It has been SOOOO Long!

Well It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally back to blogging.  I was on a little hiatus, how is that even a word, but i think I wanna start blogging again.  So there have been a few changes in my life, we won't get into it all but I'll share two of them.

First I've moved again, moved far, far away, to a little town called Provo, which happens to the next town over.  And the reason why..... my landlord sold the place.  And I'm fine with that, but what I'm not fine with is having only 3 days notice that the house was being sold, and then telling me I think you have about 30 days before you have to move out.  You think? Which caused me to have to hustle to find a new place.  Honestly that left a bad taste in my mouth but I'm over it now and have moved on.  I have also decided to attend Physical Therapy Assistant School, instead of Nursing School.  I think it is more in tune with what I would like.

Was this the best decision?

My Physical Therapist told me I can start running on 22 March (next Monday) and my Ortho said I can start running at 26 Apr, I said screw it I am gonna Run today!

I am in Arizona right now for a Real Estate Conference and bored out of my mind.  After doing my Pushups this morning, then sitting in class all day listening to some very interesting Real Estate Financing Strategies, I found myself getting very restless around 4:30pm.  At that time I started thinking about what I was going to do after class.  I decided I was going to go to the gym and bike for and hour, go back to my hotel, eat, do some homework that's due next week when I get back to school and then hit the sack.  That was my plan, and I'm sticking to it, Right?  Wrong!!!

I decided I would rather try my luck at running for the first time since a month before my ACL reconstruction (December 2009).  So when I got home after class, I looked online for some nice trails in the local area to jog on, I really wanted to test out my Vibram Five Fingers, So I found a few trails that were within a 10 minute drive and made my way there.

I arrive at the trail and decided it would be best if I didn't push too hard, so I chose the .46 mile loop that was relatively flat, this was a great choice cause I really don't want to wake up in the morning with a gigantic Grapefruit for a knee.  I started the run and realized that it wasnt that bad, as long as I used short quick strides everything was bearable, both me and the Five Fingers were working out great.  At the .33 mile maker I have the bright idea to try and run barefoot, I took off the Vibrams and proceded to run, and at first I thought this sucks, why am I doing this, and after about a minute of running barefoot I thought to myself, "this is not too bad, I am sure after a few weeks of running bare this will not be a problem", so I continued on to my car, but guess what magically happened as I got closer to the car, bigger and bigger rock appeared and needless to say, They SUCK!!!!!!!! and hurt.  I finished the .46 mile loop in 9:15, now before you say Holy S!@, remember I just had knee surgery, 4 months ago I could run half a mile in 3 minutes or less, so this is pretty good considering. 

So the question is was this the best decision.  I think it was, I have boosted my motivation a little and hopefully strengthened my knee also.  Now tomorrow morning when I wake up I will ask myself this question again. 

These Lazy Kids

Since today was a pretty nice day, 48 degrees and sunny, I took the kids to the playground to burn off some energy. When we arrived there were a few older girls playing there. I didn't pay much attention to them in the beginning but after sitting on the bench for a while watching the kids, I noticed that they playing a game that resembles a game I played in my youth, it was Hide and Seek, but there game had a lazy twist to it, instead of counting and running around, and chasing the other kids and tagging them; they would count, the other kids would hide and the one counting would stand there and point out where the others were hiding and that was it. 
So when did Hide and Seek become Hide and Look At?  Kids are getting lazier and lazier each year, When I was a kid, when it was time to play we played, we would play a game called Man Hunt that was similar to hide and seek and would last for hours, our hiding area would cover 2-3 city blocks, and we would run almost the entire time.  We would play football, basketball and baseball, not on the a gaming system but outside in the fields ou in the streets.  What has happened to kids these days?

Week 8 ACL Rehab Workout-Updated Daily

My main Goals for this week (1-7 March):
Stationary Bike time: 1 hour/day total
Stationary bike Miles: 100 miles
Swim: 1600 meters

The Doc says I can start running on March 22, 2010.  I am not too worried about running too much because as soon as my knee is better and I am able to run consistently, that will come back naturally.  I want to give the bike and swimming my utmost attention right now.  I want to get to where I am biking 40 miles a session and swimming 2 miles a session.  My running goals for this year are attainable but will be very difficult.  Coming off an ACL reconstruction, and now having to train like a beginner, and getting into the barefoot running movement will surely test my will to get my first Ultra out of the way.  But I am willing to give it my best shot.

 Mar 1-7
03-01-2010
Mon:  Stationary Bike-60 min/21.60 miles; L11
03-02-2010
Tue:  AM:  Swim-1/100m, 1/200m, 2/100m
          PM:  Stationary Bike-21 min/7.56 miles
03-03~07-2010
Rest

Week Totals
Swim:  500m
Bike time:  1hr 21min
Bike Dist:  29.16 miles

I didn't feel well this week, so I only went to the gym 2 days.  I was having stomach problems for some reason, just didn't feel right.  I am feeling better now, so this upcoming week I plan on getting on the ball!!

Why I stay in shape

So I got to thinking the other day, why do I stay in shape, and right off the bat I came up with a 2 reasons but I knew there had to be more to it than that so I sat down and wrote out reasons that were very meaningful to me.  So here goes…..

1) Improves my self-concept and appearance: In other words it makes me feel better about myself.  I don’t care what anyone says, if you are not staying in shape for a specific sport, you are staying in shape so that you look better.  Call it what you want but it’s the truth.  Another reason I stay in shape is because it aids in how others perceive you.  I know some people may be thinking, you shouldn’t care what others think of you but imagine you are a Non Commissioned Officer in the Army and you cant pass your PT Test, how do you think you Leaders will perceive you, you know what, screw that, how do you think your Soldiers will look at you.  For you guys that don’t know the Military lifestyle, how do you think your business acquaintances and partners will take you? 

2) Healthy: Saying in shape keeps you healthy, which in turn will possibly lengthen your life span.  Staying healthy decreases risks on heart disease, Diabetes and hypertension (which I have a history of in my family), cholesterol levels and numerous other diseases and illnesses.  Most people don’t realize when they are out of shape, they are putting tremendous and undue stress on their artery walls and I for one don’t want to have to deal with that, I understand it could happen while staying in shape but exercising may decrease that risk.  Diabetes is another thing that can possibly be reduces by staying healthy, Most research I have read say that the #1 way to combat it is to Control your sugar sources and the #2 way is to keep your body fat low and to do that you must burn fat and build muscle.

3) Perform Better: When I am in shape I perform better, have you ever had the flu and tried walking up 2 flights of stairs, it’s the same concept, your body is not in peak condition so all tasks are a challenge.  When I’m in shape, I am able to do things and for extended periods of time and an able to drop whatever it is I am doing and engage in another activity without skipping a beat.  I am able to perform better at school and at work.  While I was in the Army, there were days when we wouldn’t do physical training (not a lot but enough) and my performance levels differed from days I did physical training.

4) You get more out of Life:  I’ll put it like this, for me if I am not in shape I cant do any of my hobbies, like running, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, and the other activities that require enormous amounts of energy. 

5) Less Stress: It is very stress relieving to get out there and workout, there were times when I was stressed out about work and hitting the gym, going for a run or taking a hike (no pun intended) was the only thing that could get me back on track.  It also decreases depression, There are studies that show when we exercise, our bodies release what some people call a happy Hormone, scientist call it endorphins. Some people may not realize it, but most of us have felt it. There is that moment when suddenly pain or discomfort vanishes and we are then filled with a sense of almost invincibility. Exercising also decreases Cortisol, which apparently makes us more likable and easier to be around.

6) For my Kids and Grandkids:  Last but not least, the most important one and probably the one that needs the least amount of explaining.  There’s my girls first date, I will be there to put the fear of Satan in that boy and every other boy (he will want to stand in the middle of a busy freeway, before he thinks of doing something I wont approve of), hunting trips, camping expeditions, Prom, Graduations, Weddings, to name a few.  These things I want to be healthy and strong enough to take part in.  If I don’t stay in shape and maintain that until I am at least 100 I am sure I’ll miss out on something. 

So these are a few of my reasons what are yours?

Week 7 ACL Rehab Workouts

Feb 22-28
02-22-2010
Mon: Chest workout
          Swim: Freestyle: 300 meters
          Hot Tub for 15 minutes
02-23-2010

Tue:    Stationary Bike-45:00 min/16.21 miles; Lev 11 of 20~

           30 minute Leg workout
           Swim: freestyle: 4 sets of 50 Meters
                          1 set of 200 meters
                      Side stroke: 1 set of 50 meters
                      Total: 450 meters
           Hot Tub 10 minutes w/stretching
02-24-2010
Wed:   Stationary Bike-31:00 min/11.11 miles
02-25-2010
Thu:    Stationary Bike-55:00 min/19.80 miles
            20 minute shoulder workout

            Swim: freestyle: 4 sets of 50 meters
                         2 sets of 100
                        Total: 400 meters
            Hot tub: 5 minutes w/stretching

02-26-2010

Fri:      Rest

02-27-2010

Sat:      Rest

02-28-2010

Sun:     2 mile walk in the canyon in the Vibram FF's

Week Totals 
Swim: 1150meters
Bike time: 2hr 11min
Bike Dist: 47.12

Week 6 ACL rehab Workouts

Feb 15-21

02-15-2010

Mon:   Stationary Bike- 40:00min/14.39 miles; Lev 12 & 13 of 20

            Randy Couture Workout- 5 sets of 55 lbs

            Leg Press- 160/15, 160/15, 180/15, 200/14

            Hot Tub for 15 minutes

02-16-2010

Tue:     Stationary Bike-40:00 min/14.40 miles; Lev 12 of 20~

            Randy Couture Workout- 4 sets of 65 lbs~

02-17-2010

Wed:    Stationary Bike-20:00 min/7 miles

02-18-2010

Thu:     Stationary Bike-20:00 min/7 miles

02-19-2010

Fri:      Rest

02-20-2010

Sat:     Stationary Bike-45:00 min/16.20 miles level 11

           Randy Couture Workout-4 sets with 65lbs

           Military Press: 115/10, 135/8,5,5

           Swim: Freestyle: 300 meters

           Hot Tub- 10 minutes

02-21-2010

Sun:    Rest

Week Totals:
Swim: 300 meters
Bike Time: 2hr 45min
Bike Dist: 58.99 miles

My First College paper

Well, this has definitely been a small struggle but has been well worth it.  I just finished my very first college paper and honestly I am looking forward to writing my next, but next time I will put alot more thought into it and I will use the writing center at school.  I found that writing papers can be fun if you actually know what you are doing.  Since I haven't taken college English yet (next semester) and it has been 10 years since I wrote a paper in high school, I found myself going through over 20 different college websites looking through their college writing material and handouts trying to re-learn how to write papers and how to write in APA format.  I haven't received a grade for it or even turned it in yet but, I will call this paper a success, considering I had to learn everything by myself and I think I did a fairly decent job on it.  I have 1 more paper, 2 group projects and 2 individual presentations left for the semester.  I just have to manage my time a bit better and thing will be all good.

Rabbits and Cold Feet

Today me and the Family decided to go on a little adventure, the goal was to find animals.  We decided to head up Provo Canyon, towards Sundance Resort to see what we could find.  We started our journey and the weather was beautiful and calm.  We passed Sundance, where we saw all the skiers have a blast, speeding down the mountain at what looked like 100mph.  We kept pushing forward, with the intent on finding a gruesome 12 legged, fanged beast. 
We finally found what we were looking for only smaller.  Well I thought it was cool and so did the kids.

So we continued up the mountain until we reached the BYU Motel looking thingy, and I thought the Icicles hanging down were flippin sweet.  So we made it to the Timp trail and since its still winter the road is blocked off here.  We journey back down the mountain and went east toward Heber, and I figured since the kids have never walked more than 3 feet on ice they should get a better experience so we stopped at Deer Creek, to walk on water, frozen water.  Amy and the kids were enjoying it but my feet started to get really cold, guess why...............................................

Yep you guessed it, Barefoot...No, Vibram Five Fingers it was.  I have discovered for the second day in a row that these shoes are very comfortable but they are not made for leisurely walks in the cold.  They are ok for the first 15 minutes but then it gets cold really fast.

So So today we set off on a mission, accomplished it and the kids even got a new experience under their belts.  I will have to say today was a success.  I can't wait to get all better so next maybe this upcoming summer, fall and winter, I can take the kids out to see why daddy loves the outdoor life.  Until then, cya................

Week 5 Leg Rehab Workouts

This weeks Leg Rehab

Tuesday- Feb 9
Stationary Bike-20:00 min/; Lev 6 of 12~
 Leg Press With Bands  3 set 10  weight unknown~
Treadmill  Backwards Walk-10:00 min/15 degree incline~


Wednesday- Feb 10
Stationary Bike-30:00 min/10.80 miles; Lev 6 of 12~
Hip Abduction-125/15, 130/5, 140/15~
Leg Press-120/15, 140/15, 160/15~
Hip Adduction-80/15, 75/15, 70/15~


Thursday- Feb 11
Stationary Bike-16:00 min/5.78 miles; Lev 6 of 12~
Hip Abduction-130/15, 135/5, 145/15~
Leg Press-120/15, 160/15, 180/15~
Hip Adduction-80/15, 75/15, 75/15~


Friday- Feb 12
Stationary Bike-35:00 min/12.60 miles; Level 11 of 20~
Leg press-120/15, 160/15, 180/15~
Randy couture Workout:
      Set 1: 45lbs x 8- Bent Rows; Upright rows; Mil Press; Good Mornings; Squat and Press; Deadlift
      Set 2:  55lbs x 8- (same)~
      Set 3:  65lbs x 8- (same)~
      Set 4:  65lbs x 8- (same)~
Hot Tub for 15 long minutes ~
Walk-.61 miles (was 40 degrees out, wore vibram five fingers, feet were freezing)

10 Mile Stationary Bike Today

Today I decided since I am no longer under the Watchful eye of the Physical Therapist, I decided to start developing leg workout plan.  My first goal is to get to where I am biking 1 hour a day, This will develop the muscles in my legs and will start preparing me for Triathlons.  I said I was going to do one last year but I didnt have a bike and stationary bikes always turned me off and by the time I bought a bike and started training it started to snow a then a few months later I tore my ACL.  So today I went to the gym and hopped on the stationary and rode for exactly 30 minutes and went 10.80 miles.  I was very proud of myself since this is further than I have ever been on a stationary before, when I was younger I would do this all the time on my bike but that was years ago.   Whats funny is that 30 minutes and 10 miles wasn't that had, it's more of a mental challenge than anything else.  So tomorrow I will go 32 minutes, increasing my time by 2 minutes per day until I reach 1 hour on 27 Feb 2010.  At that point I will maintain the 1 hour rides Daily and on 22 March I will start incorporating running into my regiment.  honestly I am not sure when I will stat swimming, I will have to check with my PT to figure that out.

You are free to go!!!

So this will be a short blog, but I went to Physical Therapy and knocked that out.  So at the end of the session the Doc (PT) told me that my range of motion was good over (140 degrees), I walked fine and that I didn't need to go to formal physical therapy anymore.  He suggested that I start biking more, up to 40-45 minutes per session, do leg presses, with appropriate weight and to stay away from leg extensions.
And here comes the best news, He said I can start running lightly at 11 weeks, thats March 22, 2010 and I can't wait.

Pics of my Knee

So I realize that I have yet to post pics of my knee so I'll take the opportunity now post all the pics I have taken while I am thinking about it.  I will post then in the order they were taken. Now as you look at the pictures notice the difference in size.

 This Pic was taken 20 minutes before the Surgery.










This Pic was taken immediatly after the Surgery while I was still in the hospital bed.









 The next 4 pics were taken today, notice the size difference,  a few weeks ago it was double the size it is now so the doc took 90ML of fluid out of it.  It felt great to have all that pressure relieved.


















Heres a pic of the scars.

Barefoot and Minimalist Running or walking for now

I have been thinking about Barefoot running since early last year and for some reason it dropped off my radar and suddenly it has popped back up on it. Due to my recent ACL tearing Mishap and surgery, I have been continuously looking for ways to improve my leg strength and reduce possible future injuries and I was doing some net surfing and low and behold barefoot is in my eyes again. I continued to research barefoot running and decide that this is something I should try out, maybe it will aid in a stronger knee rehabilitation and recovery. So I went out and bought some Vibram Five Fingers KSO Treks. So far these shoes are awesome, I go everywhere in them and get more weird looks than ever, but it doesn't bother me they fell pretty good and I am sure as my feet get stronger they will feel better. I am not able to really give an accurate assessment of these shoe yet since i have only had them for about a week and I am not able to run yet but so far, I think they are worth it.

.36 miles and the most fun I have had all year!!!

So today I dropped my daughter off at school and decided I need to get my son some exercise so that he would be good and tired for his upcoming nap, which didn't happen, he is still sitting in his room talking to himself now. But anyways we take off on our walk, we walked through the dirt, we walked through the snow, leaving did footprints, we walked past houses, got to touch street signs, talked about trucks, people on bicycles and why we need to watch out for cars. And it was fun cause he understood most of what we were talking about. Oh yeah, we got to walk through what he thought was a cave which was just the long 50 foot awning whats enclosed by a brick wall on the side of a local business. That was pretty funny cause when we first got to it he stopped in his tracks and yelled hello 3 times to see if anyone was there, then he walked through like he was in charge. When we finally got home, I asked how was the walk and he said fun, it sure was. Can't wait to do it again!!!

What I did this weekend

So this weekend was kind of a bummer and it was cool all in the same. I had drill this weekend (2 more drills left I think) and it started on Friday and for the ost part I did nothing, my replacement was going around trying to get stuff squared away, he's been a Nurse for 10 years, in the Army for 18 years and he seems like a good guy. So I'm happy the Medical Section is getting a guy of his caliber. So after Friday drill was over I drove to Amy's Grandparents house to get some sleep cause I had a early Saturday scheduled. I got to their house, ate and attempted to get some sleep. I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep that night, I just couldn't sleep for some reason.

So 4:45 am on Saturday morning arrived very quickly, so I got up cleaned up and headed down to the Utah State Examiners Office to get my hands dirty. So we got there and got the briefing from one of the nurses, she informed us that we had 6 bodies to do today and the goal is to get in, get them done and get out of here, since they dont get paid overtime, they don't want to be there any longer than they need to be. I'm not going to go through every single case we had cause it I did I would be typing for a very long time. We did Autopies on 2 suicide victims, 1 overdose, 1 Natural death and 2 heart attacks. The other guy didn't necessarily get an autopsy, he had been decomposing in his apartment for, what the doc says about 16 days, when he was found he had the heater on full blast and had just went shopping prior to his death, so needless to say it wasn't the most pleasant aroma I have ever smelled. After examining him the Doc said he most likely died of natural causes also.
After that I got to watch one of the heart attack victims corneas being cut out and preserved for donation and also her legs and arms were taken for donation.

After this we did CPR training where I was certified for 2 years.

On Sunday I sat in briefings and and did NCOER's all day, can anyone say BORING!!!!!
After that I drove up to another 70 miles out of my way to watch the Super Bowl and attend my sons Birthday Party, honestly if his party wasnt happening, I would have just driven the 15 10 miles to my house, did a little studying and went to sleep, but I got some good food and got to watch the game.

So that was my weekend and I will say I could have been awesome it I just did what I did on Saturday ad my sons Party.

Progess is happening, The Need For Speed!

I made it on time to my 1445hrs Physical therapy appointment safely. As usual The first thing we do is warm up my knee for 10-15 minutes, then I go on to leg raises and for 3 sets of 10 with weight on my ankle which is pretty easy. From there I move on to the stationary bicycle where I did 7.42 miles in 26 minutes at level 11 out of 20. I was pretty proud of myself, cause last week I couldn't go as far on as high a level. Then came the the lying leg press wile squeezing a ball in between my legs and 3 sets of 10 while pulling my knees apart with band resistance and it felt good to be using my muscles. I then moved back to my treatment area to check my range of motion and today I reached 142 degrees, so progress is being made. After that I got on the treadmill, increased the incline to 15 degrees and walked backwards for 12 minutes. Overall Therapy went great, and I am now very tired, I attempted to hit the gym up after I left and was only able to survive 20 minutes of lifting, so nowhere I am dozing off and trying to write a blog. Well until ext time enjoy life!!!

30 Days of School down, alot more left!

So as most people know I joined the Army right after high School in 1999; and here it is, the year 2010 and I have started school again. Now the purpose of this blog is just to convey how going back to school has been for me.

I'll start off by saying the Army education system is nothing like the College education system. In the Army you learn by doing or kinesthetically, there really is not much lecture aside from the yearly briefing which everyone sleeps through anyway. In College most professors teach by lecture, which in my opinion is the worst way to teach anything. If you want someone to learn something you have to get them actively engaged in conversation and actively doing whatever it is you would like them to learn. So in this aspect I have to some how train my self to learn by listening or aurally. The one thing that knew before college, but College has reinforced is that I am a kinesthetic learner.

So I have 17 credits already from Military education and classes I took while in the Army, and since I am looking to get a Masters degree in Nursing, I need about 180 credits to be officially done. Now as soon as I get my RN done I plan on getting a job, but I still have a long way to go after that.

So back to my current college situation, all in all College has been fun, aside from the having to hobble all around campus in pain, The Professors are pretty cool, knowledgeable and experienced. I am only taking 9 credit hours this semester because I just want to ease back into school life and not fully submerse myself and drown. I am taking Medical Terminology Interpersonal Communication and College Success and I these classes are going to really be helpful in my pursuit of a Nursing degree.

I really enjoy learning and doing the work and studying, the only thing that will give me problems is writing all the papers that are due. I never have been a big writer, and honestly it never seemed like something I would enjoy. I enjoy writing these blogs because they are not forced upon me and they can be as long or as short as I want them to be. But luckilyI have amy who is like a human paper writer, and she can help me along the way.

So for my first 30 days in college I give myself a B-.

Todays walk in the park or mall?

So After Physical Therapy on thursday and hitting the gym last night I wanted to get back to were I feel most comfortable, The Canyon's. The Told Amy I was going to Provo Canyon to walk a bit and they decided to tag along which wasn't a problem, so we all get ready and get to the canyonm get out of the car and immediately the kids start whining about tit being too cold, I thought it was very nice, a tad chilly but bearable, so we left which was fine, they needed to play anyways so we went to University mall and they played while I walked around, I only walked for 15 minutes but it felt like I had just finished a road march. I'm not complaining I'm just saying I got a good little workout. Its weird cause my reconstructed leg is half the size of my other leg and it gets fatigues very quickly, this kind of makes me wonder how did Jerry Rice started playing football a month after his surgery, and I was in really good condition. Well I guess I shouldn't compare myself to Jerry Rice! Well anyways my walk went well and I am looking forward to my walk tomorrow!

My ACL Runneth over!!

OK, so it has been months since I have made a real blog post but I have finally found something worth blogging about. Well I tore my ACL playing basketball on December 17 2009, and this was the beginning of long painful process. So on January 4, 2010 I had ACL reconstruction surgery and meniscus repair by Dr. Donavan Nelson at Central Utah Clinic in Provo and everything went well. So I was really discouraged in the beginning because I hadnt made any progress in my first 2 weeks post p and the swelling wouldnt go down, so I went to the Doc to let them know and I ended up getting 90 ML of blood and almost instantly it felt better and I had over 40 degrees more bend in my knee. So as of today I have 130 degrees of bend in my knee and rehab is coming along pretty well.

I am now waling without crutches and today I went for a walk around the mall. It's kind of weird cause the muscles in my left leg have all shrunk and I get really tired after a 10 minute walk but thats ok cause I should be good to go within another month. I do my own little rehab at home on days that I dont have Physical Therapy scheduled and it seems to be working out since I am making positive progress when the Therapist see me. So I will continue to push myself and hopefully I will be running some races by the end of the year!!