Sabbatical

Many of you know we had a vigorous, but good vacation. Perfect weather, unparalleled sights, challenges with subsequent accomplishments. That is all true. However, vacation also produced a lot of stress - route finding on our off-trail day, Joe's tumble with the resulting gash to his shin and what we now know are intraarticular fractures to his toe and finger, a long and trying summit day in which we did not have enough food or water, poor sleep (this is always the case when backpacking) and constant situations that required critical decision making (this way or that way? will this boulder teeter or be steady?). 

A common theme threaded through these stressful moments was a fixation on time. The terrain we covered was harsh and beautiful, humbling in the amount of time it took to cover ground. We took on more than we thought we did when planning our route, rolling into camp later than we'd like, watching our watches, watching the moving sun, battling daylight. Worrying about time is not a vacation ideal. 

Our daily lives are driven by time, with two main truths: 1) we never have enough time to do all we need to do and want to do and 2) we are barely meeting time deadlines - finishing documents at work moments before they're due, getting to bed at night with just enough time to maybe squeeze out 5-7 hours of sleep, cognizant of time every morning to insure we have enough time to run before work, and so on and so on, you get the picture. Maybe your life mirrors ours - slaves tethered to time.

The fact that vacation was filled with a lot of stress about time made us realize that we need to do something different in our approach to vacation - maybe fewer miles per day? We haven't solved that issue yet and we have a year to think on it, but in the mean time, I realize I want to begin freeing up more time in my regular life. There isn't a lot I can do about work deadlines, but the rest of my life has some leeway. To that end, I realize this blog has become another obligation. Each post takes me 1-2 hours to complete. That's precious time from already busy weekends (forget about work nights - no way could I blog then). The other issue with this blog is that I'm often repeating information I've posted on Facebook. In this world where social media is king, Facebook is the prime place to reach EVERYBODY and share information. Yes, I do go into more details while telling race stories or general life updates here, but that is something those who really want to know can ask about. 

I began this blog in early 2009 while in a tenuous situation with my newly herniated L4/L5 disc. Whether or not I'd need surgery was up in the air, and rather than duplicating emails to the masses, I formed a central post with this blog. Since that time, it's morphed into something else. It has chronicled my running, fitness and vacation adventures, and to a lesser degree has touched on work, relationships and the arcane. 

I feel it's run it's course for now. I intend to take a sabbatical from blogging, but may return in the future. If and when I do, I'll send an email notification that it's back in business. In the meantime, if you want to keep up with the challenges and triumphs of our lives, tune in to Facebook. If you want to see vacation pictures and hear more of the story of our vacation, check out my Facebook posts of the past week. If you want to know about upcoming races and how those races play out, check Facebook. Bottom line, Facebook posts will be the new blog ☺ If you're not on Facebook, you're SOL. Until then ....

"Looking" Ahead

Dilated Eyes After Eye Exam

I’m scheduled for an eye exam every two years. Or was. Now I’m on the yearly list because…I have cataracts! Most of my life I have had perfect vision and only began seeing an ophthalmologist in my mid-30’s for preventative health measures. A lot of people don’t realize that eye exams are necessary even for those with good sight as eye diseases can lurk behind the scenes. When I turned 40, my distance vision decreased a smidge and I was offered glasses to wear for watching TV, driving and things of that nature. At 42, my eyes were exactly the same. And this week, at 44, I was told that my distance vision has improved from 20/50 to 20/25 (near perfect), but that I also have bilateral cataracts! As Dr. Flickinger (the coolest 80-something year old doctor you’ll ever meet) used the thingy-mabob to look deep into my eye anatomy and uttered the word “cataract” I guffawed and told him that was crazy talk.

Dr. F : Do you have diabetes?

Me: Nope.

Dr. F: Have you ever been on steroids? Prednisone, Cortisol shots? Asthma inhalers?

Me:  Nope.

Dr. F: Have you ever been a smoker?

Me: Nope.

He tells me those are the most common causes for cataracts in a person as young as me, that and nearsightedness from an early age (kids with coke bottle glasses). Most people who develop cataracts are nearsighted and/or old. In fact, the 80+ year old Dr. F joked, “the only way to really avoid cataracts is to die young, which isn’t on my bucket list!”

So, there you have it. My vision is near perfect, I do not need glasses, but I may someday need cataract surgery. It could be decades and decades before, or if, I ever need help, but this is enough for me to be placed on the annual checkup list. More tidbits about cataracts:

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil.

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world. In fact, there are more cases of cataracts worldwide than there are of glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy combined.

Today, cataracts affect more than 22 million Americans age 40 and older. And as the U.S. population ages, more than 30 million Americans are expected to have cataracts by the year 2020.

Types of cataracts include:

• A subcapsular cataract occurs at the back of the lens. People with diabetes or those taking high doses of steroid medications have a greater risk of developing a subcapsular cataract.
• A nuclear cataract forms deep in the central zone (nucleus) of the lens. Nuclear cataracts usually are associated with aging.
• A cortical cataract is characterized by white, wedge-like opacities that start in the periphery of the lens and work their way to the center in a spoke-like fashion. This type of cataract occurs in the lens cortex, which is the part of the lens that surrounds the central nucleus.

On a different note, but holding to the theme of looking ahead, Joe and I leave for a much needed vacation next week. You may recall that we were left scrambling for a new backpacking destination after Glacier National Park denied our backcountry request. As it turns out, that was a blessing because with the wildfires currently burning in the park, the smoke filled sky would heavily detract from the views and experience. Plus those grizzlies have been pushed out of the fire areas, increasing the likelihood of a human-bear brawl (and guess who usually wins?)

When we return, we’ll resume our training for our next half marathon, The North Face Endurance Challenge Trail race on 10/4/15.

And now, for no connected reason, I leave you with this picture of the Boyz. They frequently snag Joe's side of the bed the instant his feet hit the ground, thus preventing the full making of the bed. #notspoiled