Baowolf's Mentor Group - Sorry Closed. (Page 47)

Very glad that the 2 people in concern are um not a threat anymore (not breathing and captured).  Scary to be running in that area in hindsight.  Prayers to you and your family even though everything looks safe, feeling safe will come in bits as time passes.  Most folks get back into a routine and the scary feelings ease over time.  Tell the wife that your gang here wishes her well and perhaps a cold glass of wine (I like mine cold anyway). 

Ya was a room of 15 folks for the round 1 interview.  Round 2 was today with only 4 (2 superintendents, 1 assistant superintendent and 1 principal).  As you said I did my best tried to let them know that I make all decisions based on a consistent problem solving process based on the needs of the student/staff/parent, build skills in those weak areas and build towards strength.  I tried to include humor (in moderation) with empathy and knowledge of what the job requires while identifying areas I will need to gain more training (lite on this).  So now it is back to the wait and see as they check references this week.  I gave them 6 to check on.  Anyway no need to worry about me in this in that I still have a my regular job if this falls through so no hardship in either case. 

Leg is coming along nicely, may start walking (1 mile) later next week, can start swimming again too.  We see how it goes.

Rest of everyone keep up keeping up.  Who has races coming up? Distance etc.?  Specifically Ken how's it going.  

Steve, I do pray for your family and the job situation.  Glad that the yesterday's interview felt better as if you weren't against a total shoe-in.

The 5K yesterday was fun and great.  I must admit that I don't signup for a lot of 5K because I feel that if I'm going to run under 10K or so, l'll just do it at home.  But the race yesterday is one of our largest 5K and we had about 1300 people running.  It was nice to see everyone.  I actually ran faster than I thought that I could at this time and finished under 30 min.  Not near my PR time but it wasn't the 33 or 34 expected.  It was good to see so many people decked out in Boston colors and those that made their own tributes.

Today we have another run for Boston. This run isn't a scheduled run but was set up on the fly.  The location changed because now they are expecting over 700 people and the previous site can't handle that many people.  

So glad for you folks in/around Boston.  I'm not normally glued to the news, but it was just impossible to not watch until they captured suspect #2.  So nice that Pam and Mitch are participating in tribute runs. 

Speaking of runs, nice 5K Pam! Yes, I think we may be missing out not doing a few more of those. 

Jay, yes, do as I say, not as I do on the pedals.  I still haven't gotten mine switched out on my trainer bike.  May wait a few more months since the weather is pretty good here.

Steve, glad the 2nd round of interviews was at least less of a shotgun approach.  Yes, normal people let the docs take out stitches...

Bike group yesterday was small but good. I wound up hanging back with a friend taking her first ride on a road bike.  She was really tense and almost hyperventilating at first (she's a marathoner, so not lack of cardio), but by the end she was smiling and ready to come back for more.  Went on a run/walk/squirrel chasing expediton for a few miles this morning with Katy the dog.  Rode this afternoon with the bike group from Lifetime Fitness.  Enjoyed it a lot and was nice to crank up the speed a little.  Yesterday afternoon met with my diabetes exercise group where we had Q&A with a local swim coach.  He's a long distance open water swimmer (training to swim the english channel).  He suggested swimming minimum 4 X per week to improve.  Hmmmm...seems that I've heard this somewhere before. 

Folks, I've got to tell you about the Boston run today.  When they planned this Tuesday, they were hoping for 50 people.  Around Thursday they were hearing 300 people.  Frid/Sat morn they heard 700+ people and they had to move to a different location to accommodate that many people.  Well, I can't guess how many were there but hubby said he thinks at least 1200 but probably more.  Some people couldn't run so they walked.  Some couldn't walk so they rode their bikes.  We started the race with a lady singing America the Beautiful and as she finished, a jet flew over!  Not an official flyover, just one taking off from the airport, but it was perfect.  Then we all sang the National anthem and most of us were crying.  Then there was Sweet Caroline and we started the race.

Remember again this wasn't a planned race and was completely impromptu.  So we carried our water because we didn't think there would be any support.   But there were fully stocked aid stations and lots of cheering people.  There were so many businesses that donated food, drink, water, and door prizes for the raffle.  The sheriff dept had some officers mounted on horses.  There were flag shorts, lots of blue and yellow shirts, specially designed Boston shirts, and everyone had a smile.

The finish line had us running about .4 miles on a straight street until we reached the blue and yellow balloon covered arch.  I'm crying now even as I trying to describe the feeling.  This wasn't the typical race finish.  People were lining the streets and cheering.  I saw the blue and yellow arch before me and the cheering crowds and I instantly thought of all of that footage of the bomb explosion.  Oh folks, I don't even know what to say here.  While this was supposed to allow us to "finish" the race for those racers that couldn't, this was nothing.  I will never be able to understand what those brave people went through.  But this was an incredibly moving experience for me.     .......just wish like hell that we weren't having Boston tribute runs because I wish this had never happened.  I wish all those people were whole, healthy, and alive and this was a typical week after Boston Marathon.

My bib, with the Boston skyline, will now be my most treasured bib.  We got no official time - just an amazing experience.

Pam -- that is amazing!!!

Been quite the weekend here. I did nothing work out wise, and just hung out at home with the family. We did take a trip into Boston Saturday afternoon and each of our daughters brought a friend. Some fun times bowling, strolling around, and an unexpected/unplanned stop at a memorial at one end of Boylston Street (where the runners turned to the final finish stretch).  Could see straight down to the finish line, see the FBI still working on the bomb  sites, and the thousands of notes/flowers/flags signs, tributes to one & all involved in this. My girls took a minute to sign a huge placard left there as a memorial. There were several police there to manage the crowds stopping to view, say a prayer, etc. Very moving site. I have a pic I'll post in a bit. Felt good to be in the city. Today is the first time I feel somewhat normal since this crap all happened last Monday. What an insane week.

Did swim this AM, however, and it was good.

Good afternoon gang.

I just returned from the doctor where I have been officially given the okay to ditch my boot and continue progressing toward full recovery.  I'm still a few months away from being able to begin a walk/run program but I was given high marks for my recovery thus far. (he doesn't need to know about some of my faltering during the last 10 weeks right!)  I still can't kick when I swim so more pull buoy swimming for me...I was hoping that wouldn't be the case but it doesn't shock me.  I've been told that I can bike....I'm still fearful of going out on the road with my roadbike...I just keep imagining having a hard time unclipping my left foot and damaging my achilles again....hopefully, I'll have more confidence with that as I walk around without a boot or lift more.  Other than that, its pretty much more of the same for me.  I have a date that I can return to work and tomorrow I'll do a weigh in to see how my keto diet did during the last 8/10 weeks.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Good morning everyone!

As I promised yesterday, I did my 8 week weigh in and I found that I'm down about 15lbs.  I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with that number (I had 15/20lbs in my head) but what makes me happier is how I look.  I've never been a scale guy as much as a mirror type....and not to sound like an egomaniac but I'm happy with what I'm seeing in the mirror right now.  Adding to my happiness is that fact that I've lost some upper body strength but not too much.  My usual goal is to be able to do sets of 3 on the bench with my BW+50 and I can do that right now. (I have to ignore my leg goals for obvious reasons)  Sadly, I've also begun the process of returning to work in a few weeks with HR.  I've become very content being a stay at home dad and taking care of things around the house.

I do have to share a happy moment that happened this morning.  My son asked me if he could wear my Boston Marathon shirt from last year today at school.  I balked at the idea at first but he explained that they talked about the marathon at school and teachers asked kids if they knew anyone who ran any Boston marathons.  My son raised his hand and reading between the 8 year old lines....I don't think his classmates believed him.  He also told me that they have a counselor coming into his class today...so I know he wanted to show my shirt, medal, and number to help the counselor.  For those of us who are parents, there aren't many times like this where kids outwardly show that they are proud of their parents. 

Anthony, thanks for the kind words.  My wife did scare me and my PA did a little bit too.  He reminded me that my injury is serious and that I need to take my time.  I told him that i understood but I'm going to push my body because I have goals to accomplish this year.  I didn't realize you were so close to your race day.  I hope you stay as calm as you can be under these exciting circumstances!

Have a great day everyone.   

Hey everybody.  I have some posts to catch up on.

Steve - Those are some intense interviews.  Makes me happy to be  self-employed.  You always have  great things to say and if you interview anything like your posts you will get the job you deserve.

Pam - Wow!  What a story.  That must have been some amazing energy.  It really shows the positive in the world!  Your passion shines through...

Mike D - glad things are getting better for you out there.  Time like that with the family is what it's all about.

Jay - that's amazing news!  We're very proud of you to stay within your recovery.  Keep it up.  Your story about your son really hit a soft spot for me.  I dream of my kids (one is 3 and one on the way) thinking of me in that way.  One of the reasons I  do this is to impress the lifestyle on my family.  To have something to share with them like that is amazing.  Very, very cool!

Anthony - that sounds like a great race plan. Stay within yourself and enjoy the day!

I got in the pool today for the  first time in quite a while.  Pumped out 1000 yds and definitely need to get in the water more.  Followed the swim with 3 miles on the treadmill.  Running is really coming back as well as my  fitness.  You really lose a lot in a year so I'm continuing to be patient and work smart. Gonna do an 8 mile long run this weekend by the beach.  Gonna be great!

Mitch - have fun on that 8 miler.  Is that the longest run for you since injury?  You are doing great on the running, and more importantly the patience!

Mike - I think swimming to you is like running to me.  Kind of a default that you do without thinking too much about it.  Glad you got to go downtown with your family and process some of the emotions of the last week together.

Anthony - Glad your race is coming up soon!  A little race excitement will be good for this MASH unit .  OWS is so much about attitude and confidence, and you got it!

Jay - Great job on the recovery, and just WOW on the weight loss!  Very happy for you.  Have the feeling you are going to come back faster an stronger than ever.  Proud moment for sure with your son. 

Pam - that Boston Run must have been really moving.  Love it that so many people came, and the unplanned jet flyover is super cool. 

Steve - assuming it will take a while for ALL those people who interviewed you to come to consensus, but let us know when you find out something.

Samantha - missing you and hoping all is well for you.

And yes, Stu...you out there Stu?  How goes it?

I went for a magical run this morning.  It was fairly warm and misting lightly as I started.  2+ miles in, as I was running next to a field of crimson clover in bloom, a cool wind started blowing from the north and the rain came a little heavier.  I just love being outdoors when the weather shifts so noticeably. 

Follow up to my earlier post: My son told me that he got to show my number, shirt, and medal to each of his classmates while the counselor was in their class today.  As good as it makes me feel to know he's proud of his dad, its equally nice for me to know he felt important and proud with his peers.

Mitch: Thank you for the kind words on my recovery.  You and Steve have been my rocks so to speak with showing patience with recovery....if you guys can do it, then there's no reason why I can't.  I still remember your first post to me about my injury explaining how you hurt your foot doing an IM injured.  Congrats on becoming a dad again, I hope mom and baby are doing well.

Carol: I love reading your posts because you are undoubtedly the mother of the group...nobody escapes your "view"  We haven't heard from Samantha or Stu in awhile...so you mention them right away!  I think your description of weather change was pretty cool; I think its a reminder of God's power...in a very small sense.  Of course, I thank you for the positive reinforcement on the weight loss.  I suspect you will be right...I'll be coming back leaner and stronger when my healing is complete.  I think the plan was to show me that training and doing endurance events are a gift from God and I had to have them taken away to get my appreciation back....mission accomplished!

Consensus is in, I have sufficient experience, had good well thought out and comprehensive answers to all of their questions, was in the top 3 of their choices... but was not bubbly enough..... because that is what you want your director to be not someone who thinks things through and moves forward addressing problems that need to be addressed in a systematic and consistent manner in accordance with state and federal laws.  So ya no fish.  Will have to bring pompoms next time to a group where you could pop a balloon and no one in the room would blink.  Tough crowd, oh well.  I guess they were also paranoid that as a psychologist I might analyze them. 

Yes patience, working on that one. 

So is your son big on running with you this week now that he got to wear his/your Boston shirt?

Steve -- sorry to hear about the no-go. Not bubbly enought, huh? They hiring a game show host???

So, it appears Mr hamsting issue is not getting better, and if anything, more of a problem than it was a couple weeks ago. It has hurt non-stop, even with no activity, for the past few days. My running is at a standstill. Feeling pretty lost about this, and what to do. Stretch, ice, rest, foam roller is about all I can do. PT didn't help much. Not so sure this is going to make my first race in June much fun. The swim & bike should be fine, but the run may be a jog/walk deathmarch if this doesn't get better soon. Oy. NOT what I was looking for!!  I'll do what I can, and the day will be what it will be.

Edit to add -- a nice dose of perspective from wifey last night. We were talking about swimming, etc and I mention ed how the hammy thing was hampering my training/running, and how I felt I wasn't in very good shape, etc. She looked at my like I had 5 heads and said "You are nuts -- 3 years ago you weighed 50 pounds more, and couldn't do anything like you can do now. You're in better shape than just about anyone I know, and you probably can do things now you never thought you could ever do....".   Well, uh, yeah, she's right . Smart woman, that wife of mine..

Steve, I'm very sorry to hear about the interview.  I'm every bit as perplexed as you are as to why "not being bubbly enough" is a valid reason to DQ when all other qualifications are there.  The only thing that comes to mind is that this happened for a reason; one door closes, another door will open in time.

Mike, it is not with joy that I welcome you back to the MASH unit   I thought you had your hammy issues figured out when a PT friend thought it was your hip and not hammy.  There's a small part of me that is wondering if you've ever been fitted for running shoes.  I've been told that Bayside runner in Plymouth does a good job with getting you on a TM to study your gait and then recommend a sneaker.  Also, wondering about accupuncture for you....I had a friend that claims its done wonders for her back.  I'm done brainstorming for you now!

As for me, today is yet another gym day.  I'm going to try to skip weight training today and just do some serious cardio.  The hope is 30 minutes on the elliptical (that's the real challenge because of constant weight on my feet), 45 on the bike, and then 800 yard swim (or 20 minutes consecutive swim..whichever comes first)  Hopefully, I'll be able to accomplish these pretty lofty goals.

Have a good day everyone!

Jay, thanks so much for your kind words.  Ha, we do not have any children (other than the furry 4 legged kind), so I guess I have to mother someone .

Mike, sorry the hammy is still not playing nicely.  Know how frustrating that is.  Your wife is very right about keeping it all in perspective.

Steve, sorry the job didn't work out.  But if their main criteria was "bubbly" and they were applying that to what sounds like a role requiring a more calm, analytical and methodical mindest, then you are better off learing that before uprooting your family.  For a number of years, I was the controller for a company where the HR Director's title was changed to "Queen of Fun and Laughter", and the CEO wrote a book called "Why is Everyone Smiling".  I think the original intent was good, but when the balance shifts too much away from reality in favor of image, it's not good for people or business or school districts. 

Yesterday had some fairly sharp pain in the area of the healed stress fracture in my foot, and my piriformis, or glute med or whatever the heck it is was not happy either.  Not debilitating, but all on that pesky right side.  I am keeping my running miles low and slow, and think this may be my next read:  http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Runners-Unlocking-Potential-Prevention/dp/1620871599  My friend reported to federal prison camp yesterday.  I spoke with her in the morning before she surrendered, and she was doing as well as can be expected.  They have a track there and are allowed time to exercise.  So in the first letter, I'm asking if she wants to train for a race we run together when she gets out early next year if not before.

Steve - Glad you learned you are so organized, well thought out and the rest. Sorry that the world does not see that as enough. You may not be the bubliest but your words certainly help all of us here.

Mike - The hammy is a tough one but June is still a ways off that some rest and treatment should get you back into decent shape. My wife gives me a hard time once and a while that I leave her alone all the time. Although secretly I think she really like the shape I am in and would not change anything other than magically adding a few hours to the day.

Carol - Way to be there for your friend. Hope you are not on the way to the MASH unit.

Jay - Some big goals there. Glad you see a fine line there in possibly over doing it.

Weather is still very fickle with 50 degree weather yesterday and 70 expected today. The cool made for nice running yesterday and I finished 3.4 in some 33 minutes of easy Z2-3 running. Played around with getting on my toes for a bit, and getting good turnover on the hills. Was a lot of fun. Hope I can remeber that as I feel some pressure to meet/beat last months numbers. Trying to remind myself how much farther along I am than last year at this time. First race in about 3 weeks (May 18th). Should be a fun race with some firsts; wetsuit (just ordered), 20 mile bike (last race 11), colder weather. The local USGS site shows the current water temp at 49 degrees. Burr!!

Thanks guys.  Yes doors open and close as they should, just wish I had the next chapter so I could skip to the end before putting energy into the next round of interviews. 

Sorry that our MASH unit continues to struggle.  Too bad we are not all still 15... er make that 25 again (don't really want to redue graduate school and awkward high school dances).  Tell your wife that the mash unit agrees with her wisdom.  Patience may be even harder to master than the swim, nah almost as hard to master though.  Letting go of races (like say IM Tahoe) is really hard (lets see if I start building my swim back tonight... ). 

And yes Carol is our heart, steady, compassionate and never misses a beat.     

Well, let me see if I can bring some good news today.  I totally killed the workout that I layed out earlier today!  I did 45 min on the exercise bike and that felt pretty good.  My concern is my speed...I only get to about 15/16MPH on it...maybe I'm really that slow and need to put more time in on the saddle....maybe that's not too bad of a pace...I'm so clueless with biking   After that, I went to the elliptical and felt really good!  Its the closest thing I can do that safely puts weight on my injury and mimics running.  After that, I put on my swim trunks and completed that 800 yard workout (consecutive!) in a hair over 20 minutes.  Before my injury, I was at about a 2:30/100 pace (very slow for some I know!) and that would dwindle down to the 2:40 range as I went longer distances.  Well, simple math will show that I stayed at my 2:30 pace for the whole 20 minutes today!  That makes me feel really good but then again....I wonder if I'd have gone slower or faster if I could've kicked and not pull buoyed the whole time.

Some other quick takeaways from today: Its going to be really hard to stay keto as I crank up my intensity further.  I stayed hydrated today but there were some times that I had that light headed feeling....the one you get as you're at the 22 mile mark of a marathon (at least for me)  Maybe I need to consider in training nutrition to offset that feeling.  I think I need to swim more distance like I did today.  My wind was great but my muscles got a little tired before I got my second wind.  Today's reward for a good workout: 1 serving of crappy flavored girl scout cookies that my daughters troop can't sell

Hi all! Checking in and reading all the posts from the last couple days.

Steve - Sorry about the interview. I'm glad you always have a positive attitude. I tend to over-analyze things too often and have learned that I drive myself crazy sometimes trying to figure out people's reasoning. Doors do open and close, and in the meantime I guess you have a job - even though it sounds like it is a bit chaotic at times.

Carol - I'm happy to hear that you are keeping close with your friend through her trying time. Having something to work towards and look forward to when she leaves will be great for her. I hope she takes up your training together.

Jay – It sounds like your swimming is really coming along well. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off big time when you are all healed up. As for the bike, I wouldn’t get too worked up about the speed the exercise bike is giving you. There can be a lot of factors going. One that comes to mind is you may be subconsciously holding back a bit to protect that Achilles. Also, a lot depends on the type workout you are doing. I’m thinking the speed is calculated by the number of wheel rotations so the amount of power you are applying to the pedals is not accounted for. You could be pushing a big gear on the bike – one that would have you going 20 mph - but because you have a lower cadence and the wheel spins slower, the bike thinks you are only going 16 mph. Any rate, any time on the bike will surely transfer over to the road, and you will have a good base to build upon when you do get out on the road.

As for me – I had a very exciting day yesterday! My wife and I decided to move to Chicago last year and she made the move last September. In the meantime I have been living in Madison, WI (roughly 2.5 hours away) waiting to sell our condo (we couldn’t sell before March for tax reasons) and looking for jobs in the big city. Friday, I had a long, 4.5 hour interview at a company. I wasn’t real sure about the interview because they kept asking me questions about my experience and skills and I kept having to say, “I haven’t dealt with that, but…” and “I haven’t heard of that design method, but…”. At the end of the day, they ended up liking what I had to offer because I received a call yesterday saying they were offering me a position! I am so excited! I still have to give them my final “yes” after I read through all the papers, but I can’t wait to actually spend more time with my wife. We have been married 1.5 years and dated through most of college for another 7 years before that, and the whole time we were either 2.5 hours away from each other, or I was traveling 35 weeks out of the year. It has been a long time to patiently wait, but in our case, absence has made the heart grow fonder. Anyway, long post all about me, but I just couldn’t hold in my excitement. I have learned a lot from all of you in the last couple of months, and probably the most important has been all of your perspectives on life. Yeah, we are all busy – everyone is. Yeah, there aren’t enough hours in a day – there never will be. Yeah, things don’t always go the way we envision them – doors close on us when we wish they wouldn’t, but in the end things seem to have a funny way of working out. And on top of all that we decide to swim, bike, and run. Some people think we are crazy to add that on top of all life’s other obligations, but for me, it is what helps me stay sane enough to meet those obligations. Thanks to all of you for your support and unknowingly teaching me some important life lessons!

Jay, yes elliptical is a good substitute for jogging/walking when recovering.  Run/bike speed increases with years of training.  You can't work the kind of intensity that will get you faster on the bike at the moment.  You just need to work on fitness to the amount you can.  (stay safe).

Great news anthony, and wow 4.5 hours of interviews.  It is interesting that they often ask you questions they know you can't answer to see how you handle saying I don't know X but will learn because I have done y and demonstrated mastery in z.  Even better news that you won't be separated from your wife.  And I love your perspective on life, finiding that center, staying true to yourself and your wife and moving forward with patience with it all coming together for you.  The mash unit orders a glass of wine for your wife as well or mabye champaign if you get what you wanted $$ wize from the job.    

Mike, yes it is spring here, so nice to have temps in the 60s finally, apple tree leaves coming in, sprinkler system hooked up.  Life is good in many ways.