Picking up where I left off

This past weekend I attended the Folk Alliance Region Midwest(FARM) Conference in Iowa City.

I took my swim gear with me just in case the pool was more than a kidney. It was a 40 foot rectangle. A bit warm and heavily chlorinated, but it was a pool none the less. There was a slight challenge with the gate to get in. It was child proofed by making the latch something you pull up at about 6 feet. You had to do so on the wheelchair ramp, and it swung toward you. So, I had to roll up the ramp, hoist myself into position to yank it up, grab the gate, roll backwards, get around the gate, and enter. Many "Wheelchair Accessible" things are created without ever consulting someone in a wheelchair. This was one of them. I did manage anyhow and was able to get two swims  in at 3/4 of a mile. 50 laps. It was nice to get back to the Olympic sized pool yesterday. The pool at CSU is amazing. trying to train in a hotel pool reminded me of how true this is.

The conference overall was a good time. I made lots of friends and introduced my music to a lot of new folks in the folk music community. I also won a free registration for a regional Folk Alliance in the Bellevue, WA for next October. I am excited to head that way again, and to do some shows along the way. The Amtrak route across the north is amazing as you cross Glacier National Park and throughout the northwest. I also hope to see a friend I met at the International conference last February. A singer songwriter/ skateboarder named Mindie Lind.  She also happens to have no legs. She makes clear a belief that I have developed. It is not our legs that move us forward, it is our spirit. There are a few other good folks I look forward to seeing out in the NW as well. The train trip will be a nice way to recover following my planned half iron distance tri in September.

Monday, the mail arrived, providing me with two projects. A new tire for my front wheel of the racing chair, and the materials to create a custom racing "glove".
The tire is tubular. My first attempt ever at changing one of these. I needed to stretch it out to get it on the rim. I wasn't sure it would ever fit. eventually it did. The glue was a messy issue too. Not sure how anyone could change one of these during a race. I honestly would rather use tubes and clinchers, but this size wheel has limited options.

The other item allowed me to custom creat a pair of "gloves" for the racing chair. They are made from aquaplast, a hard plastic that I mold around my hands. I then glued a rubber surface to it and use it to push the rims.

Mine still need some tweaks. but they are a good start. I am sure I will make a few more before getting it right. I found them to be very effective on a s light incline and flats, but when the road gets steeper, they were not so effective. I am thinking that I should keep cycling gloves on for climbing. It will take time as does most of the growth in this sport.

Today I am heading out for a long ride on the handcycle

Racing wheel chair.flat up front.

I went out for a planned 10 mile push in the racing chair. Things got off slowly as my electronics were not working, but I fixed it all in the first 1/2 mile and started back up again. My normal route begins with 3 miles of climbing with almost no downhills for recovery. So hitting 11 minute miles on the first 3felt like an good start as I knew I could make up some time on the accents. I felt strong today once I was warmed up and tried to add some new loops to my route to extend the distance. Around mile 6, I felt that I was making up enough time to get in under 10 minute miles for the whole workout. This is something that I have yet to do. I am still building strength, my technique still needs work, and my gloves could be a better choice than what I am currently using. As I began climbing a short hill near the lake, I noticed a rhythmic bump..... I checked my two side wheels, all good. I looked up front at the 20"....Flat. Bummer, I have no spare. I shifted my weight to the rear and limped home the final 2+ miles. With the false starts, I got in about 9.75 miles. That makes for my longest day. I think my pace was also near best yet even with the flat.... I am going to have order a new tire I think, I have yet to actually examine it.
Tomorrow is a longer bike and maybe a swim.... Thurs-Sun will be without opportunity to train.
Regroup, repair, recover.

Winter is coming....

This weekend saw our first few flakes of snow in Northeast Ohio. The reality of winter came whipping in off of lake Erie. For the most part I was not bothered. Friday, I went to the pool. Saturday was a rest day(kinda). I got a chilly ride in Sunday, and today I was back in the pool.
The rest day included participating in the Out of the Darkness walk for Suicide Prevention. The walk was about 3 miles. I pushed my regular chair which included a nice hill in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art. While I was not doing my normal workout, it was still an effort that lasted at least 40 minutes. I maintained the pace of all the other walkers.
My swim is getting to a point where I may consider it my best discipline. That is not to take anything away from my hand-cycle work, but I feel strong in the pool. A half iron distance feels good, but not overwhelming. I imagine the winter will be more pool time than anything else. Though the hand-cycle fits on the trainer, so this will get used regularly.
I have been looking for races for the coming year. I am already registered for the Cleveland Marathon for the hand-cycle division. My big goal is to break 2 hours There are no significant hills until mile 24. I don't really know what to expect though as they change this course every year it seems. In any event, I expect my endurance to be much better this time, and my weight and fitness should help me meet this goal.
I also plan to do the Twinsburg Du. The race director lets Hand-cycle division racers in for free, and he has been a big supporter for a long time. This was the first race I did with a HC. Adding the wheelchair will be my first multisport event with it. Mickey at Northcoast Multisports also hosts the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. My current plan is to do the Olympic distance. There are a couple of spots on this course that I will need to workout some issues with sand. T1is a long way from the water. It goes over sand. I will likely do the crutches across this issue. Makes for a really slow transition. I am also looking for a late season half iron distance and possible a wheelchair marathon. The two 70.3 possibilities are Cedar Point Rev3 and Ironman Ohio 70.3. The main question with the later is the course. I know other paratriathletes have done Cedar Point. The map for the IM Ohio race has yet to be posted.
Anyhow, I am busy building a good base going into winter. I will be at a Folk Alliance Conference through the weekend, so no workouts Thurs-Sun. Last year the conference tripped up my consistency. I think right now I am in a better place and more determined  about meeting my goals. I do not expect to get derailed. If anything, the break should let me recover from a tough workload and allow me stronger workouts through the fall.... Time will tell.

Better day on the bike

Yesterday I got the cable repaired and found a new spot for my bottle cage. I zip tied it to the post holding the cranks. It is now right in my face and fairly simple for me to get to. Hopefully this works well. I need to be able to drink a lot of fluid on the bike, so this is important. The downside is that it makes dismounts a little slower.
Having fixed the problems, I headed out for another ride. My planned 16 quickly evolved into 20, but instead of turning around I kept going out to Old mill rd again. 30.5 miles. The average pace is still slow, but there are a lot of hills. On one descent, I reached 34.5 MPH. That was crazy fast on a handbike. The return climb was very slow though. I am also having sifting problems that need to be corrected.
I know Ironman Maryland is a flat course, but I still feel like I have a long way to go before I will feel confident meeting cutoff times. I will blog more about the cutoff issue later......

Today it is back to the pool to continue working on my shoulder driven crawl. I made some modifications to my stroke, It resulted in better lap times...... Keep working.

All wet

Today was one of those days when nothing went well.... Except that it still turned into a good training exercise.
Things began when I checked the weather... Light rain until 1pm and 54 degrees. I dressed appropriately, filled my water bottle and set off at 1. As I lowered my hand cycle down the steps, I noticed the light rain was still in progress. I figured, that I may as well start and the rain would end soon after I got rolling.
I get loaded into the HC and head to the street I depart on... There is a major project going on with the gas lines. Road closed. I get onto the sidewalk.... Sidewalk closed. I turn around( Not easy on a hand cycle). I go up the street to the major corner....Access denied. Every cross walk and sidewalk are blocked....I turn around again and find one last exit from my neighborhood.... The rain continues. At this point, I was not going to break any speed records, and the rain was persisting. I figure I will just do the ride and go easy..... The rain continues....
On a hand-cycle, you are close to the ground. If there is rain, you get every bit of it whipped up at you by the front wheel. You end up wet and dirty no matter how hard you try to avoid this outcome.
I ride up to the top of the two lakes on my route and mother nature calls..... I duck down a park entrance and scout out a tree....I find one with a high curb that I am hoping to dismount onto......I fail. I am sitting in a puddle trying to wrestle my self from the rain soaked street.... The voice on my gps app reminds me of how slow I am going.......I am able to stand and lean against the tree as I relieve my self. I get back into the HC and look for the turn around..... A back-hoe is digging a large pit. The road is filled with water. I move through it slowly and decide not to turn back, but to proceed through the park. It cuts 3 or 4 miles from my ride. I am OK with it.
As I approach the last section of the ride, I notice my sifting cable is out of it's sleeve. Because the cables are attached to the cranks, they get torqued about and have to be replaced often. If it comes out of the housing it will almost always break from the constant bending. This cable was installed last week. I am not thrilled to know that I likely am going to have to replace it.... It finally does break a half mile from home while going up a hill. The chain drops into the toughest gear on the cassette. I have to work hard to get over the hill.
I finally pull up to my building, dismount, pull the HC into the door, and  inadvertently rip the bottle cage from the zip ties. Once the HC is in my apt, I shower and make lunch.
I had been hoping for chicken noodle soup. I open the can and see that it is cream of mushroom......not what I was hoping for, but it will do.
All in all it was still a fun adventure. It is rare that I will head off into a rain like that and get dirty, cold and struggle through adverse conditions. It used to be a regular event, but since the Spinal cord injury, I haven't done anything like that. That makes today a good training day, as it reminded me of the need to suck it up from time to time and deal with whatever nature throws me. I have to do some work on the bike now, but that is constant. The cable set came with two, so at least I don't have to order another cable.....
Though the ride was short, I am planning to meet Annie at the pool around 6, so the training day still has more for me...... I will intentionally get wet for the swim.

Ambition

I have plenty of it. Just not for anything that will generate a big income. That said, I am building a solid endurance base going into the fall. I kinda wish I had another race coming up, but alas, I will need to wait for spring to race.
Today I did 10 miles in the racing chair. It was a tough day, but I felt like moving forward, and just kept adding miles. I am still very slow, and I need to get stronger going uphill. My distances keep growing. Speed will come if I keep at it I am sure.
Today I went with lighter gloves. I am experimenting with them. I tried some soccer goal tending gloves. They are protective, but bulky. I think the cycling gloves reinforced make more sense and are less expensive. Either way, I am tearing them up  I will likely make my own based on some of the instruction videos available. Hopefully by spring I have something that will work well for propulsion and protection. Gloves made specifically for the chair cost $160 and do not look very comfortable. I am hopeful for a better alternative. I am starting to understand the contact points and what I need from a glove. Having a few months to tear up a couple pairs has given me some insight into what I need from my gloves.
Anyhow 10 miles is a long day for me in the chair. Longest to date.

Old Mill on an autumn day

Today I set off for a long day on the handcycle. To date it was my longest. Just shy of 30 miles. It took a little more than 3 hours.
The route I took was my old regular ride out to Old Mill road in Gates Mills. The ride starts with 6 miles of climbing about 400 feet in all. While it was a lot of work getting there, the reward was some nice rolling hills. On one descent, my speedometer registered 34mph...WOW! That is fast.
The major goal today was extending my distance and duration on the had cycle. That was accomplished. My arms are tired, but I think I have more.
I am looking forward to a guilt free Thai dinner.

Race For a Reason.

    Today was one of my most ambitious work out days since my spinal cord injury. I am still trying to find a simple way to post my daily workouts, but until then, I have to do it like this.
I did 2000 meters in the pool and 7.5 miles on the racing wheelchair. About 2 hrs and 20 minutes worth of hard training.
   It feels good to put in that kind of work. It is not easy, but I love it. My training helps me to be more disciplined and goes a long way toward improving my health. It also forces me to consider other behaviors of mine and how they effect my training and living. The major goal is to improve my life and  standard of living.
    My legs do not work well, and my core muscles are not as strong as they once were, but my heart is getting stronger. My weight is coming down. My mind is more determined, and the sense of defeat is disappearing. Overall my entire being is stronger and more able as a result of my workouts.
   Overcoming weakness is difficult for anyone. Doing it when your body has major physical shortcomings is very hard. As a walking quad, my life became very sedentary. It is so hard to motivate yourself when every step is a struggle. Poor choices are made at the grocery store. Everything is working against you. The fitness of everyday living is difficult. Being athletic seems impossible.
    I came out of surgery to my spine with the idea that I would heal and be back to normal. My goal was to do another Ironman.......Well that never happened. The spinal cord is complex, and damage to it is devastating.
   Coming back and becoming strong enough to do Ironman requires major adaptations. My swim lacks kick. My run and bike do not exist. In order to do a triathlon, I require unique gear. everything about triathlon is now in my hands, as my 140.6 mile race will be powered with my arms. My bike is a handcyle. It is an amazing machine, but they make so few of them, that the price is not realistic for folks with limited employment opportunities. My run also requires a special wheelchair adapted for racing. It is custom built just for me.
    As a musician I could never afford these things in my life. Many folks with disabilities are just like I am. The cost of adaptation is high and the resources are low, but the value of sport and fitness is priceless. The issue so many have is finding a way to have these things available. Life was simple when an old cheap bike and a pair of running shoes served as the best gym in the world. Today it is not as simple.
   Fortunately I have found a way to introduce adaptive athletic equipment into my life. A charitable foundation provided the racing chair and handcycle. To do triathlon again, all I have to do is add water..... We have rec passes at the Cleveland State University where I am able to swim.
    My grants were provided by the Challenged Athlete Foundation. As I write this post, I imagine there are others just like me writing requests to CAF with dreams of playing basketball, triathlon, tennis, rugby, track, sailing, and so many other activities that are available to disabled people today.
    While I am not currently seeking more equipment, I want to be sure that those who are have the same opportunity as I did. To further that goal, I have set my spring marathon in Cleveland as a fundraising race. I am reaching out to every one I know in hopes that they will sponsor my race with a gift to CAF. I have already paid for my race entry. The only thing I will personally receive from the fundraiser is a t shirt and water bottle. I also donated the first $25 to the campaign.
   I hope you will join me and help make adaptive sports available to others through a donation to CAF. You can do so here:
 http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1127062&supId=427423840&extSiteType=1

Thank You!!!!!

Fast hand cycle day!

   Today I headed out on the handcycle for a planned 13 mile ride. My goal was to ride easy and enjoy the summer like weather before going to Metrohealth to perform a concert on the SCI unit.
   Reasons for easy. I just installed a new gear cable and expected issues. My arms are tired and I felt sluggish following over a weeks worth of tough workouts without a day off.
   I fastened my helmet strap, started the GPS app on my phone and headed off. Immediately I was detoured to the sidewalk. They are installing new gas lines beneath the road.This began what I thought would be a slow day. By the 2nd block I was back on the road and moving along quicker than normal. By mile 2 my pace was a little ahead of normal. My first 6 on this route are a steady uphill of 225 feet. There is a fair amount of stop and go, so I rarely get to a good cruising speed that is sustainable for very long, but by mile 5 I knew I was on pace to break through some time barriers. Once I hit the turn around point I started flying along around 21 MPH. I hit a few more traffic stops, but managed to get to the 10 mile point in under an hour. That is a PR for this route. I was feeling good, so I added a couple of miles and felt very comfortable on the flat sections going 16 MPH. I finished up with a bunch of personal speed records and felt strong.
    This was huge for me. I have been feeling overwhelmed at the idea of making the bike cut off times in Ironman competition. The cutoff is 10:30 from the start time. Based on my swim coming under 2 hours and 15 minutes worth of T1, I would have to average 14 MPH on race day. IM Maryland is flat without any stoplights to be concerned about regaining speed. With this in mind, slowing enough for clean bottle hand-offs and maintaining nutrition would be the only reason to slow...... That and my endurance over 112 miles.
    My short term goal is to complete the Cleveland Marathon in under 2 hours. Based on what happened today and the knowledge that I went out tired, I feel good about being able to make that happen next May.

Back at it with new energy and goals.

It has been some time since I last posted(2013).  During that time I have been busy with music. I have released a few records and been on tour from time to time as it is allowed. My fitness goals got a little off track. Not that the goals had swayed, but they were not the priority I hope them to be.
Cleveland is a tough place to live and train with disability. The summer months are great, but the winters are brutal. Using a handcycle or racing chair in the snow is not practical in anyway. The past two winters made leaving the house near impossible, let alone any kind of outdoor training. This year we have memberships at the Cleveland State University Rec center. They have all kinds of machines and an amazing pool  to help me get through the tough months while maintaining my fitness.

This year I received my 2nd grant from CAF in the form of the racing chair. With it I have all the tools needed to compete as a para triathlete. The chair has rejuvenated my spirit and helped me to keep up consistent workouts.
More than anything this year, a health issue in the spring caused me alarm as I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and High cholesterol. I also climbed on a scale and weighed in at 247 back in March. My reaction was to get my diet back under control and to start training with goals once again.
I also had to finally understand that despite my positive outlook, I was probably dealing with depression due to the injury. While I was not moping about, I was over indulging in many ways. It was time to reign it in and take more control of my body. My injury was not an excuse to live the way I had been living.
So here I am in early fall of 2015. My weight is down to 219. A loss of almost 30 pounds since March. I am training daily on the hancycle, racing chair and in the pool. In some ways I feel that my swim is as strong as ever.
I did a 5k on the chair last month and am signed up for the Cleveland Marathon this coming spring. My big race goal is Ironman Maryland in 2017. The race is flat and is only a 7 hour drive from Cleveland.  I am currently looking at a few races to help keep the training focused until then. The Twinsburg DU and The Greater Cleveland Triathlon will be on next years schedule. There is also a new Ironman 70.3 here in Ohio that may be promising. The course has not been finalized though and I am not sure if it is a handcycle friendly race yet. Time will tell.
So anyway, I will try to keep this blog updated. I know that it was a big help to me in training for IMUK and IMKY. It kept me honest and accountable. If it inspires you, cool. if no one reads it, that is fine also. This is my journey.