Birthday love

Today's post is courtesy of my bud jc.
For my b-day she wrote me a little poem, wanna hear it? Here is goes:


Roses are red and sometimes yellow
You sure are a good looking fellow
Even though you're old, you're still pretty cool
I guess skinny white guys will always rule

2008 Olympic Marathon Trials

USATF Selects New York and Boston to host trials, full story at:
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUid=USATF_2006_06_22_07_04_52

Relay For Life

That's right. Crutches, boot and all I did the Relay. Not your typical multi-leg relay, no baton either. Instead Relay For Life is all about walking, or running if that's more your speed, around a track in order to raise funds for cancer research and education.

So, why would I be involved with Relay? Simple, it's a good cause, and apparently I'm a "good boy". Even if I can't run it, I can crutch it bitches! And crutch it I did.

My Relay results:
total time cructhing: 2 hours (in one hour segments)
total distance crutched: 4 miles (2x2mile repeats)
average speed: 2miles/hour

My personal gremlin was with me the whole way. I walked with others on the team, and they kept saying "we can stop when you're tired" or "can you do another lap?" damn if my gremilin didn't want to scream back "I can go as far as you" or "This ain't nunthin!" oh well, sometimes the gremlin is good for you, I know tc's killing hers..but mine is as strong as ever, and it helped me get some fairly impressive results.

I think those results are pretty damn good, it justifies all those donations that folks made (not hat any justification was needed). Thanks everyone.

Visited the doc today

Doc said I am healing "very well".
Had the cast removed, almost had a new one put on (even picked out a color), but then the x-rays came back...I get to "jump" right into a soft supportive boot.

Most exciting thing about this: I get to shower without using a garbage bag!
Will post pics of the incision site soon.
Pics of the post op x-ray coming in 3 weeks.

Up next: three weeks in the boot, still crutching.

Seriously?

A couple of coworkers and I went out to lunch yesterday. Simple, no? I mean really, it's just three people going to grab grub and shovel it down like we are small children eating cookies hoping our parents don't suddenly come around the corner.

All was well until the return trip. We ran into a few other coworkers, who by most standards are nice enough people. My problem came when asked where we went. Portillos. WHAT? That's so far. By so far I mean about 5 or 6 city blocks...but by so far she meant how did you crutch that far you invalid? Now come on. I ran 26.2 miles in February. How is it possible that I am a total invalid by June? Seriously. I can't stand the "How do you manage?" or the "It's nice to see you getting around so well."

I am not an invalid.

I am just slightly broken and it will pass.

Oh so much activity

Wow. It seems like I just broke my ankle yesterday.

Fact is I broke it 2 whole weeks ago. So much has happened in that 2 week period that it's hard to even know where to start.

So, since my last post I saw an orthopedic surgeon. Went in just after the Memorial Day holiday to see what's up with the break. Since I only got a splint in the ER, I knew I'd have to get a cast. Dropped in, gave him my x-rays and discussed options. Turns out I had two. 1) leave the bones as-is and slap a cast on, or 2) cut me open, screw a plate on the bones to hold 'em put and then slap a cast on.

Clearly leaving them as-is would have been easiest, however it also could have affected the whole running thing. Good thing the doc's a runner, he knows what it's like (runners are good people). I can't run as well if I have a limp. So, that was that, option 2 turned out to be the only real option.

Day after I met with the ortho doc I underwent surgery. "Open Reduction Internal Fixation" to be specific. My wife (who works in a hospital) tells me ORIFs are fairly common, that didn't help her deal with the fact that I was the one under the surgeon's knife. She was a trooper though.

Surgery was quick, recovery...not quite as quick. I spent the next three days sitting on my couch, popping pills as needed, and sleeping like a newborn (one hour on, one hour off). Amen for AIM and text messaging :-) Thanks TC and EB...I needed the entertainment; it really made the days so much better.

So, without the throbbing pain I visited the orthopedic surgeon again. This time, no surgery, just a cast. Blue.

Well, now I am back at work, but no running for me.

Up next...I don't know what the future holds, we'll just have to wait and see.