This is Swell

Yup, it's still swollen! my lip that is.... even Tracy's request to pucker didn't help. So today I took some diphedryl hoping that the lip would go back to normal because when I drink something I drip. Like a baby slobbers... and then I kinda talk funny...and it feels funny... OK enough! The only thing the diphedryl did was make me sleepy at my desk.

Today was an uneventful ride of 25 miles and a swim tonight, I was just to tired to go at lunch.

Bee Attack

It was an eventful ride today with Tony posing as Lance Armstrong in his Discovery Channel jersey and shorts. As you know we try to catch and pass golf carts that are on the way to the golf course. This morning one of the golf course maintenance workers in a gas cart, which is a little faster than an electric cart, was ahead of us. You guessed it, head down, drop a gear and sprint to over take the cart. Only this time just as we went to go around the cart the driver decided to make a u-turn into us! Fortunately I have a loud mouth and yelled YO! which made him stop. Tony went left, I went right and missed an accident.

Then on the final leg of our ride Tony was pulling us along quite nicely at 24.5 when he slowed indicating it was time for me to pull. As I rounded Tony I hit bee or a bee hit me on the lip. So I was trying to maintain speed, control the bike while getting a killer bee off my lip. Well I don't need any collogen in my lower lip. Ouch!



So our 25 mile ride at an ave speed of 18.4 mph ended with a pain in the lip. I'm planning on swimming at lunch and running on the dreadmill tonight at the fitness center.

Food For Thot

Coffee Drinker and Collie Sighting

This morning, after yesterdays brutally hot ride, was suppose to be a light ride of 15 miles. Once again as we went up Tony's street at 19 mph there was Coffee Drinker and Collie walking. This time they were on the side of the road and Coffee Drinker had no coffee! So I guess he learned?

If we don't get a thunderstorm I'm going to swim at lunch and then after work go to the exercise room in the nice cool AC to lift weights.

Weekend Report

HOT HOT HOT....in a humid climate like Florida you expect the heat but not this extreme heat with the heat index above 100*. So Saturday's long run took it's toll on me. I started out with my usual 2 bottle of Powerbar Endurance and stopped at my first water hole at 5 miles I filed up with water. I tried to do just an easy "heat related" pace. At the 7 mile mark I stopped at one of the golf courses "potty houses" and go more water and some ice from the ice machine to put in my hat. That helped for a while but the ice melts to soon! At the 12 mile mark I ate a gel and washed it down with water which gave me a little more energy but I was just doing 9 min miles due tot he heat. I stopped at my final water hole at the 14 mile mark and mixed some PoerBar Endurance with water and drank that down then filed my bottle with water tot he final leg, home at 16 miles. Time 2:45 ugh!

I had a great breakfast and a dip in my pool to cool off but with the pool temp of 90* there is no cooling. So I went to the beach and swam for 45 minute the gulf was 86* so it was a little cooler.

Sunday was the long ride day with Tony. As predicted Tony wore his Discovery Channel jersey and shorts in honor of Lance winnning the Tour for the seventh time! Once again it was a hot morning. We did the Cococnut Road ride and stopped at Pelican Landing to eat a cliff bar and look for dolphins. On the way there I was drafting Tony at 22 mph when BANG I hit a pot hole. Tony never saw it but I found it. We stopped to change my tube and found that I bent my front wheel. We did see two pods of dolphins (2 males and 1 female in a pod). We ended our ride early due to the heat and to watch the end of the Tour. Total miles 45. The wheel is going to the shop on Tuesday...so it looks like I'll be riding the steel monster Wednesday.

WEAKLY TOTALS

RUN 30 miles
BIKE 120 miles
SWIM 9,000 yards, 45 min open water

Friday Fun with Coffee Drinker and Collie

As Tony, now back from his European vacation with his family, and I round the bend in the road who did we meet? None other than coffee drinker and collie standing in the middle of the road talking to pajama man and his dog, mutt. Both mutt and collie are on there long leashes, you know the kind they can be reeled-in or let out. No chance that pajama man and coffee drink would "reel them in" because they are oblivious to us coming at 20 mph. Mutt is moving toward the left side of the road and collie is moving right while pajama man and coffee drinker are standing talking in the middle of the road. Which way to go? Right and tangle with collie whom I'm sure is going to bark and snap. Which way to go? Left and contend with mutt who looks friendly. Tony ever the brave Brit, says in a loud voice with his friendly British accent GOOD MORNING! and begins to move left. This sudden friendliness from the cyclist causes coffee drinker and pajama man to be startled and pajama man begins to reel-in mutt and coffee drinker takes a sip of coffee. But right on cue...Collie goes crazy wraps himself around coffee drinker and then pajama man barking..... as we go by I say MORNING (I'm not British nor am I friendly in the morning) and I noticed coffee drink has again spilled his coffee and I hear DAMN! Mission Accomplished!

As we went to the turn around I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for us as we went by coffee drinker and collie a second time. As we approached the spot of our first meeting both pajama man and coffee drinker were gone...disappeared. Sad no second chances. It was an uneventful ride with the exception of the straight-a-way where Tony on his new Trek Madone once again broke the 30 mph goal.

So today was a 25 mile ride, hopefully I'll swim at lunch and tonight I'm going to a party at the beach. Goals for the weekend are 16 mile run and 1 hour open water swim on Sat and 75 mile ride on Sunday with Mr Discovery Channel Poser, Tony with his Trek Madone and Discovery Channel racing jersey and shorts!

Mango's Last Day

So today is Mango the bunny's last day living at my house, Tony comes back from England this afternoon. Its been a fun time taking care of a rabbit, she loves to run around the liana. BTW some wild bunnies come to the screen and look longingly into the liana at Mango.

Today was a bike day. It was a dryer morning, less humid, than yesterday but less breeze. I did my normal loops around my community. On my second loop, one of my neighbors was driving his golf cart to the country club for Wednesday mens golf. He was quite a far ahead of me when I turned the corner but I thought it would be a good sprint to try to over take him before my next turn. Golf carts go about 16 - 17 mph, so when I passed him doing 26 mph I think they were a little surprised. Well I did say "Mind if I play thru?" So I finished up my 25 mile ride and now I'm looking forward to a swim at lunch and weights tonight. Then Mango goes home.....

BTW No coffee drinker /collie sightings today!

The Otter Day

It was a beautiful morning this monring, although it was still humid! The wind was at 5 kts from the east and the temp was 74*. So it made it a very pleasant morning to run. I did my 7 mile loop through the woods. I'm still a little tired from my weekend so I took it easy just trying to keep my heart rate in zone 3 while maintaining a 8 min pace after my first mile warm up.

The 7 mile course takes me through the woods for about a mile. The developer of our community had an agreement with the state of Florida to maintain as many natural areas or preserves. Our community is bordered by a State Park and protected wetlands. So rather than develop all of the acreage in our community there are many preserves and natural areas. One of these is a mile long path that meanders along the Estero River as a natural buffer and provides an eco system that helps to maintain the fresh water in the river. The trail was a little muddy this morning because of our daily rains but if your careful while running you don't get to muddy.

The path ends with a series of "s" turns to a final bridge over a small babbling brook then up a short flight of stairs to the parking lot of our communities boat launch, fitness center, river club restaurant, and community pool.

It was here as I came around the bends that I stopped short because there were 4 otters playing on the path! Perhaps I made to much noise coming down the path for when they saw me they all slipped quietly into the brook and swam off. I wondered if they could teach me to swim as gracefully as they swim!

I stopped at the fitness center to get some water and continued on to my house thinking of otters!

I plan to swim at lunch time and prehaps hit the weight rom on the way home.

Weekend Update

Hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms has been the weather forecast for all of last week. I can sympathize with Wil as she complains about her weather. The humidity is always here iin the summer. Heat and humidity is something you have to get use to training in. I remind myself that Kona is hot and humid in Oct.

BTW thanks for all of the notes about my lunch time beach pics. Yes the beach is 4 blocks from my office. One good thing about living here is the beach access. There are many public parks and parking areas that allow beach access. Florida believes that the beach belongs to the residents and not just a few rich people lucky enough to own beach front property. So you can put your beach chair in front of a $40 million home and have the same view.

Saturday was a long run day. I started out early, 6:30 to beat the heat and I took with plenty of water. I set my watch alarm to sound off every 10 minutes to remind me to drink my water. So between the heart rate monitor alarm and the water alarm I was beeping all the time. At the four mile mark my first bottle was empty and at 7 miles I stopped at the golf course halfway house to refill my bottles and I bought a regular coke. At the 10 mile mark I t thought about stopping. Good thing was I wasn't near my house or I would have stopped. I had a gel and pressed on. I continued to push the liquids and finished at 15 miles, hot, tired but not thirsty!

Sunday was a LSD bike alone.
Tony is still in Europe. So once again it was an early start 6:30 am to beat the heat. I bought some gaterade in disposable bottles so I put two in my jersey and took two water bottles on my bike. Maybe I need a bottle launcher on the seat? My goal for the day was to maintain a nice steady pace not getting my heart rate out of zone 2...hr 120 or there about. I did my Coconut Road ride which takes me past the Coconut Hyatt and the Hyatt timeshare then a breif stop a the boat dock on Estero Bay to eat a Clif bar and look for dolphins. I retraced my route to go back north then took Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to Florida Gulf Coast University taking a loop around the campus only to stop at the pool to refill my water bottles. At the 50 mile mark I was beginning to get tired and I noticed my heaat rate going up a little...so I took a gel and downed another bottle of water. I spotted at Mickey D (Drive in Window) and got a large regular coke to put in my water bottle. I drank some coke and I headed south and on to home. I got back to the house at 11:45 and 80 miles later...once again hot, tired but not thristy. I pushed the PowerBar Recovery drink and went into my pool to cool off but with the water temp of 88* so it did little cooling!

I took a nap in the afternoon..imagine that! I was a little tired. I had planned to go to the Boat House to swim but I was just too tired so I went to our commuity pool at 3:00 just before the afternoon storm and did some laps...about 45 minutes.

WEAKLY TOTALS

Run - 29 miles
Bike - 155 miles
Swim - 3k yards plus 1hr 45 min.
Weights - 1x
Pilates - none

Goals for next weak

Plan my swims better to get it done before the rain
Wedenesday brick day with temp swim and bike
Do pilates 2 xs this week


NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH

I saw coffee drinker and collie this morning. Yes he was drinking his coffee and yes the collie went after me again. I came up behind them and the dog went nuts. Then coming back coffee drinker tried to get a tight grip on the collie...so I think more fun is yet to come!

Lunch Time Beach

I went to Lake Street to swim today. Here are a couple of pics.

Friday Fun

It was cooler this morning or maybe it was just less humidity and it felt cooler. When I left the house for my ride this morning it felt good. It was my regular route, 25 miles around my community or two loops and a little to get to 25 miles. Along the way I met couple on mountain bikes, I slowed down to ride with them for about two miles but then it was back to my regular pace. I tried to concentrate on heart rate and pace today.

Since I have a lighter schedule at work today, I'm planning to go to the beach at lunch to swim. Hopefully I can get away for a 1,5 hours!

Goals for the weekend:

Saturday
Run 15 miles
Weight Room upper body

Sunday
LSD ride 80 miles
Swim 1 hr at the beach (DocsBeach House)

Doc's Beach House

Yet More Rain!

Here in Southwest Florida we have seasons just like you guys in the north. Snowbird season when the tourist (snowbirds) come, dry season when it doesn't rain for months and then, you guessed it, rainy season. Right now it's rainy seson! ugh! It rains every day usually at 4:00 pm for about an hour or so. Count on it, plan on it...don't leave your umbrella in the car!

Along with rain comes thunder caused by lightening. SWFL has the most lightening strokes per square mile than any other place in the country. Which means this year alone I've replaced my big screen projection TV, my 32 in bedroomTV, my coffee pot, the dimmer control in my china cabinet, and various other little things like light bulbs. Yes, I have a surge protector for the entire house and I've installed GFI outlets on the TVs and computers.

Here is the forcast from the National Weather Service:

• Now
  Through 500 PM...scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue to develop along the East Coast sea breeze as it marches westward through the inland sections of Palm Beach...Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Other showers and storms will continue to develop along the West Coast sea breeze and affect the west coastal sections from Naples to Everglades City. Expect locally heavy downpours...frequent lightning strikes...and wind gusts to 40 mph with this activity. If you see lightning or hear thunder move inside until the storms have passed.

So as much as I want to swim after work, I can't because the pool closes for lightening. Any lightening in a 20 mile radius of the pool. So no swim today becuase I didn't swim at lunch time. ugh!

Today was a run day in the morning before work. Other than hot and humid from the previous days rain, it was an uneventful 7 mile run. I did go past the coffee drinker/collie's house on my way to the path through the woods. But no sign of them.

Coffee, Collies and Cyclists

Since I live in a gated golf and river community, most of my neighbors are either retired or play at work. I'm perhaps the only person out of 1,200 homes that actually works for a living. So for most people its just play time. So I'm not surprised when I ride my bike in the morning to find people casually walking their dogs. You know what casual walking means? The person on one side of road with coffee cup in hand while dog on the leash is on the other side of the road so cyclist can't get by unless he runs over the leash! This happens all to often. Sometimes, when Tony is riding with me, I say in a loud voice to Tony "NOW DON'T GET THE DOG CAUGHT IN YOUR SPOKES THIS TIME!"

So I'm alone this morning doing my ride, cruising along in aero position at 20 mph when I see a guy drinking his coffee walking his collie on a long leash. Its a piece of road that ends in a cul-de-sac or as Tony the Brit would say a round-about. I turn around and come back down the street, but since the street is just over a mile long its a good ride.

So I pass collie and coffee drinker from behind giving them a wide berth. So as I turn around and head back the collie is now in the middle of the road and coffee drinker is on the side. They both see me coming. Coffee drinker starts to cross the road! Now where do I go? Do I stay on the right side of the road...that's where they are headed or do I go left into traffic, which there is rarely any but can happen and since there is a bend in the road I can't see oncoming traffic.

As I approach coffee drinker he is now in the middle of the road with the collie in the right gutter. Good I think, I'll go left pretty much in the middle in case a car is coming but now I'm doing 18 mph. YUP, just as I pass coffee drink he raises his cup to take a sip, I say GOOD MORNING, the collie sees me, he starts after my wheel, I zip passed only to have the collie wrap around coffee drinkers legs and spill the coffee all over coffee drinker! DAMN YOU is all I hear from coffee drinker.

So it was an uneventful ride this morning of 25 miles. I'm going to swim at lunch and go to the weight room tonight.

Today is my youngest sons birthday! Happy Birth Day Josh.

More Random Funk Thots

OK, yes I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I'm tired of hurricanes and rainy weekends. It messes up training (swimming and biking). I hate running on dreadmills. So my training has suffered in this funk.

The hurricane (Dennis) caused alot of wind and rain Friday nite, Sat and Sun. I managed to get a short ride in Sunday but with the wind it was hard. Several times I felt like I was going to fall off the bike...or maybe it was just me and not the wind. Who knows?

Speaking of funks, Friday I finally spoke with Dr. Lusk, the funky brain surgeon. I've had 3 appointments canceled by his office due to his court appearance. I think a failed surgery is suing him...well at least the family of the failed surgery. Here's the short version. My brain tumor is still there. Doesn't appear to have grown. No we can't operate because of the risk involved. No we can't biopsy, again to dangerous ( you want a needle stuck into your brain?) I'll just have learn to cope with the headaches, dizziness, blurry vision. NO, no one in Florida can perform the surgery because of the risk. Perhaps Emory University or Johns Hopkins or Sloan.... but no surgeon in his right mind would try it right now. Would you like some anti seizure meds? Have you thot about getting a housemate? perhaps you shouldn't live alone. (yea I have a list of people I want to live with me...)

So then my cancer doctor called Friday late afternoon with my results of my recent visit and tests. Dr. Cocktail Mixer (CM). OK this is the short version: No the cancer hasn't spread, your nodes are clean. (HEY I GOT CLEAN NODES). We want to do a round of interferon for 6 months. The new growth on your back is another tumor. (with 6 do I get eggroll?) You should see your regular surgeon not the brain surgeon. (I think I'm going to let it grow after all its small and I want to get my moneys worth when I have surgery) We want you to see an eye doc....you know an MD not an opto guy...for blurry vision. You ned to get another colonoscopy done. Maybe you shouldn't ride your bike....(no way). Have your thot about anti-seizure meds? (You too?) Have you thot about getting some one to live with you? Perhaps you should live alone (ok I'll take applications for housemates)

If you have a seizure and no one is there to see it how do you know you had a seizure? Does a tree make a sound in the forrest when it falls if no one is there to hear it? What's the sound of one hand clapping? OK so now you understand my funk and the rain hasn't helped...nor the beer, wine, tequila and scotch not in that order.

So I rode yesterday 25 miles and ran 7 miles today with a hangover. Hopefully I can swim after work.

O random thots..... did you read Tracy's great post about a party she and H went to? Here's the link.... When Millionaires Get Bored but why are you hanging with H and not me? She even has pics to prove she was there and it wasn' a fever dream like Dorothy.

I'm real busy at work..the PM is in Canada. I have been given tons of work by our mutual funds. I need a vacation.

So I think I'll work on a list of requirement for a housemate... she has to be blonde or brunett or redhead...she must have her own tri bike...can't run faster than me... she must like beer wine tequila scotch (not in that order)...must like my cooking (italian of course)....dance...two-step, triple two step, swing, waltz (across texas) and el paso, sweetheart, wooden nickel, and hourseshoe suffle... like classical, country, and jazz music and some pop...

tomorrow is my son's birthday...29 i think...at least he is not in iraq this year...hwe's in ga...but they want him to go back to iraq ugh! how can that be im only 37?

Tagged

Ok durteemartin tagged me, payback is a bitch, to list my favorite songs. Funny because I don't know one of the songs on her list!

Actually here's what's in the changer now. now the MP3 player that's a different list.

Violin concerto op. 35 Peter Tchaikovsky - of course I love the Russian composers

Mambo Sinuendo, Ry Cooder anything on this album including Patrica, Bodas de oro

Harem, Sara Brightman...she could visit my Harem any time. She does What a Wonderful World but not like Louis!

Any cut on Common Thread: The Eagles Tribute by Various artist particularly Take it Easy, by Travis Tritt, Desperado Clint Black, Lyin' Eyes, Diamond Rio....

Louis Armstrong - the early years i.e Rocking Chair Blues, You Rasscal You, Heebie Jeebies or anything from Hot Fives & Sevens

Neon Moon - Brooks and Dunn


So here is my chance to TAG some one:

Wil - she has pleanty of time now that she can train all day

Holly - she need to relax for here weekly dose of interfuron

Jeff - he's tapering for the big race

Annalisa - still remodeling her kitchen after all this time

Nancy - other than chase twins she has nothing else to do

Shelly - becuase she is going to Kona and I'm not

Rain Rain Go Away!

Here in Southwest Florida we have seen enough rain! We have had over 20 inches of rain in the month of June. So today being the 1st of July, when I got up this morning it was RAINING! But the rain stopped just long enough to get my morning ride in.

My ride was quite nice since the air was clean from the rain. I did my regular two loops and a little extra to make it 25 miles. It was suppose to be a nice easy spin in the small ring cadence of 80-90 RPM so I can do my long run tomorrow.

I hope to get done work early today and stop at the beach on the way home. I can troll for sharks at Doc's Beach House. If not I'll go to the University pool, unless it's RAINING!