitely. I was so stupid to do this race, but the purpose of it was achieved. I was so pissed off to have this come completely out of nowhere and sideline me for yet another December! It took me almost 6 months to get back in shape last year after the time off. But what can you do? I just have to let it heal. This is NOT an injury I can run through. It took me a week to figure that out, and I figured it out alright. So here I am with this fat body. I can barely fit in my pants. And now I can't run. I decided today that I was going to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family on Thursday and Friday, but starting Saturday, I was going to make a diet change. I was out of control.
Our low-key Thanksgiving with Nannie, Dick and Karen was nice. I'm glad I got to spend time with them. I sadly didn't get to say goodbye. I drove John down to the nearest open store to get a drink, and when we got back they had left.
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| Phoenix and Nannie waiting on food. |
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| My dad |
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The rest of the day was pretty dull. John and I were pretty bored.
Friday, 11/29- I'm not going to keep writing zero miles now. Haha. It's like rubbing salt in the wound. I went for a walk at the Acton Nature Center before everyone got there. I ended up drenched in the rain and wet brush. Having lived in a similar environment in Central Texas, I was reminded of what the mud is like after a hard rain. I had to cut the walk short. My pants were literally soaked, and Phoenix tracked mud all over the car.
I stopped at the store for wine on the way back and arrived just as all of my siblings and my niece and nephew arrived Good timing. I had to clean up a bit before I was able to be social. Haha. Today was fun having all 3 brothers and my sister there and to see my niece's newest daughter. I love hanging out with my sister, too, since we have such similar personalities. Totally chill day, but I enjoyed it. John had a great time with his cousins.
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| My mom attempted to pour a beer. Haha. |
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| Brandon and my nephew, Tyler |
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| My brother, Butch, Charles, my sister, Demere, and Madison |
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| Got Jessica and Emma Rae in there, too. |
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| Grandkids and Great-Grandkids with the Grandparents |
Only Jason and Brandon stayed well into the evening. I was sad to see the rest go so early, but Lauren had to get her kids to their dad's. It was a fun visit with everyone.
This was our last night in Texas. I was so ready to go home. I don't like Texas. I made the best of it when we had to live there, but it's not a place I would ever choose to live.
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| Came back from the bathroom to find her in my suitcase. I think she thought she was being left behind. |
Saturday, 11/30- We had an early morning. A shuttle driver came to pick us up so we said goodbye to my parents. Overall, it was a good visit with them. They were headed to Florida on Monday and very much looking forward to it. I hope our next visit to them is there!
The drive to the airport seemed to take forever, and the driver, while super nice, talked my ear off whole way. The "shuttle" is basically just a family that drives people back and forth in their personal vehicles. I much prefer the more business-like van or bus where I don't have to chat. Haha. The drive seemed so long. Phoenix and John slept the whole drive.
We lucked out to go out of American's International Terminal at DFW. It was SO nice. Our gate just happened to have an indoor pet relief area so I took Phoenix in there. She was not impressed.
We lucked out with a fairly empty flight so we were able to put Phoenix up in the middle seat after take-off. We both just watched a few movies and were back in Boston in no time.
It was so fun for us getting to travel with Phoenix. Even though she didn't like Texas either, she would still rather be with us than a stranger. I'd definitely pay to bring her along again. It was so easy and she was so good.
We had an hour until the bus arrived to take us back to Peabody so we got coffees and sat downstairs waiting. There was quite a bit of traffic on the way back through Revere and then on Rt 1. I was looking at my phone when all of a sudden there was a bang from something hitting the bus. I look up and see a that we had just hit a truck next to us and the bus driver was struggling to keep control. The bus started fishtailing, and I thought we were about to hit the center barrier. We were in the far left lane of Rt 1 in Saugus; if you travel this road, you know it can be scary. It was a scary moment, but the bus driver got control and stopped the bus quickly. Phoenix's bag slide up 3 rows. Poor thing. Haha. We were stuck in the lane for like 2-3 minutes because NO ONE would let us over. But finally we did and pulled up to where TWO trucks were parked at a gas station. We had hit a pick-up truck AND a tow truck. Honestly, I have NO idea who was at fault. By the time I looked up, I couldn't tell if we hit them or them us. And each driver was blaming the other. Luckily no one was hurt, and I was glad we were wearing the bus seatbelts. The lady in the back said she never wears one but for some reason had put it on today. She commutes to work on the bus every day. If the bus had gone over on its side, we would have been thrown had we not been in seatbelts.
The tow truck triver's side window and mirror were smashed and our side mirror was turned around backwards. The pick-up had very minor damage. How lucky were we... except this took a LONG time. We had to wait for police and then wait for a new bus to come get us. Ugh. This meant a much longer day than expected.
Once on the road, we stopped briefly at Stop n Shop in Danvers so I could deposit a $100 bill my brother had given me in my Citizens Bank account (can't deposit cash into my main USAA account). I hadn't been in a Stop n Shop for awhile so John and I got a kick out of this thing... We definitely looked like we were from rural New Hampshire. Haha.
Made one more stop for gas and food in Seabrook. John wanted Five Guys. I had already worked on my diet today and got the burger wrapped in iceberg lettuce. This was so good, and I've continued to use iceberg for sandwiches/burgers since. I hardly ate any carbs all day. I decided to have one last beer when we got home, and that was it. Only red wine. And I stuck to it. I didn't have a beer again for 8 days!
I was SO happy to get home. So were John and Phoenix. First thing Phoenix did was go poo and eat her food. Haha. It was cold out, but it felt good to me. I'd rather be cold than be warm in Texas. Phoenix was happy, too. The house was so clean. Happy, happy, happy to be home.
Sunday, 12/1- December 1st and the start of my "new" routine while I can't run. New is in quotes because part of it isn't new at all, and more just me getting back into the swing of things. I started off the morning with a 45 minute workout on the spin bike. And these are seriously all workouts. This isn't just riding on a bike. This is spinning. And I'm seriously even more grateful for George Ross giving me this spin bike. It's been my saving grace for 2 weeks.
After resting completely for two days, my hip had already improved, but I found that for the first 4 days, I couldn't do any of the standing on the bike without hip pain. I also had to keep the resistence lower than normal. That kind of sucked, but I was still doing something. 45 minutes was definitely pushing it today since I started feeling the hip around 35 minutes. It was still something. I went right from that into my upper body and abs workouts by Zuzka Light that I've been doing for 3 years now. My upper body routine ebbs and flows, but it's been easy to get into a routine of 3 days a week. I'm doing that along with some new glute work (thanks, Kim Nedeau!). I really wanted to start leg strengthening, but it didn't last long before my hip hurt. I thought I did very minimal weight, but I was really sore the next day, so I guess not. Haha. I've actually postponed the leg work while I'm spinning every day since I think it's enough right now.
Since it was supposed to snow the next day, John and I ventured into the woods behind our house to get our Christmas tree while it was still dry. For the first time ever, John did all the work at getting it, and we found the best tree we've ever had down by the brook. John chopped it down and then carried it back to the house. We worked together to put it in the stand, and then I decorated it.
I took Phoenix on a walk on the RR tracks in the afternoon. Walking was still an issue so the hip got sore quickly. Only walked 1.5 miles.
Today was the real Day 1 of my new eating habits so I had to go to the store to buy food. And now I see why poor people eat crap over healthy things. My bill was $40 more than usual!! And I'll be honest that it really hasn't been that affordable to continue eating like this. I can't really make a lot of different things because I can't afford all of those ingredients. Soon, though, I hope!
I made our first fire in the woodstove tonight and found Phoenix sitting near it since it was so warm. I joined her for awhile with my wine. Haha.
Week 3, December 2-8, 2019- Obviously zero running miles, but a lot of time on my spin bike. I feel so fit right now, it's crazy. I was able to continue the change in my eating habits fairly easily. Never craved a beer or an ounce of anything sweet. The only thing I would occasionally want was bread. ME LOVE BREAD. Haha. I was amazed at how easily I accepted this, but it's more of being in the right mindset. I needed to do this to get my body and health back so it was more than just a want. But I also wasn't going to skip out on the Fat Alberta release at Throwback Brewery on Sunday. One day a year, and I wasn't missing it, but it was ok to do that. Give myself one day to enjoy some good food and beer. I guess what I've ended up doing is the Keto Diet. I didn't plan that, but after I kept seeing recipes for that in my Google search, I decided to read more about it. I'd heard of it and know people who do it, but I didn't realize it was exactly what my plan was also. I read up that you typically will lose a lot of water weight in the beginning, and I definitely did. 1-2lbs was supposed to be the healthy drop. I started at 123.5lbs the morning after we got back from Texas. I lost 3.5lbs the first week! But my clothes were still snug. So that's how I also knew it was mostly water weight. After the second week, my weight stayed exactly the same on average at 120lbs, but suddenly by Thursday all of my clothes fit again. So nice. And it isn't just about losing the weight. I actually feel so much better. All of that sugar and processed carb crap I was eating were making me feel awful. My body just feels so clean now. And I'm still drinking red wine.
Monday, 12/2- Back to work after a week off. Got myself up early to ride on my bike for 30 minutes. It felt great to do that, and just like in the past, I'm finding it much easier to get up early and ride the bike than get up early and run.
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| Love this. Haha. |
Tuesday 12/3- Did another 45 minute spin workout on the bike followed by upper body and abs and then glutes. Early afternoon, I headed to the nail salon. I know. I know. I said I was done with getting my nails done. They had grown well all summer and fall... and then the cold weather hit. They all went back to breaking and peeling and I found myself chewing on them. Gross. Not going to let that happen so I made the decision to get the acrylics put back on. I was so happy to see them pretty again. I definitely missed having them. It's so me.
I took Phoenix on a walk around Pudding Pond after getting my nails done. She was loving it.
That night I decided to go out to Sea Dog with the girls again for Karaoke. I did NOT sing this time. Haha. It was nice to have Melissa join us especially since Mel invited two other friends and really only hung out with them all night. So it was just Jen, Melissa and me, but it was fun. I made sure I ate beforehand and only had wine, which is more expensive, but I was sticking to my guns. I'm not sure how much more I'll go to this since Tuesdays are tough right in between my 24 hour shifts, and it starts so late. If I do go, I'll really need to stick to one drink and out of there by 9pm. Luckily, I didn't get hit on tonight! Yay.
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| Me, Jen and Melissa |
Wednesday, 12/4- I didn't get up early to get on my spin bike so I got on my work spin bike in the afternoon instead. 25 minutes of hill intervals. I followed that with 20 minutes of glute and leg strengthening that Kim Nedeau had shared with me. Awesome stuff. Once I'm running again, I'll do more of her hamstring workouts, but right now, the spin bike is working them like crazy.
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| Funky sunrise this morning |
Thursday, 12/5- Huge improvement in the hip by today so that I was able to do a full hour workout with zero pain, even with standing. Amazing how much harder I was able to workout by adding standing back in there. Very noticeable average heart rate jump with it. I've been keeping track of my heart rate through every ride. It's the only reason I use my watch for these workouts. Today's average HR was 141bpm.
I went straight into upper body and abs followed by glute work.
Since I had no pain biking, I decided to test out uphill by taking Phoenix on a hike up Peaked Mt. I brought my Leki poles to help me take the pressure off the hip. Unfortunately, the hip ached quite a bit both up and down, so that was a bummer. Not quite ready to be doing a lot of up and down yet.
Friday, 12/6- I reluctantly picked up a 10-hour shift in Tamworth since I really needed the overtime. Luckily, Mike picked up the shift with me. The person who was the last straw for me to move back to the North Conway base only was also working today. I couldn't believe it, but she was totally fine. She didn't bother me at all. Crazy. So it ended up being a good day, even if it did drag. We did one call which I thought was going well, until Mike told me he called our paramedic for an intercept for pain control. I was like, "Say whaaaa?!" I feel like the Tamworth base people have gotten so used to calling for medics that they're calling them unnecessarily now. This was definitely unnecessary. This new dependence on medics is making people doubt their own care as Advanced EMTs. Mike did everything right at his level. The woman was not in enough pain to for pain control, and that was confirmed when the medic arrived... and then left. We didn't need her. She knew it. I knew it. Even the patient (former nurse) knew it. I was a little bummed to see Mike possibly doubting his own skills and competency when he was perfectly fine to complete that call on his own after I was done helping and got in the driver's seat. He did everything right.
By the time I got home, I had no desire to workout so I took a zero bike day and just crawled into my pajamas instead. Haha.
This was on Ernie's desk at work. Ernie hasn't been able to physically do the job for years now, and they finally had to let him go. I love Ernie, but it was time. I even asked him 2 months ago if he could still do the job, and he flat out answered, "No." That doesn't mean this didn't make me sad. I know he struggles financially and will have a hard time making the same wage as here, but it was definitely time.
This was in my Facebook memories today from 7 years ago when we took a road trip to Arizona and Lego Land in California. We got Phoenix on this trip. The photo is in Bryan's favorite place (I'm partial to it still, myself), the Superstition Wilderness outside Phoenix. That's Weaver's Needle in the background. Bryan and I spent a lot of time in these mountains a long time ago. Love it.
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| 2012- Superstition Wilderness |
Saturday, 12/7- Another hour spin workout this morning. Zero hip pain. HR avg for this one was 148bpm! Followed by upper body, abs and glutes. Feeling good. Already noticing the quick decrease in belly fat. Yay.
John's elective at school this semester is outdoor sports. Since he's required to hike, run or ski as part of his "homework", he's all of a sudden happy about getting out on hikes. I'm adding him to my Strava hikes so that he can show his teacher what he's been doing on his own Strava. Today, we opted for a walk up Cathedral Ledge Rd and back with both dogs. The road was snow covered, but we didn't need microspikes at all. Unfortunately, the entire walk was diminished by the aforementioned phone call from Bryan that I mentioned earlier in the post. But we still had a nice walk down. Only 2.3 miles total for the hike.
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| John on the phone with Bryan |
John and I stopped at Frontside for coffee after our hike. I would run into 4 people I know there! It was like social hour. First Andy who works there, then I spent most of the time talking to Joe Viger with whom I haven't caught up with in a few years. I almost didn't recognize Joe since he's become more active and looks really fit. We were talking about spin bikes, and Joe mentioned he'd just started using the Peloton app free trial. I didn't even know they offered this. And now, a week later, I'm thankful he mentioned it because it's all I've been using. I love it! I'm very likely going to keep the subscription after the free trial, and probably stop the Zuzka Light subscription again. While talking to Joe some White Mountain Milers people came in and then as I was leaving, a former co-worker showed up. My weekend would turn out to be far more social than I expected. Makes up for not racing, I suppose.
Sunday, 12/8- Fat Alberta Release Day! Yay! This would be the first time John hasn't come with me. We made a deal that anything under 2 hours away he didn't have to go to. He lucked out and Throwback Brewery was only just over 1.5 hours away. I only planned to go down, get some beer tasters, have brunch and then come home.
I had a sudden cry session this morning when I opened Instagram to find a post from Beth's Instagram. It instantly set me off. Beth loved to post photos of her dog, Jax, with funny captions. And here it was, posted today, but not by Beth, by her husband. He wanted to keep the Jax posts going for Beth. I love it. It made me smile through the tears.
Before I left, I did another hour on the spin bike which felt a lot harder than the day before. I had to work out with slightly less resistance. I guess I need to be better about not doing high intensity hour long workouts on back-to-back days.
I showered, made John breakfast, then headed to Hampton. I know it's a long drive, but this is my 5th year in a row going. It's become a tradition. Fat Alberta is a chocolate, peanut butter stout that's brewed once a year so it's worth the drive. Even though, I was going alone, I knew I'd run into someone I knew there, and sure enough, I walked in to find Rick and Amy Bernard and Charlie Bemis at the bar! Yay for friends! I used to hang out with these guys all the time, but it's been awhile now. As I walked to the bar, I also noticed John Carton sitting at a table. And, although I didn't know it, Mike Radz and Sarah Chapin were there, too, but I missed them. It's that New England running community thing. I know everyone. Not really...but kind of. I do know A LOT of runners in New England. Haha.
I joined Amy, Rick and Charlie at the bar. I was STARVING at this point and it took awhile to order so I had to sit there and stare at my beer for awhile. I did't want to drink too much of it on an empty stomach. I went all out and ordered the Blueberry Cobbler French Toast. One thing about eating healthy all week is that it made this taste so much better. It was literally the best french toast I've ever had. Amy and Rick stayed a little longer then had to leave, but Charlie stayed behind to keep me company (Hi, Charlie!). It was great catching up since I don't think we've had the chance to chat in probably 2+ years. It was almost time to go, when Charlie paid for my entire meal, tasters and 4-pack of Fat Alberta to go! Charlie, you're way too generous, but so nice. Thank you! I didn't expect to have such a great time today. I'm so glad I went.
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| Amy, Rick, Charlie and me |
I basically drove straight home. Only stopping for gas and..............
WE STOPPED AT THE CAR WASH!!!!!!!!!
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| I didn't look at the photos until later and just died laughing when I saw this one. Hahaha |
We were home by 4pm so it was a quick trip. I decided to open one of the Fat Alberta's while it was warm and I could really taste the flavor. I liked it better than last year's version. Every year, I give one person a can/bottle of it. Last year was Beth's turn. I'm so glad I had the chance to give one to her. I continued to eat all sorts of crap that night. Tasted so good, but by the end of the night, I felt SO sick, like I'd just poisoned myself. Do I regret it? Not at all. I don't think I'd sustain this healthy eating if I never ate what I wanted. But wow. What a difference in the way I felt. I couldn't wait to get back to eating better again the next day.
I made another fire tonight and ended up with John and both dogs down on the futon with me. Haha.
So, I know. Long post, but I wanted to catch up...and I'm still a week behind. I'm not sure how I'll write the rest of December. Just depends on how much time I have at work, which will be a lot this week at 72 hours. Hoping this is one of the LAST overtime shifts I have to pick up to survive. If all goes well in the next month, I'll only be picking up overtime shifts because I feel like making some extra money. Crossing my fingers everything works out. I won't believe it until I see it, though. I'm still nervous they could just fire us all. If that happens, I'll probably just wait tables for awhile and work part-time at Conway Ambulance. I'd probably apply at AMR, too. So I have a backup plan at least.
My plan to run Nooseneck isn't looking good right now. A test run yesterday had me turning around at .07 miles. I'm so bummed out to miss it a 2nd year in a row because of injuries. Grr. And the only year I did run it, I was hurting really bad from my injuries. Beginning to think this race just doesn't work out with my injury schedule. Haha.
So running anytime soon looks bleak, but I'm keeping fit on the bike so I have something. I've enjoyed the 2 week running break honestly, but now at 3 weeks, I'm getting antsy to run again. But time will tell. I can't run until this heals.
So overall a fairly positive blog post, I'd say. Even with an injury, I'm doing pretty well. Life is looking up. Hoping to stay on that path. I need that change.
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