To quote Jimmy Dugan

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks - A League Of Their Own)

I am not sure if yesterdays workout was great or just stupid but it was what it was. So even after confirming with "THE MACHINE" that Thursday workout should NOT be a brick, I made it a brick. WHY, well because I apparently like my pillow too much in the morning, and it was pretty cold yesterday morning I might add. So the workout called for 45 minutes of swimming and 1 1/2 hours of running. The smart thing would have been to get up early and get the run done and then take a nice relaxing swim in the evening. But no that would be too easy (if I could have got up that is). So yours truly decides he would sleep in, in the AM and do both workouts in the evening. Knowing that the evening called for me getting home from work, eating, getting the kids ready for Karate, taking the kids to Karate, then when Kim finished her run she would come and relieve me at Karate so I can Start the 2+ hours of working out at about 7 last night.

I headed to the gym from Karate and got that workout done (I am real bad in the water so 45 minutes doesn't equal a lot of yards yet). But now the next problem I left myself with is that the gym where I was swimming at closes at 8:30pm so I had to change, and drive to the other gym where I could run on the dreadmill for an hour and a half. And thank you to Kim for bringing me the IPOD that we share (since one of us put HER'S through the washing machine). So I at an uncrustable, and a banana on the way to the other gym and started my run at about 8:20 pm.

The real sad thing is I know I would (and will) do the same thing the next time, well maybe not when the weather is nicer. No that probably won't matter to me.

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A Friends Week

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I feel like all I have been writing about is negative things lately. Unfortunately that is not going to change now. Not sure what I expect to get out of posting this but just maybe myself and others can realize that when we think we have it bad there are others who have it worse.

A good friend of mine lost his father last Tuesday to Cancer (there was a article in the local paper - my friend is the wrestling coach mentioned in this article). Now his father was real ill and maybe he is a better place now. But I happen to be headed up to East Brunswick NJ yesterday (my friend is in Sayreville - next door to East Brunswick) and I called my friend to see if he would like to meet at my Uncle's house as he was having a get-together. I left a message and he returned my call about an hour later. He was at the hospital with his Mother who suffered a massive heart attack and as he said "was not going to make it". Turns out he was right and she passed away 7:30 last night. I feel so bad for my friend as he has to now bury his Mom less than a week after doing the same for his Father.

It does make me very thankful for what I have and puts a lot of things in perspective.

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2008 Week 8

Week 8

02/18/2008 - 02/24/2008

Swim - 1,450 yards ( 2 workouts)

Bike - 66.60 miles (4 workouts/3 hours 50 minutes) 1 stationary 2 trainer ride and 1 spin class.

Run - 15.75 miles (5 workouts) 2 of the runs were small brick runs.

Lifting/Core - 30 minutes ( 1 workouts)

Notes - Had a good week, I had hoped to get in 4 swims but life got in the way. I felt like I was training this week and not just working out (if that makes any sense).

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Mom update.

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I know I am over due for an update on my Mom so here are the cliff notes. The last few weeks she has been going through a lot of tests. Trips to Sloan Kettering in NYC and Basking Ridge NJ (Much easier trip from Old Bridge). The deal is this, my Mom does have Lung Cancer, the Doctors think they have caught it early which is obviously a good thing. Another positive is that the biopsy on her Lymph Nodes came back negative. Yesterday she had a brain scan and we should get the results today or tomorrow. All and all my Mom has been putting on a good front around me and my sisters. There are days if we call and my Father tells us she can't talk that we know she is having a bad day but all and all she is doing OK.

Again I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I do appreciate them.

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2008 Week 7

Week 7

02/11/2008 - 02/17/2008

Swim - 0 yards ( 0 workouts)

Bike - 52 miles (3 workouts/3 hours) 2 stationary 1 trainer ride

Run - 9 miles (4 workouts) 2 of the runs were small brick runs.

Lifting/Core - 0 minutes ( 0 workouts)

Notes - Instead of looking back at this week I will look ahead and say that this is going to be a good week (knock on wood). Yesterday I swam, biked, ran, and did core exercise. I will be totally surprised if I don't get in 4 swims this week.

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Our newest "PET"

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You know you wanted one as a kid, but your parents told you NO. Lets face it your parents knew that after the first two days of excitment wore off they would be stuck caring for the pet. Well the kids bugged Kim enough that she broke down and got them a new pet. And wouldn't you know it I am the one that is stuck taking care of the pet every morning.

Here are a few pictures and it is even bigger now. We are calling him Scooby Doo.

And here is another one.



I have to be honest that I am amazed that it even worked.

For a history of the Chia Pet check here.

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2008 Week 6

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Week 6

02/04/2008 - 02/10/2008

Swim - 0 yards ( 0 workouts)

Bike - 41.50 miles (3 workouts 2 1/2 hours) - All Trainer rides with new Spinerval DVD's, got to ride the Lake Placid Ironman Course.

Run - 16.75 miles (4 workouts) - It was nice to get outside on Saturday for one of the runs.

Lifting - 0 minutes ( 0 workouts)

Notes - A better week than last week(run and bike wise) but still no where near where I need to be.

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2008 Week 5

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Week 5 - There is a reason this update is late.

1/28/2008 - 02/03/2008

Swim - 0 yards ( 0 workouts)
Bike - 17.00 miles (1 workout - This was a great workout for what it is worth)
Run - 0.00 miles ( 0 workouts)
Lifting - 30 minutes ( 1 workout)

Notes - There is really nothing I can say about the week. I am not going to offer any excuse, bottom line is I felt like mentally I needed to just take a long break (physically the body is fine). So that is what I did. No regrets.

I took a step back from the workouts but spent some quality time with the family. I also made a concerted effort to not spend as much time on the computer as I have been of late. My Google Reader is well over 100 entries. I will read them all (chances of commenting are slim).

I have been doing great with eating lately and fingers are crossed that I will continue that.

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Mom update.

Without giving T.M.I. I will do my best to update you on my Mom's hospital stay.

And thank you very much for the well wishes on the blog and personal emails, they really meant a lot.

Jan 22nd. (Evening)

One of her brothers (she had 6 – 5 still living) brought her to the local E.R. because she was having Gallbladder pains. My Father works in another State so is only home on the weekends so she called her brother. It takes a lot for my Mother to go to the Hospital so I know the pain had to be really bad.

At this point we are thinking that she will need to have the Gallbladder removed (which she was aware might have to happen from past Gallbladder episodes. Problem is my Mom is not in the best of health and was concerned about “going under” for the procedure.


Jan 23rd.

Running test on my Mom such as EKG, Lung Scan’s and her blood pressure being all over the place (first too high then later too low) lead her to be moved to I.C.U. At this point her EKG was “off” and they think she has pneumonia so ICU is the best place for her. Subsequent EKG’s came back good so not sure if first was a fluke or not.

Jan 24th.

Turns out there was more to the Lung x-ray and they have discovered a “spot” on her lung and want to do a biopsy on it. My parents decided it would be better to have the biopsy done in NYC at Sloan-Kettering, a place she knows well since she is a Cancer survivor. So at this point Gallbladder surgery is not even being looked at and she is just dealing the pain (got to love drugs).

Jan 25th. And Jan 26th.

She is getting better (in ICU) and other than her emotional state of mind (thinking the worse with what will happen with the biopsy) she is recovering well. She has many visitors (family and friends) to make the time go by. I should mention that my Aunt is a Nurse Supervisor at the hospital, and my Sister is a Nurse at the hospital (another location but same family of hospital) so she is getting great care. That is not to say she would not being getting great care anyway just saying it can’t hurt.

Jan 27th.

She comes out of ICU and I think it would be OK to bring the kids to see her so I pack up the family to have a very nice visit (I obviously had been back and forth many days but didn’t bring the kids).

Jan 28th. – Jan 30th.

She is getting better and healthy to go home. So now she is home and is scheduled to have the Biopsy done Thursday 2/7/2008. So at this point we are just hoping for the best with the results of the Biopsy.

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What a Super Bowl to say the least

(Working on getting the picture up)

This is how my Super Bowl started. Minutes after the National Anthem I am in the car driving our Black Lab (Melmo) to the Emergency Room to have a bone removed from her lower jaw.

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