As an "English American," I was surprised to be so pleased to have the American flag against my name in these race results, but America has been extremely generous to me. You have to work to enjoy this country, but with a little luck you have a chance to do well. In a way, I feel both American and English. I came in after the 8:30 cutoff, but the race officials insisted on giving me a medal. Maybe this is ... Read more
Notes on Peripheral Arterial Disease Running Progress: No Socks No Corns
Foot corns (local hyperkeratosis due to friction and/or pressure) don't look like much, but they are hell to run on. I struggled to fix those corns through running technique, which helped a little, then, for unrelated reasons (wet gear) I tried no socks, and those corns melted away in a week. Damn those corns hurt like crap, making the run hell, and now I had another problem to deal with. Corns. A brand new ... Read more
Masks, Bikes, Nose Clips, and Running With Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
FitOldDog wearing a "Surgical Loop 3-Ply Face Mask," in the middle of the night due to pollen allergy waking him up. This blog post is a bit of a miscellany. Just what popped into my head. What do face masks, bikes and nose clips have in common? THE IMPORTANCE OF FIT! MASKS: If your mask doesn't fit, it really doesn't matter what type of mask you wear, and how great its filtration, because fluids flowing ... Read more
Bike Skills Pay Dividends, Fortunately!
This image shows the stats for a training level assessment ride I completed with one of my major triathlon supporters and fellow athlete, Tracey. The goal was a slow build over a period of two hours on the bike on a one-mile loop. Easy rollers, much like our upcoming race, White Lake Half Ironman. Tracey is younger, fitter, and stronger than I, but I noticed her slowly dropping back. This made me wonder why, so I ... Read more
Peripheral Arterial Disease and Penguin Feet: Never Stop Experimenting to Encourage Blood Flow
I was struggling along on a run fighting off peripheral arterial disease claudication using the methods in my book, plus another couple of tricks, when I thought of penguin feet. I'm a life-long scientist, and my mind is always doing stuff like that. "Penguin feet?" you might be thinking. The connection is readily apparent, if you have an interest in countercurrent flow systems, and a desire to encourage blood ... Read more
Training for Aging is a Journey, Not a Destination
You can use your fingers to help your toes, as you train for aging and fight peripheral arterial disease. Aging is truly the toughest endurance sport. For me it has become a way of life, even though we train for aging our whole lives. Most importantly, it's never too late to start. I qualified for the 2023 World Half Ironman Championships this year by the skin of my teeth. On race day in August I will have just ... Read more
Peripheral Arterial Disease Training and Treadmills
Treadmills have their place, but they are no substitute for the road or the track, when growing collaterals using Peripheral Arterial Disease Training. I recently published a book on fighting peripheral arterial disease, but I wanted to emphasize several observations that are helping my battle, as I train for a couple of half Ironman races that are coming up. (1) When doing peripheral arterial disease training ... Read more
Why I Write
Galaxy is a lovely creature. Eleven years ago, I was sitting alone in a high-rise hotel room, in Barcelona, Spain. I was on the way to visit my mother, who lived south of there, one train stop, and two bus rides away, in Torre Vieja. It was no ordinary visit. I was now living with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stent graft, and had been for about six weeks. My life had changed. What's to do? After ... Read more
Recent Comments