Necrotizing pneumonia

The table was set for a long "run" this morning. After reading the paper, with special attention to the sports section, I headed up to 57th at about 7:30am. Now since this blog's readership has undoubtedly spread to international territories, I have to describe the scene. There are thick, dark clouds overhead dropping copious amounts of freezing rain and snow. A brisk steady wind is blowing from the south. Cars travelling on 57th all have their headlights on. There are small pools of water on the street, and so there's the occasional spray of cold water onto the clydesdale who should know better than to be outside in these conditions. My first thought, even before getting to Weldon's Barber Shop, was to turn around and go home. Simply put, the only result that can come from this "run" would be a raging case of necrotizing pneumonia. Soon, the freezing rain turned to pure snow. A typical thoroughbred would have gone down to the local workout club and ran on a treadmill. And that was probably the smart thing to do. I kept "running" and was able to get in a total of 15 miles under these conditions. The whole process took about 3 hours. The pledges and checks for Brian's Legacy have served as motivation, and will continue to be a motivation. So thank you.

Phones are jammed

The phone has been literally ringing off the hook! The pictures from the photo shoot have turned out even better than expected. As you know, Clydesdale photography is highly specialized, with very few willing and able to tackle such a task. And to no one's surprise, there are also very few sites in the world that will develop clydesdale film or download clydesdale digital pictures. Fortunately our photographer had an "in" with a small company in Turkey, adjacent to the Euphrates River, that was able to get the job done.

The race is now only two weeks from Sunday. I can honestly say that I have spent many, many mornings out on the street or at the track, and hope that the effort pays off. I haven't completed a final long "run", but there is still a little time left for that. I have my fingers crossed for that to happen on either Thursday (tomorrow) or Sunday. There's also a little obstacle called snow in the forecast.

The Amazing Race

Last weekend was not a good training weekend, but we were able to go to a couple of football games in Texas. While there, I went forward to age 54 on Halloween but then was able to fall backwards an hour when we converted to standard time. We had a fantastic time - I highly recommend the Riverwalk in San Antonio. We did many things in the 65 hours that we were gone, and the entire experience felt more like the Amazing Race. One thing I can say for sure is that the fans at Qwest Field in Seattle are much more loud than the Dallas fans, and the Dallas stadium holds over 100,000 people.

I spent the last three mornings at the track, "running" five miles each time. The race is only three weeks from Sunday, so Saturday's "run" will be very important.

Although I'm on-call this weekend, my hope is to get in a long run. I don't even care about the weather - it's about getting enough time. My Tuesday and Thursday runs have been going quite well. The five mile loops are done in 53-55 minutes. So I'll check in again soon and hopefully have something good to report. The race is five weeks from tomorrow!

For those of you that are willing to contribute to Brian's Legacy, fundraising starts during the first week of November. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Half Way Point

If my calculations are correct, the race is six weeks from tomorrow. So far, the longest distance "ran" is 14 miles; the fastest time on the five-mile loop is 53 minutes; 20 pounds of excess weight shed; current category: clydesdale. There have been a few bumps along the way, but all things considered, it seems like it is going pretty well. I have high hopes for the next two weeks as we close out October and get into the home stretch.

The pictures from the photo shoot are still in development. Believe me, I'm as anxious as you are. How was the lighting? Was the outfit color-coordinated properly given the angle of the morning sun. Lots of questions that are soon to be answered. Thankfully, the film has been insured.

Pretty good week

After the high of the photo shoot on Monday, I "ran" another 5 mile route later in the week, and I am proud to report a new personal best on that route: 55 minutes! That's two minutes less than the previous best. And then this morning: 14 miles and it took about three hours. In spite of the soreness, I am feeling pretty good about this right now.

The Photo Shoot

Due to an overwhelming request for some action pictures, I contacted a local respected businessperson who recommended I call this one photography company. On the phone, the photography service sounded nice and professional, eager to offer references if necessary. So I answered a few of their questions on the telephone, and we agreed to meet on the corner of 57th and Freya for the "shoot" on Monday. I wasn't sure what to expect, and was admittedly nervous over the weekend in anticipation of Monday. I spent a little time on Saturday reading about photography terms, such as film speed, shutter speed, F-stop (referred to as Q-Stop by the Memphis ducks), camera, aperture, etc. Finally, I came to the conclusion that these are professionals and they know what they are doing.

After a night of tossing and turning, Monday morning finally arrived. I had set out a color-coordinated outfit the evening before, and, after a bowl of fruit and 4 ibuprofens, drove to the prearranged site, arriving promptly at 7:25am. Standing on the sidewalk looking up and down 57th, little did we know what was about to transpire. Off in the distance, about parallel to Luna's, I could see a dark blue semi truck headed east towards me. As it drew closer, the metallic blue and shiny chrome of the truck was nearly blinding in the morning sunlight. The trailer was nearly a half a block long, as it came to rest near the southwest corner of Freya. The first person to exit the truck was wearing a dark brown jumpsuit, steel-toed boots, and a hard hat. He placed orange cones around the front, back, and sides of the semi in order to alert other drivers in the area. Without saying a word, he then carried across the street a folded director's chair and placed it on the street near the sidewalk. Next, he walked over to open the truck's passenger side door to allow two other men out of the truck. The first of the two walked with a brisk gait, as if in a hurry. He was wearing dark slacks, and a buttoned long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and was somewhat thin and wirey. He carried a clipboard, and had a pencil resting on top of his right earlobe. He reviewed some of the waivers and legal vernacular associated with the shoot. He said there is no warranty on their work and I would be responsible for any broken equipment. The next person to then get out of the truck was presumably the director. He was somewhat short in stature, and was wearing a French hat, or beret. He quickly sat in his directors chair as he reviewed the agenda with the clipboard guy. The director snapped his fingers twice, signalling the need for additional equipment from the hard had guy. Out from the back of the semi comes a four-wheeled vehicle that is about the size of a Volkswagon bus, only with a second layer placed on the top of the vehicle that contained a chair and some photography equipment. The top layer was able to rotate, so that the wheels were pointed east and west while the chair and photography equipment can be facing in any direction. The hard hat guy situated the photomobile adjacent to the sidewalk, with the chair facing north and wheels headed west. Another person exited the truck, wearing Oakley sunglasses, jeans, and a white T-shirt. He climbed into the photomobile and stepped up the stairs to take his place in the photographer's chair.

The producer said that he generally doesn't photograph clydesdales but that he was doing a favor for someone. He was now ready for me to take my place at the beginning of the sidewalk. The producer lit a cigarette that was connected to a deep brown porcelain or meerschaum cigarette holder, and said that he wanted to get this overwith quickly. My job was to simply "run" due west on the sidewalk. The clipboard guy yells "Places everyone!" and then the producer said "And......Action!". So I start "running" and I tell myself to just put one leg in front of the other. I was nervous, to say the least. Moments later, someone yells "CUT!". The photomobile guy gets out of his chair and walks back to the producer to complain that the "runner" cannot keep up with the photomobile, even on its lowest velocity setting, and could we somehow get him to run a little faster. So I said I would try to "run" a little faster. "Places everyone" was shouted, followed by "And.....Action!" Now this time it seemed to be going pretty well, and was even able to keep up with the photomobile for a short while. The producer then yelled "CUT!" and I looked back to see the clipboard guy trying to console the producer. "We need different lighting!" yells the producer. Now even amateur photographers know that clydesdale pictures can be very tricky if the lighting isn't just right - clydesdales cast a very large shadow, and if the lighting isn't correct, the shadow can become the predominant feature in the picture rather than the person or object. So jumpsuit guy runs over to the truck and hauls out four huge umbrellas. Clipboard guy says "Places everyone" and producer yells "Take three" and I begin to "run". Fortunately I am able to report that these pictures look like they will turn out, and we will be able to post them on the blog within the next week or two.

While the shoot is happening, traffic is backed up in both directions on 57th. Eastbound traffic is backed up to Perry and westbound traffic is backed up clear up and over Brown's Mountain and half way up Tower Mountain. Folks were straining their necks to see what the holdup was, and a news crew was hovering overhead in a chopper. I was able to see the semi-truck up close before the production crew left, and noted that the truck was a Kenworth, and the living quarters were designed and engineered by none other than Mark Shoaf, a WSU College of Engineering graduate. Then I knew for sure that I was dealing with a high class group.

The crew climbed into the truck and left heading east, taking a left on the Palouse Highway. I'm anxious to see the pictures and post them on the blog.

I am also happy to report, in all seriousness, that I was able to do 10 miles at the track on Saturday and five miles over 57 minutes this morning. Not too bad for 9/28/09.

Cliff Notes Version

A quick update.....
My wife and I went to Memphis last Monday, and it took pretty much the entire day to get there. We checked into the Peabody Hotel, which is a very nice hotel with many characteristics similar to the Davenport Hotel here in Spokane. Although it was late in the evening, we walked down to Beale Street and sat in a tavern and listened to some live music for a while. When we got back to the hotel, the nice lady at the desk reminded us that the duck procession is at 11am and 5pm each day. So if you have stayed at the Peabody, you already know about the duck procession, but this will be our first time of seeing the ducks.

Our group met in meeting rooms at the hotel, which was very convenient. But at about 10:30 on Tuesday morning, all of us in attendance went out to the lobby or the mezannine level to watch the ducks, and this is quite a sight. The lobby is packed full of people, and then the second level is packed about four deep as well, with people leaning over the railing to get a good look. There is a bright red carpet that has been rolled out that leads from the elevator directly to the fountain in the middle of the lobby. People line both sides of the red carpet all the way up to the fountain. Many are jockying for the best vantage point, and the noise level and conversation level and anticipation level are very high. Promptly at 11am, an elevator opens and out comes a group of ducks that walk single file over to the fountain. The crowd is somewhat hushed but the camera flashes are unbelievable. The ducks waddled with a swagger, but I'm certain they are well paid and probably set for life. They stay in the fountain until 5pm, at which time another ceremony happens as they waddle single file back to the elevator and back to their home. Now speaking of their home.....that evening we had a reception on the roof of the hotel, and that is where the duck penthouse is. Although we can't actually go into their penthouse, they have quite the view of downtown Memphis and the river and they can hear some of the music being played down on Beale Street. There's quite a bit of fowl language! It sounded to me like they use the "Q-word" frequently, especially when trying to make a point or when startled. We all heard a Q-bomb when one duck bit another duck.

The next evening, our group loaded buses and visited Graceland for the evening. We enjoyed the tour of the mansion and the grounds and gravesites. They also have two of their jets on display and all of the cars that Elvis owned.

Then we made it back to Spokane on Thursday. I have now "ran" on both Saturday and Sunday at the track, but there is some making up time ahead after being gone last week. This upcoming week is very important in terms of getting back on track with the training. This was the Cliff Notes version for this past week, and am anxious to have a good week starting tomorrow.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

On Friday, I scooted out of the office for a short while and went up to 57th for a quick jog. After about two miles, I was drenched, and mainly from the afternoon sun. So I walked back to the car. That evening, we drove to Seattle, and then yesterday morning, I walked at a track - it was about the best we could do with all the little people soccer games going on. And then today, I "ran" at the track for four miles. So I'm feeling fairly ok about where I'm at in the training schedule. Now I'm headed out of town until Thursday, so I guess elyptical machines or treadmills will have to serve as a substitute until next weekend.

Recurring nightmare

While enjoying the "rest" day, I wanted to take the extra time to discuss a recurring nightmare that I've been having. Maybe it'll be therapeutic to put this to writing, and see if there is some underlying message here.

The setting in the dream is a meeting room in downtown Seattle, filled with people that comprise the planning committee for this year's marathon. The meeting is called to order by the Head Marathon Organizer (HMO). He starts by saying "I'd like to call this meeting to order. In our last few meetings, we discussed all of what went right with this last years race. Today's agenda will address what didn't go so well, and discuss any strategies that need to be instituted to correct the issues. Mr. Secretariat, can you please read the first incident report filed from last years race."

Secretariat reads a complaint submitted from a group of volunteers at the finish line."....and we need to consider closing the course much earlier than the current six hours. The neighbors are sick and tired of listening to six hours of the theme song from Chariots of Fire. We have lives of our own and can't be expected to sit there for that long. Most everyone, except for you-know-who, is done with the race well within four hours. Last year, we resorted to pitching pennies and playing rock/paper/scissors while we were waiting for the last group to finish."

One committee member barked "I heard that there was a food and water station over in Seward Park that was literally consumed by one of those clydesdales. Wiped 'em out. This guy shuffled away with about fifty Power Bars!"

Ned in the back row, chewing on a handful of raisins and Metamucil, bellows, "And another thing.....I've got a friend that I run with that's a seismologist over at the U, and he says there's actually seismic activity during the race that can be pinpointed along the course. He's afraid it could trigger 'the big one'."

Bill, in the middle aisle sprinting on his mobile treadmill, says "Lookit, I think there's clearly enough evidence here that we should narrow our focus, and stop accepting entry applications from......" As the room was roaring in approval of Bill's sentiments before he completed his sentence, HMO stands and slams the gavel onto the table, screaming "Order....Order I say! ....Need I remind the group that the mission statement for our race says that we strive to be a fun-filled and challenging event for all equines - thoroughbreds, geldings, and clydesdales alike."

Now Peter has been fairly quiet in most of the previous meetings. He generally can be found in the front row, right side, and is often sipping on vitamin-laced pomegranate juice stored in his Eddie Bauer fanny pack. He stands up amidst all the chaos and subgrouping and addresses the committee. "It seems the answer here is simple. What is the biggest motivator, the focal point for any clydesdale?" "Calories" the crowd shouts back. Peter says, "Correctomundo! So given that, how 'bout we put a food station BEHIND the starting line. We pack that table with Twinkies, donuts, cream puffs, ice cream, whip cream....the "clydes" will never leave that spot". Mark, who can't be readily seen because he is in a Ichiro-esque squat position, feet pointed outwards in a nearly 180 degree angle, a maneuver designed to stretch the abs, quads, and iliotibial band, screams "Brilliant idea. Give that man a Nobel Peace Prize!".

Ben yells from his seat "Let's wrap this up. I have a meeting at the top of the Space Needle and I'm taking the stairs. Do I hear a motion?" "So moved" says Herm. Then HMO, after the vote, hits the table with the gavel, and says "Meeting adjourned."

Then I usually wake up and can't sleep.

My wife and I had a wonderful dinner with Steve and Jan Prawdzik on Monday evening, along with a few other folks helping with Fr.O.G.s Helping Families - Brian's Legacy. Jan talked about Brian's life, and the impact of his medical issues on not only him, but others around him. Suffice it to say that I walked away from their home even more determined to try to make a difference right along with them. Jan and Steve have been through so much, and yet they have so much to offer and to give. There are more Brians in our community today, and there will be more in the future. And believe me, they and their families need our help. I have no doubts whatsoever that any donated penny that goes towards Brian's Legacy will be put to good use.

Five miles again this morning! It felt fine, except for the labored breathing and sore joints. I talked to Dan yesterday about some of the basic differences between thoroughbreds and clydesdales. He said that besides the obvious differences, clydesdales are able to carry much more internal fuel for the long runs. I guess I had never thought of it that way but maybe there is an advantage to the clydesdale physique after all.

It's Labor Day! I went to a different track this morning, this time with my wife. She is four foot nine inches tall and weighs about 105 pounds (i.e. about a third of a clydesdale in size). She and I are both going to seen Brian's parents later today, at their house. Our daughter was a classmate of Brian's in grade school, so we have known the Prawdziks now for nearly 20 years. Wonderful people.

I "ran" three miles on the track, and feel pretty sore from Saturday's nine miles. I feel fairly confident that I can do this race in November because I "participated" in the same race last year. I "ran" with three other gentlemen - Steve, Dave, and Dan. All three of them are pharmacists (like me), and would be considered thoroughbreds (unlike me). Each of them could have finished in 3-4 hours, but instead we all stayed together for the entire six hours. We had a great time. I don't think that any of the three broke a sweat whereas I was drenched beyond recognition. Dave and Steve are brothers, and the three of us went to pharmacy school together at WSU. Dave was a groomsman in our wedding 26+ years ago. Dan is a well respected pharmacist in the Seattle area. Each of the three are intelligent but not nerdy. You would never hear them say "If we attached a benzene ring at the six position, the compound could reversibly acetylate megakaryocytes". You'd never hear that. But they are into providing a good service in their communities. It's my hope that we can all run together again this year, and that there will be some appreciable improvement on the finish time.

The schedule indicates I should be doing seven miles this weekend - all at once! Driving to the track, I felt that I should elevate the goal somewhat, and take advantage of the cool yet very sunny morning. I picked lane #3 and stayed there most of the time. Being this slow, I find myself drifting to the outer lanes as other, more swift runners show up to utilize the track. Over the ensuing one hour and fifty minutes, I did nine miles, which felt great.

The schedule and consistent "running" seems to be going fine so far. But to really be able to go the distance and to be able to finish the race in a reasonable time will require a pretty radical change in eating habits. Just as an example, I had breakfast at a restaurant this morning with my favorite daughter and her boyfriend. I had three eggs (over easy), sausage, hash browns and toast. That was gone in about 8 seconds. I couldn't help but wonder if they had maple bars or cinnamon rolls in the back to keep me going while the other two were finishing their breakfast. So that's another challenge that needs to be met.

First off, it's now somewhat dark at 6am. I headed west on 57th at 6:15am, and it just didn't feel right. Each stride seemed off center and more labored than usual. I'm convinced that if there were any observers or passersby, this "runner" probably looked like one of the gentlemen from Czechoslovakia, the Wild and Crazy Guys. Remember how Dan Akroyd and Steve Martin walked with their legs going left and right? Anyway, I'm told that you simply have to persevere when this happens, and the "running" will become less labored.

Ultimately, the five miles went fine. I had to laugh, though, because school is now in session and the students are waiting on the side of the road for the schoolbus to pick them up. It has to be quite an eyeopening experience that early in the morning to see a clydesdale jogging by.

Next up, later this week, a longer distance. And I'm up for it!

After the morning newspaper and coffee, I headed up to 57th. What a wonderful morning, and what a wonderful way to start the day! The five mile loop went fine, and as I rounded the corner from 65th onto Freya, it looked like there was a reasonable chance for a new personal best. Sure enough....58 minutes! So that's an average of 11 minutes and 36 seconds per blessed mile.

In a week (on Labor Day) I am getting together with Brian's parents to learn more about their plans for "Frogs Helping Families". But if you get the chance, I would encourage you to visit their website (brianslegacy.org). I, for one, have tremendous admiration for Jan and Steve. And I hope that the preparation and participation in this "race" in late November can be of help to their cause. Maybe it will raise some money, but maybe it will also raise awareness of the needs, right here in our community. Just imagine being a parent with a child suffering from a life-threatening illness.

My wife and I went to dinner on Saturday evening over in Coeur d'Alene. I noticed out the window of the restaurant that there was a horse-drawn buggy taking folks on a tour of downtown Coeur d'Alene. I'm not sure whether those were clydesdales pulling the buggy, but they certainly had some similarities to the Budweiser clydesdales that we see in commercials during football season. In horse vernacular, a clydesdale may be synonymous with smart, or distinguished, or larger than life. In "running" vernacular, clydesdale means just larger that life. Many races have a category for these larger runners called clydesdales, if you are a male and weigh over 220 pounds. I could shed 80 pounds and still be in the clydesdale category! Seasoned runners can pick out a clydesdale "runner" from miles away. As the cars go by on 57th and observe this larger than life "jogger", there's no question whatsover......that's a clydesdale.

Plenty of excuses

So this morning, I was initially jazzed about the upcoming "run". After the coffee and the morning paper (Mariner recap, Seahawks, Cougars, etc.), it actually began to rain. So should I simply wait until tomorrow? The excuses began to pour out mentally......I did have a sneeze last night which could indicate the beginning of another swine flu case......I can wait until tomorrow.....what would I wear in the rain anyway.......people would think I was a total idiot for "running" in the rain......

But I drove up to 57th anyway, because I was not willing to sit and feel guilty all day. The "run" worked out fine - actually shaved a full 30 seconds off the five mile time from a couple of days ago, so that felt like progress. Pride trumps guilt any day of the week!

Spokane sloth?

The training schedule gave me a day off yesterday. The "rest" days are highlighted on the schedule because one of my biggest fears is to have inadvertantly "run" on a rest day. I have no fears whatsoever of resting on a "run" day but am petrified of "running" on a rest day.

Anyway, I ate too much yesterday, but hear me out. We had two employees celebrating birthdays - one with cheesecake and the other with ice cream. It's important to be polite and celebrate right along with everyone else. Last evening, my wife and I had a pretty good size meal at a restaurant followed by a large helping of ice cream (she didn't know about the ice cream incident from earlier in the day, so I'm hoping now she doesn't read the blog!). Needless to say, the rest days need to be approached with a little more caloric control.

So this morning, with some reluctance, I headed to 57th for a 5 mile "run". The training schedule said 4 miles but let's try 5. The reluctance was because of the preference for the track, but the track is next to a school, and school starts today, and it was already 8:30am and it would be difficult for any teacher to have full attention from the students while a pachyderm-like creature was "running" around the track just outside their classroom. I finished the five mile "run" in exactly 60 minutes or 12 minutes/mile. That's not too bad. I was happy with that. Some readers may now feel that the blog title should be changed to Spokane Sloth, but there's still nearly three months to go. And I really really want to make a difference for Brian and his family and their intense hope to help other families in need.

Initial entry

First off, let's be frank. This body was not manufactured for running or jogging or any rapid movement whatsoever. But it's important to stay active, and it's important to devote one's efforts toward worthwhile causes, regardless of any impediments or excuses. So that brings us to the Seattle Marathon on November 29th and Fr.O.G.s Helping Families-Brian's Legacy. Over the next 3+ months, I plan to prepare for the Seattle Marathon and help raise money for Brian's Legacy. There's a head start to report - six slow miles at the track this past Saturday. There's a long way to go and a ton of work between now and November 29th. I'll post updates on my progress, including jogging distances and any appreciable weight reductions. Suffice it to say that I currently tip the scales at 300+ pounds. But I'm ready for the challenge. So.....ready, set, go!