Confession

I must confess, I slept in yesterday, didn't work out. But I did get back to the gym today - 1400 yd swim and 30 minutes on the bike. To be honest, I have had a hard time with motivation the last couple months as most of the time I have felt like I was hit by a bus. Sometimes I hobble around like I'm 80 (and my wife makes fun of me). After these last couple of months I think people who live with chronic pain really suffer tremendously. Sometimes it's hard to even function, can you say "Ibuprofen". Appropriate songs for my state of mind would be "Troubled by These Days and Times" or "If I Could See an End" (by Savoy Brown for you 70's rockers). I covet the day I wake up and feel good in all my body parts (I hope that day is soon!). Overall, everything is okay with my life, I just feel so old and in need of a new body. There have been a few times where I thought maybe I might not get any races in this summer, but thankfully those thoughts were fleeting.


I am hoping to repeat the TriGlenwood sprint which is in a pool and for fun I may do it with my snorkle (it's okay with USAT). Would I be considered a major wimp if I did that?

Better Day

My stone passed, the Percocets worked great, and all is better. Went to PT yesterday and today which went well. I didn't win the powerball, $3 down the drain! Tommorrow it's back in the pool and on the stationary bike. Monday it's back to weight training.

Found a Cycleops trainer, mat, thong, riser block, training DVD, and a Cateye Bike computer all for $330, which seems to be a very good deal. I'll balance the ol' checkbook tonight and see if I can afford it !

Have a great weekend of working out and enjoying life!

Bad Day, Worse Day, Good Day, Could Be A Great Day?

Bad Day: Picked up my Buick and handed over my bike $ to fix the transmission. As Geekgirl told me: "Pretty soon you'll learn to give up silly things like cars, food, and housing in favor of triathlon gear. Then you will have arrived! ;-)"

Worse Day: Thought I was having a back spasm this morning and I am instead passing a kidney stone (#6 in my life). I have taken the pain killers and am waiting for them to kick in. I was about a 9 on the pain scale of 1-10 earlier, crying, it hurt so bad, vomiting, blood pressure through the roof. Now I'm at about a 6 on the pain scale. I can feel the stone making its way along the tract, the kidney is hurting less. Lots and lots of water to dialate!

Good Day: Went to the Orthopaedic surgeon, had x-rays, was evaluated, and I have "Winged Scapula". And I thought I had "Snapping Scapula", go figure. My rotator cuff is fine, as is the socket etc. She says my case is mild and should be very correctable with PT and muscle strengthening. I get to keep swimming. Six weeks of PT to go along with my second six weeks of PT for the ankle. That will sure chip away at the sick-leave balance! And four copays a week? Damn! I'm ordering my trainer anyway! One good thing, I noticed as I was pacing around the office in extreme pain was that I was actually walking half-way decent today.

Great Day? With all this good luck, I'm bound to hit the Powerball tonight (ha,ha!). Then you'll see some real bike porn! LOL! Well I need to go drink some more water, I'll post tommorrow and let you know how I'm doing. I appreciate your visiting and encouragement, as always.

So who am I? Here are a few things . . .

1. I must have the fan on when I sleep.
2. I must have the window in my car/truck cracked open when driving.
3. I love to argue (as in disscussing things, not as in being mad).
4. I used to work in construction building tunnels as a brakeman on trains. If you drive eastbound through the Eisenhower tunnel, you just drove through my handiwork. The farthest I have been underground is 9.6 miles (my first tunnel, the Henderson Mine haulage tunnel).
5. I am a morning person. I love to get up before the sunrise, grab a cup of coffee and sit outside and watch the world wake up.
6. I wrecked my motorcycle when I was 19 right behind an ambulance - very convienient!
7. I hunt.
8. I believe all meat eaters should at least once, kill, gut, care for, and butcher their own meat, or they should become vegan.
9. I am not Moderate, Republican, or Democrat, I am me.
10. I think the one world religion should be modeled after Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - "Be excellent to each other" and "Party on dude!".
11. I'd throw in "be kind to your Mother - Nature that is!".
12. I don't care if someone is gay, liberal, or conservative, but you'd better not hurt kids or women (or men).
13. I'm not superstitious.
14. I am a dog person, not a cat person.
15. I am very opinionated (see # 8 above)..
16. Luckily, I've learned to admit when I am wrong and ask forgiveness (I have had lots of practice).
17. I was a licensed minister and studied at a conservative Christian seminary.
18. I am a lot more liberal than I used to be :-)
19. I had long hair in the 70's and yes Bill, I inhaled.
20. I went to Western State College for 3 and 1/2 years and earned 2 years worth of credit - but the skiing, hunting, fishing, and partying was worth it!
21. I can spell, but I usually don't chek my typing..
22. I play the guitar but am not very good.
23. Some of my favorite concerts? Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Stones, CSN&Y, Lynard Skynard (in a small night club), Led Zeppelin, The Who, Neil Young, Eagles, and ZZ Top at Red Rocks.
24. I told my mom and step dad when I was 15 that I was going camping, instead, my two friends and I went to the Sand Dunes, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas on my first road trip.
25. I used to get paddled at school.
26. I used to get suspended from school - never could figure that one out, more time to party! They should have made be stay longer, now that would have been punishment.
27. I love to read.
28. I love to sing but I sound terrible.
29. I can be bossy at work when I'm in a driver mode.
30. I climbed two Fourteeners in one day (actually, we jogged up them as we were in really good shape and much younger).
31. I snowboarded in 1978, (wish I had seen the potential investment!)
32. I squatted 810 pounds for 5 reps (that's how I screwed up my shoulder).
33. I love being a dad ( I have two of the most beautiful and wonderful kids in the world!)
34. When I was 15, some friends of mine and I were walking home from a party one night and stole a milk truck. The guy who it belonged to looked up from his office window and we waved at him as we sped off. I didn't know a jaw could drop that far.
35. I used to love cutting up in school. One time my deskmate and I pulled a good one. He put fake blood in his mouth and when the teacher turned around I threw a punch at him and he threw his head back, clapped his hands together under the table, and spit out the blood, all in perfect timing. She ran over and I thought she was going to hit me she was so red! The class had a good laugh and the two of us were suspended, again. Typical of my youth.
36. My mom kept my reports cards from grade school and everyone of them had some kind of remark from the teacher about how much better I would do if I would just stop talking in class so much!
37. I cry during movies and am a very emotional person - you are not allowed to share this with my hunting buddies.
38. I talk a lot for a guy, I communicate well, but I abhor shopping.
39. I really, really, really want to finish an Ironman Triathlon.

Vitamins, Injuries, Swimming, and Biking

I am a really big believer in vitamins and Rainbow Light is what I take.
Last winter and this winter (knock on wood), I have not had bronchitus or pneumonia like I did 5 years in a row before I started taking this vitamin. Each year I would be out of work for 2-3 weeks straight. I have only had one cold since then, and it lasted only a day and 1/2.

Tommorrow I go in for my follow-up on my ankle and foot. Yesterday I walked almost normal and was about 95% pain free. Today I am a little sore, it comes and goes. I think maybe another 4 weeks of PT and I'll be good to go. Friday night I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I caught my left foot on the rug and stumbled forward and pulled/strained my quads just above the knee. It got really stiff and sitting was very tough. Today it has loosened up and feels much better. Maybe a sign that once again I have been neglecting my stretching? Probably. My shoulder is not too sore today but still feels like my scapula is out of place just a skosh. I am anxious to get it checked out on Wednesday by the Orthopeadic Dr.

Yesterday I had another swim lesson with Coach Mike Ricci up in Boulder. We targeted learning how to bi-lateral breathe and he introduced me to increasing my intensity in smaller sets. I'm still sucking in some water on my left side, but since I will now be bi-lateral breathing when ever I swim, it should get better pretty quickly. Mike showed me a couple areas I can fix right away with my stroke too. I highly recommend swim coaching/analysis! I will probably go back in April, June, and August.

I have decided to get an indoor trainer and should have it in a couple of weeks. Looks like I will be riding my mountain bike in the first couple races this year as I just blew my bike savings on fixing the transmission in my Buick, bummer! It is a tough bike (it can handle me) so I may put on cheap clip-on aero bars just to get used to riding in that position. I have street tires on it, it's heavy, but it will get me to where I need to go. There is a Police Bicycle Auction in March where they sell confiscated bikes that they can't find the owners, so I may attend that to see if I can find a road bike. Of course, if any of you are moving up to a nicer bike and have an oldie to sell, I may be interested!

My training for this week is going to be very low key- stretching, a couple days on the stationary bike, and some weight training and swimming depending on what the Dr says about the shoulder. Have a great week of training!

Rough Week!

I feel really old this week, physically that is. Inside, I still feel young and alive. Saturday and Sunday were great with the ankle and foot; it’s been very rough since then. I felt like I needed a walker today. I go to the Ortho for a follow-up on my ankle/foot on Monday. I think more PT will be ordered. Two steps forward, one step back.

Speaking of the Ortho, I have had a condition known as snapping scapula for about 15 years, from an old weight training injury. It has not been an issue until about a month ago when my shoulder started getting really tight and no longer “snaps”, which always brought relief. It’s weird, it does not hurt when I swim. I have been stretching and I have not been in the pool since Sunday. It was a very easy day as far as effort and distance (I was trying to learn how to bi-lateral breathe and the only thing I did was suck in a lot of the pool water). But my shoulder is in pain now and feels out of place, so I am going to go to the Ortho on Wednesday to have it checked out. I need to correct it now so I don’t have to dog paddle the swim or swim with one arm!

I was at the physical therapist today and there was a lady there who swims and we got to talking about her two triathlons last year, her first. She talked about what a great community triathlon has and how supportive triathletes are. Seems to be a universal thing!

Have a great weekend, train hard, and send your triathlete healing waves this way LOL

More misc

Just got back from the gym and had a really great workout. Swam a total of 12oo yds (100 Anchor Drill, 100 yds Finger Tip Drag Drill, 100 yds freestyle, then 900 yds straight in 21:30 - a PR for me). Then had a great 30 minutes on the stationary bike, high cadence, and got the heart rate up pretty high.

I have one more week of physical therapy left. The last two weeks have been tough but my ankle is getting so much better now. I have had two days where I almost walked normal and had only a little pain in the tendons, more of an ache. I'm glad to be out of that walking cast after 4 weeks!

I have a question for you experienced triatheltes - I read about you riding on your trainers and I don't have one at this point. My biking workouts are on the stationary bike at the gym (too much snow, ice, and sand here for the next month or two). It is one of those that I can adjust the program, intensity level, etc. What is the difference in the two methods as far as results and that kind of thing. Is it worth it to get a trainer to ride my bike on or is the stationary bike sufficient? Thanks for any input you give!

Oh yes, since I am turning 50 this year, I have set my goal on 5 races! One for each decade. I know that sounds like a lot, but I will be taking it easy in four of them. At this point, I don't race in triathlons, I particpate in them :-)

Lifetime Ironman

After reading IM Able’s fantastic post today, I started thinking about something I had read in a triathlon article. Two triathletes were out biking and one asked the other what his “Lifetime Ironman” was. She was talking about much more than the race and the preparation, she was asking about his life overall. He hadn’t heard of that concept before, but it made sense to me.

I will probably always need to battle overeating and medicating with food. It is such a deeply ingrained response/habit/thought pattern. It goes way back to abuse and dysfunctional environments in my early life. It would be nice to get “cured” and be free from the desire to medicate or comfort myself with food. It is more realistic to think that it will be a challenge for the rest of my life. There will be those times when I will be confronting the temptation to overeat/medicate with food. I can choose my responses and the outcome. I can trash my life and die too soon, wallow in self-pity and shame, or I can overcome and be victorious and happy. It is my choice. The bagel does not jump in my mouth and no one forces me to overeat. When I do overeat and medicate with food, it is because I choose to.

Hence, my “Lifetime Ironman” is to become slim and healthy, stay slim and healthy, and to win the battles with myself when tempted to give in to this ineffective and destructive behavior.

I will, instead, love and nurture myself correctly.

Thank you so much IM Able, for stimulating my thinking today.

The Week in Review

II had a really great week, actually lost some pounds: last Sunday's weight - 395, today's weight - 392!

Workout Totals: Three Swims - 3,050 yds; Three Stationary Bikes - 1 1/2 hours; Three One-Hour Strength Sessions; and some ab work. Two sessions of Physical Therapy (those were tough). The ankle/ foot is slowy, and I mean slowly getting better. It's one of those two steps forward and one step back kind of things. There have been a couple of times I actually walked normal. I believe I will be back walking for exercise sometime in March, which will give me 3 - 4 months to build back up to 3 miles for my first race.

My eating was very clean this week, had a couple very small indulgences, but overall, I am pleased. Goal for today - to not pig out on junk food during the game. I am going to break into the 380's by next Sunday! Game on!

Brian had given me something to consider regarding my half iron distance goal this summer. After Diane and I discussed it, I have decided to switch from SOMA to Redman, in Oklahoma. Why? The water temperature at Redman in September should be about 4-5 degrees higher than AZ in late October, although that's not a 100 % guarantee. If I'm not down to wetsuit size, this is a very big plus! Secondly, and maybe more important, the Redman has a full IM distance race going at the same time and I will not have 1/2 cutoff times. I can have the full 17 hours to finish. Brian said this about Redman: "last year I did the iron and the last person to finish came in at just over 19 hours. The race director personally loaded up a golf cart with supplies to make a mobile aid station and followed the guy all the way to the finish".GeekGirl says this about Redman: " Highly recommended! They cater to you. They fuss over you. They are the best stocked aid stations I've ever seen: veritable buffets with goo, enduralytes, gatorade, water, boiled potatoes, ice, etc., and the most enthusiastic volunteers. They block traffic. Safety is their utmost goal. when you finish, you get a finisher's medal and finisher's T-shirt, which is bright red and says, "finisher" on the front and "TRIATHLETE 70.3" on the back. At the awards ceremony, you get a full breakfast and beverages". Sounds like a great place for me! I just want to finish the distance and not worry about my time at this point. I'm still a newbie and still far from my fitness goals. I will need that extra time to walk the run portion.

Also, please check out David's blog and welcome him to the blogosphere. He has just started blogging. He is a clydesdale who is changing his life. He just completed his first half marathon!

Have a great week!

New Blogger

Please check out David's blog. He has just started blogging and is a clydesdale who is changing his life. He just completed his first half marathon!

Just got back from swimming 1050 yds with 30 minutes on the bike. Great workout!

Check this out - dude is going to swim the Amazon river!