View From My Office

Friday

It's finally Friday! Once again it is raining! It has rained off and on for the past 10 days. I posted a picture above taken from my office window showing the rainy streets of Naples.

I'm looking forward to a long bike ride tomorrow hopefully 60 miles. My bike had a minor chain jump and I had to fix one link that seems to not want to flex. This morning I rode to the fitness center and ran on a dreadmill, ugh! Three miles and I was suppose to do 7. I can't wait until it gets cooler outside.

Hopefully I'll be able to start swimming again. I see the surgeon on Wednesday and get my lab report from the biopsy. I hope there is no more cancer. Now the dermatologist wants to take off more moles. I have some many mole to choose from who know where to begin.

Lunch at LBS

I took my bike to the LBS (local bike shop) at lunch. The mechanic was able to put it right on the stand. The skipping of the gear was from a link in the chain not being flexible. With some lube and a little assist from the pliers it was back to working order. He explained the fine art of degreasing the chain and relubing it. It seems I should be lubing more and degreasing lease. Go figure.

I did get a nice email from the Director of Marketing for Quintanna Roo/Lightspeed. I had writen an email to him regarding my rusty chain. He suggested I lube more. Here's his email:

• Nelson,
  Thanks for your email and am glad to hear that you are happy with your bike, other than the rusty chain. It is tough for me to say something specific without seeing it, but the smartest thing here is to take it to the retailer who can then make an assessment as to whether this is regular wear and tear or whether this is truly excessive.(some regions close to saltwater and high humidity unfortunately aid in the corrosion process) The retailer will then communicate with our customer service department.
  As for the best maintenance, I really re-lube my bike very often and degrease it actually less. (Chattanooga is very humid aswell)
  I hope this finds you well.
  Herbert
  Director of MarketingQR/Litespeed

Thanks for writing back Herbert.... may I have a QR Tequilo Jersey...they look real nice.

• Thanks Herbert Krabel

Surgery

Well my sugery is finally over. They removed the lump from my flank, just over where my kidney should be on the left side but there isn't a kidney there either. The surgeon said the growth was much larger than he expected, about the size of a football. The procedure took 2 hours. I wasn't expecting full anesthesia, even now a week later my throat is sore from the airway they used. Now the waiting game until I get the report from the lab.

It's been a slow recovery. I had hoped I would just jump right back into my training, however I have been rather tired and it is hard to get back to the same levels. Here what I've done so far this week of course swimming is out for now:

• Monday Run Goal 5 miles Actual 3 miles
• Tuesday Ride Goal 25 miles Actual 18 miles
• Wednesday Run Goal 7 miles Actual 3.5 miles
• Thursday Ride Goal 25 miles Actual 15 miles

Today while riding my rear derailer was skipping so it's into the bike shop today. I hope I can get it done and back by the weekend which is suppose to be a long ride.

Rainy Weekend

It seems that we have had more than our share  of rain even though it is rainy season.  Saturday it rained off and on in the afternoon.  It was just enough rain so the I couldn't do any outdoor activities.  Fortunately I did my ride early in the day.
 
I rode the normal weekday route through Pelican Sound doing three loops for 30 miles.  Without some one to ride with (Tony is away) I find it hard to go on a long ride.  My goal was to go 35 miles since this was suppose to be a rest week. Without a partner and being so humid, I stopped after 30 miles.  Besides I was out of gaterade. 
 
I'm planning on doing the Publix Fitness Tri this coming Saturday. I don't feel ready for the swim.  Hopefully I feel better as I get closer to the start.  My goal is to do better than last time and not be the last one out of the water.

 
Weekly Totals:
 
    REST WEEK
          Bike 80 miles
          Swim 1500 yds
          Run 15 miles

This is the view from my office taken with the new Treo 600. 

New Toy

I've been looking for way to better communicate with the Portfolio Manager at work.  When he is out of the office the Aministrative Assistant has to read emails to him and he is unable to get his quotes.  The answer a Treo 600 phone with wireless internet and email.  I was able to get 2 phones that share talk time each with unlimited data mode. Kewl. 

Flat Tire

I got home from New Jersey on Monday but I didn't feel like running.  I had scheduled a 5 mile run but just had no energy after the trip, so that started this weeks training.  During my Saturday long ride with Tony I had planned to go 62 miles but at 25 miles I hit a stone that cut my tire and immediately I heard the hiss of a flat tire.  It took Tony and I 20 minutes to change the tube and patch the tire.  Thus we cut the ride short.  Thankfully I had a spare and CO2 cartridge in my seat bag.
 
Weekly totals for Week Ending July 11:
 
          Bike  80 miles
          Run   12 miles
          Swim 1000 yards

Catch-Up Time

It's been a while since I've been able to post.  I forgot my log in and blogger help desk finally came through for me.  I took a brief vacation to go to New Jersey to see my new grandsons Christening.  It was a great time seeing the little guy for the first time.  I also got time to spend with Max my other grandson.  He and I even got some time together on a mountain bike and I was able to do about 20 miles.  I also found a nice park just a few miles away with a running trail so I was able to run as well.
 
My totals for the week ending July 4th:
 
          Bike 70 miles
          Run 20 miles
           Swim 1600 yards
 
Riding a mountain bike was a lot different and I felt that I used my muscle differently.  The set up on the mountain bike being a lot different than a tri bike.

Weekly Totals -WE 6/27/04

Last week I decided to increase my training. That was before I saw the Oncologist. I still managed to get a good weeks worth of training inspite of everything. This weeks stats:

Run: 29.5 miles
Bike: 65 miles
Swim: 3,000 yards
Weight: 190 lbs.

I did a long run on Saturday rather than Sunday. I did 10.5 miles on the dreadmill. It was a long slog to finish but I was able to see it through. But doing the long run on Saturday left me empty for the long ride on Sunday. I was only able to get in 15 miles before I was exhausted. I think the key here was not eating enough on Saturday after the run. I felt good on Saturday but I wasn't hungry therefore I had no gas for Sunday.
During my ride it wasn't that I was sore or anything, it was just a no energy feeling.

This week I will concentrate on the run once again since I will be traveling on Thursday to NJ for the July 4th weekend with a rest day on Sunday. My goals for the week ending 7/4:

Run: 42 miles
Bike: 50 miles
Swim: 3,300 yards
Weight 189

I'm hoping I'll be able to spend more time on the bike but we shall see.

Mass vs Cancer

Well it's been 3 months since I last saw the Oncologist. Yesterday was my check-up. The doctor my surgery site looks very good and has healed nicely, however there is a mass on my back (left lower side) that she is concerned about. It has been there for a while but appears to be getting larger. Tomorrow I will be having a catscan then on Wednesday next week I'll be seeing a surgeon.

I'm a little bummed about all of this since I have increased my training schedule and if this surgery is like the last I'll not be able to swim for 6 weeks. That will put me at my next race with no swim time again.

Planning

Some one said "Without a plan, a goal is merely a wish!"

I spent sometime the past few days thinking of my race goals for the next six months and beyond. I then developed a six month training plan. While it's not set in stone,it is a guideline to get me ready for the Florida Half IronMan Oct. 23, 2004 and the Naples Half Marathon Jan 16, 2005. Barring injury,illness or more surgery, if I follow my plan I'll be prepared for the races.

I included a REST Week every 4th week. Each leg leading up to the REST Week increases volume. Hopefully this will help me cover the distance for the races.

The only problem I see is getting the time to complete the workouts, especially the swim. I'm hoping I'll be able to swim over the lunch hour to get my swim workouts in. Also since it is so hot nd humid here in the summer, I've started using the fitness center in my community. Running on a treadmill is no fun,but it is better than running the heat of the morning.

Summer is here!

This is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. Although you couldn't tell that it was summer since we have 300 days of summer here in SW Florida.

Today I decided to run on the treadmill at the fitness center since it was so humid. I was able to do 5 fives at a 9 minute mile pace. At least I was able to continue running without having to take a walk break due to the heat.

This past weekend I was only able to ride 25 miles. Since I was alone and didn't have anyone to "pull" when I was tired, I quite at 25. Hopefully next Saturday it will be cooler and I will have my riding partner back.

I hope to swim 1,000 yards at lunch today. Then tonight I'll go with Joanne to the fitness center and work on core strenthening. I'm also trying to watch my calorie intake. I hope to drop 20 lbs, before my November 1/2 Ironman.

Fathers Day

It was a good Fathers Day for me. I got up early to ride my bike. I had intended to ride 25 miles but as I got ready to go the phone ran. It was my youngest son Josh call from the beach; Iraqi. He said that he might be coming home soon since they packed their gear for shipping. I just hope he's not moving closer to the action.

Later in the day my daughter-in-law, Josh's wife, called to wish me happy Fathers Day. She didn't know about the possibility of Josh coming home so... I told her. Mel was at the mall buying her father a video game, but I think it was one she wanted as well!

In the afternoon Nelson, my oldest son, called to wish me happy Fathers Day as well as my three grandchildren. The kids told me about there summer plans since they just got out of school for the summer last week.

I ended the day by going to a party with the people from the neighborhood at the Riverclub. It was a fun night that ended in singing some old songs, some of which I didn't know.

Humidity

It would appear that the summer heat is upon us here in Florida. The temps in the mornings has been 77 at 6:30 am. For the past week or so the humidity has been very high so that when I get home from a run or bike I look like I just took a shower with my clothes on!

On my run days this week Mon, Wed & Fri I have only done 5 miles each day. I have no energy to go further. My bike days haven’t been much better. I rode 25 miles Tues and 16 miles Thurs. Sat. I hope to do a Metric Century Ride (62 miles) but given the heat and humidity and that I will be riding alone it doesn’t look promising that I will finish. I plan on doing my Coconut Ride to the bay and back after 1 loop around the Sound. Sunday I’m just doing a light run of 3 miles.

My goals for next week are:

Stay on track with my schedule:
Monday 5-mile run 1000 yds Swim
Tuesday 25-mile bike 3 mile run
Wednesday 10-mile run 1,500 yds Swim
Thursday 25-mile bike, 3-mile run
Friday 5-mile run 1,000 yds swim
Saturday 70-mile bike
Sunday 3-mile easy run

Totals Run 23 miles Bike 120 miles Swim 3,500 yds

Maintain My Diet
Journal all intake
Limit calories to 2,400 per day.
Stay well hydrated

Strength & Stretch
Do daily S&S in mornings

Forbidden Words

George Carlin a few years ago had a comedy routine about the 7 words you can’t say on television. It was extremely funny especially when he added his sound track to “bleep” out those words. That routine needs to be revised since those words for the most part can be said on radio and sometimes on televisions. Perhaps if George were employed in today’s Corporate America he would revise his routine to include the “Forbidden Words of Corporate America”

While working at a major mutual fund in the great Northeast, I took part in the firm’s “Diversity Committee”. Now we all know that a camel is a horse that was designed by a committee. The Diversity Committee’s mission was to promote diversity while helping the firm meet it’s EEOC requirements. Since on my Team I had an African-American Female Veteran who was Disabled and married a Hispanic thus having a Hispanic surname I was a well qualified manager, after all I identified that she represented 5 points in just one human body even though she was dumber than a stump, could not show up on time, was late returning from lunch and spent most of her day on personal phone calls. She did however know how to leave work on time.

On the Diversity Committee I learned there were certain “Forbidden Words” in the work place. These words are acceptable at home or even in some social gatherings but not in Cooperate America. A prime example of this was when I asked an employee if he had a nice Easter. Simple huh? No I was reprimanded for using the work EASTER. You can ask about the weekend, “Did you do drugs over the week or get drunk” but never ask about EASTER or any religious holiday. (i.e. Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Child’s Baptism, Chanukah, , Rosh Hashanah, etc.)

At Christmas time oops Winter Solstice we had a Holiday Tree. No Angels, no Shepherds, Wiseman or Christ Child. The company choir sang Holiday Carols (non-religious of course) and we had a Winter Solstice Party usually a Circus under the big top. I was not allowed to wish my Team Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah. CHRISTMAS and CHANUKAH are additional Forbidden Words. But Kwanzaa was ok and managers were to encourage employees to take part in the Kwanzaa services.

In the course of business you could however say God damn or Jesus Christ and when your really mad Jesus F$%#ing Christ but never, never talk about going to worship God or Jesus. So I found two more Forbidden Words GOD and JESUS.

To be sure, Corporate America is redefining itself all the time. New buzzwords or phrases appear all the time. Words like World Global Markets, going forward, catalyst, or quadrix are the rage. Rather than adding words to our vocabulary, perhaps it is time for old George to revise his routine to what words can’t be said in today Corporate World.

Florida Humidity

The humidity in South Jersey, where I lived for 45 years, is oppressive to say the least. It hangs in the air at night making a strange glowing ring around the moon. It goes on for weeks without relief making you feel sticky all the time. When it's those hazy, hot, humid days of summer there is no escaping the humidity. There is no way to exercise in those 3 h days! Yet in Florida, where I've lived for the past 3 years, the humidity is different and even more challenging for to maintain any kind of training schedule.

Today was one of those days, that on the surface, the morning looked promising for a good run. It had rained ever so briefly but just enough to cool off the evening to the point where I sat out on the liana and watched the sunset. This morning it was 72 at 6:30am with a slight breeze from the east. But the humidity had to be at 90%.

As I started on my 5 mile run, I found that it was just plan HUMID. Not South Jersey humid but Florida humid. It was not so oppressive that I couldn't run, like South Jersey, it was just humid enough to make you feel like your running with a blanket over your head. It wasn't long, about 1.5 miles, that my shirt and hat were drenched.

As I ran through the woods the path was damp from last nights rain and the green-head flies where looking for breakfast. I forced myself to keep running afraid if I stopped I would become a few flies breakfast.

I stopped at the River Club Fitness Center to get a much needed drink. I got weighted once again I haven't lost any weight this week.

As I left the River Club, I use a trail that parrall the gold course. It's not really a trail as much as it is an abandoned road the is about 2 mile long. A the end there is a waterhouse for the golf course where I stop and get a drink. By the time I reached there my runing shorts were completely drenched and looked like I just got out of the pool. By now I was really feeling the effects of the humidity.

It's 1.5 miles from the waterhouse to my house. By the time I go home, I looked like a drowned rat. The humidity had done it's thing. I was hot, tired and wet!

No matter hope much I plan my schedule from here on I've got to take into account the humidity. Whole it's not the oppressive heat of South Jersey and it doesn't stop you from training, the Florida humidity is a definite factor!

Catch up

It's been a few interesting days. On Saturday, I did my first half century ride, well actually 54 miles to be exact. We started out early in the morning, 6:30, in order to beat the heat. Two hours into the ride the heat and humidity began and I felt it. The last 10 miles was more mental than physical.

Sunday was a day off from training. So I lazed around the pool and relaxed. I did do a few "laps" in the backyard pool but that doesn't really count does it?

Monday was a run day and again the day promised to be a hot and humid day. Since my run is in the morning it's not so much the sun as it is the humidity that gets me. I did my golf course route of 6 miles and felt strong. Perhaps I should have gone a little long since I got home 10 minutes early. Next time I'll watch the clock better.

At the water house, I stopped to get a drink and I put ice in my hat. While it was cool, I did get a headache from it and finally tossed the ice.

At lunch I went to the Collier pool and swam laps, 10 to be exact or 500 yards. It's a start. I still have trouble with breath control but I fell as though I'm gradually improving.

Today (Tuesday) was a bike day. My goal has been to increase my run and bike by 10% each week for three weeks that maintain that level for two before I increase again. So I rode 22 miles today at a pace of 18.1. On the second straight section I did see my speed-o hit 25 mph but it's hard to maintain that speed.

Lunch time I went to the beach park and rather than swim, I ran the beach for 3 miles. I's only a couple of miles but this was more to check out the possibility of having a place to exercise and shower at lunch time. It works fine except I need at east 4 quarters to pay the one armed bandits or find a way to get a Collier County Beach Parking Permit.

Finally Friday

Well it's here, FRIDAY!

Today was a run day. As I headed out the door today and started my run, my heart seemed to be racing. I stopped after 10 steps and my heart rate was 165.... I continued on at a slow pace. Maybe it's the heat or the humidity? My heart settled into it's usual 145 bps after the first mile.

While running, my headset for my MP3 Player crapped out. This is the second headset in two weeks. I think I sweat to much and short out the headset.

On Monday my swim watch which is suppose to be waterproof to 40 meters is full of water. I guess they didn't mean to use it in shallow water of 1 meter.

Tuesday I had trouble with my sunglasses on my regular 20 mile ride. They seemed crooked and kept sliding down my nose. Wednesday on my regular 5 mile run, them same feeling of the glasses being crooked continued until I got to the woods. All of the sudden I pushed them up my nose and they fell apart. The right eye piece was broken off. I guess when I fell on the trail on Sunday the ear piece broke.

Headset, watch, sunglasses, and now my heart! What can be next?

I plan on a long ride tomorrow 60 miles. I've read that Gatorade supplies all Iron Man North America races with Orange Gatorade for the bike and Lemon-Lime Gatorade for the run. Since I don't like Orange I'm going to start using it on the bike so that I can get accustomed to it. Ugh. I'm still looking for something to eat other than Clif bars which seem dry and hard to swallow for me. Some one suggested Ensure. But I already carry two bottles where do I put two more?

Forest Fire

It was difficult to get up today. I wanted to stay in bed but I reminded myself that today was a ride day. I rode 21 miles this morning.

There is a forest fire burning near my home. The smoke hangs in the air in the early morning when there is no wind. The smoke has a strange odor of wet wood. It's been burning for 3 days now. Fortunately there was no smoke this morning near my house but on the way I had to drive with my lights on thru the haze. We need the rainy season to start early this year. Today's forecast says no rain...Bright sunshine high near 87 winds from the west at 12 knots. So the fire continues to burn.

I have a good weekend. Saturday's bike ride ended up being 45 miles with a good pace being set. I was the leader most of the way and Tony pulled the final leg into the wind. Saturday nite we met with some friends a Bonita Beach. We sat on the beach and watched the sunset. It was magnificent! We returned home for our Lord of the Rings weekend and started watching the Fellowship of the Ring.

Sunday was a 5 mile run, I felt a little tired from the bike ride on Saturday but the air was very heavy with humidity and that made it even harder. I looked like I ran through a sprinkler on the golf course when I finished.

Monday I over slept the alarm clock, it was set for a 7 am run to beat the heat but I just could not get up. Finally I got up at 9 and it was already to hot to go out for a run. Since it was hot we decided to watch the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in the afternoon and then go swimming at night. It was a good decision.