5K

The couch to 5K is complete. We actually didn't make it through the entire program as yet (we needed another 4 weeks or so), but we did both finish a 5K and that was the original goal. It bested, but a good bit, the longest I had ever pushed my crappy lungs to do. Our shared 'goal' was to finish it in under 40 minutes, a goal we both achieved. I had hoped to make it in under 35 if possible, and I managed to do that as well, finishing in 32m 37s, which surprisingly works out to a 5.7 mph pace. I definitely pushed it much harder than the normal 5mph pace we set on our jogs. The most difficult portion really was the inclines, of which we don't have many around our house. I am not going to exaggerate and call them 'hills' per se, but they definitely presented a new challenge. I am proud of us both for finishing and hopefully that will be a good start to keeping in better exercise routines..........at least until the winter hits and we hibernate again.

One of the many things I find peculiar about Portland is that it seems to be run by people with a certain disdain for cars. I guess that keeps Portland weird and prevents it from becoming to much like Seattle, which isn't a bad thing. On the other hand, it is a bit perplexing at times. A few weekends ago, they closed one of the bridges going downtown to roll out fake sod on it and have a picnic (I am not making this up) and this weekend they will be closing almost all of them on Sunday so people can ride their bikes on them. Evidently, the fact that people might need to get downtown to, you know, spend money and stimulate the depressed economy takes a back seat to the idea of pretending we live in some weird post-oil future where bikes are the only mode of transport.

Work continues its weird cycles. I find myself most recently torn between being the 'go to' guy and being the department bitch. It is a tough line to walk. On one hand, I am accruing responsibilities that make me more indispensable. On the other hand, I don't want it to seem like anything that can be given to me, I will gladly do. Most recently I have been tasked with going down to the Park to 'help them' as they are 'sinking' with the new EPIC conversion. I am not stating it is easy or without frustration, I know I dealt with a LOT of it. However, I also had no one to turn to in the department in general or my clinic specifically. So, I was forced to learn it on my own. They have all had the same training, and have all spent an entire day up at the clinic with me and NEVER work in the MP clinic with less than 3 total staff. So, ostensibly they could ask one another, the Epic staff that flit about the hospital, or call me. However, that is evidently not workable, so I am to go down there on Monday to help out. And then the following M, T, Th. and then, perhaps, the following Monday after that.

On one hand, I guess I should feel good being the person best equipped to teach them. On the other hand, their solution to me going down there to help is to just 'close' my clinic for those days, which makes me upset because it seems that we are doing damage to my job to preserve the MP clinic. Bah!

Got allergy re-tested this past Monday which wasn't exactly illuminating (I am allergic to stuff, and lots of it!), but will hopefully be a step in correcting or at least mitigating my hyper-histamine response to everything. Shots start in 10 days, and then go on for 3-5 years. Initially 1 to 2 shots a week and then spaced out as far as every 3 to 4 weeks or so. Not bad........I hope anyway. The response rate is about 75%. Lets hope I fall within it.

Time to get back to the never ending list of house stuff. More blogging when I can next hit the pause button.