Good news - Angela (wife) had her 1 1/2 year CT scan - and the results were GREAT! She has not had any setbacks and the doctors are extremely pleased with her progress. Yay!!! She has been working hard on regaining her strength and is doing well. Angela also has finally warmed up to running. In 2008 she has competed in several (4 or 5) 5K races.
Mom has been delaying knee surgery (knee replacement) and finally in early December she decided to do it. The doctors said she would not be able to walk or drive for 3 weeks after the procedure. My brother was able to help her the first week and Angela and I were there for 2 weeks over Christmas to continue to help. I did my job of nagging her to do her exercises, drink lots of water, and eat a banana per day...all doctor prescribed. In the end, when we left she was able to walk short distances and showed good progress.
Bad news - in December I was laid off from my job at CSCI. I was one of the causalities of a mass layoff of 30 people. I had a sense this was coming but I thought I was not going to be laid off. However, it turns out I was wrong. I believe I have an understanding of how business operates and in tough times there are difficult decisions. Fine, I get that. What I lack the understanding of is how a business can lay off so many individuals just before Christmas, without warning, and (seeming) without remorse. In this case there was no severance pay - not one day! I am not one to dwell on those types of things; really, I just want to work. I spent some time updating my resume over Christmas and had received lots of interest but I am trying to get the right job, not the first job. So I am taking my time.
NOW --- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Last night we spent New Years Eve quietly with some of our friends...very typical for us. But today we ran a local 5k with our running club. It was cold (22 degrees) and windy. The course was a little hilly but not too drastic. I have not trained for a 5K before, usually the shortest I run is 10K so I was unsure how I could do. I ended up with a personal record (PR) time. I averaged a 7:39 mins per mile pace which is VERY fast for me. It is almost too long ago to remember last year when I was training in the 10:00 min/mile pace. Running wise, I am very happy with my progress over the past year.
Next week I begin a speed development training program with my local running club. I have heard great things about this program and hope it will help me with my other races this year. Which brings me to my BIG race for next year....1/2 IRONMAN. The 1/2 Ironman is 70.3 miles: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. The race, called Longhorn Ironman, is located in Austin, TX. Since I was in Austin last week helping my Mom, I used the opportunity to drive the bike section of the course. It was miles of rolling hills; bumpy roads filled with large cracks, gravel, and small potholes; and pretty strong winds. Probably typical for Texas hill country but new to me. So, stay turned for my 1/2 Ironman training.
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