It's not like I remember...

Well, so life has pretty much sucked for the last 20 weeks or so. No running, no biking, no swimming, no lifting, no nothing but 12oz curls. I gotta tell you, I prefer 4 hr rides and sore legs to a hangover.
I had a 'consultation' on the 20th of november. The Doc said no running again. I never thought that I would want to run in favor of a night out. Well I split the difference with him. I took another two weeks and I had to start up again. Four miles kicked my ASS! I'm still sore three days later.
The shoulder hurts - ther is still no muscle there. I have along road ahead of me.
I have to ask, how is this possible? I was not that banged up it seemed, but I face a long road. I can't even ride the trainer for more than 15min with out my shoulder screaming.
It is getting better though, at least I can move the arm. I guess it is about 60%. I'm still not sure if I'll ever be able to race Tri again, but I can put the dishes away. And I did run - against doctors orders, but I was losing it.

Race Day...

Well it's 12:01am on race day. I should be sleeping or at least trying to sleep. I also should be in Florida, and weigh about 170lbs.
Instead, I'm up, drinking a nice glass of Scotch, at my computer in Michigan, and I weigh a disturbing 193lbs.
I suppose that this is how things go sometimes, but I swear that I might vomit the next time someone tells me that everything happens for a reason. I mean, that is not really how it works. Sure things happen, but not always for a reason. What we do in the face of adversity often makes us stronger, and is often a bigger challenge and yields greater rewards than the initial task for which we set out, but I don't think that's the same thing. Oh well, it doesn't matter.

The weather should be good today, and the race should be fast. Good luck to all those who wade into the water in about seven hours.
To paraphrase something old and good:

May the ocean currents carry you swiftly and safely to shore. May the southern winds be at your backs and embrace you like the breath of God. May the sun warm your soul but not scorch your spirit. And may the taste of victory be cool and sweet upon the lips of You, the Champion.

Godspeed

Back to the land of Function - Sort of...

Well I got out of the sling just in time to attend Brian's Funeral, that was a month ago now. Things have been pretty good. I can now do a 12oz curl with my right arm, I can finally sleep on my left side and on my stomach, and best yet- I can drive!
the down side is the weather - what a great summer! If I could have trained I woudl not have done a single day inside, but alas, my bike hangs in the basement collecting dust, and I'm still not allowed to run for another month :(
The other good news is that I can cook again, so the meal have been flowing. The newest is an imitation of the Outback salad. Really simple to do (the recepie will be at the bottom)
The bad news is that I've gained 20lbs (although I'm the only one that seems to notice) and my fitness is for crap. I guess that is good though since my race is this weekend and I don't have to feel bad about not being there.
We watched the Race in Kona on the big flattie a coupole of weeks ago, which was really cool. You can't get the race on TV but I was able to hook up the live internet feed through my laptop and into my TV. I was pretty proud of myself.
I've rebuilt my bike using the proceeds from the sale of my race wheels and I think that the project turned out pretty good. The roadie is now sub 14.6lbs which is below the legal limit for the Pros. The problem is that with all this free time i've already grown boared with it an wna to build a new ride!
I think that I'll keep it and ride some mountain tours with my buddy Jon this summer and then think about turning it around for somthing different.
Becky is getting pretty serious about her marathon training (she is going to do the Disney marathon in January) and she is progressing alot faster than I ever could have! I think that next week she will surpass my langest run with a 14mile training run. Although I have to saw that I'm pretty jelous, I'm more proud of her than anything.

Sorry that there are no pictures this time, but here is a long awaited recepie (simple to start)

OUR OUTBACK SALAD
Romaine lettuce
Chedder Cheese
Big cut tomatoes and Red Onion
Pumpernickle Crutons
Thick cut Manchengo cheese
Hidden Valley Ranch with Chyanne Pepper

The Last Goodbye...

Well where to start? I guess with the bad... I buried a friend on Friday. He was smart, successuful, charming, and the King of us. He was untouchable, Teflon, Bulletproof, and a good guy to boot. Words cannot begin to describe what Brian was, so I won't try. All I can say is "Peti, you are the best of us. We will do you proud. My 401K is in order and my cuffs are linked. God's speed, I will miss you, but I know you'll call. I love you buddy, take care." - goodbye

Soooooo Frustrated...

I'm going on almost nine weeks in the sling. Since the crash I did a month of healing for no reason, followed by surgery, follwed by another month in the sling. I know I have to do it to get better, but that does not make it any better. I can't drive, I can hardly cook, and I surely can't train. My shoulder is in nearly constat pain, and I have not had a good night of sleep since the accident. Ugh...
IMFL is looming on the horizon. I had actually convinced myself it was in a week - I think just to have it over. I just sent in my withdral on the 14th (the day before the deadline) and it made it seem all the more real. I'm tired of being called 'gimp' or 'criple' even as a joke. I'll never use those terms in passing ever again.
Shoulder watch is a big frustration. How am I doing? Crappy. The mother hurts, and it does not move very much. I know that the greatest athletes are forged from fire, but I never really understood that the fire happened during our lives.
I will be stronger and faster after this, I have to be. The 10hr IM does not seem like a goal anymore, it is a requirement. If I can suffer like this for nine weeks, I can suffer on the course for 10 hours.
I suppose there is some good in this afterall.
Peace. No worries. Just another step to victory.

Post IM Depression... And then some

Wow. Talk about a kick in the butt.

I was just at IMoo (Ironman Wisconsin) to support my training buddy Cris Ferrone. Cris is a little tiny woman, weighing in at about 85lbs soaking wet and she is an IRONMAN. She looked so great the whole time it made me wonder if I had the stuf to be an IRONMAN.

Her race was perfect. She got out of the water right on time (1:42) only 5 min after I thought she would. That time was great for her, since she is not the big swimmer.

All smiles out of the water and up the helix (for those that don't know the helix is a cruel 5 floor wind of a parking garage) to her bike. we were lucky enough to get a pic from above.

On to the bike and another spot on time 7.5 hours and some change right on schedule.

Then it started to happen... Cris started to CRUSH the run! She was so fast the we thought that we had lost her, and then she was there,well ahead of schedule, and smiling from ear to ear! Her she is looking great.

I think the run was harder on us than her. look at this form!

We saw her at the finish, and she looked like an IRONMAN.

Cris is HTFU she is tough beyond words, She is MY inspiration, she is IRONMAN!

Congrats to you Cris, against all odds, you did it!

>

I am the BORG

Have you ever watched Star Trek? Well if you have recently then you know what I'm talking about. Right now I'm half man, half machine, and I have parts in me that I was not born with.

I've had a shoulder Reconstruction. So here is what happened: Large incision in my right shoulder so the Doc could shave the tip of my clavicle, remove the meniscus and quote "shredded pieces of the cartilage and ligaments" that used to be my shoulder. He also removed a bunch of 'shredded' muscle, and determined that "that was never going to be right". After the carnage was removed he drilled two holes in my clavicle to attach an 'alograph' tendon (a cadaver piece of tissue) using two bio-absorbable anchors.

So I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I was given some GREAT drugs in the hospital. There is no secret why you cant get these at the corner drug store! If I could I'd be a very happy, very non-productive, member of society - kinda.

After traveling all over the state getting second opinions I'm glad that I went with my guy. He did an awesome job and I barely have a scar (bummer ;-).

The after drugs seem to be a total let down. yeah they dull the pain, but where is the drug euphoria?!? But how could they compete with the IV stuff right? Seriously though they do work as I have found out today as my Rx ran out. I had no idea I was in this much pain! Good thing for me I can have more starting tomorrow.

The good news about running out of drugs is that I got to have my first beer in what seemed to be a really long time. I have no idea why people get addicted to pain killers - beer is sooooo much better!

So as if getting shoulder reconstruction was not enough to keep me occupied, the night I got home from the hospital a FREAKING tree (well a very large branch) fell on my car! Small favors prevailed and it turns out that they can fix the damage, but seriously, when it rains - it drops tree branches too.

Well, I think that is enough for tonight. Sorry that there are no recipes. I'll work on that since I've got a bunch just waiting.

meanwhile, I hate to cyber-beg, but I'll take donations to the new bike/medical expenses/car deduct able fund @ bigsky17@yahoo.com via pay pal.

A bump in the Road, well, a Road Block really...

I know that it has been a long time since I've updated the site, but I was really busy, or lazy, or distracted, or something. This post will be an update to my current situation, regrettably with no recipies.

It is now August 6, 2007 and I'm no longer training for IMFL. I'm currently training to wash my hair with my right arm :-(

About a week and a half ago everything was going according to plan. I had returned from vacation in Northern Michigan with a couple of long rides filled with hills and surprising average speeds on the bike. I even managed a spontanious 10 mile run followed by several hilly and hot 7 milers. I was king of the world - on track with the right amount of weight to lose, and looking forward to the Big Build to Ironman.

Then I suffered a series of setbacks. Before the vacation and after my early 1/2 IM (report to follow) I was called out on a couple work weekends which seriuously messed with my plan. I was then dropped by my coach due to my lack of communication of my schedule (not that I had a lot of control over that - but it is what it is).

Still, after suffering these set backs, and at least one more hideous working weekend, I found myself renewed in my efforts to make a good showing at the race. I had many more working weekends planned, and several weddings to attend, but I was solid, and committed to the race - still dreaming of a 10 hr finish.

Then the house of cards came down. Immediately upon my return home I was hit by what we refer to as the Nicaraguin Plague. 24 hours of harsh flu and losing the wrong kind of weight. A big bummer for sure, but nothing to jeoperdize the race.

I missed a 60+ mile group ride that I was looking forward to, but I was determined to make up for it. Perhaps this contributed to what followed, but most likely not.


On the next group ride I took the bike up from the basement, rode a preliminary 20 miles and met the group at the local bike shop. Approximately 10 miles into the ride I heard a strange rattle coming from the bike - surely a bolt from the water bottle cage. Approx 2 minutes later I was on my ass taking stock.

The strange rattle turned out to be my front skewer (the thing that holds the front wheel in place) and the result was me going ass over tea kettle onto the pavement via my head and my shoulder. The good people a Bell Helmets kept my noggin intact, but the good people at the paving company insured that my shoulder was whacked.

I suffered a Grade III Acromioclavicular separation. In laymens terms I separated my shoulder really badly (tearing all the ligaments and tendons surrounding the collor bone at that top of the shoulder). After the first trip to the surgon I was given a light at the end of the tunnel. 8 weeks of rehab and I should be fine. After an MRI and a second consultation I was told to shoot for washing my hair with my right arm - bummer.

It is really hard to know what to make of this whole thing. On one hand, I'm truely thankful that I'm not taking my meals through a straw (or even just taking meals in general). On the other hand, I'm really bummend about missing the race. It's not about the money, or the fact that the bike is broken. It's about the fact that I really thought that I could do it, and now I have to wait, perhaps for a long time, to make another attempt.

Friday holds more hope. I go to see the surgon again, and hopefully, he will tell me that I should find a shoulder specialist, or that everything will be fine with a little more time. Anything but limbo will be better than this.

On the positive note, I will have lots of time to post the great dinners we were making in the last couple of months, and after my recent trip to Napa I have a few win recommendations for everybody as well.

Make no mistake, I will be back on the Triathlon circuit soon enough. I don't care what my shoulder ends up looking like, or if I need to pioneer a procedure myself.

The IronLife will continue...

Day whatever - Back from the dead

Well, it has been a while, and for that I apologize to my throngs of fans who I know have been waiting with bated breath for my newest installment. Well wait no longer, I have returned.



The holidays were a training disaster. Too much food, too much wine and not nearly enough swimming, biking and running. All of this resulted in a post holidays weigh in of 188 peak lbs!!! Not good. After the New Year i got back into the swing of things and even pulled a couple of tripe training days. January turned into February and I found myself feeling pretty banged up and a little hurt. Brian and I decided to change up the plan a little bit since it is becoming a little obvious that my legs are lagging behind in the recovery department.



I've been spending a lot of time in the pool and feel stronger now than I have the last couple years. This is good news since the plan in to get out of the water in about an hour at IMFL. The only hiccup is that I spent a whole week down with the flu and I'm still shaking off a cold that followed it. i don't know but it might have something to do with the terrible weather that we have been having here in MI, with 40's one day and negative wind chills the next. the good news is that we got a nicer TV down in the basement so the long rides on the trainer and running on the treadmill are a little more bearable. I still dream of spring...





March 1st marked the official beginning of the NsOSRSGDtYRWC better known as the Not so Official Semi-Rockman Smackdown Get Down to Your Race Weight Challenge. Spurred on by my bought with the flu I intend to cut down to my racing weight of about 170 lbs by June 10th (or earlier). I have also been joined by several of the SlowTwitch community in cutting weight, so it should be fun to see how everybody does. So far I've been successful in dropping one more lb by cutting all of my usual portions in half, it's been tough but the leftovers sure last longer!



Here is a new recipe for all for all of you that are looking for something light:



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Tilapia with Mango Salsa and Citrus Vinaigrette Salad



Mango Salsa

1 Mango diced
1 Blood Orange diced
2 Cloves Garlic diced
1/2 Avocodo
1/2 Lime (juice)
~ 2 Tbs Cilantro diced
Salt
Pepper
Orange zest
1/4 Red Onion Diced



Citrus Dressing

1/2 Lemon (juiced)
EVOO
Red Wine Vinegar
S/P
Orange, Lemon, Lime Zest
Fresh Ginger diced



Bake the Tilapia in the oven with a little EVOO and Lemon pepper at 400 deg for about 15 min. I made the salad with pine nuts, goat cheese, Red onion, and dries cherries.
Serve with Sushi Rice.