Luckiest person at the cancer center.

Well, the waiting is over. That waiting is over. I got the results back, and the lymph nodes which were removed are negative for melanoma. The additional mole which was removed was negative for melanoma, and the margins which were removed were negative for melanoma. All that means that I am cleared and go back into mole-watch mode, and can continue planning the rest of my life.

I got that information on tuesday, and then had an oncologist appointment on thursday at the MD Anderson Cancer center. Even though the melanoma had not metastasized, the doctors wanted me to see an oncologist. This happened last time I tested positive for melanoma, and when I saw the cancer doctor, he said, "Why are you seeing me? You are healthy." This doctor was different because he was amazed that I could grow up in Alaska, not be exposed to much sun, not have any family history of melanoma, and show up in his office. When he found out that I have been diagnosed twice I think his jaw hit the floor. So, essentially, I have been diagnosed with the most deadly form of skin cancer, and have lucked out in having it localized to the skin - twice. As I looked at all the patients in the cancer center, I can't help but feel...lucky? Blessed?

Anyway, this year has definitely been one of the most challenging years for me and my family. I want to clearly delineate this year from the next, and my intent is to celebrate the new year in a way that everyone in the family can clearly see that it is a new year. In addition to the celebration, this is also when I will get my new "January haircut".

I spoke with the surgeon, and she will schedule me for an appointment in the beginning of the year to look at all of the moles on my head, and every January I will shave my head to determine if there is any change in the ones she decides to leave. I expect to have a few taken off initially, just to make sure. I guess I can't be too careful when it comes to that.

I look forward to closing the door on 2009, and having a life-changing (in a positive way) 2010. Planning for a great year is a sure way of having one, right?

waiting...

I feel like we have been waiting a lot lately. I havent posted on this blog in a while because I have been waiting for something to say. I still don't have much, but i am sitting by myself while everyone is at work or school, and figure I may as well fill you in as to what is happening up to this point. So, last Friday I had my surgery to remove a wider incision around the mole which came up positive for melanoma. it is behind my left ear. I also had a lymph node mapping, which is not as much fun as you would imagine, so they could remove some of my lymph nodes to determine if my cancer has metastasized.

Lymph node mapping is where they stick you with really painful needles of radioactive material, then you lay under a scanner in what starts out as a comfortable position, but what you figure out after 10-20 minutes of holding still, is quite painful. Some people complain that you get a taste in your mouth after the shots, while others have the feeling of wetting themselves. I just had the feeling that someone was jabbing me really hard 4x with a needle full of radioactive material behind my ear, which then decided to bleed and ooze.

Then 20 minutes on my stomach, hands over my head while looking left for the first picture.

Then 10 minutes on my back, hands over my head with a scanner 1mm from the tip of my nose (if you are afraid of enclosed spaces, this would be a nightmare. I on the other hand, was trying not to cough cause I have a slight cold, and a tickle in the back of my throat.)

Then 10 minutes on my back, hands over my head looking right.

Then wait to see if it is ok.

Then 10 minutes on my back hands over my head looking right again.

Then 10 minutes on my back hands over my head looking right again while drawing with some marker thing.

Finally I was done, and we could go over for surgery. Surgery was the same as it ever was. Get in a gown, get your vitals, put on a weird hat. Go to the OR, breathe this..... out. Josy told me when I woke up that when they had shaved to prep for the surgery they found another mole that looked like the original ones they had taken out, and that they made the wider incision, took 3 lymph nodes, and took out the mole that looked like the bad mole. Originally Josy had joked about shaving my head, and the doctor said it was probably a good idea. I have a similar mole behind the other ear, and could very well have more hidden in my hair. Josy has since bought me a stocking cap to keep my head warm - "In case we end up cutting it closer...".

So, after surgery, I came home, and started in on recovery. Weird thing is that I can not use the muscle to make me pee. I know I have to pee, but the muscle will not contract. It takes me 30 minutes to get enough pee out to feel like i should not have to pee any more.

By day 2, I notice that I can not tell if I have to go #2 either. So, not only do I not have to pee, but i have to pee, but I know i have to poo, but i can't tell if I have to poo! This probably does not make much sense, but it does to me. Sunday night I am not able to go (#1 is ok since i have trained myself to spend 10 minutes dribbling enough out to be ok about every 1-2 hours.) so i decided to stop the pain meds. Last pain meds i took was last night at 8. this morning, I could use the bathroom for both types. I really had to go. REALLY. After getting that out of my system, I looked in the mirror at my wound - which i really hadn't seen since the steristrips had come off, and decided I may need to go back on the meds. it looks painful, so, I think i am going to try the meds i had from last time. I think they are lighter duty, but at least i can feel my functions with them.

That catches you up to now. Tomorrow i have the meeting with the surgeon so i can hopefully find out whether the lymph nodes are clear, and whether the other flap of skin is clear. Based on that information, I will see the oncologist on Thursday to find out what-if anything- needs to happen there. I anticipate having some advance notice of tomorrows information today. I imagine that if the other mole comes back as anything but normal, that the doctor will call and ask me to shave my hair close for tomorrow's visit.

Anyway. Now you are up to date. Here are some pics.

Can you believe my luck?

Well, you may or may not know that in 1998 when i was just 25 years old, I had a malignant melanoma removed from my neck. Since then I have been going to dermatologists off and on and having different moles removed from my neck, arms, legs, and torso. My wife mentioned a peculiar mole behind my ear out to at least one doctor, but it was deemed unlikely to be a melanoma. Since that diagnosis I have probably had 40 moles removed by punching them out, or by using a razor to scrape them off.

Fast forward to today, when one of those moles which had been scraped off a few weeks ago, then the mole was surgically removed (5mm of plain skin around the mole turns into a dime sized piece of skin removed, and a 2 inch scar). I went in at noon to get my stitches removed, and the Dr. informs me that the one from behind my ear was melanoma. The mole that was removed from my scar on the other side which was more disturbing, and then the subsequent removal of the entire scar to make sure there was not a malignant cell which made it all these years, was clear. It left a 4 inch scar on my neck, but it was clear.

The doctor said the next steps are as follows. I have another surgery to remove 1.5 more cm around the area where the original mole was. I have a lymph mapping to determine which nodes could be problematic and take them out. Then a visit with an oncologist who specializes in skin cancer and melanomas, and possible mole mapping. Note: My wife wants me to shave my head for this one cause she is worried that I may have another red mole on my scalp which we have missed. I am not sure if I want to be bald, or even trimmed that close. We will have to see on that one.

Anyway, I have missed several days of training due to recovery, and the fact that I could not turn my head, and it is only going to get worse. The doctor says they will not likely need to use a skin graft on my head, but it will be pulled pretty tight. It was about a week before I could turn my head with this one. My face already is lop-sided, problem here is that this pulls it the wrong way.

So that is what has been happening with me for the last 10 days. I had an awesome bike ride today, my goals were to stay with the fastest rider, and to draft as little as possible. Mission accomplished, I got some looks, but I think it was "has this guy never ridden as a group before? Doesn't he know that about 3 feet to the right he would have a lot better time at it. I always like to watch the top of the sport to see where pros and elite athletes are carrying us, and at the World Championships, there were some who sustained a 28mph on the bike leg, and still finished off with good runs. Wow, time to step up my game some more.

Slacker.

I havent posted in a while. You shouldn't care. Not much is happening. In the midst of the off-season I have been keep on keeping on. Workouts have been lax, but when I work out, it has a purpose. Running workouts are mostly shorter distances, and I plan to add an LSD workout in a few weeks. For now it is track and tempo workouts with ample time to rest between. Weight training workouts are slowly being added, with a follow on swim or yoga session for every session. Biking has been there, but not very intense. Most of my workouts have been in the 30-40 mile range, with spurts of significant effort done as intervals. One major change has been my diet. I have dropped about 4-5 lbs in the last two weeks, and am going strong. Candy for halloween was a tough part to restrain myself from, but aside from the 3 lb bag of chocolate we still have, I am out of the woods. Major changes to my diet which seem to be doing ok have been to concentrate on eating vegetables (except potatos) and limit/eliminate rice, bread, wheat products, sugar, corn products, and mostly anything that has been processed. During meals this means that salad has replaced the starch/carb portion of the meal.

Dont freak out. I have not eliminated carbs from my diet. I still eat oatmeal and things so dont wig out that I have eliminated my muscle's ability to provide energy. The carbs I do eat I am looking up to see what effect they have on the glycemic index. By keeping low GI, I can keep the body from creating fat, and hopefully lose some more weight. maybe for Christmas I can be a regular clydesdale - instead of superclydesdale like I am now. Losing weight will help my running as much as intense training as it will be less impact on joints and tendons. Let's see if I can keep the momentum.

Yoga and the splits.

I know i haven't written in a bit. Not much is going on. I am on base work. To that end, last night I went to yoga last night for the first time ever. I have to say, it was pretty cool. There were a couple points where I could feel my muscles were really stretchy, and in other places not so much. I think warrior poses will help with my running and increase of my stride. I think that the dog poking his butt in the air, and the boom-shack-a-lacka that we did when we did the dog butt pose, will help my shoulder instability a lot. I also think that my hip instability that I have been experiencing since the race will get better with some of the front split-style stretching poses. I also know that while I did really well with the front to back flexibility, when we did the lying down butterfly thing, and the sitting with legs spread and reaching forward stretches I likely looked quite freakish with my knees poking up in the air.

Other that that, I am going to kick it up a little more. I am pretty disappointed with my food choices. There are good choices to make, and I have not been making them. Donuts and peanut butter pretzel bits at the office, dinners have been easy to fix and kid friendly, but not as healthy as they could be. Snacks are happening too much, and 3 beers are steadily becoming a nightly phenomenon. And I have not been drinking lite ones. Just a series of less than good decisions will curtail the efforts I have been making.

Cmon man! get with the program!

Building back a base.

Mornings are my time to work out. I find if I put it off, it doesn't get done, and it has to get done. Mornings are the time when I get the main workout done for the day, and I have a main and an optional. Main is usually either a build workout, or a speed workout. Example; tomorrow is wednesday, and I have a run and a swim. The run is the main workout, tempo run, 5 miles. The other workout is the swim, drills and 200s, which I can do either on the way to work, or on the way home. Since I need to be back for 7 so that the rest of the family can do their thing.
Thursday is a bike and weights. My sons want me to take them to the YMCA to lift, and so i will have 20 min warmup run, then weights. Morning bike is 25 miles with some moderately hard intervals. Friday is Swim in the morning (4x500s), and run in the evening. I need a gear on here to help me post the workouts. That would be cool. All of this leading up to my 70.3 in May.
Other stuff: I woke up this morning and noticed that I have pimples all over, mostly on my torso and arms. Also, I have more than the normal number of weird whitehead/ingrown hair things. Weird and gross. Sorry, should have warned you.
I have not heard from the doctor about my potassium test. The hypochondriac in me says it might me Addison's disease. Sometimes I want there to be something there so that the weird joint issues that come up have some reason, and that all I have to do is take a pill and things will all be normal.
Joints seem loose. I think 2 weeks was too long to not keep up endurance training. Getting back into it is harder than I think it should be. I am taking it easy for now, because the base and strength have to be good and solid before I start the full-on speed workouts. My joint hypermobility is frustrating, and the docs said the solution is to be ultra fit. Well, I would say that since I completed a 70.3 in Augusta I am fit. Now for ultra-fit.

Ending of recovery.

Recovery is finally ending from the 70.3 in Augusta. Yesterday was "walk to school" day, so I knuckled down and walked with the youngest and one of her friends to school. There is a fast way, and a slow way to go. I went the fast way (roughly 1.5 miles) to school walking with the ladies. Then I planned to run the long way home (roughly 2 miles). The run was at an easy pace, and rather than concentrating on breathing or heart rate, I focused on keeping an even cadence, and trying to stretch out my stride a bit. I noticed from the pictures at Augusta, and from other races, that I run like an old man. Very VERY small steps, and so when I see all these people passing me who are running with the same cadence, I naturally go "what the hell?". So essentially, I am working to increase speed while keeping the same cadence. (roughly 85-90).

The run, while at an easy pace and cadence, was still kinda rough. I can still feel some muscle fatigue from Augusta. As I focus on running, I will keep the biking and swimming, and plan to add some off-season weight training and some yoga and/or tai-chi.

On a side note, I looked at the Ironman Miami 70.3 race today and it looks like it is roughly 1/3 filled already. If I am doing that one I had better sign up soon. I also need to sign up for the Gulf Coast Tri in May if I am going to race in that one. Any sponsors out there up for paying my race entry fees? I would sign up for lots more if I could afford them.

So begins running season.

For every season, turn...turn...turn. My run's the weak one, burn, burn, burn. I choose YOU sad runner pokemon! Time to kick up the run. Tri season is over for me, and my next "A" race is the 70.3 Gulf Coast Triathlon May 8th of next year. I have one or two "C" races, and I want to see if I can get into St. Anthony's for an olympic distance "B" race. Between now and then, I am going to step it up a notch on my running. This means learning how to run more efficiently, and speeding up and stretching out. This season's flat 13.1 portion of my "A" race in Augusta was a pitiful 2:50. Just under three hours.
So, how am I going to do this?
1st: coaching. My coach is going to help me get my run under control, and get me going. I have never really learned to run. I played basketball in High School and College, but nobody ever sat down and worked with me on running. Before beginning training, the most I had ever done was about a mile. I could not do that well, and I spend a lot of time sprinting, but not really running.
2nd: friends. I have several friends who want me to go running with them, and they are willing to help me out in this area too. I am thankful for friends. I probably would not still be in this if it werent for the friends I have made in the area.
3rd: mileage. I think this is likely a subjective topic, but I think that practice at a pace, and putting in the mileage will likely help in my distance, speed, and form.
4th: high potassium?: ok, i asked the dr. office that I go to about my labs from when i went there in April. I wanted to see if there were any weird things on there, and see how my cholesterol was. I figured that they had them, and since I did not get a call, that the labs were just fine. I come to find out that they did not have my labs, and that the information was not sent to them. They asked the lab for the information, and when they got it, they called me up and asked me to repeat them since the ones I did in April showed high potassium. HIGH POTASSIUM??? ok. I had been working out hard for about 3 months, and was about 3 weeks away from doing my first olympic distance triathlon. This means exercising 5-6 times a week, and putting in some serious hours training for endurance. If anything I should have had not enough potassium, not too much. I have a serious issue with not taking enough electrolytes, and so if the tests show I have too much I can only imagine that there is something that may be off.
So, some of the things that I looked up which could be an issue (in order of what I think the likelyhood is): thyroid disorder- My mother and sister have a thyroid disorder, and this could be the reason I have not lost any weight, even though I am eating just a little more. I do not know anyone who can work out as much as I do, and stay the same weight. HOLY CRAP. I weighed in at 240 lbs at the HIM, and that is what I weighed at the beginning of the year! I mean, CMON! My mom (who has a thyroid disorder) says I do not have the bone-weariness. Maybe I do, and just think of how awesome I could be if I didn't!!! I can not dismiss that I have been tired, but just thinking that it is the exercise. Huh. Something to think about.
too many bananas- this is the #2 most likely thing. Maybe I had a smoothie or a multivitiman or something that temporarily elevated my potassium.
diabetes. - not in my family. my kids may have this as an option, since my wife has family history, but not me. I have a likely cholesterol issue from genetics, but not diabetes.

I am not sure if there are any more reasons, but if there is one I am leaving out, please comment.

So, I didn't mention the other part. I have one more week of recovery from my 70.3 as far as exercise goes, but tomorrow I begin logging my resting HR, and every scrap of food or fluid that goes into my body. After a couple of weeks of that, then I will work with the coach to fine tune my diet for weight loss. Slow and steady wins the race. At 1-2 lbs per week, I should be able to lose quite a few pounds before my race in May. The key will be to lose fat, while sustaining muscle mass. This is key because if I lose weight, and keep my muscles, the massive power I have been using to motor this large body around will be used to move my smaller body around at a much faster rate. WhooHoo!
Wish me luck. I am going to need it.

Race Weekend Report Augusta 70.3

Just to get this out of the way, I am completely, and utterly, insane. Continue to read this rant at the risk of losing your own sanity, or catching whatever H1N70.3 bug I caught 9 months ago.

Well, technically, I didn't catch the 70.3 bug 9 months ago, I only wanted to get into shape and try to be a better person by helping people whith blood cancer, but that is when my symptoms began to escalate. This is not the stream of conciousness I wanted to go down, so you will just have to ask if you want to know stuff from the beginning. This is supposed to be about my first 70.3 at the Inaugural (sp?) Ironman Augusta 70.3 race in Augusta GA.
Have I mentioned that I have never seen so many in-shape, bad-assed people in one place EVER? I am sure it doesn't hold a candle to the Full Ironman race in Kona, or even the full Ironman Florida race, but I have never attended one of those, now have I. Anyway, I packed during the morning last Friday, and Coach came to pick me up around 10am. Bike on the bike rack, bags in the back, and we were off. 6 hour ride, 1 stop for a bacon-cheeseburger at Cracker-Barrell, couple of bathroom breaks, and we were there. We put our bikes in the room (we were 3 of 5 people sharing 2 rooms at the host hotel. A side note I learned from the coach, if you can afford it, always stay at the host hotel. The Expo is downstairs, the shuttle buses pick you up at the door, the finish line is near, and they are not shocked when 3 people wheel 3 bikes into the elevator) and headed to the area where we could go to a briefing and pick up our race packets. We just barely made it into the last briefing of the day, and then picked up our race packet. This was good because then it was out of the way, but it was bad because the Bennetts were speaking during this time, and we missed it. SPOILER ALERT: this was made worse by the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Bennett both took first place in men and women's pro divisions.
So, we got checked into the race, and went throught the Expo once. I guess they did not really know how many people would be there, because the Expo part of it was jammed into a tiny space, and they could have used twice the area to make it merely crowded instead of forcing us to walk all over each other. I weighed in when I picked up my packet for Clydesdales, and came it at a comfortable 246. I think this was because of the Bacon-Cheese Burger and possibly because I had my cell phone in my pocket. Or it could be because I am still quite a big guy. We will work on that later. I did not get any comments from the guy like my friend who weighed in for Athena. I guess when she weighed in she muttered, "Gosh, that a little more than I thought it would be." and the guy said, "Maybe you should stop eating at McDonalds." Some people have no respect for others.
Then we met up with the our friends from Advanced Cycles and headed off to eat at a seafood restaurant up the road. Hotel, bed, sleep. Woke up, eat breakfast at hotel, then went to expo for a bit. Then we went to test out the swim. The current was awesome! Water was cool when you jumped in, but you got used to it. It was pretty cool, if you let go of the dock, you started to float down the river! We spent a couple minutes seeing what the water felt like, and mentally preparing for the race, and then we got out and went to the hotel. After that, Coach and a couple of us drove the bike course. This was a great thing to do, since we found that the course was pretty much all country roads, and we had an idea for the quality of the roads and the hills we would be in for. If you watch the video of the course you get a different feel for it than if you are actually out there. We knew from the ride that there was really no place on the course where the road was flat. It was all either up, or down. We got back to the hotel, rode our bikes to transition, then went to dinner. Carraba's was packed. We waited over an hour to be seated, and we ended up not being seated but taking 5 seats together at the pasta bar, then waited another hour to be served our food. 3 hours after arriving at Carraba's we picked up a couple things at the grocery store and headed back to the hotel. Asleep at 11, awake at 5, woke up the guys at 5:30, then off to the race.
We caught the shuttle to transition, set up, grabbed our wetsuits and grabbed the next shuttle to the Swim start. As I am getting off the shuttle, I hear the announcer start the professional women's wave. HOLY SMOKES! I have to check in my bag and get into my wetsuit because my wave is in less than 15 minutes! Bag check was relatively short - thank goodness - and i am getting better at putting on my wetsuit. I walked forward to where I am supposed to stand to get started, but I do not see any green swim caps. Wha?? Then i see some in the distance, RIGHT BEFORE THE GATE TO GO DOWN THE DOCKS! I push my way forward through the crowds of anxious swimmers to my group of swim caps, and don my cap and get my goggles ready. Then the wave before us starts and we are heading down the dock to get started. I made it! I look around at the group of people who are surrounding me and notice that they all look like very strong, accomplished athletes. Uh oh, this is going to be a long day... I finally get to the dock when the announcer says "30 seconds" and I jump in the water, brush off the chill, and the announcer says 3, 2, 1 and the horn sounds. I start the swim amidst flailing hands, splashing feet, and bobbing green caps. Within about 300 yards it starts to spread out and I am able to start taking longer strokes. at about 5-600 yards I am in my groove and swimming well. As I pass under a walking bridge I curb my desire to roll onto my back and wave at the people above me. At what I estimate to be 3/4 of the way through the swim, I look to my left and notice a few pink caps swimming alongside me. I am passing people who started in the wave 4 minutes in front of me, WHOOO!! I can see green caps in front, pink caps in front, green caps to the sides, and a silver cap or two from the waves behind me. Those guys must be bad asses. One day.... Swim finish! run up out of the water on the boat ramp, stub my toe on a bizzare block of concrete poking up about 4 inches WHA?? and run out of the water and up the grassy slope to the bike transition. CRAMP!!!!! Left moo-moo is not feeling great, but the bike is next, so I dont mind. It will stretch out, right? Then there was this big line of people helping rip wetsuits off of my competitors. I took a step to the right, and then used my feet to get out of mine myself. I could have probably saved 2 seconds by sitting down and having someone rip off my suit, but I am not working on setting a speed record here, just relaxing and enjoying the experience!
Swim: 28:43
T1 was nothing spectacular. I took off my wetsuit, I put on my cycling stuff, I put my gels in my pockets, I checked to make sure I had everything, like, 3 times then I left. Again, I am not setting a land-speed record here, I am just starting, and would be worse off if I forgot something than saving a minute or two out of 350 minutes!
T1:5:30
The bike course was great. All hilly, no real flat spots. Lots of country roads. I would say that half was new road, and half really needed to be new roads. There were a ton of people who got flat tires or had mechanical issues of one type or another. Of the five people we had in our group, two had issues with mechanical issues on the bike. I really enjoyed my ride, and rode my race. Lots of people passed me. I passed a few people, but I really had a race in mind when I started out, and I know there are people who are better fit than I am. This is my first race of this volume, and my goal was to complete it as best as I could, not to beat anyone or to get first in anything. This is how I was coached, and now that I have experienced it, I have to agree. The first time you do a new endurance distance, you have to plan your race, and race your plan. Do not deviate or there would be dire consequences. If you are new to triathlon and reading this, the last couple of sentences are for you. No matter what! Even if you are great at sprint or olympic distances, the first HIM should be planned, and then you race your plan.
Bike:3:08:49 Average speed 17.8
I had to pee in T2. There was only one person by the porta-cans so I chose this as the time to do it. I like that it was a good choice.
T2: 5:12
Running has never been my strong suit. I am not going to go into the agony of the run, or how it seemed like it took forever. I started by using the Galloway method of running 4 minutes, walking 1, running 4, walking one. I had done a 12 mile run during training using this method, and it had gotten me through it, but I am still not fit enough to run 13.1 miles without walking, and especially after a 30 minute swim, and a 3 hour pretty hard bike ride. I think Galloway was the only way that I had a chance to finish the race. This is what I was coached to do, and that was the plan, so I raced the plan. The run was agony, and it seemed like it took forever, but I loved the cowbells and the cheering and the, "Hey, that guy is on his second lap! GO 543!". I don't like that I was passed by several hundred people, but that is what happens when I am in one of the first waves, and I am not a strong runner. I averaged 12:40 for the first 6.5 miles, and 13 and change for the second 6.5.
Run: 2:49:47 Avg 12:57.
If you have done a 70.3 or more distance and think that run time is slow, I would be happy for any recommendations. I know this is my weak race leg and plan on putting in the mileage over the next 4 months to make it stronger during the off season. If you haven't raced a HIM and think that my run time is slow, you can suck it. Endurance racing is really really friggin hard, and until you run/walk 13.1 miles in my shoes after a 1.2 mile swim and a 56 mile bike at roughly 18mph through the hills of South Carolina, then shhh.
Anyway, finishing was awesome. I don't really know what to do down the chute, so I just ran to the end, crossed the line, and got out of the way. I grabbed a water, got my medal, they took off my timing chip, and i exited the chute on the other side of the loop, where there is about 1 mile to go to the finish. I didn't see any of my friends pass me, so I figured this would be a great place to look for them, so I sat down. Really that thought was an afterthought. I just sat down cause I could not stand or walk any longer. I had the best intentions before I started the race. I was going to go get my checked bag and grab a recorder and record my friends and coach as they passed, but this turned out to be folly. As I looked down at myself I realized I messed up with elecrolytes again, as I was covered in salt. This is something I need to work on more until I can get it right. I figured that since it was not as hot as it normally is when i train, that I did not need to take as much enduralytes, but really, it was as hot as i usually train once i got to the run, and i still needed electrolytes and more fluid.
Total time: 6:37:39
I have to say here that the only reason I crossed the finish line was because of the support of my family, and the instruction I got from my coach. In January when I signed up for Team in Training, I could not run a mile. I could not ride 10 miles on the bike at 15mph without rest, and I could not do the crawl stroke across the 25 yards of the pool without stopping in the middle to float for a minute, or do the breast or side stroke. In 7.5 months, my coach took me from that point, to completing a Half Ironman with a pretty respectable time, without injury. WITHOUT INJURY. That is pretty friggin awesome, and I appreciate CB more than I think she knows. (well, until she reads this, then she will think she knows, but she still wont.)
I also need to mention that i really appreciate my wife and kids who have sacrificed for me to train, and to purchase what I felt I needed to do this race. They have been missing me, and I understand and love them for supporting me and letting me do this.
Now to the crazy part. Last night was my first night home from Augusta. I started getting really stiff yesterday in the car, and even more stiff once I went to bed. When I woke up at 3:30AM this morning, I almost could not make it into the bathroom to pee, and then I hobbled back to the bed. As i lay there in bed after using the bathroom, and trying to go back to sleep, my mind started working. I spent the next 2.5 hours thinking about how I could get better, how I can work on my running, and about the race I had done, and what I can do to make the next 70.3 better. I am INSANE, but I love it.

I will be spending 4 months in the off-season working on improving my running technique, speed, and endurance, and then I will be building back up for the Gulf Coast 70.3 in May. Stay tuned for my new goals, new milestones, and the interesting things that will result from my pursuit of a new PR!

By the way, I am sure I missed some things from the weekend, so as I remember to, I will post them in subsequent days as I remember them.

Packed and ready to go.

I am packed and ready to go to Augusta for my 70.3. Visualizing putting my bags in the car, and my bike on the rack. Don't get sick, don't get sick, don't get sick. Middle son is home from school again today, sick. Eldest was sick at the beginning of the week. I am wildly suseptable since I started taper. Don't get sick, don't get sick, don't get sick.