BaycitywalkerBaycitywalkerTribulations and triumphs of a lung challenged marathon walker and wannbe racewaker. 
Articles
Mike’s Story
2009-05-05 16:57:00 Read Mike s story over at COPD International, and what he had to go though to make it to the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Pretty amazing stuff. Superman Mike Mike, Cameron and I , the day before the big one More About: Story
2009 Boston marathon trip/race report
2009-04-28 20:14:00 We did it! WARNING…This is a longgggg post. I apologize in advance for any typos. I whipped this thing out in a hurry and will probably add to it as I start remembering more things. ***************************************** *************** OK, so I didn’t PR. Actually, I set a new PW ( a personal worst) time of 7:31 . But hey, I made it to the TOP FINISHERS list..lol Before I get into the details of the trip, first of all let me just say what an incredible experience this has been for me (and Im sure for the other 25,000 runners). All the hype that you hear about the Boston marathon is absolutely true. There is simply no other marathon like it on the planet. This was absolutely the best marathon experience Ive ever had! It’s the runners themselves, along with the fans and the people of the Boston area that make this event so special. It’s difficult to put into words the emotions you experience when you have a half million people rooting you on mile a... More About: Report , Race , Marathon , Trip
2009 Boston marathon trip/race report
2009-04-28 20:14:00 WE DID IT !!! WARNING…This is a longgggg post. I apologize in advance for any typos. I whipped this thing out in a hurry and will probably add to it as I start remembering more things. ***************************************** *************** OK, so I didn’t PR. Actually, I set a new PW ( a personal worst) time of 7:31 . But hey, I made it to the TOP FINISHERS list..lol Before I get into the details of the trip, first of all let me just say what an incredible experience this has been for me (and Im sure for the other 25,000 runners). All the hype that you hear about the Boston marathon is absolutely true. There is simply no other marathon like it on the planet. This was absolutely the best marathon experience Ive ever had! It’s the runners themselves, along with the fans and the people of the Boston area that make this event so special. It’s difficult to put into words the emotions you experience when you have a half million people rooting you on mile... More About: Report , Race , Marathon , Trip
Back home at last
2009-04-26 15:36:00 Sorry about the delay on the race report, but Ive basically been in a vacuum for the past 5 days and am now just getting caught up on what on what the heck transpired while I was in lock up. Give me a few days to catch my breath and get that report up. I was released from the Boston Mass General Hospital on Saturday morning and arrived back in California on Saturday afternoon. My experience with this Hospital was not a good one and you can bet that I will be writing all about it when I’m feeling better. For the time being, I’m still very short of breath and totally roided out ( lung lingo meaning …strung out on prednisone) . My only priority now, is to avoid a re-lapse and a re-admission. If I can get through the next couple of days …..I’ll be good to go! I want to thank everyone for your support and words of encouragement. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. The response to the Boston adventure has been overwhelming, but I promise I w... More About: Home , Back
Back home at last
2009-04-26 15:36:00 Sorry about the delay on the race report, but Ive basically been in a vacuum for the past 5 days and am now just getting caught up on what on what the heck transpired while I was in lock up. Give me a few days to catch my breath and get that report up. I was released from the Boston Mass General Hospital on Saturday morning and arrived back in California on Saturday afternoon. My experience with this Hospital was not a good one and you can bet that I will be writing all about it when I’m feeling better. For the time being, I’m still very short of breath and totally roided out ( lung lingo meaning …strung out on prednisone) . My only priority now, is to avoid a re-lapse and a re-admission. If I can get through the next couple of days …..I’ll be good to go! I want to thank everyone for your support and words of encouragement. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. The response to the Boston adventure has been overwhelming, but I promise I w... More About: Home , Back
Update
2009-04-24 17:31:00 Im still in a Boston Hospital, but doing well enough to be discharged tomorrow or at least transferred to my local prison. Some friends turned me on to these media clips. Boston.com Boston Globe BTW…I got my medal ! ( they actually delivered it to the hospital)how cool is that! It’s gonna take me some time to recouperate, but I hope to have a race report up within the next week. Again, thanks for all the comments and well wishes..it’s means a lot to me. Boston was awesome! in the Boston slammer More About: Update
Boston Update
2009-04-24 17:31:00 I’m still in a Boston , but unfortunately in Hospital. I’m doing well enough to be discharged tomorrow or at least transferred to my local prison. Some friends turned me on to these media clips. Boston.com Boston Globe BTW…I got my medal ! ( they actually delivered it to the hospital)how cool is that! It’s gonna take me some time to recuperate, but I hope to have a race report up within the next week. My Prize Again, thanks for all the comments and well wishes..it’s means a lot to me. Boston was awesome! More About: Update
On April 20th, We made History !
2009-04-21 21:28:00 Mike Mc Bride and I crossed the finish line at the Boston marathon in under the time limit, making us the first registered athletes with documented severe lung disease to do so! Unfortunately,my asthma started to flare-up during the last two miles, and within 15 minutes of crossing the finish line, I was whisked away to Boston Mass General hospital where I’m now reportedly in stable condition and obviously able to type and send this post out ( computer courtesy of the wonderful Social Services people at the hospital.) I ‘ll write a full race report in about a week when I return to California, but let me just say this..The Boston marathon is all what they say…and More!! Thanks everyone for your support! More About: History , April , Made
On April 20th, We made History !
2009-04-21 21:28:00 Mike Mc Bride and I crossed the finish line at the Boston marathon in under the time limit, making us the first registered athletes with severe lung disease to do so! Unfortunately, I starting to flare-up pretty bad during the last two miles and within 5 minutes of crossing the finish line, I was wisked away to Boston Mass General hospital where Im now in stable condition and able to get this post out ( courtesy of the wonderful Social Services people at the hospital.) I ‘ll write a full race report in about a week when I return to California, but let me just say this..The Boston marathon is all what they say…and More!! Thanks everyone for your support! More About: History , April , Made
Ready or not, Boston here I come !
2009-04-15 20:04:00 Bib# 22157 Today I did my last recovery walk of 4 miles, huffing and puffing most of the way, and in just a few hours, for better or worse, I’ll be making my way back east for Monday’s Race. Gosh, Ive spend more money on this one event, than all my previous races combined. I did manage however, to get my flight from San Francisco to Boston upgraded to First Class…yeah! I have no idea what to expect during marathon weekend, but from what I’ve read (there’s a great article here) and from what people have told me, it should be a pretty exciting 4 days. I’m looking forward to meeting up with a few of my friends who are also doing the race. I’d also like to get out and tour some the famous Boston area sights. Ive never been to any of the New England states , so this is an exciting trip for me in many ways. I’m guessing that since it has a soup named after it, that Boston must have some awesome Restaurants:-) Seriously though, as race... More About: Ready
Ready or not, Boston here I come !
2009-04-15 20:04:00 Bib# 22157 Today I did my last recovery walk of 4 miles, huffing and puffing most of the way, and in just a few hours, for better or worse, I’ll be making my way back east for Monday’s Race. Gosh, Ive spend more money on this one event, than all my previous races combined. I did manage however, to get my flight from San Francisco to Boston upgraded to First Class…yeah! I have no idea what to expect during marathon weekend, but from what I’ve read (there’s a great article here) and from what people have told me, it should be a pretty exciting 4 days. I’m looking forward to meeting up with a few of my friends who are also doing the race. I’d also like to get out and tour some the famous Boston area sights. Ive never been to any of the New England states , so this is an exciting trip for me in many ways. I’m guessing that since it has a soup named after it, that Boston must have some awesome Restaurants Seriously though, as race day ... More About: Ready
Pre-Boston swag
2009-04-11 14:59:00 Most of the marathon attire that Ive accumulated over the last 3 years usually ends up in a duffel bag crammed in the corner of my closet , never to be seen again. This jacket is gonna get worn a few days before I retire it. Now if only I can get the post-race bling to match! More About: Boston , Swag
Pre-Boston swag
2009-04-11 14:59:00 Most of the marathon attire that Ive accumulated over the last 3 years usually ends up in a duffel bag crammed in the corner of my closet , never to be seen again. This jacket is gonna get worn a few days before I retire it. Now if only I can get the post-race bling to match! More About: Boston , Swag
A milestone of sorts
2009-04-08 16:47:00 I don’t want to jinx myself , so I’ll try to keep this post short and to the point. Today makes 6 full months that Ive been hospital free! May not sound like a big deal to some, but believe me, for me…it is! By comparison, last year I was hospitalized 5 times, (or appx once every 2.5 months) …a record even for me. The year before that wasn’t much better at 4 admissions. Even during a so called “good breathing” year, I usually end up in the pokey at least once or twice, so wouldn’t it be something if I could go an entire year with NO ADMISSIONS!!! Oh my god…..UCSFs Respiratory Dept would go out of business. I really don’t know what to attribute this success to. My disease hasn’t gotten any better, on the contrary…my PFTs are actually worse, but I think I’m getting a little better at quashing the minor flare-ups before they turn into big ones. It could also be that I’m doing a better ... More About: Milestone
A milestone of sorts
2009-04-08 16:47:00 I don’t want to jinx myself , so I’ll try to keep this post short and to the point. Today makes 6 full months that Ive been hospital free! May not sound like a big deal to some, but believe me, for me…it is! By comparison, last year I was hospitalized 5 times, (or appx once every 2.5 months) …a record even for me. The year before that wasn’t much better at 4 admissions. Even during a so called “good breathing” year, I usually end up in the pokey at least once or twice, so wouldn’t it be something if I could go an entire year with NO ADMISSIONS!!! Oh my god…..UCSFs Respiratory Dept would go out of business. I really don’t know what to attribute this success to. My disease hasn’t gotten any better, on the contrary…my PFTs are actually worse, but I think I’m getting a little better at quashing the minor flare-ups before they turn into big ones. It could also be that I’m doing a better of ... More About: Milestone
Getting jazzed about Boston
2009-04-07 02:24:00 With less than 2 weeks to go before the big day, the reality that I’m actually going to be doing the Boston marathon is finally starting to sink in and I’m starting to get jazzed about it. I know this has always been a very popular and respected race among serious runners, but I had no idea just how big a deal the event is for the city of Boston and the neighboring communities that line the course. This is a race that attracts 500,000+ spectators and is broadcast all over the world. After you’ve been signed up, they send you this massive PDF file ( I think 300 pages) . Which lists all the stats from all the years that the race has been held. And check out some of the runner comments for the 2008 race. I don’t think I read a single review that had less than 4.5 stars Here are some other interesting facts about the race that I pulled of the main page:
Getting jazzed about Boston
2009-04-07 02:24:00 With less than 2 weeks to go before the big day, the reality that I’m actually going to be doing the Boston marathon is finally starting to sink in and I’m starting to get jazzed about it. I know this has always been a very popular and respected race among serious runners, but I had no idea just how big a deal the event is for the city of Boston and the neighboring communities that line the course. This is a race that attracts 500,000+ spectators and is broadcast all over the world. After you’ve been signed up, they send you this massive PDF file ( I think 300 pages) . Which lists all the stats from all the years that the race has been held. And check out some of the runner comments for the 2008 race. I don’t think I read a single review that had less than 4.5 stars Here are some other interesting facts about the race that I pulled of the main page:
Earthquake In Central Italy
2009-04-06 05:25:00 My sympathies go out to the victims and families of the Earthquake which occurred in the town of L’Aquila in central Italy early Monday morning. It breaks my heart that so many people died or were injured. The destruction appears to be massive. We in California are not exactly strangers to Earthquakes. I know all to well how devastating these larger quakes can be, even in the most modern of cities. I can only imagine how terrified the people must be who live in that area , but I can certainly understand their hesitation to return to their homes…or whats left of them. I wish there was some way I could help out. I contacted some of my friends who live in Rome, and while they felt the shaking, they report to me that there was no damage in the Rome area and that they are all fine. My friend who works for the Rome marathon, said he felt the vibrations, but fell back asleep and didnt think anything of it until the new morning when he saw people walking in the street... More About: Central
Im Moving
2008-01-19 14:49:00 In a few days, I'll be moving my blog from blogger over to Wordpress at my own domain www.Baycitywalker.comWhile blogger has worked fine for the past 2 1/2 years, I've kinda outgrown it .See ya there! More About: Moving
Over doing it...as usual
2008-01-17 23:48:00 I see I'm not the only one getting way ahead of myself... (Rick)This past Saturday I was supposed to do my first in a series of long slow walks ( 15 miles maximum )... at least that was the plan. I was kinda dreading this walk anyway because Id been experiencing a lot hamstring and knee pain for the previous couple of weeks .Well despite my better judgment, I did the walk anyway and sure enough , at around mile 9, I could feel my right knee start to stiffen up .When I would stop and try to bend and stretch it out, the back of my knee hurt like hell ( a sure sign of a hamstring strain and/or weak quads) Oh great..Just what I need in the middle of marathon training.OK, so I'm limping my way through the remainder of my walk, when at around 2 miles from my finish, I run into a friend who was just starting his walk in the opposite direction. He's kinda new to the whole walking thing and is training for the Rome marathon as well ( plus he's my Dentist), so I figured I'd ...
Hot off the presses.
2008-01-11 21:46:00 (click to read article)OK....This one took me totally by surprise. Your's truly on the cover of WALK magazine along with my partners in crime, Brandon and Mike ( all Dave Mc Govern alumni) .Two years ago, the thought of walking a marathon was wishful thinking at best, now I'm on the front cover of a walking magazine...walking my third one.Who would've thunk!I have to admit, it's a pretty cool to see yourself in print, but it's even more meaningful when the author is someone you really admire.... Thanks Dave !(click to read article)And then there's this one , an article published in the AARC Times (American Assoc for Respiratory Care). The AARC Times is the professional trade journal for the Respiratory Therapist community with over 20,000 members and even more readers.This article means a lot to me because it was written by, and for my peers in the Respiratory Care profession. (I'm actually a much better Respiratory Care Practitioner than I am a racewalker:-) Yup....
LSD's for the next 7 weeks
2008-01-07 17:20:00 Jan 12th------15 miles Jan 19th-------8 milesJan 26th------18 milesFeb 2nd------12 milesFeb 9th-------20 milesFeb 16th------10 milesFeb 23rd------8 milesThese are my long slow distance days ( LSD's) for the next two months.I "G-Mapped" some of my routes in case you ever find yourself in the SF area and want to do some fantastic walks. More About: Weeks
First 14 of '08
2008-01-02 16:24:00 With the holiday madness finally behind and my 4th marathon staring me in the face, I told myself this weekend...No more Excuses ! Bad weather or not, Bad lungs or not..Achy joints or not.. ...You committed to do this marathon, so now you need to get out there and start your long distance training walks, so that's what I did.I started off the new year with 14 mile walk on New Years day. It was beautiful out there along the San Francisco waterfront, but I over did it and walked way to fast for an LSD ( 14 miles in 3: 18) Now I'm sore as hell and I'm wheezing big time---(I almost forgot how fun it was to train for a marathon.)There's only 10 weeks left until Rome , so basically, I have 6 weeks to get the rest of my LSDs in. That's the least amount of time I will have ever spent on training for a race....full or half!Two years ago when I began training for my very first full marathon, I was so obsessed with racking up enough weekly mileage, that I didn't give my legs (o...
Congrats are in order
2007-12-28 16:21:00 For a stellar 2007Allan....for becoming an international racewalker.Annette...for becoming a personal trainer.Bob.....for pulling a pair of crazy 50 mile stunts.Brad....for running over 1600 miles.Cris......for never giving up.Dan.....for being simply a great racewalker.Dave....for having the best job on the planet .Francis ....for edging ever closer to Boston.Lia......for becoming a certifiable "Marathon Maniac"Lora....for surviving the Chicago marathon.Marshall....for racewalking AND trail running!Perry....for Joggling 1800 miles and countless marathons.Rick.....for giving new meaning the words " Ultra Athlete".Roxlyn...for being one incredible person!Tammy...for loosing over 100 lbs and walking up a storm.Phillip.....for winning the Portland Marathon Nordic Walking World Championships Here's to an even better 2008! More About: Athletes , Order
Winstons first Christmas
2007-12-25 22:54:00 Happy Holidays from San Francisco More About: Christmas , Winston
Didn't care for Xolair
2007-12-23 21:18:00 After taking Xolair injections for a full 12 months, the verdicts in.....It's not helping me.In fact, I've been sicker this year than in most.We gave it a good try, but at a thousand dollars a pop, I can't really can't justify continuing the injections. It's one of those drugs that seems to work wonders for some and nothing for others.Oh well, just have to wait to see what's next to come down the asthma treatment pipeline. More About: Care
Thank You Kirsty Mac Coll
2007-12-22 00:05:00 I heard one of Kirstys songs on the soundtrack of a Brittish movie that I was watching the other night. Had such a great Latin rhythm. I liked it so much, I went out the next day and bought one of her CDs. " Tropical Brainstorm" brilliant.How on earth did I ever miss this genius!(Here are a few of my favorites)It's funny.... I stumbled across this wonderful singer/songwriter just 3 days ago on December 18th.... Turns out she died on the very same day 6 years ago! Weird huh? More About: Coll
Multi-tasking
2007-12-19 18:00:00 When you spend as much time behind a nebulizer as I do, you learn to put that time to good use.A back massage, reading a racewalking book and/or catching up with emails seems to work for me. More About: Multi , Task
Post op
2007-12-14 17:41:00 As promised, here are two of the lesser gross pictures of yesterdays bone graft surgery. You can see how swollen the gum is around the implant .After scraping out the area, he filled it with synthetic bone and tightened it all up with 12 sutures.As soon as the local anesthetic wore off , it hurt big time; but it wasn't nearly as painful as when they originally placed all the implants.One thing that's still bothering though, is that 24 hours later, my face is still completely numb on the effected side!I hope the numbness goes away soon, because it's very difficult to drink from a cup when half of your lip muscles don't work.This is where I'll be parked for the next day or two. I hope to be out walking again by this weekend. More About: Post
Take care of your teeth !!!
More articles from this author:2007-12-13 16:38:00 Just as my marathon training is getting into full swing again, I'm already forced to take an unexpected break. No, it's not asthma this time.... it's my teeth.To give you a little background on my dental woes; about 5 years ago they reconstructed my entire upper mouth by installing synthetic teeth attached to dental implants. It took almost 2 years to complete and cost somewhere around $30,000 .Well, it seems I've developed a pretty severe pocket( bone loss) on the side of one of my implants and it needs to be repaired or I'll loose that implant. I found all this out just last week and TODAY .. I go under the knife.They're going to cut back the gum around the implant post, pack it with synthetic bone material and then suture the gum back tightly around the post.If that's not fun enough, this particular implant supports several of the teeth which are visible when I smile. There can't be any pressure on the area following the surgery, so basically I'll look like a ... More About: Care , Teeth 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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