Last week I ran a Half Marathon–a virtual Half Marathon because the Skedaddle race in SF was cancelled due to COVID-19. It was the furthest I have run in the last 15 months. I was not sure how I would do, both physically and mentally. My health issues took a lot out of me last year, and again, both physically, and for sure mentally. I did not know how I would do, or feel, or if I could make it. Sarah rode her bike along side me the whole way, to keep me company, as she tells me. I think it was more she was going to be sure I was going to do OK with this. She and some of the others in our run group ran it the day before, and of course, following social distancing as well. Our daughter was one of them, who also set a personal best for herself the day before mine. I held off because I had a sore calf, and did not know it I should, or could. Amazingly, everything went fine, and it was a perfect day for weather.
I am definitely feeling like I am alive again, and getting stronger. I am not ready to be done running. It is my escape, and time to think, and when we can all get back to running together again, it is a time to socialize with friends.
Just go! No music, no distractions. Just running with my own thoughts, and some discussion with Sarah on this run.
I finished in 2:04:32. I did not think I would be breaking 2 1/2 hours, and I almost broke 2! I started out easy, and then gradually kept picking it up. It usually takes me a while to get in a groove to begin with, and this day was no exception. Physically I was able to do it, but I think, and even more important, my mind could handle it. I proved to myself I still could do what I love to do. It has been a slow process, but I continue to keep improving. What more could I ask for?
Boy is this the truth! I will never take it for granted again. We are all human, and cannot control everything. Many of us do not get second chances to do what we love to do. Many of us don’t even get second chances with life. Keep going each day, for tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t leave behind any unfulfilled dreams or goals.
Go find yourself! Whether running, walking, or other activity. Just keep moving! Utilize your time. “Choose wisely!” Never lose sight of your dreams/goals. There will be setbacks along the way, but don’t let them control your future. It may take longer to get there, but in the end, you will be stronger, both physically and mentally, to take on anything in life that comes along. Personal goals are different at this point compared to what they were when I was younger. Times achieved with the runs still provide me some degree of improvement for me, but the ultimate achievement is that I can still participate, regardless of how fast I may be anymore. I had those days already.
Now, for me, it is more important to see those sunrises on those early morning runs, or the sunsets on those late evening walks. I have to admit, I am taking the time to appreciate them more often. I am seeing things in a different light. They have always been there, but I have just been too busy to pay attention. I think that could be said for all of us. Slow it down, take the time to look, and appreciate what you see. This health experience has helped me to do that, so not all things bad are completely bad. Look for the positives in life. They truly have more meaning. Keep focused on that while you keep going. Keep moving everybody!
Working out as a family not only pushes you to get moving, but you can all gain strength at the same time. We all have particular exercises we like doing, but strength training is important for all of us. It not only makes us stronger, but endurance, balance, and coordination can all improve as well. When you are done, you can see which one of you in the family can have bragging rights for that day on who “killed that workout”!
A portion of my garage is converted into what I call the Reiflex Center, our personal gym, where we can work on weights, and body strength exercises. Some other additional equipment helps too, such as kettle bells, hand weights, weighted balls, and jump ropes. You can also be creative with certain exercises with make shift equipment. The best equipment to have is you! Show up! There are all kinds of body weight activities to do as well that are also very good for gaining strength.
They are numerous different activities that you can do to gain strength. With everything going on with the pandemic right now, we are out there 3 days a week, for up to 30 minutes each time, doing a variety of exercises. Typically Sarah and I will do 5 different exercises, with different repetitions depending on what the activity is, completing 1 round of all 5 activities, and then repeating for 5 different sets. We are sweating when we are done!
We can keep each other motivated, as well as have some fun. When our daughter Megan joins us, we can have someone else to push, or laugh at as well!
Especially when she is struggling with the push ups! Unless you have done them, you don’t know how tough they can be!
The biggest thing is we can all get a workout in, but we can have fun doing it. It is times like this when you have to be creative. That is what I like about working out at home. I have my own access 24/7, and just have to walk to the garage. You don’t need to have a lot of fancy equipment, you just have to move. The music is going, and we are laughing, but we are getting activity as well. The strength training is important, and we all need to do this 2-3 times a week. It is amazing how far we have already come in regards to this, and how much this helps our running for Sarah and I, and swimming for Megan. Be creative. You need a little space. What I have spent on equipment already has long been paid for with what a membership would cost, and I truly can use it anytime. What are you waiting for? Keep moving everybody!
Here I am sitting at my desk doing a telehealth visit. I can look directly at the patient, and discuss whatever we need to discuss, and yet I can still also visualize the patient without them having to come in. I also have direct access to their chart as well to review and update, and discuss whatever questions our patients may have. In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to become creative on how we can still keep taking care of our patients, and yet limit both our patients exposure, and our staff’s exposure to this virus. The telehealth visit also provides a means of triage to help us determine if someone is truly sick enough that they would have to come in and be seen in person. Brown Clinic is continuously changing our protocols on how we are adapting to this pandemic. We have never seen anything like this before, so it is not like we can just do everything in a day. We keep adapting to what works, and what does not.
Every patient coming into the clinic is triaged at the door. All staff is triaged at the door when they come in as well. One of our staff will be masked, gowned, and wearing a face shield as well. (My nurse here had just taken off her shield and gown, so I did not make her put it back on for the sake of the picture!) But she has a skin thermometer to take your temperature, and is holding stickers that is placed on the staff, and the patients, triaging them according to symptoms. For our staff, if they are sick, they are going to be seen immediately, and then sent home as well. For patients entering the clinic, this screening is done as soon as they walk in the door. This also serves as a factor as to whether the patient is gong to have to wear a mask, and whether they will need to be taken directly to a room to be away from everybody else. So if you are truly not sick enough, avoid coming into the clinic. We can also help determine if you should be coming in by doing a telehealth visit as well.
The staff at the clinic are wearing masks for every patient regardless of what they are seen for. Depending on the triage protocols, we then decide if we need to gown up, and wear face shields as well. Anything we can do to avoid unnecessary visits into the clinic is being done. We have also instituted drive up lab draws to still be taking care of all of the other health issues that we need to deal with daily as well, not just that related to COVID-19. We are encouraging people if they are sick, to get a hold of us at the clinic first, and set up a telehealth visit, whether by video, or telephone, and be taken care of this way first. The amount of information that we can get by these visits is incredible, and we can still take care of you, and at the same time limit both our patients, and our staff’s, exposure. People who thought they could never do this before are finding out that it is really pretty simple, and we will help walk you through every step of it in an attempt to take care of you. Our hours at Brown Clinic, just like many other facilities, have changed from 7:30-5:00 PM every day, Monday through Friday, but we have the capability and opportunity to create a telehealth visit, in one way or another, 24/7, 7 days a week. Our previous convenience care hours from 5-7 PM are staffed with more people as well to handle any increased telehealth visits as well. We are still available this way continuously, just we always have been, but in a way that limits exposure to everybody involved.
You can get a hold of us with this number, and in particular, after hours, hit option “0” and we will help you through the rest of it! Be safe. Be smart. Utilize this service as a means to be taken care of. This is consistent with our mission statement as well: “To provide quality and compassionate health care.” We are committed to continuous improvement…because that is the kind of care you expect from Brown Clinic–the people you know and trust. Keep moving everybody!
Remember what today is about! We need to keep focused on Easter and what it means, and the sacrifices that were made for us. I miss being able to go to church every week, and especially now with Easter. Set aside time to reflect on this since we all have time at home now. We were not able to have all of our kids home because of the pandemic. Sarah and I were able to go running with Dakota! She made it 4 miles with us on Saturday. She just turned 8 months old. She loved it the whole time. She is such an affectionate dog that it would not matter what it was we were doing, she just wants to be with us!
Dakota loves going walking or running, and now, even she stops to gaze at the Lake with all of the ice out. It really is something to view!
When the wind is calm, it is easy to get lost in thoughts and just watch. It is a great time to sit and think, and just forget about other things, or just reflect on everything going on, particularly this Easter weekend.
Spend time with who has been at home with you, and talk to the others who can’t, either by phone, or facetime. We are all in this together, and if we hang together, then we can all be here later. Be smart. Be safe. Pray and ask for help.
Have a great Easter! Keep moving everybody, and stay safe!
When thing get tough, it is even more important to try and keep a positive attitude. I obviously need to keep reminding myself of this too. I guess I too am human as well. With all of the stress going on about COVID-19, taking care of patients, wondering when and if I am going to come down with this, or expose my family to it, the loss of socializing and running with my friends, not being able to go to church, and then top it all with the crappy weather we had on Thursday, and wondering if we are still going to have to deal with a flood situation, I lost it. Everything came to a head, and I lost my cool. We are all under a lot of stress, and I am no different. But like I just said, I have to work on continuing to remind myself to hold it together, and reminding myself to keep a positive attitude in this time of total chaos. No easy task! If I could change that moment, I would.
I continue to keep going out to the Reiflex Center and workout, but it is not the same as going for a run with my friends. Those were great times, and was a way to talk about things going on, and helping to solve problems. The weight workouts help burn off frustrations, but it is not the same.
I went walking multiple times this week to help clear my head. When we had just got rid of all of the snow, it was great. I did not feel like running. I just did not have the energy for it. But the walking got me outside, and gave me a way to relax and think. If you have not done it, you have no idea what you are missing. Give it a try!
Dakota is now 8 months old. She is always ready to go for a walk. Sarah takes her in the mornings, and I have been taking her in the evenings. She is one tired puppy at the end of the day, but she loves to go for her walks. The energy she has, and the excitement she has exploring everything while we are out is contagious. We could all learn a lot from a dog, especially a puppy!
I guess we have to take the bad with the good. Staying positive can be a full time job. I guess I have to realize too that I have weaknesses, and can have moments of losing it as well. I also need to be like everybody else, and learn from those times. How could things have been handled differently? We can always second guess our decisions, and ideas. We definitely need to learn from them so as to not keep repeating the same mistakes.
Attitude truly is everything! Keep reminding yourself of this, just like I am now as well. FOCUS! REPEAT! REPEAT! REPEAT! We all learn better by repetition. Can we make the same mistakes in life along the way? Yes, that is why we are all human as well. Nobody is perfect. How to keep is all together when needed is the secret.
Open up your view of things. All of us can see things differently when looking at the same thing. How we handle it, or deal with is the key. Just like now, with the pandemic going on, it will be a tough road ahead. A lot of stress coming. We all deal with it differently, and we can handle it differently depending on how much we are pushed, or how much things keep building up. Learn from the past, and don’t keep repeating the same mistakes. We can all have a moment of weakness. Strive to keep going, keep pushing…keep striving to survive. And above all else…
