HGH Injections and more

Well, the NCAA season is over. Tennis officiating is a great hobby of mine, but at times, it can get a little hard when we have several weekends in a row of intense tennis. I am leaving next week for Hilton Head to improve my skills in the chair. It should be fun!

Spring is here, and the outdoors is much more enjoyable. The pool is open, and I have been biking most days as a commuter. With gas prices at their levels, I estimate I save $70 or more a month and get a workout.

I went to see a specialist about my knee last week. Nothing alarming but nothing positive either. I explained that the good thing about the injury was that I knew when it happened, and that was 10 weeks ago, so it could not be an over-training issue. It just drags on like a bad sprain. We opted to go with the HGH injection option instead of going right to the MRI immediately. I have not run all week. The knee does not hurt, but I took two weeks off, and it did not hurt either.

I have had some fun occupying my time testing the 405 against the 305. (Garmin) After the first few days, I hated the 405 with a passion… This was more of the frustration of not knowing where all the settings were and trying to use the online Garmin Connect. The sync to the online system is terrible. Error after error. Then, I decided to load it into the Training Center, which was solid. I again found the topography to be much more accurate with the 405. As I reported earlier, it seems strange, but there must be something to gain better readings.

I am looking forward to running next week. Hope the injections are all it takes, but I am still a little nervous. Will have to take it one day at a time.

Carry on…

No Superior Trail race 50K for me... 111 days to the 100?

As I awake on this sun-filled morning, I wonder what I am missing. The start of the Superior 50K is this morning, and many will experience what looks like a great day. However, on Monday, I will see a specialist about my knee. I ran for two weeks, and the pain was back at a higher level. I just want to drive only some of that way, only to have issues that are obviously greater than I thought. 10 weeks is adequate to heal what can heal naturally. Funny thing, it does not work only when I am running or biking. Once I am moving, it is okay. I just should not stop... RUN FOREST RUN... Last week, after a 6-mile run and 4 Advil, it still woke me in the night. Oh well, does anyone have any thoughts?

I am running today and testing the two Garmin’s again. As many know, I have a 405. My first reaction was that the 405 could not be worn comfortably as a watch. About 15% of the watchband is solid, complex, and fits my wrist funny. Imagine the 305 with the antenna on both sides. I may get used to it. I guess the antenna is on one side and the battery on the other to allow a smaller face. More on it after I test it a few more times.

My first test was interesting… I love the auto-download. I hate the charging system. The distance was the exact on the 305 and 405 (3.71 miles). Goes back to my 305 statement that it may not be the correct miles, but it is consistent… However, the 305 measured the topography much differently than the 405. I always thought the elevation charts on the 305 were skewed, especially as I can at my office calculate the actual elevation from the construction documents for the paved trails when built. The 305 had a 970-foot gain (210 out and 660 back) and an 885-foot loss. (630 out and 255 back) The 405 had 645 feet of gain (540 out and 105 back) and 638 loss (103 out and 535 back) … According to the plans, it is actually 662 feet of gain and loss based on the two-foot contours… I have no clue why, as the software and technology are the same. I think I will switch wrists. This should not make a difference, but who knows.

Carry on…

Touchy subject?

I was running at lunch with some friends, all much younger than I when they started talking about a marine that committed suicide.  He was 25 years old.  Brought back memories of all the war stories I heard when I ran with an older group of gentlemen over 20 years ago.  In the 1980s, I heard many stories about "that damb war".  Between these runners, I heard more horror stories than I had seen in the movies.  One runner had a limp and about 25 percent of his left butt cheek blown away by an explosion "he will never forget." One had a missing lung from a bullet.  

I never lived those horrendous activities as I lived in an era where there was no war.  Although, through them, I still have some real impacting thoughts.  For a 21-year-old who grew up in rural North Dakota, these stories were like those things society packs into video games.  People lose sense of reality at times.  We read so much fiction that things that were repulsive thoughts in 1950 are commonplace today.

As the conversation went on, they started talking about suicide statistics.  Jan stated she read that in 50 years, the rate for 20 to 24-year-olds has doubled (I looked it up, 6.2 per 1,000 in 1950 to 12.1 per 1,000 in 2000).  Then she said it still does not come close to my (Londell's) age group.  We started to discuss why this is a fact.  That is when I talked more than the rest.  I explained how this has been a tough year for me.  I explained how, at 40, things change.  Reading glasses we made fun of were now needed, sleeping became more difficult, and so on…  As I spoke, it was rather depressing.  

The conversation turned to goals and objectives and the meaning of life. We discussed how our goals and objectives in life change. As kids, we have goals of playing with toys and friends. As teens, we have goals for our first love. As college students, we look for fame and fortune. As parents, we strive to raise decent human beings, and then… I had to think, then…

When parenting is gone, we lose purpose if we do not formulate new goals.  Without purpose, we lose hope; without hope, we lose desire.  Really was thought-provoking.  Made me think back to the time when I got divorced years ago.  I was a little depressed and sought help.  I wrote a story that I have come to appreciate. It describes strangely finding purpose.  I wanted to share it with those who read this blog...  The story goes:

I currently have this chair in my living room, and I hate it. It's ugly and big and takes up too much space. And every time I sit back and lean in it, it damages the wall behind it. I've wasted so much time, money, and energy looking for and buying chairs for that corner of my living room. I've bought ones that look good - but don't last, I've had sturdy ones that just don't look good with the style of my living room, I gotten them straight off the show-room floor - but they become outdated pretty quick. 

What I want is a comfortable chair that looks nice too. Something that adds to the decor of my living room. You know, the kind of chair that when you're having a shitty day, in the back of my mind, I know that my chair will be there when I get home, for me to lounge and relax in. Where I can throw my legs over the arm of it and read a good book or work for hours comfortably. Yet, it still looks good too, like when company comes over, I don't have to dress it up with a throw pillow or anything, it's fine the way it is. Also, it doesn't need constant maintenance, and there is no need for weekly polish or scotch guard treatments. But like I said, right now, I have this terrible chair in my living room that I need to get rid of this chair. 

But there's a problem. My son likes that chair; it has sentimental value to him. So I can't just take it to the dump. I'm going to have to store it in the shed or something so my son can play with it when he wants to. But it's cumbersome and complicated to move, and I still need to move it out of my living room. 

Then, the other day, I was at an antique store, not even looking for a chair, and I saw this one that I liked. I thought, damn, I'm not even looking for a chair right now. I am still determining where I'd put it. But I really like this chair. It has a unique look. It had a classic frame and was well-made. I even like the upholstery, and I would like to take it home and see how it looks in my living room. 

Then these two guys walk in work suits walk up to me and say, "Sorry sir, I hope you're not lookin' to buy this chair 'cause it's not for sale." They go on and tell me, "See the shop owner here? Well, he's a bit of a perfectionist, and we came here today to pick up this chair and take it to our warehouse so it can be polished and refinished." The guys go on, telling me how funny it is that the shop owner always does this and that usually what the customers like about the furniture are the flaws, you know, that used look, gives it character. And how often the items get all scratched up on the way back to the store anyway. The guys tell me they have that chair today, but if I am interested, I may want to check back when it's fixed up. 

But the storeowner has two other stores, so there's selling where this chair will end up. I laugh to myself. The guys then tell me that I look a little tired from shopping, and they still have some forms to fill out, so why don't I sit in that chair and try it out for a few minutes while they finish their paperwork? That sounds like a good idea, so I will sit in it. This chair is comfortable; I like it so far. 

Then I remembered it didn't matter because I still had that big, ugly chair in my living room. Even after I got it out, I still had to repair the damage to the wall behind it and paint where I'd cleaned up the wall. And well, this chair is here today. Remember, it's for sale anyway. 

I tell my therapist this, and she says, "How about not having a chair in your living room for now?". "Yeah, I agree". I think I will get some good artwork to hang on the wall for that corner of my living room for now." And" art is good. I really can sit on the floor and enjoy the art. Life can go on without a chair. However, there will be a chair that I will grow old in and, with some luck, die smiling in it.

End of story…

I did buy the art after writing the story.  Still have it on the wall.  It reminds me of those hard emotional times I had back then and the thought-provoking events in my life.  I am proud that suicide was not one of the thoughts, but I felt I had an understanding of what it is like to be lost.  I can not imagine the hell the war was for those running buddies of mine.  I often wonder if those runs and openly discussing those issues was the best therapy for them.  I know, when I dumped during my runs or got dumped on during the runs, I or someone else really felt better afterward!

It reminds me that we can never succeed dwelling on our failures if we do not look for new opportunities to grow, which requires the risk of failure.   Matthew Keith Groves states, "Winners lose much more often than losers.  So, if you keep losing but you're trying, keep it up!  You You'ret on track."

Ca "ry on!

Escape from ...

Finally, I escaped the world inside a world: Las Vegas. I am sure many people like this vacation/conference spot, but I was never happier to leave. Of course, I arrived at 40 degrees cooler, but I did not mind. I like the cool weather. You can always add layers, but at some point, there is nothing else you can take off!

I have now logged about 20 miles a week for two weeks.  There have been pool workouts and hundreds of miles on the bike. I will run two days on and one off this week, as I am nervous about the knee.  I still plan on trying the Superior 50 K, but I may walk much more than normal. That is doable if you add my walking time; I have been over 30 miles a week for quite some time. 

Anyway, the weight is slowly going the right way.  I thought I would blimp out in Vegas, but it ended up the same.  That makes me happy.  

I recently read about the runner who died at the New York City Marathon.  Enlarged heart…  This is the second time I have heard of this causing death.  First was a good friend, Ken Nordquist, and then I read about this death again.  Bring back memories and thoughts?  I think I should have the heart scan they talk about on the radio?  What should we do to protect ourselves?  I think about the words, "Ryan and other top athletes underwent medical testing in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he trained, last spring, Joe Shay said, and he was cleared for running." So why did this kill him?

The articles read, "An enlarged heart like Ryan's translated into extra endurance." Additionally, USA Today wrote, "Scientists have noticed the phenomenon of the athlete's heart." Athletes who train hard in sports like cycling, running, or swimming tend to have a bigger heart that pumps more blood throughout the body. 

Just another thing to think about in this "world where there are so many hidden killers.  This takes me back to what I wrote a while back, "We all need to get busy living or get busy living," and if I worry too much about what might be killing me, I forget to save enough energy to live.

Live on my friends!