Boston Strong

I was around 9-10 years old when I first heard about the Boston Marathon. The very idea was preposterous- to run 26+ miles. It was insane, impossible, awe-inspiring. Who would be crazy enough to even think of such an undertaking? I was hooked. Something in my internal hardwiring found the idea irresistible and in a far flung corner of my mind the idea took hold- one day I would do this.

Fast forward a few decades. In 1980 I tried to train for the Avenue of the Giants in the redwood forests of northern California only to fail due to ignorance and overtraining, resulting in a severe case of chondromalacia patellae (softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap). I missed that marathon and, literally, could not run at all for 6 months. Fifteen years later, in 1995, I tried again. After a scary bout of right knee pain and one long run of 17 miles, I successfully completed my first marathon, the 2^nd Annual Walt Disney World Marathon, in a PR (which still stands) of 3 hours and 45 minutes. At the finish line, the emotion of the moment welled up from inside and I crossed the line with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. It was a defining moment in my life. Several more marathons followed, including a failed attempt to qualify for the 100^th running of Boston at the Cape Cod Marathon in 1996. I had to run a 3:20. I was on track to do this at the halfway point but tore off my big toenail on one of the downhill segments and hobbled in with a bloody shoe and a time of 4:20. (Even sending in a photo of my big toe to the Boston Marathon committee failed to garner any sympathy and an exemption to run. Go figure!)

Soon thereafter, I discovered that, as a physician, I could run Boston without having to qualify, by attending a sports medicine seminar put on by the American Medical Athletic Association. Membership in the AMAA and attendance at this seminar included entry into the Boston Marathon (some would say this isn’t fair, but hey, I figured I paid my dues with all those year of medical training- call it rationalizing. I don’t care). I signed up to run in 2005.

Boston was unlike any other marathon I had run. For one thing, the crowds were huge and so supportive, lining the entire 26.2 mile route and, yes, the coeds from Wellesley College were out in force, cheering on the runners. You could hear them from a mile away. For another, the race began around noon. On a warm day, this could pose some challenges to staying hydrated. For whatever reason, although I had never cramped before, I cramped badly in my legs and upper back. Heartbreak hill wasn’t a factor because I was broken long before. I walked the last 4-5 miles in a fog of agony, almost leaving the course several times. I could not quit, though. This was Boston, dammit, and I was going to finish whatever it took.

When I turned that final corner heading to the finish, the spectacle before me was incredible. It seemed that the entire city turned out to cheer the runners in. I wasn’t about to walk those last few hundred yards. I ran on pure emotion, crossing in 4:52:58. I was pale as a ghost and when the staff in the medical tent saw me, they rushed a chair over for me to sit. My blood pressure was 90/40, and I craved an ice cold Coke. You can be sure, however, that the first thing I did was put that finisher’s medal around my neck.

This is what made the Boston bombing personal to me. It was the memory of my lifelong dream, my elation as I covered those last few hundred yards; the crowd, including my wife and daughter, who were at the finish line; and the ambiance of celebration, festivity, joy, and warm embrace of the city which, it seemed, had run the marathon with me. To have this event literally blown apart by the actions of two misguided, hateful, and, yes, evil persons just provided further proof that we live in a very broken world populated by a small but disproportionately influential number of people who have seceded from the human race as most of us know it. How tragic. How sad.

The bright side of all this is the resilience of people in the face of unimaginable horror, the kindness of strangers when the chips are down, and the certainty that the Boston Marathon will be back next year to challenge a new generation of dreamers. Rather than bring a city to its knees, the bombers only succeeded in uniting its citizens more than ever. Boston Strong!

Florida Ironman Training Log (for 2 weeks):

Well, another busy two weeks. There are days when I cannot imagine that normal people actually train and do an ironman. The challenge seems to be not so much the training itself; it is finding the time and staying organized so the rest of your life doesn't get put on hold and fall hopelessly behind. Then, there are the special distractions- weekend travel, vacation, family events, and, yes, national news stories. The Boston Marathon bombing occupied much of my free time as I could not seem to get enough information on it. I made most of my training days but had one bad run and one bad swim. More on those later. All in all, though, I feel that I moved forward a little and progress is what its all about. I still have lots of time.........

(2) Weeks training summary”

Mon. 4/8- Swim: 1859 yds @ 2:42/100 yds, total time 50:07 minutes

                 Bike (trainer): Intervals, 3.49 mi, 13 mph ave., total time 35:03

Tue. 4/9- None

Wed.4/10- Run, cadence accel., 3.49 mi @ 8:38 min/mi ave., total time 30:09 min.

Thu. 4/11- Swim, 2550 yds @ 2:49/100 yd, total time 1:11:59

Fri. 4/12- Run, 6.48 mi. @ 9:56 min/mi., total time 1:04:24 hours

Sat. 4/13- Bike, 38.07 mi @ 16.5 mph ave., total time 2:18:48

Sun. 4/14- Rest day

Mon. 4/15- Swim (cut short), 925 yds. @ 2:33 min/100 yds., total time 23:33 min.

Tue. 4/16- Swim (master’s swim @ NTC, strength and flexibility training- 1 hour

Wed. 4/17- Run, 4.24 mi. @ 8:45 min/mi., total time 37:07 minutes

Thu. 4/18- Swim, 2750 yds in 1:12:00 hours. (No Garmin upload)

Fri. 4/19- None

Sat. 4/20- Bike, 105 mi., @ 15.1 mph ave., total time approx 7 hours

Sun. 4/21- Bike, 50.62 mi @ 15.3 mph ave., total time 3:18:25 hours

Back in the saddle again.......

7 April 2013- Back in the saddle again……

If you are like me, you have noticed something about life that is very frustrating and just does not seem fair (among many other things): it is very hard to get into a routine of exercise and maintain this but very easy to stop, revert to your old, sluggish self, and vegetate on the couch. Why couldn’t it be the other way around?

Last week was a great case in point. I lost Saturday, March 30, due to out of town travel. Sunday was my rest day and I ALWAYS take my rest day (no makeup days if I miss one). Then came the first week of April, which roared in like a lion, professionally speaking. The volume of work, which thus far this year has been relatively low suddenly took a leap and I found myself staggering under a load of patients and surgery such that, by the time Friday arrived, I realized that I had not done a single workout.

Now, there are reasons and there are excuses and I try not to mix the two up. I had good reasons for not working out: too much work, too little time, too tired, etc. My body, however, doesn’t care. If I don’t work out, however good the reason might be, I take a step back from my forward progress. Refrain from working out for a week or more and fitness is lost. Once you start to get into that mindset that you just don’t have the time and/or energy for this, it is a slippery slope on which you pick up speed until it deposits you back on the couch. It just becomes sooooooo easy to sleep in, rather than get up early to go swim or run; to come home and turn on the TV before, during, and/or after dinner then remain on the couch until bed time rather than do your mobility exercises, ride on the trainer in the evening; or enjoy a leisurely wake up on Saturday, have breakfast, and read the paper rather than get out of the house and take the long bike ride.

The thing about it that makes the above so frustrating is that I know, better than most, how good it feels to have done that workout that was scheduled. There is a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and physical well being that accompany a good workout. It just feels good. But, to have that good feeling there has to be some preliminary discomfort and, at times painful, effort. You cannot have one without the other. It is a fact of life that we live in the immediate present and when in the middle of a difficult workout, it is easy to forget that this will end shortly and that you will feel great afterwards.

By the end of the week, I was champing at the bit to get moving again and hopped back on the training train on Friday morning with a nice run. Good to be back in the saddle…….

Florida Ironman Training Log:

Despite the shortened training week, I did reach one new milestone. I averaged 16 mph on a 30 mile solo ride, the fastest I have ever covered this distance outside of with a group. This gives me hope that eventually I will reach the goal of averaging 18 mph for the triathlon. Inflexibility continues to plague me but I think the mobility exercises are slowly having an effect. My new mantra during rides, runs, and swims is “relax”.

Week’s Summary:

Mon. 4/1- None

Tue. 4/2- None                                                (yeah, not a good week’s effort)

Wed. 4/3- None

Thu. 4/4- None

Fri. 4/5- Run, 6.4 mi @ 8:56 min/mi, 90 spm, total time 57:09 min

Sat. 4/6- Bike, 30.13 mi @ 16 mph**, high cadence 90+ rpm, total time 1:53:01 hrs

**new PR                                                                                                                                                    

Stomping J*sus

An interesting story has been making the rounds, appearing in the recent news and on some blog posts. It pertains to an exercise in a book, Intercultural Communication: a Contextual Approach, by Dr. James Neuliep. In this exercise, a piece of paper with the name Jesus written on it is placed on the ground and students are asked to step or stomp on it. Many refuse to do so and this is supposed to stimulate discussion on the importance of symbols.

In the Old Testament, and among orthodox Jews even today, the name of God is so sacred that it is not spoken or written out fully. The former is to indicate reverence and the latter is for the same reason and to avoid the possibility that the written name may be accidentally erased or effaced in any way. Now, no one truly believes that God’s existence or well being is threatened in any way by any of the above. The written word “Jesus” on a piece of paper is no more the actual person of Jesus than a photograph of someone is that someone. Rather, it is a symbol for what it represents. Symbols matter, however. If you doubt this, just try walking down the street anywhere in most countries wearing a large swastika on your clothes. Once a symbol of peace, and still used in some eastern religions, in developed countries it is now universally regarded as a symbol of the evil that characterized the Nazi movement in Germany led by Adolf Hitler.

Why did Neuliep choose to use the name “Jesus” for his exercise? I don’t know but clearly, if he was trying to make a statement on the importance of symbols, he chose well. Even those who do not profess Christianity are likely to abstain from stepping on what is known to be a profoundly important and sacred name to those who do. If he was trying to stimulate a discussion on the importance of symbols, he could hardly have picked better. I think that what has created the groundswell of outrage and indignation among evangelicals by this exercise is the perception that Jesus and, by extension, Christians, are being picked on once again. Why didn’t he use the name Mohammed or the symbol for Islam? Or the Star of David? Again, I don't profess to know. I do choose to believe that this wasn’t some thinly disguised slight against the Christian faith or its author and that it was a sincere attempt to stimulate dialogue about symbols.

In a worst case scenario, someone would have actually stepped on the paper. In such a case, Jesus would remain unscathed. I would have to wonder if the individual who did this would, whether in this life or the next. For me, I happen to not feel comfortable using the word “God”, “Jesus”, or “Christ” as expletives, or even as simply exclamations of surprise, frustration, or other emotion. Call me old fashioned, but I like to leave a few words to their true meaning and use them accordingly, even though I know they are simply symbols.

The registered symbol of the ironman triathlon is a little man- his head is the dot of the “i” and his body is a combination of the “i” and the "m". Many who have completed an ironman have a tattoo of this symbol on some part of their body, usually on the calf or lower leg to symbolize their successful completion of an ironman tri. Of course, you can get the tattoo even if you have never done one but, I suspect, few people do. Such a tattoo would mean nothing to them. Again, even though it is nothing more than a symbol, it has meaning which gives it a significance all its own, standing as a testament to an amazing accomplishment. I may not want the tattoo, but I do want the accomplishment. Then again, maybe just a little one.............

Florida Ironman Training Log:

Last week was a good week all around. I did miss my ride on Saturday for being out of town, but the day was worth it. Don’t want to get so uptight this early that I can’t stand to miss a day or two. Another milestone: ran 7.5 miles with an average cadence of 90 spm, something I have never done. I am picking up my cadence and, hopefully, starting to recruit some fast twitch muscle fibers to make my run more efficient. I need to work on relaxing more on the runs and swims. Everyone says I am too tight. Hardest thing right now is working on flexibility. I just don't contort very well. 

Week’s Summary:

Mon. 3/25- Swim (drills), 2075 yds, 2.53 min/100 yds., 59:53 min total time

                   Bike (trainer), 20 min. at high cadence

Tue. 3/26-  Master’s swim and strength/flexibility training at NTC

Wed. 3/27- Run, intervals, 3.49 mi @ 8:30 min/mi., high cadence ave. 90 spm*

Thur. 3/28- No workout. Long day in surgery, too tired at end of day.

Fri. 3/29- Run, 7.78 mi @ 8:40 min/mi and 90 spm cadence*

Sat. 3/30- No workout, traveling

Sun. 3/31- Rest day