Christmas in the Desert

Wow, it's really boring around here, no? More than a week since I posted last or checked in with all the bloggers I'm obsessed with - I've never met any of you, but I feel like I know you! I'm finally on break. Whew! This past week was a lot of craziness. We've had some people out on travel at work, which means more responsibilities fall on me... and stuff I'm not usually responsible for! Yikes! Talk about sink or swim. There were many times where our office director and his deputy were not even there and I had to just wing it. It's a steep learning curve at times! Especially when the issues I work on are getting a lot of international attention. :)

Plus, the holidays are insanely busy no matter who you are... but try it with cancer too! Hehe... I'm just too pooped to party. By the time I exercise, get ready for work, get my meals ready for the day, get to work, work, and get home from work, I barely have energy to feed myself, let alone spend some QT with Adam or log on to blogger. It is the sad truth :( . Every day, I compose posts in my head, usually while I am working out or when something interesting happens, but I never get the chance to actually write them! Hopefully now that I am at my parent's for a few days for Christmas, I can catch up on some of those posts!!

Lots of people were stranded at the airport yesterday because of all the crazy weather in the middle of the country. Luckily I had a direct flight to Las Vegas. But there was some sort of security breach at McCarran Airport in Vegas and I guess that's why it took them AN HOUR to get us our bags. Sheesh. Oh, and the STRANGEST thing happened as my mom and I were finally driving away from the airport. We came to a stoplight where there was some commotion and as we got closer, we realized that two guys had gotten OUT of their cars at the red light and one was STRANGLING the other one in the middle of the street!!!! AHHH! This city is no end of craziness, I have to tell you. It appeared that one guy had almost run into the other trying to make a left turn... probably he was drunk. But it was the guy who seemed to be at fault who was doing the strangling!! And there was some girl there too making lots of fuss. Good grief.

I finally made it home, and went to bed at about 8:00 (it's 3 hrs earlier here). Of course I was up at 3:30 this morning, but I made myself lay in bed till 5. Then I got up and had my coffee in front of the firplace and watched the lights on the strip, which you can see from my parent's house. I'm going to go run shortly, which always SUCKS the first time I do it on my trips home. The desert air is different. Oh, and my parents also live on the side of a mountain. Yes, I know, it's very pretty. Especially in the morning, cause the sun rises right behind it. Hence the clever name Sunrise Mountain. But it's uphill or downhill, there is no flatness. My knees! My lungs! Moan and Whine!

Speaking of cardio, Adam got me a heart rate monitor for Christmas!! It is a really good thing, cause I need to start monitoring my heart rate. It is ridiculously high for my level of exertion. Hopefully it will normalize once I start on my real thyroid hormone replacement... *fingers crossed* ... otherwise, I will have to - I don't even know... how I will train at high intensities I do not know. Thyroid cancer survivors run Ironman races, so peak athletic performance is achievable... I will cross that bridge when I get to it I guess.

I almost passed out on Sunday at the gym when I tried to do an interval. Not two, but ONE interval, people! I went up to level 9 on the step machine, which I don't even consider peak exertion. I felt ok. Then down to level 5 for two minutes. Good. Then back to 9 for 1 minute. Heart was POUNDING. Then back to 5. Heart rate was probably 180 + . Two minutes. Three minutes. Not recovering... getting nervous.... Level 4. Two minutes. My heart rate was NOT coming down. Better get off the machine, I think! But as soon as I did that, all the blood that was gushing around inside drained right out of my head and into my muscles. Whoops! I had to bend over to keep from passing out!! Sigh. My new friend Polar. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll let you know how I like it.

Now it's nearly 7:30 finally and the sun is coming up so time to face the Hill. :)

I'm so excited it's Christmas in the desert!!!