tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34575405613299636242024-03-04T12:22:18.653-08:00Twin Cities RunnerNate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.comBlogger516125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-26881111683962684852024-02-22T18:35:00.000-08:002024-02-22T18:35:42.017-08:00Hospital Anniversary: Don't Feel Bad for Me<div>Year seven of being hospital-free. It's a big milestone, and I've been blessed to stay well enough to not be hospitalized. There is something I want to address: pity.</div><div><br /></div>It's a common phrase: don't feel bad for me. I understand where it's coming from. Some people just don't want anyone to feel pity for them. But, some people constantly want other people to feel bad for them. Neither one of these ends of the pity spectrum are healthy.<div><br /></div><div>If one is constantly saying they don't want anyone to feel bad for them, they may miss out on sympathy and support that can feel good. If one is constantly trying to make others feel bad for them, they may wear out their friends and loved ones.</div><div><br /></div><div>Having a mental illness sometimes makes this issue tricky for me. On the one hand, I don't want people worrying about me, so sometimes I don't let people know when I'm having a hard time. On the other, I don't want to wear out my friends and family by constantly telling them about my symptoms.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I've gone through depressive, manic/hypomanic, and mixed state phases, there are things I've done and said that I wouldn't normally when I'm balanced. Same goes for meeting expectations and obligations.</div><div><br /></div><div>For example, when I was a confirmation mentor at our church, a couple different times I asked a parent to chaperone a trip rather than doing it myself because I was feeling symptomatic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I want to do better. I'd like to do a better job at meeting expectations and not saying thoughtless things just because I'm cycling.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's nice to be able to have this blog as an outlet for describing what I'm going through. Thank you to all my readers and especially to my friends and family who have stuck by me when I've done and said things out of character. I am truly blessed with a wonderful support system, and I know not everyone with mental illness can say that.</div><div><br /></div><div>So again, thank you readers for giving me that outlet, and thanks to family and friends who have loved and supported me. I am truly blessed.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-11858859536447368542024-01-14T18:46:00.000-08:002024-01-14T18:46:01.596-08:00Mental Illness and Character<p>Can people give themselves a mental illness? Some think so. Some think that mental illness can be caused by a lack of motivation or poor character. Some think that one can overcome a mental illness by trying harder or thinking differently.</p><p>People with mental illnesses can even fall into this category. They think that if only they try harder, their depression, anxiety, or other mental illness will get better.</p><p>It is true that there are things people can do to improve their mental illnesses. Taking their medications as prescribed, keeping healthy sleep habits, eating a healthy diet, and spending time connecting with friends are a few ways to manage a mental illness.</p><p>But in answer to the question of giving themselves a mental illness, the answer is, "no." While there are things one can do to mitigate mental illness and even get past certain mental illnesses, people aren't out there "giving themselves" mental illnesses.</p><p>When people say that others have given themselves mental illnesses, they should consider what would happen to them if they had a mental illness. From the outside, many with mental illnesses look like they are not doing well. They may not have stable relationships, or they may have a hard time staying employed. But it's easy for those without mental illness to look down on them. </p><p>What, however, would it look like for those who don't struggle with mental illness to have a mental illness? They might not be as successful in life. They might not have the relationships they enjoy.</p><p>People with mental illness deserve compassion and understanding, not judgment and blame. When thinking about those with mental illness, people should take a pause and consider the struggles mental illness brings, not pass judgment or blame.</p><p>Be well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-22152636731119591452024-01-01T11:50:00.001-08:002024-01-01T18:22:21.940-08:00Goal Update<div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_94cd_357a_8bcb_8aa9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRGqGMgTc1IrZbiwrOYG0wkf0qEs8KC1BdUOBLi-TlTtC8MsMtD83r7E6pnhJ9gFDI4qdTN2mjvQcvkZXvciuTrbxJiwg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 385px; height: auto; margin: 4px;"></div><br><br></div>It’s New Year’s Day, a time to make some goals, or, in my case, give an update of the goals I made on my birthday. Here goes:<div><p><b>1. Run a marathon.</b></p><p>No progress on this one. I need to pick one out and register for it.</p><p><b>2. Do strength and mobility work at least 45 minutes a week.</b></p><p>I’m on track for this one. I’m averaging 53 minutes a week</p><p><b>3. Break 19:15 in the 5K</b></p><p>I probably won’t race a 5K until May, but I know right now that I’d be lucky to break 20:30.</p><p><b>4. Run 1,000 miles for the year.</b></p><p>I need to average 3.74 miles a day for this one, and right now I’m averaging 3.3 miles-a-day, so I’m on track. I did, however, have a little procedure that will have me out of commission for a couple weeks, so I’ll have to do some catch up. </p><p><b>5. Hit race weight by May and maintain for the year.</b></p><p>My weight’s gone up and down with the holidays. I’m not making progress as fast as I want, this goal is still doable. </p><p><b>6. Write 12 blog posts.</b></p>I’ve got a couple posts sitting in my drafts folder, so I’ll be on track for this one soon.</div><div><br></div><div>Two months into by 42nd year, and I’m feeling pretty good about my goals. I’m looking forward to staying on track for the rest of the year.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-70896146622885586752023-11-05T18:09:00.000-08:002023-11-05T18:09:19.315-08:00Birthday Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif62b3pRzFDWN7jMMduzablpyAbpTahajR2EtZY2YtH6H_Bdx3NuZdzEOV4q0KpMNA8q0-FonqdhaspxiEk-TfvoAV_TrBRWpLOkI0secbYNV0D0ZTSDezEtuBSFl763LSDKPjTcP4ggwF1UKwJSgSz12Mi_AYhj4FFUEefYZKhoKs942hleLEaXiLLD_3/s6000/DSC_4630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif62b3pRzFDWN7jMMduzablpyAbpTahajR2EtZY2YtH6H_Bdx3NuZdzEOV4q0KpMNA8q0-FonqdhaspxiEk-TfvoAV_TrBRWpLOkI0secbYNV0D0ZTSDezEtuBSFl763LSDKPjTcP4ggwF1UKwJSgSz12Mi_AYhj4FFUEefYZKhoKs942hleLEaXiLLD_3/w400-h266/DSC_4630.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Back in January, I wrote a draft post of my goals for the year. As I haven't spent much time on this blog the past couple years, I never published it.</p><p>This year, as I reflected on another orbit around the sun, I thought I'd solidify some of those goals and a couple new ones for a birthday year rather than a New Year goal.</p><p>First off, I enjoyed my birthday very much. I spent the day before my birthday running the Chocoholic Frolic 5K with my 7 year old. I then went for another run after we got home and followed up with a buffet lunch at Bay Leaf Indian Cuisine. We ended the evening watching "Enchanted." Today I got breakfast in bed and enjoyed an extra hour of sleep.</p><p>On to the goals for the next year.</p><p><b>1. Run a marathon.</b></p><p>I got a little bummed about my marathoning. I thought I had run a marathon every year since 2009, but it turns out I'd missed 2021. I did run a marathon in 2022, so I'm ready to start a new streak. Next weekend I run the Madison Marathon, so barring a DNF I'll meet this goal.</p><p><b>2. Do strength and mobility work at least 45 minutes a week.</b></p><p>The downside to this goal is tracking the workouts. Rather than doing longer sessions, I spread my strength and mobility into lots of small workouts, so it's a little tedious recording every workout.</p><p><b>3. Break 19:15 in the 5K</b></p><p>It's a far (very far) cry from my PR, but it'll be the fastest 5K I've run in a few years. I ran a 19:25 in August, so it's definitely doable.</p><p><b>4. Run 1,000 miles for the year.</b></p><p><b>5. Hit race weight by May and maintain for the year.</b></p><p><b>6. Write 12 blog posts.</b></p><p>I've been neglecting this blog for too long, and I'd like to stop neglecting it.</p><p>That's all for the year. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and a special thanks to those who donated to my birthday fundraiser for World Vision.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-78564836912725396772023-09-17T18:43:00.000-07:002023-09-17T18:43:55.694-07:00Pride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFDZM1G2KxRJ0WSaNTDPZg_Laa25k96iew181MCJbGwecgAmFnSPJ7X5fbdGuW1Nl93So_pimORVLmG_B2qKAFP4cF7yAk-ewKU4LwdIPcHsMHXG2kiEshpI9GeFV09ylU2_7jD85_AwF6UVT5r2jESY4pyooUL9iniuOjykbfFZco7A5_nj1rDVJZQ/s3072/P1240594.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFDZM1G2KxRJ0WSaNTDPZg_Laa25k96iew181MCJbGwecgAmFnSPJ7X5fbdGuW1Nl93So_pimORVLmG_B2qKAFP4cF7yAk-ewKU4LwdIPcHsMHXG2kiEshpI9GeFV09ylU2_7jD85_AwF6UVT5r2jESY4pyooUL9iniuOjykbfFZco7A5_nj1rDVJZQ/s320/P1240594.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p>While the English language can be imprecise and fickle, it is nice that there are synonyms for words that help refine and differentiate meaning.</p><p>Take arrogant. It has a negative connotation, but words in the same family have different degrees of emotional responses — bravado, confident, pompous — you get the idea.</p><p>After running the Boston Marathon in 2011, I would tell people, "I won't run Boston again until I'm 40." Running fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon assumed a lot. It assumed I'd stay healthy enough to be able to maintain an adequate training volume. It assumed I'd have enough time to put in the training necessary.</p><p>At the time, I didn't think twice about assuming I'd qualify for the Boston Marathon. Right now, my qualifying time would be under 3:10. My first Boston Marathon qualifying time (BQ) was 3:10 and I ran a 3:02 when trying to qualify. In subsequent marathons I ran 2:59, 2:50, 2:58, 3:03, and 3:04 — all of which would have been BQs.</p><p>I then had a couple of marathons in which the courses were mismarked and/or mismeasured, which would have also been BQs. But after that, with injuries and lack of time to train, I was no longer running BQs. I ran a 3:07 (which would qualify me now but not at the time I ran it), 3:20, and 3:14. </p><p>So, in retrospect, it was arrogant of me to assume qualifying for Boston would be easily attainable when I was 40. It obviously wasn't.</p><p>It's good though. A little dose of humility doesn't hurt at all.</p><p>Run well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-37729787333896844362023-07-18T04:33:00.000-07:002023-07-18T04:33:52.987-07:00Big Beach Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0lA1yF6OIhffWO-6qtFges2nuCK8WybfgxWBzzAIU-TaWuFTyT95M1CA4Rs8r0E68nmG7blXZBC3Un5iM8KEtsJIAis4m0abbi5vrhRzJvAOwBqhacFjf12Cpsl2-4xUeMhEENDYfjgVJsJiUnPmksSu3XOUHwjJxqJj-5vaELrpPViaCtxKIZfjow/s3088/IMG_7670.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0lA1yF6OIhffWO-6qtFges2nuCK8WybfgxWBzzAIU-TaWuFTyT95M1CA4Rs8r0E68nmG7blXZBC3Un5iM8KEtsJIAis4m0abbi5vrhRzJvAOwBqhacFjf12Cpsl2-4xUeMhEENDYfjgVJsJiUnPmksSu3XOUHwjJxqJj-5vaELrpPViaCtxKIZfjow/w300-h400/IMG_7670.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>One of this year's destination races was the Big Beach Half Marathon in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The morning of the race we got ready in Laura's parents' condo. I had packed a couple of neon green shirts and threw one on.</p><p>Almost everything about the race was perfect — nice weather, scenic course, well organized. The post-race offerings were amazing. There were the traditional offerings of orange slices and bananas, but there was also a box lunch of a large wrap (Laura got ham, and I got veggie), gumbo, chips, and a cookie along with two beer tokens (we only used one each).</p><p>I also had a great time running the entire race with Laura. It was awesome being able to chat with her for the race.</p><p>While almost everything about the race was excellent, it didn't all go well.</p><p>Around three miles into the race we went by a pace group. "Nice job 2:50," I cheered. Normally I get at least some smiles a waves, but instead I got confused looks.</p><p>As we passed another pace group, some said, "Are you a pacer?" "No," I said. "Just the same color shirt."</p><p>After this happened again, we figured out what was happening. I was wearing a shirt from when I paced City of Lakes Half Marathon. Not only was it the same color as the shirts the Big Beach pacers were wearing, it also said "pacer" on the back.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvafR247ZXoKdcv0BOM2QOEVQbC3esbXa1_viv4v2uX-Nl8ch7zjF-ylC6grVlNzvFziXzLvU9Z9SSNJsa2uLcLMjsP6MCwlG3f7MqNblCxYoHdFuOB5gAcMVazUTHFBhFXPlWp7-xKChIAzes2aKgIsw4Kjw0meMiayxefYxEOkediboAwVzBsGl3Q/s4032/IMG_7673.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvafR247ZXoKdcv0BOM2QOEVQbC3esbXa1_viv4v2uX-Nl8ch7zjF-ylC6grVlNzvFziXzLvU9Z9SSNJsa2uLcLMjsP6MCwlG3f7MqNblCxYoHdFuOB5gAcMVazUTHFBhFXPlWp7-xKChIAzes2aKgIsw4Kjw0meMiayxefYxEOkediboAwVzBsGl3Q/w400-h300/IMG_7673.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Once we'd made that connection, I turned my shirt around backwards and ran the rest of the racer with the "pacer" sign on front to reduce the confusion to other runners. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6JUiNNMt6EGehBLOEsav34WBB4_vDLfVCaspFgvKy0zULnll_AZkrpOqayMgNl3rjYmzaKoCFtmXJhMHO0JWsgZ9c7HCEwa_H6Vm42f-obT6rYAzrWUwqzKKJae-xFKGodM2xvqqQJ_YdCRSviP8sZQWEFTZ9DZtw-xmobVPuT47A9DiLpFBulhtQA/s4032/IMG_7674.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6JUiNNMt6EGehBLOEsav34WBB4_vDLfVCaspFgvKy0zULnll_AZkrpOqayMgNl3rjYmzaKoCFtmXJhMHO0JWsgZ9c7HCEwa_H6Vm42f-obT6rYAzrWUwqzKKJae-xFKGodM2xvqqQJ_YdCRSviP8sZQWEFTZ9DZtw-xmobVPuT47A9DiLpFBulhtQA/w400-h300/IMG_7674.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I blame my wardrobe faux pas on getting dressed at five in the morning and not planning my race kit beforehand.</p><p>Still, it was an awesome race, and Laura, who's going to run a half marathon in every state, checked Alabama off the list. I'd definitely do this race again. </p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-78174081626408649682023-07-11T04:36:00.000-07:002023-07-11T04:36:45.722-07:00Back from Hiatus<p>This wasn't planned. I didn't decide one day that I would write one post this calendar year after writing my fewest posts in a year since I started this blog. I just didn't make it a priority. It's been four months since I wrote a post and it'd been almost three months since I'd written a post before that one.</p><p>I didn't do a year-end wrap-up of my goals or make new goals for this year. But I want to get back at it, so in the next week I'll share some favorite highlights of the year.</p><p>My big running highlights were running a fifty mile week for the first time in a long time, running a half marathon in Alabama with Laura (more on that race soon), and breaking twenty minutes in the 5K for the first time since 2021. It's sometimes depressing running times so much slower than my previous PRs, but I try to keep in mind that I'm older and with two kids I don't have as much time to train.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK6RFY-SIgqI56iUrzajTWvTS6LHk4OEk0HtyDVzQnLc5SVfH3tneJ-AeGO3gwwq4ShxOQwjvD04x4sqxe7SyPFKEAKfyHt4PzcLm6thJqAGzdRh4d32G29SFw3EA_93apkuYw6jwXQLT_vlJ3GOWFBUnA9hL6gCGc9_vLiq8xrJHkEyAfC0B4f1xB9Qm/s960/IMG_0389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK6RFY-SIgqI56iUrzajTWvTS6LHk4OEk0HtyDVzQnLc5SVfH3tneJ-AeGO3gwwq4ShxOQwjvD04x4sqxe7SyPFKEAKfyHt4PzcLm6thJqAGzdRh4d32G29SFw3EA_93apkuYw6jwXQLT_vlJ3GOWFBUnA9hL6gCGc9_vLiq8xrJHkEyAfC0B4f1xB9Qm/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The biggest highlight is that my oldest kiddo, who's seven, ran his first 5K. It started out with him running with his mom at <a href="https://www.parkrun.us/">parkrun</a>. He planned on running just part of the race, but he decided to keep going and ended up finishing. He didn't even want to walk any of it! He's done 4 more since, and he's really been enjoying it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9bWpvFxW_a6hoYEwk3m5Jq_0oRFXHW1M5u2-BnPV5WXH-RVuIzxGgGYPuzt6_JPig47nl2QzK0tO5hlBBNSBXc7C23MsulnqdxoNhO-uZj16ucxsp3bZ4BnsBQharzlz5ESXaZcM8XgSpup_HehTRmA0m91iUoz9wtAGt8H5Kf8Ek3TDtrijzODLHcrX/s4032/IMG_9634.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9bWpvFxW_a6hoYEwk3m5Jq_0oRFXHW1M5u2-BnPV5WXH-RVuIzxGgGYPuzt6_JPig47nl2QzK0tO5hlBBNSBXc7C23MsulnqdxoNhO-uZj16ucxsp3bZ4BnsBQharzlz5ESXaZcM8XgSpup_HehTRmA0m91iUoz9wtAGt8H5Kf8Ek3TDtrijzODLHcrX/w300-h400/IMG_9634.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>Laura and I are registered for the <a href="http://www.calicoracing.com/events/twilight-redrock/">Twilight Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon</a> in October in Nevada just outside Vegas. We're really looking forward to this unique race. Check out the link to read about it.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-31778279406680305002023-03-07T18:11:00.001-08:002023-03-08T04:01:03.967-08:00Hospital Anniversary <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOlL0JMVAvEazNNyUOkDZF3sUDBeuja3jSBw32qUxCEkaWdgRBdLztJKWAksQIyB3YwxDoZrJeGoHHwkpnC5wzxOVb7cjzOG1ioLryVyNlFhvXI-dfSY_i6izUH-ffYGQpruVPUJf6XPciYFf9H3QWj8XiHa5sBFa-lLdVyKQBgl-BhFWmgOjkFqvmA/s1000/MH_Loc_UMMCH_0014.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1000" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOlL0JMVAvEazNNyUOkDZF3sUDBeuja3jSBw32qUxCEkaWdgRBdLztJKWAksQIyB3YwxDoZrJeGoHHwkpnC5wzxOVb7cjzOG1ioLryVyNlFhvXI-dfSY_i6izUH-ffYGQpruVPUJf6XPciYFf9H3QWj8XiHa5sBFa-lLdVyKQBgl-BhFWmgOjkFqvmA/w400-h304/MH_Loc_UMMCH_0014.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>A couple weeks ago marked six years of being out of the hospital. It’s the second longest stretch since my first time being hospitalized in 1997.</div><div><br /></div><div>This time of year can often be a challenge. The days are still short and the weather’s still cold. Oftentimes I get down this time of year, but this year has been one of the best Februarys I can remember.</div><div><br /></div><div>Being hospital-free feels good. There’s a lot of little things I do to stay mentally healthy, and another year out of the hospital confirms that I’m doing a lot of things right. In her book, “Preventing Bipolar Relapse,” by Ruth C. White, the author uses the acronym SNAP, which stands for sleep, nutrition, activities, and people.</div><div><br /></div><div>To stay mentally healthy, I try to keep all these things in mind in my daily activities. I go to bed about the same time every night. Most days I get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables. I also keep a workout routine and keep people in my life who help me stay mentally healthy.</div><div><br /></div><div>And while I do my best to stay mentally healthy, part of staying out of the hospital has been help from my friends and my family. I receive a lot of understanding and support, especially from my wife. Without her understanding and sacrifices (like taking care of the kids' middle-of-the-night wakeups), along with reminding me to take my pills, I would not be where I am today, and I almost definitely wouldn't be hospital-free for this long.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-70346476258322039192022-12-18T19:16:00.000-08:002022-12-18T19:16:41.539-08:00Home Update<p>There have been a lot of highlights this year, so here comes some more.</p><p>In May we went down to Nebraska to celebrate our niece's graduation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3K-5dacuKX4pEfyp1u-D-rOgZlJEAD72F8f0iv1LFmHIdKW9BSnnv_FWdgwtBk4GIzR6SGuT1SjglzHBnStdK4jPVcXYQXfeOQafb2bhadn_aa3GEO8hOQNBwfSmuotfsEfAClA0UlCQr2FQ0Kl7mTqffeomqNiGPVld9LLxcyk-KI_tzakw6yy4WA/s4032/IMG_3405.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3K-5dacuKX4pEfyp1u-D-rOgZlJEAD72F8f0iv1LFmHIdKW9BSnnv_FWdgwtBk4GIzR6SGuT1SjglzHBnStdK4jPVcXYQXfeOQafb2bhadn_aa3GEO8hOQNBwfSmuotfsEfAClA0UlCQr2FQ0Kl7mTqffeomqNiGPVld9LLxcyk-KI_tzakw6yy4WA/w400-h300/IMG_3405.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The two little ones got to run races this spring. The youngest one won her age group (granted the biggest one of her races had three toddlers in it).<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib5p7oEganl88QJ_aPAEtgnd7tMDHmOvwoK4lM5fU2N2Djnz0VrC0VB-fwnv302AsZNAIR6r9rzClr_UeQwFRDbUD7exGw7iIAbyWc8_PZ1aAOmzgZEl8pGxaDCFAREqaS16eefEsv9TBR80sdSQo0nnDshrzsG9M7U-_GWS4bleyn2UTTxDv1KbqqA/s4032/IMG_3348.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib5p7oEganl88QJ_aPAEtgnd7tMDHmOvwoK4lM5fU2N2Djnz0VrC0VB-fwnv302AsZNAIR6r9rzClr_UeQwFRDbUD7exGw7iIAbyWc8_PZ1aAOmzgZEl8pGxaDCFAREqaS16eefEsv9TBR80sdSQo0nnDshrzsG9M7U-_GWS4bleyn2UTTxDv1KbqqA/w400-h300/IMG_3348.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjce20lXSkNlFFg7uoJ-yDybFCb3Vr2zxVzky_qJIzfxbWCqMMik15mKRWSuA1L1KWeAOfAl1XVAZfDYm3T0IjpLn1zircpXpGSbQnsI2qGL5bSrojX7mtpBSLfHOY-1rtsUWhAK_GVCc8MAay2d7ytP39BPGEDjEqfe9OdOd2aQiIDJLEJqgcp0duQDg/s4032/IMG_3732.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjce20lXSkNlFFg7uoJ-yDybFCb3Vr2zxVzky_qJIzfxbWCqMMik15mKRWSuA1L1KWeAOfAl1XVAZfDYm3T0IjpLn1zircpXpGSbQnsI2qGL5bSrojX7mtpBSLfHOY-1rtsUWhAK_GVCc8MAay2d7ytP39BPGEDjEqfe9OdOd2aQiIDJLEJqgcp0duQDg/w300-h400/IMG_3732.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The kiddos got to spend the summer at Children's Country Day School.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx5O0plkuO1G3f4Ya5quxPnRmFmpXQ4vvsYbrSzMaSyntHnQFtEGpxh2w23X94N1nzf2T2CtGCh2ZZ1OIlnDJFy8rjcs3-7YYwiZ9ceyesBvvJZaAXPkyofD93fv_2AeaN3I0KUE5B3dJhdcHd7dG2wesPxImZ7HUp-xPEQ4ruFooXahLLGl35IK80A/s4032/IMG_3862.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx5O0plkuO1G3f4Ya5quxPnRmFmpXQ4vvsYbrSzMaSyntHnQFtEGpxh2w23X94N1nzf2T2CtGCh2ZZ1OIlnDJFy8rjcs3-7YYwiZ9ceyesBvvJZaAXPkyofD93fv_2AeaN3I0KUE5B3dJhdcHd7dG2wesPxImZ7HUp-xPEQ4ruFooXahLLGl35IK80A/w400-h300/IMG_3862.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The older kiddo and I got to have our annual tradition of camping in Laura's sister's backyard.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DTsy68wXP_Ng9Z31Z_JXWjGYtmviG1a2as7tKZyTqLEcd1fV2qJUYDIeNo0xhE5UfVSmVhfmfYjqbhVuibAnCRYwtIWjimrabKM6WaiD29UxkAz7xR2zckAtCUavcJG6AuXrg-4puUbluMC-DPFyp-3Jmesd2NYTksF_gHSJGFIOhhu9dJT7HidBAw/s4032/IMG_4014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DTsy68wXP_Ng9Z31Z_JXWjGYtmviG1a2as7tKZyTqLEcd1fV2qJUYDIeNo0xhE5UfVSmVhfmfYjqbhVuibAnCRYwtIWjimrabKM6WaiD29UxkAz7xR2zckAtCUavcJG6AuXrg-4puUbluMC-DPFyp-3Jmesd2NYTksF_gHSJGFIOhhu9dJT7HidBAw/w400-h300/IMG_4014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We got to take a trip to visit my side of the family to Okoboji, Iowa and Nofolk, NE. Some highlights included waterparks in both Iowa and Nebraska, running and riding on the Cowboy trail, and some dinosaurs at a gas station.<div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kbu2qCjhmS9nosyQ0HSNNlMwNTEoDYpco33MdCCzEYuZcey_niV_yJ1mcU6ujalU7broun7RkbKv6C38HvvvQnq_AQVfJ-tZOIGxfgVWw5ABbQwAZn4pGY9hS1q1yYYWJGDgs4icDTJXaUWhRPjbINLDmOe4HjdaRLNEjNRB79GOsq_ghZ6p0iiqQw/s4032/IMG_4104.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kbu2qCjhmS9nosyQ0HSNNlMwNTEoDYpco33MdCCzEYuZcey_niV_yJ1mcU6ujalU7broun7RkbKv6C38HvvvQnq_AQVfJ-tZOIGxfgVWw5ABbQwAZn4pGY9hS1q1yYYWJGDgs4icDTJXaUWhRPjbINLDmOe4HjdaRLNEjNRB79GOsq_ghZ6p0iiqQw/w400-h300/IMG_4104.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp5qcL2rAg8QJyUEnJ6aGJDp4gWcJhVNGIeiyhatpQ5FCtLCX1N5wdx2uqM9akf_pETL0ZYtpuAGjKB6Z4719vZ2RFNMTsdP5SGnocO7hvOwSvuEIH7vsWN9vIGY_xQTrz7l2JwZd7m8fXhMUBlVt2Wa4srKqzYlVLYnObJ6tTf6bSK_38oWl5OyDwQ/s1024/NKHY0983.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="490" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp5qcL2rAg8QJyUEnJ6aGJDp4gWcJhVNGIeiyhatpQ5FCtLCX1N5wdx2uqM9akf_pETL0ZYtpuAGjKB6Z4719vZ2RFNMTsdP5SGnocO7hvOwSvuEIH7vsWN9vIGY_xQTrz7l2JwZd7m8fXhMUBlVt2Wa4srKqzYlVLYnObJ6tTf6bSK_38oWl5OyDwQ/w191-h400/NKHY0983.JPG" width="191" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cn5jXKgErt5QHF3rE1xZayBlr7yvU-84b5VSGfwRkgLQ2nbRK_cXdQSuefK3fEf57S--jLD8YiTnWisQrEj-EUS_K1RiEZOFvAfVzJbO80Qix0IBWqcZrWpbrn_ddl9n0TH012HTv7Sjr7mNJT8oXa_29sPp0McQUq3S-aZb884y5zXM7DmbR3plPg/s4032/IMG_3022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Cn5jXKgErt5QHF3rE1xZayBlr7yvU-84b5VSGfwRkgLQ2nbRK_cXdQSuefK3fEf57S--jLD8YiTnWisQrEj-EUS_K1RiEZOFvAfVzJbO80Qix0IBWqcZrWpbrn_ddl9n0TH012HTv7Sjr7mNJT8oXa_29sPp0McQUq3S-aZb884y5zXM7DmbR3plPg/w400-h300/IMG_3022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybehXiJtBZjXYJnZz0shbSUNJmPlh9ZTmx6D-6t-9mlyzxGnVwm5hAddJPGgsieo-7co93-e6SK0X78P_uhL7QT3DIUiDrMQkSFjnYKyPlHX9rfsy8PmLqENNFw50fvVXTBYG8LlJfz_-VP7APKeUI5KUNxSLmlVUZ6GajyV2DYO7wr5P5mp18YRhAw/s4032/IMG_4265.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybehXiJtBZjXYJnZz0shbSUNJmPlh9ZTmx6D-6t-9mlyzxGnVwm5hAddJPGgsieo-7co93-e6SK0X78P_uhL7QT3DIUiDrMQkSFjnYKyPlHX9rfsy8PmLqENNFw50fvVXTBYG8LlJfz_-VP7APKeUI5KUNxSLmlVUZ6GajyV2DYO7wr5P5mp18YRhAw/w400-h300/IMG_4265.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhlCcVYEe1NqXBmKBntc3eo9iUuSWn8hj55E-Fzc9WRfjOvwHNaJWEAQKUc9atttHOEz8zYYQ_mWfxuvofZNG-rEBc6dz-HGkC6sgH6wFGJKhCd-QIVJvsL91pw75mnUX67-N-oOfR3MK7VFzaU_b-lkoIWguDEhvQlQ7Glzd3IdW-1l08i0m-53Yuw/s4032/IMG_4309.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhlCcVYEe1NqXBmKBntc3eo9iUuSWn8hj55E-Fzc9WRfjOvwHNaJWEAQKUc9atttHOEz8zYYQ_mWfxuvofZNG-rEBc6dz-HGkC6sgH6wFGJKhCd-QIVJvsL91pw75mnUX67-N-oOfR3MK7VFzaU_b-lkoIWguDEhvQlQ7Glzd3IdW-1l08i0m-53Yuw/w400-h300/IMG_4309.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A big highlight of the summer was having both the kids vaccinated. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFYhZZn5cUS9iS_L8D7AxwYJqyWJ6v4X1nLRuVSpG5mEQNZ_hjvIGV-u-qNYBrSNb1gPZ-51ZtlCjOdvWc9yfyhlB8molhFlECTm9JaGh3VoxiXtYHWa1qOA14UzULVEw4cgyAsCvOC6GuJ5KNbfFS1p7htUvO6p9SBPAz44ZaKiLzowlsZHRQF7G3g/s4032/IMG_4419.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFYhZZn5cUS9iS_L8D7AxwYJqyWJ6v4X1nLRuVSpG5mEQNZ_hjvIGV-u-qNYBrSNb1gPZ-51ZtlCjOdvWc9yfyhlB8molhFlECTm9JaGh3VoxiXtYHWa1qOA14UzULVEw4cgyAsCvOC6GuJ5KNbfFS1p7htUvO6p9SBPAz44ZaKiLzowlsZHRQF7G3g/w300-h400/IMG_4419.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Swimming at Country Day was another highlight of the summer.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAHRR6iPSSwUhKovPFtin9aOGfdl-g8OZp3a6_HN7usNXIlyT2TkUgr5-8yIfc0k1nc1pI8-ZVtIrUqE2FFqoTKVJlwgzhBIcAoGTAMJtgo4YF8YZzR7K3pGwOk6j81Er9bjkhkNuCitmOIpdgZ4GHNhMhF6ShdZGTAWqjmQ2oc_uZfUxvKy8LKYWBA/s4032/IMG_1301.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAHRR6iPSSwUhKovPFtin9aOGfdl-g8OZp3a6_HN7usNXIlyT2TkUgr5-8yIfc0k1nc1pI8-ZVtIrUqE2FFqoTKVJlwgzhBIcAoGTAMJtgo4YF8YZzR7K3pGwOk6j81Er9bjkhkNuCitmOIpdgZ4GHNhMhF6ShdZGTAWqjmQ2oc_uZfUxvKy8LKYWBA/w300-h400/IMG_1301.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The older one got to do circus school.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHm_NuWFbU4hGlfQXU38JR2Yoift91ywJBXn94W7GtYGaw3qpNaEelbt9SjwCBdqNPLHax1RMFo1EmfG6KuxsyprYikT08F9Hxf3PLw3v0IsZDDhbyea2-nRz-ovMxBlnQSQ4W1JIAfp5fDYdwyuhEHcOlSbpaIhycI8tU2Y3H7hd0-HZdspCPwQBPQ/s4032/IMG_3063.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHm_NuWFbU4hGlfQXU38JR2Yoift91ywJBXn94W7GtYGaw3qpNaEelbt9SjwCBdqNPLHax1RMFo1EmfG6KuxsyprYikT08F9Hxf3PLw3v0IsZDDhbyea2-nRz-ovMxBlnQSQ4W1JIAfp5fDYdwyuhEHcOlSbpaIhycI8tU2Y3H7hd0-HZdspCPwQBPQ/w300-h400/IMG_3063.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We got enjoyed some time at Camp Omega where Laura and I met when we were camp counselors.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hdph_AnhPoneaLRaAEe1PWWhobWJ8bda3ooGy4UNsMW_Cw39Cz6yfP1HbhnNQIb7BoUiaMePbIjG_4FNRRVmdg1kv1cd2wC7eg5_SGjIvfmkXvFXU48AzmOMnX-8v78aY_z3TnI-Aw84wlE31JuAGHcAVaVvyM7pI9JMtALsGrApRlqrdFAMF1p_tA/s4032/IMG_4698.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hdph_AnhPoneaLRaAEe1PWWhobWJ8bda3ooGy4UNsMW_Cw39Cz6yfP1HbhnNQIb7BoUiaMePbIjG_4FNRRVmdg1kv1cd2wC7eg5_SGjIvfmkXvFXU48AzmOMnX-8v78aY_z3TnI-Aw84wlE31JuAGHcAVaVvyM7pI9JMtALsGrApRlqrdFAMF1p_tA/w400-h300/IMG_4698.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwDw3FApDllBSHgczZEj_asj0r_qk7skWto9cR79O0bzAqb-K3UsS1qifjZTQwsOabkpbbs_3N8gRBAtXD5Q0eOgdrBz9ZL87Lyt7BvlB77jpiudcnpJ8xgpLeNVTS6E0F7-w7Wc2rnaQs0PRTjOS99apof6-oNydQqNeTbPFWJOVsoJD9EB0Oqjzww/s4032/IMG_3085.heic"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwDw3FApDllBSHgczZEj_asj0r_qk7skWto9cR79O0bzAqb-K3UsS1qifjZTQwsOabkpbbs_3N8gRBAtXD5Q0eOgdrBz9ZL87Lyt7BvlB77jpiudcnpJ8xgpLeNVTS6E0F7-w7Wc2rnaQs0PRTjOS99apof6-oNydQqNeTbPFWJOVsoJD9EB0Oqjzww/w400-h300/IMG_3085.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br />We got to spend some time at the beach at Lebanon Hills Regional Park.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-pfndhyRtLunpO_pnXFb1rPThsIFxEd6dqxLFHbzn9QLJqKEDlJ7aZbBINYcHayQ9pap1iDSp6IdeNUSWLFD1x6_LuLEGIQJ5H7pWdwyWQZTeuUB9ZWi_gKx0zga2ZcRA13vsEFnznOSIWbYOJP-tQuRnDsg9u3McXAZ_aYbDQ1uZjsnNMVre7ozYA/s4032/IMG_4774.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-pfndhyRtLunpO_pnXFb1rPThsIFxEd6dqxLFHbzn9QLJqKEDlJ7aZbBINYcHayQ9pap1iDSp6IdeNUSWLFD1x6_LuLEGIQJ5H7pWdwyWQZTeuUB9ZWi_gKx0zga2ZcRA13vsEFnznOSIWbYOJP-tQuRnDsg9u3McXAZ_aYbDQ1uZjsnNMVre7ozYA/w400-h300/IMG_4774.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Family bike ride to Dairy Queen!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpj5r05iDNpxWr5IeSsD3v38MCuuq3wkrr4mROF4UlShiVU9CI2iK3f2dY0INkOY16t_tGgfS3WWd-ZS_mdd5RCeGtrwaGUIksIaYB8HHAn81SZi7SXRhyB3H1tKWnVGZrWOYfsR4TqLSOxqLkV1uv7ffQv4odbw3FsYcunHM2HFuT5v5kdgG1I-KEQ/s4032/IMG_4864.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpj5r05iDNpxWr5IeSsD3v38MCuuq3wkrr4mROF4UlShiVU9CI2iK3f2dY0INkOY16t_tGgfS3WWd-ZS_mdd5RCeGtrwaGUIksIaYB8HHAn81SZi7SXRhyB3H1tKWnVGZrWOYfsR4TqLSOxqLkV1uv7ffQv4odbw3FsYcunHM2HFuT5v5kdgG1I-KEQ/w400-h300/IMG_4864.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A trip top Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqYFdENdH8XyLGxZtqG0FBJBAtAsThVZoudflocXKCFtMkfJVadIfEq7hRs2s3-BHp5SwRRkrWOPGrw3s_Y_NttNOTXPwaTDbhtEPg8S_VoQMVo2D3bGiMh1YRy7_g_xkLbDjkdO5jlR2gUolXTnGzucO8ShTKQC_L5HoSEfVjvDXqLraGJBu4LkeNg/s4032/IMG_5050.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqYFdENdH8XyLGxZtqG0FBJBAtAsThVZoudflocXKCFtMkfJVadIfEq7hRs2s3-BHp5SwRRkrWOPGrw3s_Y_NttNOTXPwaTDbhtEPg8S_VoQMVo2D3bGiMh1YRy7_g_xkLbDjkdO5jlR2gUolXTnGzucO8ShTKQC_L5HoSEfVjvDXqLraGJBu4LkeNg/w300-h400/IMG_5050.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We got to go to Wicked in Minneapolis with some friends. Great show!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEVt_Uhw7R3UTp1OmxnYLGi_sU9xSLK2YQ5uFuUaUmFqaDF523oPUGZP8FEO1w9XV6CYleurUhZPyFla1dK0iAYgHpoDXsaYRuTN3G1eWezpqxnSMXDuBWLQoCJBxXSdZuNSMvqswZUnDctmaL7nymQQKLW5_wGaXEBQ14kFCh194FtFwsF-4sgOV-Q/s4032/IMG_2169.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEVt_Uhw7R3UTp1OmxnYLGi_sU9xSLK2YQ5uFuUaUmFqaDF523oPUGZP8FEO1w9XV6CYleurUhZPyFla1dK0iAYgHpoDXsaYRuTN3G1eWezpqxnSMXDuBWLQoCJBxXSdZuNSMvqswZUnDctmaL7nymQQKLW5_wGaXEBQ14kFCh194FtFwsF-4sgOV-Q/w300-h400/IMG_2169.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>First day of first grade,</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc61ogvzaQk5GFzY1qEcQwToHgw6MeJ7Ue5Z2ZgdIcXrYtQWS-fqqWbZ-ZHmKib8rCBWibhMDVdKD6eW3DNHLL_6D3zQWsdGLnuKT2GQP7u45I1I_YgVdWRllWF-BnUXoNZjViyeGx9PVVzuDn2b2P6LajHtYkzmmhX7Pjru3KqF5oXJ6MZ7iEXympA/s4032/IMG_5234.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc61ogvzaQk5GFzY1qEcQwToHgw6MeJ7Ue5Z2ZgdIcXrYtQWS-fqqWbZ-ZHmKib8rCBWibhMDVdKD6eW3DNHLL_6D3zQWsdGLnuKT2GQP7u45I1I_YgVdWRllWF-BnUXoNZjViyeGx9PVVzuDn2b2P6LajHtYkzmmhX7Pjru3KqF5oXJ6MZ7iEXympA/w300-h400/IMG_5234.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>First day of Preschool 1.</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoryx42F97_iFECiAvAMybX9nLP2SJZ1CtGcoJw6c3Xlhqg22YzdI12zDVPVlsbP1rGDAqT7OpY6Cw-OfOT_DL-e-XOVDH-fxEs_5soW2LL7-VdAreIyfxlztzXLzdNJXBc3mc0GcUMXRu5BNY5WKZZAaR2J1DXVziGnXhIDmpdf0F-8MdbM5-HkPf4Q/s4032/IMG_5585.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoryx42F97_iFECiAvAMybX9nLP2SJZ1CtGcoJw6c3Xlhqg22YzdI12zDVPVlsbP1rGDAqT7OpY6Cw-OfOT_DL-e-XOVDH-fxEs_5soW2LL7-VdAreIyfxlztzXLzdNJXBc3mc0GcUMXRu5BNY5WKZZAaR2J1DXVziGnXhIDmpdf0F-8MdbM5-HkPf4Q/w300-h400/IMG_5585.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Afton Apple Orchard:</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX4oTwBBVLoMV8UbaPjSVmdhq9CsbT2G9rofbBpijXQBBi7yN2hQ8I58n6y7PGbY5Z_g-23FfH4U6HxGQVUOy9WxQFHNhp23bLAZynWkHH9ZRwE5fesQvA_c43VHzSjDgwo-Ad35PljJcHi5wDSDQy0ceaiX__Grc8MkzU-RnIarjfF6aHmqgnSg9yQ/s4032/IMG_5334.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX4oTwBBVLoMV8UbaPjSVmdhq9CsbT2G9rofbBpijXQBBi7yN2hQ8I58n6y7PGbY5Z_g-23FfH4U6HxGQVUOy9WxQFHNhp23bLAZynWkHH9ZRwE5fesQvA_c43VHzSjDgwo-Ad35PljJcHi5wDSDQy0ceaiX__Grc8MkzU-RnIarjfF6aHmqgnSg9yQ/w400-h300/IMG_5334.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div>Stay tuned for my next round of home updates. Who knows? Maybe I'll catch up by the end of the year</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-77392531167179677602022-08-14T10:47:00.002-07:002022-08-14T10:47:45.857-07:00Running Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEqHWntkPCWoZQTdi3sExJ6wOIpVgBs8YsOSsPEcDvgFwMfTPR1TRnrk7Xm5JO-CY_pQwdDrXRO9ZAZWyB1ZPOYSukSKP5VhiN6T7WHMHUwDOk7yd7_H1UEc4_JhldFSa4afwoHEBntjoFqm_iiHrUoEKypdMjef2c_1qW7t-44fHdP0OaSkEh26d0Q/s1600/P1160601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEqHWntkPCWoZQTdi3sExJ6wOIpVgBs8YsOSsPEcDvgFwMfTPR1TRnrk7Xm5JO-CY_pQwdDrXRO9ZAZWyB1ZPOYSukSKP5VhiN6T7WHMHUwDOk7yd7_H1UEc4_JhldFSa4afwoHEBntjoFqm_iiHrUoEKypdMjef2c_1qW7t-44fHdP0OaSkEh26d0Q/w400-h300/P1160601.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>In some ways, running has been going pretty well. I've hit 40 miles for a couple weeks in a row, and I've been pain-free during all of my runs.</p><p>Over the past few years my foot and ankles had been giving me some problems, but since adding metatarsal pads and Superfeet insoles, things have been much better.</p><p>In other ways, I'm not thrilled about my running. My speed just isn't coming back to even close to where it was before my foot problem. I'm trying to be patient and hope that at least some of my speed will come back. I've already resided myself to the fact that I'll never PR in any standard distance again, but it's still hard to accept.</p><p>I'm training for a marathon, and I'm trying to balance home responsibilities and spending time with the kids with putting in more time running and strength training.</p><p>When this marathon is over, I'll start to reevaluate what my running will look like.</p><p>Run well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-88362817016381448632022-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:002022-08-06T11:16:15.076-07:00Home Update<p> For this woefully neglected blog, I thought I'd bring a couple new posts to share some goings on in my life. I thought I'd start with a highlight reel of our family's first four months of the year.</p><p>In January, our little ones turned two and six. We keep telling them to stop growing up, but they just won't listen.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXADjco6O1iRMB03pESWxtltpqao9Dn5omEopVmQaElPhpYUA5mMgVp2fL0l_s51b5xp-j7h_AFcm-Q3czlaQ6fS3f6-p07U6m_XFy761ERIgUwRE-0VXXE2VspZvf0U8d473fBQLldWQWk3a6de9zPDtsO9U2PsfcGjLzL6X7BDrKn0c9qsYhwaryg/s4032/IMG_1558.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXADjco6O1iRMB03pESWxtltpqao9Dn5omEopVmQaElPhpYUA5mMgVp2fL0l_s51b5xp-j7h_AFcm-Q3czlaQ6fS3f6-p07U6m_XFy761ERIgUwRE-0VXXE2VspZvf0U8d473fBQLldWQWk3a6de9zPDtsO9U2PsfcGjLzL6X7BDrKn0c9qsYhwaryg/s320/IMG_1558.HEIC" width="240" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIArkQE6iKUrgg8D5H9NJlAhuFHM2qQtbBfrJzV6ZPGoAvIhHAi0JZqH80iuk_LFFBZDBj9VrTy-OUeiqAngzzpVJWJyObFQRaw02HIIJVlHo86Y5zOTo7nle1atUAM8mX9uNEVVdgNYh1EZstdnt-Ue2BDkOFI4kPU43VYY9hT-cAuqxX8aHZYj6YEQ/s6000/2022-01-22%2009.54.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIArkQE6iKUrgg8D5H9NJlAhuFHM2qQtbBfrJzV6ZPGoAvIhHAi0JZqH80iuk_LFFBZDBj9VrTy-OUeiqAngzzpVJWJyObFQRaw02HIIJVlHo86Y5zOTo7nle1atUAM8mX9uNEVVdgNYh1EZstdnt-Ue2BDkOFI4kPU43VYY9hT-cAuqxX8aHZYj6YEQ/s320/2022-01-22%2009.54.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>In February, we made a trip down to Pensacola, Fla. to visit Laura's parents, get out of the cold, and spend some time on the beach. I enjoyed getting in some runs on ice-free paths.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuVW3B-CrDVUpmkZBRYTMVepXRMIvcwAlWqftWsBrauByzk_Wdvc0WlRca7TLCjUhf2AlKLKOGs8M8c9-rh-fxiLGPQwEL7LSrsraGoubU-KuI_Thf-TEgWzKLNiAM7OmyFATJy7nYOIBMm8r9f_wDkHpOW9b1-1r2KdbPS0XALqTcaj-ZFgRMFK7PQ/s4032/IMG_2537.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuVW3B-CrDVUpmkZBRYTMVepXRMIvcwAlWqftWsBrauByzk_Wdvc0WlRca7TLCjUhf2AlKLKOGs8M8c9-rh-fxiLGPQwEL7LSrsraGoubU-KuI_Thf-TEgWzKLNiAM7OmyFATJy7nYOIBMm8r9f_wDkHpOW9b1-1r2KdbPS0XALqTcaj-ZFgRMFK7PQ/s320/IMG_2537.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WTaSxvCNp5882xE7RoHXl01DFSs-jQibq1c5_h53A-WzDnpppwU3-rnzYuVrvwX_wzhE-LiZNkJ9ysR7slgS-U6zfzZf1fnhwiYFm_pVvBVLT1kQAccIzKvFnaSc219e5bidpdwjaQHON4vnkjFsKZH4HNx9k4nE24ljPA16npxJ4WgTcK8pI8L4HA/s4032/IMG_2534.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WTaSxvCNp5882xE7RoHXl01DFSs-jQibq1c5_h53A-WzDnpppwU3-rnzYuVrvwX_wzhE-LiZNkJ9ysR7slgS-U6zfzZf1fnhwiYFm_pVvBVLT1kQAccIzKvFnaSc219e5bidpdwjaQHON4vnkjFsKZH4HNx9k4nE24ljPA16npxJ4WgTcK8pI8L4HA/s320/IMG_2534.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg9CWKCQAspCp1S7yZo1BZARLesgYUDm-IVg4Awi3gkVFqlTAGlAbwZPaWJ7PXuka3pG4fRqZtVSsz3HlcC2lZhlbyJJMXcbMbpcCAbSlUxHA74h0LFSHuYNqCmyPLDNmQ0duc3imcZlHQMyQh6VtHSr5R6t8iQLRcsk7xld4soxsrEBC-9IebIPMng/s4032/IMG_2453.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyg9CWKCQAspCp1S7yZo1BZARLesgYUDm-IVg4Awi3gkVFqlTAGlAbwZPaWJ7PXuka3pG4fRqZtVSsz3HlcC2lZhlbyJJMXcbMbpcCAbSlUxHA74h0LFSHuYNqCmyPLDNmQ0duc3imcZlHQMyQh6VtHSr5R6t8iQLRcsk7xld4soxsrEBC-9IebIPMng/s320/IMG_2453.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpE89BnFzqeR5Zr7ikdqvn9YSlI4x-1cHfEHF2V6HkMcsK2sWR582DZIvee_Mi6EvTnRdrJedr31Cgwl1l9G7JaMI98onevBjm3NeNrEaztUTMSKnmuv8muVPNd3-G1r6VNWvv8Hi4QQewNBMez1OJet8AIhSxK7l_1TN2mS3oiUhxIKqclQo1Lk7a9w/s4032/IMG_2334.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpE89BnFzqeR5Zr7ikdqvn9YSlI4x-1cHfEHF2V6HkMcsK2sWR582DZIvee_Mi6EvTnRdrJedr31Cgwl1l9G7JaMI98onevBjm3NeNrEaztUTMSKnmuv8muVPNd3-G1r6VNWvv8Hi4QQewNBMez1OJet8AIhSxK7l_1TN2mS3oiUhxIKqclQo1Lk7a9w/s320/IMG_2334.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our six-year-old got to do swimming lessons and skating lessons this winter. It was fun watching him skate around after just a little practice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt3TIRxkuzrKriy26bNuJ_XugLTVyjEKOrYKVc4lhrYInumYzmfSwUgYk_N9WWgXUd5VbHoqvOWQS4jhW5o9BzI7mTFhqI9GfksvWuObF_WJs-YBvwg2s3Vk9XTGz_x6LxlGBS_SwyJkI7ASXfC1tYrEpHnjMtftVk7is7x_trj4iffauxA07UITrhg/s4032/IMG_2775.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt3TIRxkuzrKriy26bNuJ_XugLTVyjEKOrYKVc4lhrYInumYzmfSwUgYk_N9WWgXUd5VbHoqvOWQS4jhW5o9BzI7mTFhqI9GfksvWuObF_WJs-YBvwg2s3Vk9XTGz_x6LxlGBS_SwyJkI7ASXfC1tYrEpHnjMtftVk7is7x_trj4iffauxA07UITrhg/s320/IMG_2775.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheFnzvZiQmpRUBpU5x3BhYNMzrw4ozMMPD-GvT8ISrfWoRq-wMNjIL3JyKgywuqOVSR5At7O9lKhb9OK9A_Ggzemu2FU767hubIbhUD1oDpDPJGCgnCnMtSwUfW63qKiHL_hcQPPihaacV9ls71FVy3FYilbbftNSR8Ap6J2VmmUyXhfyj80MRXsj8w/s4032/IMG_1952.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheFnzvZiQmpRUBpU5x3BhYNMzrw4ozMMPD-GvT8ISrfWoRq-wMNjIL3JyKgywuqOVSR5At7O9lKhb9OK9A_Ggzemu2FU767hubIbhUD1oDpDPJGCgnCnMtSwUfW63qKiHL_hcQPPihaacV9ls71FVy3FYilbbftNSR8Ap6J2VmmUyXhfyj80MRXsj8w/s320/IMG_1952.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We did a lot of snow time again this winter. It's nice to have a little hill in our yard.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz_nvQ4kj5Y8T-hCLlyeHShGeFQBReEq7B_kjqnnRbIuRI9zOzcqNXeIhenjQEj0oBE8egfck4FUP7Xg7edor88sgtmY4qtCUrBrLtTzqEPrTMe1Cu9YNVxQNVm1kVnMu0kpfYRldYHFJDHdgpewA6sVoof7jLYz3Mt0yXCtKgtjJxVMhfrb7bq432Q/s3088/IMG_1773.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz_nvQ4kj5Y8T-hCLlyeHShGeFQBReEq7B_kjqnnRbIuRI9zOzcqNXeIhenjQEj0oBE8egfck4FUP7Xg7edor88sgtmY4qtCUrBrLtTzqEPrTMe1Cu9YNVxQNVm1kVnMu0kpfYRldYHFJDHdgpewA6sVoof7jLYz3Mt0yXCtKgtjJxVMhfrb7bq432Q/s320/IMG_1773.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnkMRUaugUR-K0VXuQtjrpZwKUlzPssZGsKsGjXBnzx3pUwua6h00DkfvdqhFW_7izznZoEFphfz9v4LLufFCX0MB7hWIChKkPo4b-q9W_SNXhOicGobDWIBpHmCkP1gjV2UGPSJCzHmvkEtk5jEvNMDWOvnTncm91VzTqjK--vmugMLrdufDpny2sg/s4032/IMG_2616.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnkMRUaugUR-K0VXuQtjrpZwKUlzPssZGsKsGjXBnzx3pUwua6h00DkfvdqhFW_7izznZoEFphfz9v4LLufFCX0MB7hWIChKkPo4b-q9W_SNXhOicGobDWIBpHmCkP1gjV2UGPSJCzHmvkEtk5jEvNMDWOvnTncm91VzTqjK--vmugMLrdufDpny2sg/s320/IMG_2616.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKyMbU9_AvpBWhtuL29qn27erza3I-ImpADCDZPBh5GbNQ-0_KP-ZoYUZ9VuqLUgWe4XdJHxO_YX5P7jXGayt10Q7W1nXy3qC_qDRAHucm9zGpyBvanxLRGY-8Z3HsOXlFkQau-iSDRjA0WEJRzjKYI1X6ul3B8_btofwg15_M62wl7MLnV4Tnrnkzg/s4032/IMG_1769.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKyMbU9_AvpBWhtuL29qn27erza3I-ImpADCDZPBh5GbNQ-0_KP-ZoYUZ9VuqLUgWe4XdJHxO_YX5P7jXGayt10Q7W1nXy3qC_qDRAHucm9zGpyBvanxLRGY-8Z3HsOXlFkQau-iSDRjA0WEJRzjKYI1X6ul3B8_btofwg15_M62wl7MLnV4Tnrnkzg/s320/IMG_1769.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2UXi_qEK4l_qfIJZ1vp4PSjoV2pVLnKGZuvEDL1_D6PCL6hrVyolCAhHgAwstf4dqbjLgYN-YNg0tB6FUBb_CVATNb6nvZZckRaKBDJH5xiBRwh0fV1Sh-5qbab58MkuxX-KXna2cxheBltdKHgqW_C2uSG-Hro1GIN9mR6r2QLeuCumi0uonwFjeg/s4032/IMG_0980.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2UXi_qEK4l_qfIJZ1vp4PSjoV2pVLnKGZuvEDL1_D6PCL6hrVyolCAhHgAwstf4dqbjLgYN-YNg0tB6FUBb_CVATNb6nvZZckRaKBDJH5xiBRwh0fV1Sh-5qbab58MkuxX-KXna2cxheBltdKHgqW_C2uSG-Hro1GIN9mR6r2QLeuCumi0uonwFjeg/s320/IMG_0980.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>No particular reason for this photo. I just think it's cute.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz81MRAo8SzJTxoPzP4foh4JGtbd2qq7LRsj8iF79hAnlIeHsMqN28S9gtTDN4at1FRcUZGdbyRYxa0QJ_OOuY9YHzxMcPAzFiNs96TOx1A9hNQhZgeRQxjoaBmgPbbHn45yNnSorbfJ0fype0Rdnr5F1MnAZ-EW0APnA5uDwXmzkCN-rwkk8ojj3rA/s4032/IMG_E1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz81MRAo8SzJTxoPzP4foh4JGtbd2qq7LRsj8iF79hAnlIeHsMqN28S9gtTDN4at1FRcUZGdbyRYxa0QJ_OOuY9YHzxMcPAzFiNs96TOx1A9hNQhZgeRQxjoaBmgPbbHn45yNnSorbfJ0fype0Rdnr5F1MnAZ-EW0APnA5uDwXmzkCN-rwkk8ojj3rA/s320/IMG_E1695.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I took the older one ice fishing a couple times. No luck. The younger one joined us for this photo, but didn't do any actual fishing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYVmG527wuNksHiipHe9mt8q-MrIJIPpHGlDw67UDK2Mk4sFleBY8leStcb5REPSokW_ExRAfG0mQLoYBmFtfRdXX-YNp_-mSE71kTmDLEaMRs1jrL4pOwwLKTOmiNJIy3iQlLkJqPLSm6pzAA_DXGVO5oEmPz2vyLw3NNth1HY6m1PVG7Vsv1BRJ-g/s4032/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYVmG527wuNksHiipHe9mt8q-MrIJIPpHGlDw67UDK2Mk4sFleBY8leStcb5REPSokW_ExRAfG0mQLoYBmFtfRdXX-YNp_-mSE71kTmDLEaMRs1jrL4pOwwLKTOmiNJIy3iQlLkJqPLSm6pzAA_DXGVO5oEmPz2vyLw3NNth1HY6m1PVG7Vsv1BRJ-g/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Mom and son on Valentine's Day<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ05ZmWRGWKEK6h0BP_l18PrN84dxhkwpQKoXQ_X6FA8Q1JcAa4fZKU53qp_HSg8OjqgPitKgDSxPTgV-75Qav9-w8r312nLa84dZoqO5FfFhZMXx2JpcR7cV0B9B7U2_Row6r-NnTeBsnpjLlJC5QCGAGE_hteiMcQ0qwtLj9KZjtXqz5U4PpM7dCw/s3088/IMG_1942.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ05ZmWRGWKEK6h0BP_l18PrN84dxhkwpQKoXQ_X6FA8Q1JcAa4fZKU53qp_HSg8OjqgPitKgDSxPTgV-75Qav9-w8r312nLa84dZoqO5FfFhZMXx2JpcR7cV0B9B7U2_Row6r-NnTeBsnpjLlJC5QCGAGE_hteiMcQ0qwtLj9KZjtXqz5U4PpM7dCw/s320/IMG_1942.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Teaching possibly the most important game to our future neurosurgeon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjqL7Lq1yt8lSv-JYhasd69j80vLetWwWodjQrHYFQJ6tfO6yfJifd1ZKOnvrp0d-Iy89uUTyP4Qq8QB4MxZgZ6EC7RHJj33hBXxFR2_8jx3ZdtOGa5PKHX06nCn38g5AVII0_uSbhcMzJSwxEhFlH_iilbFviHeABCO5BjUn3WhTfpj6zaqpd48KIg/s4032/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjqL7Lq1yt8lSv-JYhasd69j80vLetWwWodjQrHYFQJ6tfO6yfJifd1ZKOnvrp0d-Iy89uUTyP4Qq8QB4MxZgZ6EC7RHJj33hBXxFR2_8jx3ZdtOGa5PKHX06nCn38g5AVII0_uSbhcMzJSwxEhFlH_iilbFviHeABCO5BjUn3WhTfpj6zaqpd48KIg/s320/IMG_2983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Easter!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaMWlpfE9rODs8v1M08LAz8nOs-NYC-8G5N74kjxDCtPjXEx9EnCkUN3UlvKt_GHlhw-ExnhupGkDu-QVOR1sbOUftvHu8rHbUjSf-fo5Y7vrLKqS5albfbfDJFujI39SAhGfNep74c8EdEb3jTxUEmONTZP1xsjUB9PFcpNKY78Ph8Ia7e3o1XOtCw/s4032/IMG_2909.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaMWlpfE9rODs8v1M08LAz8nOs-NYC-8G5N74kjxDCtPjXEx9EnCkUN3UlvKt_GHlhw-ExnhupGkDu-QVOR1sbOUftvHu8rHbUjSf-fo5Y7vrLKqS5albfbfDJFujI39SAhGfNep74c8EdEb3jTxUEmONTZP1xsjUB9PFcpNKY78Ph8Ia7e3o1XOtCw/s320/IMG_2909.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the pandemic put a damper on our social life, a much needed night out with friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUR7tThbdHCMLfPKoOB9gtXYQ4H-JLLLpnLy55nfB08J7M0y8tP-DQiTpxuYCDQ9IuV6EyDHoPPrZdiD_qOyMZNbiqUdRteHcEQ9ok-i-_3L27SrYi1v6gZHEWvZj5Uet4NX4VH0KyscYCibkF3q17qBLjRFNhM3gKZGV0_FbrydyOw05JWpyWeTTow/s1000/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUR7tThbdHCMLfPKoOB9gtXYQ4H-JLLLpnLy55nfB08J7M0y8tP-DQiTpxuYCDQ9IuV6EyDHoPPrZdiD_qOyMZNbiqUdRteHcEQ9ok-i-_3L27SrYi1v6gZHEWvZj5Uet4NX4VH0KyscYCibkF3q17qBLjRFNhM3gKZGV0_FbrydyOw05JWpyWeTTow/s320/image_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got to celebrate some Boston runners, including my friend Brittany. I had the privilege writing her training plan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0h14qBRYYl406uzUebbI3LI-5MLekRYYJyqODhgJqHpnP162wLBQPZ1WVL4ZAQnXUSAn-zU5NRd9b52FXESAII2QsRCqumyXi_4mM1-HuppiY3eNpVkpA7plBykqoQoiiL4uKQ00NvukdepA9KZImXKzUKY8o2eLbYclxQ49HArwdKXl5yQRbf09-g/s4032/IMG_2939.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0h14qBRYYl406uzUebbI3LI-5MLekRYYJyqODhgJqHpnP162wLBQPZ1WVL4ZAQnXUSAn-zU5NRd9b52FXESAII2QsRCqumyXi_4mM1-HuppiY3eNpVkpA7plBykqoQoiiL4uKQ00NvukdepA9KZImXKzUKY8o2eLbYclxQ49HArwdKXl5yQRbf09-g/s320/IMG_2939.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids joined Laura for a walk for Team Caroline and toughed it out in the rain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT6w0zr-6R-AhBhhk-JxIvFsBsc_hErzYNWAwWOiFBokcaqzWvCJnsa4T8es9YdIASmE9JWZoD5U4JWI1BHm1TkWC53LA2zCwbVfraG9s3SbN8ueXO3etN4WGNUA7HGGyVba7UsoRqclN4LqxVKnR2Ud8wRFAR0cwnFmLoRD3x2oawczF9iOwvrTTjg/s3088/IMG_3208.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT6w0zr-6R-AhBhhk-JxIvFsBsc_hErzYNWAwWOiFBokcaqzWvCJnsa4T8es9YdIASmE9JWZoD5U4JWI1BHm1TkWC53LA2zCwbVfraG9s3SbN8ueXO3etN4WGNUA7HGGyVba7UsoRqclN4LqxVKnR2Ud8wRFAR0cwnFmLoRD3x2oawczF9iOwvrTTjg/s320/IMG_3208.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stay tuned for another post. I might try to get this blog going again.</div><p></p></div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-7981800002184284692022-03-17T18:03:00.000-07:002022-03-17T18:03:39.999-07:00The Ides of March - Sugar Break<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpb4GKdQnzJ9ezO4hevDmtmByc_Us8LL9lyDMCxo10p_Xuy5XRl40QcnZHQvj4uAITMPHNytOE_wud3SyZJtsMuSqNxQ-cjvY4ldsIfipPYOI3zBWOagG2jJBNjD3e4PCFixTb1fJ3FFE/s1550/sugar-white.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1550" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpb4GKdQnzJ9ezO4hevDmtmByc_Us8LL9lyDMCxo10p_Xuy5XRl40QcnZHQvj4uAITMPHNytOE_wud3SyZJtsMuSqNxQ-cjvY4ldsIfipPYOI3zBWOagG2jJBNjD3e4PCFixTb1fJ3FFE/s320/sugar-white.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The Ides of March — a significant date for civil, religious, and literary traditions. I'm giving it my own significance by taking a break from desserts until Easter. That means just over a month of no sweet treats. </p><p>A couple nights ago I had a friend ask me about sugar. She knew I'd given up sugar before, and when I said I was doing pretty terrible, she suggested I put it out there on my blog that I was going to take a break from sugar.</p><p>After hitting my racing weight in the spring of 2021, I've gained over ten pounds. I ran some solid 5Ks that spring, but this year there's no way I could touch those times, partly due to my weight.</p><p>Sugar has been a big problem with my eating. Limiting it has been tough, so I thought getting rid of sweets altogether would be more likely to be successful.</p><p>It's going to be challenging, but I'm hoping it gets easier as the month goes on.</p><p>Wish me luck.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-32467789766008089782022-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:002022-02-26T17:31:09.362-08:00Hospital Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMyVwVZSQIjbu6xNqPHndmdFOhukhrx0CCIHO07XlNotSyb_KYTjshzn7B00FIkBo9Io4qe0c5k5LHvAPs-1UWNKuVA7rNyBpEEBNOUdh2mJd1IZlyXEOjtKHb6GiXpKqrrA3Dsdy73blmMRBdMslUqGDRPbVCCLDwHlnTTrhaS6nV3hnNNZWt6XF9Nw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMyVwVZSQIjbu6xNqPHndmdFOhukhrx0CCIHO07XlNotSyb_KYTjshzn7B00FIkBo9Io4qe0c5k5LHvAPs-1UWNKuVA7rNyBpEEBNOUdh2mJd1IZlyXEOjtKHb6GiXpKqrrA3Dsdy73blmMRBdMslUqGDRPbVCCLDwHlnTTrhaS6nV3hnNNZWt6XF9Nw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>I’m a little behind on this one. The anniversary of my last hospital stay was actually about two weeks ago.<div><br /></div><div>This one feels good. It’s now been five years since I’ve been hospitalized. There have definitely been some ups and downs during that time, but by and large it’s been a satisfactory five years. </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve done a lot of things for self-care to stay out of the hospital — one thing that has helped me quite a bit are the recommendations provided in “Preventing Bipolar Relapse,” by Ruth White. Her program is broken down into SNAP: sleep, nutrition, activities, people. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sleep is pretty self-explanatory: get an adequate amount of sleep using good sleep hygiene: going to bed and getting up around the same time every day, don’t eat too close to bed, sleep in a cool, dark room, etc. Sleep has pros and cons for me the past couple years. I used to have a lot of trouble sleeping — especially during a manic or depressive phase. Now, it’s really hard for me to not sleep too much. I could sleep ten hours every day if I let myself. I have a doctor’s appointment in a few days, so I’m hoping she can give me some ideas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nutrition: I’ve been up and down on nutrition. The big thing I’ve done well is eating lots of fruits and vegetables every day, and I think it’s made a positive difference. Where I want to improve this year is having fewer snacks — particularly the lower nutrient higher calorie snacks. I’m also going to try to not eat as much sugar.</div><div><br /></div><div>Activities is the thing that’s gone best. Though the pandemic has limited it somewhat, I still have seen friends a fair amount, and I’ve gotten to do some fun things with my family. I’ve also kept up with my exercise and even did a lot of walking and cycling when I couldn’t run due to injury.</div><div><br /></div><div>People have also been an important part in preventing relapse. I’ve been blessed with positive and supportive friends and wonderful family. A few times I’ve had family come and help with the kids when I was having a hard time. I’ve also kept up with my doctors and therapist who have helped keep me on track.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s to five more years of staying hospital-free.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-51798912051452162722022-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:002022-02-05T17:36:04.222-08:002022 Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjMjdAqPR_yusDc5yZyDPC3Mrxy7YuGKFsUa9Cqb8Yr0zcH2POwy_we0gwN4rke1p1FESa14-oe3CvlZeyZHLLGE5ZYrHw_oR3jGvejHs4kgnNw2XVwHesBijRX_wtWTS25ZeOio87VKHou3lY5Gb9gx6axCfqww4W3mEYfRUFj9wIJsWFuC6QWzLtSA=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjMjdAqPR_yusDc5yZyDPC3Mrxy7YuGKFsUa9Cqb8Yr0zcH2POwy_we0gwN4rke1p1FESa14-oe3CvlZeyZHLLGE5ZYrHw_oR3jGvejHs4kgnNw2XVwHesBijRX_wtWTS25ZeOio87VKHou3lY5Gb9gx6axCfqww4W3mEYfRUFj9wIJsWFuC6QWzLtSA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>It's that time of year again. I really enjoy setting goals for the year. I always have some stretch goals and some pretty doable goals. If I were to hit very few goals for the year, I would realize I made my goals too difficult, and if I meet all of them, I'd know they were too easy. Here they are:</p><p><b>1. Break 18:15 in the 5K</b><br />Same goal as last year. I ended up running 17:30 in 2021, but I don't see running under 18:00 this year with the amount of time I have to train and staying injury-free.</p><p><b>2. Run 1,000 miles</b><br />If I can stay healthy, definitely doable. </p><p><b>3. Write 24 blog posts</b><br />I only wrote 14 last year, which was the lowest since this blog started in 2010. I'd like to write at least two posts per month this year.</p><p><b>4. Strength train an average of an hour and forty-five minutes a week</b><br />Stepping it up from an hour-and-a-half last year.</p><p><b>5. Run a marathon</b><br />Last year, due to injury, was the first time in 12 years that I didn't run a marathon. I hope to be able to run a marathon this fall.</p><p><b>6. Get to and stay at race weight</b><br />I made it to race weight last year, but only stayed there for a few weeks. I'm now well above it, so I plan to get down to race weight in a couple months, then stay at race weight plus or minus three pounds for the rest of the year.</p><p>That should do it for this year's goals.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-53904323952775238232022-01-19T17:51:00.001-08:002022-01-19T17:51:09.098-08:002021 Goal Results<p> As I thought through the results of my goals this year, I actually did a little better than I imagined. Once again I'll do percentage results rather than a pass/fail.</p><p>Here they are:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. Run 1,400 miles</b><br />Injury stopped me from getting even close to this one. I ran 871, so I was 62% on this one.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2. Break 18:15 in a 5K</b><br />Before my foot injury really started bothering, I got in some nice training. I also was doing plyometrics pretty consistently which I think helped my speed. I ended up running a 17:30 which was better than I did all of 2020. I ended up meeting this goal 104%.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3. Run an in person race</b><br />I ran a few of our local parkruns as well as a Run Minnesota 5K (where I ran 17:30). 100%</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4. Finish a marathon</b><br />Injury kept me from this one.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Average one-and-a-half hours of strength training per week</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">100%</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I met my goals 73%. A little less than last year, but considering an injury that really reduced my running, I'm pretty happy with how I did.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a wonderful 2022!</span></p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-14223559086802328012022-01-01T17:31:00.000-08:002022-01-01T17:31:12.586-08:00Home Update - The Rest of 2021<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviNGZeAXmlnHq-sospjLdtUZADGNJL6uiDJnC4iub1qvOeK9zsRlfnucDqFbCUwgmr17f3XNU2rD-WeX7g5XKEqRapm3zJuW8jDOVdApgNGTqE-bBtH6QH19KgFRVNroPmW8l5lXNvrem/s4032/IMG_7372.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviNGZeAXmlnHq-sospjLdtUZADGNJL6uiDJnC4iub1qvOeK9zsRlfnucDqFbCUwgmr17f3XNU2rD-WeX7g5XKEqRapm3zJuW8jDOVdApgNGTqE-bBtH6QH19KgFRVNroPmW8l5lXNvrem/w400-h300/IMG_7372.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry picking</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> It's been a long time since I've updated what's been going on with the family, so it's going to be a long one.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjfUu1RZ_1WZY053etwS6ve6U2_9h3Q-5xb2dhdB5f_JsafuqhAKFECOM_GYKjevnxUD9BJJHc30-nugBP7lObURuKPHsZzhhEkhDhYo5XlfS_P-y6mfci9zvElKKFXCWEDXMj9k6g1ra/s4032/IMG_7454.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjfUu1RZ_1WZY053etwS6ve6U2_9h3Q-5xb2dhdB5f_JsafuqhAKFECOM_GYKjevnxUD9BJJHc30-nugBP7lObURuKPHsZzhhEkhDhYo5XlfS_P-y6mfci9zvElKKFXCWEDXMj9k6g1ra/w400-h300/IMG_7454.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wading in the lake at Lebanon Hills park.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We've seen both sets of grandparents quite a bit over the last six months. They've been gracious enough to help out during some busy times and when I haven't been feeling the best mental health-wise.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOu-myZSQrN4ihMbrghJQMUH-zpXGh8zBbgpBOYJSN60O7lWZM5zdSXpQXHBni7C7k3xB_aJrtWOe_4Bu53MFW-Wh6FTcTPuKV6vFZihNkIWgUxcA7RkDxKe6bLPISuptKVqthI3t6xXU/s4032/IMG_7526.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOu-myZSQrN4ihMbrghJQMUH-zpXGh8zBbgpBOYJSN60O7lWZM5zdSXpQXHBni7C7k3xB_aJrtWOe_4Bu53MFW-Wh6FTcTPuKV6vFZihNkIWgUxcA7RkDxKe6bLPISuptKVqthI3t6xXU/w400-h300/IMG_7526.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura's parents with the kiddos</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4d9LHrj7DIJpwHinmorB_aurlnQfFY8ORIhSL8jhAeUn9CbzaISSEw9os_1ZHS0wKRlXPtI3c-c89H7Gtub3D6skVJ5n5K5v_FmrQdsnWj9OUHSDBjE-EKbhUqNoU5mNDYsd4evD9x9B/s6000/DSC_6921.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4d9LHrj7DIJpwHinmorB_aurlnQfFY8ORIhSL8jhAeUn9CbzaISSEw9os_1ZHS0wKRlXPtI3c-c89H7Gtub3D6skVJ5n5K5v_FmrQdsnWj9OUHSDBjE-EKbhUqNoU5mNDYsd4evD9x9B/w266-h400/DSC_6921.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents with the kiddos<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We all got together in Omaha this past June. One of the highlights was visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, though we didn't see the aquarium. We also had some pictures taken.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89-0t2myP2GgafM7SZJ3kyu7BVXEWJl1aaI_BgSmanPCBiDnPzalDFjz2nkLsrsVNn3s2sTz01UC-cYOGgbzvMFIWDALVFuI104LKBJuP4PV3PcAmhJN5YTJ8x-gaxmcH7oUfdga4W4vX/s4898/_93A3234.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3265" data-original-width="4898" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89-0t2myP2GgafM7SZJ3kyu7BVXEWJl1aaI_BgSmanPCBiDnPzalDFjz2nkLsrsVNn3s2sTz01UC-cYOGgbzvMFIWDALVFuI104LKBJuP4PV3PcAmhJN5YTJ8x-gaxmcH7oUfdga4W4vX/w400-h266/_93A3234.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>We got to spend a lot of time at Children's Country Day School. The two kids helped out the nature teacher by feeding some animals.</p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIHLLZu06-yRoWe3vrP4iCEt9fdyq_-gzlG2W1xqQAM6Li_nxoZKzalmTa6NYmNeTKye83UR0ZiQWYL-2U6mG8iCQsri-229oYx85vpyc1RyXLqdtAtRxv9E-mJ21pDAUNlcd7YY8rJd7/s4032/IMG_7350.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIHLLZu06-yRoWe3vrP4iCEt9fdyq_-gzlG2W1xqQAM6Li_nxoZKzalmTa6NYmNeTKye83UR0ZiQWYL-2U6mG8iCQsri-229oYx85vpyc1RyXLqdtAtRxv9E-mJ21pDAUNlcd7YY8rJd7/w300-h400/IMG_7350.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiddos helping to feed the chickens</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmsbijkpVKwNwB3vew_S_DvIYYcNA3TjNWks-NRE9cxhCG8dPaQacQnHkyQLVsPGQJlh86NH95yXtT2q6FX7OYEZlOMJMhbwqg-ZytMTn7B1XXdA-WboUAx2VevceEqm7IwkIXMQpIV0fGYwjkRgEpfjg5crUovGZEt1E7KMxkSJB5xpXN-ZqIaEUbig=s6000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmsbijkpVKwNwB3vew_S_DvIYYcNA3TjNWks-NRE9cxhCG8dPaQacQnHkyQLVsPGQJlh86NH95yXtT2q6FX7OYEZlOMJMhbwqg-ZytMTn7B1XXdA-WboUAx2VevceEqm7IwkIXMQpIV0fGYwjkRgEpfjg5crUovGZEt1E7KMxkSJB5xpXN-ZqIaEUbig=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy graduated preschool</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMjBkmczlSX68LvorBH2f4Pg9awHDA3uTOYsEpjATkkVwvmv-WZ9ryBm1bf174Rdcc58Hm2vTvaXi9VZkdWmPVV_8_hUQWY0YQgOyRne_Yf0JveMZHQydc4ODA_1AJ3wFRHIpjbYL5CViFvvAwbJ3AZ_2FYNjqRqdfZNFPvVGwf2lD36BnsheeocS1sg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMjBkmczlSX68LvorBH2f4Pg9awHDA3uTOYsEpjATkkVwvmv-WZ9ryBm1bf174Rdcc58Hm2vTvaXi9VZkdWmPVV_8_hUQWY0YQgOyRne_Yf0JveMZHQydc4ODA_1AJ3wFRHIpjbYL5CViFvvAwbJ3AZ_2FYNjqRqdfZNFPvVGwf2lD36BnsheeocS1sg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to family camp at the camp we met at, Camp Omega</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0c3rycU0J9c679hx07halvpSSodEIP776NB7Bic9oczksyVFBI5GTACo-Ta1SXKPsb78m9iYSjQcQzGHdo9YT_x0vQoCHfBoouwtSzmrsrkpsDsdQxD7foFxHV5DIHtEQGFZXHAXXv4ICcKrqhWtsu5n5RbWhZimsaDPGSNGkZphGintFuHk1MlFwyQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0c3rycU0J9c679hx07halvpSSodEIP776NB7Bic9oczksyVFBI5GTACo-Ta1SXKPsb78m9iYSjQcQzGHdo9YT_x0vQoCHfBoouwtSzmrsrkpsDsdQxD7foFxHV5DIHtEQGFZXHAXXv4ICcKrqhWtsu5n5RbWhZimsaDPGSNGkZphGintFuHk1MlFwyQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy started kindergarten</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRAN6QHifEYxjfwbA54lpzVqk2Pi3k4eDiljCMS91pphG_FutmUapb497pnfNCU-NyL53uO0ipuM0ncwQ-tqNge-U4JNZXdp1-zB15lnhCWoNUAIYceWVn98gLtTu_hHvvWmTIPG5W2gz6MgXed15Kf1WICSZQRvfScb_-P8F9iCtd78zfXMS3wcRZHQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRAN6QHifEYxjfwbA54lpzVqk2Pi3k4eDiljCMS91pphG_FutmUapb497pnfNCU-NyL53uO0ipuM0ncwQ-tqNge-U4JNZXdp1-zB15lnhCWoNUAIYceWVn98gLtTu_hHvvWmTIPG5W2gz6MgXed15Kf1WICSZQRvfScb_-P8F9iCtd78zfXMS3wcRZHQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Father son camping</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSvyeqAjWDYHYBaxUYWZU2A_rrZyxs-bAd9I1MUSl8pNmxvnf4WxcgkyNNtH_W0iqch-3VQlhx4YEQ373clO33ZvyByCQoo5Yqos8YfsnRWjT_csur0VNP4Qi755Ka_TwQBh4UhrhU3oRsp6JqXtRbyhLkjkgncZc1SAGYnafN7XDPb56por9W6NH0rw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSvyeqAjWDYHYBaxUYWZU2A_rrZyxs-bAd9I1MUSl8pNmxvnf4WxcgkyNNtH_W0iqch-3VQlhx4YEQ373clO33ZvyByCQoo5Yqos8YfsnRWjT_csur0VNP4Qi755Ka_TwQBh4UhrhU3oRsp6JqXtRbyhLkjkgncZc1SAGYnafN7XDPb56por9W6NH0rw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soccer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2qY5u92910C7expn-z-4WQSJI_lj-IIF07PSYgTJLVEX8FLEu5WlRncL93D9dg4HGrt21I1QKzQ7B75yUJr8SOw4WQztUVCV9YxlVetv6r8ipipL0diwRxIqbGJg8UbiqKmV7zMuerOEy_SAk278IIhz3U69poSHWxvL_mqPiFzybAaf9zkS3j3TaHg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2qY5u92910C7expn-z-4WQSJI_lj-IIF07PSYgTJLVEX8FLEu5WlRncL93D9dg4HGrt21I1QKzQ7B75yUJr8SOw4WQztUVCV9YxlVetv6r8ipipL0diwRxIqbGJg8UbiqKmV7zMuerOEy_SAk278IIhz3U69poSHWxvL_mqPiFzybAaf9zkS3j3TaHg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids doing a little remodeling </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXOwxzyIwGn191AxtPoF8Jf3W4I7uzm17P3UazvYiG4WslJ5AJiXaJ36Qppf12PjbWNCk0594LCJUOF9b52L82xH5fomdwNGy49ZKOJqPOj3kQBOCjoIqoPjh6F3W6zaAs6yluTJYCzDpFNs6Z5ap5HYKgeqXF2IYzQ4y9QvRuC8ItmlG_l5zbcr_wWA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXOwxzyIwGn191AxtPoF8Jf3W4I7uzm17P3UazvYiG4WslJ5AJiXaJ36Qppf12PjbWNCk0594LCJUOF9b52L82xH5fomdwNGy49ZKOJqPOj3kQBOCjoIqoPjh6F3W6zaAs6yluTJYCzDpFNs6Z5ap5HYKgeqXF2IYzQ4y9QvRuC8ItmlG_l5zbcr_wWA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afton Apple Orchard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMFWmEZM4t0ISuZa-NZHnfQbCYRHeH5mN5v8JbsbwDRPubDa2dk3dRo67k8XWzxnh8osPRPtqCy0_a45HPuCpnpYablxevjBnsxTUM6TAUf20Q8yQ1AeoKC5M3oVmwh1h5g51ksroqOiO5CkXD_n8zNJd9Ea7COE52Tg_JhwdJOnZJEA6a8n2EotuXuA=s3088" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMFWmEZM4t0ISuZa-NZHnfQbCYRHeH5mN5v8JbsbwDRPubDa2dk3dRo67k8XWzxnh8osPRPtqCy0_a45HPuCpnpYablxevjBnsxTUM6TAUf20Q8yQ1AeoKC5M3oVmwh1h5g51ksroqOiO5CkXD_n8zNJd9Ea7COE52Tg_JhwdJOnZJEA6a8n2EotuXuA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall getaway where Laura ran a half marathon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid7A3UColU7m48bimUmpJmy3iEz3NrmbPDQUOGhNr0efkLjWaBfujMfOEcgVyxldYF4IHBKR52eeJjxpzKDD-8yMH1p05GyhV5czp-q6zdeVwv55CTepd48MiuYEr2rTd_c-jsF6YD7_voOc0MAs4uRCZ108li1DY8UQ-NJIEj0UeWnBydAIWXcidMPQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid7A3UColU7m48bimUmpJmy3iEz3NrmbPDQUOGhNr0efkLjWaBfujMfOEcgVyxldYF4IHBKR52eeJjxpzKDD-8yMH1p05GyhV5czp-q6zdeVwv55CTepd48MiuYEr2rTd_c-jsF6YD7_voOc0MAs4uRCZ108li1DY8UQ-NJIEj0UeWnBydAIWXcidMPQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall Healthy Kids races</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8FVjm9QnxxtieBxaH-44MYeGscKdTnQ0hCL8RYH3qGtqQ2B8OgQV-vDorSJNooTVv6qfWv_MdbHVAICWMftEkGPhmlaiPjSmcVYG7lfQjs_h5fx4SQ824Iyh7V-q9p3e3w8GzOvVY2LEwzNERB4T_vW5mMiPrCwRjkoUJmWUoy1Le6s_rzEkLSCEWUw=s6000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8FVjm9QnxxtieBxaH-44MYeGscKdTnQ0hCL8RYH3qGtqQ2B8OgQV-vDorSJNooTVv6qfWv_MdbHVAICWMftEkGPhmlaiPjSmcVYG7lfQjs_h5fx4SQ824Iyh7V-q9p3e3w8GzOvVY2LEwzNERB4T_vW5mMiPrCwRjkoUJmWUoy1Le6s_rzEkLSCEWUw=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ThanksChristmas in Nebraska</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiluolHUtKJxZ3muW9rzGYAr0ESPo-YN3Anq9KU_JJVwQgUFpDYN-dJjZXn-GgFqAWbNvOK0Vae6FyCoaCaCZJ8usV1HFUO2pbwHR9FPALEHxdmjKSnW89pu2-WiaSsM8PqV7yiYhN9kaZZAe-AsOlhANDRjT_2i208r1MqStyQakHbFrtAnlmPENONMA=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiluolHUtKJxZ3muW9rzGYAr0ESPo-YN3Anq9KU_JJVwQgUFpDYN-dJjZXn-GgFqAWbNvOK0Vae6FyCoaCaCZJ8usV1HFUO2pbwHR9FPALEHxdmjKSnW89pu2-WiaSsM8PqV7yiYhN9kaZZAe-AsOlhANDRjT_2i208r1MqStyQakHbFrtAnlmPENONMA=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas with Rochester family</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7SUt-8s484qpui1qOTldba0Xzm459ujH_Nod9Qiwj07UhKZKqbMvU8w_2nAqBnMNUIdJszOa3jgIbevKdWdY7tqVIPsnxWdo3Crx-NYQ9o_EBwBjy5oF9PcMrIuPnubh_ttCefG4Rh9EdTvCifcG7s0lSIwfIUxhvv1Uo3rvCxDYk41TxJIwpdr9S4g=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7SUt-8s484qpui1qOTldba0Xzm459ujH_Nod9Qiwj07UhKZKqbMvU8w_2nAqBnMNUIdJszOa3jgIbevKdWdY7tqVIPsnxWdo3Crx-NYQ9o_EBwBjy5oF9PcMrIuPnubh_ttCefG4Rh9EdTvCifcG7s0lSIwfIUxhvv1Uo3rvCxDYk41TxJIwpdr9S4g=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas at home in Eagan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXIMS8T7Iptsc2Jgg-VCbeKp6E0_V70koWbKnpnokrVUpGA3xn9aLNNKl9eUxqYhzH6WrPyLu12NTwdEDiIzabQnmSMavY2UbKYWfvhhbSK2m4vKkJDWiqoCyVroVOKCuHt1ru8jmRMWkaIXacV8L2dVKI8avMivaZc_PsxzpM8kNjBX0fh1b0FMasdQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXIMS8T7Iptsc2Jgg-VCbeKp6E0_V70koWbKnpnokrVUpGA3xn9aLNNKl9eUxqYhzH6WrPyLu12NTwdEDiIzabQnmSMavY2UbKYWfvhhbSK2m4vKkJDWiqoCyVroVOKCuHt1ru8jmRMWkaIXacV8L2dVKI8avMivaZc_PsxzpM8kNjBX0fh1b0FMasdQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSiH3dBDvLkG5JFtFqWSNXiKnEfVId8aGEo-WrvM_vKPr1P0uwDbwk1Wm5_ruxv_8WcDi8foljirnrUApwercS-bznphlgoG-j5BYRFZdWpysyZC_OIvzDyYlX-24O2Oq8XS7uG2Y8mGM2zFvrqAKHLI8tObAv3SOgkxqq3IlR-l-fE9r2ARMjgOAD8w=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSiH3dBDvLkG5JFtFqWSNXiKnEfVId8aGEo-WrvM_vKPr1P0uwDbwk1Wm5_ruxv_8WcDi8foljirnrUApwercS-bznphlgoG-j5BYRFZdWpysyZC_OIvzDyYlX-24O2Oq8XS7uG2Y8mGM2zFvrqAKHLI8tObAv3SOgkxqq3IlR-l-fE9r2ARMjgOAD8w=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>We ended the year with a trip up north to a rental house near Lutsen, Minn. It was very relaxing and fun hanging out and playing games with Laura's parents and her sister's family. Unfortunately, I spent two days pretty sick.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Twenty-twenty-one was a great year. We're looking forward to a wonderful 2022.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-56942279926037996802021-10-21T17:56:00.002-07:002021-10-21T17:56:37.275-07:00Running Update<p>It's been a tough few months for running. For years now I've dealt with a foot injury, and it finally came to a point where running wasn't happening. I took over a month off of running until I was finally walking pain-free. I was doing exercises to strengthen my foot and core, and after a couple months it seemed like I was turning a corner.</p><p>I wasn't — at least not in the direction I wanted to. My foot started hurting when I walked again and running was fairly painful.</p><p>I see a podiatrist in a couple weeks to hopefully get some ideas on how to move forward. In the meantime, I'm still running a little — run/walking, not too long, and not on consecutive days.</p><p>Thankfully we have two other runners in our house. My older kiddo just finished up soccer and now he's doing 1/4 mile races on Sundays.</p><p>My better half just checked another state off her half marathon list by running a half marathon in Lansing, Iowa after running the TC 10 Mile the week before.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim51I3vdFarl9DtceSxFwcPEBR4XjpgsOanvNtEdvmqmay754Cv6bamG-6yi841POaBISF_1l48SBZcWolfNlkopFjh7s11yES-uZBWBk94tpbNqY7iCkM-bIZ86Igi6CeOOloJFI48CMV/s3088/IMG_0053.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim51I3vdFarl9DtceSxFwcPEBR4XjpgsOanvNtEdvmqmay754Cv6bamG-6yi841POaBISF_1l48SBZcWolfNlkopFjh7s11yES-uZBWBk94tpbNqY7iCkM-bIZ86Igi6CeOOloJFI48CMV/w400-h300/IMG_0053.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the TC 10 Mile<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06ysvBNYl2_FprlDvIBO3JzeN29K0qMDpwgPWe8YuaOR4WIBbPO_DMlLZcZAbuN4xTfpPiHyWOTNl5nmtXJaSBAcV0N1ws52AjYm-4qoZZkKdIaNXI7Lsc1kNP3yCNrjZNs5C0Q4uMWhY/s4032/IMG_0102.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06ysvBNYl2_FprlDvIBO3JzeN29K0qMDpwgPWe8YuaOR4WIBbPO_DMlLZcZAbuN4xTfpPiHyWOTNl5nmtXJaSBAcV0N1ws52AjYm-4qoZZkKdIaNXI7Lsc1kNP3yCNrjZNs5C0Q4uMWhY/w400-h300/IMG_0102.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driftless Half Marathon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyynDOQkRqKZo_bwGgwu-sWSUgR9TQgiK_biGcEUS5egUIqfjxIG6qWcrUVPRQlf1PN6Sa31ZCPH89x0qCw7a3ntyABPJUqYXy4AOEb4pQaJbV8s80YlSO9b5m2ZMnC3HsWdha1fK_O-gj/s4032/IMG_0220.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyynDOQkRqKZo_bwGgwu-sWSUgR9TQgiK_biGcEUS5egUIqfjxIG6qWcrUVPRQlf1PN6Sa31ZCPH89x0qCw7a3ntyABPJUqYXy4AOEb4pQaJbV8s80YlSO9b5m2ZMnC3HsWdha1fK_O-gj/w400-h300/IMG_0220.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy in his 1/4 race</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Look for a home update soon. Be well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-21848107307950114142021-08-10T17:37:00.001-07:002021-08-10T17:37:38.017-07:00Obsessive Thoughts - Part 3<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: inherit;">In my previous two posts, I wrote about obsessive thoughts. In this post, I'll focus on some coping skills for obsessive thoughts.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: inherit;">I often times obsess over times when I've done something that doesn't align with my values. Attached to those times are feelings of guilt and shame.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: inherit;">One technique I've used from <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-1067402">DBT</a> is to IMPROVE the moment. IMPROVE stands for: imagery, meaning, prayer/practice, relaxation, one thing in the moment, vacation, and encouragement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">You can read about each of these techniques over at <a href="http://hartsteinpsychological.com">Hartstein Psychological</a>, but I'll focus on how each of these techniques do and don't work for me.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"><b>Imagery</b> can sometimes be helpful for me. I worked with my therapist on creating a peaceful place in my imagination to retreat from guilt-ridden or disturbing thoughts. One place I imagine is Little Island Lake, a lake I've visited several times at my uncle's and great uncle's cabins.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;">I picture the lake at dusk. The colors are slowly starting to dull as dusk fades and night begins. The air smells of clean, fresh water. Loons wail and tremolo as the breeze rustles the leaves of the many trees surrounding the lake.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;">Imaging that scene sometimes takes my mind off my worries, but not always — especially when I'm manic enough that it's nearly impossible to focus on that image.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Meaning</b> can also help me at times. When I'm ruminating on past mistakes, I think, <i>I have learned from this mistake and know better how to not repeat it.</i> I also sometimes think, <i>this is a mistake I can help my children avoid making.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Prayer/Practice</b> involves praying to a higher power (in my case God/Jesus) or practicing mastery such as memorizing the lyrics to a song. I sometimes listen to rote prayers or Bible passages, and this can be helpful at times, but again, sometimes I'm too manic to be able to focus on any one thing for too long.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Relaxation</b> activities are things that can help relax your body and mind. Activities like progressive relaxation have been helpful for me in the past. In the future, I'm going to do a better job of practicing relaxation when I'm not in a depressed or manic state so I can have better mastery when I am experiencing bipolar symptoms.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>One thing in the moment</b> means trying to focus yourself fully in the present. My mantra lately has been, "I'm doing exactly what I want/need to be doing right now." You can also focus on your sensations that you are experiencing in the moment, counting objects, or paying attention to the sensation of your breath.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Vacation </b>is a useful coping skill when you are feeling acutely anxious or depressed. It has helped me in the past to take a step back from what I am doing and talk to a close friend. Taking a walk or going somewhere relaxing for a while can also be helpful.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Encouragement</b> generally refers to mantras to encourage oneself. I would also say that encouragement can also be offering encouragement to someone else. Text or call a friend or family member and let them know something you appreciate about them. Taking your focus away from what's going wrong with you may help you to feel better about your situation.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;">If you read this far, I hope these techniques were useful.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="background-color: white;">Be well.</span></span></p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-85189632912029906482021-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:002021-08-01T18:27:14.719-07:00Obsessive Thoughts - Part 2<p>In my previous post, I touched on obsessive thoughts. To reiterate, it's important not to shame yourself over obsessive thoughts. When you tell yourself, "I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts," you're very unlikely to stop thinking those thoughts, and you're actually likely to think about them more by bringing them to awareness.</p><p>When I fall into a mixed state (features of mania, depression, and anxiety), I often begin to obsess over some of my past mistakes. In this post, I'll focus on the anxiety side as that is the most common emotion people deal with.</p><p>After one of my hospitalizations, I attended a DBT group therapy class. According to<a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-1067402"> Very Well Mind</a>, DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, <span style="font-family: inherit;">is<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> is, "a type of </span><a data-component="link" data-ordinal="1" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="internalLink" href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-behavior-therapy-2795747" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a55ad; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: color 0.15s ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;">cognitive-behavioral therapy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">When obsessive thoughts become acute, one helpful technique from DBT is to IMPROVE the moment. IMPROVE stands for: imagery, meaning, prayer/practice, relaxation, one thing in the moment, vacation, and encouragement.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">You can read about each of these techniques over at <a href="http://hartsteinpsychological.com">Hartstein Psychological</a>, but I'll focus on how each of these techniques do and don't work for me in my next post.</span></span></p><h5 class="icon_title" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(28, 28, 28); border: 0px; color: white; display: table-cell; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.7px; line-height: 1.57143em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 260px;"><br /></h5>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-78258687816692273522021-06-13T18:25:00.000-07:002021-06-13T18:25:34.430-07:00Obsessive Thoughts - Part 1<p>Do you ever get really obsessed with something? I wager that everyone gets obsessed with something or someone at some point in their lives.</p><p>Obsessions are not always all bad. If you become obsessed with cleaning your kitchen perfectly, you may get it very clean. However, if you are so obsessed you can't get out of the house on time or to bed on time because you feel your kitchen has to be perfect — that's a problem.</p><p>Obsessive thoughts are a feature of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and can also manifest in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Obsessive thoughts can also lead to compulsive behaviors like worrying about the door being locked so much that one has to lock it several times to relieve the obsessive thought.</p><p>In cases where feelings of shame or guilt are centered around compulsive thoughts, trying to "not" think the thoughts can actually make the obsession worse. This is due to a quirk in brain chemistry. By trying "not" to think the thought, it makes one's brain more aware of the thought and in turn makes it continue to think the thought.</p><p>When I'm feeling depressed/anxious, I often obsess over incidents of past mistakes and become overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and shame.</p><p>There are many ways to treat obsessive thoughts. For a detailed article, I recommend: <a href="https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/signs/obsessive-thoughts">How to Stop Obsessive Thoughts</a> from CalmClinic.</p><p>That's all for now. Look for my next post on obsessions soon.</p><p><br /></p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-60147485780579234442021-05-27T17:36:00.000-07:002021-05-27T17:36:24.660-07:00Mania Decision Tree<p>As I've gotten older and become more self-aware about my bipolar disorder, I've become better at managing my hypomanic symptoms.</p><p>When I start to become hypomanic, there are a variety of symptoms, some of which can be helpful. Helpful symptoms include increased energy and creativity, goal driven behavior, and gregariousness. Unfortunately, these helpful symptoms can also go too far and get out of hand.</p><p>With the increased energy, I can work out too much which both saps time and can lead to injury. Goal driven behavior sometimes has me overextend myself, and I start projects I don't finish and put too much on my plate for the day.</p><p>Gregariousness is the worst to deal with as I continue to become more hypomanic. While I can sometimes be funny and engaging, my gregariousness makes me try to dominate conversations, joke around when others aren't in the mood, or try to strike up conversations with strangers.</p><p>With each of the symptoms, I try my best to use my Mania Decision Tree.</p><p>To deal with high energy and goal-driven behaviors, I ask myself questions like: Is this something I would do if I wasn't manic? Is this useful? Do I have time for this?</p><p>To deal with gregariousness, I have a few questions I ask myself. Questions include: Do other people seem like they’re in the mood to joke around? Is saying this really necessary? Am I talking more than everyone else? Could I ask more questions rather than talking about myself?</p><p>Medications and behavior management have been a godsend for me, but medications can stop working and things can spiral out of control. When medications aren't working perfectly, it's been helpful to stop and ask myself questions to cope with my symptoms. </p><p>Stay well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-54482270757116475922021-05-22T03:50:00.002-07:002021-05-23T17:22:08.117-07:00Home Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXooQ3us12LsGdb0zX-Vo9cgl3MKTA8AzQ3VLKemNqQLapKfGwXxPRcLVM29KOeifi8Z-Nvgd_MkppzA3dNRrooivhsL_ArPjDiNroBNduyUBjwQJ01Mdj83cWDN3UOg_vXnNIEEK7EnqV/s1024/IMG_6155.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXooQ3us12LsGdb0zX-Vo9cgl3MKTA8AzQ3VLKemNqQLapKfGwXxPRcLVM29KOeifi8Z-Nvgd_MkppzA3dNRrooivhsL_ArPjDiNroBNduyUBjwQJ01Mdj83cWDN3UOg_vXnNIEEK7EnqV/s320/IMG_6155.HEIC" /></a></div><br /><p>I just checked and it's been three months since I did a home update. It was pretty wintery then, and it's pretty summery now, so I'll try to fill in the gap since February.</p><p>As you see from above, we've returned to the zoo. Going to the zoo is a nice break from the house. I like to be moving, and watching the kiddos enjoying viewing the animals is entertaining. </p><p>We've gone to the zoo a few times since February. Big brother walked between a couple and several miles in our two hour visits. Little sister enjoys riding in her stroller, getting out to wave at animals, saying, "neigh, neigh," to anything that looks vaguely like a horse, and saying, "puppy," to anything that doesn't look too much like a horse.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEOqKeJaO17oTjnrWMopHlPdhlmLkNK7bNCbB0XHZh-uXWvdVYPBsCwLVcOoYv1j8O1KVtSb9pdWcRz9inpYHUnmGS4ABWGXqG6M6hVrUrG3i8rrzkM4K2i4WX7Iqo1baPQeMURAuWTdH/s4032/IMG_6237.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEOqKeJaO17oTjnrWMopHlPdhlmLkNK7bNCbB0XHZh-uXWvdVYPBsCwLVcOoYv1j8O1KVtSb9pdWcRz9inpYHUnmGS4ABWGXqG6M6hVrUrG3i8rrzkM4K2i4WX7Iqo1baPQeMURAuWTdH/s320/IMG_6237.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Our church put on a socially distanced Easter egg hunt at the end of March. They also did a nice job of talking about Easter and what it means that Jesus is alive.</p><p>We've been doing online church now for over a year, and we're looking forward to going to outdoor services soon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGpAWMdIDbGRp7uTB3q6bAwMuIcnjesxDlaZ11WcWUJS3nnoKUF41EOKQcQwSPlpI6aJz4JGnbUZGwDhg8tgr-loXWykYGcZjGvg8nQQoGpKkAF7_rQvTx14TxCGHiQpQ-g5KJErvaCdD/s4032/IMG_6555.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGpAWMdIDbGRp7uTB3q6bAwMuIcnjesxDlaZ11WcWUJS3nnoKUF41EOKQcQwSPlpI6aJz4JGnbUZGwDhg8tgr-loXWykYGcZjGvg8nQQoGpKkAF7_rQvTx14TxCGHiQpQ-g5KJErvaCdD/s320/IMG_6555.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The sand table has been a big hit with the kids and neighbors. Big brother has a neighborhood friend he really likes to play with, so he always wants to go outside when he sees the neighbor outside. I'm glad there are lots if kids in the neighborhood for him to play with.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuZpoobhVTTFyXzAhgYue-bd8QljOYPGvojrZWgnNEvjAwbt_XUCac_H_cgZZS6BiZt2ugss9HeCofMalLOlgw-sgMAe0gFh7KI6SCg8N8ZcffHW6jePlKsQIGydLy82xfBhosS6K3YUT/s1600/IMG_6566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuZpoobhVTTFyXzAhgYue-bd8QljOYPGvojrZWgnNEvjAwbt_XUCac_H_cgZZS6BiZt2ugss9HeCofMalLOlgw-sgMAe0gFh7KI6SCg8N8ZcffHW6jePlKsQIGydLy82xfBhosS6K3YUT/s320/IMG_6566.JPG" /></a></div><p>We did something with friends without masks for the first time in a year. With the four of us fully vaccinated, we got dinner and attended a drive up benefit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42llReoZNYROHaJE1ryXzqwe9Wx2OA2Bg7qmwz2c1DVwBpzHiwTcmLhwNxZtGWHGZqyCZtiB331Had5uNk8puRwkcMgaVHxKW9x0ZzL2krO-kxdGeKg2pRy_wwCKAQamB4UARBJ7K5XZe/s4032/IMG_6775.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42llReoZNYROHaJE1ryXzqwe9Wx2OA2Bg7qmwz2c1DVwBpzHiwTcmLhwNxZtGWHGZqyCZtiB331Had5uNk8puRwkcMgaVHxKW9x0ZzL2krO-kxdGeKg2pRy_wwCKAQamB4UARBJ7K5XZe/s320/IMG_6775.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p>There are so many pictures I could share thanks to my amazing wife, but picking more is overwhelming me, so I'll end with a little prose you can take or leave:</p><p>It's such a blessing to be home with the littlest one all week and adding her brother on one or two of those days. I have had some challenges with some bipolar symptoms, but I've been fortunate to have extended family come and help me with the kids while I get some projects done, run errands, and do something relaxing like running.</p><p>Thank you to all for your words and thoughts of support.</p><p>Stay well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-77928506287971354882021-04-19T17:58:00.001-07:002021-04-19T17:58:56.806-07:00Monthly GoalsIn my previous post, I wrote about how my yearly goals were going and mentioned how my monthly goals haven’t been going as well.<div><br /></div><div>I started off on the right foot with January and ate three servings of vegetables a day the entire month. I was able to roll that goal into February, March, and now April.</div><div><br /></div><div>February and March didn’t go as well. The goal for February was one snack per day and I hit that goal around four out of twenty-eight days. </div><div><br /></div><div>March’s goal was two sweets per week or fewer, and that also didn’t go as well. I think I maybe made it one week without sweets</div><div><br /></div><div>Although my February and March goals were a bust, I did get down to race weight, which sets me up for April’s goal of maintaining race weight. As of this writing, I've been at or under race weight since the end of March.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even though I missed February and March's goals, I'm going to retroactively incorporate them in to the rest of this year, with one modification.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the snack goal, instead of one snack per day, I'm going with one snack on days when I work out for fewer than 45 minutes. For awhile while I was working on my weight, I was losing a little more weight than I needed to, so a couple snacks on days when I work out over 45 minutes isn't going to break the bank.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as the sweets goal goes, I'm rededicating myself to two sweets per week. And that means two sweets, not a free-for-all on days when I'm eating sweets. To make myself more likely to be successful, I'm going to plan out my treats and look forward to them rather than putting myself in a deprivation mindset.</div><div><br /></div><div>Initially I was tempted to tell myself I'd just take a couple days off per week from sweets, but this feels better. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eleven more days of April and I'm off to the next goal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay well.</div>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-79620945107463317592021-04-12T18:05:00.003-07:002021-04-12T18:05:54.090-07:00Goal Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeKX8bO64x4-OMVqUu3yM57W0NmQ3b8hHe8kDKF9QP04UBf7X2wz3fxI0zH186MIWyEwklTdo4edO6vGqpflh0Ex0jZtwR4lkkHmv7Pjcn32nPvEvU0WtuJXt4LRliIqoqpaFo5ltPDb6/s1600/P1210053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeKX8bO64x4-OMVqUu3yM57W0NmQ3b8hHe8kDKF9QP04UBf7X2wz3fxI0zH186MIWyEwklTdo4edO6vGqpflh0Ex0jZtwR4lkkHmv7Pjcn32nPvEvU0WtuJXt4LRliIqoqpaFo5ltPDb6/w400-h300/P1210053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Every year for the past decade or so, I've set goals for the year. I did the same this year, but I also added some monthly goals. The yearly goals have been going great. The monthly goals — well, not so much. Here's an update on the yearly goals:</p><p>1. Run 1,400 miles: I don't want to jinx this one, but it's been going better than I would have thought, especially considering a foot injury last November that slowed me down at the beginning of the year. If I continue running at the rate I've done for the first three months of the year, I'll be over 1,750 miles by the end of the year.</p><p>2. Break 18:15 in the 5K: Last year my goal was to break 18 minutes, and from July through October, I couldn't get it done. I came agonizingly close with an 18:02, which happened to be my last attempt of the year. Being a year older this year and imagining I wouldn't been training quite as hard, I thought 18:15 would be a stretch, but doable. Imagine my surprise when I ran 17:53 on my first try of the year. One goal accomplished before the end of March.</p><p>3. Run an in-person race: The running club I’m in, Run Minnesota, is putting on a 5K on Saturday, April 17. I’ll be there barring any unforeseen circumstances.</p><p>4. Finish a Marathon: If I can stay healthy, I'll either finish Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon or do a virtual marathon.</p><p>5. Average one-and-a-half hours of strength training per week: I've been averaging around two hours a week, so this one's going well and should be easy to complete since I can do strength training injured or not.</p><p>In my next post, I'll give an update on my monthly goals.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3457540561329963624.post-17971357573295655922021-03-30T10:46:00.000-07:002021-03-30T10:46:25.951-07:00Running Update<p>This blog used to be exclusively about running, but over time it's become more personal and featured more posts about mental health.</p><p>I know some of my running-related readers have still stuck around, so I thought it was time to give an update on how my running is going.</p><p>Last November, we purchased a treadmill. It did wonders for my running over the winter months. With the pandemic going on, we felt better about not getting a gym membership, and having a treadmill made running indoors convenient — even more convenient than running at the gym. I did miss the indoor track, but the ease of running as a stay-at-home dad and squeezing workouts in during naptimes was great.</p><p>Once the warmer weather started, I began doing a lot of stroller runs. Most of them have been with the youngest, who's been awesome during stroller runs (she loves to look at puppies, and we make animal sounds together), but I've also done a handful with both of them. It's nice that they both tolerate, if not enjoy, jogging stroller rides. I think they find it relaxing as both of them have fallen asleep on occasion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9WdYppLdNbxKfcmk07AVAfP4ESpWkT-J6o2t9bEzjP7e50inEg3uuqvk92NZxgVCWQl3oTmt69rExJFyzLBCyomV3VWNaJ2yocI5CPpGves8vry_TQA4REF-_aGaoTdivuj9h1rE5gOg/s4032/IMG_1832.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9WdYppLdNbxKfcmk07AVAfP4ESpWkT-J6o2t9bEzjP7e50inEg3uuqvk92NZxgVCWQl3oTmt69rExJFyzLBCyomV3VWNaJ2yocI5CPpGves8vry_TQA4REF-_aGaoTdivuj9h1rE5gOg/w300-h400/IMG_1832.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p>My spring mileage has been better than it's been in several years, and I'll touch on the numbers a bit in my next post.</p><p>I haven't been doing much in the way of structured workouts. In the winter I was doing one session a week of 3 X 30s all-out sprints three times (I read about the workout on a blog describing the workout as I way to maintain fitness). I also do a tempo run on occasion.</p><p>The most exciting thing that's happened to me during this early spring is breaking my goal time for the year in the 5K.</p><p>I was pretty happy with my first 5K of the year for several reasons. First off, I did the Eagan parkrun course, which was a tougher course than most of the courses I picked last year, including my best time of last year, 18:02, on a pancake flat course. The parkrun has a significant hill that shows up twice in the looped course.</p><p>The second thing was how early in the season this race was. I set a goal of running under 18:15 for the year, and I planned on having a legitimate shot at that goal in the fall.</p><p>Thirdly, I hadn't done any specific workouts for the 5K yet. I'd done a few fartleks and a handful of tempo runs, but no structured training plans.</p><p>The virtual race went very well. I started off at a semi-comfortable pace — I wasn't planning on going all-out in my first race of the year. I checked my pace at the half mile mark and saw that I was averaging 6:00 / mile. I was pretty happy with that as it would put me at a pretty decent time for my first 5K of the year.</p><p>I kept going comfortably hard without looking at my watch until just over the halfway point. When I looked down, I saw that I was averaging 5:47 / mile. I was pretty surprised. I wasn't feeling that tired, and if I kept up at that pace, I would easily meet my goal for the year.</p><p>In the back of my mind, I also thought that based on how I was feeling, it wouldn't be out of the question to break 18 minutes — a goal I couldn't hit all last year.</p><p>With a little less than a mile to go, my legs still felt fresh, so I started pushing the pace. I never felt overly tired and didn't even feel the burn I normally feel in my lungs and legs during a 5K, so I think had I started out just a bit harder at the start, I could have run 10 - 20 seconds faster.</p><p>I ended up finishing in 17:53 — a 5:45 / mile pace. Running that fast that early in the season and running faster than I could manage all last season despite more structured workouts and higher mileage left me to wonder how I did it.</p><p>The main reason was consistent mileage. After running my virtual marathon in November, while I took it easy in the couple weeks after, past that I kept running pretty consistently.</p><p>I also think that not doing structured workouts and running about 10 miles fewer per week that last fall when I was trying to break 18 minutes might have helped me, or at least come out in the wash as it left my legs pretty fresh compared to last year when I was training concurrently for a marathon.</p><p>Finally, I've also been doing more auxiliary running-related exercise than ever. I've been doing some work from Jay Johnson's website that was suggested to me by a cross country coach I've worked with, some Foundation Training work, and plyometrics. Not sure if they've made me faster or healthier, but they certainly haven't hurt as the only thing that's been bothering me is an over two-year-old chronic foot injury, and that only hurts when I'm at home barefoot.</p><p>The doctor I saw recommended I wear shoes in the house, so while that seems to be working, I'd still like the injury to go away completely.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGeMpcNrLyU0_uzidPHjRaLAKcpo-o4YyOdg5xn1uSla_2ElAOlbQXuIsLmK-KlYYvNGkbGNsCBiV2W7Jg_8gGfLxvu3e7-9udwOIkLM8sk7rGe_8E1HlKVMGirZCpolNiuiMAquYUOPX/s4032/IMG_1836.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGeMpcNrLyU0_uzidPHjRaLAKcpo-o4YyOdg5xn1uSla_2ElAOlbQXuIsLmK-KlYYvNGkbGNsCBiV2W7Jg_8gGfLxvu3e7-9udwOIkLM8sk7rGe_8E1HlKVMGirZCpolNiuiMAquYUOPX/w300-h400/IMG_1836.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slop city on a long run where I thought a two<br />mile loop through Lebanon Hills would be<br />a good idea</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Thanks for reading my long-winded running update.</p><p>Stay well.</p>Nate Leckbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00540704170708498043noreply@blogger.com0