Just keep on truckin'

Blog critics say that when a blog de-evolves into telling fart stories that it has hit rock bottom.  I disagree. A properly told fart story is like a fine wine; rich with nuance and j’ne sais quoi.

Last Friday (pre-kidney stone episode) I went to Anytime Fitness over my lunch hour to use the Precor machine.  The night before I had had this sprouted grain bread that was like intestinal dynamite.  I kept spewing this foul wind that was likened to the New Ford Road Sewage Plant and sun-dried possum.

I put my headphones on and cranked up the tunes.  I began to feel the pressure build inside, but felt like I had a good handle on things.  A particularly obnoxious Chili’s commercial came on and I reached forward to change the channel.  In doing so, I lost control of my gas-holding abilities.

Since I had on headphones, I could only feel the blast but had no idea how loud it was. I looked around to the dude at the front desk for clues. What I observed reminded me of the slow-mo Zapruder Film of the Kennedy assasination complete with the President Kennedy head snap. The front desk dude was slack-jawed with amazement.

Abe Zapruder Film

Out of the periphery, I saw several ladies bring their hands up to their mouths in both shame and confusion.

What to do?  There was no one exercising near me.  I was the sole culprit. On the one hand I felt like grand-standing and taking due credit for the accomplishment.  I chose, however, to lay very low and KEEP ON TRUCKIN’.

I woke up yesterday morning at 4:32 am and felt my old nemesis knocking at my kidneys.  I have had between 10 and 15 bouts of kidney stones since I was 18 and know the pain well.

Kidney Stones: small, but formitable

The first time was when my family was headed to King’s Island when I was 18.  My sister and brother have still not forgiven me for spoiling the fun. Since that time I have had them regularly about every two to three years.

I have had several doctors tell me to drink cranberry juice to prevent them.  It turns out that this was exactly the wrong thing to do since I have renal tubular acidosis.  I need to go in the opposite pH direction.

They never come at an opportune time.  I had scheduled an 80 mile ride with TT and was really looking forward to that. Instead, Susie drove me to the ER.  I am allergic to narcotic pain medications, but, they are the only thing that will cut the pain. I end up having Benadryl given along with the narcotic and I can tolerate it. I would describe the pain akin to having an ice-pick stuck in your sides repeatedly.

The CATscan revealed that I have two stones in the ureter ( one is 4 mm and the other 6 mm).   The 6 mm stone is unlikely to pass on its own. In that case the urologist has to go UP after it. Yes, UP. He takes a scope and goes in through the urethra and up past the bladder and into the ureter and catches the stones and bring them down. Kidney stones are seldom smooth, most often very jagged. It is the scraping along the urinary tract that is a real bummer. The first urination after this procedure is a real eye-opener!!

The good news is that the recovery time is quick and I should be back into the game. OH! Having wi-fi in the hospital rooms is a great idea. I have been able to be productive.

Blueberries: Nature's delicious treasure chest of nutrients

Energy bars have come along way since I had my very first Power Bar in 1993.  GACK! I can remember distinctively gagging down a Power Bar before the New York City Marathon in 1993.  Just a tasteless mass of thick crap.

Along came the Clif Bar, which was a significant improvement.  The bars actually had some texture and flavor and provided more long-lasting energy, rather than the burst of sugar high.  But when Clif Bars started appearing in Wal-Mart and supermarkets, I noticed a change.  There were more cheap “fillers” and more sugary ingredients.

My Blueberry Blaze Energy Bar is my own attempt to create a nutritious bar with long-lasting energy without the sugar high and lows.  I need to give credit to Brendan Brazier.  I had seen a post about his energy bar and forgot to save the link, so I just have experimented on my own.  Mind you, these are fairly labor intensive.  The results, however, are worth it.  The batch will hold you for a month or so, since it makes 18 or so bars.

• Blueberry Blaze Energy Bars
• Ingredients: 1 quart of fresh blueberries,  1/4 cup of chia seeds,  1 1/2 cups macadamian nuts, 2 cups chopped dates, 1/4 cup hemp protein powder,  2 cups sprouted barley groats,  1/4 cup agave nectar,  1 cup dried berries of your choosing,  1 teaspoon salt,  1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut,  1/4 cup ground flax seed,  1 teaspoon vanilla extract,  1 teaspoon almond extract.
• Instructions:  Soak and sprout your barley groats ( 2 days).  Puree blueberries and add the chia seeds and let gel overnight.   Thoroughly drain the barley groats.  In food processor grind macadamias until they are course, add barley and grind to course consistency.  Keep adding remaining ingredients and adjust until your have a  thick gooey constistency.  You can add more coconut or berries or nuts if it is too thin.
• Line  two cookie sheets with sides ( I think this is called a jelly roll pan) with wax paper. Scrape half of the mixture into each pan.  Use another sheet of wax paper to spread the mixture evenly onto the pans until it is about  the thickness of a Clif Bar.  Refrigerate to let the dry ingredients absord the wet ingredients.  Cut into 4 in. x 2 in. bars and freeze in individual bars wrapped in wax paper.  OK!!  The bars are meant to be appetizing  while on a long ride or run.  So they are gooey and will melt in your mouth easily.  Not really meant as a lolly-gagging around the house kinda’ bar.  Enjoy!

One of my regular features in this blog is an item called “America Unchained” where I feature a small, independent business in the hopes that we get back to the idea of locally-owned, family businesses that focus on customer service and pride in product.

T3 MultiSport at 1343 W. 86th Street on Indy's Northside

After my long ride on Wednesday I headed up to Indy to buy a new 2XU wetsuit that I had tried on last week.

I highly recommend T3 MultiSport for their friendly, competent advice and service. They have a large selection of top-name triathlon equipment, including bikes, wheels, aerobars, wetsuits.(Quintano Roo, Zipp, HED, Cervelo, Easton, 2XU, Colnago….)

Several years ago I made the mistake of ordering a wetsuit online using nothing but the size chart on the website.  The wetsuit was like swimming in a straight-jacket.  Sales Manager Antonia Vivian took the time to fit me correctly and give sound advice about wetsuits in general.  Tons and tons of cool new toys for triathletes as well.

They also have triathlon classes and put  together group rides.  Check out their website at: www.t3multisport.com

T3 MultiSport: Antonia sells properly fitted wetsuit to The Blogger.

The Bluebird Cafe, Bloomington, IN

For my Long Day of training this week I made the 100 .2 mile trek to Bloomington and back.  I have made this ride at least two dozen times over a course of several years and there is always a real sense of accomplishment whenever I set foot back on my own driveway.

I made the ride in 5:42 this time.  The record for this ride is 5:18 set in May 2004. I rode with Dr. Eric Wegener, who was an ER physician in Seymour at the time. For the first 10 miles our pace was at 22 mph. ( Fast considering the steep hills) I kept yelling, ” Hey! Click it down a few notches.  We need to save something for the last 80 miles!!!”

I ended up pulling Eric the last 30 miles and having to encourage him on.  It’s all about pacing yourself.  Whenever I do this ride the critical point is on the return trip after I complete the hill after the Monroe Reservoir causeway.  This is the steepest and longest hill of the ride and there is just a sense of relief.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!! A'propos of Nothing: Just liked it!

Swimming: part of the triathlon

For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you may have noticed the lack of swim training.  For a while the high school pool was closed and I couldn’t make it to the city pool during the day.

Anyway, it is the dawn of a new day!!! I got up and made it to the pool by 4:45 AM. Even if I hadn’t gotten any swimming in it was good to see the old crew there along with some newcomers. Nipsy, TT, Tri-newbie, and Bam-Bam were there.  Good to see them.

According to observers, my wild scissor-kick has abated.  Coach Dave Boggs gave me some feedback in the swim clinic he held and that has helped tremendously. On the reach my hand was crossing over the center line forcing my body out of alignment.  By focusing on getting my hand out straight ( even though it feels like my hand is way over to the side) and getting a good reach and then a complete pull, my swim stroke is more efficient and there is no need to kick as hard to compensate.

See ya’ at the pool!!

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Busy, busy, busy!!! Honestly, I don’t feel like I’ve had time to fart lately. Nevertheless, I have been sticking to my training in one form or another.  Also, people have said that they don’t see me around town anymore —I have a new car.  The Woodie really stands out and the new Honda blends in more.  Do not fret, I still have The Woodie.

Sunday, August 2, 2009: We got in from Dallas at 4:15 AM, so I spent the better part of a day recuperating.

Monday, August 3, 2009: Did 1:15 elliptical at Anytime Fitness, then had a personal trainer session and did strength training on chest and back.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009: Terrible storms in the morning. Very heavy flooding. Did 55 minutes of workout on spinner at the health club.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009: Long Day.  Rode 91 miles.  Only intended to ride 85, but flooding forced me to take several alternative routes around flood waters. Felt really good!!!

Thursday, August 6, 2009: Another session with personal trainer. Strength training on legs. ( Sore as hell!!) Then did an hour of elliptical.

Friday, August 7, 2009: Strength training on chest and back. Ran 6.5 miles at tempo pace.

Saturday, August 8, 2009: Rode 46 miles of  mixed terrain. Warm and Sunny!!! Finally summer has arrived. Felt really good to sweat for a change.

Sunday, August 9, 2009: Did three hours of cardio at Anytime Fitness in order to multi-task.

Congratulations to Reuben for busting his triathlon cherry at the Columbus Triathlon!!! Good job!!

The Power of that potato

One of the common expressions around our house is, “The Power of that Potato!”

This is how the expression started.  Susie and I went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming on our Honeymoon.  We scheduled a whitewater raft trip down the Snake River.  On the raft were three couples and our guide Sid.

The raft trip went down some of the most beautiful scenery one can imagine.  The snow-capped Grand Teton Mountains formed a backdrop to the magnificent scenery. We saw a bald eagle catch a fish from the river on the fly.

One of the couples was a husband and wife from Alabama celebrating a 25th anniversary.  The wife started telling a story about how they  had gone of a chuckwagon the night before.   Apparently, there was a trail ride on horseback which ended with a bonfire and home-cooked dinner made by the cowboys.  The wife was fixated on the fact that her potato was rotten. She kept going on and on and on….. about this rotten potato.

Snake River, Wyoming

The rest of us wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the wildlife and not have to listen to this tale of the rotten potato.  Finally, Susie says, “The power of that potato.” The wife looked dumbfounded. Susie explained, ” You have given that rotten potato the power to ruin a beautiful trip like this. That is a powerful potato.” Whatever!  It served to shut this woman up.

Over the years this potato has served as a symbol of how we give trivial events and useless items the power to distract us from the greatness that surrounds us.

Bring Along your running shoes.

We are finally home for a while after a couple weeks of traveling. That brings up an interesting point: traveling on the go.

It is difficult to bring a bike along on trips or find a suitable place to swim sometimes.  But, you can always pack a pair of running shoes and hit the road. In fact, that is one of my favorite things to do in a new city.  You end up finding things that you would never see when traveling by car.  I use time as the measure since the mileage in a new place is often unknown.

I was lucking in traveling to Dallas that I had a nice health club nearby that had a nice lap pool and great workout equipment.

7-27- 2009:  Rode 18 miles in the morning and did 50 minutes of ellipical at the gym.

7-28-2009: In transit to Dallas, nothing.

7-29-2009:  Long Day.  Managed to get a gym membership for four days at the Verandah Club in Dallas. Swam for one hour.  Did elliptical for 2 hours, then ran 8 miles on rubberized track.

7-30-2009: Swam one hour and did one hour of elliptical at the gym.

7-31-2009:  Swam one hour and rode stationary bike with cool computer graphics and hill simulator for one hour.

8-1-2009: Rode stationary bike  for one hour and then did 2 hours of elliptical training.