A Good Kind of "Lockdown"!!

It is apparent that the “Survivor” Thursdays are a thing of the past. It only lasted one night when the program first aired back in September but none since. Last night was Thursday and “Survivor” wasn’t even on the “radar” screen and it was one of the unusual calm evenings at home with no activities scheduled. The seasons are winding down and as we head into the holidays. “Holidays” oh my already and yes, they are right around the corner with Thanksgiving in just three weeks. We are planning to have our dear friends over for the holiday and it will be a very wonderful time.

This morning was just like all the mornings this week and we have gotten into a very good routine. My son continues to make his 6:00 am appearance into our room and my daughter continues to be very sluggish in getting out of bed. These two are incredible children and there is nothing like the looks on their faces in the morning (albeit very different looks!). My son has this great smile even in the early morning hours and my daughter has this great frown especially early in the morning. I have missed these faces and each day is a new beginning in so many different ways.

I returned to the gym this morning after the must needed day of rest. My workouts have changed ever since my “return” as I have concentrated on training for the marathons. Incidentally; I just read two articles regarding running marathons and how it isn’t exactly great for the heart. The articles appeared in Men’s Health and Runner’s World which are owned by the same company. The article in Men’s Health illustrated the fact that over the past few years some runners of marathons have suffered deadly heart attacks. The article in Runner’s World did mention these as well but was definitely skewed to the runner who subscribes to the magazine.

My understanding is more runners are entering marathons and the numbers are so much higher than 20 years ago so it make sense that runners do suffer more heart attacks and those have been deadly. Also; the fact that running 26.2 miles is indeed taxing on the body and as my Dad likes to point out “the human body is not designed to run those distances”. I have a slightly different view having run 7 marathons and suffered with a case of tendinitis during a few of those marathons. The key number seemed to be 45 miles a week in one of the articles as the amount of training needed to be “heart healthy”. I agree and have seen this first hand over the course of running those 7 marathons.

I believe training is the key and as long as I can train properly I am on the correct path. I have read other articles of the “extreme” variety where people run the ultra marathons of 50, 75, 100 and more miles. That is taxing on the body but those who run these distances train and train and train some more. There aren’t any reports of anyone suffering fatal heart attacks during these “crazy” distances so I guess my theory of training properly makes some sense.

My session at the gym was over and I had some business errands to run during the day and the day went quickly as it was time to take my daughter to her softball practice. Normally my wife takes our daughter but today my wife was prepping for her “demonstration” party this evening. I won’t get into these “demonstration” parties because I just don’t understand. I do understand the nature and the need for the party which is just a get together of friends which is always nice. The whole you must buy something is crazy; however; I have learned it is much better to keep my mouth closed; yes, discretion is the better part of valor.

The practice went well and I spent most of the time playing catch with my son. I have decided to help with my daughter’s softball team in the spring just as I have helped out my son’s baseball team this fall. This is only fair but I may want to tread lightly because there seems to be more “politics” with these girls than with the boys. There is some “drama” but that drama is centered on one particular individual and I know enough to steer clear of the drama and those who cause the drama. It will be fun and I sort of need a break from the younger kids on my son’s team who would rather play in the dirt than play baseball!!

This evening I was relegated to my bedroom as the “demonstration” commenced. This was okay by me because it gave me an opportunity to “sync” up my IPod. There were also friends of our children over so this is why my new earphones came in handy. I placed the earphones on and didn’t hear much of anything. I was downloading and arranging songs for my IPod along with doing some work as well. I sent out a few well placed emails which will most likely fall on deaf ears because the people in question don’t seem to want help even though they need help and I know firsthand that wanting and needing are two very different things. I was allowed out of the room to taste some of the “delights” and also had some conversation as well. It was a very nice evening through and through.