So i finally did it. I swam a mile today. Granted it was in the pool but I did it none the less. 70 lengths gets a little monotonous. Gives you lots of time to think about why you shouldn't be in the pool for that long. Gives doubt a lot of time to creep into your ever weakening mind. It allows you to think of all the excuses for why you should just get out of the pool and do it another day. I mean you'll always have tomorrow, right? Really makes you wonder what must go through someones mind while they are swimming a triathlon and still have a bike ride and run to look forward to.
This is when you have to make a decision, do you take control over your brain that is wandering into all kinds of ugly places or do you let it take control of you? Tonight I made the decision to beat back all those ugly thoughts and push on. Believe me, for a while I wanted out of that pool in a bad way. But let me tell you....when you finally finish it's all worth it. Kind of makes you want to throw your hands up and proclaim "I WIN!" Feels like people should be raising babies and throwing soft cheeses! Go Alphonse Go!
It takes a certain amount of motivation to overcome these sorts of things. I wish I could say I just look deep inside and find all the motivation I need but that's not the way it works! Don't get me wrong....we all have "it" inside of us. But sometimes it takes a little push from an outside force to help see us through. To help us find that "it" that is buried deep within us. So you have to find what motivates you. Find that song, or video, or person that makes you want to push just a little harder. Latch on to that and let it help you to the finish because there wont always be a tomorrow. Remember to be great today so you don't regret yesterday, tomorrow!
There really are only two types of people in this world. Those that say "I can" and those that say "I can't". I CAN do it! Can you? Challenge yourself to get motivated today. Do something, whatever it is. It may be at work, at school, in the gym, on a bike, or in a pool. Just find what motivates you and go for it....it's all worth it once you cross that finish line!
Need some motivation? Check these out!
Inspirational Nike Ad
Iron Man Video
Have some motivation you would like to share? Leave it in a comment.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
July 17th, 2010
On this day we have all been blessed by the birth of a beautiful child. This world is a better place today than it was yesterday. With the love, compassion, drive, and determination that will be passed down from her parents, this child will do great things!
Mark my words, July 17th 2010 was a special day for us all.
So now as a community and a family we must all play a roll in seeing this child rise to greatness. We must remember that it is not only a mother and father that will shape this life. While mom and dad may set the course the rest of the "village" must do its part too.
It's interesting to look back at life and see all of the people who helped to shape me into the person I am today. The list stretches far beyond my family. Knowing that I have the love and support of so many people is a special feeling. One of those feelings that makes you feel like you can take on anything.
I got to see some old friends today. They are the kind of people that don't get a visit or phone call as often as they should and yet that doesn't seem to bother them. The love they express is unwavering. Once you become a part of their family you can never leave, even if for some reason you wanted to. They are special people and I am lucky to have them in my life.
Don't ever forget these people in your life, they are the people that shaped you into who you are today. And remember that today you are shaping someone else into who they will become tomorrow. So share that love and compassion that was shared with you and we will all be better off because of it.
Mark my words, July 17th 2010 was a special day for us all.
So now as a community and a family we must all play a roll in seeing this child rise to greatness. We must remember that it is not only a mother and father that will shape this life. While mom and dad may set the course the rest of the "village" must do its part too.
It's interesting to look back at life and see all of the people who helped to shape me into the person I am today. The list stretches far beyond my family. Knowing that I have the love and support of so many people is a special feeling. One of those feelings that makes you feel like you can take on anything.
I got to see some old friends today. They are the kind of people that don't get a visit or phone call as often as they should and yet that doesn't seem to bother them. The love they express is unwavering. Once you become a part of their family you can never leave, even if for some reason you wanted to. They are special people and I am lucky to have them in my life.
Don't ever forget these people in your life, they are the people that shaped you into who you are today. And remember that today you are shaping someone else into who they will become tomorrow. So share that love and compassion that was shared with you and we will all be better off because of it.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Get committed
It's amazing how sports can imitate life, and vice versa. Starting to train for this triathlon has been a lesson in commitment. You have to be committed to getting on your bike or jumping in the pool everyday. And while some days only require an hour of training making the commitment to get that hour in is a lot more difficult than you would think. Life is always trying to get in the way, but if your really committed you MAKE time to train instead of MAKING excuses.
In life we always have a list of things we want to do or a list of things were going to do some day. It's the bucket list. But until you make a commitment to that list it will never get accomplished. Just having the desire to accomplish your goals does not mean that you are committed to them. I think that is going to be the first life lesson that this experience is going to teach me. And I better learn it quick. If I don't get committed in a hurry I'm going to be way behind my training schedule.
With that being said I think the first step to being committed is to actually sign up for my first triathlon. The Lake Meridian sprint is first on my list. The event will be August 22 and I think I'm going to sign up next week. Making that level of commitment will hopefully have a snowball effect and keep me committed to training.
Staying committed in life and athletics is the key to reaching your goals. So make the commitment and go accomplish something!
In life we always have a list of things we want to do or a list of things were going to do some day. It's the bucket list. But until you make a commitment to that list it will never get accomplished. Just having the desire to accomplish your goals does not mean that you are committed to them. I think that is going to be the first life lesson that this experience is going to teach me. And I better learn it quick. If I don't get committed in a hurry I'm going to be way behind my training schedule.
With that being said I think the first step to being committed is to actually sign up for my first triathlon. The Lake Meridian sprint is first on my list. The event will be August 22 and I think I'm going to sign up next week. Making that level of commitment will hopefully have a snowball effect and keep me committed to training.
Staying committed in life and athletics is the key to reaching your goals. So make the commitment and go accomplish something!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Triathlon?
So things have been going well with the ol' ticker. So I'm thinking since I have a heart that works I might as well use it. Why not a triathlon? I mean it doesn't have to be a full Ironman, but maybe someday.
I meet with my Dr. next week and I'm hoping he might lift the heart rate limit or at least raise it above 160. Then it's on! If I can make it through an open heart surgery why can't I run a triathalon?
Stay posted...more to come!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
I meet with my Dr. next week and I'm hoping he might lift the heart rate limit or at least raise it above 160. Then it's on! If I can make it through an open heart surgery why can't I run a triathalon?
Stay posted...more to come!
- Posted from my interpersonal communication device
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Back to Work
Things just keep getting better and better. Finally started back to work last week. It's great to be out of the house but getting back in the swing of things at work is proving to be a bit harder than I thought. You don't realize how much really happens in the month that you are gone. Other than the actual work part of WORK I love being back. I can't express how incredible the people I work with are. The love and support they have shown me really is amazing. Big Ups to the entire K2 crew for everything they have done for me.
Finally got to start Cardiac Therapy as well. It's great to be able to move and exercise some. I get to spend 15 minutes on a treadmill, walking of course, and 15 minutes on a stationary bike. There are a few other exercises in between. For now it is all pretty moderate but they promise me we will continue to ramp it up. I told the Dr. that i want to try and run the 5k at work on May 10th for the Shape up the Nation program and he seemed to think that was doable. For sure I can walk it but i want to at least jog. 3.1 miles isn't really that far. I have a few weeks to get ready and I think I can do it.
Other than that life is looking up. Things are getting better everyday and starting to get back to normal. That's all for now but I will be sure to try and update this sometime next week.
See ya
Finally got to start Cardiac Therapy as well. It's great to be able to move and exercise some. I get to spend 15 minutes on a treadmill, walking of course, and 15 minutes on a stationary bike. There are a few other exercises in between. For now it is all pretty moderate but they promise me we will continue to ramp it up. I told the Dr. that i want to try and run the 5k at work on May 10th for the Shape up the Nation program and he seemed to think that was doable. For sure I can walk it but i want to at least jog. 3.1 miles isn't really that far. I have a few weeks to get ready and I think I can do it.
Other than that life is looking up. Things are getting better everyday and starting to get back to normal. That's all for now but I will be sure to try and update this sometime next week.
See ya
Monday, April 12, 2010
Pictures Please
Hey everyone. Some people had been asking to see the pics of me in the hospital so here you go. Fair warning....I look like death in some of these. There not all pretty. Lots of tubes and wires hanging out of me. So if things like this are tough on your stomace you may not want to look ahead. Just remember as bad as some of these look....I'm doing great now. :)
This was pre-op. I was loving the super rad blow up suite they had me wear!
This was me right after surgery. I had more stuff hanging from me than you can imagine. At least by now my hands weren't tied to the bed anymore.
Here's the post-op head shot. My agent loves this one. That yellow thing going into my neck was actually a device that went through my artery directly into my heart to measure the blood pressure inside my heart. CRAZY!
Here's me with the first nurse I had. His name is Darren. He was pretty much rad. Luckily i got to meet him again after my first day in the hospital cause honestly I don't remember ever taking this picture.
Finally they let me eat. I have some super sweet pudding in my left hand there. That was the first food of any kind that I had in the last 16 hours probably. Best pudding ever at that point.
Here I am a few days after surgery. Starting to look a bit more normal with a few less tubes and wires hanging out of me. That's Cat next to me. She is my surgeons head nurse. She kinda runs the show. Don't mess with Cat.
This was pre-op. I was loving the super rad blow up suite they had me wear!
This was me right after surgery. I had more stuff hanging from me than you can imagine. At least by now my hands weren't tied to the bed anymore.
Here's the post-op head shot. My agent loves this one. That yellow thing going into my neck was actually a device that went through my artery directly into my heart to measure the blood pressure inside my heart. CRAZY!
Here's me with the first nurse I had. His name is Darren. He was pretty much rad. Luckily i got to meet him again after my first day in the hospital cause honestly I don't remember ever taking this picture.
Finally they let me eat. I have some super sweet pudding in my left hand there. That was the first food of any kind that I had in the last 16 hours probably. Best pudding ever at that point.
Here I am a few days after surgery. Starting to look a bit more normal with a few less tubes and wires hanging out of me. That's Cat next to me. She is my surgeons head nurse. She kinda runs the show. Don't mess with Cat.Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Been good!! Finally
Hey everyone....sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I think the Dr. appointments have slowed and things have been going well for the first time in a while and there's not a whole lot to talk about.
I had a couple of appointments last week. I met with my surgeon Dr. Luber for the last time. He said everything was looking good and he was happy with my progress. They let me start to drive again as well. I am a free man! It's so nice being able to get out of the house and not just be stuck in front of the TV all day. Besides letting be drive they did take some x-rays of my lungs and there is still some fluid around my left lung but nothing like it was last time. No one really seemed to worried about it. The Dr just wants me to take another x-ray next week to make sure it hasn't become worse.
After I saw Dr. Luber I went to see Dr. Bilnoski, my cardiologist, for a follow up. It was the first time I had seen him since my surgery. He did an EKG and an echo. They wanted to make sure there wasn't any more fluid around my heart, which thank goodness, there wasn't. He also increased the dosage of my beta blocker to try and slow my heart down. My pulse has still been pretty high, which isn't all that uncommon but its not a great thing either.
Other than that things have been going pretty well. Still going to the anti coagulation clinic twice a week trying to get my warfarin levels dialed in. Healing has been going well too. Starting to feel better everyday. There is still some fatigue but that will go away over time. Also I am starting Cardiac Therapy tomorrow. I was supposed to start last week but the hospital canceled on me and rescheduled. The therapy should be good. They will help me get my heart and lungs going again but in a safe and monitored manner. I am looking forward to that!
That's all for now....
I had a couple of appointments last week. I met with my surgeon Dr. Luber for the last time. He said everything was looking good and he was happy with my progress. They let me start to drive again as well. I am a free man! It's so nice being able to get out of the house and not just be stuck in front of the TV all day. Besides letting be drive they did take some x-rays of my lungs and there is still some fluid around my left lung but nothing like it was last time. No one really seemed to worried about it. The Dr just wants me to take another x-ray next week to make sure it hasn't become worse.
After I saw Dr. Luber I went to see Dr. Bilnoski, my cardiologist, for a follow up. It was the first time I had seen him since my surgery. He did an EKG and an echo. They wanted to make sure there wasn't any more fluid around my heart, which thank goodness, there wasn't. He also increased the dosage of my beta blocker to try and slow my heart down. My pulse has still been pretty high, which isn't all that uncommon but its not a great thing either.
Other than that things have been going pretty well. Still going to the anti coagulation clinic twice a week trying to get my warfarin levels dialed in. Healing has been going well too. Starting to feel better everyday. There is still some fatigue but that will go away over time. Also I am starting Cardiac Therapy tomorrow. I was supposed to start last week but the hospital canceled on me and rescheduled. The therapy should be good. They will help me get my heart and lungs going again but in a safe and monitored manner. I am looking forward to that!
That's all for now....
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