Friday, October 3, 2008
Week Ending 9-10
My doctor recommended me to do physical therapy which I’ve been going to; the therapist has been using ultrasound technology on my knee. He says that will heat up the interior portion of my knee doing more than a heat pad could do for me. I can’t say I feel a difference but it’s still better than it used to be. I’m also taking Glucosamine and MSM which some say that it works but you’ve see the statements as well as I have; they put on the outside of the bottle, “These statements have not been verified or endorsed by the FDA”. The last ingredient and most important for the healing of my knee is prayer; it really does work!
I’ve been riding my bike recently; the first ride was 35 miles and the seat is killing me! I told Mike Drury, the owner of The Pulse in Chula Vista that I needed a new one but he says I should get used to it…I guess it’s natural for the first few weeks you start riding…the padded shorts help out a bit but it sure doesn’t feel like it.
Ty at Body by Bobbie http://www.bodybybobbie.com/ is really getting me leaner with less fat and more muscle mass. He is always pushing me to do more…less rest between sets and packing more into an hour than we used to.
The competition is about 25 days from now and I will be starting to do multiple sport training days to get myself acclimated to how it will be on competition day. I believe that is it for now. I will keep you posted.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Week Ending 7- 8
Weight: 190 pounds. Still staying off the knee and not running, I have an appointment with my Doctor on the 28th of August to get it checked out; hopefully I can get an MRI and we can find out what’s really going on. I’ve been taking Glucosamine but they say that takes a few weeks to kick in, I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve started working with a personal trainer 2x per week and it’s amazing how much more you can get out of yourself when you have someone pushing you. This is great wisdom; I think we all need to be accountable to someone because it keeps us safe, protected and helps us to be more productive as well.
The place where I work with a trainer is called Body by Bobbi and they have worked me so hard I get dizzy. They say that is just lactic acid building up in me but I’ve been noticing that at every new class I get less and less dizzy. They’re really working my V02 and I definitely feel stronger, leaner and more tone.
I also bought my road bike last week; the brand is called Specialized and I also bought a whole slew of gear for it as well such as the helmet, arrow bars, water bottles, pedals, special shoes to lock yourself in when riding, a bike jersey, bike shorts, fix it pack (for flats), storage pack (for eating while racing), pump for flats or adding air, bike stand…and the list goes on (expensive, but if you’re going to have a habit this would be better than some of the alternatives out there.
I go on my first ride next Tuesday morning, a small 20 mile bike ride and can’t wait. So far I’ve lost about 19 pounds since I came back from Panama and only have 10 more to go before race time. I want to lessen the weight I’ll carry so that it doesn’t affect my knee so much.
That’s it till next time…see you on the road!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Week Ending 5-6
The knee is still bothering me even though I haven’t been running on it; I should probably get it checked out with my doctor. Even though it hurts, it won’t bother me in the swim or the bicycle portion of the Iron Man, it’s the run portion of it that concerns me; I have always been one to finish what I started so I will have to work with the elliptical machine so as to minimize the impact to my knees, this way I can afford myself the best opportunity to be in the best condition come race time.
My diet in the States has been mostly products from GNC such as Myoplex, meal-replacement shakes and fruits and vegetables.
A friend of mine Armando once told me that being healthy is just about making healthier decisions; not only do you reap the benefits of feeling and looking better but you add years to your life. I want to be able to run with my grandchildren not say, “Pass me my cane Junior”.
That’s it for now, see you next week.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Week Ending 4
At the beginning of the week I started running and felt that same pinch in my knee so I stopped immediately. I thought the injury was gone as I could not feel it when I walked. I must find something to do for my cardio.
I also bought a 32” flat screen TV and wall mount for the garage. The idea is to buy a treadmill and stair climber so I can work out in my garage and increase my work out times to morning and night, I will keep you posted.
Week Ending 3
This week I went to Mike’s bicycle shop again taking my son and buying him some running shoes and shirt as he also runs on his own, training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. One day he’s going to be a UFC fighter so remember his name, “Lantz Ferguson”.
Week Ending 2
I went to a bicycle store (Pulse Endurance Sports) www.pulse-es.com that caters to athletes that compete in triathlons and one of the owners Mike Drury was very informative and helped me to pick out good running shoes, socks, shorts, shirts and I told him I’d be back once I was further along in my training.
I’ve heard it said that, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. This is what I’m doing taking small steps getting closer to the final destination.
Week Ending 1
I started out swimming as that was the easiest since I have a pool in my backyard. Just getting into the routine was hard as I was accustomed to working hard all day and taking clients out to fine dining restaurants as part of a daily routine.
It was a change of lifestyle for me; I had to make healthier food choices, reduce my calorie intake and maintain my discipline during my training. Since I’ve started training I now eat less, sleep less, have more energy, look forward to exercising and the competition. I also started running about 3 miles a day and you might think that three miles is not that much but you have to understand where I live. I live in Eastlake, Chula Vista about a block from the Olympic Training Center where there is nothing but hills; so during my run I am constantly running these hills which are close to being like that one street in San Francisco called Lombard Street.
Honestly, I didn’t know how I got through it during the first week; I had to stop a lot as I was out of shape. The good thing is that I expected it to be like this and know it will only get easier. I love this quote by Lance Armstrong:
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”