G8r80's training / dieting / cycling / log

I did swimming practice drills yesterday.

Alas, this age thing... I had an angioplasty in November, '06 and I thought my heart issues were behind me. But when I had my routine followup with some tests, some screwy valve issues came up which suggest that I will need heart surgery within the next 10 years (hopefully I can push that back to 10). Bummer.

Aerobic stuff like running, cycling and swimming are good to no effect on these valve issues but weights can exacerbate the problem, so I will have to discuss with my cardiologist how much iron I can toss around before I can resume that.

On the bright side, a guy that I am doing a triathlon with in Illinois in March had this surgery this year and is back to training and doing triathlons and can flat out kick my ass. In fact, he is in Miami doing a marathon.

I have no symptoms of this valve issue. If I wasn't being treated for the angioplasty, which is an unrelated issue, I would have gone on in my ignorant bliss.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your heart. But at least you are taking good care of yourself. You should be proud that you're in such good shape. Keep lookin' on the bright side!
 
Thanks Kitty and others who PMed me.

I have not posted recently nor exercised much because this heart stuff is really messin' with my head.

I am scheduled for a CT scan on Friday to better assess what my next 1 - 10 year surgery schedule will be. I have three issues, all of which are treatable, but all of which require surgery and some require Coumadin for life. Ugh. But, I feel comfortable now that I will die of something other than cardiac failure, which, of course, is very reassuring.:cool:

The scary thing is that the only reason I had the echocardiogram that caught this was because I was already seeing a cardiologist for the stent. My GP saw me a couple of months ago and didn't catch the murmur and didn't order the echo or refer me to the cardio! I can only imagine that there must be a heckuva lot of peeps out there walking around with no symptoms but with leaking valves that are causing irreversable longterm damage. This is an age-exacerbated issue, I am 48, but there are lots of people with problems in their 30's or even 20's. This is a real serious issue...

I took my second swimming lesson a couple of Saturdays ago and managed to go 300 yards nonstop with Zoomies. Now, when I can go 300 yards without zoomies, I will be ready for my first sprint triathlon on 3/9.

I was in New Orleans for the last 10 days and saw my share of drunk Mardi Gras boobies :D I managed to do 1 hour twice on the stationary bike, but my mind was not into it.

Today was the first day since learning of my condition that I was able to exercise with any intensity. 300 yards in the pool with Zoomies.
 
Are those the little thingies you put on your arms so you don't sink?

Anyway, glad to have you back posting. P.S. - Sparrow and FF have got their mind tricks/brainwashing going. They've subconsciously got me somehow interested in running a 5K. What have they done and how have they done it? I'll tell you 1 thing, they'll never get me in the pool, much less open water!!!
 
LOL, I actually knew that but thought I'd give an attempt at humor.

No FF, No Sparrow, no triathalonthingies. I am content to be average at best, (NOT).

What would one of those mini thingies consist of anyways?
 
70.3 is the length in miles of a the shorter Ironman Triathlon (sometimes called a 1/2 Ironman); 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 run (1/2 marathon) = 70.3 miles. I am looking at the 70.3 Ironman in St. Croix, May '09 if I can avoid open heart surgery before then.
 
Ran 3 miles in 27:03 which is within 1 minute of my personal best set in 1989 at age 28. Taking 2 weeks off from running and worrying frantically during that time is apparently good for my running skills (if not my mental health). I am close to my near-term goal of a 27:00 5K which I would like to do on March 9, during my first sprint triathlon.
 
that is a fantastic run g8r80!! totally awesome. That is a hard hitting 27 minutes. VERY NICE...

WAY STRONG PACE!

P.R.O.U.D.

are you doing the MS150? I am gettin some pressures. It may be a nice break in for "precious."

Sweat Daily!
FF
 
Thanks Kitty!

Todd, I called you today but no answer. No, I am not doing the MS 150. I'll give you the place and date of the tri later.

Thanks

Richard
 
Did a backwards brick today. 50 minutes on the stationary bike at my exercise max heartrate (the highest rate that I can maintain for hours: 127 - 130) which probably equals abut 18 - 19mph. Then a 1 mile run waiting for the classes to end and the pool to open up. Then, 300 yards nonstop with the zoomers. No stopping, no resting, no backstroking, no sidestroking, no nothing. Rested for 10 minutes and wondered if I could do it again without the zoomers. Did 150 yards but was completely out of energy from not having eaten enough but not winded. Rested 2 minutes and did the final 150 yards. Now I know I can swim 300 yards without zoomers and without a wetsuit as my initial triathlon on 3/9 has a 300 yard swim and and it will not allow wetsuits. My swimming coach said that I struggle with swimming because I am the densest person he has ever coached...

I'm not sure what I am doing differently that has allowed me to go from being able to swim less than 50 yards nonstop to 300 yards in just a few weeks. I think junking the bilateral breathing has helped (FF's idea and confirmed by my swim coach) along with underwater breathing drills. I realized that I just wasn't comfortable exhaling underwater and the drills helped me there I think.

My time with the zoomers was 7:00 / 300 yards and my time without the zoomers is probably about 7:30 - 7:45. I predicted a time of 9:00 when I registered so I am okay with that time.
 
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Swam again today. Went in cold and was prepared for a rough first few minutes as I now realize that I struggle to find my comfort zone until I get my heart rate up into my normal exercise zone of 125 - 130. Struggled to go 300 yards, having to stop at 100 and then 200 yards. Then did 300 yards nonstop with the Zoomers. Rested and did 200 yards without zoomers, rested on backstroke and finished final 100 yards. Total time with rest was 9 minutes, which was what I put on the registration form as my expected time. I would shave a minute off that if I can go nonstop and maybe kick off a little bit off the sides and maybe do flip turns and maybe maybe maybe...
 
G8R, you da man. I'm OK w/cycling, Ok w/running, OK w/weights but don't get me in the pool. Keep up the good work, Greg
 
3 1/2 weeks to go until first sprint triathlon! I'm on the road, so I did 1 hour on stationary bike at level 16 out of 20. Worked hard.
 
Couldn't get out of the hotel in time to make it to the LA Fitness pool this morning. Hopefully tomorrow morning.

Did 30 minutes on stationary bike (level 17 out of 20) and ran 2 miles on treadmill. I just can't get motivated to run on a treadmill and it's frickin' 25 degrees and gusting like a cat 5 hurricane here in Hotlanta so I ain't running outside...
 
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