3 miles

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3.05 miles
Time: 3.05 -- 11:00 pace
Location: Kingwood -- Greenbelts

First, the item making the most noise. Nine hours of sleep in 3 days.

Plus, a mere 8-hours after last nights four miler I ran 3 more. It was tough dragging my legs along. I'm wondering how well I will survive my long run in the morning.

Anyone else biking the Katy Flat lands? My buddies are trying their best to convince me to ride with them. As if the ride is not enough, they are working hard to persuade me to attempt the century. I've given them a conditional yes. The conditional part; a much slower pace and we all turn around when I've had enough.

We'll see what life unfolds this week.

Pre is HOME

That's right! Pre is home and resting quietly in the safari-zoo themed room I decorated more than 4-months ago.

The results from the sleep study FINALLY arrived, but with bad news. They diagnosed "centralized apnea" and moderate "obstructive apnea". These findings resulted in two more specialist... an ENT and pulmonary. After both specialist assessed Pre and consulted the study, they found everything to be within normal limits of a premature child. Either way, my son is home and I am thankful!

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4 miles
Time: 48:22 -- 12:06 pace
Location: Trailwood Village

Over the last three days, I've had to dig deep to find the motivation to get out the door. Its been an obstacle to find the time to run. Most of my time has been divided among Pre and Alison. Thankfully I have a good job, which enables me to take care of my family without the stress of working when an emergency arises.

Again last night I had an issue falling asleep. Wasn't as bad as the night before, but I was awake after 2am. This is getting old, because I'm PLENTY tired. I simply can't sleep.

5 miles and "Pre" coming home?

First the good news.

High probability that Pre is coming HOME TOMORROW! He has 24-hours to prove a few things to the doctors, but I know he can do it!

Go Pre, Go! Show them what your made of, son.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 5 miles
Time: 1:00:36 -- 12:07 pace
12:18, 11:49, 12:08, 11:43, 12:38
Location: Trailwood Village

Lots of weirdness last night. I laid down in bed at 9:30, knowing I needed to run 2.5 miles in the morning and 2.5 more miles in the evening. For whatever reason, I couldn't sleep. The short of it... I didn't fall asleep till 5am. Usually I'm up at 7am to get ready for the day and make it to the hospital by 9am. Safe to say, the morning run did not happen.

I dreaded the run all day. Again, not sure why. My legs feel okay, but I'll admit I am mentally fatigued. Fortunately, the run was nice. The pace was purposely slowed down, in exchange for fewer walk breaks. Proud to say I only took two 40-50 yard walk breaks.

I need to get off the streets, my left shin is acting up.

4th of July treat

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4.15 miles
Time: 43:45 -- 10:33 pace
Location: Trailwood Village
Average HR: 158 bpm

Decided to take advantage of the nice running weather and hit the roads early. My endeavors were rewarded nicely with an overall 10:33 pace. This may not seem like much, but read yesterdays run. Also look at the average heart rate. Not too shabby.

Billatarianism

Once again, its time to consider what I'm doing wrong and right (if anything) about fueling my body. I know my readers are tired of hearing overly optimistic promises about weight loss, but I'm posting this for ME. Additionally, I'm not posting a goal date or magical weight loss number this time.

Over the last month, I've continued to gain weight. Sigh. There were high hopes that a friendly competition between Vic and I would spike my motivation. As usual for me, it was short lived. Now, I'll be wearing a damn dress as part of our wager. Geez, the crap I get myself into! LOL

On the up side. I have not had a drop of sweet tea or soda since "Pre" was born. Unfortunately, the craving for something sweet has been replaced with pastries.

I've stopped the OCD diet. It works, but no one wants to live like that, well at least not me. So, I've decided to gradually start cutting out the bad stuff and at some point, I'll be left with proper foods as a means of fuel.

As the worlds self-proclaimed numbest nerd, I went web searching. My search lead me to the following diet lifestyles:

Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism (eggs, dairy, and honey)
Lacto-vegetarianism (dairy and honey)
Oco-vegetarianism (eggs and honey)
Veganism (nothing to do with animals in any way)

Done of these seemed suitable for me, so I'm creating a own diet lifestyle:

Billatarianism

Over the next several weeks I hope to ween myself from the following items (Yes, I know all this is common sense):

Allowable Drinks:
Water, milk, and sports drink
-Sport drink only when associated with physical activity

Allowable Meats:
Chicken, fish, turkey, and lean cuts of pork
-Pork: less than once per week
-One "meatless" meal per day

Vegetables and Fruits:
No limit.

Pasta, Rice, Cereal, and Bread:
100% whole-grain only
Eliminate "grain" carbs at dinner (replace with carbs from vegetables)

Allowable Fats, Oils, and Sugar:
Nothing fried, whatsoever.
No more than one desert per day

I'll add more "rules" later, but I want to ease into this. The past has always been all or none, which has resulted in a yo-yo of failures.

I'm extremely unhappy in this body. Time to try something new.

Failed tempo run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4.0 miles
Time: 45:16 -- 11:19 pace
11:44, 10:35, 11:57, 11:00
Location: Kingwood - East End Park
Flap-jacks: 6 sets of 6

Plan was to warm up one mile, run two-miles at tempo, and finish with a one-mile cool down. Completely bonked shortly after starting the tempo session. Still able to log one tempo-ish mile. Also walked A LOT more than usual.

In my defense; I ran at 4pm, on crushed granite trails, while pushing my 35 lb daughter in our jogging stroller.

Is it possible for someone to have neither fast twitch nor slow twitch muscle fibers?

3 easy

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:47 -- 11:56 pace
Location: Home Treadmill

Hard to get moving, but the session went well.

Recovery bike ride

Activity: Cycle (mountain bike with trailer)
Mileage: 10.11 miles
Time: 58:46 -- 10.3 mph
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Whew-wee, my legs are tired! Alison and I did two, 5 mile loops on the greenbelts. It was hard to get my legs moving. So much so I figured I'd be forced to stop after the first loop. Somewhere along the way I fell into a groove. We both had a good ride after I shut the noise out.

Time for an ice bath soak and my daily trip to be with Pre.

UPDATE:

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 3.16 miles
Time: 55:08 -- 17:29 pace
Location: Kingwood -- Greenbelts
Flap-jacks: 5 sets of 5

(Flap jacks = crunches followed by push ups = 1 set)

Pre is doing GREAT. His bottle feeds have increased, but he is spitting up after every session. He has reflux. We'll know to what extent after the sleep study with pH stick.

Today I added a picture of daddy's little girl and the World's best Big Sister!

Long run lead my motivation

Activity: Run
Mileage: 8.2 miles
Time: 1:33:21 -- 11:24 pace
12:29, 11:38, 11:21, 12:06
11:56, 11:10, 10:45, 10:22, 1:34 (0.20 mile)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Motivation at just the right time.
Late yesterday I talked to Kevin about a Saturday long run. We spent a fair amount of time trying to work out the logistics, but our attempts were futile. Either he'd have to leave his house in Conroe at 4:30am, or I'd have to do the same and be late to the hospital (to hang out with Pre). We agreed this was not a good morning to run together. The last thing I said to Kevin was, "If you get a wild hair, meet me here at 5:30am".

This morning I hit the snooze and was heading down a path that would most likely have delayed my morning run. Before the snooze alarm went off a second time, I heard the doorbell. Panic was the first emotion, then I realized, "Hey... its probably Kevin". He saved my bacon.

We were out the door in less than 15-minutes. Eight WONDERFUL miles for both Kevin and I. He's had some hip issues, but not today. My ankle is much better, it appears it only needed a rest day to mend. Beautiful day to be out on the streets!

First 20+ mile week since February 11-17th. Its time for a serious base and a few more miles.

Pre is still progressing nicely. Another couple big bottle feeds.

Walk and Pre eats!

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 3.25 miles
Time: 56:23 -- 17:21 pace
Location: Kingwood - Greenbelts

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've used the hospital time to catch up on some neglected reading. Today I was thumbing through the April issue of Inside Texas Running. I was shocked to find a picture of ME running the Buffalo Wallow. Thank you Houston Striders for submitting the photo. Very Cool!

When Pre was moved from the level III unit to the level II unit, we got a new doctor. She's one of the chief pediatric fellows and a super nice woman. We've had no problems remembering her name, which of course is; Dr. Cox.

There is "light" discussion of Pre's discharge sometime next week. His discharge depends on three things:
-The results of a couple more test
-He starts eating on his own
-Absence of apnea episodes

EVERYONE was excited he took 50cc of formula during today's bottle feed. We were getting concerned, as he wouldn't take more than 20-25cc, therefore most of his meals have been tube fed. Plus, I was the lucky one to give him is first big meal.

The picture below is just minutes after eating. He was exhausted from all the "work" he did.

Life noise (long post)

long sigh.
I'm in a better place right now. Pre's incident has shown me there is more important things in life. Often I find myself wound-up about random stupid shit, when in reality... its simply "noise". All that matters is me and my kids. Everything else is out of my control. I've been dealt some crappy cards in recent months, but most of it has been the result of someone else's decision. I can't change that. All I can do is stay the course. By that I mean, continue doing what is working for ME.

Its been interesting to take notice of friends and family during Pre's birth and subsequent hospitalization. A few people went waaaay out of the way to "tell me what a good friend they are", while others proved their friendship through their actions. All of this has been very interesting, yet once again... only noise.

With a small family and even smaller group of friends, there's not been many shoulders to lean on. Don't get me wrong, I have friends and most have offered to help, but its a different level of connection I'm missing.... and needing. Its hard to explain without blurting out my personal life for the world to read.
...another long sigh

Pre, Alison, and I did a lot better after I squeezed in that first run. It was incredibly hard to leave the hospital and do something as "selfish" as run, but running is the one thing that is holding me together. Its where I can compose my thoughts, destress from the events of the day, and prepare for the day ahead.

I have a grand idea how to celebrate these new feelings, but it requires a little more thought. I promise to share with my readers as soon as I plan to execute my idea. The basic concepts are simple;
-All that matters is me and my kids.
-Everything else is Life's Noise.
-Finally, running has been the medium to my mental and physical health.

Today is a new day.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3.05 miles
Time: 35:04 -- 11:30 pace
Location: Kindwood - Eat End Park

The run went exceptionally well. Nice breeze inside the trails, humidity was okay, considering it had rained a few hours prior, and the wildlife was abundantly active. Halfway into the run I came around a turn in the trail and immediately found a whitetail deer eating grass in front of me just off the trail. The doe didn't hear me coming and didn't see me because she was facing the other direction. I passed so close to her I literally could have slapped her rump. Indeed a cool encounter.

There was some noise on my run. I ate a fatty-fried meal just before the run. Should not have to tell you how I felt. I know better, but I'm grateful for the reminder that food is fuel and nothing else. I'm also nursing the ankle. Its getting worst with each run. Good thing tomorrow is an off day!

I really need to start either weight training or core exercises SOON. Not sure why I can't find time for those activities. Tomorrow seems like a perfect day to start, right?

Lots of details about Pre's health, but you know what? Its all noise. He's happy, continues to gain weight, and is being cared for by some of the best in the business. That is all that matters.

Below is a picture of Pre waving at dad for his daily blog picture.
Man, I LOVE these kids of mine!

Article, run, Pre

While in the hospital with Pre, I've had lots of time to read. Today I came across a gem of an article within the pages of Runners World. Author Amby Burfoot's article was titled, "What's Your Ideal Weight?". Anyone else read it? If you didn't, its short and worth it.

One third of the way into the article Burfoot talks about fat-fitness questionnaires and how people are "wildly optimistic" (lying) about their fitness level. Burfoot then leads the reader to the Cooper Center studies, which have tested thousands of subjects on a treadmill. Anyways, there was a bit of encouraging news for us "big runners";

"The Cooper Center studies show that aerobic fitness is a powerful predictor of longevity. Indeed it's often better to be fat but fit rather than lean and out-of-shape. Fitness can trump fatness.
... That's a great message, and one we should all take to our non exercising, overweight friends. They need every bit of motivation they can get. Still, we should also remember that weight loss is almost always good. Because lean and fit will trump fat and fit."

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 34:53 -- 11:38 pace
12:03, 12:11, 10:38
Location: Memorial Park

Met the Striders at Memorial Park for their weekly Wednesday run. Crowd was light as many are leaving tomorrow for the Reno-Tahoe Ultra Relay. To my surprise, Lynn made the drive to Memorial for the first time. We ran together a majority of the time, but when she took walk breaks I used the opportunity to execute a small amount of speed work. On her walk breaks I took off at a 7-ish effort level for one-minute, turned around and ran back to her. Lynn ran 1.50 miles. I wanted better results, but my legs were tired.

Little Pre is doing good. In fact, so well they moved us to a Level II care area late this afternoon. He's off the oxygen and hasn't had an apnea episode in 24-hours!

Go Pre, Go!

Most of the test came back with only preliminary results. Echocardiogram good, but there is a hole in the top of his heart. This is normal for babies.... it takes a little while to close up. MRI normal, with the exception of results that are more consistent with a younger child. They also saw some chemical spikes on the MR Spectrum. Nothing major, but the doctors didn't talk much about it. They want to see the full report first.

We moved to bottle feeds, but it didn't go too well. Tonight they are suppose to do a sleep study. Tomorrow they will be examining his upper GI track in search of any acid reflux or anatomy abnormalities.

Pre and a trail run

Shortly after arriving home I was debating whether to run on the treadmill or at the East end park. While looking for clean clothes, Lynn called. That was all the help I needed to hit the park.

My schedule called for four miles. Lynn did a nice job of pacing herself, but the humidity was getting the best of her. She completed 2.25 miles of running. Lynn took advantage of some stretching while I took off down the trail on an out-and-back to finish the remainder of my run.

Something is suspicious with my ankle. No pain, no swelling, no bruising, but something feels.... weird. Some soreness noted during and after the run, but very minor stuff. As a precaution, I'm icing it again tonight and taking some ibuprofen.


Forgot to mention the last fifteen minutes of my run was on dark trails. I consumed enough bugs to skip dinner. Yum, flying bugs!

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4 miles
Time: 50:33 -- 12:38 pace
Location: East end park

Pre is doing fine. For various reasons they had to intubate him again this morning. After his MRI and MR Spectrum, they extubated him, which made me very happy. Tonight they changed his nasal cannula with a low flow meter. The plan is to ween him off the oxygen and see what happens. Late yesterday he was moved to a crib, but was placed back under a warmer because he couldn't maintain his temperature after sedation. He also seems a lot more irritable today. Not sure what to make of that.

Not many results returned from prior test. Rounds with the doctors went well. With a little luck they will remove the nasal gastric tube and allow him to bottle feed tomorrow. Last night they lost his IV during his bath. Now Pre has a new IV in his right foot and a bruise in his right arm as proof of his old IV location.

We also had some visitors today, which was nice.
Stormie Reed, Weston Davis, Chief Outlaw, and EMS Chief Legoudes.

New orders include a sleep apnea test and another EEG of his brain.

Near-miss running injury

After yesterdays post I ran. Nothing fancy, just three miles.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles

Time: 34:20 -- 11:27 pace

Location: Trailwood Village

Tonight, I squeezed in another three miles. My legs felt good, so I pushed the pace. Halfway into the run I tripped over something in the road. The incident resulted in me laying my ankle over. It hurt like hell for a few seconds. I stopped and assessed the damages, but no major issues were noted. Close call.

Activity: Run

Mileage: 3 miles

Time: 31:05 -- 10:22 pace

10:57, 10:15, 9:53

Location: Trailwood Village

Okay, the news you REALLY want. Preston is doing a lot better. They extubated him to see if he would breath on his own. Unfortunately, he had six apnea episodes within three-hours. So, they needed to shift gears... again.

When he is stimulated, even slightly, he starts breathing. The doctors decided to see if a small amount of oxygen via nasal cannula would work. Indeed the presence of oxygen blowing in his nose is enough stimulus to keep him breathing. Now we're working on a more definitive diagnosis to the underlying issue.

They've done all the typical test(s), but now we are getting into the grab-bag category. Today we had a cardiac echo, consult with genetic doctors, consult with the neurological team, and a few others. They have ruled-out a metabolic disorder, viral or bacteria infection, therefore 90% of the antibiotics have been discontinued. They are also increasing his feeding, which he is tolerating well. Tomorrow he will have an MRI with contrast of his brain, plus we should have the results back from a few other misc test.

I'm optimistic. Today was also the first time I was able to hold Preston since this started. When I have that little boy in my arms, there isn't a problem in this world. It was a GREAT feeling, which can only to be topped by bringing him home!

Those that know me or follow this blog are aware of the last minute name change. There wasn't much thought put into it, we both simply liked the name PRESTON. A couple days ago, I made him a banner with his name on it and placed it on his medical bed, so everyone would know who he is. Today I was looking at his banner and I thought to myself, "Not many nicknames for Preston". All at once I noticed the first three letters of his name:
"PRE"

Sure, its corny, but I think it is cool. For the non-running readers, see the link below for an explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Prefontaine

Fragile life

Weird how life can change so fast. Sometimes for the better and sometimes.... for the worst. I don't have the energy to post the details, but I thought it was important to post a newer picture of my little man. I've cried to the point of being all cried out, so blogging the hour by hours details would just make me hurt more.

In the words of an insightful friend:

THIS TOO, WILL PASS

Sucker punch

Running is the last thing on my mind.

Preston stopped breathing yesterday. I've spent the last 25+ hours at Texas Children's Hospital. Currently he is intubated and on a ventilator.

I'm flooded with thoughts and emotions. No time to write, I need to get back to him.

Below is a link to a photo alblum of our first two-days.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZM2rRm3as2LCQg

Confront it!

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:27 -- 11:49 pace
Location: Home Treadmill

Ouch. My legs ache like crazy. Shin splints developing on my left side.

The worst thing you can do when faced with a challenge is to run away from it. Because it will come after you, and will gain even more strength. If you think it's bad now, just wait until it has grown bigger and stronger. You'll regret that you did not choose to face it sooner.

Confront your challenges as quickly as you can. You'll make far more progress that way. Going forward through the obstacles may indeed be difficult. Yet it is a far better path than going backwards in retreat.

Sooner or later you must work your way through the challenges that stand between you and your goals. The sooner you do it, the better. It will never be easy, but there's no need to make it more difficult than it has to be.

Move yourself forward. Push a little harder when you need to. Confront the challenges as they come, get them quickly behind you, and you can go as far as you want.

Ralph S. Marston, Jr.

Yuck

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:24 -- 11:48 pace
Location: Treadmill**

Am I really this slow? Started today's run pushing Alison in her jogging stroller along the greenbelts. Run was cut short due to the heat and humidity. I can tough out a miserable run with a little whining, but Alison was sweating... so it was a no go.

After getting home I finished the final two miles on the treadmill.

I'm tired. It may be due to lack of sleep, but I simply don't feel like running. Additionally, my legs are tired, they ache, and are heavy.

My son.

Preston Wayne Cox
June 19, 2007
13:06 hours
6 lbs 4 oz.
18.5 inches long


















Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:25 -- 11:52
Location: Home Treadmill

Squeezed in a run while at home. This run was a tough one. My legs are tired and I got lots of aches and pains.

Run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:56 -- 11:59 pace
Location: Home Treadmill

My legs feel a lot better.... post run.

While training on my treadmill last year I talked a lot about the calibration of my SportsArt 3150. I still think its incorrect. I was moving at a good click, yet the time-mileage states otherwise.

I've been advised to not worry myself with time, but I thinks its important to note my perceived effort. The pace felt like 11:00.

ITS TIME!

Leaving to the hospital, doctor is inducing at 5pm!

Revision:
This pregnancy has been crazy. This morning we had a scheduled doctors appointment. The doctor stated it was time to get this baby out. Within minutes of our consent, we had a 5pm appointment. When we arrived at the hospital they we preparing Erin to undergo a C-section. Thorough all the rushing, the patient chart was wrong (erin and I never talked about a section). Now we are back home... but there is good news. After meeting with the doctor and the hospital staff we have a definate game plan. We are to come back at 7:30pm and start a medication that will help her dilate and by morning they will start inducing labor.

Hopefully this time tomorrow, the rollercoaster ride will be over and my baby boy will be here.

PS> Erin is wanting to change his name. So, it will be a SURPRISE!

Long ride

Activity: Cycle
Mileage: 50.18 miles
Time: 3:18:00 -- 15.2 mph
Location: East Harris County

What a weekend! Yesterday I ran 11 miles and today I rode 50 miles. Together, that's nearly 6-hours of "endurance exercise".

My legs are completely dead. The cardio for both events was surprisingly good, its the legs that have gone heavy and limp. I skipped an ice bath secondary to Father's Day activities. Maybe that's the reason I'm seating here in discomfort.

I rode with Steve from work. We did the same route as last weekend with one minor change. This time we started at his house, which added about 4 miles each way. We were a mile short upon our arrival home, so we spun around his neighborhood to make the odometer click over 50 miles.

The pace looks slow, but I'm happy with it. For 80% of the ride we were under a light drizzle. Then we found ourselves in a HARD rain (with a bad-ass headwind) for a couple miles. Near the end the traffic was heavy in Kingwood, so we decided to ride the last five miles on the sidewalk, which really slowed us down. So, with all things considered.... I think we did pretty good. Minus the rain and the stop-and-go sidewalk section, our pace could have easily exceeded 16 mph.

I need to find a way to recover quickly. This week I start a series of 3-milers... on my way to the first 20+ mile week since February 11-17. With an increase in my support staff, I feel really good.

You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions -- Adlin Sinclair

Long run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 11.0 miles
Time: 2:25:23
Location: Kingwood

I don't feel much like blogging, but I'll give you the high and low points. Vic and I scheduled this run earlier in the week. We designed the time and course to accommodate Lynn, but she was unable to run at the last minute. Being a Super-Strider, she met us at the park with a gallon of cold water and insect repellent. Thanks Lynn, you rock.

Vic and I decided to slow the pace down and simply enjoy the scenery. Unfourtantely, it ended up being extremely humid this morning. The kind of humidity that makes you sweat walking to your car. Plus, there was no breeze whatsoever.

We did a great job through eight miles. We held off any walk breaks for the first 5 miles. At the 8 mile mark we both started feeling fatigue. By the time we saw ten miles we were exhausted. A mile later, 11 miles.... we were done. The route is 13.75 miles, so you can see we walked in from 11 miles.

I can't speak for Vic, but I was feeling shitty at 10 miles... to the point of being nauseated and lightheaded. I consumed a ton of water, but apparently it wasn't enough. At nine miles I took a bathroom break and noticed I FAILED the urine test. It was somewhere between tea and coffee. Not good at all and I felt it.

I'm still excited about running double digits. My last double digit run was 12 miles on February 17th. Per some advice. I sat in a bath full of cold water. Not quite an ice bath, but cold enough for me. Also took some ibuprofen to speed up recovery in preparation of a Sunday morning bike ride.

Change

Lots of new stuff on my horizon. I'm excited about the possibilities. Sorry, the information will not be released for quite some time. I'm worried I might look like a failure if I don't succeed.

Not sure why I made this post. Maybe I want to look back a year from now and say that June 16, 2007 was day zero. At least I will know I tried. I owe myself that much.

4 miles

Yesterday: 2 miles in 21:00. -- 10:30 pace

Today: 2 miles in 20:51. -- 10:26 pace

Congrats!

Small list of names I recognized on the NYCM 2007 lotto:

• Roberta Macinnis
• Cassie Mongdragon
• Caroline Chamness
• Carlos Concha
• Vic Kaiser
• Thomas King
• Bret Riley

Walk

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5.25 miles
Time: 1:26:35 -- 16:30 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

I know better than to post personal stuff on the blogosphere, but I can't resist the temptation to chronicle more than running matters.

All that to say; I'm in a bad place. Can't shake this slump, this funk, this nastiness that has become my life. For the better part of six months I've been treading water, simply trying to stay afloat. Each time a beacon of light shines on me, its only momentary. Within days I'm right back where I was. You might be wondering what parts are shaking me up. Honestly, that's the bad part. Its an all encompassing funk. If I could get a hold of a couple bum areas, I'm sure the other parts would fall in line. But I can't seem to get a strong enough grip on anything.

What in the world is in my future? Thanks for listening to be ramble.

Morning runs suck

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.22 miles
Time: 29:51 -- 13:27 pace
Location: Trailwood Village

How do morning folks complete those early ass runs?

I made plans to run a couple miles before work, then meet up with Lynn for a couple extra miles, hoping to log four for the day. Needless to say I didn't get out of bed for the pre-run, run. BUT, I did manage to run a couple junk miles with Lynn. Nothing spectacular. It was early, I was tired, and it was only two miles.

I looked at my training log. This time last year I was doing a lot of late night running. So, maybe I should revisit night running again.

I'm starting to get a nice loop of runner-friends. Seldom do I go more than a couple days without someone calling, texting, or emailing me about their running. Example. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember my old rookie at work, Jason. He is in great shape, but wasn't in great running shape. Initially, he was working hard to run half a mile without stopping. Last week I got several calls from him, telling me he had ran four consecutive miles. Then earlier this week he tested himself and ran an 8:14 mile, at work, in the heat of the day. Way to go Jason! Then there is Sean, who is both a friend and co-worker. When I met him he could care less about times or races, but had a natural running talent. Now, every time I talk to Sean, its about his times and distances. Yesterday at work he ran 6 miles. The first four he ran with another guy (Steve, the one I did the long bike ride with), then he ran the last two miles at 6:20 and 6:13. All this after the first four miles were in the low 8:xx range. He has raw talent and now he's wanting to test himself more everyday. I'm glad to be around to hear all about it, in fact, I get more excited than he does!

For those of you interested, I sent an email to Mark Frazer with HARRA about the Summer Celebration. It took a couple days, but I did receive a reply. Below is a copy of the email, containing the simple answers to my questions. Thanks Mark, well done!

Dan Green is our speaker. He is a former winner of the Houston Marathon. Yes, there will be food and beer. Thai and Italian food will be plentiful. Plus a DJ will have music playing when we are not announcing awards.

Hope you can make it,

Mark

Long ride

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 38.5 miles
Time: 2:24:00 -- 16.1 mph
Location: East Houston

New cycle distance PR.

The QLS club in Kingwood has Saturday group rides leaving from the parking lot every week. Steve (from work) and I decided to check out the local riding group. Seemed to be about 20-30 riders in all. One of the riders told us that the months leading up to the MS150, they have 60+ riders. They also stated they have two packs, which both have varying distances of 20-60 miles.

All started well. I was there on time. I remembered all my equipment. The riders seemed likable. Perfect, right? The stars aligned for a good ride... so I thought.

Within half a mile my chain came off. I was able to quickly fix it and I was certain I could catch them, but then it happened again within 50 yards. By this time the pack was not in sight and had dropped us.

Steve and I know the area, plus we overheard the riders discussing the route, so we winged it on our own. We worked hard to catch them (first 10 mile's average speed: 19 mph), but we only caught glimpses of them in the far distance.

We started in Kingwood. At the twenty mile mark we were in Crosby Texas. We weren't sure which way to go, when suddenly we noticed a group of bikers at a local Starbucks. Luck would have it, this was the pack we started with. The unlucky part, they were done with the break and ready to ride again.

Resuming the ride with the 8-10 riders was a lot easier. There were times when the pack would surge, but we were able to hold on. At 30 miles we were on a long country road. In what seemed like a flip of the switch, they went from 17-18 mph to 23-24... and they held it. Needless to say, they dropped us.... again.

It was a great learning experience and I hope to do more long rides in the future. I had a good time.

URG!!

I'm interested in the HARRA Summer celebration, but c'mon already, what the hell is going on. Today is June the 8th. Tickets are discounted until June 13th and the Banquet is June 16th. HARRA STILL HAS NOT released the guest speaker.

-Is the speaker so lousy, they want members to buy tickets before they know who it is?
-Do they even have a speaker?

Let me stop before I get on my soap box. I will say this. I can have dinner in a lot of nice places for $15.00 a head. In fact, I could care less about the food.... its the speaker who is the main attraction. But its freakin' eight days till the event and neither the email nor the site have made any announcements regarding the speaker.

For those of you gritting your teeth, I'm not attacking anyone personally. I know HARRA is composed of an all volunteer staff, but this simply doesn't make any sense to me. Its one thing to say the celebrity speaker is so huge the name won't be released until a certain day, but its another when it appears as a lack of organization.

UGH!

Saving Grace

Nearly blow off another day of exercise without a valid excuse.... when out of no where the door bell rang and Lynn stood there, ready to run. I was a little confused, cause its about 110 degrees outside.

Honesty, I couldn't think of any other reason not to run, so I laced em' up and we hit the road.

There you go; Motivation in the form of a woman, equally important, a Houston Strider.

It was plenty hot for the noon run (no shit, huh), yet the humidity was low and a nice breeze hit us in the face most of the time. I pushed Alison in the stroller, which added a little more to my effort level. Our first walk break was at 1.33 miles, which is another milestone for Lynn. We pushed hard through the 1.75 mark, but Lynn faded fast under the Texas heat. After a small discussion, its most likely the result of minimal intake (half an apple and glass of milk) and the heat.

I told her what Coach Steeve told me... maximum weight loss and maximum running performance are at odds. Gotta find a balance. That's funny coming from me, who flip-flops to either extreme! Either way, if she wants to run longer distances in brutal weather, shes gotta eat.

Today, Lynn punched two cards. 1.)New long distance without stopping. 2) Running in the Houston heat.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.20 miles
Time: 31:25 -- 14:28 pace
13:42, 15:01, 2:43 (0.20 mile)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelt

Tomorrow I have a long bike ride on the schedule. This will be my first group ride. I'm very ANXIOUS! What if I'm too slow. What if I fall? What about flat tires?

hello

Sorry for the lack of posting. LOTS of stuff going on in my world.
Brief details:

Running: Nada, but maybe a couple miles later tonight (I'm at work). I took a work ability test on Monday and I was really sore for a couple days. Yes, it's waaay hard and it worked a lot of muscles I haven't used in a long time.

Diet: My diet is directly reflected by my mental status and well, that's not been so great. Vic is the man to put your money on. One day at a time for me right now.

Baby: No baby yet. Doctor is trying to hold out for an additional week. He said if the baby isn't here by the 15th, they will induce labor. We had a scare yesterday. Erin was admitted for a small time, but later released and sent home on bed rest.

Long run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 6.5 miles
Time: 1:23:06 -- 12:47 pace
12:54, 12:57, 13:50, 13:30
12:18, 11:50, 5:47 (0.50 mile)
Location: Kingwood East Park Trails

Odd run this morning. No clue why we were running a slower than normal pace. Kevin and I ran from the shopping center at Town Square to the East End Park Trails. The trip consisted of two miles of greenbelts on our way to the trails, nearly three miles inside the park, and the return trip. Even though I was pushing Alison in the stroller, the pace seemed much quicker than the Garmin displayed. Oh well, I suppose GPS never lies.

The run itself was awesome. Contributed most of that to the 6:30am start time. It was humid, of course, but otherwise delightful outside. Kevin instantly feel in love with the trails and said it was the prettiest run he has ever done.

The shin was silent. Legs and cardio felt strong.

June is off to a good start... running that is

Diet news: Dieted hard for the last 3-weeks. Fell off the wagon yesterday. Did really well in the morning and even packed my snacks for the Strider Picnic. Then, when I got home it fell apart. Not horrible, but far from healthy.

Lotta stuff

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 11 miles
Time: 44:47 -- 14.7 mph
Location: Forest Cove

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Run
Mileage: 1.55 miles
Time: 19:50 -- 12:51 pace
12:32, 7:18 (0.55 mile)
Location: Trailwood Subdivision

Weight Fluctuations are driving me crazy. After eight straight days of loss, I've had three days in a roll of gain. Not the result of my effort level. Here are the three-day stats:

Total Calories: +4678
Total RMR: -5907
Total Output: -2443
-run: 4.5 miles -771
-weights: 1-hour -160
-walk: 5.4 miles -619
-bike: 12.5 miles -893

Grand total after all the math: -3672 or about one-pound. URGH!

Its been said by a many blogging Striders, "The Houston Striders make you faster". And today, it deserves to be repeated. Local Kingwood runner, Lynn is now an official Houston Strider. To celebrate her membership.... we ran. Never in her life has she run a solid mile, nor has she run a sub-13:00 pace, until today. Lynn ran one-mile, without stopping in 12:32.

Way to go Lynn!

Those damn shin splints are coming back! Each day they progress a little more.

Baby News: Doc said the baby is pushing on the cervix and no longer has room to slosh around. Doctor also stated he hopes Erin can make it one more week. They started steroid shots to promote lung development. Whoa, its getting even closer!

Cool facts about May:

May running mileage: 32.38 miles
-More than March and April mileage COMBINED

May biking mileage: 65.57 miles
-Most mileage EVER logged in a single month

May weight loss: -6.75
-Net weight gain between January - April: 21.0 lbs

Did I tell you, I had surgery this month!?!?!?

Eight weeks to build up my base in preparation of SMARTie training. Hope I have enough time. Either way, May has been gooooood.

Trail run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 32:30 -- 10:50 pace
11:07, 10:49, 10:34
Location: Kingwood East end park

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still being nice to my legs, although I'm working awful hard for a high ten pace. Today was the first time I've actually run the East end park. Its so great, I wish all my running buddies could experience it. It's three inter-meshed loops. This enables you to design all kinds of funky distances. I ran the outside perimeter. That measures 2.79 miles. The surface is crushed granite, just like Memorial. The scenery is as good or nicer than Huntsville State park. There is probably 3/4 mile of wood bridges and at times you are running along side of the river... very serene. You'll find benches every quarter mile or so. Its really, really nice. Only downfall; no water, no distance makers. BUT at the gate there is a large map and a weather-proof box. In the box you will find color copies of the map.

Dr. Muscat released me back to work, starting Monday. Back to the grind.

Baby news: I'm getting anxious. Its almost showtime. I seldom buy new items. One, cause I'm frugal. Two, cause I don't make a hell of a lot of money. So, most of the baby stuff was purchased "here and there"... most of it second hand. It feels weird getting everything cleaned and ready for his arrival. I suspect less than 2-weeks.

Sports news: What the heck? Nine straight games! C'mon already!

Diet news: Nothing to report. No loss, no gain.

Beautiful words

Activity: Run
Mileage: 1.5 miles
Time: 19:36 -- 13:06 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

If you could see me, you would see one happy dad. Short story: Picked up Alison from school. We have a daily routine once we get in the car. Its a list of questions such as;
What did you do today?
Did you learn anything new?
Was everyone nice to you?
How was lunch?

Today, Alison was quite until my final question, which was: "What do you want to do when we get home?". Her reply was, "I think I want to go running when we get home". Wow! Can you believe her? The minute we walked in the house she excitedly put on her "running outfit".

Speaking of her running outfit.... Have you ever noticed the DeFeet socks that some runners wear? Well, I have a few pair and wear them from time to time. When Alison got dressed, I noticed she had on a pair of Halloween socks with little pumpkins on them. We I asked her why she was wearing them she replied, "Oh, these? These are my racing socks.. I feel like running fast today".

Playing the role of over-protective dad, I made sure to wait till the sun was down. Plus, I called Lynn and invited her on the run. Our run cycle was, run half a mile followed by a two minute walk. Alison stayed ahead of us the entire time. I kept a super close eye on her. Never caught her breathing hard or sweating much until the end, although Lynn and I were drenched in sweat. Alison never made a single complaint. She just ran.

If you told me I could never run another marathon, it would be okay with me.... as long as I have Alison and a couple miles of trails.

What a day to be a father! So proud of her that I can't put it in words.

Bike ride

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 12.5 miles
Time: 48:50 -- 15.3 mph
Location: Duessin Park

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Last Thursday I made a post titled, "Rookie Mistake". Yesterdays post SHOULD have been labeled,"Stupid Mistake". As you may recall, I walked 5-miles in the rain. Around the 3 mile mark I felt a wicked blister on my left heel. Since I was walking on the greenbelts I decided to take my shoes off and finish my walk home barefooted. That was the stupid part. This morning my feet are tender to the touch and for some unknown reason I have a couple small cuts, plus the small blister that started all this shit. Gees, they don't make men like they use to, huh? I can't even walk 2-miles on a sidewalk without shoes!

The bike ride was uneventful. At one point I thought about trying a 30 mile ride, but that passed rather quickly. I need to invest in some biking shorts. My ass has had all the bike riding it can take for one week. Feel free to make jokes, I don't care.

Diet news: As of yesterday morning, Vic and I are at the exact same weight loss number. Sounds like he did good for the holiday weekend, but he's still going to be wearing a dress in a little more than 2-months. If I beat him by more than 5 pounds I think he should also have to shave his legs. What do you think? I better not get too cocky. I posted a gain this morning, which I've been expecting for a few days. Its normal weight fluctuation stuff. No loss of hope over one or two days of gains.

Staying the course!

Rain

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5.35 miles
Time: 1:33:37 -- 17:30 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Tried to out wait the rain. Rain 1, Bill 0. Turned submissive and ended up walking five soggy miles in the wet stuff.

Rambling

Nothing much to report, so this will be short.

My legs are sore from yesterdays run. Odd, because it was an easy run. Not long ago, I read a blog post that talked about constant aches and pains associated with running. The post was followed with an insightful comment, which stated, your body will always ache at the weakest link. If and when you strengthen that area, then another area assumes the responsibility of weakest link. Its a vicious cycle that will always be. Our job is to work on weakness without stepping over the line and developing an injury. Sorry I don't have a link to the original discussion... I'm too lazy to go find it.

My LEFT knee is my weakest link. Maybe I should have had both knees scoped, just for good measure!

Diet News: Seven full days without ANY weight gain. My normal cycle is four days loss followed by two days of slight gain. I mentioned before, this time has been harder than usual. Fortunately, this week has improved from last weeks massive gains. I've lost 8 pounds in 7 days, yet only 4.5 lbs since I started my diet. Down 3.75 on the competition. I'm worried, cause "Vicky" is keeping everything hush-hush.

Humid Bayou run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 5.6 miles
Time: 1:05:57 -- 11:29 first half -14:27 second half
Location: Along grass bayou in Kingwood


Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-Body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

I need to drink more, beer that is. Yesterday I had two pints of Shiner Bock and a pitcher of Bud Light (beer-flavored water) and this morning the scale showed a huge weight loss! Yes Vic, I know its dehydration and the weight will come back... I'm bored and don't have much else to talk about!

Nice easy pace on the run. Lynn called and asked if I planned to run today. Of course I said yes, but I told her I wanted to log a couple miles before her. The dirt was actually more like mud from all the rain, which slowed both of us down.


Soon I need to try a serious long run and see what kind of shape my body is in. Any suggestions for long run mileage (for me)?

Road bike for sale

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 20.15 miles
Time: 1:27:02 -- 13.9 avg mph
Location: Duessin Park

Traveling about 17 mph. Turned to the right. Bike went to the left. I continued my right hand turn, but without the bike.... via skidding across the road. See, I've owned "real bikes" before.... you know the one with a motor under you? When you turn, you lean into the curve. Example; If you were making a right hand turn you would simply lean to the right, push down on the right side of the handlebar and pull up on the left side of the handlebar. That's how you steer a motorcycle. You never turn the handlebars into the curve. Naturally, I thought the same would apply with my road bike. Found out the hard way I was wrong.

Lots of road rash on my right side. Primarily my right elbow, both hands, and forearm. Ripped some nice clothes and a new pair of cycling gloves. Nice contusion on my right palm, where I tried to catch myself. And the mystery injury is a contusion/abrasions on my left knuckle, which has a fair amount of swelling. All in all, I think I faired okay in the wreck.

The wreck happened at two-miles, but I continued with my 20 mile ride. After my personal accident investigation, the accident was clearly avoidable for three reasons:

1: Front wheel is way low on air. Cause the tires are itty-bitty, the tire tends to roll on sharp turns without the right amount of air. (my observation)
2: Operator Error of mass proportions
3: I should have went running, then there would have never been a wreck!

Yesterday

Youtube is addictive.

I really enjoy this kids music

Sore

WHOA! Where's my ibuprofen and ice? My legs are completely dead. Maybe I'm coming on too strong, too fast. At least its a non-injury type of discomfort.

Ahhhh, the kind of pain that lets me know I'm ALIVE!

Baby news: For the last couple months I've been saying the baby will arrive the first or second week of June. At the last appointment, the doctor confirmed what I assumed all along... he stated it will most likely be mid-June, not July 9th.

Diet news: The diet started off really bad. The first four days all showed weight gain. Delighted to report today is the fourth consecutive day of loss. I don't expect it to last forever, but it is nice to see a downward trend. I'm down three pounds since I started and -2.25 since the start of the Vic challenge. Admittedly, it seems much harder this time around.

Rookie Mistake

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4 + (1) miles
Time: 46:11 -- 11:33 pace
11:15, 11:54, 11:51, 11:11, (13:13)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts
Average HR: 160 bpm

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower body
Time: 30 Minutes
Location: Home Gym

I knew better than to run at high-noon. The heat beat me up pretty bad. With the nagging injury and resulting surgery, I've been sheltered from the Texas summer thus far. There is no avoiding it any more, it's here and it is HOT!

Later today I plan to run with Lynn. She's only running one-mile, which is why I made the stupid mistake to run early. I'll update the post with the additional run

Update: I added the one-mile run with Lynn to the earlier run, but I left the pace the same. It felt nice to run on a dirt surface. Lynn did well and her energy for running is contagious!

Easy run with a new friend

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.57 miles
Time: 33:05 -- 12:53 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Last week Alison and I were feeding the turtles and I met a girl running around the bayou. I ended up talking to her. Come to find out, she just moved back to Texas from St. Paul and was hoping to find a "running club". I instantly turned into the official Houston Strider Recruiting Officer. I offered to run with her and she was excited about the possibility of a running partner. Long story short.... Lynn and I met today for a neighborhood run. Lynn is a new runner who has a large interest in running as a means of weight loss. Sound familiar? Before the move Lynn was up to 5/1's and had a long run of 2 miles. We changed things up a bit today by running 1/2 mile and walking a couple minutes. It was a nice easy pace. It felt good to give her a couple pointers... simple stuff like: get ride of the cotton shirts and such.

Before running with Lynn, Alison and I did a modified SILLY WALKS session in the front yard. Anyone know any books regarding very young children and running? Alison and I went for a half mile warm up and it was everything I could do to keep up with her. She was holding a low 9:00 minute pace the entire time.... and that's because I was telling her to slow down. At the end she wasn't breathing hard or in any distress. I always let her pick the pace and allow her to walk whenever she wants to, but she's like the energizer bunny. I just want to make sure we keep running fun and ensure I "do no damage".

Bike

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 10.6 miles
Time: 45:25 -- 14 mph
Location: Duessin Park

Activity: Weight training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

For a change of scenery I decided to ride my road bike around Duessin Park. I never knew the role wind plays in cycling. The breeze was fierce off the lake, which is evident in my pace. Scheduled 20 miles, but I faded quickly after the first 5 miles. The ride was at ~3pm and I had only consumed about 600 calories until that point. Essentially, I was not properly fueled for the ride. Oh well, I enjoyed myself.

It doesn't matter what I do, the scale never budges

Rationally, I know the scale is just an inanimate object. A thing. But it has the power to make or break me some days. Depending on where that little red needle ends up, I can be either elated or full of despair. I know, I know -- it's stupid, to put all the importance on a number. But I can't help it. When I'm on a diet, when I'm doing my part, I want proof that my hard work is worthwhile. That I'm worthwhile. So first thing every morning, I climb on. Well, almost first thing. I make sure I go to the bathroom right before, and I take off my rings. I hold my breath. I look down.

I go from hopeful to angry and depressed in a microsecond. How can I weigh half a pound more than yesterday? Maybe the scale is broken. Maybe I stepped on it too hard. I climb off and hop on again. Hold my breath. Look down. The same. This is so unfair. I give up. I've tried so hard. I feel like I could cry.

Found these two paragraphs in a book I picked up last week. Its called "Are you Losing it?". It expresses where I'm at perfectly.

Should I wear solids or print patterns?

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5 miles
Time: 1:25:11 -- 16:50 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Lower
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Lulu, the dog has a lot of energy, so I took her for a 5-mile walk through the greenbelts. We both enjoyed the exercise and quite time. Look closely, we maintained a sub-17:00 mile pace, which is a brisk walk for my short legs.

If I gauged the eating habits of last weekend by this morning's weight, then it was a complete disaster. Usually the first ten days of a diet is awesome and I lose weight with little effort. My weight is up 1.5 pounds from last Monday. More importantly, I'm up 3.25 since the competition.

I'm optimistic, because my pants fit better. Either way, it's very frustrating to see the number get bigger.

Home-Sweet-Home

Activity: Run
Mileage: 5 miles
Time: 59:04 -- 11:49 pace
12:11, 11:33, 11:18, 12:02, 12:00
Location: Corpus Christi Shore line

A long time ago someone told me, "the test of a real vacation" is: If you return home more tired than when you left. If this is true.... then I had a REAL vacation.

Most of what I did in Corpus Christi was non-eventful. It was a revolving series of; eat, beach, pool, wash sand out of crevices, eat, sleep. Can't think of much to say, other than: The weather was really nice all four days. And of course the Houston Strider's ROCKED the relay, duh.

The diet wasn't as good as I would have have liked, but it stayed out of binging territory. Walked a bunch this weekend, which hopefully off-set some of the extra calories. The highlight of my weekend happened just before departing. The Houston Striders have a Sunday morning group long run tradition. I joined the 20+ runners with no exact idea of what I planned to do. I'm excited to report, I ran FIVE miles. Ran the same concrete/asphalt sidewalk as everyone else. Of course my pace was much slower than I like, but at this point (13 days post surgery) I couldn't be happier. The cardio system felt a tiny bit better too. Wasn't having any difficulty breathing and barely broke a sweat.

Another good day indeed.

All weekend I couldn't help but wonder how many miles Vic ran and how many calories he consumed. Is this healthy? When June passed me on the run I was chanting, "no dress, no dress, no dress!"

Southbound

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Upper body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Recumbent Bike
Level: 4 of 16
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still have the aches in my calf and hamstring.... BUT it seems a lil' better today.

Family and I are on our way to Corpus Christi after this post.

The "weight thing" is already starting its usual tug-o-war. Two days in a role I've consumed less than 2000 calories and still managed to gain one-pound each day. Patience Bill, patience!

Familiar Format?

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3.0 miles
Time: 34:07 -- 11:21 pace
11:12, 11:27, 11:25
Location: Memorial Park

Activity: Recumbent Bike
Level: 4 of 16
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Activity: Weight Training
Body Region: Mid-body
Time: 30 minutes
Location: Home Gym

Still can't believe I ran three miles, a mere 9 days after knee surgery. This is something to get excited about. Although, I'm afraid I might regret it. After leaving the B2B pre-race logistic meeting I felt multiple aches and pains from my hips down. Glad to report, nothing new. For whatever that's worth!

First time in a very long time since I met up with the Striders for a Wednesday run. A couple new faces and one with baby on board, but otherwise it was like I never slacked off. I ran alone on the Memorial Park loop, while the others did a counter clockwise Shepard Hill run. I stopped at all the water fountains, yet managed to keep the walking to less than a quarter mile total.

Good day on the exercise front. That is probably good, cause I'm starting to worry about the "dress" part of the wager. I gotta win!

A scare and a little fun

First the scare:
The calf and hamstring aching is not going away. In fact, I think its getting worst. The bruise looks weird with "streaks" through it. Couldn't wait any longer, so I called the doctor a day early. Dr. Muscat thought it might be a blood clot, so he ordered a doppler test of my right leg. From the doc and staff actions, I got a little nervous. They wanted the test done immediately and preferably at a hospital, so I could be admitted if it was positive for a venous occlusion. The long of it, negative test.... thank God. For an hour or so, I was worried. The nurse was asking me to select a family doctor (I don't have one), which hospital I would like to stay at for 3-5 days, and to make arrangements to cancel my upcoming vacation in Corpus Christi. No good reason for the ache or bruises. Dr. Muscat suggested an aggressive pattern of ibuprofen and ice each and every night.

Now the fun:
Vic and I have met terms on a friendly weight loss competition. The parameters are simple but the stakes are much higher. Today is the official start day. Competition will end with the start of SMART training. We are going simply pound for pound. The person who loses the least amount will have to pay for the others entry into the Houston Marathon. As additional incentive to stay on track we added one more element. The person who loses the least will also have to attended the first session of SMART training in a dress! That's right! Vic will be wearing a dress come the end of July.

This is exactly what I need. Special thanks to Vic for being a fun sport and allowing us to "feed" off each others energy. Let the fun begin!

Woo-Hoo!

I rode my mountain bike for a little more than six miles. I was moving slow and easy! It felt good to "push" the knee on the small inclines (8.9 mph average). Forty-two minutes from door to door. The successful bike ride was followed up with a lower body workout. Reduced a few of the weights, otherwise it was a normal session.

Still a lot of aching in the calf area. Can't wait till Thursday morning and report the aches and pains to Dr. Muscat.

TENTATIVE: I might, maybe, possibly consider a test jog tomorrow. Slow pace, soft surface, and short distance are in order as a MINIMUM.

Cycle, pain, weight loss

Yesterday I completed 30 minutes on a recumbent bike. Glad to report no issues.

Surgery was a week ago Monday. The first four days were perfect, no pain, no aches.... nothing. Then late Thursday something odd happened. I started having pain behind my knee, which radiating up into my hamstring and down into my calf. It was bearable, yet very uncomfortable (it was a constant ache). Over the weekend we noticed a bruise over the body of my calve. Most of the muscle aching has disappeared, only to be replaced by the old knee pain at night. When I sleep on my side the knee feels like it is "side loaded" and causes me a lot of pain. Over the last three nights, it has waken me up 10+ times per night. This was one of the reasons I had surgery. So, I don't know what to think. I'm able to sleep on my back with my leg propped up. Unfortunately, being a big-guy, it is hard for me to sleep on my back..... its uncomfortable. Hopefully things will improve soon.

I started a "light" diet the day of surgery. Lost a few pounds this week. I gained some motivation from Catherine Kruppa, Erin, and others, which has lead to more serious dieting. I want to blog it all, but I hate eating crow. I get all excited and motivated then BAM, its all over. Maybe its better if I keep the information to myself. Hell, most of you would fall out of your chair if I told you what my weight is..... its that bad!

At some point I hope to learn from my mistakes. Also need to realize the middle road of all my extremes will lead to a happier life.

Post-op appointment

Its only 8:30am and I've already been to my doctor and returned home. Today was my first post-operation appointment. Dr. Muscat showed me before and after pictures of my knee. He was talking rather fast, so excuse me if I didn't catch everything. He showed me two areas that he worked on. He labeled one as; significant damage under the knee cap. Muscat stated this area was the result of all my pain.

On the picture, the bad area looked like a miniature crater with a bunch of debris around it. He also insured me this would NOT have gone away on its own. He said, "Left untreated, you'd have good days and bad days. Big mileage would be a thing of the past and you would become submissive to the pain and quit running all together." Boy, does that sound familiar or what!

Both doc and I are extremely happy with the progress thus far. Again, he assured me... nothing I do will damage his work, its just a matter of pain. Muscat said, "You can run ten miles right now if you want, but understand you'll be uncomfortable and regret it tonight".

Best of the best

Attended the May Houston Strider meeting last night. I've only been a member a little more than a year, but this was by far the BEST. Not a simple thing needed improvement... perfection!

Speaker:
Local Houston celebrity, Cathrine Kruppa spoke to us about Peak Nutritional Performance. Tons of useful information delivered in 30 minutes. Catherine was also nice enough to arrive early and stay a little later to talk one-on-one with a few of us.

Venue:
Chatters fit our club like a glove. The weather was nice under the covered patio, which had more than enough room to seat our ever growing membership. The buffet style serving line was very efficient and the food was awesome! Plus, the menu met the seal of approval by Catherine!

Surprise #1: We were presented a plaque from the Al Lawrence Running club. They graciously recognized our 25 relay teams at the Bayou City Bash! Gooooo Striders!

Surprise #2: Most of us are aware (via Steeve) of the unofficial HARRA Fall and Spring series results. This year the Houston Striders had a three-peat for the Fall series and for the first time in club history the Houston Striders won the Spring series. In celebration of our accomplishment, club members were awarded Asics technical shirts with our new and improved logo. It doesn't get much better than the Houston Striders! Free food, free speaker, free shirt... and all we do is run and have fun. What a DEAL!

As always, special thanks to the Houston Strider board members for all the hard work they do behind the scenes. Kudos to Ted for another great club meeting. And Finally, thanks to Coach Steeve and Baarb. Their passion for running and absolute devotion to the Houston Strider Running Club never ceases to impress me.

Back to a normal schedule

We're both home and resting. Do you think certain events happen for a reason? Well, I do. The ordeal(s) that transpired yesterday kept my knee on the move. Minus a little swelling and a tight ace bandage, I frequently forget I had knee surgery. Still haven't taken a single pain med. Frankly, I don't need it today (last night was a different story).

Here's the super wild event of the day..... I got to the hospital around 8am and had two large bags, full of Erin's essentials. Once I reached the front door I realized I forgot to lock the car. So, I set the bags at the hospital entrance and went back to my car. By natural instinct, I started "jogging", cause at one end I had left a couple bags unintended and at the other end my car was unlocked. It took me ten or more seconds to realize what I was doing. I finished my jaunt to the car and returned to the bags with a light jog (60-70 yards?). Nothing. No pain, no aches... nothing.

This freakin' rocks! I'm very, very excited.

Erin is at my place resting. Some nausea and light contractions (Braxton Hicks contractions), but otherwise, A-okay. Thanks for all the kind words and prayers. I means a lot to us and is greatly appreciated.

WHAT A DAY!

Literally two minutes after my last post EVERYTHING changed.
Let me start from the beginning:
Erin agreed to stay with me a couple days after the surgery to help out. This morning she was having a lot of abdominal discomfort, but nothing serious. Once we got home from my surgery I immediately posted on blogger. During that time she commented that she was "having contractions". Next thing I knew she was bent over in the hallway crying. I had been home from knee surgery a whooping ten minutes when this went down. We called Erin's OB/GYN who told us to get to the hospital immediately. Who would have thought that I would be driving my wife to the hospital less than an hour after being released from surgery?

Thank GOD my knee is strong and healthy. I've had to do lots to help her out, which has really tested the knee. Its strong, but starting to ache. Plus my sore throat and headache is back.

Back to Erin. Come to find out the discomfort she had been experiencing since 7am was pre-term labor. She had three unbearable contractions once we arrived home. Had it not been for those, she might not have sought medical attention. I knew something was wrong when she was crying, cause she has a decent pain-threshold. At the hospital they did all the usual stuff to check her and Garret out. Shorty after the examinations they administered 1500ml of ringers lactate to keep her well hydrated (apparently dehydration will cause contractions). Then she received three injections of turbutaline to help stop the contractions, which will be followed by oral breathine every 6 hours. Garret it 31 weeks, which is entirely too early. He need him to cook a little longer. At 5:30pm most of the contractions have stopped. A couple minutes ago (7:30pm) she said she's had a couple more, but nothing serious. Due to the regularity of the contractions and time sensitive medications, she was admitted for the night.

MHNE Hospital has weird rules. I was with Erin all day, but at one point I had to get Alison. The hospital does not allow children under 12 years old into the L&D patient rooms.... not even siblings. This sucks. I am forced to stay at home, away from Erin. I understand Alison needs me too, but I can't understand why she is not welcome in a private room. And since I have Alison... I refuse to take any pain medications. I'm trying my best to deal with the progressively increasing pain. This is hard, cause I've done a considerable amount of walking and driving since the surgery. I no longer feel as I did in the prior post..

As you can see... this is a day to be remembered!

Zero day, +5 hours

Just walked in the house from surgery. The morning started a little shaky. I woke up with a sore throat, productive cough, severe headache, and a low grade fever. There was thoughts of rescheduling the procedure by the nurses and anaesthesiologist. After a detailed assessment, Dr Muscat gave the go ahead for the procedure.

I felt horrible before the surgery, but now I feel wonderful. Probably a result of the pain medications. I've been walking since post-op. Walked around Kroger's while waiting for my prescription to be filled. Very little discomfort, plus my throat and headache is gone. YAY!

Mr. Muscat spoke with Erin after the procedure and stated he found and repaired torn cartilage under my patella. It appears the surgery was definitely needed. My legs are sore from yesterdays run, but other than that... its all good.

Zero day till surgery

What do the following dates have in common?
February 20, 2007
March 25, 2007
May 6, 2007

Answer: Last three times I logged five miles or more in one day. YIKES!!!

That's right, today I ran 5 miles.... kind of. I can't believe it either!

Small gathering in Kingwood for a leisure five-miler. Attendees included: Steeve and Barb Shepard, Jeff Sharp, Ruben Coryat, and me.

Barb did a fine job of displaying her impressive endurance abilities. For me, the pain and exhaustion was in full-effect after hitting the 1.75 mile mark. I did a lot of walk-run segments. Probably walked anywhere from 0.50-1.0 mile. Legs and knees felt A-okay, but my cardio is in the gutters. Oh well. Five miles, is five miles.... I'll take it any way I can get it!

Breakfast at Skeeters was a huge hit. With the touch of the phone we grew by 2.5 people (Erin with child aboard and Jeff's wife). It was a fun time!

Maybe.... just maybe another run, "post-surgery" could make it on the Houston Strider schedule.

A good day indeed.

RUN Kingwood!

Reminder, tomorrow morning I'm hosting a leisure run in my subdivision. Starting at 7am with breakfast to follow.

I just finished putting markers on the course. The route is a dead even 5.25 miles. The rain left the trails a bit messier than I like, but it will still be a lot of fun.

Come one, come all!!!

Begging for a BJ

This is freakin' hilarious! Caution viewing video at work. No nudity or foul languge, but its on that 'grey-line' for sexual content.

Depressed

Where do I start?
Humble Runner blog debuted on this day, one year ago. Since Christmas, my weight has spiraled out of control. Wish I could say its only a few extra pounds, but a "few extra pounds" would be comical. Its an endless list of empty promises to "start tomorrow". Have I learned nothing? The most depressing part is the difference in weight between now and May 2, 2006. I'd do anything to be at the old 2006 weight again.

Maybe the knee surgery will kick-start a rebirth of Bill. Fuck, I don't know anymore.

Long sigh.

Milkshake - Family Guy

Gotta love this stuff! Its better if you are familiar with the song, Milkshake.