Sparkey's Host

Support the animals!

2011-10-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

Watch this fantastic lip dub video by the Wake County (NC) SPCA. Then rush right out and donate your time or money to your local animal shelter. It will be good for your heart!

Biking with EveryTrail

2011-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

I got a carrier for my iPhone that I mounted on my bike. I used EveryTrail for the iPhone to track my ride. It's okay, but I can't see how far I've gone and the controls are a little confusing to me. Below is the map that it created.

Bike ride around Foxboro

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Massachusetts

What if...

2011-07-21T05:36:00.001-07:00

I had a stereotactic biopsy done on my right breast. It was a highly unpleasant experience because of the depth and the fact that the doctor didn't wait long enough for the lidocaine to take effect. But it made me wonder...what if it had been the left side where my ICD is? Could it have been done? Would it have hurt more? What happens if the needle hits a lead?

Vegetable Broth

2011-07-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

Vegetable Broth, a photo by pjbishop93 on Flickr.

It's a rainy day and I need to clean out the pantry so I'm making vegetable broth. I've also been throwing vegetable scraps and peelings into a container in the freezer so I throw those in, too. I plan to use some of the broth in a vegan shepherd's pie recipe I found today. I'll freeze the rest for use in soups and stews later.

Being efficient and thrifty makes me happy. Just like getting a good report from the EP cardio yesterday--3.11 volts left on my ICD battery so it should last a good bit longer. I am not looking forward to the surgery to replace the battery because I keloid. My scar looks horrible and only gets worse every time they open me up. So here's to efficient battery usage!

Lost Roads

2009-07-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I went out for a run today that included roads I haven't run before. It's all part of my quest to run every road in Foxboro. Because one section of the map was hard to read, I double checked with Google Maps. A-OK. Turn right on Clarendon, left on Johnson, left on Arlington, back to Pleasant and off towards the center of town. You have to zoom in on the map below to see the spot I'm talking about.

View Larger Map

I was moseying along nicely, singing my tunes. I turned right on Clarendon. It was a cul-de-sac. So I backtracked and continued on Pleasant. I turned down Arlington. It, too, was a cul-de-sac. There was no Johnson to be seen.

I could easily have been in an unfamiliar area (on vacation or a business trip). Lost roads would be much more of a problem under those conditions.

So caution, all my runner friends. Google Maps are not perfect. Always carry ID and your phone (both of which I forgot today because I was rushing to get out of the car). In fact, get a Road ID band and put on your shoe.

The upside to today's adventure was that I got back to my car just minutes before another rainstorm started.

2009-06-30T09:27:00.003-07:00

Testing out posting from my phone.

2009-06-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

Testing out posting from my phone.

Always pick a winner

2009-04-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

The New York Time reported today about the problems with removing the defective ICD leads that around 150,000 people in the United States still have in them. The lead removal is tricky and if you must have it done, choose a doctor who has done it numerous times. One of the top lead-removal doctors in the country is Dr. Epstein at Brigham and Women's. He's the one who did mine. Mine wasn't defective, but it needed to be repositioned and that necessitated removing it and placing a new one.

Journeying around the 'boro

2009-04-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last year I decided that I should run every road in my little town, Foxboro. I called the highway department and they told me there were approximately 90 miles of town-owned streets. I assume that number doesn't include Interstates 95 or 495 and possibly not even the state-owned routes, such as 106 and 140. Ninety miles is nothing if you're running 20-40 a week, right? I should be able to finish this quest in a couple of weeks.

Next I asked for a map. Dead silence. Finally the person on the phone said, "We don't have one. But you might try town hall." Huh?

So I went to town hall. They didn't have one, either, but they did scrounge up the one you see in the picture above. It may have been produced some years ago by one of the real estate agents. Good enough.

Armed with my map and MapMyRun.com I started mapping out routes every weekend that included new (to me) streets. My two running partners have not been particularly keen on this idea so I restrict my little adventures to my solo runs.

A year later, I have not completed as many streets as I had hoped to. In fact, I've been on a hiatus since about September. This morning, though, I finally got a chance to run solo and without having to contend with snow or ice or extreme cold. I took off and decided it was going to be a goofy running day where I would try to map out 5 or 6 miles in my head as I ran but be open to various possibilities as I progressed. The result was 5.43 miles and two new roads. I feel like I'm back in the game and I can't wait for my next opportunity to add to my "collection"!

For anyone who feel stagnant in their running/walking/biking routine, I highly recommend devising strange challenges such as this. Maybe I'm weird, but I feel so re-energized about my whole running life right now that I can't wait until the next time I strap on my Asics and pound the pavement!

Never Say Never

2009-03-31T16:11:00.001-07:00

I received a gift certificate to my favorite running shoe store. I popped in on Sunday and used it toward a new pair of trail runners (Asics Trabuco 11). My old ones haven't been used much over the last ten years--actually I've only strapped them on maybe five times since my 50-mile Umstead (N.C.) run, after which I swore I would never run that far again.

But a few miles on the trails and warmer weather and what happens? I start thinking about ultras again.

How can I even consider that after the way my life has gone for the last two years? Got back into running in a more serious way after an extended period away from it. Cardiac arrest. ICD implanted. Down time. Back to running. Lyme disease. Down time. Back to running. Working my way towards half marathon. ICD has to be replaced. Down time. Back to running (this period lasted approxiamtely 3 weeks). Back goes out and I can barely move. Down time. Back to running. And now I'm thinking about ultras? Maybe I have running dementia now (happens in my age group).

Happy Boxing Day

2009-03-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

We ran in the Foxboro State Forest again today and walked afterwards. The map below shows the walk portion.

Foxboro State Forest 1.7 mile walk at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

Today we had the dog with us for the walk. We encountered another boxer while we were on the trail. We had seen a boxer earlier when we were running. That makes it Boxing Day, right?

For all you back pain sufferers out there, I can't recommend getting your own pair of Miracle Balls enough. Those and the yoga have really been instrumental in getting me back on the road.

Improving

2009-03-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

I ran 3.4 miles yesterday on the road then walked 2.2. That's a great improvement from last week when I could barely walk. So I highly recommend yoga and miracle balls!

Today I'm taking my running buddy for a trail run. I'm trying to get her turned on to that. We're starting with the trail I did last weekend with the hubby:

Foxboro State Forest 2.4 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

Up Time

2009-03-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

I ran this morning on the indoor track at the Y! I did the morning stretches and align-the-spine poses from the yoga book and some of the stretches for the back from the Miracle Ball book. I ran very slowly at first but picked up a little speed as I went. I was slower than before this "injury." There was a bit of discomfort bordering on pain but nothing that seemed dangerous or problematic. I ran for 30 minutes then repeated the yoga stretches.

It's been a rough week without running. I am impatient, grumpy, and liable to lash out if I don't get my endorphin fix. So I'm really happy to be back (so to speak).

Down Time

2009-03-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

I hate down time!

My back has been acting up and I haven't been able to run for a week now. I usually run six days a week so to be reduced to zero is agonizing.

When I first noticed the pain Sunday morning (3/15) in my lower back, I ignored it. I got on my incline bench, did my situps, and ignored the pain. I went running and ignored the pain. But then I paid the piper. For the rest of the day, I was in excruciating pain, and it continued for the rest of the week. I tried massive doses of Ibuprofen. I tried a muscle relaxer. When I tried the heating pad, I ended up in worse pain. I couldn't sit for long. I had trouble walking. I had a hard time going up and down stairs and getting in and out of the car. By Friday I was desperate.

Then I pulled out a book I had bought many months ago, Yoga Heals Your Back by Rita Trieger. I did the morning stretches and the spine alignment poses. I felt immediate relief. I did them twice more that day and continued to do them throughout the weekend. The relief is astonishing--much better than the drugs. I'm not back to normal (occasionally my back just seems to quit and I nearly fall down), but at least I am not in agony anymore. Today I bought the Elaine Petrone's Miracle Ball Method. We'll see if that helps.

At this point, I would probably do anything to be able to get back to running. I have done a couple of long walks since my breakthrough on Friday, but I desperately need to get back to running. If I do something horrible in the next few days, I will blame it on the lack of running.

2.4 mile walk in forest

2009-03-22T16:19:00.001-07:00

Here's an easy 2.4 mile hike we took today in the F. Gilbert Hills State Forest (a.k.a. Foxboro State Forest). I've also done it as a trail run. Easy surface for beginning trail runners.

Foxboro State Forest 2.4

Widget powered by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging

Trying out EveryTrail

2009-03-21T15:02:00.001-07:00

We turned on EveryTrail on my iPhone about halfway through our quick walk in the Foxboro State Forest today. One bad data point in there, but otherwise pretty good. We'll try to remember to turn it on when we start next time.

Foxboro State Forest

Widget powered by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging

Wiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-08T06:08:00.001-07:00

We bought a Wii and Wii Fit a few weeks ago. I haven’t bought any of the music-based games yet because I’ve been having fun with the skiing and bowling. In fact I’m very intrigued by the way that Wii Fit is forcing a rethinking of the potential gaming audience and the possibilities for games. For instance, senior centers all over the country are holding Wii bowling tournaments, as well as classes on how to use your Wii for fitness. A study is under way in Scotland to study whether the balance board can be used in helping elderly people improve their balance and prevent falls.

It occurred to me that some clever programmers, working with doctors and researchers, could design specially tailored rehabilitation programs to run on the Wii. The best design would involve a series of modules that could be enabled and configured specifically for the patient’s needs. Information from the patient’s sessions could be stored and transmitted to the supervising medical professional for review. I imagine this would be most useful in orthopedic and cardio rehab (some extra telemetry could be added for that one for even better monitoring). And there’s no reason it couldn’t be as fun as bowling or skiing or Zelda or Mario.

Gotta go. It’s my turn at bowling. My Wii Mii has a habit of tapping her foot if I take too long.

Spring fever!

2009-03-08T05:55:00.001-07:00

There's nothing like a 50+ degree day or two in Massachusetts in March to make me get a wicked case of spring fever. I'm heading out to do my run in shorts and can't wait. Other people start cleaning their houses...I start counting my short-sleeved running shirts!

Album Cover Art

2008-05-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

Downloading music from sites like iTunes and Rhapsody means album cover art is nearly a dying art. I remember spending hours browsing through album covers in record stores, decoding images on albums I owned, and trying to see something of the musicians' personalities in the artwork and photographs. In all my time spent with the covers, though, I don't think I ever encountered ones like these.

Gulp

2008-03-18T18:20:00.001-07:00

I'm organizing a run/walk to commemorate the 1-year anniversary since my event. I've been reluctant to bring any more attention to me, but at the same time I want to celebrate living, thank my friends and family, and encourage people to get out and exercise. I finally sent the email today inviting people to join me in this celebratory run/walk after thinking about it for months. If only one person makes a lifestyle change and gets out there walking, then whatever discomfort I feel will be worth it. That's always been my mantra working with kids in music and theater--if it makes a difference for just one kid, then my work is worth it. And I would probably go running that day anyway so having at least one or two people join me will make it more fun.

Crestor Update

2008-03-03T19:00:00.001-08:00

It's been one month since I quite taking Crestor. I think I might be sleeping better since dropping the Crestor from my drug regimen, but it has not been an astounding difference. I wake up less during the night and my dreams are less vivid and disturbing. When I do wake up, I generally fall back to sleep within a few minutes rather than laying awake for up to an hour twitching my foot. In fact, the foot thing got so bad I was beginning to consider asking my doctor about restless leg syndrome. It would be much better to solve that problem by eliminating drugs rather than by adding them.

The jury is still out. I'll wait another month and see how things are. If anyone has experience with statins and wants to weigh in here, I'm listening.

I Love a Challenge

2008-02-27T07:31:00.001-08:00

Last month I signed up for a challenge on Map My Run. The goal was to run 100 miles in 30 days. It sounds easy enough--that's just an average of 3.3 miles per day. My regular route is 3.4 miles and I usually run 4 miles on the treadmill if go to the Y. When I started running again after my big event, I was running every day unless something very drastic occurred. Finally late this fall, I cut back to 5 or 6 out of 7 days because I was starting to see signs of overtraining. So I thought this challenge would be a piece of cake.

Snow and ice cut into my outdoor running time so I had to go to the Y to run more than I liked. I hate the treadmill. I get bored, even with my headphones on. So I started trying to get the ones that were turned towards to the TV. That helped, but I still find myself watching the display on the treadmill, wondering why it takes so longer to run a mile on the 'mill than it does on the road, even though I have the speed set for a pace that is a full minute faster than I run when outside. Mind tricks. In spite of my grousing, though, there have been some positives. After enough time, I finally got kind of used to it. In the past I always allowed myself to quit running on the treadmill, but this time the challenge pushed me on and finally entered a kind spiritual agreement with the treadmill and my body. Just do it. Get it over with. Set the pace even higher so it's over with sooner. I also met a woman who runs with the local running club and finally got hooked up with them.

Which leads me to the next desperate measure I took in this challenge. Running 4 miles 5 days a week just won't get you to 100 miles in 30 days. Six days a week won't either. So I had to add some longer runs in. The running club goes out on Saturdays and Sundays. Most of them are training for the Boston Marathon, but some members do run shorter distances. So first I went out and ran 5.6 miles by myself to make sure I could do that distance. Then I ran 7 miles. Finally I joined the group and ran 8 miles. And then I started wildly thinking about training for a half marathon.

I made the 100 miles (in fact, I ran 105 miles). Without that challenge in front of me, I never would have tried that. I also wouldn't have pushed myself to run more than 4 miles (or I would have always come up with excuses not to). And I certainly never would have thought about a half marathon.

I signed up again for the 100 mile challenge, but it doesn't seem as daunting right now. I've also challenged my running partner to run every road in our little town. We're working on the logistics of it. There are only 90 miles of town-owned roads here (the rest are owned by the state) so it won't take us a long to complete, but it will take us places we've never been. Can't wait!

Just say no to fear!

2008-02-21T04:21:00.001-08:00

Ice sucks.

And I can't ski on it.

I'm not saying that it's icy here at Sunday River, but there are some icy patches along with hard packed areas. I fell down a lot on Tuesday, mostly because I ski from side to side on steeper terrain. When I hit those areas, I tend to slide down the mountain with my skis pointed to the side of the mountain. It's weird and scary so I panic and try to dig in--which achieves exactly nothing. Then I get more panicky and usually fall down. I know I should point my skis downhill and get over it, but taking the plunge is so hard.

Eventually, between the fear of the ice and the fear of falling, I lost my nerve on Tuesday. It was a struggle to keep skiing, but I knew I couldn't give up or I would never go back out again. We ended the day skiing the greens so I would feel better. I tried to go out on Wednesday with a new attitude and it mostly worked. On a few occasions I was even able to point my skis down and glide over the ice rather than try to carve ice sculptures with my skis.

I gave it some thought and realized that part of my problem is that I'm afraid to go fast because I'm afraid that means I'm out of control. And I do like to be in control (now there's an understatement). I rationalize my careful maneuvering down the mountain by saying that I never go faster than I think I am capable of handling. See how responsible I am? But in fact, I'm probably going a lot slower than I have to in order to maintain absolute control and avoid fear.

The key today will be to let go and push the fear off to somewhere else. I will have to look to my teenage son for a clue on that. He's overcome several fears by sheer force of will.

Wish me luck!

Bienvenue à Paris!

2008-02-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to Paris! It’s been on my list of things to do since I was 14 years old. I never thought I would have to wait more than 30 years before it would happen. And it turned out to be much closer than I thought it would be. In fact I only had to drive 4 hours north of our home in Massachusetts to get there. Naturally I saved a lot of money this way.

Oh. What did you say? I’m not in Paris, France? I’m in Paris, Maine? How can that be? And are you saying that the sign to Norway was kidding, too?

Anyway, that was day 1 of our trip. It took 5 hours to get to Sunday River because we made a couple of stops and the last 30-45 miles are on a 2-lane highway filled with travelers trying to get to ski country for February vacation.

It was raining/sleeting/snowing when we arrived so we kept our fingers crossed for the precipitation to turn to snow. No such luck as we woke up to rain on Monday. We skied anyway. The rain ended rather early. It was a bit drizzly the rest of the day and we were often skiing in fog. But life-lemons-lemonade-seeds. The last isn’t traditionally part of the saying, but we like it. We don’t know what it means metaphorically, but we’ll stick to it.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to be able to write this. Looking back over the last year, I know I am one lucky girl to be able to say on this Valentine's Day that I am married to a wonderful man who has stuck with me through thick and thin, till death almost parted us and beyond. I could ask for no better partner in life and I hope that I have been as good to him as he has been to me.

To celebrate my birthday and Valentine's Day (and maybe our anniversary which we think we never got a chance to celebrate), we went to our all-time favorite restaurant, Blue Ginger in Wellesley. It's almost embarrassing to say this, but we had a food orgy. We ordered the tasting menu--eight courses of pure gustatory titillation. Each course is delivered and explained; Ming even delivered one (later he autographed a menu for us--now I have two). Our taste buds went into overload with the various flavors and fusions.

When it was time for dessert, I felt like the diner in the Monty Python movie, The Meaning of Life, who after completely gorging himself is handed a mint ("just one thin mint"). Upon eating it, he explodes. I am sure we were ever so close to exploding when they brought the dessert. But we managed to get it down. We waddled to the car shortly afterwards and made it home. The bed sank a little lower last night, but we were content. Good thing we only do that once every 18 months or so.