Snow!

This seems like the longest winter! It snowed today and they closed my office. I was all set to take a vacation day too.

It's wet and it's messy out there. No running for me today although I'm itching to.

Aging Parents

It's so hard to see one's parents age and decline little by little. Sometimes it's not even a little, but a lot. My dad has leukemia. He has been doing well with it, but now he has silicosis in his lungs from the work he did and decreased lung functioning. It has been causing him a lot of problems. It sent him to the hospital over the holidays because it put stress on his heart and afib. After months and months of decreased activity, shortness of breath and tiredness, he is finally feeling better because the doctors finally figured out he needs oxygen. Finally! Once he had some he could tell the difference right away.

It's still so sad that he can't do all the things he enjoys. He gets depressed. It puts a huge strain on my mom who worries about him constantly. She is another one with some problems. Her weight is down to 92 lbs and she can't seem to get it up even though she is always eating something. It's the worry.

Then there is me. I worry about them and just wait for the day they either are in the hospital or have to go into care. I wonder why it has to be that way and I pray it won't.

Running...

I started running about a month or so ago. I started the Couch to 5k plan which basically has you alternating between walking and running. Now I've never been a runner. I couldn't go a few feet without losing my breath and having to stop. I'm pleased to say that I can now run in 5-minute intervals. Tonight I did 16 min. which is around a mile and 1/2. For me that's a big deal. By the end of the week, I'm supposed to be running for 20 minutes straight.

I love it and never thought I would say that about running. It makes me feel strong. It makes me feel happy and when I've run a good run, I feel on top of the world. I can see how it can get addictive. Now my legs feel deliciously tired and they feel kind of tingly like all kinds of energy is flowing. It's a great feeling! I can't wait until I can do a 5k. I may even consider a race.

Now if the weather would get warmer, I'd be much happier yet. The coldest I've run has been 12 degrees. After about 10 minutes you don't notice the cold and it's amazing to come in and be dripping with sweat when it's only 12! I wonder what it will be like to run in warmer weather. I can't wait.