Misc of life
It's hard for me to believe it's the 11th of April. I've said that plenty of times, but moving along from day to day...I really do forget about the calendar.
Can I just say that Moab was a great trip? I'm still feeling the positive effects of taking time away from work to explore a new land without a schedule and without my phone ringing all the time. It was glorious. So much that I am going back...I don't know when but it's one of my new favorite places. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't been to a place with canyons (or you have and you like'em). It's hot in the summer so consider the spring and fall as the best times to go there...although I'd argue a few summers in San Antonio, TX were just as bad.
I guess you could say that spring has sprung here on the front range of Colorado. I can see a few blades of green grass cast among the brown. The mule deer, birds, and squirrels are out a bit more. We're still having the occasional "blizzard," or in reality, "very cold and windy" weather with a touch of non-accumulating snow...but we also have warmer days now. The weather is fickle. You can look over the mountains and see rain clouds coming your way and get pelted with 7 drops of water in total and then the cloud is gone. Other times you see that same kind of cloud and a flood gate opens on you. Last Sunday I was riding my mountain bike on the greenway when it began to rain...sideways. 50+ mph wind gusts came and blew me crooked, right off the path. So when I pack to be outside I bring everything from shorts and a t-shirt to long tights, a raincoat, gloves, & winter hats!
One month remaining until I move out of 2BCT/4ID to MEDDAC here at Ft Carson. My job will change quite a bit even though I will work out of the exact same office. Part of me...most of me actually...feels relieved. But there is a part of me that knows I have learned a great deal and there is no replacement for classes at the school of hard knocks. I've been telling people that I will leave the Army in 2 years and I am sure that I mean it. I don't know what that means for my future, but I have faith that I will stay flexible enough (and faithful enough) to pursue a rewarding path. And let's be honest, if I am loving other people, I am probably doing the right thing and living a rewarding life. How does that passage go??? Even God feeds the birds...or knows they need to eat...or something like that. God knows the number of hairs on my head...that's all I'm saying.
Some of you might know my running "career" has been rough going for awhile. I use "" around "career" because I don't actually make money running, there's no actual professional aspect to it. I do still love the idea of competing though and have found I'm more competitive in ultras than anything else (although I feel I have yet to reach my potential in marathoning). But since the great fiasco Rocky Raccoon 50 miler of 2010, I've hit lots of bumps in the road and have sustained frequent injuries. 6 months ago I started working with MAJ Miller to correct my issues leading to my injuries. Talk about peeling away layers of an onion! At the 4 month mark I had made some small gains but wasn't too excited about the rate of improvement. I was working on motor control, hip stability, SFMA rolling...
Then one day it happened. I was hiking Pikes Peak with MAJ Miller. I said, "hey I have to slow down because my right foot is starting to hurt. It's not a big deal, I've had plantar pain there before, I probably have weak muscles and plantar fascitis or something." He said, "why didn't you tell me you had foot pain on the same side as your hip pain?" and I said something weak like, "well I only get pain 2-3 times a year a most so I never think about it." Two days later MAJ Miller examines my right ankle/foot to find it's significantly stiffer than the left side. He works on it and then puts a small piece of foam in my shoe to help me pronate more (drops my first ray better in the stance phase). I go for a run and IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND DAY! This is what I was waiting for. That magic moment when I finally felt like I could run NORMAL again. This was it, or at least a huge part of it.
I'm not 100% cured of every issue but I'll put in 21 miles this week (the most since last November) and feel better than I have in the past year. I've committed myself to getting better and after 6 months I am grateful to see the reward beginning to develop. I can visualize myself training intensely again without hip pain. I can see myself running along a dirt path, prancing like a deer, all sweaty and smelly...training for the big day. I can't wait.
Can I just say that Moab was a great trip? I'm still feeling the positive effects of taking time away from work to explore a new land without a schedule and without my phone ringing all the time. It was glorious. So much that I am going back...I don't know when but it's one of my new favorite places. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't been to a place with canyons (or you have and you like'em). It's hot in the summer so consider the spring and fall as the best times to go there...although I'd argue a few summers in San Antonio, TX were just as bad.
I guess you could say that spring has sprung here on the front range of Colorado. I can see a few blades of green grass cast among the brown. The mule deer, birds, and squirrels are out a bit more. We're still having the occasional "blizzard," or in reality, "very cold and windy" weather with a touch of non-accumulating snow...but we also have warmer days now. The weather is fickle. You can look over the mountains and see rain clouds coming your way and get pelted with 7 drops of water in total and then the cloud is gone. Other times you see that same kind of cloud and a flood gate opens on you. Last Sunday I was riding my mountain bike on the greenway when it began to rain...sideways. 50+ mph wind gusts came and blew me crooked, right off the path. So when I pack to be outside I bring everything from shorts and a t-shirt to long tights, a raincoat, gloves, & winter hats!
One month remaining until I move out of 2BCT/4ID to MEDDAC here at Ft Carson. My job will change quite a bit even though I will work out of the exact same office. Part of me...most of me actually...feels relieved. But there is a part of me that knows I have learned a great deal and there is no replacement for classes at the school of hard knocks. I've been telling people that I will leave the Army in 2 years and I am sure that I mean it. I don't know what that means for my future, but I have faith that I will stay flexible enough (and faithful enough) to pursue a rewarding path. And let's be honest, if I am loving other people, I am probably doing the right thing and living a rewarding life. How does that passage go??? Even God feeds the birds...or knows they need to eat...or something like that. God knows the number of hairs on my head...that's all I'm saying.
Some of you might know my running "career" has been rough going for awhile. I use "" around "career" because I don't actually make money running, there's no actual professional aspect to it. I do still love the idea of competing though and have found I'm more competitive in ultras than anything else (although I feel I have yet to reach my potential in marathoning). But since the great fiasco Rocky Raccoon 50 miler of 2010, I've hit lots of bumps in the road and have sustained frequent injuries. 6 months ago I started working with MAJ Miller to correct my issues leading to my injuries. Talk about peeling away layers of an onion! At the 4 month mark I had made some small gains but wasn't too excited about the rate of improvement. I was working on motor control, hip stability, SFMA rolling...
Then one day it happened. I was hiking Pikes Peak with MAJ Miller. I said, "hey I have to slow down because my right foot is starting to hurt. It's not a big deal, I've had plantar pain there before, I probably have weak muscles and plantar fascitis or something." He said, "why didn't you tell me you had foot pain on the same side as your hip pain?" and I said something weak like, "well I only get pain 2-3 times a year a most so I never think about it." Two days later MAJ Miller examines my right ankle/foot to find it's significantly stiffer than the left side. He works on it and then puts a small piece of foam in my shoe to help me pronate more (drops my first ray better in the stance phase). I go for a run and IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND DAY! This is what I was waiting for. That magic moment when I finally felt like I could run NORMAL again. This was it, or at least a huge part of it.
I'm not 100% cured of every issue but I'll put in 21 miles this week (the most since last November) and feel better than I have in the past year. I've committed myself to getting better and after 6 months I am grateful to see the reward beginning to develop. I can visualize myself training intensely again without hip pain. I can see myself running along a dirt path, prancing like a deer, all sweaty and smelly...training for the big day. I can't wait.
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