Ice Ice Baby

Saturday was a nice day... until...

I started the day meeting friends at 6:15am for a 3 mile run then went back to North Shore Pool to help coach the "red team" for beginner marathon training. I got in about 4 miles while running with different members and finding out who was training for what.

After that, I went home and mowed my grass. Yikes... I was getting this done before the heat of the day and it was still really, really hot out!

After that, Tim got at it, fixing my bathroom ceiling while I painted the kitchen and hallway. Up the ladder, down the ladder - woah... I was so tired by the end of the day.

Sunday, I met a couple of girlfriends at 6am for a five mile run, then met the rest of the gang at 7am to finish up the total 15 mile run. The first five miles were great! The next five miles were not bad. The last five miles were grueling. I was tired and I was really, really hot.

It was nice ending back at North Shore Pool where a swim meet was going on. When we went in to get a drink of water from the fountain, we passed a guy selling Italian Ice. OK... I can run a little bit more. Back to the car to get some cash. 3 scoops (whoopee) - lemon, cherry, and watermelon. There's nothing better than ending a long hot run with an icy Italian Ice cooldown! Sweet!

Hammer Time

Today I had a pretty easy wod at CrossFit. Marc created another Gimp/Taper wod that was a modified Jackie:

For time:

1000m row

50 x push press @ 15#

30 x pull-ups (blue)

The row was hard because I still can't bend my left knee all the, nor can I straighten it all the way so I wasn't getting full range of motion. The push press was probably too easy, I think 25# for 50 reps would have been good (don't tell Marc). And I still used the blue band since I can't jump so well.

Time: 9:48

I actually would have liked to have done 2 rounds of this workout.

Dawn and I got in some much needed stretching afterward so it was nice to have the extra time.

Work was hellish again... proposals, ugh!

I picked Jordan up around 5:00 and we drove to the Misener Bridge for our first hill run. Today I scheduled a simple 3 mile run including a warm up, over the bridge and back, and a cool down. This way I could show Jordan how to run up and down without tiring out the legs.

We made it over the bridge and ran out a ways then turned around to come back up the bridge. I was a little ahead of her and was thinking that I should have told her not to look at where she was going but to either look down at the ground or look out around the scenery. I stopped at the top of the bridge and turned around to find her calling my name. I jogged over to the edge of the bridge where she was standing and she pointed down into the water below, along the shoreline, and there it was - a HAMMERHEAD SHARK! Cool!!! There was just one and looked to be about 5 feet long - but that was from my point of view at the top of the bridge, which meant it was likely a lot longer than that! Yikes!

The Gimp and Taper Wod

First... Tim and I headed out last night to Cafe Berlin, only to be reminded by the sign when we got there that they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After a quick u-turn, we headed off to Plan B, Vienna Cafe. And that actually turned out to be the better choice!

For some reason, all of the food was especially tasty today. While Tim had the usual salad, I opted for the delicious potato leek soup. For dinner, we both had the wiener schnitzel. I know... not low fat, not necessarily healthy, but incredibly delicious! The roasted carrots were perfect - not too soft, not too hard. The lyonnaise potatoes were crispy. The weiner schnitzel also had a nice crispness to it. Top that off with Tim's weiss beer (I had a sip), and all was wonderful!

Today, Dawn and I headed to the Dammit Gym not knowing what our workout was going to be. I'm still limited with my healing knee and Dawn is tapering for her half ironman next weekend. DL came up with a nice wod for us, which I have named the "Gimp/Taper WOD".

4 rounds for time of

400m run

30x push press @35#

20x pull-ups

Dawn did jumping pull-ups. I had to use the blue band because jumping just wasn't an option with the knee, until DL took away my box for someone else and replaced it with the tall box. Then, I did my last 10 pull-ups jumping style. I finished in 20:32. Dawn was 20:20.

I've got another massage today during which Travis will also do his "lymph drainage" to get rid of some of the fluid. I expect to be pretty much as good as new after that... if only I can keep it that way.

I got clearance, Clarence.

DL "highly recommended" that I have a doctor look at my knee. I had the appointment yesterday. I even took them a copy of a page from one of my books so that I could show them exactly where I hurt myself (I'm know... I'm a dork). But Lindsay (the PA) even referred back to it a couple of times. She did pretty much the same tests that Travis (my massage therapist) did and she seemed to be impressed that he was so thorough. Results: no ACL, MCL, or meniscus issues. It is a bone bruise that will take 6 weeks to heal (I'm already at 4 weeks) and, due to the trama, I have developed a little bursitis. She prescribed a topical anti-inflammatory so that I don't have to keep taking ibuprofren and upset my stomach (even though that never happens).

And because Lindsay appreciates that I am such a dork, she gave me a 16-page document describing "Pes Anserine Bursitis". Yeah, I read the whole thing.

For a while, I must still limit my activities in the way of squats, deadlifts, box jumps, etc. But running is absolutely no problem!!

Today is Tim's birthday. I took him out to lunch (Evo's - don't tell Meredith). And I'm taking him to dinner tonight. We're going to Cafe Berlin, his favorite little German restaurant. I guess we'll be having wiener schnitzel. And he could never have that without one of their great German beers!

But before dinner - I'm off for a run!

Running and Swimming...

Saturday, Jordan and I were scheduled to run 12 miles. We got a late start because of the lightning and had to end by 8:30 because Jordan had to leave. So we got together again at 2pm (in the heat of the day) to knock out the last 3 miles. I decided not to wear my knee brace since my knee was feeling terrific, even after running 9 miles. Not good. Now I'm in pain again. At least I know that I can wear the knee brace and run forever! But I have a doctor's appointment today and another massage on Wednesday. No more running without the brace and I should have no problems come marathon time.

I did CrossFit this morning and we had CrossFit Total. This is a one rep, maximum weight, for back squat, push press, and deadlift. I knew I had to go easy because of my knee but I did better than I thought I would. Back squat was 95# (I think that equaled my previou PR). Push press was 55# (below my PR, that was pathetic). I almost gave up on the deadlift at 105#. But I lifted 95# and it seemed like my leg loosened up so I went for it at 125# and again at 135# and decided to stop there. Total 285# - previous PR was 295# so I wasn't too far off!

Now for the swimming...

Of course it wasn't me swimming. Sunday was the last day for the St. Pete Masters to do their 5k or 10k swim. Tim already did his 10k swim so he was only swimming 5k today. I was timing for him and Kern (also doing 5k). Dawn was swimming 10k (her first ever). And Keith, also known as Driftwood, was swimming his first 10k... a daunting task for a slooooow swimmer.

Tim and Kern getting ready

Dawn getting psyched up while Keith looks ready to go.

Tim finishes a warmup lap - in perfect form!

Talk about "googly" eyes!

Tim and Mark are hanging out in the pool,

watching Driftwood swim back and forth

and back and forth.

This 41 second video will give you an idea of how slow he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71vfveAfsVU

But he did it!!

Way to go Keith!!!

Running and Reading...

... but not at the same time!!

First of all, yesterday was a work day from hell. I had conference calls at 8:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 8:00pm... and that one lasted the longest!!

But... the great news is... after my massage with Travis, I do feel a thousand times better! I was finally able to sleep with my left leg straight and it didn't hurt at all!

I got up at 4:45 this morning with plans to meet friends at 5:30 for a run. But it was pouring down rain. When the lightning showed up, I decided that I'd have to delay my run. So, Jordan and I met at 6:30 to start our 9 mile run. It was great fun running in the rain and through puddles (no more lightning) and my leg felt awesome!! I could have run the whole marathon today!!

Now for the reading part. I love to read anything about training, injury management, nutrition, and diet. I've got the Zone stuff, the South Beach Stuff, the Paleo stuff. A while back I bought The Beck Diet Solution - which approaches diet from the mental aspect. It provides tips and tricks to talk yourself out of eating bad. So I know what I'm supposed to do to eat right, and I've done it well in the past. I just can't seem to be completely in control right now. I generally eat well, but when I'm working... I tend to snack... on anything and everything.

But I got this new book that I find to be pretty fascinating. It's called The End of Overeating. Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, MD. I think that the thing I like about this book is the scientic approach. It reinforces the idea that bad food choices are not a character flaw or even a lack of will power (which is what I thought). It is a practiced and reinforced habit that becomes an addition, very similar to a drug addiction. So this book goes beyond The Beck Diet Solution by telling you why you have eating issues and then suggests tips similar to what you would find in The Beck Diet Solution. I think this book is more helpful because now that I understand the underlying causes, it will be easier to apply the appropriate techniques to manage it.

The End of Overeating discusses the old study of Pavlov's dog - that the dog salivates at the sound of the bell, and many other studies to explain that people have been conditioned in a similar way, usually due to emotional attachments or memories attached to the food. And a big concern is that the food manufacturers and restaurants know this and they know how to prepare and market foods in a way that make you want the food... and more of it.

Most diet books focus on people who are really overweight. I never thought that anyone would understand that even though I am not "overweight" I still have these issues. If I ever showed up at Weight Watchers, I'm afraid they would laugh in my face because I "only" need to lose 10 pounds. But this book gives examples of fit people who face the same issues as overweight people! What a relief!

So now that I am starting to understand the principles of conditioning, I find it easier to say NO to the Jay's Potato Chips and the Fannie Mae chocoloates that Tim brought home from Chicago!! Those are foods to which he has emotional attachments (memories from childhood). The key is finding the triggers (emotional, stress, etc.), recognizing the triggers and treating this much as you would a drug addiction. But rather than just saying NO, it helps you to develop a plan to avoid triggers, and when you can't, to replace the bad food reward with some other reward (food or otherwise).

The Year of the Popliteus

One year ago today, I did not even know what a Popliteus was. But within the year, I have injured both of mine... one on each leg!

Last year, just a couple of days before the Marine Corp Marathon, I fell backwards over a brick

wall. I didn't think anything of it until the next night when I went to stretch and realized that I could not bend my knee all the way.

I was able to complete the marathon, but in the few weeks after, my knee got worse and worse. I went to see Travis and in the first visit, he diagnosed the issue as a an injury to the popliteus muscle (due to bending and twisting at the same time). And by the second visit, he had me all fixed up.

Here's a picture of the popliteus. Where this picture shows "back of the knee" would be the inside of my right leg and where it says "popliteus tendon" would be the outside of my right leg.

I damaged mine right in the belly of the muscle, directly behind the knee.

This year, I am training for the Marine Corp Marathon again and, almost four weeks ago, I hurt the popliteus on my left leg. After using the GHD machine (roman chair) for back extensions, when I went to put my feet on the floor, I slammed my left leg into the cross bar. It wasn't so bad at first but it took about 5 days for the bruising to even show up, and then it was a really bad bruise. But as the bruising wore off, the pain got worse. I couldn't straighten my leg all the way or bend my knee completely. Often, it felt like it would just give out. Sometimes, while trying to straighten it, it gets stuck and finally releases with a loud pop.

That rules out a lot of exercises at CrossFit! Since I was on the road traveling a lot, I was mostly running (without much pain with my knee support) and stretching.

Today, I went to see Travis for the 2nd time in two weeks. He figured out that my issue was anohter injury to the poplitues only a little different. The picture below is a good example to use of my left leg. If you look down and to the right of the word "popliteus" in this picture, you'll see the white tendonous section where the muscle connects to the bone.

This is what I hurt. After one month, this part is still very painful to the touch. So Travis got in there and dug in deep (ouch!!!!) and broke up some of the scar tissue. And I feel a thousand times better, although I still need a little more recovery time and have another massage scheduled for next week.

The CrossFit workout today was "Burpee Hell", and it was pure hell all right! 6 rounds for time of 400m run followed by 25 burpees. The burpees really bothered my knee, particulary when jumping my feet back into position before jumping up. I only completed 3 rounds plus 1 400m run in 20 minutes and called it a day.

Labor Day Weekend - Part III: Excessive Celebration

Sunday evening was the big party at

"The Point" for all the cabin-goers.

The setting was really pretty next to the water.

After dinner was Pinata time for the kids.

Kyle shows off his Spider Man pajamas.

Delaney, Kyle, Kaitlyn, and Kelly on the

horse tire swing.

The next evening was the party at the other end,

at Mom Kennedy's cabin.

Brian, Sean, and Colleen

John and Lauren

After leaving Magician's Lake, Tim and I stopped

at New Buffalo and walked the beach

then took in a little lunch.

Back in St. John's, Tim and I stopped for a little snack.

Back at Mom Kennedy's house...

the view from the back yard.

Labor Day Weekend - Part II: The Big Race

Tim and his sister, Colleen, had a bet. They made this bet on January 4, 2009. The bet was whether or not Colleen could jog, walk, or crawl around Magician Lake (7 miles) in 1 hour 45 minutes or less. If Tim won, Colleen would reimburse him for the airline tickts for Labor Day Weekend. If Colleen won, Tim had to agree to fly home (with me in tow) for Christmas this year.

The big race was set to take place on Sunday morning September 6th. Colleen wanted to get started by 8am but after a sleepless night, she was up at 5am and out the door before 7:30.

Tim even brought stop watches to make sure not a second was missed!

Collen rocking out with her iPod, sets off on a good pace.

Sister Kathy and niece Kelly come out for support.

"Official" Tim keeps a close watch.

A little more than a mile from the finish line.

All the fans at the finish line.

Tim and Colleen... and the results...?

2 minutes and 13 seconds to spare!

It's not hard to tell that the fans were cheering for Colleen...

...except for this one for Tim.

What's next?

"Tim, buy a winter coat"... you're going to

Chicago for Christmas!

Labor Day Weekend - Part I

Tim and I left St. Pete on Thursday morning to fly to Chicago, then drive to St. John's, Indiana to his mother's house. From there we drove to Sister Lakes, Michigan to the cabins that his family stay in every summer (for the last 35 or so years)!

On Friday, Tim's brother Kevin took us to lunch at Schu's in St. Joe's - a quaint little town right on Lake Michigan.

They were having a festival there so after lunch, we got ice cream and walked around for a bit.

It was a lot cooler here than in St. Petersburg. I think our low temperatures (76) have been higher than their highs (70). Because of their recent cool weather, the leaves have already started changing colors!

It was nice to go for a run with the humidity being so low, but I sure needed my inhaler!

The Big Makeover

MAACO in St. Petersburg (34th Street) has been really, really great. Take a look at these before and after pictures of the Tracker. I think Mom might even want it back after this!!

For $300 they said that I had to paint it the same color, otherwise, it costs $100 per door to match the paint on the parts you see when you open the door. I decided not to paint it the exact same color but to choose a color that wouldn't clash. I wanted a really dark purple... something I kept calling "Midnight Purple". And I found it... it was actually a BMW color. What a difference!!

The Florida sun really does a job on the car paint.

Doesn't look too attractive here.

The new and improved Tracker!

These pictures were taken in the morning so there is still dew on it.

The clear coat is so shiny that the dark spot that you is the reflection of a tree.