Thanks, everyone, for their well wishes, PD, and positive thoughts, and for sharing their own experiences with family members who have prostate cancer. I'm sure my dad will be fine and he's getting good treatment--it was just unexpected news. And you know family (and friends): things like this call for you to gather around the campfire to ward away the darkness. And to make smores!
I'm still catching up. Give me a couple of days...
Mel: Sorry, no suggestions on the hybrid bike. But I'm interested in reading the responses you receive. Also very sorry to hear about the IR. If it's of any comfort to you--and I don't know why it would be--I'm a member of the sweaty, stinky running club. I'm not dewy, or glowy, or muscled sleekness.
Claire: Welcome back. I hope your time at home was fun, aside from the dial-up frustrations. I know others have said so, but be careful with the overheating. But wtg with the 14 miles!
Monte: I think you did a FABULOUS job on the Leadville! I can totally understand why you wouldn't take the medal (but I think you deserved it), and am impressed with your determination to take the summit next year. That's a true athlete.
Terri: Yay for the Tour de Living Room. How exotic!
Bryan: You're so worthy.
I'm new to this whole thing myself, but you have plenty of time to train for the half. So I'd think you could spend some time alternating between your LSD of 10 miles at a sustainable place and a shorter walk at a faster pace for your weekly long walk before bumping up to 11-12 miles. Maybe something like 10 (which you did)-6-10-6-10-8-12?? That's assuming your midweek, shorter walks aren't all at the LSD, too. I'm drawing what little knowledge and experience I have from Bingham's MfM and online plans.
Vic: I used to love Hogan's Heroes. Maybe not 5 miles worth, but still... Congratulations on making that TM time go by quickly with a little TVland fix!
Amy: Woo hoo for your healthy beach weekend. I'm so happy you got to concentrate on you and your girls. Happy legs fit in with the rest of your body, so it sounds like the Galloway plan is working for you. And your Vegas trip will be so much fun, I just know it!
Maura: 1 1/2 hours at the border? Holy banana bread! No wonder you needed a day to decompress. I hope it involved something decadent. I'm sorry to hear you're still experiencing hip/knee pain.
Shan: I'm so sorry to hear about the complications from your surgery. I think I skimmed your post too quickly yesterday, so didn't realize how serious it was until I read the second post more closely. I'm glad, however, that your doctor seems to be optimistic about your return to running and that your DH is being so supportive about the 1/2. (Not that I doubted he would be.) Remember, there are plenty of us WISHers who would be proud to hang with you, too.
Ang: No, no, no. You're phrasing your accomplishments all wrong. It's "Despite having a total lack of energy lately, I still managed to do a mile yesterday."
I say Yay for getting out there!
Tracey: I'm sorry to hear about your dad, even if I'm a little selfishly glad to have you to talk to about things. (I'd rather not have your father go through this, of course, so I hope you didn't take my statement the wrong way.) It sounds like he's got a good doctor and has determined a good treatment for his situation. Can I PM you if seeding comes up as an option for my dad?
As for your overheating/ice bath walks....
I'm glad nothing more serious happened to you and that you're adjusting your training for the heat. I'm impressed with how you can train in the heat, and compete in the heat, but think your new training plan is healthier for Summer '08, the attack of the humid heat wave.
Kristi: Any movement outdoors in that kind of weather is a victory, let alone 3 miles.
Is Zack enjoying Fitness U? That cake is gorgeous, btw, and now I have a craving for Monkey Brains.
Liz: Thanks for the reminder about hydration. It's so easy for the heat to sneak up on us. I've taken to bringing water with me all the time, even on my commuter (non-fitness) walks. I'm glad you listened to your body before things got too serious.
Martha: I didn't know you were doing ToT!
Howard: I reread your post about your 8-miler. Ouch, how hard and even scary. Your attitude about it, though--live and learn--is exactly one of the reasons I admire you! And your taking the time to recount your experiences is very useful for people like me, as your run sounds exactly like something I would try.
Aloha Jeff: Thanks for the positive vibes--that's very you!
I'm glad Les is keeping you on your not-so-slow toes! Your camping/fishing trip sounded like it was beeyouteeful! I love starry night skies.
Kim: It's good to see you back here. And to learn that you're getting out there, safely, in the heat! Yay for your 9K. And 6 months from Marathon weekend?? I think that calls for a little dance!
P.S. I really hope you get to do VA Beach RNR 2009. That sounds like a WISH party in the making.
Carrie: Yay for your dad's 2+ years and counting!
Congrats on the Hungry Duck 1/2 and your 2nd best time. Was this the local race you'd talked about?
Jennifer: Welcome! Two addictions, running and Disney? Add ice cream to the mix and you could be talking about me? (Oh, and a good gin & tonic.) Your 5K times are great, and I'm sure you'll be happy with your first race. Good luck on Friday!
Jen: Two miles on the Butt Kicker TM is nothing to sneeze at! (Sweat on, yes.) And your break was just that--a break. That, and you had a whole lot of LTO that is hopefully subsiding. You're back in stride now, and I can hear the happiness in your keystrokes.
MLA: I hope your camping trip was fun, overall. Just keep mentioning the running to DBF. He'll hear the plan...eventually. Or he'll put it out of his head until after your races and he gets bling envy. Either way, I'm sure he'll start joining you at events.
Liz: Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry to have missed the celebration. Yay for your Amish camping weekend, though. And woo hoo for your biking and 1.2 on the TM (you did it, even if you didn't enjoy it). Speaking of enjoying, I hope you enjoyed Wall-E?
Kira: Congrats on your two good runs. And I'm not-so-secretly happy that you ran faster than your DH. I mean, I hope he recovers and all. It's just that I think it's good to challenge the family dynamics/roles. Now you're the faster runner. Yay!
Casey: A midnight run. How...bewitching. I think you should definitely do it, because it'd make for a great RR. And yay for running 5x a week.
Ms. Duckie: Welcome back. Man, if I had your school schedule I'd embrace summer vacation much more than any students. Now you can do important things, like make (me) biscotti. Mmmm. Feel free to share--the recipe, of course. I'll pass on the bbq chicken, although I'm certain your family loved it. What's your side job, btw? OH, and I'm expecting to hear that you've worked out tomorrow, since you promised Mel and all!
As for me: I'm still catching up with the posts, so if I haven't responded to you yet, it's coming. I did 4.5 slow miles today on the TM. Ugh. But I did them. At least I was well hydrated. I also got to watch Regis and Kelly today, which featured a 150-yard high-heel race. What were those people thinking, running in high heels??
I don't care if there was a $25,000 first prize. It's just not worth it, IMO. I can't even walk in those things!
and 
. SO hard to see our daddies having these problems. My dad is now a 2+ year colon cancer survivor.
And a refreshing swim is always a great way to cap it off!
Were you in Ireland? Sorry for being lost. 
, he slipped in the kitchen and partially knocked one of his few teeth back into the gum a little. 
Now to wait for the dentist to call back and see what damage was done.
