Run Snail Run

Where is Jimbo?

2011-08-26T15:00:00.001-07:00

2 Week Post Op Visit

2011-08-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

I had my 2 week followup visit with the surgeon. Everything is great and there are no restrictions on my activities. I can get back to doing some serious training.

Hernia Day 7

2011-07-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

I am board! Seven days lounging about is sinful, I need to get off the dole and reenter civil society. Tomorrow, it's back to work and more importantly back to working out. Enough is enough!

As far as the recovery is concerned, it was uneventful and relatively pain free. I was able to do everything I wanted to do. The problem was the only thing I wanted to do was watch TV and eat ice-cream.
My home has become couch potato central. Gotta get up and move!

Hernia day 2

2011-07-21T14:24:00.001-07:00

So far the post surgery recovery has been easy. All the post operative pain has been controlled by the meds, ice packs and bourbon.

I was able to walk few laps around the block, go out to lunch and do some light gardening. The rest of the days was spent watching TV. I am becoming addictive to swamp people. I wonder if Trader Joes sells gator bites?

Bilateral Hernia day 1

2011-07-20T08:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was surgery day. We arrive at St. Joseph's a little after 6 am. Check in was very quick since I did the pre registration on line. All we had to do was steep up to an airport like kiosk and scan our driver's license. I was given some paperwork and a lojack line bracelet that would track my whereabouts in the hospital. This was pretty cool since my wife could watch on a monitor and get real time updates where I was.

We were then directed to the outpatient surgery center. The lojack must have been working because as soon as we arrived a nurse was calling me to come back to the prep area.

Prep was simple, get naked, put on gown, start IV. We had a short talk talk with the Surgeon and Anesthesiologist.( I lost a bit of faith in the latter when he said no one should run over 3 miles at a time)

I was wheel chaired to the OR and got on the table. 15 seconds later I was out.

The procedure took about 1 1/2 hours. I awoke in the recover room feeling fairly well but told the nurse that I needed more painkiller. I have learned to never refuse good drugs. I drank a coke and was allowed to dress, pausing a bit to admire my new manscaping.

I was wheeled out to the car and was home before noon. I took w painkiller and iced my incisions and spent the rest if the day in bed watching tv.

This morning I woke up a bit sore but that was easily controlled by the meds. We did a short walk and picked a few things from the garden.

I moving slow but doing better than I thought I would be doing.

Time to take another pill.

It is Summer.... So That Means Injury Time

2011-07-12T18:12:00.001-07:00

Training has been going well. I been able to get some good miles in and still dedicate the weekends to home renovations. What could a routine physical find? I am a mean lean running machine.

Then came those dreaded words ... Turn your head and cough. "Mr. Howard you are the proud owner of not one but two hernias. How is next Tuesday for your surgery"?

Oh F... There goes the summer

I have a few days to get my life in order before the surgery. Prepare for 2 weeks of intense blogging.

Frederick 1/2 Marathon

2011-05-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had the repeated plesure of joining my fellow GEICO pacers and pace the half marathon. It was a great day for a 13.1 mile tour of Frederick, Md.

I was assigned to lead the 2:20 group. Together with my co pacer Dwight, we lead a great group of runners to a 2:19:56 finish.

Congradulations to all the runners and thanks to my wife, Renae, for her support of the pace team.

New Pacing Gig

2011-01-04T16:48:00.001-08:00

I am pacing the 5 hour group for the Kentucky Derby Marathon. Looking forward to a great race and a post race Bourbon in one of my favorite cities.

http://www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com

Baltimore 5 Hour Pace Group

2010-11-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

Here is our group at mile 11. Looking strong!

I stated to plan my 2011 season. So far I have the Shamrock Marathon and Ironman Texas on the books. Looking to do a 1/2 IM in the fall and, of course, a return to Baltimore for the 10th time.

Baltimore Marathon 2010 Race Report

2010-10-31T09:55:00.001-07:00

It was my privilege to lead the 5 hour pace team once again to an official finish time of 4:59:29. For the 7th year straight my co pacers and I met our goal of crossing the line +\- 1 minute of our assigned goal.

The day was prefect except for a strong wind. The first 3 to 4 miles are a uphill climb to Druid Hill Park. This was fairly easy do to the pull of the crowd fresh legs. Miles 4 to 10 were a combination of rolling and steep down hills that required us to strategically put on the breaks to keep from going too fast. We wanted to run steady miles and not burn too much energy early in the race. Miles 11 - 14 were a flat tour of the inner harbor featuring a water stop hosted by Under Armour. Miles 16- 20 were mostly a wind in your face up hill climb to Lake Montebello. This is where we started to run into packs of 1/2 marathon walkers and walking wounded marathoners which caused the rest of the race to be a 6 mile version of a Giant Slalom. Three strides forward ... Two strides left ... Shift right... Repeat 1000 times!!!

Mile 23 is a Baltimore Marathon highlight, the Gummy Bear Guy! For as long a I can remember he has handed out 100's of pounds of gummy bears to tired marathoners. Another couple in the same block plays Eye of the Tiger and greets the runner in tiger costumes.

Mile 24 is my favorite. The water stop is manned by the Sig Eps from JHU. I identify myself as a brother and their encouragement is enough to carry me through the final 2 miles. The last hill is around mile 25 the Howard Street Bridge. It is not much of a hill but feels like a mountain. After you round the state office complex you have about a mile of fast down hill into Camden Yards and the best marathon finish ever. Screaming crowds, a medal the size of a manhole cover an a reunion with a loving wife. Life gets no better.

Louisville Isa Coming!

2010-07-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

The Triathlon curse almost got me. I had to skip louisville last year due to family issues. I broke my elbow weeks before the Orlando 1/2 IM.

Since Christmas, I have been having stomach problems. I think it was newlywed cooking but decided to seek medical advice. I have been poked, scanned, x-rayed, nuked, and have have had tubes shoved in every orifice(including those that God designed to be a one way exit only). Nothing was found to be wrong. Below is my complete medical file-

Fast forward to last Friday... I got an urgent call from the Doctor that he needed to see me right away. All test were ok but get in here asap!

When we arrived he did some questioning and poking ... "you have a hot gallbladder... Get a scan ... I will arrange surgery."

To this my ever supportive wife wanted to know if I could do an IM in a month. Much to her relief he said no.

Well, Doc-- I passed the test, my gallbladder is A-Ok. You can do any further test at my autopsy. Louisville make way for one back of the packer. A Snail is going to toe the line!

Weight loss

2010-07-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Exactly 10 pounds in one month! Goal is 10 more before Louisville IM and an additional 10 before the Baltimore Marathon.

Nutrisystems and Muscle Milk are my friends.

Stay away from me Ben and Jerry.

Splish Splash

2010-07-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today I repeated the Tuesday triple and added a pool workout. It was only a few hundred yards of flailing in a mostly forward direction but for a first workout I will count it as a victory. God, I am in deep doo.

Tuesday Triple

2010-07-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't make it in to the pool as planed but it was a productive workout day. I hit the streets of Charm City at 3:20 am for a ten mile run to Ft. McHenry and got back to the MAC in time for a salt pill and Ensure breakfast before the 5:30 opening. I them did my standard 99 minutes on the stair master before going to work. After work I took the easy way out and reverted to my old standby 99 min on the stair master. I need more time, there is not enough hours in the day to train, work, and have a family life.

It is a challenge don't train enough or train too much ... Either way you end up roadkill.

Nine Weeks to Louisville

2010-07-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

We are nine weeks from the 17 hour land- sea tour of Louisville. I am no where near trained for this event but that has never stopped me before. On Thursday I when to the tri shop and had a bike fitting. Friday was a 50 mile mountain bike ride on the NCR trail and Saturday was a 10 mile run at Lock Raven @ sub 10 min/mile.

Tomorrow will be a easy run / bike / run workout. Then we are back in the pool for survival training.

God this is going to hurt!

Last Orthopod Visit

2010-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

I had my last appointment with the elbow doc today and I have been released to do what I want. Oh shit, that means I have no excuse for not getting into the pool. I have eight weeks to IM Louisville so I need to start survival training.

God watches over fools and children...let's hope he is not too busy on 8/29/2010!

Tomorrow I have a appointment for a bike fitting. Usually I would do this myself but I don't have time for trial and error. Friday will be a long ride and Saturday will be a 14 mile run.

I'm Back!

2010-06-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first Snail run in about 6 months. I kept it short with a 6 miler doing 10 min miles. Everything held together well.

Knees - Ok
Back -Ok
Shoulder -Ok
Elbow- Ok

After the run, while I waited for the other to finish, I installed a bike rack on the Element. The Thule rack went on without a problem. Once everyone finished the run, we went to breakfast. The place was too crowded for comfort.

After breakfast, I went to the gym for a short workout and shower.

Now that I am back in the game, I need to put the final touches on my racing plans. Being a total idiot, I am going for the IM Louisville in August. I have a international distanced tri in September. Baltimore, Harrisburg, NCR marathons. I also plan to do a 50 miler in November.

Next year I am looking at the new IM Texas in May.

On the weight loss front, I am about 25 pounds lighter than I was in January. Still have about 20 pounds to go but we are on our way.

Sunday Update

2010-05-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

The elbow continues to heal. I had my 5 week post surgery visit with the Orthopod last week. Everything looks good and I can stop wearing the splint! I still need to go to PT twice a week to wok on flexibility and strength. I got the ok to start back with running but don't do anything to impact the elbow. I plan to hold off for another week on the runs and then start back wearing elbow pads.

The nutrisystem is working well. I am about 14 pounds lighter than when I started. I am at a conference this week so I expect to gain some weight due to diet and lack of exercise.

I love my Profession, but I don't enjoy the company of other IHs. Too anal for me. "Let's see if X angels can dance on a head of a pin ... That means that they could be inhaled and deposited in the lungs. We need to write a white paper on this critical exposure". Get a life and a tan!

The conference is in Denver. What an amazing city, clean, fresh, healthy. The 16th Street pedestrian area is ingenious. WTF can't Baltimore do something like this? Denver must have a more law abiding population. How long would a public bicycle stand last in Baltimore. Not to mention how many cyclist would be killed for the crime of being on a public highway!

I took a class on meth lab cleanup yesterday. These labs are everywhere -- I may start a company to get in on this market.
Why should criminals be the only ones to make money?

The Elbow, Nutrisystem, and Stuff

2010-05-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be the forth week post surgery. I have regained most of my hand function and arm extension. Now we are working on contraction I.e bicep curl above the 90 degree range. This hurts but needs to be done.

My workouts have been limited to stationary bicycling and seated leg work. Boring but at least it is some movement. I am starting to add long walks in preparation for a shortened marathon training season.

I have canceled our trip to Disney for the 1/2 IM. Louisville looks like it is on the chopping block too. Sea Colony still may be doable.

I have lost nearly 12 pounds in 3 weeks on the diet. I am happy with the results give my occasional cheating and vastly diminished exercise regime.

Happy Mother's Day!

Nutrisystem 2 Week Update

2010-05-04T05:33:00.001-07:00

It has been 2 weeks since starting NS. I have had a few transgresions but am trying to stay on track. So far I am down 8 pounds. Given my reduction in exercise due to injury, I am elated with the results. 20 pounds to go to reach my goal weight.

Back to Work

2010-04-27T02:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back to work. I started the day with an easy lower body workout at the MAC. The diet must be working since I lost over 5 pounds during my recovery.

The work day was uneventful but tiring. I did not have the energy for an after work visit to the gym.

Time to go...Starbucks is opening. It is going to be a good day!

Bad Omen???

2010-04-26T02:12:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day back to work post surgery. The one handed commute into work went fine. When I arrive, I noticed that I left my reading glasses at home so I had to hit the CVS for a new pair of cheaters. Now, for the bad news--- Starbucks us closed!!

It is going to be a bad day.

Visit with the Doc

2010-04-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Today was my first post op visit with the Orthopod. He removed the cast and 19 staples. Everything looks good but it will take most of the summer for recovery. After the exam, I was then sent to the hand clinic to have a removable plastic cast made. The new cast is much lighter but still immobilizes the whole arm. I can remove it for bathing but otherwise must wear it 24/7.

I start physical therapy at Union Memorial on Friday.

Joyfully, I can return to work on Monday.

On the workout front I am limited to walking, recumbent bike and lower body work. Bunz of steel here I come!

Day 2 of the Nutrisystem diet has come and gone. While the portion sizes are small, I still have problems getting it all in. I am toying with adding a serving or two of Hammer protein to aid the healing process.

Cabin Fever

2010-04-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

Cabin fever is setting in. I spent the morning reading some technical manuals for work. Afterwards, I took a 2.5 mile round trip walk to the Post Office. I got to get back to work and the gym before I go nutz.

We started Nutrisystems today. I had a stir fried "barf in bowl" steak dinner. The food is ok but the portion size is so small.

I placed Cokes and booze on my list of things to give up for the next three months. So, now I am hurt, bored, hungry, and sober.

What a pathetic life... I am turning into fully tenured resident of Menopause Meadows.

One Week Update

2010-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

The pain has gotten much better. I went the whole day without taking anything for the pain. Much of the day was spent catching up on my sleep.

The muscles in my hand have contacted into a fist due to atrophy. Extension of the fingers is physically fatiguing and I can "feel the burn" after a mere 10 reps. Tomorrow, I will set the timer on my watch to remind me to do hand stretches every 20 minutes.

The Nutrisystem food arrived today in two big boxes. Hers was around 32 pounds and my box weighed about 42 pounds. I get 28 more snacks --- thank god it is a man's world!

We are committing to stick with the program for 3 months. I need to loose about 25 pounds. As it appears my training will be limited for the summer so I really need to commit to a diet.

The vegetative healing process is getting boring. We see the orthopod in Wednesday, I hope he will allow me to return to work soon.