Things taking shape

Some early planning...
With the race approx. 80 days away, I pulled out the course map to re-connect with what I've been training for. I hadn't seen this map since I registered, thinking I would focus on training and not get distracted with the event itself.  (Good thing- that's a long ride.) 

Feeling good about my training overall, I thought it might be time to get some of the planning for this trip out of the way.  So it was off to www.orbitz.com where I locked in flights. Leaving NY on July 14th, we will fly to Lyon, France arriving on Friday, the 15th. With the race on the 17th, it gives us almost 2 days to travel a only few hours to the town on Issoire, where it all gets started.  Booked our return from Paris on July 25th, the day after the TdF finale. We booked 2 VIP tickets that allows us access to one of the grandstands along the Champs Elysees to watch the final showdown while the real racers fly around 1/2 dozen to a dozen times.  So, other than the flight there and back, my event and the TdF finale, we have left the remaining 7 days free for travel.  

With that in mind, I put in a call to a French cousin of mine, Marcel (my mom is French, hence the french relatives), who lives in Aix en Provence, an area in the South of France just north of Marseilles. (See the "A" on the map to the left.)  I hadn't seen or talked to Marcel in almost 20 years (I think he must now be 55 or 56?). Once we got on the phone, it was as if we picked up where we left off in our last conversation so many years earlier.  I wanted get his thoughts on where we should visit for the remaining part of the trip.  He's going to provide us with some suggestions, but I think we're going to drive south to Marcel's home and stay with him for a day or 2- all to be firmed up later.  (If you have any suggestions, please send me a note!!)

Healing?
My elbow is going through some weirdness. I thought physical therapy was going really well until almost 2 weeks ago. The Doctor had me stop doing physical therapy for a week or 2 as I was/am having noticeable pain in the elbow- actually, I'd say my elbow feels like it did right before the surgery. Not sure that's normal/abnormal, but I'm hoping that I'm just passing through a phase on to more healing.  We'll see.  Truth be told, it's supposed to be a full 4 months before I'm better so I'm only really a bit over 1/2 way there. Hopefully I'm just jumping the gun and simply need to be patient.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Quentin Field-Boden, the author (and my "virtual" coach) of the training plan I downloaded through www.trainingpeaks.com  (In my last blog, I mentioned that I downloaded a workout plan that was created by a coach specifically for L'Etape.)  Quentin's been extremely helpful and responsive in answering many of my questions. (Click here if you want to read his blog or follow him on twitter.) That's it for now- train hard, eat well, get plenty of rest and most of all, get outside!

L'Etape is back on!

Didn't think I've been gone this long.  Wow. Over the last three or so weeks, I've been focused on my physical therapy and my training. A few last minute travels to the west coast have made keeping to the training plan a bit challenging. Doing the best i can with this.  Since last time I blogged, I've adopted a full-on training plan based on Power (vs. Heart Rate) with the help of a power meter. Until I got into the science behind training with power, I didn't fully understand.  To summarize it really simple- whereas heart rate tells you what your input is, power tells you what you're output is, which is key. With this, you can truly know how much work you're expending in a given workout. This, coupled with an incredible free online software- www.trainingpeaks.com, has really quantified this training thing for me.  (The software was created by the top experts in endurance and strength training.  The science is really amazing.)  Still reading and re-reading the materials in Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggans' "Training and Racing With A Power Meter", considered the bible in this field.  Will report back and post some cool data/graphs in the next month.

You recall me saying how a new client had planned an event that I needed to attend on the same weekend I was to do L'Etape?  Well, the event just got rescheduled two weeks later in July; thus L'Etape is back on!  Trust me, the other event I was going to substitute in- La Marmotte, isn't a joke. Certainly one could say it's a lot more difficult in many respects.  But, I've always wanted to ride a Tour de France stage, and unless things change again, it seems as though I'm getting closer to fulfilling that dream.  Knowing that things/life can change at any moment, I'll keep my head down and keep it all moving forward one step at a time.

Be back soon..... 

Faith can bring you pain- La Marmotte?

Some good news and some not so good news:  First some good-  Late last week I was fortunate enough to land a new client that I've been looking to work with for years. Through patience, a little perseverance and a whole lot of "being in the right place at the right time", it happened.  Who can complain, right?  Now for some not so good news- the first project I'm working on with this new client will probably require me to be in the LA area the day (and night) before my planned L'Etape ride. So, this put a damper into my plans as you might imagine. Not only my ride but our overall July trip to France.  I wasn't complaining (as I was fortunate to land the client and lucky to have problems like this), just a bit deflated.  Of course, my initial thought-  was all of this planning and training going to be for naught? Not a chance.  I decided not to let this change much of my plans. I would just keep training with the faith that another plan would fall into place.

Well, just a couple of days ago I connected with this UK-based touring company who has a cycling trip planned to France a couple of days after when I was to ride L'Etape.  His plan is to ride the infamous "La Marmotte"- one of France's most legendary rides consisting of 174km and over 16,000 feet of climbing- ouch! (Compare this to L'Etape which has 13,000 feet of climbing over 205km). La Marmotte notches up the painfest exponentially.  Oh yea, then there's the difference in altitude.  This route takes you over the alpine passes of Glandon (5964ft), Télégraphe (5150ft), Galibier (8668ft) and Lautaret (6749ft). Not only did I find a replacement trip, but one that knocks the pants off of the other ride. Got a few other things to work out with this itinerary but it's looking promising (I think...)  Extra pain, here I come!  Thanks for reading...

   

Exercise, discipline and affection

This is the first photo after taking my brace off

I borrowed the title to today's blog from Cesar Milan (the infamous "Dog Whisperer") as I found it appropriate.
 
Exercise
This week started my physical therapy, which was great, since it also meant I no longer needed that Robo-brace. I am now not only free, but encouraged by Dr. Altchek, to move it up and down, side to side, and twist the wrist in and out.  What I wasn't prepared for was the new "pain" I started to feel.  While I marvel at the great artistry of the Dr.'s handy work (I wonder how much of the scar will be noticeable in a year's time), I guess I'm just surprised at the level of discomfort I'm feeling internally.   For this week and next, physical therapy ("PT") has been quite boring. Here's what goes on during the whole hour: heating pad, ultrasound, unweighted exercises lifting and twisting my arm and wrist, massage, ice.  I'm not complaining at all, it's just when I was told we were going to start slow, didn't realize this slow!  Given the pain I'm now feeling, I guess it's a good thing we start slow. (I'm quickly reminded at how weak I am when I attempt to open the door or pull on something with my right hand.)

My riding regimen has been getting better now that I've been given the OK to hold on to the handle bar with my right hand (although I can't weight that arm just yet but it sure makes it easier to balance).  Recently I downloaded another great video that's hosted by Robbie Ventura. It's the "Climb" video of the Realrides.tv indoor training DVD/download series.  (Robbie Ventura is a former pro cyclist who was on the Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal Team some years back.  Robbie is also the founder of Vision Quest Coaching, a training and coaching facility in Highland Park, IL.) This video rocks! It's shot with Robbie out on a ride, from many camera angles, with Robbie himself leading the instruction.  It seems like the best series of videos I've yet to discover.  I hope to get a few more in the series (although I've got a 1/2 dozen videos right now, so maybe sometime down the line).

Discipline
I'm trying to become more disciplined in my life. Part of that is understanding what true discipline is. I mean, take this weekend for instance.  Weather in the 40's, sun is out.  What am I doing indoors? There's got to be something I could do outdoors that wouldn't have the potential of re-injuring myself, right? (You don't know how much mind time I can spend thinking about this.) But, like other things in life, I'm learning that when you buy into a "good" plan, you need to be disciplined to keep to that plan in order to get the benefits from it.  Now, the schedule of that plan may not be what I want, but it's what I need. (Reminds me of a famous Rolling Stone song...) I'm simply referring to the decision I made to get surgery, but we could be talking about life, religion, etc., it's all the same. Having discipline, I presume, is to have faith that I'll get exactly what I need and will be blessed with the benefits of having the patience to know that all things come in time. (Not my time but some "larger" time.  Yes, I actually believe that.)  So, for now, I will keep to the Dr.'s plan (i.e., take it slow) and feel grateful for the health I have and the healing and benefits to follow.

Affection
This is, after all, Valentine's Day weekend (even though it's technically tomorrow). I attempted to show a bit of my affection to Melisa, by taking her to Xavier's H20 ON The Hudson, in Yonkers, NY.  I first saw this restaurant on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" TV show. (Truth be told, part of me going to a good restaurant is for selfish reasons; I mean, I going to be there too, no?)  Well, I can happily report back that Xavier's didn't disappoint.  Definitely would give it a thumbs up. The best part of the night was that I actually surprised Melisa on the choice of restaurant. Usually, I can't keep the secret from her. (You would think with 1000's of restaurants in NYC, it would be easy to keep a restaurant selection mum.  But then, I've got lose lips when it comes to keeping things from my wife. It's just the way it is with me.)  Despite this, I was hoping to keep this one to myself.  The tricky part was that if she saw that I was driving, not to the city, but to "Yonkers", she could easily guess where we were going. (I got no beef with Yonkers or the Bronx, it's just that we don't really ever travel there for food.) Luckily for me, I've been telling her for weeks about this review I read that ranked the top pizza places in the U.S., and ranked Zaza Restaurant in Scarsdale, NY, as the highest rated pizza place in all of New York State. (A little geography for you- the southern part of Scarsdale borders the northern part of Yonkers.) As we've never been there, I thought she just might guess we were going to Zaza. (But then I thought, if she guessed we were going to Zaza, what does that say about me, when my wife thinks I'll take her to a pizza place for our Valentine's dinner?)  Anyway, as we were clearly driving towards Yonkers, she said "I think I know where we're going but don't want to ruin it for you". (It was clear she felt bad that she might reveal the place I had tried so hard to keep secret.)  Feeling defeated, I let her know that it was OK for her to confirm where we were going.  She said: pizza?
Happy Valentine's Day....

Not all Cows are alike; New L'Etape DVD and Nerve damage?

Not all cows are alike
I've recently read a book that my old friend Roger bought us as a gift (well, actually, he first attempted to bring us an orchid that unfortunately didn't survive the car ride up from the city, so the book was sent as a replacement).  The book, "The 150 Healthiest Food on Earth" by Jonny Bowden, was a quick read.  Bowden, a respected Nutritionist, basically tells the same tale as my favorite book in this genre of books- "Eat to Live", by Joel Furhman (a MUST have for anyone looking to live a healthier disease free life.  Furhman's the guy that Dr. Oz goes to for nutritional guidance.  I actually once visited Furhman at his medical office in New Jersey.  Nice guy and incredibly knowledgeable on all things related to diet and nutrition).


The one chapter in Bowden's book that I found completely fascinating was the chapter on Dairy. (But for my Achilles heal called Ice Cream, I swore off dairy many years ago.)  As crazy as this may sound, my hypothesis was this- humans are the only animals that consume dairy after the babies grow up.  (I can't think of any other animal that drinks its mother's milk after they're weened.) Thus, I thought that it wasn't natural to consume milk. On top of that, I wasn't into the consistency of milk.  Bowden, a guy who's into raw foods, gets into the benefits of raw, organic, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk from grass-fed cows. As it turns out, the "pasteurization" process destroys, enzymes, vitamins, milk proteins and kills beneficial bacteria and promotes pathogens.  I was amazed at several things: the deficiency of nutrients in grain fed cows (i.e., nearly ALL milk products you purchase in a supermarket come from grain fed cows); and the amount of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics consumed by those cows.  Bowden points out the many benefits to consuming products from cows that are fed grass: beneficial fats like Omega-3's (which are absent from grain fed animals), high quality whey protein, highest quality calcium, conjugated linolenic acid, a healthy fat that has anti-cancer properties, etc.  All this said, I'm putting aside my long-standing hypothesis about milk and it's consumption by adults (and the few dangers that exist in consuming unpasteurized milk products- pregnancy isn't one that I have to worry about) and have decided to add several raw grass-fed dairy products to my diet: raw milk (in place of soy milk for my morning shakes), plain raw yogurt and raw unpasteurized cheeses. Whole Foods Market is great for finding many of these products.  We'll see how it goes but almost 2 weeks into the experiment and I'm feeling good (i.e., bodily functions haven't changed nor has my weight).

L'Etape DVD

This is an image from the DVD

 As for my training, I'd say it was another "good" training week.  For the most part, I kept to the right food choices, more P90X sessions, and more importantly, more time on the bike.  I've found 2 additional videos (one I could download and one that's arriving as a DVD) that will really add to the training time on the stationary bike. The first is from Epic Rides. I downloaded the "Bear Tooth Pass" climbing video. (Bear Tooth Pass is a famous 11,000 ft pass in Wyoming that's absolutely beautiful.)  Great workout. The DVD I'm really waiting to receive is from Cyclefilm.com called L'ETAPE DU TOUR 2011 - THE RECON.  So these guys went out and recorded the actual ride that I will be doing this July, made an instructional/workout video and put it up for sale. (I love the Internet...) How cool that I get to preview my ride? Very.  If you get a chance, click on the link and watch the video. Once I get the DVD and watch it, I'll be sure to post my impressions of the video, and more importantly, the 205km ride that awaits.

Nerve damage?
Since my surgery I've had this odd sensitivity on my elbow (you know, the bone you call the funny bone) and on the back side of the forearm (neither are near the incision area). It's so sensitive that the touch of a shirt provokes a burning sensation on the skin. In addition, a small section of my skin in this area (again, away from the incision area) feels "dull" or numb, as if not all my nerves are firing.  Called the Dr. and he indicated that this "sometimes" happens as there's a nerve that can get damaged or cut during the procedure I had. My condition "usually" goes away, but it can take months.  In the meantime, he's prescribed Lyrica (generic name is Pregabalin).  Here's the official word on what it's used for:

Pregabalin is used to relieve neuropathic pain (pain from damaged nerves) that can occur in your arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, or toes if you have diabetes or in the area of your rash if you have had shingles (a painful rash that occurs after infection with herpes zoster). It is also used to treat fibromyalgia (a long-lasting condition that may cause pain, muscle stiffness and tenderness, tiredness, and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Pregabalin is used with other medications to treat certain types of seizures in people with epilepsy. Pregabalin is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants. It works by decreasing the number of pain signals that are sent out by damaged nerves in the body.

Of the gazillion side effects, the one I like the best is: "Lyrica may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a small number of people, about 1 in 500".  I don't know about you, but 1 in 500 seems like a lot.  How about this one: "If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, do not stop Lyrica without first talking to a healthcare provider."  Are they for real? No suicidal thoughts or actions (or other side effects) just yet, but I've put Melisa suicide watch just in case.

Some midweek thoughts...

What a day. For those of you who don't live in the NYC area, what I would call a "weather" panic hit the area earlier today. I think most of the area received warnings from the local media indicating a crazy snow storm. Result? Office closes early. So, I came home a bit earlier than usual tonight.

Not sure if you're following, but Alberto Contador (yea, the 2010 Tour de France winner last year who had the rivalry with Lance) was suspended from cycling for 1 year, AND, stripped of his 2010 TdF title.  (For the full story, read this: Contador Stripped of TdF Victory).  With cycling being one of the most regulated sports, I'm just completely blown away that anyone would dose.  Then again, I think "who cares"? Is it really any different in any other professional sport? This also gets me thinking about Lance.  Did he dose too? He won, what, 7 TdF titles?  Can someone be that good w/o drugs?  Although he's accused of taking illegal performance enhancing substances, he's never tested positive (to date that is). So does that make him the greatest cheat, or is he simply the greatest cyclist (dare I say athlete) in history? And if he were ever determined to be a doser, then what of Livestrong? 

Training since Saturday has been good. Several P90X sessions: Shoulder and Arms (again), and Ab Ripper X. (Someone posted this video online. To watch, click here- Ab RipperX). Can't say enough about this routine. Tony's the man.  I wish I could do all of the other videos, but can't weight my right arm, thus anything that requires both arms- pushups, pullups, lots of the floor exercises, are a no go. But, in time I'll get back to working all of that into the routine.  2 of my favorite DVDs are Core Synergistics and Plyometrics. I digress....

Cycling this week has been good (so far). I've been using several videos that are absolutely awesome to watch.  The company who produces these videos is http://www.thesufferfest.com/. I've got three of them so far: "Local Hero", "Angels" and "The Hunted".  All offer a bit of a different experience. Definitely make the time pass by quite easy. This weekend I'll stack 2 videos back to back to get a longer workout in. While they aren't perfect, they certainly beat any other video I'm familiar with.  (That includes any of those Spinning workouts you'll find out there.) Let's not get me started on "Spinning" which I've had major issues with for some time. (I'll leave that for another discussion.)

The elbow is actually feeling a bit sore. Maybe cause I've stopped taking meds. But, the wound itself is where I'm feeling it. No surprise I guess. (Suppose I need to remember that when someone takes a scalpel to your arm, it's going to be sore no matter how nice it looks.)  Swelling is really reduced but still have a couple strange deadspots on the back of my elbow (i.e., it feels like certain areas are partiallly numb, like my nerves aren't firing on all cylinders.)  I'll give it another week before I start worrying.  Still wearing my robocop arm brace, which at least lets me wear real dress shirts.  But I kind of like the excuse of wearing short sleeve shirts in the middle of winter.

Finally, I just want to go on record to say I really appreciate my family & friends. Thank you.

Let me leave you with the new recently revealed 2011 Garmin Slipstream Team Jersey.  This is what the team will be racing in this year. You like? Dislike?

Be back soon....

The Sutures come out...

Yesterday was my visit to Dr. Altchek's office where my suture was removed. I had one of the nurses take a couple photos (one before and one after).  In the first image, this is what my elbow looked like after they cut away the partial cast, gauze and ace wrap. A bit swollen, and bruised, but overall better than I thought.  The 2nd photo is after the nurse cleaned up the elbow and removed transparent bandages.  (That blue "string" is the "Suture". If you haven't had surgery before, the suture is basically the thread they use to hold the wound closed.) To my absolute surprise, removing the string/suture was nearly painless.  Gotta give the doctor insane amount of credit, as you can barely tell where the incision line is. (Sure I can feel it.) Hopefully it will heal looking as clean as it does now. (And finally, I get to shower w/o a bag on the arm.) I did ask the nurse to take a photo of Altchek's bike in his office, but I'm told his bike wasn't there, but was home. Oh well.

After that, I was fitted with what I would call the Robo brace. Very cool to look at. Works well too. Essentially, it allows me to move my arm up and down, and allows my wrist to rotate, but it limits the movement b/n 15 and 105 degrees. That's almost a straight arm to just past 90 degrees. Not so bad.  I took a photo of my Robo brace when I got back to the office. Now I can wear real clothes again! Still have to use this contraption (and sleep with it) for the next 3 weeks, at which time I'll start my physical therapy.



































Well, I'm excited to get back to my training program tomorrow, now that I can sweat and not worry about getting the incision wet. Will focus on keeping weight off the right arm, but plan of hitting it hard.

In the meantime, wishing you all success in achieving your training and nutrition goals. If you don't have any, now's a great time to start. Nothing major, just simple baby steps works best.....  Supplement recommendations for this week? Astaxanthin and high quality medical grade Omega 3 Fish Oil.  (I take 2 types- Omega XL, and Carlson's.) Go google it. Absolutely has changed my life. Be back soon....