Happy New Year to All!  Just got back from a drive to Venice, FL with the family.  A wonderful 50th wedding anniversary celebration with the in-laws.

It has been a rough 5 months for me physically with the shoulder injury.  I have been continuing my strong running efforts and still logging some 25-30 miles/week.  However, my shoulder injury from July has not healed and I have a clavicular non-union.  Basically, I have a fracture that never healed.  I have been restricted from biking and swimming.  The prevailing theory is that the subclavian artery shunt that saved my life back in 2011 also compromised the blood supply to the overlying clavicle.  When I fractured it, it was doomed.  I have the choice of continuing on with a broken clavicle, (6 months+ now) versus surgical intervention.  Despite my hurdles, I have been able to work, run a turkey trot with Kathy, participate in Cleveland’s Dancing with the Stars (and get 2nd place!), and keep up my fatherly duties.   I am going to try and do as much as possible with it as is and if life is OK, no surgery for now.  It is not a pleasant experience.  The limitations in physical activity have been far worse than my open heart surgery.  My ability to rally my spirits has definitely been tested.  I start 2015 with hope.