Damn it feels good to be a gangsta

I haven't talked much about my leg in a while, but this weekend was pretty leg-focused, or perhaps leg-centric, as on Saturday we walked about 5 miles to REI and back (finally bought Dan's sleeping bag with some gift cards and our wedding gift from Monkey, thanks again Monkey!). The big REI flagship store is right next to Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek and the South Platte River meet, and Saturday afternoon saw oodles of people enjoying the day (the first day it had been cooler than 80 degrees in a while) and quite a few dogs playing in the water. Two dogs in particular, a black and a yellow lab, swam happily through the current after gravel tossed by their owner and, after getting swept downstream over and over again, made their way over to the bank and back only to repeat the process. Dan had a good time taking photos and I dipped my feet in the cool water, face shaded by my big floppy hat. Saturday was a good day.

Sunday, we had a hard time getting motivated. We had talked about going hiking, and decided Sunday would be better since we'd get more benefit from the cooler weather in the foothills. Because we were lazy and enjoying the morning, we didn't get started hiking until around 2 PM. But it was worth the trip up to Evergreen - we hiked about 5 miles along a gorgeous trail, saw all kinds of pretty wildflowers, mountain bicyclists, and lots and lots of dogs. Two of them, a yellow lab and a black something mutt-ish, greeted us as we sat on a bench at the halfway point eating a snack. By the time we got back to the car, I knew that my leg was DONE. The PT said I could try some relatively easy hiking and just see how my leg did, so we picked a relatively easy trail. While it was a nice hike, I felt like most of my body could have done much, much more - if it weren't for this whole leg thing.

I haven't written a lot of really meaty posts on here recently. I've been feeling kind of down, if you hadn't guessed, and I think a lot of it has to do with my leg. Sure, I can walk just fine. I can do the elliptical trainer and ride the stationary bike at the gym. I can lift weights. I can do a (really easy, not especially challenging) hike. But there's so many things I still can't do, and it will be a long time before I can do. I can't run. I can't dance (not that the PT told me not to, but every time I've tried it hurts). I can't do a lot of yoga or pilates so I don't bother going to class. I certainly can't climb 14ers. There are things I wanted to do this summer that I can't do. Having physical restrictions is really frustrating. I want to be able to climb mountains! Mostly I want to be able to dance at my sister's wedding in early August, so I'm going to do what it takes to rehab my leg properly. The waiting game sucks.

In other news, I have a bike now! Dan's mom gave me her old bike and since we're the same height it will work for me. I just have to get a bike helmet.

Also, may I recommend the song mentioned in the title of this post for driving purposes? It's on the Office Space soundtrack, and really gets your head bobbing.