Mon, 04/06/09 -
No snow! I had a massage and chiropractic appt this afternoon, so I decided to trike over there (1.2 mi). It is chilly out there; I wore 4 layers of clothes and a head/face mask under the helmet. We'll see if the predicted snow shows tonight & tomorrow. Pray for all those attending the MSU/UNC B'ball game tonight in Detroit. Sounds like the weather is quite bad on that side of MI. Over 100K people w/o power in SE MI (Detroit area).

While triking, the name of this blog still bugged me. It wasn't right. Not sure it is exactly the message I wish to convey yet, but this is doggone close. It's a paraphrase of Heb 12. Endurance is definitely the theme of running a marathon &/or healing 35+ broken bones (and a myriad other issues). My massage therapist kneeded my quadriceps - she said she could feel the quad building up in my R leg. Feeling muscle growth is exciting. While I was in hospital beds for 70 days my muscles significantly atrophied. Due to loss of range of motion in my right ankle, it is possible that the calf (gastrocnemius) muscle will suffer considerable & permanent atrophy. Before I began running 6 yrs ago, I often joked about having muscular atrophy in all my muscles. I think it's called flab/fat.

I ran one season of track in high school - the 3 mile event. I definitely was not a stand out star, probably just one of the few morons who chose to run that far. Then I "ran" in college because guys wanted to run w/ Julia & me. This shouldn't be called running, because Julia & I had lots of fun being chased. I attempted to run two years after my last child was born with a friend. She was far more dedicated than I & taking care of 3 kids, ages 2, 3, & 4, consumed my dedication. My 1st born ran cross country his senior yr of high school. The transformation that took place within & without that kid o'mine was phenomenal. I craved what he had attained. So I took up running to challenge my husband to run farther than around our city block. From there the training began until I had completed two marathons & was training for my third. Running worked for me. I'd tried all the exercise fads over the years, but nothing stuck for me. Could be 'cause I chose to focus on keeping up with my kiddos' activities. Here, in MI, I ran 4 seasons. In all kinds of weather (sun, rain, hail, sleet, snow, thunderstorm, ice). The challenge greeting every day was getting out there: just do it! Well, I had very strong, lean leg muscles on Jan 21, 08. That's probably why my legs are as strong as they are now - better than drs anticipated!

On today's trike I saw one dog, two seagulls (go figure!), and quite a few people. I was surprised by the number of people out in the blustery winds. However, the sun was shining and that is a major lure to the outdoors for Michiganders, despite the temperature. The cold air smelled fresh and promising. Spring is coming........ and
Blessings abound!
~A~