A different countryside in May 1944

Ameugny sits on a hillside – west of town is a plain of farm land intercepted by the TGV tracks, signposted in some spots “La Grange Cercy.” The village of Mont, the female DJ found out today, is on another hillside almost directly across the plain. This afternoon, she hiked across the plain on cart paths – the most uneven ground she’s faced since Achilles tendon surgery last summer – crossed the TGV tracks, and then ascended to Mont. There she found a plaque describing a far less tranquil plain in 1944. Between May and August, special expedition forces – and supplies, ammunition & explosives – were parachuted in to help the French resistance fighting the Germans. It was hard to imagine looking east toward Ameugny today…

Achilles tendon update – another successful Big Dish test

There are all sorts of reason the female Dawn Jogger hasn’t gotten back into the twice weekly Big Dish runs that she so enjoyed prior to her Achilles tendon injury and subsequent surgery at the end of last July. She’d last jogged the Dish in mid-January. This morning she decided to get this sure-fire tonic back into at least a once a week rotation. She wanted to check out the spring green and find out if the annual herd of cattle had taken up residence (yes!). The really excellent discovery was how much easier it was to get up and down the hills now. Too early in the day to determine if her limbs will feel as sore (in the good sense) as last time, but she thinks she’s now about 90% back. That’s feels good…

The Achilles tendon is a wrap – six months post surgey

It was the expiration of the temporary disabled placard that struck the female DG: That meant it had been six months since surgery to repair her partially torn left Achilles tendon, even though she keeps thinking  five months. So it was fitting that she also had her final appointment with Dr. Oloff today and was told “you’re too healthy to be seeing me any longer.” While at SOAR she also ran into master caster Joe, so was able to give him a final round of thanks, too. Now if only the right hamstring was less cranky. It’s always something…

Wet conditions mean back to the gym

The female DG is trying to think half full in regards to ‘going to the gym’ as an option when the local community is preparing to create a new Ark for Noah and all the animals. But even though it was raining oh-so-hard this morning and she got an atmospheric photo for InMenlo (of course, the male DG bettered her), she still prefers jogging outdoors at dawn. The hope is dry enough conditions to check out Lake Lagunita tomorrow morning (before her six month check up with Oloff).

Huge milestone – jogging the Dish

The DG’s arose this morning without a plan – except an appointment to pick up Grace at 1:00 this afternoon. The female DG was feeling pretty good and thought, “well I might as well try jogging the Dish.” She’d walked the washboard hills with a friend just before Christmas. But, as she’s been finding out, jogging’s a different deal. She’s just getting her endurance back. Not to mention wondering if the surgically repaired left tendon would hold up, so to speak. (Surgical date for reference, 7/24/09, so not quite five months post.)

Well it’s done and some five hours later, she’s feeling it. Not the lower extremities but her arms, which she used to pump her way up the hill from the Alpine Road entrance to the Big Dish area. She was oh so slow, but she made it up. Just to be cautious, she walked the steepest part back down to Junipero Serra. Other good news: she still had enough left to jog back across the Stanford campus and home, the total route being about five miles.

The morning irony: natch, she took lots of photos of the Dish itself but it was the accompanying shot of the oak framed by field and sky that caught her (and the male DG’s) eye.

Back to reality with a morning Menlo jog

It’s only just starting to sink in that the female DG is actually jogging. Jogging as in waking up in the morning, pulling on her jogging clothes, and setting out, [almost] like she’s done for the past 25 years or so. This morning it was back to the streets of Menlo with wonderful thoughts of her adventures in Central Park. Temps were chilly by Bay Area standards but felt balmy – so much so that she shed gloves (lower left in photo) at the San Mateo Bike Bridge. Decisions loom – is she a Dawn Jogger again? She knows she’s not quite all the way back.

First day of the year 10K in Central Park

What a difference 24 hours make. Yesterday morning, it was snowing. This morning – thanks to “balmy” temperatures in the mid-40s –  Cenral Park’s green lawns were already reappearing (with a snowman – foreground of photo – being the sole hold out in one corner of the park near Cedar Hill).

The notion of a new year’s day jog had been in the female DG’s mind for the past few weeks. She’s glad that the jog happened yesterday – and in snow flurries at that – because she was far from a Dawn Jogger this morning, arising mid-morning.  So she set out  after breakfast to accomplish another post Achilles tendon surgery milestone, walking the six mile loop around the park, complete with a couple of good ups, most notably Heartbreak Hill around 108th St. It was an excellent way to begin 2010.

While she walked, the male DG worked on a black and white New York portfolio.

Two for the reservoir

It’s not that the Dual Gs wake up every morning and recite the things that will probably never happen in their life time together – or the things that they’ll never share again. But New York City is a special place for them both. It’s the city of some of their longest walks together and their very best runs. So it was a mixture of great joy (and a few tears) that they climbed the steps of the New York Reservoir at exactly 12:40 pm EST today – something they had wondered if they’d ever do together again. After torrential rains that delayed their flight in last night (and almost dumped them in Philadelphia), the sun was shining brightly and as only New York can do, the skyline was shimmering. The walk from 78th and Fifth, around the reservoir and back, was probably the longest distance the male DG has walked since last summer – and included a couple of the famous hills of Central Park. And somewhere along the way, the female DG noted that it was also a grand way to celebrate five months post Achilles tendon surgery.

No good photos, no update, blogless

That sums it up. Things are much more interesting over on http://www.gulker.com.

Upping the the jogging five months post surgery

Did the five mile route across the Stanford campus (where the only other signs of life were a construction crew putting in columns in front of the new economic policy and research building – kind of a cool scene in early morning darkness). Jogged about half the time. No pain. A little post exercise ache. Those are the headlines five months post Achilles tendon surgery.