Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The good, the bad, and the ugly

I'm baaaaaack!

My fourth trip to Argentina and Antarctica was, without question, the best. Each time I go I'm more open to the experience, less likely to chase after the excitement, and more likely to embrace the large and small moments that make the trip worthwhile.

Make no mistake, it's a lot of work, but, it's about the most satisfying thing I've ever done. There are only two sanctioned sporting events in the Antarctic, the marathon and half marathon AND the kayak championships. Being a part of the very elite operations team for these events is a unique opportunity.

I've given up trying to articulate the beauty, the animals, and the people. All I can say is that is is the most difficult 3 weeks of my year, and I can't wait to go back.

We stayed over for a few days in Ushuaia so that Jenny could run the Fin del Mundo marathon and get another continent. I think it helped to have a transition time between the ship and home. We had some FANTASTIC food, good company, and a chance to begin to recover.

Got home late Friday, ran a little on Saturday, then bent over to move something on Monday and ended up in the emergency room. Not sure whether it's a slipped disk, or ruptured disk, or WHAT, but I'm down for the count. I'm still hoping that I can get to Tucson for our event there this weeekend, but I've just got to take it a day at a time.

As our Argentinian friend, Gus, would say: It is what it is.

ORN: I did run a little on Saturday, but don't have any idea when I'll be able to run again.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome back. I saw some film footage of the race and it looked amazing. Maybe someday I will take the plunge. Sorry about the back, hope it gets better sooner :)

Lisa Skier

Anonymous said...

Bummer about the back! I've been there. Just last fall, I had acute pain just bending over to adjust the seat on a shoulder press machine. It's vital to get started on physical therapy immediately. Studies have shown how much more effective PT can be when not delayed.

This article may not make you feel better right now, but I found it very interesting and comprehensive.

http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200703/owners-manual-back-1.html