To Begin With...
Hello there - welcome to Friday! The best of all days is upon us!!
Forgive me for being so absent. It's been a busy month with friends visiting, grad school starting (3 classes AGAIN this semester - I'm a jerk to myself), and other hullabaloo and I'm afraid that when my little life becomes oversaturated with tasks and demands, my fun little side projects are the first to fall off. I've been writing this post in my head for some time now, though. There is an internal game of ping-pong that goes on in my noggin on a daily basis and I figured I'd share it with you.
How It Began
A month or so ago (maybe more, I don't remember) I decided that losing weight this year was not nearly as easy as it was last year with Billy on deployment. This should come as no shock to anyone. When he's home, there's more dining out, ordering in, and for that matter more cooking (he frowns on popcorn and wine for dinner for some reason). It's also harder to make time to run, even during this whole training situation. Running around 2 schedules is trickier than just worrying abuot me, you understand. Whatever. So I went to the gym and got a personal trainer. During my "in" assessment, she pretty much looked at me and was like "why are you here?" to which I said "I want to lose 15-20 lbs and not have so much jiggle". She went through the assessment and showed me the print out (I can't find my copy - I'll scan it in when I can find it) and told me that I was silly. I was pretty much maxed out on cardiovascular wellness, heart rate lowness, bicep strength, body fat percentage (17%, for the record - that's really good) etc. She looked at me and said "People come to me to get to be like you. But if you want, you can come once a week".
And so I did. For about 4 weeks. During those sessions when she was having me row on that silly row machine or do circuit training or whatever it was, she'd always say "I've never seen anyone do this good this consistently" or "You're the first person I've trained here that finishes a workout stronger than they start". You'd think this would make me stoked - but it didn't. I stopped going because I didn't really think it was doing much for me that I couldn't do myself.
Besides, I wasn't going to a trainer for affirmation, I wanted to LOSE WEIGHT and it wasn't (isn't) happening!! I didn't need her to tell me how much I didn't need to be there - I needed her to tell me what a chunk I was so that I'd run faster/push harder/go longer.
The Conundrum
And all of that leads me to this problem: The reason (I think, anyway) that I can't lose weight is that one half of my brain is like that trainer lady telling me that I don't need to, and so I don't.
I know how to lose weight. I spent 6 months last year chronicalling my desire to dominate the scale and get thinner and solid-er before Billy came back from deployment. If calories in < calories out, weight loss will occur. Create a 500 calorie deficit every day, and you'll lose 1 lb a week. It's simple math. I get it. I've been doing this for a loooooonnnnngggg time.
Where I go astray is when the other side of my brain pipes up. The one that says, "Ash, you are fine the way you are. Other chicks would kill to look like you. You are healthy and you don't count calories and you drink wine and eat carbs and people like you for that. So go ahead, have another slice of pizza and sleep through your alarm when it wakes you up to run tomorrow!" All of that sounds well and good, right? Sounds like a normal, healthy frame of mind. But when I put on jeans that I bought last year that used to be "fat day" jeans and now even they are too tight, or I want to cry when I see pictures of me in a bathing suit and I really WANT to lose 15 lbs again, it doesn't help.
In Conclusion
Please, please, PLEASE don't think this is one of those "oh, I'm so unahppy with myself, everyone please write a lot of comments about how great I look so I can get some kind of validation" posts. That's NOT what I intended this to be, and I hope it didn't come across that way. What I'm trying to convey is this weird flip-flopping that goes on in my head DAILY (I can see Billy's eyes rolling right now and he's saying "Man, I'm glad I'm not a girl.")
Side one: I want to lose weight and be uber fit and healthy and motivated.
Side two: I don't want to worry about having a second brownie because I do alright for myself as it is.
I can't be the only woman (or person, for that matter - no need to rule out man imagee issues) that goes through this, can I? It is indeed a conundrum.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Creature of Habit
Happy Labor Day!!! (Redux)*
If you missed it last week, I'm a creature of habit. Day in, day out, I like the same things and people, same cocktails and locations. I have always thought that my time is very valuable (can't get it back, you know?) and so I tend to spend the spare time that I do have engaged in past times that I find particulary enjoyable. These are generally: beaching, surfing, reading, running, rum-ing, and...being? (not sure if that one counts, because it's not really a past time. Meh. My blog. I call the shots.) The point of this? Well, I went back and read my Labor Day blog from last year.
Now, I don't remember exactly what I did last Labor Day weekend, but I am pretty sure that it was almost exactly like this one. Billy is here this year, so natch, I had a lot more company this year BUT...it was almost exactly the same one year later. Am I'm boring and predictable? Probably. I like to view it more like "at the relatively young and buoyant age of 27, she already had cultivated her tastes so acutely that there was little room for refinement." Yes, that sounds better.
Since this is a blog about my running, it should be noted, most importantly, that I ran the same race last year that I did this year. Go fig...
The Race (Redux)
Almost exactly 1 min/mile slower than last year. And I'm not even mad about it. Billy and I had such a good time on Sunday morning. We ran with our dear friend and fellow runner, Kale, and 20K went by relatively quickly. The 3 of us crossed the finish line at the same time (right around 1:51) and in that nearly 2 hours developed quite the commoradarie.
I was going to break down where we finished overall, in our age groups and blah blah blah...but if you want to figure that out, you can just go here. I don't much feel like it right now. Most notable, however, was that Billy finished 26th in his age group. Do you remember the last race when he finished 262 overall?! HELLO!!! It's a sign! Marathons are 26.2 miles!! Get it?! I love this crap.
Also worth noting? Those of you who have been following me recall my feet looking like this, or this or this. Naturally, you will all be very disappointed to discover that nary a blister was procured on my precious tootsies during the race yesterday. Do not dismay, however! Billy Haas has officially entered runnerdom! Behold:
Billy earned his VERY FIRST blood blister! Congratulations, my love! He looked at me yesterday with concern in his eyes, waving his foot in my face and sputtered, "But I NEVER get blisters! EVER!!!" It took everything I had in me not to snarkily reply "Yeah, well you never ran before either, did you?" But I didn't. Because I'm just so darn proud of him and his little toe blister! Our longest run before the race - and therefore Billy's longest run ever - was 11 miles. When we hit the 11 mile mark yesterday and still had 1 1/2 miles to go, he turned and gave me and Kale high-fives. Every new distance is a new milestone for him and that's pretty cool. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: he's the driving force behind all the races, goals, blisters, and miles. I'm just along for the ride on this one.
Cheers!
And on that note I shall say "Happy Labor Day!" again, and get back to the business at hand, which is the same as the business last year at this time, and will inevitably next year as well: beaching, wine-ing, Jimmy Buffett-ing and grilling. Why mess with a good thing?!
*I am pretty drunk being as it is almost the end of Labor Day and I'm Ashleigh. Forgive the writing and any typos - I'm not proofreading.
(Ed Note: While writing this, Billy came up to me and was all "LOOK BABE!!! I have a blister on a toe on my other foot too! CRAZY huh?!" Yes, dear. Totally weird.)
If you missed it last week, I'm a creature of habit. Day in, day out, I like the same things and people, same cocktails and locations. I have always thought that my time is very valuable (can't get it back, you know?) and so I tend to spend the spare time that I do have engaged in past times that I find particulary enjoyable. These are generally: beaching, surfing, reading, running, rum-ing, and...being? (not sure if that one counts, because it's not really a past time. Meh. My blog. I call the shots.) The point of this? Well, I went back and read my Labor Day blog from last year.
Now, I don't remember exactly what I did last Labor Day weekend, but I am pretty sure that it was almost exactly like this one. Billy is here this year, so natch, I had a lot more company this year BUT...it was almost exactly the same one year later. Am I'm boring and predictable? Probably. I like to view it more like "at the relatively young and buoyant age of 27, she already had cultivated her tastes so acutely that there was little room for refinement." Yes, that sounds better.
Since this is a blog about my running, it should be noted, most importantly, that I ran the same race last year that I did this year. Go fig...
The Race (Redux)
Almost exactly 1 min/mile slower than last year. And I'm not even mad about it. Billy and I had such a good time on Sunday morning. We ran with our dear friend and fellow runner, Kale, and 20K went by relatively quickly. The 3 of us crossed the finish line at the same time (right around 1:51) and in that nearly 2 hours developed quite the commoradarie.
I was going to break down where we finished overall, in our age groups and blah blah blah...but if you want to figure that out, you can just go here. I don't much feel like it right now. Most notable, however, was that Billy finished 26th in his age group. Do you remember the last race when he finished 262 overall?! HELLO!!! It's a sign! Marathons are 26.2 miles!! Get it?! I love this crap.
Also worth noting? Those of you who have been following me recall my feet looking like this, or this or this. Naturally, you will all be very disappointed to discover that nary a blister was procured on my precious tootsies during the race yesterday. Do not dismay, however! Billy Haas has officially entered runnerdom! Behold:
Billy earned his VERY FIRST blood blister! Congratulations, my love! He looked at me yesterday with concern in his eyes, waving his foot in my face and sputtered, "But I NEVER get blisters! EVER!!!" It took everything I had in me not to snarkily reply "Yeah, well you never ran before either, did you?" But I didn't. Because I'm just so darn proud of him and his little toe blister! Our longest run before the race - and therefore Billy's longest run ever - was 11 miles. When we hit the 11 mile mark yesterday and still had 1 1/2 miles to go, he turned and gave me and Kale high-fives. Every new distance is a new milestone for him and that's pretty cool. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: he's the driving force behind all the races, goals, blisters, and miles. I'm just along for the ride on this one.
Cheers!
And on that note I shall say "Happy Labor Day!" again, and get back to the business at hand, which is the same as the business last year at this time, and will inevitably next year as well: beaching, wine-ing, Jimmy Buffett-ing and grilling. Why mess with a good thing?!
*I am pretty drunk being as it is almost the end of Labor Day and I'm Ashleigh. Forgive the writing and any typos - I'm not proofreading.
(Ed Note: While writing this, Billy came up to me and was all "LOOK BABE!!! I have a blister on a toe on my other foot too! CRAZY huh?!" Yes, dear. Totally weird.)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Last Year/This Year
Last Year
August 29, 2010, I wrote This
I was up to 15 miles.
I only ran long runs on Sunday Mornings.
I did track workouts.
And "hill days".
I was motivated to lose weight.
I did the majority of my runs solo.
I whined about running (a lot).
I was a computer tech.
I got chub rub.
I drank wine.
I went to the beach.
{EstrogenFest 2010}
This Year
I ran 11 miles on a Sunday night (yesterday). It's the longest I've run thus far in training '11.
I've done 1 track workout.
And no "hill days".
I'm up in the air about losing weight. At this point, I view it as a pleasant bi-proudct of training.
I do (just about) all my runs with Billy.
I don't whine about running.
(Because compared to last year, I don't do much of it!)
I'm not a computer tech anymore (praise Jesus! he knows I wasn't very good at it).
I get chub rub.
I drink wine.
I go to the beach.
{My dear MuM doing what she does best
August 29, 2010, I wrote This
I was up to 15 miles.
I only ran long runs on Sunday Mornings.
I did track workouts.
And "hill days".
I was motivated to lose weight.
I did the majority of my runs solo.
I whined about running (a lot).
I was a computer tech.
I got chub rub.
I drank wine.
I went to the beach.
{EstrogenFest 2010}
This Year
I ran 11 miles on a Sunday night (yesterday). It's the longest I've run thus far in training '11.
I've done 1 track workout.
And no "hill days".
I'm up in the air about losing weight. At this point, I view it as a pleasant bi-proudct of training.
I do (just about) all my runs with Billy.
I don't whine about running.
(Because compared to last year, I don't do much of it!)
I'm not a computer tech anymore (praise Jesus! he knows I wasn't very good at it).
I get chub rub.
I drink wine.
I go to the beach.
{My dear MuM doing what she does best
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
GLORY!!!
Racing is FUN!
Billy and I ran the first in a series of races leading up to the Marathon. I ran it last year. You can read about that here. If you don't feel like it, I'm going to go ahead and summarize the results, so don't worry. Most importantly (and I'm not just saying this because I ran 4 minutes slower than last year) is that this race was frickin' FUN. Like, "Ooooohhhhhh, so THAT'S why I woke up at 4 a.m. on a Sunday" fun.
It was fantastic to have a race buddy too. Billy and I ran together for the whole time, except for the last 50 yards or so when his long legs bettered my chubby gams. No matter, though. For 15 glorious kilometers (9.32 miles) there we were side by side, occasionally making fun of people (need to work on the snark factor)offering encouragement, checking up on each other now and again - in lovey marital running bliss. Sigh. Swoon! Vomit ;)
I knew going into it that I wouldn't be as fast as I was last year at this time. Last year around now my training was on a whole different level. Our goal was to just run 9 minute miles or faster - and we definitely did that. Setting realistic goals is important, and we were both very pleased with the way the race went. Also, because it went so well, it was not only a HUGE motivator to kick up our training, but also gave us a nice snapshot of where we are at. The outlook is sunny!
Just for fun, here's my stats from last year compared to this year:
Last Year
Time: 1:17:38
Finished: 203 out of 784 overall
Age Group: 11 out of 63
This Year
Time: 1:21:55
Finished: 267 out of 789 overall
Age Group: I was 6th in my age group, but I don't know how many of us "25-29F"s there were.
Av. mile split: 8:47
Billy
(It should be noted that this is the longest Billy has ever run in his life. He figures this means that everything is a PR)
Time: 1:21: 47
Finished: 262/789 (do you REALIZE the EPICNESS of this?! His first race in the Marathon Readiness series and he finished 262?! A marathon is 26.2 miles! HELLO!)
Age Group: 23
Av. Mile Split: 8:47
The More Things Change
So maybe last year at this time I was running faster than I am now. And last year I was on my own instead of with Billy. But, we all know that the more things change, the more they stay the same and alllll the lessons I learned last year about slathering feet with vaseline and wearing microfiber socks could not keep my battle wounds away:
Lovely blood blister, no? Didn't you all MISS the nasty pictures of my feet?!
Hope you enjoy ; )
xo
Billy and I ran the first in a series of races leading up to the Marathon. I ran it last year. You can read about that here. If you don't feel like it, I'm going to go ahead and summarize the results, so don't worry. Most importantly (and I'm not just saying this because I ran 4 minutes slower than last year) is that this race was frickin' FUN. Like, "Ooooohhhhhh, so THAT'S why I woke up at 4 a.m. on a Sunday" fun.
It was fantastic to have a race buddy too. Billy and I ran together for the whole time, except for the last 50 yards or so when his long legs bettered my chubby gams. No matter, though. For 15 glorious kilometers (9.32 miles) there we were side by side, occasionally making fun of people (need to work on the snark factor)offering encouragement, checking up on each other now and again - in lovey marital running bliss. Sigh. Swoon! Vomit ;)
I knew going into it that I wouldn't be as fast as I was last year at this time. Last year around now my training was on a whole different level. Our goal was to just run 9 minute miles or faster - and we definitely did that. Setting realistic goals is important, and we were both very pleased with the way the race went. Also, because it went so well, it was not only a HUGE motivator to kick up our training, but also gave us a nice snapshot of where we are at. The outlook is sunny!
Just for fun, here's my stats from last year compared to this year:
Last Year
Time: 1:17:38
Finished: 203 out of 784 overall
Age Group: 11 out of 63
This Year
Time: 1:21:55
Finished: 267 out of 789 overall
Age Group: I was 6th in my age group, but I don't know how many of us "25-29F"s there were.
Av. mile split: 8:47
Billy
(It should be noted that this is the longest Billy has ever run in his life. He figures this means that everything is a PR)
Time: 1:21: 47
Finished: 262/789 (do you REALIZE the EPICNESS of this?! His first race in the Marathon Readiness series and he finished 262?! A marathon is 26.2 miles! HELLO!)
Age Group: 23
Av. Mile Split: 8:47
The More Things Change
So maybe last year at this time I was running faster than I am now. And last year I was on my own instead of with Billy. But, we all know that the more things change, the more they stay the same and alllll the lessons I learned last year about slathering feet with vaseline and wearing microfiber socks could not keep my battle wounds away:
Lovely blood blister, no? Didn't you all MISS the nasty pictures of my feet?!
Hope you enjoy ; )
xo
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Bend With It
Flexibility In Life
Is important. Things change. Shit happens. Pleasant surprises come along. Life tends to be dynamic - and it's important to just roll with it rather than snap, no?
I find myself thinking a lot about flexibility of late. Some of you know that last week I was fraught with anxiety over a decision about jobs. "WHAT DO I DO?!?" I asked about a million times a day to anyone who I came in contact with whose opinion mattered to me. The dilemma was this: the job I have right now allows me to be extremely - you guessed it - flexible, the new job didn't come with that option. Currently, I work between two offices, so no one really knows where I am at any given time, and I can do a lot of my work from my home as long as I have my work computer(s) and my cell phone(s). I thoroughly enjoy leisurly lunches, impromptu customer meetings, site surveys, and the rest because my days aren't STRUCTURED or RIGID or TIGHTly packed with a set daily schedule. Yes, in life, I prefer flexibilty.
(and, for the record - although I accepted the other job offer against my better judgement, it ended up working out since my boss gave me a raise to stay. BOOM!)
Flexibility of Body
Now here, I have an entirely different outlook. I'm about as flexible as the wood chair I'm perched upon to write this. My muscles are tight - especially in my legs and lower back and stretching HURTS (!!!) so I generally don't do it.
Did I talk about this last year? I may have, I don't recall. Regardless, it warrants coming back to because I am trying, TRYING so very hard these days to improve my flexibility. Ok, that's a lie. I suppose I'm not really trying. But I WANT to be trying! And I WANT to be as flexible in my quads as I am in my job!!! And look all elegant and graceful and be able to do things like this:
And wanting all of that is very fine and dandy, but it's not going to make my lower back/hip woes disappear and wanting sure isn't going to make me all bendy like I want to be.
Being Flexible With the Life of My Body (or something like that)
So, in what is the most valiant attempt I've ever made towards furthering my flexibility (did you know flexibility as actually a measure of fitness?! true story. who knew?) I have started going to yoga classes. Pilates, too. Sometimes, I have even been stretching out before and after my runs! This may not seem like much, but to me it is HUGE because I've never seen my self as a mantra-chanting, birkenstock-wearing, healing-crystal wearing, "OM"ing kinda gal. I haven't seen much improvement yet, but it has to be helping right? I mean, the only way to get mo' flexible is to strech mo'. There's definitely a lot of stretching going on in yoga and pilates.
I'll try to keep you updated on the progress of my flexibility - in all facets of my being. The goal is to be able to put my palms on the floor and to eventually be so flexible and strong that I look like this:
Or this:
Or this:
(but without the ballet shoes, because we all know those dreams were thwarted long, long ago. And dancer's aren't allowed to have fat ankles) ;)
An afterthought
If any of you lovelies out there have any tips for improving my body's ability to bend, please, pass it along this way!!
Is important. Things change. Shit happens. Pleasant surprises come along. Life tends to be dynamic - and it's important to just roll with it rather than snap, no?
I find myself thinking a lot about flexibility of late. Some of you know that last week I was fraught with anxiety over a decision about jobs. "WHAT DO I DO?!?" I asked about a million times a day to anyone who I came in contact with whose opinion mattered to me. The dilemma was this: the job I have right now allows me to be extremely - you guessed it - flexible, the new job didn't come with that option. Currently, I work between two offices, so no one really knows where I am at any given time, and I can do a lot of my work from my home as long as I have my work computer(s) and my cell phone(s). I thoroughly enjoy leisurly lunches, impromptu customer meetings, site surveys, and the rest because my days aren't STRUCTURED or RIGID or TIGHTly packed with a set daily schedule. Yes, in life, I prefer flexibilty.
(and, for the record - although I accepted the other job offer against my better judgement, it ended up working out since my boss gave me a raise to stay. BOOM!)
Flexibility of Body
Now here, I have an entirely different outlook. I'm about as flexible as the wood chair I'm perched upon to write this. My muscles are tight - especially in my legs and lower back and stretching HURTS (!!!) so I generally don't do it.
Did I talk about this last year? I may have, I don't recall. Regardless, it warrants coming back to because I am trying, TRYING so very hard these days to improve my flexibility. Ok, that's a lie. I suppose I'm not really trying. But I WANT to be trying! And I WANT to be as flexible in my quads as I am in my job!!! And look all elegant and graceful and be able to do things like this:
And wanting all of that is very fine and dandy, but it's not going to make my lower back/hip woes disappear and wanting sure isn't going to make me all bendy like I want to be.
Being Flexible With the Life of My Body (or something like that)
So, in what is the most valiant attempt I've ever made towards furthering my flexibility (did you know flexibility as actually a measure of fitness?! true story. who knew?) I have started going to yoga classes. Pilates, too. Sometimes, I have even been stretching out before and after my runs! This may not seem like much, but to me it is HUGE because I've never seen my self as a mantra-chanting, birkenstock-wearing, healing-crystal wearing, "OM"ing kinda gal. I haven't seen much improvement yet, but it has to be helping right? I mean, the only way to get mo' flexible is to strech mo'. There's definitely a lot of stretching going on in yoga and pilates.
I'll try to keep you updated on the progress of my flexibility - in all facets of my being. The goal is to be able to put my palms on the floor and to eventually be so flexible and strong that I look like this:
Or this:
Or this:
(but without the ballet shoes, because we all know those dreams were thwarted long, long ago. And dancer's aren't allowed to have fat ankles) ;)
An afterthought
If any of you lovelies out there have any tips for improving my body's ability to bend, please, pass it along this way!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Stress and the Solution
Yesterday
I was stressed out, so I went on a 60 minute run while Billy was flying to clear my head.
Today
I was stressed out so I'm drinking too much with Billy instead of doing a track workout (which we've put off for days).
It all evens out, you see.
xo
I was stressed out, so I went on a 60 minute run while Billy was flying to clear my head.
Today
I was stressed out so I'm drinking too much with Billy instead of doing a track workout (which we've put off for days).
It all evens out, you see.
xo
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
What Doesn't Kill You...
...might cost you a hip!
Myth: Running is good for you!
Fact: Running 26.2 consecutive miles put me in physical therapy for almost 6 months. Also, a lifetime of running is giving my dear dadE one of these:
That's what ol' dadE is going in for surgery tomorrow. A new hip. All of you must be thinking "YEESH...Ash, how old is your dad?" Well, I'm here to tell you he is 53 years young, which is (to me, anyway) not the age I think of when I start envisioning the type of person who needs a hip replacement. I can't be alone on this on, can I...?
In Running's Defense:
Running cannot be entirely blamed for dad's hip woes. He joined the Army right out of high school and as a Ranger (read: total badass) jumped out of a lot of planes. The impact from hitting the ground, even with a parachute, probably hasn't done his hip much good. Dad was also in a very bad car accident in his early 20s that messed him up pretty good. That doesn't help things either.
BUT
...neither has running. And just because those other factors hurt doesn't mean that running helped. In fact, I'm pretty sure that running 1,000s (10,000s? 100,000s?) of miles over my dad's life is a very LARGE contributing factor to why he has to go into surgery tomorrow.
Want to see what a "buss up"* hip looks like?
(bad hip)
(good hip)
See how there's no room between the hip bone and socket in the first x-ray?? That's because the cartilage is practically ALL GONE. Poor dad :( I feel so bad for him! Back in March the Eppens clan convened on Maui for a week of too much fun before Lil' Brother Epps shipped off on deployment. I remember dad couldn't walk too far because his hip was hurting so bad. Back when he visited me last October, we hiked Maunawili for goodness sake! I know it has to be hard for him to be so immobile when he's been so active (running, hiking, skiing, etc) for his whole life.
Is he nervous for tomorrow's surgery? Nah. He thinks this stuff is "neat." Mostly, I think he's just ready to get it done with and healed so that he can move around without pain again. And really - what was the alternative anyway? To not have jumped out of perfectly good planes? To not have logged all those miles? To not have run all those races and pusehd himself? To not do what he has always come so naturally to him and what (at the time) felt good? Puh-leeze. Some people run every day and then need a hip replacement at 53. Some people run every day and don't ever have any health problems. That's life. It could all be over tomorrow, so run as hard as you can today.
I do admit that I'm nervous. I'm nervous for my dad going in for major surgery. I'm nervous that my current hip problems are just a small taste of what awaits me in 20-something more years of pounding the pavement. But when I get really worked up, and the hamsters in my brain start spinning in their wheels, I do what I always do: go for a run, and then drink some wine. Clarity and perspective are almost always waiting at the end.
*Buss up is pidgin and out here it means "busted" "busted up" "messed up" or "really really really really drunk"
PS - DAD!!! I'm talking to YOU here! You have a month off of work. I totally expect you to write about running/your new hip/anything else for this blog while you're sitting around doped up on pain meds. It will be awesome!!!
Myth: Running is good for you!
Fact: Running 26.2 consecutive miles put me in physical therapy for almost 6 months. Also, a lifetime of running is giving my dear dadE one of these:
That's what ol' dadE is going in for surgery tomorrow. A new hip. All of you must be thinking "YEESH...Ash, how old is your dad?" Well, I'm here to tell you he is 53 years young, which is (to me, anyway) not the age I think of when I start envisioning the type of person who needs a hip replacement. I can't be alone on this on, can I...?
In Running's Defense:
Running cannot be entirely blamed for dad's hip woes. He joined the Army right out of high school and as a Ranger (read: total badass) jumped out of a lot of planes. The impact from hitting the ground, even with a parachute, probably hasn't done his hip much good. Dad was also in a very bad car accident in his early 20s that messed him up pretty good. That doesn't help things either.
BUT
...neither has running. And just because those other factors hurt doesn't mean that running helped. In fact, I'm pretty sure that running 1,000s (10,000s? 100,000s?) of miles over my dad's life is a very LARGE contributing factor to why he has to go into surgery tomorrow.
Want to see what a "buss up"* hip looks like?
(bad hip)
(good hip)
See how there's no room between the hip bone and socket in the first x-ray?? That's because the cartilage is practically ALL GONE. Poor dad :( I feel so bad for him! Back in March the Eppens clan convened on Maui for a week of too much fun before Lil' Brother Epps shipped off on deployment. I remember dad couldn't walk too far because his hip was hurting so bad. Back when he visited me last October, we hiked Maunawili for goodness sake! I know it has to be hard for him to be so immobile when he's been so active (running, hiking, skiing, etc) for his whole life.
Is he nervous for tomorrow's surgery? Nah. He thinks this stuff is "neat." Mostly, I think he's just ready to get it done with and healed so that he can move around without pain again. And really - what was the alternative anyway? To not have jumped out of perfectly good planes? To not have logged all those miles? To not have run all those races and pusehd himself? To not do what he has always come so naturally to him and what (at the time) felt good? Puh-leeze. Some people run every day and then need a hip replacement at 53. Some people run every day and don't ever have any health problems. That's life. It could all be over tomorrow, so run as hard as you can today.
I do admit that I'm nervous. I'm nervous for my dad going in for major surgery. I'm nervous that my current hip problems are just a small taste of what awaits me in 20-something more years of pounding the pavement. But when I get really worked up, and the hamsters in my brain start spinning in their wheels, I do what I always do: go for a run, and then drink some wine. Clarity and perspective are almost always waiting at the end.
*Buss up is pidgin and out here it means "busted" "busted up" "messed up" or "really really really really drunk"
PS - DAD!!! I'm talking to YOU here! You have a month off of work. I totally expect you to write about running/your new hip/anything else for this blog while you're sitting around doped up on pain meds. It will be awesome!!!
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