To My Bank...

Dear Sirs,
In view of what seems to be happening
internationally with banks at the moment,
I was wondering if you could advise me.

If one of my checks is returned marked
"insufficient funds," how do I know
whether that refers to me or ... to you.?

Quick Update

Yes, I'm still alive. I know some of you have hoped otherwise! I had two more tumors removed last Wednesday. I'm recovering nicely THANK YOU! I see the dermatologist/oncologist/surgeon next Wednesday. Then on to the brain surgeon and eye doctor for repeat testing, ugh! Hopefully there will be a time when I don't have to see a doctor!

Congrats to Tony who did the Ride Across Florida on Sunday. Only 175 miles. Next year count me in!

Saturday and Sunday's ride was a little weak well a lot weak.... I'm not allowed to swim for a while.

• Saturday - I started out with the A group. I thot I might get dropped at the first overpass- the only hill in the area is an overpass over interstate 75. As it was I kept up with the group for the next 10 miles when I got caught by a traffic light, the peleton went thru I got stopped because I was at the back of the pack. I finished the ride alone for a total of 40 miles average 19.7 mph.
  
• Sunday - Both groups start together on Sundays with the split coming after the two parking garages at FGCU. The B group consisted of Nurse Payne and myself. So it was into the wind and a hard go. At the airport (RSW) we turned back to have a wonderful ride back at 26 mph! Why can't the wind always be at our back?
• Monday - the usual ride with Nurse Payne 25 miles
• Tuesday - was a run day with Tony. he was all recovered from his Ride Across Florida but I was feeling a little funky
• Wednesday - the ususal ride Nurse Payne, Tony and Dr. Steve but Tony got a small wire caught in his chain which broke. ugh
• Thurday - the usual run alone 4 miles.

Thanks KONA SHELLY for stopping by.... she just completed Ironman # 9 at Florida Ironman! Read all about it here... IRONM4N.

weakend and Stuff

Had a great weakend training. Fri - Mon total of 125 miles on the bike in windy South Florida. the weather changed so it was rather pleasant.... 70* Sunday morning at 6:30 am!

Cool Weather

The weather person on the 5 am local news said how COLD it was outside and it was going to be a "cool" day. But wait, don't turn off your air conditioner yet.... 88* is cool in Southwest Florida but not COLD!

Another Bad Day

Well perhaps I should just take the weak off? You do remember Sunday and the long walk home? Well I rode on Monday the usual and flatted again! Only this time Tony and I changed the tube and continued on to finish our 25 mile ride....even had the last sprint in which Tony was to tired to participate..well 80 miles on Sunday will do that to you!

Last night after the Tuesday Nite Swim, I worked on the bike. Checked the tire inside, put new rim tape on the rim. checked inside and out put in a new tube, checked again.....

This morning got ready to ride and POP.... another flat only this time in the drive way. There is a small puncture on the sidewall. That must be it...

So today at lunch I went to the bike store to buy a tire... 52.95 Continental 4000 blue wall tire. So tonight it's replace the tire night!

Work has also become somewhat of a nightmare. I'm tiring to get IRS Form 5500's done for 15 of my plans. They are due to be mailed to my clients by Oct. 1.. so crunch time is on!

Out of Stock

OK I went to my LBS (local bike shop) to buy some tubes to replace those blown apart this weakend. Only the were out of stock.... threaded, long stem, tubes. none available. ok HOW ABOUT non-threated, long stem tubes. Nada, nothing, not available. O, hey I found an old box here with one tube will that work for you...non-threaded of course.

HOW CAN THIS BE? YOU ARE A BIKE SHOP WITHOUT TUBES FOR ROADBIKES? HUH!

Training Update

It has been a slow week training wise. Last Tuesday and Wednesday we had the rain bands from Ike, so it mess things up a little. But here is a quick overview of the week that was:

Monday:

BIKE - the weakday course
Just a quick 25 miles before work with Tony and Mark (Nurse Payne). The course we use is the Weakday Course which starts at William Road Circle behind the new Coconut Point Mall thru the Brooks via Coconut Blvd then down to Bonita Springs via Three Oaks Parkway (all bike lanes). We go thru some side streets to downtown Bonita Springs to Terry Street then back to the parkway which becomes a SPRINT ZONE thru the Brooks and finally the Mall and a final SPRINT ZONE to the circle.
Total Bike Miles 25

SWIM
I hit the pool after work for a few laps to give me 3,000 yards. Yea I know Mark Phelps does 8,000 as a warm up. but I'm old and he is a kid and 3,000 is enough for me. Total Swim 3,000 yards

Tuesday
RUN - the Tuesday Light Pole Course
I start out at 6:45 and meet Tony somewhere between my house and his. After two miles warm up we do light pole sprints... Sprint from one light pole to the next then jog to the next light pole and so forth for 2 miles then run a light 2 miles to finish back at my house. Total Run Miles 6

Swim
Another swim after work...see above.
Total Swim 3,000 yards

Wednesday

RIDE - the Weakday Course
Well it was suppose to be a ride morning as above but it was raining. It rained most of the nite, stuff from Ike So I went back to bed. Actually I got ready to run and just as I stepped out the door the heavens opened in this massive downpour! so I went back into the house, got a shower and went to work!
Total Ride Miles NONE

Waits
I know I spelled it wrong. It's just that is what I end up doing. Waiting. Moving from one machine to the next in the fitness center. I have to wait my turn! But I did some waits.

Thursday

RUN - the easy run course
This run and every Thursday run is a lone run. Just a slow easy run 6 miles is all I have time for to make it back for a shower and off to work by 8:30.
Total Run Miles 6

SWIM
Another boring swim in the pool....
Total Swim 3,000 yards

Friday

BIKE - the weakday course
I was up late talking on the phone to a friend who is dying of cancer. It started in her kidney. She never smoked, always exercised and ate well. Now cancer has gone to her brain and she can't walk. She is hoping to live until her grandson's wedding in November, but it doesn't look promising. Of course she is afraid of dying and has no hope of an after life.

So while talking with her, I was upset and drank to much wine and could not get out of bed...well I got up to ride but promptly went back to bed.

Saturday

BIKE - Saturday Bad Ass Course
Saturday is the weakly Saturday ride with Bad Ass Flatlanders Cycling Team. We do a ride similar to the above Monday ride but add a few more miles thru Bonita Spring making my total which includes riding from my house to the Bad Ass Coffee parking lot, for the ride of 40 miles. My average speed is 21 to 22... according to my bike puter.. The SPRINT ZONES are the killers though. I usually get dropped.

SWIM
I got a call from my friend Jack saying the gulf had 4' to 6' waves. He was heading out to surf but my swim was canceled. UGH! I didn't feel like the pool again!

SUNDAY

Sanibel Light

BIKE- Captive Island Ride
The Bad Ass gang was going to Sanibel then on to Captiva Island. A great ride of 80 miles plus. the ride accross the causeways is spectacular! I usually start out with them for the first half then leave the group to ride alone in aero but.... The group had 4 flats in the first 8 miles of the ride!

SO I left the group earlier and rode along only to have a FLAT! I changed the tube, started of only to flat again! UGH! Now I had no spare tube... what to do. Walk of course! So I started walking home. Along the way a guy stopped to give me a spare tube.... but I still needed an CO2 canister... so continue walking. I saw a guy who works at a LBS that I don't frequent any more since they put inferior parts on my Roo ride by on is bikle. He waived. Thanks Alex. It took me an hour and a half to walk/run home with my bike.

Total Bike miles.... 35 miles plus 7miles walking/jogging

RUN
Sunday run was canceled because of lack of interest from the above walking/jogging home to fix my bike.

OK here is what you've been waiting for Totals

Bike: 125
Run: 12
Swim: 9,000 yards
Waits: 1 time

Wiley Coyote Eats Cat

We have been having a problem with coyotes. Recently a man near my home while walking his Shits-on-you dog (no not Collie and Coffee Drinker) was attacked by Wiley Coyote. Wiley Coyote it seems, thought the Shits-on-you was a snack on a string. The man beat off the coyote with his cane (read the story here).

In the video above the poor kitty, Caesar, had an uncaring owner who left Caesar out all night only to wander into Wiley Coyote.

The moral of the story, Wiley Coyote is hungry and is moving into populated areas. Don't leave your animals out or they will be lunch orin Caesar's case, a midnight snack!

From Survivor Back to Patient

Well I was cancer free for 7 months, not as long as the last time, 2 years, but it seems that I have a "green thumb" and can really grow tumors. This time it was only 7 months after being declared cancer free by my docs and 3 months from my last melanoma body scan check up.

I noticed on my calendar at home that it has been 4 years since my first cancer and lymphoma surgery. So I guess it has worked out better than it has for a friend I met, he lasted 8 months after his melanoma diagnosis and pasted away. I find it hard to say he "died", but like saying "I have cancer" I guess it gets easier..... have you noticed if you say you have breast cancer you get all kinds of support but skin cancer well that's no big deal hey it's only skin caner. Only melanoma is the fastest growing cancer.

I have changed my banner...did you notice.

The problem I'm having is a pain in my..... back. One of the biopsies was rather deep and IT HURTS! Well no matter, it is going to hurt more as I have to schedule wide excisions of both sites... they take out more tissue in the size of a large biscuit to examine how far the cancer has spread, how deep the tumor is/was and then proceed to the next step. The kids are coming to visit for the month of August, so I guess they can get me to and from the surgery and tend my dressings.

On the training front, I had an OK run this morning. Just a few miles in the humid heat. It just finished raining as I left for my run. I did get some pool time in yesterday with a fairly good bike so I guess an OK run is well OK.

Two More Lesions

J's Birthday Flowers

This week I have been in somewhat of a funk. Even though last Saturday and Sunday I had big riding days. In fact I was second in the sprint on Saturday with the Bad Ass Coffee Cycling Team. My total mileage for Friday thru Monday was 170 miles total.

Wednesday was J's birthday and not wanting any bad news for her birthday I had to go to the doctors. So guess what, he had to take off two more lesions. These were on my back which is much better than the last one in Oct 07 which were on my arm. So now it is a another wait to see what the path report says. the doc talked about the new cocktail, CDV plus interferon and interleukin. I understand you are sick as a dog with flu like symptoms for a year. I don't think I want to do that.

The week update date:

• Bike: 175 miles
• Run 14 miles
• Swim 3 hours

Saturday Tony and his wife went with J an I to Ruth's Chris' Steakhouse for dinner. A lot of money for an OK meal with poor service.

Sunday after the ride I felt AWFUL. I can't begin to tell you how sick and tired I felt. When I got up today I hoped that I would feel better but...alas is not so. I rode with Tony this morning. I asked to ride slow but .... it was suppose to be 20ish but ended up at 24ish with a big sprint at the finish. So now I'm really tired.

Almost Jailed

My cycling buddy, Tony the Brit or Tony26 as the Bad Assers call him because even when the set speed is 22 to 23 he pulls at 26.... well we are riding our usual 26 mile weekday route. The route, 26 miles long, is along a newly opened road with, for the most part, good road surface and a bike lane until we turn to go thru Burrito Springs. Just a few side roads then down Terry Street, a four lane road without a bike lane, turn left at the traffic light and to rejoin the newly opened road with a bike lane. The only problem is we have to get over into the left lane then the turning lane to turn left at the traffic light.

Now Burrito Spring is just as it sounds, old Florida rednecks and those still wet from crossing the river....not to say that they don't have green cards, drivers licenses or even insurance on their cars which they don't and that's the Rednecks. As we get to the left some one scares the be jeepers out of us by honking their horn...not once, not twice, not thrice but over and over and over again!

Now an occasional horn doesn't bother me, being from the Northeast, but I was pulling at 22 mph with Tony26 on my wheel in the left lane of a REDNECK-MEXICAN Road. Kinda makes you nervous and waiting for the gunshot.

It appears that the person behind us in a lime green VW Bug wants to get past us to make the approaching traffic light before it turns red. We move left, the car squeezes by us on the right, beeping only to have the light turn red so the lime green VW Bug has to stop at the light as we roll to a stop in the lane next to it.

Now Tony26 is a calm rational Brit just recently allow to become a US Citizen - not that I had anything to say about it. All of the sudden he starts banging on the window and yelling at the woman driver "You almost caused an accident by hooting at us (yes he said hooting!)"She rolls down her window and starts yelling back.... "You don't belong in the left lane! Stay right or on the sidewalk!"

I of course am calm cool and collected yell back at her "We have as much right on the road as you...." With that I see a Lee County Sheriff's car turn on it's red lights and cross over 2 lanes of traffic pulling in front of the lime green VW Bug. The officer gets ot of the car and says to Tony26 and me "GET AWAY FROM THE CAR AND GET OVER HERE!" With that Tony26 start yelling a the officer! and yelling and yelling....finally the officer says as loud as he could '"STOP YELLING!"

TONY26 calms down and calmly tells his story to which the offier says ... "OK, you can go". He then takes his ticket book and walks to the lime green VW Bug. The last thing we here as the light changes to green for us to turns is the officer asking the woman...."May I see your driver's license and registration?"

I thought for sure we were going to jail......

July 4th Ride Pic

Here is the Bad Ass Flatlanders Cycling Team at Ava Maria, FL the halfway point of the 80 mile ride know as Drop the Brit Ride.

What's Happening.....

Here's quick update on What's Happ'n Now!

• Rode Saturday with Bad Ass cycling group --- +/- 20 riders who meet at Bad Ass Coffee in Estero. Good ride of 40 miles got dropped on the Sprint- hey 31 is to fast.
• Rode Sunday with BA --- well the first 20 miles then rode alone in aero as much as possible finished with 56 on the meter.
• Rode Monday with Tony - btw he has new Zipp 404's - a little tired, well a lot tired but got 25 miles in with an ave of 21 mph.
  
• Ran Tuesday -today - ran 8 miles and plan on swimming for an hour later tonight.
• Ride 25 tomorrow and play company golf with a client.
• Run and Swim on Thursday
• Ride the "Drop the Brit Ride" or 80 mile Ava Maria Ride for the 4th
  

On the health front:

• no new melanoma since my surgery last Oct 2007
  
• Declared cancer free by oncologist in Dec 2007
• Brain tumor declared - "the thing in your brain" by Brain Surgeon in Jan 2008 (meaning he doesn't know what it is or he doesn't know what to do or he's just crazy.

One More time

OK... so I've been away for a while! Well a long time. It's a long story. Added to the fact I helped a friend develop a blog and it got mixed up with mine... no I didn't run for office in Bonita Springs...

Coffee Drinker and Collie are no where to be found.... I haven't seen them in a year!

But I've added a few new people that I'll write about:

The Scarecrow - a lady who has had to much plastic surgery and now hides her face when peolpe run/walk.cycle past her. She takes her Shitzonyou for rides in the car and/or golf cart.

The Pajama Girl - walks two large dogs most mornings with her hair wet and pajama's

Salesman - walks his Shitzonyou and carries a golf club to fend of Coyotes - yes we are having a major problem with Coyotes. They think small dogs are a snack on a string.

Everyone Passed

OK everyone passed the test post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


As you can see after a long absence I'm somewhat back. I'm working for a Chicago based company helping them to move their offices to NAPLES, FLORIDA. Go figure people actually want to move a company to Naples.


I have lost my new reader info were I kept trackof everyone so it may take me a little while to gettting to your blog and saying hi but don't feel neglected I still love you...

Cold Weather

Well fall is upon us here in beautiful Southwest Florida. Last night a windy cold front went thru so at O-darkthiry it was COLD, 53* compaired to 71* yesterday morn. Since it was a swim morning at an outdoor heated pool I chose to run! Normally I wear a sleeveless coolmax shirt and shorts but today I chose a cotton long sleeve t-shirt and shorts (well it wasn't that cold). I had forgotten about the joys of running in a cotton shirt. At the 6 mile mark or so my shirt was soaked and weighted a ton. I quit at eight miles and took a hot hot shower! Hopefully it will warm up enough that I can swim at lunch time.

Something New

The humid weather returned this morning so rather than run on the dreadmill, which I'm sure you hate as much as I do, I decided to run to the pool and back. I leave the house at 0-dark thirty and at that hour of the morning I thought better of running thru the woods.... you know panthers, bobcats and yes snakes. So it was the long way to the pool 4 miles before sunrise.

When I got to the pool the sun was just coming up giving everything that golden glow, kinda erie. So after doing the snake-walk around the pool looking for snakes that went swimming overnight it was time to hit the laps. This summer we've take 4 water moccasins out of the pool gutters. They will not hurt you unless they bite so take them out with a net!

The pool temp has now dropped from 90* to a nice comfortable 82* almost cold. So today was 7 x 20 laps (correction it was 20 laps of a 30 yard pool. the way I could laps with my watch I get confused because I have to double the laps of the watch) with 3 minute rests. As I got going once again I got hot, hot hot.... 4,200 yards.

The 4 mile run back to the house was uneventful other than the sun was up and the temp was 78*... hot!

So there you have it my "new" training. Not really a brick it's a run-swim-run...RSR?

Long Over Due - Not eaten by Collie

I was not eaten by Collie or shot by an angry bike shop owner! My long over due up date, for those of you who have missed my updates! I'm living in Florida once again. Fortunately I didn't sell my house so I just moved back from Pa. The weather here is more conducive to training, at least that's what I tell myself. There are no hills here only flat, flat roads.

Health wise I'm doing much better. When I went to Philly I was hoping to find some answers regarding my brain tumor only to get the same answers and treatment that I was getting in Florida. It's a sad state of affairs in healthcare so don't get sick. I recently saw my brain surgeon after a series of test and yes I do have a brain... but the good news is the tumor (actually it appears to be a cluster of tumors about the size of a tennis ball) seems to be smaller. So that's good. I have also seen my oncologist, dermatologist, my primary doc and my regular (as appose to the brain) surgeon and they all agree there are no new signs of my cancer. So that's good. I have taken the past 4 months off work and plan to look for a job beginning in January, unless something comes along that I can't pass up. So I have more time for training, so that's good.

Training has been not as good as I would like it to be. I have focused on the swim this summer and I feel that I have gotten stronger. Lately my training each week has been 3 days of Swim (12,000 yds per/week), 5 days of run ( 40 miles) and 4 days of bike (150 miles). Now that the weather is getting cooler I hope to get a long ride in on the weekends and getting a little on run miles in. I have been going to Doc's Beach House for my weakly open water swims.

Mentally have been in a funk. I'm disappointed that I couldn't get a good or should I say better treatment plan in the Philly area.

Collie's Evil Cousin

Well boys and girls you all know about Coffee Drinker and Collie that reside on Tony's street and how I try to get Collie to spill Coffee Drinkers coffee? Well meet Collie's evil cousin, Border Collie. That's right a new challenge! Today as I was just finishing my 15 mile ride, I turned into my street when what should I see but three ladies walking in the road (no sidewalks). One of the ladies had a Border Collie on a long leash. When Border Collie looked a me I could tell it was on! He was in front of Border Collie Lady (BCL) but then as I approached he moved to behind her and then as I passed he wrapped his leash around BCL causing her to yell "Damn it"! Was me or what....

Today at the pool I tried did a ladder then spent alot of time doing my balance drills. I'm curious as to how you spend your pool time. How much time do you just lap swim? Drill? Do you use a pull bouy or kickboard? Fins anyone? Tomorrow I plan to work on bilateral breathing.

It is so hot now I have to run on the dreadmill at the fitness center...7 miles ugh!

Weakend Update

It seems I still have the knack for getting people pissed off. If you haven't read the last posts comments you see I had some response to my posts.

This past weak I've been concentrating on swim and bike although run is perhaps my weakest spot. I've been trying to swim every day including going to the beach for an open water swim. I had forgotten how much fun those "rollers" can be when you go to take a breath.

Tony and I did our Sunday ride to Coconut Point which included a brief 5 mile side trip to see the progress on the new mall. Hopefully next weakend we can do around Estero Island. As we were talking, riding side by side, going about 17 mph, two cyclists over took us. Of course we can't allow that and caught up with them, one had a Giant with a kickstand and the other a Trek. It was good to find some other Sunday riders. It will not happen again guys.

So here are this past weaks totals:

Swim 12,000 yards + 1 ow swim
Bike 150 miles
Run 24 miles

This morning I rode 30 miles and hope to get to the pool before the rain comes.... we have been having a lot of rain of late like many parts of the country.

Bike Shop Visit

OK boys and girls another lesson in how not to run a business. As you might remember I like to visit bikes shops look at the bikes and who knows I might buy something. You do remember my lunch time visit to a bike shop while living in PA?

I had noticed Roo needed new brakes. After 3 months of hills in PA Roo's brake pads we severely worn and in nee of replacement. Since I had to make several stops in and around Bontia Springs I thought I would stop at the Naples Cyclery then swing over to Doc's Beach House for a lunch time swim and a brief snack.

Upon arrival I noticed there were two employees in the shop. A high school age boy (hsab) and a bike mechanic. The hsab asked if he could help me and I said I need brake pads and gave him a sample one that I had taken off of Roo's front wheel. He quickly found a matching set and said that will be $24 I'll ring you up at the register. I guess he assumed that was all I wanted, needed or had to have... Feeling I was getting the bum's rush to get out of the shop I said to the mechanic who was working on a nice looking Felt Tri bike "Oh you sell Felts?" "Naaa" said the mechanic "just in for service". "Oh what do you sell?" me... "Giants" hsab interjects... (by the way they are Specialized dealers and have a nice selection on road bikes in the shop.) "Giant road bikes?" me. "Yea they're a little stiff for a road bike I don't really like them." hsab.

Well realizing the mechanic was a man of few words I thought I try another approach to get him to loosen up. "I'm looking for a group ride in the area do you sponsor any for your shop?" "Nope, to much traffic around here" hsab. Me "My buddy and I come by here every Sunday morning on our around Estero Island ride of 60 miles. There are no organized rides in this area?" (BTW there are a few roadies in the area that parktheir cars in parking lot behind the Naples Cyclery to ride Vanderbuild Beach Road then on the Gordon Drive and back) "Nope, but our shop down in Naples has some on Thursday evenings I think, that will be $25.44" I could tell they wanted me to get out of their shop so they could go back to.... telling jokes or playing cards or dealing drugs... "Well how about if I get a group together to go from here would you like to sponsor a group ride?" "Nope"

OK I know I should have driven the extra 5 miles to my LBS, Clint's and I shouldn't expect friendly customer service, nor should I expect a bike shop to want to sponsor rides for it's customers. So that's how to run a business today.

Lance

Coffee Drinker and Collie Update

OK now that I have your attention. I've been trying to get back into some kind of normal routine here in Florida. The medical opinion is in-operable means in-operable so no gama knife, surgery or radiation. My left eye might clear if I'm good, if not I'll be a one eyed triathlete (hey maybe I'll change my blog title to One-Eyed Oldman) So learn to deal with it and get use to dizzy. For those that asked no I haven't seen Tony since I returned. He has been in Buenos Aires for 3 weeks but we plan to ride Friday morning.

My Chilean neighbor, not having seen me in 3 months, greeted me by saying "You look like you've gain some weight in you tummy!". So, I've been riding in the mornings 25 miles M-W-F and 15 miles on T-Th then at lunch time I ride my bike to the pool and swimming 3,500 yards and in the evenings I run M-W-F 5 miles and T-Th 7 miles on a dreadmill , in the evening due to the thunderstorms (we get a storm everyday around 5 pm in the summer months). Saturday I think I'll go to the beach, Doc's Beach House, in the morning to do a long ow swim and then run hopefully 12 miles. Sunday will be around the island with Tony for 60 miles.

This morning on my mornings bike I saw them, yup Coffee Drinker and Collie. Not a kind word or glance was exchanged between us. No I think that dog really likes to get his master mad at me, I can see it in his eyes. Collie's leash was attached to a tree and Coffee Drinker was washing some metal bar stools. I could just tell Collie wanted to get free and spill the coffee...he tried to get one of the stools to fall over but Coffee Drinker was there to catch it. Hey did I do that? Kewl!

OK now back to looking for a job.... any one need an old broken down triathlete to work for them?

Home Again

Well boys and girls, Philly just didn't work for me! So as of last Friday I resigned my Philly job and arranged to move back to sunny hot Florida. My house didn't sell so I still have a home. I arrived here on Tuesday so I have been unpacking and getting my house back in order. I can't tell you how much I missed this tropical paradise and it was reflected in my training. This morning I did 25 miles on my bike and I swam at lunch time. So it's back to normal.

Update, Thots, & Personal

The Weakly Update

I know now that many of you just want to know what my stats were for the weak. So I’ll start there for a change.

Swim – 4,000 yards

Bike – 110 miles

Run – 28 miles

OK? I know it was not a good weak for me. I had to change my long run with my long bike due to rain. Does it always rain in PA? I feel like I’m about to rust. My long run has consisted of running the nature trail and paths around Haverford College. The nature trail is about 2.5 miles, so I did it 5 times and added a little to get my 14 miles. I’m old and slow so it was not a very fast paced run. Sunday it wasn’t raining but it was cloudy looking like rain and the roads were damp. However, I got my long ride in of 60 miles. It is quite boring here not having someone to ride with but then IM training is boring.

This morning was a run day. I just did a recovery run of 5 miles. My legs felt a little sore today so my rule is to listen to my body and take it easy…so watching my heart rate I tried to just keep it easy. Today is an easy swim at lunch as well.

A Thot

My apartment windows look out to Haverford School field (not the college but I think a private high school). I see all kinds of sports practiced on the field, soccer, baseball, some football and a few joggers. Yesterday I watch a father and son practice punting and place kicking a football. I was reminded of a story told to me by someone who grew up in the same neighborhood as Mike Schmidt of Phillies baseball fame. He related to me how every weekend and particularly on Sundays Mike and his father would practice hitting, fielding and baseball basics. Sundays from early in the morning to late afternoon they would practice. That’s what it takes to be great in a sport. Commitment to train.

As I watched the father and son practice, I thought about my sport, Triathlon. Why wasn’t I out there working on my sport? I have read, as you have, of the good to great triathletes training schedules. They usually are twice a day to sometimes 3 a day workouts. Long boring runs, rides, and swims. Now allowing for the fact that I work for a living and I’m getting “over-the-hill”, I questioned my commitment to train. Could I spend an entire Sunday training? Would I be willing to give up a Saturday do put in a long, long swim?

So I’d be interested in hearing from you. What is your commitment to train? Do you do anything above and beyond the basic base building? What is going to make you stand out in your next A race?

PERSONAL

As some of you know I moved here to the Philly area to get better healthcare. My brain surgeon has referred me to a neurosurgeon who specializes in gamma knife removal of brain tumors and the treatment of gilomas. The concern of course is leaving me with a frontal lobotomy and smiling a lot. But the hope is that I can get relief from my dizzy spells and headaches. Perhaps the tumor is still in operable and maybe that's why I can't sell my house in Florida because God wants to die in Florida rather than Philly. So, next week I see the new doc and start a new series of test. Along with all of that I see a new oncologist next week as well so no telling what he will "mix-up" for me. Since I haven't had the commitment to qualify for Ironman Kona I'm revising my banner to training for Ironman...you know lower your sights.

LO and BEHOLD!

I was walking by a local sports store on my way back to my office from a lunchtime swim. They were having a sidewalk sale. Not really needing a side walk I looked at the tables when LO and BEHOLD a pair of Speedo Vanquishers normally priced $12.99 for 50% off! Remembering de Bold's statements about dem I couldn't resist.


Also bought a Camelbak Hydrobak 50 oz for $14.00 normally $34.95 plus a Phillies hat for $2.00.

It's Finally Friday!

Today it was cloudy and overcast with the weatherman threatening to allow it to rain. How could he do that on my ride day? Alas I decided to run instead. Isn't it nice to have options in life?

I have found this "nature trail" that circumnavigates Haverford College. My guess is it's about 3 miles but the best part it is a quiet woodland in a city of noise. I find it very refreshing to "run thru the woods" even if it is in a city. Above is a pic of a meadow and a lake in the distance.

On my second loop I developed a slight hip pain. I keep telling myself that this is just a reminder of the pain to come when I do longer runs.

This weakend the plans are tonight I'm meeting my old friend Jailbird and his wife (he's 39 she's 29) for drinks at Flat Rock Saloon in Manayunk near the famous Manayunk Wall of the Philly Pro Cycling Race fame. He's the Jailbird because he was one of the first people arrested at the old Vet Stadium during an Eagles football game when Philly instituted court at the Vet. You know they have a Judge at the stadium and he sentences you right there. Well Jailbird was one of the first arrested and sent to jail overnight to sober up.

Saturday I'll work off the beer by doing a brick that consists of a 75 mile bike and a 10 mile run on Saturday. Sunday I hope to swim either at the Y or I'm looking for someplace to do some open water swimming, a lake, pond or something!

Here is a pic at the trails end....

Lance Armstrong Cleared in Doping Charge, AGAIN!

OLDMAN NEWS

The New York Times is reporting today that Lance Armstrong has been cleared of all charges of doping during the 1999 Tour de France. A Dutch investigator who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years, Emile Vrijman, appointed by the International Cycling Union to investigate Armstrong said his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely".

Well didn't we already know that?

Here is the full NY Times article.

What do you read...

OK I have a love of reading and in the new media reading blogs. So I thought I would share just a couple of blogs I read. BTW - if you don't use a news reader, I use NewsGator Online, your spending to much time going from blog to blog. NewsGator only shows the blog when it is updated thereby saving you or your companies valuable time (assuming your reading this on company time and not at home) .

The first blog I look for is Ben Saunders. Ben is currently training in Greenland for a 120 day walk across Antartica. He and his friend Tony pull sleds with supplies while sking 10 hours a day. On a good day they cover 20 miles. Now that is endurance boys and girls. Every day Ben has a great picture.

Next, since I'm always looking for a good laugh and I like her weird humor, I look for Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce. Heather by her description is a recovering Mormon, a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM or Shit Ass Ho Motherf$#%&*). She started her blog in Febuary 2001 writing stories about her work place and was promptly fired or dooced. The first recorded blog firing.

Finally since your eyes are now glazing over, I look for Brad Feld of Feld Thoughts. Brad is a VC (Venture Capitalist in Bolder) and owner of one bad ass dreadmill. Brad has a goal of running a marathon in all 50 states by the time he is 50. He has completed 7 to date.

So drop me a line and tell me about your top three blogs.

TiVo it!

Last week I wrote about how the investment world is changing due to the new media and probably bored you to death. Last Wednesdays earnings report and follow-up conference call by TiVo (ticker TIVO) just is another demonstration of the new media changes. TiVo in fact has changed the way we watch TV. It is a product that if you don't use it now in some form you will in the near future.

Here's the high points of the conference call: earnings up 20% due to increased subscription, renewed partnership with DirectTV, TiVo won it's patent-infringement case against EchoStar and best of all, due to the EchoStar case, competing companies like Cisco must pay TiVo for every knock off copy of the TiVo box and Tivo software.... life is good if you're Tivo. Think like Microsoft, a good revenue stream into the future because of software and systems royalties. It gets even better because of this customer acquisition cost go way down and margins go up and profits should be somewhere in the middle.

So here's my point, keeping with my other post, CBS in ten year will be stagnate because they are not a part of the new media. While TiVo has developed a method of growth being the new media.

Did you TiVo CSI? Desperate housewives? How about American Idol?

Overheard

While walking back from the sandwich shop where I bought a Philadelphia hoagie, I was walking behind (about five feet, maybe 2 seconds) a little old lady. She stopped at the light of a busy intersection. Noticing she didn't press the button on the lightpole for the pedestrian light, I pressed the button.

Oldlady: Do you really think that helps?
Me: sure it does!
Oldlady: This is a long light I've been standing here for 5 minutes!
Me: OK
Time passes about 20 sec.
Me: OK our turn now.

Nike and iPod to Marry

OLDMAN NEWS WIRE

It was announced yesterday by Nike (nke) and Apple Computer (aapl) that they have teamed up to make AIR Zoom Moire shoes which connect to a runners iPod. It will show distance, time, pace and calories burned. This will be competing directly with Adidas AG bras and shoes having connections for the Polar Electro heart rate monitors (no jokes please) and Oakley having the Thump sunglasses with a built-in mp3 player.

The Apple/Nike wedding brings two (families) companies together that are making significant headway in the new media markets. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, said he believes the Nike fitness device is in keeping with the iPod's heritage in entertainment saying "I would like it if iPods were indispensable throughout daily life."

The iPod kit will be in Apple and Nike stores in July with the shoes at Footlocker. iPod is expecting to release 10 million units by 2007. (10 mil boys and girls).

On another note you may now download Lance Armstrong's playlist from the Apple iTunes website along with other professional athletes.

I'm sure Bolder has already tested Air Zoom Moire and the iPod kit. Heck he has probably tested the Polar heart rate monitor and the Adidas bra!

Remember you heard it here first on Oldman News Service with all the news that might not be fit to print.

Flatman can run but not hide

One of my favorite bloggers, Flatman, had a mishap with his site ending in someone stealing his addy. So boys and girls time to update your favorites or your NewsGator feed. He is a link to his site.


http://fl4tm4n.blogspot.com/

Investment World is A Changing

Disclaimer: OK so this post is not about TRI's. I do have other interests!

On a daily basis I read my favorite TRI blogs like Loping LouBob , Nancy Toby, fellow melanoma patient Holly at TRI and Be Happy, and of course I can't forget Bolder In Bolder! I even try to comment on as many as I have time. To keep up with everybody I now subscribe to NewsGator Online so I get updated when you write a new post. I read some fun blogs like Dooce, Durteemartini, and Tales From the Tube. I also read mountain biking blogs like Fat Cyclists.

Lately I have been reading blogs that relate to my industry, investments. More particular VC's...Venture capitalist or Venture capital Firms. On my NewsGator feed is Brad Feld of Mobius Venture Capital, Inc; Venture Blog by David Hornick and Andrew Anker of August Capital; and Jeremy Levine of Bessemer Venture Partners. I have learned from my reading that the VC's are on the cutting edge of how the investment world is changing.

This is now the world of the new media and you are a part of it. Yes, you who I mentioned above that write blogs that I read and yes you who read blogs that I write are a part of the new media. Jim Cramer was humping his show or book but humping something appearing on the Imus in the Morning Show on MSNBC and streamed online at msnbc.com. Don Imus, only interested in himself, asked about a stock he has personal interest in, CBS (ticker: CBS). Since his show is owned by CBS and he has a large CBS holding as a part of his salary Imus wanted to know if he was going to make more money. Jim Cramer said, loosely translated, CBS is trading at $23 something and in 10 years it will be trading at $23 something. CBS is the old media and is not doing anything to be a part of the new media. That was a month ago. Today CBS is at $24 something.

So I found it interesting that in today's Wall Street Journal, yes I still read print media all though I don't buy the paper I get a sample copy, on page B3 of the Media & Marketing section there was an article about two VC firms, Bessemer Venture Partners and Insight Venture Partners buying a 50% interest in IAG Research. IAG is not a Wall Street research firm but a research firm that is a major player in media research. IAG's clients list includes GM and American Express. It seems the VC's are interested in the new media and commercials on new media i.e. blogs, online video, mobile devices and web ads.

So what? That's the change. The change from the old media to the new media. Now I'm not talking about over priced Google. No I'm talking about the new media companies we use on a daily basis. Gone are the days of the print media, circulation is down. Gone are the days of the evening nightly news, viewership is down. Gone are the days of commercial revenue from TV, with TiVo no one watches commercials except during the super bowl and then only because someone else is in the bathroom.

So what are we holding in our portfolios new or old? To make money for our investors are we doing them a disservice by holding positions in companies that like CBS will not really grow in the next 10 years? New or old seems to be an age old question. I kinda like the new prospects for greater returns.

Mt. St. Helens Giant Rock Growing!

Perhaps we can get our man on location, Brian, to do a video for us? It seems a fin is growing at the rate of 4.6 feet per day and is now 300 feet tall and 330 feet wide at the base. You might be able to see if via the Mt. St. Helens VolcanoCam if the mist, clouds, and stuff lift.

Also check out Brian's Trojan Implosion!

Elephant Dreadmill

Well I don't like dreadmills and neither does Maggie a 23 year-old African elephant who lives at the Anchorage Zoo. Her keepers built her this elephant dreadmill to help her get some training in for this summer's road races. Here is the full story in the National Geographic.

Today is a run day for me but no dreadmill. It was a cold cold morning run, 48* ugh. Well I guess it is better than the 70* and humid weather that Naples is having. I ran through the Haverford campus and I'm amazed at the beautiful buildings and grounds. I wound up doing 7 miles. I'm going to try to swim at lunch time. This will be my first official Oldman at the Y swim.

did they really say that?

Recently overheard while attending a street fair in a community with a lot of young families an elderly woman to her friend....

• "I can't see anything because of all of these damn baby carriages!"

While attending a birthday party, one of the guest was discussing his vacation to San Juan over the Easter weakend.....

• "it was not the traditional Easter that I'm use to with the Easter bunny and egg hunts. They made it into a some kind of religious holiday!"

Student cleaning out his apartment and throwing perfectly good "stuff" in the dumpster because he didn't want to haul to his parents....

• "I hate putting this good shit in here, the homeless will come and rummage thru it and steal it!"

Haverford Library Correction

Some one pointed out to me in the comments section of this mornings post that the library while looking like a church building was built in the gothic style but always used as a library.



Here's the college's description:

The Library. 1865 photograph.
The original Haverford School Library was in the southwestern corner of the first floor of Founders. Considered "the centre of the small college," it required more space and resulted in the erection of Alumni Hall, later Library, in 1864. This photograph is the earliest-known photograph of the completed building.


Sorry I got it wrong but it looked like a church to me having grown up in St. Mary's Church founded in 1706. Here is a pic of the "new St. Mary's" built in 1846 to 1848 in the gothic style.



St. Mary's was done by architect Richard Upjohn in the cruciform plan similar to his design for Trinity church in New York City and Grace Church in Newark, NJ. But it is really a copy of St. John's Shottesbrooke a 14th century English parish church...Upjohn used measured drawlings of St. John's to do St. Mary's.

So you can see why I would think it was a church having never seen Haverford College.

BTW - I was baptized, confirmed and married at St. Mary's and will be buried there along with my great grandparents, grandparents, parents and wife.


St.Mary's steeple contains eight bells cast by the same company that made Big Ben and the Liberty Bell, Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They were rung the first time in 1866 and my father as a high school boy rang the funeral bells (yes they are stuck by hammers to allow one person to ring the chimes and are rarely rung by swinging due to the steeple swaying during the ringing). To hear them stop by Burlington any Sunday they are played at every mass and each day at 6:00 pm for evening prayer.

Century

Saturday was the century ride. With the rain on Friday, I wasn't sure if the ride would be held. I left my apartment early, 6:30 ugh, to arrive early enough in case there was a problem with my late registration. Everything was in order, got my T-shirt and got ready to ride.

The ride itself was well marked and the cue sheets accurate. I was a little disconcerted when there was no actual start, everyone just did their own thing. Being from "out-of-state" though not really I grew up around here, I didn't know anyone and hope to hook up with a group. I was either to fast or to slow for the groups so I just did my own ride which really is better training for me.

The ride was through the rolling hills of central Jersey, past the lovely horse farms and tree nurseries. There was just an occasional pasting car but the organizers did a good job of sticking to the back country roads. It did rain for just a few minutes, just enough to get the road wet. At the first stop I had a pb&j sandwich and refilled my bottles. That kept me till the end of the ride since I ate my Cliff Bars while riding only stopping again to refill the bottles and go potty...always a good sign if you have to pee at 75 miles.

On one part of the ride I road past the old barm where my father as a teenage kept horses for his ice delievery wagon (1920's), I rode past the road named for my family, saw the site of my cousin's farm now a developement, and saw signs for my family's plantation now a museum.

At the finish they had lunch but I didn't feel much like eating another pb&j sandwich so I drove back to my apartment. On the way I drove past my boyhood home, my first home I bought when I was 20, then past the home I sold to go to Florida. My how things have changed and not all for the good.

Sunday was a run day for me so I did 14 miles around Ardmore. I went through the lovely Haverford College campus and saw some neat old buildings including a church which is now a library. (Pics coming soon).

Here's the totals for the weak:

Bike 175 miles
Run 28 miles - can't seem to get in the 30's
Swim - Nada - still haven't figured out the pool situation

Moving

Last night I heard police cars and noise like you would not believe. it was moving day for this piece of equipment which took up three lanes of the road. Can you count the wheels?

Hometown Century

I was looking at the Suburban Cyclist Unlimited website, they are a suburban Philly club, for a weekend group ride. As I looked over the list I saw a Century Ride in my hometown of Burlington NJ. My family history goes way back in Burlington to the 1600's when the ship Shield landed with English settlers. Notice the indian sitting on the banks of the Delaware River in the City Seal? That is my great, great, great, great grandfather.

Now you've gotta understand I haven't been home in 8 years so I thought this would be a fun ride to do. so I signed up today! Who's in with me?

It Must Be Me......

Well I've been in Philly, well Ardmore Pa, now going on two months. I thought it was time to get back into some serious training which would now including finding a gym. At home, in Naples, FL., my community has a fitness center with a pool. The membership is included in my community dues. It has everything I want, need or gotta have including 1. pool, 2. dreadmills, 3. elipical machines, 4. free weights, and yes 5. machines. So I want a gym that has similar equipment and a pool.




So keeping in mind what I had, or still have since I haven't sold my house and I'm commuting every two weeks, I went looking. My first stop was the local YMCA, the Mainline Y. While it is "old" looking it was clean and neat. It has a 1. pool, 2. dreadmills, 3. eliptical, 4. weights and 5. machines. They also have spin classes twice a day at 9:15 am and 6:30 pm! I get a nice tour of the facility and they give me a week for fee to "try it out". The cost for a temporary membership is $72 per month no joining fee no processing fee. The Y is a 2 minute walk from my office.







The second place I went was the Philadelphia Sports Club. PSC is a 4 minute walk from my office. It is slick, shiny, bright..... I was greeted at the desk and told I had to meet with a "membership consultant", a guy with baggy pants three or four sizes to big who didn't speak English but streeteeze. He took a look at old me and ask what I wanted here. So I told him I have a cancer and a brain tumor (I couldn't resist) and was looking for a place to workout. "well wes gots us a special today....." and he launches into a sales pitch. "OK....give me a tour" I asked. As we walkout of his office we walk past an office with four guys in suits and ties that look like the local Sopranos meeting. There are just a few people working out but quite a few staff. He shows me the dreadmills room, the eliptical room, the machine room that is for not "serious" people, the stretching area, the free weight room, the "real machines", and yes a spinning room that has spinning classes 3 times a week. I ask about the pool to which he replies "yea we got one but not here it's at Highpoint" I ask "Where's Highpoint I'm not from around here." He says "I don't know, I'm not from around here either...." Well I could have guessed that. Now back at his "office" he says if I joined today I could get the month-by-month plan $99.95 plus $39.99 joining fee plus 39.00 processing fee. Could I try it out? I ask. Well if you do that you will have to pay the $199 joining fee plus the $39 processing fee plus the $99.00 month fee but you will only have to pay 1/2 for the first month since it is past the 15th. Sweet huh? $280 the first month?

Ok so maybe it's me, so tell me. The "older" Y with a pool, spin classes every day for $72 the first month as oppose to no poll , spin classes 3 days a week and the local mobsters all for $280 for the first month. What a deal.

Ok so what do you think?


I want go back to Florida.

Best Bolder Blogs

I came across a recent article from the Daily Camera, the local Bolder, Co. newspaper. The are posting excerpts from local business blogs. However I noticed our own outstanding blogger Bolder was not listed. Perhaps you could drop an email or two to Matt Branaugh at branaughm@dailycamera.com to let him know that when it comes to the business of running, biking or cycling or life in general Bolder is da man!


As a public service announcement... PSA if you will. Unusual spring avalanche watch issued for Colorado peaks. Be careful Bold... Just doing my part to keep Colorado safe.

Morning Ride

Today was a ride day in the morning. I have been trying to find a route from my apartment to the Philly Art Museum, actually the Italian Fountain. It is there either, the back of the Museum (you know the steps Rocky ran up in the movie), or the Italian fountain, that a lot of group ride start. There was a ride last nite at 6 pm with an A group and a B group. I'm told the A group goes about 28 mph and has a few local pros that do it.... but I digress. So I'm trying to find a route that I can ride to the Museum. I had walked from my office to Human Zoom Bikes and met a nice bike wrench (not like the Biketopia meany) there who told me of a route so I tried it this morning. Well I got LOST with no map or cue cards.

Since I kinda knew the area somewhat I stated back at the 10 mile mark. As I turned a corner and went down a hill I saw two "roadies" on nice bikes, a guy and a girl. One had a Victory Brewing /Victory Beer jersey that was kewl. So I treated it like a break away, I had to catch them. Finally I got to them. The girl (college age) turned around and I think was shocked that this old guy was now on their wheel out of no where. I said "Hi, I'm not from around here can you tell me how to get back to Montgomery Ave?" "Straight ahead." That was the only words they said to me. I stayed with them for about 2 miles while we climbed a hill together at the top they turned right I went straight ahead.

Well tomorrow I hope to do a group ride with the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia. The have a whole range of rides....

Treadputer

I want one of these, all though I'm sure Bolder already has one and will write a report for us soon. This is actually Brad Feld's office treadputer... he is the Managing Director of Mobius Venture Capital in Bolder, Co. Note the three 19" NEC monitors.

LBS Attitude

OK I love to walk into a bike shop and look around at the "eye candy" and now that I've moved to the land of the frozen chosen I'm looking for a good local bike shop where I can have Roo serviced. Now mind you I'm a good and loyal customer. I'll buy my supplies, jerseys, and stuff for the LBS even if it is a little more than I can get elsewhere just to support my LBS. I'll tell my friends about the LBS and send people there to buy a bike. I'm also thinking about buying another bike but I digress..... I like to walk into bike shops look around and talk to the owner about his choice of bikes to sell perhaps the local riders and routes you know you've done it too!

So today I had lunch with a friend who rides a road bike. On the walk back to his office we passed a bike shop, so of course I had to go into the store. It was a store with quite a few mountain bikes because with all the mountain bike trails here that's what everyone rides. There were two or three road bikes on display. In the back of the store was, I guess the owner working with a bike on a stand working.

As we walked in the store the owner shout "What do you guys want?" Maybe we didn't fit his profile of cyclists or he got up on the wrong side of the rug this morning but I was kind of taken back by his approach to potential customers. My friend asked what kind of bike he sold and the reply was Jamis.... which my friend had never heard of so he asked what about Trek.... you know the Tour de France winners bike.... "That's to expensive for what you get...." and on he went. So then I asked about Litespeed....nice bike but to many dealers here already.... So then I said I have a Quintana Roo...which by his expression he had never heard of he said "good luck with it!"

My friend and I as we walked out commented on "how does that guy stay in business being so "friendly"?

So scratch one Biketopia in Havertown on Darby Road off my list of potential LBS for Oldman. Attitude my friends it's all about attitude!

PS Now I tried to post a note on his website to let him know I wrote about his store but.... I can't because I'm a gmail user and MSN will not let me. So if you can post a note on his website for me......

Happy Birthday Justin

Sunday was my grandson Justin's second birthday party. His birthday is today. Happy Birthday Justin. Here he is eating his birthday cake.

Training wise, I got a short ride in yesterday of 25 miles since I had to drive 2 hours to the party. I feel like I say the same thing every weak, I just don't seem to get enough training time in now that I have moved north. So my goal for this weak is to be consistent in my training.




Here are this weaks totals:

Bike: 100 miles
Swim: 4,000 yards
Run: 24 miles

So Use Your Sunscreen

Today's PSA is from WEBMD


Melanoma Skin Cancer Strikes Again
Study Shows 8% of Patients Get Melanoma Again within 2 Years of 1st Diagnosis
By Miranda HittiWebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDon Monday, April 17, 2006

April 17, 2006 -- Melanoma skin cancer may return more often than expected, experts report in the Archives of Dermatology. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. It's much rarer than nonmelanoma skin cancers. The study included 354 melanoma patients living in New Hampshire. The findings include:

27 patients (8%) had recurrent melanoma within two years of their first diagnosis.
20 patients (6%) had recurrent melanoma within a year of their first diagnosis.

Atypical moles upped the odds of recurrent melanoma. Melanoma didn't always return in the same spot. Melanoma patients should be closely monitored, and past studies have shown lower melanoma recurrence rates, note Linda Titus-Ernstoff, PhD, and colleagues. Titus-Ernstoff works in Dartmouth Medical School's community and family medicine department and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Interview and Skin Check

The researchers interviewed each patient by telephone for 40 minutes. In the interviews, participants disclosed their family history of melanoma, natural hair color at age 20, eye color, and sunburns starting when participants were 10 years old. Patients also got skin exams by doctors. For comparison, the researchers also studied 327 people with a one-time history of melanoma who did not have a history of another new melanoma. All participants were about 53 years old, on average, when they were first diagnosed. Almost all participants in both groups had at least one benign mole (96% of past melanoma patients and 94% of the comparison group); most had less than 15. Benign moles weren't associated with greater risk of melanoma recurrence -- but the same wasn't true of atypical moles.

Warning Sign

In the new study, atypical moles were linked to a higher rate of recurrent melanoma. Atypical moles have at least three of the following features: diameter larger than 5 millimeters, redness, varied colors, irregular or ill-defined borders, and a flat portion of the mole. The more atypical moles a past melanoma patient had, the greater the odds of having recurrent melanoma. Past melanoma patients with at least three atypical moles were more than four times as likely to have recurrent melanoma, compared with those with no atypical moles, the researchers write.
Atypical moles were also more common with recurrent melanoma than in the comparison group. Of the 27 patients with recurrent melanoma, 63% had at least one atypical mole. So did 37% of the comparison group.

New Location

Melanoma often recurred in new areas. Of the 27 patients with recurrent melanoma, nearly half had all their melanomas in roughly the same spot. For example, they may have had their first melanoma on the upper back and recurrent melanoma in the middle of the back. In four other patients, melanoma returned a bit farther away. They may have gotten their first melanoma on their back and later tumors on their front, or above and below the waist. Melanoma recurred in more distant locations in the other 10 patients. For instance, they may have had their first melanoma on their trunk (midsection) and recurrent melanoma on an arm. The bottom line: Melanoma can come back in new locations, so melanoma patients need close surveillance, the researchers write.

Sunburn Surprise

Excessive sun exposure has long been linked to skin cancer risk. For unknown reasons, the study showed a lower risk of melanoma recurrence in people with history of blistering sunburns
That finding should be interpreted "cautiously," the researchers write. They warn that "the association should not be construed as suggesting that sunburn protects patients with melanoma from developing additional tumors." The study doesn't track melanoma recurrence beyond two years after first diagnosis and wasn't big enough to detect subtle patterns in melanoma recurrence, note Titus-Ernstoff and colleagues.

Lance and NYC Marathon

The AP is reporting the following story:

Associated Press

ROME, Ga. -- Look out, New York. Lance is ready to run.
Lance Armstrong told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he plans to compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.
"We were looking at the Chicago Marathon, but a conflict arose with the date, and New York seems to fit our schedule better," Armstrong said in a telephone interview. "I've been training some, but I wouldn't call it serious. It's just something to fill a void in my life after I quit competing as a professional cyclist."
Armstrong, who is preparing for his first marathon, retired from cycling after winning an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France last year.
Before committing to become a full-time cyclist, Armstrong competed in triathlons as a teenager. He indicated he has no plans to run marathons or enter triathlons professionally, at least not at this time.

OLDMAN - Does Lance run as a mere mortal or with the elite runners? Does he stand in the sea of runners or.... Can Kona be in the future?

Gatorade vs Powerade

Well boys and girls we have all had debates about hydration for the Ironman but here is a different view on Gatorade vs Powerade. Slate.com has the video proof of the differences between G and P as shown in an Amish drag race. Unfortunately due to legal reasons the ad was pulled.... but then you'll get the point. Click here.

Monday Update

This has been a difficult weak to train living now in the Philly area and traveling back to Florida on Thursday returning to Philly on Monday. So here is a quick recap of my training weak. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday were ride days. I've yet to "find" a route here in Pa but on Friday and Sunday I rode in Florida on the ole Steel Monster. It made me appreciate clipless peddles and aerobars. I rode Sunday with Tony for 50 miles but I found it hard to keep up with him and maintain a steady 22 mph pace. No way was I even close to 30 mph on the straight-a-way. My run days have been less that great, running Tuesday and Thursday in Philly and Saturday in Florida. I was able to get a long run in on Saturday of 14 miles. Swimming has been a little difficult. I'm trying a local pool within walking distance of my office but I can't get use to their odd schedule. So I have only swam 2 days.

Weakly totals

Bike 110 miles
Run 28 miles
Swim 5,000 yards

I flew back to Philly this morning so hopefully I'll get a ride in after work. I haven't sold my Florida home even though I've had a lot of people looking. That also means I haven't found a house here and I'm still living in my temporary apartment. So if you want to buy a house in Florida, let me know.

Good luck to everyone doing the Boston Marathon today...Especially Jeff!

HILLS!

One thing Florida doesn't have is hills, unless you go to the north, but in Southwest Florida there are no hills. It's flat! The only hills that I ever encountered were overpasses. The overpasses over golf courses or the 5 bridges on my ride around Estero Island. The last bridge on the around the island ride is 130 ft tall! But one thing that Philly does have is plenty of hills!

This mornings ride was getting my legs in hill shape. Since I'm not sure of my route I've been riding for time. I have 60 minutes to ride so I go out 30 minutes turn around and head back. This morning I took a new and improve route. This route was one where I thought I wouldn't have a soccer mom talking on her cell phone while beeping her horn at me to get out of the way because she is late for work after dropping the kids off at school and day care. So the first few miles are down hill then up hill then flat then up hill again. It seem more up hill than down on the way out. I didn't have 10 miles on the speedo so I road a couple of loops around a neighborhood to get to 10 and started back. (Actually I got a little lost). Did I mention that on the way out I saw 37 mph? That should have been a clue but hey I'm from Florida.

The ride back started down hill, 27 to 30 mph then a nice uphill followed by some more uphill then a brief down followed by a huge hill. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest hill. At the top was a traffic light and thankfully it was RED! It was good to stop take a drink and get some air. Then on to a downhill followed by a flat the a GIANT HILL worse than the first! I was afraid I was going to have to stop when I saw the speedo at 8 mph. But with burning legs, thumping heart, grasping for air I made it to the top! I made it back to my apartment in my allotted time of 60 minutes but I did feel like I got a good workout. Tomorrow I'm going to run that course so I can get my running legs in hill shape!

I moved!

Well boys and girls I didn't fall of the face of the earth but I'm now in beautiful Ardmore, PA a suburb of Philadelphia. They actually had snow for me on Wednesday! While the house in Florida hasn't sold, the Firm is putting me up in a furnished apartment.

This morning was a 20 mile ride and it was cold! I need some kind of warm jersey to keep my upper body warm. It is a lot different training here than in Florida where all you have to worry about is sweating. I have found some good hills although I haven't found a regular riding route. This morning I had a lady in an suv talking on her cell phone while blowing her horn at me because I was going to slow.... 26 mph! There was no bike lane so I had no place to go but take the right side of the road.

I plan on getting a swim in at lunch time and then next week is I will focus on getting back into the groove of training with a minimum of two workouts a day.

Moving - House For Sale

Ok it is finally settled. After two and a half months of negation, my saying no three times and now a second visit there, I have accepted a new position in Filthydelphia. Yes I'm crazy to leave sunny Florida weather where I can train outside year round. I will not be able to have lunch time swims in the Gulf of Mexico nor will I have my weekly Saturday swims at the beach followed by a beer at Doc's Beach House. But I will have new friends to train with along the Schuylkill Bike Path. The job is a great opportunity for me and they offered me Partnership immediately along with a wonderful 2 year contract. I'll be doing much of what I currently do just getting paid a lot more money.

These past weakend has been showing my house to potential buyers. I've have 12 people come thru after sending out a broadcast email to my community telling them that my house was for sale. Yes, I'm selling it without a realtor. I currently have 2 people interested and should know by the end of the weak.

I was able to get my long run in on Saturday and Tony and I did around the Island on Sunday for 54 miles. So here's the weakly totals:

Bike -129 miles
Run - 29 miles
Swim - 6,000 yards

He's Alive!!!!!!

Just a quick note to say I'm alive! Yes I survived my visit to Philadelphia. But I never want to see a Security and Exchange Commission Examiner again! Ugh. Above is a picture from my room in beautiful Conshohocken Pa. The Firm I worked for has offered me an outstanding job. So part of my visit has been evaluating if I want to move to the Philly area.




Training wise last week we will count as a rest week. I left home at 5:00 am only to arrived Saturday in Philly and drive straight to the office (picture above) and worked on the preparation of the examination until late in the evening. So no workout. Sunday I ran 7 miles along a portion of the Schuykill River Bike Trail. It runs from Philly to Valley Forge, 24 miles. It was cold cold cold. 29* and you know how I feel about the cold weather! I did have roadies pass me along the way and I was constantly amazed by the about of people biking the path. The rest of the day was looking at houses. Why is it I can't find a simple 3 bedroom, den with a fireplace and a deck home? Everything they showed me in my price range was a huge "executive home" with 4 bedrooms den, office, etc. Some of the master bedrooms had there own sitting rooms. I don't need huge for just me.


It was all down hill after Sunday. I worked and worked .... I did have dinner with a good friend on Monday and my youngest son Josh on Wednesday night. He is now home for good from Iraq and is now looking for a job in the computer industry. But no training. Friday I flew home exhausted and got in late.

Saturday I was tempted to sleep in but I got up at 8 am and did a 25 mile ride. I went to sunset and dinner with Tony and his wife.

The Sunday was the every popular around Estero Island ride with Tony. We added a few more miles to get it to 60 miles. It was a brutal ride into the wind much of the way. I was ready to get off my bike at the end.

WEAKLY Totals

Bike 85 miles
Run 7 miles
Swim Nada miles

Friday's Random Thots

Here is just a few ramdom thots to bring you up to speed on whatz happening:

Tony left for England on Wed to visit his Father for a week.... so I rode along this morning and felt pretty good for the first 21 miles...then I had no one to put the hammer down for the last 4 miles.

I got my suitcase down for my trip to Philly tomorrow. Gota pack tonight. I don't own warm clothing I have more shorts that long pants and only one suit.

I'm working Satuday and Sunday in Philly then meet the Security and Exchange Commission Examiners on Monday morning bright and early.

Did I mention that it is 76* and sunny here and 34* windy and cloudy in Philly?

I do plan on buying a Kmart Special and giving it to a needy child when I leave. Are there needy children in Philly?

I've made arrangements to use a local Y for swimming.

I'm getting together with my old friends from Vanguard...the Morron and Hey8Ball for a few beers Saturday night.

The swim has been canceled at the Ironman New Zeland in Taupo.... so now what do they do? actuall the race is tomorrow but you can watch it today becuase theyare ahead of us.

It is suppose to snow in Philly on Tuesday......snow people!

I don't want to go to Philly.

Maserati

The mystery car is a Maserati. Roman Mica and Steve were both right however Roman noted that it is a Maserati Quattroport. I was surprised that people knew what it was by my poor picture. This time of year, Snow Bird Season, you see al kinds of odd expensive cars. I'll try to find a hard one for next time.

Car

I had to go to our accountants office this afternoon. This was parked in the parking lot..

what is it?

On the Road Again

My training is coming to a screeching halt! Well cycling at least. I'm leaving early Saturday morning for Freezing Philly Pa and not returning until Friday. So I can't ride for a week people, a week! I have been thinking about buying a K-Mart special for $89 and giving it away when I leave so I can get my rides in but I think Roo would get jealous. I'll be close to the Philly-Valley Forge bike path and some of the best riding in the area. So what do you think? There is a Y near the office where I'll be working so I can swim at lunch and I can run in the mornings but hey it's cold up there...ugh! Well I can go see the WALL from the famous US Pro Cycling Championship.