Journey to Kona Day 56: Stumbling

So just as planned, I went out today for my trail run despite the fact that my quads were still a little sore from Friday’s hard downhill mile. These are truly Ironman training days. The idea is to run on legs that feel like they’ve already been through a good portion of an Ironman race. For some reason, I have a tendency to try to add on additional stressors to these training days. 

Today, I was 5 miles into my trail run, truly getting into a zone where I was feeling one with my surroundings, and then I was. I have a tendency to stumble on the smallest little rocks or indentations on the trail especially when I’m not paying attention and that is what happened today. One second I was blissfully in the zone enjoying the trail, and the next moment I was on the ground. I think I landed on my left shoulder and left rib cage it felt like something shifted in a good way although that’s only part of it. I’m pretty sure that I bruised part of my left rib and did something to the middle finger of my left hand. Fortunately, that is all. My legs are fine my hip is fine my back is fine. I will be fine. I have to note also that I’ve had a lot of emotion in me as of late and I sat on the ground for about a minute and felt like I was going to cry. That had nothing to do with the run, that was just me.  

Anyway, I brushed off the dirt, got up and ran the 5 miles home with only a modicum of discomfort in my left rib cage area, or rather, ignoring the pain because I knew I had no choice but to do so. Stumbles are a part of life, big stumbles small stumbles, all stumbles, we fall and then we pick ourselves up. It’s ironic that the smallest of stumbles can hurt a lot but that’s just the way life and Ironman training are.

Journey to Kona Day 55: Happy Running

I used to say that I ran because I had to.  I have a family history of heart disease, and running certainly seems to be as, if not more, protective than medications.  And, that's what I've said to my wife when she talks to me about how much I like running.  Yes, there have been times that I've run because I've known it's good for me.  There have certainly been days that I didn't feel like running, but I ran anyway, usually because my coach had written it into my workout log, or because I was training for some event.  There have also been days that my legs are sore and tired, but once I get out and run everything seems ok, which is always strange and seemingly counterintuitive.

I did a hard downhill mile yesterday, and today my quads a somewhat sore.  Mentally, I've been planning to do a long trail run tomorrow.  I still want to, and I know that even if I have some residual soreness tomorrow, a long trail run will still be in the cards because....how the hell do I expect my legs to feel at the end of an ironman?  I'm pretty sure that tomorrow is a go, and I'm also pretty sure that afterwards I'll be excited by how far I could run on sore, tired legs.  Been there and done that, many times.

Do I run because I have to?  Do I run because I want to be healthy?  Do I run because I enjoy suffering?  Do I actually enjoy running? Ironically, I think that the answer is all of the above.  I had never run a mile straight in my life until I was 32 years old, and first built up my legs using a Stairmaster.  Also, I worked my way up to 4 miles on a treadmill before ever running outdoors, and I always wore headphones.  In fact, I always wore headphones until I was doing a relatively long run in Orange County in a nature reserve, when, in the middle of my run, I took the headphones off and just enjoyed nature.  I've never worn headphones again while running.

Yesterday reminded me of the pure joy I can feel while running.  Some days the joy is there.  Other days, running is my meditation. Some days running is my opportunity to think.  Other days, it's a chance to escape from life's pressures.  It's also an opportunity for me to push my limits, which I love to do.  Figuring out how to go faster, or run farther, these are goals and challenges that get me out the door onto my next run.  Tomorrow will be another day to run, and the reason will be a mixture of everything I've mentioned.  So, I guess I'll be happy running!

Journey to Kona Day 54: Running Again!

It's been two weeks since I last ran, due to popping a rib out of place.  I did 10 push ups yesterday, so the rib is fine.  I was actually going to run yesterday, but never had the time, so just went out first thing this morning before life got in the way of doing anything else.  I put my heart rate monitor on so that I could get some data.  Put my shoes on and was out the door.  Decided to run 6 miles with a 1 mile steep climb and descent in the middle.

From the moment I put one foot in front of the next today, I felt great!  My legs felt fine, my heart rate was fine, and I just ran comfortably for the first two miles until I got to my favorite (for the last several years, thought this will soon change with my imminent move) climb.  One mile average 8-10% grade.  I ran easy up this climb today, never pushed, never really raised my heart rate.  The climb took me 13:49, but my average heart rate was 146, which is quite fine for me going up such a hill.  I had no intention of really exerting myself up this climb, because I'd already decided to run as hard as I could on the way down!  Which is what I did.

I basically ran as fast as I could downhill, while feeling in control and running pretty smoothly, trying not to pound too much.  My HR gradually increased to about 160 and when the hill flattened out a bit towards the bottom, I just put my effort into a higher gear and ultimately got my heart rate up to about 168, which would be just above my lactate threshold. 6:21 for the downhill mile.  Not too bad.  I then "cooled down" with a very comfortable final two miles, run right around 9:50 pace, but allowing my HR to come back down into the 140's.

My quads felt a bit sore for several hours after, but I was moving around while helping my daughter move some more today.  By this evening, the soreness was gone.  I don't expect it to come back tomorrow, and in fact, I'm thinking of doing a long trail run on Sunday.  Somehow, taking off two weeks doesn't seem to have affected my legs whatsoever.  We'll see what the next week brings.

Journey to Kona Day 53: Pacing

I'm reading Alex Hutchinson's book Endure.  I'm sure that I'll be writing a lot about it, but since I'm at the beginning, I'll start with the concept of pacing. We all are familiar with the experience of starting a race too fast.  Whether it's a marathon or the 100 meter dash, if you start too fast, your final time suffers.  I've always struggled with this in 5K's.  It's a significant challenge in an ironman as well, or an ultra event for that matter.  How about life?  How about work?  I have a tendency to give everything I do 100% effort.  Whether it's a phone call or a meeting, I can feel the adrenaline surging through my body.  Today was a great example.  I'm tired from the last week and I had a few phone calls.  All were very positive, and in some ways too positive.  I put too much energy into these calls and by 6pm I was exhausted.  This has been my pattern for most of my life.  I go all out all day at work, and come home to only feeling up to laying on the couch.  Pacing is not just for a 5K, it's for life as well.

All roads seem to lead back to meditation as I contemplate what else to say about this topic.  I've already made the important points.  If you don't pace yourself, you will ultimately not accomplish as much as if you had paced yourself.  This is a fact. It's hard to see, however, just as it's hard to understand why running a 6:30 mile during the first mile of a 5K is bad, especially if that ends up being the fastest mile you run during the race.  Going too hard at the beginning of the ironman marathon will invariably lead to walking slowly at the end, losing hours rather than minutes!  I've trained myself not to do this.  Most of the training has to do with self awareness.  A watch can help, especially if you see that your pace is too fast.  Unfortunately, I don't think that there's a Garmin for "life," although the concept of heart rate variability may be a potential option!

With the concept of pacing in mind, it's only 8:40 pm and I'm going to go to bed.  If I'd paced myself better today, I'd probably be able to stay up longer!

Journey to Kona Day 52: Practice Makes Perfect

I had my swim lesson last week and realized my number one weakness, my "pull." That's the part of the stroke where you grab water with your hand and arm and pull it past you.  There are so many factors impacted by fluid dynamics that make it easy for an inadequate pull to impede the most efficient and effective ability to move forward.  I now have a simple drill that breaks the pull down into three parts.  The first is dropping the hand straight down, perpendicular to the elbow; the second is pulling the arm back; the third is following through.

As a type A triathlete, I tend to spend too much time focused on my pace.  It's tempting to put the three parts of the stroke together in order to see how fast I can swim. Unfortunately, I need to avoid that at the present time.  Clearly, pausing between each part of the stroke will slow me down, hence, speed does not matter at this point in time. What matters is practicing each element over and over until it becomes second nature. Then, and only then, will it be time to put all three elements together.

I have to avoid my common tendency to see how I'm improving and how fast I'm swimming.  Discipline and practice is the order of the day.  Practice makes perfect.

Journey to Kona Day 51: Fatigue

I've written about fatigue before.  Five straight days of moving, 14-16 hours of keeping busy.  Writing was a distant priority today.

I did get to start my day with 40 minutes on my bike, indoors.  After a 20 minute warmup, I did 10 x 1 minute at 270 watts, with 1 minute of easy spinning in between.  By the last few repetitions, I was hurting, but in a good way.  One of my favorite workouts.  Ultimately, getting in nearly 20 minutes of elevated heart rate work. In fact, by the last few, my HR only dropped below my anaerobic threshold level about 45 seconds after the 1 hard minute. As my coach noted, my lactic acid levels were rising throughout the entire workout.

I know that I'm tired when I can hardly see straight at night.  This was another long day, but the journey continues.

Journey to Kona Day 50: Peace

A day after hitting rock bottom in my emotional struggles, I found peace.  The funny thing is, I know it's because my wife gave me the answer to dealing with my issues this morning, but for the life of me, I can't remember what she said!  Fortunately, whatever it was, I found my center of gravity and feel at peace once again.  Go figure.  One thing that I do remember is recollecting how my recent anxiety reminded me of the time that I had panic attacks while swimming in open water.  I ultimately tried to bring about the same feeling in the pool, so that I could focus on staying in the moment in order to deal with it.

I also was able to relate my struggles to a similar one that a friend of mine is going through.  I know that he is trying to find his purpose.  I know that purpose is also important to me and that in order to embrace my purpose, I need focus on the things that matter.  Of interest, my exercise has become both a way to channel my nervous energy and have a purpose.  It fills multiple needs.  Meditation continues to be a key way for me to also channel any unhealthy energy.  I realized that when I'm really stressed, I tend to watch television. That's my "drug," my alcohol, my marijuana, or whatever else other people use to distract themselves.  Overall, it's certainly not unhealthy in the way that drugs or alcohol can be, but it also is not productive in the sense of actually addressing the underlying issues.  At least exercise provides a myriad number of positive effects on the mind and body.  If I'm going to watch t.v., it should be for enjoyment, not for escape.

I also realize that I haven't run in 10 days, which is definitely a problem for me, and I haven't biked or swam in 4 days.  Despite a lot of lifting and walking over four days of moving, my usual exercise has been lacking. That hasn't helped me, and I truly look forward to getting back to my usual routine this week.  Fortunately, I'm back at being in peace.

Journey to Kona Day 49: Struggling

Another day of moving today, and another day of struggling with my own personal demons.  Ever since I stuck my neck out trying to make a difference in my last job, and got my neck chopped off, I've had my ups and downs.  The stress of moving and owning two houses at once has managed to overwhelm my ability to compensate like I normally would.  Sometimes I wake up feeling ok, other times I don't.  But then, something happens to throw me off, and I decompensate.

My usual ability to compare life to ironman seems to be escaping me as of late.  I guess that I'm only human.  I know that once I move everything will be fine, and I just need to get there.  In the meantime, meditation continues to be my best friend.  In writing about ironman, I also realize how I haven't been visualizing my next ironman lately.  That's usually one of my methods for maintaining some level of equanimity, while preparing for my next race, and keeping my positive focus on training.

My rib is almost better, my legs are feeling fine, and I'm starting to think about the most important aspect of my ironman training, which is getting in significant cycling volume.  Once we move, I'll have plenty of opportunities to ride in my new neighborhood.  And hopefully, I will have gotten beyond my present struggles.

Journey to Kona Day 48: Moving

We are moving to a new house in 11 days.  We officially started moving things yesterday, and fully engaged today.  In fact, today, I spent the whole day preparing to move my daughter into her new apartment.  So, we're moving my daughter into an apartment, which is 30 minutes east of us, an we're moving our stuff to our new house, which is 30 minutes west of us.  Today was spent packing, moving, and driving.  Fortunately, I didn't do a workout this morning, because if I did, I'd have been more tired tonight than I ended up being.  And yes, I'm tired.  While I didn't run, bike or swim today, I moved boxes back and forth all day long.  That's what I did yesterday, and it's what I'm going to do for most of the next two days.  I don't consider these four days to be rest days, not even close.

One week ago, while moving boxes, I popped a rib out of place.  This time, I'm being super careful.  No excessive twisting or turning.  No heavy lifting.  I'm getting a lot of exercise, and it's pretty low key.  I've also had two massages in the last few days, in order to make sure that my muscles are improving.  I've got to take care of myself.  Being the best athlete that I can be requires a full range of  things.  Rest, recovery, being careful not to overdo some things, are all essential parts of the total approach that I need to take.

I've written about the stress that I've been under and the toll it's taken on me.  The move isn't easy either, but I'm really trying to keep it all together.  There is one thing that I can be sure of, and that's the fact that once we move, a lot of the pressure will be off.  I'm sure that there will be new pressures, but I think I'll find a way of dealing with those.  Sometimes it's ok not to have to test one's limits.

Journey to Kona Day 47: Friendship

I'm reminded today of the value of good friends.  My day started with a text from one of my friends.  We check up on each other's training and life status.  Whether we talk or text every couple of days or every couple of months, we know that we're friends.  That's really the very definition of a friend. Someone you can converse with and it seems like you talk everyday, even if it's been awhile.  

Yesterday, I actually called another friend, whom I spent New Year's with doing the 100 mile charity event.  Sign up for next years event is coming up in ten days, and I have a big decision to make.  I'm pretty sure that I've made that decision.  Not only was spending 55 hours with a good friend, I made a lot of new friends in the process. And, all for an incredible cause.  The event is literally like a get together of good friends.

To top all of this off, we're preparing to move this weekend, and one of my good friends flew here all the way from Denver to help.  The other thing that I realize identifies a good friend is the ability to talk about anything that's important in ones life. That's friendship. 

As a child, I really didn't have too many friends.  I've always been the kind of person who does well keeping to myself, and growing up I usually had one or two friends at a time.  During high school, I did develop a larger group of friends, but throughout my work life, I've maintained a relatively small group of friends.  Even more challenging, I've been in relative positions of authority in the workplace, which makes it harder to have a "friend" relationship.  Interestingly, since I left my job, I'm glad that some of the people who used to work for me are now true friends.

One of my favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life." "Remember no man is a failure who has friends."

Journey to Kona Day 46: Caring Too Much

I sometimes wonder if I care too much.  I already know the answer, which is that it’s really not possible to care too much. On the other hand, the risks of caring too much are related to how much that caring is associated with expectations. I’ve written about expectations, and the problem with them is that they can lead to disappointment.  Depending on the level of disappointment, the negative impact on one’s physiological being can be significant.  I’ve also written about stress and its impact on the body. It’s all part of the same issue.  Passion can be good.  It is usually associated with purpose, which is a necessary component of our lives.  On the other hand, when passion is associated with caring and expectations, the untoward effects of the emotional impact of being disappointed can be profound.  

On a human compassion level, this issue has its greatest potential impact.  I know that when my wife or one of my kids is hurting, it’s like kryptonite to me.  This is the ultimate pain that comes from caring too much.  But I’d never want to care any less than I do about the people that I love.  Ironically, when it comes to my work over the past thirty five years as a physician and geriatrician, I often carry a similar level of caring.  This type of caring certainly has great meaning if you’re the patient.  Knowing that your doctor has invested that much emotional energy into your well being has to be a good thing.  Somehow, I have a feeling that my patient’s have always been aware of this.  It was why I would have trouble sleeping if I couldn’t figure out what to do with one of my patients.  It was why on many occasions I would lean back in my chair and stop and ponder while seeing a patient with a challenging issue.  

Caring too much extends in other directions.  I’ve always taken my work seriously, and commit to whomever I work for as if it were my own business.  Finally, my passion for all older adults  is driven by a deep concern for the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable population in our society.  It has been what has led me to passionately advocate for my patients, and ultimately for any older adult who is being poorly treated by our society.  Unfortunately, with the pervasive nature of ageism, this is not uncommon.  And so, I care too much. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Journey to Kona Day 45: The Importance of Being Positive

I happened to choose to be in a field where there are a lot of things that can be seen as negative.  As we age, things happen. We get sick, things break down, falls happen, pain can be a common occurrence.  I've been a passionate advocate for improving the care of older adults for the past thirty years, but much of it falls on deaf ears.  Why? One key reason is that the message heard is often a negative one.  People don't like to hear negative things.  I'm on the Board of three non-profit organizations.  All of them are trying to enhance the lives of older adults.  We have a hell of a time fund raising.  People willingly give to charities that help children, but older adults? Not so much.

For many years, I bemoaned the fact that people didn't care about the older adults that I've dedicated my life to serving.  Then, a wise friend and colleague taught me about effective messaging.  If those around us don't appreciate the trials and tribulations of getting older, we can't blame them for not caring, we have an obligation to do a better job of explaining it!  There is a movement in geriatrics to "reframe" how we describe our field.  A lot of that reframing has to do with putting it into a much more positive context.  So, we try to show all of positives of the older population.  But then, why would they need our help?

The challenge is in reframing the discussion so that we have a positive message as to the importance of helping people who are in need.  Being positive is critical to effective messaging.  It's also critical to our own internal messaging.  If you're nearing the end of a race and you allow negative thoughts to seep in, chances are you'll be more inclined to give up.  Staying positive, or at least staying neutral is a key factor in performing at almost any distance.  Clearly, it takes on its own meaning in an ironman, or in a 100 mile event.

So, whether it's training through an injury, like I'm doing now, or staying positive about the field that I've dedicated my life to, it pays to be positive!

Journey to Kona Day 44: Taking Care of Oneself

I got a massage today, and my ribcage feels a lot better.  It's not completely healed, but it feels a lot better.  A good massage, or whatever treatment works best for the individual is so important for recovery.  In fact, I always tell people that having someone who can lay hands on you, who knows you well, is more important than the discipline itself.  For some people it's a massage therapist, for others, a chiropractor, and yet for others a naturopath.  What matters the most is that the person knows you.

I also rode my bike today for about 2 hours.  I didn't ride too hard, nor too easy, but I got the work in. The key is not to overdo it.  Because, that's what I do. I push as hard as I can.  Sometimes, that push is too much.  I have to depend on my body to know when to back off and to take care of myself. It's an ongoing struggle.  On the other hand, the whole idea of training is to cause breakdown, so that recovery makes you stronger.  So, it's a bit of a tightrope.

There are other ways to take care of oneself.  The emotional and mental aspects are equally important to the physical ones.  I'm still struggling to keep up with daily meditation. I've been training consistently.  I've been writing consistently.  Now I just need to meditate consistently.  The ultimate goal is the big picture, and what matters the most.  Taking care of myself now will pay off in the long run.  Another good life metaphor.

Journey to Kona Day 43: Equanimity

I love watching my grandson find joy in everything he does. At 3 1/2 years old, he loves it all! At gymnastics class, he pretty much likes anything they have him do.  Jumping, tumbling, running. This morning he was losing his socks, they were falling off, so the instructor had him take his socks off.  He started crying, because he loves his socks! He’s at a stage where he cries easily. Some of it is probably for attention, but some of it is learning emotions. It’s part of learning new things! Yelling, crying, laughing, it’s all a joy to do. He loves the sounds of new words. He can’t say “oh my god!” too many times, he just loves how it sounds. 

What happens to us as we get older that we forget the joys of everything we encounter every day in our lives?  I think it’s one of the reasons for grandchildren. They are a reminder that there is joy in the little things we see and hear and do every day.  Little kids are a reminder to live our lives in the moment, to feel each moment out of the context of the rest of our lives. Trying to make sense of our lives usually doesn’t make sense anyway. We’re not here to make sense, we’re here to appreciate the joys that the younger versions of ourselves seem to recognize so naturally.

I have felt the need to accomplish for as long as I can remember. To make a difference. To achieve. To help those around me, whoever they are. To help my family. What about me? What about finding joy in the things I do, rather than finding satisfaction in a surge of cortisol from interactions with other people. Does that cortisol surge actually bring satisfaction, or does it just bring a surge of cortisol? And is that actually healthy? Is it healthier to achieve those surges through athletic endeavors? Is that more natural? I’m beginning to think so. 

Equanimity is my word for the day. My grandson has a level of equanimity that is probably healthy. I’ve talked about balance in other blogs. That concept has found its way back. When we’re off balance, we fall. Wether it’s physical or emotional, balance matters. Equanimity is all about that emotional balance.  It doesn’t mean not feeling, in fact, it’s about calmness, which can be achieved in joy and happiness and even exultation.  When I am at my best swimming, biking or running, I’m usually in a state of equanimity. It’s what I need to strive for in my daily life, just like my grandson.

Journey to Kona Day 42: Perseverance

I'm still recovering from my rib sprain, so no workouts today, no training whatsoever.  Plus, it was my wife's birthday, so that was my focus. Two weeks from now, we'll move into our new house, although we won't have a kitchen, might not have bathrooms, and will be awaiting new floors. Which means that we'll probably be staying with my daughter for a little while.  It's a little unnerving to have all these things going on, or not going on. It was also odd not to do any training whatsoever today, so no "streak," of any sort. Yesterday, my quads were sore, today they weren't. My ribcage still felt uncomfortable and a bit locked up.  Which actually reminded me of the first time I had a rib out of place, which was about 10 years or so ago.  I will have no choice but to wait until I'm healed before running, though I caught this injury quickly and got treated right away. Hence, perseverance is the word of the day.

I won't be swimming tomorrow, but we'll see if I'm ok on my bike.  It does take extra energy to deal with pain, but at least most of my muscles, particularly in my legs, should be well rested.  My mind is another thing.  With lot's of stress right now, it's a little harder to focus on the training, which actually provides an important and necessary outlet for my stress.  Which is why I really should get on my bike tomorrow.  I did manage to sleep nearly 10 hours last night, which is my reminder to get a good night's sleep tonight.  Perseverance.

Journey to Kona Day 41: Stupid Is, As Stupid Does

Yesterday, I ran for the 47th straight day.  I've been on a mission to run every day until Kona.  My coach already told me that there was no fitness value to doing this, and he is absolutely correct.  Having completed my first 100 mile event over New Years, running one mile wouldn't really amount to a hills of beans in regard to my fitness. However, that wasn't the reason for my daily running streak.  The reason was mental.  Having a prolonged streak of daily running was about psychology. Pure and simple.  When I get off my bike at Ironman Boulder, and then at Kona, I want running to be second nature, especially the first mile.  I want the synapses in my brain to have zero doubt and no questions whatsoever when it comes to moving forward, when it comes to running as I begin the final phase of an ironman.  Hence, the idea for my running streak.

Unfortunately, I strained a rib yesterday. It was so bad that I could hardly breath, much less walk, and certainly much less run.  I saw the chiropractor and initially I had planned to do a 5K today, as part of 19 miles of total running volume.  I woke up feeling 90% better, although there still was some discomfort.  I thought back to a few years ago, when I'd tripped and popped a rib out of place and then ran the first four miles of a half marathon before walking an additional four miles home.  That "stupidity" kept me from running for over a month.  I had stubbornly run despite the fact that I was causing more damage to my rib and the surrounding area.  Fortunately, yesterday I'd limited the damage to moving a couple more boxes after the initial injury (still, "stupid"). However, I'd gotten my rib back in place at my chiropractor.  The damage was hopefully limited, but the surrounding area still had some inflammation.

The "stupid" decision would have been to keep my streak alive.  The "smart" decision was to visit my chiropractor again to assure that everything was back in place, and to determine a rational basis for when I'd restart my run streak.  Upon experiencing pretty extreme discomfort lying down on the chiropractor's table, we came upon the answer to the question.  I was essentially unable to lower my body to the ground in a push-up position without significant discomfort today.  That will be my test.  If I can do one push-up without discomfort, I can run my daily mile.  The irony is that I had been doing push-ups about 6 weeks ago prior to starting my full on training for Kona.

I also realized that I'd probably set myself up for this injury with my near one hour swim with my 2 beat kick on Thursday.  I wasn't sore from that swim, which was encouraging, but I most certainly had made my back muscles tired.  Combining that muscle fatigue with stress, and then adding  twisting most likely led to my 9th rib slipping out of place.  Lessons continued to be learned.

So, stupidity and stubbornness will not inform my decisions for training this weekend.  My quads are still somewhat sore from 6 straight weeks of solid training, so a few days of rest will not only not hurt, but will most likely be quite helpful.  Moreover, I'm about to enter the last 12 weeks of my preparation for Ironman Boulder, and 12 weeks is the most critical time period.  I want to enter that time period well rested and prepared.  A valuable lesson on my journey to Kona.

Journey to Kona Day 40: Bumps on the Road

I got up today, went out for a one mile run (47 straight days of running at least one mile), and then started moving boxes into my car to transport to our new house.  These boxes weren't very heavy, but you can probably guess where this is going. As I put a relatively small box into the front seat of my car, I felt something in my right upper back "slip." It definitely didn't feel right.  I immediately stopped and tried to shift my back around to get it back into place. Unfortunately, the damage was done. I'd had a rib shift out of place.  This has happened to me in the past, and it isn't fun.  Did I instantly stop and go in the house to lie down? Of course not.  I moved a few more boxes, hoping that it would be ok.  It wasn't.  By the time I got to the chiropractors office about an hour later, I was in significant pain.  That says a lot for me, as I try to take the attitude that I will always defy pain.

Ribs are important, and they tend to trigger muscle spasms that make it hard to breath.  Give me a low back spasm or quadriceps pain any day of the week.  Rib pain is paralyzing.  The good news is that I got the area adjusted quickly and I'm hopefully just feeling the immediate impact of the local inflammation.  I actually took a nap this afternoon and woke up feeling a little better.  Still with discomfort, but none of the agonizing pain that keeps me from moving, or getting up from a lying or sitting position.

I'm supposed to run a 5K tomorrow, and do it as part of a long run, which I'd truly been looking forward to all week.  Today, in fact, was a rest day.  My wife noted that moving boxes all day wasn't resting, but I would stubbornly hold on to the fact that it was.  I still want to run tomorrow, but it might take all my energy to keep my daily streak of one mile going.  On the other hand, forcing myself to run tomorrow might be stupid.  I'll have to see how I feel when I wake up in the morning.  One thing is for sure, I do tend to know my body.  I often say that bumps in the road like this are messages from my body letting me know that I need more of a rest than one day of moving boxes.

Mentally, this is tough. I've been feeling so good that setbacks really mess with one's mind.  On the other hand, if I'm forced to take it easy for a few days and this resolves (similar to my recent hip/low back issues), then all will be well.  Everything has been hitting positively on all cylinders lately, and I don't want to push unnecessarily.  The metaphors between life and ironman continue.  I was determined to help reduce stress by helping with moving today.  The best laid plans.  But, there will always be bumps on the road.

Journey to Kona Day 39: Believing

On Monday I learned how to do a 2 beat kick while swimming.  At the end of my swim lesson, I actually swam 100 yards using a 2 beat kick.  Somehow, it felt like I was home!  This felt right, and I never for a moment had any doubt that I could swim continuously with the new 2 beat kick.  I absolutely believed that it would be no problem, despite the fact that it was a brand new change to my swim form that I'd never tried before Monday. So, today I went to the pool with the intention of swimming continuously for 3,000 yards.  Which I did.

Now, I've swam 3,000 yards straight many times.  Typically during an ironman swim. Rarely have I swam this long continuously in a pool. But, I knew that I could do it.  I believed that I could do it.  And I did it, specifically using my new 2 beat kick the entire time.  On one hand, only kicking each leg once per each stroke of my arm was actually much easier, and took much less energy from me than my usual kick.  I never felt tired during my swim.  In fact, when I looked at my pacing afterwards, I pretty much kept the same pace for the entire 3,000 yards.  I wasn't trying to swim fast, and I didn't, I swam each 100 in about 1:50, which is pretty close to the pace I've always swam during an ironman swim.  Of course, I wasn't wearing a wetsuit today, but, strangely, it felt as if I was.

My 2 beat kick had me feeling in balance in the water, I never felt like my legs were sinking, I never felt like my body was getting out of balance.  I was at home in the water.  My legs never felt tired, in fact, they never really felt like I was using them, although I know that I was if I was able to maintain my balance and keep my legs from sinking.  It always amazes me how one can expend excess energy with a bad kick and not only go slower, but get far more fatigued.  I've had a solid week of bike training and I'd actually ridden an hour prior to my swim, but my legs felt fresh when I got out of the water.  Good omen of things to come!

Believing is half the battle, or maybe even 90%.  I'm sure the fact that I knew I was going to be able to do my swim today actually helped me to achieve it.  On the other hand, I knew because the 2 beat kick felt right to me.  So, perhaps it was a combination of factors, although believing never hurts.

Journey to Kona Day 38: Inspiration

I've been doing most of my cycling indoors for the last several weeks.  I typically watch war or action movies during my rides, but switched over to dramas this week.  Yesterday, I watched "We are Marshall." It's hard not to get emotional when you see an entire college football team killed in a plane crash at the beginning of the movie.  There were times during the movie that I cried while riding.  The movie starts with the message that sports is all about winning.  The movie ends with the message that sports is all about giving it everything you've got.  I couldn't find a better inspirational message to coincide with my ironman training!

Today's movie was "42." I don't think there is an athlete who better defined courage and effort than Jackie Robinson.  It's always remarkable to be reminded of what he went through and what he accomplished.  Two and a half hours on the indoor trainer went pretty fast.  Being inspired makes the workout easier.

There are a lot of inspirational movies.  There are a lot of inspirational stories.  The training itself inspires me every day.  I'm particularly inspired lately by how quickly my fitness is returning.  Every day I feel like I could have some great races this year.  At the end of the day, that doesn't really matter.  It really is all about the journey.  That's where the true inspiration lies.

Journey to Kona Day 37: Stress and Injuries

A couple of weeks ago, during a pretty stressful day related to owning two houses at one time (hopefully, not for long), I put a box in my wife’s car and tweaked my back.  During my weekly call with my coach today I discovered that there is an interesting school of thought on the impact of stress on injuries, especially the freak ones like this.  I wasn’t lifting anything heavy, and I only twisted slightly, but it was enough.  And, I’ve been fighting the after effects ever since (although I’m doing much better).  My coach told me about the theory that stress creates a neuromuscular stress that puts us at higher risk.

When I look back at many of my strange injuries over the years, this theory seems to come into focus.  In fact, I’ve wondered if stress doesn’t collect in certain spots in the body, only to react and create an injury.  So, today, my wife wanted me to move some stuff.  I decided to try to meditate briefly beforehand in order to reduce my risk of injury.  That’s the plan moving forward.  Chill before twisting or lifting!

This theory has other implications, not the least of which are the impact of stress on one’s immune system.  In fact, I’ve come down with a cold prior to my last two ironman’s, and really would like to avoid having that happen again.  Stress and lack of sleep combine to create a huge drag on one’s immune system.  Getting enough sleep and meditating are the secret weapons against the ravishes of stress.

Journey to Kona Day 36: Kinetic Chain

My previous swim coach used to talk about the kinetic chain.  Today I actually felt what she had been talking about.  I’ve got a new swim coach and I had my second lesson today.  The first lesson had already helped me significantly.  Swimming is all about form, and I’ve always thought that I have pretty good form, but I’m learning that “you don’t know what you don’t know.”  With just a few suggestions, I felt my movement in the water improve.  The two things that made the most difference were pointing my hand towards the sky and slapping down hard on the water.  Reviewing these today and working on the drills for them reminded me of their value.  But there was one thing missing, and it was the key piece in the kinetic chain.

At my first swim lesson, my new swim coach talked about coordinating my kick with my stroke.  It made sense, but I wasn’t able to connect.  I’ve always used a 6 beat kick, which essentially ends up separating the kick from the stroke.  In a way, the two are disassociated.  Today, I associated my kick with my stroke.  This happens most simply with a 2 beat kick, which makes sense, as each kick is coordinated with each stroke.  After trying it out for a few lengths of the pool, I actually swam 100 yards at the end, completely with a 2 beat kick.  The best part was recognizing that this was associated with less energy expended.  

I’m very excited about the next few weeks.  I think that I’m about to undergo a major breakthrough with my swim.  I have a better feel for the water, and I think that I know what the kinetic chain is all about.  There is a rhythm that I discovered today, especially during my last 100 where somehow it was ok to kick and stroke at the same time.  My coach talked to me about feeling like I was throwing a baseball, and it actually made sense.

So, what does this mean?  What will it lead to?  A few years ago, my ironman swims were usually done in about an hour and twelve minutes.  I had one event where I swam an hour and eight minutes, and I went an hour and eighteen minutes at Boulder in 2016.  Since that time my swim has slowed down by another ten minutes.  The major reasons for this slowing down is probably a complete lack of swim training.  This gives me something by which to set my goals for this year.  My first goal is twelve weeks from now at IM Boulder.  In the past, I could swim 1:40/100yds forever, and this translated to an ironman swim time of around 1:12.  More recently my basic swim pace was probably closer to 1:50, but suddenly today I’m expecting that in the coming weeks, 1:30 will become my norm.  If that is the case, then swimming 2.4 miles in closer to 1:05 feels realistic.  More importantly, if that 1:05 swim is also easier, that makes for an easier bike and run.  This could be quite interesting!

Journey to Kona Day 35: Use Your Time

I heard a great comment today about how much time we waste, and rather than complain about not having enough time, we should be focused on making better use of the time we have.  I’m sure that there are some people who would look at me and assume that I’m good at this, but they’d be wrong.  Interestingly, as always, there’s a running metaphor.  In a 5K, as well as a marathon and an ironman,  if you start out too fast, you’ll finish too slow.  In day to day life, this also holds true.  Since I’m someone who allows their “fight or flight” mechanism to engage too easily, I often find myself in adrenaline overload.  I was always like this in school.  I’d study really intensely for half an hour, then not do any studying for 2-3 hours.  In retrospect, this may not have been the ideal way to study, although it seems to have turned out ok.

The last four days were a whirlwind.  They always are when I go to meetings.  On a positive note, with the exception of yesterday, when I had a 6:30 am meeting, I didn’t set my alarm and just allowed myself to wake up naturally.  This is a habit I truly need to hold to.  In fact, that may be my most important resolution going forward.  Don’t plan anything that forces me to set the alarm clock!  I then made sure I got on the treadmill for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes before having breakfast, taking a shower and heading to the meeting.  Once I got to the meeting site, my plan to find time to rest totally failed.  I’d find myself busy, either going to sessions or talking to people until somewhere around 10 or 11 pm.  Oh well, the best laid plans, although I have to admit that there was little time wasted.  I also think I did a better job pacing myself.  Yesterday was an exception.  Accidentally woke up at 4:30 am (thought it was 5:30), and didn’t get back to my hotel until after 10 pm.  Didn’t stop in between.  But, I didn’t set my alarm this morning and woke up around 7:30 am.  Not too bad.  

Using my time effectively.  Whether it’s a race, training or life, this is a good thing to aspire to.  Pacing is critical.  Being a Type A personality and having a knack for doing too much too soon, it really takes some planning and thought to maintain a good attitude that will allow me to do this.  At the same time, it’s always good for me to relate my training and racing goals to my life’s goals.  

Journey to Kona Day 34: Fighting Ageism

Another full day at the Society for Post Acute and Long Term Care (AMDA) Annual Meeting.  I vacillate between enjoying the field I've been in for 30 years and the camaraderie of seeing old friends with the frustration and pessimism that has dogged me since I left my job in this challenging industry in November.  Today was another day with these very feelings.  On a positive note, I'm also talking to people about possible opportunities to engage the industry from other angles that will avoid the negativity that I feel.

I've spent the greater portion of my life advocating for older adults and fighting against ageism.  I've met too many people who place diminished value on frail older adults.  This type of attitude doesn't translate well in the senior housing and healthcare industry.  It lends itself to not caring that much if these folks die.  That frustrates me and raises the level of my cynicism.  In many ways, it's why I will always maintain my engagement with the Wish of a Lifetime Foundation.  Ever since I first read about this wonderful organization founded by Jeremy Bloom over 10 years ago, I've been involved in supporting their mission.  If we could encourage our society to recognize that older adults have wishes and dreams, just like everyone else, maybe more people would care about what happens to older adults.  I went around the exhibit hall today and gave my Wish of a Lifetime business card to some of the exhibitors.  They struggle with gaining traction in the senior care industry, I tried to make the case that they need to help support the fight against ageism through charitable organizations such as this!

Which brings me back to why I'm at the AMDA annual meeting.  It's also why I'll also be going to the American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting in Portland in May.  Both of these organizations are focused on improving the lives of older adults.  It's what I've been about since I first decided to enter this field 36 years ago during medical school.  On the positive note of maintaining a healthy mental state, reminding myself about what really matters to me and what I've devoted my life to is the best thing to do!

Journey to Kona Day 33: The Value of Mentorship

The first time I went to an AMDA (Society for Post Acute and Long Term Care Medicine) meeting was in 1995 in Orlando, Florida.  I always enjoy seeing old friends and making new ones.  Today was the first day of this years annual meeting, held in Atlanta.  While there were a lot of positive and fun things I did and learned today, one thing stood out.  The value of mentorship.

I've been in a little bit of a funk since I quit my job, trying to sort out my purpose in life and how I am going to carry forward with the things that matter to me.  I ran into a handful of people today who reminded me that our value and purpose are not always overtly obvious.  I had more than one person tell me today how much of a positive influence I had on their life and career.  Wow!  It reminded me of learning many years ago that I had actually been responsible for a fellow medical school classmate becoming a geriatrician.  He was inspired by the keynote address at our annual research forum, which I was a co-director of.  We had invited an eminent geriatrician to give that keynote, based in no small part, my nascent desire to become a geriatrician myself.  It was several years later that I learned that a geriatrician that I had hired had been inspired by that address.

I have had the good fortune to work with many wonderful people during my career.  I learn every day how little I actually know, but it is nice to hear that I have had some influence on the careers of others.  I love to teach, I love to share my thoughts and insights.  They aren't always correct, and I hope that I am clear in letting people know that.  We all need to learn from one another, both in life and in our work.

Since I quit my job, the idea of mentorship playing an important role in what I do going forward keeps coming back.  I'm not sure that there's anything that I enjoy more!  To have a number of people approach me today who learned from me over a decade ago and still appreciate what I taught them is and will always be a highlight of both my career and my life.

Journey to Kona Day 32: Stress and Money

Why does money cause so much stress?  I was going to park in the Economy lot and walk the one mile to the airport, but the lot was full.  It was also raining and I have my backpack pretty full.  So, I decided to splurge and park close.  $40/day for five days.  Ouch!  On the other hand, no walking in the rain.  Also, lower risk of tweaking my back again.  Besides, it’s only money.  

“It’s only money.”  What does that mean?  It actually means what it says.  Money is used as a means to barter, as a means to buy “things.” Granted, some of those things are essential, like food and shelter. On the other hand, many of those things are luxuries.  They are not required for living.  

One of the interesting dichotomies of life that I’ve become aware of in the past few years is that I actually feel more pressure trying to keep what I have than I did when I didn’t have anything.  I’ve struggled with this and tried to understand it.  Why is it more stressful to me to worry about losing what I have than it was to worry about actually having it?  I certainly don’t have any answers, because if I did, I wouldn’t get so stressed.

My wife has suggested a couple of reasons.  We have definitely made some choices in the past several years that has led to spending more money than we thought we would spend.  Concluding whether this money positively contributed to our lives is much more difficult.  In a very narrow view, there are countless examples of stresses associated with the money we’ve spent.  On the other hand, looking forward, it’s always hard to know what would have been if we’d taken a different course along the way.  Therein lies the rub.  Money is nothing more than a placeholder for the worries we place on ourselves from our expectations.

Living a life based on expectations only leads to one questioning whether we’ve achieved or met those expectations.  Considering my favorite saying, “perfection is the enemy of the good,” expectations imply a certain level of perfection.  This is where I need to get in touch with my inner ironman.  There is never anything perfect about an ironman.  Something will go wrong.  Why?  Because, in the course of 11-14 hours, something has to go wrong!  

What’s wrong with wrong?  Nothing.  If we live our lives in the moment, and appreciate each moment for what it is, only then can we defy any expectations.  There is no such thing as “wrong” in such a world, there only “is.”  

Since I started this blog with questions about money, I figure that I should come back to the topic.  What is money for?  Should we stress over money?  What matters? What are ones priorities in life?  Not in any particular order, staying fit and healthy are certainly high on the list.  Having purpose is a priority that I’ve come to fully appreciate in my third attempt at retirement.  Being a husband, father, grandfather and son…I started to use the word “good” before these, but immediately realized that’s what always gets me in trouble, expectations!  There is no “good,” there’s just being in the moment when it comes to being a husband, father, grandfather and son.  The sooner I let go of any expectations for any or all of these roles, the sooner I will forego the stress that comes with such expectations.  

 So, I come back to my parking decision.  I didn’t have to deal with the stress of finding a parking lot to park in.  I didn’t have to deal with walking a mile or so in the rain.  I didn’t have to deal with carrying a 30 pound backpack over that walk.  In the big scheme of life, those things will probably benefit me more in the long run than having an extra $140 in my bank account when I’m gone.  I’m sure that even my kids would rather forego that extra $140 knowing that I actually reduced my stress today in a more meaningful way.

Journey to Kona Day 31: Tired

In addition to running every day for the last five weeks, I'm now 31 days into writing every day.  I almost went to bed without writing today, but realized that I'd be laying in bed thinking about the fact that I hadn't written.  Five solid weeks of training and I'm tired.  My legs are tired, my right hip/low back is still sore (I had to mash on it with my thumb today during a 3 mile run in order to keep the discomfort to a minimum). Did I say that my legs were tired? I'm flying to Atlanta tomorrow for a four day meeting, and I'll use those four days as an opportunity to rest my body as much as possible.  I say as much as possible, because I'll probably be standing too much (note to self, try to sit whenever possible). I'll also try to work in rest/meditation time each day.  I've only promised myself that I'll run one mile every day (on a hotel treadmill) in order to keep my running streak alive.

If I wake up at an early hour tomorrow, I'll try to put in some additional cycling time before my "enforced" rest period.  My body seems to know that I've done the work and it's time for some recovery.  There's been plenty of stuff going on mentally, and I hope to use the next few days as somewhat of a "break" as well.  We'll see how that goes, especially since I'll be in my work environment, tugging on my workaholic strings.  But I guess that's the challenge I've set for myself.  Did I say that I was tired?  I'm definitely ready for some rest after a very solid five weeks of training.  I did get in a swim this morning, swam 30 minutes without stopping to assess where my swim is, and I was quite happy.  I could have swam another hour and it wouldn't have been a problem, my new tweaks to my stroke are melding in well and I'm feeling quite comfortable in the water.  This gives me something to start working on from a visualization perspective.

Well, I've gotten my daily writing in, time to get some sleep.

Journey to Kona Day 30: Back Pain

I was moving a box yesterday and tweaked my back.  This has been a pretty constant issue for me since I herniated my L5-S1 over 20 years ago.  Despite a little soreness, and the feeling that my back could easily seize up more, I rode my bike on my indoor trainer for nearly 2 hours today (an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening), ran a mile (keeping my daily running streak alive), and swam for nearly an hour.  Normally, swimming helps my back, but I did some hard 50’s and a 100 and pushing off the wall may have tweaked my back a little more than it already was.  Lesson learned, maybe.  

I’m always reminded that I tweaked my back three days before Ironman Chattanooga in 2014 (http://wassdoc.blogspot.com/2014/), and had my PR that day.  The bottom line is that I didn’t let my back issues impact my day today.  I got in nearly three hours of training, spent a good portion of my day with my wife as we prepare to move to our new house, and even swept our yard this morning!  

I often tell people that I’m fitter than I’ve ever been in my life, nearing the age of 60, but I have more aches and pains than I’ve ever had.  It may be an irony of getting older, or a reminder that our bodies are never perfect.  In many ways this is what makes the ironman journey the perfect metaphor for life.  We have our goals.  We live our journey. We persevere. My back is just a reminder of the vagaries of the journey that I’m on.  

Journey to Kona Day 29: Training the Mind

I’ve been doing almost all of my cycling over the last five weeks on my indoor trainer.  I always do this while watching a movie.  My typical movie will be a war movie, interspersed with some action movie.  War movies tend to be my favorite.  I’ve watched “Band of Brothers” countless times while training on my bike.  Two of my favorite war movies to watch are “We Were Soldiers” and “Black Hawk Down.”  If I’m planning to ride for three or more hours,”The Godfather” works it’s way into my repertoire.  Watching a movie gives me something to focus on while riding, to take some of the monotony away.  It’s interesting, right now I need the focus to distract me from the effort to my legs.  As I get into better shape, the distraction will be from the exertion itself.  

I know that some athletes will do indoor cycling training without anything to distract them. I’ve never really tried that, but have to wonder what the mental training component would be like.  I’m truly not sure how long I could last riding indoors without something to focus my brain on other than the ride itself?  On the other hand, it might be an interesting test of my ability to focus on the effort.  I’m not sure that I’m ready yet to try this, but now that the idea is out there, I will have to prepare myself for it.  Doing an ironman is all about the mind, and training the mind to focus and stay in the moment over the course of a long day is the key.  Ironically, this is not something I’ve ever really struggled with during most of my ironman races. I don’t necessarily want to create a challenge that I don’t have. 

Five weeks ago I was recovering from my 100 miler, to some degree my fitness was at a bit of a nadir, and mentally I wasn’t fully engaged.  I feel like my fitness is starting to gel, which is important when it comes to factoring in the mental component.  When the physical aspect of training seems burdensome, that’s the overriding factor to overcome. As my fitness improves and cycling and running feel more comfortable, it’s easier to maintain a basic level of mindfulness and lose oneself in the training.  Hence, the 20 mile run.  When I’m in my long run groove, 20 miles goes by quickly.  

Two hours on the bike trainer seems to be my limit right now.  In the past, I’ve been able to spend four to five hours on the trainer. For some people this would be excruciatingly difficult, and I have to admit, right now, there’s no way that I’m ready to do this.  However, I feel like I’m not far off.  I really want to build on this because I know the value of my twenty 20 mile runs, and I’d like to do something similar with my cycling.  Perhaps doing ten 100 mile bike rides in preparation for my next ironman?  The other thing I’ve long thought of doing, but haven’t ever done, is to do some significant “overdistance” bike rides, in the range of 120-130 miles.  There are pros and cons to this, but I am intrigued by the thought.  In the end, it really is about training the mind to believe that 112 miles of cycling is really not much!

Journey to Kona Day 28: Finding Peace

We’re all human beings, which means that none of us are perfect.  For perfectionists like myself, that presents a challenge.  It may be the reason that I like to perform hard intervals, and that to some degree, my favorite race is a 5K.  The 5K allows just the right amount of suffering and pushing right at the red line, if you’re so inclined and able to hold that line for the whole race.  Most of my 5K’s, from the very first one I did back in 1992, have taken on the pattern of starting out pretty hard, slowing down in the middle and pushing as hard as possible at the end.  Not the best way to maximize one’s 5K time, but it shows the challenge of modulating ones efforts in order to stay on the red line for an entire 5K.  

Life may be a little like this as well.  For someone type A like myself, I’m always pushing myself to achieve some goal.  My adrenaline is engaged, and I’m “off to the races.”  In the work environment, it’s quite common for me to find myself “on.”  I’m capable of staying “on” until I no longer am, and then I will typically crash. This coming week I’ll be going to an annual meeting that I typically attend.  I’ll have a tendency to engage myself in things that matter to me professionally and put myself in the “on” position.  My coach has already warned me to pay attention to my cortisol release patterns during these four days.  But it’s really every day. When I combine this with my ironman training, it’s even more complex.  The challenge to fine “peace” during the day becomes an elusive one.  So it is in the 5K of life.

My best 5K ever was as the age of 49.  I was in solid running shape at the time, and was actually in the middle of a 3 week period where I raced 5 times (a couple of dip and dashes, a sprint tri, the 5K, and an olympic tri).  At the time, I was able to hold 8 minute mile pace for the 10K of the olympic triathlon (Boulder Peak).  7 Minute miles were manageable for me in training.  And, I had the advantage of doing the 5K at sea level.  I always remember that race because I went out comfortably fast, held my pace and never slowed down or felt like I had to back off. I had enough left at the end to finish solidly.  It was my only sub 20 minute 5K ever, something that I still aspire to achieve. This goal will have to wait until after Kona, however.  And, so, I continue to try to find peace. Even as I write this, it’s clear that my goal oriented nature will always keep me aspiring to achieve something.  

With that said, I have to maintain a balance, because without that balance, I will either burn out before the end of a race, or the end of my day.  Which, at times, I do.  I did manage to sleep over 10 hours last night and took a nap today.  Hmmm, perhaps I’ve been a little tired?  Paying attention to resting is another facet in both training and life, which, with 14 weeks to go before Ironman Boulder and 32 weeks to go before Kona, I need to be diligent.

Journey to Kona Day 27: What Really Matters

Today was “Grandparents Day” at my grandson’s preschool.  I woke up early and was able to get an hour in on my bike before we left, so did manage to get some training in (ultimately got in another hour in the evening and a short 3 1/2 mile run as well).  But the training doesn’t matter.  Being a grandpa does.  The look in my grandson’s eyes when he sees my wife and I is worth everything in the world.  It’s what really matters.  He was excited to have us at preschool today, and I think he wanted to show off his cycling skills to his grandpa!  He loves riding a tricycle in our yard, and it seems that’s his favorite pastime at school as well.  Perhaps I have a future triathlete, or possibly a professional cyclist?  Time will tell, but this kid loves activity.  He also loves to paint!  He painted a decorated a picture frame that will have a picture of the three of us in it.  

I will always remember the day this little guy was born.  I held him and told him that I’d always have his back.  And I will.  There is something about being a grandpa that is the most special thing in the world.  As much as I enjoy my ironman training, and as much as I look forward to the rest of my journey to Kona, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the feeling that I have in being a grandpa.  It’s a reminder as to what really matters.  Training can come and go, racing is essentially a one day experience, but being a grandpa is about one’s life.  And, it’s a life long endeavor that I cherish ore than anything else.

I like to remind myself that the true meaning of my journey to Kona is in each moment of each day.  Staying in the moment is not only the key to training, it is the key to ironman racing, and it is the key to life.  Watching my grandson play at school, spending time with him, observing the joy he gets from the smallest things, that is truly what is special and what matters.  I won’t make the mistake that I made with my daughters when it comes to overplaying my interest in triathlon’s.  He already knows that papa loves to ride a bicycle, and he does to!  I can’t say that I could be any happier!  

We’ve had a lot going on in our lives this week.  Our house fell out of escrow, but was back in escrow within a day with a new buyer. I had to “negotiate” with the mold remediation company as they tried to take my money.  We did get rid of the mold, however!  It’s remarkable how dangerous stuff can lurk in ones house.  I don’t know how many people are aware of the dangers of things that they can’t see. My low back has been a little sore this week, but I’ve run, biked and swam through it.  I’m expecting it to resolve on its own.  Most importantly, we got to go to grandparent’s day today and spend the morning with the person that means the world to me.  That’s what really matters!