The Dream-Day 123

The verdict is in. Definite swelling in the ankle tissue. Taking it as good news as the MRI could've shown a fracture or something that would've had my doc emploring me to bag the Ironman. For now, staying on course which is beating the crap out of myself in the pool and bike and incorporating fast walks and elliptical workouts to keep the running muscles involved. Hoping to start reintroducing short runs within a week and keep building. Dealing with pain will become a new challenge, but one that I'm actually getting fired up for.

As for the afforementioned elliptical (renamed "dreadliptical"), I did a 60 min workout this morning 20 min easy/20 min hard/20 min easy. Snoozeville.

The Dreadliptical. I think it was trying to tell me something (note distance).

SCC tonight to meet lane partners Frank "The Tank" Arcuri and Artie Whitmarsh for an hour of punishment. Then, I'll have an hour to feed before a 10:30 crashfest. I'm so much fun these days.

The Dream-Day 122

Last night's swim was hard, but a bit more manageable. Definitely made some gains in the drink by being pushed past capacity. What choice do I have, drown? It actually makes sense. Just like any new workout or harder intensity the first few times you're bound to get dinged. The improvements have no choice but to happen even though it's a real struggle getting there. Couldn't believe it, but I was even a bit sore after yesterday's 90' elliptical.

This morning, I repeated last Thursday's bike on the trainer. The goal was to do 6 sets holding 232 watts for 5 min on 4 min recoveries. Except for the first set (230 watts), I was able to hit 235-236 watts which was what I did last week. Starting at about the 3:30 mark of each set my thighs felt like they were going to ignite.

Revisited Zwanger & Pesiri Radiology for the MRI redo. The tech told me this beast costs 2.5 mil, the ROI is 8 mos, and they last about 10 years. Cha-Ching.

The hot dog bun. Grateful I didn't have to be all the way in. More grateful for the 20 min nap.

On a separate note, my pal Pete, dropped off this article. Give it a read and be prepared to say "holy shit" a few dozen times.

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/66810273?access_key=key-1h4szulrvqxibaodyvnk

The Dream-Day 121

After 6 months, I found myself back at Gold's gym in Deer Park to do a 90 min elliptical (gag) workout courtesy of coach Joe. It was amazing, but quite predictable, that the only thing that changed for most of the people I saw, was the calendar. Look, it's awesome that they're there, but someone has to explain to me why people spend time (which most are admittedly short on) and pay for things that aren't delivering on what they ultimately want. The kicker is hearing them complain that they can't lose the weight, can't get stronger, can't run faster, can't, can't, can't... My wish, of course, is for everyone to succeed, but that starts with a sound personal philosophy. "Can't" teach that one.

At 11, I had my 3rd acupuncture treatment and, at 4, went to PT. So far, they're not helping my ankle or wallet. At 8, I revisit the liquid torture chamber.

Tomorrow, going for MRI #2x because the genius that ran that monstrosity missed a few critical views. Really, why do it once when you can do it twice at 2x the price?

The Dream-Day 120

Today was a day of firsts.

Did my first open water swim at Sunken Meadow State Park. Got there while it was still dark, slide on the wetsuit, and swam 2 miles on glass. No worries except for 2 dudes surf casting. I think getting a hook in my grill would've been the equivalent to the road rash I got on the bike. I escaped being the catch of the day, hosed off, and drove directly to Heckscher to get my bike work in.

Today's mission was a repeat of last Tuesday. After a 10 min warm up, I had 2 x 20 min holding as much consistent power as I could. I was in my second set when I heard a strange sound. I had seen some tree removal going on and thought it was a chainsaw. Then, over the din of the Pink Floyd tunes I was cranking I heard it again. I thought nothing of it until I saw a police car pull up along side. Now, picture a 2 lane, 3.5 mile loop, I'm riding on the far left hand side, head phones are blarring, legs are moderately on fire. I have a mere 10 mins left of this torture when officer Krupke, the only other human inside the park, decides to test my knowledge of cycling law. Are you kidding me? I'm training for a freakin' Ironman, I'm wet, the place is abandoned, and the fuzz is reading me the riot act about how I didn't stop at a stop sign? I had this mental image of being led away in cuffs with me screaming, "Can I just finish my workout before we go?".

Almost as pathetic as getting pulled over in a park.

Then, just when you think it's not going to be your day, you get this text from your daughter away at college.

The Dream-Day 119

Am I a sage or what? Knew it wouldn't rain if I dropped coin on a rain jacket for yesterday's ride. Had about 5 1/2 hrs sleep, got up at 5am, and drove 25 min to SUNY Old Westbury to ride with new Tri chums Kasia and Joana. Thought we were riding flats and rollers for 6 hrs (insert Mr. Bill phrase here). Instead, it was a hilly (2942' vertical gain) covering 104 miles over 6+ hrs. Legs started barking at around the 4 hr mark. Then, just to throw gas on the fire, we rode the last hr inside the super hilly college grounds.

Both woman are strong riders, but Kasia blew me away as she motored up each hill. She's a freakin' machine. Once we were done (riding) they took off for a 1/2 hr run. Then, just for kicks, Kasia swam for an hour. Is it a sickness that I left feeling like I dogged it?

With Joana & Kasia (right)

Got home at 1:30 and at 4 decided to lie down and watch some tv. Maybe even take a nap. 14 hrs later, I woke up. I'm officially a mess.

No team swim practice today because of the Huntington Sprint Triathlon. So proud of my teammates Dominique, Roseann, and Meghan for killing it. Dom and Ro came in 2nd in their age group and Meghan took 3rd overall. Instead, I swam 2 miles solo at the college on 5x15 min at an easy pace and then tried aqua jogging for 15 min.

Kendall's heading back to UDel soon. Wish I could've spent more time with her.

The Dream-Day 118

Back at Sunken Meadow for a repeat of Tuesday's prance through the woods. This time, Coach Joe had me add a few minutes climbing, or should I say scaling, steep sand dunes. I did 3 sets each involving 136' vertical gain over .2 miles. Buuuurn city. In total, I covered 4.5 mi and climbed 1,200 vertical. The legs are already rebelling against tomorrow's 100 mi ride.

At 3, I blew off PT in lieu of blasting to Sunrise Tri to acquire $110 rain gear for my 6 hr ride pretty much guaranteeing no rain. Made it back with time to spare before my first round of acupuncture at Advanced Acupunture in Commack. With 30 min to kill, that meant only one thing...food. So, at 4pm, I hit up Bagel Boss for a toasted whole wheat everything with spicy tuna and a side of fruit. Not sure why I was so hungry after devouring a peach, graham crackers, and a protein bar 1 hr prior. Whatever.

At 4:30 I met Ms. Needles (Dr. Amy Jin). She tapped in several needles, wired me up for some electroshock (aka electrostim, and switched on the heat lamp. Hoping that 8000s of years practice pays off in my case.

The best part of the day by far was seeing my daughter, Kendall, who drove home from the University Of Delaware for the first time with a friend. Of course, the weather bit and for most of the day I was a nervous wreck, but she made it home safe and sound. Unfortunately, I had to take off at 7:30 for swim practice and couldn't hang with her that long. She's only been away for a month and yet she has already demonstrated incredible growth. So proud of her.

Swim practice turned out to be another crusher. Swam with Frank Acuri and Artie Whitmarsh for the first time. I have a hunch Frank is blood doping. I'll admit to wanting to sit out a few times, but before I have the chance "rest" is over and it's back out for more punishment. It's like doing an hour of wind sprints at 80% effort with 10 secs of rest in between. I know it's making me better, but it hurts like hell nonetheless.

The Dream-Day 117

I think it took a micro-second to justify the trepidation I had for swim practice last night. First time in the faster lane which translated into hard efforts followed by minimal rest in between. As my pal, Dominique put it, "It's hard because you just want to catch your breath and it's like ok go right now and you feel like you're gonna hurl." At times, I thought of sitting out, but managed to rally. The payoff was a feeling of major accomplishment. Yeah, it was really hard, but pushing yourself beyond capacity is the only way to grow.

Came home at 9:30pm, stuffed my gob, and crashed hard. Awoke at 6 for another "growth" lesson on the bike. Did 6x5 min at 10% over threshold on 4 min recoveries. Doesn't sound like much, but with my heart rate at 95% of max, it was a flippin' heart attack on a plate.

The Dream-Day 116

Fast walking has replaced running for the next several weeks. Hit the Sunken Meadow State Park trails at 6:15am for 70 min and completed 5.2 mi. For those playing at home that's a lightening quick 13.5 min pace. To put it into perspective, I think Neanderthals 600,000 years ago posted sub 13 min miles.


Kept looking over my shoulder thinking I'd get whacked.

At noon, I went to PT and sweated up a storm as the boys put me through some grueling leg work. These guys are fast learners as they've quickly learned that I'm not their average patient.

Tonight, it's day 1 in the faster lane at the pool. Can't believe I'm paying for a dose of that wonderful feeling of impending death. I'm actually kinda nervous.

The Dream-Day 115

Had a killer workout yesterday walking for an hour. Brought training alone to an whole new level. The words "sucked ass" don't even scratch the surface. I covered 4.5 mi and, at that rate, it will take me close to 6 hrs to walk the 26.2 mi at IM. I'm praying I don't stumble upon any firearms on the course.

In the afternoon, my therapy session focused on building strength in my core and small muscles of the lower leg and foot. The PT boys had me doing various balance drills while standing on either a Bosu ball or the foam mat below. Hope this crap works.

Today, Dominique picked me up at 5:30am for open water swim in Patchogue. It was there that the others were introduced to my "sucked ass" utterance. It was windy, overcast, about 60 degrees, and the water was rough. Those were the good parts. Today, SA=cold water + Renaud's. No joke. I definitely acquired another syndrome. My f'in fingers were purple and numb within seconds and it took me the better part of an hr with 90 degree heat blowing on them to regain feeling. You can imagine how devastated I was to learn that Thursday is the last open water swim.

After devouring a few of Dominique's blueberry muffins (a tad dry by her own admission) and 3 cups of coffee we hit Heckscher to do our bike workouts. Grateful that was over in an hr as I had 2x20' at best sustainable effort. On the way home, Dom mentioned how hungry she was. Well, I couldn't let my partner starve to death. So, I told her to b-line it to Maureen's Kitchen in Smithtown where we devoured pistachio pancakes with white chocolate chunks and an egg white omelette with spinach, tomato, feta, and onions.

At Maureen's Kitchen moments away from gastronomic glory.

Probably hitting the rack early tonight so I'm well rested. Look, Joe increased my walk to 70 min. So, lay off.

The Dream-Day 114

Not a good week, folks. Not sure what to make of my ankle. Doubting it's tendonitis and thinking it's more likely a stress reaction or shin splints. Either way, I'm told therapy is virtually the same. Won't run until 10/1. Focusing, instead, on PT 3x/wk, swimming, and cycling.

Ah, Fri happy hour at PT.



If PT doesn't work out, I was thinking the Wonder Twins could hook me up. Form of...

On the positive side, swim fitness has finally returned to about where it was before I "misplaced" it. That's bound to happen when races, pool closings, and a trip to the Dominican Republic get in the way. I think this was the first time since early July that I swam at the college 3x in the same week. I also included an open water swim on Thursday.

Biking continues as planned with power training twice weekly and a long (5 1/2 hr) ride coming on Saturdays. The other day, I left my house in the dark, cold (where the hell did that come from), and wind at 6:15am. I changed my strategy to mimic what I plan to do at IM by carrying 2 bottles (instead of 4) but added a small 10oz bottle carried in my bike shirt just in case. This reduced bike weight by 3lbs or 10% (huge). This unintended consequence is that it forces me to stop hourly to refill, stretch my chronically bad lower back, and regain feeling in my crotch (I know, TMI). To me, IM will be a test of endurance. So, a few more additional mins are meaningless.

After I got back from my 92 mi ride, I was thinking about my circumstances and, for the first time, seriously contemplated bailing on the whole thing. I knew from the start that running the marathon was probably not going to happen, but never imagined having to walk it. So, being simultaneously pissed off and pragmatic, I weighed my options.

Option 1: Stop training immediately, heal, and do it next year. I'd lose a lot of money as most of the fees (registration, air, hotel, etc) are non-refundable and then have to spend a lot more coin to register for 2012... The worst, though, is the thought of going through this entire process again and without knowing if I'll hold up.

Option 2: Refrain from running another 12 days, resume no matter what on 10/1, and suck it up. Meanwhile, continue swim and bike training as scheduled. Then, on 11/5, walk as much as necessary and complete this thing.

No brainer.

The Dream-Day 113

Forgot to put this on my 9/11 post. I woke up on race day and Steve had left this for me. All you P90Xers out there know this phrase all too well. For those that aren't, or haven't heard it before, it's a great attitude adjuster.

Yesterday, I went to Gold Coast physical therapy in Commack. The examination confirmed that my posterior tibia tendon is a bit put off. I was treated to an electrostim with ice cocktail and then Rich Ferriggi taped my foot in a way that curled my right foot inward in an effort to take pressure off the tendon. He indicated I have a dropped arch due, in part, to a very tight IT band which has made my foot work overtime in order to stay balanced and drive forward. He asked that I run 2 miles and then come in to see him for a functionality evaluation which will gauge various aspects of muscular balance.

So, today, I headed back to Heckscher State Park to ride 90' easy including a 10' blast at threshold. I finished up, threw the bike in the car, straped on the running shoes, and headed out for the 2 miler. Felt a little pain around the 1.3 mi mark but was able to complete the goal without much discomfort.

Bike iCam.

At 12pm, I was back at PT for the functionality eval which honed in on the muscular imbalance on my right side. The plan is to refrain from running this week, therapy, ice, anti-inflams, assorted stretches of the quad, calf, and IT band, and lots of praying (may be time to get religious).

The Dream-Day 112

Drove up to New City, NY Saturday afternoon to stay at my friend Steve's house. Not that it was close to the race site, but it saved me an extra hour of driving and a 2:30am wake up. Athough we don't see each other much, and don't have a lot of history together, Steve is one of those guys you definitely want as a friend. Great guy. As an unexpected bonus, I was treated to a few hours with his super cute and engaging 9 yr old, Andie (already a Broadway actress...really). I'd like to know who Leora's mail man was 10 years ago.

Steve & Andie at dinner. I offered to pay, but cowered under Steve's "not in my town".

After much prodding, Andie reluctantly gave me a private performance.

Satisfied afer checking my gear and nutrition for the 100th time, I crashed easily at 9pm courtesy of Dominique's "2 little helpers". I awoke at 3:25am, threw down oatmeal mixed with peanut butter and fruit, made a Starbucks Via Bold, and sped off for Croton Point Park. Arrived at 4:45am and, in the nearly pitch black and on very soggy ground, set up my stuff at transition. This is my 4th Tri in a little over 3 months. So, while I'm very comfortable with the process, I wasn't counting on the day being such a tug of war for me.

During the drive, instead of focusing on the race, I couldn't stop thinking about all the people who got up that morning and commuted to work not knowing it was their last day. They had an opening ceremony on the beach just before the swim start that was very moving and the weather couldn't have been better. Not a breath of wind, the sun was rising through unobstucted skies, and the view across the Hudson River was breathtaking. I don't remember much of the swim as my thoughts brought me back to 9/11/01. Might explain why I went off course a few times. I snapped back to reality as I approached the shore and ran 50 yards to the best portion of the course...the wetsuit strippers. Yes, volunteers that grab your wetsuit and whip it off like a pit crew changing a set of tires.

That's not me. Just giving you a mental image.

There were about 15 strippers, but somehow, none of them had any clients. Please understand, everything a triathlete does is methodical and hyper-calculated. I'm pretty much the poster boy for this. However, in this instance as I was breaking my (wetsuit) stripper cherry, I was forced to wing it...a phrase not in a Triathlete's lexicon. Today's definition of winging it: Find 3 super hot babes under 50 not wearing size XL neon yellow volunteer shirts. Check. It was at that moment that I openly announced my willingness to have the slowest transition time in history.

Nonetheless, I made it to transition (dammit), and rode the nearly 57 mile very hilly bike portion. Man, do I suck riding up hills. Felt like my bike weighed 300lbs. As I came into T2 I started to get pissed off knowing that my race plan only included running 2 miles because of the ankle injury. I managed to run 4 miles with a really nice triathlete training for her first full IM (Audra Sichler) that helped me stop even though I contemplated running through the pain. Thanks, again, Audra.

I was really disappointed but nothing compared to the damage my ego took as I walked the 4 mi back along what I called "the triathlete's walk of shame". I did find comic relief in the people lining the streets as they shouted "you can do it!" and "you're almost there!". Many others were walking too, but it was because they were toasted. Ironically, other than my ankle, I felt like I could've run all day.

The Dream-Day 111

Can't believe tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Vivid memories have increasingly started to flood my thoughts. Don't want to watch any video of the planes hitting the towers. Haven't been able to since right after the attack. It's our "where were you when Kennedy was shot" moment.

Yet, 9/11 remains as one of my big 3. It's 1 of the 3 reasons I signed up for this craziness. For me, it represents honoring those on Flight 93 that bravely forced down the plane headed for the DC and the thousands of others that lost their lives at the Pentagon and NYC.

For them, their dreams ended abrubtly and without warning. How many of them were training for the Ironman for the first time? How many watched Dick and Rick Hoyt and, through there blubbering said, "I'm going to do that". If there were just 1, and I truly believe there was, then the least I can do is to have them cross the line with me on November 5th.

Tomorrow, I race the 1/2 IM distance at the Westchester Toughman in Croton-On-Hudson, NY. I'm injured and will do the swim, bike, but only run a few miles. I've been all bent up about it for the past few weeks. Right now, I couldn't care less.

The Dream-Day 110

Still focusing on swimming and biking while resting the ankle. Scheduling an MRI to get the low down. I figure I should get something in return for my uber high insurance premiums.

Saturday, did a short but hilly ride with Dominique. We left late (9:30am) to accomodate her son's soccer game (yes, Dom, it is all about you). Surprised to find the roads empty and clear of Irene debris.

Sunday, I rode 2 hrs before meeting my wing man, Rob Karen, for a ride out to Westhampton. This dude is off the charts. He hardly rides but still manages to more than keep up. He hardly eats and clearly doesn't hydrate enough. Today, he "fueled" with an Egg McMuffin right before we headed out claiming, "It has everything you want...carbs, protein, and fat". Who am I to argue? Then, there's his ride. It's a nice bike, but you've got to be kidding me with the reflector on the handlebars and the heavy duty lock wrapped around the seat post.

Rob's bike complete with questionable reflector & lock. Oy.

Getting Rob this bad boy for his next birthday. Can't believe he doesn't already have one.

Made it into Westhampton and promptly had incredible baked goods and a coffee. Met up with Scott Alpert and our families for a great afternoon on the beach and then dinner with live tunes.

Monday, we had a Bar Mitzvah at Yankee Stadium and then watched the game from a luxury box. It's was like scoring first class airline tix. 11-10 Bombers. Wish I hadn't inhaled those a few hot dogs though. My 13 year old daughter reamed me out like I had just done crystal meth. Well deserved.

View from Suite 31.

The Dream-Day 109

Knocked out P90X Ab Ripper & Chest/Back this morning and heading to the college for swim training tonight. Hoping swim fitness improves because anxiety in the water sucks. The brain goes into survival mode and gets into a tug of war with your will to continue. I've come close to stopping on many occasions, but so far, I've been able to suck it up.

As I write this blog, I looked over and saw my daughter passed out on the couch with my dog Guinness "protecting" her. Priceless.

The Dream-Day 108

First open water swim since the hurricane. Domino Yacht Club took it's lumps. The dock is completely destroyed, but remarkably, the club was spared. My toe, however, wasn't. Little f'er crab or fluke punctured me.

Swim pal Steve Zwerman posing with dock destruction.

More dock damage.

After the swim, I went to Heckscher with Dominique and cranked out my ride. Just an hr at a moderate pace with a 10' hard effort after 30'.

The Dream-Day 107

Before Irene hit on Saturday, I rode easy on the trainer for 60' and then completed my brick workout with a 1.25 mi run to test out the ankle. It wasn't normal, but wasn't barking either.

Sunday, hurricane Irene knocked out the power. The brunt of the storm passed by mid afternoon. I spent the balance of the day doing a different kind of Triathlon (pool, roof/gutters, deck/driveway cleaning). My transition time wasn't very good as I had trouble starting the blower.

Monday, the roads were a mess. So, I did a 1 1/2 hr moderate ride on the trainer and then ran 1.5 mi. Ankle was the same as it was on Saturday. Then, we packed the car and headed down to the University Of Delaware to move my daughter, and seemingly ever bit of clothing she's ever owned, into college. We found out around 10pm that we could get into her building. Score! Even though we didn't get out of there until after 12:30am it was far better than dealing with all the crazies the next morning. Worse, I would've had to get up around 4:30am to get in my run. Tuesday, I left the hotel at 7am for an hr run. I felt pretty good the first 2 mi. No substantial ankle grief. Then, it started and got progressively worse. After the 6 3/4 mi I iced and commenced with the Advil. Spent the rest of the day shopping for more stuff for Kendall, had a late lunch, then headed home.

Bro & sis together at UDel. So happy they're happy.

Today, I visited my pal Dr. Scott Alpert. He took some xrays (negative), but suggested I probably have tendonitis. With the IM 2 months away, I have to make the wise decision to completely heal before trying to run again. I'm scheduled to do the Westchester Toughman (1/2 IM) on 9/11. I'll do the swim and the bike portion and probably run a mile or two just for the transition practice. I thought of bailing entirely, but part of what inspired me to do this crazy thing was the 10th anniversary of the attacks and a way to honor those who aren't able to realize their dreams. In the grand scheme of things, not finishing this event is small potatoes.

Mr. Happy getting xray'd.