Jogging through Snow

I got up this morning to go on my usual Wednesday morning 30-minute run, knowing that it was going to be cold and snowy. And I was right. It seemed like most of the people had cleared their sidewalks last night but hadn't gone out again yet this morning. The snow had stopped falling, but the wind had kicked up overnight, leaving the unshoveled sidewalks with about 6 inches of snow. Bella and I did pretty well, but I kept thinking, "This must be what it's like to run on a sandy beach." Too bad I wasn't someplace warm, sunny, and ocean-side! Someplace like San Diego. Or Hawaii. I only made it 2.6 miles in 30 minutes, which is about 0.4 miles less than I do in half an hour. Oh, well. I still thought that was pretty good, considering the condition of the sidewalks. When I was almost home, a guy ran past Bella and me. He was running in the street. That's probably what I should've done, but I was running on some busy roads. Safety first!

This jog was part of my training for the Lake Monona 20K. My training is going really well so far. My only complaint is that my schedule is so tight with work that it's hard to stay motivated to get up before 6 on during the week. I keep telling myself skipping a training session is not an option. So far, that's working. I really need to get a new pair of running shoes - I'm going to have to start saving so I can get a new pair well in advance of the run. Does anyone know if the Shoe Box has good deals on running shoes? I don't need anything too fancy - I just want the best price possible. And I'm partial to New Balance and Mazuno.

Let it snow!

It's snowing again today. At least the temperatures have gotten above zero. When I left my house this morning, I was pleasantly surprised by the not-frigid temp. Don't get me wrong - it's still cold. My feet have yet to warm up. I will spend part of Christmas Eve shoveling, and I'll probably have a bit more to do on Christmas Day, too, depending on when the snow stops. On the upside, Thursday and Friday are predicted to get above freezing. Wow! (That picture of me is my sad imitation of the "American Gothic" painting. Had one of my neighbors been out shoveling, Einar would've joined in the photo and it would've been a bit more effective. Oh, well - it seems like there will be time this winter for another photo op.)



Our kitty, Kimchi, still thinks it might be okay to go outside and see what's happening. At least she has a fur coat.

December 21, 1983

Twenty-five years ago, during a Christmas caroling outing with members of Hope Lutheran in Milton where my dad was pastor, I ran into the street in front of a blue Chevy pick-up. But let me back up. I remember it was a Wednesday. We had had school that day, but not the next day, so it was the first night of Christmas vacation. My friend Angie was spending the night. I had a piano lesson, and then we went to the church to gather with other members to go carol to shut-ins who were members of Hope. This caroling event was an annual affair. Everyone would gather at the church and make Christmas ornaments to give to the shut-ins, and then we would all head out to carol. After we had sung at a few places, it had started to snow. I believe it was the first snow of the season, but I can't be sure. As we left one house, my brother and his friend were throwing snowballs at each other, at me and Angie, at my sister. I decided to get them back, so I made a snowball. My plan was to throw the snowball and immediately turn to run away so they couldn't get me back. I threw it, and I ran. Right into the street without looking. I remember hearing my dad yell, "AAAAAMMMMMMYYYYY!" I looked to my right, and he was stopped, looking in terror at something beyond me. I turn my head to the left and saw headlights. That's all I remember, until I woke up with Gary Getchel (a high school senior) slapping my face and saying my name. (He had run back to where we just caroled, and actually ripped the screen door off its hinges to get inside and call 911.) I was on my back, lying in the middle of the street, with my left leg bent and my right leg straight. I was going into shock and just wanted to go to sleep. He had been told to keep me conscious, so there was a lot of slapping. When the EMTs arrived, they asked me questions - my name, age, etc. I had broken my left femur (thigh bone). They would need to straighten my left leg so they could put me on the stretcher and get me into the ambulance. The female EMT told me it was going to hurt a lot, so if I wanted to scream, I should just scream. She placed her right hand above my left knee and her left hand above my left ankle. She slowly straightened my left. I didn't scream. I felt my leg moving, but it didn't hurt. (I have since learned that because the femur is the largest bone in the body, the brain shuts down pain receptors when it breaks to spare you that level of pain.) They got me in the ambulance, and we headed to Mercy Hospital in Janesville. I remember the ambulance ride being very bumpy, which is rather unpleasant when you have a broken leg. They took my blood pressure several times, and kept asking me questions to keep me conscious. I had to be in traction to align the femur and allow it to heal correctly and be the same length as my uninjured right leg. Luckily, I had a clean break, and my only other injury was a cracked left clavicle. I was in the hospital for 23 days and went home with a cast that started just above my belly button. It went around my hips and then cut over to go down my left leg all the way to my toes. I could move and bend my right leg, but I could not sit up. I don't know how much school I ended up missing, but I had a home-bound tutor who would bring my homework and teach me my lessons. And now, except for a scar high on my left thigh, you would never know I had broken my femur.

My family has slightly different memories of this event, as does Angie. I hope they will share their recollections in the comments. . .

To Minnesota!

Einar and I left Madison around 3:30 Saturday afternoon to head to Minnesota for the baptism of my good friend Becky's baby on Sunday morning. We drove to Minneapolis, where we stayed with Einar's brother Obed and his wife Megan. Sunday morning we were up early and on the road at 7:15 to make it to Saint Cloud for the 9am worship service. It was a lovely service with a lot of music and two baptisms. After some time with Becky and Chuck and their baby as well as their extended families, we got back in the car and returned to Obed and Megan's before meeting Einar's aunt and uncle and cousins for an early supper. We enjoyed a leisurely supper filled with lots of talking and laughing! We met up with Obed and Megan and went to a very nice dessert bar in Uptown Minneapolis (Zeno). Yum, yum! Einar's friend Bob met us there, too, so it was a good chance to see him, even though it was really brief. We were up early again this morning and on the road at 7:15 to return to Madison. Wow! Short trip. Busy, but oh so fun and filled with family and friends.

Highlights:
hanging with Obed and Megan
seeing Becky, Chuck, Lexie, and Gracie
dinner with Steve, Cheryl, Kristin, Matt, Karl, Eva, and Andrew
eating creme brulee
driving across the new 35W bridge
experiencing the first snow in Minnesota AND Wisconsin, one day apart