Time Crunch = "Speed Work"

So, Tuesday has once again rolled around. After last weeks somewhat disappointing news at the doc's I was hoping for a clean break today. Alas things colluded and my day was sold somewhat short.

My alarm went off early but I lay there feeling blah. No other word for it really. I listened to the radio for a while then dragged my carcass out of bed and got a cup of coffee from the machine I had set to come on for Alison at 530. I turned on the lap top on the kitchen counter and sipped my coffee. It was half light outside. I had planned to take Sam to school and to have my mountain bike on the car and to ride from his school. I realized that I hadn't put the rack on last night and that I would have to drag it out of the garage, put it on the car and check the bike. I found reasons not to do this. Ok plan B. Run instead of cross train. Better idea.

I got Sam up and dressed and had him at school a little early. I had dressed for running so all I had to do was stretch, put on my Garmin and go right. Well, no not really. I couldn't find my woolly hat, my gloves or my Garmin. Ah, you have guessed it. They were all hiding in the mudroom where I had last left them. Grrr.

I finally made it out of the house after a shorter than usual stretching session. Then my Garmin would not lock. It finally did and I was off with MP3 tunes spurring me on. I decided I had enough time for maybe a 2 mile run. Ok I thought, Speed Work. Ha. A Hippo doing speed work, this ought to be good.

Living in the bottom of a funnel, I set off up THE steepest hill and was quickly reduced to fast walking. On I plodded until I reached the circuit road that rings the Valley. From here I started to run at an even pace, nothing fast though. Once on the flat I began to slowly increase my pace. The hard part was the ice on the sidewalks. Although my trusty Asics Trebuco's were on my feet, this was ice that had melted and refrozen over a couple of days. It was pretty slick. I pressed on walking where it was unsafe and running where I could.

I eventually turned into one of the cuts to the open space and followed this all the way through to the stables at the bottom. This path had been scraped but had remained crunchy and footing was good. I eventually turned to the south and entered the big open space. I crossed the dam and made it home without incident. I had just enough time to spare to have a shower before picking up Sam from school.

So kind of a crummy workout BUT my pace was higher than it had been at the Turkey Day race in Highlands Ranch. I am a little unhappy at the way things are going right now.

6 Month Check Up

Today was the day I was to find out if some or any of this stuff I have been doing has had any effect. I had been trying to get to see my PCP (Dr. P) for three days but was unsuccessful in getting an appointment. On the second attempt the receptionist told my why. Dr P is P - as in pregnant! Way to go Dr. P! Today I managed to get in to see her.

I arrived at the appointed time and was soon inside the exam room. The assistant took weight, blood pressure, pulse, temperature and went over my meds most efficiently. My B/P was ok but not as low as it has been, I was a little nervous about this visit. My resting pulse rate was 67, woa. Now that's good for me. 1 for 2 then in my eyes. Dr P entered the room. After exchanging pleasantries (and congratulations) we got down to business. did I get my last set of labs as they had no record of results? I had. I remembered the phlebotomist had dropped a glove when I entered the room and had put it on. I had asked her to change gloves, after she had rewashed her hands. That did not go down well. (I have never understood this. Where I work we ENCOURAGE patients to do this if they feel uncomfortable in any way.I have even stopped minor procedures and scrapped all of the equipment if I felt I had broken a sterile field. All this had been was a blood draw. People take patient safety issues WAY too personally) Any way, the practice has a rapid HbA1C (HgA1C) machine so a finger stick drop of blood was sent to be tested.

The results were a little disappointing. My initial had been 6.7, then 6.3 now 7.3. That equates to an average BGL of 163. Hippo now makes a sad face. At that point in the proceedings I felt I had not done very well at all. I did though wonder what I would have been like if I had NOT done any of the work I have accomplished. What would things have looked like then. Ok, so a small bright spot. Still, not a Happy Hippo.

Dr. P and I discussed the options. I chose to increase my medication regimen and I solemnly promised to be far better at what I was eating. I did venture that eating whatever was around at work on the basis of I am so damn busy running between patient rooms was probably not as valid as I was kidding myself it was. Dr. P agreed and suggested a tighter regimen. She did however volunteer that taking the med change was probably the best course. This is why I like this PCP, she gives you the info but lets you make the decision. Power to the Patients!

So, here I am. Somewhat unhappy yet resolved and determined to carry on. Dr. P was impressed at the progress. She does see some measurable changes such as the resting heart rate and the blood pressure. The message I left with was: keep up the good start. Thanks Dr. P. Good luck in the upcomming weeks.

Like many a race, this event is not a sprint. It's an endurance event. I'll go back in 3 months to see if I have made headway.

Running In An Icebox.

I woke up this morning with Al at Oh-dark-thirty. (The first digit on the alarm was a 5 on a non-work day - ugh). I reminded myself that I was doing this be be selfless and swung my legs from the bed onto the floor. Doggie snores shifted their notes as they turned over to face away from the lights they knew were coming. I walked through to the front of the house. Ah yes, more snow. I dressed and went out to clean the car and to warm it up for my deserving spouse while she got ready for work.

After Al left, I showered & I dressed in three layers of running gear. A base compression layer, a warmer mid and then a windproof upper. I added a fleece top. On went the amazing Gel-Trabuco 12's (with Gore-Tex) and then got Sam up for school. The highway reminded me of Minnesota in the winter. The snow was blowing off of the shoulders and the snow-dust was scudding at a 45 degree angle to the median. Brrrrr, frigid! 7 News website said ti was 7mph from the East at 6 degrees F and with a windchill of -5F! Like I said Minnesota.

After dropping Sam and heading home I went into the house to get my Garmin and to stretch in the relative (wind free) comfort of the house. With the MP3 playing and, ski gloves and a stocking cap on my head, I set off for the open-space and a course I know to be about 3 miles long. My feet were wonderfully comfortable. Warm and happy. The Trabuco's are well 'run in'. I got them from Zappos earlier in the year and I have run on the trails of the valley in them as well as using them on the mountain bike. They are super comfortable. Despite the miles on them (in them?) most have been done on trails so the cleats are still very deep. My face on the other hand was almost instantly frozen. Each breath was harsh. Man, I felt so alive. By the time I had reached the circuit road from the open space I was fizzing and probably beginning to be borderline hypothermic! A deep freeze runners-high.

Turning South was a relief (the wind seemed to be from the North and not the East as Channel 7 said) as finally I was running with the wind. I followed the circuit road on sidewalks that had been cleared probably yesterday. It was like running on a groomed ski slop. The deep frozen, small flake snow scrunched at every step. The trees had a coating of the stuff and around me the snow continued to fall. The air was sharp and crisp but with a muffled quality that falling snow gives the world. The music kept me paced and, although I was not going to break records on such a cold day, I was fairly warm and happy. My feet were particularly happy and if my feet are happy, the rest of me is happy too.

I reached the second stop sign and crossed the road into the South Valley. As I climbed, the wind rose as I cleared the shelter of the houses tot he North. Suddenly my wind proof layer was not as 'proof' as it had been. The wind blew the fabric onto the next layer and my convection heat loss was added to by conduction. About 150 yards into the trail. I turned about and headed North into the teeth of the wind. I crossed the road and was sheltered by the houses. Still cold but better, definitely better.

I meandered through the houses making my way back to the open space to reach home. As I ran up the drive I was relatively warm and very, very happy.