Central Park and Surgery

One of the joys of being a runner is that you can do it just about anywhere.  Last week, I was a guest speaker at a conference in New York City...and, of course, I brought my running shoes.  We were staying only a few blocks from Central Park, which has some great running routes...so I gave one a try!  The view from the Onassis Reservoir is amazing:

And, from the runner's perspective:

It was a great run -- planned about 6.5, but ended up running 7.2.  It turns out that Central Park is easy to find and easy to run in, but almost impossible to get out of.  I missed my exit no less than three times.  Still, a great run!  I also got my first real long run out of the way last weekend, and did 17.2 miles -- felt outstanding from start to finish, a great sign.  I did the run in 2:17.28, right on 7:58 per mile.  3:45 in Seattle is still looking good!

Unfortunately, it's not all sunny skies and open roads -- from the prior blog you know that I'm on the road to my third surgery.  I'm happy to report that I've successfully fought (for a third time) with the insurance company, and they will cover the full cost of the surgery and the travel.  This is great news -- it means I can go back to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, to the same surgeon who has done my last two surgeries.  He was recently profiled in a Newsweek article -- pretty fascinating!  It's only a page and definitely worth reading, but feel free to disregard the statistics...I've already beaten all of them ;-).  After getting the insurance approvals, I went ahead and scheduled surgery -- get your calendars out -- I'm going back for brain surgery #3 on December 11th.  Pre-op labs and scans on the 8th, neuro consult on the 10th, and surgery on the 11th.  According to the surgeon, I should be home in time for Christmas!  

In all, we're very happy with the timing, and with the approval to return to the surgeon we know and trust.  Of course, little Monkey had a great time in New York (here at the giant Toys-R-Us Times Square)...
So, we're all set for a third surgery.  I'm running a marathon the week before I go into surgery, and already have another scheduled for six months after surgery...crazy?  Sure...but what do you expect from someone who's had two -- soon three -- lobotomies?