Father of Six

Hello all. All is well. Life goes on without out much effort.

Today is Eric’s 24th birthday.

Danielle and I are taking an introduction to fencing class together. Here are a couple of photos in our garb.

Becca recently completed her Driver’s Ed course and now has her permit.

I’m riding my bike pretty consistently - about 90-120 miles per week - as much as the weather will allow. I’m also swimming twice a week and lifting weights twice a week. My calf injury responded well to the treatment by Dr. Kelly. But I’m still not going to run.

All the recent Motte and Bailey projects are complete. We got the new carpet in the basement, new bookcases, re-organization of books, a new couch for downstairs, a new pantry for the kitchen, and a new vacuum cleaner. And yesterday we had a crew come in and do a “spring” cleaning of the entire house. It took them 8 hours.

I have a few specific shout-outs to people so here goes:

Note to Paul - I did the “Strength Finder 2.0″ today.
Note to Eric - Happy Birthday dude. We should do sushi.
Note to Brittany - Get the opera tix!
Note to Daner - Don’t be so hard on yourself. And fencing rocks.
Note to Amanda - Be nice to your mom.
Note to Becca - Don’t wreck the car.
Note to Boomer - Why Robin? I’d really like to understand.
Note to Tami - I like your new sweat pants.
Note to everyone else - I miss you and we should spend more time together.

AMF

I’ve decided to call my new bicycle “Mo the Mule.”

I’ll admit it - a plagarised the name of the mascot of the University of Central Missouri.

But it is a perfect fit.

Mo - in my case for momentum.
The Mule - because it’s a work horse.

And the school colors for Central Missouri are the same as my bike - Red, Black, and white.

Now I need to get a cool Mo the Mule decal to stick on the bike.

My injury was so painful that I was worried that it might be something more substantial than a muscle tear. So instead of going to see Dr. Kelly for acupuncture, I made an appointment with my primary care physician.

And the primary care physician examined my calf and diagnosed me with a torn soleus muscle. Or a torn gastrocnemius muscle. Or a partially torn Achilles tendon.

Whatever.

Then he told me that any and all of these injuries basically get the same treatment – rest from physical activity, and ibuprofen.

Have a nice day.

So I immediately made an appointment with Dr. Kelly. Then I kicked myself in the arse for not calling her first.

I had the treatment on Tuesday morning. By Wednesday evening I was walking limp free.

I’m going take it easy the rest of the week – no cycling or swimming – and then gradually get back into a routine of activity on Monday.

Here are my stats for the Double Ironman Triathlon Challenge

5 swims 5.0126 miles 3h:15m:27s 1.5379 mph
12 rides 224 miles 16h:17m:56s 13.74 mph
13 runs 52.4 miles 9h:34m:18s 10:57 per mile pace

Injury Update: I have a Doctor’s appointment this afternoon.

Tami and I went to JaJa Bistro Thursday evening as part of a downtown Littleton boutique event.

Whilst there we had an amazing bottle of wine and the most delectable chocolate mousse ever created.

So on Sunday, we had a French Bistro dinner.

Red Potatoes sautéed in walnut oil, seasoned with nutmeg, garlic and chives. This was mixed with onions sautéed in butter, topped with Parmesan cheese, and baked to melt the cheese.

Then we had a half New York Strip steak, marinated overnight, and topped with a Green Peppercorn sauce.

All this was served with a tossed green salad with cheese/garlic croûtons and creamy French dressing.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse that I made from scratch.

It was divine.

I finished the Double Ironman Triathlon Challenge this morning with a 4.45 mile run. So the 5 mile swim, the 224 mile bike ride, and the 52.4 mile run is over. The goal was to finish in eight (8) weeks.

I did it in five (5.) Not bad for a 46.8 year old dude.

Actually, I’m fibbing. I ran 3.75 miles today. Then my right Achilles Tendon gave out. Almost literally. It felt like someone stabbed me. Sudden. Immediate. I couldn’t continue. I had to walk the last three quarters of a mile. Limping.

The tendon is not detached. But it might be torn. Or strained. It hurts like hell. I can’t walk. Sort of.

I’m going to Dr. Kelly tomorrow, with the hopes that the injury is minor, and that she can use the needles to get me right. Otherwise …

I think the past few significant injuries I’ve had have been specifically related to running. I severely sprained/twisted my ankle by stepping into a manhole cover one morning. I tore my calf muscle. I broke my foot running the half-marathon last year.

Now this Achilles thing.

I think it might be time to retire from running. Maybe just bicycling and swimming from now on.

Maybe.

I bought a new road bicycle on Friday. It is a Trek 1.5. I got a sweet deal, plus clip-less pedals and shoes, and a “good karma” flat tire kit.

I rode it 34 miles on Saturday. 32.45 of those mile counted towards my Triathlon Challenge.

This bike rocks. It is faster than all get out. I dig it.

Now it needs a name.

We got the new carpet installed in the basement on Friday. It took three guys all day. It looks and feels great.

Now it is a matter of putting everything back together.

All the rooms are basically back in order.

We put the book cases and books back today. This was a huge chore. I have four (4) five shelf cases, and two (2) three shelf cases. Full. And we’re probably going to have to buy another five shelf case.

Danielle and I signed up to take an Introduction to Fencing class. It is a six week course that meets every Tuesday evening from 7 to 8:30. We are taking the class at the South Denver Fencing Academy.

Our first class consisted of stretching, determining your vision dominance – which determines if you fence right or left handed (I’m left, Danielle is right) – how to get into the “en garde” position, how to move forward, how to move backwards, how to thrust your weapon, and how to lunge with your weapon.

We had a great time. The instructors seem to be full of knowledge and experience, and they have great senses of humor too.

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

The last two weeks of February passed by uneventfully.

My Triathlon Challenge is right on track - the swim (5 miles) is complete, and I’m closing in on the run (52.4 miles.) Biking (224 miles) has been the most difficult, but the most enjoyable. Difficult because I’m only riding twice a week; in a spin class at the gym on Tuesday mornings for about 12 to 15 miles, and a long ride of 25-35 miles on Saturdays. My ride today was about 33 miles and here is a link to the Chatfield Reservoir loop that I took midway through.

So now it is March and a lot of things will be going on. Manda is closing in on buying a used car. We are getting the carpet in our basement replaced next weekend. Becca just finished her first week of driver’s education, with two more weeks to go. Eric turns 24 (!) at the end of month. Danielle and I are going to try taking a class together (more on that later - if we get registered.) Brittany is two weeks into a dietary change. I hope she likes it, and I hope it makes her feel better (not that she was feeling bad in the first place.) Boomer … is busy being a 3-year-old.