Tag: Health

An ultra, a physical, a cardiologist, and some lube

March 11, 2015By y2kemo

After dabbling in 5Ks in the late 90s, I finally got hooked in 2005. From there, my running addiction took off. The 5K became 5 miles, then 6.2 miles, 10, 13.1, and eventually in 2007 I put away my first 26.2. A couple years ago, my friend, John, suggested I run a 40 miler.

A few more long runs and John eventually sold me on the idea. Now the trick was selling the idea to my wife. If I recall correctly, the conversation went something like:

ME: Hey, you know how I run?
WIFE: Yeah.
ME: So, yeah, well, I was thinking about running a run where I have to run a lot. Far. Where I run far.
WIFE: OK.
ME: Well, it’s not a lot. Just like 40 miles. It’s nothing really. Basically a long 5K. I’d have to train, but between now and then, there’d be plenty of time. Wow, the weather is gorgeous! Have you ever seen such a nice day? Is that a hummingbird? OMG, that is a hummingbird! Did you know that hummingbirds are…

My filibustering continued until my wife became distracted (annoyed) and left the conversation. A few weeks later she made it clear to me that she had in fact been paying attention and told me to get a physical. I agreed, passed my physical, and ran the 40 miler in the fall.

Passing a Kidney Stone: The 51-day journey of a magic pebble

March 4, 20142 commentsBy y2kemo

kid·ney stone
noun

a hard mass formed in the kidneys, typically consisting of insoluble calcium compounds; a renal calculus (i.e. a pebble in the kidney).

In the past 7 years I’ve had 2 kidney stones. The experiences were painful, but they were quick to resolve. My latest stone was less pleasant, a lot more painful, and took forever to pass.

How to Poach Eggs

April 8, 2013By y2kemo

One of my favorite things to order from a breakfast menu is Eggs Benedict. Not just for the muffin, Canadian bacon, and Hollandaise sauce, but mainly for the poached eggs. Seriously, I order the Eggs Benedict whenever I can not simply because it is delicious, but because I couldn’t eat them at home as I had no idea how to poach eggs. That is, until I gave it a shot.

On my first try I made the perfect poached egg. Since then, I have repeated the process and can now enjoy Eggs Benedict without having to hit up a culinary establishment. The worst part? It is so friggin’ easy to make poached eggs I’m kickin’ myself in the pants for not trying sooner.

Now it’s your turn. Break out the eggs, a pot, some vinegar, and a few other things and let’s get to the good part!

Spinach Manicotti Recipe

July 24, 2012By y2kemo

I went to a predominantly Italian high school. Well, there were a lot of Italians anyway. Each year we had a huge feast raffle dinner deal where hairy-lipped women from the old country would come to the school to create the best Italian food you could ever eat.

When they talked, all I could hear was “spaGHETti” “meataballa” and of course “ManiCOTti.”

Point is, I like eating Italian food. I like making it even though it’s all basically pasta, sauce, and cheese with a handful of whatever else is in the crisper and/or meat drawer.

Today, I’m raiding the crisper to make spinach manicotti.

Run an #Anywhere5K

December 31, 2011By y2kemo

Every New Year’s Eve I tell myself I’m gonna be healthier. I start by saying I’m gonna run every day. Which quickly changes to every other day. And eventually settles on somewhere between three and five times a week.

I didn’t run every day this past year, but I did get my health in order. My running is up and weight is down. For 2012, I’d like to ride that momentum and created something new for all to enjoy. If you’re game, I suggest you run an #Anywhere5K with me.

I finished the 2011 OBX Marathon

November 16, 2011By y2kemo

I rolled out of bed at 5:20AM, took care of business, and spent 10 minutes battling my contacts only to discover that I was fumbling with my wife’s (sorry for throwing them away, honey). Eventually the rest of the family awoke and readied, and we were out the door ~630AM; en route for the drop off point 10 miles away in Kitty Hawk.

Running, Injury, and Awakenings

May 7, 2010By y2kemo

In Awakenings, a doctor (Robin Williams) finds himself with a ward full of comatose patients; victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years prior. He tries out a possible cure on one of the patients (Robert De Niro) and it works. The patient has a blast, lives life to its fullest, but eventually falls back into a coma after only a short time.

In January, I tore my left calf. The doc gave me PT exercises and my leg got better after 5 weeks. My first run out and the calf tore again. Back to the doc. Back to the PT. Another 5 weeks and bam, the calf tore again! Sweet JMJ. Well, I took it easy. Completed the exercises. And it appeared I was ready to go.

Running Barefoot

January 20, 2010By y2kemo

When I run, I enjoy the fresh air, the wind in my face, and the ground beneath my feet. Back in December, I ran my first barefoot race—a 5K in sub-freezing temperatures. On Saturday, I kicked it up a notch and ran a solid 8 miles sans the feet-protecting injury-inducing coverings. Now, before you pass judgment and consider me an idiot (not that I would argue to the contrary) you should understand that running without pain is more important (to me) than running with shoes.