'The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because He loves what is behind him.' -G. K. Chesterton
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts

26 January 2013

Perspective

Amidst our personal battles it's easy to lose sight of what is most important in our lives. Family. Friends. Those we love with all our hearts and souls. Last night, after a long battle, Rick lost his lovely bride of 32 years to the scourge of Cancer.

Words are insufficient. My heart aches and my thoughts go out to Rick and his family. May God grant him mercy and the comfort he so badly needs right now.

Rick, you will never be far from our thoughts and ever in our prayers. Lu and I grieve with you.

Six

23 October 2012

Ok, Lance Doped

It's been all the bicycle news for a while now. The USADA (US Anti Doping Agency) came out with it's report on Lance Armstrong and the US Postal/Discovery Channel bicycling teams and his 7 Tour De France wins. USADA said they found

 "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen" Here's the full text of the findings.

USADA banned Lance for life and stripped him of all his results from 1999 to 2005. Lance chose not to appeal the ruling. Caught up in the mess were many current or retired riders of some fame and accomplishment such as Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie.

Now the UCI has formally stripped Lance of his TDF victories.

The fallout is now getting ugly. Lance has stepped down as the head of the Livestrong Foundation and his sponsors, including Trek, Nike and Radioshack have dropped him like a spent nuclear fuel rod costing him an estimated 35 million dollars in endorsements. Some supporters are asking for their money back and there's talk that the race promoters of the races he won may sue him to get back their payouts. Millions more. Long time sponsors are dropping out.

The biggest hit may be the Cancer research work the Livestrong Foundation supports if donations fall off in light of the revelations on doping.

I am an avid cyclist. I love the sport and follow professional cycling. I know the players and the history and it's a very seedy history indeed. Doping has been an issue for decades. How bad has it been? The UCI, the governing body for the Tour De France, will vacate Lance's wins rather than awarding new winners. Why? Because virtually every other podium winner (Second and Third places) has also been either caught or suspected of doping. To say the UCI didn't know or couldn't have discovered what was happening is Ostrich thinking. The UCI needed Armstrong's wins because the sport was basically maxed out in Europe and the US was wide open and the only real way to grow the sport. That is exactly what happened by the way. A 7 time American winner caused the sport to explode on the North American continent.

There is nothing new in any of this. If you follow any professional sport you will see the same or at least similar. Hell, my own team, the SF Giants, felt the pain of this issue just this year when their number one hitter, Melki Cabrera, got caught juicing. Cycling doesn't have the Performance Enhancing Drugs market all to themselves. They're just in the spotlight at the moment. Not excusing anything, just providing a little perspective because where there's fame and lots and lots of money to be made there will be those who will do anything to get it. Including abject cheating.

What happens now? I watched this years TDF and what I saw strongly suggests that the sport is finally getting a hand on doping. The racing was close, tight and had multiple winners. Just the look on the riders faces was enough to convince me they were suffering mightily. There were no "Superhuman" efforts where a rider simply rode away from everyone else and won a hard stage easily. No one looked head and shoulders better than everyone else. Lots of crashes because the racing was NASCAR like in it's intensity and parity. Anyone could win on any day. An even playing field.

But that's not at the heart of this Lance Armstrong mess. The good work of the Livestrong Foundation is far, far more important than the sport and certainly anyone associated with it. Including a certain former 7 time champion. It's proper to castigate Armstrong personally and maybe even the sport generally but it's unfair to place that same taint on the foundation he helped create. They are raising money for the necessary work being done to find a cure for the scourge of Cancer and the actions by one deceitful and greedy man should not reflect on them. That's what pisses me off the most, that he would risk so much good for his own self aggrandizement.

Yes, I will put away my yellow bracelet. I have now lost any respect I ever had for Lance Armstrong and those who chose to follow him down that dark road. I will mourn for the loss of an American 7 time winner but will take heart that the next generation is coming on and they're racing clean and fast. And if not then I'm Ok with that. the world does not turn on the outcomes of professional sports. My Giants may win the World series and they may lose. Either way my life will go on as before. If the sport of professional cycling ended today I would be unaffected other than a sense of sadness when racing season comes around. We can live without it and them, any of them.

What some of us cannot live without is life saving cancer treatments and the doctors, nurses and researchers who make such a difference in so many lives. I urge you to remember that and forget those who do us all a dishonor by cheating, whatever the sport or pursuit. I promise you that those who raised money in Kilted To Kick Cancer did so without the slightest chemical enhancement. Adult beverages absolutely. Steroids no.

I will continue to ride and follow those teams and riders I like and respect and I will forget the name Lance Armstrong as if he had never existed. I will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation because of what they do, not who's name is on the stationary. I will fight like Susan. My mother's struggle was life and death and the actions of one man, or a host of men, will not mar what she endured.

Because life is so much more important than the cheaters.

Six

                                             Steroids? Never heard of 'em.

29 August 2012

For Ed Rasimus, Coop and Mrs. CoolChange

Nothing makes cancer easier or less intrusive. Nothing takes away the fear and pain and sickness. But we do what we can. We show our support and love and let those who are fighting know that we haven't forgotten them. That they are in our hearts and prayers. So this post goes out to Ed, Coop and Mrs. CoolChange.

First, let's get a couple of things out of the way. I am neither the most handsome nor hirsute specimen of the human male on the face of the planet. I am also not sacrificing nearly what Jennifer did when she sacrificed her locks. Still, I do have some hair.

So I corralled Lu for a little Naked Barber er, asked her for a nice, close haircut. Always happy to oblige, we set up in the new laundry room and commenced to shearing. The tools.

 Here we are halfway. That's a nice look eh?

Well, maybe not so much. Still, all gone is probably better. Right? Right?

But wait, we're not done just yet. A shaved head needs to be shaved. You should have heard Lu cuss when she had to try and wedge the razor into the Hired Goon Fold on the back of my neck.

I have no gift to give any of you except for this reminder that we do care. You are never far from our thoughts. Lu and I promise we will always contribute to and support all those who are searching for a cure. From Lu and I to each of you, indeed to all who are fighting against this evil disease we say;
We Love You.

Six

04 June 2011

Triathlon To The Power Of Ten

I posted about this event yesterday morning. It's a triathlon with a twist; 100,000 pounds lifted, 10K run and 100 miles on a bicycle, all without leaving the comfort of my home gym. I wandered around the house, thinking about it and playing it out in my mind. Shortly after 2:00 I decided heck with this. I gathered up Lu and headed out to the gym to get things rolling.

A partial view of the gym with the bicycle already hooked up to the rollers. That's the official 100 Miles Of Nowhere plate on the bike. The whole thing was done in my humble home gym out behind my house. The gym equipment for lifting, the run on a treadmill and the bike on rollers. Never left the gym except once to use the facilities which were in my own house. How cool is that?
2:30 PM and the official start.
The scoreboard, depressingly free of completed disciplines.
Lifting was up first. As the Big Board attests I did 7 exercises. The totals went like this.
Bench Press - 100 reps @ 185 pounds = 18,500
Barbell Curl - 100 reps @ 70 pounds = 7,000
Dips - 100 reps @ 245 pounds = 24,500
Rows - 100 reps @ 185 pounds = 18,500
Overhead Extensions - 100 reps @ 100 pounds = 10,000
Shoulder Raises - 100 reps @ 55 pounds - 5,500
Deadlifts - 60 reps @ 200 pounds = 12,000
Squats - 20 reps @ 200 pounds = 4,000
If my math is correct that's 100,000 pounds in 680 repetitions for a 147 pound average lift. The first time I did 100,000 pounds training for this it took me 1250 reps. I started to do squats, intending to do 100 reps but at rep number 10 felt a twinge in my right knee. On the second set of 10 it went from a twinge to a full blown owie and squats were out and maybe the entire triathlon. I switched to deadlifts and managed 60 reps before the pain became too great. I added some weight and reps to shoulder raises (I was only planning on doing 60 at 50 pounds) and made up the weight.
Take a look at that face. It was about this time that I recognized there might be a problem and was considering how to continue.
Here's Lu loading plates. She spent the day and night setting up, bringing me food and drinks and just generally coaching and cheer leading. Not to mention the recovery massages. Love that woman.
Here's the what the final board looked like. Not exactly according to the plan but done.

With lifting done it was to event number 2. I was planning on biking at this point but Lu convinced me that my arms were so pumped that supporting myself on the bike might be problematic so the 10K was next.
The problem knee. It kept me from running the pace I wanted but held together long enough to finish. I did no better than a fast walk and a light jog but I finished every step.
6.2 miles aka 10 Kilometers. The time was disappointing but I finished.

The mid way meal complete with a smile and a thumbs up. Mac and Cheese with bacon bits (because everything is better with bacon), whole wheat bread and a glass of milk. I went through about a gallon of water, a half gallon of Gatorade and a tall milk. Yes, that is indeed a drill press behind me. Don't ask.

Ok. On to the bike. My arms were still pumped but I considered this the easiest part of the whole deal. Hey, we're all wrong from time to time. Right?
The obligatory Zero miles shot.
I was going to do the whole ride in my official Team Fatty Jersey but...
Fatty, I love you and Twin Six but by this point my arms were still so pumped the jersey was cutting off circulation to my hands. I went with something a little more...open.
Man, this is hard. In addition to a triathlon this was my first Century on the bike. I found myself looking down at the odometer thinking "I must almost be done by now. Come on, let me almost be done by now" only to discover I still had 75 miles to go. Oof. It was grind it out time so I put my head down and put in the miles.
The finale was most satisfying.

And just like that it was done! The clock on the wall said 11:26 PM.
The official time was kept by Lu on her official Ironman Timex
8:55:42. 8 hours, 55 minutes, 42 seconds.


The final Big Board.

I wanted to do this event for a couple of reasons.
First to support Team Fatty and all his good works and do my part in The Fight.
Second to prove to myself that I could do it.
Finally, and most importantly, to let my Mother know how I feel about her. Ma, I love you more than I could possibly say. I did this because you couldn't. It's my small way of honoring you, your life and your fight. Cancer may seperate us but you will ever be in my heart. Fight your fight and know I'll be beside you the whole way. And when your fight is done I will take it up as my own. That is my promise to you.

And so it is done. My legs feel like a bag of angry cats. Lu has been taking good care of me with plenty of Tylenol and leg massages. I've spent the day sleeping and eating anything and everything that gets near me. Now, as far as I can tell I'm the first to do this particular brand of triathlon. If so I believe that makes me the World Record Holder. If not I'm still the winner and record holder in the Male, 51.9 year old (I'll be 52 in a couple of weeks), Clydesdale, Hurricane Utah, Home Gym, Balding division. I declare myself satisfied. And hey, maybe someone else will step up next year and go for my title. Oh, almost forgot one thing. I started the tri at 245 pounds. After it was done I weighed myself again, thinking I'd see how much weight I'd lost. Kinda like the last chance workout on Biggest Loser. I weighed in at 247. I have to be the only guy in America who can do 9 hours of straight exercise and gain 2 pounds. Jillian would be so disappointed.

Thank you to all of you, my friends, for your support and encouragement. A big Thank You goes to Fatty. The fight goes on my friend but as long as people like you exist how can we possibly fail? Thanks for letting me participate and honor my Mother. I owe you.

Six

03 June 2011

What We're doing Tomorrow

Tomorrow I attempt something Totally Stupid. For anyone who missed it I signed up to do trhe 100 Miles Of Nowhere, a cancer fundraiser put on by Fatty at The Fat Cyclist. It started as 100 miles on a bike on rollers but has morphed into 100 miles on either rollers or a very short course or frankly however and wherever you like. It's a great event and raises money to fight an evil disease that effects just about everyone, one way or another. There's a bonus. My daughter, The DO, will be doing something on her own in far off Hungary. I don't know what she has planned but I like to imagine we're doing it together.

This is my first time doing this event. I have a very personal reason for doing so. My mother is in the last stages of terminal lung cancer and I'm dedicating my effort tomorrow to her. In that light, because it's so close and personal to me, I decided more was needed. I decided on a triathlon but one with a twist.

100 miles on a bike, 10K on a treadmill and 100,000 pounds lifted. I chose to lift because;
1. I can't swim and even if I could the bathtub is kinda small for laps.
2. I can lift and I have a nice little gym out behind my house.

I'll start out the day lifting. In my training it was pretty apparent that I was expending a lot of energy getting the 100,000 pound total. So much so that I was bonking during the lifting portion when I tried biking or running first. I'll post my totals but bear this in mind. In order to reach the total I want, with enough left in the tank to continue, I'm going to be lifting moderate to light weights for very high repititions. 100 reps per exercise. For instance I'll only be benching 200 pounds. 100 reps at 200 pounds will give me 20,000 pounds toward my total. To reach that at 400 pounds I'd need 50 reps but 50 reps at 400 would leave me pretty much done for any other pushing exercise. Doing the lighter weight/higher rep routine allows me to immediately go to dips and later overheads without arm burnout. If all goes well I'll be done anywhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

From there I'll jump on the bike. I have a set of rollers and cable TV in the gym. I plan on doing four 25 mile legs with a 10 minute rest in between. Anticipated time is around 5 hours.

Lastly the 10K. By this time I'll be pretty much ruined. I'm confidant I can run at a very modest pace and get it done in 90 minutes but I'll go as fast as I can.

So there it is. I have a goal, a plan and a complete lack of common sense. If it goes to plan I'll be done in somewhere between 8 and 9 hours. Lu will act as my pit crew, feeding me, fetching needed items, loading weight bars and generally supporting me and acting as my coach and cheerleader. She's a peach. I'll post pictures and a write up as soon as I can, hopefully immediately after but that's dependant on how I'm feeling.

This is for you Ma. It's so little but it's all I can do. It's my way of reminding you how much I love you and that I will do what I can to eradicate the disease that will so soon seperate us. You will be first in my mind tomorrow and indeed every day.

Wish me luck or place bets on what catastrophe will befall my dumb ass. If it takes all day I will finish.

Six

Update: Done. I couldn't stand the strain (patience has never been one of my virtues) so I did the Tri last night. Started at 1430 and ended just shy of 2326. I completed all three disciplines but had a little trouble with a knee. I'll post the whole thing a little later. At the moment I'm trying to convince my legs not to leave me in a huff and go live with their Mom.