BaycitywalkerBaycitywalkerTribulations and triumphs of a lung challenged marathon walker and wannbe racewaker. Articles
Enjoying the downtime
2009-05-26 15:52:00 This past week my partner has been on vacation , which is the only time we really get to spend with each other. We really don’t venture too far from home , because he hates to to travel, so we’ll do a lot of things locally. One of his/our favorite things to do, is browse through vintage and alternative clothing stores. There are several scattered throughout the city. The Haight and upper Market street have some of the best. They’re basically high-end thrift stores that specialize in clothing and shoes from the 70’s ,80’s and 90’s ,as well as current fashions you’d find in European countries. Sometimes you can find really cool, one- of- a kind items. Another thing we like to do, is drive up along the coast , just above San Francisco ,stopping at different Antique stores along the way. We’ll usually make a whole day of it and then loop back down to the city where we’ll spend the late afternoon roaming the financial district or t...
A quarter million puffs
2009-05-21 16:42:00 Care for some Albuterol? How the heck did that Primatine Mist get in there? I sometimes jokingly claim that Ive inhaled more bronchodialators(asthma medicine), than any living person! Well, after doing some rough calculations , that claim might not be as far fetched as it sounds. This past week I had a lot downtime due to crappy breathing , so I thought it might be a fun diversion to sit down and try to figure out how much Albuterol Ive inhaled over my life time. For the sake of simplicity, and the fact that Albuterol ,has only been around about 25 years, I decided to include ALL the inhaled bronchodialator medicines that Ive taken. The results of course ,will be a rough estimate. OK, assuming that Ive been using inhalers for appx 45 years , and assuming that I was taking just the minimum recommended dose of 1-2 puffs 4 x day. That works out to 131,400 hits off the inhalers. The math ( 8 puffs per day x 365 days x 45 years= 131,400 puffs). But wait , that’s just the beg... More About: Million , Quarter
Mel’s 1000th
2009-05-17 21:06:00 Meet another amazing walking friend of mine, Melvin. On Saturday May 16th, Mel completed his 1000th round trip walk across the Al Zampa bridge in Crockett,California . To celebrate his amazing achievement, about 100 of his friends and admirers, many of whom actually met Mel while walking along the bridge, gathered to take that historic 1,000th walk with him. He is the only who has walked this span more times than I have . The bridge itself is just over one mile in each direction. Mel estimates that in total, he’s logged more than 2500 miles in the course of those 1000 walks. I walked ahead of the group to the vista point on the Vallejo side of the bridge and caught this picture of Mel and some of his entourage still mid-span. Mel doesn’t racewalk, but it would sure be something if he did. Somehow we managed a nice group shot Mel and his wife, Mary Oh….don’t know if you caught this on Mel’s jacket…., but he turned 81 years , 4 ...
A few more Boston Marathon Photos
2009-05-15 21:49:00 You’re probably getting sick of hearing about the Boston marathon, but here’s a few more photos . These were taken mostly after mile 18… and it sure shows on my face. They’re high resolution photos and were bogging down this page, so I moved them over to Picasa. You can still enlarge them , but not like before. More About: Photos , Marathon
Some down time
2009-05-14 16:24:00 To say I’m worn out by the frantic pace of these last 3 months, would be an understatement. Going from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and everything in between, I’m flat out exhausted! I need a couple weeks of doing nothing overly physical , so that I can recharge my batteries and start all over again. After last months flare-up, my lung function is gradually returning to baseline, but all those outdoor allergies have been kicking my butt. Ive even considered going back on Xolair. It didn’t do much for my asthma, but I think it helped with my allergy problem. Of course, I’ve still been doing my 5 mile bridge walks 3x week. Nothing could stop me from doing those, it’s the only chance I get to racewalk, but that’s about it, as far as exercise goes. Ive been occupying most of my time, catching up with my blog reading, doing things around the house, and dealing with various media requests regarding my participation in the marathon. Earlier t... More About: Time
Hijacked at the Boston Finish line..
2009-05-10 18:02:00 This is my account of what actually happened at the end of the race; ( warning: this is another long post) I think it started around mile 20 as we were descending into downtown Boston . The winds kinda whipped up out of nowhere and within a matter of minutes the temperature must have fallen 20 degrees…. I was freezing! It was then that I started to feel a noticeable change in my breathing . My lungs were getting progressively tighter anyway because it had been more than 6 hours since Id had a neb treatment, but now I was starting to audibly wheeze, which I rarely do, even when I do marathons. I remember I was also air-trapping pretty bad, so I had to purse-lip non-stop for the rest of the race to prevent it from getting worse. We had now been walking non-stop for nearly 7 hours and as we approached the last mile, I remember telling Mike that my inhaler just wasn’t cutting it anymore and that I would definitely need a neb treatment once we finished the race. No prob... More About: Line , Finish Line , Finish
Mikes Story
2009-05-06 21:08:00 If you get a chance, read Mike McBrides story over at COPD International, and what it took for him to make it the finish line at the Boston marathon. Pretty amazing stuff… but then again, he’s a pretty amazing person! Mike Mike , Cameron and I , the day before the big one You can see more of Mikes Boston Marathon race photos on his Facebook page. More About: Story
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... 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 a... 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 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
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
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
Great HoneyMoon Travel Ideas
2008-04-11 18:55:00 This is an ideal honeymoon destination where honeymooners can relax in pure solitude, bordered by clear, radiant water. You are sure to be amazed with the pure white sands, dazzling beach and the lavishness of wooden villas located on top of the Indian Ocean. Couples can simply unwind on the ocean, go aboard the speed boat, experience scuba diving, go to several native islands or take advantage of a trip called Robinson Crusoe which gives honeymooners an opportunity to become isolated – only them and the beach. Barbados Barbados takes pride in their irresistible white sand coasts. Honeymoon ers can go to the unexploited eastern seashore where they can take pleasure in its rugged terrain and extreme surfing regions. Cape Verde The beautiful Sal Island is another honeymoon destination which offers first rate white beaches and hotels. In addition, Santa Maria is another place with an astonishing resort on the way. Couples will be amazed with its white shores that have lots of cozy bed... More About: Ideas , Travel , Great
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
More articles from this author: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 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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