Back home and running again

This weekend has been wonderful. Dori is home and enjoying being with us again. Friday, when she came home, she was too tired to enjoy everything. She slept three hours and was quiet until dinner, when we all went to bed. We slept almost 12 hours! Halleluiah! Her smile returned yesterday and she has been soaking it all in since then.

The weekend hasn't been a typical weekend. Yesterday, Dori was at the clinic from 8-3:30. I took the first half and my Mom relieved me so I could take Will to the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game. Dori had to receive IVs potassium and magnesium, which took awhile, and the clinic staff had to spend time focusing on an older patient who was struggling. Last night, the kids went to the Predators hockey game with some friends from school, while Dori and I chilled out and watched football.

Speaking of Vanderbilt, the game yesterday was like Groundhog Day. I told my son as a Vanderbilt football fan, he'll have to expect experiencing the feeling of, "I've read that book and seen that movie many times." Our coaches, IMO, played not to lose, while the players left it on the field. At the end of the first half with a slim lead, we tried to run out the clock at midfield and then kick and play prevent defense. Things like that send a message to your team, almost like you don't trust them. Kentucky tied us before halftime and scored on the opening drive of the second half. Been there, seen that.

On a brighter note, I ran six miles this morning, my first run in three weeks. I went slow, figuring the amount of chocolate and cheese I've eaten the last month might have affected my conditioning. It was the right call. I ran just under a 10:00 minute pace to make sure I didn't tank. The terrain was moderate, temp was a comfortable 60 degrees and the humidity was about 30 percent. Fall running is the best.

The only time the last month I had done anything aerobic was walking with Dori in the hall at VUMC, running 11 flights of stairs one day at VUMC, and riding the bike and lifting at the Y a time or two. I'm not out of shape but not in shape either; I'm considering running the Boulevard Bolt Thanksgiving morning. That's probably my favorite race, so we'll see if I can get in a few runs beforehand.

I told Dori the last five months have felt like they have been both the slowest and fastest period of my life. Slowest for obvious reasons, but fastest because I've been in such a routine as a caregiver husband, father, mother, employee and half marathon trainer. That said, June felt like it was five years ago, not five months. Once I deployed for seven months in the Navy, and once I didn't see land or a port for 60 days. This chapter has seemed longer in some ways than those two excursions, except the routine part was much more intense on this year's "deployment."

Clearly, we are in a new chapter, to which we will adjust and press forward. I'm looking forward to it. The goal is to get to 100 days with Dori feeling back to her normal self, fresh with her newly rejuvenated bone marrow and strong immune system. That will be my Christmas prayer.