I am registered for the 2013 Cleveland Marathon

My first marathon as a biped came in 1998. It was the Cleveland Marathon. It was all I could think of while I trained. 14 years later I am registered for the same marathon as a handcycle athlete. I am very excited to take part in my cities athletic rite of spring once again.

My training has been solid. I have been out on a daily basis, steadily increasing my distance and speed. I am slimming down a lot and feel more athletic. I really enjoy my bike after 5+ weeks of regular workouts.

Next Sunday is the Twinsburg Du. I will be making my debut with these new wheels and improved health. You can sponsor my race with the race for a reason link on the side bar....Thanks

Charlie vs. Cedar Hill

Since receiving my handcylce I have ridden every day except for one. That day I was out of town for a Folk Alliance one day conferance. My ambition as an athlete seems to have come back with a new hunger. The sport is new to me. Basics are still in play. Mental and physical endurance seems to be key. As I build on these two things, my strength is returning. My overall life focus is enjoying the benifit of endurance traing.
One downside to my increase in fitness is that while on the bike I am getting stronger and can travel great distances on my own power, once off I am again slowed by my disability. My lack of coordination, balance, leg strength, basic mobility become somewhat magnified in contrast to the way I am able to live while on the bike. It makes me think sometimes that my life would be more enjoyed with a wheelchair.
Ultimately though I am commited to struggle. I am committed to pushing beyond the comforts available to me. The key to me being able to use my legs is to use them. To choose a wheel chair at this point would be a choice to give up on myself. This would be counteractive to the choice to be active. This choice has been made more available, thanks to a very kind gift from CAF.

Race for a Reason

Almost two weeks since I received my handcycle from the Challenged Athlete Foundation. I have only missed one day on my new ride. Two workouts were on the trainer, but all the rest have taken me outdoors. This is the real treat. Being able to extend my boundries and exploring old running routes is such an amazing gift. Looking up through the trees and past the clouds, I am reminded of this big beautiful ball that we live on. Pushing up hills and digging deep to reach the top gives me so much joy. The thrill of cresting a hill before picking up speeds over 30 miles per hour gives me a rush I have not known since my injury. All of this has been made possible by a grant. My life as an athlete has been reborn, and my gratitude is endless.

CAF has invited me to help others realize the same freedom, fitness joy offered through adaptive sporting equipment. Race for a Reason is a charitable program they have set up to raise funds to continue their cause.  I have set up a page where you can sponsor my race(Twinsburg Du) and make a donation to this great organization.
Please follow this link Race for a Reason .
Thank you!

Metamorphasis

The change has begun. I still need to shed many pounds, but I can already feel my arms getting stronger. I have worked out daily since I received the handcycle. I am now going up hills with a little more grace. I have developed an obsession with my workouts. I am always eager to get out and ride. I have put it on the trainer when the weather sucked or I was limited to a shorter time.

I feel myself becoming an athlete once again. It is a way of being that commands what I wear, time management, diet, sleep, rest, and most importantly activity.

The benefits of daily workouts seem limitless. My mind, body, spirit are enjoying a celebration of life once again. My awareness of what is right with my body is now challenging my obsession with what is wrong with it.

Twinsburg Du

I am registered for my first race with the Handcycle. The race is June 3rd. I am part of a two man team that will include Brandon(Bbop) Henneman. My part of the race is a 10 mile ride. 

Life Changing events.

There is no doubt that my Spinal Cord Injury has changed my life dramatically.  Lost is my ability to walk easily, run, bike, work many of the jobs available to me.  Due to this injury fitness options were limited. I was dependent on  pool availability and transportation. Going for a walk hurt so much, that it was not enjoyable. My inability to wander to the park on my own left me longing for a way to get out on nice days and to really enjoy them.

This handcycle has also changed my life dramatically.  Since its arrival, I have used it daily. I have traveled all over my old running routes. Rode alone. I have ridden with a friend. Nice weather, bad weather, and  a little on the trainer. The handcycle has given me so much. I am so grateful to CAF for my grant award. 

I headed out today on the handcycle with the goal of reclaiming my old running routes. Hills are a lot of work, so I have been looking for the easiest routes to get out of Coventry. That seems to be straight through the commercial strip. There is a lot of curiosity directed toward my handcycle, so I had hoped to avoid this option for the sake of not interupting my workout, but until I am stronger, it is the best choice. At least it will give me a chance to familiarize the neighborhood with my new wheels.

Once past the school, I was able to remain on mostly flat section  for most of the ride. I am getting much better at steering. I rode over to lower lake in the Shaker Lakes area. This is one of my favorite places in the world. Since I was a little kid, I have played, hiked, biked, run, made out with girls, become intoxicated, and now handcycled around this lake. It is one thing that has been a great loss to me since mobility became an issue. It was so special to ride around the lake.

I went 5 miles today without a break. My arms do feel it.

Northcoast Multisports has offered me a slot in the twinsburg du. I will do the race as a relay. My friend bbop will be the runner as he was last summer at the pirate triathlon. I am thinking also of the Cleveland marathon or 10k. This will all depend on how quickly  recover from these  early workouts and am able to build my endurance. The 10k is a realistic goal and probable goal at these point.

I received my new handcycle yesterday. I built it up and went for a quick spin.

  The build was not as simple as I hoped, mostly because it is radically different from a bike. My first ride was a little tough because I still needed to get the fit right and it was rush hour. I followed a little 2 mile loop that I used to run on recovery and taper days. It was reasonable flat so I didn't have too many issues. Learning to turn is slow. The turn radius is very wide. I got stuck a couple of times when I missed the turn.

Today I rode to my folks house. It was nice to visit them on my own power and terms. I rode about 5 miles today. I had a couple tough hills to work up. I am sure as I trim weight and build strength it will become easier.

I haven't figured out what to do with my cane or leg brace while I ride. They both get in the way. I will work it out I am sure.
The best part of this bike is the sense of freedom. The pleasure of heading out on to the road and being able to travel beyond half a mile. I am excited to get some good workouts again. I really do like this bike. It sure beats staring at the laptop screen.

I am now a sponsored athlete

Last fall I sent a grant request to the Challenged Athlete Foundation in the hopes that I would be able to get a handcycle. Yesterday I received notification that I have been approved for the equipment. With it I will be able to compete in some marathons and triathlons. I am excited to start training and picking out races for the future. Mostly I am excited for the ability to head out on regular solitary adventures. I am excited to climb hills, sweat, feel the sun and to enjoy the freedom I haven't enjoyed outside of water since my spinal cord injury. 

I am very grateful to CAF and look forward to representing them as I develop into a hand-cyclist. This is a formal announcement that this blog has begun a new chapter.

Pirate Triathlon

Wow! It has been over a year since I last posted. I guess for good reason, as I have not been able to run or bike since my surgery. Life is different for me now, and my days as a triathlete have come to an end.....................
WAIT!
Stop the presses!!!!

Who am I kidding? A triathlete never quits. Sometimes we recover. Sometimes we have to take a moment to re-evaluate things. But quit? never!

For the past few months I have been swimming more and more. Some time a few months back, I tossed out the idea of doing a relay with some friends from the Cleveland Tri Club. Chuck Marquardt who has undergone major heart surgery and been unable to run as a result jumped at the idea and took on the cycling portion. I mentioned it to Brandon Henneman, in hopes that he would run for us, and we had a team lined up for this mornings race at Fairport Harbor.

Always one of my favorite venues, I thought the protected waters on Lake Erie would be perfect. The 500yd swim starts in the water, and finishes on the beach. We were granted an exception to tag at the shore, so that I wouldn't have to race across the beach and risk a fall. The race was also $30 for the three of us....That is amazing!

6:00AM- The alarm goes off and I begin to ready myself. Goggles, cap, suit.....Check. This is much more simple than is a race where I have to be responsible for three disciplines. So I shower, dress, and eat before heading outside to meet Annie (she and I are dating) and Theresa (a Plain Dealer reporter working on a profile piece about me). We climbed into Annie's van, giving Theresa lots of time to interview me and save gas. We then headed east to Lake County for the race.

7:30AM- We arrive. The lot is full, so Annie drops us off before finding a parking spot. We meet up with Brandon and Chuck, get our t-shirts, body markings, and waivers signed, and head down to the water. Theresa meets Mickey Ryzmic of the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. I imagine she got a great interview or at the very least a good laugh.

Chuck having racked his bike, met us and we established a spot on the beach to tag. Things seemed to be moving quickly when we looked out at the water and realized the swimmers were all old men. Brandon helped me enter the water as we hear the starting horn, and my competitive nature kicked in as I dive forward into the water and begin swimming. Later I was told it was more of a flop due to the lack of power in my legs....A few strokes in and I notice another man my age wandering in slowly. I pull up and ask, "What wave just went out?"
"That was men 35 and up, relay teams are next", he tells me.
I relax, and swim to the start. I didn't have to wait long before my actual wave began.

The horn sounded. Feet and arms were everywhere. The dark open water of Lake Erie was blanketed by an overcast sky. My adrenaline was surging. I love this. This is my sport, and I am participating despite my disabilities. My stroke felt strong and smooth. My breathing was steady and calm. My only weakness was the lazy kick due to my injury. I seemed to be pacing well with a friend of Mickey's, so my confidence was also strong. This swim went as well as my swims go. I sighted well and swam straight. I went around the marker cleanly, and approached the beach with strength and the desire to swim further. Once I was out of water deep enough to swim, I crawled on my hands and knee's to the waters edge before tagging Chuck who raced off to the Bike transition.

After I had my shoes and leg brace back on, we headed to the transition to wait for Chuck on the bike. I did play by play for Annie and Theresa giving back history on many of the other athletes from CTC. Brandon headed into transition, and we waited along with Mel (who was and often is with Brandon).
Chuck came rolling into transition with a smooth dismount. This was his first race since 2007, but he looked like a pro that clearly knew how to play this game. Once tagged, Brandon took off running looking for a 20 minute 5k. We moved to the finish area and grabbed a much needed seat.
Chuck grabbed some post race food, and we waited...

A short time later we saw E-Speed run past yelling for Charlie....We thought she was looking for another Charlie. She was not, she was sent by Brandon so that I could finish the race with him. He made me take our race number, and we moved slowly a cross the finish with my leg brace and cane. Mickey was on the mic now and making sure that everyone knew that I had returned to the sport today following my injury. I proudly waved to the cameras held by Annie, E-speed and Janet (CTC Prez).

For Chuck and I, it was a return to a sport we love. We were both able to be apart of this wonderful culture of health and fitness. The day was special. The finish was fun, but we have no idea what our times were. It really didn't matter. Today we were part of a triathlon team. Today we competed. Today we were triathletes.
 We named our team, "Team Billy Shears". That name comes from the Beatles song that  states, "I am gonna tri with a little help from my friend's. Today that is what we did.

Exercise with a spinal cord injury

One major struggle for me has been adapting to a sedentary lifestyle. For most of my adult life, I have had the ability to head out for a run. When I need to blow off steam, I always have had my running shoes. Exercise was something that came naturally. The activities I chose kept me fit and healthy.
Today I have to work much hard to motivate my self. I use a stationary bike to get my heart rate up. I have some hand weights to try to maintain some muscle, and I do a series of core exercises to help keep my lower back and abs strong. Soon I plan to begin swimming again. I am waiting for the outdoor pool to re-open for the summer. I look forward to this as I know the benefits will be huge.
I know that much of what I gained as an athlete is still available to me. I know that I can regain much fitness in my heart, lungs, endurance, and muscle.
My neuro wiring is a mess, and I can barely walk let alone run. The concept of being able to race is remote. This is beyond my control. But my fitness is not beyond my control. The workouts may not always be the way I want them to be. But they are available to me. Fitness is my choice. This I am grateful for.

On with the show

So as I am adjusting to life with a disability/injury I am making changes due to my physical limitations. The first thing I need to do is replace the sound system I use for open mikes and other gigs. It is a great system, but it is much to heavy for me. I have come up with a plan make it much more manageable. This means selling the old to purchase a new lighter one.
I also have some triathlon gear that will not be put to use any time soon. Wetsuits and GPS devices are not going to be used for a while. So I have decided to sell these as well.

While selling these belongings, I have become reminded of how different multi sports athletes and musicians can be. When an athlete expresses interest, they say " I will be there at 5PM". This is often without fail. When a musician expresses interest, they say, "I want it! I should be able to buy it the third wed. in June".
I guess this could also be an economic issue.
Both of these traits belong to me.
In any event, the wetsuits and HRM/GPS are sold while the PA remains.................

Trifolk coming out of blog retirement!

It is summer of 2010. I had intended to put this blog to rest, but I have come to believe that the story is not finished. Over the winter I suffered compression to my spinal cord and underwent surgery to repair broken discs in the cervical area of my spine. I am currently 3 months out from my surgery and undergoing physical therapy at MetroHealth in Cleveland.

Triathlon and running are not in the planning right now, but I can dream and use these activities as physical goals. I am using the bike indoors and plan to return to the pool soon. Running is a long way off, as even walking is very difficult due to the nerve damage I have suffered.

My long term prognosis is unclear. Nerves heal very slowly. I was told by my surgeon that the goal of the surgery was to prevent additional damage. A full recovery was not promised to me. I live with symptoms from neuropathy that include: tingling in my hands. feet that feel like they are frozen. My legs are numb, cold or burning. I am unable to walk without the assistance of a brace and a cane. When I switch from a sitting to a standing position I am often slowed by extreme stiffness. I have poor motor control and weakness with my feet and legs. My left foot drags without the brace. These issues are mostly neurological. Structurally I am ok aside from a little extra weight.

My goals are much greater now than ever before. I have every intention of returning to the sport though I know it may take years if this is even possible. I have no intention rolling over in defeat. The will that drove me to ironman remains. I will now return to this blog to update on my progress and struggles as I work toward my recovery. My hope is to one day enter another race report.

Thanks for reading.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion

I never did follow up on the last post. This animation shows the surgery I wound up having about 6 weeks ago. Everything went smoothly and I have been undergoing a lot of physical therapy since then. I spent 17 days in the hospital and was very calm through the whole thing. I thank my family and friends for seeing me through this. I can safely say that I have no triathlons planned for this season. My training now is dedicated toward PT. learning to walk is my big goal.

Surgery

I know this blog has ended, but I thought I should add this. I am in the Cleveland Clinic dealing with an unknown compression to my c4-6 vertabrae. Best case is steroid treatments worst will be removal of a growth and chemotherapy. This should all start today as I am on a presurgery diet.
The problem is unrelated to my sports, but my fitness will help me to overcome this. I am far more nervous right now than I was when I entered the water at Ironman. I hope to post positive results soon.
Thanks Charlie

Greater Cleveland Triathlon Race Recap 2009

The week had been tough for me. Monday evening I took sick and was unable to train all week. My voice and ability to breath were in serious question with a nasty head cold. I tried to be optimistic and view it as a taper. The race plan was to go hard. The fear was to go hard and risk further sickness.

I packed up Saturday. I have found that ironman training and racing has taught me to minimize my belongings and weight, so I have refined both my race and gig kit to the point where it can be carried in one trip. I had dinner and coffee before sleeping. At a weeee bit past 5am Sunday, Bbop and Mel picked me up and we headed east through lightning storms towards mentor Headlands on the shore of Lake Erie.

As we arrived the skies began to clear, but the lake remained agitated and rough. The Coast Guard quickly canceled the swim. Bummer, but I get it, Lake Erie is unpredictable. Swims are never a sure thing on this body of water.

I set up my transition very quickly and just milled around. I left my guitar and cables in the car just in case the weather acted up. For the most part I was very relaxed.

We all gathered around the start to watch the oly race begin. GCT being the Cleveland Triathlon Clubs home event makes this race a great social event for us all. For CTC members, it does not matter your role in the event,you just want to be at GCT for the chance to visit with everyone.

30 minutes after the oly got going, we lined up and the race began. I took off in a group of other CTCers. With a 2 mile run, I ran as hard as I could with my head still stuffed up. I hit T1 in 17minutes. My transition was slow. I have not added yanks to my lacing system and continue to use road shoes on the bike. Once thru, I hit the bike and hammered all but two RR crossings that appears to be eating tires and delivering triathletes faces to the pavement. During the second crossing the gates closed while I was on the track. It was spooky for a moment, but we all kept riding as we heard the roar of the passing locomotive behind us. The last couple of miles up rt 44 gave me a good tailwind to ride. I hit T2 and joked around with volunteers a little to long before taking off on the final 2 run miles. My running was good and I felt fast. One section had a huge puddle with a single track pass. With oncoming runners on the dry section, I took the plunge through a 4 inch deep puddle before dashing to the finish. 1:18 .09

At the finish they took my chip and gave me a medal for my might accomplishment. I grabbed some water and headed straight to the car to get my guitar, mic and cables. I got set up quicker then either of my transitions during the race and began to play"Going down the road" by Woody Guthrie. I felt good singing and everyone seemed to enjoy my noise.

Following the race I helped clean up before Mel and I jumped in Lake Erie to bob in the waves. Bbop took off for a 2 hr run in the heat as he is prepping for IMKY.
As everyone was thru at the park, we all headed to Pickle Bills for and Great Lakes brew.
Twas a fine Day. GCT and Mickey Ryzmic put on a great event. I love the tradition we have developed with me playing in the finish area.

******

This is my last post to this blog. I am moving on to the next stage in my life where I will be applying all I have learned while training and racing ironman triathlons. My ability to accomplish what I have car free and plant based has taught me that I can do what ever I dream of doing the way I want to do it. The world I want to live in exists if I make it so. My only limitations are in my lack of imagination. If I allow my self to dream, then "Anything is possible".

When I left music in 2004 as my primary motivation, I had become disheartened by the need for so many belongings to present folk music. My business had lost the magic that it began with. The idea of a guitar and a singer going anywhere people were became so complicated and impersonal. My friendships were sometimes overly competitive in very unhealthy ways. The need to own and maintain a car was absolute. I rarely had time to sit with people and get to know them. I would drive 50 minutes, do the show, get paid and drive home. I dreamed of being more independent as a musician, but struggled to visualize a world that would allow me the freedom to do this.

Having spent the past few years learning to minimize my needs and belongings during a race as well as traveling to races through out the region and into the United Kingdom, I have found it very simple to become a regularly performing songwriter with out a car. My standard gig set up is lighter then my bike now. It includes a small PA, guitar mics, cable, stand, recordings and postcards. I am now able to be the performer I had dreamed of becoming. Self powered.

My next big project will be planning and executing a tour next summer using only bikes and bike trailers. A friend will also join me and film it as a documentary. I will be starting a new blog dedicated to this project, so please stay posted.

Thank You for being a part of this adventure. Let nothing stop you from living your life the way you truley want to live.

After mulling it over for a while now, I have decided to end this blog. My last post will appropriately be the race report for the coming Greater Cleveland Triathlon. I am registered to race the sprint distance and scheduled to perform during the post race festivities. As I am going through this current transition in focus, I feel as the metaphor of beginning the day as a triathlete and finishing as a musician serves as the perfect conclusion to this blog.

When I began writing this blog, I saw it as a means to journal my training. Over the past three years of writing I have found it to be a portal into a strong community of support and camaraderie while training for long course triathlon. I have gained a number of good friends as a result of writing and reading other blogs. I feel I have contributed to a greater knowledge base with race reports giving insights to the races I have done. In some cases information on these races was scarce. For many looking for Ironman UK info, my report became a resource that I did not have prior to my race. I am glad that this blog has been used for this. For the reason above all others, I will keep trifolk published. I will however not be adding any new posts beyond the GCT report.

I am grateful to everyone that has followed this blog over the past three years. The intense focus required to train for ironman has often found me very alone. The constant contact I have been able to maintain through these writings, along with your feed back has given all of my efforts greater meaning.

My triathlon and running plans will remain active, but not central. My music is where I am directing most of my energy now. I have set up my music site within blogger and will continue writing regularly on that page www.charliemosbrook.com . If you enjoy my writing, I promise to post regularly. In addition my music site serves as a portal to my web presence from twitter, facebook, and myspace to itunes and other music sources. Feel free to friend me on facebook. I am obnoxiously active on that site and talk about endurance sports often. Ultimately once my music career is where I can rely primarily on it for income, I will have more time to devote to a hobby. When I arrive at this point I may try Ironman again.

As for now my rededication to music has manifested immediate results. A lot of very cool things are happening for me as a musician right now and I am enjoying an excitement about music that has been missing for a few years. Please feel free to take a moment or become a follower of the charliemosbrook.com site. I will continue to follow the blogs I have been reading as many of you have become friends and I want to know how it's going.

Anyhow, to steal a line from Spokane Al,
Thank you for reading,
Charlie

Mondays mean Open Mi

Mondays mean Open Mic at the Coventry Phoenix. I like Monday

Lake Metroparks Pirate triathlon at Fairport Harbor

The Pirate Triathlon is the old Fairport Harbor sprint with a new spin on promotion. I have done this race a 1/2 dozen times in it's original form and always felt that it was one of the best races around. The new pirate theme gave it a little more flair. The swim course is within the break wall on lake Erie, the bike rolls mostly flat along the lake and the run is flat and largely unshaded. The distance is a sprint 500m/20k/5k.

After returning from my vacation I got a hold of Tracy to confirm my ride. Around 6pm I knew the race was on. I had some veggie sushi, converted the bike from road to areo, packed my gear, and chilled.
At 5:30 I woke up and ate a small bowl of cereal and had a 1/4 cantaloupe. Tracy arrived 10 seconds early as I was crossing the street to meet her. We attached the bike to the car, I jumped in and away we drove for Fairport Harbor.
We got to the race just in time for registration($25 w/late fee). Set up transition, and got ready to race. Everything went very smooth pre race. I chose to wear a wet suit.
My wave started at 8:10. A horn sounded and we were off. I felt strong right off the bat. My mind was clear and really felt like I was just focused on the task at hand. The wave was a large group of men 35 and up. The swim was frantic and aggressive. Contact was constant. I remained steadfast and unapologetic throughout my swim. I am not sure of my time, but I stayed with the main group and swam straight. In general I believe it was a very good swim for me.
As I came out of the water I began stripping my wetsuit and jogged into T1. The only problem of the day occurred at this point as I really struggled to get my wet suit from my ankles. My guess is that I lost 3-4 minutes to the suit.
Once on the bike I hammered out the next 12 miles. Going out we had a great tailwind. I was doing an average 24mph and passing a lot of riders. On the return it dropped to 19mph as the winds were now at our face. I used my areo helmet cause I never get to. I think it benefited me on this course. Geek maybe, but it was the right choice.
T2 was quick and easy. I haven't switched out my laces this year, so I had to tie em. Not a big deal.
The run starts with a steep hill and soon turns flat. I went easy up and hit my stride after the climb. The Run went well. My old hamstring issue was apparent but not an issue. My run went well and I finished in 1:20.04(not confirmed yet).
It was fun to get out and run this race. The prep was light, I felt good the whole time and feel as though I put out a solid effort. My interest in time was obvious as I didn't look at my watch after I started it. I just went out and raced. Just had fun doing a tri and pushing my self a little harder then normal.
The race was very low tech but run well. Te new theme was fun, the food offerings were top notch. The cost and venue were as good as can be expected. I honestly believe this race is one of the best bargains in triathlon.
We had a good group of CTC members on hand and everyone seemed to have fun.
My race experience was A1.