ACL Reconstruction to Ironman 5, 6, 7, and 8

2011-12-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

I started this blog 3 years ago to document my journey towards the IRONMAN. I had just joined Team in Training to train for Wildflower Long-Course and the Full Vineman Triathlons. Here is an excerpt of my first Post from Dec 30, 2008 :

I started running in January 2006. I moved from my previous hospital to my current one. I saved about 2 hours of commute time. That allowed me to start running and getting into shape. At the time a mile seemed a long way. When I ran a 5K in Feb 2006, I nearly passed out at the finish. Slowly I started to build up the mileage and ran a 8K and a 10K. I enjoyed the whole race experience, the runners, the cheering crowds, the reward ( food) at the finish. I decided to sign up for a half marathon and a full marathon... one week apart. The half was on Memorial Day 2006. The full was the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, June 4, 2006. I didn't know anything about carbo loading or tapering. I assumed that if I could run 18 miles in my training runs, I could run a marathon. The half marathon went well. I came in under 2 hours, so I was quite pleased. I expected to run the full at a similar pace. I learned the hard way that there is a small gap between the 10K and the Half; but a large chasm between the Half and the Full. After mile 13, it was a struggle; and by mile 16 it was painful. I limped the last few miles to the finish. I thought never again. I've run a marathon, that's it. It took about 4 months for the painful memories to go away, and I had the desire to sign up for another marathon. (Las Vegas, 12/06)

After that I was hooked...

Amazing how far I have come since then. I had to overcome an ACL tear and subsequent Reconstruction. After months of PT and rehab, I started running marathons again and completed my first Ironman (Louisville 2010) with Team in Training. In 2011, I trained with Team in Training again and completed Full Vineman, IM Louisville, and IM Florida. This past month I ran RnR Las Vegas Marathon and the RnR Latin Music Half Marathon in Miami Beach. Good times. I think I enjoy racing more than training. Perhaps that is why I race so much. I have probably completed more than 30 marathons now, but I've lost track. Cycling for 5 hours doesn't faze me either. And I actually feel comfortable swimming in open water, although I can do without the mass swim starts.

My New Year 2012 Goals:

1) To Compete and Finish 4 Full Ironman Triathlons: CDA, CANADA, FL, and AZ.

2) To raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to hopefully one day find a cure for Cancer.

3) To become a better person during this process...

To be honest Goal #3 is the most important and probably the most challenging. But please help with Goal #2 if you are able to.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/ironca13/irondoc

Ironman #4: IM Florida

2011-11-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been an action-packed 2+ months since IM Louisville 2011. I had some post-race withdrawal symptoms. I didn't want to swim. I didn't want to bike. I only ran for fun. ( That's OK after 9 months of training with Ironteam.) I competed in Malibu Olympic distance Tri and L.A. Tri Olympic distance in September. I actually enjoyed swimming in the Pacific Ocean. I have to thank my Ironteam Coaches: Brad and Rob for getting me comfortable in the Ocean and dealing with waves. I've come a long way from my first Tri at Desert International Distance Tri in 2009. During that race, I had a panic attack and almost quit, but managed to finish the swim by swimming from one surfboard to the next.
October was Ironman World Championships in Kona! I was an Iron Doc once again working the medical Van. Race day was preceded by a week of Sports Medicine lectures at the Ironman Medical Conference. I spent half the day in lecture and the other part of the day running on Alii Drive and biking the Queen K. Oh yeah, I bought a new Trek Speed Concept 7.5 while I was in Kona! Sweet ride. I picked up an LG Aero helmet as well. Race day was capped off by cheering on the last Finishers at midnight. It was great to take a pic with a very happy World Champion as she greeted the last few Finishers.

After Kona, I ran the Columbus marathon where I came within a few minutes of my PR. A couple weeks later, I got a PR at the RnR L.A. Half Marathon. I cycled in between all that running. ( Skipping the swim workouts.)

This led up to IM Florida in Panana City Beach. I arrived a few days early to get settled in. I swam in the Gulf of Mexico a couple days before the race, which basically was my first swim since Kona. Went through the ritual of preparing all the bags and checking them in along with my bike. Got a couple pre-race massages and just tried to relax.

Race day: Swim 1:30:56
A beautiful dawn led to a beautiful swim. The waves were calm. Although 2500+ athletes swimming and jockeying for position made for a whirlpool effect. I had a great first lap considering that I'm a slow swimmer (40 min), but fatigued a bit during my second ( 50 min ). IMFL is a beach start, and what makes it interesting is that after the 1st lap of this 2 loop swim, you get out of the water and run on the beach before re-entering for the second lap. One good aspect of this is that you can get water / Ironman Perform between the 2 loops. Now for the downside of the Gulf of Mexico swim. Jellyfish Stings! Yep, I got stung a couple times... a minor one in the Right armpit area and a major one on the Right forearm a few minutes after the first. This happened during the second lap. I didn't notice many jellyfish on the first lap, but they were abundant during the second. Maybe we woke them up. Anyhow, I just tried to stay calm, ignore the pain, and finish the swim. After the swim, I went through transition and got my bike. I just ignored the stinging sensation in my right arm. Next time, I will wear a full wetsuit, instead of my sleeveless one.

Bike 6:05:53
A very nice bike ride. IMFL is a very flat one-loop course. This means lots of time in the aero position. I wasn't use to this, since I train on hilly terrain and usually spend only about 50% of the time in aero. I paid the price in terms of a sore neck and back. My hamstrings were also more sore than my previous Ironman races. I rode my old reliable Cervelo road bike since that has carried me through 3 previous Ironman races. I'm not accustomed to my new Trek Speed Concept yet, so I will unleash the Speed Concept in 2012. The only other difficulty with this course was the wind. Strong winds made for a tough ride. But Ironman is suppose to be challenging, right?

Run 4:49:26
A pleasant run, but rather boring. IMFL is a 2 loop run through mostly residential neighborhoods. There is some nice fan support in certain areas, but pretty desolate in others. The volunteers were wonderful of course. Since, I was doing IMFL without Ironteam and my family couldn't come out because of work / school, I really appreciated the random fans who cheered my name which they picked out from my Bib. The most memorable cheer was from a woman who called my name and said "You have a nice Butt!" The run started in the afternoon with Temp of about 70, but finished in the evening with Temp of about 60. I know I can run faster, but I felt fatigued during the run. Perhaps running a marathon and a half marathon at PR pace in the weeks leading up to Ironman wasn't a great idea. Not exactly the taper the Coaches would recommend. But perhaps also the fatigue had a strong mental component. I ran my previous Ironmans with Team in Training. I had Coaches and Teammates to support me on the course during the race. I had thoughts of Honored Teammates and Patients whose battles with Leukemia and Lymphoma had inspired me to undertake the challenge of the Ironman. In Florida, I was racing for myself, for a PR. Perhaps that was it, Inspiration was lacking and my Will faltered.

Total: 12:44:42 PR
I ran across the finish line and the announcer called my name and said: " He is a Doctor!" ( Instead of the "You are an Ironman.") I found that amusing. I sat down, had some pizza then quickly got my bags and bike. Dropped off the bike at TriBike Transport and then headed back to the hotel for a warm shower and a TV to catch up on College Football. Ironman #4 was in the books.

Now a new season of Ironteam 2012 begins. I will be fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while training with Ironteam. Here are my "Ironman" races for 2012:

Ironman 70.3 California 3-31-12
IM CDA 6-24-12
IM Canada 8-26-12
IM FL 11-3-12
IM AZ 11-18-12

Wish me luck.

Ironman Louisville 2011

2011-09-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Race morning I went through my usual routine, except I didn't have a BM. Perhaps it was getting up before 4am Eastern time ( which meant 1 am Pacific time), which made it hard for my body to adjust. I figure I will go before race start, so I wasn't too worried yet. I was much more careful with my pre-race meal and the preparation of my hydration. I prepared 3 bottles of Ironman Perform drink with bottled water and refrigerated it overnight.

I headed out to transition with my Greater L.A. Ironteam and coaches. Dropped off my bike and Special Needs bags. The weather was mild and very pleasant. I was very pleased. In 2010, I was already sweating profusely walking to transition because of the heat and humidity. This time I felt much more at ease. Having survived 2010 under very difficult conditions, I knew that if I took the Ironman, one component at a time: I WILL DO THIS. We walked over to the swim start, got body marked and waited in line. This year they did not allow people to camp out overnight and hold other athletes places in line. But since we arrived very early, around 5:30 am, we were near the front. I tried to use the port-a-potty, but I still did not have any urge. Later... But later they were very strict about athletes remaining in line. Some of my teammates went right there while standing in line. Others fled to the grass and took care of business there. I snuck off next to some bushes and pee. Before you know it the elites were off, and then the rest of the field. I probably entered the water in the first 5 minutes.

Swim 1:49:43

I jumped in the water and tried to stay calm as the madness surrounded me. I tried to stay to the right to avoid the crowd of swimmers that were swimming closer to the island on the left. The previous year I swam to the left near the island and was constantly being hit and kicked. This time, I got hit less, but it still happened. At one point I kicked someone in the head and my heel stung from the impact. I hope the swimmer was OK. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a recent concussion and still had some dizziness. So I took it real easy on the swim. I knew that the swim was the shortest part of the day. I still had a long bike ride and a marathon ahead of me. I finally past the island and swam out to the farthest buoy for the turnaround. The first part was upstream, now I get to go downstream. At the athlete's dinner, they had advised us to stay near the buoys for the strongest downstream current. But elsewhere on the internet I had heard that the current was stronger further out, towards the middle of the river. The prior year I took the buoy course. So this time I decided to try further out towards the middle.
Well when I finally exited the water I felt fresh and not as tired as 2010. But when I checked my results later I realized I was 7 minutes slower than 2010. Again my post-concussion syndrome was partly to blame and perhaps my swim strategy was flawed. In comparison, my 2.4 mile swim time at Vineman 4 weeks prior to Louisville was 1:21:52
I also learned afterwards that a swimmer had died from cardiac arrest that morning in the water. One of my Ironteammates was directly affected since she came upon the swimmer floating under the water and was involved in the rescue attempt. Unfortunately that swimmer died. ( My teammate completed the swim and bike, but was pulled at mile 20 of the marathon course. ) My coaches were worried since I was the last swimmer from my L.A. Ironteam to exit the water. With my recent concussion and the increased number of rescue boats that were out on the water after that mornings death, they had feared that I had encountered a medical problem. They were so relieved to see me exit the swim.

T1 10:14

Although I felt fine. I still took my time in T1. I didn't want to forget anything important before embarking on a 112 mile bike ride. I also hit the port-a-potty for a pee.

Bike 6:21:00

This is where I made some real progress. I tried to keep a steady pace and slowly passed my teammates one by one. The weather cooperated and it was quite cool and pleasant during the first couple hours of the bike. But slowly it warmed up. I tried to stay cool by drinking water and also dumping water on my arm coolers and over my helmet at each water station. At special needs I had a nice snack of BBQ potato chips. I took a salt tablet every couple hours. I also took Motrin twice during the course of the bike ride. Clif Shot Bloks, PowerBar Gel Blasts, and a Tiger's Milk Bar, along with the Ironman Perform drink made up my nutrition on the bike. Unlike Vineman, I did not have any GI issues on the bike.

The best part was that the last 40 miles or so, I felt strong and was picking up speed while those around me were slowing down. It was a great psychological lift to zip past a bunch of cyclists at that point of the race. Special props to the Team in Training Cheer Squad that was out in force to cheer the competitors on. Perhaps I will post some pictures at a later date, but you can check out pictures at the Greater L.A. Ironteam Facebook page as well.

T2 7:51

I was 3 minutes faster than 2010, but in 2010 I came in from the bike exhasted from the heat and humidity. This time I felt ready to run a marathon. I hit the port-a-potty for a quick pee.

Run 4:48:54

I started off at a 9 min / mile pace and then eased into a 10 min / mile pace for the first 13.1 miles. But then the GI issue propped up. I felt gassy and started looking for an unoccupied port-a-potty. I finally came across one around mile 14 and finally had a BM (it was a little loose). My Run Split will show that from mile 13.1 to mile 15.33, I was running a 15 min / mile pace. In reality, I spent at least 5 minutes in the Port-a-Potty and then ran a 11 min / mile pace. I believe I also hit the Run Special Needs during this run split and had a half-bag of Hot-Wings flavored potato chips, a Motrin, and changed my socks as well.

The rest of the run, the leg fatigue started to hit and I ran 11:30 min / mile pace. During the run, I drank mostly water and cola, because I was sick of the Ironman Perform drink. I ate some grapes, but did not think that I could tolerate anything more substantial. Towards the end I was getting light-headed and dizzy, I knew that I could be dehydrated and low on sodium as well. So I started to drink chicken soup and I drank an entire bottle of Ironman Perform. I did feel better after rehydrating on the Perform drink.

A highlight of the run was seeing my teammates multiple times throughout the out and back 2 loop course. Their smiles lifted my spirits. I was reminded that even though I was suffering, I needed to enjoy the moment. I was reminded about my Honored Teammates who have had to overcome Cancer. They have had to fight something more serious and go through more suffering than an Ironman Triathlon. I thought about my family and friends who have supported me on this Ironman journey. These thoughts carried me home to the Finish line on Fourth Street Live. This time I heard my name called out: "Here comes Alexander C. from ..... You are an Ironman."

Total Time: 13:17:42

This was 46 minutes better than Louisville 2010. Just like 2010, I was the second finisher from my L.A. Ironteam. I greeted Amy from L.A. Ironteam who was working as a finishline volunteer. I then saw Rachel our campaign manager and thanked her. I went back to the hotel to shower and then hit the convention center for some pizza and to pick up my morning clothes bag. I returned to the finishline to cheer my teammates as they in turn finished their Ironman races. The last 45 minutes I joined the crowd that was giving high-fives to the final finishers of the day. It was a wild scene, especially when one of my Ironteammate approached the finishline just as the clock struck 17 hours:00:00. The coaches were jumping up and down urging her to sprint for her Ironman Life. When she crossed the finishline a few seconds after 17 hours, a hush momentarily fell over the crowd. Then the announcer said that because of the delay of the swim during the rescue attempt that morning, the race end time has been extended for 10 more minutes. The crowd erupted, my teammate was an official Ironman Finisher!

Although this is not the most technical Ironman Race Report, this is what struck me as the important moments of my race day.

Special props to my Coaches who were there to support me not only on race day, but throughout this whole long training season. I couldn't have completed 2 Full Ironmans and 1 Half Ironman in 6 weeks without their coaching and advice. ( Throw in a concussion and Post-concussion syndrome in there as well between the 2 Full Ironmans just to add to the degree of difficulty.)

Post Concussion Syndrome to Ironman Louisville 2011

2011-09-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

Well I'm now a 3 time Ironman Finisher.
This latest one may have been the toughest because of questions regarding my health going into Ironman Louisville. My full race report will follow in about a week. But this post will describe the events leading up to race day.

As you may recall or you can read from my last post, I finished Full Vineman Ironman Distance Tri on July 30. A week later I attended my cousin's wedding in San Diego. That's when my problem started. Well perhaps it started the day before the wedding. The week after Vineman Ironman, I was tired physically and mentally. Remember I had also competed in Vineman 70.3, 2 weeks earlier. My swim that week was crappy. I cut the runs short to recuperate from the 26.2 miles I had just ran. That weekend's workout called for a 5:3 Brick! Well Coach gave me a break and told me 3:1 was OK. So the day before the wedding, I did a 4:1. ( I felt 3:1 was too short, Ha Ha...) It was hot...

Perhaps I did not recuperate fully before driving out to San Diego early the next morning. It was an outdoor wedding. The day was already getting hot. When we arrived, the guests were standing in the shade fanning themselves with the fans given out as wedding favors. Well time for the ceremony, time to sit under the hot sun... I was so glad when the ceremony was over and it was time to move indoors for the open bar. I "rehydrated" on Rum and Cokes. I believe I had 3 drinks. Then it was time for lunch and a glass of wine. In between the Rum and Cokes and the wine, my sister ordered me a Bloody Mary and I had about half of that drink as well. Well after the main course and before dessert and the wedding cake, I decided to use the restroom. I remember using the urinal and then the next thing I know I'm looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling with a pain in the back of my head. It took me a few seconds to realize I was on the floor of the Men's restroom and that I had passed out. I somehow managed to get up. ( Perhaps somebody helped me, but I don't recall that.) I remember washing my hands and then making it out to a sofa and apparently I "passed out" or fell asleep.

Well to make a long story short, I was escorted back to the hotel and took a nap. I missed the evening dinner and reception. The next day, I woke up with a headache. I tried to workout at the hotel treadmill, but running made the headache worse. I decided to swim a few laps and that was tolerable. The headache got worse as the day progress and I bought some Tylenol and took a few. Well apparently I got a concussion and as the days went by my symptoms included dizziness, vertigo, headache, light sensitivity. I couldn't go to work all that week. In fact I laid in bed under a pillow to cover the light. I couldn't read, watch TV, or surf the internet because any mental activity worsened the headache. Even most music aggravated the headache. I could only tolerate mellow music and some classical music.

I got checked out a few days later in the ER. My head CT was fine. I had Post Concussion Syndrome. My main concern at that point was when can I return to my Ironman training / workouts. The answer was when my symptoms go away, but how long they will last was a big question mark. I started to worry that Ironman Louisville was in jeopardy. I informed my Coaches and they all wanted me to back off and take my time. Don't rush it. Apparently returning to strenuous activity too soon after a concussion can prolong the Post Concussion syndrome. What's worse than that was the fact that if I had a second concussion immediately after a recent concussion, I could suffer from severe brain swelling which could lead to "DEATH".

Well this is what I was dealing with as I headed into Ironman Louisville. My initial goal was to PR, but I modified it to just "Survival". If I can get in a 2 hour swim, 8 hour bike, 6 hour marathon, I would be happy. Over the next 3 weeks leading up to race day, my symptoms did improve. I got in a few bike rides, a few open water swims, and a few runs. Running and swimming were the last activities to come back. Initially running really jarred the brain too much and made the headache worse. And I was afraid of getting into trouble during the swim, so I took my time with that as well. I probably lost some fitness, but since this was taper time, I figured my body needed the rest. When I departed for Louisville on Thursday August 25, I was 99% better. I still had occasional headache and dizziness, especially when I went from a supine or lying down position to a sitting or standing position. When I did that I found that if I closed my eyes for a few seconds the dizziness subsided. The flight did worsen the headache slightly and I took some Tylenol and Motrin. I figured I will take some during the race as well.

My final dilemma as I picked up my race packet at the Expo, was whether or not to list Post Concussion Syndrome on the medical release forms. I decided not to. I knew that no medical professional would jeopardize his medical license and clear a participant with Post Concussion Syndrome for one of the most physically strenuous endurance events in the world, the Ironman Triathlon. I was taking a risk by competing in Ironman so soon after a concussion, but this was like the Superbowl or the Conference Championship game, I couldn't miss it.

Stay tuned for the Race Report.

Vineman Ironman Triathlon

2011-08-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Several weeks have passed since I completed Ironman #2: the Full Vineman. This race was marked by major GI distress on the second loop of the bike course and during the marathon. Here is what happened:

I went to a Chinese restaurant in Santa Rosa with my family on Friday night. I woke up early Saturday at 3am and had a normal bowel movement. I drank about 20 oz Zico coconut water. Had a couple bananas, one FRS energy chew, and a Hawaiian bread roll. ( I was fine with this for Vineman 70.3)
I got ice from the ice machine and mixed it with bottled water and my usual Cytomax powder. ( ? ice is not my usual routine, but I did not have a fridge and I was expecting a warm / hot day)
Pre-swim I had Gatorade G1 and my usual energy bar, along with about 4 oz gatorade at T1 aid station.
I used the Port-a-Potty and had a soft BM ( not diarrhea) ( no soap / hand sanitizer ? contamination)

Swim 1:21:52 which is a great swim time for me since I'm not a very good swimmer. No GI issues. ( ? Swallowed a little river water)

T1 8:14

Bike 6:20:24 which is a pretty good ride, but considering that my first 56 mile loop was just under 3 hours, the second loop was slower than I would have preferred.
I was feeling good to great through the first bike loop. Then on my second loop I started to feel very "gassy" and whenever I got into the Aero position, I felt abdominal pressure and the sensation that I wanted to have a bowel movement. So not being Aero and the fatigued legs probably contributed to the slower 2nd loop on the bike. I just tried to suck it up until I could hit the Port-a-Pottie in T2.
I had 2 bottles of Cytomax and 1 of Gatorade from the aid station, along with 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita flavor and 1 or 2 energy bars during the first loop. I also took 1 salt tablet around hour 3.
Second loop I had 1 bottle of Cytomax, 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of Monster Maize which I took in last 45 minutes of ride. I had 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita, 1 pack Shot Blok Tropical Punch, 1 pack Power-bar gel blasts, and 1 salt tablet around hour 6.

T2 6:43 I had a slow T2 because I had to use the Port-a-Pottie and as I had feared it was diarrhea. I couldn't eliminate completely because I wanted to get out of T2 ASAP. ( Again no soap / no sanitizer)

Run 4:49:58 which is not good for me, since running is my strength.

I started the marathon and the first 9 miles I was OK, although I felt gassy and I could hear the fluid sloshing around in my bowels. I wanted to "fart" but was afraid I would have a diarrhea accident, so I tried to hold the gas in, which led to cramping and a lot of abdominal discomfort. I didn't drink or eat as much because I didn't want to contribute to the "gassy", fullness sensation. I skipped the first couple aid stations and then had a small cup of cola or water at the other aid stations. I carried a pack of Powerbar Gel Blasts and I ate them sometime during the first or second run loop.

As I passed the port-a-potty at each aid station, I debated whether to stop or not, I ended up holding it in until the bitter end.
I ended up alternating between walking and jogging. By mile 16, I hit the "wall", I felt behind in my hydration and nutrition, but didn't think my GI system could handle anything. But I forced myself to drink some Gatorade and water and I started eating grapes at the aid station. ( I stopped the cola because I thought it might be making the gassiness worse)
I had to "slow down" and walk, so that hopefully I could recover and go faster in the end. By this point I had gone over 130 miles and been out for over 11 hours, quitting was not an option.

Fortunately this worked. By mile 20, I was able to pick up my pace and start run / jog again.
After 12:47:11, I became an Ironman ( for 2nd time and set a PR)

Post-race I had diarrhea. I was able to tolerate some soup, but I couldn't even look at solid food without causing some GI discomfort. (This is very different from IM Louisville, where I was so hungry after the Ironman that I ate 3 or 4 slices of pizza and a sandwich shortly after the race and then after the L'ville course closed I went out and had drinks and more food at a 4th Street Live restaurant.)

I returned to cheer on my Ironteammates until past 10pm, but due to additional GI distress, I returned to the hotel and had several more episodes of diarrhea that night / Sunday morning.

Lessons learned:

1) Avoid new restaurants the night before Ironman
2) carry sanitizer pre-race for Port-a-Potty
3) Avoid ice from hotel ice machine
4) Try not to drink murky river water
5) Re-examine each component of my race day nutrition and make sure they are not the culprit.

2 years after ACL Reconstruction: Vineman 70.3 PR and Full Vineman Ironman Next

2011-07-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, so much has happened in the last month. Training. Racing. Work. Nutrition. Sleep. Repeat...
Vineman 70.3 was a great success. I set a PR. I completed my Half Ironman almost 20 minutes better than my Best Case Scenario Goal Time. I was expecting temperature in 80s, but we had the best race conditions possible with temp in 60s and low 70s. This allowed me to push it a little harder on the bike and still have a great half marathon time. Now if I can only have those conditions again for my Full Vineman ( 140.6 miles) this weekend. I am once again in taper mode this week. I need to catch up on a few things, tie up some loose ends, and then start packing and trek up to Northern California again. It seems like I was just there last week... Oh yeah, I was there last weekend for 70.3

Having a great time cruising up Chalk Hill.

With everything going on with Ironteam, finishing up my fundraising, and my work responsibilities, I almost forgot my 2 year anniversary of my ACL Reconstruction. That's a good thing. My knee use to remind me on a daily basis that I had surgery. Now I usually don't think about my reconstructed ACL even after a Half-Ironman! I was ready to PARTY after Vineman 70.3 and thanks to teammate Jazzy, we had a great celebratory get together that evening.
I am setting new PRs in triathlon. Earlier this year I set a marathon PR. I am about a minute off from my 5K PR ( and I don't run very many 5Ks since I've been training for Ironman). So once again, my thanks to my great Orthopedic Surgeon: Dr. Raffy Mirzayan at Baldwin Park Kaiser. Thanks again to my Physical Therapist: Nazly Behnia at South Bay Kaiser for pushing me and encouraging me during those tough months immediately after the surgery. It was literally learning to walk again, jump again, and run again. Tearing an ACL is never a good thing, but with the right surgical / medical team, a supportive social network, and one's own "will power" and determination, those of you about to undergo ACL reconstruction will once again be doing the things you enjoy most and resume your active lifestyle. Good luck to all.

San Diego Ride, Piuma, and Vineman Training Weekend

2011-06-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

The last 3 weeks have been a blur. First was the San Diego 100 miler. We rode from Anaheim to Del Mar and up past Torrey Pines to UCSD. It was my first time and I enjoyed the ride especially through Camp Pendleton. The next day, we had a nice long run and then returned to Anaheim via car or Amtrak. I rode back up with some bikes in Louis' car.
The following week was a big Brick workout; we started in Westlake Village and rode up and down Piuma, followed by an out and back around Westlake Village. Then it was a 12 mile run.
Finally this past weekend we drove up to Santa Rosa and had Vineman training weekend. Saturday was the 2.4 mile swim in Guerneville river, followed by 112 mile bike ride on the actual Vineman course. The swim was so pleasant. I ended up with my fastest open water swim to date 1 hour 20 min. Then after a quick T1, it was off on the 112 mile ride. Unfortunately my legs immediately felt tired and heavy. It took a good hour for the lead in my legs to fall off. I then started getting into a groove, but as the day progressed, it got hotter and hotter. By the second loop, I had to cool off at the aid stations by dumping water over my head and onto my cooling arm sleeves. The second time up Chalk Hill was tough. I just kept pedaling and finally, I sped back to Windsor High School for T2 and a quick 2.5 mile run.
The following day, it was back to Windsor High for a 21 mile run. The morning was very pleasant and I enjoyed the scenery very much. But after 10 miles, it started to get warm. I just wanted to finish ASAP, before the day got too hot. So I probably ended up running at marathon pace. I finished the 21 miler in a little over 3 hours. Not bad on tired legs!
The worst part of the weekend was the 8 hour drive back home to LA. Sore butt, sore legs, sore back... Yikes! I had to go to work on Monday and I felt like I was half asleep. Tuesday after work, I ran 3 miles, but then I was too tired for my Tuesday swim; I ended up going to bed early after dinner.
Today, Wednesday, I finally feel recovered from Vineman Training Weekend. I had a nice bike ride up and down the hills of PV. I will hit the pool tomorrow. Stay tuned for more training updates...

Return of the Marathon Maniac

2011-06-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with Ironman training and with work at the hospital. After Wildflower, I jumped into Marathon mode. I ran Back to Back marathons in mid May. First off was the Palos Verdes Marathon on Saturday May 14. It was a tough and hilly race. The downhill running actually took more of a toll on my legs. By mile 18, I slowed down significantly from my marathon pace. I decided to treat this as a training run and after mile 20, I turned it back way down. I even walked most of the last 3 miles. In the back of my mind I was a little concerned about my marathon the next day. My legs were very sore, again probably from the downhill running. When I finished, I immediately went into refuel and rest mode.
The next day, Sunday May 15, was the Pasadena marathon. It was a great course. Some hills, but not as bad as PV. It rained the first couple hours, but the sun came out and the last couple hours were very pleasant for running. I ended up running more than 10 minutes faster in Pasadena on tired legs than at PV the day before on rested legs!
What was my reward for this Marathon Madness? The most important reward was the mental strength I developed which I will need to draw upon during Ironman. Another reward is stronger legs and a more robust cardiovascular system. Oh yeah, I also got a Phiten necklace for completing the PV to Pasadena Ultra Challenge.
On Memorial Day, I ran the Laguna Hills Half Marathon which is a hilly course as well. I actually set my Half Marathon PR here in 2008. I was out late the night before the race with my neighbors. I probably had too much Johnny and Jack. My sleep was not optimal at all. So I actually had second thoughts when my alarm went off that morning. Since I needed to at least get a training run in, I decided to attend the race. I started the race feeling crappy. My legs felt sluggish. My breathing labored. But after a couple miles, I started to find my groove. Soon I was running at my 5K pace. I knew I couldn't keep this up, but I decided to run fast as long as possible before turning it down and treating the rest of the race as a training run. By mile 6, I had slowed to 10K pace, but I was still feeling strong. I eventually started tiring around mile 9, but I knew at this point that I could race the entire course. Well I just missed my PR by about 30 seconds! I had not taper. In fact with Ironteam training, I just went on a 5 hour-90 mile bike ride against a strong headwind 2 days before the Half Marathon! This race just reconfirmed how far I have come from my ACL Reconstruction in 2009.
So my running is at Ironman level. My cycling is close to Ironman level; I have a 6 hour ride tomorrow in which I should go well over 100 miles. My swimming is another matter entirely. I have been suffering from a sore Left shoulder for about 3 weeks now. I would start to feel better, but after the 90 min swim workouts, I would go back to square one. I finally rested and avoided the pool for 10 days. This week I had a 60 min swim and the shoulder felt OK, but my swim stroke deteriorated. I know I'll have to put more time into the pool.

Wildflower Long Course Triathlon 2011

2011-05-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Team in Training evening before the race

Well another successful Wildflower Long Course Triathlon is in the books. I managed to make slight improvements in all aspects of the race and set a new PR by beating last year's time by 26 minutes. I probably could have shaved off 15 to 30 more minutes if it wasn't for the strong winds. But the breeze did help cool things down a touch, so the race wasn't as hot as 2010.
The swim could have been better. I was a little off course after the first buoy and drifted too far to the left. Minor bumps along the way, but no major disasters. The bike was windy and hilly. The run hilly and warm, but I dumped water at every aid station to cool off. The downside to dumping water is wet feet and I finished the last 10 miles with a blister on my left foot. Ouch. I was also wearing relatively new shoes. I got the New Balance Minimus Trail shoe 2 weeks earlier and ran 7 miles the week before. Perhaps that also contributed to the blister. I know, I know... Nothing new on race day...

Now more training... for Ironman 2, 3, and 4

Cooling down at the Finishline

Ironteam Finishline

New Balance Minimus ( mine is the large foot)

2 Years after ACL tear

2011-04-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

2 years ago, a fabulous day of skiing in Calgary / Banff turned into the worst day of my life. I had never broken a bone or been seriously injured until I tore my ACL that afternoon. Here is an excerpt from my blog 2 years ago:

"It's hard adjusting to the transition from training so hard for Wildflower ( I completed the swim, bike, and run workouts in Canada at high altitude and even ran 14 miles in 2 hours the day before the accident) And now being on bedrest with my foot elevated and an ice pack on my knee!"
"I'm pretty depressed. I always took running for granted. It was so effortless, unless I was pushing 7 min/ miles. Now a fear I have is that I won't get back to my previous running form with a bum knee. I still dream of becoming an Ironman. I still dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon someday. Hopefully with the support of family, friends, coaches, and teammates, my dreams will still be realized one day."

Well after ACL reconstruction with meniscus repair in July 2009 and PT/ Rehab, I resumed marathoning in October 2009 and became an Ironman in August 2010. My fear of never running fast again was conquered when I set a marathon PR in Arizona January 2011. I can run 6 and 7 min/ miles again ( for short distances). I'm biking faster than ever before and swimming better as well. The weakness in my surgical leg last year affected not only my running, but also the biking and swimming. Now with my leg basically 100%, I'm much stronger tackling hills on the bike and my swim kick is stronger as well.

I heard popping noises from the surgical knee last year, but that has resolved. Before exercise, my surgical knee can be a little stiff, but after 5 to 10 minutes I'm fine. After a long run, my surgical knee is a little more sore, but there is no swelling. I was wearing a knee brace last year, but I ditched that last summer. I am very happy with my ACL reconstruction and I'm glad I had the surgery. I even went skiing in Feb 2011.

I recently ran the Los Angeles Marathon. Now I'm in training for Wildflower Long Course Triathlon ( Half Ironman) on April 30, 2011, Vineman 70.3 on July 17, Full Vineman ( Ironman distance) on July 30, Ironman Louisville on August 28, and finally Ironman Florida on November 5, 2011.

Obviously there is life after ACL Reconstruction. Good luck to everyone.

Desert Triathlon: Shattering a PR

2011-03-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

Well I'm finally getting a hang of this Triathlon business. My goal heading into the Desert International Distance Triathlon this past Sunday was to beat my previous year's time by 20 minutes. I've been improving my swim and my cycling, and another year of rehab and conditioning from my ACL reconstruction should lead to a faster run. So my goal was realistic. Now I just had to go out and grab the "bull by the horns."

Ironteam had a 3.5 hr+ swim, bike, run workout in Long Beach on Saturday. Then a mad dash to La Quinta for the packet pickup and practice swim. After a nice team dinner at Yardhouse, it was time for bed. Hard to sleep, I tossed and turned and woke up several times during the night. The AC was noisy. Before I knew it, it was time to get up and go through my race day ritual.

Ironteammate Louis and I arrived at the Lake and we set up our transition. Then it was time to decompress the mind and the bowels... A quick warmup swim and then it was time to line up with my wave. Our wave started and I waited a good 15 to 20 seconds to let the ultra competitive swimmers out first. Then I jumped in and just tried to swim at a pace that I knew I could sustain. Sighting to the first buoy was tough due to the sun, but eventually I reached it. The return was much easier, although more crowded since I was catching up with the slower swimmers from the previous wave and the fastest swimmers from the wave behind me were starting to catch up. I got out of the water and started to jog and get out of my wetsuit. I felt good heading into transition.
No major hangups at T1.

The Bike went well. 2 loops. I passed a lot of people, although quite a few in their disk wheels passed me as well. The only hitch was that at the turnoff between the first and second loop, I got a little confused since it was a new bike course this year. I saw cones that guided the turn towards the Right, so I started to slow down to make the Right turn. Then I noticed that some of the cyclist in front of me kept going straight. After a slight hesitation, I figured I better keep going straight. Right choice. One of my Ironteammates was DQ for skipping the 2nd bike loop. I finished strong heading into T2.

T2 was going smoothly and I took off on my run feeling good. Then I realized I didn't have my racebelt on. I had to go back and get my racebelt, because I didn't want to risk DQ. Probably wasted a minute, but the worse thing was when I started running again, I felt slow. I couldn't pick up my pace. I felt like I was jogging. My stomach also was very gassy. I had taken 2 bottles of carbs, a PowerBar, and a packet of PowerBar Gel chews on the bike. Now my stomach was sloshing around during the first loop of the run course. I realized that I was now a few minutes behind the pace I needed to beat last year's time by 20 minutes. I saw Coach Brad at the end of the first loop and he asked me how it was going. I told him not too good and that I was behind schedule. He told me that was OK and to go out and see what I can do on the second loop. That somehow motivated me and gave me the encouragement to try my best even if I fall a little short of my goal. I started to run and pick off runners in front of me one by one. I noticed that no one was passing me on the run. Perhaps all the faster runners had already finished. In hindsight, I was probably throwing down some 7 minute-miles. I finished strong with no idea if I accomplished my goal. I knew I had a PR, but did I PR by 20 minutes. I felt like I just might have, but it was going to be close. The minute I wasted in T2 bothered me.

I cooled down at the finish by dumping a couple water bottles down my head. It was 80 degrees during the run. Then I hung out with my Ironteammates. Later when they posted the results, I was surprised to learn that I had PR and beaten last year's time by almost 24 minutes! It was a great weekend...

3 for 3: Successful ACL Reconstruction and Rehab 20 months follow-up

2011-02-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

When I tore my ACL in a ski accident in April 2009, I was afraid that my dream of becoming an Ironman was gone. I debated whether or not to undergo Reconstructive Surgery. I was told that I could still swim, bike, and run without an ACL, but I would not be able to participate in skiing or sports that required jumping or sudden twisting and turning. So I decided to have ACL Reconstruction, with the hopes that I will one day return to the ski slopes. Once I had my surgery, I had a long process of regaining my strength. I was afraid that I would never run fast or set a PR again.

I am now 3 for 3 in my Post ACL Reconstruction Goals:

1) August 29, 2010 I became an Ironman at IM Louisville.
2) January 16, 2011 I set a new Marathon PR at Rock n Roll Arizona Marathon.
3) February 25, 2011 I returned to the ski slopes for a day of skiing.

To all who are facing ACL Reconstruction, do not give up on your hopes and dreams. Hopefully my story can inspire you and help you get through those dark days.

Malibu Brick: 60 mile bike : 4.5 mile run

2011-02-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

Well definitely the intensity and duration has increased with my Ironman training. Last Saturday I had a nice 60 mile bike: 4.5 mile run along the Malibu PCH coastline. A few Category 5 hills thrown in for good measure. The Pepperdine University hill was a beast. Then when I try to coast, mentors and coaches were there to push me on, "ATTACK. ATTACK." After 3 strenous hours on the bike, it was time for the run. Run up another steep hill and then run back. Great...

My reward was the compliments I received from my coaches for being the only one on the team to complete the entire 60 mile : 4.5 mile brick workout. I definitely felt good about a job well done.

The next day I was in L.A. Chinatown for the Firecracker 5K and 10K. Yep, I ran both. The weekend before I ran the Redondo Beach Superbowl 5K and 10K. I almost PR at Redondo Beach which was basically a flat course. The Firecracker was a different beast...Uphill to Dodger Stadium for the 5K and Up Elysian Park over and above Dodger Stadium for the 10K. Running downhill was exciting, but a strain on the knees and the quads. I ran well for the 5K, but fatigued a bit during the 10K. I blame it on the previous day's strenous Brick workout.

I ran into Ironteammate Louis at the race. And Ironteammate Holly baked me a couple nice Valentine's cakes for her fundraising. Finally a nice Dim Sum meal made the day complete.

Griffith Park GP

2011-01-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

Another short but intense Ironteam workout yesterday. We did the Griffith Park / LA Zoo loop X3. Each loop the advance riders like myself had to go up the one steep climb on this loop, come down, then go up again. And as a reward for being fast, on the final loop I had to make the climb three times! Luckily I enjoy climbing hills.
At the conclusion of the first 2 bike loops, we also had a 10 min run, and after the final loop a 20 min run.
After this workout I feel pretty good about Desert Tri ( International Distance) which is coming up in March.
I'm pretty much recovered from my Marathon PR effort from 2 weeks ago. The running and cycling are on target. Now if only I can motivate myself to get to the pool...

Marathon PR 18 months Post ACL Reconstruction

2011-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Well I did it. I managed to not only beat last month's Las Vegas Marathon time by over half an hour, but I set a PR by over 7 minutes at the Rock n Roll Arizona marathon last Sunday. Yes, a PR: I actually ran faster than I did prior to my ACL tear and subsequent Reconstruction in July of 2009.
This was also my fourth marathon in 3 months. Yes, Marathon Maniac is back. All while training for my Ironman 2011events. Now I know Boston is within reach with a little more intensive speedwork. Due to Ironman triathlon training, I haven't had time for speedwork. Instead I have emphasized endurance cross-training. When I get serious about Boston Qualifying in 2012, look out...
As I reflect on everything related to my ACL tear, surgery, and rehab, I can't believe how far I have come. Last year I became an Ironman at Louisville. Now I set a new marathon PR. My fear when I tore my ACL was that I would never run fast again, that I would never realize my dream of becoming an Ironman, and that I would never ski again. Well I've now accomplished 2 out of 3. I now trust my knee completely, even though I don't trust my skiing ability. I will probably hit the bunny slopes next month. Wish me well.

Return from Orange Bowl

2011-01-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

I had a great mini-vacation in Miami. South Beach, Fort Lauderdale great party atmosphere and the beaches are so nice. The California beaches are OK for people watching and watching the sunset, but the water is just too cold and you got to deal with the waves. Not so in Florida. Clear blue waters, warm ( no wetsuit necessary). I could actually see the bottom. I had a nice 1 mile swim along the beaches of Fort Lauderdale.
I tried to keep up with my training and I hit the gym for running and I even took a spin class. Also got a nice massage at Massage Envy to relax the sore muscles.

As for the Orange Bowl, I couldn't have been happier. Stanford won 40-12. Cardinal defense played great...8 sacks and a big interception. The offense led by Andrew Luck was spectacular in the second half. The energy in the crowd was great. Stanford gets Luck back next year, although Coach Harbaugh left for the 49ers. Well I'm a 49er fan, so that's OK. Can't wait for Stanford Football to start again in the fall.

Well I'm tapering for RnR Arizona this Sunday, but since I'm also an Ironman in training, I still need to keep up with the workouts for that. I've been bad with getting the swim sessions in, but after Arizona, I'm done with the marathons and I'll focus on my Ironman triathlon training.

RnR Las Vegas Marathon, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

December started with a bang. The Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon. Las Vegas is always fun for a weekend. What happens in Vegas....
Well in terms of the race, I set another post ACL reconstruction PR. Now I need to work on getting back to sub 4 marathon. Perhaps at my next race, the RnR Arizona marathon on Jan 16th.
My Christmas was fun, again Vegas this time with the family. Now I'm getting ready to go to Miami for the Orange Bowl. My school Stanford finally made it to a big time BCS bowl. They're gonna beat Virginia Tech on Jan 3rd!
Finally in terms of my Ironman training, the biking and running is on target. I ran 20 miles yesterday. This morning was a nice 2 hr bike ride. The swimming is falling a little behind schedule. I've been distracted with the Holidays and going on trips. Also I've been focusing on my running, working on both speed and endurance. I'll try to get motivated for a swim session this evening, before leaving for Miami tomorrow.

16 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon

2010-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well I managed to set a Post ACL Reconstruction PR. It's still 30+ min slower than what I ran before my ACL surgery, but I am encouraged by the fact that I'm improving. For the early parts of the race I was running 8:30 min /miles. I slowed down a little after the 13 mile mark, and then more at about mile 19. I think with more mileage I should be able to build up my Cardio and Musculoskeletal systems to maintain my race pace for the entire 26.2 miles. I like running in San Antonio. The weather is nice and cool. The people are friendly. I was sore yesterday, but today I'm back at work and feeling good. I'll get a massage today and start preparing for Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon in 3 weeks.
I will pick up my bike today from the shop. After an entire Ironman season, my bike needed major work. It should be good as new since I'm replacing the chain, gears, cables, etc...
I will also attend my first Ironteam swim practice of this new season. Can't wait to meet old friends and new teammates.

IM KONA, RnR Los Angeles Half Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon

2010-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

October was a busy month. It started with IM Kona. To be exact, I was attending the Ironman Sports Medicine Conference in Kona for the week leading up to IM Kona. This was the best medical conference I had ever attended. In addition to the most recent medical updates on Sports Medicine, we had coached run and swim clinics. I had shipped my bike with Tri Bike Transport so I was able to ride the Queen K out to Hawi. ( I rode out of Kona one day and on another out of Hawi) I was so glad to have the opportunity to actually run on Alii Drive, bike the Queen K, and swim in Kailua Bay.
I met pros such as Chrissie Wellington, Michael Raelert, and Faris Al-Sultan. My Team in Training Honored Teammate Kyle Garlett also spoke at our conference. He was warmly received and his story of overcoming cancer and going through a heart transplant to arrive to compete at Kona was truly inspirational. I also had a close up view of the race since I was a medical volunteer in a medical van on race day. Without going into all the details it was a great experience and a great way to give back to the Ironman community and all the volunteers who have helped me during my races.

Back in L.A., I ran the Carson Reverse Triathlon, the Rock n Roll LA Half Marathon, and then on Halloween the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. I ran the fastest Half marathon since my ACL Reconstruction in July 2009, about 10 min off my PR. I ran OK during the MCM for the first 20 miles. But I had tired legs the last 6 miles and finished about 20 minutes off my goal. But it was a great sight-seeing tour of D.C. and I totally enjoyed the MCM experience. Posing for a picture with my finisher's medal in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial was awesome.

Yesterday I managed to snag a 2011 IM Florida spot. Yeah! I'm also registered for 2011 IM Louisville, 2011 Vineman 70.3, and I'm planning on the Full Vineman 140.6 as well.

Up next Sunday is RnR San Antonio, site of my marathon PR... Stay tuned.

Ironteam Year 3: A New Beginning

2010-09-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Team in Training is an amazing group of dedicated people. I work in the medical profession, so I encounter people everyday who are dedicated to their work. However for many people in healthcare, it's just a job. They will work together as a healthcare team to get the job done. Quality matters. Patient care matters. But there is a significant difference between dedication to a job and dedication to a voluntary cause or organization.

The people I have met on the Ironteam these last 2 years have been very amazing. They've raised a huge sum of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Some did it to honor a family member or a friend battling Cancer. Others did it for Honored Teammates who have had to battle this disease. The team is there to support each other through good times and difficult times. In many respects, the Ironteam is a large family. We've got each other's back.

Recently a part of this family was lost. My Ironteammate Brian M. lost his Dad last week. His Dad's long battle with Cancer finally came to an end. Brian has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons in honor of his Dad. My thoughts and prayers go out to Brian and his family. But I know that Brian's father's ideals and values were passed on to Brian and he in turn will pass it on to his kids. In this way, the Circle of Life is continuous.

I want to continue to work with these amazing people. I have signed up for the Ironteam again. Ironteam Year 1 was cut short due to my knee injury and subsequent surgery. In Year 2, I reached my goal of becoming an Ironman at Louisville. In Year 3, I will train harder and look to improve in all aspects of Triathlon at IM Louisville. I know that this year, we will have new coaches and many new teammates. But I already know that these people will be "Amazing."

Marathon Maniac: Back in Training 20 miler

2010-09-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well now that Ironman Louisville is in the rear view mirror, I can look forward to my fall marathon season. My first fall marathon is Marine Corps on Oct 31, 2010. Followed quickly by RnR San Antonio on Nov 14 and RnR Las Vegas on Dec 5.
Today I ran with my running club, AREC in Long Beach, CA. I've done some short 3 and 5 mile runs with AREC on a few Wednesday nights over the past year. But today was probably the first Saturday marathon training run I've done with my running club since I started Ironman training in 2008. It was nice to see old friends and meet new ones. Our club has probably doubled in size in the last 2 years. During today's 20 miler, I ran for long stretches with a young female Urologist who just finished her residency, another runner who has run numerous marathons and whose PR is close to mine, and then another runner who is training for his first marathon. I enjoyed their company so I picked up my pace to keep up with them. I was running 9:30 pace for most of the run, although my legs started to get very sore during the last 5 miles or so and I slowed down. I gutted out the last couple miles. I guess my legs are not fully recovered from my Ironman 2 weeks ago.

I wore my Ironman L'ville shirt and hat, and got a lot of props. Many wanted to know what it was like. I told them its tough and at times miserable during the race, but the finish is awesome. The sense of pride and accomplishment is priceless. As for L'ville: Hot n Humid. Would I do another Ironman? Probably Yes. I think I've caught Ironman fever. Would I do L'ville again? Perhaps...

2010 Ironman Louisville Race Report

2010-09-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

2010 IM Louisville will be remembered for the heat and humidity. The LA Ironteam got up early and we went over to the transition area to set up the bikes and drop off our special needs bags. At this point it was already in the 80s. Coaches told us not to pump the tires and leave them alone. I saw my teammate pump his tire, it was only 90 PSI. So I pumped my tires. It too was about 90 PSI, so I pumped it to 115 PSI. I did worry that I might have jinxed myself and now I'll end up getting a flat for not listening to the coaches. Then I saw Ale collecting the special needs bag as a race volunteer and I got a nice hug from her. I told myself I'm going to have a good day. We went over to the swim start and I could already feel the heat and humidity. I got body marked #66. Then I was so happy to see that the Ironteam was right near the front of the line. Our spots had been saved by family and friends of LA Ironteam. Yea!
The next hour or two passed too quickly. Before I knew it I was facing the start of my first Ironman race. Shortly after 7am, I jumped into the Ohio River and began my 2.4 mile swim. The water was warm, about 85 degrees. I tried not to panic as I started to get bumped and hit by faster swimmers coming up behind me. I tried to stay away from the legs of swimmers in front. Although I was annoyed by swimmers hitting me and swimming on top of me, I eventually learned to accept it. I told myself that it was just my Ironteammates tapping me and saying "Go Team". So everytime I got hit, I said "Go Team" and it felt so much better. Before the end of the swim I must have said "Go Team" at least a hundred times. I felt very lucky to be swimming in a nice warm river at sunrise. It was actually fun. I told myself this is the best part of the whole day, at least until I cross the finish line. I was a little confused by the buoys, so I probably swam a little zig-zag pattern. I didn't push myself too hard on the swim because I knew I still had over 138 miles of racing to go. At one point in the swim I started to have leg cramps. I tried not to panic and not think about being out in the middle of a river where I could not stand or easily get out. I told my mind/ body to relax. I kicked less and just pulled with my arms for a while. Eventually the leg cramps subsided. Thank God! I finished the rest of the swim uneventfully.

2.4 miles ( 1:42:12) Division Position: 368

T1 (10:43) I felt like I had entered a sauna when I went into the changing tent. It was actually a bit hard to see and to breathe. Eventually I found an empty chair, sat down, and started to change. After getting sun-block applied by an eager female volunteer, I made a quick pit-stop at the port-a-potty. Then it was off to the bike. I was glad to see there were still plenty of bikes on the rack. (Probably due to the time trial start.) Louis was there to take some photos. I ate a Power-bar and took off.

The bike ride was notable for the stomach cramps I had to deal with in the first couple hours. Perhaps eating the Power-bar in T1 wasn't a great idea. Or perhaps it was the time zone change disrupting my GI cycle. I felt like I had to have a BM, but I didn't want to stop. So I kept pedaling and hoped the sensation will pass. Needless to say, I didn't feel like eating. I just drank my bottles of Cytomax and dumped water from the aid stations to stay cool. I went 18.23 mph for the first 23 miles, and 17.21 mph for the next 17 miles. It was then that the weather started to get real HOT. I slowed to 15.79 mph for the next 30 miles. The temp was probably in mid 90s by now. I made sure to take my salt tablets. I saw numerous riders on the side of the road, lying under a tree, overheated and exhausted. Numerous ambulances came by on the course. The sound of sirens will always be a memory of this race. I felt a little guilty at one point because I had 3 water bottles, and there was a rider collapsed under a tree by the side of the road. I reasoned that if I gave up my water bottles that could be me lying by the side of the road in another hour. I forced myself to eat my Powerbars, because I didn't want to bonk on the run. At one aid station they ran out of water! Fortunately someone had Dr Pepper. That was the best Dr Pepper I've ever tasted in my life! At special needs station, I ate some spicy BBQ chips that I had packed away. They were actually quite yummy. Well I just kept pushing, but not too hard since I knew I had a very hot marathon to run. I went 16.17 mph for the last 42 miles. I was so happy to survive the bike without a flat or a crash. My butt was very sore and as I handed off my bike to a volunteer, I didn't care if I ever saw my bike again. Good riddance!

112 miles ( 6:44:55) 16.6 mph Division Position: 300

T2 (11:03) I was tired and thirsty. I drank some soda and water. I changed into my run gear, reapplied sunblock, hit the port-a-potty, and I was off on the Hottest 26.2 miles of my life.

The Marathon. I was so happy to start the run. At this point I knew that even if I walked I would be an Ironman. However tempting it was to walk, I realized that I wanted to finish ASAP. So I tried to run as much as possible and only walk during the aid stations. The first 13 miles was Hot Hot Hot. There wasn't much shade. To stay cool, I dumped water on my head, used the sponges to cool off, and put some ice under my cap. I couldn't eat anything other than oranges and bananas. The Powerbars made me sick just to look at them. Unfortunately at this point the Powerade was disgusting as well. So I went with water or cola. I was afraid to try the chicken broth since I've never had it during a run before. I was told afterwards by my teammates that the broth was very good. Midway I forced myself to eat a gel, yuck, disgusting. I had some pretzels to get the salt in. I had some salt in my special needs bag and took that in, as well as change into some dry socks. Unfortunately my shoes were wet, so the dry socks quickly became wet. During the run, I saw numerous Ironteammates. We gave each other encouragement. I ran with a few of my teammates for short stretches of the marathon course. The encouragement from teammates made the miles go by much faster. I tried to think of my family and my honored teammates as I ran. I thought of Gordie and how he became an Ironman despite all the obstacles he had to overcome. These thoughts motivated me as I pushed myself through and beyond "The Wall". Finally, as I came to the last quarter mile, Coach Paul and Rad were there to give me encouragement and congratulations. I approached the "light" at the end of the tunnel. I heard someone shout my name in the crowd, and I saw it was Andie. I could hear the official Ironman announcer calling out a bunch of names. I was in a group of people crossing at about the same time. I do not recall my name being called out, but I'm sure it was called out. The finishline was like a dream. A volunteer grabbed me and held me. I got my medal. Another volunteer took off my timing chip. I was led to a chair where I sat down to regain my breath. After some water I felt much better and I saw Rachel. I got a hug. Rachel informed me that I was the second Ironteamer to finish. Carlos was the first. I was pretty proud of what I had accomplished. Thanks to my Coaches Paul and Rad. They're the best. They gave me the blueprint to have a great race.

26.2 miles ( 5:14:58) Division Position: 210

Total: 14:03:51

Afterwards I took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, had pizza and picked up my bag at the convention center. Then I returned to the finish line to cheer on my teammates as they became Ironmen and Ironwomen. It was special to see the finish line at midnight as we cheered on the last official finishers. What an awesome day. Go Ironteam!

After almost 2 years since I joined Team in Training and the Ironteam, I finally became an Ironman. I had to overcome a torn MCL and ACL. I had to rehab from ACL reconstruction with a graft from my own hamstrings. I had to overcome my fear of open water swimming. I had to push beyond my mind's self-imposed limitations to make the impossible, possible. Will I ever do the Ironman again? Who knows? Stay tuned....

Mission Accomplished: Ironman Louisville

2010-08-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

I did it. It took me 14 hours 3 min on a hot, hot, hot day to become an Ironman. I'm so happy my knee held up. 14 months ago I had right ACL reconstruction with a graft from my hamstring tendons. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to run marathons like I did prior to my injury. Today I'm an Ironman. Thanks to the support of family and my Team in Training coaches, mentors, and teammates. On such a grueling day, I couldn't have done as well as I did without their coaching and support on the race course. A more detailed race report will follow.
Special thank-you to all my donors who supported my fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You share in my moment of triumph, too.

The Day before Ironman Louisville

2010-08-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

The weather has been nice here in Louisville. 70s in morning. About 90 in afternoon. This morning we had a nice swim in the Ohio River. Warm, water temp in 80s. I noticed I was thirsty even after a short 20 min swim. I'll have to pre-hydrate better tomorrow.
I packed my gear bags for the race. Now I'm relaxing in the hotel. Next up is our Team in Training brunch. The key word for today is RELAX. I'll probably be using this mantra during the swim and run tomorrow.

Welcome to Louisville, KY

2010-08-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

Ironteam has arrived. We got in to our hotel after 10 pm. A 3 hour stopover in Cleveland is not fun. The view from the plane was nice. Very green. Very different from "brown" LA. If you take away the lights, the buildings, you can imagine what a beautiful frontierland this area must have been 200 years ago.

With taper, I have a lot of nervous energy. I feel like a coiled snake ready to strike. How do you relax before your 1st Ironman? Hopefully I can come up with something. Ironteam will register at expo, pick up our bikes, and go for a short bike ride today. Perhaps I'll have some KFC.

Ironman Louisville: Taper time...Bring on the Heat

2010-08-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

The last several weeks after Vineman have been very hectic. A 5 hour bike: 3 hour run brick workout in Westlake Village the Saturday after Vineman. To get use to racing in the heat, I wore an extra layer and arm sleeves. That was followed by a Sunday 30 mile bike: 11 mile run brick workout.
The following weekend to get use to racing in Real Heat, I took off for the desert to train in 90's and 100 degree temperature. A 34 mile bike: 6 mile run brick in those conditions was tough, but made me mentally stronger and better prepared for Louisville. I followed that up with another 6 mile run the following day. My experience in the desert stressed the importance of hydration. One thing I notice was that I didn't feel like eating... But I know that for the Ironman, I will need to get some solids down because I won't get enough calories on a liquid diet.
Yesterday, our Ironteam had our last Saturday workout. An easy 45 min run, followed by a talk from the coaches to prep us for Ironman. I dropped off my bike with the Tribike transport truck and then went home. On the way home, I stopped off at the gym and swam 1.2 miles. I got in some interval training. Believe it or not, it felt good. I think I'm finally ready to do this Ironman thing.

Vineman Aquabike Race Report

2010-08-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

I had a fun day at Vineman last weekend. This was a training weekend for me, since I'm racing Ironman Louisville August 29th. I was still very nervous though. I got my transition stuff set up, used the Port-a-potty, then drank a little FRS, and proceeded to the gathering area for my wave. The swim finally started around 6:55 am. I stayed back and swam at a leisurely pace. I didn't want to go out too fast and redline. I was determined not to have a repeat of my Alcatraz Challenge experience from a few weeks ago. The swim went great. I was actually enjoying myself. I remember the words of wisdom from Coach Rad: " You're going to do what kids love to do, swim, bike, and run." So I just thought about being a kid again and swimming for fun. The only downside to this of course is that I went much slower than I had planned. I was planning on 1:30 Instead I took 1:43:45 for the 2.4 mile swim. I know I can push myself a little harder for Louisville, but again I don't want to spend so much energy on the swim that I slow down on the bike. The only other issue with the swim was the need to pee. I have a hard time peeing in the wetsuit. I paused several times during the swim in an attempt to pee, with no success. Finally around 2 mile mark, I stood up and "mission accomplished." A kayaker checked on me and told me that I just need to go a little further and I'll be finished with the swim. Of course I knew I was almost finished, but I've been holding my bladder for at least a mile of swimming! So finish the swim, out of the water, and into transition.

Transition: 7:59 Not bad, considering I drank a bottle of FRS and ate a PB+J sandwich. Now with renewed vigor I tackled the 112 mile bike course.

Bike: 6:20:53 My best ride of the season. Considering that I didn't taper and this was just a hard paced workout, I was very happy with my bike time. I took it easy the first 10 miles or so, then gradually picked up the pace. I paid attention to nutrition. The weather cooperated and it was cool for the first couple hours of the ride. By the time I hit Chalk Hill, I was in the groove and handled the hill with ease. I sped down and returned to Windsor to complete the first loop. I got to the Special Needs bag aid station. I got off the bike and saw the long line for the Port-a-Potty and decided I'll skip the potty. I found my bag and restocked my electrolyte fluid bottles and my Powerbars. I also ate another PB+J sandwich. Then it was off for loop 2. This was definitely tougher. I kept a good pace, but the hills were much tougher the second time around. I stood more on loop 2 during these climbs. When I hit Chalk Hill, I was pretty tired. I used mental will-power to climb up. The cheering supporters on Chalk Hill definitely helped pick up my spirits and gave me that umph to get up Chalk Hill. Then it was a speedy descent to Windsor and the Finishline! When I cross the finish, the volunteers had to stop me. My body just wanted to keep moving. A volunteer said, "Whoa, your race is finished!" So after 8:12:38 I was an Aquabike Finisher. Doesn't have the same ring as Ironman or even Vineman Finisher. I know that on that day, I could easily have jogged a marathon and become a Vineman/ Ironman. But I'll have to wait for Louisville.

Pre-Vineman Aquabike

2010-07-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on with my work that has increased my level of stress and probably impacted my training. I was starting to feel "burned out" by training. Instead of a joy and stress reliever, the 2 a day workouts were becoming an unpleasant chore. I discussed this with Coach Paul and he told me that I've been going full bore with training and my "additional" activities that my body was feeling worn down. He told me that I still have time to get my body back in tune before Ironman Louisville.

It started with getting back from Vegas and dealing with one urgent situation after another at the hospital. I can deal with medical emergencies, but dealing with administrative and personnel issues can be even more stressful because the situation drags on for weeks. On top of this, training has now ramped up to 2 a days on weekdays and weekend rides + runs lasting 5, 6, up to 8 hours! Then throw in my Alcatraz Challenge Part 2... and no wonder I'm beat.

I signed up for the Aquathon which consisted of swimming from Alcatraz to Chrissy Field and then running over and back from the Golden Gate Bridge. My last Alcatraz swim went so well that I got cocky. I did not prepare well and I paid the price. 20 min into the swim and I was tired and my HR was way too high. The water was very choppy and with the fog and my leaky goggles, I could not sight my landmarks. This increased my anxiety which increased my HR and breathing, and I was finished. I got pulled into a boat and for the next 30 min we picked up other swimmers who were struggling or were getting pulled off course by the strong current. The good news to this was that they took us to a point about half mile from shore and allowed those who wanted to finish the swim to do so. I knew I had to jump back in the water to regain my lost confidence. So I finished the swim and then ran the 7.5 miles across the GG bridge. From the bridge the distance between Alcatraz and Chrissy Field seemed immense!

For the next week I felt crappy about my swimming and psychologically I had a real negative attitude. But after taking a couple days off last week, I feel renewed and my workouts have gone well this week. I got a massage on Monday after Saturday"s 100 mile ride and Sunday's 16 mile run. Today I swam 2.5 miles in the pool.

I now feel confident again heading into Vineman Aquabike. I will swim 2.4 miles and ride 112 miles this coming Saturday. I leave for the Bay Area tomorrow. Stay tuned for my race report next week.

1 year after ACL Reconstruction: Ironman Training Continues

2010-07-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

One year ago, I underwent the surgeon's knife and had a graft taken from my hamstrings to recreate a new ACL for the one I tore on the ski slopes of Calgary, Alberta. I have come a long way since that day a year ago. I have kept this blog as a reminder of what I went through, and some of the feelings I had as I went through the pre-op, post-op, and rehab phases. Looking back at the recovery / rehab from the ACL reconstruction, I don't wish this injury on anyone. Yet I know that every year, many people do tear their ACLs and then undergo reconstruction. In fact, two of my coworkers have undergone ACL reconstruction this past year. I hope that my experience will provide some inspiration for those who just had or will have this surgery. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is long and torturous, filled with many obstacles.

I had a 1 year post-op checkup with my surgeon a few weeks ago and I was told that my ACL was solid and completely stable. My surgeon said that I was the most motivated ACL patient he has ever had. I pushed myself to regain the level of fitness I had before the surgery. Soon after I got off the crutches, I got on the stationary bike, elliptical, and the pool. By 3.5 months post-op, I walked-jogged the Nike SF marathon. A month later I jogged the RnR San Antonio marathon. The following month I ran the RnR Las Vegas Half marathon. This was followed a month later with my 1st Ultra 50-K in Arizona. In March, I completed the Desert International distance Triathlon and set a PR ( much faster swim, slower run from the year before). I followed that up with Wildflower Long Course Tri, Palos Verdes Marathon, Alcatraz challenge swim, and Laguna Hills Half Marathon in May. In June, my marathon relay team consisting of 4 old "farts" from work finished 3rd in the Men's Division at the RnR San Diego Marathon!

All of this occurred while I was training for Ironman Louisville with Team in Training's Ironteam L.A. In a sense, raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and training with the Ironteam gave me the motivation to push on ahead when the going got tough. When you think of those fighting for their lives against Cancer, recovering from ACL surgery seems like no big deal in comparison. I have a teammate Gordie who is a Cancer survivor and despite the many obstacles in his path, he pushes on ahead and is there with us every week going through the same tough workouts. He even sends weekly emails with an inspirational message to the Ironteam. That's the kind of dedication that inspires me.

This past weekend we rode 85 miles, starting from Camarillo, down PCH to Mulholland and Encinal Canyon back to PCH and then up for a second loop of Mulholland / Encinal Canyon before finally heading back to Camarillo. Lots of climbing, but I love hills. I finished in about 5.5 hrs. I finished off the ride with a 5 mile run. I felt great and I know I'm ready for the Vineman Aquabike event. I got another long run in on Sunday in PV before heading out to Vegas for some Rest n Relaxation. By Relaxation, I'm talking about getting up every morning before 6am and getting in a 6 mile run in 80 degree heat ( by noon its over 100 degrees !!!) The run is followed by swimming laps for an hour in the resort pool before the pool gets too crowded.
Other than losing several Benjamins to the Blackjack tables, it was a great mini-vacation.

Vineman Training Weekend

2010-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

A Hot Weekend in Sonoma Wine Country. Great training weekend for Vineman. The drive was a "Bear"; 10+ hours due to Friday afternoon traffic in LA. Arkady and I got in after midnight. It's always nice to return to my old "neck of the woods". I spent 2 months living in Santa Rosa during my family practice rotation in med school. Even then I enjoyed going on bike rides after finishing up in the clinic. Well on Saturday I got to ride for 112 miles ( 2 loops of the actual Full Vineman course.) The course was beautiful. We must have passed over a hundred different vineyards. Watching the people going in for their wine-tastings at these wineries, while I was baking in the hot sun was real tough. I told myself I'll return another day for a more leisurely wine country experience.

I finished the ride in about 6.5 hrs. Not bad. This was my longest ride to date. I even had to deal with a water bottle falling off, and my chain fell off 3 times during the first loop. Amazing but it didn't fall during the second loop. Perhaps I anticipated my gear shifts better. (I better drop by the bike shop and get a full tune-up.) Afterwards we had a nice dinner at one of the rental homes. Then it was off to bed for the Sunday swim and run.

Sunday was a much hotter day than Saturday. Temperatures approached 90 degrees. We started with a nice swim in the Russian River. Then I ran 1 loop of the actual Vineman Course. ( 3 loops on Full Vineman ) I thought Arkady and I would return to LA immediately after the run so I stopped after 1 loop. But I probably could have and should have run a 2nd loop. It turns out that as an Ironteam, we waited until the last runner came in after their 2 loops on the course. So I waited for 2.5 hours! But it was fun. I had a coke, some recovery stuff, and even a couple ice cold beers! Yummy. After everyone returned from the run, it was off to lunch. I was starving and had a real craving for MEAT! So I ordered the "I Love Animals Burger." I finished the whole plate!!! See photos below.

Xterra Marin Headlands 21K

2010-06-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Another Wow Weekend. This time I was up in SF for my "little" sister's wedding. The wedding was really nice and I'm happy for Sis. But this Blog is about ACL Reconstruction to Ironman, so on to the Xtreme.

I got an email and found out about the Xterra Trail Run series. There is a SoCal version and a NorCal version. I saw that the Marin Headlands 21K was scheduled for the same day as my sister's wedding. Since I had to miss our Ironteam Orange County to San Diego Ride, I figure I needed to do my own Xtreme Workout. I got my sister's approval to run this half marathon. I don't think either of us realized how Xtreme this Trail Run is. I figure a nice little run, enjoy the beautiful scenery, get back to SF for a nice shower and brunch, and then prep for the wedding. Well this is what happened...

I got up by 5am and headed out of the hotel by 6am... The temp 75 degrees in SF! I was warm in my bike jersey top and shorts. A beautiful morning for strolling or lounging around in a coffeeshop. I drove over the Golden Gate and got lost because I missed the turnoff. Eventually I stopped at a coffee shop in Sausalito and got my coffee and directions to the Marin Headlands. I got to the park by 7am and after registering waited for the 8am start.

Very warm and comfortable as I sat in my car with the doors open...
Race starts and its uphill and more uphill... The first 2 to 3 miles is basically uphill. I tried to run, but there were some stairs where it was difficult to pass anyone. So I took my time. Many sections of the trail were rocky and unstable. OK when going uphill, but we had to run back down this path on the return section. More on this later...

It was getting really warm now, perhaps 80 degrees and it's not even 9am. What saved me was a nice cool breeze. We had to carry our own water since the aid stations were at mile 5 and mile 10.5
There was a nice downhill stretch around mile 3 to 5, and I ran a 7 min-mile downhill. I didn't even think about my reconstructed ACL. Everything felt really stable. Props to my excellent Ortho surgeon. After downing some Gatorade and refilling my bottle it was more uphill climbing. By this time I could only walk the uphill sections and then jog-run the downhills. Some of the uphill inclines were so steep, up to 17 degrees. See chart above. Many parts of the trail were single track and winding along the cliff edge. Yes Pacific Ocean below! Watch out. Other parts of the trail were completely overgrown with vegetation / prickly weeds!!! My exposed skin was getting scratched. Fortunately I wear knee high compression socks, and I also had a brace on my R knee, so only my L knee was getting scratched. Well by mile 8 to 9, I was almost out of water, and after mile 9 I had to gut it out until the next water station at mile 10. This section also corresponded with the steepest climb of the entire run. Painful... Miserable...I couldn't believe I paid money for this abuse. But the beautiful scenery of the Pacific and San Francisco skyline with the Golden Gate Bridge made all of it worthwhile. Plus suffering makes the end result more satisfying.

I finally made it to the water station and drank about 2 cups of Gatorade, dumped a couple cups of water over my head and refilled my water bottle. By this time I was a little confused and not thinking as clearly, perhaps from dehydration or hyponatremia. I continued on the main trail as I left the water station...I didn't realize that I was suppose to turn right at the water station and go between some bushes along a single track trail. It took me about half a mile before I concluded that I must be on the wrong trail and I had to backtrack to the water station. So a net 1 mile detour added to the 13.1 mile run. Great. I took this as another challenge that I had to overcome and didn't let it bother me too much.

Next was another tough climb and then finally the downhill run. As I mentioned before this part of the trail was the same section that we initially climbed at the beginning of the run. Rocky, slippery, and steep. It was a tough balancing act: controlled fast running without falling. Not easy. My ASICS trail shoes came through and I survived. It was a great sense of accomplishment and relief when I finally crossed the finishline in 3 hours. This was by far the toughest half marathon I've ever run. I can't wait to do it again!!!

11 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Alcatraz and Beyond

2010-06-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Knee is doing great. I don't worry about stability. Still gets sore after tough runs. Speed not quite back yet. However I am constantly pushing the envelope. Here is my last couple weekend workouts...

Memorial Day Weekend:
Saturday: Latigo and PCH in Malibu ride 3.5 hrs, followed by 1 hour run.
Sunday: Alcatraz Challenge: 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz to Crissy Field in SF. ( More like a 1.7 or 1.8 mile swim for me due to the less than optimal route I took.)
Monday: Laguna Hills Half Marathon.

June 5/6 weekend:
Saturday: 5 hour ride PV-Manhattan Beach-Marina Del Rey X 2
Sunday: Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon Relay.

The highlight of Memorial Day weekend was the Escape from Alcatraz. I enjoyed the swim so much that my first reaction after getting out of the water was "Let's do it again." Of course there was an initial shock to the body from the 55 degree cold water. Then the waves caused a few unintended gulps of saltwater. There was the occasional slaps from other swimmers. But all in all a nice swim in cold water. Kudos to wetsuits, neoprene caps, earplugs, and my Vibram Five Fingers.

The highlight of this past weekend was the Marathon Relay. Teams consisted of 4 runners. My team consisted of co-workers. We had a Speed team and an Easy-go team. I was on the Speed team. I was afraid our team might not live up to its name and be a minor embarassment. Boy, was I wrong. We finished 3rd in the All-Men's Relay division. And we were the 7th Overall Relay team out of almost 200 teams.
Even our Easy-go team took 10th in the Corporate division.

Our Ironteam is going on its annual San Diego 100 miler this Saturday. Unfortunately I'll miss it. I have another busy weekend planned however. My sister is getting married Saturday evening. But Saturday morning I'll be running in the Xterra Marin Headlands 21K. This is one of the Top 10 trail runs according to Runner's World magazine. I'll write a race report next week. Stay tuned.

Palos Verdes Marathon and Hospital On Call Marathon

2010-05-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be interesting to post my crazy schedule from last week.
Friday July 14th : 24 hours On Call at the hospital working from about 6am to 6am the following day.

Saturday July 15th: Palos Verdes Marathon. Off work at 6am. Dress and prep for marathon. Drive down to Start. Look for Parking. Park a mile away. Jog to registration to pick up bib. Lineup for port-a-potty. Head to Start line 5 minutes before 7am Marathon Start. Take pictures with fellow "Marathon Maniacs".
Run first 13 miles then jog to mile 20 before hitting "Wall". Craving salt and Gatorade and Gu, but the aid stations ran out of everything except water! Painful process of walk-jog to the finish. Finish in 5 hours.
Rest and recuperate the rest of the afternoon.

Sunday July 16th: 24 hours On Call. Busy day and night!

Monday July 17th: Too tired for planned bike workout. Slept most of the day.

Tuesday July 18th: 24 hours On Call. Numerous life and death emergency situations. Adrenaline and caffeine keep me going and going and going....

Wednesday July 19th: After On Call shift ends, head to Conference to lead a 4 hour+ meeting. After lunch, head home to sleep. Later that evening 45 min run and 50 min bike workout.

Thursday July 20th: 8 hours of administrative office work. Afternoon 1 hour swim, 30 min bike, and 30 min run workout.

Friday July 21st: 10 hours of pediatric cases in the OR. "Rest Day" before Ironteam Saturday session.

Saturday July 22nd: Ironteam workout in Santa Monica: 3 hour Amalfi loop: Bike-Run-Bike-Run....repeat over and over. Rest and recuperate the rest of the afternoon.

Today Sunday July 23rd: 24 hours On Call ( again!!!)

10 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Wildflower Long Course Triathlon Finisher

2010-05-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Last year I withdrew from the Wildflower Long Course Triathlon because of a torn ACL and MCL in my R knee. Psychologically, I was so depressed. I feared that I may never approach the same level of fitness again. My dreams of running in the Boston Marathon and the Ironman Triathlon seemed to have gone up in smoke.

In July 2009, I finally had surgery on my Right ACL using my own hamstring tendon as a graft to replace the torn ACL. The first few months were again painful physically and psychologically. Over the summer, I watched runners outside my window and I felt so envious. Before the injury I took running for granted. Running was something natural and effortless. Now after surgery, walking was difficult and my Right leg muscles were atrophied. I literally had to slap my quads to activate them and force them to contract.

After the go-ahead to start low impact exercises, I proceeded with stationary bike, then the pool and the elliptical. I then progressed to walking and finally slow jogging on the treadmill. Missing the Vineman Triathlon in August was tough, but I continued with rehab and by mid-October, I had finished the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. In November, I jogged the RnR San Antonio Marathon. I met a TnT triathlete from the San Francisco Ironteam: Erin and we ran together for a while in San Antonio. If you read my earlier blog posts you will see that I continued with RnR Las Vegas Half Marathon and then the RnR Arizona 50K ( 31 miles).

While I was getting my running fix, I also rejoined the Ironteam Greater L.A. to accomplish what I had started out to do a year earlier: compete at Wildflower and later the Ironman. With the support of former Iron-teammates, mentors, and Coaches Paul and Rad, I slowly regained my triathlon fitness. I made improvements in the swim and also the bike. The run was the last thing to come back. I could walk / jog, but real fast running was difficult. My hamstrings would start to fatigue and get sore first, then later my Right knee would start to ache.

Going into Wildflower 2010, I had a gimpy Right knee that I wasn't sure was going to hold up and I had a sore left shoulder, probably from swimming. But I was just so glad to be finally at Lake San Antonio. I knew I was going to do this. My goal was just to finish, but in the back of my mind I estimated a finish time of 7 hrs and 30 min.

I had a great drive up with Arkady, who gave me some advice and words of encouragement. The TnT inspirational dinner was inspiring. I met Erin again from the SF Ironteam and she remembered me from our run in San Antonio. What a small world! The night before the race, I pumped my tires and the front tire blew out. I quickly changed it and Coach Paul pumped it back up for me and told me to go to bed.

Finally Race Morning arrived: I set up my transition area, took care of business at the Port-a-Potty, checked out the swim course as the elites went off, revisited the Potty, then finally got in my wetsuit. I thought I sprayed my anti-chaf lubricant on all the vital spots, but somehow I missed my Right underarm. This proved to be a painful mistake since I wear the sleeveless wetsuit and the rubber burn in my Right armpit bothered me all through the rest of the day ( and even now as I type this up.) I approached the swim launch area and wished many of my teammates well. As I waited for my wave to finally go off, Coach Paul asked me how I was doing. I told him I was nervous and had butterflies in my stomach. Coach told me, "You're just going swimming in a lake, it's not like they're gonna shoot you or anything." That calmed me down. The swim went really well and I kept telling myself I'm just having a nice swim in a cool refreshing lake. I tried not to let the other swimmers around me, slapping me in the feet and legs bother me. I took it one buoy at a time, reached the turnaround, and started swimming for home. It was then that I had my first major obstacle of the day, a swimmer ahead kicked me in the right eye/ goggle. That stunned me a little. I tried to readjust the goggle and water got in. Now I could only see clearly through my left eye. When I tried to adjust the goggle, I think it messed up my rhythm and I swallowed some water and started coughing. I could feel the panic level starting to rise. I told myself to relax, ignore the goggle issue and just finish the swim. I had a more difficult time sighting, but eventually I finished. Time was about 47 minutes and this was about what I expected.

I took a little longer at the transition about 8 minutes. I remember putting on my cycling gloves and realizing I forgot sunblock, so I took off the gloves, applied the sunblock and then putting on the gloves again. I also remember struggling to put on my knee high socks and debating whether to skip the socks on the ride. But I thought taking an extra minute to put on the socks will pay dividends down the line during the ride and the run to delay leg fatigue.

I went out on the ride and initially a lot of people passed me. I remember what Coach Paul said about the race starting at mile 42 and it was all about getting to that point before really starting the race. So I rode conservatively and let the race come to me. My second and third obstacles occurred early in the ride, one of my water bottles popped out and one of my 3 energy bars popped out of my bento box. It turned out OK as I was able to replace a water bottle at an aid station. And the 2 energy bars were enough for the ride.

I saw many Ironteammates during the ride, some passed me and I passed others, but I was always encouraged by them and the chants of "Go Team". Gradually I increased my bike intensity. I hit Nasty Grade, but didn't realize I was on Nasty until I was already halfway up. I kept telling myself to keep a nice easy and consistent rhythm. I didn't want to go out too hard and not have enough left for Nasty. Well before I knew it I was up Nasty and had plenty of energy, so I made the turn and charged up the next incline. Finally, I let loose on the downhills and the flats in the remainder of the bike course. I finished in about 3 hrs and 35 min. ( about 25 min better than I expected)

I reapplied sunblock and got in my running gear with my racebelt and off I went: 4 min transition. But I forgot my nutrition for the run. Now I got worried. I was already short 1 energy bar on the bike ride, and I needed to get to an Aid station with Gel and I wasn't sure when that would be. I prayed that I could avoid the Bonk. I also saw Sara Tung starting to cramp and struggle with running. My legs didn't feel much better during those first few miles with all those hills. I kept thinking this is cruel, whoever designed this run course was real cruel. It was starting to get hot, and I tried to run in the shade when possible. I passed a few more teammates during the run including Chris Trent and Gordie. I saw Gordie limping and he informed me that he twisted an ankle. I tried to encourage him and then I continued.

During the run, I ran much of it with a TnT participant from N.Y., I never caught her name, but we passed each other several times throughout the run. I finally got to mile 6 for some much needed gel. By this time, I was drinking 2 cups of water and pouring 1 cup down my hat or my shirt at each water station. I remember seeing many teammates in the pit. I saw Carlos, Bobby Endo, on the way back Sara, Efren, Rachel Chai, and others. Finally I ran down Lynch hill faster than I have since my injury and subsequent surgery. I manage to pass Bobby Endo at this point and he said I was running great. I ran through the chute like a madman. I saw that the runner in the chute ahead of me was in my age group, so naturally my competitive juices came out and I knew I had to finish ahead of him. I finished the run in 2 hours 26 min. Total time for 70.3 miles was 7 hours and 2 minutes.

I was so happy to see my Ironteammates at the finish cheering for me. That was the best feeling in the world. The hugs, handshakes, slaps on the back.... these memories I will always cherish. Then being on the receiving line to welcome back other teammates as they finished was just as rewarding. It was only afterwards that I realized that some of the teammates at the finish line greeting us, did not get to finish their race. I am so proud of them for giving their all and then being there for the rest of us as we finished our races. Way to go Ironteam. This is what the Ironteam family is all about.

Pre Wildflower Triathlon Ironteam Workout: Santa Monica / Venice Beach

2010-04-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

We had one final run between Santa Monica and Venice Beach last Saturday. That was followed by a great potluck. The group photo only includes those that stuck around to the end of the potluck.

We were also rewarded with a complimentary massage after the run. That's me enjoying a good stretch.

Now it's time to get all the gear in order and start packing for a camping and triathlon adventure known as Wildflower.

Taper Time for Wildflower Triathlon

2010-04-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had an open water swim followed by a easy 3 hour bike ride.

Now as we go into our taper, it is time to reflect on how far each of us on the Ironteam has come this year. At times it was a struggle, like climbing a "nasty grade".

Sometimes the buoys seem so far away, and we just have to persist and endure. Stroke after stroke, until we are finally out of the water.

Running has not been easy this year since my ACL reconstruction. But I'm making progress. I don't think I will be running as fast as I did last year at Wildflower training weekend. But I know that I am a better swimmer and probably a better cyclist since last year. So it kind of balances out.

During the taper it is a struggle to stay healthy. I've already had several days of being under the weather with a stomach virus. After my Sunday "easy run" of 13 miles, I had the chills. Hopefully I'm getting all of this out of my system, so that next week I'll be 100% for Wildflower.

Wow, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run! I can't believe I'm finally gonna do this thing. Because of my ACL injury I had to delay this a year, but now I'm only about 10 days away from completing a half Ironman distance triathlon.

Again I couldn't have made my comeback without my excellent Orthopedic Surgeon, my demanding Physical Therapist, and my Team in Training Coaches. Thanks to all.

1 Year after ACL tear

2010-04-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

It was exactly 1 year ago that I tore my ACL skiing ( falling actually) in Calgary / Banff. It was a very traumatic and emotional time for me. Here is an excerpt from my blog last year:

"It's hard adjusting to the transition from training so hard for Wildflower ( I completed the swim, bike, and run workouts in Canada at high altitude and even ran 14 miles in 2 hours the day before the accident) And now being on bedrest with my foot elevated and an ice pack on my knee!"

"I'm pretty depressed. I always took running for granted. It was so effortless, unless I was pushing 7 min/ miles. Now a fear I have is that I won't get back to my previous running form with a bum knee. I still dream of becoming an Ironman. I still dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon someday. Hopefully with the support of family, friends, coaches, and teammates, my dreams will still be realized one day."

The support of my friends, teammates, and family got me through this rough patch. Here is some excerpts from comments on my blog:

"I know you will come back stronger than ever. This is how we roll. Rest up and I'll see you soon." Louis
"You're on the right track Alex. Rest and let your body do what it does best, heal!! You'll be back in no time. Please update me of your progress." Arkady
"ALEX...I just heard about your accident this weekend from Edmund. I am so sorry to hear about your ski accident. I wish you a speedy and smoooooooth recovery. I hope the injury does not involve the ACL and we can see you back on the course soon. It is these difficult times that will make us stronger Alex. I know you will come back better than ever." Carlos Pineda

This year I took Spring Break near Vancouver. Seeing the snow capped mountains around Vancouver and Mt. Baker in NW Washington State gave me the desire to go skiing again. I did not ski. Instead I ran 5 to 12 miles almost everyday. Running is coming more easily now. Yesterday I ran about 2 hours along the coast and along some country roads in NW Washington State. Today, back in So. Cal. I got back on my bike for a nice ride in P.V. I didn't swim very much, but I figure I needed to rest my shoulder. Now with Wildflower coming up in 3 weeks, I'll need to crank up the swimming. I feel that I'm in pretty good cycling and running shape now for Wildflower. Am I back to the shape I was in last year? No, from the running standpoint. Pretty close from the cycling standpoint and I'm definitely a faster swimmer and a more confident one in the open water.

9 months Post ACL Reconstruction--- 3:2 brick

2010-04-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

9 months later and my knee is holding up fine. I don't wear the brace anymore when running. This past Saturday our Ironteam was up in Malibu at Zuma beach for a 3 hour bike : 2 hour run workout. Oh what fun. Especially compared to the "toughest" workout ever the weekend before.
Malibu is gorgeous. The ride was a picture perfect one. I felt like I was in a postcard or a commercial for the Southern California Tourism Office. I even saw a group of dolphins. I had the song "California Dreaming" running around in my head.

What was better than the ride was the run on the beach. Yes, I spent most of the 2 hour run on sand. I probably ended up running close to 12 miles at very close to my marathon pace. It was a very encouraging sign. I wear compression socks to help with combating fatigue and aid in post workout recovery. I think it helps.
During the run I ran past a wedding ceremony on the beach, surfers, paddle boarders, families, teenagers on spring break, walkers with their dogs, and fishing boats. However I think I was the only one actually running on the beach! I must have made quite a sight running like I was racing or like someone was chasing me.
Now is a week of Spring Break. I will update soon with a report on my Spring Break and reflect back on the upcoming 1 year anniversary of tearing my ACL and MCL.

My toughest Workout Ever!!! Piuma

2010-03-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I rode from Calabasas up and over the Santa Monica Mountains via Piuma and Schueren then Stunt and Mulholland. This is known as the Piuma Hill Climb: over 2200 feet of climbing over 8 miles. This is tough enough dealing with the climb, but we had very strong winds. Headwinds made for a real slow climb, then the crosswinds and tailwinds made for extremely hazardous conditions. I thought that I might get blown over several times. Then throw in the recreational race car drivers in their BMWs, Infiniti Gs, Mercedes, Land Rovers, Ferraris, etc... You get the picture. Zoom Zoom Zoom right next to us cyclists trying to avoid the wind blowing us into traffic. Throw in the dust / dirt in the eyes and its a miracle I survived.
One loop was not enough; our coaches made us do 2 loops to make a 60 mile ride. All this over a little under 5 hours. Cruel, very cruel. Thanks Coach Paul and Coach Rad. My friend Louis was not present to take pictures, otherwise I would have some to post here. He was smart, he did the easy Ironman California 70.3 in Oceanside. A day at the beach, compared to the harrowing climb I had in the Santa Monica Mountains and Canyons.
The psychological battle was tougher than the physical, but the physical was mighty tough. I have an aching back and butt to prove it. The thought of "quitting" or cutting the course short, or only doing 1 loop crept in my mind. I knew I had to throw out these negative thoughts, and just concentrate on one small section at a time. I know that this experience will help me on race day especially in the Ironman. Heck, Wildflower Long Course is easy compared to Piuma.
Oh yeah, 15 minute run off the bike. Thanks again Coaches. Actually it was a pleasure to get off the bike and be on solid ground again.
Afterwards I was very proud of surviving my toughest workout ever. I consider myself lucky to live in So Cal and be able to enjoy the wonderful weather and recreational opportunities that we have. Viva la Vida

Mulholland Highway

2010-03-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me and a couple of my Ironteammates from Kaiser Permanente. The three of us all work for Kaiser Permanente and are proud to represent Kaiser's Thrive campaign. We believe that healthy eating and physical activity are an integral part of combating obesity and the many chronic medical conditions that result from it. We also believe in promoting this healthy lifestyle at home, at work, and in our communities.
The three of us also believe in focusing our energy towards a noble cause and a common goal. In this case we are all raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to promote research towards a cure for these cancers. We have devoted ourselves since last November towards training for an Ironman triathlon. Yes 140.6 miles.
Last Saturday we rode almost 56 miles from Pepperdine University in Malibu, over the Santa Monica Mountains and back. It took me a little under 4 hours, but it was a very hilly ride. Off the bike, we had a quick 15 minute run around the Pepperdine U. campus. It was a beautiful day. Cool in the morning, but heating up quickly during our climb up the mountains. I felt a sense of satisfaction after the workout, especially since I had worked a 24 hour shift at the hospital and came directly from the hospital to the workout. I was seeing my last patient at 6am, and by 8am I was riding my Cervelo with the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Santa Monica Mountains on the other. Can't beat that! ( Well actually, sleeping in my own bed prior to the 4 hour+ workout would have been better.)
This Saturday we will tackle the Santa Monica Mountains again. This time we will start from Calabasas and I will not be working a 24 hour shift before my workout.

8 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Desert Triathlon

2010-03-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well 8 months later, I'm back to Triathlons!!! Yeah! I competed in the Desert Tri in La Quinta, CA last Sunday. This was an International Distance Tri consisting of a 0.75 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and 6 mile run. The swim was awesome. I felt so comfortable; unlike last year when I thought I might drown and felt like I couldn't breathe in my wetsuit. This time after a bunch of open water swims under my belt, the long hours in the pool this past year, and a new sleeveless wetsuit, I managed to improve my swim time by about 15 minutes.
My bike time was about the same as last year. However this year it was raining and windy. Last year was sunny with clear skies. Also my legs were more tired going into the bike, mainly because we had a 3.5 hour bike ride under windy conditions the day before.
Now for the run... Last year I ran 8 min-miles, this year 10 min-miles. Yikes! That meant that I gave up almost all the time that I had gained earlier in the swim. The net result was that I beat last year's time by less than 2 minutes. Well a PR is still a PR.

My run was hampered by "dead" legs that just did not want to go any faster. On fresh legs in the gym ( treadmill) I can run 8 min-miles, but due to some lingering Right hamstring weakness from my hamstring graft, my Right leg gets fatigued more easily and I cannot sustain a faster pace for a longer period.

As you can tell by reading my earlier posts, I have already completed a half marathon, 2 full marathons, and an Ultra marathon of 50K since my surgery last July. I can handle these "slow" long runs. I just need more time to get the speed back for the shorter distance races.

My next objective is the Wildflower Triathlon on May 1st. That will be a Half Ironman Distance Tri. I have 2 months of training with the Ironteam to get ready.

Malibu: Joie de Vivre

2010-02-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

After a rainy Friday night, Saturday was a perfectly clear So Cal February morning. Ironteam met at Zuma Beach in Malibu for a 2 hour bike: 1 hour run, brick workout. I enjoyed the beautiful coastline during the ride. It was so pleasant that it didn't even seem like a workout. I pushed hard during the second hour of the ride and started to feel like I was finally getting back to pre-ACL injury cycling shape.

Off the bike we ran on the path along the beach. The first 15 minutes my legs felt heavy and sluggish. I probably pushed too hard during the bike ride. I ended up jogging this portion of the run. Finally the legs recovered and I started to run at a good clip. I took a slight detour to run up a trail and then on the return I ran on the beach. Running on sand provides a more strenous workout for the calves. I managed to dodge all but one wave; that wave got my shoes and socks wet. But it was worth it. Nothing adds joie de vivre like running on a beach, dodging the waves, under a clear sunny sky. Try it. I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

Farewell Renee

2010-02-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I heard the news that our Ironteammate Jame's friend Renee Benson passed away on Monday. She fought the long fight against Cancer. Eventually Cancer won the earthly battle. However I do believe that Renee is in a better place now. A place filled with LOVE.

King James Bible

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Check out the link below for more on Renee's long battle.
http://reneebensonbelieve.blogspot.com/

7 months Post ACL Reconstruction

2010-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings. Seven months post ACL reconstruction and I'm doing fine. I've been running, biking, and swimming as I get ready for Desert Tri next month, Wildflower in May, and Ironman Louisville in August.
I had my follow up visit with my Ortho Doc last week and got great news that my knee is completely stable. So the ACL reconstruction was a success. I informed him that I'm frustrated that my R hamstring is still weaker than the Left and I have difficulty with pylometrics. But he reassured me that I'm way ahead of the curve in terms of my recovery: 1 half marathon, 2 full marathons, and 1 Ultra marathon post ACL reconstruction.
My swimming is coming along. I have the aerobic fitness so I can swim "all day". The encouraging part is that I'm swimming faster as well. I guess I'm starting to adapt to the water and swimming more efficiently.

The Ironteam Saturday bike rides are great. 2 weekends ago we rode the Palos Verdes loop. Since this is my home course, I really enjoyed it. I love the hills. Yes hills!!! Beautiful sights around every bend. Above is a picture overlooking the Trump golf course. Last weekend we did the Amalfi loop in Brentwood/ Santa Monica. After each cycling loop, we transitioned into a 1 to 2 mile run, then repeated this 3 times.

I'm still working my way into cycling shape, but I'm pleased with my progress. I managed to drop 4 of the 5 pounds I gained over the holidays. I'm still about 5 pounds heavier than last season, but I feel that I probably picked up some muscle weight from the increased emphasis I've placed on strength training during my rehab. On Sunday, in addition to swimming 1.2 miles, I ran 2 miles on the treadmill in my Vibram FiveFingers barefoot running shoes. I reached a max speed of 9mph on 2% grade. Stay tuned for a future post about barefoot running and the Vibram FiveFingers.

My first Ultra-Marathon

2010-01-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Well I've had a few days to reflect upon my first Ultra Marathon. Last Sunday, I ran the Dean Karnazes Rock N Roll Ultra 50K in Phoenix, Arizona. That's 31 miles. I ran the first 4.8 miles on a looped course an hour before the marathon start. My time was 44 min and 10 sec for this portion. Then we joined the RnR AZ marathon course and completed the remaining 26.2 miles. My total time was 5 hrs 49 min and 33 sec. I was #123 out of 148 finishers. Not a fast time by any means, but it was a mental and physical challenge that I had to overcome. I succeeded and this will serve me well come Ironman Race Day.
The challenge was to stay positive when the remaining miles to cover seem so large. For example at the mile 10 Marathon marker, I had already run almost 15 miles and I still had another 16 to go!!! Eventually, instead of focusing on "Wow this is mile 22..."; I focused on the fact that "I only have 9 more miles to go". So I started the countdown 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and then I was running across the finish line with arms held up high.
The crowd support was great. Especially the Team in Training supporters. I had a couple Team in Training coaches check on me and even run a short while with me. That's because my right leg started to ache and I was favoring that leg and had a slight gimp to my gait. They wanted to make sure that I was OK and they gave me encouragement and inspiration. The Team is great... coaches, mentors, your fellow teammates. I'm sure my Ironman Race will be a similar experience.
When I was finished, I had access to the VIP tent, but I was so tired that I just wanted to get out of there ASAP, go back to the hotel, take a bath, eat, and sleep. I told myself that this would be my first and last Ultra. 26.2 miles is enough for me.
Yesterday I worked out on the elliptical and stationary bike at the gym. Its been raining cats, dogs, pigs, and cows here in So Cal. I'll try to get my swim session in later. We have a bike workout Saturday. I hope the roads are dry by then.
After a few days to reflect back on the Ultra, I'm thinking who knows, perhaps there is a trail Ultra in my future... Stay tuned.

Westlake Village Brick

2010-01-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

Well it was back to Westlake Village for a 30 mile ride with our Ironteam yesterday. I definitely see an improvement from my first time on this route last year. I remember the hills seemed almost impossible at that time. It took a lot of "coaching" from Coach Paul to get me to the top of the hill. I remember bobbing up and down on the bike and Coach Paul telling me to keep my upper body level and to minimize the wasted effort of moving my upper body on the bike. This time around I cruised up the hills by spinning and trying to minimize any wasted movements. I also tried to be aerodynamic during the flats and downhill sections.

After the ride, I ran for 20 minutes. ( Coach said 10 min, but that was too short for me.) Then while waiting for the rest of my Ironteammates to come in from their ride, I worked on my pylometrics. Jumping up and down and hopping on one leg. Some of my teammates were wondering what the heck I was up to! We cheered on the last few riders as they came in. The last rider looked beat, so in addition to cheering her on, I decided to run with her for her 10 min run. I figure its no fun coming in last and running by yourself.

I didn't realize what a workout that was until today. I'm on call 24 at the hospital. We had a hip fracture on a 99 y.o., a Whipple, and a uroseptic patient on maximal doses of triple pressors! Up in OB land it was relatively quiet with just one C-section so far. But my back is feeling the effects of yesterday's ride and my operated knee is sore today perhaps from the running, but more likely from the pylometric exercises. I had to break out the Tiger Balm today. Tomorrow I was planning on a quick swim followed by a 6 mile run. Hopefully my leg will cooperate. Otherwise I might replace the run with 6 miles on the elliptical.

6 months Post ACL Reconstruction

2010-01-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Well its been 6 months since my surgery. The first month was physically and psychologically the toughest. While my Ironteammates were competing at Vineman, I was on crutches and looking out the window envious of the joggers going by.
The next couple months was about learning to walk again. Finally getting the go ahead to start jogging in October and "walk-jog" the Nike Women's Marathon in SF which was one of my proudest accomplishments.
November brought on a new season of the Ironteam. It was exciting to meet my old teammates who were now mentors and to meet the "newbies". November brought another medical adventure when I had to help a runner who had collapsed and cracked his skull at mile 24 of the RnR San Antonio marathon.
I caught a cold and spent the first couple weeks of December recuperating, but I did sneak in a trip to Vegas for the RnR Las Vegas Half Marathon. Finally the last couple weeks, I have been concentrating on biking and running faster, as well as spending more time at the gym with strengthening my hamstrings and working on pylometrics. I have been neglecting my swim sessions, but I plan to renew my emphasis on the swim now that 2010 is here. I'm glad I have 8 more months of Ironteam training to get ready for Ironman Louisville.

25 Weeks Post ACL Reconstruction

2009-12-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

An update on a recent Physical Therapy appointment I had:

ROM: Excellent. Full range of motion.
Pylometrics: Poor.

Pylometrics: a type of exercise using explosive movements to develop muscular power, esp. bounding, hopping, and jumping.

My hopping and jumping on the operative leg is only 30 to 50% of my good leg. I really haven't been working on pylometrics. Instead I've been so eager to get back to marathons and triathlons that I've pretty much ignored it. I thought that running would be good enough. WRONG!!!

I will need to incorporate this into my workouts. Without adequate muscular strength in the hamstrings and buttocks, I will be putting more stress on the knee joint. Although I have enough strength for "slow" marathon running and biking, I definitely do not have the strength for high impact sports such as basketball, football, soccer, skiing, etc... I will have to put aside any plans of skiing or pick-up basketball until late 2010 or 2011.

Rose Bowl Bike and Run

2009-12-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

A great Ironteam workout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena yesterday. We had a bike flat tire changing session followed by numerous loops around the Rose Bowl. We probably biked for about 90 minutes. Afterwards I ran one loop around the Rose Bowl about 3 miles. My legs felt heavy and lethargic initially. It got a little better as I continued on with my run.

After the workout, our Team met at a pizza shop for a teammate's fundraiser. Donations were collected at the door and 15% of our bill was donated to the LLS as well. There was even a raffle held as well. I won a couple water bottles. We gathered around the big screen TVs and watched the 2009 Vineman Tri that many of my teammates and mentors participated in. Then we watched the 2009 Kona Ironman World Championships. It was quite emotional to see our honored Teammate Kyle miss the swim cutoff by 7 seconds. His 2009 Ironman dreams ended there. But he will be back next year!

By the time I got home later that afternoon, I was tired. I watched some college football bowl games, had dinner, and went to bed. Now is another 24 at the hospital.

5 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Las Vegas Half and Big Bear Trekking in the Snow

2009-12-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

I caught a cold over Thanksgiving. This put a major damper on my Ironman training. I even considered withdrawing from last weekend's Las Vegas Marathon. Since I had committed to go to Vegas with a friend and I had volunteered for the Kids Run, I decided to go to Vegas. I started feeling a little better by Friday, so I decided to run just the Half marathon. The Kids Run on Saturday was COLD!!! Standing around with Temp in 30's and 40's was no fun. But I'm glad the Kids had fun with their run. The joy and sense of accomplishment on their faces match those that I see among my fellow runners at the end of their Half and Full Marathons. Unfortunately, standing in the cold, passing out goody bags and medals to the kids for 3 hours made me feel worse. I was coughing more afterwards.

The next day the Half Marathon started at 6:15 from Mandalay Bay Hotel/ Casino. I was in wave 18 or 19 with the 2:30 pace group, so we didn't cross the start line until about 6:40 Race morning was cold, temp in high 30's. I wore a cashmere sweater for the first 3 miles. I finally started warming up, and ran the remainder of the race in a long sleeve tech shirt and my new pair of 2XU compression tights that I bought at the Expo. I had only brought my regular running shorts to Vegas, but the cold weather convinced me to splurge over 100 bucks on these 2XU tights. I really enjoyed running in them. I felt that extra support for my knee ( I wore my knee brace as well). And I ran faster than I had planned. I finished in just under 2:15 Highlights of the race include running down LV Blvd/ the Strip with the lights and seeing the race on many of the big screens in front of the casinos, having a full cup of beer as we past a bar near downtown, joining the Half Marathoners instead of continuing with the Full Marathoners at the split around mile 10, the last mile lined with supporters, taking a photo with a Showgirl at the finish, and the PF Chang brunch at the finish.

Then it was a drive back to LA with my friend and when I arrived home I had to pack for a snowy week in Big Bear for my son's Outdoor Science School. I was a cabin leader for a group of 8 boys. We drove up on Monday in a snowstorm. By the time we arrived, it was Blizzard conditions. The snow came sideways into the face and eyes. I wished I brought my ski goggles, snow pants, and snow boots. Instead I had a ski jacket, jeans, and waterproof hiking boots. Fortunately the rest of the week we had clear conditions. During the day I went along with the kids trekking in the snow, as they learned about plant and animal life, ecology, and geology. At night I especially enjoyed the night hike and star-gazing. One night the kids had a dance and that was fun as well. I even cross-dressed and wore a dress; the kids loved my outfit. Managing a group of boys was pretty stressful because they were on the verge of getting into major trouble and it was a challenge to keep the boys from going at each other. Maintaining discipline is tough. I allowed a little horseplay as long as it didn't get out of hand. The best news was that an incoming storm system forced us to leave a day early. Otherwise we might have been stuck on the mountain through the weekend. That allowed me a day of rest prior to my 24 hour shift today at the hospital.

My knee is doing fine. I even ran in the snow during the week without my knee brace. My LV pace of about 10 min-miles is good. If I can run the full marathon at that pace in Arizona next month, I will be very happy.

Rock n Roll San Antonio: First Aid to Collapsed Runner

2009-11-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well another marathon completed and only 4.5 months since my ACL reconstruction. Race day was warm and humid. Temp started at 65 and went up to mid 70's. Humidity was 92%. By mile 17 the humidity took its toll on me. I was running with the 5 hr pace group until that point, but I had to slow down and take more walk breaks after mile 17. Still I was on pace for probably a 5 hr 5min finish. Then at mile 24, I saw a down runner and people calling for a doctor. I ran over to the collapsed runner and immediately started to provide first aid. There were 2 other runners with a medical background who had stopped to provide assistance. It turns out one was also an Anesthesiologist like myself and the other a OB nurse. Fortunately the collapsed runner had a pulse and was breathing. Unfortunately there was a pool of blood on the asphalt surrounding his head. Blood was coming out of his Left eardrum. That's bad news. I knew that he probably fractured his skull and possibly an intracranial bleed. We checked his pupils and they appeared to be equal. A bystander attempted to call family members while we waited for the paramedics. I put the runner's jacket under his head and tried to tamponade the bleeding. By this time the collapsed runner was starting to moan and was moving his extremities. We tried to ask him questions, but he was not coherent. I encouraged him to take deep breaths, stay still, and told him the ambulance was on its way.

It always seems to take forever the waiting... Finally the paramedics arrived, we gave them our report of what happened. Then the three of us who had stopped to provide first aid continued our marathon. I felt an adrenaline rush and ran the last 2 miles with renewed vigor. As I approached the finish, the cheering crowds, the "Go Team" chants from the Team in Training coaches and supporters inspired me across the finish line.
I finished in 5hr 12m 57sec

4 Months Post ACL Reconstruction: A New Season

2009-11-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

My rehab is coming along well. I am currently tapering for the Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon on November 15th. Last night I ran a 4 miler. I started out jogging, but by the end I was probably at a 8 min/mile pace. I don't want to push too hard too long, so for my upcoming marathon my goal is 5 hours.

The big news this week is that I went to my first official Ironteam function of the new season. I met many of my former teammates who are now mentors or captains. I also met some of my new Iron-teammates for this season. I felt like the old veteran on the team facing a new group of rookies. I tried to help out with giving them tips on fundraising since that is a big concern for many of them.

The other big news this week is that I decided to switch from Vineman to Ironman Louisville. I figure if I'm going 140.6 miles, I might as well do it at an official "Ironman" race. L'ville is on August 29, 2010. That means an extra month of training with the wonderful coaches and support staff on the Greater L.A. Ironteam. I know that with their support and the support of my family, friends, and co-workers I can do this. I will be an Ironman !!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/louisir10/neomedic

16 Weeks After ACL Reconstruction: Nike Marathon Finisher

2009-10-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

I did it! Less than 16 weeks after ACL Reconstruction and Meniscal Repair, I ran a marathon. Yes, 26.2 miles in 5:22:06 I walked/ jogged the first 12 miles or so with my sister, who was competing in her first half marathon. Then as the full and half marathon courses separated, I said goodbye to my sis and continued onwards for 14 more miles. It was a big psychological challenge. I had to rely on will-power, determination, and faith to overcome the physical and psychological obstacles I encountered during these long miles. Remembering "Team in Training", my supporters, family, friends, co-workers helped. I dedicated these last 14 miles to my niece, Lizzy, who died earlier this year. Her memory also helped me overcome the challenges I faced. I knew that what I had to endure on race day was temporary. Unlike those battling Leukemia, Lymphoma, and other cancers, my trials and tribulations would end after a few hours. The survivors and those currently battling cancer are the real Heroes!

I was sore for a day or two, but now I've recovered and I'm already looking forward to the Rock n Roll San Antonio marathon next month.

3.5 months Post ACL Reconstruction: Nike Marathon Weekend

2009-10-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's finally here. Sunday will be the Nike Women's Marathon. When I signed up for the random drawing in March, I convinced my sister and her girlfriends to enter the draw with me and if chosen they would be running their first half or full marathon on Oct 18, 2009. Well, we got chosen. From that group, I know one girl had to withdraw due to medical issues. I was not sure that I would be participating so soon after ACL reconstruction.

But I used this as a target date, a goal to shoot for during my rehab. I trained hard to maintain my cardiovascular fitness by swimming, biking, and later the elliptical machine. When I could, I started walking from a couple miles at first to over 18 miles by mid September. When I got the go ahead to run a couple weeks ago, I started by jogging at 13 to 15 min/ mile pace. This week I ran at 8 to 12 min/ mile pace for over an hour on the treadmill. I have also been on the roads training, my last long run-walk 12 days ago was a 20 miler. I have been working on my hamstring curls to regain strength in my hammies. Although I'm no where near 100%, I am ready to at least walk a half marathon and if my leg holds up run or jog the remaining miles of the full marathon. My goal is to finish before the 6.5 hour marathon cutoff.

I will be flying out to SFO tomorrow and hit the Expo at Union Square. Then its home to the Eastbay and get together with my sister and my parents. Sunday morning I will walk the first 12 miles with my sister. At this point the Half marathoners will head for the finish, while the Full marathoners continue through Golden Gate Park and then out to Lake Merced, before returning for the finish along the Great Highway. If I can get to mile 12 in 3.5 hours, I hope to run the next 14 miles in under 3 hours.

3 months Post ACL surgery

2009-10-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've formally enrolled for the 2010 Ironteam. I will be competing in the Wildflower Long Course Tri and the Full Vineman Ironman distance Tri. I will once again raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My fundraising website is set up and I've got my first few donations already. Thank-you to my donors. 75% of the funds I raised last season will also roll-over, so thanks again to my past donors. Please make a donation if you are able to. The LLS is a worthwhile organization that is making a real difference in the lives of people dealing with Leukemia and Lymphoma. This year I'm dedicating my Ironman training to my niece, Elizabeth who passed away earlier this year. She was only 16. I will swim, bike, and run in her memory.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/VineFIrn10/neomedic

My PT and rehab is coming along well. I've been doing a lot of walking and crosstraining on the elliptical and stationary bike. I walked 18 miles 2 weekends ago! Yesterday I saw my ortho doc who gave me the green light to start running again. My ortho doc wants me to start with treadmill. I hate treadmill. Too boring. So I've started with jogging along the dirt paths in P.V. The paths are level and provide a softer surface than asphalt or concrete. I also walk and jog with my Vibram 5 finger shoes. These shoes simulate barefoot running. They provide a layer of protection for the soles of the feet without all the heavy support and cushioning devices found in the typical running shoe. The idea is to develop one's own intrinsic foot muscles. I also have better proprioception and tactile sensation with the ground. This is especially important since I lost some of that after my ACL surgery.

Check out their website: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

I will be walking the Nike Half Marathon in SF in 2 weeks with my sister, Cindy. This will be her first half marathon. She will be joined by some of her girlfriends. I'm looking forward to seeing the big Team in Training contingent at the race. I will be wearing my Ironteam tri-top.

Then in mid November, I will be walk/ running the RnR San Antonio Marathon. By that time, I will be 4.5 months after my surgery. I will be walk/ jogging a 20 miler this Sunday as a training run. Prior to my 3 week taper period, I will get another 20 miler in after the Nike SF race.

Weeks 10 and 11 Post ACL Reconstruction

2009-09-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, lots of progress, with a few setbacks. PT is going well. My therapist helped me get that last few degrees of flexion. So for the first time since my injury in April, I can actually kneel down completely on my knees now. While standing, I can lift my leg back and put the heel to the butt. Extension is pretty close to my "normal", just a slight difference. My quads are strong and muscle tone is coming back. My calf is coming back. However my hamstrings are still pretty meager. I need to work on my lunges with the elastic band and perhaps more work on the elliptical targeting the hammies. My therapist also wants me to start working on agility and she has me jumping side to side, from one leg to the other and back.
In terms of marathon training. I did a 16 miler ( walk, fast-walk). That went fine. Then a few days later, I tweaked my knee going downhill ( walking) during a 7 miler. I have slight anterior knee pain. I've been resting the last couple days. Perhaps I'll spend more time on the elliptical and in the pool this week.

Weeks 8 and 9 post ACL Reconstruction

2009-09-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies when you're active. I'm back on the road again. I've been busy with work and working out, so I haven't had time to blog.
In week 8, I started swimming laps: 60 to 90 minutes per session. Initially my knee bothered me with kicking, so I concentrated on just pulling water with my arms. Now I'm incorporating a little more kicking, but I'm careful because the ACL graft is still in its most vulnerable state. I also added stair master to my regimen which also includes Versa-climber, elliptical, and stationary bike.

This past weekend, I officially started marathon training. I walked 6 miles on Saturday in 90 degree heat. Yesterday I walked 11 hilly miles in 3 hours in 80 degree heat. Its great to be on the road along my favorite routes. However going so slow was a little frustrating. I'm accustomed to covering 18 to 20 miles in 3 hours. My plan is to walk the Nike "Women's" Half Marathon in October and to Walk/ Jog the full marathon at RnR San Antonio in November.

In terms of PT, I'm now working on balance and strengthening my hips and gluts. I got full extension of my Right knee. However I can hyper-extend my Left "good" knee, and unable to do so with my Right knee. In terms of flexion, I can flex 140 degrees which is considered excellent. However I can flex even more with my good knee, so comparatively I still need to go a little further to recover all of my ROM ( range of motion). These last few degrees may be the difference between just running a marathon or completing an Ironman versus setting new PRs or qualifying for Boston.

7 Weeks (almost) Post ACL Reconstruction

2009-08-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

It was fun and inspiring to see my teammates at Carlos and Marie's Victory Party last Saturday. Everyone looked so good. I usually see my teammates all sweaty in their tri or cycling outfits. It was nice to see everyone all dressed up. The other interesting observation was that one really couldn't tell that these people had completed an Ironman Tri a few weeks earlier. The Ironteam looked like normal people and they blended in with the rest of the crowd at the club. People were so humble with their accomplishment. I was congratulating everyone and told them how they have inspired me for next year. I hope to see many of them again on next year's Ironteam ( which will start in a few months, November!)

Which reminds me, I talked with our Ironteam campaign manager, Rachel. She says that she'll have my fundraising website up by October. So get ready people... I need your support to make this happen: Vineman 2010!!! Again thanks to everyone who supported me this year, the funds I raised went to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and I will be credited with 75% of the funds I raised in 2009 to apply to 2010. Which means my fundraising goal for Vineman 2010 will be about $2500.

In terms of my rehab, I went to a shorter and less bulky knee brace. This makes walking and exercising much less cumbersome. I'm now riding the stationary bike at level 15 to 18, keeping my HR in 150-160's. I also started the elliptical and the "Versa-climber".

6 Weeks Post ACL Surgery

2009-08-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well today is 6 weeks post ACL Reconstruction. I've been busy at work the last 2 weeks, catching up on a lot of admin stuff. Taking care of patients with a leg brace and a crutch has been a challenge as well. Hopefully I didn't freak out my patients. Many asked what happened to me. "Well I tore my ACL skiing, then last month I had surgery..."

The good news is that week by week I'm getting stronger. I finally got rid of the crutch and now I'm concentrating on walking "normally". I still have the leg brace and its bulky. I hope I can get rid of it and go to something less cumbersome soon. I'm also riding the stationary bike for an hour, 5 days a week. The other 2 days, I'm usually too lazy to go to the gym. Life is certainly different than before my injury when I was working out twice a day: swimming, biking, running... Ah, the "Good Ol' Days".

I'm looking forward to attending my former Ironteammates: Carlos and French Marie's Victory Party this Saturday. I hope to see my friends Louis and Edmund there. After training with them for 5 months from Nov to March, then again intermittently from May to June, I feel like they're related to me like distant cousins or something like that.

The Missing Vineman

2009-08-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the day I was supposed to become an Ironman at the Vineman Triathlon. Instead of swimming 2.4miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles, I spent the day riding a stationary bike for 1 hour and following my Ironteammates on the internet as they competed. It was a bittersweet day. I felt happy and proud of my teammates, but I was sad that I wasn't a part of this wonderful experience. I'm determined more than ever to compete next year at Vineman.

My recovery from ACL surgery is coming along slowly. Due to my meniscus injury I was on crutches for the last month. The last few days I finally advanced to walking with only 1 crutch for support. I also finally started biking. The last couple days, I rode a stationary bike for an hour. Afterwards my knee is a little sore, but tolerable. The swelling in my knee is pretty much resolved. My knee is a little stiff in the mornings and I get a little tired at night. I'm looking forwards to walking normally in the near future. Running is still a few months away.

Week 1 ACL Reconstruction

2009-07-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. I had surgery to repair my torn right ACL on July 2nd. I initially injured my knee 3 months ago on a ski trip to Calgary, Canada. That injury forced me to withdraw from the Wildflower Triathlon. I got better from the initial injury and started working out again, but my knee didn't feel entirely stable. So I decided to transfer to next year's Ironteam and proceeded with the surgery.
I got up at 3:30 AM had a cup of black coffee ( clear liquid), went through my pre-race routine (except for the eating part), and left the house at 4:30 AM with my wife and son. I decided to have the surgery at my previous hospital, where I knew the Ortho and Anesthesia docs well. This would also provide some privacy since everyone knows me at my current hospital from the security guards and janitors to the administrators, doctors, and nurses. There was a traffic accident, so we arrived at 5:45 AM. I registered and about 15 min later got called in to the Pre-op Holding room. I changed into a hospital gown, answered some more questions from the pre-op nurse, had an IV placed, and then waited for my friend who I selected to be my Anesthesiologist.
Soon my friend arrived and we discussed the anesthetic plan. I chose to have a continuous femoral nerve catheter placed which would provide me with numbing medicine ( local anesthesia) for about 48 hrs. I would also have a general anesthetic during the surgery, so I can sleep, wake-up and it would be all over.
Then the surgeon arrived and he examined my knee, went over my MRI and knee x-rays, and discussed the surgery. I chose to have a graft taken from my hamstring tendon to use as a replacement for my torn ACL. He reassured me with his expertise and caring bedside manner. He marked my right knee with his initials and then it was showtime.
My friend, the anesthesiologist, gave me an anxiolytic and I only briefly remember being in the OR, my leg twitching as they used an Ultrasound machine and nerve stimulator to place the catheter for the local anesthetic alongside my femoral nerve. He then placed a facemask over my face and had me breathe deeply as I went off to sleep.
The next thing I remember is being in the PACU ( recovery room). I had great nursing care. Saw my wife. Saw my surgeon. He discussed his findings. Apparently I had a meniscal tear, that wasn't present on the initial MRI. He repaired it during the surgery. He hopes that it will be successful, but if not, I may need another surgery for the meniscus. The ACL reconstruction went very well. Most likely I aggravated my meniscus after the initial ski accident, perhaps by returning to running too soon after the injury. If I was in my 20's, the surgeon said the meniscal repair would certainly be a success. However since I am 42, the body does not heal as effectively. I can only pray for healing and hopefully by keeping in shape all these years, my body will respond more like a 20 yo, than a 40 yo.
At home the nerve block provided about 36 hrs of relief, before the medicine in the pump ran out. I removed the catheter. I have been taking oral pain meds since with good relief. As the days go by the pain is more tolerable. I also have a cuff around the knee that attaches to an ice water machine. The machine pumps ice water to the cuff and is very effective in relieving pain and swelling around the knee. I try to keep my feet elevated either sitting or supine to minimize swelling. Swelling = pain!
So one week out of surgery, I'm getting around on crutches with a knee brace, and placing partial weight on my operated leg. I try to do ROM ( range of motion) exercises to prevent my knee from contractures. One problem is my Quads have shut down and I'm trying to wake them back up. I have a follow-up visit with Ortho tomorrow and my first PT ( physical therapy) appointment on Friday.
I have photos on my I-phone, at a later date I will place the photos on this blog.

Last Ironteam Workout

2009-06-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was my final Ironteam workout for this season. My ACL surgery is July 2nd. I will miss the camaraderie. I have serious fitness issues due to missing over 6 weeks of team workouts. I have attended a few select workouts that were less demanding. Last Saturday was one such workout. It consisted of a 4 hr + bike ride followed by a 2 hr run in Griffith Park. I spent more time on the bike 4.5 hrs to ride about 72 miles and then ran about 8 miles in an hour and 20 minutes.

I had trouble keeping pace with my faster teammates, but overall I had a pretty good ride. The run was slower than I would have liked. About 30 min into the run my knee started to ache a little, and by the end I was walking the last 15 minutes or so.

Coach Paul suggested that I postpone the surgery until after Vineman, given my progress with the recovery from my knee injury. I thought about it during my bike ride. I was by myself for most of the ride, so plenty of time to think.

Competing in Vineman would mean cramming the last 2 months worth of training that I missed, into the next month and still taper before race day. It would also mean most likely walking the entire marathon. Instead of shooting for a 13 or 14 hr Ironman, I would be looking at a 16 to 17 hr Ironman. Painful. I'm accustomed to finishing marathons in under 4 hours. It would turn a potential highlight of my life, into possibly the worst experience of my life.

No way. I'll have the surgery and come back a stronger swimmer and cyclist next year. My intial rehab the next 4 months would consist of swimming, cycling, and ellipitical machine. I also plan on working with weights to develop a stronger core which will help me become a stronger runner and triathlete. So even though my knee may never be 100% of my pre- ski accident condition, I'm going to do everything I can in rehab to become stronger all-around.

Barefoot 5K

2009-06-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

I ran the Manhattan Beach 5k yesterday. It's a nice race on the sand. I have to say it's one of my favorite 5Ks. You get the hard core runners, the high school athletes, then the rest of us: Moms, Dads, kids, strollers. So while my Ironteammates rode down towards San Diego for a 100 mile bike ride, I ran my fastest 5K since my knee injury 2 months ago. I averaged 7:35 / mile. Not bad considering the fact that I'm facing reconstructive knee surgery in two and a half weeks. I even came in 10 th place in my division.
Now the bad news is that my right calf started hurting during the last mile. I sucked it up and finished the race, but I was unable to sprint to the finish like I usually do. It definitely wasn't cardiovascular. I felt that if it wasn't for my calf giving out, I probably could have shaved off another minute from my finish time of 23:31
So now I'm on call for 24 hrs at the hospital ( while my teammates are out running 20 miles today!) My calf is still sore and I'm walking with a slight gimp. I've got the Salon Pas applied to the calf today. My aches and pains probably can't compare to those of my teammates after this weekend. ( Bike 100 miles / Run 20 miles)

Barefoot Running Ironteam Style and LA River Ride

2009-06-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had a "fun" workout with the Ironteam. We were doing loops which consisted of a 14 mile ride in Brentwood ( Amalfi / Golf Course Loop) followed by a transition and then a 1 mile run on San Vicente. And then repeating the loop again and again and again...
Although I'm not in shape for a 80 miler, I figured I can do as many loops as possible and then stop when I'm "out of gas". So it was a great opportunity to see my Ironteammates and coaches again.
I knew about the loop bike course ahead of time, but didn't realize we were running right off the bike. I had assumed that we were just biking for 4 or 5 hours and then running for an hour afterwards like our typical brick workouts. So I didn't bring my running shoes!!! (I'm recovering from torn knee ligaments)
So on Saturday, I improvised. I finished the bike section of each loop, took off my bike gear, cycling shoes and socks, then took off barefoot!
Ahh the joy of barefoot running. It was like being a kid again. Fortunately San Vicente Blvd has a large grassy area in the middle dividing the opposing traffic. Running barefoot on grass was enjoyable. Unfortunately crossing the road and the occasional dirt sections were a little bit uncomfortable, especially the fourth time around.
Barefoot running strengthens the foot muscles and uses different muscle groups in the legs and hips such as the calves and hamstrings. It also helps improve coordination and balance. I'm not a stranger to barefoot running since I regularly participate in 5Ks, 2.5 milers, 4 milers, and even 5 mile races held on the beach. I even have a couple age group awards for a 2.5 mile race and a 5 mile race that I ran back to back the same morning last year at Hermosa Beach. In fact I have the Manhattan Beach 5K coming up this upcoming Saturday. Running barefoot on the beach with the waves crashing in is just plain old fashioned fun! I recommend it.
Well going back to the loops... I finished each of the first two loops in an hour ( bike + transition + run). By the third time up Amalfi (hilly), I was tired and had to slow down. ( 1hr 10 min). The fourth time through the loop ( 1hr 10min), the fun was fading fast and the monotony and fatigue was setting in. My legs were starting to ache during the uphill portions of the course. What's worse, the soles of my feet were also starting to hurt. On grass they were fine, but the asphalt / cement sections were starting to take their toll. So after a 4 hour 20 min workout, I called it quits. I stretched during my cool down, said my goodbyes to the coaches, and then headed home for a much needed shower and nap.
On Sunday I participated in the LA River Ride. They offered rides up to 100 miles. I participated in the Family Ride which was only 10 miles. I rode my comfort bike with the cushy seat, wide tires, and upright riding position. It was a relaxing way to recover from the strenuous workout the day before. Afterwards I attended a local carnival and street fair then watched an exciting Lakers game.

The End of Ironman Training 2009

2009-05-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Breaking News: As much as I enjoyed working out with the Ironteam after my injury, I realized that I'm about 2 months behind in fitness compared to my teammates. My peak fitness was 8 weeks ago, the day before my ski injury when I ran 14 miles in under 2 hours at high altitude in Canada. I could confidently tackle hilly 65 mile bike rides. Now a 3 or 4 hour ride would be considered a major success, and my longest run after the injury was the 7 miler I jogged yesterday. As the Ironteam workouts now extend to 85 and 90 miles, I realized that I don't have the confidence to tackle these arduous workouts. It's also been tough to keep up with the swim sessions. Since I won't be competing in Vineman this year, family obligations are now a priority. Work is also a big priority now, since I will be taking a month off in July to recuperate from my ACL surgery. I need to finish up projects and administrative duties prior to my surgery.

So this is the end of my Ironteam training for this season. But I'll be back in 6 months for another Ironteam season. I will definitely miss the friends I made this season; my teammates, mentors, and coaches. I hope to drop in from time to time at the team workouts to encourage my teammates and hopefully draw inspiration from them as I face rehab.

LA Marathon 5K

2009-05-26T08:54:00.001-07:00

I was post-call Memorial Day, but that didn't stop me from participating in the LA Marathon events. I didn't get off my 24 hr shift until 6:30am, too late for the Bike Tour that started at 5am. My knee is not ready for the full marathon, and I'm probably not in marathon shape anyways. So I participated in the 5K. Despite the lack of sleep, I had fun. I had no time goal since I'm injured, but I tried to push myself as much as my knee could handle. I actually jogged! Yes, forwards running and not backwards running. The event was too crowded for backwards running.
The first half mile was packed with walkers, strollers, and even people marching with signs and banners. This is L.A. I saw people of all nationalities, the mentally disabled, the blind, the wheelchair participants, men, women, and children. The water stations were manned with enthusiastic volunteers. This was the best 5K water station I have ever seen. I guess they were set up also for the full marathon, since we ran on the same route as the first few miles of the full marathon.
I have run the LA Marathon the last 2 years. It was hard to miss it this year, but I guess even if I wasn't injured I would have had to skip it since our Ironteam coaches forbade the team from running in the marathon. I recommend the L.A. Marathon to any runners who enjoy the big city experience. The city comes out to support it. Crowds cheer you on as you run through the different ethnic neighborhoods of L.A. It's a great way to get a ground level view of this city and the people that make up this city.
Post-race I took a well deserved nap. Then after a late lunch, I had a short hilly bike ride in P.V. My 5K time was 39min and 14 sec. Not too bad considering I walked the first mile, and then jogged the rest. Better than the 55min 5K in P.V. 3 weeks ago.

Mandeville Canyon Ride

2009-05-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see the Ironteam again. I missed our last couple swim sessions and also our team 90 mile bike ride last Saturday. However yesterday was just like old times ( except for the 1 hour run). We had an easy "brick" workout which consisted of a 2 hour ride and a 1 hour run. The ride was up Mandeville Canyon Road. This road is steep and long, but what goes up must come down. The long descent was fun, fun, fun. My fitness level has gone down, but I was able to hang with the middle of the pack. Hopefully, I'll get my fitness back before my surgery. ( More on that later in a separate post.)
The run was a new experience. I've been mostly walking since my injury 6 weeks ago. ( R knee ACL and MCL tear). Now my knee feels pretty stable and pain free. Once in a while if I mis-step, I feel a slight wobble as if my tibia is misaligned. A couple weeks ago I started with a little backwards running on my toes. Yesterday, I started by walking. That was too boring, despite the nice scenery of Santa Monica, California. So I started short bursts of backwards running. That was fun and got my heartrate up and I was even sweating. Of course, with backwards running you have to keep your head turned around repeatedly to make sure you're not going to run into someone or something. You also have to endure some stares and the wiseguys shouting, "Lookout!" when there is nothing behind you. Oh well, this is Santa Monica, close to the craziness that is Venice Beach and "Muscle Beach" . So I don't think I was that unusual. I walk/ran an out and back to the Santa Monica Pier. On the return part, I was afraid I was taking too long and that my Ironteam would be waiting. So I started a slow jog forwards. This was my first jog since my injury. I shuffled my feet to minimize knee impact. My knees felt fine, but its hard running this slow. I felt like a 60 year old could beat me. ( No offence to the 60-yo age-groupers who probably could beat me even when I was healthy.)

Conejo Metric Century Ride

2009-05-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I went on the longest bike ride yet of the season. I did the Cruisin the Conejo 2009 ride. I did the Metric Century/ 68 mile ride that offered moderate hills. They also had a challenging 62 miler over the Santa Monica Mountains, a 100 miler, and also shorter distance rides of about 30 miles. This was my first substantial ride since my ski accident a month ago. I was worried that I couldn't keep up with my Ironteammates who were basically on a recovery ride from last weekend's Wildflower Tri. I rode with the team to the first aid station, then on the next leg which provided some moderately steep hills, I decided to push myself. I went ahead of my group to the next aid station. I waited for them for about 15 minutes. As they were arriving at the station, I went ahead with the next leg of the ride. By the next station, I was about 20 minutes ahead. I again waited/ relaxed and when they arrived, I went on to the finish. I was already chowing down on the post-race food when my teammates arrived at the finish. I hope they're not upset. Many thought that I had cut the ride short due to my injury. Instead I used this ride to gauge my current fitness.
The highlight of the ride was riding through the strawberry fields, the fresh scent in the air, and the boy scouts who served at the aid stations. They even held your bike while you relaxed, refueled, and hit the port-a potty. The downside to the whole day was the drive back home. I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the 101 and the 405 for 2 hours!!!
Oh, I ran across a friend, Susan, from my running club, AREC in Long Beach. She is also a cyclist and rode the 68 miler. I enjoyed seeing her again and having post-race lunch with her. She informed me that her Mom is sick in the ICU at UCLA and was dedicating her ride to her Mom. Later I got an email that on Mother's Day ( yesterday), her Mom turned the corner and is now more awake and alert. Best wishes to Susan and her Mom. Let's send out our prayers and positive vibes to them. Thanks.

PV and OC Marathon

2009-05-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Instead of competing in my first half Ironman distance Triathlon, I spent the weekend at two local races. While my teammates traveled to Nor Cal and camped out at Lake San Antonio in the rain, I stayed in the comfort of my home in PV. ( But I missed them greatly...)
Last Spring, I completed back to back marathons in Washington DC and then Atlanta, Georgia. This time, since I'm still recovering from my ski injury, I walked the 5K at the PV Marathon/Half/ 5K event on Saturday and volunteered at the OC Marathon on Sunday. I usually run a 5K in 21 or 22 minutes. This time I took 55 minutes! Wow I don't know how people have the patience to walk a marathon. I'm not use to being this slow and I was itching to run, but I know my knee is not stable yet.
On Sunday, I got a chance to do something that I've always wanted to do, serve as a race volunteer. Usually I'm running in the race, but now with the injury, I could still be a part of the marathon as a volunteer. I brought the kids and we helped at the mile 19 / 20 water / powerade station. It was fun to hand out the water and to cheer on the runners as they hit the WALL. We got a lot of "Thank-you for being out here" from the runners. That certainly made us feel good about volunteering.
Later Sunday, I biked on the hills of PV for the first time since my injury. I'm not as strong as before and went slower, but I was able to climb the hills without any pain. I did feel some knee discomfort when I tried to pedal standing. I'm hoping that with improved conditioning, I should be back to my previous cycling form soon. I'm hopeful that I will be able to join my Ironteammates at next weekends cycling workout.

Big Sur Marathon

2009-04-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my favorite Marathon of all time. And I've done quite a few. The Big Sur International Marathon. The race is well organized. The volunteers are great. The scenery is unbelievable. I feel like I'm in a dream world. I told my friends and colleagues that when I ran it in 2007 I was in a Zen like state for 26.2 miles. This year was different, but special as well.

I was suppose to compete in the Wildflower Long Course Tri next weekend. So I planned a nice taper / break from Ironteam training by organizing a Relay team from work for the Big Sur Marathon. As my readers will know, I injured myself 2 weeks ago in a ski accident. I tore my MCL and ACL !!! in my right knee. Ouch!
So I wasn't sure I could still participate in the marathon relay. But thanks to the support of my teammates and their understanding, I walked the last part of the relay and crossed the finish line with another teammate, our hands held up in triumph. We completed the marathon in 4:27:19
This race was special because it was a team effort where my teammates had to carry my load, because of my injury. We had a wonderful team "carbo-loading" party the night before the race at a home in Pebble Beach. And of course the beautiful scenery combined with the cheering crowds makes this 2009 edition of Big Sur precious.

Hanging out with the Team

2009-04-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

I joined the Ironteam at the last swim practice before Wildflower. It was nice to see everyone again. Its been hard being away the last couple weeks. After their swim practice, which was very entertaining to watch, we went over to Backstage Bar to relax and watch the end of the Lakers game.
Everyone on the team looked great. They are ready for Wildflower. I wish I could join them. However the bad news is that I do have an ACL tear. My options are to live without my ACL which would limit the type of activities that I could do from now on. No more skating, skiing, basketball, soccer, hiking or running on rough trails, basically nothing that would twist my knees. I can still swim, bike, and run in a straight line.
Option 2 is to go for Vineman without the surgery and then afterwards have the surgery. The downside is that I would be at risk of re-injuring the knee in a freak accident and possibly causing more damage. The fear of this happening might impair my performance in any future race or even training session.
Option 3 have the surgery now, go through rehab of perhaps 6 months, and come back in time to join next year's Ironteam. Coach Paul said the Ironteam will always be there, and he would have the surgery. My friend, Louis, advises me to go for the surgery, because I will have many more marathons and triathlons in my future.
Option 3 is sounding like the best choice. What do you think?

Ski Accident

2009-04-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

The worst possible thing that could happen, happened. I went skiing in Calgary / Banff over the kids' spring break and hurt my Right knee. It happened on the last day in the late afternoon. I wanted to go on an intermediate run after spending the day on beginner slopes with the kids. I had gone down a couple intermediate runs on a previous day. However, it had been almost 13 years since my last ski trip. And I realize now, I am not as flexible or balanced as I was back then. Even in my younger days, I was never a good skier. So with the warm weather as the afternoon progressed the snow got more icy and slippery. I tried to come down slowly by going in S shapes down the slope. Then my right ski got caught in the hard icy snow and as I fell my ski boot would not release from the ski. I felt my R knee twist and "pop". I flipped and finally came to a stop. Fortunately the ski patrol came by and got me down with a sled. I went back to the hotel and rested and iced the knee. This happened on the same Saturday my Ironteammates were out on their 65 mile ride. I wish I was with them.
I returned to LA the next day, and even hobbled around and went to work on Monday. I got checked out at the hospital by my Ortho colleagues. I got my MRI and the news is not good.
I tore my MCL and possibly my ACL too. The MCL will heal in about a month, but if the ACL is involved I'm probably looking at surgery. The treatment now is rest, ice, compression, elevation, and Motrin. I will get reevaluated next week. My rehab will consist of swimming and biking, and elliptical machine, but no running. Wildflower is wiped out now, and Vineman is a question mark.
I talked to Arkady, coach Paul, and Rachel, our campaign manager. They all want me to get well and participate in the rest of Vineman training and hopefully I can swim, bike, and walk Vineman. Worse case scenario, I will transfer most of my funds raised and apply it to next year's Vineman.
It's hard adjusting to the transition from training so hard for Wildflower ( I completed the swim, bike, and run workouts in Canada at high altitude and even ran 14 miles in 2 hours the day before the accident) And now being on bedrest with my foot elevated and an ice pack on my knee!
I'm pretty depressed. I always took running for granted. It was so effortless, unless I was pushing 7 min/ miles. Now a fear I have is that I won't get back to my previous running form with a bum knee. I still dream of becoming an Ironman. I still dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon someday. Hopefully with the support of family, friends, coaches, and teammates, my dreams will still be realized one day.

Long Beach Swim / Bike / Run

2009-04-05T03:17:00.000-07:00

A nice 5 hour workout yesterday in Long Beach. We had great weather, a bit chilly at first, but warmer later on. Our Ironteam started with an open water swim. We had drills where we run into the water, swim out to a buoy and back to shore. Run along the beach towards the next buoy, jump in the water and repeat the swim to this next buoy. This repeated itself several times, and finally we could just swim from the last buoy back to the first and then swim back to our transition zone. The swim was fine. The getting in and out of the water and running / walking on the beach was tough. I started to get light headed and winded from this. Going from supine swimming position to upright running position causes increased workload on the cardiovascular system. Repeating this over and over in a short period of time was definitely a strain on the system.
When the swim was over in about 30 minutes, I felt that I could swim for another 30 minutes.
The bike was fine. Pretty flat terrain although we did have a strong headwind going out. Compared to Wildflower, Mulholland, and Latigo this ride was rather boring.
After a 3 hour ride, it was back to transition and then off for a 1 hour run along the beach path. I felt strong and could easily run another hour or two.
After lunch and a nap, I went to work the night shift at the hospital. Despite the nap, I still felt tired. Oh well, I have a nice Spring Break coming up. I'm going up to Canada next week for skiing and I'll try to get the rest of my workouts in too.

Ironteam Wildflower Training Weekend

2009-03-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in beautiful Lake San Antonio in Monterey County, about an hour from Paso Robles, CA. It was a 4.5 to 5 hour drive from LA. I drove up Friday morning with my Ironteammate Edmund. Having a carpool buddy makes the drive less monotonous and we talked about work, training, fundraising, and families. We had great weather with daytime temp in 70's and 40's at night. Food was OK as well. A group from our LA Ironteam cooked the meals as a fundraiser. $55 was well worth it. I appreciated not having to deal with the extra stress and headache of meal preparation and clean-up. The weekend was also a chance to talk to the other teammates and mentors. Just hanging out by the campfire in the afternoon and evenings was enjoyable.

We shared our campsite and training activities with a few other Team in Training groups from California. Some groups were training for the Wildflower Olympic distance race, and others for the Wildflower Long Course (Half-Ironman). We had groups from LA, Silicon Valley, Central Cali, Sacramento, and Monterey County. I believe the Silicon Valley group did the entire Long Course on Saturday. They were partying all night Saturday. That's where the ear plugs came in handy. Our LA Ironteam did the swim and 56 mile bike on Saturday. We ran 13.1 miles on Sunday.

Now to the specifics: the swim started early Saturday morning. There was a nice mist hanging over the Lake. It was a beautiful sight and I would have appreciated it more if I was in my hiking outfit. Instead I was stripped down bare-chested with just my tri shorts and trying to climb into my wetsuit. I remembered Body Glide this time and I applied it liberally. Some of my teammates forgot and suffered rubber burns on their neck afterwards. I learned my lesson. ( See my earlier post about rubber burns and other misadventures...)
Jumping into a cold lake was no fun. I was nervous, but not as nervous as I was with my first tri at the Desert Triathlon earlier this month. We had a warmup swim to the first buoy and back. I could feel my heart beating fast and my breathing pattern was rushed. I told myself to relax, but I still didn't feel entirely comfortable. Then after the warmup, it was a quick pep talk from the coaches and we were off. I swam a little bit aways from the other swimmers. I found my own rhythm and just followed the other swim caps ahead of me. It worked great. Before I knew it, I was at the first buoy, passed the second, and then the third. I pictured myself as a fish during the swim and concentrated on pulling water. The return to the pier was much quicker than the swim out. I only swallowed water towards the end as I was trying to avoid another group of swimmers swimming out from the pier. (They were from a different Team in Training group.)

The bike was a relief. Anything out of the water is a relief for me. I just settled into a rhythm. The coaches had scared me with their description of the Wildflower Long Course the evening before. It is a back-end loaded course. The race really begins after mile 41, with "Nasty Grade".
So during the first portion of the ride, I tried to save my legs. I didn't go all out, especially since this is a training weekend. I tried to remember the different sections of the course. Dealing with traffic on the roads was no fun, but at least on race day the roads will be closed. Some of the roads were very rough. My forearms were rattling. From about mile 20 to 30, I spent most of the time on my aero-bars. I finally started to get more comfortable with breathing in this position. I definitely picked up a couple mph in the aero position. I saw wildlife, including 3 vultures over a headless carcass of a boar. I saw some pretty orange wildflowers. We passed by several vineyards. Finally I hit "Nasty Grade". It was steep, very steep. I was going at 4 mph. I kept the legs churning. It kept going and going, but the words of encouragement that some of the coaches and mentors had written on the road with chalk inspired me to keep going. Coach Paul was riding down the hill and giving me words of encouragement as I was going uphill. ( I learned that he rode up and down Nasty Grade numerous times to support the team) At this point in the day it was getting hot. I had sweat pouring down my face. I ride with a Camel-bak and my fluids were getting low. I had 1 water bottle left on my bike. It was a great relief to get to the top and see the aid station. This was the only station I stopped at during the ride. I refilled my Camel-bak with water and that water tasted so good! That short 2 to 3 minute break gave me the energy to power through for another hour to complete the ride. I was happy with my 3 hr 53min time.

Sunday morning run: Again a beautiful mist hung over the lake. It was a bit chilly at the start, but once I started running my body started to heat up. The run course was mostly off road on dirt trails through rolling terrain. There was a steep grade early in the run. Many people walked it, but I just kept chugging along. I live in a hilly area, so I've trained for hills. I enjoyed the run the most. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. On the bike it's difficult to do that, since you're looking at the road ahead and watching out for traffic. There were no mile markers, so it was hard to pace myself. I just treated this as a training run and went by feel. I wanted to run faster than easy long run pace, but not at race pace. I tried to run a negative split, but I didn't know where the halfway mark was. I think I did pick up the pace towards the end. I finished in 1 hr 45 min for 12 miles; this included one restroom break and 1 waterstop to refill my water bottle at an aid station. ( I started my stopwatch after the first mile, which was a warmup mile with the entire team.)

I skipped the optional swim session after the run. I had to pack my camping gear, load the car, take a quick shower, and head back to LA. All in all, an action-packed weekend.

Mulholland Hwy 60 mile ride

2009-03-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

We had an intense 60 miler from Calabasas, over the Santa Monica Mountains National Rec Area, down to PCH in Malibu, and back over the mountains to Calabasas. I was told by my mentor that we climbed over 6000 feet. I covered this mountain terrain in a respectable 4.5 hours. The ride was challenging, but fun. The sense of accomplishment at the end of the ride made all the pain worth while.
The only downside was nearly getting clipped by a crazy motorcyclist early in the ride. Our Ironteam was riding in a pack. Early in the ride we were still bunched up. As we started going up a slight incline, I tried to pass a small group ( about 3 across). Our group was taking up the entire lane, and I passed to their left, but still on our side of the double yellow line separating from oncoming traffic. I can usually hear cars from behind, but this motorcyclist zoomed past from behind on the other side of the double yellow, but close enough to me so that I could feel the breeze go by. That sure woke me up. Needless to say my coaches were constantly reminding me to stay on the side of the road the rest of the ride.
Today I'm working a 24 hr shift at the hospital, so I'll get my 1hr 45 min run and swim session in tomorrow.

Latigo Canyon Ride, Malibu, CA

2009-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fun workout. We had our biggest climb to date: Latigo Canyon in Malibu. This is a 2000 ft climb over 9 miles of switchbacks. Never too steep, but steady uphill. It makes for a nice hour to hour and 15 min climb. The reward is panoramic vistas, the feeling of accomplishment at the peak, and then the thrill of riding downhill at high speed. Going downhill was fun, mixed with a hint of danger. Tackling these curves at high speeds required hands on the brakes, and good balance between rider and bicycle. At one point, I approached a turn too fast and had to hit the brakes hard or else risk going over the edge of the road. That would not have been pretty. I made it safely back to the car and it was time for the run.

We ran up to the beautiful campus of Pepperdine University. Wow what a place to go to school. I would have had a hard time concentrating on my studies if I went there. How can you lock yourself away all day in a library when the beautiful ocean and grand trails and roads await? Well for a Saturday, the campus was remarkably quiet. Either the students were still sleeping in, or else they were out and about in the great outdoors. I did run into some students, probably Greek frats and sororities, running some kind of obstacle course set up in a field.
The highlight of my run was running with a couple of my Iron teammates on the Pepperdine track. We had a beautiful view of ocean and hills. We ran a mile and it turns out it was a 7 min mile. Not bad considering I wasn't running for time and was just enjoying the view.

Afterwards we got free 15 min massages from LA Sports Massage. They promote sports massage as therapy to-- Enhanced athletic performance - Fewer injuries - Restored flexibility and range of motion - Faster recovery from injury - Removal of lactic acid buildup. I felt good, but could have used a longer, perhaps 60 to 90 min, massage.

I can't wait to see what comes next in our training. Our Wildflower Training Weekend is coming up in just 2 weeks.

Desert Tri Race Report

2009-03-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

After a few days to digest what happened over the weekend, I'm finally ready to post my race report.

Saturday: Ironteam 4 hour bike ride from Malibu ( Pepperdine) to Camarillo and back. 64 miles. 1:45 to Camarillo and 2:15 back to Pepperdine. ( Strong headwind)
Off to La Quinta to pick up race packet, followed by Ironteam swim at the lake ( site of Desert Tri).
A team dinner followed by return to motel to set up and prepare for next day's race.
Poor sleep.

Sunday: Time change = 1 less hour of sleep. Dress in Tri outfit, warm clothes, load car with bags and bike. Arrive at park shortly after 6am. Head over to transition area to set up. I talked to the triathlete next to me and explained that I was about to compete in my first Tri. He was very helpful and gave me some tips and pointers. After setting up, it was time to line up for the restroom. Afterwards I returned to the beach to watch the start of the Sprint Triathlon which started at 7am. At 7:30, I returned to transition zone and got into my wetsuit. In the excitement, I got my R leg in correctly, but I stuck my L leg into the L arm slot. My new acquaintance helped me pull my leg out of the arm slot. It wasn't easy! After getting the wetsuit on, I headed over to the beach to meet coach Paul and my teammates.
At 8am the first wave started for the International Distance Tri. I waited for the last wave. Finally the time came: the start of the swim.

Swim- 40:57
I started off fine and tried to draft off the swimmers in front. Initially it worked, but I made the mistake of going out too fast. A few hundred yards into the swim, I started to feel short of breath and my heart was beating like a jack-rabbit. I looked around and saw some swimmers heading for the shore. Oh Oh. Negative thoughts crept in. Perhaps I'm not ready. I still have a long way to go. I don't want to drown ( probably impossible with a wetsuit). In hindsight, I was probably having a panic attack. I waved down a lifeguard on a surfboard and grabbed hold of the board. I explained that I needed to catch my breath. After a minute, I felt good enough to continue. I told myself if I quit now, I'll spend the rest of the morning ( the next several hours) regretting it and getting bored while waiting for my teammates.

Where is the buoy? The rising sun was in the same direction as the first buoy. This meant I couldn't see it. Being a novice to open water swimming, this really bothered me. I had no other swimmers to follow since I was in the back of the last wave. I saw a few swimmers around, but they seemed to be disoriented, too. I swam to another surfboard and paused to get my bearings. I asked the lifeguard, where is the buoy? After getting re-oriented, I continued on. I rounded the buoy and then saw the second buoy off in the distance. It seemed a long ways away. I was thinking, "Wow this 0.75 mile swim is long. How am I ever going to swim 2.4 miles during the Ironman Tri?" ) That was a little discouraging, but at this point I could not give up even though the thought crept in "I hope I'm not the last one out of the water".

Zig-Zag Swimming. I would swim a little, sight, and realize I was now looking at the buoy from a different angle. I tried to correct, but was having difficulty. I paused at another surfboard to regroup then continued. A little while later, I went to another guard to assess what was happening. He mentioned that I'm left arm dominant and I pull more with the left arm, causing me to drift left. Great! Now I tried to aim right, in order to hopefully go straight for the buoy. Eventually I reached the second buoy. By this time I'm tired! I must have already swam a mile with my zig-zagging. I rest at another surfboard, then made the final push to shore.
I was thinking, "Get me out of the water, please! I can't wait for the bike and the run." (After the race, I asked coach if I was the last one out of the water. He reassured me that there were a couple people behind me. Whew!)

T1- 4:39
Trouble getting my legs out after I got the wetsuit down to my knees. It seemed like it took forever. Maybe it was hypoxia. I was still feeling light-headed from the swim. At least I remembered the helmet and sunglasses. I took a drink from my water bottle.

Bike- 1:18:52
The first lap I was so far behind, I didn't see any riders at first. I thought I was lost. Then came the lead riders lapping me as they came by for their second lap. They were on their fancy aerodynamic Tri bikes with the special Aero wheels! They went by so fast! I want those wheels! I was riding upright during most of the first lap and my legs and butt felt tired from the 4 hour ride the day before. Since most of my riding had been in hilly areas and in areas with lots of traffic, I have not used my aero bars very much. I decided to give it a try during the race and I started to bike faster. I also took in some nutrition in the form of Powerbar Gel Blasts. I also noticed there were no port-a-potties on the bike course. My bladder was getting full.
The second lap I went much faster in the aero position. As I passed other riders one by one, I started to get my confidence back. Before long the ride was over.

T2- perhaps about 2 min
I changed quickly into my running shoes and put on my cap. I had finished my 1 water bottle on the bike, so I took a drink from my 2nd bottle at my transition zone. I also grabbed another packet of gel blasts.

Run- perhaps about 50 min
The first steps felt a little awkward, but eventually I got my running legs back. I was glad to see alot of runners on the course although some of them were on their 2nd lap while I was on my 1st lap of the run course. I jumped into a Port-a-pottie and relieved my bladder. Now I was ready to run. I tried to make up for lost time. I passed quite a few of my teammates. As I finished the first lap and saw the people crossing the finish line, I was envious. They were finishing sub 2 hr 30 min. I kept running and ran past my friend Louis. He was surprised to see me coming from behind. He thought I would be far ahead. I told him I really struggled through the swim. He motivated me by saying that another teammate Carlos was up ahead. If I beat him, Louis said he will buy me lunch. Soon I saw Carlos up in the distance. I slowly gained on him, and managed to pass him at the water station. I cranked up my pace and started running at my 10K pace. I passed quite a few more people including my new acquaintance, the one who set up next to me and helped me get my leg out of the wetsuit armhole. I was really surprised to see him. I thought he would have finished much earlier. I saw the finish line ahead and sprinted across the finish. I was filled with a feeling of relief and accomplishment. I DID IT !!! I celebrated with my Iron-Teammates and coaches. Thanks to them, I've managed to come this far in 4 months.

Full Course- 2:56:46

My First Triathlon: Desert International Distance Tri 3.8.09

2009-03-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

Go Ironteam

You can do this!

We did it.

The joy of victory.

Get me out of the water, please. I'm not a fish.

International Triathlon - 3/4 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 6 mile run.

Full Course
Time:
2:56:46.010
Overall Rank:
461
Male Rank:
336
Male 40-44 Rank: 45

Checkpoint Time
Swim Finish
0:40:57.070
Bike Start
0:45:36.310
Bike Finish
2:04:29.150
Finish
2:56:46.010
Swim
Time:
0:40:57.070
Pace (Min/Mi):
54:36
Overall Rank:
555
Male Rank:
381
Male 40-44 Rank:
53
T1
Time:
0:04:39.240
Overall Rank:
463
Male Rank:
325
Male 40-44 Rank:
42
Bike
Time:
1:18:52.840
Pace (MPH):
18.26
Overall Rank:
418
Male Rank:
311
Male 40-44 Rank: 44

Stay tuned for the complete race report, coming soon.

Cramps, Rubber burn, and other misadventures

2009-03-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we had our first open water swim in Long Beach ( Alamitos bay). The water was cold, but once I started swimming I actually felt warm in my wetsuit. The water was green and I couldn't really see anything. Perhaps thats a good thing. We practice getting in and out of the water. I could feel my heart beating really fast. Coach said thats a normal reaction to swimming in the cold water. Initially I was hitting peoples feet and bumping into the other swimmers. That threw me off my own rhythm. It was hard to concentrate on my stroke. My form deteriorated. By the end I was just trying to get to shore and finish ASAP.

After the swim we had a nice 3.5 hr bike ride from Long Beach to past Laguna Beach and back. I traveled almost 60 miles. Then we finished off the workout with a 30 min run on the beach.
Tuesday during the coached swim workout at the pool, I got a severe case of muscle cramps. I was fine during the warmup and the speed drills. But when we started to practice drafting by swimming in a line of swimmers, both my calves went into spasm mode. I got out stretched and when I attempted to join the next drill, the cramps came back. The weird thing is that I was getting cramps in my back / shoulder muscles too. I thought I was hydrated, so perhaps its electrolytes?

The next day I checked my lab results at the hospital. Good news: labs were normal. Bad news: my calves were still sore and I still don't know what caused the cramps. Perhaps it was tension combined with too aggressive pushoff from the wall during the drills.

Today I had a nice 2 hr bike ride in PV and San Pedro. Then I went for another open water swim in Alamitos bay. The swim went pretty well but... I forgot to lubricate. I now have a painful rubber burn on my neck from the wetsuit. Ouch!!! I also gulped down some salty ocean water. The salt didn't bother me so much, but today I saw how dirty / slimy the water appeared. I had a slightly upset stomach when I got home. I hope I don't get sick.

This weekend is going to be busy. Saturday is a 4 hr team bike ride. Then I'm heading out to Palm Springs for my first triathlon: Desert Tri on Sunday. I will be competing in the international distance: 0.75 mile swim; 24 mile bike; 6 mile run. I'm nervous about the swim, but I've covered that distance during today's open water swim, and I've covered twice that distance in the pool. Hopefully I'm ready, and no more cramps or rubber burns!

OR and OB

2009-02-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

This week's been busy at the hospital. I was on 24 Tuesday, and now on another 24 hrs today (Thursday). The hospital is getting busy. Alot of babies which means more epidurals and C-sections. In the OR, we have alot of add-on emergency cases, several more to go tonight. There is also alot of patients in the ICU and we've had a few Codes. In this economy, I can't complain too much about having a lot of work. Helps pay the bills and my triathlon expenses.
The downside to more hours at work, is less time for training and recovery. I missed my coached swim sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll swim on my own tomorrow. Saturday will be my first open water swim. I can't wait.

Family stuff

2009-02-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes family stuff comes first. We had an unexpected family crisis which we are dealing with right now. I've been good about completing most of my workouts on my own. However I do miss the team workouts.
After a busy Saturday dealing with family matters, I finally did the brick workout Sat evening, which the rest of the team did earlier Sat morning. I rode my trainer for 2 hours, transitioned, and completed a 1 hr run. My knees are a little sore this morning, perhaps too much downhill running last night. Later today I plan to swim 1.5K
The fundraising is going well. I reached 80% of my goal, with 5 months still left to go. Hopefully I'll be done before May, so I can concentrate on training during those last couple months. I'm still waiting for some of my friends who pledged to donate, but haven't pulled out the checkbook yet.

PV Bike and Run Weekend

2009-02-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

Our Ironteam had a nice 3.5 hr bike ride in PV on Saturday. The weather was dry, although the roads were still a little wet. A slight breeze, but nothing too strong. I covered 56 miles and my legs were fine. My butt was a little sore though.
On Sunday, I ran the hills of PV and covered 10 miles. It was a nice, cool, beautiful morning. I felt great after the run, then BOOM!!! Bad news was waiting for me at the door.
We had a family emergency which I'm busy dealing with. I am not at liberty to discuss it on a Blog at this time. Perhaps later, after a little time has passed, I will discuss it.
The bottomline is that LIFE is precious... Live every moment as if it could be the last...

Hail to the Chief

2009-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Busy week at work. In addition to two 24 hr shifts this week, I am also the acting chief of the department at the hospital while the chief is on vacation for the next couple weeks. I just started as Assistant Chief last month. So I'm still learning on the job. I have to attend and sometimes lead administrative meetings, chief's meetings, departmental meetings, and various other committee meetings. I have to deal with issues that arise within the department and deal with complaints from other departments. To top it off our scheduler is on vacation for the next couple weeks, and I've got people asking to make major changes to the schedule.
Trying to squeeze in Ironman training to this workload is tough. I've been good with getting in the cycling and the running. However, I have not made it to the pool yet this week and I have a coached session tomorrow night. Perhaps I'll get in some drills tomorrow morning after my 24 hr shift. I hope my swimming is not too bad, or too slow.

A Rainy Weekend

2009-02-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

I missed the Ironteam swim session Thursday because of the rain. Rain means traffic accidents and traffic jams in L.A. I didn't want to be stuck for 1 to 2 hours on the 405 freeway. So I decided to swim Friday after work. That didn't go very well. The pool was crowded, meaning sharing lanes with multiple people per lane. I also felt lethargic and my swimming was BAD. I swam 1000 yards and that was it.
Saturday was our scheduled 3 hour Ironteam bike ride. Again because of the rain, the bike ride was cancelled. The Ironteam met over in Santa Monica and we had a 90 minute run. The run went much better. Initially the skies were overcast, but dry. We tackled a long steep hill, then a gradual ascent. Finally it was a gradual downhill. During this time it started raining again. I enjoy running in the rain. I started to run at my half marathon pace. I felt like a kid again.
As children, we loved playing in the rain. ( At least I did.) Getting your clothes wet and soggy, covered in mud was FUN. Playing football in the rain was fun, as long as you keep moving. And the warm shower, and hot chocolate afterwards was divine.
The run was effortless. My breathing was rhythmic. The moisture on my face and my lips was refreshing. The cold air was exhilarating and sharpened the senses. My run reminded me of all those times I played in the rain as a child. Try it sometime, you will see what I mean.
This morning my swim workout 15 X 100 went pretty well. It got me energized for my 24 hour shift at the hospital today. I will try to get my 3 hour bike ride in tomorrow if the roads dry up.

6 minute miles

2009-02-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

I had a nice dual workout yesterday morning before work. I was at the gym and swam the advance Ironteam swim set which consisted of 400 X 4
My fastest 400 was 8 minutes during my third set, so I think I'm slowly improving. I coasted through the fourth set, as I was preparing for part 2 of my workout: the run.
I toweled off my tri suit, put on my running shoes, put away the goggles and swim cap, grabbed a new electrolyte drink bottle and headed over to the treadmill.
After a 20 minute warmup, to get adjusted to the upright position again after my swim session, I started the speed portion of the workout. This consisted of three 8 minute speed segments with a 3 minute jog in between.
I started with 9 min miles...8 min miles...7.5 min miles....7..... and finally to 6 min miles!
Wow, I don't remember running 6 min miles even when I was 20 years younger.
Not bad for an old fart.
Maybe there is something to this Ironman training.

Surf City, USA

2009-02-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a Super weekend. I started with a 2 hour bike ride on the Hills of PV ( my home course) with my Iron Team on Saturday. I just rode my bike down Hawthorne to join my team. It was a brick workout. So I rode my bike up Hawthorne ( 2 miles with an 8% grade) to drop off the bike at home. Then I ran back down Hawthorne and joined my teammates for the rest of the 1 hour run. After a snack of Bare Naked cereal and my recovery drink, it was back uphill to go home. Total mileage 33 miles bike, 8 miles run.
Sunday I ran the Surf City Half Marathon. Perfect weather, overcast and cool in the beginning, warmer at the end, but not too hot. Great crowd. I spent most of my run chatting it up with other runners, especially the cute ones. I met a couple ladies with Team in Training. They were very impressed with my Ironman goal. I met a couple cuties from Snail's Pace. They liked my socks. I was wearing knee high compression socks. First time. I liked them. I think they helped prevent my calves from fatigue and cramps. My calves had bothered me during the Rock n Roll Arizona marathon two weeks ago. This time my legs held up despite the hilly workout the day before. I met quite a few runners from my running club in Long Beach: AREC ( A Running Experience Club) I hooked up with them afterwards at the Beer Tent. I met a guy with a Kaiser Thrive jersey on, so I chatted with him for a couple miles about Kaiser and Health Connect ( electronic medical record). Finally for the final 5 miles, I picked up the pace to try to finish under 2 hours. I finished in 1:57, not bad considering I stopped several times, ran back and forth to catch up with different groups of friends, and basically ran the race at my easy long run pace. Perhaps this Ironman training is helping me with my overall fitness and improving my speed / ability to run faster with less perceived effort.
Afterwards the buddies I ran with ( at least for the first few miles) and I had a nice Dim Sum lunch. Later at home, I enjoyed the Super Bowl. I even got on my trainer and put in a 45 min workout! The exciting conclusion to the Super Bowl was a nice ending to my action packed weekend.

A Better Swim

2009-01-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

I had a coached swim workout last night. It went much better than my last coached swim 2 weeks ago. (Unfortunately I missed last week's coached session because of last minute changes at work due to a colleague's sick call.) I was a little worried that my swimming will s**k again because I hadn't spent as much time in the pool last week. I actually kept up with my ironteammates in the medium speed lane, at least until I started to fatigue about half hour into the workout. I concentrated on "gliding" and trying to cover more distance per stroke. I also worked on pulling more water per stroke. And I kept my head down. My speed definitely improved.
Towards the end my calves started to cramp up. I had to get out of the pool and stretch for a couple minutes before resuming the swim. Coach stressed the importance of hydration. He recommended that I massage / work out the tension in the calves when I get home.
Today, I'm planning on tackling the hills of PV again for a 90 min ride. I can't wait to get off work and jump on my bike.

Hills of PV

2009-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend I took my bike out for my longest ride to date.
Saturday was a scheduled group ride, which was cancelled due to rain and wet roads. I was ready to ride and it was only a light rain in PV. So I ended up taking a quick 1 hour ride, followed by a 90 min run. The run felt good and I'm pretty much recovered from my marathon the week before.
Sunday, an Ironteammate and I went out on a 3 hour ride through the "hills" of PV. Some portions had an 8% grade, but going downhill at 40 mph is an adrenaline rush and makes the uphill portions worthwhile. We covered 48 miles through hilly terrain. Not bad. My legs felt great, but my butt was sore. I don't know how my butt will survive being in the saddle for another 3 to 4 hours on race day.
Unfortunately, I never made it to the pool this weekend. I'll try to go out today after work. Running and Cycling are my strong points, and I can go out anytime for a run or bike workout. Swimming is another matter. It takes that extra effort to get to the pool. If any readers have advice for me on the swim workouts, I would like to hear them. How does one get motivated for swimming? How do you stay interested during those endless drills and repeated laps? I don't get the runner's high or the adrenaline rush I get with cycling. Usually its trying to avoid taking in too much pool water and trying to keep a mental note of what lap I'm on. Real boring stuff.

Post Marathon Recovery

2009-01-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's back to Ironteam training. I swam and biked on Monday. My legs were sore, and I had a hard time walking. On Tuesday, I ran and also swam. My run was at easy long run pace; my legs were still sore and I could not go faster even if I wanted to. Swimming felt good, and I'm getting a little faster. 1 km in a little over 22 minutes. I still have a long ways to go in terms of being a more efficient swimmer. Wednesday, I biked for 90 minutes, keeping a cadence of 90 rpm. Again the bike felt good. My legs are starting to return to normal. Today, I'm working an unplanned 24 hr shift at the hospital, covering for a sick colleague. So I'll try to get my scheduled Thursday workout in tomorrow. ( run and swim) I have a 3 hour bike ride with my Ironteam scheduled for Saturday. That should be fun.

Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon

2009-01-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

Oops, I did it again. I snuck down to Arizona and ran another marathon on Sunday. It's the Maniac in me. I had signed up for the marathon prior to signing up for the Ironteam. I thought about cutting back and just running the half, but since I was going to Arizona anyways ( air ticket and hotel reservations already made), I wanted to knock off another state from my list of 50 States. I still have a long ways to go to complete the 50 states, but I'm still relatively "young".

This will be my last marathon until after the Ironman in August.

Now for the race report. It was a cool morning, perfect for running. Over 30,000 people ( full + half). Alot of purple shirts and "Go Team!" I wore my Team in Training cap with my red running top. I felt inspired by the other runners, but especially the "Team". Many had the names of their honored teammates. Some had pictures attached to their purple running shirts. This reminded me of my honored teammates for the Ironman. More of this later, at the end of the race.

I felt good and ran slightly ahead of my pace group for the first half, but then my knees started to hurt. Soon that was followed by sore legs, especially my calves and hamstrings. My legs felt very heavy like I had 10 lb weights attached to each of them. My pace slowed. I thought about stopping, but since the half and full ran different routes, I was stuck in the middle of "nowhere" ( I think I was in Scottsdale at this point.) I even came across an elite runner that was walking. I did not want to risk an injury that would disrupt my Ironteam training. Yet, I have never quit a race before and did not want this to be my first DNF. So I stopped at the medical tent, took a salt packet and had 2 Tylenols. Then I was off again. I was determined to finish.

The miles rolled by and I figured I could even walk the last 6 miles if needed. I started to feel better as I ran. The 10 lb weights were off my legs. I could actually maintain my "marathon" pace again. I focused on my breathing, and recited my mantras. I repeated the names of my family and my honored teammate. The last mile I remembered a co-worker that died last month from cancer. I remembered what a gentleman he was. How kind, helpful, professional, and sincere he was. The cancer took him quite suddenly. One day he was at work, the next at the hospital, then the ICU, then he was dead! I realized how precious this gift called life really is, and how lucky we are to be able to run through life with joy and love, effort and determination, a little pain and great rewards.

With tears welling up, I sprinted the last mile and finished the marathon on Angels' Wings. The pain I experienced earlier in the race was now replaced by serenity. A sense of fulfillment engulfed me. I believe this experience will help me deal with the pain and mental obstacles that I will encounter during the Ironman Triathlon.

My Swimming S**KS

2009-01-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

No, I don't wear socks when I'm swimming. That's what my coach said about my swim session yesterday. He said it in a nice way, so I guess its OK. Basically, I'm still struggling with the swim. My head is up too high. I tend to struggle through the water. Coach told me that with my long torso, I should be a good swimmer. I just need to glide. Hopefully I will learn to glide soon. Right now it feels like I'm increasing the number of strokes to try to keep up with my teammates in the lane. This approach is not working. I'm still getting lapped. We had two 10 min swim sessions last night. I managed to cover only 400 yards in that time. I'm pretty sure my lane mates covered 500+ since I got lapped by them twice.
My only consolation is that I will improve between now and August 1st ( Vineman Ironman Distance Triathlon), and even if I give up 30 minutes to them on the swim, I can easily make that up during the 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. The run is my strongest element, and I'm also pretty strong on the bike especially in the hills. So I'll keep chugging along, and hopefully not chug down too much pool water.

Windy Brick Workout

2009-01-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

Wow. Today we had a 3 hour bike ride at Westlake Village again. This time, in addition to the hills, we had to deal with a strong headwind. The weather advisory warned of wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph. I don't know how strong the gusts were, but I was nearly blown into the opposite traffic lane while coming downhill at 41 mph. That was more thrills than I ever want to experience again. I saw on the evening news that a semi was blown over by wind gusts of 80 mph!!!
After the ride, we had a quick 20 min run. Again the legs were a little heavy and sluggish at first, but I found my running legs after 5 minutes. One of the mentors warned me not to run too fast too quickly off the bike. She's probably right; I can see the potential for injury or cramps.
I felt good about hydration and nutrition today. I used a Camel-bak hydration system, and it worked well. It definitely encouraged me to drink more frequently than I did last week using just the water bottle.
Today I car-pooled to the work-out, and it was nice. I got a chance to meet an Ironteam-mate, and it made the commute more pleasant.
Well, believe it or not, after a quick lunch, I am now at work for a 16 hr shift. This is taking endurance training to the limit.

Brotherly Love

2009-01-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

The long and arduous task of becoming an Ironman requires the love and support of family and friends. First off I want to thank everyone who has already supported my fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Your support gives me the encouragement I need to deal with the 2 a day and 3 a day workouts, 6 days a week. Your support will hopefully help find a cure and treatment for some of these diseases within our lifetime.
Now I want to give special props to my biggest donor and supporter, my brother and sister. As the older brother, I tried to set a good example for my siblings. In some ways, I have succeeded; in other ways, I may have failed. But their unwavering love through the good and the bad has meant so much to me.
This is an excerpt from a recent email from my brother who lives and works in Singapore.

"Hey Alex,
Wow, that's unbelievable! I'm really proud of you. I've been telling everyone that my brother is going to do the Ironman but as far as I can remember he can't swim."

Without support there is no way a non-swimmer can compete in an Ironman Triathlon. But with love and support all things are possible.

A Life Saved and Post-Call Brick

2009-01-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a "rest" day. That means working a 24 hr shift in the hospital. I think working these long hours helps my body and mind prepare for endurance events. Pacing is crucial. The ability to rev up your body and mind at a moments notice to handle the most stressful and life-threatening situations is also paramount. Running a marathon in many respects is about pacing and then pushing forwards during those crucial moments such as "the Wall" and the Finish. Competing in an Ironman just magnifies everything. Preparation, Pacing, Nutrition, Mental Fortitude, Physical Stamina, Rest... all elements to a successful call day or race day.
Last night at 1am, just as my body is starting to wind down and getting ready to rest, an urgent call to rescue a man with angioedema from an anaphylactic reaction to an ACE Inhibitor. This gentleman's tongue was swollen to triple size and was protruding out of his mouth. Saliva was drooling out of his mouth. His airway was severely compromised. "Death and All His Friends" were waiting for him. Fortunately by inserting a breathing tube using a fiberoptic scope through his nose, I was able to secure and protect his airway and deny Mr. Death, et al.
A few hours later it was placing epidurals in moms-to-be. Before I knew it morning had arrived and it was time for a quick nap at home followed by my Ironman workout.
Today I did a "Brick" workout, which consists of a bike ride followed immediately by a run. This will prepare me for the actual triathlon ( swim, bike, and a Marathon at the end! ) I don't know if this is true, but I heard they call it a brick workout because your legs feel like bricks after getting off the bike and starting the run. So I rode for an hour, quickly transitioned in 3 minutes to my running gear and refilled my water, then it was off for a quick 5 miler ( 46 min run). As I get closer to race day the rides will get longer and the runs will get longer. Yikes!
After taking care of errands around the house, I will have a coached swim workout tonight. Yep, the life of an Ironman wanna-be.

Pain in the Butt

2009-01-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

My Ironteam had a 2.5 hr bike ride at Westlake Village yesterday morning. Beautiful scenery. Reminded me of Northern California. I use to ride my Mountain Bike in SF, East Bay, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa. I could go on 5 or 6 hour rides. Of course when I was tired, I would take a break off the bike. I'm not quite use to riding continuously for more than 2 hours without getting off the bike. I notice yesterday my butt was really sore. Standing while pedaling helped relieve some of the pressure. But after a while the pain in the butt returned. I am hoping that with training my Gluts will get accustomed to it. Perhaps I might develop some muscles back there. Otherwise I might have to try a different seat, perhaps one with thicker cushioning.

I really enjoy riding my Cervelo S1. Its the best bike ( and most expensive bike) I've ever had. I averaged almost 16mph on the course which consisted of rolling hills with a few steep climbs. My top speed was almost 39mph during the descent. I'm hoping these times will improve as I get accustomed to road cycling.

Well afterwards I was tired. I felt like I had run a half marathon. I ate, took a nap, and watched some NFL playoff action. I also ended up taking a couple Advils for my pain in the butt!

I felt better this morning and ran a hilly 9 miles in Palos Verdes. I have a swim workout planned for this evening. More about running and swimming in a future post.

New Year's day Rose Parade Run

2009-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

I started off 2009 with a 10 miler this morning along the Rose Parade route in Pasadena, CA. I found out about this run from my Iron teammate Louis Kwan's blog. Apparently this run was started a few years ago by "Godfather" Sean and Jimmy Dean. Starting at about 5am from the end of the Rose Parade route, we run to the start of the parade route in Downtown Pasadena. We check out all the floats before the parade start and then return along the route to where we began the run a few hours earlier. ( the end of the actual Parade route)

This was my first time running this route. In fact this was my first time at the Rose Parade despite living in So Cal for over 10 years. I was amazed to see so many people sleeping on the sidewalks in sleeping bags. Many groups had a fire over a grill to keep warm during the night. When we started at 5am, most people were still sleeping. A few people cheered us on and encouraged us to run faster. As I passed the numerous Starbucks, I noticed long lines. Many of the Reserved bleachers were still empty. When we got to the start where the floats were lined up, we walked, took pictures, and just marveled at the beauty that surr ounded us. The flowers were so colorful and vibrant. It made me glad to be out there this early on New Year's Day.

The return trip was a little anti-climatic. The streets were more crowded. The reserved bleachers were filling up. There was more traffic congestion. Most people ignored me as I ran by. I did get a few smiles that cheered me up. By the end I was a little tired, but I felt energized about 2009. This will be the year that I become an Ironman! How cool is that?

A New Blog and a last look back at 2008

2008-12-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

I started running in January 2006. I moved from my previous hospital to my current one. I saved about 2 hours of commute time. That allowed me to start running and getting into shape. At the time a mile seemed a long way. When I ran a 5K in Feb 2006, I nearly passed out at the finish. Slowly I started to build up the mileage and ran a 8K and a 10K. I enjoyed the whole race experience, the runners, the cheering crowds, the reward ( food) at the finish. I decided to sign up for a half marathon and a full marathon... one week apart. The half was on Memorial Day 2006. The full was the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, June 4, 2006. I didn't know anything about carbo loading or tapering. I assumed that if I could run 18 miles in my training runs, I could run a marathon. The half marathon went well. I came in under 2 hours, so I was quite pleased. I expected to run the full at a similar pace. I learned the hard way that there is a small gap between the 10K and the Half; but a large chasm between the Half and the Full. After mile 13, it was a struggle; and by mile 16 it was painful. I limped the last few miles to the finish. I thought never again. I've run a marathon, that's it. It took about 4 months for the painful memories to go away, and I had the desire to sign up for another marathon. (Las Vegas, 12/06)

After that I was hooked on the adrenaline rush or perhaps its a dopamine rush. I went on and ran over 25 marathons and half marathons in 3 years. I even accomplished my goal of running back to back marathons in Spring of 2008. I went on and had more marathon adventures including resuscitating a "Down" runner at the San Francisco Marathon. I recently set a PR at the Rock and Roll San Antonio Marathon. Now I am training for an Ironman Triathlon for 2009. I joined the Ironteam ( Team in Training) and will compete in the Wildflower Long Course ( Half-Ironman) Triathlon in May 2009 and then the Vineman (Full-Ironman Distance) Triathlon in August 2009. If you can help me reach my fundraising goal I will really appreciate it. See attached link.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/VineFIrn09/achinlpw9v