Hi folks, As an aging Ironman triathlete, I find that I have to work increasingly on flexibility and injury control. This isn't really a matter of increased time so much as increased consistency. I have also noticed that when I have a tight muscle somewhere, the problem generally originates somewhere other than the site of my symptoms. A good example is my intermittently tight calves. As often as ... Read more
Endurance Race Recovery And Context As The Wallpaper Of Life
"In JKD [Jeet Kune Do], one does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity." Bruce Lee. "Any effort that has self-glorification as its final endpoint is bound to end in disaster." by Robert M. Pirsig, from The Painter's Keys. "If you could wish for one athletic-enhancing gene it should be the one that ... Read more
Grief Is An Interesting Phenomenon And One That You Will Encounter So Be Prepared If You Can
"A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that might encourage the prosperity of his family for years to come. It could be something the family would cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies." The rich man was angry when he saw the master's work. "I asked you to write something down that could bring happiness and ... Read more
FitOldDog’s Advice Is To Enjoy The Simple Pleasures Of Life Like Cooking Your Own Food On The Road
Hi folks, The real joy of endurance sports is the food. You can eat pretty well whatever you like much of the time, but what you tend to like is healthy food. I love to cook out of the back of my truck, buying food at farm stalls along the way. People who don't train regularly have no idea how great the food tastes after a hard workout. Of course, you have to use some restraint at certain times, one of ... Read more
Life After Abdominal Aortic Surgery: Two Years On And Two Days Before The Lake Placid Ironman Race 2012
Hi folks, The Lake Placid Ironman is a delightful trip down memory lane for me. Each time I return and continue my work towards qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman, which is not my prime motive, I always meet new and interesting people. My real reason, however, for repeatedly undertaking this somewhat challenging race is that it motivates me to push my training limits to a healthy level. And I do ... Read more
Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls Just Fail Better Instead By Doing Something
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Samuel Beckett, cited by a student of Tim Ferriss, in 'The 4-Hour Work Week.' Hi folks, It is great to be back in Lake Placid for the 2012 Ironman race, having survived abdominal aortic surgery. It was in 2010 that this Ironman race saved my life from a huge aortic aneurysm, of which I was blithely unaware at the time. So I ... Read more
Stress And The Older Endurance Athlete Or Just Older People In General
"Unbeknownst to most fun-loving bipeds, not all stress is bad." Tim Ferriss, 'The 4-Hour Work Week'. Hi folks, As I study other people, who, in large part, I have ignored most of my life, hiding happily in a research laboratory having great fun, making mucus movies and the like, I find that I am learning more about myself than I am about them. The trick is to open your mind to who you really ... Read more
Hopes, Dreams, Worry, Sleep, And The Joy Of Fresh Peaches with Hoop Cheese At Three AM In New Jersey
Hi folks, Books and peaches seem to have something in common, in that sometimes they have to ripen before they are really digestible. There are three books that took a while to grow on me, and now I refer to them all the time. They are like the peaches that I bought at a farm stall three or four days ago, at which time they were as hard as bullets. I was assured by the farmer, who also made the hoop ... Read more
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