Been Away

Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been? (Music reference - opening line of "We Just Disagree" by Dave Mason). But seriously .... been away...at the shore for a week where we got in some great kayaking, a little swimming, and some good riding. AND took in some awesome fireworks with Midge and Tim in Avalon. It really was a great week.

Just checking in briefly and then heading to DC tomorrow for nephew Michael Stefanski's wedding. Quick update though- I do have a medial meniscus tear to the right knee and we are going to repair it athroscopically next Thursday, 7/17. I say "we" because I want to be awake for this and learn a thing or two about knee repairs. Hopefully my bounce back time will be short and sweet. I still fully expect to race an ultra distance triathlon and a marathon in the fall. No worries. I'm actually looking forward to getting it done so I can be pain free. It's funny though...I can ride my ass off and feel no pain at all. Then it will hurt like hell driving in the car.

If you haven't guessed, I am somewhat of a music junkie and had a junkie moment last night. We all went to see the movie "Get Smart" I am a big Steve Carell fan. When the opening credits scrolled up the screen I saw that the soundtrack was scored by Trevor Rabin. I knew Trevor played with a later generation of YES but forgot who else he played with. And it was killing me. I swore he also played with The Buggles and possibly Asia. So I called fellow junkie Steve McFadden and he set me straight immediately. NO he said - Rabin only played with YES. Trevor HORN was a Buggle who also played with YES. And another Buggle - Geoff Downes also played with Asia and had a short stint with YES in 1980. He went on to tell me "Your dots are connected, they are just a little crooked". I just laughed out loud on the phone. I knew Steve would be able to set me straight. He and I had a lot of fun at concerts and listening to music and reading liner notes for hours on end. Just thought I would share that piece of useless information.

Talk after DC.

Peace

 

 

Health Check

The good news - my blood work and recent check up CT scan were spot on PERFECT. All is well and I don't need to go back until the fall ! Woo-hoo !

However, the other news .... that knee pain that I have been experiencing may be a torn medial meniscus. I'll let you know after a MRI Monday night. Even if we need to go in and scope it, I'll be racing again very soon and will still manage an ironman by the fall.

No worries. I'll keep ya posted. off to the shore to try out my new kayack and to help out Midge and Tim with the Avalon Islandman Triathlon.

Happy trails

Flavors

Does peach yogurt go with Merlot? - Yes. EVERYTHING goes with Merlot. It's been a busy few weeks. We had my Daughter's prom and graduation and party. Good time was had by all. Finally getting caught up on a few things...my knee still is not 100%. But I am seeing improvement still or again or something.

We saw our good buddies of the band "Chico's Vibe" last weekend. We have known Chico and Dominick for about 30 years at least. Dominick probably longer. It's great to hang out with people like that who have been around for so much of your life. The grad party brought out some great friends as well. Bitter sweet though as today I learned that my college roomate lost his brother. That's hard.

This weekend is Philly Tri weekend. No, I am not racing. But yes, I am helping with the race and a bunch of athletes that I coach will be out there racing. So, we'll have a blast.

Keep your eyes on this site http://patientresource.net/. I am being interviewed by them soon and they promised a nice book plug as well.

That's about all I have tonight. Catch you all on the rebound.

To Speaketh

Short notice but I wanted to mention that I will be speaking tomorrow night at the Cancer Survivors Day Celebration held at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. The program starts at 6:30 PM.

Address - 501 North Lansdowne Ave, Drexel Hill, PA. More info is at 800-254-3258

Peace

Toe Central

Greetings.

Well, remember that knee pain that I mentioned a few weeks ago? It never went away by itself so I started some physical therapy with NovaCare. The good news is that my tests were clear and structurally, my knee is sound. I just have a strain or slight tear to the MCL on the right. The bad news is it still hurts and I want to rush the healing process. I still can't run on the road but I can pool run, cycle, and swim. So from a fitness level perspective, I should be fine. But mentally, I feel old, fat, and out of shape. All of that being said, I will probably still race Hammonton next weekend. Emotionally I need a race to jump start me. Even if I tank it, I just need to get out there.

Some of you know that my passion before triathlon was soccer. I was a goalkeeper and looked up to a few key role models of the sport. One was a legendary goalkeeper named Shep Messing. Another was a guy named Bobby Rigby who was a local guy that put American soccer on the map in the 1970s. He was one of the best American goalkeepers of all time. (OK he and Shep were tied) He is now back in the area and working as a substance abuse counselor in the Ridley Twp school system, where he is from. The cool thing for me is that I have connected with both of these guys recently and we have kept in touch. "Back in the day" I admired them for their goalkeeping abilities. As we have matured (ok ... some of us have) they continue to make substantial contributions in life and in sport and I have been fortunate enough to connect with them and consider them peers. It makes the world a little smaller. And better. Both of them recognize what a special bond there is between goalkeepers even long after playing days are behind us. We have all moved onto bigger and better playing arenas. But the secret club still exists.

And now for a scary, random, and fragmented brain dump: 

Coffee is good. Politics is getting old. The Clintons are getting old. McCain IS old. I am riding my bike into work for a couple of hours today after TNT swim practice. I need to finish this drywall project in my living room. I was asked to give the motivational talk again at the TNT pre race dinner for the Philly Triathlon in June. How can my youngest daughter be graduating from high school if I am only 15 years old?

Your mission for the weekend - A random act of kindness for a complete stranger. I mean really go out of your way to do so. Don't just pause 2 seconds to hold the door for the person behind you.

Peace

 

Hey Jude

This is unbelievable ......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgrrQwLdME8 

 

Book Reviews

These two reviews ran in the Seattle based eZine Outdoors NW -

Book Reviews
The Inner Triathlete; My New Race chronicle the human side of Triathlon

   If it’s training tips and race plans you want, you won’t get them from reading Stephen Brown’s two newly released triathlon-focused books, The Inner Triathlete and My New Race. Instead, these quick-reads of short stories, interviews and articles offer perspective that speaks to the human side of the sport of triathlon and to the spirit of the triathlete.

    Brown wrote The Inner Triathlete as a tribute to elite triathlete Jon Blais, a.k.a. “Blazeman” who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig ’s disease in May, 2005. Blais won the hearts of millions five months later when he became the first ALS patient to race and finish the Hawaii Ironman. Blais died 1-1/2 years later of his disease.

    Ironically, author Brown — a longtime ultra triathlete himself —  was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2006. In My New Race, he chronicles his journey of diagnosis, treatment and finally, across the finish line of an Ironman-distance triathlon just seven months later.

    If you need a break from training, or simply want to celebrate the life of others, these books are must-reads. A portion of their proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Blazeman Foundation. www.remissionman.com

— Carolyn Price, Publisher Outdoors NW

Greetings and Other Stuff

Well it has really felt like summer this week. It's been great. I am supposed to kick off my racing season tomorrow in New Jersey although I am struggling with some knee pain and and taking a watch and see on this thing. I probably should have it looked at - but I can probably squeak out a sprint race first. I'll keep you posted.

This weekend is the St. Anthoneys triathlon in St. Petersberg. We trained 20 some odd athletes for this race and Todd is with them now in Florida getting them ready for their big day tomorrow. Wish I could have gone but couldn't really take the time off of work between my job still being new, and just coming off missing days due to chemo treatments. Next year I'll make the trek. And I will be with the team at the Philly race and Nation's race in DC in September.

I forget if Belleplaine and Hammonton are on my schedule but I added them yesterday so now they are. My daughter Jennifer is also racing them with me. She'll also race Midge's race in Avalon. She is psyched. Now we have to get Danielle signed up for a couple of 5K road races.

Someone entered me into what I thought was a kind of goofy contest sponsored by EverReady. It's something in the spirit of the Energizer bunny and the "keep going" attitude and lifestyle. Somehow, I was selected as one of the 100 semifinalists. (Maybe there were 110 original contestants - ha). At any rate, maybe this isn't so silly because the winner gets $10,000 in cash and $5,000 to their charity. Who knows? If the committee chooses me into the top 10 finalists, then the people would vote on a winner between June and July. Don't worry, if it get's to that point, we'll be looking for plenty of votes and plenty of people will know about it. Since I already do a decent amount for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on many levels, I expect the chosen charity to be The Community YMCA of Eastern Delaware County. More on this as we progress. Oh - and I just picked up Power Bar as a new sponsor. "Good eatin".

Time for more java.

 

Done
Well, I'm done. Finished my last treatment Monday and I am quite happy about that. Pretty tired today. I have a follow up post CT scan in June then see the doctor again to check blood levels in July. Amen. Time to move on. It's been a crazy few days. Mixed in with my last treatment were two funerals, a TNT bike ride and run in the pouring rain on Sunday. And a little gathering with a handful of my Cabrini buddies Sunday evening. It was one of those roller coaster of emotions weekends.

Right now I just need a strong dose of real spring. I need fresh air, shorts, and tee shirts !!

Interesting Tails
It's been a fun couple of days. Our dog Carley has developed some kind of an infection in her eye and is on some drugs and is wearing a lamp shade. Now you have to understand Carley. She is very affectionate and lovable and loyal. But she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. So, couple that with slightly impaired vision in the one eye and a lamp shade and you have an animal who moves about the house with the grace of a refrigerator being thrown down a set of stairs. She bangs into the same wall three times before she realizes she needs to adjust. She tried to walk into her crate three times last night only to realize that once she was in there, she couldn't turn around. So she backed up ..... and tried again. It's pretty amusing to watch. But even funnier is the expression on our other dog, (who just may be the sharpest tool in anybody's shed) He just watched Carley and then looks at us as if to say "Is she stupid"? We'll get a few more kicks tonight and then take that ridiculous thing off of her.