Virtual Running Buddies w/o 4/17

[Kathy B]

3.6 mile run outside for me today, plus another 1/2 mile walk with the dogs. Beautiful day and it is supposed to rain all weekend, so I thought I better take advantage of it.

Les, the "power buff" volleyball was actually a tournament of student teams the kids put together. DS didn't get to play as he and a friend were in charge. It was an assignment from their Leadership class....a great class the school offers. He said it went really well and they had a lot of fun.

DD is indeed the sophomore class treasurer for next year. She was so excited about it, that she talked almost nonstop from the time she got home until she went to bed. (I think I heard her talking in her sleep, too! :p)

Hope you enjoyed your rest day yesterday, Natasha. Goodies in the oven sound wonderful, but I think the family will have to wait until next week for that. Hope yours turned out well.

Hi to all that come after. Have a GREAT weekend! :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for starting Kathy B and thanks for the info abotu the torunament. It sounds like DS had a good time. Good job with an early run on a beautiful day.

Departing to go south for Ultimate in Richmond - may be a mistake leaving right now but it will definitely be a big mistake in 30 minutes so off to the races. See you all later tomorrow with a good (and safe) report.

Happy weekend,
Les

[Natasha]

Kathy, congrats to your DD! Hope DS's contest went well today. They both seem to love their school! Nice run, too.

Les, good luck with the drive and the tournament. Have a great time.

It's the weekend! And it's a glorious day, too. Hope everyone has a good one. Talk with you later :)

[VictoriaL]

KathyB, good choice to "over-do" it a bit on the outside activities while it is still dry. And congrats to DD-- what grade is she in? My friend didn't know that, being elected treasurer in her senior year, she was the one responsible for the high school reunion finances "forever"! ;)

Good luck this weekend Les, hope that the weather cooperates for your tourney (wait, I forgot, here's the guy who lives to play in mud!). :p

I think that I'm going to need a lot of virtual strength this week... with any luck, and some of those "vibes", I may be running my first-ever race next Saturday at this time. However, I was struggling to breathe overnight on Wednesday and, when I realized that I had to take the 15 steps between floors with a rest-stop halfway (and saw that my feet were a tad on the bluish-- meaning lack of oxygen-- side), I decided a trip to the doctor was in order. My cold had indeed turned into a full-blown asthma attack. *wah*

He gave me a breathing treatment (oooooh, it felt so wonderful!), then some meds to reduce the inflammation in my lungs. And a parting gift of 2 full-size inhalers (since he knows that we pay for our health charges. Very nice!). He told me that, if I wasn't wheezing, I could do a short run on Sunday to see how it feels, then call him if I have any questions about my ability for the next week up to Saturday.

Today I am disappointed in my progress. Still a bit breathless, but the wheezing is almost gone and if I walk slowly I can do almost my full day's worth of stuff. Before we leave this afternoon, I want to try to take a walk, maybe use my 10k route and do half of it. Just to see...

A wrench in the works is the weather-- nice today but starting late tomorrow rain until Wednesday. We are still going to the lake house, and I'll try to get in a hill or two before the precip starts, but if I do well I really wanted to run every day up to Thursday, making them progressively longer. And earlier in the morning, instead of later in the day, so I get used to early runs. So we'll see what happens. I've really been looking forward to this race (pretty funny, my first race and on that day I'll be a whopping 51 years old! :rolleyes: I can hardly believe it.)

No big plans for The Day. Friends are having us over to their house on Sunday evening, DH has some things planned for Monday (hopefully either Indian or Greek for dinner, crossing my fingers that he got the very pointed hints which I have been dropping!).

Again, any virtual strength that you all can send to my respiratory system would be appreciated. :o

Hi to all and I hope that everyone has a great Spring Weekend! :D

[SusanMac]

Kathy - congrats to your DD. That is really awesome! Nice workouts. I'm constantly amazed at how much you juggle, and what a fantastic family you have. Will you be my mom? ;-)

Les - I know you love Ultimate season. What fun x-training!

Vicci - Did you have asthma b4 or is this new? I don't remember. Your Dr sounds great. Take care of yourself. There will be other races if you need more time to recover right now.

Yesterday was another great bike ride. Glad I went, as I want it to start becoming a habit, ya know what I mean? Right now, it feels like a hassle to get all the gear together, but I'm happy once I'm out on the roads.

My LRS had a sports med Dr in today, and I was able to book an appt. We talked a lot about the calluses I've been getting on my feet, along w/a few other foot aches. Apparently, I have weak hips & ankles/foot muscles. I now have lots of good exercises to work on those areas. I'm really excited to have some real info about what's going on, rather than just guessing.

[Natasha]

Vicci, eek! Sorry to hear the latest and fingers crossed for a speedy recovery! A race would be a fabulous birthday celebration.

Hope everyone's doing well. I'm about to hop on my road bike :D DH just went mountain biking.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Vicci - My prayers are with you, it sounds like you're having a medical mess right now. Hopefully your breathing gets better but it's never worth risking your health for a race - believe me I know. I hope that you have a very happy 51st Birthday with your first race. I hope you love the rain when it comes, especially since it is springtime and it should be relatively warm rain. Mud is good for ultimate when you aren't standign outside fo a whole day, luckily...
Nat - Thanks, it was a great weekend and I'm more or less no worse for the wear. I hope you had a good ride - are you outside now or still riding on the trainer?
Susan -I definitely love Ultimate season. Sorry about your ankle/hip issues and I hope that you get them strengthened before it becomes a real problem.

Short personal check in... After 4+ hours to cover the 93 miles from Richmond and staring at Church in the morning. The conditions would have been better if it had been 10 degrees cooler because there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We almost won one game - it actually took 5 minutes of overtime to lose. Not bad considering we only practice once or twice a a week starting in February (as opposed to Princeton who plays in an Intramural league at least once a week for their entire school year). Only a little barking dogs at the bottom of my legs and a little shoulder pain (love arthritis). But I can't complain - we had a great time and I think I'm set for another year of Ultimate (next year).

Time to head to bed - it was a long 24 hours and I need to be ready for tomorrow.

Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

(Another rambling post from me!)

I've really been looking forward to this race (pretty funny, my first race and on that day I'll be a whopping 51 years old! :rolleyes: I can hardly believe it.)

Sorry, guys, I didn't review my post carefully. On the day of the race I will be 51, but my bday is actually Monday... :o

I was stupid yesterday. It was 78 and balmy, and I was feeling better than expected, so I went for a jog/walk. It was a short 1.25 miles, although it took 20 minutes, and I felt good after I got started and for a few hours afterward, but not so much today. The rain hasn't started yet, in fact it's sunny and nice, but for the next 48 hours we are supposed to get 1-1/2" to 2" of precip. I could kick myself. I hurried outside yesterday, actually believing the weather forecast, and I probably would have been in better shape for a longer, more satisfying run this morning. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!! :mad:

Les, I'm the type who probably would have struggled through the race even if I wasn't feeling good, but your advice is making me hold back a bit. I'll skip today, and tomorrow, then if we're not on an ark I will try again on Tuesday.
Hope that the barking dogs have quieted down, and you have a safe return trip.

Susan, I've had asthma since my mid-20's but it's mostly a non-issue as long as I keep my allergies under control. However, I get my worst attacks after a respiratory infection and, although it doesn't happen often (6 years ago, I think), when it does it is a nasty one.

And how great to have a professional to talk with about your sports concerns! Having those exercises to do will give you focus on eliminating (or reducing) those foot problems, and you'll be even better on the road. :)

Hope that you had a very enjoyable time on your bike yesterday, Nat.

Well, we have a steam unit in our shower here at the lake house, so I'm going to get some warm moisture into my lungs to see if it helps. It's killing me, being inside when I had plans to be out!

Waving to everyone (who are passing me while running, biking, treadmilling, etc.) :rolleyes: Have a very enjoyable rest-of-weekend!

[SusanMac]

Our rain held off this morning, and I just got back from a 16+ mile run w/my running group. This is the best I've felt so far on a long run, so I'm pretty pumped. Having someone in front of me helped resist my usual urge to take a few walking breaks...I didn't want him to get too far ahead of me!

[Natasha]

Quick check-in... Vicci, sorry to hear about the weather timing. Don't you hate that?? Glad the little jaunt felt good, anyway.

Susan, that's interesting about your hips... makes sense. My physio/osteopath (almost a full-fledged osteo now!) has taught me how almost everything is related to issues with that general area: hips, lower back, glutes (mostly the first two).

Les, congrats on the almost win and I hope church went well today.

Hi to everyone else!

[Leslie Ferguson]

QUick check in... Vivci I hate it when I guess the weather wrong (and believe the weather-guessers). I hope that you feel better since it sounds like you've come around the corner.
Susan, I'm glad you got a dry 16 miler in.

A shout out to the rest of the gang...

Flying by though... I had a decent day today - church went well, my proposal was received without issue, and I had a good and frank meeting with a group at church.

Now to the coming week's work since I goofed off all day yesterday.

Happy trails,
Les

[Kathy B]

Yesterday I did weights and EB at the CC, and today was just a long walk with the dogs. Oh, and a bit of yoga before church this AM.

Vicci, It is really hard to second guess the weather. Our GS troop was planning a garage sale Saturday, but cancelled due to predictions of rain. Well, it did rain until about noon, but then the sun came out and it was beautiful. :( Oh, well. We are going to try again next weekend.

Susan, would you mind sharing what exercises your Dr. suggested for your ankles? My left ankle has been aching off and on lately. Maybe some strengthening exercises would help....

A day of goofing off sounds great, Les! I want one!!!

How was the mountain biking yesterday, Natasha? You must be in an area that did NOT get rain. Lucky you!

Working tomorrow, and a long day of class on Tuesday, so won't be working out the next few days. Hope everyone's week gets off to a good start! :)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry to have left off the ;) when I said goofing off. The only goofing off I did was driving from Richmond. The rest of the day was well spent, even if there was no studying.

Les

[SusanMac]

Kathy - there were 3 main exercises: 1) Toe raises, where you're standing and move up & down onto your toes slowly. Both feet, and also individual feet/balance, 2) one-leg balances, 3) This one is with a band. You sit in a chair with your heel on the floor and your toes in the air. You wrap the band around a foot. Pull the band to the right while pushing your foot in the opposite direction. Do this in both directions & on both feet (hopefully it makes sense!)

[SusanMac]

How could I forget?? Happy Boston Marathon Day!! I was in meetings most of the morning, and couldn't find it on TV (grrrrr), so didn't catch any live coverage. Reading the online race commentary now. Sounds exciting! And a perfect day for racing. I won't give any spoilers yet.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Susan - thanks for the reminder. How did I forget that today was Boston Day? ;)
I wish I could have seen the finish in both races (no spoilers either).
Les

[Natasha]

Yay for Boston! I didn't catch any coverage until it was all over, and then I just saw the top 10 men and women, but oh well :) For the first time in many years, I don't know anyone running it! I don't even know what kind of weather they got but I hope it was better than here... it's the first really rainy day we've had in weeks (yup, now we got the rain, but it only started on Monday morning, so no complaints :p). I don't mind it much, anyway, but it would not be fun for marathon running!

Looking at a spin and some weights and core tonight - all INdoors. I'm not riding outside in this if I can help it!

Les, you never goof off!

Kathy, good luck with your ankle... hope it starts behaving itself. What are you doing school-wise (you mentioned a class)? Apologies if I've already asked this :o

Vicci, how're ya doing?

Take care, guys :)

[VictoriaL]

Hi All!

So Les, you were goofing off while driving??? What a very irresponsible driver you are! ;) ;) ;)

KathyB, GS garage sale, do you ever just turn off?! Hmmmm?!

Thanks for describing the ankle exercises, Susan. The first two I have been doing since I broke my ankle last year and they helped me to get "road-ready", the third I will incorporate into my repertoire.

Nat, good idea with the INdoor activities! Spring brings those kinds of "alternates" to our schedules, I guess...

'twasn't the best birthday I've ever had yesterday... After a fun night with friends on Sunday, I woke Monday again gasping for breath. I dealt with it until early afternoon, then DH drove me to a local Urgent Care center where I received another breathing treatment. That helped enough so I could salvage the day with an incredible meal at a new (to us) Middle Eastern, Mediterranean restaurant. But I'm still not breathing normally, and it's a pain to have to move about so slowly. I am not a good patient! :rolleyes:

No 10k for me on Saturday, and I cannot describe how much I was looking forward to it. I know that there will be others, but this was going to be my "HA! I can turn 51 and, after never competing in anything even remotely athletic for my whole life, look what I did!". Grrrr. :o

Doc told me absolutely not to even try running until next week, and this time I will listen to the professional... *sigh*

How's everyone else doing this week?!?!

[Natasha]

Vicci - ugh. :( Glad you're okay and that you managed to enjoy your birthday dinner out, but I'm still sorry to hear about the rest of your birthday, and about the 10k. Hang in there!

Seems like in general we're all busy this week, hopefully with good things! No time to say much other than HI to everyone! Looks like there's some lovely weather throughout the continent right now - hope you're all enjoying it.

[Leslie Ferguson]

...popping up for a breath of air...
I wish I could have been goofing off when I was driving but I was driving. My only "mistake" was not picking up Tigger that was in the middle of I-95 (I was moving slow enough that I could have scooped him up on the fly).
I'm sorry you are out of the game for a week Vicci, hopefully you can find a 10k to celebrate your 51st birthday with in the coming weeks. There must be one out there with your name on it.

Things climatically are bi-polar here. Northern Virginia hasn't figured out whether it is spring or winter. It's been raining like the dickens and cool. Not too bad though because life is overtaking me just a little.

Tons of things to do between now and May 18th (the day of my last final). And not all of them are school related either. :(

Need to go - chapel calls.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Vicci - I'm soooo sorry that your asthma issues are still around! And, more importantly, that the Dr said no race. You can still say that same thing one day soon, you just have to wait a while longer.

Well, I took Bode on his very first ever hill repeat run yesterday :-) I needed a hill workout, but was going to shift to a regular run when I decided to take Bode. But then I figured....why not? It's not like I'm cranking out 5-min miles or anything.

We did 6 repeats. He was quite confused for the first few. "why are we turning around & going up the same street again??" But then he caught the hang of it. He was slow on the last 2 repeats, so I thought he was getting tired. But then, suddenly, he caught a 2nd wind when we started the cooldown & headed back home. Too funny!

[Kathy B]

Hi all! A little over 4 miles for me today...I was actually getting a bit warm by the end, so I think spring is really here. Did some yoga this AM, too.

You have a real "He-Dog" Susan! Nice to have some company on the hill repeats, I am sure. Thanks for the ankle exercises. I do a weight machine at the CC that works the ankles, but maybe these will hit a different area or something.
I will definitely give them a try.

Les, I wish you well getting it all done in the next few weeks. I am right there with you. I have said to several of my friends that with DS graduating this year (5/21), I feel like I am on a runaway train. There is more and more to do, and less and less time.

Vicci, I am so sorry you had to nix the 10K and that your birthday was spent with labored breathing. What a bummer! I hope the week off gets you back on track. And remember, you will be 51 all year....you still have time to impress everyone with your athletic abilities! ;) (Funny that you said that, because I have been thinking along the same lines....50 is closer every day!)

Natasha, I am not in school, but I have to attend continuing education classes for work. I also have a certification (Pediatric Critical Care) that requires 100 continuing education hours every 3 years. The class I went to yesterday was a research symposium about autism. It is not a diagnosis I know very much about, so it was very interesting to hear about the issues those patients deal with. Hope your rain has cleared off and you can get back outside soon!

Hi to Carrie, Meg, Robyn, Julie, Tkay and everyone else that wanders through! :)

[Natasha]

Les, good luck with allll the things on your plate. You'll make it!

Vicci, how are you feeling now (other than disappointed, I'll bet)?

Kathy, that does sound like an interesting course, but that is a lot of CLE you need to take! I know it's a good thing, but combined with everything else you do... wow.

I finished up a 5 miler not long ago, and now am stretching and waiting for dinner to finish cooking (the cilantro-lime chicken with avocado salsa that Jessica posted on the Good Food board the other day). Looks good. I've also just turned on the hockey game. Go Habs! (though I'm not optimistic they won't be swept). Vicci, you must be happy about your Pens so far!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks all, not much time (as you might expect) to drop in. I'm with Nat when I look at your schedule Kathy and all the continuing Education hours you have to take. I hope that you and your friends survive until the end of May - I know I will but still...
Great job on your run Nat - maybe sometime I'll get anouther run in (at least one that is aerobic). Cilantro lime chicken sounds great.

I finally got a workout in tonight: 40 minutes plus cool down on the trainer (thankfully it's still up). Early-ish morning tomorrow as I have to go over to the VA hospital on the other side of the District for my intake interview/exam. Then classes and...

Hope all are well and I'll be by again in the near future.
Happy trails,
Les

[VictoriaL]

Susan, how fun it would have been to watch Bode doing hill repeats! Your smart dog got the "hang" of it pretty quickly. :)

KathyB, definitely try the ankle exercises which Susan mentioned. Actually, I do the toe raises as I make the bed every morning (it slows me down a bit, but it's a consistent exercise). Since this is a weight-bearing exercise, it's a different sort than the ones that you can do on the machines (I think).

Well Les, it looks as though the rain will be ending soon and you will get to go out and bike in the real world... providing you get the time, that is!

How was the cilantro-lime chicken Nat? I saw the recipe in April's CL as I leafed through it today, and marked it. Sounds like a good spring/ summer meal. Sorry to hear about the Canadians (bad, bad Boston!)-- the final score just popped up on my screen. We have tickets to the Pens game tomorrow, and there's a very interested friend waiting in the wings in case I don't feel like going with DH... ;)

A fun-packed day of lying around, drinking fluids, and breathing. :rolleyes: I did get a lot of recipes cataloged and filed, which needed to be done desperately. Oh well, I have resigned myself to the fact that this will take time. Alas.

Waving to all (inhaler in hand!) :p

[newsomz]

Hi! Everyone is busy, busy, busy as usual :) I've been unpacking, decluttering & donating this week. Problem is I haven't felt comfortable unpacking the kitchen completely as I am finding at least 1 roach per day :( Ugh! Off to talk to the apartment office today and see what they can do...

Vicci - Sorry you've had an attack!!!! That stinks. I hope the week off gets you back on track.

KathyB - I'm thinking pediatrics is one area I'd like to work in after I graduate next year (did I mention I'm starting nursing school in a few weeks?). We'll see after I actually complete my pediatrics clinical!

Les - The frisbee sounded like a blast! Will you be working again at the hospital next semester? It sounded like you really enjoyed that last time around.

Susan - Hmm. Hill repeats with Bode. I'm still trying to imagine ;)

Natasha - Cilantro lime chicken sounds wonderful. I don't get CL anymore so I'll have to go searching for a similar recipe... Or find it on the website. I'm scheduled to pick up a few chickens from a local farm at the beginning of May... Sounds like a good recipe to try.

I got out Monday & Wednesday for two run/walk 30 min runs. Monday I went with a friend who is doing the couch to 5k so we did 5 min warmup / 8 min run/ 3 min walk / 8 min run / 5 min cool down. Nice and easy but good as I'm still easing back into running. Wednesday I alternated 9 min run & 1 min walk. I also rode my bike around quite a bit.. Yay! No more virgin butt.

[SusanMac]

Newsomz - Helping your friend to start a running program sounds perfect for you right now! Fun, social, and good recovery

Victoria - happy breathing!!

Les - How is your dad doing these days? Just wondering

Had an awesome bike ride yesterday. My first ride this season out of the neighborhoo/local bike path. 22 miles. Very windy. Felt great. DH went with me, which made it fun, too

Tonight is 5-mile run with the running club. We're expecting more rain this weekend, so I'm trying to figure out my LSD strategy. Harumph

[TKay]

Hello VRBs, from a long-lost friend. Actually, I was out of town for a week and just haven't gotten back into the BB swing yet. I tried to read everyone's posts, but forgive me if I missed something. It's hard to catch up with an active BB.

Vicci - Glad you're breathing easier these days. What a bummer that you had to deal with that. Sorry about missing the race.

Les - What can I say? You've been busy as ever. Glad you got in some fun.

Susan - Hope the rain holds off (or at least breaks up) enough for you to get in a run. I know you have a long one scheduled, but maybe it will work out? Funny about Bode's hill repeats.

Newsomz - I'm with Susan on the running with a friend program. Good for you. Sorry about the little kitchen crawlers though. Dh started his nursing career in the PICU. He thinks adults are gross. :p

Nat - I'd also like a recipe review, please. :D

KathyB - Nice job on the workouts, especially that four-miler. For me, that's a good long workout.

I am happy to report that during our Grand Canyon camping trip, I managed to get in some decent walks and mini-hikes. The temps were very chilly--especially for us wimpy southern California types. The first morning, we walked out of the tent to find 17 degree weather and snow. Ds was thrilled since he has dreamed of camping in the snow. We still did everything we would have normally done. Fun and beautiful.

Got right back to the TM and weights when I got home. I feel good. The trip was a fantastic mental break. I feel rejuvenated.

Happy running all!

[Robyn1007]

Eek, Vicci, how are you feeling. So sorry I haven't checked in previously this week.

Les, how's your sanity holding up?

Nat, that cilantro lime chicken is on my to try list, how was it?

Carrie, I love when the virgin butt finally disappears. How nice of you to run with your friend. I'm always intimidated by the idea of running with people who are much stronger runners. I feel like they'll be thinking "What the heck is she doing? She thinks she's a runner? She's crazy!" :o

Susan, hope your LSD isn't rained out too badly.

Tkay, glad your trip went well and you got a well deserved break!

Well, it's been another crazy week for me. I was supposed to drive to Vail Friday night but was thwarted by a massive snow storm that shut down the main freeway. I finally got up their Saturday afternoon and had a glorious day of skiing closing up Vail on Sunday. That leaves just one of my mountains open so I'll get a couple more days of skiing in May and then be done. For the first time though since I moved here I'm not all that sad. This year, I have new sports that I LOVE to look forward to. Then, I was sick on Monday so I took it off from anything. Got in a swim on Tuesday and then a run yesterday. Just 3.75 miles but I only walked about a block of the entire run and it was outside and hilly. I'm super excited about feeling like I'm progressing from a wogger to a jogger and eventually a runner. I was feeling like I might be perpetually stuck in the walk/jog mode and never break through but now I feel like I can. It's given me a huge morale boost and lots of motivation.

Which, is great since I picked up my packet for the Bolder Boulder today!!! For those that don't know about this race it's HUGE for a 10k. We're talking about 50,000+ participants and waves starting every 1-2 minutes from 7am until 9:30am. Then, at 11 they do the elite race so you're finished when they race and can watch on the big screens. They have course entertainment (bands, dancers, cheer squads etc) every few blocks it seems (30 total along the course!) and the crowd is so cool. You finish in Folsom Field at CU Boulder. Oh, and they do skydiver tributes for Memorial Day. My coach and I are going up the day before, will drive the course and then stay with my family up there.

Strength and abs on schedule today.

[Natasha]

The cilantro-lime chicken was pretty good - not super exciting, in my opinion, but still a nice dinner. I put some leftover avocado salsa on my black bean soup today, and that was a flavourful addition. (I also spiced up my salsa, by adding some jarred chipotle salsa - it seemed to need something, as did the chicken, come to think of it.)

Vicci, enjoy the game! I might be checking out some of that on TV as I train.

Robyn, how exciting about your upcoming race!

Welcome back, TKay! Glad you had such a fabulous trip, and didn't let the weather get in the way.

Off to figure out dinner and run to the library and such before dinner... catch you all later! :)

[SusanMac]

Robyn - it totally sounds like you're ready for the Bolder Boulder! And, for the record, we've never thought of you as a wogger.

I thought of you yesterday (being a fellow Warren Miller fan) as we went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Super cool! It's a series of short films all about outdoor adventure sports. Kayaking. Base jumping. Mtn climbing. And, of course, skiing. You should check it out. You may already know it....http://www.chestnutmtnproductions.com/banff/banffhome.htm

[Leslie Ferguson]

KathyB - I'm thinking pediatrics is one area I'd like to work in after I graduate next year (did I mention I'm starting nursing school in a few weeks?). We'll see after I actually complete my pediatrics clinical!
Carrie - I know you posted this to Kathy but considering I worked at Childrens in DC last summer pediatrics is a great field - it can be trying at times but oh, so rewarding. Kids are fabulous for keeping your head in reality and not mixed up adult world (if that makes sense).
Les - The frisbee sounded like a blast! Will you be working again at the hospital next semester? It sounded like you really enjoyed that last time around.
No hospital work this summer which is too bad. I'll be working in a couple smaller churches in Southern Virginia learning what is involved with a congregation of <70-75 people. Something I don't have experience with as a pastor.

Susan - Thank you for asking about my dad. My parents are doing well and he's back at work now that they moved from Appomattox to Virginia Beach. He started back to work on Palm Sunday (the beginning of the busiest week in the church-biz). On top of that he's doing cardiac rehab 3 days a week. But he and mom are loving their new place and having all kinds of exercise stuff to do (mom is back swimming and doing water aerobics which is great for her Parkinsons).
Robyn - My sanity is holding out (as much as it can). I'm with Susan, I bet you're ready for the Boulder Bolder and I too can't imagine you as a wogger.
TKay - Welcome back from the Grand Canyon, never been there but would love to go some time. Maybe even raft a little. Good that you are well.
Vicci - Healthy is better than not, there will always be more races.

Well, one thing got moved from my plate between now and the end of the semester: I no longer have a huge interview the day before Finals because it was moved until June 11. A mixed blessing - now I don't have to worry about it and finals but I have it hanging over my head for another month. But all will be well with the interview. Pluggin along with classes etc. and making headway slowly but surely. I even had time to get out for a run tonight which was grand and I love my new scoots. :cool: Down side of things though, somewhere in the last couple days I aggrevated my right shoulder and it looks like there's a little fluid in it (probably not as much as I think but the dimple at my collar bone isn't very pronounced like my left shoulder). I hope it isn't a full blown arthritis attack but I'm not holding my breath. Now it really sucks that I can't take NSAIDs because if it doesn't get better with ice and aspirin I'll have to talk to my doctor about steroids or something that will take the swelling down. Not my choice though.

Now I'm off to ice after a shower - I hope everyone has a good weekend and a good start of a new thread.

Happy trails,
Les