Kanuga

O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer: When I call, answer me.
O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer: Come and listen to me. (From Taize)

My favorite hike this year is up Wolf Mountain, the hill behind the boat house in the picture below. It takes me about an hour and a half round trip and is a good uphill workout.

good vacation

I took an hour and a half hike this morning up a nearby mountain, and was pleased I didn't have to stop to rest the way I used to. I used one of my husband's hiking poles, and that seemed to compensate well from the loss of balance of having my right arm in a sling. The weather is cloudy with occasional rain but it is so nice to have a break from the heat. We picked up the kids from sleepaway camp yesterday; they had a good time.

vacation?

I'm trying to collect all the corrections I have received on my Forest Service at SRS manuscript to enter them next week when we are at Kanuga. I guess I will have time--last year I filled up my time hiking and biking and running and swimming, this year I will only be able to hike. But I'm feeling more positive about recovering from the injury; the exercises the physical therapist gave me have already resulted in improved range of motion in the shoulder. I was, however, sad to withdraw from the triathlon I had signed up for on Sept. 18.

pictures

Some of my husband's pictures of the triathlon:
Finishing the first run, when things were still going well
Starting the second swim--you can see a little road rash on my shoulder but most of it is higher up. The paddle boat followed me and watched out for me during the swim

Running from the second swim to the finish--I think the photographer's photo shows more pain and this one shows more sense of accomplishment

pictures

are here.

doctor's appointment

The orthopedist told me I was very lucky--if I had hit a little further forward on my shoulder I would have broken something. He rated it as a grade 2 to 3 A-C separation. The bad news is that he wants me not to run for two weeks, and predicts I will be off the bike for 3-4 weeks and not swimming for 6-8 weeks. I told him I can't manage my diabetes without exercise and he suggested using an exercise bike. We actually have an old Schwinn Airdyne that I can ride no-handed, but I'm resisting the idea of being able to do only that. Next week we go for a week's vacation in North Carolina, where I have always loved swimming across the lake. At least I can hike.

The obvious thing to do at home is to walk hills in the morning and ride the exercise bike in the evening. But I'm not ready to be flexible and creative yet.

hot

It is 97 degrees in this small town with a dew point of 76 degrees. When it is this hot dew point is a more useful number than the relative humidity because such hot air can hold a lot of water vapor--the relative humidity is 50% but it would only take cooling the air down to 76 degrees before the water vapor would have to start condensing out because the air couldn't hold it. The heat index is 110 degrees. I ran 2 miles about 7 am--humid but not unbearably hot and it didn't hurt my shoulder to run.

I ordered a new wheel for my bike--the bike should actually be ready by the end of the week. I have an orthopedist appointment tomorrow. I'm hoping for a better experience than the last time I saw a doctor in this practice, some 15 years ago. I was concerned then about my kneecap that occasionally dislocated and he said that he could cut the tendon on the other side so both sides would be equally weak. I said I would wait until they invented a better cure. A massage therapist taught me to stretch it and it hasn't gone out since.