Beautiful run
I got up at 6 again this morning and did my good morning routine.
The run was so much fun it was almost magical. The weather was perfect. It was probably 68 degrees out and clear and sunny. Some of my neighbors had their automatic sprinklers going, making their lawns look particularly green and healthy. But the whole neighborhood looked good, with lots of flowers and nice landscaping. When I got up to the corner by the playground I saw a man and woman on bicycles who had stopped to study the white directional signs advertising various local businesses. They looked puzzled. The man approached me, and in a thick accent, asked, "Ocean -- best road to ocean?" I think he might have been German.
"Yes, yes, I said, you want to go to the beach to see the ocean. Head right down this road," I said, gesturing with my whole arm. And where you see those cars up ahead, bear right." I indicated a right turn with my arm . "Follow Beach Street to the ocean."
"Beach Street. Thank you, Beach Street to ocean," He said, grinning. The took off on their bicycles.
I ran through the beautiful new park the town created to replace an abandoned gas station on Route 6A. At the post office I passed a young woman on a Vespa motor scooter, putting mail in a mailbox. Then I passes another runner coming in the opposite direction. He was moving much faster than me. I think I was going about a 10-minute mile pace, and he was probably doing seven- or eight-minute miles. We smiled, waved and exchanged greetings. I turned into the beautiful grounds of the Cape Playhouse. The driveway was lines with beautiful flowering plants with gaudy red and pink and white flowers that were about six inches across. The signs said they are marsh mallows or swamp roses.
I ran past the beautiful playhouse building, which was converted to a theater in the 1920s from a church built in 1810, and the Cape Cinema, built in 1930 in Greek Revival Style, and the Cape Cod Museum of Art, located in a historic structure that was moved to the site and renovated in the 1990s. Then I rounded the corner onto Whig Street and ran past the Josiah Dennis Manse, built in 1736. I said good morning to the caretaker, who was working on a garden that is maintained in 18th century style. This being a Tuesday, I noticed the Manse would be open for historic tours from 10 to noon today. I cruised on home, feeling lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
After a shower, I headed into work and helped a colleague figure out how to use the learning management system that enables us to put course materials on the Internet. In the afternoon I had an appointment to consult with a pulmonary specialist at 1:45 and to get my PET scan at 5. Big day.
The pulmonary specialist, Dr. Scott Slater, is terrific. He was very encouraging. He said that based on my CAT scan and X-ray, he would give me 10-to-1 odds that I don't have lung cancer. But after talking to me and examining me, he'd make that 100-to-1 odds. The fact that I looked perfectly healthy, felt fine and the fact that I ran three miles this morning with no ill effects make him practically sure I do not have cancer. However, the combination of the coughing up blood and the nodule on the CAT scan make it reasonable to investigate further. That's why the PET scan is a good idea and he will probably want to do a bronchioscopy too. If they come out positive then I should have a biopsy, which -- in view of the nodule's small size -- means removing it entirely. "And then you're cured!" he said. He was very upbeat and seemed much more interested in my motorcycle than my lung problems. We had a great talk. I'll see him again Friday , after the PET scan results are available.
(171/171)
(Running 3 miles)
The run was so much fun it was almost magical. The weather was perfect. It was probably 68 degrees out and clear and sunny. Some of my neighbors had their automatic sprinklers going, making their lawns look particularly green and healthy. But the whole neighborhood looked good, with lots of flowers and nice landscaping. When I got up to the corner by the playground I saw a man and woman on bicycles who had stopped to study the white directional signs advertising various local businesses. They looked puzzled. The man approached me, and in a thick accent, asked, "Ocean -- best road to ocean?" I think he might have been German.
"Yes, yes, I said, you want to go to the beach to see the ocean. Head right down this road," I said, gesturing with my whole arm. And where you see those cars up ahead, bear right." I indicated a right turn with my arm . "Follow Beach Street to the ocean."
"Beach Street. Thank you, Beach Street to ocean," He said, grinning. The took off on their bicycles.
I ran through the beautiful new park the town created to replace an abandoned gas station on Route 6A. At the post office I passed a young woman on a Vespa motor scooter, putting mail in a mailbox. Then I passes another runner coming in the opposite direction. He was moving much faster than me. I think I was going about a 10-minute mile pace, and he was probably doing seven- or eight-minute miles. We smiled, waved and exchanged greetings. I turned into the beautiful grounds of the Cape Playhouse. The driveway was lines with beautiful flowering plants with gaudy red and pink and white flowers that were about six inches across. The signs said they are marsh mallows or swamp roses.
I ran past the beautiful playhouse building, which was converted to a theater in the 1920s from a church built in 1810, and the Cape Cinema, built in 1930 in Greek Revival Style, and the Cape Cod Museum of Art, located in a historic structure that was moved to the site and renovated in the 1990s. Then I rounded the corner onto Whig Street and ran past the Josiah Dennis Manse, built in 1736. I said good morning to the caretaker, who was working on a garden that is maintained in 18th century style. This being a Tuesday, I noticed the Manse would be open for historic tours from 10 to noon today. I cruised on home, feeling lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
After a shower, I headed into work and helped a colleague figure out how to use the learning management system that enables us to put course materials on the Internet. In the afternoon I had an appointment to consult with a pulmonary specialist at 1:45 and to get my PET scan at 5. Big day.
The pulmonary specialist, Dr. Scott Slater, is terrific. He was very encouraging. He said that based on my CAT scan and X-ray, he would give me 10-to-1 odds that I don't have lung cancer. But after talking to me and examining me, he'd make that 100-to-1 odds. The fact that I looked perfectly healthy, felt fine and the fact that I ran three miles this morning with no ill effects make him practically sure I do not have cancer. However, the combination of the coughing up blood and the nodule on the CAT scan make it reasonable to investigate further. That's why the PET scan is a good idea and he will probably want to do a bronchioscopy too. If they come out positive then I should have a biopsy, which -- in view of the nodule's small size -- means removing it entirely. "And then you're cured!" he said. He was very upbeat and seemed much more interested in my motorcycle than my lung problems. We had a great talk. I'll see him again Friday , after the PET scan results are available.
(171/171)
(Running 3 miles)
posted by jwkoncape | 11:49 AM
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