Monday, August 22, 2011

Packing, unpacking, then packing again.

Lots going on since I last posted, namely moving a mile north into West Harlem/Hamilton Heights and trying not to screw up my back a week before the TNF Kansas City 50k.  I spent the better part of the last two weeks prepping for the move.  I'm used to moving semi-frequently what with rent prices changing, roommates changing, etc, and I enjoy the opportunity to purge more than I normally would and to reassess where life has taken me.  However, I must say that this move ended up being the most stressful due to the need to prep two apartments.  The roommates were a non-issue in terms of stress, thankfully, and it was mainly arranging items.  Usually I purge to simplify, pack it all away and head on out.  This time I needed to prevent redundancy of items (printer, kitchen stuff, etc), establish bicycle storage, and help figure out how to hide items such as newspapers from the 1860s so that the cats would not claw them in ritualistic paper sacrifice or get cat hair on them (which can damage them in the long run).

The other headache is that the new apartment is the 6th floor of a pre-war walk up building.  My old apartment is also on the 6th floor, and I usually took the stairs unless loaded down with a backpack and two canvas bags stuffed with groceries and cat food.  I've only used Craigslist movers before, and that was my budget for this year too.  I planned to help, as I always do, particularly getting things up the 5 flights.  But, since I was honest about the walk up situation from the get go, none of the Craigslisted movers returned my call or email.  I had to fall back on actual movers.  Made the process super smooth, though cost a little more than I had hoped.  At least nothing is broken and the process is done.

The Great Move was carried out Saturday morning.  The mega-prep was Friday.  The new apt is actually closer to 1.2 miles north.  I wanted to get the cats, bikes and my computer up there the day before -- items I'd rather not leave to the will of movers, even if packed well.  I also had a third load to take to Salvation Army, and there were a handful of objects such as old wooden two drawer filing cabinet that needed to be placed with the garbage outside the building at the new place.  The day went like this: walk from new apt to old apt, finish packing a few items, walk load to Salvation Army, walk home, walk cat prep items (litter box, food bowls) and computer to new apt, take out 2-3 loads of garbage, walk home, ride bike #1 to new apt, walk home, ride bike #2 to new apt, walk home, pack up kitties and take subway to new apt, lay on floor so the stress in my back could go away.

By my counts I walked 7.5-8 miles and ascended 55 flights of stairs (11 sets of 5 flights each), half the time carrying crap.  Saturday morning I woke up with sore biceps and semi-tired legs.  But, again, the move is done.  Thankfully.  And the kittehs acclimated uber fast, despite the trauma of a ride in cat carriers.

Latest antic by Sadie: while Nathan and I were in the other room, she snagged the remainder of a calzone off the table and lugged it 6 feet away without any evidence of dragging it.  She and Merus love love love cheese.  She was happily trying to decide between licking or nibbling at the melted mozzarella when we found her.  She's a very small kitteh, and the remaining calzone was nearly the size of my fist.  Can't wait to find out what she'll catch and bring for display once she becomes a mountain kitteh....

In other news, I got an email from TNF regarding the upcoming race.  It is a long-ish email discussing weather.  Apparently, when TNF decided on the date and location of the race they never considered what August means in Missouri, or even what summer means in Missouri.  The email included this:

Alert LevelTemperature RangeConditionsRecommended ActionsRules in Affect
LowBelow 80 degreesGoodEnjoy the event!n/a
Moderate80 - 88 degreesLess than idealSlow down. Be alert for course changes.Hydration system required.
High89 - 95 degreesPotentially dangerousSlow down, consider stopping. Be alert for course changes.Hydration system required.
ExtremeAbove 95 degreesExtreme and dangerous.Event cancelled.Athletes required to stop.

The first thing I saw was the "rules in affect."  Hydration systems, be they a bottle or hydration pack or whatever, are required if the temperature gets at or above 80 degrees.  I planned to use one the whole time, with the attempt to get in 3/4 to a full bottle of GU Brew (electrolyte drink stuff) per hour.  That's what I always do on my long runs, regardless of summer or winter conditions.  Relying on aid stations that are spaced an average 2 miles apart means I'd have anywhere from 16 to 20 minutes between fluid intakes, more if I needed to walk any sections.

Then I saw "athletes required to stop" should the temperature raise above 95 degrees.  Hey TNF, did you notice that you chose a date at the end of summer, meaning that we've all had July's heat wave to acclimate?  For those who may not remember, the Chicago Marathon had a peculiar heat wave a few Octobers ago, with temperatures just shy of 100.  I'd say that's different -- average daily high for early October is 65-70 degrees, so a heat wave is much more of a jolt.  Even still, the Chicago Marathon removed the competition and stated it was then a fun run, encouraging people to take it easy.  Notice how they didn't simply cancel the event.  Average highs for late August in KC are about 86.  Should KC reach 95 on race day then this would merely match the preceding month and a half.  Meaning, it should be expected.  That's what happens when you schedule a race in the midwest for the middle of August.  If you think its un-runable, then you should have thought about that before creating the race in the first place.  The Badwater Ultramarathon, 135 miles long, runs through Death Valley during the summer.  Temperatures vary from 40 degrees to potentially 130 degrees throughout the race.  You may have to run on the white paint to avoid melting your shoes.  But considering that those are the expected possibilities of the selected course, the race is never cancelled.  Granted I am a native of MO and know what lovely heat and humidity are possible, but you'd think the race directors and other runners would also have considered such things.

Please understand that I'm not arguing any of this to diminish the difficulty of running in the heat.  Since signing up for the race, I have considered this race to be between nothing more than me versus summer weather.  It is not going to be a fast race, and those attempting heroic finishes need to have trained accordingly.  I signed up for the race, I take responsibility for choosing a potentially hot race, I have trained in the heat (lately have been wearing long pants and shirts to keep up my head tolerance even as New York's heat has eased), and I'm going to be ridiculously pissed off if I'm forced to stop mid-race.  Liability can be an annoying hurdle.  Luckily the highest I've seen predicted for this Saturday is 90, which won't even hit til midafternoon.  Should all go according to plan then I'll be done around 11am-12pm.

Now to go find the sunscreen that actually stays on when I sweat.  It ends up hovering in a re-fluidized state atop a layer of sweat, but it stays in place and does its job so long as I don't try to rub it in with the sweat.  Many other errands to follow too.  Kansas City tomorrow!  Will get to see family and a few friends from back in the day.  Hot spit!  At least this time packing will be a small operation.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A lovely shade of green

Long and slow aerobic exercise is a better expectorant than guaifenesin (aka Mucinex) any day of the week.  Kept Sunday's mileage to 12.5.  Was much easier to pull over and hack out a glob or two in the woods of the Palisades than to do the same in Central Park.  Usually I need to bend over to facilitate the process, or at least get level with my hands on my knees, but I've been able to clear things while staying vertical the last two days.  Not the prettiest sound, but whatever.  It works.  The green globs pair well with the light blue shirt I had on today.

Two and a half weeks until until the next big race.  That's 18 days, to be exact.  With the work hours of my affiliation and my morning preference I've grown accustomed to 75 to 80 degree weather with a decent amount of humidity.  Struck me today as I set out at 8am, rather than my usual 6am, that my race estimates place me as finishing at 11am.  And, I'm wondering what the shade situation is going to be.  My mom found out that a PTA colleague is running the half marathon while her husband is also running the 50k.  Apparently they drove the route, said it was very scenic and would hopefully help the mental portions of the race.  But what about shade?  How far back are the trees?  How often does the sun travel straight down the road?  This is the map according to the participant guide from the North Face race website:

TNF Endurance Challenge Kansas City 50k route

50k elevation profile

North-south and east-west travel look much more similar than I originally thought.  The elevation is not much worry.  I'm actually glad that it varies, as truly flat courses give me the worst cramps and boredom.  Aide stations are available every 2ish miles, but I'm still going to run with a bottle.  I need to decide if I'm going to wear a shirt/tank or not.  However much it feels silly to run wearing a sports bra and biker-style shorts, the issue is avoiding problems.  Whereas common distances for races require physical preparation with a little bit of a mental game plan, ultras require the trifecta of physical, mental (monkey-brain hits somewhere around mile 20-24, which is why clear course marking is uber important), and logistical preparation.  (And this race is nothing compared to even the "easy" 100milers!)

Take today's run, 8 miles including four 10-minute intervals around the variable Central Park loop from 8-9am.  Half way through I thought to myself "Gee, this shirt isn't doing half bad with the sweat.  I might be able to stay decent for the race."  Then 5 minutes from the end everything was saturated just shy of the point where the sweat drains down into my socks and shoes.  Today was only 1 hour; the race will likely be 5 hours, maybe more if its super hot and more walking is necessary.  That's a loooooong time for your clothes to hang heavy, lightning fast quick-dry synthetic materials or not.

There comes a point where I can't stand it any more, so I take off the shirt and tuck it into the back of my waistband.  Considering there is no place to drop stuff along the way (unless I see a family member willing to accept a shirt looking like it was just pulled from the salty Dead Sea), that means I'm effectively running with a flaccid tail that continues to collect and then drip sweat.  On the other hand, if it is super sunny with no shade to mitigate, then my skin might want the coverage.  Ever see images of runners crossing the Sahara?  Long sleeves and hats with a back flap hanging over their neck.  I plan to use sunscreen regardless.  Once the race is 10 days out then I can start stalking the weather.  In the mean time I'll work on my best misty-light-rain-with-full-cloud-cover dance.  Here's hoping July was the climax of the summer *knock on wood*.

These days I'm also planning an upcoming move.  I'll travel a whopping 20 blocks (1 mile) north, but am currently playing the purge game.  The kittehs find the piles of clothes most interesting to lay on, so I have to be careful to keep things closed up in bags if I plan to donate them.  I bought the little monsters a cat bed so they can get their stink on it now and have something familiar at the new place to help them adjust.  Sadie hogs it, making bold power plays.  Wondering if I need two.  At least when I bought it from PetCo it ended up only costing $14 after taxes rather than the listed $24.99 before taxes, and its machine washable (a big factor helping me reduce bed choices).  One of few places where having those silly little cards meant to help the business track traffic and purchases has immediately offered actual benefit to me.

Anyways, the cats have been at their shenanigans and I have been home to see more of them.  I also discovered my digital point and shoot has a video setting for "miniature," meaning a shallow dept of field weighted to the middle of the frame and using 1/10 of the normal amount of frames per second.  Kind of fun, though I'm still working out the kinks, such as minimizing camera movement to reduce audience nausea with the sped-up feed.

Fighting over rights to lay on my CPI, which is my midterm and final "exam" of an evaluation from the affiliation.  Notice how I'm so very *sarcasm* concerned with possible damage to it.  Sadie manages to throw Merus off the bed, so I think she won this round:


Merus happily walked into the not-quite canvas sack when I looked away.  They LOVE canvas, and will lay on anyone's book bag if and when mistakenly left on the floor.  Sadie got jealous, never realizing that there was a second bag right behind them.  I intervened when Merus started backing Sadie into a corner; I think she (Merus) got her revenge:


Sadie likes to hang over the edge (and, as noted above, atop the clothes to be donated soon); Merus like to play dead:


Hot afternoon sleepiness.  Silly kitties:


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Mavis Staple by way of green chunks

Saturday evening, gray skies and pattering rain, listening to A Prairie Home Companion on WNYC, making soup for my finally-have-a-break head cold.  Earlier I sorted through my closet, purged anything that has not been used within the last year, with many memories of physical pursuits and academic head bashings from cooler times.  I miss autumn.  It will be here soon.

Other parts of the afternoon were spent deciphering the differences between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.  They both have my attention as I think forward to autumn of next year, when I will (hopefully) be somewhere within the Colorado front range.  Told the kitties today "In a year you'll be mountain kittehs!"  Merus rotated one ear, Sadie sniffed the air.  Cat food needs no adjustment for elevation, but they'll probably enjoy having a larger home to sprint around and hide things.  Then again, they've lived their entire 3 years thus far in NYC apartments and may not know what to do with all the space.  But imagine the new smells I'll bring home on my running shoes.... 

The end of school is in sight enough that I can ponder decisions that will lead to life following school.  It is nice to think about that.  In the mean time, I am glad for these three weeks off.  Camping, running, civilized time with friends, reading, researching neuroplasticity (for my own interest's sake), making videos of various escapades, taking the cats to the vet, visiting family and friends in KC, finally running the road ultra.  Lots to enjoy.

This head cold has given me quite the Mavis Staple impression.  Three days ago I woke to a scratchy throat, then Friday brought chunky green snot and sneezing.  Last night added a pressurized head.  Today the green is in full force, same with the alto voice. 

Not the first time I've become sick following a long stint of stress, though glad that it is merely a head cold instead of hospital grade flu like last fall.  We were similarly given no break between a 9 week speed semester and a 6 week affiliation, kind of a miniature version of the spring and summer to come.  The Friday before Christmas was our last day.  The next morning I had a nice long run of bridge repeats with a friend, but with increasingly sapped energy by the end.  Figured it was chilling off too much drying sweat.  By the time I got up to Nathan's place that afternoon I felt the achy spots along my back starting to merge.

My greeting was rather blunt.  "What are the symptoms of pneumonia?!?" I begged, crawling into the fetal position on his hardwood floor.

"Hi.  What?"

"What are the symptoms of pneumonia?!?"

"I don't know."

"Look.  Them.  Up."

So began a weekend of 101 to 103 degree fever and all the regular flu trimmings.  The fever broke four days later, four hours before my plane took off for Kansas City for the holiday that became twice as long as expected due to the NYC blizzard.  Fun times.  Anyway, I'll take green chunks and a productive cough over that flu any day.  I can still get stuff done and enjoy myself.

Here's the kittehs fighting over who gets to lay on my CPI (Clinical Performance Instrument, i.e. my final).  Sadie may be at least two pounds lighter than Merus, but she still manages to throw Merus off the bed.   By the time they were finished the original reason for fighting was lost.  No matter, still entertaining for me.  (The epic reminder: follow the YouTube link to see it without the ends cut off by formatting restraints.)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Buzzzzz

I looked up from writing patient notes at the computer and saw a young man using one loftstrand crutch slowly make his way into and through the gym.  He looked familiar.  Couldn't place it.  My brain buzzed in attempt to figure it out.  Didn't remember that facial hair pattern, but the face looked familiar.  Amid the other staff members' "It's been a while!" and "Looking good!" comments I heard someone say his name.  Buzzzzz....  Wait.  Was he.... Maaaaaaaybe...?

I asked the OT if the young man was of a description I remembered from my days as a volunteer.  She said the time of injury was correct, though didn't know where he went to rehab.  I saw him in the waiting room while I was headed down the hall.  I walked straight towards him, but he beat me to it. 

"You probably don't remember me."

"Yes I do.  Mount Sinai rehab 2008.  You were just barely reaching one lap around the PT gym with a forearm walker and a lot of assistance, plus the silly plastic foot advancement gizmo.  I'm surprised you remember me, since I was just a volunteer."

"I never forget a face."

It's true.  Three years ago his spinal cord injury with concomitant traumatic brain injury was my first look into pathological reflexes.  Lay him on his back and his legs would rocket into full extension, including plantarflexion/inversion at the ankles.  Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex.  Present only within a small window during infancy, though reawakened due to injury to the central nervous system.  The therapist wanted to stretch his calf muscles, but his reflex was too strong. 

The kid was a hoot to work with.  I spent most of my volunteer hours on the stroke/pure brain injury floors since they needed more help than the SCI floor, but there were a few patients who had a big impact on me.  And this is despite the fact that volunteers help with things like towel folding, organizing, wheelchair follows -- things that do not involve you touching the patient.  Having encountered so many other patients at this point I'd nearly forgotten about these patients. 

I've recalled so many visual learning moments from my volunteer days.  Even still, new items will be discussed at school and I'll immediately have a picture in my mind of former patients at Mount Sinai Hospital.  My volunteer days are what piqued my interest in neurological PT, and it still is where I want to work and possibly specialize. 

Ironic, then, to have one such patient waltz through the door on my next to last day.  He looks REALLY good.  And that is wonderfully inspiring.  Three years ago he could barely roll from his back to his stomach.  Today he walks with a loftstrand, slowly though with great control.  I may be exhausted and ready for my first break since January, but I've never felt so sure about a life decision/direction before.  I am sad to say goodbye to so many patients, and so such a wonderful staff.  Seeing this young fella was merely the icing on the cake.