Tag Archives: news

Clean Bill of Health (9 of 30)

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I had my 1 year follow-up (if you don’t know what I am following-up on, click HERE for the full story) with my Radiologist – Dr. Rosenberg at St. Paul Radiology – and everything looks great.  This is really good news and means that I will not have any more follow-up for a full year.  No CT scans, no x-rays, no doctor visits, and – most importantly – no more doctor bills.  Yippee! After next year I may not have to go back at all – even better.

While this is great news, it has given me an opportunity to reflect back and think about what happened, what could have happened, and how that event has changed not only my life – but my family’s life as well.  We will never be the same – for the better I hope.  What this experience has really taught me is that, no matter what you do, bad things can – and do – happen.  There is just no way to shield yourself from all of the possibilities.  I am working on living life to its fullest – I’m spending time with my wife and kids (not as much as I’d like), I’m continuing my education, I’m running, and I’m learning – everyday.  The last year has brought so many incredible blessings to me – a new son (Peter), my oldest son (Alex) started Kindergarten,  my middle boy (David) has learned so much in the last few months it is amazing. I completed the Twin Cities Marathon, was appointed Captain at the Fire Station, received a promotion at work, and so much more.  I can’t imagine missing any of it, but at the same time – because of everything that happened – I know that I could have. I think this realization, knowing that it all can be taken away at any time, for any or no reason at all, has made me more appreciative of what I have. 

My wife calls my habit of running ‘obsessive’ and she complains that all I think about is running.  In some respects, I suppose she’s right.  But, the truth is, for some reason, when I run – when I get tired and sweaty, when my lungs are burning, when I am worn out but still have miles to go –  I find clarity, calm, and perspective.  I know that I am lucky to be there, to be in that moment, to be running at all.  When I run I am truly alive – in ways I never have been before.  I smile as I churn out the miles.  I grin as my legs get more and more tired.  Running gives me more respect for what I could have lost and makes me love bigger, work harder, and smile more than I would otherwise.  I honestly think that I am a better father, husband, employee, supervisor, friend, and person because I run.  What could be better than that?

One year ago when I wrote about what happened to me, I concluded by saying:

Make sure you kiss your kids, enjoy your life, and tell your wife you love her every chance you get. Things happen…

I think this is as important today as I did then.  Don’t take anything for granted, because things do happen.  You can’t avoid it and you can’t stop it.  What you can do is live every day to its fullest, love as much as you can, make sure those around you know how much they mean to you, and – at least for me – run. One of my favorite songs of all time is by Garth Brooks, it’s called “If Tomorrow Never Comes” . I’ve always loved the song (I’ve sung it a bunch of times to each of my boys), and I just want to close this little post with some of the lyrics:

If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she’s my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
Cause I’ve lost loved ones in my life
Who never knew how much I loved them
Now I live with the regret
That my true feelings for them never were revealed
So I made a promise to myself
To say each day how much she means to me
And avoid that circumstance
Where theres no second chance to tell her how I feel

Thanks!

Aaron

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Upcoming on CompleteRunning…

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Look for my newest book review on CompleteRunning.com. This time around I reviewed a book by Andrew Sheehan titled, Chasing the Hawk: Looking for my Father, Finding Myself.

Here is a teaser:

The author of this book, Chasing the Hawk: Looking for my Father, Finding Myself, is Dr. Sheehan’s son Andrew, a self described alcoholic and drug abuser. This book is more than just a chronicle of growing up in large family in the shadow of a famous father. This is the story of…

Read the whole thing at CompleteRunning.com.

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Chasing the Hawk: Looking for My Father, Finding Myself

Thanks! Aaron

First bath…

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This is a little old (a week or two), but I thought I’d share it anyhow.  For those of you who don’t know, this is the newest addition to my family, Peter James.  He was born on July 25th and loves to listen to his brothers – he seems to sleep best when they are the loudest! Go figure…

Nice spin today and exciting news

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Wednesday was a great day.  I went for a short run in the afternoon (over lunch) and then went out again in the evening for another 2.5 miles.  While neither were my fastest or hardest efforts, they both felt good and easy.  The evening run was with a friend of mine from the fire department and it was really great.  I’ve been running alone pretty much all the time, and having someone to talk to was nice.  I also pushed David in the jogging stroller and he seemed to really enjoy himself
too…

Today was a cross training day on my schedule, so I went to spin class.  It felt a little odd not to run, but I really noticed my improved conditioning while I was on the bike.  I really had to push hard to get my heart rate up.   That’s good though, right?  I was able to get in about 11 miles in the 40 minutes I was on the bike.   My max HR was 165 with an average of 120 (including warm up and cool down).  All in all a good workout.  Tomorrow it’s back
on track for another run – 45 to 55 minutes, so I should be able to get in about 5.5 to 6 miles.

Additionally, I have an announcement!

I am officially registered for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 1, 2006!  I have a lot of miles to put in between now and then, but I know I can do it.  I’m really looking forward to the challenge.  I am intent on listening to my body and trying to ensure that I don’t get injured.  I’m running for Team Capella and I’m also going to be raising money for the American
Cancer Society.  I will follow-up with more on my fund-raising efforts…

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Just get started!

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There are many, many, many different exercise programs, regimes, diet and exercise plans, and studies out there to choose from. Research is showing that, regardless of what plan or routine you choose, the most important thing is to just DO SOMETHING. Get out and exercise. Run, bike, walk, jog, play Frisbee, just get out and do something active. Bottom-line, it will make you feel better.

A single exercise session lasting 20 or 30 minutes at 80 percent of your capacity brings on pain-relieving endorphins, according to work by Robert G. McMurray of the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mandel agrees that even one session makes you feel better and clears your head. “Once you make a commitment to exercise then you are motivated to keep feeling good every day. After about two weeks of exercise you stay on course,” she said in a recent email interview.

Mandel says you can ensure a psychological reward if you tailor your workout level to your stress level. “If you are highly stressed, you need to do a more intense workout which means longer than 30 minutes; if you are less stressed, then 30 minutes should suffice,” she says.

LiveScience.com – The Most Important Exercise Tip


I think the most important part of my overall health and fitness plan (I do have one, do you?) is remaining consistent and working it into my daily life. I actually schedule my workouts over lunch and I block out the time on my calendar. I work a little longer day so I can have the flexibility of taking a longer lunch to squeeze in a workout. Also, I leverage the walk to the gym (about 7 minutes) as a solid warm up for my workout. This allows me to waste less time at the gym and get a better workout in a shorter period of time.

Additionally, I schedule my long runs (I’m currently training for the Twin Cities Marathon) for the weekend. I also put these runs on my calendar and let my family know that I am running on Sunday mornings. I run early enough that it really doesn’t effect anyone else in the family and I’m done with the hardest part of my day first thing. Also, there is nothing better than sitting on my deck in the warm morning sun reading the Sunday paper after a nice long run. It is a great way to start the day!

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Chicago Marathon…

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Having never run a marathon before and being moderatly limited in my exposure to organized running events, I can’t really imagine what running with 40,000 other people must be like. I am running the Twin Cities Marathon in October and that is limited at 10,000 and even that seems like a lot of people.

Here is some information from a recent post on CoolRunning.com.

CHICAGO (May 26, 2006) The 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon reached its 40,000 participant cap today and has officially closed registration sooner than ever nearly five months in advance of the October 22 Race. A limited number of entries are still available to runners through the 60 charities affiliated with the 2006 Marathon. International runners can access a limited number of entries through several tour partners. Registration for this year’s event closed two months earlier than it did for last year’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Cool Running :: LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Closes Registration


If you are running the Chicago Marathon – good luck! I hope all goes well for you, it truly does sound like a lot of fun!

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Is this really news?

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‘Extreme Drinking’ Common at Colleges

I guess I thought this was a fairly well known fact… From the article:

The surveys showed that a “surprisingly large percentage of
students, particularly males, drink at peak levels well beyond the
binge threshold,” write White and colleagues.

The findings include:

  • 1 in 5 men reported drinking 10 or more drinks on at least one day (double men’s binge-drinking threshold).
  • 1 in 10 women reported drinking 8 or more drinks on at least one day (double women’s binge-drinking threshold).
  • Nearly 8% of men reported drinking 15 or more drinks on at least one day (triple men’s binge-drinking threshold).
  • Nearly 2% of women reported drinking 12 or more drinks on at least one day (triple women’s binge-drinking threshold).

Extreme drinking was most common among men. People who frequently
passed the binge-drinking threshold were the most likely to have at
least one extreme drinking episode in the previous two weeks.

About 55% of all students reported drinking alcohol in the two weeks
before the survey. Most didn’t engage in extreme drinking, the
researchers also report.

The average number of drinks per occasion were almost six for men
and nearly four for women. Underage men and women averaged slightly
fewer drinks per occasion (about four for men and three for women).

‘Extreme Drinking’ Common at Colleges

Interesting to see in an organized study, but not really ‘groundbreaking’ stuff…

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Music and Healing

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A recent article on WebMD pointed to the effects listening to music may have on those who suffer from chronic pain.

A study in June’s Journal of Advanced Nursing shows that adults with chronic pain reported less pain, depression, and disability and felt more empowered after a week of listening to music for an hour a day.

It didn’t matter what kind of music they listened to, the study shows.

To those of us who have been through medical issues, this is not really news. But, it is reassuring to see that the medical community is finding validity in the wonderful effects of music in the healing process. For me I clearly remember shortly after my 2nd surgery in a month, walking on a treadmill, listening to some of my favorite music and smiling. People around me probably thought I was insane, walking on a treadmill with a big wide grin on my face – but really, I couldn’t help it. I felt full of hope and overall happiness. I attribute some of this to the music running through my head, still today it energizes me, makes me bounce in my seat, and gives me a little rush.

I listen to a pretty broad range of music. You can check out some of my music on my Last.fm site. I haven’t been sending them information as much as I’d like lately, but you’ll see a pretty good overview of what I listen to. Right now, as I type this, I’m listening to Live – Songs from Black Mountain. This is a really good album, full of good rocking tunes with an overall positive feel.

I say, listen to music everyday and you’ll feel just a little bit better. Find something you like and can relate to, to me lyrics are as important as the overall sound. I like music that speaks to me, that I can relate to on a personal level. That might mean that sometimes I need some angry, aggressive music (like Linkin Park for example) while other times I want something more low key and easy to listen to (maybe some JoshGroban). Overall, music makes me feel better. How about you?

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RawSugar.com

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Really cool new site for searching blogs, finding people with similar interests, finding new and interesting content, helping promote blogs in general, and overall just interesting.  They have been super responsive to problems and very open to suggestions or new ideas.  I think this may go places…

Check out MyDirectory at RawSugar.com.  You can see what I have been up to, what I’m interested in, how I tag items, and get a sense of the power of RawSugar. In addition to the blog content integration, RawSugar also allows users to import their social bookmarks from a variety of sources (I use the del.icio.us
integration) and it works really well.

Additionally, take a look a the guided search functionality provided by RawSugar for my site.  I have a new ‘RawSugar Search’ section in my sidebar.  Check it out! It’s really slick, doesn’t take you away from my site, and provides a solid AJAX interface.  Really very nice and very well done. 

Take a look and you’ll get hooked.

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