Still Alive and Kicking

It has been a long time since my last post. I’ve been working on a very important post that is requiring a lot of time and work. Also my life has been very full between work and family. In these times one cannot complain about having too much work, it is better than not having enough. When times are busy, some things have to give, but time with family is the last thing I give up. Blogging is not as high on the do-not-touch list. However, I guess it doesn’t take much effort just to say I’m still here alive and kicking.

Actually I am doing very well. My health is very good and my running has greatly improved. I am nearly over my Plantar Fasciitis and I have gotten my long runs up to 12 miles without any foot pain. I plan to run a marathon in 2011, but have not yet picked one. The marathon I pick will depend mostly on timing of family events, and my family has a lot of big plans for next year. Life is good.

2010 Giant’s Valley 5K Run/Walk

My hometown of Le Sueur Minnesota is an idyllic town on the Minnesota River valley. From the Twin Cities it is southwest about 45 miles, just far enough out that it has not yet felt the effects of urban sprawl. Every summer Le Sueur celebrates the “Giant Celebration” with a carnival, Bingo, softball tournament, a parade with beauty queens riding floats and a corn-on-the-cob feast. The celebration evolved from “Corn on the Curb Days”, a celebration hosted by the Green Giant company back in the days when I was a young boy. Giant Days is kicked off each year with the Valley 5K Run/Walk, which attracts about 250 runners, walkers, dogs on leashes and moms with baby strollers.

This year my wife, two sons and my father joined me in the 5K. My teenage boys walked with my dad, who about two years ago suffered a serious stroke (see my previous post). My dad did it! He crossed the finish line with his grandsons in just over an hour.

The racers

A motivational T-shirt. At age 64 my dad bungy jumped off the Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand.

My Dad and his two grandsons at the starting line. Notice the ominous ambulance behind them. It would follow them throughout the race.

The race begins.

Crossing the starting line.

Brining up the rear.

Somewhere around the 2km (1.2 miles) mark.

At the 3km (1.9 mile) mark.

The race passes through the former campus and headquarters of the Green Giant Company,

Approaching the finish line. A carnival is on the left.

Just a few steps from the finish line. A couple of years ago a few steps would have been a challenge for my dad.

Crossing the finish line. Notice the beauty queens on the right. They greeted all the runners with a big dish of American Pie.

My Father’s Marathon

This Saturday my wife, two boys and I will be joining my father to participate in the Le Sueur Giant Days 5k run/walk. A couple of years ago my father had a severe stroke which completely removed all sensitivity on his right side. Weeks after his stroke we didn’t know if he would have much mobility, but because of his determination he made rapid progress through rehabilitation. However, with no sensitivity on one side, walking is still a challenge for him. Last year when my wife and I ran in the Giant Days run my father said adamantly that he would do it next year. We responded with encouragement, but I silently thought he was taking on a nearly impossible endeavor. The 3.1 miles would be like a marathon to him.

A year later my father is doing well and his walking has greatly improved. He routinely walks from his home to a coffee shop in downtown Le Sueur, which is a little more than a mile each way and has a pretty steep climb up the valley slope that Le Sueur resides. (You may remember hearing the jingle, “from the valley of the jolly, ho ho ho, green giant”. That valley is the Minnesota River valley at Le Sueur, my home town). Nobody knows if he can walk an entire 5k. But isn’t that a true challenge - something we set out to do not knowing if we can? It really doesn’t matter if he crosses the finish line; he is a winner just trying.

So Far So Good

I’ve been back to running for about 3 weeks now and so far my challenge with Plantar Fasciitis is going well. I run every other day, usually 10k (6.2 miles) and yesterday I ran 8 miles. Last night I had some pain in my foot and I was worried that maybe I was pushing it too hard, but then this morning I had no problems, even just after rising from bed. Usually the pain is the worse just after getting out of bed. So I figure if I can run 8 miles and the next morning have no problems, I must be doing well.

I have been doing stretching exercises that’s recommended for Plantar Fasciitis, but what I have found that works the best for me is the ice bottle treatment. At least three times a day I roll my foot on a frozen water bottle. The hard circular shape of the frozen water bottle helps stretch my fascia while the ice provides anti-inflammatory treatment.

I’ve entered the lottery for the Twin City 10 mile race, which runs on October 3rd and want to do as much as possible to run that race injury free. By then I would like to be near marathon shape. I’ve got an itch to run a marathon in the near future.

My Wife the Runner

I’m back to running after about a 2 ½ month hiatus. During my down time I kept into shape by riding my mountain bike on 20 mile brisk rides. Then a couple of weeks ago I started to ease back into running. I now run 10k (6.2 miles) about every other day and at a very slow pace so not to apply too much stress on my foot with Plantar Fasciitis. My foot is responding very well to my adjusted training program so I’ve started to enter 5k and 10k races. It feels wonderful to be back running, but the better story is about my wife Renee.

A couple of years ago Renee would have never considered herself as a runner. Her knees give her problems and her asthma robs her breath when doing strenuous exercise. So for aerobic exercise she started out fast walking a couple of miles. The couple of miles grew to 4 to 5 miles. But as she got into better and better physical condition she needed more to get her heart rate up for a good aerobic workout, so she started running for short spurts during her fast walks. Then the short spurts became long spurts, and the long spurts blended into an entire run. Then length of her runs stretched from 4 miles to 10k.

Yesterday on the 4th of July Renee and I ran the Excelsior Firecracker 10k. This is Renee’s first 10k race. Last year at the same event I ran the 10k and Renee ran the 2 mile, which was a big deal for her at the time. This year we ran the 10k together. Rather than running at my own pace I ran alongside Renee. There was no way I was going to miss her first 10k and not be by her side all the way to the finish line. She had a tough start; her asthma was particularly strong at the begging, but she finished with probably her best time/pace for that distance.

Renee’s running is a good example of what can be accomplished if one takes their time and slowly but steadily works their way to improvement. To become a runner you don’t have to start out running many miles and beating yourself up in the process. In fact, you don’t even have to start out running; you just have to get your feet moving and challenge yourself a little bit each day.

My Son’s Graduation

My oldest son Chris graduated from high school this last week. Two and a half years ago I was hoping to survive long enough to see this day. I was ready to accept any condition, even debilitation; I just wanted to be there to see my son graduate. So you can imagine how I felt that night when they called out his name and he walked across the stage to receive his diploma. I was very proud and extremely grateful.

Next is my youngest son Daniel, he graduates in three years. However this time I’m not going to accept any condition. Not only do I plan to be there, I plan to have a couple more marathons under my belt.