Infection

So we missed our first practice this week. I think we had a good excuse as our daughter got a foot infection. Now, we don't really know when or how it happened. What we do know is a. we have a cat and b. there are marks on LT's foot that look remarkably like cat bite marks.

After our usual routine on Thursday morning, I went to work. I come almost everyday for lunch and so I called beforehand. After not getting an answer at home, I called our cell. And a "where are you guys?" was answered with "Convienent Care". What? In the mid-morning as they were going outside, T noticed LT's foot was swollen, a trip to CC, then to the drug store to get the antibiotics. Anyway, she appears to be fine now. Never did she get a fever (really, she was never in a bad mood). She had a little bit of a limp yesterday but today the swelling had gone down and there was never any spreading.

So yeah, that was fun. It does not help that I am really paranoid about random infections like that. I have had 2 of them. Soph year in high school during cross country at "Semi-state" (the 3rd of 4 levels of the Indiana state tourney process) was my first. A half mile into the race, there is a sharp lefthand turn. This was on a course that we ran 3 or 4 times a year, so I positioned myself on the inside. Unfortunately, the guy next to me wanted to get inside or something as well. He planted on my right foot w/ 5/8" spikes. And he turned while still in there.

I have been spiked many times, my first thought was it would not be so bad. Well, the first step was very painful. And the second one sent a sharp pain up my leg. I was done. Ugh. I remembering struggling to walk back and not being very happy. Plenty of time waiting in the er after. They sew it up with some advice "It is probably going to get infected, so see your doctor soon". Anyway, it did get infected I was on crutches for 6 weeks. But they did not cut me from bball, probably sympathy.

The second was in the spring of 2000. It was the year I started grad school, I got in during the "winter" semester at Michigan and I was working full time at a local chem place. Near finals, there was plenty of stuff going on at work and at school and of course with ultimate. Our last weekend before regionals, we had 2 practices. Nothing out of the ordinary, one small cut below my left knee. But anyone who has played ultimate has had the same thing happen to them, I am sure.

Anyway, I went to bed Sunday nite with a sore left knee. I have "Pre-patellar bursitis" (aka "Housemaid's knee). So my left knee is always a little bigger than my right knee. And if I land on it wrong, it call flare up. When I went to bed, I just assumed that I landed wrong at some point.

That nite I did not sleep well and when I got up to go to work, I stepped out of bed on my left leg. And proceeded to fall over. I had stayed at T's that nite and she asked "are you ok?" To that, I replied "I can't walk". My temp turned out to be 103. So yeah, another ER trip. This time was the fastest to get seen. Immediately taken back and put an IV in. The fever goes up a little and the first 24 hours absolutely sucked. IV's + painkillers on a continual drip.

Tuesday was much better, my fever came down considerably and the pain was pretty much gone. It was a staph infection, but no one really understood how it happened. I did have that cut. And we did practice next to the Huron River (not the cleanest river), but the docs really thought that should not happen. But it did. I stayed into the hospital until Saturday. Which was the start of regionals at Purdon't. I did have thoughts of driving down there that nite, but I had to inject myself with antibiotics. And after each injection, I pretty much was shot for an hour or 2. I imagine kind of like a druggie, only not so good.

After qualifying for natties, I was still on the IV drugs for ~2 weeks. Basically, did nothing for those 2 weeks because I had to give myslef drugs every 6 hours. And I was knocked afterwards for some time afterwards.

I got my knee checked out at Medsport, they told me not to play at nationals in 10 days. I asked the pt, who also played frisbee, what I should do. After telling me the best thing for my knee was to take another month or 2 off, she told me she would play at nationals if it were her.

So I did, I was horribly out of shape, although I got an appreciation for watching baseball back. I hyper-extended my other knee 3 times on the weekend. We lost to Salisbury Steak in the first round, beat UCSC, and lost to Colorado. Of course, the steak lost to sc and so we were done from the prequarters due to point diff. And we finished 9th. Good times. My knee, I feel, I are still pretty fragile, so anytime I mention that, this is what I mean.

Recent frisbee stuff-
the flycoons aka spangled finished 2nd at the calgary tourney. Losing to Edmonton again

Workouts-
Sat - 2 sets of 5/5/5s, I think. The hard 5 minutes was at 6 minute mile pace.
Sun - 10 200s (2 sets of 3, last set was 4) all 33, one was 34. Felt pretty good.
Mon- 40 minutes on the exercise bike
Tue - 2 x 100/150/200/200/150/100 (200s at 32/33, 150 23/24, 100 13)
Wed - nothing, just a long day or something
Thu - 25/30 ez run
Fri - nothing again, too tired
Today - I have not yet decided but something soon.

Also, the new VW ads have all songs off the new wilco album. Sweet. I still need toget the album yet. Maybe it comes with a car. Hmmmm.

Nothing

Ultimate- we are in full swing figuring out how to play co-ed with 2 kids. There is probably not a more perfect team for what we want to try and get out of this year. There is only one practice a week, the absolute max we could do. We live 45 miles south of missoula, it is a very ez drive. But that is about all we can stand for road trips right now. We are spolied as we live 3 miles from where I work, so there is not much car time these days. We have also been lucky enough to leave our oldest at home with a sitter. That makes practice a little easier.

The team itself is pretty interesting because there are plenty of men, but not nearly enough women. The main weakness of this team will not be to practice 4/3 really ever. There will be ~10 women on the team, but at least half are usually not in Missoula. For men, save for a couple of men out in the field for the summer, there are usually 15 or so. At times, it is 6/1 on the field which changes the dynamic completely. I have no idea about the personnel and where they are, etc., but it seems that there will be occasions when we can practice 4/3.

As far as the practices go, it is good to have one day to run around a little bit. We have been trying to discuss o + d stuff at the first couple, so presumably the practices will speed up as everyone gains comfort in new ideas. I love being part of a team trying to figure a new system. Especially since I sit back and watch a little more at practice, it becomes obvious which team is playing more and thinking less. And that is usually the team that wins on all levels, the team that thinks less while playing.

I also love going to new team's practices. I always wish I played a year or 2 with one of the top teams (read win nationals or get to semis at least). I have always wondered how their practices ran, drills, etc. Please, I would love insights into the practices from the great years of dog, condors, etc. At least, what happened and what was done. I have my own beliefs, but never have I been playing late on a Sautrday at nationals. What am I doing wrong? (besides not moving to Seattle)...

It will also be interesting to see if a team that practices only once a week and goes to tourneys ~1 a month can succeed. Well, that depends how one defines "succeed". I would think, at the very least, everyone on the team wants to get to nationals. And I think that most of want to do well at nationals. Now, as I say this, I checked the Easterns or Boston Invite or whatever it officially is now and saw that no team West of the Mississippi lost to a team from East of the Mississippi. Even better, the northwest region lost only 1 game (results from the first 5 rounds), from non-northwest opponents. Hmmm, have I ever mentioned that the Northwest region is the hardest region EVER... Sorry, I just moved here, I have to work on dropping that as much as possible.

The other funny thing is I have no idea how good these teams. I have no idea about actual co-ed strategy, aside from some 5/2 success at P.days and a 4/3 victory at the famous Shampoo Banana tourney. I mean, Shazam is 5-0, Mischief is 4-1 etc., but I never played against good co-ed only teams. Only whore teams for a summer tourney. The Flycoons went up to Calagary this weekend, but we could not make it. The thing is there is obviously talent here, just not sure how it will translate. It is not like picking some of the madison guys in 05 and knowing that we were back on top of the region. We are on a talented team in the region that always win coed nationals.

Fortunately, we are *planning* to go to the ECC coed tourney. This is in 2 months and basically right before the series begins, so who knows how informative that will be for us. At the very least, it should be an interesting experience playing in a top level coed tourney with only coed teams.

On a side note, anyone know any good babysitters who would be willing to hang out at ultimate fields and watch frisbee for a weekend in Seattle? Or more specifically just north of seattle? Let me know.

Basically what I am trying to get at it, I have no idea about how good we will be. I felt I always had a handle about what our team could accomplish on Sub Zero and magnUM, but not here.

Working Out- it has been up and down. We were all sick the past week, so it was tough. Even on my "sick" day, I went for a slow bike ride pulling the kids in our nifty little trailer. Of course, that absolutely wiped me out for the rest of the day. I was able to have a decent workout last nite at like 10. 2 x 5/5/5 (5 minute jog/hard/walk on the track. I ran the hard at 6 minute mile pace and felt pretty good). I ended the workout with 2 hard 200s 31 + 33. Hopefully, that translates to another hard workout tonite.

Other hard workouts I have done were 2 X 400/300/200/100, 4 x 100/200/100, and 3 x 100/200/200/100. I also had my longest run of the year, 48 minutes following a good portion of a 10K course + getting a little lost along the way.

Other stuff - I am probably 1 of 22 people in the country bummed that the us track championships are not on tv anywhere I can find.

Umm, I will admit to checking scores of a coed tourney (boston) for the first time ever.

And both youngsters are up, I should be a parent