Football and bike racing

This weekend was a pretty good one. Saturday started with a serious fish tank cleaning evolution while College Gameday was on in the background. We watched most of the Florida game, in which I predicted the upset. Man, with all that talent, UF needs to tighten up! Avery came over after her first Girls on the Run practice this season and then we all headed to Fort Clinch in Fernandina to pre-ride the course for Sunday's race. But before I get into any race talk, I gotta comment on Saturday's games. Man, the SEC got all shook up! Florida got upset by Ole Miss, Georgia got blasted by Bama and UK whooped powerhouse Western Kentucky! Alabama is looking like a solid contender right now. I watched them man-handle Georgia Saturday night and I gotta say, they do look impressive. I hope UK can pull the shocker this weekend when they roll into Tuscaloosa. Wishful thinking but the Cats did knock of national champion LSU last year... Anyhow, the Bama/LSU game later this year will be HUGE, like BCS title game HUGE. Now, I am SEC biased, but the PAC-10, Big-10 and ACC are pretty damn soft this year. But whatever....Go Big Blue!

Ok, Sunday was the 2nd round of the fall series about an hour north of us in Fernandina. Avery's race was at 8:30 and it started with a half-mile roll out down a road to the trail head. From there was a 2-1/2 mile ride through the trails, which is by far the most difficult kid's course I have seen thus far- especially with the up and down terrain. The cool part about her race was that the trails were very close to the road so I could ride along the road and cheer for her, which is what I was also able to do during Char's race. Avery had an awesome race and took 3rd place in the girl's 6-11 year old class! How exciting! She is anxious to get back in the trails for some more training and looks forward to the next race in 2 weeks in Tallahassee. After Avery's race was the yellow wave race, which is all the pro, expert and sport riders. I spent part of the time with the gang under the tent in the feed zone and most of the time rolling around on my bike cheering along the course. Char had a good race and took 2nd to a very strong newcomer, Radd won again and TJ pulled off a solid top 10 in our extremely tough 30+ expert class. I again had a great time kicking it with er'body- Sean, Steph, Cathy, Leslie, Ryder, Kelly, Jacob and of course my 2 special ladies...

After the race, we bolted home to catch the Jags game against division nemesis Houston. Man, this game was exciting as Houston couldn't stop QB David Garrard and our defense still cannot stop the pass. I know the Jags have a ton of injuries, but we have got to get better pressure on the QB and better coverage in the secondary. The game was tight the entire way and it came down to our stud kicker Josh Scobee drilling a 37 yarder in OT to win it. This dude is solid- he hit a 51 yarder last week in Indy to knock off the Colts. A few thoughts on the Jags- Garrard played to his potential, WR Matt Jones is becoming very dependable, 1st round slection TE Mercedes Lewis needs to start catching the ball, free agent pickup WR Jerry Porter finally played his first game as a Jag and the first 2 losses of the season to undefeated Buffalo and undefeated Tennessee do not look so bad anymore. This Sunday night's game against the Steelers should be an awesome game! I hope we get to catch it while we're kicking it out in Tahoe. Oh, last night we were out walking Mays as Jag punter Adam Podlesh (lives across the street) got home from the game. I told him awesome game and he still seemed pretty stoked about the win. Being in the NFL must be cool...

Sporty Girl Training!

My princess and I loaded up after school/work yesterday for some laps at Hanna Park to get ready for the 2nd race of the fall series this weekend in Fernandina.

Before we got started on Avery's workout...

We had a really good time. After Avery finished the workout part of the ride, she wanted to keep rolling. We rode around the park, went around the lake, zipped though the playground, rode Misery and then checked out the huge waves down at the beach. It made me realize how much more we should have been doing stuff like this. No doubt we will do this weekly from now on...

Here's a clip of some smooth riding...

Man, was USC getting upset by Oregon State last night awesome or what? I really thought that there was a good chance USC would lose considering they lost up there 2 years ago. I fell asleep by halftime becasue the game started at 9 but what I did see, that freshman running back for O-State is one quick little stud! I was also amazed at how much bigger the USC players were- but it didn't seem to matter. This loss should keep USC out of the title game but since it happened so early in the season, late season losses by real contenders could work out in their favor. But, this game made the weak Pac-10 look even weaker. Dude, the SEC rulez!

Testing complete

This is how I felt yesterday after I got through that damn MRI at Mayo. Well, considering I was on a sedative, I was a little more low-key but I sure was happy. I was so relieved to have gotten though the test; from the fat IV, to the long breath-holds, to being able to relax in the "tube" for a full hour, to feeling the contrast being injected to walking out of Mayo yesterday with my prize by my side and a smile on my face! It was crazy how much anxiety I had just getting though this last test...

From here I have a follow up in 2-1/2 weeks. Thats too fay away- I want some news now. I asked yesterday if I could get in sooner or talk to the doctor prior to going to Tahoe next week but I was told he wants to see me in person. Ugh. I asked what I can or cannot do in Tahoe, as far as hiking or kayaking or whatever, and he said no strenuous activity. So I'll take that as I still can't exceed my "brisk walk" status. Hiking is nothing more than a brisk walk, right? We're still going to have a blast in Tahoe. Besides, it doesn't require much effort to get my gamble on in the casino! Anyhow, I pray that I am not going to have this dumb limitation forever. I mean, going from training 6 days a week to living a sedentary lifestyle is not cool. I would love more than anything to be able to race the mountain bike at the expert level again or to contest a field sprint in a road race at 35+ mph while my heart rate nears the 190's...

So Lance is back. He announced yesterday that he will be joining Astana and also announced his race schedule. Hell, you can read it here. I am eager to see how having basically 3 leaders on one team is going to work. I mean, Contador is an absolute stud, Levi can suck any stud's wheel and Lance may have been the GOAT but he's 37 now (and retired for 2 years) s0 there's no telling what kind of form he will have. Aside from this news, I was digging all the mtn bike races Lance had been knocking out. But no matter how it turns out, it will be an exciting time for cycling next year!

Rugged Slogan

My mind is either empty today or I have been too lazy to latch onto any real thoughts. So I'll post this solid UK football slogan I found because I think that toughness does matter...

Mellow Weekend

With no training going on for me this weekend, I got to watch some awesome football games. After working Saturday while Char and Avery took Mays to a B.A.R.C. event, I got home and watched Florida man-handle Tennesse. After that I watched part of the LSU/Auburn game and the Georgia/Arizona State before Char and I headed to the bowling alley to bust up some pins! Man, bowling is so damn fun! Char used to bust on me for having my own ball and shoes so one Christmas I got her a ball, shoes and a bag! Next thing we need to do is find a league...

Sunday everybody headed to Hanna for a ride in the trails. Char had a long, hard workout and Avery had some actual training as well to get ready for her race next weekend. Avery and I rode a 1 mile loop for a few laps, each time she worked on going faster than the last lap. She rocked it! After that she was ready for a cool down so we rolled down the road for a bit and then finished with a mellow ride through Misery. After we got done, Avery checked out my new ride in the parking lot...

From there we headed home, cleaned up and watched the Jags/Colts game. Man, what a good game! The Jags dominated the clock with their grinding ground game, while the secondary struggled keeping Peyton in check. The game came down to the final seconds with the Jags hitting a long field goal to get the much needed win. With all the excitement, we all headed outside to toss around the football (actually our Nerf aero football) while Mayfield was the monkey in the middle...fun times!

Another good thing about fall and football season is all of the seasonal beers that are out. Lately, I've been enjoying Blue Moon's Harvest Moon but this weekend I got some Leinenkugel Oktoberfest and some Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Dogfish Head makes some seriously good beer, and the Punkin Ale is some good stuff! Leini is also a good brewery and my favorite from them is their Sunset Wheat, but the Oktoberfest did not disappoint. Anyhow, football has gotta be the best way to enjoy all of the autumn brews! Oh, has anybody ever read reviews by professional beer tasters? Man, they have their own vernacular and give some crazy details of sensory stimulation. My reviews are like, awesome, good, ok, so-so, sucks, tasty, etc...

Here's what to look for next time you visit your local brew buying joint...

Last thought, who do I know in Chicago? I've been so curious about that when I look at the analytics...

Eye Candy

I picked up my bike yesterday- finally! It looks pretty damn cool and I'm eager to ride it. I'll probably ride it tomorrow with Avery. She still needs to get her training in for her races and I'm sure that riding with her is within reason. If I am limited to "brisk walks" right now, then riding the trails with an 8 year old should be safe. Anyhow, I weighed the bike when I got home and it is a whole pound heavier than the old Procaliber that it replaced. What is that? All that changed was the frame, rear shock and front derailleur. The new frame is that much heavier? Oh well, my bike's weight should be the least of my worries...for now... But either way, new bike psyche rules!

Impossible is Nothing

Finally, the weather feels like fall! After Wednesday's storm, the temps have dropped and when autumn officially starts Monday- it will actually feel like it. Fall is by far my favorite time of the year...

Man, I love this picture of Muhammed Ali. I just put this poster in my garage because not only is he one of my heroes, but he is also a fellow Louisville native. Also, the Addidas ad campaign is a good one for me. You know, something to always keep in your back pocket- "Impossible is Nothing."

Avery had quite a few pictures taken by the event photographer at the last race. You can check them out here. You can see that she had the same number as this fly fellow, who finally showed his blog some love...

Quick sports fix-

Baseball season is winding down and with 11 games left, the Cubs have a 9 game lead over the Brewers and should wrap up the division soon. October should be fun this year!

There are some awesome college games on this weekend- (4) Florida at Tennessee, (6) LSU at (10) Auburn, (3) Georgia at Arizona St and (18) Wake Forest at (24) Florida St. Can Wake make it 3 in a row? I hope so! Undefeated UK (3-0) is off this weekend and UofL stomped Kansas St Wednesday night.

Sunday the Jags travel to Indy to take on Peyton and the Colts. They seriosuly need this one...

Good Days & Bad Days

Man, this crap can be rough. A lot of the time I am just going with the flow, caught up in every day life and then sometimes I start to think about this nonsense and it tends to consume me. How it can effect you is almost like good days and bad days on the bike- some days you have it and some days you just don't. With that being said, yesterday sucked. After doing a stress test Monday (and keeping my HR in the 180's for minutes!) and then wearing a Holter monitor for 24 hours, I had an MRI scheduled for yesterday. I was very anxious to get this test done because it is the last test that I will need for the docs to confirm the full extent of my condition, apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I am also eager to find out exactly what I can and cannot do because yesterday marked my 8th day in a row of no exercise. I also found out that my mountain bike is in and I know that when I pick it up, bring it home only to NOT be able to ride it, it's gonna suck.

I was pretty nervous about the MRI because I am slightly belonephobic (scared of needles) and mildly claustrophobic. I knew I would be getting an IV for them to inject the dye for the MRI and even though I had stopped fainting years ago from needles (mainly blood draws), I was still nervous as heck. Well, I didn't faint when the nurse stuck the 18 gage whopper in my vein but I came close- they had to lay my sorry behind down. Ugh, not a good start. Then as I sat in the waiting room they pulled a lady from the MR and rush her to the OR- her face was purple! Anxiety was now up a few notches. When I got in the MR room the tech asked me about being claustrophobic and I told him that I had done an MRI before and even though they had to pull me out of it initially, I got through it. I also told him why I was claustrophobic but I thought that the Navy had cured it. Then he said the MRI would last an hour (a WHOLE hour unable to move!), they would inject a dye (and I would feel it) and I'd have to hold my breath for every scan, one time lasting a full minute. I felt flushed, especially after they strapped me down to the table and I could not move. Once they got me in the scanner, I immediately asked to be pulled out- got my bearings and said I was ready after quite a bit of encouragement. I got back in, had music on, got a few scans for positioning and then a friggin panic attack hit me and I had to get out! What the hell? How can I not over come this? The tech said I had the option to reschedule, be sedated and use a larger bore scanner. I thought about it and eventually agreed even though I could not comprehend why I could not make myself do this. Hell, I even felt faint as the nurse pulled the IV out!

It seemed like everything I felt was amplified by 10 yesterday. I think as I was waiting for the MRI and I saw all of the old people and all of the sick people, it all finallly caught up to me yesterday- I have a heart disease. Anyhow, I was beat- I felt like a kid again in need of a good cry. But man, I can't let this crap get the best of me. I will concede yesterday though, because I could not overcome those fears even though I have in the past. I felt like crap the rest of the day but I know I need to put an end to the slight decline of my spirit... Hell, I can't be a pud daddy to Avery- she thinks I spell my middle name T-U-F-F...

The first test

Going to the first race (Gainesville- one of my favorite courses) since getting my diagnosis wasn't so bad. To be honest, I was anxious to go for the weekend but wasn't really sure how I was going to feel or how I was going to deal with it. Yeah at times I wished I was riding or wandered how I'd be doing during the race and yeah I let it get to me a time or two, but for the most part my mind was pretty occupied. Char did an awesome job keeping me upbeat and fending off my dumb comments. I enjoyed myself (as usual) hanging out at at Al's (Char's brother) house with his family on Saturday. Char, Avery and myself always have such a great time there and always appreciate the killer hospitality.

As for Sunday- I was super excited during Avery's race, in which she rocked a 4th place. And during the actual cross country race- I actually thought it was cool seeing it as a spectator and still felt like part of the team helping Steph feed bottles and dump cold water on Char and the fellas while they suffered in the unforgiving heat. I gained a true appreciation for the awesome folks in the pits. But overall, it was a cool weekend. Mayfield was great, lunch with the gang at Tijuana Flats after the race was a good time and the trip to the pool with Char and Avery when we got home capped off the weekend.

I also appreciated all the well-wishes I received from all of the cool cats in the Florida XC race scene- it meant a lot. Chit-chatting with everyone at the venue is a constant reminder of how awesome the FL MTB community is. It makes going to races as a retired expert mid-packer a pleasant experience- along with the unconditional love I get from my 2 special racing ladies.... Oh, which reminds me- race results are here.

I'll let pictures finish the post...

Happy folks...

All smiles at the wedding...

Relief

So a heart disease can also be something that ends anxiety. Sounds kinda odd but I did feel a bit of relief as I listened to the doctor on Wednesday. I was relieved knowing that I do indeed have a heart problem and what exactly that problem is. I was relieved that now I understand exactly why I have a murmur, why the mitral valve isn't totally closing and causing this murmur, why my EKG is abnormal, why I have arryhythmias/palpitations and so on. But I was also relieved that I didn't have to stress over riding, that I didn't have to stress over training 6 days a week just to be competitive in the expert class, stress over planning my rides, ride locations, clothing, drinks, tubes, CO2's, weather conditions, bike parts, etc, etc... No more feeling guilty when I miss a ride, or not feeling like getting on the trainer when it's storming, or stressing over why I felt bad on a ride or why I didn't win the sprint on Tuesday night. I felt free of blowing off so many things in my life so I could get on my bike and get away, jam the MP3's, cranks the pedals and feel the wind blow though my helmet as cars whizz by. I felt relieved that my mind would not be consumed with everything that goes with my cycling lifestyle and the lifestyle of a guy who has the never-ending desire to compete and to race and to keep coming back for more. I was free of the guilt that always consumes me when spend less time with Avery because I "have to" ride. I felt devastation as I listened to Mayo's diagnosis but that same devastation was accompanied by a little relief. Relief can be seen as something positive, right?

Thursday morning I woke up and the first thought that came into my head was that I didn't have to ride that day, that the revelation that occurred at Mayo the day before was not a dream. My next thought was, "Damn, I still gotta go to work and keep going nonetheless." Later I walked into my garage to grab my shoes, looked over at my bikes hanging on the wall and all of my race numbers making a border around the top of the walls and I felt the sting hit me that I already missed riding- that my passion died before I was ready to let it go. I am still optimistic that this is not permanent. I can't help but to hold on to the slightest hope that I will be back on the bike some day and sitting on the line at a race, thinking about nothing else in the world besides pedaling my ass off...

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The Mayo Clinic confirmed the diagnosis today. For those who do not know, this heart diseae causes the heart walls to be abnormally thick. It is also the disease that causes sudden death, especially in young athletes. I knew going in today that there was a chance that my doctor would tell me this, but I was totally optimistic that he would say everything is fine. The thought has been in my mind for quite some time now that I was on borrowed time in regards to the strides I was making in cycling. Today my doctor agreed that I've been lucky.

So what does this mean? No more training, racing, running, lifting, playing ball...basically everything athletic that I have done since I was old enough to throw a ball. From here I have a whole new series of tests to have done to decide on my direction. The end result could be an implanted defibrillator. I am confident that the doctors at Mayo and the experts at the Mayo in Rochester will get this all managed. Either way, considering that there is no cure for this disease, I have plenty of time to figure out what to do with myself. More important, I need to get my princess checked right away because this disease is hereditary. My hopes above and beyond everything is that she didn't get this nonsense.

I think its going to take a few days for this to set in and for me to accept my fate. I have no choice but to slow down quite a bit and enjoy life. There are tons of things that I now have time to do and learn. I also don't have a reason to be so selfish with my time anymore...

Blue Rambling

Man, we had an awesome time Satuday night at the wedding. Great setup, great people, great time! I'll get some pictures posted soon...

Ok, so yesterday I spent the entire day at the Mayo Clinic, seeing the doc and getting the full gamut of heart tests done. Everything went well and I should know some results after my follow up appointment on Wednesday. I am pretty nervous but am anxious to find out the next path for me to follow. I am handling things as if I will be ok and able to race this weekend...

Speaking of racing, I sure would love to have a bike to race on this weekend. Trek says my bike is somewhere in paint and should be here soon. I thought it was painted last week. Either way, I told them I want it here, like now...

Real quick- this weekend was also awesome for football!! The NFL kicked off this past weekend and college provided all of the usual excitement. UK and UofL romped over some junior colleges, Urban took the dirty route over the U, Spurrier got a taste of his own medicine, OSU looks ripe to get slaughtered by USC nest week and East Carolina is this year's surprise so far. In the pro league, our beloved Jags looked horrible as their D still couldn't stop Tennesee's ground game, Garrard played like he just got paid (shoddy) and the O line is in serious trouble with all the injuries. Man, it could be a longer year than anticipated. But there was all kinds of other excitement across the league and plenty of good story lines (Brady out for the year?) developing. Man, football friggin rulez!

One last thought, I heard Lance may be coming back for the 2009 Tour. Stay tuned...

almost out of focus...

Where to start? Hmm...football season is in full swing...my bike frame is still not back from warranty yet...the fall series starts next week...hurricanes are all over the place...the 8 hour race that went terribly wrong...my upcoming visit to the Mayo Clinic's cardiology department...my bestest buddy getting married tomorrow....all of life's events keeping my ADD riddled mind in a virtual tailspin....aahhh!!

Ok, since I have plenty of time to talk about football (and about UK puttin a spankin on UofL last weekend)- I'll get into the sorta serious mess. 4 years ago it was discovered that my heart was abnormal. While getting several opinions, there was no clear diagnosis on what had caused my heart walls to get so thick nor was there ever a definite "green-light" given to participate in competitive athletics. Back then I took a year off from everything, got on medication and my heart managed to get better. As of now I am on light medication, I fight a few symptoms here and there and I have been pursuing mountain bike racing with a full head of steam. One doctor advised against it, one thought it was ok and one didn't know. Who do you think I listened to?

This year I hired a coach and followed a structured training regimen for the first time ever. My goal was to achieve the greatest success possible this fall in the Florida Series expert class. Everything seems to be building quite well so far. Well, so far so good...kinda...

I went into the 8 Hour Race this past Sunday feeling good, in a good place training-wise and also in a good position as far as rest, hydration and diet. I felt pretty good that Char and I would be able to win the co-ed team class. But when I finished my first lap Sunday, I didn't feel quite right. During my 2nd lap, cramps set in (already?) and then everything fell apart for me- I shut down. I crawled though that lap and the next two fighting no energy or power at all, severe leg and body cramps, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, disorientation, a strong desire to go sleep and also fought off several episodes of passing out. This scared me, bad. I have felt pretty bad a few times when I have raced/ridden in the heat, but it usually takes over 4 hours of non-stop riding to get close to any of these symptoms- more like 5 to 6 hours. But I have never experienced anything this bad. This was well beyond bonking.

What went wrong? Dunno. Chemical imbalance? Severe dehydration? Heart issues? Heart medication reaction? Diabetes? Char and myself have been all over the internet researching possible causes. Either way, I need to get myself figured out, and who better to do it than the Mayo Clinic. I have been itching to go here for years but have hesitated due to money/insurance reasons- but now they are covered. I am hoping to get an answer on my heart condition and an answer to racing mountain bikes at the expert level. Can I? Can my heart handle it? Do I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (my original diagnosis) or not? Or is my heart even the problem? Maybe an answer will be had Monday or maybe it will take a little longer. I also have arranged for my primary care to be handled at the Mayo Clinic so if my issues are not heart related, another avenue can be taken to determine my apparent imbalance- in the same building. But for now, racing is on the back burner until I know for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is safe for me to continue.

In the meantime, I will continue to spin so that I do not lose the fitness that I have worked so hard on building. I will stay busy with Avery and her homework, tennis, biking, running, etc. I will help Char in every way possible with her race season and the trip to Tahoe for the XTERRA National Championship. I still plan to be at all the races this fall and I even still have it in my head that I will race next week in Gainesville. I have been stressed but I have decided not to let it beat me down like it did last time. Hell, its fall and its football season! What's more exciting than that? Also, my boy sbc is gettin married tomorrow! Party time starting tonight! There is just too much good stuff going on around me to let one hiccup spoil the party!

Oh, with me barely moving on the bike Sunday while spinning around the cuckoo's nest- we managed to get 2nd!

preoccupied

Hmm...a lot going on, a lot on my mind. I'll get back in here....eventually...