Butterflies and Shells

Today was a fossil hunt and quasi-hike. At least loosely speaking it was about fossil hunting, mostly it was about being in the woods. Sometimes the fossils jump out at you and sometimes they don't. The hierarchy we have developed for our fossil finds over the years is as follows: 1. Shells, 2. Flowers, 3. All other plant life. Of course, size matters too.


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So, that was a lowly 3, but sometimes you just need to go fossil hunting to see stuff like this.


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New Balance

While running, my right leg feels like I just got to the top of a big hill, tight and sore. The left one feels fine. It feels weird to have them out of balance. I think as long as I keep all of the mechanics working right, this is ok for a while. I am sure the right thigh will catch back up quickly.

I initially planned on running three and then walking three. But as I got going, everything felt good enough to run the whole way. So I did.

6 miles

Running Partner

This morning C1 and I hit the roads together. We have done it before, but this time it worked better than ever.....in part because I am still tentative with the leg thing and in part because he is growing in a weed-like fashion.

We did the normal runner things: dodged dogs, avoided sprinklers, ran single file when we needed to share the sidewalk, waved at other cardio participants, ducked low branches (at least I had to), and chatted. Tomorrow I will probably teach him to REALLY blow his nose off to the side with proper hand motion.

I aired out a couple solo ones too. I felt out of balance, but good enough to feel good about it.

Can I get away with blogging about a 2 mile run?

I ran during lunch today and everything held up reasonably well. I will probably give myself a week or so to ease back to where I left off. I am very much looking forward to strapping it on and getting back at it.

Night game tonight, W. Time for bed now.

And to D's comment about titles. Sometimes titles are written first, sometimes last, and sometimes not at all. I mix it up to keep you guessing.

If you are:
1. not in a coma and,
2. in possession of at least one functioning eyeball and an ear, then
you certainly have felt the Force lately. The Force of the American Marketing Empire that is. It is everywhere.

Unlike the previous and postvious(?) versions though, this one is PG-13. Is it really right to market a PG 13 movie on products that are clearly for the 8 and under crowd? I guess whether it is right or wrong is not my point. My point is that it causes a problem for parents and kids not yet 13.

There is a solution to this dilemna, use a Jedi mind trick.

Here is the setup.

In the last five days, we have pretty much covered the last 30 years of Star Wars. IV, V, VI, I, and II. They were all PG and somewhat corny upon re-examination, pretty safe really compared to the real world of today. The young minds of the house are now full of megs of uncatagorized Star Wars data.

And here is the mind trick:

A "When can we see Revenge of the Sith?"
B "You don't want to see Revenge of the Sith." (include hand wave)
A "We don't want to see Revenge of the Sith."
B "You want to clean your rooms."
A "We want to clean our rooms.

I didn't say this actually worked yet but it is ready for beta testing.

10 points to both G, C1, and N! on tagging the quote.

I am biking each day on the trainer. Adding 10 minutes each day and a couple gears. It hurts at night still, but it is definitely improving. I think I will jog (humpff) tomorrow and see how much ground I have lost.

I + 12 Do, or do not. There is no try.

I am not sure if "back in the saddle" totally fits, but it is good enough to get the point across. I rode on the trainer last night. It was interesting, brief, and not so bad. The seat is still broken from the accident so I had to rig that up a bit. Back in the broken saddle. I will swap it out with an old one today.

Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try. 10 pts for placing that quote. (G and C1 excluded, no google-ing allowed!)

I have some catching up to do for sure. I would rather be running, but the biking is easier right now. Nonetheless, it is a start. I am back.

I+11 ==Bunko Night==cha cha cha

Last night was the big night....

Some of you are probably shaking your heads right now. Embarrassed as much for me as by me. Has he really fallen so far, so fast to be focusing his blog on bunko? Was more than his leg injured? Was there brain damage too?

All I can say is this: If you haven't played the game, I mean seriously played it to win at all costs and damn the torpedos, then don't cast the first stone please.

Sure, I have shot craps with the big boys in Vegas. Sure, I have been baptized by cigar smoke in the private back room chess clubs of Manhattan. And sure, as you all know, I was the national junior Yahtzee!!! champion (a game I have sworn never to play again after the "cup incident"). But nothing, nothing, compares to the raw adrenaline rush that comes from a well thrown set of triple 6's followed by the empassioned cries of "BUNKO!".

For those of you who think bunko is void of strategy and skill, all I can say is this. There is a sucker born every minute. I will make sure you get on the next invite list.

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Steady but slow progress. Thanks for everyone's kind words of late. Especially, the early warning signs of blood clots!!!

I+9 Get past this and focus on the long term goal

This crash was a setback. There really is no other way to look at it. No candy coating will change that. I am bummed about the halt in progress.

But is it a dead-end or a point of no return for my training? Do I need to reassess everything? Am I bitter about running/runners/races? I don't see it that way. In fact, this small obstacle doesn't change my goal in the least. Where there is a will, there is a way, right? It may change how I get there, but I will get there nonetheless, I know. How do I know? Because it is a worthwhile goal, that's how.

In the big scheme of things, I am going to be delayed for a couple weeks. That is not so bad.

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Interesting biology notes. 1.) Massaging the thigh knot makes new blood flow to the surface. It then begins its trip south to my knee where it stops. 2.) Flying in planes makes the whole thing get very tight and bigger. Maybe this is due to restricted leg room and maybe it is due to altitude. Any comments from the medically qualified readers?

I+8

I am taking a more proactive approach to healing.

I was very hesitant about massaging the bruised area though it was recommended by a runner friend. It is a big knot of tissue that would seem to be a good kneading candidate.. But I was worried that loosening it up would maybe make some more vessels leak/break. Anyhow, I was wrong. I squeezed and poked and pushed it all day today and it feels significantly better. Range of motion is also much better.

Also, I did a couple hot soaks. While relaxing, I think the time is better spent squeezing the leg.

Patience is a Virtue (Injury + 7 days ==> I+7)

This leg is not healing very fast at all.

The bruise pattern changes based on the time of day. That is weird. A lot of the blood has moved down my thigh and is now gathered at my knee. That is also weird. It hurts quite a bit. That is not weird, it just sucks.

I don't think you lose a lot of fitness in a week but nonetheless, I can't help thinking about falling behind. Too, the waiting will get harder now. Why? Well, I think (and correct me if I am wrong) I have completed all of the domestic tasks neglected since this cardio quest began. Well, there is the one light fixture. But after that goes in, what then? Do I offer to darn socks?

By the way, officially, the half ironman is off the calendar. A non-decision really, just an announcement.

test

check test

Short term plan

Here is my recovery plan for the next 24 hours:

• Tonight I will lift and catch fast balls.
• Tomorrow morning, I will swim.
• Then I will come up with anything to avoid finishing the moulding!! Did I actually write that?

Just a big honking bruise

The doctor said that 2 weeks to 2 months (what the other doctor said) is absurd. He said plan on a week to return to no pain and full range of motion. Then ease back into a routine. The timing of this is going to be tricky though. The triathlon is a little over three weeks away.

So it appears I will have extra time on my hands for the next week or so. Time enough to finish my silly moulding project 10x over, and certainly time enough to finish a few books, and so on. I just don't want to get used to having the time for that stuff.

More than I expected

Sometime after I wrote the last post and before I went home last night, my thigh really filled up with blood. That made it hurt and for the most part, useless.

As an active person, you get used to garden variety scrapes and bruises and also used to a host of wear related injuries. But the big bang stuff is not well known to me. I did see a doctor today and will see an ortho guy tomorrow.

Nothing serious I am quite sure, but a kink in the plan nonetheless.

@#?&*!

This morning started off just fine.

But I found out the hard way that 1.) my pedal clips are too tight or 2.) I am a spaz. Either way, I couldn't get my feet unclipped fast enough to avoid a spill. Nothing serious. I do, however, have some scrapes usually only found on grade schoolers and one big bruise that feels like I had a golf ball surgically implanted in my right thigh.

The only positive is that, since my bike seat broke, I get to go to a bike shop this afternoon after work!

24 miles biking (supposed to have been 2x this), outside

Ran 14
1st three == 26:12
2nd three == 26:04
3rd three == 26:45
4th three == 25:19 (off road)
Last two == 18:25
Total 2:02:46, 154 bpm,

Kicking and Swimming

There was a guy in the next lane over who seemed to have swimming pretty much down. From poolside, his arm motion looked very slow and smooth. The view from under the water was different. I observed several times as we passed each other that his feet were really cruising on the kicking. (Slow smooth arms, fast kicks). I tried it too. I guess it is a bit like rubbing your stomach while patting your head, harder than it looks. Clearly though, I need to get more from my kicking.

Swam, a little over a mile, focused on kicking.

And.....furthermore

Bike, on the trainer, 60 minutes hard (for a trainer at least), 140 bpm.

Goals

Yesterday, I tried to learn about goals; setting them, focusing on progress towards them, and achieving them. There is a lot of that type of information floating around. Mostly they focus on goals for people who need to lose weight, quit smoking, quit drugs and quit alcohol. Those all involve stopping some unhealthy behavior (and adding excercise), but I think there are some similarities to my running goal setting.

Getting motivation from "I'll show YOU!" doesn't work for me. Apparently it doesn't work for many, at least based on my research. The motivation to really focus on something for months on end has to be from positive sources, not spiteful or even overly competitive ones. The drive to achieve comes from surrounding yourself with positive people. Maybe spite works for short term things, but it is all about positive mojo for the long haul.


Ran 6 == 54:34 == 151 bpm

Tempo Sandwich

First off, last week I went over the 50 mile mark (running + 1/2 biking converted). I had said early on that I wasn't going to worry about speed at all until I got there. Well I am "there", time to think about speed, at least a little.

Today was my first tempo run. Basically, you do some easy running then some faster running then back to easy running. Not very complicated, but it is very important to getting faster. This is the run where the body learns to clear the lactic acid, or at least deal with it better. The goal is to run right at the pace where the acid creation exceeds acid clearing capability. The body adjusts, learns and adapts. You get faster.

I will do one of these a week.

Tempo 8
First 3 at 151 bpm in 26:52
Second 3 at 181 bpm in 20:45
Last 2 in 20:35
Total 1:08:14

Ground Out 1-3

Yep. That is how it got scored, GO 1-3. But let me give some color.

It was the most spectacular baseball play I have ever seen in person. The batter smokes a hot grounder back to the righty pitcher's right. The pitcher turns all the way back right, goes airborne, gloves the ball on one hop while in the air himself, lands the dive into the dirt, gathers, throws to first, GO 1-3.

Maybe a percentage of the population could have got some leather on that grounder. A smaller group could have done it while airborne. But not too damn many, make the throw.

On the one hand, it looked easy. Talented kid, natural. On the other hand, how many thousands of times has that kid practiced that exact play? He practiced and practiced, waiting for the chance to get it done when it really mattered, on gameday.

It is like running. There is talent, maybe some luck; but get real, it is about preparation. That little man inspired me.

Ran 6 == about 156 bpm == 50:52

60-ish with a slice of humble pie

Today was an important day I think.

I rode 60 miles plus or minus a few with a group. Riding with a group is a new thing for me and I have to say that I found it stressful.

The more experienced guys were very helpful and seemed to be able to move up and back at will. They reminded me of the tough guys in the army moving up and down the line on the long marches. I was one of those then, but I could barely hang on the back today.

Maybe it was the 14 yesterday, or maybe it was the spookiness of riding right on someone's back wheel, or maybe it was not knowing when the next up or down hill would show up; either way, I was redlining.

I am cleaned up now, so I guess I am stronger for it.