Hope

So……………. IM Wisconsin. I had been struggling in August with some leg pain. I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was an issue with my IT Band but it wasn’t. It turned out to be a back issue. There was a part of me that already knew this to be true. I had undergone back surgery about ten years ago and the symptoms were all too familiar. Needless to say, I did not make it to Wisconsin. Instead, I spent a long weekend in Vegas submerging my sorrows in vodka and the European pool at the Wynn.

It has taken about 6 months to accept the reality of the situation. It won’t go away on its own. Voodoo (even though I tried) won’t work. No stretching will fix it and no words will mitigate the impact. Surgery is my only option and I accept this fate for the second time.

Two days ago, I went to meet with the surgeon, Dr. Schwartz. I never expected to meet a doctor like him. I had been told that I would never run again. I had tried to swim but cannot properly rotate. The bike seemed totally ridiculous. Dr. Schwartz understood. He knew that I couldn’t be whole again without recapturing what I thought I was before this happened. He said you won’t be happy until you are able to run again. Dr. Schwartz said to expect a full recover. For the first time in forever, I cried.

I don’t think I even knew how important it was to me. Over the last 20 plus years, I have held a series of professional jobs (sometimes) that I have held an increasing level of apathy. The more my career has disappointed me, the more I have embraced the definition of myself created outside my 40 hour week. That definition has included father, husband, and triathlete.

I accept the fact that I am mediocre at all three. I cannot accept that I would have a leg of the tripod removed. Dr. Schwartz has given me hope and for now, that’s good enough.

I had thought that this blog would be about my road to Wisconsin. In many ways, I wish it had. However, I am even more excited about the road ahead. The challenge will be fresh and even more intense. I don’t know if I will make it back to Ironman. It could happen and if God will allow it, I will do my best to make it happen. If not, I will do the best I can with the body I have. To be continued…………

Floyd Hill Phil

My friend Phil dropped me an email last night to ask if I was up for a 40 mile ride today.  The ride fit with my training schedule so I let him know that I was definitely in.  Phil is like Superman on the bike.  I’m thinking about having him tested for substance abuse.  He is one of “those guys” that climbs to the top of the mountain, comes back down to meet you, goes back to the top, back down, etc.  Honestly, it’s a little irritating but by struggling to keep up with him, my riding has benefited over the past couple years.

Last year while on a ride in the mountains, I found myself clodding along up Floyd Hill.  It was toward the end of our ride and I was beat.  Of course, Phil had already ascended to the top of the hill.  I was about 3/4 of the way up the hill and guess who rides up next to me, Phil.  He is chatting along but what was really weird was how close he was riding to me.  I kind of felt like he was being a bit of a space invader.  Even weirder, the grade of the road had not changed but somehow I experienced a renewed sense of strength and energy until I looked down.  That’s when I saw it.  Phil had his hand on the back of my bike seat and was pulling me up Floyd Hill.

Will I ever be as good as Phil on the bike?  Answer:  Doubtful.  I’ll admit that I take some childish pleasure knowing that Phil isn’t a good swimmer.  I am not proud of this predisposition but I think Phil would understand.

Today’s ride was relatively uneventful.  I will continue to work to get faster on the hills but one thing is for certain.  I will not get faster if I do not continue to get out there and chase after people like my good friend Phil.

The road to IM Wisconsin is long and riddled with obstacles.  It is good to have Phil around.  He is someone that has my respect as a cyclist and a man.  It takes a special person to help another while protecting their pride.  Thanks Phil.  I am glad he doesn’t read my blog.  Until next time….  Swim, bike, run.

To Be Continued

Yesterday signaled the beginning of my new coaching experience with Scott.  The objective for our meeting was for Scott to gain a more complete picture of my goals, achievements, and anticipated obstacles.  Scott is a good listener and I have the gift of gab so things went fairly well.

We talked about the pending race schedule beginning in June and culminating with the IronMan Wisconsin race in September.  I am currently scheduled to participate in 4 other triathlons which will be local to my home in Denver, Colorado.  I reiterated my goal of achieving a time of 11:30 in Wisconsin.  The goal is a bit arbitrary and lofty for someone with my level of athleticism but I figure that without a defined destination, I will never get there.  Scott indicated that he thought the goal could be achieved with the right training.

The next thing on the agenda was to talk about my athletic past or lack there of.  Something told me that he didn’t want to hear about my junior high basketball experiences.  However, I will admit that there are some great stories to be told.  If I had stuck with basketball, I think I could have eventually elevated my stature to alternate water-boy for local pickup basketball games at the YMCA.  I think Scott got the picture that I had never been an “athlete” until I got involved in endurance sports.  Prior to that, I was what some might identify as overindulgent and lacking the motivation to pursue anything outside my comfort zone/lazy boy.

Finally, we started the obstacle discussion.  I assured Scott that I was committed to the challenge and that little would stand in my way of following the prescribed method of training.  It is important to me that my goals do not overshadow the goals of my family but I am usually able to make things work.  It might involve an occasional night swim or a run before the sun comes up.  That’s okay.  After I got done talking the talk, we got into physical limitations.  We discussed my health record.  I didn’t think there was much to discuss here as most of the issues I have encountered have been remedied some time ago.  The only thing that was current is a problem I have had with my shoulder.   Scott called a physical therapist over to take a quick examination.

I did not hear what I wanted to hear.  The physical therapist indicated that there was most likely a significant issue with the rotator cuff.  It is my understanding that there is a range of significance and that an orthopedic doctor would be best able to assess the situation.  The idea of going to see an orthopedic doctor is not exactly what I want to do.  It’s like going to see a chiropractor for your back.  He will tell you that you need an adjustment.  The acupuncturist will tell you that you need acupuncture and the orthopedic surgeon will tell you that you need surgery.  Everyone wants to help with the tools they have in their bag.

Anyway, I called the orthopedic department at the hospital and they ordered x-rays to be reviewed next week.  I had the pictures taken and will be anxious to hear their spin on things.  Until then, I will not buy any trouble.  Instead, I will swim, bike, and run.