Road to Recovery

Well... it finally caught up with me... over the past 18 months... I have taken an untold number of Naproxen and Flexeril tablets.... 6 Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections (CESI)... countless hours in Physical Therapy... hundreds of dollars in Massages... and many sleepless nights due to neck pain... I gave the "Conservative Approach" my best effort... but it all finally became life consuming!

At my initial consultation with Dr. Lee Warren at the Auburn Spine and Neurosurgery Center last year he told me... "when you are ready for repair... I can fix you!" I opted for the Conservative Approach in hopes that I could put off the inevitable... in his words... "it is not IF you have surgery... it is just WHEN".

I was doing great this year... after some time off during the Winter I got back on the bike and started a Winter Power Improvement Program... I was making great strides in my power production... Then, the day after Thanksgiving I started my Hal Higdon Half Marathon Training Plan... and in February I ran a new PR and hit my target time at the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham. Following that Sunday run I took the next week off and the following Monday I hit the bike. Now... I woke up on on Tuesday morning with that "I slept funny" feeling in my neck... no worries... just from getting back at it right? Yeah... that is what I thought too so I continued with the plan... I was still seeing the Physical Therapist and told him what was going on the next week and he was convinced that the Half Marathon was culprit and not the bike. Anyway... we continued with the Conservative Approach... with little relief.. the 2nd round of CESI's did nothing to alleviate the pain shooting down my back under the left scapula and down my left arm. Over the course of a few short weeks it continued to get worse and worse... I ended up in a really downward spiral that led to another round of ER visits... more and heavier narcotics... MRI... and significant down time with little relief! Following another visit with the NS I received a terse warning from him... he "did not need to see me again unless I was ready for surgery"... I left hoping I would be able to get back on track but started seriously considering my surgical options. He gave me two of them... a minimally invasive procedure where he would enter my neck from the posterior side and shave off the herniated discs in hope of relieving the symptoms... or a full on Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) at the C5/6 and C6/7 levels. I bounced back and forth... until the pain began to ratchet up and the tingling in the left arm with associated weakness continued to increase... nearly everyday... until it started to seriously affect my quality of life. Over the course of the one weekend I went from considering my options to "when can I get in for ACDF... Sherri worked miracles with the NS office, Tricare and the base clinic to get all of the authorizations approved and surgery scheduled as I just tried to maintain my existence.

We went back to see Dr. Warren and this time when he walked in the room that Tuesday morning... me laying on the now horizontal examination table... all I could utter was... "I am here because I AM READY!" He briefly explained the process and the procedure and said... "I will get you on the schedule in the next couple of weeks"... A-HA... no you won't because my wife the superhero already has be scheduled for Thursday at 0930... a miracle to say the least! Following the visit we headed to the East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika to complete all of the preliminary steps for surgery. It was an agonizing couple of hours of paperwork, interviews, data collection and bloodwork. Over the course of the next 48 hours I simply tried to exist by wishing time away... I could hardly wait for Thursday as the pain had continued to increase in both frequency and severity to the point that I could only maintain a standing position for about 30-45 seconds before the pain would literally drop me to my knees... I move swiftly between laying on the couch and laying in bed... getting up to do anything was out of the question and I was as bad off physically as I have ever been in my life.

Finally Thursday arrived and Sherri drove me to the East Alabama Medical Center where I would have my surgery. It was an uneventful ride as I laid in the fully reclined passenger seat. We arrived and proceeded to walk from the parking lot to the Surgery Center where I proceeded to find the closest chair as Sherri got me checked in... I sat and focused on simply trying to not lay on the waiting room floor as we waited for my number to be called... to be honest I really cannot recall much of what went on during that time... I lost all since of time and situational awareness... I remember them pinning a red number on me... then someone getting me and walking down a long hallway to another waiting room... that was even worse... the only thing I really remember from that room was a guy praying with someone... and his voice appeared to be on volume 11... then they called me and I headed into the pre-op area...

In the pre-op area I was finally able to laydown after discarding my clothes and dignity for a hospital gown... but laying down was okay... the pre-op nurse was really nice and she asked me a lot about my situation as her husband was a triathlete and battling a herniated disc in his neck... she put the IV in... asked a ton of questions... then the Anesthesiologist came in... after some basic questions he asked if I was in fact Navy and what I did... I told him I flew... he asked "What?" to which I replied "P-3s... but you probably don't know what they are..." and he surprised me with "The hell I don't... I was a Navy Flight Surgeon!!".... after exchanging some timelines we realized that we knew some of the same people as we were nearly the same age... too funny... he talked with me for about 45 mins until he was late for his next surgery... LOL!

Then it was my turn... they gave me a shot of feel good juice then wheeled me down the hall and into the ER... I remember being moved to the ER table and being placed on my back... then the "Are you ready for the good stuff?" question... YUP... BRING IT... and suddenly it was dark!

NEXT.. I wake up not knowing where I am... my throat hurts... I feel like I cannot breathe... I am reassured by the Recovery Nurse that everything is alright... I then wiggle my fingers and toes to make sure everything still works... ALL GOOD... so as I slowly come out of my post-op funk I begin to take in my surroundings...  occasionally a nurse stops by to ask me how I am doing... ALL GOOD... I made it through... I am stoked... and very much looking forward to seeing my wife's face... so after some time they tell me I am headed to my room... YEAH!!!

They wheel me in and a couple of dudes transfer me to my bed.... that is when I realize I have on leggings that are connected to an air pump that cycles every 15 seconds or so... okay... the Floor Nurse comes in and takes my vital signs and gets me settled... she offers me something for the pain... HEY... NO PAIN... HOLY CRAP... NO PAIN... so I decline for now... she gets the TV on for me... gets the bed just right and tells me that if I need anything to just ring her! A few minutes go by and Sherri walks in... RELIEF! I was thrilled to see her... she tells me about Dr. Warren coming out to tell her that everything went as planned... "text book procedure" from his perspective but that he was somewhat surprised to see C7 and it was way worse than he had anticipated... tell me about it! Anyway.... we sit and talk through the afternoon as the nurses cycle in for the occasional vital... and pain med... NOPE... still don't need it. Miraculously I feel wonderful... now I have some incision pain and a sore throat but not anything that requires medication at this point. The relief was instantaneous... I went from literally having knee dropping pain to zero pain... simply awesome!

Eventually it had to happen... dinner is delivered... well... they called it dinner... I lifted the lid and took a glance and knew instantly that although I was somewhat hungry... that was not on my agenda. Sherri then went out and brought back Chik-Fil-A.... I managed to literally choke down a few nuggets and fries but swallowing was difficult. I was feeling so good that we decided there was little need for Sherri to have a sleepless night on a recliner in my room and she took off to drive home and give everyone an update...

My night was actually peaceful... I eventually got up to pee and it was pain free... I stood for about 10 mins and had ZERO pain... it was awesome... I decided to try and get some sleep so I turned off the TV and put the night lights on... but I just tossed and turned... the night shift nurse came in and offered some morphine which would help me sleep... so I obliged... I also asked if I could take off the leggings and he said sure... then... for the first time in weeks... I rolled onto my side... a position I had been unable to get into in bed... this time... ZERO pain... and minutes later I was asleep. Now... I know the nurses continued to check on me throughout the night but it was a restful 7 hours of sleep.

I woke up at 0615... flipped on the TV and watched the morning news... Dr. Warren came in around 0715 to check on me... very routine stuff... he was pleased with the surgery... told me I could go home... and scheduled my first followup which is this Thursday. His orders were this... DO NOTHING FOR 2 WEEKS... no work... no driving... don't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk... no yard work... no house work... NOTHING! This... with the promise that if I followed his orders he could almost guarantee that in 6 weeks I would get the green light to do all the swimming... biking and running I desired!!! Sounds like a dream doesn't it??? IT IS HARD when you are a naturally active person but given I want to get back to being active I did my best to comply... although others (READ: Sherri) will tell you otherwise.

So... breakfast arrived... and I ate like someone was going to take it away from me.... everything bad about the dinner option was alleviated with breakfast... it was awesome... scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, grits, biscuits, juice and coffee... AWESOME! Sherri called and asked if I wanted anything as her and my Mom were headed my way... just a good cup of coffee...

They arrived... I got up... showered... put on my clothes... packed up my stuff... signed some paperwork... had a nurse unsuccessfully take out the stitches from the drain.. but soon we were on our way! Now... as much as I looked forward to walking... hospital policy required that I be in a wheelchair... I could not wait to walk as I hoped it would be pain free... what followed was an uneventful ride home... and by all accounts I would call it a success.

Okay... fast forward to today... I feel great.... have been pain free... still some muscle soreness in my neck but ZERO nerve pain... a few days of tingling down the left arm but that subsided... I actually started driving today and spent a half day at work... it felt great! The prognosis looks good but I report otherwise if the Doctor comes up with something later this week... the next hard step will be trying to not do too much too fast.

The incision is healing nicely... the dark line is the Dermabond... hard to believe but it is looking good!

I want to thank everyone for the words of encouragement and support. I want to thank my Wife for all of her support and tenacity to get the system to work for me.... I want to thank my Mom for dropping what she was doing and coming up to help out and keep me company during those 2 weeks... and of course my kids who took care of me once I was home... without all of them and skillful hands of Dr. Warren I am not sure where I would be today. So far so good and I look forward to continued recovery!

2013 season already off to a great start!

     After some serious time off to get my neck back to at least a neutral position... this week kicks off my new training plan for the upcoming 2013 racing season. In preparation for my training and race schedule I was surfing the net and came across an open invitation to submit an online application for consideration for selection onto the inaugural THETRISHOP.com triathlon team. Some time last year I signed up to receive their email flyers and so I was already aware of their site but after reading through their application and reading that their core values are...

- Have fun, learn and grow as a person and athlete

- Help others learn and grow by sharing what you have learned

- Be brand ambassadors for The Tri Shop and co-sponsors

... they aligned perfectly with my values and thus I decided to give it a shot. If there is one thing I have learned over the course of the past two years doing road races, duathlons and triathlons it is that you get the opportunity to meet a ton of great people and each one of them has a unique story about how or why they are doing that event... either as a seasoned veteran or a newbie. I have certainly had a lot of great support from family, friends, coaches and even complete strangers along the way and I am always looking for ways to pay stuff forward.... whether it be gear, ideas, tips or techniques I have seen work for me. If I can encourage just one person to give it a try I know they will really enjoy the experience and probably encourage someone they know to do the same. So with that attitude... being a member of an organization with those similar kind of goals seemed like a win-win situation.

So... last week I was notified that I was selected to be a member of their team and I could not be more thrilled with the opportunity. The reality is that I am going to race and why not do it with a team that embraces the idea of having fun, embracing personal growth and helping others in the process... not to mention it has some nice perks to go with it. THANK YOU THETRISHOP.com !!!!

This year I will be changing my colors...  I wonder if Santa has any cool black and red helmets in his workshop???

Attitude Trumps Pain!©

She packed my bags last night pre-flight...

Rocketman Olympic Triathlon
26 August 2012

Well... the plan for the year had this as my last triathlon of the 2012 season... an Olympic distance... and although I was fired up to compete I was also somewhat apprehensive as I knew I was not 100% prepared due to my training falling off in the weeks leading up to it due to some neck issues. The day turned out to be filled with some very valuable lessons that will fuel my efforts for 2013.

I drove up to Huntsville on Saturday after getting up early to drive up to Auburn for one of Colby's travel soccer team games. He actually had 2 games that day but I had arranged for one of the other parents to bring Colby home as I had a nearly 5 hour drive from Auburn to Huntsville and needed to make packet pickup before 6 o'clock. The drive was uneventful as was packet pickup and I headed over to Redstone Arsenal to check into the lodging there. This was really convenient given the event was being held on the base. I headed out to the Straight To Ale Brewing Company (READ: lesson #1) and despite my best effort to "only have one beer"... I ended up in a great conversation with one of the Assistant Brewers and as he gave me a personal tour of the brewery he poured samples of their "house beers" for me to try. Two and half hours later I left there and headed out for some dinner... Carraba's for pasta... after dinner it was back to lodging for some restless sleep and last minute preparations. 

After a really good night of sleep I got up and went through my usual pre-race routine... hydration, breakfast, unpack and repack, etc. I then headed down to the Tennessee River at the South end of the Base where the Transition Area was staged. Everything with setup was perfect... no issues... I got in the river for a warm-up swim... it all felt great.... then I made the long walk down to the swim start... as I stood on the banks looking out at the buoys it dawns on me just how far 1500 meters looks when it does not involve laps in a 50 meter pool. I strike up some conversation with fellow racers all while contemplating how far the swim looked... I am actually really nervous at this point... and convince myself to just swim my own race... stay calm... swim smooth... go easy... relax... I have swam this distance in the pool a bunch of times... 

As I make my way to the end of the pier for my start... I remind myself... just relax and enjoy the event (INSERT lesson #2)... it is my turn and I jump off the pier into the water... BBBLLLAAAMMM... okay... it is only about 5' deep and my feet impact the bottom hard which throws them instantly into toe cramp mode... but I press on anyway and just try to swim my way through them... now.. if you have ever had toe cramps you know what I mean... and sitting on the couch with one is WAY different than trying to swim in a river with them... on BOTH feet! But after about 75 yards they subside and I get on with my smooth, relaxed swim plan. Before I know it I am at the first turn buoy... make the right and quickly hit the 2nd turn buoy.... which starts the 850 meter straight shot to the boat ramp exit. For the first time ever, I am able to draft off a guy in front of me... we are swimming exactly the same pace and I am in his bubbles (INSERT lesson #3)... I occasionally check the siting but by all accounts it is perfect... so I settle in and just enjoy the draft. As we approach the slight bend to enter the channel to the boat ramp I feel awesome... and as I stand up to make my exit... for the first time ever in any triathlon... feel spectacular... relaxed, not winded, calm and smiling... as I cross over the T1 timing mat I push the lap button on my Garmin.... WHAT???? That cannot be right... 27:15 (14/22)... 1:40/100yd... how can that be... that was the easiest and most relaxed stroke I could have ever done and yet I hit my target ON THE NUMBER!!! (INSERT lesson #4)

T1 was quick (3/22) and I was now out on the bike... now... the one part of my training that had been solid was my biking as I had just completed the Southeast Time Trial Championships for the same 40K distance... so I was not concerned about the bike portion. As I headed out on the bike I started to take on fluids... I had 2 bottles on my bike... 1 with water (INSERT lesson #5) and 1 with Fluid... the bike was going great except I was sweating a ton... it was already in the 90's and really humid... but my stomach was not doing so great and given I had zero appetite I chose not to take on any nutrition thinking it would just make it worse (INSERT lesson #6). I reached the halfway point having passed a lot of people and having only been passed by a couple of strong bikers and I was on my target power. As I made my way back on the out and in course... my legs started to feel heavy... weak... I felt I was giving the same effort but my watts were slowing falling off... I developed a slight headache and was starting to get really irritated as I watched people I had previously passed go by me with relative ease. Despite the situation I press on... 1:16:45 (9/22) with a 19.4 mph average... having hit the halfway point with a 21.6 mph average...

I make a quick T2 (6/22) and take off on the run... as I start the run I realize that the one area I have the most concern about for this event was the run as it was what fell off due to my neck bothering me... and I have on my fairly new Skechers GoRun shoes... (INSERT lesson #7)... I have a mental discussion in my head about where I am at in the event... and realize I have never run a 10K in these new shoes... only a couple of 5K's... oh well... I press on... the first 1 1/2 miles are on a nice trail in the woods and at the first mile mark my watch beeps and I realize I am right on pace... I seem to have recovered somewhat from the disappointing finish on the bike... I feel pretty good but I am still sweating like a madman. I depart the shade of the woods out onto the blacktop and into the searing heat from a cloudless day.... the watch beeps... Mile 2 and still on pace... I just might salvage this race after all... as I hit the first water station I take on a full cup of water and dump one on my head... now... somewhere between that water station and the next mile marker I start to feel really crappy... and for the first time ever in any race... I walk... then I run... then I notice my heart rate skyrocketing... I walk... I run... I walk.. I run... I hit a water station and drink several cups of water... and back to the run-walk... I hit the final water station and take on more water... at this point I am sweating so badly that I am leaving wet footprints from my waterlogged shoes.... I rally with 1/2 a mile to go... I cross the finish line... 1:03:50 (19/22) for the run... my worst 10K ever... for a whopping total of 2:50:30 giving me a middle of the pack 11/22 overall.

After crossing the finish line I get a bottle of water and begin to wander around confused... in a daze... cramps set in... first the calves then my back... after about 20 mins of wandering around I decide to go back to Transition and gather up my stuff... I load everything up and make my way back to my car... on the way back I decide I am really thirsty and I know I am dehydrated so I stop at the gas station and pick up a huge bottle of Powerade... I down the drink and head back to lodging for a shower so I can hit the road. About halfway through the shower I start to come out of my funk... the spasms stop... and I go from feeling hungover to feeling somewhat normal again... for me anyway! So I pack up, check out and hit the gas station again on my way to the highway.... I pick up a Monster Rehab and a Coke... I down the Coke in the parking lot and hit the road for an uneventful 3 hour drive.

Along the way I drive in complete silence as I try to put together the pieces of the day... so many things to think about... some highs and some lows... I am not disappointed in my overall effort and just write it off to my training falling off... I wanted a peak performance without the peak training effort required to get it... (INSERT: lesson #8)

On Wednesday I hit my PT for a session on my neck... he is a triathlete... and a damn good one to boot... he asks how the race went and I give him the details... to which he responds... Hyponatremia... huh... Hyponatremia... turns out I was suffering from this condition... all the classic symptoms if you know about it... Hyponatremia is a metabolic condition in which there is not enough sodium (salt) in the body fluids outside the cells... Sodium is found mostly in the body fluids outside the cells... it helps to maintain blood pressure  but also is needed for nerves and muscles to function properly. And it turns out that the more water I drank on the course the worse I made it.... had I stopped and consumed the Heed drink I might have been able to fight it off... INSERT final lesson!

So... from my perspective... I had a PR... ON LESSONS LEARNED! I will chock the entire event up to just that... an opportunity to learn some things not talked about in the books or magazine articles... and I am already looking forward to Rocketman 2013!!! 

This is what misery looks like... 

Alabama State Time Trial Championships

I decided I would try something different and signed up for this race... and what I did not anticipate was the schooling I would get on competitive cycling. It was an incredible indoctrination into their world!

The first racer was off at 0900... the start was at the Columbiana Middle School in the heart of Columbiana, AL... about a 75 mile drive from my house. I hit the road right on schedule at 0630 with a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of coffee and a large water bottle. I made great time and actually arrived earlier than expected... and as I pulled up to the school... (cue school bell)... the lessons began.

So.... I got there at about 0740... and as I pulled into the school parking lot I was met by a huge group of riders already in position in the lot and riding their stationary trainers to get warmed up... did I mention the first rider was off at 0900??? Given I was early I decided to take the opportunity to drive the course.. which was a nice 40K (24.8 mi) out and back on country roads. I had actually mapped the ride out on www.mapmyride.com so I had a good idea of what was in store for me... but here is a snapshot of my post ride elevation graph!

That climb on the way back is a Category 5 climb... not a big deal if you are hard core rider but for me... anything that has a category assigned to it gets my attention!

So I strike out on the drive of the course... it starts with a bunch of rolling hills... but nothing that really catches my attention... until I get about 7 miles out... then the elevation change starts to get my attention.. and then once over the crest I encounter a very technical descent with one hairpin turn where the auto speed limit goes from 40 to 10 mph... then as I head out to the turn around point I pass a cyclist heading back... apparently he came out to ride the route... NOT DRIVE IT like me... LOL!

So I flip around and head back... and at 13.25 miles I hit the Category 5 climb... only a 1.2 mile climb with avg gradient of 2.7% but enough to get your attention.

Once back to the school parking lot I get parked, get checked in, get my number and start to get changed into my cycling gear for the event. At this point I meet what becomes an invaluable asset in my schooling... fortunately for me "DW" who is parked next to me is a DVM and Professor at the Vet School at Auburn University... he is easily 10 years older than me and a CAT 1/2 rider... suffice to say he is a hard core roadie... now... picture this.... a 55 year old 5'10" and 135 pound cowboy from Kentucky with a huge southern draw and a big ole fumanchu mustache wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a terry cloth wrap... pretty sure that was all he had on... he had a F-150 with a cap on the back of it and inside was a complete cycling shop... bikes, wheels, tools, clothes, helmets, boxes of nutrition products, etc... INCREDIBLE... but being an Auburn graduate... we were instant buddies... and smartly I instantly confessed I was out of my league as this was my first real cycling event... and he jumped on the opportunity to help me out... over the course of the next hour he executed Competitive Cycling 101 for me... and for that I am forever grateful!!!

Alright... having completed the academics... it was time to get warmed up and ready to ride... I got dressed, pumped up my tires, checked to make sure I have everything... pounded one more bottle of water... for 0830 it was already hot... when I let the house at 0630 it was already 82 degrees and 80% humidity and now at 0830 it was already approaching 90 degrees.. I decided to ride out the course 10 mins making for a nice 20 min warm-up... certainly nothing close to the 90 min trainer warm-ups that had been going on around me but good enough for me! After my short ride... I drank another bottle of water and then proceeded over to the starting line... I was off at 0906... with the first rider going off at 0900 in 30 second intervals... I worked my way up the line until I was next... a holder grabbed my bike from the back and I clipped in... 5... 4... 3.... 2... 1.... "GO!"... and I was off..

Now would be a good time for me to give you an update on the weather conditions... we were a couple of days into a heat wave and today was to be the peak... 104 degrees with heat index in the 120+ range... and very little wind if any at all... I can honestly say that I wish I had put an extra bottle on my bike for this event... IT WAS HOT... miserable kind of hot as it would turn out!

I quickly got up to speed and could see a couple of riders out in front of me on the rolling hills of the start... but at 2 miles I heard that unmistakable sound of a carbon disc wheel... and at 2.15 miles... whooosh... the guy that started behind me goes by me... and I was going 26 mph... this event would replay itself at least ten times throughout the course of my ride... just for comparison... I averaged 19 mph over the 40K ride and the guy that won it averaged just shy of 30 mph... again... this is competitive cycling and these guys can ride!

The worst part of the ride was on that climb coming back... not so much because of the terrain but more for the fact that it was HOT... zero breeze... and the heat coming off the black asphalt was oppressive... hard to breathe... other than that note... there isn't much to report...

I spent most of the ride trading positions with the guy that started ahead of me... we must have passed each other a dozen times... then with 2 miles to go he went by me... for what I thought was the final time... but when we hit the 1K left... I decided I had just enough in the tank to try and run him down one last time... and so I did.... I managed to get around him and stay there through the finish.. afterwards he would tell me that he really wanted to catch me but just couldn't...

This photo was taken just after passing the finish line.... I can honestly say that at the end of the ride I was spent... legs quivering, soaking wet, upset stomach, light headed kind of spent... the weather was tough and it took its toll on a few.. at least one had a trip to the ER... several others spent some time laying on the sidewalk with bags of ice on their torso trying to cool off...

All in all... it was a great event... I rode a personal best on that distance and this was on a MUCH tougher course than the others... but most important is that I learned a lot... it was awesome to see the caliber of riders that rode this race... very motivating and I am glad I did it!

Attitude Trumps Pain!

I was thrilled to be a co-author with Gene on Part 6 of his ongoing series... the role that Personality plays in The Right to Lead model... the "how" leaders do what they do...

The Right to Lead- Personality