So I ran 2 miles this morning. I want to document all of my runs because, well, they take a monumental amount of mental and physical effort for me. Although, what I discovered today is that they really only take a lot of mental effort… and not as much physical effort as I would think.

Years ago, me running 1 mile was amazing. I remember the first time I ran the full mile without stopping to walk. And a few years after that, I remember when I ran the mile in 8 minutes and 30 seconds. That was after averaging 13 minute miles for most of my life. I was so proud!

Then years later, I started a running program in 2007. I was going to train to do a half marathon and I printed out a running schedule from RunnersWorld.com . The first week (just like this week) was all 2 mile runs. And I did it! yay! But then there was the next week: a 3 mile run! Oh my! And the week after that – 4 miles! And then 5! And then 6!

And then Dad got sick. I kept running, but shortly after he got sick, I took a nasty fall. My knees were swollen and painful. So I stopped running as far. I sort of petered out. And work got busy. And a million things took the front seat to my health and fitness.

So two years later, here I am. I’m going to climb this mountain again. Sure, I might get pregnant in the middle of it all and have to convert to walking. That would be awesome if that happens. But I don’t want to NOT run and be healthy because I MIGHT get pregnant. That would be silly.

Two miles. Sunday, another two miles. And next week, I will see what I am made of when I look a 3 mile run in the face… and do it! (slowly, of course)

Well, I feel like Frank and I have been sprinting since last Saturday night. In addition to going to the hospital to see Dad, we have been trying to help Mom manage their business. I just sorted through all of Dad’s numerous spreadsheets to put together end of month billing. I have to say, even though I love excel, I found that I didn’t know 1/2 as much as he does. Some of the formulas were amazing! And the sheer number of sheets he can put into a single workbook – it’s a work of art! He is the Excel Picasso.

Unfortunately, the great artists of the world can be tricky, if not impossible to replicate. After several failed attempts to figure out what he was doing, I finally figured it out. My dad’s excel was complicated to look at, but once I spent some time with it, it was amazing in its simplicity.

Anyway, I feel a tremendous amount of accomplishment with getting his billing squared away because at some points, I felt like it was going to be darn near impossible. To reward myself, I went for a nice 3 mile-ish run.

My parents live in the same neighborhood that I grew up in. I like running through the neighborhood because it helps me remember things and it puts things into perspective. I used to think the houses were so big and that the neighborhood was so expansive, but now that I’m older, the houses seem normal and the neighborhood is not that big.

I went down the old bike path and came upon an area of the path where a creek that winds through the neighborhood empties into two small ponds on either side of the path. A lot of plants are filling in the water, but it still resembled one of our favorite places to hang out. Sometimes we would create make-shift fishing poles and try to fish with cheese. I remember JP, our neighbor, sitting on the concrete tunnel that connected the two ponds under the path. He would usually have a can of coke and he looked as though he hadn’t been properly bathed in at least 1 week. Wiping one arm under his perpetually runny nose, he would pull some hot dog bits out of his pocket and put it on his hook. Caitlin and I saw JP at our favorite bar a few months ago and he has grown up, but not much has changed (well, I don’t think he had a hotdog in his pocket).

Anyway, it’s interesting to be back home for this long of a time.

Update on Dad: They moved him to a rehab facility and I think he is happy to be out of the hospital. Now the hard work begins. Please continue praying for my dad, especially for his attitude.