For months, a colleague has been training really hard for the NYC Marathon. Last year he ran it in just over 4:30, and I know he really wanted to be under that this year. He has trained steadily, and run regularly in distance races, like the Boilermaker 15K and assorted half marathons to stay sharp.
A few weeks ago he was 19 miles into a 20 mile training run - and he fell, hard. He got up and finished the race, but the damage was done. He cracked a rib and collapsed one of his lungs. An air pocket formed outside the lung, and it was touch and go for a while as to whether it would dissipate on its own, or whether he would require surgery. Turned out it dissipated, just like all his hopes, dreams and plans to run that Marathon at all, let alone in under 4:30.
Those of us who know him, especially those of us who train and compete, felt really bad for him. Most of us who enter races or triathlons have performance goals and we know that to reach those goals we have to log a lot of hours - on the road, in the water, in the gym - and that we all have to overcome the inertia not only of physics, but of our own minds. And most of us have been injured badly enough at some time so we could not race, could not train, and had to sit while inertia crept in again. So, we empathized with him, and wished him well and cursed the fates and his bad luck.
Then we learned this - while the doctors were treating him and trying to assess the damage from the fall, they happened to find a small spot on one of his kidneys. Yes - it is cancer. Since they found it early and since it is small, he has a number of treatment options, including radiation, laser and surgery, and the prognosis for a full recovery is very good. He had no symptoms, no idea that there was anything going on. If it had hidden until there were symptoms, his course would have been much tougher. There are no guarantees in the races we run, but in this arena, I bet we'd all rather be running a 5K than a marathon. We're pulling for him to win his.
You never know when the Lord is handing you a blessing.
After My First Tri: Pinebush '06
Me & Coach Andrea - Armed and Dangerous!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
We All Get Along Swimmingly!
Been a while since I have blogged here - work, weddings, family illnesses and competition for the keyboard have all taken their tolls. It's a quiet Saturday morning now - the steady rain is keeping me inside, and the competition for the keyboard is either sleeping, out or in Paris (that would be my daughter who is abroad this semester). This morning it's just me and the laundry (behind on that, too), so I thought I would try to catch up.
We have finished all 7 weeks of the Stroke Improvement Class - I made it to 5 of the classes. I like going - I like the teacher, I am getting a good workout each week and getting better in the water and, of course, I really love getting together with my friends and tri team mates each week. We have all signed up for the next session. Before the next session begins, I thought I would share some observations about this one:
Aaron
Let's start with the teacher - we call him "Coach". Aaron says he has been teaching this class for 5 years now, and I think he does a good job. He used our first session - which I talked about in an earlier entry - to figure out what we could do, and who we were. Over the next weeks, he worked from solid "lesson" plans, but also managed to individualize for each of us. That's pretty impressive. Because we are all older and pretty self-motivated, we all talked to him about what we felt we wanted and needed from the class and he always listened and responded positively. Case in point:
You Show Me Yours.....
We all noticed during our fist session with him that Aaron has a piercing through his left nipple. The second time I saw him, Week 3 since I started during week 2, I noticed he had a bandaid over it. I asked him about it and sure enough, he said he was afraid someone in the class might see it and be upset. I don't know if one of his bosses had said something to him or not.
I have seen covered piercings before on young working people, and was pretty sure that's why Aaron had his covered. By the way - it is actually kind of an interesting insert - it's two small bars, one on either side of the nipple, rising up in a gentle curve and capped at each end with a small sphere. Kind of reminded me of the deely-boppers on a snail - a little different than your standard circle or straight through pin. Kelly and Dodie and I all said we didn't mind at all - with the women speculating more on the fact that it was probably painful having it done - for obvious reasons.
We notice that after that, Aaron just wears a sleeveless red lifeguard shirt during the lessons - piercing doesn't show, but he doesn't have to rip off chest hair after each session that way.
I had something to show him, too. No - not a piercing - a rectangular bruise, shaped just like a brick, located below my right boobie. Nope - it's not what you think - I did not get it the previous week's "brick" workout. I got it doing wall pushups on the side of the pool. If you are Kelly and are strong and have like 0% body fat, you do the pushups the way you are supposed to - straight up and down. If you are me and not that strong and have a bit more than 0% body fat, you kind of lean forward a little as you go up and down, and certain, shall we say, protuberances rub up and down on the gutter with each repetition.
Anyway, I told Aaron that I didn't think I should do anymore pool pushups, and that I didn't think I was benefiting from trying to swim on my back with the brick using just a flutter kick - and he was fine with it. In fact, he pointed out that he told us last week that we didn't have to do the brick, but Dodie and I, being good Type A's, not only did it once, but insisted on doing it again! Which was true. So - kudos to Aaron.
The Brick - Part 2
True to his word, no more bricks for me and Dodie. Until week 6, when we all learn that Aaron can be a little sneaky. During the week 6 session, Aaron brings out two bricks. Dodie and I are puzzled. I mean, Kelly has been doing the brick thing all along and is as seriously awesome bricking in the pool as she is out on the road. But come on - how is she going to cope with 2 bricks at the same time? I mean, two bricks together weigh about as much as Kelly does, soaking wet.
But, no - this time he tosses them both about half way up the length of the pool and tells me and Dodie that we are going to get them. But before I begin to seriously think that he has lost his marbles or his memory or both - he confesses: this time he wants us to use the back frog kick to get them in, not the flutter kick. In fact, he says the drill has been designed that way, and that everyone he knows prefers that kick, except Kelly, the Queen of the Flutter Kick.
Dodie and I like Aaron and trust him - sort of - so in we go and do our best Golden Retriever imitations and"Fetch" And sure enough, it goes pretty well. Then he tosses them in again to the same place and we go get them again. Only this time I bend over and pick mine up - not too tough since I am only in chest deep water - say, "Oops" and toss it out deeper. After I go out and get it and bring it back, Aaron says, "I thought you were afraid of the deeper water." I say, "No - only when I have to try to swim on my back with a brick using my crappy flutter kick and I am pretty sure I am going to get to know Davy Jones up close and personal."
I don't mind diving into the deeper water. In fact, one summer when I was a teenager working at a YMCA summer camp, the chef, who had been a diver in the navy, introduced me and some of the other staff to SCUBA diving. I liked it a lot. I spent most of my free time that summer snorkeling in the lake, and got where I could easily go down 30 ' and hold my breath for 2 minutes. Can't do that any more, but I would really love to get certified and go reef exploring some day - maybe in a couple of years after I retire. It's on my life list.
Different Strokes
Aaron pays a lot of attention to his lessons. We warm up, then we work on different skills and strokes.
Sometimes we isolate on the legs, either with or without the kickboard. Aaron: "Kelly, go fetch that brick, using just your legs." Kelly, "Ok, coach - but how am I going to get it off the bottom?" Aaron: "You have teeth, don't you?"
We also do sets of the crawl, the backstroke, the elementary backstroke, the breast stroke and the side stroke - either working on each stroke individually or in combinations. It's funny - each of us has our favorite stroke - and each of us has one that comes hard. For me, it's the backstroke. I have to remember to keep my head back and chin up, or else I inevitable get water up my nose when I rotate my hiops to the side for each armstroke. Usually I am able to breathe through my mouth and keep the back of my nose closed so I don't swallow the water, but it results in a lot of disgusting snorting and blowing when I get to the end of the pool.
For Dodie, it's the breast stroke. She says it tires her out. I guess she has never really done the stroke, and like everything else she does, she works really hard at it when that's the stroke of the moment. I find it a very relaxing stroke, but I was taught from an early age to count "Glide, two, three" at the end of each sequence, and I'm all for anything that let's me goof off a little. I think that resting is against Dodie's work ethic. Her frog kick has really improved since she started - Coach tells her this, too, but she is hard on herself. Here's a confession - last week when we were doing combination sets, Dodie and I were doing the breast stroke side by side, and I had a hard time keeping up with her - and it's my best stroke.
I'm not sure about Kelly - I think she is not too fond of the backstroke, but you wouldn't know it by the way she powers through the water.
Here's another confession - last week Kelly and I were side by side during the crawl stroke - just for jollies I tried to keep up with her. I went as fast and hard as I could - she was just gracefully stroking along - and I couldn't even stay close for one length.
I Love Flipper
Not the TV show that featured a dolphin (you old enough to remember that - or are they doing reruns on Cable's TVLand?) Speaking of dolphins, used to be you could eat dolphin at restaurants (poor Flipper!). Actually, dolphins as in "Flipper" are mammals, and a protected species - dolphins on the menu are fish - not the same species at all. You can't order dolphin in restaurants any more - they apparently got tired of explaining the difference and renamed the fish mahi mahi.
Flippers as in swim fins. I absolutely love them. Aaron introduced us to these during some of our legs only drills. Man, what a difference. My flutter kick is awful - my ankles are rigid I tend to compensate by bending my knees- which produces a bicycle kick and makes me go backwards. But, with the fins, I am Aquaman! We get to use little shorty fins and my favorite, the long ones SCUBA divers use. I can go so fast with these I create a wake! The great part about using fins during the drills is I get to strengthen my legs and go forward in the water.
Wrapping It Up
The 4 of us survived the session - oh, I forgot to mention - someplace around week 3 or 4, Al joined us. He's a pretty good swimmer and often gets paired in a lane with Kelly during the drills. He doesn't say much - well, it's really more likely that Dodie and I talk all the time - but I remember this: the first time he came and got a look at Kelly swimming he said, "What's she doing in this class?" And all four of us have signed up for the next session.
It's good to have it on the calendar, to know that no matter how tired you are, you are going to get a good work out and going to see your friends. We laugh a lot. Tough to do when you're in the water, but we manage.
Last week was open house for the aquatic programs, and a couple of people stopped by to watch. I admit to being selfish, but I like this group a lot and like the individual attention we can get from Coach, and from each other, so I am kind of hoping no one else joins.
I am pretty sure that Dodie and Kelly feel the same way - after last weeks class, my hair was taking a walk on the wild side, my face was red, and my goggles were askew and I guess I was quite a sight. Dodie said, "Take a picture of him." Kelly said, "Yeah - we'll show it to people who are thinking of taking the class and it will scare them away!" And it was one of the best compliments ever - I think!
We have finished all 7 weeks of the Stroke Improvement Class - I made it to 5 of the classes. I like going - I like the teacher, I am getting a good workout each week and getting better in the water and, of course, I really love getting together with my friends and tri team mates each week. We have all signed up for the next session. Before the next session begins, I thought I would share some observations about this one:
Aaron
Let's start with the teacher - we call him "Coach". Aaron says he has been teaching this class for 5 years now, and I think he does a good job. He used our first session - which I talked about in an earlier entry - to figure out what we could do, and who we were. Over the next weeks, he worked from solid "lesson" plans, but also managed to individualize for each of us. That's pretty impressive. Because we are all older and pretty self-motivated, we all talked to him about what we felt we wanted and needed from the class and he always listened and responded positively. Case in point:
You Show Me Yours.....
We all noticed during our fist session with him that Aaron has a piercing through his left nipple. The second time I saw him, Week 3 since I started during week 2, I noticed he had a bandaid over it. I asked him about it and sure enough, he said he was afraid someone in the class might see it and be upset. I don't know if one of his bosses had said something to him or not.
I have seen covered piercings before on young working people, and was pretty sure that's why Aaron had his covered. By the way - it is actually kind of an interesting insert - it's two small bars, one on either side of the nipple, rising up in a gentle curve and capped at each end with a small sphere. Kind of reminded me of the deely-boppers on a snail - a little different than your standard circle or straight through pin. Kelly and Dodie and I all said we didn't mind at all - with the women speculating more on the fact that it was probably painful having it done - for obvious reasons.
We notice that after that, Aaron just wears a sleeveless red lifeguard shirt during the lessons - piercing doesn't show, but he doesn't have to rip off chest hair after each session that way.
I had something to show him, too. No - not a piercing - a rectangular bruise, shaped just like a brick, located below my right boobie. Nope - it's not what you think - I did not get it the previous week's "brick" workout. I got it doing wall pushups on the side of the pool. If you are Kelly and are strong and have like 0% body fat, you do the pushups the way you are supposed to - straight up and down. If you are me and not that strong and have a bit more than 0% body fat, you kind of lean forward a little as you go up and down, and certain, shall we say, protuberances rub up and down on the gutter with each repetition.
Anyway, I told Aaron that I didn't think I should do anymore pool pushups, and that I didn't think I was benefiting from trying to swim on my back with the brick using just a flutter kick - and he was fine with it. In fact, he pointed out that he told us last week that we didn't have to do the brick, but Dodie and I, being good Type A's, not only did it once, but insisted on doing it again! Which was true. So - kudos to Aaron.
The Brick - Part 2
True to his word, no more bricks for me and Dodie. Until week 6, when we all learn that Aaron can be a little sneaky. During the week 6 session, Aaron brings out two bricks. Dodie and I are puzzled. I mean, Kelly has been doing the brick thing all along and is as seriously awesome bricking in the pool as she is out on the road. But come on - how is she going to cope with 2 bricks at the same time? I mean, two bricks together weigh about as much as Kelly does, soaking wet.
But, no - this time he tosses them both about half way up the length of the pool and tells me and Dodie that we are going to get them. But before I begin to seriously think that he has lost his marbles or his memory or both - he confesses: this time he wants us to use the back frog kick to get them in, not the flutter kick. In fact, he says the drill has been designed that way, and that everyone he knows prefers that kick, except Kelly, the Queen of the Flutter Kick.
Dodie and I like Aaron and trust him - sort of - so in we go and do our best Golden Retriever imitations and"Fetch" And sure enough, it goes pretty well. Then he tosses them in again to the same place and we go get them again. Only this time I bend over and pick mine up - not too tough since I am only in chest deep water - say, "Oops" and toss it out deeper. After I go out and get it and bring it back, Aaron says, "I thought you were afraid of the deeper water." I say, "No - only when I have to try to swim on my back with a brick using my crappy flutter kick and I am pretty sure I am going to get to know Davy Jones up close and personal."
I don't mind diving into the deeper water. In fact, one summer when I was a teenager working at a YMCA summer camp, the chef, who had been a diver in the navy, introduced me and some of the other staff to SCUBA diving. I liked it a lot. I spent most of my free time that summer snorkeling in the lake, and got where I could easily go down 30 ' and hold my breath for 2 minutes. Can't do that any more, but I would really love to get certified and go reef exploring some day - maybe in a couple of years after I retire. It's on my life list.
Different Strokes
Aaron pays a lot of attention to his lessons. We warm up, then we work on different skills and strokes.
Sometimes we isolate on the legs, either with or without the kickboard. Aaron: "Kelly, go fetch that brick, using just your legs." Kelly, "Ok, coach - but how am I going to get it off the bottom?" Aaron: "You have teeth, don't you?"
We also do sets of the crawl, the backstroke, the elementary backstroke, the breast stroke and the side stroke - either working on each stroke individually or in combinations. It's funny - each of us has our favorite stroke - and each of us has one that comes hard. For me, it's the backstroke. I have to remember to keep my head back and chin up, or else I inevitable get water up my nose when I rotate my hiops to the side for each armstroke. Usually I am able to breathe through my mouth and keep the back of my nose closed so I don't swallow the water, but it results in a lot of disgusting snorting and blowing when I get to the end of the pool.
For Dodie, it's the breast stroke. She says it tires her out. I guess she has never really done the stroke, and like everything else she does, she works really hard at it when that's the stroke of the moment. I find it a very relaxing stroke, but I was taught from an early age to count "Glide, two, three" at the end of each sequence, and I'm all for anything that let's me goof off a little. I think that resting is against Dodie's work ethic. Her frog kick has really improved since she started - Coach tells her this, too, but she is hard on herself. Here's a confession - last week when we were doing combination sets, Dodie and I were doing the breast stroke side by side, and I had a hard time keeping up with her - and it's my best stroke.
I'm not sure about Kelly - I think she is not too fond of the backstroke, but you wouldn't know it by the way she powers through the water.
Here's another confession - last week Kelly and I were side by side during the crawl stroke - just for jollies I tried to keep up with her. I went as fast and hard as I could - she was just gracefully stroking along - and I couldn't even stay close for one length.
I Love Flipper
Not the TV show that featured a dolphin (you old enough to remember that - or are they doing reruns on Cable's TVLand?) Speaking of dolphins, used to be you could eat dolphin at restaurants (poor Flipper!). Actually, dolphins as in "Flipper" are mammals, and a protected species - dolphins on the menu are fish - not the same species at all. You can't order dolphin in restaurants any more - they apparently got tired of explaining the difference and renamed the fish mahi mahi.
Flippers as in swim fins. I absolutely love them. Aaron introduced us to these during some of our legs only drills. Man, what a difference. My flutter kick is awful - my ankles are rigid I tend to compensate by bending my knees- which produces a bicycle kick and makes me go backwards. But, with the fins, I am Aquaman! We get to use little shorty fins and my favorite, the long ones SCUBA divers use. I can go so fast with these I create a wake! The great part about using fins during the drills is I get to strengthen my legs and go forward in the water.
Wrapping It Up
The 4 of us survived the session - oh, I forgot to mention - someplace around week 3 or 4, Al joined us. He's a pretty good swimmer and often gets paired in a lane with Kelly during the drills. He doesn't say much - well, it's really more likely that Dodie and I talk all the time - but I remember this: the first time he came and got a look at Kelly swimming he said, "What's she doing in this class?" And all four of us have signed up for the next session.
It's good to have it on the calendar, to know that no matter how tired you are, you are going to get a good work out and going to see your friends. We laugh a lot. Tough to do when you're in the water, but we manage.
Last week was open house for the aquatic programs, and a couple of people stopped by to watch. I admit to being selfish, but I like this group a lot and like the individual attention we can get from Coach, and from each other, so I am kind of hoping no one else joins.
I am pretty sure that Dodie and Kelly feel the same way - after last weeks class, my hair was taking a walk on the wild side, my face was red, and my goggles were askew and I guess I was quite a sight. Dodie said, "Take a picture of him." Kelly said, "Yeah - we'll show it to people who are thinking of taking the class and it will scare them away!" And it was one of the best compliments ever - I think!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)