Halloween is Scary. Cancer is Scarier.

First of all . . . thanks for bearing with me a few nights ago while I whined my face off.  I got up today and had a nice leisurely ride with my riding buddy Lisa (instead of going the full 34 miles with the Seminole Cyclists) just to make sure I’m up to speed.

 

Sunday and Monday I’m resting, and Monday, I’m going in for bloodwork in the hopes that the endo will see me 2 weeks early.

 

And I’m preparing today for my 1^st Annual BBQ to Beat Cancer! 

HTFU.....

Endurance sports are hard.  They often hurt.  Being an amateur athlete means there are many times we push ourselves to keep going when we really want to quit.  Sometimes you just gotta tell yourself to just dig in, HTFU, and deal with the consequences later.

That perserverance and determination, that spirit of "shoot now, ask questions later" carries over to all of life's challenges.  A lot of good comes from learning to HTFU.

That being said . . .

With all this positivity filling the air around me, it's hard to imagine having a down day.  Or two. 

But I am.

Is it okay to have a down day?  Or even two? 

I found out today that there are some significant changes coming in The B's life that will affect me.  The RSVPs for my BBQ to Beat Cancer are not even coming in, so I may not even be having a party.  I am coming down with something, which means my training this week will be scant, and I'm working overtime.
(To clarify: I always work over 50 hours a week.  This week I'm working over 60: 10-12 hours per day, 5-6 days per week.)

In short, it is a Tough Week.

Now, normally I'd just tell myself to HTFU and move on, but it has really been a long time since I've had a few down days.  And I'm really proud of that. 

I've gone in the last 6 months from struggling with severe depression and illness to rarely missing a beat.  6 months ago, I struggled to work 1 40-hour-per-week job and work out a little (let alone train).  A seemingly insurmountable stack of obstacles piled up in front of me every single day.  But, despite the mind-numbing fatigue I felt while going through that, and my cancer and treatments, I told myself, you're going to be tired anyway.  You might as well be tired and work out.

In short, I told myself to HTFU.

Now, the other part about being an endurance athlete is knowing when to rest.  That part does not come as easy as knowing when to HTFU.

So, knowing that I am still a few weeks to my goal race, and taper weeks are the best weeks to reduce my volume, and also knowing that I have had so many more amazing days than down days, I'm going to force myself not to talk about this any more.  <---That's the rule I established.  Acknowledge it and then move on.  Because, no matter how tough a week is, there will always be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

It's a Tough Week.

Time to HTFU and move on.

Returning the Favor . . .

As athletes, we often like to push ourselves hard with our workouts, and it is tempting to work out either with faster athletes or alone to ensure we meet all our personal goals.  While this is a great focus, I think so much comes from sharing what we know with those involved more recently in the sport(s).

When one has become somewhat experienced (and, after over 20 races, I'm getting there), one is often approached to mentor new athletes.  I was never more surprised and honored than when this began happening to me.  So, the past few weeks I've has several opportunities to help other athletes train. 

Have those workouts been as fast or challenging as I'd have liked?  Nope.  But they've still been decent workouts. And, most of all, I've helped others pursue their goals.

Looking back, I think about the person who got me involved in triathlon.  She is an accomplished triathlete and a multiple Ironman.  But there were a few times during my early triathlon days that she took time out from her more experienced schedule to ride or run with me.  I was way too slow for her; I embarrassed myself terribly; I was greener than even *I* know.  But she still helped me out.   And now, despite my bout with cancer, can just about maintain a respectable cycling pace.

For that, I will always be grateful.

So, when I'm approached by newbies, I try to be as helpful as possible.  I know that one day they will match or even surpass me in skill (although I've far from matched my mentor), and will truly appreciate the favor.

Twinkies

The other day, I'm out on my last 3-hour ride of the season.  I'm cooking along doing a good 16-17mph, on my own, despite traffic stops, and I'm past mile 40, when it occurs to me that I am moving faster at mile 40 than I've ever moved at the Olympic distance.

You read right - I once needed all my marbles to ride 25 miles at >15mph.  Now I can do that for 50.

So I decided, as usual, to be Cap'n Tough Nuts and go for it - the big 5-0.

Except that around mile 49.6 I have to stop and get off the bike because my legs(quads especially) feel like someone put them in a vice grip.

I finished the 50 miles and slapped on my running shoes, but it was more of a waddle than a run.

So I say to Nuk, "does it still count as a brick if you walk 90% of the run?"

To which Nuk replies, "Of course.  A brick is defined as any workout where you do two sports back-to-back that make you crave Twinkies."

Twinkies?

Well, I hate eating until about an hour after a big workout anyway, but I really hate Twinkies.  So, for me, a brick is defined as any workout where you do two sports back-to-back that make you crave cheeseburgers.   (Of course, at my house, cheeseburgers are made with fresh veggies, extra lean beef and low-fat cheese.)

Which brings me to taper week.

I've logged around a 7-hour training week the past two weeks.  My rides have been 2-3 hours.  I'm pretty prepared for this whole taper.  I'm not even antsy about cutting my volume a little - I'm damn ready.

About those cheeseburgers . . .

Generally, I'm good with my diet.  Since my thyroid medication started stabilizing, I've been losing weight slowly but contsistently.  Which is something of a victory for me, because people often think I must be a terrible eater if I work out this much and I'm not thin.  I'm finally looking "normal," again - meaning, not thin, but not bloated and ill.

But I also don't believe in deprivation.  I have a couple days a week where I let myself eat what I want within reason.  Since my training volume will be cut in half, or less, that couple days a week is going to have to drop to a day or less.

That's gonna be tough.

The sugar cookies I baked my coworkers are boxed up.  There is a reason I don't keep those suckers around . . . .

Check out my ACS webpage for marathon updates.

Until then, TAPER TIME!!!!

Wow! Check This Out!

Here are stats on the total training spent over the last few months.  Look at these increases - October isn't even through and I've torched September's run and swim distances.

August (bike, run, swim)
66.23 Mi - 5h 01m 05s

9.43 Mi - 2h 13m 37s
2700.00 Yd - 1h 17m 15s

September
217.54 Mi - 16h 16m 01s
18.80 Mi - 6h 26m 16s
3700.00 Yd - 2h 40m 34s

October
109.90 Mi - 9h 20m
23.67 Mi - 6h 07m 41s
5150.00 Yd - 3h 19m 12s

No wonder I'm improving.  Big shout-out to the coaches on Beginner Triathlete for their hard work.

That's all I got tonight.

Good news and bad

The good . . .

Today I found out that I am a "B" rider with the Seminole Cyclists Club.   I was beside myself.  I was positive I was a C rider at best, but guess what?  The pace at which I once rode a sprint-distance ride BALLS OUT is now a pace I can hold comfortably for 34 miles. AND THEN go run over 3 miles.

The bad . . .

Today I also learned that yet another very dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer, and one of the things that struck me was how little I knew about her type of cancer.


We need to be aware of, and support efforts to end, ALL types of disease. So, I thought I would educate myself by reading up on the questions, facts and figures published by the American Cancer Society. If you follow that link, you can too. You can also check out the Mayo Clinic link.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'd like to make a suggestion: instead of wearing or buying something pink to show your support, instead show your support by making a donation to the American Cancer Society.  It will go much farther to show your support - perhaps even help someone get transportation to treatment.

This Year, I'm Taking Uncle Bill to Mardi Gras

I was about 6.  The giant ferris wheel at the Bay Beach Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin loomed before me.

Now, this next part you will NEVER believe.

I was petrified.

I have attempted 3 marathons, over a dozen triathlons and dozens more road races.  I was a public speaking ace in college.  I ride motorcycles. I work three jobs.  I am the last person anyone would expect to be terrified of a ferris wheel.

But I was.

That is, until Uncle Bill got involved.  Uncle Bill convinced me that getting on thay ferris wheel was EXACTLY what I needed to do. And I wasn't buying it, especially as we rounded that first seemingly endless drop and my stomach fell somewhere down around my toes.

And then the unthinkable happened.

WE STOPPED AT THE TOP.

Convinced I was facing certain death, I clutched Uncle Bill's hand with an iron grip. Then, as the steel terror machine creaked into inevitable motion, he giggled and looked at me, and I will never forget what he said. 

In the voice of a toddler watching fireworks for the first time, Uncle Bill pointed at the breathtaking view and cooed, "Ooooh! AAAAAHHHH!"

I burst into laughter. I haven't met a ferris wheel or roller coaster I didn't love since that day.

My mom's older brother, one of many uncles, was a kid trapped in an adult body. No one had a bad time around Uncle Bill. Everything made him smile.

Which is the extraordinary part. You see, Uncle Bill fought many battles in his life. Korea. Alcoholism.  Fatherhood. The economy.

Lung cancer was the only one he didn't beat.

I am forever in debt to this man. It is because of him that I see tasks which are daunting and even terrifying as challenges, and, more importantly, opportunities to HAVE FUN.

And so, it seems only fitting that I undertake a fundraising effort in his honor as I, also a cancer survivor, embark upon a journey to complete my 3rd marathon. For I would never be here without him.  And I cannot think of anyone who would have more fun in New Orleans with me. Because, although he may not, his spirit of fun, fearlessness and enthusiasm for life live on.

I will be raising funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society at the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 13, 2011.

I hope you'll join me and Uncle Bill in any way you can.

Love,

MAJ

The Year of the MAJ is done. This is The Year of the PR.

It was an unlikely day for a race. 

It was an even unlikelier day for a PR.

Earlier this week, I was attacked by one of my dizzy spells from days of yore.  I missed a day of work - the first I've missed since June, I'm pleased to mention.  I slept a lot.  I missed some training. {Side Note: now that I'm missing my non-functioning thyroid, I almost never get ill.  (Sharp contrast to the aforementioned days of yore.)}

Friday, I didn't eat enough before my 3:40 workout and bonked big time.  Then I came home and weighed the least I've weighed in about 2 years.

Yesterday, I worked 6 hours, went straight to a wedding, and didn't come home until 10:30pm.  And, yes, I had a few cocktails at the wedding - something I NEVER like to do the night before a race. 

But this morning, I woke up, put on my Alabama jersey (Roll Tide; damn Spurrier), registered for the U Can Finish 5-miler, got there in plenty of time, got $10 back for not having the t-shirt in my size, and finished the 5-miler in under 55 minutes.

That's a sub-11-minute-per-mile pace.  I haven't run that pace in a gajillion years.  (Actually, 3.)

My dream of runnning a sub-10-minute-per-mile pace looks quite real.

In the meantime, I think I'm doing the Mardi Gras Marathon in February . . . as a DetermiNation participant for the American Cancer Society.  Can I raise more than $1300?  I hope. 


I just glanced at my race results for the past few years, too.  Today's race is my second-fastest ever.

Rock on.

And we're only getting started.

Hold onto your hats, folks . . . there are three more months left in The Year of the PR!

U Can Finish 5 Miler Presented by Florida Hospital 10/10/2010 54:31 55:35 10:54.1
Miracle Miles 15k 09/25/2010 1:58:33 2:00:52 12:43.1
OUC Half Marathon 12/05/2009 3:11:41 3:13:26 14:37.9
Florida Hospital Celebration Health Founders Day 10k 11/15/2009 1:21:26 1:22:42 13:06.3
Celebration of Running 5k 08/15/2009 40:08 41:33 12:54.9
OUC Half Marathon 12/06/2008 2:58:55 3:00:48 13:48.1
Celebration Health Founders Day 10k 11/09/2008 1:13:50 1:14:39 11:52.9
Celebration of Running 3.0 08/19/2007 31:17 32:29 10:25.6
OUC Half Marathon 12/02/2006 2:45:04 2:45:53 12:39.7
U Can Finish 5 Miler presented by Florida Hospital 10/22/2006 59:00 59:35 11:47.9
Disneys Race for the Taste 10K 10/08/2006 1:17:14 1:20:06 12:25.7
Autumn Rock n Run 5k Presented by Florida Hospital 09/30/2006 34:53 35:28 11:13.4
Celebration of Running 5k Presented by Florida Hospital 08/20/2006 39:42 40:46 12:46.7

I'm highly annoyed with Fitness magazine right now.

Warning: lots of opinions follow.    There is a strong possibility that this entry will thoroughly piss you off. 


I was sitting there drinking coffee, getting ready to ride out to Daytona for a nice ocean swim and grading and house cleaning and a run and all the other fun that awaited me Sunday, and I picked up my October copy of Fitness magzine.  I flipped through several articles and noticed that this was Fitness's annual Breast Cancer Awareness month issue. 

Now, I'm all about cancer awareness.  I regularly contribute to the ACA.  (After all, what kind of heartless/clueless idiot would I be, a cancer survivor myself, if I didn't support cancer research and awareness in general?)  And I'm the first person to stand up and share my story in the hope that someone will take action and care for themselves or the women around them. 

But I am extremely over the enthusiastic plastering of everything pink during October, the breast cancer campaigns in every women's magazine, mentions on every TV show and every product in the country whose market is predominately female.  (Don't get me started on the effectivness and tactics of the Komen foundation - that's another story altogether.) 

Breast cancer has become a tireless, exasperating, pink marketing machine.

Yes, I know only women have breasts (although men can carry the gene for some hereditary types of breast cancers).  Yes, I know some forms of breast cancer are extremely invasive and aggressive.  But If you take a peek at the CDC's top causes of death in women, you will see that one of the top 3 causes of death for women of all races is cancer.  This doesn't say BREAST CANCER ONLY.  It says CANCER.  (As a side note, guess which type of cancer kills the most women?  It's not breast cancer, and apparently it hasn't been in 20+ years.)

In my immediate family alone, there are at least 3 women with cancer: I lost an aunt to lung cancer; another is a cervical cancer survivor; I am close to a NED diagnosis with thyroid cancer.  None of us, you will notice, is a breast cancer survivor.   Let's not forget skin cancer, too.   Where are THEIR monthly magazines?  Where are THEIR Races for the Cure?  Where are THEIR pretty ribbons, yogurt lids, and products emblazoned with signature colors? 

Oh, that's right.  They're either non-existent or hidden, because the rest of the public is too busy wearing pink and saving ta-tas.

My point isn't whose cancer is better, worse, deadlier, or more important.  My point isn't that we shouldn't care.  My point is that this isn't the only cancer we SHOULD make a big deal about. I'd like to see the money raised go to ALL cancer research, and that I wish the general population of the country, especially marketing and media, would acknowledge that ALL CANCER IS BAD, not just breast cancer.

Shouldn't this be OBVIOUS??   

-end rant-
-begin new rant-

So, already feeling peeved because I've been bombarded with pink crap for the past few weeks, I turned the page to see that Fitness also did an article this month on a first-time triathlete. 

First I got super-excited . . . . I love hearing about people getting into sport and making themselves healthy.  Then I realized that she is a twig-and-bone former high school track star who used to run 4- or 5-minute miles and had virtually NO obstacles to face while training.  I'm SORRY, but SHE does NOT COUNT as a first-time athlete and I am not terribly inspired.  Couldn't they have picked someone like my friend over in Tampa/St. Pete who went from her first tri to being an amazing athlete and spin instructor while raising kids and dealing with real life, budgets, etc?  Or how about my friend in Lakeland who got off the couch, quit smoking, and now runs Iron-distance races and helps coach a tri club?  Or how about my friend in Colorado who raises kids who also race, overcame incredible odds of her own, and is also intellectually accomplished and almost always trains HERSELF?

No, of course not; they had to select a size-zero, virtually-fat-free former track star, get her hooked up with a coach, and then I'm supposed to be inspired???  Don't get me wrong, GOOD FOR HER.  I'm always happy to see new people hooked on the sport.  But I continue to be MORE impressed by the women triathletes who surround me who have overcome more obstacles and learned more about themseleves and are certainly not 4-minute-mile track stars to begin with.  And if gender isn't an issue, what about someone like Ben Does Life?  He lost over 100 pounds by making his life healthier through marathon and triathlon.  He didn't grow up a 4- to 5-minute track star.

-end rant #2-


In training news, I logged a TEN-HOUR training week this week.

Whimmy wham wham wuzzle!