The Doctor - Who?

Back at the doctor yesterday and I was assured that I will be right as rain in a couple of weeks.  Slight change in the dose of one of my meds and I am on the mend.  At least that is what I keep telling myself.  I will be a good patient and be patient.  I just have to take care of my self and think positive.  Be completely forthright, I was getting a bit despondent over the past few days, as I could not sleep well and having to take a BIG breath fairly often to try to catch up with my fatigue.  

The only problem is that I do not have a couple of weeks.  I have to be back at work on the 4th.  Just too much going on..... any other time of year, I could entertain the thought of getting help and making a transition to having someone replace me for a short time.  Not now.  

That said, this morning I am feeling better and the "gurgle" that has plagued me fro so long seems to be on its way out (still there, but an echo of its former self) along with my old friend the wheeze (don't think that's ever going away).  

Bottom line, I will take his advice (after-all, he is The Doctor) and rest as much as I possibly can, but at some point going to work is simply the better solution for me and my students.  We have worked too hard for too long to take a step backward.

These lungs will be the death of me

It's all caught up with me.  I have pushed my self just a little too far and paid for it.  I could feel myself getting sick and that my lungs were shutting down (been here before), but there simply was no time to take off work with concerts and the like.  In the end I had to pul the pin on it all last Wednesday and called in sick for Thursday.

I wandered into the Dr.'s office on Friday the 24th and was scolded for not coming in sooner and then after a listen to my lungs, which sounded like Darth Vader in a snorkel, I was sent promptly to X-Ray to confirm double pneumonia.

In case you need a reference for Darth Vader in a snorkel -[ on a side note... youtube really does have everything.]

If you are unfamiliar - check out the pneumonia def on wiki - pneumonia

This is a typical pneumonia x-ray - circled area is fluid in lungs.  If I go for another x-ray I will try to take a shot of mine for comparison.

Either way I pushed a little too hard and now I am off.  Off work, off workouts .... off.  I feel off, too, and I am bored to tears sitting at home.  Just not the sit around the house kind of guy.

Yesterday I finished my first round of penicillin.

There really has been no noticeable difference.  I am still gurgling like an infant trying to talk.  I am fine, but any real activity takes a fair bit out of me.

I guess I am glad to be a triathlete, because I have the aerobic endurance to soldier on, but it would seem that it comes at a cost.

As one of my friends put it... "you always try to work though stuff and then find out your will is stronger than the flesh."

Phoned the Dr. back and he wants to see me today.  My prediction is.... more drugs.

Sigh.  These lungs will be the death of me.

Here's me right now.... but I am not laughing.

Sick and not the Twisted kind

Whether it is the stress and nervousness of the impending concert or sheer bum luck, I have landed myself with a real doozy of a cold.  Were talking the whole Niquil list.

The run on Friday was all packed and ready to go... in fact the bag is still at the door in anticipation with a new Genius mix loaded on the iPod in preparation for hamster hell.  But in the dying minutes before leaving for work, it was decided that running on a treadmill whilst trying to clear the upper part of your body of snot was not that desirable or maybe even possible.  The run was ditched.  Good thing too, as during my first class of the day I had to sit down and the walls started to close in giving we just a few seconds to find sure seating before I passed out in front of 60 kiddies.  That'll give them something to remember.

So on to this morning. I had spent the better part of the evening coughing in crescendos that would eventually end in the agonizing feeling that my lungs were going to be forceable expelled from my body.  By 4 a.m. I had enough... and I am sure that Tr-Girl was no coping well either and would welcome the break of my departure.

After fumbling for my phone to use a mellow flashlight, I made my way to the chest d'medecin , grabbed the knockout-juice and headed for the kitchen.  One gulp later I was at the computer watching footage of the "Hamster's" crash on Top Gear (damn lucky to be alive) and at 5 I wandered off back to bed exhausted and ready for the next round of sleepy-time.

I awoke at 8ish to the sounds of tri-girl getting everything together for the workout at Pan-Am.  Nope.  Not me.  Not going to happen.  So here I sit catching up my one reader with the details of my training season.  Wish me luck as I need this cold gone by Monday.

Wednesday Night Weirdness

As I type this it is morn like +4˚C and the warm wind is blowing through the trees.  Back to -18˚C tomorrow then back to some easy winter weather.

So here is the Environment Canada forecast for this evening.

"These winds will produce blowing snow or blizzard conditions across the Red River Valley starting this evening. Conditions will improve in the morning.

The air associated with the upper disturbance is unusually unstable for this time of year. As a result there is a risk of heavy snow squalls this afternoon and possibly a thunderstorm over parts of Southern Manitoba this afternoon and early this evening. The main threat is reduced visibilities in brief but heavy snow. "

Check that out... they are calling for a thunder storm some time tonight - Jan 15th.... after weeks of -50˚C.... rain and thunder..... cheeze.

Triathlon-wise we were off to Pan-Am for the usual.  The gang was al there and we hit the bike hard. One problem was that Tri-girl and I forgot our computers at home, so no data.... just working out with the rate of perceived exertion or RPE.  No matter how you slice it, that means when the coach calls for three minutes at 90% of your max HR..... you are going to feel it... data or not.

Let's just say wit the combined efforts of Chris, Michael, Sean and I it felt like this.

Hows that for an image?  Regardless.... another great Tribe Wednesday night.

The morning with the boy

Dragged the boy to the Y this morning for some laps.  It truly is Super Fun as we have the whole place to ourselves.  I feel like I should not be telling you this, but we have the run of the place.  I swim laps and the boy has a blast swimming some, jumping some and playing lots.  He got a hold of this brick and was using it to get to the bottom and swim along and walk along.... great fun.

 Me.. well... let's just say that I was sore.  This was day 4 in a row and the old bod was feeling it.  The 1800m or so went by quick enough, but that doe snot mean that I did not feel it.

the Y@8

Sunday - It is a point of pride that we are an early family.  No sleep-in's here.  Well.... by most definitions, anyway.  We were so pleased that we were able to stay in bed until 7:00.  Coffee was on and we were all in the car by 7:50 on our way to the Y for our weekly morning family swim.  Tri-Girl and I do 30 minutes of free and the kids... well... they do what they gotta do in the kiddie pool.

After the blow-out on the HR test, I was a bit sceptic about the time in the pool, but all fears were put to rest at after the first 10 minutes of agony..... well... achey-arms to say the least.

After some coffee at Tim's we made our way to Woodcock to meet up with Jared.  The weather had turned the roads to mush and by the time we had returned home, it seemed as though we had used up all of our wiper fluid.  Anyhoo..... back to Woodcock.  We arrived in time to catch the end of Gord's triathlon club workout.  Looked like fun with fans and a movie.  Cool.  We found Jared and settled about filling my Christmas coupon for new shoes.    After much trying-on, we settled on 44.5 Specialized Experts.

However, with the non -standard 44.5 sizing, I had to order them in, so they are not yet on my feet.  I will post more when they arrive.

Jared and I also talked about new wheels and we settled on a pair he had made around a set of DT-swiss ceramic hubs.  Looks like that will be a fun addition to The Giant.  I will post more details as I get them.

Saturday with the Tribe

To be honest, I am not recommending that you follow in my footsteps.  After a fantastic evening with friends and some brilliant bottles of fermented Tuscan golden orbs,  I was not operating at my usual 100% enthusiasm as I entered the "prow" this slushy morning.  This first week back to serious workouts has pushed me a bit and I was sore... everywhere.  Hammies.  Hip-flexors.  Traps.  Lats.  Back.... you name it ..... there was a serious groan from my conscious mind wondering if I really had to do this thing.

We began with our usual HR recovery set.  6 minutes at 60% of Max HR.  6 minutes at 80% of Max HR. 3 minutes at 90% of Max HR.  I was right on the money with my HR at 157.  We then rest for 90 sec and see where we end up.  My HR came down to 101... so that is a recovery HR of 56.

The next set was a max HR test.  You start at an easy spin and when coach say go you up your speed 2Kmph every minute.  Your partner records the data and keeps you focused.  To get to your Max HR you go to fail... you just keep adding speed until you cannot pedal any more and.... for the lack of a better description..... want to pass out.

Why would you do this?

Test #1 was November 9th.

Time    KMPH    HR    RPE*
1:00       17          109      1          *Rate of Perceived Exertion
2:00       19          119              
3:00       20          125      1
4:00       22          129      2
5:00       24          137      3
6:00       26          143      3
7:00       28          149      4
8:00       30          153      5
9:00       32          149      8
10:00     34          160      10
11:00     34          167      10

Test #2 was today.

Time    KMPH    HR    RPE*
1:00       16          115      1          *Rate of Perceived Exertion
2:00       18          119      1      
3:00       20          126      2
4:00       22          136      3
5:00       24          140      5
6:00       26          146      6
7:00       28          153      8
8:00       30          156      8
9:00       32          160     10

I got my heart-rate up, but today I just could not hold it.   At the end of 9:00 I was done... and I mean cooked, but I was mad.  Mad that I just couldn't find the way to get through the wall and spin it out.



From there I left the bike mad and hammered out 2 miles (12 laps) around the track.  That went fairly well with a time of  16:44.  Avg pace - 8:22 .  I can live with that.  That's about a 7 on the tready, so I will continue to pursue that next week when I tackle that bad boy again.

And, as always, we left the rack and headed into 20 minutes of core work through 4 stations of a circuit.  Each station has 3 exercises and we do each one for 1 minute.

Tready Numero Uno

Now I am not the biggest fan of treadmills.  A means to an end and a useful tool for consistent pacing.  As a guy who has run 1/2 marathons on them, I can tell you from experience, you really have to have an amazing lulu lemon commercial or the ability to transport yourself to your happy place to get through the hell that is treadmills.  There is no magic playlist that makes this easier... at best it makes it somewhat tolerable.

As well, I sweat.  I make no apologies.  I am a man, and I sweat.  I don't go to the gym to pretend or to pose; I workout.  I have target heart-rates and specific goals and I push myself to achieve those goals.  I cannot fathom talking on the phone or reading a magazine while I do this.... no time... gasping for air.  So while I am running and dripping it is just no fun. And by the way....

Where Am I going with all of this, well.... I am now committed to once a week hopping on the "hamster-wheel" at the "Y" and giving it at least 30 minutes of my time.

So down I went.  And after a 5 minute stretching session, I found a machine and got to it.  However, nothing is truly that easy.  This machine had a plug for your iPod.  I only noticed this after I had been on the machine for a  minute or two, so I stopped it and undid my armband where I keep my iPod and plugged in.  The advantage being that you could see your playlist on the screen and there was a central headphone jack so my headphones would not get in the way.  I plugged in and off I went.

Well.... about a minute later there was a crackle crackle in my headphones and then a shock came out of my headphones and zapped my ear almost causing me to loose my balance and fall to my death.  and Trust me you do not ever want to fall off a treadmill.



So I unplugged and tried again..... 1 minute later.... ZAP!  What the....  Well that was enough.  Then it was unplug the iPod and re-attach the headphones and weave them though my shirt.

Sigh.. so basically it took me 15 minutes to start my 30 minute run.

I think I am going to allow my self 30 minutes and whatever I run in that time is what I run.  Today, I just did a 5K and called it quits. The treadmill I was using had a little visual of a track and it was counting .25 of a mile for each lap and I ran 13 laps or 3.23 miles (5K) in 28:05.  That is an average speed of 6.9 Miles and Hour and 8:41 average minute miles. I set the speed at 6.7 for the first mile and then moved it up to 7.0 for the remainder.  I checked my HR at mile 2 and it was 141.

Back in the Saddle

So although I have not been to active in the blogosphere for the last bit, I have been physically active.  For whatever reason, I just have not felt compelled to write it down.   I miss the blog and the idea of having an outlet to keep track of the activities I have done so I don't feel so guilty if I take a day or two off.  I know I am more active than a vast majority of the population, but that still does not mean that I don't feel guilty when I take a break.
My plan is to keep going and training for the Triathlon season and to be as healthy as I can so that I am ready for anything life has to throw at me over the next year.

Monday or Tuesday will be a swim - 30 minutes of Front crawl minimum.
Wednesday - Tribe workout at Pan am.  1:15 Bike and 15 minutes core
Thursday or Friday - hit a tready and get in a minimum of 5K.  about 23-30 minutes
Saturday - Tribe Workout. 2h bike, 10-15 minute run, 20 minute core
Sunday - swim with the family - 30 minutes of front  crawl minimum.

That means I will be committing to about 5 hours a week.  Not too shabby.

So..... I hit the pool on Tuesday with the Tri-boy in tow and he an I shared a lane and had an excellent time.  It was a wee bit chilly and that always makes for  an interesting trip to the pool.

Tonight was all about man and woman verses the cold.

Still managed to have a great workout.

Stay warm.... wherever you are.

It's been a while

Yep..... it certainly has been a while, but I am back.  2014 looks to hold a very exciting year for training even though I have no major races scheduled for this year. As January rolls around, training ramps up.  Without an "A" race scheduled, the drive is to take the 2014 season on a strictly casual basis and look to have a bit of fun while doing it.  The goal is to simply maintain fitness and be as healthy as I can be in preparation for whatever lies around the next corner.

More details to come.