It was, in all dimensions, a great training week for me. I did two leg strengthening workouts and visited the acupuncturist on Friday. Actually, this was a pretty tough acupuncture session in that Dr. Yan decided that I've progressed to "graduate" level: he had me sit in a chair while he put the needles in my knee. Wow. Let me just say that there are very few moments that you truly lose your breath (meeting my wife was one of them)...this easily makes that list. It was stunning, but, as with other treatment sessions, the initial pain goes away quickly and the healing process continues.
Running: 42.5 miles, including one 9 mile run! I've been careful to incrementally increase my mileage, roughly 10% per week. I'm thinking that I'll get up to about 45-ish miles this coming week. Wish me luck. I really need to be training regularly by next month...so far so good.
Now, as before, I have a couple articles that are well worth reading about wounded warrior care. They are both generated by NPR, and part of a series on the impact the wars have had on the young and wounded in America. The first is about yoga's ability to reach soldier's unable to physically take part in the activities they enjoyed previously....
Great story on yoga as part of Wounded Warrior care.
And the second is about the toll that daily-wearing of heavy combat gear takes on the body.
Impact on soldiers - weight of their gear.
In fact, and this is not at all a joke, I am 1/4 of an inch shorter now than I was before the two deployments. I was 5 foot 7.75 inches tall in 2002, and was 5 foot 7.5 inches tall in 2007...documented in my medical history. Frankly, it's not a sacrifice of any measurable comparison to what others have given...but a more extreme case/extension of the phenomenon that I experienced could have bad long term effects (serious back issues).
Both are worth the read and proper reflection...
All my best & Keep moving forward, Matt
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
9-16 APR Training Week; Event Notes & an Article
Howdy Team WWP,
Here we go ~ I'll stick to my title, and go in order. First, the training week. Running every day now, at about a 7:30 - 8:30 pace per mile. Consistency is what I'm after, and it's starting to come about. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I've been running down to the gym and doing a series of leg/quad strengthening exercises to keep the area around the left knee and tendon intact. I'm up to 3 sets of 3:30 wall sits, so that's encouraging. On the whole, I ran roughly 36 miles this past week (up from 33.5 and 31 the past two weeks, respectively). I also visited the acupuncturist on Friday. I'm starting to think that my knee challenge is one that will never quite heal, but one that I can manage to the point of tolerability. We'll see. My biggest change though, has definitely been to modify my running form in order to take more load off the knees and shift it to the feet and calves. Speaking of which, my right foot continues to heal ~ slowly, but it's getting there. It's sort of generally sore from time to time, but nothing that would make me think that it's still fundamentally broken.
Much, much more importantly, back in Minnesota, Tom and our good friends the Saint Paul Vulcans hosted our Annual Gala/Silent Auction at the Prom Center in Oakdale. It was an amazing event. Tom put so much effort into this one...and was rewarded with a night that, on the whole, generated about $31,000 for the WWP! That means, when all is said and done, we'll be at $130,000! And we've still got many months to go until the end of the year goal of $150,000! I can't say enough about how proud I am of the place that I call home. You know, in the military, you sort of become a nomad. You move around a lot, which is sort of nice in doses (DC and Arizona were great for awhile), but hopefully you remain proud of where you came from. Thankfully, I can be. Thankfully, I have a home state in Minnesota that is kind, generous, and willing to find a way to be grateful to those who many others effectively choose to turn a blind eye to. Tom has asked me to sort of try to highlight our relationship with the Vulcans and the other local folks by referring to us a "Team Minnesota WWP" (or is it the other way around Tom?) ~ either way, he's absolutely right. This isn't Tom and I so much anymore...it's becoming more and more of a community effort. And I hope to continue to contribute, to pull my weight and share as part of a truly great group!
Last, but certainly not least, a story ~
Click on this link to USA Today story on severely wounded veterans.
I've said it before, modern medicine and science does an amazing job putting our soliders, sailors, airmen and marines back together after they've sustained horrifying injuries. But sometimes those choices aren't so easy...can you imagine, having lost one leg, having to accept the second one being cut away? Especially after having expressed that has your worst nightmare? No matter how emotionally resilient, how strong one's psychological armor ~ that scalpel would cut to the soul. And it takes organizations like our exceptional VA and it's resources...and the Wounded Warrior Project and it's array of assistance...to get a brave young American back into his life. He (and they) deserve no less.
All my best & keep moving forward, Matt
Here we go ~ I'll stick to my title, and go in order. First, the training week. Running every day now, at about a 7:30 - 8:30 pace per mile. Consistency is what I'm after, and it's starting to come about. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I've been running down to the gym and doing a series of leg/quad strengthening exercises to keep the area around the left knee and tendon intact. I'm up to 3 sets of 3:30 wall sits, so that's encouraging. On the whole, I ran roughly 36 miles this past week (up from 33.5 and 31 the past two weeks, respectively). I also visited the acupuncturist on Friday. I'm starting to think that my knee challenge is one that will never quite heal, but one that I can manage to the point of tolerability. We'll see. My biggest change though, has definitely been to modify my running form in order to take more load off the knees and shift it to the feet and calves. Speaking of which, my right foot continues to heal ~ slowly, but it's getting there. It's sort of generally sore from time to time, but nothing that would make me think that it's still fundamentally broken.
Much, much more importantly, back in Minnesota, Tom and our good friends the Saint Paul Vulcans hosted our Annual Gala/Silent Auction at the Prom Center in Oakdale. It was an amazing event. Tom put so much effort into this one...and was rewarded with a night that, on the whole, generated about $31,000 for the WWP! That means, when all is said and done, we'll be at $130,000! And we've still got many months to go until the end of the year goal of $150,000! I can't say enough about how proud I am of the place that I call home. You know, in the military, you sort of become a nomad. You move around a lot, which is sort of nice in doses (DC and Arizona were great for awhile), but hopefully you remain proud of where you came from. Thankfully, I can be. Thankfully, I have a home state in Minnesota that is kind, generous, and willing to find a way to be grateful to those who many others effectively choose to turn a blind eye to. Tom has asked me to sort of try to highlight our relationship with the Vulcans and the other local folks by referring to us a "Team Minnesota WWP" (or is it the other way around Tom?) ~ either way, he's absolutely right. This isn't Tom and I so much anymore...it's becoming more and more of a community effort. And I hope to continue to contribute, to pull my weight and share as part of a truly great group!
Last, but certainly not least, a story ~
Click on this link to USA Today story on severely wounded veterans.
I've said it before, modern medicine and science does an amazing job putting our soliders, sailors, airmen and marines back together after they've sustained horrifying injuries. But sometimes those choices aren't so easy...can you imagine, having lost one leg, having to accept the second one being cut away? Especially after having expressed that has your worst nightmare? No matter how emotionally resilient, how strong one's psychological armor ~ that scalpel would cut to the soul. And it takes organizations like our exceptional VA and it's resources...and the Wounded Warrior Project and it's array of assistance...to get a brave young American back into his life. He (and they) deserve no less.
All my best & keep moving forward, Matt
Monday, April 4, 2011
3rd Annual Fundraiser...and I'm really running again!
This serves as your official invitation to Team Minnesota/WWP's Third Annual Gala! The last two years have been wildly successful, and Tom and I would love to have you with us on the 10th! The Saint Paul Vulcans have put a lot of hard work and effort into this, and have graced us with their support...we're so proud to be affiliated with a great community organization like the Vulcans!So please come out on Sunday afternoon! I promise this will be the best bit of money you spend all year!
Also, and I'll be brief about this, but I ran 32 miles this past week...every day. The healing is progressing on schedule, and I'm so excited to get under way with this year's schedule!
See you on Sunday...
All my best & Keep moving forward, Matt
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