Cholesterol, and Broad Street

As you can tell the original idea for this blog (pre-LAB/BundleofJoy: thanks LB) has sat quietly for a while and will continue to do so for the next 4-6 weeks while I tend to more important matters; one of which is my decision to compete in the Broad Street Run again after having not run it for the last two years. It is a ten-mile race through the heart of the City and, three years ago, the first competitive race I ever ran in my life. I started training for it about 3 weeks ago and will run in it the first Sunday in May.

Warning: I just decided this was gonna be really long...

The first time I ran it was a year after having knee surgery for a soccer injury that kept me inactive for close to six months and saw my weight balloon up to close to 230 pounds. I had a physical and blood work completed that showed elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and a moderate case of high blood pressure.

I was 27 years old.

So, unable to play soccer anymore because of the injury I did the only thing I could think of to get back in shape- I joined Weight Watchers and a-la Forrest Gump, I just started running. Over the course of the next six months I dropped 40 pounds, completed the race in the top third of all finishers (12,000+ that year) and saw my blood pressure and general level of health return to something more resembling my college days (though I will NEVER be that 165-lb. 20-year old again... and I can live with that).

So, when we moved and I realized I was going to be a father I thought it only appropriate to go back to the doctor and take a look at everything again.

I am pleased to report, that my cholesterol, try's, and B.P. are all excellent and according to the doctor "If it weren't for your caffiene intake, I'd have absolutely nothing to say." So I got that going for me; which is nice.

Preparing to be a father has taught me a lot of things and I think one of the most important ones was something I alluded to when talking about the baptismal class we attended: the most important thing in the world is to simply be there for your child.

My father died of a heart attack my senior year in High School. He didn't get to see me graduate, he didn't get to see me get married, and I won't get to share the joy of being a father with him. These things all sadden me; mostly because of the person he was. From him I learned integrity, hard work, and in some ways, how to be a good father. He wasn't around as long as I would have liked, but he made the most of the time he was given with me. In that way, his absence is still providing a lesson to me even to this day. I want to be there for my son the way my father was for me; and I want to be there for him as long as possible.

The legacy we leave is defined not by our accomplishments, but by what those we have influenced can accomplish. Our time here is finite. Our influence on others is not.

Last night a neighbor of ours collapsed in his living room chair and died of undetermined causes. When the wife came out into the hallway screaming for help a neighbor and I attempted CPR on him until the EMTs arrived in an attempt to prevent what ultimately no-one could stop from happening. His heart never did start beating again. I went with the man's wife to the hospital because that's the only thing left that I could do for her.

I'm sorry.