One Year Ago...

this very moment, I was being wheeled into the recovery room. Not that I remember any of it. I don't remember anything until about 4am when I decided I was going to hop out of bed and take a shower. Needless to say, the shower NEVER happened, not until I came home.

I am one year post-op and although this year has screamed by, I am ready to not have any more "hip surgery anniversaries." From one week, to one month, to 6 months, to 11 months, to now, one year. This should be it. As I sit here, I have a bit of a reminder, as I think I always will, with a tiny ache in my quad. For some reason, rain or snow gives me this ache. Sometimes worse, but always manageable with Ibuprofin, and hardly worth mentioning.

In the last year, I have gone through 6 months of physical therapy, ran all sorts of trails that they said I would never be able to run, and finished a marathon. Mentally, I have learned that there is more to life than running, enjoyed hikes with my husband (mental because I would have never thought nor slowed down enough to hike before), and trust that I will not get fat if I don't run 60+ miles a week. I am a much more balanced person: I spend tons of time with my teenage daughters (Happy Birthday Halee!) and my husband, play with my cats, work on house projects, think of creative ways to teach my students, and enjoy watching nature.

I always say that God has a wonderful plan even though it may be hard to see it when you are right in the middle of it. But God definately had a plan for me! And His plan is ALWAYS better than mine, even this time.

Running for Fun

Now that I don't HAVE to run, I am enjoying going out and doing whatever, whenever. It has been 3 weeks since my marathon (is that it?) and I have ran a handful of times. A little over a week ago, I was invited by a mom of one of my daughter's friends, to go do the Incline with the girls and her. So we headed up. It was a hot hot day. The three of them agreed to go halfway and I would go to the top, run down, and meet them for the rest of the trip down. I made it up just fine. On my way down, I got distracted, and tripped on a root (that now I have since gone back to figure out why and it is still hidden pretty well by the dirt). I sat there and attempted to breathe. My left ankle, the same one I sprained about 3 weeks prior to the marathon, was definately hurt. I also cut up my right knee and could see about 20 rocks IN it. Well, when you're on Barr Trail, there is only one choice, you have to go down. I hobbled down and decided that my ankle hurt bad enough to visit the doctor. After xrays, it was just a severe sprain. The nurse had the pleasure, not really, of scrubbing out the rocks while I screamed.

In the meantime, I got a Crossfit membership on Groupon. I have gone once, and it was an easy workout but the muscle soreness crept up on me after. All upper body, which is what I need. I have ran a couple of times, carefully. Since Stephanie is training for the Ascent, I did do a run just beyond Barr Camp this last week, which gave me 13+ hard miles. I don't really have any goals right now, but if I were to say I have a pseudo goal it would be to maintain the distance of 13ish miles. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, oh well. My hip is completely fine and not even a thought anymore. For all of you hipsters, isn't it nice to know that one year post-op, it will really be part of the past? Halee's birthdayis this Friday, and that marks my one-year anniversary!

One more note: Marc and I are going to try, together, to do a blog just for our house. Since I couldn't find many blogs for Arts & Crafts Era homes, I thought it would be fun. So I will be posting our "house" adventures on there. Our Arts Crafts Home Enjoy!

Post-Op Marathon-CHECK!

This may be an entry that surprises many and isn't exactly what some may want to hear. I'm talking to the hipsters out there. One year ago today, I was waiting anxiously to be cleared from my hip stress fracture, still on crutches (after what already seemed like too long), and couldn't run or walk for exercise. July 8th marks the one year anniversary from surgery. As you all know, it was 4 good months post-op that I had to wait to take a "jogging" step. I started working up to "running" from November through January. Then, marathon training began shortly after. I was FORCED to rest and not run for such a long time that I had the post-op goal of running a marathon. I think because I had at least 5 hip patients tell me I wouldn't probably run again, or it just wouldn't be the same. I fought that with everything in me and perservered through the miles, and the long runs.

Something that I didn't focus on: the lack of enjoyment on each long run, and many shorter ones. Something has definately changed. I use to long to go for a run, and my favorite runs each week were the ones over 2 hours. Not so much now. This time around, I dreaded it. Each run came and went and the feelings didn't really change. I hoped that it would.

Marathon Day: Stephanie and I started together. It was hot and hilly, but a beautiful course. Around mile 12, she went ahead. I was perfectly okay with this because my only goal was to enjoy the run. Beginning early, I couldn't wait to get done and actually wanted to quit. I kept thinking, "God, just get me through this...I don't want to get a DNF." (I have never had a DNF.) Getting lost on course (as about 90% of the other runners did as well-reported by race coordinators), didn't help. I couldn't wait to just get this done and over with. I crossed the finishline and as Marc waited to hear, "I'm so disappointed with my time, I need to redeem myself and run another marathon...," he instead heard, "That was my last marathon, I never want to run one again!" My girls, Marc, and Stephanie were a bit surprised.

The day after: I was a tiny bit depressed. I sat in the car on the way home and Marc asked what was wrong. I WANTED to like it. I really wanted the love for it to come back during the race. I hoped I would do the marathon and the passion would come back. It didn't. My back up plan: run half marathons for a while and enjoy running. My only goal is to trail run for enjoyment. 100% fun. I will mountain bike and hike too. I have said that if I ever do a marathon again, it will be in several, several years, if and when the passion comes back around. "I wouldn't have known that I would feel this way unless I tried it!" as stated by my friend Lori. So true.

Marathon Countdown!

I was counting yesterday...the "parts" or rooms of the new house that we have completed. In order of completion: Christian's Room, the Living Room, the Dining Room, Master Bedroom, Halee's Room, Upstairs Hall leading to Downstairs, Sunroom, Half Bath, Master Closet, and Kitchen...which still has a few more days on it. Although the kitchen is still not done, the work remaining will be done by the contractor, thank goodness. The yard has undergone tranformation with several new plants from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo plant sale, and several new bushes (including my first rose bush) to make the back yard just the way we like it, with lots of flowers. All this being said, I haven't had time to write, but I have made time to train for a marathon!

In two days, I will be 11 months post-op from surgery repairing my labrum in my right hip. I find myself reflecting regularly right now, because the weather, smells, and summer activities, keep reminding me how thankful I really am that I can go run up a mountain or simply walk across my backyard. A year ago in June, I had been on crutches since early April and they were a regular part of my routine. I found myself anxious to have surgery and get the recovery process started. I was also unsure of my outcome and how well surgery would really go.

Taking recovery pretty serious was the best thing I did. Getting back into running many months post-op was worth the wait. My body definately has muscle memory and the work-up has not been hard at all. I have completed 4 runs over 20 miles (20, 21, 22, and 24 miles). I do not feel my hip and can say that I am 100% recovered. (I am not as flexible with that leg, but no pain.) I was told by a few that I would probably never run again, and I was told by my PT to not run trails like Barr Trail (the trail leading to Pikes Peak Summit with a huge elevation gain). After running just about every trail in the Colorado Springs area, with many steep ascents and descents, and feeling just fine, I decided to tackle Barr Trail this last weekend. Stephanie, my training buddy and my PT's assistant, has trained with me every step of the way. This will be her first marathon. Since our big race was only one week away, we decided it best to only go to Barr Camp (6 miles up, 6 miles down). It went great, and my hip felt fantastic. All of this training and ultimately, this recovery, means one thing: I am ready to run a marathon!

Too Much to Say

I am going to make a better effort at staying up to date on my blog. I have been incredibly busy with the new house, training for the marathon, and teaching. The new house is amazing. We have officially completed 5 rooms and a major hallway (which included stairs). Today, we scraped off a ton of popcorn (yep, on the ceiling) in the sunroom and kitchen. The kitchen remodel will begin officially in two weeks, but we are doing some major drywall work before the hole gets cut in the wall and the floor tile gets taken out. Simultaneous to the kitchen and sunroom remodel, there is a half bath that is being gutted and redone. That is more my project and the wallpaper came down yesterday. Fun. Here is a photo of our bedroom "before" and "after".



Marathon training is well on its way. I officially have a 22, 24, and 20 mile long run left. I completed my 20 miler yesterday feeling really good. My last 4 weeks have been 15.5, 17, 18, and then 20 milers. I rest this week, build up a bit more, and then taper. Although I have worked hills to death, they still aren't coming as easy as I had hoped by now. They are on my list for this week AGAIN! My long runs are averaging 8:40ish pace. I have normal long run aches, but really nothing from my hip to even bother mentioning. After I complete this marathon (June 11), I will cut back to half marathon distance and mountain biking and try to find some races that are around that. I have really picked up on mountain biking because of all of the trails by my house.

This school year has been the best ever. My colleagues, as well as my students, have been amazing. I feel privileged to say I work with friends. My students are all a great bunch too. I will miss them when it is time to move in just 5 short weeks. I am in the process of "going for" distinguished within my district. This has added a bit of extra work, but mostly I just have to be ready for a team to come observe me at any given moment. I am excited to go through this experience and will hopefully be a better teacher for it.

There is more...

Where Have I Been?

This time of year always becomes filled up with lesson planning, preparing for CSAP, and then administering the "BIG TEST" in just a few short weeks (four to be exact, but who's counting?). I am looking forward to spring break more than ever this year because we are moving at the end of February, and that week will be well spent.
Our New "Old" House!

Summer can't come fast enough. As much as I love spring, and WILL enjoy it, I am ready for summer. For the first time in my Harrison career, I have had not one snow day, but two. Our high temp for yesterday was -5 and the high for today was suppose to be 2, but I only saw 0 in my car. A big warm-up tomorrow, 40+ degrees!

Marathon training has officially began. (All you hipsters will probably be interested to know how I'm doing 7 months post-op...) I am up to 12 miles on a long run. Glad to report that I am running my long runs just about :15 seconds slower than I was prior to surgery. Around a 9 minute pace. I did my first official tempo run this last Monday - torturious like I remember, and I was able to hold a 7:50 for three solid miles (total distance of run was 7 miles) in wind with temps around 7+. I am extremely happy with my speed and where I am at already. I would be thrilled to just stay here. That being said...my strength, especially on hills, just plain ol' stinks. It is not even so-so, it is miserable. My legs turn to jell-o and my breath gets short. So I am embarking on a few "hill" workouts to try and remedy this situation. I did one today and am already feeling hopeful. My workouts look like this: Saturday - long run, Monday - tempo style run (medium distance), and Thursday -intervals (except for now I am working on hills). I will be doing two to three difficult hilly trail runs a month to work on those hills as well. In March, I will add in a minimum of one day of mountain biking (difficult) a week. Right now I am doing spin at least one day a week and lifting two. Overall, I would say I am pretty much back to normal. So happy with my results.

So happy in every day life, our life!

Christmas

We spent Christmas Eve and Day up in the Colorado mountains, skiing! The time as a family was precious, and we all enjoyed every second. It was Halee and Christian's first time to ski, and they both exceeded our expectations. We even caught Santa taking a break!
And on a side note (at this point), my hip did amazing. I just completed my 6 month post-op questionnaire on my daily activities, including running-for me, and scored a perfect 80 out of 80. What a great Christmas!

This Year!

I'm definately saying "good-bye" to this year and welcoming next! I am finally about 99% pain-free. I can still find the pain occasionally and HAVE to use a pillow to prop my leg up at night, but all in all, I feel completely normal. I am running fairly difficult single-track trail runs now. Marc and I enjoyed a 6 miler yesterday with the dogs. My distance continues to stick around that mark, but I WILL do 7 miles before December ends. I have signed up for a series of races that begins at a 10K distance and 4 races later, ends at a 20K distance - adding 2 miles every two weeks. Marc and I reflected this last weekend on this series last year: we ran it with Halee as training for her half-marathon. Her half-marathon was the last big thing I did before deciding to go to the doctor in last March. So in February, I will be up to 12+ miles and ready to begin marathon training right after.

I am better than I thought I would ever be. I run consistently at a 9-9:15 minute pace. I had hoped for below 10:00, but feared 12:00. I have been working on hills on EVERY run. My uphill is slowly improving while there is not much, nor will there ever be, much success on the down. I have been told to be careful, and my natural fear of getting reinjured makes it impossible to go crazy.

I think I am better than my doctor or PT ever thought I would be. I am just over 5 months post-op (Dec. 8) and back to normal. Dr. White will be doing my 6 month post-op over the phone since everything is going well. I can't wait to tell him how great things are going.

I am looking forward to a fun-filled, relaxing, adventurous 2011!

Crazy Hard

This title is two-fold: I have been working "crazy hard" and when I run, the cardio part is, yes, "crazy hard." I'll start with work. We are getting ready for our mid-year assessment this week. I spent all of thanksgiving break planning a huge review of what the students have learned this year, including many aspects of the test. It is like a mini-CSAP, but just for our district. Since my district is "pay-for-performance," my pay is partly based on these tests, as well as a whole lotta more stuff. Either way, I always promise my students that they will be ready for the test if we all work hard. It gives them comfort to at least know we all are doing our best.

Running. I have been running fairly regularly. My long run yesterday: 6.2 miles (10K-coincidentally). I added in hills last weekend and am slowly adding in distance. I will work up to 7 or 8 through December, with a bunch more hills. Strength is not my specialty, so I figure some hills will help me out. I am lifting and doing spin to work on getting stronger all over. Cardio is my number one struggle. My legs feel like they can go, fairly pain-free although I will admit, I can still feel the injury every day. But my breathing is out of control. I have only ran with others, not alone, but the talking during a run is almost impossible the first mile. On easy hills (for Colorado - or normal hills for everyone else), I am fairly consistent at a 9:15 pace. My hopes: to add miles and difficulty and attempt to maintain somewhere around that pace. I will be thrilled if I run a 9 min pace regularly for several years. It is not where I WAS, but it is reasonable. I am still planning on running the Turkey Track Marathon in Pagosa Springs this June, and that goal is feeling more and more achievable. Just two weeks ago, the thought of a marathon was a tiny bit overwhelming. Building my mileage and difficulty, is building my confidence. Most of all, it's just nice to be able to go for a run on a beautiful Colorado day.

My First Race...Kind Of.

Lots to share. I have been running, kind of, again since the beginning of November, so really only about 3 weeks. With getting back into the swing of things, in that aspect, it has been hard to run more than two times per week. The first few times, were tough. I walked 9 minutes, ran 2, and so on. The next time, ran 3 minutes, and then walked for 8. This process continued for about 4 runs when I started to pay a little attention to my running pace. I can hear you all now, "Why would you even care yet?" or "Are you crazy, just relax, at least you CAN run." However, as I realized this weekend, pace will always matter no matter how much I don't want it to. Last week I got my walk breaks down to 4 minutes, running for 7 minutes in anticipation of my Turkey Trot Predict this last weekend. Left in charge of predicting my finish time, I started talking myself into a 33 minute 5K. (I should say that in my past life, I could run a 5K in about 21 minutes.) Through the process (the week), it went down to a 30 minute 5K. By the time we, Marc and I, started the race, I officially predicted 29:45, in hopes of breaking 30 minutes.

Being a predict, I couldn't wear a watch and decided to take walk breaks at the 2 mile and 3 mile point. With no mile markers, this quickly changed to at the water stops - there ended up being only one. I walked for about 20 seconds. With about a half of a mile to go, and after staring at the back of two girl's heads the entire race, I decided that I needed to pass them. So in my new fashion, probably about an 8 min per mile pace, I kicked it in and passed them. I finished the race and said, "Well, I won't know if I overdid it until Monday." It's Monday, and I feel great. And my finishing time...drumroll...28:06. (9:04 pace)Not too bad. As we walked to the car Marc said, "You will never be able to run just for fun." I quickly pointed out that my pace was 2 min per mile slower than before, and that may be what it is for a while, but it is all good. At least I can run again.

I Wish Every Weekend was a Three Day!

Where do I start? Life has been super crazy with work. I have a lot of meetings, which I hate, and a lot of fun with my students, which I love. I tell them everyday, "You are the best class I have ever had, and you are definitely the smartest!" That is until next year's class, and then they will impress me too. My mom and dad have been in two times a week, for the entire morning, to help with anything I need. My dad usually catches me up on grading papers while my mom does small groups with students. Having two retired teachers as parents couldn't be any better when it comes to stuff like this. They help me kick start my class in fall, every year. It is the time of year that I see the most growth, probably because there are three teachers in the classroom for two days per week during this time. Love my class, and love having my mom and dad there to help.

Marc and I have been busy doing home maintenance in anticipation of our new carpet coming this week. Yippee. Our house is all set. We fixed some doors, refinished the hardwood entry, and cleaned up some clutter. We have also been enjoying some free-time with my parents. Yesterday, we went 4-wheeling and had a blast. The girls went too and Christian enjoyed her new hobby, photography! (Halee has always carried the camera, but Christian is trying it out.) We might even go again next weekend.
I also had my 3 month post-op visit today. I had the day off, and Marc took the day. My parents, Marc, and I headed up to Denver all together. (We met my grandma after the visit for lunch.) Everything on the xray is perfect. I have had two "flare-ups" from trying new things: mountain biking and walking 2 miles. Dr. White wasn't happy about the mountain biking, but when he realized I hadn't meant to, nor done it since, he was okay and advised me to wait one more month until I started the walk to run program. He reassured me that I would be back to where I want to be, but I need to be patient, which I will. For now, I continue with PT once a week until 6 months post-op.

So all in all, life is perfect! I love my family, my friends, and my job...and recovery is going pretty good too! Except I wish every weekend was a three day.

Bursitis and Some Treatment

The pain didn't lighten today and moved upward and out. I told Cameron of my desperate situation the second I walked into PT. After some examing, he could put his finger right on the intense pain, and used a bunch of big words with acute bursitis at the end. I received a treatment (that basically put the medicine straight into my hip with ultrasound) and then he worked it my hip a bit. We did a few stretches and sent me home. After some discussion about my weekend activities, we decided it was the mountain bike ride I did where I ascended quite a bit. Spinning class keeps you pretty stable, even if you get up and down. When you are on a real trail, you use your hips to stabilize yourself. He said I wouldn't have known I wasn't ready, if I hadn't tried. I will have to wait a few more weeks before I try again. It was fun while it lasted.

Yikes!

My favorite thing to say to my students when they do something they shouldn't...and it's usually fairly high pitched and catches them off-guard, kind of like the sleepless night I had last night, and the beastly pain that hit me yesterday! I have been rating on as a 9. I would read blogs and think, "How could people be in so much pain post-op?" Well, now I know. Not really, I don't have an answer because I haven't gone to physical therapy this week, but know the pain. I hurt all through the night and even laying there completely still, I was in so much pain that I wanted to cry. It begins above my knee, to the right side of my leg, all the way up, to the outside of my hip-right below my bone. I had Marc rub it out with lotion last night, like the PT did last time it was "kind of" like this, and 10 minutes later, it was back full force. I awoke this morning to find myself standing in the shower in total frustration. It was excruciating first thing. I went to school, had a tough morning trying to deal with it, and it fluxuated between a 9 and 6, at best. My hope: physical therapy is tomorrow and Cameron will fix it. I hope. My first question for him will be, "How can I take care of this on my own, at home, if it happens?" I have also made my 3 month post-op appointment for October 11, and will ask Dr. White about the possibilities. feeling a little desperate at the moment. I know it'll all be okay, but in the meantime, I am looking forward to another night...in pain! Yikes!

It's Still There!

My hip recovery has been amazing. I completed my first real spin class today. The full hour, with resistance and standing with the sitting. Thank goodness. I was getting tired of sitting. I looked into a cycling race, but the season has proven to be my biggest challenge, and that is probably a good thing. I will have to wait to tackle all of my post-op dreams until after winter, and that was the original plan anyways. I go down to one visit of PT per week this coming week, so I will start to hit Villa more on my own. I was warned by Dr. White that between month two and month three post-op would be my most difficult time. Not as far as pain, but feeling great and wanting to get back out and start challenging myself. Interesting, that man is always right. Cameron has been great, allowing me to push as much as he feels safe, which is a fine line. I am now doing one legged squats 5 times a week (3 sets of 10 on each side), plank for 1 minute with both legs, then I toe tap-holding myself up on my good hip. Now comes the hard part, I am trying to toe tap with my not-so-good hip holding me up, I did 8 today, which is more than I've ever done. I was at 3 midweek. I do bridges with a big ball, rolling it back and forth. I "jumped" and "jogged" laying down on the reformer. Jumping was a success, but I won't lie, jogging left me in a ton of pain that I still feel 48 hours later. Pain is kind of something to take note of these days because I am rarely in any. I am still slightly uncomfortable in bed: I can't lay on that side still, and my right leg has to stay straight when I lay on my stomach when I'd prefer to bend it up. If things keep going on this path, the surgery was definitely a success.

My heart (and mind) has started to set some plans for next year. I am going to do a trail marathon in Pagosa Springs in June. I might do a 50k close to home in summer as well, and would also like to pace some friends that are planning some 100s. 100 milers that is. Pacing could get me back into ultra running without having to run the full ultra. It is slow, relaxed running or even hiking, and it makes me super excited to think about doing that. I would also love to conquer a 100 mile bike ride which will be thrown in around my other adventures. The great thing, Marc is on board to do a lot of it with me. (He will have to do a mountain bike ride, while I find a road race.) Pretty soon, I will be 100% and I am ready when I am!

2 Months Post-Op

I made it through the weekend of races...barely! Struggling with pain since Sunday, only because I was doing way too much, I finally made it back to PT today. The weekend, and the week leading up to the ADT proved to be a lot of work, physically and mentally. I tried to take it easy, but it was more than I had been doing in a while. Catching up on sleep, a little each night, since the race has been top priority. Today, I was ready for Cameron to "shake" it out and loosen up all of the tension that had been forming the past several days. After a few exercises and some time on the bike, he did his magic. I asked about being able to walk or ride my bike regularly and he said that I could ride for 20 minutes on a flat area (mountain bike so I am sitting up) and walk for an hour on a flat, soft surface. I will start riding or walking with the dogs, beginning tomorrow...on my day off! Yep, I'm taking a day off.

I Can't Believe I'm Actually Blogging

There was a time, just a few weeks ago, that I didn't miss a day. Now I am back at work, deep, deep into work. This year has taken off and gone every which way but straight. I have paperwork and more paperwork. Throw in a ton of expectations from a superintendant that pays us according to our "performance" (you guessed it-student performance), and what's leftover is a few minutes left to teach. I stay late, and many times the students stay with me. Don't feel too bad, they love every minute of it. It is better than the alternative.

And in my spare time, what is that again? I am down to the last week before the marathon. No, I'm not running. The American Discovery Trail Marathon and Half Marathon, which I direct and Marc so graciously helps me out with. We rode the course this weekend and it ended up being 3.5 hours on about 13 miles, maybe more. It was back and forth, and back and forth, marking the half and full course of the last 9 miles of the race. I only limped for about 2 hours after and pretty much rested the remainder of the evening. Woke up fresh-pretty much pain free-for another day of volunteer work. We ran more errands, and finally made it to the pool by 3pm where I sat on my phone, answering emails. I woke up this morning, exhausted, knowing that this week, it only gets better! The race committee is about 20 people strong. I have been receiving emails all day from various members, "Can you be sure I have this on race day?" or "Can you make sure...?" So I attempt to please, but am sure I am pretty unsuccessful, because those emails come in between the runners that want to know exactly what color of socks they should wear on race day...or they wonder when I am going to update the website for the 2011 event? I am going to think out loud for just a moment, "If, yes IF, I make it through this year's races, I will be sure to get the webite update about, oh, 3 months after...or so...maybe." Needless to say, I am tired. I am worn out. I am ready for Christmas break?

A Big Itch

I have started to get this crazy itch. No matter what I do it just won't go away. I can do mini squats. I can ride the stationary bike for a while. I can throw an 11lb ball into a trampoline-catch it, with one leg in front of the other on a foam pad. Nothing will get rid of this crazy itch. This itch, a nice relaxing ride on a very well-groomed, flat trail! All on my mountain bike so it would be comfortable of course.

I went to PT on Thursday, sat on the stationary bike, and began to spin. I told Cameron that I was starting to get this huge desire to bike, casually. I don't want to go crazy. I haven't had any pain in over a week, unless it is forced. I can bring my knee up to my chin, or try to lay on my hip, and it will hurt. But, come on, when do we really bring our knee up to our chin? So pretty much pain free. Back to me spinning. Cameron asked about my pain and I said I didn't have any. I did a ton of exercises, and he finished up with some one-legged squats, almost all the way down to the ground. (Started with two, and moved to one.) I had to do three sets of 10 on each leg, and by the end, my puny little right quad was saying, "Hello World, here I am!"

He was testing my pain. I passed for a casual, easy, Sunday ride. Since Marc is working on the course for ADTM right now, it means I can ride with him as he paints the mile markers. I started tonight with 30 minutes at about a 7 minute per mile pace, and it was fantastic. I kept admiring the trail. The flowers. Everything that I have been missing out on lately. It was heaven.

It probably won't be a regular activity yet, as Cameron said it was okay to do a test ride, and then a ride this weekend. I am sure it will stay limited for a while, but limited these days feels limitless!

Gasp! Gasp!

I'm trying to catch my breath. Going back to work is only a tiny part contributing to me feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. The biggest part, ADT Marathon. We are in the final countdown. Next week will be total chaos and then race day on Labor Day will actually be a relief. I'm glad it's almost here.

On to what I actually sat down to write about: my doctor's appointment yesterday. Quick. He didn't have too much to say, EXCEPT, everything is PERFECT! His word, "Smooth!" He let me know that Cameron is doing a good job. I couldn't agree more. I am thrilled with my surgery and my recovery. I am down to feeling pain about 10% of the day and that is when I am "testing" out my limits. I am still following directions very closely, but can now add strength in. All is good and on track. Now back to marathon planning.

Almost Normal

I love my weekends!
I get caught up on life. Being back to work always proves to be such a challenge. Keeping up on laundry, housework, and yardwork becomes such a task between early mornings at school, late nights at meetings, and physical therapy still twice a week. By Friday I am wiped out and ready for Saturday morning to come jsut to catch up a bit. This weekend was extra great because I was actually able to perform most of my "normal" tasks. I vacuumed. I weeded. So for everyone wondering how long the honeymoon lasts, about 6 weeks. I am one of those people that loves to vacuum everyday, yes everyday, so being able to do it again is heavenly. I won't be back to doing it that often, but probably twice a week. Weeding will be kept to once every two weeks and I will still enlist in the help of the family. At the end of the day, I just feel a little sore. I decided to throw in grocery shopping. I know, now you hip patients are probably yelling at me. Marc went back for things we forgot, and I limited my walking as much as possible. He pushed the cart 100%.

Tonight we are relaxing with a great dinner! Marc grilled zuchini from the garden, burgers for the girls and him, and a veggie burger for me. Christian and I baked a lemon cake together.

Not Much, But a Whole Lot

I am so busy with life that I really don't have much to say. I think some big changes are coming. I am healing great and I have my 6 week check-up on Monday! I will write with an update. Other than that, just takin' one day at a time.