Life in the Hoosier State

We have been down in Indianapolis for a little over two weeks now, and seem to be settling in.

I still haven't figured out exactly what a Hoosier is either.  There seem to be plenty of theories but no facts

Out apartment is feeling more and more like a home, and we even added a little holiday flair by getting our Christmas Tree this past Sunday.

Our lovely 6-7' Fraser Fir

We still have non-essential boxes to unpack, but they are stashed away in the second bedroom for now.

Jenna and I have both been at our jobs for two weeks now.  We are still adjusting and trying to get acclimated to a new building, policies and procedures.

I have only been in the clinic for one week now, as the entire first week was orientation for me.  I have been busy evaluating patients in order to try and build up a caseload for me to work with.

Thankfully, I didn't forget everything I knew in the two weeks I had out of the clinic :)

I still have a bit of adjusting to do, as I get used to the equipment and space that I have available to me.  While it is generally the same as before, there are some differences, so I will have to adjust some techniques or exercises that I used to be able to complete or use.

I finally found out that ATI stands for Athletic and Therapeutic Institute.  It was an unknown to everyone in orientation, and we had to check with several people that had been with the company for a while.

Another exciting development for me, is that I started ATI's Clinical Leadership Program yesterday.  It consists of three full days, spaced out over several weeks, and it covers a lot of leadership stuff, and how it relates to the clinic and business side of things, as well as managing a staff.  After completion, it would allow me the opportunity to step into a Clinical Director role at some point in the future.

This video really has nothing to do with being a clinical director someday, but I like to make everything I can relate to The Office.



This possibility was a major selling point for me as I was completing my job search.  I wanted to opportunity for growth in whichever position I accepted, so this was right up my alley.  There are a lot of new things things coming with ATI, so I am excited to see how they all play out.

I no longer have Mondays off, so my three day weekends are gone.  However, I am still working four ten hour days as of now, and my new day off is Wednesday.

It's actually pretty nice.  Work two days, get a day off, work two days, get two days off, and repeat.  Not bad if you ask me.

We had our first Winter Storm Watch yesterday/evening.  I woke up and was told be the news that we had received a whopping 0.2 inches.  There is some fluffy stuff on the ground, but I can still see grass.

Home Sweet Home

We made it!  We have officially moved into our new apartment in Indy.  We have been quite busy to try and get as much unpacked and settled as we could before we start work again tomorrow.

Jenna's parents and sister were a tremendous help with this process.  We also got a lending hand from our new neighbor, who came out when he saw us moving stuff and offered to help!

Here's a short video of a walk through of our new apartment!

My Miss List

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and most kids are probably putting together their 'Wish List' for Christmas.  Since Jenna and I are moving in 10 days, I have decided to compile a 'Miss List', of the things I will miss the most about leaving Kalamazoo. 

Other than the first two, they are in no specific order...

1.  Family -  This one goes without saying....

2.  Friends - I can't list everyone out, so you all get lumped together.   I will let my friend Michael W. Smith expound on this...

3.  Radiant Church -  If you are looking for a new church, go here. 

4.  Yankee Springs, Fort Custer, and Al Sabo - Outdoor playgrounds located within 40 minutes of Kalamazoo.  I don't know the guys in the video, but they give you a little peek at 'the Fort'

5.  Lake Michigan - There is no replacing the miles of beaches and fun in the sun!

6.  Margherita Pizza from Martini's - I added this at Jenna's request, but I will admit, it is delicious.

7.  The Lions, Tigers and Wolverines - I will still be a fan, but not being able to tune into their games is going to be tough.

8.  Bronson Hospital - I was born there a little over 29 years ago, and a little over three years ago I started my career there.

9.  Lake Affect Snow - I know some would think I am crazy, but there is something exciting about a  forecast that calls for 12 to 18 inches of snow overnight.

10.  The Adventure Racing Scene in Michigan - Indianapolis does have some good races going on, but when it comes to quantity of quality races, Michigan is tough to beat for racing in the Midwest.

Counting down the days...

October is coming to a close rather quickly, which means my time as a resident of Michigan is dwindling. 

In just over 2 weeks, Jenna and I will be heading down to Indianapolis.  We will both be finishing out our current jobs on November 4th, and then will be making the move on November 9th!

We have have decided to try and save a few dollars in the move by using the strategy employed by these people...

Just another use for duct tape

I support the creativity, but we actually have reserved a moving van.  I did scour the web to find an online coupon code to get 25% off though!

Things have really fallen in to place for us in the past several weeks, which has been a huge blessing and confirmation in our minds that this move is God's will for our lives right now.

Jenna has secured a job, after having a handful of interviews over the course of two days.  She had several offers to choose from, and we are confident she has picked the best place for her.

We have also been able to sign a lease for a new apartment!  We had thought this was going to be a tough endeavor since we would have limited time to be down in Indy before the actual move to check out different complexes and locations. 

We managed to be able to take several tours on a weekend we were down there, and found an available apartment at The Park at Eagle Creek!



Main office and pool

We initially passed over this complex because the prices listed on the website were higher than we wanted to be paying, but when we stopped by to take a tour, they happened to have a few deals going on that will be saving us a considerable amount of money on rent!

We did decide to upgrade a little bit, and get a two bedroom apartment, rather than a one bedroom which we currently have.   So, when you come to visit us, you get the privacy of your own bedroom, and will be kept company in it by my bikes. :)

One other thing I am rather excited about is that it is right across the street from the largest park in Indianapolis, Eagle Creek Park.  It is over 5,000 acres of water, trees, and trails, which will hopefully allow me to cope with being away from Yankee Springs and Fort Custer.

Trail along Eagle Creek Reservoir

The packing process is a work in progress, since we can't just pack everything away yet.  We still have to live and eat for the next 2+ weeks.

 I really do not enjoy anything about packing, except for the fact that I have about 50 boxes in our apartment right now, which are great for fort making.

Fort or doghouse??

We have actually do have quite a bit packed though, and the boxes are starting to pile up in our apartment.

Since most of the essentials are lined up and taken care of, we don't have to make any more trips down to Indy prior to moving day.  Which means we have more time to see friends and family over the next couple of weeks!

Fall Color Tour

In recent months I have grown fairly fond of a couple different HDR apps for the camera on my phone.  The app makes my sub-par camera skills make me look like I know what I am doing.

With the beautiful fall weather we have had recently, I have been able to take advantage by getting a few bike rides in.  Not only am I able to get a little workout in, but I am able to enjoy God's beautiful creation at the same time.

I have taken all the pictures below, and all but one of them has occurred on a bike ride. 

So get up off your couch, find your helmet (just in case you encounter some wildlife), and go out for a ride before the fall color turns to snow piles!






The One Where They Move...

For anyone that came to this blog expecting me to announce that Jenna is prego, I am sorry to disappoint you.  She is not currently with child.  I am also not announcing the arrival of the iPhone 5.  Sorry.

The big news is actually that we are moving!  We are going to be moving down to Indianapolis in mid-November.
 

Why Indianapolis?  The primary reason is family.  Jenna's parents and sister live down in Indy.  Jenna has lived in Michigan for the past 9 years, which is much longer than she originally planned.  I take the blame for some of this, as she just couldn't resist my advances and ended up marrying me, giving her reason to stay in Michigan longer :)

Thankfully, we have been blessed with wonderfully versatile careers, where job opportunities are plentiful.  Last week I was offered a position at ATI Physical Therapy.  I had applied and interviewed at several places and ATI was my top choice, so I was excited to be able to accept the offer.  There is great opportunity for further career development, and the company values the same things I do when it comes to patient care.

Jenna is currently in the process of job seeking and has several interviews set up.

This big change isn't a decision we made on a whim.  We have put a lot of thought and prayer into this move. 

This big change also isn't easy.  My family is in Michigan.  We have many friendships, started our careers here, and have been involved at an awesome church..

I will still be a Michigander at heart.  The Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, and Wolverines will always be my teams, regardless how poorly they might perform.  Plus, when the Lions make the Super Bowl this year I will already be down in Indy!

And as crazy as it sounds, I will miss the lake affect snow, and all the outdoor fun it provides.   Believe it or not, going 200 miles south and away from Lake Michigan reduces the annual snowfall to about 20 inches per year, down from the 80 inches per year that Kalamazoo averages.

The good news is that you will all now have a good reason to drive on down to Indy.  It's less than four hours, so it easily doable in a day, or a weekend.  We will welcome all visitors!  Also, since my family is here, we will be back often.  So, we aren't just disappearing off the face of the earth.

We will be sad to be leaving family, friends, co-workers, and everything that is Pure Michigan, but we are confident God has great things in store for us in Indianapolis!

Apple Cider Century 2011

This year I decided to ride in my first century bike ride.  I have been wanting to complete one for a while, but it has never really taken precedence with time or financial resources.

I decided to throw in the towel for all running and adventure racing in mid-July due to some injury concerns.  I was still able to bike without any pain, so I decided that a century ride would work out perfect this year.

The Apple Cider Century Ride was recommended to me by several people.  I recruited Doug VanDyk to ride with me.

I had been riding all summer, just nothing real long.  Doug and I also did a few early morning training rides together to try and prepare a little.

I was never too concerned about finishing because the pace of the ride is whatever you want it to be, and since its not a race, there is no need to push it to the limit.  Also, there are built in SAG stops along the way.  (SAG = Support and Gear)

I found out the week of the ride that friend, Daren Wendell, and his friend Jake Boley were also going to be riding. 

The weather forecast the week of the ride looked pretty awful.  Cold and lots of rain.  I was counting on the weather forecast being wrong, as it often is in Michigan, but it wasn't.

It started raining right as we started the ride.  We were still hopeful at this point, as the forecast called for scattered showers.   The 'scattered showers' ended up being consistent showers, with scattered pouring rain.

We made it through the first 28 miles and arrived at the first SAG stop.  Our spirits were lifted with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apple cider, and hot potato soup.

We enjoyed the stop a little too much, and because of the rain and cool temperatures we stiffened up a bit.  Of course, we had a couple of hills to climb after the first stop, and then had a long, rainy stretch straight into the teeth of the wind.  We were out in the country and amongst the farmland, so there was nothing to help block the wind.

We reached the second SAG stop which was about 54 miles into the race.  It was pouring rain.  We were cold, wet, and tired.  Daren reached the stop first, and as I rolled up, he asked how I felt about the Apple Cider 62 mile ride.  At this point I had no problem cutting our ride short, as I was pretty miserable, being so wet and cold.  Jake and Doug were down with the plan too.

Thankfully, this ride had multiple routes, just in case you needed to turn off early.  We took full advantage of this feature, along with plenty of other riders who had originally planned on completing the 100 mile ride.  The mileage wasn't measured correctly, so the 62 mile route was actually 66 miles.  So, we still completed a century ride, it was just a metric century (100 kilometers).

We finished the ride, and then the sun promptly came out.

All in all it was a good time, and despite the poor weather, we still had fun.  I should also note, we had out own personal, amazing SAG crew, Jake's wife Amy and friend Adrienne!

I now have a two hour cleaning project awaiting me, as my bike is absolutely filthy after riding through the rain for 4+ hours.

 Hopefully, the next time I decide on a long ride, the weather will cooperate. 

We were all smiling at this point, prior to the ride, and prior to the wet and cold!

Yankee Springs Recreation Area

A few weeks ago, we ventured out to Yankee Springs Recreation Area for a weekend of camping with Chris and Erika Vonk.   This was the second installment of what has become a yearly event for us.  This years trip, did not disappoint, with perfect weather, plenty of bugs, and off-key worship songs.

We headed up to Yankee on a Friday after I got out of work.  Chris and Erika go there before us and warned us that three of the neighboring campsites were occupied by a Youth Group on some sort of camping retreat. 

Our site in the foreground, and their setup in the background.

Now, I fully support these types of adventures for students to get them into the outdoors, however, they set up ‘central camp’ 10 feet away from our fire pit.  It made for a rather awkward set up.  We were quite involved in their weekend.   We heard conversations, watched games and listened to some not so on key a cappella worship songs.  

Outside of the awkward set up it was a nice weekend.  The weather was perfect.  The temps hit the 80s during the day and down into the 50s at night.

We tried a little orienteering; however, the mosquitoes and spider webs thwarted that attempt.  We also did a little geo-caching, which was successful as we found 2 different caches!

We rented kayaks for an hour and explored Gun Lake.

We also enjoyed s’mores, hobo pies, and numerous games of Farkle, which everyone won at least once except for me.  For a game of luck, I am pretty bad at it.  

 We even had an attempt at making some jiffy pop over the fire (epic fail).  However, the kids next door were mesmerized, and clapped when Chris had finished.  Little did they know that not a single kernel had popped, but Chris had only managed to get the foil to expand.

It was a great weekend at one of my favorite places in Michigan. 

Running in Place

"Runnin' the Course" has been running in place lately.  It has been several months since my last post.  I have had good intentions of posting, and plenty of things to write about, but have just not made time to actually sit down and do it.

In the past several months Jenna and I have kept quite busy. 

• Organized and put on an adventure race for friends and family
• Completed the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon
• Celebrated Jenna's 26th birthday
• Watched my little sister, Abby, graduate high school
• Jenna's wisdom teeth came out
• Competed in (and won!) an adventure race with Jake Grevenstuk
• Took a vacation thru Northern Michigan and the UP
• Watched the Tigers beat the Diamondbacks
• Completed an adventure race with Jenna in GR

Those are just some of the highlights, as there have been many other hangouts and get-togthers with friends and family.  We are just enjoying our summer to the fullest!

And that brings you up to date a far as events and happenings go.

Now, the real reason for titling this blog post 'Running in Place".  It describes my current situation.

I have been dealing with a knee issue for the past 2+ months now.  It began at the half marathon I ran in May.  I took some time off and just did some biking for the next 4 weeks.  I then completed the Spring Adventure Challenge Adventure Race.  The knee felt good for a while, but was rather sore and painful by the end of the race.  

I gave my knee 4 weeks of my self-provided rehab.  I also continued to bike, as that was not painful.   I then participated in the Grand Rapids Urban Adventure Race with Jenna, my sister Theresa, and my Dad.  It was only a 4 hour race, and designed for beginners, so I figured it would be a piece of cake for my knee to handle.

I was wrong.  It only took about half a mile for my knee to start screaming at me.  Of course, I finished the race, but my knee wasn't happy.

I was quite discouraged.   I still had 3 adventure races on my calendar.  A 15 hour race in 3 weeks, a 4 hour race in 5 weeks, and a 28 hour race in September.  

Now, I love adventure racing,  it gives me some excellent goals to train and stay in shape for, so this knee injury presented me with a difficult decision.

I decided that I would need to shutdown things down when it comes to races, and focus on getting my knee back to health.  I am not excited about missing races, but I do want to get things right.

One would think I would be able to fix myself, but things have not been quite that easy.  I have recruited some help from a friend and colleague to help me rehab.  We can't really figure out exactly what is going on (and we have tried a little bit of everything), but just know that there is some sort of patello-femoral dysfunction, or maybe a mild quadriceps muscle tear that I didn't allow to heal appropriately. 

 So, if anyone actually reads this and wants to throw their two cents in about what they think is wrong , I am currently hearing all theories!

I won't be going to the Doc, because I will just get referred to PT.  And I am not going to have imaging done, because I am pretty sure, it would not show anything, and then I would be out $2000.   

As of now, I am on the 60-day disabled list, and just trying to stay in shape with any activity that doesn't aggravate the knee. 

Hoping that my season of 'running in place' comes to a close soon!

I Won't Grow Up...

Famous (or maybe not so famous) words of the one and only Peter Pan, "I Won't Grow Up...".   This phrase has come to mind recently as it relates to my choice of recovery drink/food following workouts.

My recovery drink of choice is currently Chocolate Milk.  That's right, a childhood favorite, resurrected as a beneficial adult drink.

There are hundreds of options out there for re-fueling after a tough workout.  Sports drinks have always been a favorite of mine, but I don't always have them around. 

You can walk into GNC and be overwhelmed with the variety of different types of recovery drinks, or performance enhancing supplements.

Not only does chocolate milk taste absolutely delicious, it is relatively inexpensive.  I always have milk on hand, it is a staple of my diet.  So for me, all it takes is a keeping a bottle of Hershey's Chocolate syrup in stock, which is currently selling for just over $3 at Meijer,

AND...there is actually some research to support the use of chocolate milk as an effective recovery drink. The results showed chocolate milk to be just as beneficial as any of the expensive stuff you can buy at GNC, in this study's case,  Endurox R4.

Here's a small snippet from the results of the study...

In the study, nine male cyclists rode until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rested four hours and biked again until exhaustion. During the rest period, the cyclists drank low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, or Endurox R4. During a second round of exercise, the cyclists who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike about 50% longer than those who drank Endurox, and about as long as those who drank the Gatorade.

I should mention, the research was partially funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, but interesting findings none the less. 

Please note,  I am not advocating for excessive consumption of chocolate milk for the sedentary individual, or by those who are exercising for weight loss purposes.  It is still full of sugar, but that sugar combined with the protein in milk is optimal for replenishing energy stores after long or tough workouts.

So get up off the couch, go for a run, ride, swim or whatever mode of exercise you desire and then return to your childhood by drinking an ice-cold glass of chocolate milk to recover!

best foot forward...

For the past couple months I have been training for a half marathon in May.  I was a little hesitant to sign up for this because I have had some foot problems in the past when I start running longer distances.

Starting in 2007 I began having difficulty running any distance over 2-3 miles.  It was quite frustrating because I couldn't figure out anything to help.

I tried taking time off and resting.  I attempted to do more cross training.  I tried various types of shoes.  I gave both over the counter and custom orthotics a try, but nothing seemed to allow me to make it past that 3 mile mark comfortably.

Over this period of time, I have been able to complete various Adventure Races, but only because I was constantly switching between running, hiking, biking and canoeing.  Even so, on prolonged run sections I would still have foot pain.

Last fall I got the book Born to Run for my Birthday, which explores the current trend of barefoot running.

While I did not jump into the whole barefoot running, I did make some biomechanical changes to my gait and running form.  I have been focusing on using more of a midfoot to forefoot strike with each step.

In my opinion, the results of this simple change have been phenomenal. I have not had a single episode of foot pain since October, and have been able to run up to 12-13 miles without any problem.  Additionally, I have noticed virtually no feeling of fatigue the day following my runs.

On a little bit of a side note, I have been running in the same shoes for the past 3 years.  They have easily over 1000 miles on them.   The older they get, the better my feet and legs feel during and after runs.

General consensus on replacement of running shoes is in the neighborhood of every 350-550 miles.   I am beginning to think more and more that this is a marketing ploy to sell more shoes.

I will actually be purchasing a new pair of running shoes soon, but that is because the tread on the bottom has worn off, and I am now running on the foam of the sole.

I am not trying to say that everyone needs to replace running shoes every 4 years.  Every runner is different and has different needs depending on form and technique.  I have obviously not conducted any randomized, double-blinded clinical trials to test this theory,  just sharing my own success with a small biomechanical change.

Busy Weekend

I have been a pretty terrible blogger in recent months.  I am hoping that things will change here in the near future.  I hope to be aided by our new desk/table/workstation.  Here's a picture of the new setup...

Until this weekend, my computer had been located in the corner our our bedroom, which is not a great spot.  It was a tight fit, and it took effort just get up for the desk because of the close quarters.  We had an idea to get a long skinny table to could be utilized in the open space in our living area.

We looked around and found out what we wanted was available but too pricey.  So, we looked in to making one.  Now, I didn't even consider this because I don't do anything that even resembles construction.  However, Jenna's dad is more crafty than I, and made us this workstation.

I am hoping the better set up will lead to more frequent blogging.

Jenna's parents came up this weekend and brought the workstation with them.  We also got the chance to celebrate Marianne's (Jenna's mom)  Birthday.  We had dinner at Mangia Mangia downtown and then cupcakes and banana blondie's back at out apartment.  We gave her some pretty sweet gifts :)b

Also going on this weekend, was the championship game for the Kalamazoo Bible basketball League.  We played Trinity Lutheran.  We split the regular season matchups, so we knew we were in for a good game.  It was close the whole way, but we couldn't quite pull it off.

Overall, it was a good season with a great group of guys.



The Fab Four
(Disclaimer: This is an unofficial nickname and has actually never been used for us.)



Coach Dennis getting us ready.



Tres Lobos (Three Wolves)
(Also unofficial nickname)









Blizzard 2011

We finally got some substantial snowfall this year.  The snow combined with the wind was enough to give both Jenna and I a Snow Day from work!  We bummed around for a while this morning, but then I convinced her that we needed to go get outside for a while.

We headed to Milham Park Golf Course to do some snowshoeing, and check out just how much snow we got.  We found depths of snow ranging from 6 inches to about 30 inches of fresh powder.  It's tough to say exactly how much we got due to all the blowing and drifting, but I would say we got a solid 12" or so over night.

I am not sure I would classify it as blizzard material, but a lot of snow in less than 24 hours none the less.   The news this morning couldn't get enough of calling this event 'Blizzard 2011', so my blog took the same title.

Below are a few pics and videos from our little outing!

Jenna is in there, I promise.

I sunk a solid couple of feet into this drift, and that's with snowshoes on.


I tried to do a little jumping around.  I fell a couple of times.  I may have made them look a little more dramatic that what actually occured.



This video of Jenna is actually from a couple of weeks ago, but didn't want her to feel left out of the video action:)

The Holidays came and went...

The Holidays were fairly busy this past year.  We spent time in Indianapolis and Kalamazoo.  I am way behind in getting these up, so I just picked a few different pics.  Enjoy!

Potato Peeling initiation.  I think I held my own.

Football, movies, Euchre, and naps.  Everything Thanksgiving should be.

Our first tree. "Little full, lot of sap."

Our first tree.  Post-Decorations

We saw Wicked at Miller Auditorium in December.

Our cookies were so good Darren McFadden even stopped by.

About to get the party started...

Are those hanky-panky I see?

Talking about guy stuff...

I tried on some skinny jeans.  I look good, right??