1:08 run-walk around the hood, through the slush, pushing Big E in his chariot. Lots of stretching. Some push-ups, some sit-ups, and some baby curls. Lunch with beautiful Katie. Naps on the couch with Elijah. Completing stats homework. A very nice day.

Snow-Core

Elijah has been digging the snow.


I've been focusing on core and avoiding the basement and the pursuit of watts.



I've noticed a correlation between core, flexibility, and knees. The more I stretch and do core, the better my knees feel. Still working on foot beds to get the support right. Still tweaking the position. This week marks the final adjustment to the B-Bike fit and the beginning of tweaking the Ferrous. Things are starting to come together.

Seriously. My baby ate my homework.





Here's a little activity recap:
Sunday: Picked up a 6 hour shift in the ED. Studied a lot. Didn't stretch.
Monday: Statistical Analysis ruined my plans for the day. Monster walks. Push-Ups. Stretching.
Tuesday: More stats. Basic Core. Stretching.

Pretty Busy

How busy? So busy that I've done one basement ride over the last week. School is fun but I've learned the hard way that my time management skills need an overhaul. The reason I've been so short on time is that I let myself get behind in clinical physiology. Clinical physiology is an online class that's self-paced. I'm caught up now and intend to get a week ahead. Here's a run-down on physical activity for the week:
Sun: 30min basement Ride, Stretching, Running Ass Off At Work For 12 Hours
Mon: Stretching, Upper Body, Monster Walks, Running Ass Off At Work For 12 Hours.
Tuesday: Nada. Clinical Physiology and Stats.
Weds: Walked to bus stop. Walked home from bus stop. More clinical physiology.
Thursday: Monster Walks, Basic Core, Stretching, Chasing Elijah around house while Katie worked
Friday: Monster Walks, Upper Body, Stretching
Sat: Side Stability, Planks, Stretching, Walk Around the hood with Katie, E, and the Mutts.

As a new parent I'm constantly slapped in the face by how quickly the cute and innocent stuff turns messy/dangerous/hilarious. Here are some examples:











I could keep going with these pictures because Katie and I are new parents, and as new parents we take too many pictures. So I'll leave you with a final picture of E's new choppers.




Not much training going on right now. Between the grad school app, our wedding, and stats/physiology my plate has been way too full. This will all change next Tuesday. What happens Tuesday? I officially start the ultimate juggling act: family, work, school, and training. Until then I'll enjoy reading for pleasure and 1 day of chilling. LATER
H A R R I S O N A V E I S H A R D C O R E

I wish I could avoid it, but I've got to go to DNP school and the application is due 1-15-08. I'm out until my professional goals statement is completed and submitted. Later.
Wait! I almost forgot to post a pic from baby-brawl 08 "Too Much UFC, Not Enough Love"

We're Legit!!!

Projectile Vomiting and Christmas Parties

Nothing says welcome to parenthood like a baby puking all over your house. I'll spare you the details. Katie and I did manage to squeeze in two holiday parties prior to E's Exorcist inspired vomit sessions. We are all in varying stages of wellness and hopefully we'll be back up to speed for the holidays. I'd like blogger to let me upload pics. Later.

Somebody in my house can walk. Not for great distances or in a way that one would call sober.

There's some pics for the fam. We have been so busy the last 3 weeks. Week long meetings, grad school applications, parenting, planning a celebration, holidays, and attempting to stay in shape. Better updates as soon as time permits.

Moab & Square 1

Elijah at balancing rock

E loving the pack

Family shot at the primitive loop trail head

E, Uncle Lucas and I on the trail

E trying to figure out one of the new additions to our house

We had a great family trip to Moab. Nice hiking in arches and at fischer towers. Nice grub at the condo. Just a good time that we'll be sure to repeat over the winter and spring. Elijah did fairly well on the drive down and hated the drive home. Crying builds character.

Square One:
That's where I'm at in the fitness game. On my ride today I got passed by a large man in red sweat pants, riding a full-squish bike with flat tires. That's what you get when you spend a whole season below recovery watts. Next month marks the start of the re-build process. Here's to the challenges that lay ahead.

The Feet Are At The Heart Of It

My appointment with the podiatrist last wednesday went well. The conclusion is that my left foot needs more support. He went with a low-tech felt wedge under the arch of my existing foot bed. Did it work? I just worked 4 12 hour shifts in row without knee pain. Now I need to find some foot beds the fit well in my bike shoes and get them set up by the podiatrist. Wednesday was a big day for another reason as well. The College of Nursing held a grad school info session. This session was both informative and disappointing. I am now faced with a dilema: attend the U for 4.5 years and obtain a doctorate the enables me to sit for FNP boards, or attend another school for two years and obtain a master's that enables me to sit for FNP boards. Here's the kicker: there's no difference in pay or scope of practice between the two options.
What do you think???????


Elijah sleeping while I research grad schools


Elijah meets his new roomy


The position feels better with every ride.

Time Flies When You're Being Lazy!!!!

We've been having a great time on our "vacation". It's been nice to just chill at home and get things done around the house. The biggest deal of the "vacation" was Elijah getting to meet his great-grandparents. We're starting to plan a Jan. trip to NM to see them again and visit Bucky and Bama.



I also got the chance to watch my able bodied friends race CX at RMR. The course looked fun and challenging. This was the first time in two years that I have watched my group race from the bleachers. I left pretty motivated to get my knees feeling better for next year.
Activity log:
Sat: 20 min stretching x 2, core, and quality rest
Sun: 20 min stretching, upper body, towed Elijah to see GGS
Mon: 45 min spin, core, 20 min stretching
Tues: 52 min spin, 20 min stretching, upper body, mini-stretching
Knees:
Left knee is still hurting consistently. Looking forward to my follow-up with the podiatrist tomorrow. Out of everything I've done so far the foot beds have helped the most. Also, the new fit feels pretty good. I've had my saddle too low and too far forward, so it will be a few months of baby-steps to transition me into the best position. Mike from Canyon did a great job. I can see why so many docs and therapists recommended him.

Fall Hikes



Chasing Elijah

Yesterday was another long day in the ICU. Out the door at 628AM and back home at 827PM. It was also a trying day. It's amazing to come home from work to the smell of good food, my beautiful wife, and the sound of a loud, happy baby. I've got two ED shifts this weekend and then a solid block of time off. We are looking forward to a "vacation" in SLC.
Today I went for a run with Katie and E. I'm glad shoes can't flat like the jogger. Tonight is soup night at Jen's house. Should be fun. Gotta run.
Thursday: Work.
Friday: 50 minute run. Monster walks. Basic core. Stretching.
KNEES: They felt pretty good at work and during the run. This on-off deal with the pain is odd.

The Ferrous will see some leaf crunching action next week.

One pic. No over-the-top rambling. Just a quick update. Here goes:

1) Knee exercises (- 1), Core, Stretching, Speed Lap of Da Hood.
2) The left knee is pissed about me being on my feet for 12.5 hrs at work yesterday. This is the worst the pain has been for a while. This really bums me out. It seems like I get 1-2 weeks without pain followed by 1-2 weeks of pain. I'll just have to see how my follow-up appointments go.

Activity Log:
Mon: Long walk at liberty while Katie ran. Knee exercises. Core. Stretching.
Knees:
They're feeling much better. The pain is down to an ache from stabbing. My follow-up appointments are coming up.