The Plan Is Coming Together --

The best portion of a good man's life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. -- William Wordsworth

These things are going EVERYWHERE!

It has been a bit light, training-wise, for the last week or two. I have been trying to get a lot of miscellaneous things taken care of so I can focus on the training, and I think I have managed to do so. Tonight I plan on swimming and possibly a short run on the treadmill. I am still a bit concerned about the left knee but with light activity it seems to be okay so far. I rolled the other night and there were some muscles definitely getting my attention.

The back of the Support Shirts

In other news, Mike J got my Supporter shirts printed, and I have added the pocket labels for the various groups... Coach Jeff and Coach Briana, my Cardiac Tri Team, the Crew, and the Cardiac Team - survivors but not athletes. I am so excited... these shirts are going to New York, Pittsburgh, LA, and of course, Plano and Austin. I already told you that part of the monies from selling the shirts will support the fight against heart disease, so it is all good... the first batch is completely spoken for!

There is a story with one group of shirts, but I will have to wait to say anything to see if the plan comes to fruition.

Went out to Lake Pflugerville this past weekend to do a mini-tri but the water was so freaking cold, I lasted in there all of about 2 minutes before my feet were numb! So a 2-hour ride and a 40-minute run. Sunday it was time to spectate and cheer on my friends running the Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon. Accidentally got to meet Bart Yasso of the running fame... AND a 5-time Ironman finisher! How cool is that!

Things That Make You Stop and Think

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King Jr.

It has been a bit rough coming back from the 3M Half-Marathon run. The left knee felt a bit stretched out afterward, so it was difficult to run for a few days. And working on putting in a wood floor for somebody tends to have an effect on the knees and the shoulders - climbing around in closets and under built-in shelves doesn't help matters, either. But I have managed a couple bike rides and some swims, so I will be building back to the Half Iron in April.
Got some bad news last week, and better news yesterday. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer last week... and that was pretty much all we knew until I talked to her yesterday. She has a single small lump which will be removed, and then chemo and radiation on her schedule as well, both short-term. I did tell her I was better looking bald than she will be, and that this might be the perfect opportunity to see if she wants to be a redhead or a blond. At any rate, it appears after this year of fighting heart disease, I should consider the Breast Cancer races...Susan G. Komen, here I come!
I think with the work floor-wise and this ordeal with my sister, I have managed to get my shoulder muscles all balled up with the stress and the contortions in the closets. I need to work those out soon so they do not impact the training...maybe I should buy a hot tub?
I also am looking at doing the Rev3 Triathlon in Cedar Point in September rather than the Redman in Oklahoma City...no decisions yet, but lots of thinking needs to occur.
Well, hopefully better news in the next post. I was supposed to get the t-shirt mock-up yesterday but didn't, so hopefully I will see it today.
With all the wind we have had, and a fellow TNT rider getting blown into a parked car, it is even more important to remember to keep focused in your training! Heal well, Dickie!

Recovery, and on to Tri Training

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” -- James Baldwin

This past Sunday I ran in the 3M Half-Marathon for the first time. They say it is one of the faster runs people can do because it is mostly downhill. This year's run started out with a little wetness on some of the roads early in the run. I had one episode of slippage when a rather obnoxious runner cut me off going around a corner, but other than that the dampness was not a factor.

The first 4 or 5 miles went pretty well. After that, the humidity started kicking in because the sun had come up to warm things up. The temps were pretty decent, but I think because of the humidity there should have been more frequent aid stations with water.

With all the training on the treadmill, I had pretty well figured out that the Performance gel buttons and water was going to be my nutrition plan for the run, and I feel like that worked well for me. 

I managed 2:26:41 for the run, which is about 8 minutes slower than the same distance on the treadmill. I feel pretty good about that, given the pounding the body takes on the pavement. I was thinking the Athlete's HoneyMilk folks were going to be at the finish since they had included a bottle in the pre-race goodie bag. Having a cold bottle afterward makes my recovery so much better. Unfortunately they were not at the Austin race, and I could really feel the difference later. The legs got pretty tight, and the left knee got a little stiff. Note to self: pack a bottle in a mini-cooler with the frozen gel bags, and stick it in the post-race clothing bag.

It may be that I need to put cushion pads in the heels of my shoes to lessen the impact. I will work on that going through training.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the result. My finish was about 50 minutes faster than my run in either of the Half-Iron races, so it will be interesting to see how much better I can do with the 70.3 in Galveston in April... training for the run distance as opposed to training for a sprint might just make a difference.

Now it is time for more swimming and bike time. Getting the bike nutrition nailed down will be a big key in the next month or so.

Pedal On!

Taper Week

Give it all you've got because you never know if there's going to be a next time.

Well, I can't believe I am in a position to say this, but I am actually officially in a "taper" week for the first time in my life. One of the key points in training for big sporting events is that you have to include some down-time in the days leading up to the event. I mean, come on, if you are not ready a week before the event, do you really think a few more days of training is going to change your capability that much? But it is a weird feeling for me. I keep thinking I need to be running, or biking, or SOMETHING! But I do have the swim class tonight, and a short run tomorrow night, although I am not planning on pushing too hard either night... that will start next week, post-half-marathon, when the training for LoneStar 70.3 really cranks up. I will likely do some walking Saturday just to keep loose.

My story hit the front page of the USA Triathlon website yesterday. I didn't realize it until I got an email from another survivor. That is so cool about this...there are so many people out there who have lived through cardiac events like mine, and are now participating in triathlons, or big run events. I am very appreciative and grateful for their support and acknowledgment of this fight.

Check back Monday or so, after I run the half-marathon, and see how that went. Thanks for YOUR support.

You can get involved in this journey on Facebook. You can get more information about this cause by reading my website at www.CardiacIronman.com

I think I was more sore the day after the swim class than I was the day after the half-marathon on the treadmill... guess I should drink the HoneyMilk after ALL my workouts. Lesson learned.

This weekend will be a workout of a different nature. I get to move furniture out of one apartment and into another... in freezing weather. Seriously! I am moving my daughter from Frisco to Plano and they forecast the temps to stay below freezing the whole time. Should be fun.

The Plodding Continues, In A Good Way

If you want to be successful, know what you are doing, love what you are doing and believe in what you are doing. -- Will Rogers, from Amanda

Maybe a new version of the m-dot?

According to the plan from Coach Bri, this week was supposed to be a 12-mile run in preparation for the 3M Half-Marathon on January 30th. Wasn't really looking forward to it, but I knew I had to do it. I had not done any running since Thursday, because I worked on installing wood flooring Friday through Sunday, and the knees needed a break Monday. So it was time to get back to it. Climb on the treadmill and hope nobody wants it after 30 minutes... set the speed at 5.7 and set in for a 2-hour-plus beat-down. I decided to see how long I could keep the run going without walking, so I made no effort to increase the speed... just a matter of finishing standing up, right? The miles and minutes clicked slowly by. I had intentionally picked this treadmill because I knew this one doesn't start an automatic cool-down after 60 minutes. So when I hit 100 minutes and all of a sudden the clock went blank and started counting over, I thought I had accidentally hit some button and lost all my data. But I realized the mileage was still there, so the time display was limited to 99:59. Kinda funny, it looked like I had run 11 miles or so in about 15 minutes... should have taken a picture of THAT!  But once you get to the double-digit miles, you only see the tenth of a mile, as opposed to the hundredths, and that makes the run seem to go by REALLY slowly.

When I was at about 9.5 miles and still feeling somewhat okay, I got to thinking - if I am running 12 miles, why not just go ahead and do another 1.1 and call it a half-marathon completed? So that was what I did. 2 hours, 18 minutes and 39 seconds after I started running, I watched the mileage click over and was DONE! I stood there for a minute looking at the display (and making sure I could still stand!) and then went to the locker room, stripped out of the soaked clothes and drank a bottle of water and the HoneyMilk I had packed in the mini-cooler to keep cold. It isn't a long walk to the shower from the bench but it was a stiff, slow walk. I thought the legs would feel it in the morning for sure. 

I am extremely happy that I was wrong. There is a little tightness in one muscle, but I feel pretty good other than that. I am totally sold on the HoneyMilk recovery drink. I would have thought the old bones would have issues crawling out of bed, but none of that - not even any back soreness. So the plan for Ironman Florida is to make sure somebody has my HoneyMilk in a cooler at the finish... maybe I could get some sponsorship if I get my finisher photo done with the HoneyMilk in my hand? Product placement...

 So that was the last long run before the 3M run. Next Monday or so will be a 1-hour run and maybe a 2-3 mile run later in the week to keep the stiffness away. But I am real happy with the progress in the run, even though I know it will be slower on the road than on the treadmill. Dare I say it? I am actually starting to "like" the running...

Things May Be Coming Together...

If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito. -- Anita Roddick

I am excited. The USA Triathlon published my story in their email newsletter, and will feature it on their website next week (probably). You can read it here. So hopefully with this, there will be more attention to the issues of heart disease. But even with just being in the newsletter, I am getting a number of positive feedback responses. Pretty awesome!

The running continues to get better. Last night it was an 11-mile run -- about 2 hours on the treadmill (yes, it IS cold outside!) but still today only minor lower back stiffness. Nothing like what I used to experience after running or long-distance rides. Water and Performance gel buttons during the run, and the HoneyMilk afterward. I am no dietitian or nutritionist, but it sure seems like the balance of carbs and protein in the Athletes HoneyMilk is really working for me as a post-performance recovery.

Speaking of the HoneyMilk...when I found out about the newsletter, I emailed my contact at Athletes HoneyMilk to see if there was any interest in sponsorship. These folks are great, and responded quickly. So there is now a link on my CardiacIronman.com website to the AHM site, and possibly a blog interview. Here's to hoping it is just the start of things to come... 

Tonight will be another swim class.  I am looking forward to learning more to improve my technique and efficiency in the water. It HAS to be better than looking like a beached whale!
Thanks again to USA Triathlon! You folks rock!